GPS World

Tag: GIS

  • Remote Geosystems UAV software free for hurricane work

    To assist with Hurricane Harvey and Irma emergency response and damage assessments efforts, Remote GeoSystems is donating LineVision software licenses to official agency, volunteer and non-profit drone operators.

    In addition to supporting a Texas A&M team responding to Harvey, LineVision is being pre-deployed to volunteers organized by Florida State University’s Emergency Management and Homeland Security Program to help with the Hurricane Irma search and rescue and damage assessment.

    Any other volunteer teams, first responders and non-profit organizations providing essential response and recovery services are encouraged to complete the contact form to request free copies of LineVision software for disaster relief efforts.

    LineVision lets emergency response teams easily map drone video of Hurricane Harvey damage assessments. (Image: Remote Geosystems)
    LineVision lets emergency response teams easily map drone video of Hurricane Harvey damage assessments. (Image: Remote Geosystems)

    The LineVision solution is a commercial software suite for UAV, airborne and terrestrial mobile inspection and survey projects requiring geo-referenced video playback, analysis, collaboration and reporting using standard Esri maps and data, Esri ArcMap and Google Earth GIS applications.

    Using the software, anyone with a GPS-enabled video camera, drone or geospatial DVR that can geotag video in the proper format can immediately load their videos and photos to Esri ArcGIS and Google Earth along with compatible geospatial data.

    As the video plays, a position marker moves along an aerial or terrestrial GPS track positioned on a map, continuously indicating where the current frames were recorded. Users may also geospatially “navigate” a video recording by simply clicking a single point along an aerial or terrestrial GPS track.

    The video then automatically advances to that point in the recording so that users can visually interpret what was recorded at that specific place and time. If something of interest is detected in the video, users may also “snap” an image from the video, which is geotagged and saved for future analysis.

    In addition to video, users can import photos and documents from disaster survey and assessment projects. All these imported data types can be saved in a Remote GeoSystems “geoProject” file for data portability, reporting and future analysis in other versions of LineVision desktop, cloud and server applications.

    Help with Harvey

    Remote GeoSystems was contacted by the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR), who was deployed with the Fort Bend County Office of Emergency Management.

    All parties involved moved quickly, and within a few hours after being contacted, drone video data collection teams were using various versions of the company’s donated LineVision video and photo mapping software to map and view interactive UAV flight tracks with corresponding videos in Esri ArcGIS and Google Earth GIS software.

    The software is being used to help visualize, distribute and share the data available from a record 119 UAS flights that CRASAR conducted over 11 days, including 61 flights on a single day.

    “We first learned about Remote GeoSystems’ LineVision software for mapping geotagged video from drones about a year ago, and at that time even did a proof of concept demo for the USCG and first responders,” said Justin Adams, Air Operations Branch Director for Fort Bend County Manned/Unmanned Ops and CRASAR director of operations for Harvey.  “Now with the Texas Gulf Coast facing a long and difficult assessment and recovery process and Hurricane Irma bearing down on Florida, it became clear now was the time to deploy this valuable UAV solution to operators and volunteers working the affected areas.

    “I have been involved in manned and unmanned aviation for the better part of two decades and Remote Geo offers not only the simplest, but most complete solution for rapid geospatial aerial and ground-based disaster assessment and reporting in the industry.”

    Key Features of LineVision

    • Play videos from single and multi-camera data collection platforms
    • “Click-on-Map” video navigation
    • Set a custom geo-fence around the moving position marker
    • Load Esri ArcGIS or Google Earth-compatible geospatial data files
    • Save video and photo work as geoProjects for simple project reporting, archive and search

  • Agency9 releases free global 3D world in CityPlanner

    Agency9 has released free global 3D terrain and buildings in CityPlanner, its cloud solution for collaborative urban planning on the web. Agency9 is a provider of software for online 3D visualization of geographic information and maps.

