PERSPECTIVES
How will real-time inputs, and the increasing number of sensors, impact the geospatial industry?
For decades the lack of geospatial data was a barrier to geographic information system expansion and adoption. While obtaining high-quality spatial data continues to be a challenge, the problems of a lack of available data has quickly turned into the need to manage a glut of information. With the number of sensors and platforms growing exponentially, the data deluge will only increase in pace.
FEATURES
Discovering the Next Dimension: How LiDAR Data is Changing the Geospatial Workflow
Today, geospatial data is used in critical decision making across industries and applications – from disaster response to defense and intelligence and natural resource management. When using geospatial data to make critical decisions, it is increasingly important to understand an area of interest from all angles in order to make the most informed decisions possible.
Mapping Carbon in the Forests: Seeing Both the Forest and the Trees
The effects of deforestation are often dramatic. Forest carbon stores can drop from 300 tons per hectare to 20 tons per hectare. Deforestation in the tropics alone is equal to all of the transportation sources of carbon dioxide globally combined. Conversely, if forests are managed productively forests can be used to take carbon out of the atmosphere.
TOP 5 LINKS OF THE WEEK
- Gfg2 – aims to establish GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) for interdisciplinary observation of the Earth and its environment
- Trains of Data – an MIT Senseable City Lab project regarding the movement of people on France’s high speed railway system
- Shape the Future of the U.S. Geological Survey
- Storm – an object-relational mapper
- NeoGeo Vocabulary – a shared vocabulary for sharing geospatial data
Reader’s Links(submit links to top5vector1media.com)
INTERVIEWS
UrtheCast Promises a Live Video Feed of Earth from Space
UrtheCast is a company created to provide the first live high-definition video feed of Earth from space. Working jointly with Russian aerospace giant RSC Energia, the company is building, launching, installing, and operating two cameras on the Russian module of the International Space Station. Special correspondent Matteo Luccio spoke with Wade Larson, co-founder and chief technology officer (CTO) and Dr. George Tyc, chief technology advisor, UrtheCast about the company’s technology, business model and applications.
A Data Commons for Spatio-Temporal Knowledge About Our World
Now that we’ve achieved near global digital spatial data coverage, with a number of online tools to explore the world, it’s time to add to that data with further understanding. One tool to take on this challenge is MapStory, a new data commons to store and explore details about our world that adds a time component through the breadth of geologic time. Matt Ball spoke recently with Chris Tucker, chairman and CEO of the non-profit MapStory Foundation, about the vision, goals and benefits of this open, open, open platform.
EVENT COVERAGE
Hexagon Sets a Path for Deep Spatial Technology Integration
The Hexagon 2012 conference took place last week in Las Vegas with 3,031 people from various industries, including utilities, communications, public service, automotive, plant, marine, government, security, and more. Attendees came from 76 countries, included 60 sponsors, with 400+ sessions that amounted to 29,000 hours of education. This second annual event provided an updated on geospatial technology integration, with announcements from Leica Geosystems and Intergraph, that demonstrate a deeper integration between diverse technology offerings.
