The research satellite will in collecting high-quality, high-resolution data for terrestrial, coastal and ocean ecosystems for a three-year period after launch, according to Matthew McCabe, director of the KAUST Climate and Livability Initiative. McCabe described the launch as a qualitative process for the Kingdom’s efforts in the field of protecting and restoring ecosystems on land and at sea.
A CubeSat is a small satellite consisting of one or several 10x10x10 cm units, no more than 1.33 kilograms per unit. CubeSats can range from 1 unit (1U) to 12 units (12U). The KAUST satellite is 6U.
“In the past, launching a satellite was the sole domain of governments, with costs well beyond the reach of a university,” McCabe said. “CubeSats are helping to democratize space, providing the opportunity to launch a customized platform at a fraction of the traditional cost.”
The data collected will provide high-resolution details about current conditions of ecosystems in the region, and monitor improvements from environmental management strategies, supporting the Saudi Green Initiative among others.
The CubeSat is equipped with Spire’s GNSS reflectometry reflectors, as well as a hyperspectral imaging sensor. It is supported by advanced capabilities in processing and artificial intelligence.
The satellite will allow KAUST University researchers collect and analyze high-resolution images of the Earth’s surface for detailed mapping of terrestrial environments, monitoring of vegetation cover status, exploration of coastal ecosystems and coral reefs, development of precision agricultural research, and a host of other Earth and environmental science applications.
The imaging sensor can image areas of interest anywhere in the world across more than 30 user-adjustable spectral bands. The sensor data can be combined with Spire’s GNSS receiver to monitor micro-environmental variables such as soil moisture, helping in many areas such as agriculture, forestry and land management.
“The capacity to observe the Earth in high-resolution hyperspectral detail will allow for the production of enhanced metrics to map and monitor change anywhere in the world,” McCabe said. “Closer to home, Saudi Arabia is focusing considerable effort towards the protection and restoration of its precious terrestrial and ocean systems. The data from this KAUST CubeSat will be invaluable in providing new information on both the state of existing ecosystems, and for monitoring changes resulting from improved management strategies – something that can be used to support aspects of the Saudi and Middle East Green Initiatives.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought uncertainties to all businesses, and the mapping industry has been no exception.
Slowdowns were observed during the first few months of 2020 as lockdowns were gradually enforced in Asia, then Europe, and finally the Americas.
As expected, projects were delayed during that initial period as companies were reorganizing their operations to allow for remote work.
Once that transition was overcome, a great number of projects resumed, and the geospatial field has been gradually coming back to normal since then. That can be explained by different factors, including, for example, several governments accelerating infrastructure projects to stimulate the economy.
A lot of mapping firms have turned the pandemic into an opportunity to improve their processes. Slower times allow reviewing production workflows and assessing bottlenecks. Once identified, new hardware and software solutions can be evaluated to optimize production.
Interestingly, the resulting investments into new solutions has been significant. Companies are seeing a quick payoff as their workload is rapidly accelerating, leading to an increase in their bottom line.
Overall, the mapping industry was able to rapidly adjust to the new reality caused by the pandemic. The changes that are being made in performing projects not only allow us to minimize risks in the short term, but also to increase profitability in the longer term.
SimActive is the developer of Correlator3D software, a patented end-to-end photogrammetry solution for the generation of high-quality geospatial data from satellite and aerial imagery, including drones. Correlator3D performs aerial triangulation (AT) and produces dense digital surface models (DSM), digital terrain models (DTM), point clouds, orthomosaics, 3D models and vectorized 3D features.
Powered by GPU technology and multi-core CPUs, Correlator3D ensures high processing speed to support rapid production of large datasets.
SimActive has been selling Correlator3D to leading mapping firms and government organizations around the world, offering cutting-edge photogrammetry software backed by exceptional customer support.
According to the association, the interactive mapping-based app shows how jurisdictions have taken actions to reopen certain business sectors by issuing statewide orders. It also shows how jurisdictions are undertaking regional-based approaches or implementing statewide orders with authorization for localities to place additional restrictions.
The map also allows users to explore public health actions governors have taken during the pandemic, including statewide stay-at-home orders, limits on gatherings, state employee travel restrictions, quarantine orders for interstate travel and more.
The map, which is updated on a daily basis, features data collected from states and territories. The data is based on an evaluation of state executive orders, directives, guidance, legal and non-legal documents, and news sources, the National Governors Association said.
For an industry that makes its living identifying people and objects at a particular point in space, the geolocation industry — made up of applications providers, mapping companies and device manufacturers — has been very slow to make the move from two dimensions (2D) to three dimensions (3D). There is no excuse for this, as the ability to locate in 3D is fully tested and operable. What explains the holdup and what is being done to meet the growing need for 3D solutions?
