GPS World

Author: Art Kalinski

  • Real-Time 3D Models

    The Penultimate Visualization System?

    By Art Kalinski, GISP

    Last month we looked at old and new providers of oblique imagery.  I mentioned what a strong proponent I am of oblique imagery because it’s such a powerful visualization tool, easily comprehended by non-GIS users. My experience with police, firefighters and the Atlanta Regional Commission demonstrate that many first responders and politicians have difficulty reading blueprints, technical drawings or maps, but can visualize an area of interest much faster with oblique imagery.

    Jack Maguire, a colleague and GIS Manager for Lexington County South Carolina, coined a very descriptive phrase. He said that most non-GIS people have “map blindness,” in that they have difficulty comprehending maps even if merged with ortho imagery. However, those same users will have no difficulty getting oriented viewing an oblique image. (See my July article for a more detailed explanation). That’s why both Google Earth and MS Bing now include oblique views and even some interactive 3D models for a growing number of urban areas.

    Most oblique imagery data sets are generally limited to four cardinal directions along with an ortho view. That’s why I believe 3D models are a notch above, because they offer infinitely adjustable oblique views for even better visualization. It’s the oblique views that are the key attraction of 3D models. If you observe someone using an interactive 3D model, they almost always look at multiple oblique views. I’ve never seen a 3D model user navigate to the ortho view and stay there as they navigate around a city.

    PLW Modelworks

    There are many ways to create 3D models, ranging from manually produced models using CAD/CAM/BIM/GIS programs to fast simple 3D modeling tools such as Google Sketch Up. Over the years there have been many vendors in the business of building 3D models, some extremely detailed and sophisticated. In my opinion the best 3D models being produced are from PLW Modelworks.  Their models are very detailed, photo realistic and photo accurate. There is a precision and “correctness” to their models that is missing from many other models I’ve seen.

    Most of their models are built from measurements taken directly from Pictometry metric oblique imagery. The same oblique imagery is then “draped” on each building face resulting in 3D models that are true to life and fully measurable, including length, width, height and even angular measurements from one building roof to another. This YouTube video will give you an appreciation for their models.

    One aspect of PLW models important to first responders and military operators is that no part of any building in their models is cloned, textured or faked. The buildings are draped with the actual building image. If all or part of a building is occluded, then the PLW people indicate that as a black “no-data” area that looks like a black shadow. That way operators know that any window or door that is visible on a building is actually there and measurable.

    Street Factory

    A recent addition to 3D modeling is Street Factory by Astrium Services, which does automated 3D models as complex TINs built from existing oblique imagery. The process is advertised as photogrammetrically corrected for high accuracy with a quick turn-around in the range of several hours. Unlike PLW models where each building is a separate object in the database, Street Factory models are one continuous surface requiring extra processing tools to extract individual buildings/features and link to attributes. See the brochure for additional information. I hope to personally see their system and products soon and will let you know what I learn and observe.

    Although PLW and Street Factory models are the state of the art, there are some limitations. It does take time to build the models ranging from hours to weeks if the area is large and complex. If new imagery has to be captured, the aerial flights can add significantly more time to the entire process. So, for my GIS budget, the ultimate “holy grail” of visualization would be accurate, high resolution, full color, interactive and measurable 3D models that are easy to produce and close to real time.

    Well, hang on to your surveyor’s helmet; that time has arrived.

    Ball Aerospace FLASH LiDAR

    For several years, I’ve observed refinements of a technology developed by Ball Aerospace called FLASH LiDAR. Simply put, Ball Aerospace created the ability to capture continuous rapid multiple LiDAR images/point clouds merged with continuous high-resolution optical images to create full-color 3D models in real time. Yes, real-time full motion video resulting in interactive geo-referenced metric 3D models.

    Shown here are screen shots of the system software showing the LiDAR data colored by height, the optical image captured at the same time, and the resultant full-color 3D model of the merged data in real time.

    The first time I saw the system was at GEOINT 2010 where the Ball engineers had their FLASH LiDAR running in sync with a video camera creating continuous 3D fused images. That first demonstration was somewhat crude but I could see the significant potential. They’ve continued to refine the system to a point where the models now look extremely good. This is one technology that needs to be viewed as video clips which you can access through the Ball Aerospace website.

    Since the capture process is fully automated, complexity is not an issue as both simple buildings and complex trees are modeled at the same speed. Since the resultant 3D model is assembled from multiple views, trees look like trees and not like bushes. Additionally, since the very accurate LiDAR point cloud is an intrinsic part of the capture process, relative and real positional accuracy suitable for targeting is continuously maintained. Another benefit of the integrated system design is that mounting the camera pod is not complex nor does the aircraft have to be modified. Installation is quick and easy on large or small fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

    The optical sensor can be a RGB, IR, low light, night vision or multi-spectral cameras. The resultant models can be down-linked to ground computers or hand held devices for real-time viewing and analysis.

    According to Roy Nelson, Ball’s Senior Advanced Systems manager, FLASH LiDAR is tailor made for time critical 3D mapping for critical missions, enhanced situational awareness, battlefield characterization, tactical mission planning and improved targeting. For emergency responders it can help with disaster response planning and event forensics. Roy also cited a discussion he had with an EOC manager who indicated that the real-time models could be a valuable tool to communicate with the public via television, kiosks or the Internet. Since the real time 3D/oblique images are easily comprehended by the public, he could show the actual progress of a fire or flood and communicate to the public evacuation needs and routes.

    The Future

    So, what will be the ultimate word in visualization? I saw two possibilities at recent GEOINT conferences. First, immersive virtual reality and augmented reality keep improving and are making deep inroads in many different applications. Second, Zebra Imaging, producers of compelling 3D holograms, may eventually have the real “killer” visualization product. Their ZScape holographic motion displays are full motion holographic 3D video displays that are still in the early stages of development. I can easily imagine where this Star Wars technology will be in five years when combined with real-time full motion 3D models.

  • Oblique Imagery: The New Kids on the Block

    Last month I covered current vendors of ortho imagery with some pros and cons regarding the different sources. There wasn’t room to also include oblique imagery, so I’m covering that topic this month.

    I’ve been a very strong proponent of oblique imagery for many years based on my experience as the GIS manager for the Atlanta Regional Commission, where I found that there was no single geospatial tool that had such a positive and dramatic impact on our first responders as oblique imagery. (See my 2008 article that describes why.) I felt so strongly that it could make our troops more effective and help save lives that I joined Pictometry for a few years to help promote oblique imagery military projects. At that time, Pictometry was the only oblique game in town, since it had patent protection dealing with much of the technology. However, the patent protection is ending and many new players are entering the field.

    A Graflex camera circa World War I.
    A Graflex camera circa World War I.

    Early History

    Few people realize that the first serious aerial surveillance collections were oblique images taken with old Graflex cameras held out of a biplane cockpit. The images were good but users soon learned that it was a nightmare to try to assemble the oblique perspective images into a large mosaic. So analysts switched to ortho imagery that could be stitched together nicely, and we’ve been pretty much stuck in that straight down world. Fortunately, sophisticated algorithms and digital image processing have changed all of that.

    The underlying reason that oblique imagery works so well for visualization compared to ortho imagery is a function of our mind-eye vision referred to as anamorphic illusion.  Our eyes can look at 2D images and perceive them as 3D objects if the right visual cues are present. There are some interesting examples of anamorphic illusions on the web.

    So let’s look at the current sources of oblique imagery.

    Pictometry International, Corp.

    Pictometry has been the dominant force in oblique imagery capture for more than a decade, thanks partially to patents and surrounding technology the company has developed. Not only does Pictometry have the tools and technology to capture, serve and exploit the oblique imagery, it also amassed a huge library of images covering almost 90 percent of U.S. populated areas. Pictometry has desktop viewing software that permits users to view and measure almost any aspect related to the oblique image — x,y location, length, width, and very accurate heights, while also displaying overlaid GIS data including elevation data and contour lines. Pictometry does this by re-projecting the GIS vector data to match the trapezoidal footprint of a perspective oblique image. Pictometry also serves its extensive library of images, over two petabytes, through an online service called POL (Pictometry On Line). Users can view imagery and do the same measurements as with the desktop software.

    Pictometry's desktop viewing software.
    Pictometry’s desktop viewing software.

    My experience showed that the positional accuracy ranged in the 3- to 15-foot range. To meet USGS National Map standards, Pictometry developed AccuPlus, which includes ground surveys and image correction of the ortho view to meet USGS’s 30-cm product specification.

    For users who want to view and use the oblique imagery inside the ortho footprint ArcGIS environment, the Pictometry engineers developed a transform tool that effectively stretches the back of the trapezoidal oblique footprint to a rectangular image that can be used just like an ortho image but with an oblique view. The only downside is that without perspective the image looks a little funny. Note this example and the fact that the garage is the same width in front as in back. This is what happens when the perspective is removed. This transform tool is now part of ESRI’s ImageServer so users can import an oblique image and the transformation is automatic. Pictometry also supplies oblique imagery for Microsoft Bing, called the Birdseye View.  The imagery supplied for Bing has slightly less resolution and cannot be measured, as with Pictometry software.

    The Pictometry transform tool.
    The Pictometry transform tool.

    Woolpert, Inc.

    Woolpert has been in the oblique imagery capture business almost as long as Pictometry, but it uses a completely different technology, the push broom method. Most oblique capture systems take five oblique single frame photos — north, south, east, west, and straight down.  Those oblique images show natural perspective so the image footprint is a trapezoid. Woolpert uses a three-camera system – one ortho and a forward and aft oblique image scanner. The continuous 45-degree scanning has a big benefit in that the system produces an oblique image with a true ortho footprint right out of the box, so the resultant oblique image can be viewed by GIS software as if it was an ortho image. The down side of push broom capture is that the geometry of tall buildings is distorted so that some of the buildings seem to lean toward each other.

