GPS World

Tag: Esri User Conference

  • An overview of GPS/GNSS shows canceled or postponed because of COVID-19

    GPS/GNSS-related trade shows and conferences have been canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus pandemic. Below is an overview of these shows so far, starting with the most recent updates.

    AUVSI Xponential 2020: Virtual

    AUVSI Xponential 2020 logo

    The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) decided to convert AUVSI Xponential 2020 to a virtual event. It will still take place Oct. 5-8.

    Xponential 2020 was originally scheduled to take place May 4-7 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. It was then rescheduled to take place Oct. 5-8 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas.

    “While we are disappointed to not be convening in person this year, the health and safety of Xponential exhibitors and attendees is our utmost priority,” Wynne said. “It may not look like the Xponential we are used to, but we look forward to offering attendees the opportunity to virtually network, learn from and collaborate with one another just as they have in years past.”

    Logo: ION JNC

    ION 2020 Joint Navigation Conference: Canceled

    The Institute of Navigation (ION) canceled its 2020 Joint Navigation Conference, which was scheduled to take place Sept. 8-11 in Covington, Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio.

    According to show organizers, the decision was made because of COVID-19 and the current U.S. Department of Defense and government travel restrictions that are limiting travel.

    ION JNC 2021 will be held June 7-10 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, Kentucky/Cincinnati, Ohio, with the classified session hosted at the Air Force Institute of Technology.

    Logo: ITSF Online

    ITSF 2020: Virtual

    The International Timing and Sync Forum (ITSF) is a time and synchronization conference and exhibition showcasing solutions for 4G/5G, finance, broadcast, automotive, smart grids, IoT, distributed datacenters, transport and defense. The 2020 event will be held virtually Nov. 3-5.

    “In the light of the current global situation, we are please to announce that ITSF 2020 will now be a fully virtual event — #ITSFOnline,” show organizers said.

    TU-Automotive: Virtual

    TU-Automotive will be held Aug. 18-20 in a virtual format.

    “After continuously reviewing the best ways to serve the Automotive community, we are thrilled to announce the launch of the Virtual edition of TU-Automotive Detroit, ADAS & Autonomous Vehicles, WardsAuto Interiors Conference and WardsAuto UX Conference,” show organizers said.

    The virtual event will feature keynotes, conference tracks, workshops, roundtables and working groups.

    Logo: Commercial UAV Expo Americas

    Commercial UAV Expos (America and Europe): Virtual

    Commercial UAV Expo Americas 2020 is going virtual, according to event organizer Diversified Communications. The event is slated to take place Sept. 15-17.

    “Due to ongoing health and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, members of the commercial drone community we serve have made it clear that it would be impossible to hold the live event as originally planned. In the interests of ensuring our community still has an opportunity learn from and connect with each other, we have reimagined Commercial UAV Expo Americas as a fully virtual event taking place September 15-17, 2020,” said Lisa Murray, group director at Diversified Communications, organizer of Commercial UAV Expo Americas.

    Commercial UAV Expo Europe also will take place as a virtual event Dec. 1-3.

    “Due to ongoing concerns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, and for the health and safety of the members of the commercial drone community we serve, we have made the decision to reimagine Commercial UAV Expo Europe as a fully virtual event this year which will take place as part of a hybrid live-virtual Amsterdam Drone Week 1-3 December, 2020,” Murray added.

    Logo: Intergeo 2020

    Intergeo 2020: Virtual

    Intergeo 2020, originally slated to take place Oct. 13-15 in Berlin, Germany, will now take place entirely virtually. Organizers announced in early June that the show would take place partially in person and partially virtually, but made the decision in early July to move the entire show to a digital platform.

    Logo: GEO Business

    GEO Business 2020: Postponed

    The venue and date have both been changed for GEO Business 2020. The show, organized by Diversified Communications U.K., will now take place May 19-20, 2021 at ExCel London. This event aims to connect those involved in the gathering, storing, processing and delivery of geospatial information.