    “Agency9 currently serves many customers with web-based 3D visualization tools in CityPlanner. With the release of the free global 3D world in CityPlanner, we aim to further stimulate users transition to 3D using modern planning paradigms — as well as lower the financial hurdle of adopting such services. Bundling free 3D data with the service allows any city in the world to start using CityPlanner instantly, without the lead time of acquiring data,” said Håkan Engman, CEO Agency9 AB.

    CityPlanner represents a new generation of 3D tools for the preparation of plans, project communication, and citizen dialogue in smart cities, according to Agency9. CityPlanner is used by many cities for urban planning, promotion, GIS presentation and crowdsourcing.

    The free global 3D model has a terrain based on open satellite data and LOD1 buildings generated dynamically from OpenStreetMap building data. Buildings are currently available for the Nordics, expanding globally throughout the year.

    “Later this year Agency9 will add large scale paid 3D premium content on a region, national, and continental basis. This further supports market adoption with easy access to 3D data and services.” continued Engman

    CityPlanner is available as a subscription service with the new global data included at price plans starting at €220/month. In the Enterprise plan, customers can expand the number of users and capacity to suit organisational needs, as well as use their own 3D data of any size — including highly detailed textured 3D city models.

    CityPlanner is available as a free 30-day trial, which includes the free global 3D data.

  • Esri releases second book on GIS technology

    esri-the-arcGIS-book-second-editionEsri released a new book, “The ArcGIS Book: 10 Big Ideas about Applying The Science of Where,” as well as a companion website.

    According to Esri, the book provides mapmakers with the know-how and hands-on experience to practice “The Science of Where.” In addition, the accompanying website offers information and interactive education resources needed to use web-based geographic information system (GIS) technology to create maps, work with apps, create and use authoritative data, conduct spatial analysis and more.

    The book is available in print, as an interactive PDF and online. It explains how to use Esri’s ArcGIS platform to manage and analyze data and then visualize and share that information in maps to gain location-based insight, the company said. The book’s chapters cover web mapping, ready-to-use apps, story maps, 3-D GIS, spatial analysis, imagery and the Internet of Things, as well as curated content from Esri’s Living Atlas of the World.

    In addition, the online and PDF versions of The ArcGIS Book are interactive with 10 Learn ArcGIS lessons and links to 250 online maps and apps from Esri and the worldwide ArcGIS community. According to Esri, it also includes a variety of electronic learning resources, including software downloads, videos, case studies, story maps, e-books, open data sites, the Living Atlas of the World and more.

    “It’s a multimedia experience,” said Christian Harder, the writer at Esri who co-edited the book with Clint Brown, Esri director of product engineering. “Every graphic and image in the electronic versions of the book comes to life in the interactive versions. This makes it an excellent starting point for people to learn about GIS or communicate to their friends and colleagues what GIS is all about.”

  • Boundless partners with global special forces foundation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

  • High-resolution Earth observation satellites ready for launch

    Space Systems Loral (SSL), a provider of satellites and spacecraft systems, built the six high-resolution small satellites for Planet for its SkySat Earth observation constellation — a fleet Planet gained through the acquisition of the Terra Bella business from Google in April 2017.

    Six SSL-built small satellites for Planet's Earth observation constellation have arrived at Vandenberg AFB for launch. (Photo: SSL)
    Six SSL-built small satellites for Planet’s Earth observation constellation have arrived at Vandenberg AFB for launch. (Photo: SSL)

    The satellites will double Planet’s high-resolution imaging capabilities and help provide information about the physical world.

    The satellites, called SkySat 8 through 13, are each about 60 x 60 x 95 centimeters, weigh about 100 kilograms, and capture sub-meter color imagery and up to 90-second clips of HD video with 30 frames per second.

    “Small satellites and Earth observation satellites are a growing focus for SSL,” said Dario Zamarian, group president of SSL. “SSL is known for working very collaboratively with our customers and it has been a great pleasure for our team to work together with Planet. For these satellites we have taken a fresh approach to manufacturing, learning from our GEO experience but also looking for new and more efficient processes that in turn also inform our large satellite manufacturing.”