    The Sanborn Map Company, Inc.

    Sanborn is a large and well-established aerial imagery firm now getting into the oblique business. Although I haven’t had any broad experience with its imagery and navigation tools, the online demo has a very slick interface and very nice quality imagery.  Try it yourself.  As an oblique newcomer, Sanborn’s coverage is limited, and I can’t judge its accuracy, but it has a strong reputation of producing quality work and products so it is a company to watch. Some of the company’s imagery is credited as part of Google Maps, but both are secretive as to the extent or parameters.

    Fugro EarthData, Inc.

    I’ve had no personal experience with Fugro data and software, but I did see a trade show demo of its software, PanoramiX. The software and imagery looked good, but as a newcomer its image library is limited and the accuracy of its imagery is unknown.

    GEOSPAN, Corp.

    On its website, GEOSPAN lists oblique imagery capture in addition to Street level imagery, orthophotography, 3D models, street centerline creation, and GIS feature extraction. There is no information available as to coverage or accuracy.

    ControlCam

    ControlCam is the newest entry into the oblique market. It is a Florida-based aerial imagery company that pioneered and perfected a process of identifying cable TV leaks through the use of aerial surveillance. The company owns and manages its own fleet of aircraft  capturing both orthogonal and oblique imagery. ControlCam will soon launch a software platform, including a mobile app, that will permit clients to have quick and seamless access to the imagery with measurement tools.  The sample image shown here is 2-inch GSD, very nice for a newcomer to the oblique business.

    A ControlCam image.
    A ControlCam image.

    Microsoft Bing and Google

    If you have any doubt about the popularity and value of oblique imagery, just look at Bing Maps and Google Maps, the two elephants battling for eyes-on-site time. Both have incorporated oblique imagery in their viewers. Both bring up the oblique views as you zoom in from a high-level ortho image, then transition to street-level imagery. The key difference is that Bing uses Pictometry oblique images, which show a natural perspective, and Google uses oblique imagery from different sources. Bing shifts from one optimal oblique to another while Google stitches together multiple oblique images. This multiple-image stitch is good at ground level, but causes funny building lean similar to a push-broom capture (see the sample images). Both are very good for their intended purpose, but neither permits measurement, nor do they include accurate metadata.

    By their own admission and licensing agreements, neither Bing nor Google claim to be authoritative GIS data sources. So be cautious how you use their imagery. Note the problem I cited in my article last month about a police SWAT team raid using Google. Another issue for federal users is FARS and licensing restrictions, so make sure your legal staff reads the fine print.

    A Google oblique image.
    A Google oblique image.
    A Bing oblique image.
    A Bing oblique image.

    Other Systems

    If you’d like to do a deep dive into oblique cameras and capture systems including overseas operations, I recommend reading “Systematic Oblique Aerial Photography Using Multiple Digital Cameras” by Professor Emeritus Gordon Petrie of the University of Glasgow. In his presentation he quotes the ISPRS 2008 Congress that “There is a strong movement towards combining traditional nadir images with oblique images acquired at high angles to build 3D models of cities with the texture of building walls taken from the oblique photos. For non-specialists in the emergency services (military, police, fire and ambulance), the combination of oblique and nadir images improves their interpretation while special software allows simple measurements on the oblique photos.”

    The Future

    I have no doubt that within a few years the zoom-in from space to orthos, obliques, accurate 3D models, ground-level imagery, and interiors of buildings will be smooth and seamless. Ultimately, accurate, detailed and up-to-date 3D models draped with actual imagery, not textures, will be optimal. This will be especially important if 3D or holographic display technology reach acceptable quality levels. 3D model creation keeps improving, and I believe that the merging of ortho imagery, oblique imagery, LiDAR, and ground-level photos with more powerful computers and software will make accurate 3D models practical and ubiquitous.

    For some closing amusement, somewhat related to our current discussion, take a look at what 360 Cities is doing with very high resolution fixed panoramic cameras.  Note the 80 gigapixel photo of London and this zoom-in to a London Eye giant Ferris wheel pod.  Although coverage is limited to one viewer location, I could see this being one of several resources to drape 3D modes.

    Contact me at [email protected].

    A zoom-in on the London Eye with 360 Cities.
    A zoom-in on the London Eye with 360 Cities.

  • Ortho Imagery: Pay or Play Free?

    By Art Kalinksi

    esri digitalglobeSeveral weeks ago I attended the ESRI Federal Users conference where Jack Dangermond announced his agreement with Digital Globe to supply the company’s extensive image library to ESRI users. Under the agreement, Digital Globe, which recently merged with GeoEye, is providing its historic imagery library along with very current imagery that is near real-time. The coverage map Jack showed and seen here was quite extensive and covered significant areas around the globe. This prompted a discussion with a long-time GIS colleague, Nancy von Meyer, who suggested that it sure would be nice to have a column that sorts out the current major imagery providers with the pros and cons of the various products and services. So here it is.

    In the mid-eighties, when I retired from the Navy and started my second career in GIS, very few users had access to geo-referenced imagery other than intelligence agencies. By the mid-nineties, that changed as digital aerial imagery became cost effective and usable for heads-up digitizing and GIS base map creation. Now there are many imagery collection firms with a lot of content being provided seemingly for free. Too often I’ve heard GISPs fighting budget battles with push-back from non-GIS staffers that goes something like this:  “Why do we need to pay for imagery when we can get Google for free?” Some of the following information and samples may be useful if you need to explain why.

    The ASPRS (American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing) Ten Year Forecast and Survey is a superb source of imagery statistics and trends. Charles Mondello, the project team chair and ASPRS Fellow, highlighted several key points in the survey. By an overwhelming margin, respondents listed ortho imagery as the single most important layer in their GIS work. They also cited the following factors as most critical in making the imagery useful: resolution, positional accuracy, coverage and currency.

    Google and Bing

    Most ortho imagery is captured by satellites or aircraft and is the dominant type of imagery in use today, with many free sites such a Google or Microsoft Bing offering this imagery. Both websites understand that the better the users’ experience, the more traffic the sites will generate, so they are motivated to constantly improve and update the information. Among the new features being announced by Google is collation of imagery from Google Earth, Google’s Street View, and special projects including its space and underwater imaging. Instead of having to bounce around between products, you’ll now be able to get all of that in one place. Google provides significant support for non-profits and NGOs to map activities worldwide, which builds use and Google’s reputation.

    However, the old adage “You get what you pay for” holds true with imagery. If you just want to look at stuff, both Bing and Google are fine, but we must all understand the limitations. By their own admission and licensing agreements, neither Bing nor Google claim to be authoritative GIS data sources. Both are extremely good, but designed for entertainment and to attract users to their sites to expose them to advertising.

    A common complaint from Bing and Google users is that they are composites of many different data sources, and they have neither the time nor the need to organize and publish metadata regarding positional accuracy. Metadata is available but very difficult to access.  Users cite positional accuracy estimates of Bing and Google of RMSE of +/- 10 meters. Another issue for federal users is FARS and licensing restrictions. So make sure your legal staff reads the fine print.

    Certified ortho rectified aerial imagery

    On the other end of the quality and cost spectrum is certified ortho rectified aerial imagery. Well-known companies such as Sanborn, Woolpert, Dewberry, MJ Harden, and a host of smaller aerial imaging firms provide top-notch imagery by contract for specific areas.  Ortho rectified aerial imagery is scale-accurate images that have been corrected horizontally and vertically to account for variations in the terrain. Combining digital aerial images with digital terrain models can cause distortions of elevated features such as buildings, bridges and overpasses. These distortions are corrected during the ortho rectification process. Here is an example from MJ Harden Associates, Inc. showing pre- and post-correction imagery. This is a labor intensive process and not cheap when combined with surveyed ground control, but the end result is a very accurate image on which GIS users can do heads-up digitizing to produce accurate base maps.

    mj harden

    ESRI and DigitalGlobe

    In the middle are imagery vendors that capture imagery for resale and distribution such as DigitalGlobe and others. Some of the imagery is the best currently available, with excellent resolution and positional accuracy and easily accessible and complete metadata. Using the Identify tool in ArcMap or ArcGIS Online, users can see the resolution, collection date, and source of the imagery at the location clicked.  Here is a short matrix of imagery sources and characteristics.

    Ortho-Table

    Authoritative data vs. Visualization products

    It’s very important that we GISPs are mindful of the critical differences between “products” such as DigitalGlobe imagery purchased or delivered via ArcGIS, Bing and Google, and “services” of licensed engineers and photogrammetrists. Many imagery products are superb visualization tools, but should not be confused with authoritative datasets delivered through a licensed and certified process. There is an excellent comparison chart published by the ASPRS that compares the difference between products, professional services and technical services. If your application is critical and has the potential of legal liability, you may want to have your legal department review and understand the differences. It could save you from the false economy of getting cheap or free imagery.

    Some examples

    The following are some examples of old and new imagery since 1999. This is a non-scientific sample using a piece of property that I bought years ago near Lake Guntersville, Alabama. I’m using it because I know exactly when improvements were made so I can judge the accuracy of the date stamps shown with the images.

