GPS World

Tag: Boundless

  • Planet’s breadloaf-sized satellites capture Earth surface

    Planet (formerly Planet Labs) has put about 300 satellites into space, in charge of photographing the entire land mass of the Earth every day.

    The satellites weigh 5 kg (12 pounds) and measure 20 x 20 x 44 centimeters, about the size of a loaf of bread. They are packed with commercial-off-the-shelf electronics and are built in downtown San Francisco. Mission control consists of a single engineer for dozens of satellites.

    Aptly named “doves,” the satellites circle the Earth in 90 minutes, their cameras continuously rolling. “It gives you a perspective of the planet as a dynamic and evolving thing that we need to take care of,” said company co-founder Will Marshall.

    Each day, the satellites transmit 1.2 million images at a spatial resolution of 3–5 meters, far more than enough to fully occupy all the analysts at the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA), one of Planet’s more than 200 customers.

    Historically, the NGA has relied on three or four very large, very expensive — and to global adversaries, very predictable — spy satellites. The agency has found Planet’s approach intriguing and challenging.

    Planet has devised computer algorithms to look for new features day to day, such as roads or buildings th

    at may signal activity of a significant or nefarious sort. Other customer uses are more mundane, such as agricultural companies monitoring crop health.

    Boundless. In December 2018, Planet entered into an agreement to acquire Boundless Spatial Inc., a St. Louis-based geospatial software solutions company, to further support its commercial business with the U.S. government and agricultural clients.

  • Boundless partners with United Nations on UN Open GIS Initiative

    BoundlessLogo: UN Open GIS Initiative is partnering with the United Nations (UN) to support the UN Open GIS Initiative, which aids UN operations around the world with open source geospatial software and services.

    According to Boundless, using its technology, the UN can leverage a hybrid architecture approach and maintain interoperability with existing software systems to maximize the value of its open technology and open data in global peacekeeping and other UN operations.

    The UN Open GIS Initiative aims to identify and develop open source geospatial software and services that meet the requirements of UN operations, taking full advantage of the expertise of mission partners including member states, technology contributing countries, international organizations, academia, non-governmental organizations and the private sector.

    The scope of the initiative covers software development for the entire lifecycle of geospatial information at the enterprise level, from data collection, management and sharing to geospatial analysis and web and mobile applications. The initiative also focuses on the technology’s sustainability and eventual transfer from the UN to other potential user groups and developing countries.

    “Boundless is honored to be a critical part of the UN Open GIS Initiative, and proud to see the real-world impact our open source software and technology is supporting for UN peacekeeping operations around the world,” said Anthony Calamito, chief geospatial officer at Boundless. “The ability to use Boundless in a hybrid architecture enables the organization to share freely with other UN operational partners and nations and interoperate with existing technologies already in use. It enables rapid innovation and prevents single vendor lock-in.”

    The UN deployed Boundless’ technology after nearly two years of planning and development and a successful demonstration in a simulated UN field operational environment. In addition to providing technological support for the UN Open GIS Initiative, Boundless is also a sponsor of the OSGeo UN Committee Educational Challenge, a program focused on developing open geospatial educational material for the initiative.

  • Boundless partners with global special forces foundation

    Boundless has partnered with the Global SOF Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that aims to build and grow an international Special Operations Forces (SOF) network of military, government, commercial and educational stakeholders.

    The foundation fosters SOF objectives and partnerships to confront both global and networked threats.

    SOF_Logo“We’re honored to partner with an organization that supports national and international Armed Forces in such an important way,” said Andy Dearing, CEO of Boundless. “The work conducted by Global SOF plays an integral part in safeguarding national security and supporting critical decision-making; two initiatives that we’re proud to stand behind.”

    The Global SOF Foundation aids the support and growth of the international SOF network. Besides working with its partners to promote SOF capabilities, it contributes to the unification of the SOF community through a variety of annual convening forums.

    The foundation also informs national security policy to ensure the proper development, sustainment and resourcing of SOF.

    “We are thrilled to have Boundless on board,” said Stu Bradin, president and CEO of the Global SOF Foundation and U.S. Army Special Forces colonel (ret.). “They were recommended to us by one of our long-term partners, so we know they are the real deal. We are excited to see what they can bring to the international SOF community.”

    Boundless offers a complete open GIS solution through a unique combination of technology, products and experts, to give enterprises deeper intelligence and insights into their location-based data. The Boundless platform is built upon open source technology and open APIs that generate actionable location intelligence across third-party apps, content services and plugins for enterprise applications.

