GPS World

Tag: location data

  • Seen & Heard: Lighthouses no more, GPS mitigates natural disasters

    Seen & Heard: Lighthouses no more, GPS mitigates natural disasters

    “Seen & Heard” is a monthly feature of GPS World magazine, traveling the world to capture interesting and unusual news stories involving the GNSS/PNT industry.

    Bikes get tricked out

    Image: Snik Bike
    Image: Snik Bike

    Snik Bike is a new app-paired tracking device designed to help users track their bikes if they are lost or stolen, reported North Shore News. Snik Bike Security Co-founder Fraser Vaage developed Snik Bike after having two of his bikes stolen. Snik equips any bike with a rechargeable location device that can be installed in five minutes or less. After pairing the device, the bike is automatically registered with Project 529, which is an online bike registration service. Vaage emphasized that while this device is not a ride-tracking software, such as Strava, it acts as an odometer, tracking overall mileage. The battery is only activated when a bike is stolen, Vaage said, therefore, it’s unlikely Snik will run out of battery. However, if it does, the device diverts to AirTag technology as a backup.

    Lighthouses no more

    Image: Wiltser/E+/Getty Images
    Image: Wiltser/E+/Getty Images

    With the wide adoption of GNSS, lighthouses on U.S. shorelines are no longer needed for navigation. To preserve these properties, the General Services Administration has been transferring ownership of the lighthouses to anyone willing to preserve them, reported The Guardian. This year, six lighthouses are being offered to federal, state or local government agencies, non-profits, educational organizations or anyone willing to make them publicly available for educational, cultural, or recreational purposes.

    Location data ad weather resiliency

    Image: DenisTangneyJr/E+/Getty Images
    Image: DenisTangneyJr/E+/Getty Images

    A Southern Methodist University research team, led by Nicos Markris, measured Dallas’ resilience by recording anonymous cell phone location data among residents in the Dallas metroplex before, during, and after the February 2021 North American winter storm. Measuring a city’s resilience is critical for planning responses to future events and uncovering potential vulnerabilities. By averaging location data, Makris and his team outlined the movement patterns of Dallas residents during a typical week. They compared the normal movement patterns to those during and after the week of the winter storm to determine when Dallas started getting back to normal.

    GPS mitigates natural disasters

    Image: Philip Thurston/E+/Getty Images
    Image: Philip Thurston/E+/Getty Images

    NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL) is testing new ways to detect tsunami-like ocean waves before they cause catastrophic damage. The GNSS Upper Atmospheric Real-Time Disaster Information and Alert Network (GUARDIAN) is a new experimental monitoring system that can use data from clusters of GPS and other satellites to detect deadly waves triggered on Earth. Radio signals from GNSS are examined by scientific ground stations around the world. That data is then reviewed by the JPL’s Global Differential GPS network to help mitigate disasters. The GUARDIAN is still evolving and may be used in the future to develop early warning strategies, according to the United Nations’ International Committee on GNSS.

  • Alex Murdaugh convicted using OnStar and phone data

    Alex Murdaugh convicted using OnStar and phone data

    Image: Screenshot of CNN video
    Image: Screenshot of CNN video

    On Friday, March 3, Alex Murdaugh was convicted of killing his son Paul Murdaugh and wife Maggie Murdaugh on June 7, 2021. With limited evidence, the prosecution used a phone video and vehicle navigation data to prove Alex’s guilt.

    During the trial, Alex claimed he was visiting his mother during the time the murders took place. However, General Motors OnStar data accessed by investigators from his Chevrolet Suburban contradicted the alibi, putting Alex at the scene of the crime during the time of the murders.

    In addition to the navigation data, in a phone video taken by Paul on the night of the murders near the Murdaugh’s dog kennels at their Moselle property, Alex’s voice could be heard in the background. That video also placed Alex at the scene around the time Paul and Maggie were shot and killed.