    Here is the property shown on county-purchased 1996 panchromatic one-meter imagery.

    gville 1996

    Here is the same property with county purchased 2001 color 2’ imagery.

    gville 2001  

    This Microsoft Bing Image was taken in early 2011 after a cabin was built but before a garden shed and driveway ramp were added. Looks like 1’ imagery supplied by DigitalGlobe but tagged in Bing as 2013.

    gville bing

    Google has the most recent imagery, tagged as 2013 but most likely taken in early 2012. This DigitalGlobe imagery looks the best. I’m guessing 6” imagery, but the address marker is off by about 300’.  Not terrible in this area, but could be a real problem with a row of houses.

    Blow-out-closeup

    So which imagery is best? 

    That depends on how you plan on using it. Bing and Google have become so good and ubiquitous that it’s easy to forget that they make no warranties regarding the data quality or suitability for your use. If you are showing friends the location of your favorite fishing spot or displaying a route to a restaurant, Google or Bing will be just fine and most likely better than a boring certified ortho-rectified image. But if the application is critical and puts your organization in legal crosshairs, you may want to use authoritative data produced through a licensed and certified process that has documented metadata.

    A good real-world example that I observed several years ago was a failed drug raid in a county near Atlanta. The drug dealers got wind of a potential raid and cleverly switched numbers on their mailbox with a neighbor. The SWAT team did their initial planning on Google and raided the wrong house based only on the mailbox number. Although no one was hurt or killed, the resultant judgment cost the county more than $1 million. That police department no longer relies on free online maps and house numbers. They verify the information using authoritative county 911 data, parcel maps and imagery along with street-level surveillance photos. This was a very costly mistake that might have been prevented. Hopefully your county or agency has heard about this raid and has learned from that mistake.

    With the significant expansion of oblique and 3D players, next month I’ll review this growing visualization technology.

    UPCOMING GIS WEBINAR

    GPS World’s next webinar, “Nightmare on GIS Street: GNSS Accuracy, Datums and Geospatial Data,” is accepting registrations. The webinar will be held Thursday, June 20, 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT / 6 p.m. GMT. Registration is free.

    “‘Nightmare on GIS Street: GNSS Accuracy, Datums and Geospatial Data’” is a look at the challenge of dealing with horizontal datums in your GIS,” explained moderator Eric Gakstatter, survey editor and editor of Geospatial Solutions. “We are moving into a new era in dealing with datum transformations. Geodata 2.0 is coming, and it can create big headaches when attempting to combine disparate geospatial databases. Sensors such as GPS receivers, remote sensing imagery, and 3D scanning provide much more accurate data, setting up a collision with outdated and mismatched legacy horizontal datums.”

    To learn more about our webinars, visit our webinar page.

  • How New Devices May Affect the GIS Community

    The Consumer Electronics Show (CES 2013) and GIS

    By Art Kalinski, GISP

    Years ago when ArcView II first hit the street, I had one of those “eureka” moments at the Esri User Conference Poster Session. I saw a poster of the human circulatory system created with ArcView Network Analyst. I did a double take at first because until then all previous network maps I saw were road or stream networks. I thought, of course, a network is a network regardless of size or composition.

    I’m having the same kind of reality adjustment with the technologies demonstrated at the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show, held in Las Vegas in January. It seems like technologies are overlapping in ways we don’t expect — computers, electronics, CAD/CAM, GIS, topology, BIM, medicine, and manufacturing to name a few.  Technology paths are no longer direct and simple, but complex and interconnected. With more than 3,000 exhibitors at CES, it’s hard to make sense of it all, so I’ll focus on technologies that may potentially have impact on our GIS community and how we evolve.

    Displays

    UHD and OLED

    Big screen TV’s are always the show grabbers at CES, and there were several examples of OLED (organic light emitting diode) and 4K UHD (Ultra High Definition) TVs from Sony and Samsung that had four times the resolution of current HD TVs — some as big as 110 inches. I don’t believe that UHDs will make a big difference in our ability to present GIS data or imagery, but OLED technology may. Two years ago I wrote about the promise of OLED displays. OLEDs would be big, bright, inexpensive and energy efficient, since the light comes from the OLEDs and not from a light panel behind an LCD screen, like current flat-panel displays. OLEDs are now available, but as you would expect, this new technology is not cheap.  However, most experts agree that OLED displays will eventually get to be very cheap. (See my July 2010 OLED article for more details.)

    PaperTab is a flexible paper tablet PC.
    PaperTab is a flexible paper tablet PC.

    PaperTab

    Related technology from Plastic Logic was PaperTab, a completely flexible “paper tablet PC.” PaperTab combines the feel of paper with the speed and convenience of digital imagery. It looks very much like the Harry Potter Daily Prophet moving pictures newspaper.  Work is underway to ultimately work in OLED technology to produce large, cheap roll-up screens that would be very bright and eliminate the need for LCD projectors.

    Oculus virtual reality.
    An Oculus virtual reality prototype fascinates a viewer.

    Oculus Virtual Reality

    Oculus VR is so new that only prototype units are being shipped to software developers. The combination of stereoscopic vision and very effective head-tracking sensors make this device possible. Unlike other VR displays, Oculus has very high resolution plus a 110-degree field of view. 110 degrees provides very broad peripheral vision so users feel totally immersed. The head tracking is so precise and rapid that there is no lag time or motion sickness. Users claim to get adjusted very quickly to the point of forgetting that they are wearing a VR device. This places the Oculus head and shoulders above any other VR system, even six-figure military hardware.

    Much work remains to be done by software developers, primarily in the gaming industry. Although gamers will be the biggest customers, I can envision strong use in geospatial applications such as walking through CAD/BIM models or viewing complex GIS data such as environmental or geologic models. I predict that even mundane tasks such as visualizing the location of buried utility lines prior to excavation will become practical.

    Control
    Tactus provides a soft 3D feel to the touchscreen keyboard.
    Tactus provides a soft 3D feel to the touchscreen keyboard.

    Tactus

    Tactus Technology has taken flexibility to a micro level by producing touch screens that morph small raised buttons under the displayed buttons to provide a soft 3D feel to the touchscreen keyboard. The tactile feel of the buttons is supposed to help speed data entry and usability. We may see this technology in GIS data collection devices soon.

    The "Minority Report" technology is on the way.
    The Minority Report technology by Oblong Industries.

    Oblong, Leap Motion and Tobii Gaze

    Last year at GeoInt I saw a demonstration of Oblong Industries Seismo, a hand gesture technology to control computer operation.  The technology was used in the movie Minority Report, but its usefulness goes well beyond the glitz factor. Interacting with very complex data sets such as USGS earthquake data demonstrates its value. Users claim that once the technology becomes second nature, working with a complex data matrix becomes easier and, most importantly, more understandable.

    With the Leap Motion 3D interface, you can control your computer with your fingers at a distance.
    With the Leap Motion 3D interface, you can control your computer with your fingers at a distance.

    Two other related technologies at CES promise to improve on the capability. The first is Leap Motion, which could quickly transform how we use computers. The device is the size of a USB drive and is a 3D interface with sensors that let you control your computer with small precise finger movements in the air. Unlike earlier technology, there is no need to wear special gloves. “We’ve created a technology that could fundamentally change how people interact with computers,” said Michael Zagorsek of Leap Motion.  The device will sell for $70 and there are currently over 100,000 pre-orders.

    Tobii Gaze is the second company to watch. This company developed a very accurate eye-tracking system that lets you use your eyes as a mouse. Your eye movements and keyboard taps navigate computer interfaces with great speed, precision and accuracy. The Tobii Gaze technology is a single bar that sits above the keyboard. After a quick calibration, users can control Windows 8 with their eyes and a single button push. This could also be a big help to users with paralysis or related disabilities. Will it be possible to combine Tobii Gaze and Leap Motion? It would be interesting.

    Robotics

    CES showed a number of robot toys, including Lego’s Mindstorm kits along with a flying swarm of robot helos. Don’t discount the serious use of swarm robots. Last year at a special operations tech day, I saw a demonstration of swarm robots that could be dropped in a hostile location to inspect a potential ad hoc runway for potholes. After inspecting the runway, the robots lined up on either side of the runway, turned on bright LEDs, and served as runway lights for the incoming pilot. We may find significant geographic data-collection capabilities from these low cost devices in the near future.

    The CubeX 3D printer makes 3D printing a revolutionary new industry.
    The CubeX 3D printer won a Best of CES Award.

    Solid Output Devices

    3D printing has been around for many years. Early printers could create solid terrain models by building layer after layer of a powder substrate that was solidified by binders printed in the appropriate spots. The unprinted unsolidified powder was brushed away, revealing the model. The models were not very durable, not very big, and took a long time to create. Very quickly, solid output devices have become a revolutionary new industry with precise laser measurement, using the powder build-up or additive manufacturing by building up and fusing material from a filament. Two big players are 3D Systems with the CubeX 3D printer and MakerBot’s Replicator 2 and forthcoming dual-color Replicator 2X 3D printers. Starting at $2,499, the CubeX boasts a 10.8 x 10.45 x 9.5-inch build area.

    3D printers or additive manufacturing have seen an explosion in research and development. Objects can now be produced that are durable and intricate, including complex gears and moving parts using plastics, metal and even organic materials to replicate some human body parts such as ear cartilage. AutoDesk is a big player in the field, and I can see the technology being used for simple 3D terrain models to very complex BIM models and even intricate bridge and overpass construction models. Cornell Professor Hod Lipson, a leader in the field, stated that “3D printing is going to disrupt everything around us” and that “Complexity is free.” By that, he means that with the additive layering of materials, it is just as easy to create a complex object as it is to create a simple object.