Industry participants recognize the inevitable move towards 3D but give four main reasons for the delay:
There is a lack of awareness about some of the robust, scalable solutions that are available for deployment today
Businesses continue to make money from 2D applications
The investment required for 3D applications is too high
The eco-system for 3D applications is not fully developed
It seems that applications using location data simply rely on whatever information is made available through devices, mostly driven by GPS. There are more specific location technologies that offer fully tested, citywide vertical location solutions.
Despite years of deployments and generating effective use cases in two dimensions, the industry must do a better job of keeping up with technology advancements, especially those most likely to benefit from 3D location, and articles like this help!
But why is there a lag in the industry to move to a 3D world?
2D complacency
The explanation for the lag in moving to 3D is that the geolocation industry is still making money from 2D applications and, as the old saying goes, “If it’s not broken don’t fix it.”
While it’s true that many non-mission critical applications are getting along fine using 2D and will for the foreseeable future, the need for 3D is now. At a basic level, traffic directions don’t really require a 3D layout of the topography of your daily commute, although I could argue the traffic use case would benefit from knowing whether traffic on a map is on an overpass or ground level roadway. Certainly rideshare companies could benefit from communicating to their customers what level in a parking garage or airport they are on.
Other use cases are demanding more sophisticated 3D technology. One of the initial drivers for high-accuracy 3D (and indoor) location has been the needs of the public safety community. When lives are at stake, first responders require the most specific possible location accuracy in order to quickly find emergency callers and others needing help.
Beginning in April 2021, Emergency Communications Centers (911 call centers) will receive vertical location of emergency callers from wireless carriers. Computer-aided dispatch (CAD) systems are exploring how best to incorporate this information and direct first responders to the 911 caller’s 3D or floor-level location.
The benefit is obvious, as emergency callers cannot always provide their exact location to the 911 operator, so technology fills the gap. Other industries ranging from mining to healthcare to enterprise security similarly are also demonstrating demand for 3D applications, and we are seeing moves to meet this demand, but there is a long way to go.
High stakes
Another reason for the relatively slow development of 3D applications is the investment required. Even with a demonstrable demand across several industries, many players in the geospatial industry aren’t willing to invest funds to pioneer new solutions.
For every big player like Samsung or Apple, who have committed to developing state-of-the-art 3D sensors in their devices, there are many small players who must instead follow the market and adopt white-label solutions that don’t require as much upfront investment.
While it’s true that some 3D technologies can require significant investment and a committed strategy on the part of geospatial industry players, locating devices in 3D is possible today and there is a huge potential to serve new markets and improve business and consumer applications.
The 3D eco-system
As the market for commercial applications reaches a tipping point where 3D is not just a curiosity but is becoming a must-have for many consumers and businesses, the industry ecosystem must step up and deliver all parts of the solution. The mapping industry presents an interesting use case in this regard.
Digital maps have been in use for years, since the advent of the first fleet tracking devices in the 1980s, which led to the widespread use of consumer car tracking systems, and then onto Waze and other Smartphone-based mapping applications. Even these maps, which are huge advancements over their predecessors, do not fully reflect the 3D world we live in, and generally do not include accurate maps of the indoor environments in which we spend most of our time.
The next step in mapping is the digitization of entire buildings and other structures to create accurate 3D representations. However, even pioneers in this space aren’t fully utilizing 3D technology throughout their product roadmap, and, until there is a fully developed 3D ecosystem, it’s difficult for a company to go ahead alone.
As one leading company explained to us, without a consistent protocol for the use of 3D data and its conversion into 3D maps, they can’t justify converting their entire production from 2D, so they instead create 3D maps as one-offs where needed. They haven’t yet seen the critical mass in the industry required to go full 3D, and they are still working with, and making money from, 2D partners.
They are preparing for the time when the industry is fully 3D, which they believe will come soon.
A 3D world
Stepping back and taking a broader view of where we are, I think we are witnessing an industry in transition. With the deployment of city-wide, scalable location solutions that incorporate location data from a variety of sources, the initial building blocks are in place for the move to a fully 3D world.
Pioneering companies are going after growing demand (and in some cases creating that demand), even with limited resources, and seeding an ecosystem for others to build upon. I would in fact challenge the industry to produce a use case that would not benefit from improved location and 3D awareness — from the daily commute through complex freeway systems to shoppers navigating a multi-story mall to find a specific retailer, to protecting workers running large hotels, and more, the applications are endless and promise to multiply as users realize the benefits of 3D technology.