    After deliberating for less than three hours, the jury found Alex guilty of the double murders. The judge then sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole.

    Since the trial began, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division has reopened several investigations connected to the Murdaugh family. This includes the case of Stephen Smith who was found dead on the side of the road in 2015 allegedly from a hit-and-run.

  • Phone location data is center stage at Murdaugh trial

    Phone location data is center stage at Murdaugh trial

    Alex Murdaugh (Image: Pool reporter photo from trial)
    Alex Murdaugh (Image: Pool reporter photo from trial)

    Cellphone and vehicle location data is at center stage as former South Carolina attorney, Alex Murdaugh, takes the stand in the trial for the murder of his wife, Maggie Murdaugh, and son, Paul Murdaugh. Troves of data including call logs, text messages, steps recorded, app information, coordinates determined by GPS and more from Alex, Paul and Maggie, are being retrieved for the ongoing trial.

    Records retrieved from Murdaugh’s cellphone show that after the murders occurred, he proceeded to Google an area restaurant, check group messages, and made other calls that night, which he testified were accidental, according to CNN reports. Vehicle location data was also pulled and presented at trial to identify a timeline of events for the court, according to reports from AP.

    Location data retrieved from Murdaugh’s cellphone on the night of the double murders is not the only time this type of data comes into play for the Murdaugh family.

    In February 2019, Paul Murdaugh and his friends were involved in a boating accident, which killed one of the boaters, Mallory Beach. In the new Netflix documentary regarding the Murdaugh family, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, a relative of one of the boaters mentions in Episode 2 that Beach always wore an Apple Watch, and asked why investigators failed to look into location data to find her sooner.

  • Using location data in the fight against COVID-19

    Using location data in the fight against COVID-19

    San Francisco, captured by HERE’s 3D mapping technology. (Image: HERE)
    San Francisco, captured by HERE’s 3D mapping technology. (Image: HERE)

    In 1854, English physician John Snow mapped the London cholera epidemic to determine the exact location of a contaminated water pump on Broad Street, pioneering the use of location mapping and data to manage public health crises.

    Today, governments and public health officials are utilizing location data to help fight the COVID-19 global pandemic. Location data and maps are at the frontlines to aid emergency responders and healthcare providers, while GIS professionals, data scientists and many others rely on maps and location data to allocate supplies, manpower and assets where they are needed most.

    Data as a source of truth

    Location data has been one of the most valuable tools to guide crisis response. By referencing professionally managed, comprehensive geospatial databases, public health officials are able to precisely locate key medical and emergency resources, including hospitals, medical centers, medical and emergency services, pharmacies, and food and water distribution centers.

    For example, the HERE location platform continually validates the freshness and features of its map through thousands of data sources. This includes field-collected data, third-party data from government sources, and crowdsourced data from expert communities. Taken together, the process rapidly delivers clear, timely location information to end-users such as key medical stakeholders.

    It is critical that all levels of government — local, state and federal — have access to these types of valuable datasets during times of emergency. In response to the pandemic, we have seen incredible agility from facilities that have been converted to provide critical medical services.

    For example, the Javits Center in New York City has been used as a field hospital, a sports facility has been converted into a drive-through testing center, and schools are being used to distribute food. By tracking these updates, authorities have real-time awareness of these facilities and their availability to provide services.

    Use Case #1

    Social distancing efficacy

    At this stage of the pandemic, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has tapped into location data to track the efficacy of social distancing policies and the spread of the virus. It’s valuable to map the virus’s spread for many reasons, but a few key reasons include:

    • Predicting the movement of COVID-19. By mapping the spread, we can proactively align the medical supply chain behind these predictions.
    • Understanding the effectiveness of social distancing. Social distancing is one of the most powerful ways to stop the spread of the virus. By tracking the efficacy of these measures and regulations and ensuring that citizens are complying with shelter in place, we’re able to predict how we are able to slow or flatten the spread.
    • Predicting the economic impact. As we consider reopening America for business, it’s important to understand where the virus is most prevalent, and the timeline for recovery.