  • Boundless partners with Mapbox on mapping platform

    Boundless, an open source geographic information systems (GIS) company, has announced a new partnership with Mapbox, a real-time location and mapping platform for developers.

    The partnership enables developers to build applications that help people move through cities and understand their world better by giving Boundless users access to premium basemap content from Mapbox using Boundless Connect subscription service.

    Additionally, Boundless has released a new version of its Desktop GIS software, which — along with Boundless Connect — was first introduced in November 2016. Boundless Desktop 1.1 includes increased support for PKI authentication, new options for styling, new image discovery and terrain analysis toolbars, in addition to Mapbox basemaps. Users can quickly search through an image library and discover image scenes based on location, cloud cover, acquisition date and more.

    New Partnership

    “This announcement signifies the massive growth and capabilities of Boundless Connect and accelerates the movement towards open GIS software and developer tools by expanding access to important content like Mapbox’s datasets and gorgeous maps,” said Andy Dearing, CEO of Boundless. “Partnering with Mapbox has been phenomenal and will only add value to our users. Making this data and content easily accessible through the Boundless ecosystem allows for significant productivity gains and unparalleled flexibility to our customers.”

    Today, Boundless Desktop users can easily access this content through the Boundless Connect plugin. Mapbox content is also accessible through Boundless Suite and Exchange subscriptions. These basemaps include:

    • Mapbox Streets: A comprehensive, general-purpose basemap used for styling transit networks
    • Mapbox Outdoors: A basemap with curated tilesets and specialized styling tailored for adventurous use cases such as hiking or biking
    • Mapbox Light & Dark: A subtle, full-featured basemap that provides geographic context while highlighting data
    • Mapbox Satellite: A full global basemap, perfect as a blank canvas or overlay
    • Mapbox Satellite Streets: Combines Mapbox Satellite with vector data from Mapbox Streets, providing a comprehensive set of road, label and POI information; bringing greater clarity and context to the crisp detail in high-resolution satellite imagery
    • Additional premium services for routing, geocoding and more will be available in the near future.

    “This partnership just makes sense. Mapbox and Boundless share a mission: helping developers build amazing applications that change the way people move and understand their world,” said Matt Irwin, head of strategic partnerships at Mapbox. “Boundless’s open, flexible platform pairs perfectly with Mapbox’s live-updating, customizable maps. The Boundless community now has tools and content, all in one place. We’re excited to see what they build!”

    Boundless Desktop 1.1 Release

    The Boundless Desktop 1.1. update includes increased support for PKI authentication, new options for styling, new image discovery and terrain analysis toolbars, and access to Mapbox basemaps.

    Boundless Desktop is a cross-platform desktop GIS built upon proven open source software. Its ecosystem consists of more than 600 plugins that make working with geospatial data simpler.

    The release of Boundless Desktop 1.1 signifies the company’s ongoing commitment to creating the world’s premier open GIS ecosystem. Boundless aims to continually provide customers with improvements and updates that make open GIS a viable and preferred alternative to proprietary GIS software.

    Key features include:

    • Access to premium basemap content from Mapbox made possible through a new partnership with Mapbox.
    • Improved support for terrain analysis through a new toolbar that exposes common analysis techniques in a single location.
    • Increased support for imagery with a new image discovery plugin. This feature enables users to conduct a quick search through image libraries and discover image scenes based on location, cloud cover, acquisition date and more.

    “Boundless continues to evolve its ecosystem of open GIS software with each release,” said Anthony Calamito, VP of product at Boundless. “Boundless Desktop 1.1 includes enhancements designed to make working with Desktop GIS easier for all. Access to premium basemaps, increased image capabilities and easy access to analysis tools were added in direct response to customer feedback. We encourage customers to submit their feedback to our Ideas Portal, so that we can continue to deliver software that meets the needs of our user base.”

    Boundless offers a complete open GIS solution through a unique combination of technology, products and experts, to give enterprises deeper intelligence and insights into their location-based data. The Boundless platform is built upon open-source technology and open APIs that generate actionable location intelligence across third-party apps, content services and plugins for enterprise applications.

  • Boundless Suite 4.10 streamlines mapping with open GIS

    Boundless has released Boundless Suite 4.10, designed to streamline the creation of maps and applications using open GIS.

    The company also released a new Boundless software development kit (SDK) and contributions to the community release of GeoServer 2.11.