It is only a matter of time until the location industry will fully embrace the fact that the world indeed is not flat.
About Matt Rothschild
Matt Rothschild
Matt Rothschild is the Mountain View-based Head of 3D Location Customer Engagement for Polaris Wireless. He is a wireless and telecommunications industry leader with more than 20 years’ experience leading sales, marketing, product and operations organizations internationally. Rothschild successfully led sales and marketing teams for Nokia in Asia (Singapore), the Middle East & Africa (Dubai) and the Americas (Miami/Silicon Valley). Most recently, Rothschild led the Nokia/Microsoft acquisition and integration for North America, building partnerships with key mobile operators and channel partners, as well as building important ecosystem and developer relationships for the Windows platform.
Our nation’s sewers are under critical examination now more than any other time in history. The act of collecting sewage and stormwater, transporting it to the treatment system, and processing waste is no doubt a feat of science and engineering that we take for granted in the developed world.
Sewer infrastructure is a critical public asset whose importance in modern life cannot be overestimated, and to keep things running properly takes round-the-clock maintenance and operations. It’s only when the system fails or floods that we fully appreciate our dependence on it.
At last count, there are at least 16,000 publicly owned wastewater treatment systems (also called Publicly Owned Treatment Works, or POTWs) in the United States, providing sewer service for more than 245 million people. Additionally, about 860 communities have combined sewer systems (CSS) that serve about 40 million people.
These CSS capture both sewage and stormwater before the combined mixture is treated and either reused, recycled or discharged to the environment. In wet weather events, untreated waste and stormwater can escape capture due to overfilled combined storm sewers, known as combined sewer overflow (CSO). These CSO events can spill sewage into rivers and streams, creating a major source of water pollution across the country.
To make matters even more complicated, the effects of climate change and increased rainfall in some areas have created new challenges to our nation’s sewer infrastructure.
Additionally, federal and state regulations like those for municipal separate storm sewer systems (MS4) that discharge untreated runoff into the environment have added new demands of our publicly owned entities that manage these systems.
A map of the continental U.S. depicting POTWs, from the EPA Facility Registry Service’s Wastewater Treatment Plants Dataset. (Image: CivicMapper)
The impact of sewer overflow is especially felt in the eastern United States where the combination of aging infrastructure and increasingly frequent and severe rainfall events have presented significant challenges in the capture, handling and treatment of sewage.
With some eastern cities receiving record rainfall in the past few years, it’s now more important than ever to understand our sewer infrastructure, including: where it is, who is responsible for it, when it was installed, how it is networked, and what are its defining characteristics. These data are essential for performing maintenance, for planning growth, and for undertaking new construction projects. The need for better understanding, visualizations, and communication of sewer data assets is a perfect use case for Geographic Information Systems.
The Case for Mapping Sewer Networks
There are many moving parts to a sewer network. Representing each manhole, sewer line, pump station, inlet, and outlet within a unified map requires expertise in the art and science of mapping. Spatial data from a breadth of sources like engineering drawings, as-builts, CAD datasets, spreadsheets, field surveys, sewer cameras, flow meters, and aerial imaging have traditionally been the go-to datasets for constraining the topology, attributes, and capacities of sewer networks. Additionally, new kinds of data procured from emerging geospatially-enabled technologies like subsurface robotic pipe inspections and simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) provide a glimpse of where sewer map data will come from in the future. For POTWs and their stakeholders, information from both old and new sources can synergistically come together in a GIS as part of a greater asset management program.
Creating a unified map of sewer infrastructure from many data sources requires time and effort to construct proper geospatial data topology, correct directionality, and accurate attributes. These undertakings are greatly supported by the development of data models, workflows, tool sets, metadata, and documentation that will make it easier for workers to maintain sewer data now and in the future. The added bonus of developing these data for use in a GIS is a highly valuable and functional data asset that can be used to inform operational and business processes at every level of the organization.
An organization’s data represents the outcomes of some of the mostly costly investments and operational endeavors undertaken by that entity. When big or important projects are completed, it is the data collected during the work that lives on after staff turnover and retirements. With respect to mapping sewers, many POTWs already have much of the data they need to put into a mapping system, whether it be in a CAD file, on paper, or living in a spreadsheet. GIS liberates these data so that it becomes a living product and enables them to be leveraged in powerful ways and across multiple operational areas.
Implementing a sewer GIS increases the return on investment of data, creates a platform for data sharing across other systems, and sets the stage for innovation and efficiency improvements.