    Use Case #2

    The strained medical supply chain

    The coronavirus has caused strain across most industry supply chains, but most notably, the medical supply chain. Medical resources, including hospital beds, masks and life-saving ventilators have become scarce and unevenly distributed.

    In times of crisis, with thousands of lives at stake and the potential for further economic fallout, it’s critical that public health officials are equipped with authoritative, comprehensive datasets to guide decision-making. When organizations are equipped with this valuable data, they can harness the power of location data for good and follow in the footsteps of the location data pioneer John Snow.

  • TomTom expands mapping deal with Verizon, providing APIs and SDKs

    TomTom expands mapping deal with Verizon, providing APIs and SDKs

    Photo: TomTom
    Photo: TomTom

    Verizon will integrate TomTom’s Maps application programming interfaces (API) and software development kits (SDK) into its location-services offering, making it easier for the developer community to build upon and integrate the platform. The developers’ portal is available at developer.tomtom.com. More information from

    The agreement is an expansion of the existing TomTom and Verizon agreement, where TomTom provides location-based services to enhance Verizon’s current suite of location-based data, navigation, and intelligence.

    “We look forward to continuing to build upon and evolve our product suite with TomTom’s technology,” said Jeff Frantz, executive director, Verizon Location Services. “By expanding our agreement, we are furthering our commitment to providing best-in-breed location technology for Verizon and our customers.”

    “We’re determined to make it as easy as possible for developers to have access to our Maps APIs and SDKs so we’re delighted that Verizon is offering TomTom products to their location-services customers,” said Anders Truelsen, managing director, TomTom Enterprise.

    5G and HD Maps. In the last quarter of 2019, the companies also announced an innovation project using Verizon 5G Ultra Wideband and TomTom HD Maps to help make intersections safer for emergency vehicles.

  • 19 countries track mobile location to fight COVID-19

    19 countries track mobile location to fight COVID-19

    In moves sure to concern privacy advocates, 19 countries are now accessing citizens’  mobile location data in an effort to fight the coronavirus outbreak.

    A COVID-19 Digital Rights Tracker by Top10VPN lists countries that are using mobile data for the pandemic. Uses range from anonymous aggregated data to monitor the general movement of people, to tracking the phones of individual coronavirus patients, to tracking suspected patients and their contacts, known as “contact tracing.”

    “In the past week we have witnessed a 90% growth in the number of countries implementing digital tracking measures and a 100% increase in reports of censorship,” reported Top10VPN on March 26.

    Actions by country

    Photo: AntonioGuillem/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images
    Photo: AntonioGuillem/iStock / Getty Images Plus/Getty Images

    In the United States, the Senate’s $2 trillion economic stimulus bill includes $500 million for the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to launch a new “surveillance and data-collection system” to monitor the spread of COVID-19, reports Business Insider.

    Europe’s telecom companies are sharing location data with health authorities in Italy, Germany and Austria,  according to Reuters, to check whether people are remaining at home. The data is aggregated and anonymous, mapping concentrations rather than individuals to respect Europe’s privacy laws.

    In South Korea, the government created a map of cellphone data provided by telecom and credit card companies. The map was made public so everyone could track whether they’d been exposed, according to The Verge.

    According to reports, Iran used the COVID-19 epidemic to gather private data from its citizens “to boost Tehran’s surveillance capabilities,” reports Vice. The country sent a link to download the AC19 app with government endorsement, touting it as a way to determine whether users have the virus, but usage required sending back location data.

    In Taiwan, a mobile phone-based geo-fence uses location-tracking to ensure people who are quarantined stay in their homes, reports the New York Times. If the patient leaves their home address or turns off their smartphone, the police will visit within 15 minutes.