    Read more about the conference here.

    5th annual FAA UAS Symposium: Virtual conference

    Logo: FAA UAS SymposiumThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) will host the 5th annual FAA UAS Symposium virtually, rather than in-person in Baltimore. The event will take place June 16-18.

    The FAA and AUVSI also will be hosting a series of virtual events that will address the content already planned for this year’s program. The fist will take place in early summer and will focus on UTM and international UAS integration. The second will take place in late summer with a focus on updates to the Integration Pilot Program and public safety operations.

    Learn more about the show here.

    AUVSI Xponential: Postponed

    AUVSI Xponential 2020 logoThe AUVSI Xponential trade show, originally scheduled to take place May 4-7 in Boston, has been rescheduled to take place Oct. 5-8 in Dallas.

    Because of the rescheduled conference, AUVSI will be hosting Xponential Virtual Sessions, a week-long webinar series, May 4-8. Find out how you can participate here.

    Read more about the conference here.

    Logo: Trimble Dimensions 2020

    Trimble Dimensions 2020: Canceled

    Trimble Dimensions 2020, which was scheduled to take place Nov. 2-4 at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, Tennessee, has been canceled.

    “Unfortunately, the overwhelming concerns and ongoing impact of COVID-19 inhibit our ability to deliver a conference that meets the high standards of safety and excellence our attendees expect and deserve,” Trimble said in a press release.

    Read more about the show here.

    Logo: IAC 2020

    International Astronautical Congress 2020: Virtual conference

    The 71st International Astronautical Congress (IAC): The CyberSpace Edition will take place virtually Oct. 12-14. The show, originally scheduled to take place in Dubai, brings together stakeholders from space agencies and institutions around the world to exchange information and ideas, share developments and advancements, and swap insights and rising trends.

    According to show organizers, the IAC is a one-of-a-kind assemblage, unmatched in scale and in scope, unequalled in its reach and its attendance.

    Read more about the virtual conference here.

    Esri User Conference: Virtual conference

    Logo: Esri

    The Esri User Conference, which typically takes place every July in San Diego, will be held virtually July 13-15. The plenary session, technical workshops and Esri Showcase will be virtual, featuring demonstrations and live discussions during the conference.

    Read more about the virtual conference here.

    AIxSPACE: Postponed

    AIxSPACE will now be taking place Nov. 2 in Montreal, Québec, Canada. According to show organizers, AIxSPACE brings together stakeholders in space and artificial intelligence industries to allow everyone to obtain concrete information on these markets and connect with potential business partners.

    Read more about the conference here.

    ENC logo

    European Navigation Conference: Postponed

    The European Navigation Conference has been rescheduled to take place Nov. 22-25 at the Maritim Hotel & Internationales Congress Center in Dresden, Germany. The conference, hosted by the German Society for Positioning and Navigation, brings together scientists, engineers and international experts to discuss new ideas, latest research results, future developments and new applications.

    Read more about the conference here.

    Connected & Autonomous Vehicles Conference: Postponed

    The Connected & Autonomous Vehicles Conference has been postponed and will now be taking place Aug. 10-13 at the San Jose Convention Center in California. The conference aims to highlight the latest automotive industry developments, as well as allow participants to engage with experts and form strategic alliances.

    Read more about the conference here.

    Logo: ION

    ION Joint Navigation Conference: Postponed

    The Institute of Navigation’s (ION) Joint Navigation Conference (JNC) has been rescheduled for Sept. 8-11 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. JNC is a U.S. military positioning, navigation and timing conference with joint service and government participation. According to ION, the rescheduled conference will host the original program, which was scheduled to take place in June.

    Read more about the conference here.

    36th Space Symposium: Postponed

    The 36th Space Symposium will now take place Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. According to the Space Foundation, the 36th Space Symposium will gather leaders, innovators and entrepreneurs from the civil, commercial, military, research and international sectors to share, explore and partner on efforts that will impact our lives beyond Earth and upon it.