While creating and maintaining a sewer GIS might sound like a big-ticket item, modern mapping tools are making it more cost effective than ever before. Competitively priced software licensing, open-source GIS technologies, cloud computing, and in-browser processing can lower the costs of geospatial application development. Further, establishing geospatial data pipelines and application programming interfaces (APIs) can reduce the time needed to condition data before they are ingested into mapping systems and across multiple software platforms.
Taking sewer GIS to the next level with network tracing
One of the most exciting applications of a sewer GIS is the capability to perform network tracing. These traces can show the locations and direction of wastewater flow from any point within the system and are commonly performed by POTW engineering personnel. The ability to perform a sewer network trace within a GIS is valuable for several reasons.
An example of a network trace map. (Image: CivicMapper)
The trace helps operators and engineers better visualize the contributing sources to main sewers that collect wastewater from the many lateral and branch sewers that service buildings, businesses, and homes. Enabling this capability in a GIS environment makes it more accessible to other personnel, and especially those working on site. Allowing POTW easier access to network tracing through a GIS helps teams across the organization stay informed on what addresses are connected to which sewer mains, facilitating better communication and collaboration on maintenance and expansion projects.
The network trace can operate upstream to locate which buildings might be contributing to problems downstream. From any manhole or service location, the sources of industrial or commercial waste violations or exceedances can be better identified through upstream sewer tracing. The ability to query any point along the sewer network and constrain the sewershed from that point saves time and resources of field personnel when diagnosing problems and finding solutions.
Sewer systems are vital, publicly funded resources yet most people know very little about the way their homes and businesses connect to this system. Inviting the public to view a unified and continuous map that represents their sewer network is a great learning resource and facilitates increased awareness and familiarity with the work of the POTW.
Once such example is the Flush-It web application. This app allows the public to interact with an engaging map that shows the path their flush takes on its way to the treatment facility. The tool was built on open source geospatial technology and uses a unified, topologically correct sewer data set as the backbone of the network trace. Applications like these are also great for educating students on the importance of science and engineering on daily life.
The Flush-It web application, built on a sewer network GIS dataset. (Image: CivicMapper)
The process of building a GIS of networked sewer map from a set of historic and disparate set of data sources might seem daunting for many POTWs, but the benefits of doing so profoundly outweigh the headaches.
This type of mapping system saves time and money in the long run by ensuring that the best and most current data are shared across multiple operational units and opens up new pathways for innovation and outreach.
As cities continue facing the complications of aging infrastructure and a changing climate, there is no better time than the present to modernize sewer data and use this amazing data resource to both protect communities and equip them with the information needed to tackle future challenges.
Emily Constantine Mercurio is the CEO and co-founder of CivicMapper. Emily grew up in Pennsylvania’s coal country, and at a young age became interested in geoscience, maps, and the interplay of nature and human activity. Her career has centered on creating innovative, data-driven, and tangible solutions to support decisions at the intersection of our natural and built environments. She leverages more than 25 years of experience with Earth science data and geospatial technologies for leading the development of CivicMapper’s products and services. Emily has a Ph.D. in Geology and is a licensed professional geologist.
How AI and machine learning algorithms redefine the way utility companies manage their infrastructure
By Jaro Uljanovs, Lead AI Developer and Data Scientist, Sharper Shape
Artificial intelligence (AI) boasts a wide range of potential applications, across nearly every industry imaginable — healthcare, automotive, retail, even fast food. But it’s the utility industry where AI and machine learning (ML) are beginning to demonstrate some of their most impactful effects on many aspects of the business. Power companies are increasingly leaning on AI to improve their electricity delivery and prevent potential wildfires, and AI is actually enhancing, rather than eliminating, human jobs.
From data collection and analysis to their presentation of actionable insights, AI and ML algorithms are quickly redefining how utility companies manage their electric infrastructure.
Consolidating and classifying data
Utility companies oversee massive infrastructure networks, comprising poles, conductors, substations and transmission and distribution lines that span thousands of miles. The vegetation surrounding this key infrastructure must also be monitored, as it presents a danger of fire or outage.
Taking a comprehensive snapshot of these assets means utilizing a variety of different sensors for network inspections. These sensors include lidar, color (RGB), hyperspectral and thermal imagery.
This allows the system to capture everything — from vegetation proximity, to infrastructure assets, to individual components (such as insulators on poles) and their operational integrity, to hot spots indicating potential fire risks.
That’s a lot of data to capture, catalog and process. And there are a lot of individual elements within that data — even in just one image — to pinpoint and classify, let alone do so accurately. Classifying billions of data points across all of those images is an impossibly time-consuming task to do manually.