    Working together with the seven SkySats already on orbit, the new satellites will dramatically increase Planet’s high-resolution imaging capabilities, enabling multiple imaging passes in a single day. These capabilities, combined with Planet’s more than 170 Dove satellites and their advanced software analytics platform, make it possible to derive timely insights from any location in the world.

    The Planet constellation provides a broad range of data, tools, and analytical services that help leaders in business and humanitarian sectors solve complex problems.

    “These SkySats double the amount of high-resolution data that we can capture and serve to users, and will power insights, inform smart decisions, and most importantly, help make the world a better and safer place,” said Will Marshall, co-founder and chief executive Sofficer of Planet. “The highly experienced team at SSL has been helpful and responsive as we work together to get the satellites prepared for launch.”

    SSL has deep experience in building and integrating some of the world’s most powerful and comprehensive solutions for services such as communications, Earth observation, in-orbit servicing, space robotics, and exploration.

    Four SkySats built by SSL were launched in September 2016, and SSL is currently building an additional eight LEOs for Planet in its SmallSat manufacturing facility in Palo Alto, California, where the company takes an innovative approach to satellite design, assembly and test.

  • TerraGo partners with Western Data Systems for data collection

    terrago-logoTerraGo partnered with Western Data Systems (WDS), a provider of field data collection solutions to the surveying, construction and other infrastructure industries.

    In alignment with the partnership, WDS will launch P.L.A.N.I.T. (Points, Lines, Areas, Navigation, Information, Tasks), a mobile data collection platform built entirely using TerraGo Magic.

    “WDS has the experience and expertise to give customers the smartest, most cost-effective solution to meet their needs,” said John Timar, vice president of worldwide sales for TerraGo. “The combination of the best positioning technology and a fully customizable app will help their customers get field work done faster, better and cheaper than ever before.”

    Earlier this year, TerraGo released a new version of Magic. In addition, TerraGo will be hosting a webinar on Aug. 30, where the company will provide a live demonstration of the WDS P.L.A.N.I.T. mobile data collection platform.

  • University of Redlands details its GIS master’s program at Esri UC

    Doug Flewelling, Ph.D., gives an overview of the University of Redland‘s master’s degree program for GIS at the 2017 Esri User Conference, which took place July 10-14 in San Diego, California. The program is specifically designed for is professionals in the field looking to further their careers, as well as international students.

  • Hurricane barrels toward Texas, maps show impact

    Hurricane Harvey is hitting Texas with wind speeds of at least 111 mph. Widespread flooding is a risk for Texas and neighboring states as public safety groups and communities prepare.

    Esri has created a new Hurricanes and Tropical Cyclones Story Map that identifies the potential impact of the storm through a variety maps, including:

    • Public Information Map — identifies the current and recent location of Harvey as well as forecast positions and probable track; additionally, the shaded area is called the “cone of uncertainty,” the likely path of the center of Harvey.
    • Impact Summary Map — shows the storm surge by identifying locations most at risk for life-threatening inundation from storm surge; accordingly, to Esri’s data, the total population at risk is 248k people, 99k households, and 10k businesses.
    • Forecast Precipitation Map — forecasts the amount of rain expected within the next 72-hour period.

    Click here to view the story map.

    Hurricane-Harvey-Esri-storymap

  • Harnessing scan-to-BIM technology on historic sites

    Attucks School in Kansas City.
    Attucks School in Kansas City. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    When it comes to renovating a building, unforeseen structural problems or lack of knowledge about the materials used can result in costly delays. Detailed site surveys help to highlight these issues before work begins — and digital technology is playing an increasingly important role in identifying them.

    The GeoSLAM ZEB REVO. (Image: GeoSLAM)
    The GeoSLAM ZEB-REVO. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    A project undertaken at a 112-year-old school highlights the advantages of using 3D mobile indoor mapping for rapid and simple site surveys.

