GPS World

Tag: Geographics

  • Esri tech to help power UN’s new global data hub

    Esri and the United Nations Statistics Division (UNSD) are working with a number of member states to utilize a data hub that will allow countries to measure, monitor and report on sustainable development goals (SDGs) in a geographic context.

    This new hub, called the Federated System for the SDGs, is based on Esri’s ArcGIS platform and will use location intelligence to make it easier for countries to collect, analyze, and share the data required to monitor progress toward the SDGs.

    The SDGs are a set of global goals that include such objectives as poverty eradication, access to safe water, clean oceans, eliminating hunger, gender equality, climate action, peace and justice, education and other important areas on the U.N. agenda.

    The Federated System explores new pathways for facilitating dataflows and action through data hubs. It then supports and informs data-driven decision-making by making the data open, usable, interoperable and visual.

    Based on the early success, UNSD and Esri are working to advance the initial research exercise to support broader adoption by other member states and organizations in 2018.

    “The Federated System for the SDGs leverages enabling technologies and capabilities to strengthen the ability of the national and global statistical systems to manage and share data and good practices for the SDGs,” said Gregg Scott, inter-regional advisor, UNSD Global Geospatial Information Management. “This has already provided the opportunity for National Statistical Offices to condition and structure data so that it can be portrayed in a geographic context and provide more insights and enable us to look at dependencies and interdependencies across SDG indicators.”

    First introduced as a research project, participation was by invitation only and consisted of six countries: Ireland, Mexico, the Philippines, Qatar, South Africa and Senegal. These countries helped define the requirements and deployment of a web mapping and data management platform that would eventually become the hub.

    The Federated System was announced in Mexico City, Mexico, by Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond.

    “The key challenge to collaboration between nations is a common digital context,” said Dangermond. “Data hubs provide this context with location intelligence and use organizations’ core data to engage stakeholders, communicate policy, inform the public, and measure progress.”

    Participants of the UN forum in Mexico City issued a declaration on the importance of geospatial technology’s role in implementing the SDGs. Using Esri’s capabilities to enable access, collaboration, analyticsand powerful maps provides visualization and awareness that supplies the critical information needed to ensure each country meets its commitment to these goals.

    Most importantly, the Federated System allows collaboration across countries and makes it possible to measure the success of global SDG initiatives for the first time.

    For more information on how Esri supports the UN and SDG requirements, visit go.esri.com/Sustain_Dev.

  • Blue Marble Releases Global Mapper 13.2

    Blue Marble Geographics announced the release of Global Mapper version 13.2. This release features updated DigitalGlobe premium imagery with improved access to new DigitalGlobe servers.

     

    According to the announcement, Global Mapper 13.2 includes updates to the DigitalGlobe premium imagery in both speed and coverage. This service will give users faster access to more up-to-date and higher resolution imagery in most locations. Using the Download Online imagery/Data menu, we have added built-in access to Geologic Map datasets for most of the world. This release also features access to Intermap NextMap web store 2.0 for rich, high precision elevation and expanded coverage data sets. Additionally, added to the imagery service is MapQuest OpenAerial Worldwide Imagery, now a built in source. There is also added support for specifying custom paper sizes for geospatial PDF support in version 13.2. This minor version release includes new format support for LogASCII, Norwegian SOSI export, PCI Geomatix PIX, NDVI in HDF5 format, EasyGPS .loc, and several other formats. There are noteworthy enhancements to the Digitizer tool as well as many other minor enhancements and updates throughout the software.
    “Global Mapper’s access to quality data sets is an important part of the power of this leading data conversion services,” stated Blue Marble’s President Patrick Cunningham. “We are pleased to work closely with data providers like Digital Globe, Intermap, and Spatial Energy to offer a premium variety of data sources that enhances our vast complementary data sources for our customers work.”

  • Safe Software and Blue Marble Geographics Partner for Innovative Data Transformation

    Safe Software and Blue Marble Geographics announced that they have teamed up to bring the best of both of their products together in one authoring environment to increase the possibilities of what can be achieved in the use and distribution of spatial data. With the release of the GeoCalc Extension for FME, in addition to FME’s industry-leading format support and flexible transformation capabilities, users can have access to Blue Marble’s highly accurate coordinate transformations directly through FME Workbench.

     

    According to the announcement, the GeoCalc Extension for FME allows those relying on GeoCalc’s coordinate transformations to bring them into FME’s intuitive graphical user interface where they have access to FME’s unparalleled format support and data transformation capabilities.

    “GeoCalc and FME are highly complementary products,” says Patrick Cunningham, President of Blue Marble Geographics. “By integrating the two, our users can take advantage of FME’s excellent data transformation authoring environment, while directly accessing the highly accurate coordinate transformations they rely on in GeoCalc.”

    For FME users, access to the Blue Marble coordinate engine means more choice in coordinate transformations, and increased vertical height conversion accuracy and flexibility.

    “We are very excited about how this integration will increase the possibilities of what users can achieve with FME,” says Dale Lutz, Vice President of Development at Safe Software. “For example, we are seeing an explosion in the use of 3D data, particularly LiDAR, and GeoCalc’s superior geoid selection means more accurate reprojection results.”

    With the GeoCalc Extension, FME users with a valid Blue Marble Desktop GeoCalc license can select the GeoCalc datasource for use in coordinate transformations directly from FME Workbench. Through the Blue Marble Desktop administrative tools, they can also guide end users to preferred coordinate systems and transformations by specifying which GeoCalc systems and geodetic objects are available for import into FME.

    According to the announcement, the integration also provides access to fine datum shift control, including the option of processing shifts with late binding transformations or direct datum transformations, avoiding the potential loss introduced by using an interim WGS84 datum shift.

    The GeoCalc Extension for FME is currently in beta and will soon be available from Blue Marble Geographics.