Photo: shaunl/E+/Getty Images
AI and ML tools can accomplish that same work — scanning thousands of images collected across thousands of miles of utility infrastructure — in seconds. Lidar point cloud segmentation can detect conductors (quite a difficult component-type to segment) with an accuracy of over 90%, while hyperspectral image segmentation can identify vegetation species with an accuracy of up to 99%.
More than that, when paired with drone sensors, these algorithms can also improve the upfront collection of images and data. AI and ML tools help to adjust sensor positioning in real time, in the event a signal is lost or the drone veers slightly away from its inspection flight path.
By helping to readjust the sensors’ bearings while in flight, AI not only ensures more accurate data collection, but also that the flight doesn’t need to be done again or prematurely ended because of faulty data collection, saving time and money. AI pinpoints any faults in the sensors or the drone’s flight path while in the air, recalibrating as needed and identifying individual elements within the data as it comes through the sensor’s video feed.
Breaking down silos to create a holistic data approach
Key to all of this is eliminating the silos that tend to naturally build up between different data segments. In the utility inspection space, asset management, vegetation management, different sensors and so on all produce their own disparate, walled-off sets of data.
When data is kept siloed like this, it becomes unnecessarily difficult if not impossible for teams to derive companywide insights or conclusions from the information being collected. And what good is all that data if it can’t be used to check against itself and enhance other sets of data?
Good data management can’t exist in a piecemeal approach. It needs to be holistic, and AI provides the impetus to make that happen. AI provides a central resource for pooling all these data sources together, making it easier to cross-analyze for potential problems — like wildfire-prone vegetation or damaged components. When these issues are collected in one system, it becomes much easier to identify faults and resolve them — and do so far faster than it would be to manually sift through countless images of poles or vegetation maps.
And for all the stereotypical concerns about AI eliminating work for human beings, at utility companies AI actually enhances the role that people have to play in the network inspection process. Because the AI is what analyzes the data, it’s not something that is dependent on the potentially biased expertise of a professional human inspector, nor is it prone to fatigue and the anomalous results that can come from that. But at the same time, AI can’t do everything itself. It’s a tool for presenting clearer, more accurate and more actionable information for the people to then act on with their own judgment.
There’s a lot of easy-to-make assumptions, both good and bad, about AI. But at the end of the day, what AI really means for the utility industry is a more efficient and effective tool for providing the right information about a power company’s infrastructure — its transmission and distributions lines, its poles, and its nearby vegetation — into the hands of its key decision makers.
A study by Future Market Insights (FMI) said the global geospatial solution market will witness growth at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 15% from 2019 to 2029.
According to the study, this strong growth outlook of the global geospatial solution market has been attributed to the advancements in computing capacity for geospatial solution-based research and applications.
The study highlighted geomedicine as a solution to potentially boost the growth of the geospatial solution market during the following years. Blockchain technology is estimated to witness massive adoption in the foreseeable future, FMI added. This technology can be geospatially enriched when combined with geospatial solution-based technologies such as Geographic Information Systems.
In addition, FMI reported that drones are estimated to witness a considerable adoption rate from 2019 to 2029, especially as new standards and legislations introduced by national governments are likely to motivate drone manufacturers and end users to operate more freely.
The study also determined that GPS is estimated to retain a substantial revenue share in geospatial solution market, and that remote sensing technology will register a significant compound annual growth rate over the projection period, as well.
The demand for geospatial solutions is rising from almost every end-use industry, FMI added, with one of the most noteworthy growth areas in the broad data processing arena being data visualization.
Oregon Department of Transportation workers use DT Research’s GNSS rugged tablets. (Photo: DT Research).
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has expanded its use of DT Research GNSS rugged tablets to all 15 of its construction management offices across the state, and also use the tablets for biology, geology, roadway and wetland projects.
DT Research worked closely with ODOT to design purpose-built rugged tablets that empower state workers to easily collect and transmit geospatial measurements in the field using GNSS real-time kinematic (RTK) technologies.
“DT Research’s GNSS rugged tablets have enabled us to bring high-accuracy geospatial measurements to workers across the Department of Transportation, which has literally changed the way we work,” said Chris Pucci, construction automation surveyor at ODOT. “The tablets have enabled us to save time, reduce costs and improve the accuracy of projects through ‘digital-as constructed’ measurements and real time data capture.”
The tablets have a dual-frequency GNSS module built in, which provides stand-alone sub-meter accuracy to centimeter-level accuracy with RTK from GPS, GLONASS and Galileo satellites.