    SafePaths app

    The new Private Kit: SafePaths app, developed by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers, is now available, though it is still under development. The downloadable app (for IOS and Android 8.0 and above) informs users if they’ve crossed paths with coronavirus patients, known through published data.

    “The solution is a ‘pull’ model where users can download encrypted location information about carriers so the users can self-determine their likely exposure to COVID-19 and coordinate their response with their doctor using their symptoms and personal health history,” according to a white paper about the contact-tracing app.

    The app takes privacy into consideration — COVID-19 patients consent to provide health officials with an accurate location trail once they are diagnosed. “Governments are equipped with a tool to redact location trails and thus broadcast location information with privacy protection for diagnosed carriers and local businesses,” the white paper reads.

    “Since the outbreak of COVID-19, governments around the world have implemented a range of digital tracking, physical surveillance and censorship measures in a bid to slow the spread of the virus,” warns Top10VPN. “Some of these may well be proportionate, necessary and legitimate during these unprecedented times. However, others have been rushed through legislative bodies and implemented without adequate scrutiny.”

  • Coronavirus and location: Is there a line?

    Coronavirus and location: Is there a line?

    No, I’m not talking about the line at the grocery store to buy toilet paper and hand sanitizer. Or the line at the doctor’s office. I’m talking about that gray privacy line invisible to the naked eye, but all too accessible on our mobile devices.

    On March 16, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his cabinet approved using citizens’ smartphones to track the locations of people infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), as well as anyone they might have had contact with.

    Such a strategy might work — some citizens reported receiving smartphone alerts when they were near an infected person. However, it does raise the ubiquitous privacy concerns of allowing your government to know your every move.

    Some may think this an acceptable use of tracking, except that the Israeli Knesset — the citizenry’s representative legislature — was not involved in the decision. The tracking didn’t require a court order, and records were to be kept until the new regulation expired.

    A few days later, Israel’s top court put a stop to the program, saying there would be no tracking of Israelis by the Shin Bet without Knesset oversight.

    Of course, Israel is a democracy, and Netanyahu’s move is nowhere near the draconian measures undertaken by the Chinese government in response to the virus. Those actions included forcibly removing people from their homes and placing them in quarantine.

    Yet China’s actions worked. As of press time, the outbreak there is under control, with no new cases reported on March 19. That’s impressive, if one can trust the state news. After all, this is the same country that warned the doctor who discovered the virus not to talk about it. Dr. Li Wenliang died in February of the disease.

    Privacy versus public health: Something to think about while social distancing at home.

    Image: Yuuji/E+/Getty Images
    Image: Yuuji/E+/Getty Images
  • COVID-19: Israel’s citizens now tracked by their smartphones

    COVID-19: Israel’s citizens now tracked by their smartphones

    Image: Yuuji/E+/Getty Images
    Image: Yuuji/E+/Getty Images

    UPDATE: Israel’s High Court of Justice put a stop to the tracking on Thursday, March 19. The court declared that the Shin Bet security service may not track confirmed and suspected coronavirus patients if a Knesset panel to oversee this practice isn’t set up by noon Tuesday, according to Israel news agency Haaretz.

    Israel’s internal security agency Shin Bet is using citizens’ smartphones to track the locations of people infected with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) as well as anyone they might have had contact with, news agencies are reporting. Some citizens report receiving smartphone alerts when they have been near an infected person.

    Privacy concerns. The tracking doesn’t require a court order and records will be kept until the regulations expire, according to Israeli news source Haaretz. The regulation can be renewed, and the country’s Health Ministry can keep the location records for 60 days after the regulation expires.

    Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told The New York Times that the government would approve the plan Monay night. “We have to maintain the balance between the rights of the individual and needs of general society, and we are doing that,” he told the newspaper.

    No legislature involved. The plan was reportedly approved by cabinet members without approval of the Knesset, the Israeli legislature, which has just been sworn into office and has not yet convened.