    Read more about the conference here.

    IEEE/ION PLANS Conference: Canceled

    The IEEE/ION PLANS Conference, originally scheduled to take place April 20-23 in Portland, Oregon, was canceled.

    Read more about the cancellation here.

    Munich Satellite Navigation Summit: Canceled

    Logo: Munich Satellite Navigation Summit

    The Munich Satellite Navigation Summit, originally scheduled to take place March 16-18, was canceled.

    “In light of the current situation caused by the coronavirus as well as related travel restrictions and resulting cancellations we unfortunately are forced to cancel the Munich Satellite Navigation Summit 2020 as we are no longer able to provide a well-ordered and appropriate program,” show organizers said in a press release.

    Read more about the cancellation here.

    Logo: Mobile World Congress 2020

    Mobile World Congress: Canceled

    Mobile World Congress, which was slated to take place Feb. 24-27 in Barcelona, Spain, was canceled.

    “With due regard to the safe and healthy environment in Barcelona and the host country today, the GSMA has cancelled MWC Barcelona 2020 because the global concern regarding the coronavirus outbreak, travel concern and other circumstances, make it impossible for the GSMA to hold the event,” said GSMA CEO John Hoffman in a statement.

    Read more about the cancellation here.

    Read more of GPS World‘s coronavirus coverage here.

    Featured image: rclassenlayouts/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

  • Esri hits the airwaves with ‘See What Others Can’t’ campaign

    Esri has launched its first major advertising campaign with a slogan Esri President Jack Dangermond introduced at the Esri User Conference in July.

    “Unlike anyone else on this planet, you and your fellow GIS colleagues truly ‘See What Others Can’t.’ My sense is, it’s now time to share this perspective with the rest of the world,” Dangermond said.

    The campaign includes broadcast commercials, industry magazines and newspapers, at airports, on billboards and on websites.

    “We are inviting the public to join us in understanding how we see the world and how we want them to see the world,” Dangermond said. “We are hopeful this will help expand the understanding and appreciation of what our users do. We ultimately want to bring more people into our community — sharing information, working together, and finding new ways to solve the greatest challenges of today and the future.”

  • Live from the 2019 ION Joint Navigation Conference and Esri User Conference

    Live from the 2019 ION Joint Navigation Conference and Esri User Conference

    The GPS World staff reported live from the Institute of Navigation’s (ION) 2019 Joint Navigation Conference, which took place July 8-11 in Long Beach, California, and the Esri 2019 User Conference, which took place July 8-12 in San Diego. Check out news, photos and videos from the shows.

    Esri User Conference

    July 8-12 // San Diego

    NEWS

    • Jane Goodall Institute releases StoryMap highlighting chimp habitat conservation (7/24/19)
    • NASA Disasters Program aids with disaster relief efforts (7/24/19)
    • Trimble launches usage-based service plan for Catalyst GNSS receiver (7/11/19)
    • Esri, Jane Goodall Institute partner to protect ecosystems (7/9/19)

    VIDEOS

    ION Joint Navigation Conference

    July 8-12 // Long Beach, California

    NEWS

    • KVH launches TACNAV 3D inertial navigation system (7/10/19)

    VIDEOS

  • Esri launches indoor mapping solution

    According to Esri, ArcGIS Indoors applies the latest location technology to allow users to see and share where assets, rooms, departure gates and offices are located. Click to enlarge. Photo: Esri

    Esri has debuted ArcGIS Indoors, which is designed to enable interactive indoor mapping of corporate facilities, retail and commercial locations, airports, hospitals, event venues, universities and more.

    According to Esri, the solution applies the latest location technology to allow users to see and share where assets, rooms, departure gates and offices are located.

    ArcGIS Indoors uses data streams, real-time processing and location intelligence tools to help businesses and other organizations understand how to better coordinate space and other resources with their facilities and campuses. Insights from sensor networks deliver real-time information to managers and executives through interactive dashboards, while visitors and employees can find useful information about the buildings they occupy, the company said.