    The company also entered a strategic partnership with geospatial intelligence firm Spatial Networks Inc. to bring software and data solutions to government and defense customers worldwide. SNI and Boundless are delivering the capability to quickly support users locked into proprietary software architectures with limited abilities to connect to third-party data sources.

    The SNI and Boundless teams will be at the GEOINT Symposium (Booths 731 and 961) June 3-6 to highlight this partnership.

    Boundless Suite 4.10 includes enhancements designed to make working with open GIS easier. Users now have all the necessary installation files, tools, extensions and premium support options needed to ensure a successful deployment of open GIS.

    Unlike proprietary solutions, Boundless Suite 4.10 offers flexibility and scalability, without complicated and costly licensing models, enabling organizations to scale up or out freely without being penalized.

    Features of the new release

    • Support on the CentOS 7 operating system, giving users outside of the Windows ecosystem access to the most comprehensive open GIS solution.
    • Leverage modern symbology styles with Mapbox Styles, a modern way to style data that is designed to work across the entire Boundless product platform. This update lets users style applications quickly and consistently across desktop, web and mobile.
    • Designed to work in modern IT architectures, including virtual machines, elastic DevOps architectures and the cloud, allowing customers to maximize their GIS investment and lower total ownership costs.

    “Boundless Suite 4.10 represents our continued commitment to releasing quality geospatial software on a regular basis,” said Anthony Calamito, VP of product at Boundless. “The new capabilities in Suite 4.10 make publishing spatial data easier, make it accessible on more operating systems and enable the simplified styling of data across the Boundless ecosystem.”

    Boundless SDK. Boundless’ new SDK ships with Boundless Suite 4.10. It enables users to easily create web mapping applications that leverage the OpenLayers 3 library, using the React framework.

    The SDK additionally powers the web application builder in Boundless Desktop, which allows users to quickly create quality applications without writing any code.

    GeoServer 2.11. Boundless Suite 4.10 ships with GeoServer 2.11, which has been updated to include improved loading and OGC request times for large installations, making it possible to manage tens of thousands of layers in GeoServer with minimum load times.

    GeoServer 2.11 comes with increased EPSG support and improved identification and handling of obscure .prj files and directories of shapefiles. These new updates greatly decrease the load time for shapefiles, and allow GeoServer to better support data from ArcGIS.

    The Boundless open GIS platform includes Connect, Desktop, Exchange and Suite.

  • Boundless partners with Planet to expand image access

    Boundless, an open GIS company, has announced a strategic partnership with Planet, the integrated aerospace and data-analytics company that operates history’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. The partnership enables Boundless customers to access the massive library of high-quality Planet imagery and fast-loading imagery basemaps within Boundless Connect.

    Starting today, Boundless Desktop users can access this content through the Boundless Connect plugin. Planet content is also accessible through Boundless Suite and Exchange subscriptions.

    “This partnership significantly advances the content available through Boundless Connect, and expands our ability to provide high-quality imagery to Boundless users,” said Anthony Calamito, vice president of product for Boundless. “This represents a major step forward in providing our growing user base with valuable insights through Planet’s content. We are excited about this partnership and all the capabilities that will be delivered to our users, now and in the future.”

    A Planet image of Bingham Canyon Mine, Salt Lake County, Utah, taken March 10, 2013.
    A Planet image of Bingham Canyon Mine, Salt Lake County, Utah, taken March 10, 2013.

    The partnership with Planet will provide access to:

    • Basemaps – Automated basemaps optimized for clear seasonal coverage, completeness and visual quality, perfect for map backdrops. In addition, quarterly or monthly timelapse basemaps gives users access to the latest imagery.
    • Image Tiles from PlanetScope – 4-band (RGB and NIR) imagery for visual or analytic use.
    • Image Tiles from RapidEye – 5-band (RGB, NIR, and Red Edge) imagery for visual and analytic use.

    “This partnership is a huge step forward in delivering the most extensive and up-to-date satellite imagery catalog and basemaps to the broader geospatial community,” said Alex Bakir, vice president of product marketing for Planet. “Boundless’ open, flexible platform pairs perfectly with Planet’s data and platform services, and gives Boundless users the tools and content needed to integrate seamlessly into their workflows. We are very excited to be working with Boundless and look forward to what is to come.”

    Boundless-Planet-3-W

    Boundless offers an open GIS ecosystem through a combination of technology, products and experts that gives enterprises deeper intelligence and insights using location-based data.