    This complex titanium part would be impossible to create with traditional machining techniques but was easily created with a 3D printer. (Image courtesy of 3D Systems Corp., Rock Hill, South Carolina.)
    This complex titanium part would be impossible to create with traditional machining techniques but was easily created with a 3D printer. (Image courtesy of 3D Systems Corp., Rock Hill, South Carolina.)

    An interesting aspect of 3D printing / additive manufacturing is the importance of our GIS mathematics underpinning topology. Topology optimization is the key to additive manufacturing and part of every design process. The results of topology optimization are structures that have outward dimensions identical to normal load-bearing elements such as beams, yet have interior designs that look very different from traditionally manufactured parts. In place of triangular or circular voids, these parts have organic, almost bone-like shapes. This results in parts that are as strong as nature and use materials very efficiently.

    The 3,000 exhibitors of CES provided much to ponder. I believe that GIS professionals have core skills and knowledge that position them well to work with many of the new technologies, so career paths may not evolve as many expect. My guess is that someone starting his or her career in GIS today will not end that career making maps.

  • Esri Federal Users Conference 2013: GIS Is Evolving…Again

    By Art Kalinski, GISP

    Several weeks ago I attended the Esri Federal Users’ Conference in D.C. Not surprisingly, the conference was opened by Jack Dangermond, founder and president of Esri. As with most Esri conferences, there is too much to cover in this short column, so I’m providing my highlights.

    Fortunately, the plenary session videos are available online. The videos are a good way to view and sample the technology and get a feel for the conference direction.

    Esri Making a Difference Award

    Jack opened the conference by presenting the Esri “Making a Difference” award. This year it was given to the Army’s Arlington National Cemetery (ANC) and “make a difference” they did! Shown here accepting the award from Jack is Kathryn Condon, the Executive Director and Major Nicholas Miller, the Chief Information Officer (left).

    Several years ago you may remember the scandalous news reports of very poor management and almost total lack of accountability at the ANC. Countless burial plots were misrecorded, finding a burial location for visiting family members was tedious, and some tombstones were even found dumped in a nearby stream. Tracking and management was accomplished via hand-typed index cards and colored pencil annotation of paper maps. We GISPs knew instantly that GIS was the answer and fortunately so did the Army. Their solution was thorough and elegant.

    The Army, working with GIS, Inc., spent several months collecting more than 250,000 point locations of grave markers across the 624-acre cemetery. They used Trimble handheld GPS units to record each tombstone to an accuracy of three inches. Additionally, a digital photo of each tombstone was taken and recorded in the database. The result is an online system called ANC Explorer, which displays GIS maps, aerial imagery and digital photos of ANC that visitors can use to navigate the cemetery. Additionally, family members who can’t visit the cemetery in person can do a virtual search and tour.

    Jack’s Vision

    Jack outlined his long-standing vision of where GIS is and where it is heading. Much of his vision in the past was just that, a “vision.” However, reality has caught up. He spoke of the turning point brought about by cloud computing. He used the term “GIS as a platform” where software such as ArcGIS Online is mashed with other systems to create a pervasive geographic system that enables countless applications. Web maps point back to authoritative data sources rather than carrying the baggage of large local databases. Lightweight, agile applications are extendable, interoperable and permit easy collaboration. As part of this, the emphasis is on web maps as the new medium. He stated that web maps are simple, powerful, and cost effective for collaboration and integration. ArcGIS is the platform enabling this with three components: applications, content, and infrastructure.

    To make all this happen, Esri is spending considerable time and effort not only on the technology, but to assemble extensive authoritative content. This is the big difference between Esri and Google. Google has changed how we all view computer mapping, but as many of us have learned over the years, Google is not necessarily an authoritative source. By its own admission, Google’s purpose is to attract users and drive them to advertising. They have no desire to become the world’s GIS expert. Esri on the other hand is working toward that goal. One example supporting this effort is Esri’s Landscape Analyst, which is being released this month. Similar to Community Analyst, designers can develop maps based on a variety of authoritative public data sets related to land use, land cover, pipelines, transmission lines, imagery, and many other features. The interesting aspect of Landscape Analyst is that more than 30 selected data sets can be used, downloaded, and incorporated into local applications.

    Another announcement that caused a buzz was the free availability of DigitalGlobe World Imagery. The new update includes 30-cm imagery for the continental United States down to 1:1,000 scale, and 60-cm imagery for large parts of Western Europe down to 1:2,000 scale. Throughout the year, Esri and DigitalGlobe will grow the coverage with more than 100 million square kilometers of updated high-quality imagery, making it one of the most detailed free basemap services available.

    CityEngine

    For those of you interested in 3D GIS, CAD, BIM models, Voxels and visualization, CityEngine seems to blur the lines between each and merits a serious look. CityEngine was demonstrated during the plenary session, and is clearly a very fast and easy-to-use 3D modeling environment. It combines rapid 3D model creation from 2d GIS data, similar to Google SketchUp with serious database connectivity in a procedural-based environment.

    Although I personally haven’t worked with CityEngine, the demos are impressive. See a video demo. CityEngine integrates standard file formats, including Collada, RenderMan, Google Earth, SketchUp, Wavefront, 3DS, Autodesk FBX, and WebGL. The CityEngine models can be viewed in ArcScene and WebScene. An interesting capability that could be very valuable for public meetings is a slider bar that can show inside/outside or before/after images.

    One word of caution that I learned working with first responders is the use of textures or cloned images to create 3D models. Previous work I did with Pictometry and PLW Modelworks highlighted the difference between a representation of a 3D scene and use of actual geo-registered imagery. PLW builds 3D models that are “photorealistic” and “photo-accurate.” The models are built from imagery and each building is draped on each side with the actual measurable image of the building. As you can imagine, it’s important that a window shown 5 feet above ground is actually there and not just a graphic. If occlusions block some portion of the image, PLW makes no attempt to fake the image. It instead shows a no-data area that looks like a black shadow.

    Note this example. The “shadow” is really a no-data location of the image.

    Social Media

    A pervasive topic that was part of numerous sessions and Expo exhibitors was social media and big data. The integration of this real-time data with GIS data and analytics is proving to enhance both, and its use is growing. There was a powerful example shown in the plenary session using Topsy technology. Topsy uses complex algorithms to do expert searches on thousands of tweets to discover information based on keywords or terms. The search ranks results based on topical focus and geography. Since only 1 percent of tweets are explicitly geotagged, Topsy developed machine learning methods to infer an author’s location, using features such as regular references to landmarks or events. By doing so, it claims to have high-confidence geographic information for more than 90 percent of tweets. The company demonstrated the benefit of plotting real-time tweets about power outages as a second, validating source of data during Hurricane Sandy.

    Several exhibitors showed social media exploitation tools that were equally impressive. TerraGo demonstrated GeoXRAY, a system that combines GIS data with social media discovery and exploitation tools, brought together into a GeoPDF that can be used off-line in local collaborations by non-GIS users.

    Other exhibitors were using social media for intelligence applications, financial analysis, and business and marketing applications, with a dizzying array of claims. My personal observation is that the social media environment is like the “Wild west.” Similar to the early days of GIS, there are competing products, repackaged data, and capabilities with overlapping systems. It will take a while to sort it out, but this is too important a topic to take lightly. Look for more information in future columns as I get educated.

  • New Generation GeoPDF Maps: TerraGo Evolves with GIS and Big Data

    By Art Kalinksi

    Three weeks ago I had a chance to visit the offices of TerraGo Technologies in Atlanta. I first used their technology in the early 2000s, when I was the GIS manager for the Atlanta Regional Commission. For those of you that may not remember GIS and mapping before GeoPDF maps, it was a real challenge to provide interactive maps to users outside your organization. A GIS author had to ship the data layers, attribute tables, symbol sets and layouts as a package to a user who had to have compatible GIS software. One then had to hope that the user pointed to each data layer correctly and had a good sense of cartography to create maps that told the story. If the user chose inappropriate lines, colors or symbology, the resultant map could look terrible at best, misleading at worst.

    Esri tried to solve the problem with Map Publisher which maintained the author’s cartography, but if any data layers were corrupted or not pointed to correctly, the map failed. GeoPDF maps solved that problem since all the data layers and even the map layout/cartography were preserved as one single PDF file that could be read and interactively queried by anyone using a simple Adobe Acrobat reader. A user could turn layers on or off, zoom in/out and query attributes. TerraGo also added the TerraGo Toolbar that enhanced the map with measurements, geo-locations and the ability to collaborate with others on the same GeoPDF map.

    GeoPDF maps and imagery were quite a leap in map publishing capability and soon became ubiquitous with key federal users and a de facto standard for map publishing within the Department of Defense (DOD) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Anyone can download many GeoPDF maps free of charge, including U.S. topo maps from the USGS Store.

    For federal and DOD users, the U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC) has published more than 200,000 maps of locations around the world. Some samples, including 3D GeoPDF maps, can be viewed by the public. In 2009 TerraGo opened “geospatial PDF” technology to all users. As a result you can create “geospatial PDFs” directly from ArcGIS and other geospatial software and display them with the TerraGo Toolbar. TerraGo, however, retained the enhanced functionality of GeoPDFs, including many new additional features and enhancements.