    The solutions also allows users to quickly access and explore critical business information, such as the location and status of fire extinguishers and their last inspection dates.

    “ArcGIS Indoors brings the interior building space into the future by placing data about employees, schedules, meetings, customers and events into a geographic context,” said Nitin Bajaj, product manager at Esri. “Having spatial awareness gives executives, managers and employees better insight so they can operate more efficiently and competitively.”

    According to Esri, ArcGIS Indoors will be available for widespread use by the end of 2018. In addition, a beta version of the product will be released at this year’s Esri User Conference, taking place July 9-13 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.

  • Esri User Conference to highlight mapping technology

    Esri will be hosting its 38th annual Esri User Conference July 9-13 at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego. The company expects more than 18,000 mapping and GIS users to attend the event, which will include 345 technical workshops and 243 presentations.

    Futurist Juan Enriquez will present the keynote speech, “Evolving Ourselves — Redesigning the Future of Humanity.” According to Esri, his talk will explore the future of humanity as it depends on the intersection of geography and genetics as we design our places and ourselves.

    Attendees will also hear presentations from users who are creating smarter organizations that can tackle complex global issues, including how to create more sustainable businesses, address homelessness, diminish poverty and counter the effects of climate change, Esri added.

    Other presenters will include:

    • Civil rights leader and activist Dolores Huerta, who will discuss how the Dolores Huerta Foundation utilizes Esri technology to inspire and organize communities to build volunteer organizations empowered to pursue social justice;
    • New York Times best-selling authors James and Deborah Fallows, who will discuss their book “Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America,” which provides anecdotal stories about the challenges small-town America faces; and
    • Felix Finkbeiner, a recent college graduate and recipient of the German Federal Cross of Merit, will detail his Trillion Trees Campaign — a commitment to the environment that has grown from planting 1 million trees to planting more than 15 billion trees in 190 countries under the guidance of the United Nations Environment Programme.

    “The Esri User Conference is truly as the name suggests — a conference for our users,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri founder and president. “This is an opportunity for all of us to come together and learn from each other so we can take part in personal development and organizational advancement to further the impact that we can have on our planet.”

  • GPS World reports live from the 2016 Esri User Conference

    GPS World reports live from the 2016 Esri User Conference

    The 2016 Esri User Conference, the mecca of geographic information systems (GIS) in the U.S., takes place June 28 to July 1 in San Diego, California. The conference is designed to give attendees practical advice and hands-on experience with GIS tools from Esri and other companies, as well as share ideas and best practices for improving our world through maps.

    The event encompasses 16,000 GIS users, managers and developers; 300 moderated sessions; 450 hours of technical training; and 300 software vendors.

    GPS World/Geospatial Solutions staff is on site, and we will be posting news, photos and videos live from the show on this page. Also follow us on Twitter at @GSS_NCM and @GPSWorld.

    NEWS

    Spectra Precision MobileMapper 50 combines smartphone design with GNSS capabilities

     

    Golden Software releases Strater 5 well log, borehole and cross-section plotting program (6/28)

    Trimble unveils TDC100 handheld data collector at Esri UC

    SAP debuts Geographical Enablement Framework at Esri UC (6/28)

    ArcGIS apps for the field launched at Esri UC (6/27)

    3DR to integrate Site Scan with Esri Drone2Map (6/27)

    Esri, DigitalGlobe partner to expand World Imagery Map (6/27)

    CoreLogic expands location-based intelligence with building footprints (6/27)

    Laser Technology shares new time-saving mapping tools at Esri UC (6/23)

    Septentrio to spotlight drone GNSS solutions at Esri UC (6/23)

    PHOTOS

    VIDEO PLAYLIST

  • Esri UC Plenary Explores Democratization of Geography

    Last week, Esri held its 36th International User Conference in San Diego. With 15,000+ attendees from 130 countries, it is the largest gathering of geospatial professionals in North America.