    “The beauty of scanning an historic building is that you find yourself delving into the stories behind its life,” said Stuart Cadge, sales and marketing coordinator at GeoSLAM. “As you peel back the layers you discover how the building has been used and altered over many decades of use.”

    This was certainly the case at the Attucks school in Kansas City, Cadge said. The distinctive red-brick building was designed by local architect Charles A. Smith and built in 1905. It is known for its colonial revival influences and also played a key role in the educational history of the African-American community.

    Two decades later, the school was suffering from over-crowding, and Smith was asked to extend it with a two-storey wing that connected to the east façade of the building. While the 1905 building had been symmetrical, the extension changed the floor plans considerably. Nevertheless, Smith delivered a sympathetic design that incorporated some of the original architectural details, ensuring the new wing was in keeping with the building’s aesthetic.

    While details of the school’s building history are available on national and state registers, it would not have been possible to uncover problems in its structural condition without an accurate survey.

    A Unique Challenge

    Redeveloping and retrofitting a building like Attucks requires careful planning to uncover any existing conditions in its infrastructure. Civil engineering firm BHC RHODES was tasked with providing a 3D Revit building information model (BIM) of the building. The firm decided to use lidar 3D mobile mapping technology provided by GeoSLAM to achieve this.

    The extremely rapid and efficient workflow of the GeoSLAM solution meant that possible setbacks in the project, caused by weakness in the structure, could be identified in advance, helping to speed up delivery time and reduce the overall project spend.

    At Attucks, there were visible signs of deterioration to the wooden flooring, as well as concerns about ceiling collapses and air quality — specifically, asbestos.

    The Value of Technology

    “The process of mapping a historic building can expose site personnel to a number of risks, so BHC RHODES wanted to ensure they spent as little time on-site as possible,” Cadge explained.

    As well as entering the Attucks building, personnel were required to move across the site safely, climb stairs and go into places that a trolley scanner could not.

    On this basis, the firm chose the GeoSLAM ZEB-REVO, a handheld, lightweight, mobile mapping scanner, which employs 3D Simultaneous Localization And Mapping (SLAM) technology. In this case, it was seen as a much more time- and cost-effective alternative to terrestrial, static or trolley-based systems.

    The complete 3D scan of the building comprises four separate scans and over 160 million data points. (Image: GeoSLAM)
    The complete 3D scan of the building comprises four separate scans and over 160 million data points. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    “The ZEB-REVO is an incredibly useful tool for indoor mobile mapping, particularly in buildings with multiple storeys,” Cadge said. “It enables users to simply ‘walk and scan’ the building, in order to generate building footprints, 2D plans, area measurements for real estate and facility management, 3D BIM models — the list goes on.”

    In the case of Attucks, just four-and-and-half hours were needed to scan the whole building, with the ZEB-REVO recording more than 43,000 measurement points per second. This was helped by the fact that operation of the device requires minimal staff training.

    Results

    Data from the ZEB-REVO and a trolley-based scanner were registered with Cyclone 9.1.4 to a common coordinate system before being exported to Autodesk ReCap as a .pts file format. From this, data was divided into 10-GB files to be used in ReCap and Revit 2014, where a level 200 BIM model was generated. The smooth and hassle-free workflow resulted in the entire building model being completed two weeks earlier than predicted.

    The Jazz District Redevelopment Corporation (JDRC) in Kansas City has plans to transform Attucks into a new community performing arts facility, with office space, paying tribute to its African-American history. By supplying the JDRC with the geospatial data, the organization was better able to understand the structural condition of the building and consider how the space could be used.

    The 3D point data was used to build a level 200 BIM model in Recap and Revit 2014. (Image: GeoSLAM)
    The 3D point data was used to build a level 200 BIM model in Recap and Revit 2014. (Image: GeoSLAM)

    The development will form an integral part of the 18th and Vine historic district in Kansas City, known as the Jazz District. The area is recognized as one of the cradles of jazz music in the 1920s and 1940s, and a historic hub of African-American businesses.