The tablets are compatible with existing survey and GIS software for mapping applications and provide an advanced workflow for data capture, accurate positioning and data transmitting.
“We now have essentially created one-person survey crews because the DT Research tablets are so much easier to use than a tape measure and paper to accurately calculate and record measurements during complex construction projects,” Pucci said. “Using the tablets saves us an average of $2,000 for every survey-grade measurement job that does not require a full survey crew.”
“In addition, the tablets have provided us with a contract verification system by having highly accurate digital-as-constructed measurements that are delivered immediately and stored forever, which saves the state time and money by avoiding independent re-measurement checks due to billing discrepancies at the end of a project,” added Pucci.
The DT Research GNSS tablets can store up to 1 Terabyte of data for field data collecting. Users can avoid down time with a high-capacity hot-swappable battery pack, which delivers 60 or 90 watts for up to 15 hours of continuous mobile communications. The units include Long Range Class 1 Bluetooth, which powers wireless connectivity up to 1,000 feet and 4G mobile broadband.
“The simplicity of how the DT Research tablets work is amazing,” Pucci said. “Unlike complex professional survey equipment, the DT Research tablets are a Windows-based mobile device with a user interface that is familiar to workers. In just two hours, I can easily train state workers with diverse skill sets to measure quantity, linear features and volumes for a variety of projects — and they are ready to go.”
The tablets run on Microsoft Windows 7 Professional or Windows 10 IoT Enterprise and are high performance devices with an Intel 6th or 8th Generation Core i5 or i7 processor. The rugged tablet is designed for outdoor use with a brilliant LED-backlight, 800 nits sunlight-readable screen and capacitive touch.
“We have found the DT Research tablets to be incredibility easy to manage and highly durable — we just turn them on and they work,” said Pucci. “In the three years that we have used the tablets, we have had very few technical support questions and they hold up well in different weather conditions. There isn’t a comparable product on the market at the price point.”
The DT Research tablets are military-grade durable devices, yet lightweight, offering the versatility to be used in field-to-office settings. For use in harsh environments, the tablet is fully ruggedized to meet the highest durability standards with an IP65 rating, MIL-STD-810G for vibration and shock resistance and MIL-STD-461F for EMI and EMC tolerance.
For use in a variety of environments, the tablets are complemented by many accessories including: external antennas, pole mount cradles, detachable keyboards, battery charging kits and digital pens.
Includes first draft of best practices for implementing GIS in elections.
Photo: iStock.com/YinYang
The National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) has released the first-year report of phase one of its Geo-Enabled Elections project, highlighting the project’s accomplishments in the first 12 months. These include completing a baseline assessment of how far states have come, to date, in terms of integrating geographic information systems (GIS) with electoral systems, as well as assembling a team of leaders and experts to help guide the project.
The project team has also facilitated conversations with a wide range of stakeholder groups, aimed at raising awareness of the importance of using geospatial technology to increase reliability and accuracy in elections.
The Geo-Enabled Elections project, phase one, runs from Oct. 1, 2017, to Sept. 30, 2019, with the aim to help strengthen electoral systems by supporting states in the adoption of GIS. Concretely, this means encouraging state governments to replace non-spatial “address file” systems with election precinct and voter data in a GIS format, leveraging that format’s inherent visual and analytical advantages.
The Geo-Enabled Elections project is partly funded by the bipartisan Democracy Fund Voice.
“During this first year, we’ve been encouraged to learn that while most voter data across the country is still kept in ‘address file’ tables, many state election directors are interested in the benefits that GIS can bring. Additionally, since most state governments have a geographic information officer (GIO) or equivalent on staff, the prospects for strengthening elections through the integration of GIS into electoral systems are very good,” said Dan Ross, NSGIC president and GIO for the State of Minnesota.
As part of the Geo-Enabled Elections project, NSGIC has been able to help build stronger connections between state officials responsible for the electoral system and state-level GIS subject matter experts, a critical first step towards the successful implementation of GIS in elections.
The organization, which is quickly becoming recognized as the center of expertise for how GIS can be deployed to strengthen electoral systems, also released the first draft of its best practices for how states may go about enhancing election accuracy using GIS. The five identified best practices are:
Convene a team of specialists
Collect and sustain a statewide voting unit GIS layer
Adopt and implement a statewide geocoding strategy
Assemble and provide best Available contextual GIS layers
Define and implement data validation processes
These draft best practices will be put to the test and further refined in five state-wide pilot studies taking place during the project’s second year. The best practices can be viewed in full as part of the first-year report.