    The general plenary presentation on Monday morning is always an interesting event. Founder Jack Dangermond leads the plenary and presents his vision for the year, and years, to come. Here’s the opening Plenary video (3 minutes):

    The message of this year’s Plenary was “Applying Geography Everywhere” with the central theme was Web GIS. Here is a video of Mr. Dangermond’s GIS vision (12:42 minutes):

    For the past few years, he’s spoken quite a bit about the democratization of geography by making GIS capability available to an audience other than the GIS professional by expanding its impact across an organization at many levels. Here’s a slide he’s presented in the past, and I think it’s consistent with where he sees GIS heading; a global awareness and global usage of GIS apps and data.

    Plenary-Dangermond-Esri

    Esri thinks that Web GIS is an enabling technology that will be a catalyst for the democratization of GIS across all of an organization’s departments.

    How GIS has evolved. (Credit: Eric Gakstatter)
    How GIS has evolved. (Credit: Eric Gakstatter)

    During the Plenary, Bern Szukalski outlined Esri’s take on the current trends in Web GIS:

    • Portals. The windows into GIS. Thousands of public and private portals serve up GIS data and services.
    • Content. A collection of authoritative and curated content that Esri calls a living atlas, with some data being updated daily or even hourly.
    • Analysis tools. For the non-GIS professional to answer simple (or complex) queries such as emergency services coverage in a particular municipality, leveraging the living atlas content to use the most up-to-date data.
    • Smart mapping. New data-driven web cartography functionality and data exploration that leverages the right tools presented at the right time. Think of it like Google search that shows you relevant web sites based on your past web surfing.
    • Story maps. A combination of Web GIS and rich media to tell a compelling story. A new and unreleased type of Story map presented by Bern is the Story map Cascade, an immersive experience as you advance through the story and interact with map, amplifying the value of GIS.

    If you want to view Bern’s plenary presentation on Web GIS trends, see the following 9-minute video:

    Esri Product Roadmap

    I get the feeling that ArcGIS Pro will be Esri’s premiere desktop product. When you buy ArcGIS, in addition to ArcMap, you also get a concurrent license for ArcGIS Pro (and ArcGIS Online), and you can see from the following slide that ArcGIS Pro incremental upgrades follow ArcMap. The following slide also shows the timing for the ArcGIS 10.4 release.

    July 2015 GSS_html_6392f0d8

    Another product Esri is going to release later this year to further promote the democratization of digital geography is a product called ArcGIS Earth. Just by the name, you can imagine the type of product it’s going to be. It’s all about 3D visualization.

    Esri-3D-visualization-plenary

    Lastly, many of you may have missed the discussion about a new Esri Mobile GIS app called Survey123. There wasn’t a big announcement made, but it seems to be a powerful little app. For those of you who think Collector is a bit too structured, Survey123 might be the app for you. You can easily author smart forms following the XLSForm specification and quickly set up data-collection workflows. This is a really neat feature of Survey123, because you can create your mobile GIS data-collection pick lists and use form logic in an Excel spreadsheet instead of having to create it in the Esri environment.

    It might end up being my favorite Esri mobile GIS app. But, you’ll have to wait to give it a spin because it’s not slated for release until later this year.

    In other mobile GIS news at the conference, it appears as though Microsoft is concerned about Android and iOS dominating the mobile device space, so much so that Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates made a recorded presentation at the plenary. Even more interesting is that Mr. Dangermond suggested that perhaps Mr. Gates might make a live appearance at the Esri UC sometime in the future.

    Bill Gates delivers an address to the Esri plenary audience. (Photo: Eric Gakstatter)
    Bill Gates delivers an address to the Esri plenary audience. (Photo: Eric Gakstatter)

    On the technical side of Microsoft, it looks like the end is in sight for the separate software development platforms for Windows Desktop and Windows Phone. With Windows 10, I heard that the software development environment for Windows Desktop and Windows Phone (or whatever it’s going to be called) is going to be the same, so you should start seeing Windows devices pick up some momentum next year.