    To secure approval on the plans for Attucks, JDRC must produce detailed drawings that show what materials will be used, as well as full dimension drawings, floor plans, site drawings and elevations. In addition, it must provide details, both graphically and in written form, on what parts of the building will remain and what renovation techniques will be used.

    All this might present a number of challenges, but the scans produced by GeoSLAM’s ZEB-REVO show that the existing buildings are of exceptional quality. When the project does proceed, it will be able to do so quickly and efficiently thanks in part to the speed, simplicity and ease of use of the ZEB-REVO.

  • Seeing the Great American Eclipse

    Photo: 2017 Eclipse/NASA
    Photo: 2017 Eclipse/NASA

     

    A total solar eclipse will cross the United States from coast to coast on Monday, Aug. 21 — the first solar eclipse in nearly 40 years.

    Not only is this is the first eclipse in the age of social media, it is the first with a path of totality crossing the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. since 1918.

    Also, its path of totality makes landfall exclusively within the United States, making it the first such eclipse since the country’s independence in 1776.

    An interactive story map from Esri, Seeing the Great American Eclipse, features a collection of eclipse data such as the amount of exposure per location, traffic analytics and more.

    An estimated 1.85 to 7.4 million people will be traveling to the path of totality. The rapid population influx presents a unique challenge for national public safety agencies as well as state and local governments across the cities and towns where eclipse enthusiasts are expected to gather.

    Aside from potential record-breaking traffic jams, many are anticipating a significant strain on emergency resources and infrastructure (both physical and digital).

    Oregon in the Hot Seat. As the first state to experience the eclipse, Oregon is in the hot seat. It is not only one of the most populous states in the path of totality, but is expected to receive the most out-of-state visitors as well.

    During this unprecedented event, government agencies are going to need real-time situational awareness of personnel; resources; and infrastructures, such as freeways, in highly populated areas. Knowing who and what are at risk is critical, but knowing where when it matters most enables a cohesive response to any situation that might arise.

    In recognition of those needs, Oregon has developed the RAPTOR app (Real-time Assessment and Planning Tool for Oregon). Leveraging Esri technology, the online government resource adds the path of totality and other eclipse event layers to its situational awareness data.

    RAPTOR also allows users to quickly and easily digitize information from these events and put them onto maps, providing agencies with up-to-the-moment info on everything from traffic to weather.

  • HxIP announces updates to 2017 airborne imagery collection plans

    Latest imagery collection covers U.S., Canada, Europe; plans include territories, cities

    The Hexagon Imagery Program (HxIP) has updated its 2017 airborne imagery collection plans of Wide Area Coverage (WAC) at 30-centimeter accuracy and Urban Area Coverage (UAC) at 15-cm accuracy in North America and Europe.

    By the end of 2017, the HxIP will update its content for more than 3.9 million km² in North America. This includes a refresh of 18 previously captured U.S. states and completes the full coverage of the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, and select areas of Alaska.

    The HxIP announces updates to 2017 airborne imagery collection plans of Wide Area Coverage (WAC) at 30-centimetre accuracy and Urban Area Coverage (UAC) at 15 cm accuracy in North America and Europe.
    The HxIP announces updates to 2017 airborne imagery collection plans of Wide Area Coverage (WAC) at 30-centimetre accuracy and Urban Area Coverage (UAC) at 15 cm accuracy in North America and Europe.

    In addition to the 30-cm program, the HxIP expands its 15-cm collection by 100 cities for a total of 347 U.S. urban areas covering more than 492,000 km². The HxIP also includes 23 Canadian cities at 30 cm with efforts underway to refresh and expand the Canadian library.

    This year will see the addition of approximately 650,000 km² in Europe bringing, the Western European coverage to more than 2.2 million km². Including countries such as Italy, Germany, Spain, France and Poland, this coverage expands the HxIP on the global stage, making it one of the most comprehensive, imagery programs in the world.