NSGIC’s report also outlines the work that lies ahead for the project, as well as opportunities to impact geo-enabled elections in phase two of the project (pending funding).
Digital technology has provided society with hundreds of advances that make life easier and better for everyone. From the personal computer to the internet to the smartphone to the Internet of Things, we are increasingly living in a technologically driven world.
But what if those technologies were bound together and used to build a smart city?
What would it take to make such a complex network feasible? And what would it look like to live in a such a city?
Are these just the fevered imaginings of science fiction writers or could it be a real possibility? Let’s dig a little deeper.
Image: jamesteohart/Shutterstock.com
What is a smart city?
First, let’s put aside our Jetsons-inspired ideas of smart cities and look at what they really are.
A smart city contains a framework of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), specifically designed to answer the overwhelming growth of urban centers.
The ICT framework contains an intelligent network of machines and objects that transmit data wirelessly. These cloud-based applications receive, evaluate and manage data, in real time, to help cities, corporations, and citizens make better decisions that improve quality of life.
Citizens can engage with smart city systems using smartphones and other mobile devices, including cars and homes.
Think the Internet of Things except on a much, much bigger scale. A citywide scale.
Being able to connect to a city’s physical infrastructure and services has the potential to cut costs and improve the city’s sustainability. Cities can improve energy dispersal, streamline city services, decrease traffic and reduce air pollution.
The development of smart cities starts with a digital foundation that allows better functionality, that’s more responsive to citizens, and ultimately creates a better urban environment.
Smart city technology
Cities are quickly on the move to embrace smart city technology. Autonomous vehicles are already providing data that could create environments where traffic lights become obsolete. Cities can reduce the number of cars as different transportation modes work together and communicate in real time.
Wi-Fi hotspots on a larger scale can transform the way users access information. And, as increased use of public transportation reduces the number of cars on the road, parking needs will decrease and enable cities to repurpose land for housing.
Energy sources could be better integrated into cities, helping to make a cleaner environment for everyone. At the same time, embedded sensors to detect gunshots or explosions will alert emergency services workers much faster. These systems will also find water, electric and gas issues and assign workers to make repairs as soon as they are needed.
All of this possible technological growth is predicated on the idea that technologies can help make people’s lives better in urban areas.
The six keys to a smart city
There are six key technologies that make a smart city efficient:
Smart energy. Residential and commercial buildings in smart cities use less energy, and the energy used is analyzed and data collected. Smart grids collect data and redirect energy to where it is most needed.
Smart transportation. Traffic monitoring is already happening in many large cities. But, by making parking smarter, people spend less time looking for parking spots. Smart traffic lights have cameras that monitor traffic so that it’s reflected in the traffic signals.
Smart data. The enormous amounts of data collected in a smart city must be analyzed in real time to be useful. Open data portals are one option for smart cities.
Smart infrastructure. Because smart cities can analyze huge amounts of data, leaders will be able to plan better. This allows proactive maintenance and better planning for future demand.
Smart mobility. The technology and the data that travel through it must be able to seamlessly move in and out of different municipal and private systems. Without this mobility, a smart city won’t work.
Smart internet of things (IoT) devices. Sensors are an essential part of a smart city. The information collected from sensors can be used to dispatch repairmen for immediate maintenance or emergency services for a car accident.
These technologies work in tandem to make a smart city smarter. As the world’s population continues to grow, and people relocate to urban areas, the need for smarter cities will help make the best use of all resources.
The powerful features of smart cities
Emerging trends like automation, machine learning and the internet of things (IoT) are keys leading to smart city adoption. It’s possible that any area of city management can be developed in a smart city.
Smart parking meters, for example, use an app to help drivers find empty spaces without circling crowded city blocks. The smart meter has a digital payment feature to prevent the need for coins.
Smart traffic management can monitor and analyze traffic flows to maximize streetlight usage and stop roadways from being too congested during rush-hour traffic. Smart public transit in smart cities ensures that public transportation meets user demand. Smart transit companies can coordinate services in real time to improve efficiency.
Energy efficiency and conservation are also features of smart cities. The smart sensors in the ground dim smart streetlights when there is no auto or pedestrian traffic. Smart grid technology can improve operations, maintenance and planning, supply power as needed, and monitor power outages.
Sanitation can also improve with smart technology, with either internet-connected trash cans and IoT-enabled fleet management for collection, or sensors that measure water parameters and guarantee the quality of drinking water.
Creating sustainable smart cities
Sustainability is another perk of smart cities. The population in urban centers is expected to increase in the coming years. Recent studies show that 80 percent of the U.S. population lives in urban areas, while that number was just 60 percent fifty years ago. Smart technology can help cities sustain growth and create efficient systems for citizens.