    That’s it for now. See you next month.

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  • Esri UC: Irish Water Honored with Enterprise GIS Award

    Esri has awarded Irish Water a special Enterprise Award for its achievements in GIS. The honor was given at the 2015 Esri User Conference, held July 20–24 at the San Diego Convention Center.  

    Irish Water is the new national water utility responsible for providing and developing water services throughout Ireland. Incorporated in July 2013, as a semi-state company under the Water Services Act 2013, Irish Water will bring the water and wastewater services of its 31 Local Authorities together under one national service provider. To do so, the utility consolidated its operations onto a single GIS platform, Esri’s ArcGIS. The consolidation took 12 months. In the first month and a half, Irish Water was able to meter more than 1.3 million homes. 

    “We have all water assets for the whole country in a single geodatabase,” Irish Water programme manager Paul Ahern said. “To trade and analyze information off this single source is a huge benefit.”

    More than 2,000 users currently access the national geodatabase across departments in asset management, operations, workflows, capital investments, strategic planning, and customer services.

    This means Irish Water will be better able to deliver water services, including increasing access to potable water.

    The purpose of Irish Water is to safeguard water as a precious natural resource and to deliver water services in a way that protects the environment and meets the needs of all citizens and industry now and in the future.

    Learn more about GIS for Water Utilities at esri.com/water.

  • Esri UC: Audubon Society Honored for Application of GIS in Conservation

    The National Audubon Society, the century-old conservation group devoted to protecting bird populations and habitats throughout the Americas, accepted the Esri President’s Award for revolutionizing its data collection and management approach with GIS technology. Esri presented the award Monday, July 20, at the 2015 Esri User Conference in San Diego, Calif.

    Esri equipped Audubon with $11.2 million worth of GIS software, which has helped, among other initiatives, to preserve one of the world’s most important bird breeding grounds — 11 million acres in Alaska that attract birds from all seven continents.

    “Esri’s technology improves our conservation results and provides a common enterprise solution that helps glue together our distributed network of state offices, local chapters and international partners,” said Audubon president and CEO David Yarnold. “Esri is a very special company in the technology world, and it has built a truly unique global community of users. We’re humbled and honored to receive Esri’s highest honor.”

    In 2010, Audubon overhauled its organizational alignment based on four North American flyways, the north-south paths traveled by migratory birds each spring and fall. Under this new approach, the society adopted an enterprise GIS using Esri’s ArcGIS platform to build a comprehensive new picture of large-scale conservation projects.

    The organization’s transformation shifted Audubon to an intelligence-centric culture with more than 1,000 network members using the ArcGIS platform on a widespread basis to gain ownership of authoritative data. Adopting an enterprise GIS strategy made it easier for the Audubon network to access and use spatial data about species populations, habitat locations, migration patterns, and more.

    “At Esri, we are extremely passionate about making a difference in the world with geography and helping our customers and partners do amazing things, such as the National Audubon Society,” said Esri president Jack Dangermond. “It has been a fantastic experience supporting Audubon to help people visualize and understand why we need to preserve Earth’s species and ecosystems.”

    Recent projects reflect the opportunity for the nonprofit to tell compelling stories grounded in geography. One example is Audubon’s application of GIS to tell the story of how climate change poses an incredible challenge to the preservation of bird species. Utilizing the ArcGIS platform, the organization created maps that show how up to half of bird species in North America will be disrupted over the next century due to climate change.

    The National Audubon Society’s network includes 22 state offices, 41 nature centers, 23 sanctuaries, and 464 local chapters throughout the United States and numerous partners throughout the Western Hemisphere. The organization awarded Esri’s founders, Jack and Laura Dangermond, with the 2015 Audubon Medal for their accomplishments in technology and conservation innovation, as well as their support for research institutes, schools, and nonprofits.

