Category Archives: Spatial IT/GIS
Virtual Cities Are Rising
Cutting-edge 3D city models lead the way to better urban planning via digital simulation Take a peek at Helsinki’s virtual 3D city model and what might at first seem to be just rows of solid objects soon reveal themselves as handsome blocks of buildings that line gridiron streets. This is the digital doppelganger of Finland’s...
Embracing the Drone Revolution
Surveyor business models changing in the BVLOS era Over the past few months, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), working with the drone industry, academia, and general aviation membership organizations such as AOPA (www.aopa.org) and NBAA (www.nbaa.org), has been able to advance the cause of uncrewed flights beyond visual line of sight of the operator (BVLOS). ...
Refining Measurement
A land surveyor unpacks the concept of accuracy “Accuracy is addictive,” my friend David Doyle once said. Doyle is a geodesist by trade. For someone in his line of work, this addiction has a rich tradition. Geodesy is the study of Earth’s shape, rotation, and gravity field. The discipline involves an eternal quest to refine...
Upgrading GIS for a Better 911
The complex system of emergency call routing and critical location data delivery is getting a makeover Minutes can make a difference between life and death for 911 callers. A quick response with suitable equipment and knowledgeable personnel is the goal of 911 call centers across the country. However, managing calls and texts from mobile phones...
Repositioning GIS
The technology that will drive the next era Esri calls GIS the nervous system of the planet, a platform relevant to almost every human endeavor. It’s a way to display, manipulate, and analyze geospatial data—and that ability is ever changing and expanding across industries. GIS technology allows us to derive location intelligence from spatial and...
Every Drop Counts
With help from GIS, these five megacities are future-proofing their water infrastructures so that sufficient water supply will no longer be a pipe dream. Megacities are a thirsty lot. These large and overpopulated metropolises have greater than 10 million inhabitants who consume more water than what their reservoirs can supply. Water shortages are commonplace, and...