    The term “GeoPDF” refers to map and imagery products created by TerraGo software applications. GeoPDF maps and imagery use a geospatial PDF as the container for maps, imagery, and other data used to deliver an enhanced user experience in TerraGo applications. However, GeoPDF products conform to published specifications, including both the OGC best practice for PDF georegistration as well as Adobe’s proposed geospatial extensions to ISO 32000, making them consumable by applications such as Adobe Acrobat, Adobe Reader, Global Mapper, and others. GeoPDF products often include other advanced PDF features such as layers and object data that can add significant GIS functionality to the file, particularly when used with the TerraGo plugin to Adobe Reader or other TerraGo clients. TerraGo even has the capability to create navigable 3D GeoPDF models. Here is an example of a 3D GeoPDF model of the Bin Laden compound. Click to experience the interactive PDF (requires TerraGo Toolbar.)

    bin laden

    TerraGo’s geospatial collaboration software and GeoPDF maps and imagery are a powerful solution to produce, access, update and share geospatial information and applications with anyone, anywhere. TerraGo solutions enable enterprises to extend, exchange, collaborate and exploit georeferenced maps, imagery, audio, video, forms and other intelligence in connected or offline environments. I repeat: connected or offline. This is a key GeoPDF capability that cannot be overemphasized.

    I learned the hard way during numerous emergency response exercises and events that as the number of responders ramps up, local internet connectivity degrades to the point that it’s difficult to send and receive even simple emails, let alone large data sets such as imagery. GeoPDF technology permits users to collect and assemble large data sets at the early stage of an event, use them and collaborate on the GeoPDF map locally without the need to continually reload the same data from a remote server. Building on this strength, TerraGo developed numerous related products, but the company is evolving in a more fundamental way. According to TerraGo CEO Rick Cobb, the company is moving from a product-centric organization to a workflow solutions company by expanding some of its technology, providing its solutions as APIs and SDKs for integration with high-end systems and using innovative methods to bring its capabilities to remote users even in fringe, disconnected environments.

    Part of this evolution included expansion of three technologies:

    • increased emphasis on use of locally connected mobile devices,
    • enhancing the capabilities of “Composer 3D” that integrates 3D data such as LiDAR point clouds with 2D data in the GeoPDF environment, and
    • the acquisition of GeoXray, a “big data” exploitation tool that automates the process of discovering, geospatially visualizing, monitoring and sharing relevant unstructured information from any source.

    GeoXray is a web-based software application that allows users to search the Internet and social media sites for content relating to a geographic area and filtering the results by place, time and topic. TerraGo demonstrated interoperability by allowing a user to access GeoXray directly from a GeoPDF map. TerraGo’s Michael Bufkin indicated that the next step in this interoperability will be to cache the GeoXray-discovered content within the GeoPDF map when it is created, thus enabling access to the content directly from the TerraGo Toolbar. Users would then be able to discover GeoXray content even if not connected to the Internet, while using the same tools that they use for map display and collaboration.

    GeoXray

    It’s hard to fully describe the GeoPDF/GeoXray integration in this short column but picture a sample scenario which was demonstrated for me at GeoINT 2012. A hypothetical analyst needed to determine a probable location of a kidnap victim in a remote country. The analyst first used the general mapping capabilities of the GeoPDF map to identify key geographic locations. Then, using a broad array of “big data” contents such as news, blogs and social media, the analyst was able to narrow his efforts to a few key locations through the discovery and filtering capabilities of GeoXray. Combining and layering the physical geography with mapped locations of relevant GeoXray data, the analyst was able to significantly narrow sites of interest. Further viewing and local collaboration by agents in the field using mobile devices to view and collect additional data could refine the location even more.

    This was quite an elegant and robust merging of GIS and “big data” in an easy-to-use application. I look forward to this tool set being a valuable addition for DOD, businesses and any agency that needs fast collaboration in complex environments both domestically and in remote locations.

    TerraGo will be an exhibitor at the ESRI Federal Users Conference this week. I’m looking forward to seeing what other new developments exhibitors will be showing at the UC.  Please stop me and say hello.

  • GIS and the World 2013: No Worries, or Is the Sky Falling?

    Art Kalinski
    Art Kalinski

    Talking to GIS managers over the past several months, I’ve heard a lot of hand wringing from many regarding the future and I share much of the concern. We seem to be at loggerheads on the budget or lack thereof, taxes, energy, gun control and many other issues that make optimism difficult to maintain. For those of you that haven’t faced lean budgets, the next few years may get difficult. GIS operations are especially vulnerable since many politicians don’t really understand “that technical stuff” like GIS, and that GIS doesn’t cost money — it saves money, and even more important, it saves lives.

    There is a general misconception among non-GIS people and politicians that we don’t need our own geospatial operation, we can just use Google. In some cases, like planning a trip, that may be true, but for many of your organizations that may not be enough. One example that struck close to home when I was the GIS manager for the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) was a failed drug raid in one of our counties. The drug dealers were clever enough to switch house numbers with the house next door. When the SWAT team raided the wrong house, based only on Google Maps and the house number, the resulting lawsuit of the innocent family cost the county thousands even though no one was hurt.

    People have to be educated that Google’s key purpose is to drive traffic to its website and sell advertising. Google is not intended to be an authoritative source, and reading the terms of use, one finds special Federal Use Restrictions and “FAR and DFARS provisions.” Google is intended for “planning purposes only” and “makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of any content.”

    Many of you are involved in creating the content that others, including Google, use. Google uses data from more than 12 federal agencies and augments them with commercial data. However, only your staff can determine your exposure to inappropriate use or incomplete data. At ARC, we spent considerable effort constantly updating our street base so planners and 911 call centers had the latest data. Many of those updates took over a year to make to Google Maps.

    I learned through countless budget and reorganization battles that you have to be prepared with hard numbers, data and documentation to back up your position. There is nothing more gratifying than to pull out a stack of documents that completely shuts down your opponent’s unsubstantiated “opinion” during one of these battles. But this takes forethought and preparation. GIS professionals must constantly work to build data that shows a “return on investment (ROI).” ROI may be a common concept in the business world, but it’s not used as frequently in government service. We need to be ready at all times to show in real terms how GIS impacts our organization and how it helps improve efficiency. The easiest way is to accumulate and remember needed documentation, to collect it as you operate day to day by placing emails or other information into a physical or electronic drawer. That way you can pull out needed documentation on short notice and not miss key points.

    As depressing as this potential damage control may sound, I’m very optimistic long term for the country, the planet and GIS. The real numbers seem to fly in the face of the “doom and gloom media” who only sell content covering plane crashes rather than successful landings. Recently John Stossel had a program in which he featured the noted author Matt Ridley who introduced his newest book, The Rational Optimist. Reading his book I was very encouraged by his research. Put in a nutshell, he cites that despite the depressing picture painted by the media, life is better for more people than it has ever been in history. Inflation-adjusted prices for goods and services are lower in all categories with the exception of health care and education. In his analysis he uses labor as cost measure. In the 1900s, an average person spent 76 percent of his income on food, clothing and shelter. In 2012 that number is down to 37 percent. That means more disposable income for fun stuff.

    The environment is generally cleaner and life expectancies continue to rise. The chance of a world citizen dying in a war, disease or famine continues to fall. As a senior citizen I can confirm many of his points through personal experience and observations. Take transportation: In 1960, gas was 32 cents a gallon and my dad bought a brand new fully loaded Chevy Impala for a whopping price of $3,000. Today, both are 10 times higher but so are salaries. With regard to the environment, in 1950 I remember my mother having to scrub my dad’s white shirt collars and cuffs after only a few hours of wear in a coal-dust and soot-infused Chicago atmosphere. I know of no U.S. city that dirty today. When I was Naval Officer on a destroyer going through a 1974 overhaul in Brooklyn, New York, my sailors would have daily wagers as to the number, type and size of sewage objects that would float past the ship as they worked. Two years ago when I was in New York near the East River, I was surprised at the clarity to a depth of several feet of that same water.

    Note this dramatic photo from the New York City Municipal Archive of Grand Central Station taken in 1930. It’s a beautiful photo, but it also shows the heavy particulates in the 1930 air reflecting the sunlight.

    We in the GIS community can point with pride to the work we’ve done to make life better for everyone. When I was building street center-line files in the early 90s, I never dreamed that those simple files combined with GPS and cell-phone technology would be providing me with surprisingly accurate maps and imagery, including street level photos and turn-by-turn voice navigation, all delivered to my small cell phone. I no longer struggle with phone books and maps trying to find businesses. I just talk into my smartphone to get phone numbers and least cost routing, including traffic jam avoidance to businesses. It would be interesting to calculate how much fuel the GIS community has saved FedEx, UPS or public schools running a fleet of buses with optimal routing.

    Google Earth has become a universal tool to find what you need along with directions, user opinions and alternate choices. I no longer go anywhere without reviewing the route, business hours and imagery. Today, buying a home and learning about neighborhoods, prices, schools, transportation is a breeze compared to 20 years ago. Regional planning including environment, agriculture and providing county services has been significantly helped with GIS. Just consider the effectiveness of police and fire responding to 911 calls.

    The intelligence community has moved from analysis of static low-resolution ortho imagery to integration of multiple imagery, full motion video and incorporation of “big data” / social media to create pattern-of-life analysis. We can only speculate how many lives have been saved with this advanced intelligence and how the technology will evolve and improve over the next 10 years.

    And that was the key point of Ridley’s book. That it takes a collective human intelligence and division of labor to raise the standard of living for all citizens. He used as an example a simple computer mouse. That small device that you are probably holding in your hand is the result of the intelligence and work of thousands of people ranging from the oil rig workers getting the oil to make the plastic, to mathematicians, engineers and chemist to design the parts and create the IC chips, to assembly-line workers putting the parts together, to a ship’s crew, truckers and retailer that got it to you and all that at a price of only a few dollars. Imagine building one from scratch with no outside assistance.