  • Esri UC: Avineon to Give Away 10 Free Licenses for ArcGIS Metrics Extension

    Avineon, Inc., a global provider of information technology, geospatial, and engineering support services, will distribute discount coupons for its new Metrics Extension to ArcGIS for Server at the 2015 Esri User Conference. Ten customers who activate the permanent Metrics Extension license with the coupon code will receive it for free. All others using the coupon will receive a 50 percent discount off the $4,995 price if the permanent license is activated by Aug. 31, 2015. 

    Avineon will be handing out the discount coupons in booth #1015 at the Esri User Conference being held July 20-23 at the San Diego Convention Center in California. In addition, Avineon will be holding a drawing each day for a Windows Tablet.  Anyone who registers at Booth #1015 will be entered into the drawing, no purchase required. 

    The Metrics Extension enhances the value and usability of GIS data in ArcGIS by creating a spatial data warehouse in which key business intelligence metrics can be created and stored for historical reporting. It computes and stores key metrics such as asset quantity, length, or area coverage for a specified period. Storing this data permits important historical trends to be documented and evaluated for potential performance improvements and cost savings.

    “Metrics Extension gives ArcGIS users better visibility into their enterprise geodatabase by revealing trends in their global and regional data sets,” said Joel Campbell, Avineon vice president of commercial systems. “The return on investment for Metrics Extension will be fast.” 

    Avineon developed the Metrics Extension for ArcGIS users across all markets, especially in applications where the installation, operation, and decommissioning of assets need to be tracked over time. Asset changes and trends can be tracked by timeframe and by geographic area, such as neighborhood, zip code, and political district. The most common applications will be in energy and water/waste water utilities, telecommunications, and local/state/federal governments.

    Avineon will also showcase its entire portfolio of geospatial services and solutions available to the Esri community. As a long time Esri business partner, Avineon specializes in data centric services and solutions serving a variety of industries.

  • Esri UC: City of Boston Takes Grand Prize in Storytelling with Maps Contest

    Esri-Boston-snow-storymap

    Esri revealed the winners of its Storytelling with Maps Contest at the Esri User Conference, highlighting grand prize winner Joyce John’s Snow Journal story map for the City of Boston. John’s story map incorporated data-rich maps, videos, photos, and text to craft an engaging story of how the city dealt with historic amounts of snow in Boston earlier this year.

    As the grand prize winner, John, a member of the City of Boston’s GIS team, will receive a one-year ArcGIS Online subscription for five users plus a plaque and certificate. 

    “Story maps harness the power of geography to tell stories in the most engaging ways,” said Allen Carroll, program manager, storytelling. “The winners of our Storytelling with Maps Contest demonstrate the endless ways people can use this rich medium to share their stories with the world.” 

    Storytellers from around the world submitted more than 400 entries that covered the full gamut of Esri Story Map templates. Contest judges selected the following 18 story maps as winners from across the five contest categories:

    Best Travel, Destinations, and Recreation

    First Place: Elizabeth Frank for Living on the Edge: The Extremes of Human Inhabitance

    Second Place: GIS Team, County of Simcoe (Ontario, Canada), for Matchedash Bay Loop Trail

    Third Place: Daragh McDonough, Donegal County Council, for The Hills of Donegal, Ireland

    Honorable Mention: Yasser Ayad, Clarion University of Pennsylvania, for Al Qahira: A Trip to the Past

    Best Infrastructure, Planning, and Government

    First Place and Grand Prize: Joyce John, City of Boston, for Snow Journal

    Second Place: Alberto Fiorillo, VeloLove/Legambiente, for GRAB: Grande Raccordo Anulare delle Bici

    Third Place: Pat Landrum, San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), for LOSSAN: Coastal Rail Corridor

    Honorable Mention: Cassie Hansen, FireWhat, Inc., GIS Team, for Rapid Damage Assessment

    Best Science, Technology, and Education

    First Place: Emily Wilson and Chester Arnold, University of Connecticut, for Connecticut’s Changing Landscape