  • 1Data Gateway helps streamline data delivery

    1Spatial has released 1Data Gateway, an intuitive self-service web-portal for handling data validation, data processing and data enhancement.

    1Data Gateway forms part of 1Spatial’s Location Master Data Management (LMDM) suite of products which ensures spatial data quality and consistency across the enterprise.

    Available in the cloud or on-premise, 1Data Gateway offers internal and external users a secure, fully scalable and customisable product to handle both spatial and non-spatial data files. Transportation and infrastructure companies, government agencies, and utility companies are among the types of organisation that can utilise 1Data Gateway to help improve productivity, lower costs and guarantee control, compliance and data governance, for their data supply chains.

    1Data Gateway applies 1Spatial’s renowned rules-based approach to help users manage their data. For organisations dealing with complex and varied supply chains, 1Data Gateway ensures data is checked at source. Using the centralised management of suppliers, partners and rules to create a collaborative approach, it promotes efficiency in data capture and submission across the supply chain.

    Users simply upload their data files by dropping them onto the interface and 1Data Gateway applies the high-performance rules that have been pre-configured by an administrator in order to perform validation, correction or enhancement. This process means that users do not require training and can get results within minutes.

    Once processed, results can be previewed on a map or downloaded into a local system. 1Data Gateway empowers administrators by providing analytics and dashboard capabilities to track and analyse the quality of the data that groups or organisations are submitting.

    “We believe 1Data Gateway has the power to transform the manipulation of spatial data. We’re always driven by the needs of our customers, and in identifying the requirement for an easy to use, yet powerful portal for data quality and integration, we’ve developed 1Data Gateway,” Seb Lessware, CTO, 1Spatial said.

    “Our customers need to unlock information contained within spatial data from multiple suppliers, in multiple formats, often submitted via different means. 1Data Gateway provides a single place for data submission, allowing the data to be validated, harmonised, cleaned and enhanced, making it fit for purpose and allowing the insight it can provide to be unlocked. It’s an exciting update to our product range, and should help revolutionise the way organisations manage their data flow.”

  • Esri and Waze deliver near real-time data for smarter cities

    Esri and Waze deliver near real-time data for smarter cities

    Esri and Waze smart cities partnership grows. (Image: Esri)
    Esri and Waze smart cities partnership grows. (Image: Esri)

    Waze Live Alerts on traffic and infrastructure now available in ArcGIS Marketplace.

    Waze live alert data will now be available in Esri’s ArcGIS Marketplace for free to members of the Waze Connected Citizens Program.

    The Connected Citizens Program, a two-way sharing of publicly available traffic and road condition information, offers governments a stream of data, constantly updated in real-time, whenever they need it. This enables personnel to make data-driven infrastructure decisions and improves the efficiency of incident response.

    Waze, a free crowdsourced traffic and navigation app, is now fully supported by ArcGIS Online, where its live feed of mapped traffic alerts and other information, such as accidents, congestion and street damage, can be used in applications in minutes.

    “Municipalities can now leverage near up-to-the-minute reports without having to write code or purchase additional software,” said Andrew Stauffer, manager of civic technology at Esri. “Mapped Waze data is available immediately in all ArcGIS apps, where traffic engineers and even city planners can use it to maintain and build safer, more efficient transportation systems.”

    Municipal personnel like traffic engineers can start using this data to analyze where the biggest problems exist on the roads so they can create targeted solutions. For instance, by seeing exactly where the most crashes are occurring, engineers can know where they need to place more officers, replace street signs, or adjust the timing of traffic lights.

    “The Waze Connected Citizens Program is all about removing any barriers to innovation,” said Adam Fried, Waze Global Partnerships manager. “We want to help our partners leverage existing infrastructure and be able to make better data-driven decisions. Now, with just a couple of clicks, a city can easily access and analyze Waze data within Esri ArcGIS and use those insights to improve roadway management and build safer roads for its citizens.”