    The Boundless platform is built upon open source technology and open APIs that generate actionable location intelligence across third-party apps, content services and plugins for enterprise applications.

    In November 2016, the company extended its proven GIS platform with Boundless Connect, a subscription service to the most comprehensive repository of GIS resources, and Boundless Desktop, a full-featured, professional desktop GIS, bringing a powerful ecosystem of geospatial knowledge, tools and resources to the enterprise.

  • NGA awards Boundless $36 million contract for GEOINT services

    Boundless Desktop is a native, cross-platform desktop GIS built upon open-source software.
    Boundless Desktop is a native, cross-platform desktop GIS built upon open-source software.

    Boundless has been awarded a $36 million contract by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the primary source of GEOINT for the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Intelligence Community.

    The new contract supports NGA GEOINT Services and purchases services required to package, deliver, maintain and patch accredited open-source geospatial software packages.

    NGA delivers geospatial intelligence, or GEOINT, that provides a decisive advantage to warfighters, policymakers, intelligence professionals and first responders. Both an intelligence agency and combat support agency, NGA fulfills the president’s national security priorities in partnership with the intelligence community and the Department of Defense.

    NGA also is the lead federal agency for GEOINT and manages a global consortium of more than 400 commercial and government relationships.

    Boundless offers an open GIS ecosystem through a combination of technology, products and experts that gives enterprises deeper intelligence and insights using location-based data. The Boundless platform is built upon open source technology and open APIs that generate actionable location intelligence across third-party apps, content services and plugins for enterprise applications.

    In November 2016, the company extended its GIS platform with Boundless Connect, a subscription service to a comprehensive repository of GIS data, and Boundless Desktop, a full-featured, professional desktop GIS.

    “It is great to see an organization like NGA adopting open source GIS,” said Andy Dearing, CEO of Boundless. “So many organizations are quickly realizing the power and flexibility of open source and the value that Boundless brings to market. This announcement further demonstrates the NGA’s commitment to Boundless and we are excited to continue our work with the agency.”

  • Open-source GIS for agriculture focus of webinar

    A webinar next week will focus on the benefits of open-source geographic information systems (GIS) for the agriculture industry, led by Boundless and featuring Monsanto Company.

    “Using Open Source to Help Feed the World” will be held Jan. 31 at 11:00 a.m. PT / 2 p.m. ET, hosted by
    Andy Dearing, CEO of Boundless, and featuring Martin P. Mendez-Costabel, Geospatial Big Data Engineering and Strategy Lead of Monsanto.

    In the free webinar, attendees will learn how to unlock their geospatial data with open GIS solutions to gain major business benefits. The webinar will offer insights into how to combine a GIS ecosystem with a scalable open system, best practices in system deployment and rising trends in open GIS systems.

    Register here.

  • Boundless introduces open GIS enterprise platform

    desktop-boundlessBoundless has introduced an open GIS “ecosystem” to unlock the business intelligence of location-based data.

    In response to market demand for more open and scalable GIS solutions, the company extended its proven GIS platform with Boundless Connect, a subscription service to the most comprehensive repository of GIS data, and Boundless Desktop, a full-featured, professional desktop GIS, bringing a powerful ecosystem of geospatial knowledge, tools and resources to the enterprise.

    “With the launch of Boundless Connect and Boundless Desktop, we have taken a major step forward in delivering the most complete, commercially supported open GIS platform,” said Andy Dearing, CEO of Boundless. “As the need for an alternative to costly, closed GIS systems grows, Boundless is proud to partner with the open source community to provide new tools and open solutions that foster growth of the largest repository of the world’s geospatial knowledge and resources.”

    Boundless offers an open GIS ecosystem through a combination of technology, products and experts that gives enterprises deeper intelligence and insights using location-based data. The Boundless platform is built upon open source technology and open APIs that generate actionable location intelligence across third-party apps, content services and plugins for enterprise applications.

    Eighty percent of today’s data includes a location component. Unlike proprietary, licensed solutions that are prohibitively expensive for the growing volume of geospatial data, Boundless wants to make the world of geospatial data available to any user. Boundless is open by design, immediately scalable and license-free, making it easy for developers, GIS and business analysts to access location-based data in a cloud-based GIS platform.

    Key features and benefits of the Boundless open GIS platform include:

    • The most comprehensive product line of commercially supported open GIS products including Desktop, Suite and Exchange.
    • Boundless Connect delivers an ecosystem of geospatial tools, content and services to the open source community.
    • Boundless combines 14 years of open source expertise with GIS resources including consulting, training and support.