    Even more amazing is how fast the learning curve has become. In just a few decades we’ve made more progress than the previous 50,000 years and the curve seems to be increasing. GIS has been part of that process and I look forward to an even better decade ahead.

    I’m going to attend the ESRI Federal User’s Conference Feb 25-27.  Please introduce yourself if you see me (my bald head is easy to spot) and let me know how we can improve our publications.

  • Human Geography at GEOINT

    Could the Connecticut Shootings Speed Human Geography Tools?

    By Art Kalinski, GISP

    During the past few days there has been a stream of talking heads offering advice after the tragic shooting in Newtown, Connecticut.  Some want schools to have airport like screening equipment with full time police officers, others want more aggressive psychological counseling, while others want to ban some or all guns.  Just last August, Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik was sentenced to 21 years after his 2011 killing of 8 with a car bomb and 69 students in a summer camp with semi-automatic weapons.  That, in a country with some of the strictest gun laws in the world.  So what’s the answer?  I’m not sure but I lean toward more conceal and carry permits.  The cause and effect may only be statistical, but the numbers seem to show less crime where conceal carry permits are common.  Most bullies and killers fear someone fighting back so they almost always pick soft targets.

    There is another possible, longer term path that has the potential to be very beneficial and possibly very sinister, Human Geography.  In the early days of GIS I was thrilled to be able to print a simple zip code map with points plotted within the zip code to measure and display demographic data.  In the mid nineties, when I was the GIS manager of the Atlanta Regional Commission, my GIS team was able to help the Atlanta Fire Department catch a serial arsonist by mapping the arson locations and comparing that distribution to home addresses of know past arsonists.  Although not a perfect match, the plots did help identify and ultimately convict the arsonist.

    We are now well beyond points, lines, and polygons GIS.  Today I use my cell phone for navigation, voice directions as well as a street-level imagery of my destination along with photos, video and hundreds of other web based applications.  The same progress has occurred in the intelligence community as maps, imagery, live video, and “other” sources of information have been merged using “Geospatial Multi-INT fusion” to build pattern of life analysis with the potential to anticipate harmful actions.

    One of those “other” sources of data is social media and human geography which had its genesis with Web 2.0.  The term Web 2.0 was coined in 1999 to describe web sites that use technology beyond the static pages of earlier web sites.  It was not a new version of the World Wide Web but referred to the way web sites evolved to allow users to interact and collaborate with each other such as social networking sites, blogs, etc.  Although the US and Europe lead the world in use of social media, Second and Third World countries also have a strong user base of social media.  Most Third World countries never went through the long technology slog we went through laying miles of phone land lines as the technology evolved.  Many of them went direct to cell-phone technology, bypassing the expense and effort of land lines.  As a result, social media plays a surprisingly strong role in countries that still have limited mass media access.

    It’s no surprise that there was an increase in the number of human geography presentations and exhibitors at GEOINT.

    Geoint 2012 panel 

    There was even a pre-conference day devoted exclusively to Human Geography.  The following is a limited snapshot of exhibitors I saw that focused on human geography and social media.  Most of the big players such as Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, BAE, SAIC and others have been doing significant work in these areas but the below are small companies that focus exclusively on human geography.

    Aptima (www.aptima.com/products/lava ) produced LaVATM , a statistical tool for extracting concepts and patterns using natural language processing.  They use online news, social media and blogs to follow the spread of ideas.

    Berico Technologies (www.bericotechnologies.com) demonstrated CLAVIN (Cartographic Location And Vicinity INdexer) which is an open source software package that derives location names from unstructured text and compares them against a gazetteer.  CLAVIN doesn’t just “look up” location names – it uses intelligent logic paths to identify exactly locations based on the context of the text. CLAVIN also uses fuzzy logic to work its way through misspellings or language translations.  There is a USGIF video taken at GEOINT that explains the process (http://geointv.com/archive/geoint-2012-tech-talks-berico-clavin)

    Courage Services, Inc.  (www.courageservices.com)  does research and analysis related to human geography, Socio-cultural dynamics, social media, risk assessment and mitigation.  Their geospatial services include human geography mapping services, imagery and video analysis, mobile and web based applications.  They have focused heavily on humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and development.  Specifically supply chain logistics, situational awareness, critical infrastructure mapping and emergency response support.

    DataCards (www.datacards.org)  indexes data sources that relate to irregular warfare, assessment, or can be used for socio-cultural modeling.  These cards provide a summary description and evaluation of the content, quality, intended purposes, and potentially appropriate uses of each source

    Ergo (www.ergo.net ) delivers ground truth and actionable intelligence from frontline sources.  Unlike other human geography firms they rely on hands-on experience and feet-on-the-ground rather than electronic media.  They have a network of vetted and trusted team members who are locals. They know the political and business environment, understand the customs, and speak the language.  They specialize in “hard cases” – opaque geographies, obscure topics, and sensitive issues that other firms struggle to address with open source media.  They’ve been in business for 7 years and have completed over 400 projects in 90 countries.

    The HumanGeo Group, LLC (www.thehumangeo.com) developed geospatial applications to synthesize, manage, and exploit large data sets, leading-edge non-traditional cyber security and specialized rapid search capabilities. The HumanGeo Group also brings together experienced special operations and intelligence agency veterans to address security and intelligence needs.  HumanGeo also provides business intelligence, geospatial visualization and innovative enterprise search applications that can help reduce risk.

    Recorded Future (www.recordedfuture.com) is in the business of mining “Big Data” to try to have advance knowledge or improved understanding of what might happen in the near future.  They continuously harvests and perform real time analysis of news from more than 40,000 sources on the web, ranging from big media and government web sites to individual blogs and selected twitter streams.  This analysis ties together countless pieces of information that highlight future events.  They can’t predict the future but they can highlight future events based on analysis of millions of events tied to more than 2 billion facts in their database.  This may sound somewhat Orwellian but does point to where things could be headed.

    Fulcrum (www.spatialnetworks.com) is a cloud-based data collection system for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices.  Users can create location-based data collection apps and deploy them to mobile devices within minutes.  It facilitates collaboration so a data collection team can work on the same project collecting data in the field quickly, accurately and with great flexibility.

    fulcrum

    GeoXray (www.terragotech.com) is a web-based software application that allows users to search the internet and social media sites for content relating to a geographic area and filter the results by topic, time and source.  TerraGo, creators of the ubiquitous GeoPDF, demonstrated interoperation by allowing a user to access GeoXray directly from a GeoPDF.  TerraGo’s Michael Bufkin indicated that the next step in this interoperability will be to cache the GeoXray discovered content within the GeoPDF when it is created, thus enabling access to the content directly from the TerraGo Toolbar. Users would then be able to discover GeoXray content even if not connected to the internet while using the same tools that they use for map display and collaboration.

    GeoCOP (www.hmstech.com) is a web-based voice, video, and data overlay service which connects people, applications, and knowledge.  “GEOCOP” stands for “Geospatial Common Operating Picture” and is a Sensitive but Unclassified web-based voice, video, and data overlay technology that instantly connects people, Geospatial Applications, and knowledge.  It was designed by former special agents and law enforcement experts, to provide law enforcement and intelligence agencies with an improved situational awareness tool.  I had a chance to test GeoCOP during a recent exercise where we combined real time earthquake data from USGS with tweets from the affected area verifying the extent of the damage.  I was very impressed with its functionality, broad access to extensive data sets, user friendliness and speed.  GEOCOP users can gather data from multiple online sources, then overlay the results alongside geospatial applications, web video players, live messaging, and other programs.

    geocop

    If your GIS life focuses on points, lines and polygons please look over the cubical wall. There is a silent revolution occurring in the geospatial community that may dwarf traditional GIS.  This has been the most rapidly expanding part of GEOINT as more and more users do a deep dive into all aspects of human geography.  Some of the growing capabilities are quite startling, almost “Big Brother” / “Minority Report” like science fiction.  If I’m still around, it will be interesting to attend GEOINT 2030.  Perhaps we’ll have tools that can use “Big Data” and analysis to anticipate and block damaging events.

    Kalinski photo

     

    Art Kalinski, GISP

    A career Naval Officer, Art established the Navy’s first GIS.  Completing a post graduate degree in GIS at the University of North Carolina, he joined the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) as the GIS Manager from 1993 to 2007.  He pioneered the use of oblique imagery for public safety and Homeland Security.  Art retired early from ARC to join Pictometry International to direct military projects using oblique imagery which led to him joining Soft Power Solutions, LLC.  He also writes a monthly column for GeoSpatial Solutions aimed at federal GIS users.

     

  • GEOINT 2012: Much to Do even with Looming Budget Cuts

    By Art Kalinski

    In a repeat performance, USGIF (United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation) put on a superb conference that was really informative and well executed. GEOINT has always been a serious conference with very little partying, but this year was more so with the leadership even eliminating the traditional closing night social. The social events never were excessive in the past but no one wanted even a hint of over indulgence. It wasn’t missed, because quite frankly there was too much to see and too much to do to spend time on frivolity.

    As in past years, there were so many noteworthy presentations. With more than 248 exhibitors in the Expo, it was impossible to see and hear it all. So this is just one man’s limited view of a mega conference. Luckily, many of the key presentations are on the USGIF website as daily summaries. See ShowDaily 1-5 and videos clips (make sure select the 2012 clips and not previous years).