    Second Place: Garry Simmons, Wilmington Grammar School for Girls (UK), for Journey into Danakil: Hottest Place on Earth

    Third Place: Anna Mölter, Colorado State University, for Pittsburgh—Health Impact of Black Carbon Air Pollution

    Best Culture, History, and Events

    First Place: Chris Ingram, Santa Clara County Fire Department, for The San Francisco 1906 Earthquake and Fire

    Second Place: Mark Gallant, EntertainMaps.com, for Ottawa’s Eyewitness: Thomas Burrowes

    Third Place: Gordon Campbell, COGS/NSCC, for Pilot Francis Mackey and the Halifax Explosion

    Best Conservation, Environment, and Sustainability

    First Place: Greenbelt Land Trust and FLO Analytics for Bald Hill Farm: A Legacy for Corvallis, Oregon

    Second Place: Dan Kelly and Sylvia Busby, The Nature Conservancy, for Ogooué: Field Notes from Gabon’s Great River

    Third Place: Thomas Skowronski, National Rural Electric Cooperative Association, for Cooperative Solar: Driven by Cooperative Principles

    Honorable Mention: Lindsay Withers and Carolyn Ives, The Trust for Public Land, O’ahu Projects

    Submissions were judged on a range of factors. Each selected story map combined design, user experience, impact, and overall creativity with an interesting and engaging story.

    All first-place winners will receive a GoPro camera. Second- and third-place winners will receive a copy of the Esri Press book Cartographica Extraordinaire: The Historical Map Transformed. All winners will also receive a plaque and a certificate in honor of their award-winning story maps.

    For more information about Esri Story Map, visit esri.com/storymaps. To view all 18 winning story maps, visit esri.com/storytellingwithmaps.

  • Esri UC: nearmap Partners with Esri on High-Resolution Imagery

    Aerial imagery and visual analytics company nearmap (NEA) is collaborating with Esri to provide timely, high-resolution imagery for use with Esri’s suite of software. Through the Esri ArcGIS Marketplace, users will be able to instantly access up-to-date imagery captured at better than 2.8 inch GSD. In addition, a nearmap add-in for ArcGIS gives Esri users the flexibility to access current or historic imagery, arming businesses with powerful information to make informed planning and prospecting decisions.

    Esri professionals attending the Esri User Conference this week at the San Diego Convention Center will have the opportunity to see a live demo of nearmap technology in Booth 2701.

    “Esri has revolutionized the GIS industry from a thought leadership and technology standpoint,” said Simon Crowther, CEO of nearmap. “nearmap’s business partner relationship with Esri will make nearmap’s time and money saving features available to Esri users through the online ArcGIS Marketplace. We hope this is the first of many initiatives we can introduce to the Esri community.”

    nearmap’s innovative hardware and software solutions have transformed hundreds of industries including solar, construction, insurance, transportation and government. nearmap expanded to encompass U.S. urban areas in October 2014 and already has captured more than 50 percent of the U.S. population. Imagery is updated at the unprecedented frequency of a minimum of three times per year for all capture areas and as much as six times yearly in major urban areas.

    “nearmap’s incredible high-resolution, up-to-date imagery will be invaluable for organizations managing assets in industries such as solar, construction, insurance and local government,” said Lawrie Jordan, Esri’s Director of Imagery. “The ability to quickly roll back time and look at change is a unique benefit. Our users will have access to this imagery much faster and simpler now that it is accessible in the ArcGIS platform through the ArcGIS Marketplace.”

    Clear imagery combined with the ability to document change over time has already disrupted the geospatial industry. In the United States the government, solar, construction and insurance industries have quickly leveraged the power of nearmap to transform the way business is done.

    Clark County has already been using the new Esri integration capability. “The clear image quality and quantity of flights per year will help Clark County’s Tax, Building and GIS Departments work more accurately and efficiently,” said Brian Bolduc, GISMO/IT Clark County senior programmer analyst.