    Much of the information government organizations rely on to make decisions is becoming obsolete as communities are starting to use technology like sensors and drones to monitor the quality of roads, bridges, and utilities. The Waze Connected Citizens Program gives municipalities the power to harness crowdsourced driver data to not only improve safety and congestion but also make better-informed decisions by giving planners an edge to start building infrastructure that meets the demands of a twenty-first-century city.

    Governments can sign up for the free Waze Connected Citizens Program and start working with the alert data in ArcGIS to create operational dashboards that departments can use right away.

  • Esri FedGIS Conference showcases spatial analytics for government action

    Esri will be hosting the 21st annual Esri Federal GIS (FedGIS) Conference March 20-21 at the Walter E. Washington Center in Washington, D.C. All federal government agency workers are invited to join an anticipated audience of 3,000 attendees and share their experience in collaborating, innovating and connecting their work using spatial analytics technology.

    Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond will discuss how location intelligence can be used to derive a deeper understanding of complex issues through data, as well as how it enables collaboration to develop innovative solutions for government.

    He will be joined on the main stage by representatives from several leading organizations, including the following:

    • U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) — “Protecting Plants and Animals to Feed Our Country and the World”
    • U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Inspector General — “Fighting Fraud, Waste, and Abuse through Spatial Analytics”
    • American Red Cross — “Connecting and Helping Volunteers, Partners, and Citizens in Need”

    On Wednesday, March 21, Dangermond will lead a thought-provoking conversation with the Honorable Susan M. Gordon, principal deputy director of National Intelligence at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence on the importance of connecting intelligence agencies through spatial analytics.

    “It is always inspirational to attend this conference and hear how location intelligence has helped federal workers share information across agencies and connect to citizens,” said Jeff Peters, head of the national government sector at Esri. “Attendees will get a chance to hear directly from top government and technology leaders as they share their experiences collaborating, innovating, and connecting using spatial analytics.”

    The conference is the site for announcements about the innovative use of Esri’s ArcGIS platform in federal, state and local government. The latest enhancements to ArcGIS and ArcGIS Pro, along with updates on desktop and enterprise mobile app environments, will be shared.

    Other organizations will be providing use cases and best practices during workshops throughout the two days of the conference. Learn more at esri.com/events/federal.

  • Esri honors Microsoft for innovation in location strategy

    Esri has awarded Microsoft Corporation with the New Technology Integration Award at the Esri Partner Conference in Palm Springs. The award honors a company in Esri’s Partner Network for taking map visualization and location analytics to the next level by integrating ArcGIS in a new or innovative way.

    Microsoft was recognized for integrating Esri’s ArcGIS Maps into Microsoft Power BI, a set of business analytics tools. Power BI allows users to share insights in the form of interactive maps layered with authoritative data in one process. Users can access valuable geographic information in order to make better business decisions more efficiently without having to export data from numerous sources online, Esri said.

    Power BI enables users to create dashboards, reports, and visualizations of data through a cloud-based service. This allows anyone in an organization to use Power BI’s powerful analytical capabilities anywhere, and access them via an application that can be downloaded to mobile devices. For instance, a retailer surveying a new location can use ArcGIS Maps within the Power BI mobile app from the field to determine its proximity to potential affluent consumers.

    “We’re excited and humbled to receive the 2017 Esri Partner Conference New Technology Integration award,” said Kamal Hathi, general manager, Power BI, Microsoft Corp. “Thanks to the dedicated team across Esri and Microsoft, we delivered a sophisticated solution in record time. This was made possible by the open and extensible Microsoft Power BI platform which makes it easy for partners such as Esri to plug in and add value to our mutual customers. ArcGIS Maps for Power BI continues to iterate and improve based on customer feedback, reflecting the agility and customer oriented approach of both companies.”

    Armed with what Esri calls The Science of Where, a transformational way to unlock data’s full potential, Power BI users can create informed location-based analyses for everything from allocating resources to the best places to start a new business.