    Director of National Intelligence and keynote speaker James Clapper

    The opening keynote was delivered by the director of National Intelligence, The Honorable James Clapper, who directly addressed two elephants in the room — sequestration and his take on the Benghazi attack. First he discussed several issues: the INCITE program to have an enterprise data model in the “cloud” by 2018, which he said was moving along nicely. He tied in the need for multi-int data such as GEOINT, SIGINT, MASINT, etc. and also expressed his concern that improvements were needed to speed up the clearance process. He cited reciprocity, so clearances would carry over from one agency and contract to others as a big issue.

    Then he got to elephant one — sequestration. He said that it would be devastating to the intel community because there is no way to prioritize programs. Important programs would see the same cuts as less critical programs which could prove very dangerous.

    The second elephant was the recent attack at Benghazi and death of four diplomatic staff members including the Ambassador. Director Clapper took a jab at our politicians and quoted a recent article by Paul R. Pillar, a 28-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) that he said was thoughtful and resonated well with him.

    “Information about lethal incidents is not total and immediate. The normal pattern after such events is for explanations to evolve as more and better information becomes available. We would and should criticize any investigators who settled on a particular explanation early amidst sketchy information and refused to amend that explanation even when more and better information came in. A demand for an explanation that is quick, definite and unchanging reflects a naive expectation — or in the present case, irresponsible politicking.” You can view Director Clapper’s full keynote here.

    NGA Director Letitia Long addresses the opening session crowd
    NGA Director Latisha Long

     

    Director Clapper was followed by NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency) Director Letitia Long, who discussed current efforts at NGA. She cited continuous creation of ever more capable applications. One example permitted a single user to locate a hard-to-find feature in imagery that took 10 minutes, which previously would have taken several analysts days to complete. She stated that during the past year NGA had developed more than 150 apps that are currently in their “app store.” Her goal was to have the majority of future apps created by commercial developers. They are even considering an “Apple iPhone like” commercial model that would pay compensation to developers based on the number of downloads and users rather than cumbersome and limited contracts.

    Additionally, she spoke of their work to build a Common Desktop Environment (CDE) for NGA and DIA, which will soon top 2,000 users and is expected to grow to 60,000 users by the end of 2013. She said that through streamlining and redundancy elimination about 40 percent of their geospatial content is available to her users with a goal of 100 percent by next year.

    This conference was an eye opener in that it was surprising how fast topics that were just sidebar discussions last year are moving to the forefront. Topics like human geography, social media, and pattern of life mapping seemed to be part of many presentations and some exhibitors. A few presentations stretched my concept of geospatial technology and tradecraft.

    One of them was by Jeff Jonas, an IBM Fellow and chief scientist for IBM Entity Analytics, who gave a lunchtime keynote explaining work he was doing at IBM to help decipher seemingly duplicate data to cut processing time. He used a puzzle metaphor to explain his work with “big data.”

    “Some of the pieces are missing, some of the pieces have errors, some of the pieces have fabricated lies,” he said, but by merging many different datasets a filtering occurs. He then explained an ultimate filter by using an example of two theoretical twins with the same IDs, same DNA, same accounts, etc. He said that with current technology we can now track the movements of individuals through their smartphones, and that unless the twins are joined at the hip, “Space time movement data is the ultimate biometric” and is one way to differentiate one person from another. This capability is also going test our concepts of privacy.

    The GEOINT Expo

    In the Expo area, there were more than 248 vendors ranging from the big companies such as Lockheed, Boeing, SAIC, and others to small start-ups at the fringe of the exhibit hall. Several were showing human geography / social media tools and numerous data storage and management solutions. I didn’t see much new hardware of note other than Ball Aerospace, who was showing the latest and greatly improved version of its Flash aerial LiDAR that can create 3D models draped with imagery continuously and in real time. This was so impressive that I’m going to learn more and write a column about it in the near future.

    Klee Dienes, president of Hadron Industries and former medical helicopter pilot, demonstrated Hadron’s work developing hand-gesture language to use Oblong computer control equipment to navigate maps. Oblong Industries has developed equipment that permits touch-free control of applications just through the use of hand gestures, very much like in the science-fiction movie Minority Report. Oblong not only has equipment that can follow hand gestures using a special glove, but the technology has progress to tracking hand gestures in free space without special gloves. They also developed a special hand-gesture language called g-Speak. This technology is hard to describe and is best understood viewing video clips at the Oblong site.

    Minority Report’s future tech.
    Oblong Industries’ touch-free technology.

    There were numerous presentations on the growing use of human geography and the growing need for not only geospatial technicians but of all things, social scientists. The only “wet blanket” attendee that voiced a concern during a question-and-answer session was an academic researcher who voiced a concern that social scientists were being used for intel work. He said that the American Anthropological Association (AAA) may have a problem with “weaponizing” social science. The speaker had a good answer in that he asked “How could the AAA have a problem with preventing war and reducing human misery?” My feeling, considering the stellar high-paying job market for social science majors, is why bite the hand that could feed you?

    There was so much to cover in the human geography realm that in next month’s column, I will focus on the human geography aspect of GEOINT.

  • The London Olympics: Security Managed with 3D Models

    By  Art Kalinski, GISP

    Now that the London Olympics are completed, I can write about one geospatial tool that enhanced security. That effort was the creation of an extensive 3D model used by London security personnel to track activities and serve as a collaboration environment.  The very detailed geospatial model was built by a team of people working for Aegis Technologies in Huntsville, Alabama.  This was not a new effort for Aegis.  It was in fact the third time AEgis was contracted to develop a high resolution 3D databases including cultural features of interest for use in operational planning and situational awareness in both preparation for and execution of the games. Previous projects include the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

    London_The_EyeAEgis Technologies is a privately held small business of about 250 professionals headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama, that provides advanced technology and consulting services to industries throughout the world. AEgis specializes in modeling & simulation and micro/nanoscale technology development. As a third time selectee, Aegis was understandably pleased as related by David King, VP of Simulation Development “AEgis is proud to continue our support of the Olympic Games by providing our geospatial solutions to this global event. We look forward to the excitement of the London Olympics and are pleased to have again been selected for this project.”

    Staffers of the Geospatial Programs Division of the AEgis Simulation Development Group like to refer to their effort as art meeting science and technology. That’s because the model creation process is not just a rote mechanical process. They believe that it takes a sophisticated blend of mathematics and critical artistic eyes to create models that are accurate, detailed and visually appealing.  Aegis has built 3D models simulating reality for years supporting the Department of Defense, the intelligence community and commercial customers.

    Development of London 2012 was a significant effort that required multiple 3D modelers, texture artists and geographic information system (GIS) analysts. Using satellite imagery and open source data, the team produced accurate and detailed models of the London metropolitan area, including landmarks such as Buckingham Palace, Parliament, Westminster Abby and the Tower of London. Also part of the virtual environment were new structures such as the Westfield Mall and train station which served as the entrance to Olympic Park. The historic architecture and dense urban landscape made the project especially challenging.

    The project took over 4 months to complete using commercial 3D modeling software, GIS, CAD with a significant degree of manual artistic and technical efforts.  Modelers were able to obtain about 65% of the needed data directly off the internet. They also used textures, cloned imagery and some ground level photographs to produce the models.

    Few people realize how much manual intervention is required to produce top notch 3D models.  Most of you know that digital elevation models are needed to accurately display ortho imagery to account for the angular displacement of objects from the camera lens that are not on a flat plane. But that correction when applied to bridges passing over ravines can result in some bizarre distortions. The problem is even worse when constructing 3D models using automated 3D creation tools and if there are anomalies in the elevation data. This was especially evident in the recent release of the IPhone 5 and Apple Maps which I’m guessing used automated tools to build their oblique views.  This was spectacular priaulx that also included numerous misplaced data point and spelling errors.  Although this will take a while to live down, Apple is big enough to survive.  This clearly demonstrated the need for trained human eyes to do quality control.

    Screenshot from Apple Maps.
    Screenshot from Apple Maps.
    Screenshot from Apple Maps.
    Screenshot from Apple Maps.

    For the London model, Aegis built approximately 300 high and medium fidelity 3D models populated the database of more than 2,600 square kilometers. As part of the final project delivery, AEgis also provided several days of hands-on training for London personnel as well as ongoing support. The training was primarily in the use of their viewing software, LightINT used with the database they created.

    L-Wembley_1LightINT was developed in-house by Aegis to take full advantage of their detailed models. The Open Scene Graph (OSG) format is very efficient at managing memory and resources so navigation is quick and seamless. Unlike early 3D viewing software that was cumbersome because entire models had to be loaded into memory, OSG is “pageable”, taking away size and fidelity limitations. With the LightINT viewing tool, AEgis provided high fidelity, smooth navigation with very robust tools.

    Although I didn’t get a chance to play with the system the list of tools and capabilities is quite impressive including:

    • A 3D view of the area of interest
    • 2D map correlation with the 3D view
    • Multiple measurement tools such as length, width, height including slant ranges between objects in the 3D model
    • The ability to import/drag and drop Shapefiles and extrude the 2D data into 3D space
    • Falconview integration
    • Integration and display of observer locations
    • Creation of routes
    • Time of day lighting including weather conditions
    • Line-of-sight tools and analysis including separate viewpoints and red line/green line intersections
    • Geo-marker placement including go-to/fly-to markers
    • Route creation for video creation/playback
    • Terrain database formats – Terra Page(.txp), OSG (.ive), OpenFlight (.flt)
    • 3D model formats – OSG and OpenFlight
    • Multiple coordinate systems

    Although Aegis’ 3D models are not the most sophisticated in method of creation or photorealistic detail, they have built a strong history of quality execution and delivery. As I wrote in a previous column you only get one chance to make good first impression when it comes to data quality and I believe that’s been the key to Aegis’ success and selection for multiple Olympics.  That’s good lesson for all businesses to remember, it’s easier/cheaper to keep good customers than it is to grow new ones.