    Boundless is operational in government and commercial environments, with customers including National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Port of Seattle, Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals and TriMet, among others.

     

  • Harris collaborates with Boundless for open-source geospatial technology

     

    HarrisBoundless_PRpic-W

    Harris Corporation has expanded a collaboration with Boundless to further extend its capabilities in open-source geospatial technology. This partnership makes it easier and more cost-effective for customers to access, manage and share the huge amount of location-based data available from devices, sensors and satellites, the companies said.

    Most recently, Harris has developed a geospatial data warehouse called One Object One Time (1O1T), which eliminates redundant data and stores the most current representation of geospatial objects such as a lighthouse or communications tower. This capability ensures data currency and significantly reduces the time required for processing and delivering content and products compared with traditional methods.

    Harris is using 1O1T to provide content management services and create high-quality data and products for use by a wide variety of government and commercial customers.

    Boundless’ OpenGeo Suite is an open-source enterprise geospatial software bundle. It expands Harris’ existing offerings like 1O1T. Boundless experts support and consult around the implementation of OpenGeo Suite components including GeoServer, PostGIS, Open Layers and QGIS.

    “We like Boundless’ savvy and nimble approach to providing open-source geospatial software and services,” said Tim Ellis, director of Harris’ IntelliEarth geospatial business. “This is a very productive collaboration for both companies and most important, our customers.”

    “Harris provides top-notch, responsive products for some of the most important geospatial initiatives in the world,” said Boundless CEO Andy Dearing. “Together, we are extending the possibilities of the open-source geospatial platform.”

  • Smart cities, small imaging satellites anticipated for 2016

    Smart cities, hybrid architecture, and flocks of small imaging satellites are among the trends predicted for 2016, according to a blog by Boundless, which develops software for enterprise spatial IT applications.

    Earth imaging satellites: “Gone are the days of waiting 7-10 days for a satellite to revisit and collect a new image over a location on Earth. Today, flocks of small, inexpensive satellites are now imaging the entire earth many times each day.” Both DARPA and NASA are planning on launching more imaging satellites. Fortune magazine discusses the trend in a recent article, and a new conference is devoted to them.

    Hybrid architecture: “While open source continues to gain momentum, many organizations still leverage their investment in proprietary software and systems,” writes . “Building a hybrid platform can help an organization reduce risk and add value by avoiding single vendor lock-in, reducing costs associated with licensing, and promoting interoperability with existing software.”

    Other trends outlined by Calamito include streaming data and the Internet of Things, which is leading to “smart cities” — “cities and their governments who have maximized data collection, data mining, and data-driven analytics for the betterment of their constituents,” Calamito writes. “Forbes magazine believes ‘smart city’ is a term we are going to be hearing a lot more of in the coming years as it’s thought that by 2020 we will be spending $400 billion a year building them.”

    Read the full blog here.

    IBM is working on with the City of Boston on smart city projects too solve long-standing urban challenges. (Credit: IBM)
    IBM is working on with the City of Boston on smart city projects too solve long-standing urban challenges. (Credit: IBM)

  • Boundless Uses GIS Imagery to Search for MH370 Debris

    MH370-Boundless

    Geospatial experts at Boundless, a geospatial IT company, discuss how GIS imagery can help find debris from missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.

    The blog post Georeferencing Imagery in the Hunt for MH370 takes the complicated location of debris from MH370, and puts it through the open-source software used by Boundless to overlay two major ocean currents, the South Equatorial Current, and the West Australian Current. Prevailing winds graphics and additional vector data of the MH370 search areas and potential flight path are also included.

    “While we wait for additional information regarding the missing Boeing 777, I wanted to examine if GIS could add plausibility that debris may have washed up this far west from the original search areas,” writes Anthony Calamito, solutions architect with Boundless. A piece of a wing known as a flaperon from a Boeing 777 was found on Reunion Island, thousands of miles from the plane’s flight path and official search area. No other Boeing 777 airplanes are missing. Flight MH370 vanished on March 8 last year with 239 passengers and crew.

    Boundless says in the post that the georeferenced and digitized graphics illustrate how the debris could have washed on shore as the surface currents rotating around the Indian Ocean Gyre could have moved the debris in a general western direction.

    According to Boundless, this is an example of how geospatial solutions can use existing data and intelligence to produce answers when none seem to be forthcoming, as it’s been during the search for MH370.

    Read the full blog post here.