    Hexagon-Europe-W

    “Over the last three years since we launched the program, we have been extensively growing our coverage through adding new imagery acquisition partners and increasing our resources to support the program,” said John Welter, Hexagon Geosystems Content and Engineering Services president. “We are well on track to meet our 2017 goals, and we are continuously improving our offerings to better support our users, including completing coverage and reducing the time it takes to refresh our content.”

    Quality control by experts. Launched in June 2014, the HxIP provides valuable geospatial content and delivers professional-grade airborne images captured with Leica Geosystems’ airborne sensors, including enhanced-resolution, four-band orthos, rasterized point clouds, and stereo imagery.

    Captured by a network of Leica Geosystems airborne users, the data is processed by experienced photogrammetry professionals who ortho rectify, and correct colors and seam lines. Using the latest processing technology, these experts clean the data to be used in various applications, such as corridor mapping, real estate assessments and flood planning.

  • Intergeo preview: Photogrammetry heads for new markets

    We’ve entered a new golden age for photogrammetry, powered by the ease of digitizing images and their ubiquitous availability.

    Photogrammetry is the science of making measurements from photographs. While science drives the process, business is driving a wealth of associated applications.

    “Photogrammetry is ahead of its time because everything is already fully digital in this discipline,” said Heinz-Jürgen Przybilla, professor of Geodesy at Bochum University of Applied Sciences.

    UAVs, digital cameras and image sensors on the Internet of Things, in aircraft or on satellites are opening up applications that only the world of science was predicting a few years ago.

    Intergeo Show. The developments that photogrammetry is setting in motion will be on display at Intergeo 2017, Sept. 26–28 in Berlin.

    The art of using photographs for surveying, which laid the foundation for present-day photogrammetry, dates back 150 years and involves developing processes to derive information from images that go far beyond simply viewing them. In recent years, the discipline has made huge progress, with businesses discovering new application areas.

    The high level of automation makes it possible to interpret huge volumes of data from sources such as large-scale satellite imagery. The process also works in real time — a prerequisite in applications such as autonomous navigation.

    “Automation in image evaluation makes people incredibly flexible. We’re no longer restricted to viewing the world from our own height,” said Christian Heipke, president of the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS).

    Photogrammetry applications are moving into numerous sectors and tackling a host of challenges. Global change is being documented using images from space. Image data is being used to forecast crop sizes. Inaccessible structures are being monitored with the help of images from UAVs.

    As Przybilla said, image evaluations from UAVs are already being used for high-precision land register surveys. What took days manually can now be accomplished in minutes.

    Disaster Prevention. Other applications include disaster prevention and monitoring refugee movements. In many cases, drones provide a rapid overview, while satellites offer the large-scale basis for evaluating a situation.

    In architecture, 3D models from aerial images complement computer-aided design (CAD) plans.  In conjunction with virtual reality, 3D models enable design variants for a building to be depicted in the actual environment.

    Information is also being shared with disciplines such as computer vision and robotics, with “seeing robots” increasingly recording and mapping their surroundings.

    Industrial site in 3D: A digital elevation model from a series of overlapping photos taken from a UAV at 300 feet above ground level.
    Industrial site in 3D: A digital elevation model from a series of overlapping photos taken from a UAV at 300 feet above ground level. (Image: Eric Gakstatter)

    More and more, the processes and algorithms on which image evaluations are based are becoming like a “black box” for users — hard to understand from the outside. While the black box is getting bigger, scientists are refining their methods.

    “We’re increasingly combining existing data and this will leverage a huge amount of new potential,” explained Heipke. The black box for photogrammetry will be discussed at Intergeo.

    Once the process of image content recognition is automated, applications are limitless.

    Several sessions organized by the German Society for Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Geoinformation (DGPF) at Intergeo will be looking at topical issues in photogrammetry. The contents of the presentations range from new sensors and remote sensing to “engineering geodesy meets photogrammetry.” Numerous companies will also be showcasing their image-evaluation solutions at Intergeo’s specialist exhibition.