     

  • A Look at the Diplomatic Facility Support Package

    By Art Kalinksi

    CACI builds a refined geospatial mobile application for emergency response.

    As many of you have seen and experienced, a growing number of mobile applications use smartphones or tablet computers. I had occasion to see a demonstration of a specialized application, produced by CACI in collaboration with DigitalGlobe, designed primarily to support the management of diplomatic facilities during normal and emergency operations. The system is aptly called the Diplomatic Facility Support Package or DipFac for short. According to CACI engineers the system, which bridges both PCs and handheld mobile devices, was designed with a holistic approach from its inception.

    DipFac is designed to prepare for, and manage, planned and unplanned situations as they affect our foreign diplomatic facilities and personnel. It helps embassy leaders manage events affecting facilities and, if needed, to develop contingency plans for the safe movement of diplomatic personnel. The rapid dissemination of geospatial information and real-time data provide a superb common operational picture while providing decision makers the support necessary for effective evacuation and recovery.

    The system manages devices and data similar to an iTunes store, but as a completely secure service operating in its own environment. Below are screen shots showing the easy navigation of the system in field operations.

    Picture1 Picture2 Picture3

    The mobile device accesses content via secure communications. The content is impressive in its scope and includes maps, imagery, biometrics, documents, social media, and all of it in an interactive collaborative environment. Using OGC standards, multiple layers of geospatial data and annotations can be integrated and displayed to form a common operational picture.

    The data sets include the use of Open Street Map, a Wiki crowd-sourced digital street database built through the efforts of countless local contributors. Although it has no single “authoritative” source, users have found that this collaborative street base is impressive in its detail and currency. I haven’t previously used Open Street Map, but reviewing some areas I visited around the world it looked like a very good alternative and supplement to Google Maps.

    Imagery is provided by DigitalGlobe and includes not only current imagery but historic imagery, where available. This is valuable for temporal analysis to identify changes that could possibly be significant. DigitalGlobe also provides numerous vector data layers such as streams, rivers, and political boundaries.

    The collaboration environment is quite robust. There is a Twitter-like question-and-answer section along with the ability to annotate maps with Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standard symbols and the ability to draw lines and polygons to identify routes and areas of interest. There is even a biometric identification capability so accurate personnel identification can be done in the field along with document exploitation (DOCEX), media/computer exploitation (MEDEX), cell-phone exploitation (CELLEX), scene photography, and other capabilities. Users can take pictures, link them to a geographic location, and share those with others. The same is true with scanned documents that can also be run through a built-in translator. Although the translator is not perfect, it could be good enough to quickly understand the gist of a document viewed in the field. Headquarters or other users can also import and share CAD drawings, PDFs, and other digital documents and link them to facilities or geographic locations on the map. Site Exploitation (SITEX) functions include collection and sharing of site-specific information including evidence collection, room or building diagrams, dimensions, video of the site, pictures, people on site, and activities.

    The entire system is similar to Palanterra, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) web-based GIS. Palanterra is a spatially and analytically enabled web-based GEOINT system designed to assemble, analyze, and display physical features and geographically located activities. It is also designed to integrate disparate data sources into a common operational picture, but unlike Palanterra, DipFac has a very light learning curve and can be used by operators in the field with very little geospatial training.

    DIPFAC3

    Above is a screenshot showing building footprints on the imagery and standard OGC-compliant annotations. The view on mobile devices is very similar. Other simulated examples permit users to annotate and share areas of interest such as a bomb blast locations and safe evacuation routes.

    Based on my experience during emergency response exercises, one potential limitation of this and other web-based systems could be connectivity degradation, since the system relies on continuous updates. When I participated in a New York City Oil Spill exercise using Pictometry Online imagery, the growing number of emergency responders assembled as the event progressed, ultimately slowed all Internet activity to a crawl. I believe that being able to cache static data, such as imagery, during the early stages of an event is important to reduce total data traffic, permitting important flow of “live” data and communications. In conversations with CACI engineers, they agreed to consider adding that capability.

    Although the turn-key DipFac system was designed for diplomatic facilities, one can easily see how the secure system could be very useful to any emergency responders or the military. I look forward to seeing how it performs in a real-world situation compared to other similar mobile applications. I recommended that they submit a request to demonstrate it at the next USSOCOM TNT.

    The system is intuitive, easy to learn, and easy to use. With hundreds of at-risk U.S. facilities around the world, this could be a subtle game changer that may be very cost effective and save lives.

  • GEO Huntsville: The Rocket City Spreads its Geospatial Wings

    By Art Kalinski, GISP

    Several weeks ago I attended the kick off press conference of “GEO Huntsville.” What is GEO Huntsville? It’s one of three economic development and jobs initiatives spawned by Huntsville, Alabama, Mayor Tommy Battle. It’s lead by Joe Francica, who has been a long-time leader in the geospatial community and the editor-in-chief and vice publisher of Directions Magazine. Directions Magazine is part of Directions Media, a leading online publishing group for location technology and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). So when Joe gets an idea, people listen.

    Joe has been a long-time resident of Huntsville, and has seen the city grow into a strong center of geospatial activity. After receiving his MBA, Joe worked for GIS firms Tydac and Intergraph. In the early ’90s he originated the column “GIS in Business” published by GIS World Magazine, which is how I met Joe. He soon became the editor of Business Geographics magazine, and then went on to his current position at Directions Magazine. No one I know has as broad an understanding of the geospatial community as Joe. He always has his finger on the pulse of the geospatial community and feels that Huntsville will be a major player in the next 10 years.

     

    Huntsville is unique in that the then small city received a big boost in technology when the WWII German rocket scientists, led by Wernher von Braun, moved there after the war. Huntsville, the location of the U.S. Army’s Redstone Arsenal, soon became known as “Rocket City” and the home of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center and NASA’s Marshal Space Flight Center. It has been estimated that there are more Ph.D.s and college graduates per capita in Huntsville than any other U.S. city.

    Huntsville is now home to more than 50 geospatial firms, including major players such as AutoDesk, Bentley Systems, Boeing, several Intergraph divisions, Northrop Grumman, SAIC, and dozens of mid-sized and smaller companies. In addition to state, local, and higher education GIS operations, Huntsville is also home to a growing number of military commands moved to the area through the Defense Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC). BRAC alone is responsible for 27,000 people moving to the area and joining established geospatial operations at commands located on the Redstone Arsenal such as the Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC), the Army’s Materiel Command, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

    MSIC is the largest C4ISR organization in the area and shows signs of considerable growth. MSIC’s mission is to support field commanders, weapons systems developers, and policy makers with scientific and technical all-source intelligence on surface–to-air missiles, short-range ballistic missiles, anti-tank guided missiles, missile defense systems, and directed energy weapons. Additionally they provide information on space programs and relevant command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems. Their analysis is provided not only to the Department of Defense but other agencies such as DHS and the FBI.

     

    Additionally, the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency (NGA) provides on-site direct support and analysis through a working relationship between NGA and MSIC. This support benefits both agencies and ties in NGA assets and support worldwide.

    The Army’s Redstone Arsenal uses the full array of geospatial tools and resources to manage the base, including compliance with the DOD Spatial Data Standards for Facilities and Installations (SDSFIE). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers — Engineering Support Center provides specialized geospatial support nationwide.

    The kick-off meeting for GEO Huntsville was held in a large conference room at Intergraph. The surprise was the attendance. The room was fine for the expected attendance of about 40 but with more than 110 attendees it was standing-room only. Mayor Battle commended Joe Francica’s efforts and explained the reason for GEO Huntsville.

    Citing the Department of Labor listing geospatial as one of the 13 high-growth professions and the estimate of 180,000 new geospatial jobs over the next 10 years, the Mayor said Huntsville was well positioned to see many of those jobs placed in the region. He further explained that the collaborative effort of firms and organizations in the region will work to establish Huntsville as major corridor for geospatial excellence by:

    • Promoting economic incentives.
    • Serving as a geospatial information clearinghouse.
    • Sharing research and best practices.
    • Promoting Huntsville’s economic, cultural, educational quality of life.

    The Mayor further explained the tie in with two existing workforce initiatives: Energy Huntsville and Cyber Huntsville. Both have geospatial components using maps and 3D models to improve government energy management and the use of location tools to counter cyber attacks. He also cited efforts to place Huntsville as one of six cities that will help set policy for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for integrating Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS).

     

    Showcasing current geospatial technology, Intergraph demonstrated new developments in merging different geospatial data sets including photo realistic 3D models and a most impressive video integration system. The system was able to take video feeds from aircraft flying over a site and geo-reference or “pin” the video to a base map or ortho image. This registration was maintained even though the video was constantly changing position angles due to the movement of the aircraft. This could help significantly in indexing and cataloging the flood of intel video that is being collected in-theater.

    So why should you even care about GEO Huntsville? The geospatial community is growing, many new positions and opportunities will be located in Huntsville, and if you are early in your career you may need to relocate. In my travels I sometimes a see a bit of a preconceived attitude about Alabama not founded in fact. During my naval career I had a chance to travel all over the world. I could have retired (semi-retired) in almost any U.S. location, but I picked the mountain lakes region near Huntsville as the ideal combination of factors for me. To quote a colleague from upstate New York after his first visit, “I thought I was in the Finger Lakes of New York.” So if you get a chance to relocate to Huntsville, jump on it. Many geospatial opportunities and a nice quality of life await you.