In Chicago, a smart cities innovation accelerator known as UI Labs has started developing tech to monitor storm drainage systems to stave off flooding from the Chicago River. A nine-month pilot program using the new tech was just completed and the researchers are compiling the data.
Another project being developed in Chicago creates digital maps of underground utility systems. Previously, the city had to rely on outdated and unfinished maps, slowing construction permitting and emergency services. Videos taken during underground construction are being turned into a digital map of the city underground.
In Spain, Barcelona has achieved a great deal in developing smart city tech and is reaping the benefits. The city has reduced congestion, lowered emissions, saved money on water and power, and improved economic development. Barcelona’s commitment to creating smarter urban infrastructure will change the quality of life for all who work, live, and visit the city.
The improvements have already saved the city a significant amount of money and lowered the consumption of water and energy. Barcelona estimates savings of $58 million on water, $50 million in increased parking revenues, and the creation of 47,000 new jobs. The city has also saved an additional $37 million each year in reduced lighting costs.
The Barcelona Lighting Masterplan, published in 2012, uses smart technologies to enhance efficiency and use of city lampposts. Two years later, more than 1,100 lampposts had been transformed to LED, which reduces energy waste. The lampposts can sense when pedestrians are nearby; the lights automatically dim to further conserve energy when the streets are empty.
To maximize the efficiency of city parks, Barcelona has implemented technologies that remotely sense and control park irrigation. The sensors also monitor rain and humidity, so maintenance workers can decide how much irrigation is necessary in each area. A system of electronic valves is remotely activated to deliver needed water around the city. The program has helped the city achieve a 25 percent increase in water conservation, saving nearly $555,000 per year.
As urban centers grow, the population places creates more environmental pressures. Smart City applications could help cut emissions by up to 15 percent.
In many cities of the developing world, the most water is lost from leakage in pipes. Deploying sensors and using the data can cut such losses by up to 25 percent. Overall, cities could potentially save 25 to 80 liters of water per person per day.
Air-quality sensors can identify the sources of pollution and galvanize governments and corporations into action. Beijing closely tracked the sources of air pollution and the city reduced deadly airborne pollutants by roughly 20 percent in less than a year.
While the data suggest that there are certainly obtainable benefits to smart city technologies, it is prohibitively expensive to build the infrastructure needed to implement the technologies. This has lead to Smart Cities Challenges in many countries.
Smart City Challenges
Smart city challenges are about achieving outcomes that all communities can find measurable improvements in, and ways to tackle previously unsolvable problems. New partnerships and networks can be formed to engage with residents and forge new relationships that encourage smart city innovation.
The Smart Cities Challenge in Canada is a competition open to empower communities around the globe to address local issues through new partnerships, using a smart cities approach. Finalists will receive support to develop their proposals. Winning proposals will receive prize money to help implement their new technologies.
In the United States, the Smart City Challenge was launched in 2015 by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
The winning proposal by Columbus, Ohio, is receiving prize money to help implement new technologies. According to the DOT, Columbus put forward an impressive, holistic vision for how technology can help all residents move better and access opportunity.
As challenge winners and their partner innovators improve a cityscape with smart technology, the benefits will be reaped by all who call the community home. Benefits can and will include lowered crime rates, increased job availability, independence for seniors and the disabled, a healthier environment, empowered citizens, and more opportunities for people to become active and have access to improved health care.
Conclusion
It seems that smart cities are fast approaching. As society’s technologies become intertwined and upgraded, the options for deploying new systems is unlimited.
And while there are certainly drawbacks in creating and maintaining a smart city, it is clear that humankind is looking forward to the next step in societal evolution.
This article originally appeared on IQ Directory and is reprinted with permission.
Anna Kucirkova
Anna Kucirkova speaks three languages has a passion for kids and writing. While she has been to many places in Europe and Southeast Asia, she still wants to explore the rest of the world.
GIS specialists are much more than mapmakers. Make sure your organization and customers understand how spatial analytics can help them succeed.
By Adam Carnow
Most non-GIS users hear the term “G-I-S” and think “M-A-P.” That is, they think of GIS, and GIS practitioners, as mapmakers. Most GIS practitioners have unknowingly perpetuated this image. Ask any GIS practitioner what they do for a living and most will say, “I make maps;” however, the reality is that what they do for a living is help people make better decisions through the power of location. This is what I call location intelligence.
There is a tremendous growth opportunity for GIS in government across the enterprise. GIS was created to perform spatial analysis. GIS can often be underutilized because non-GIS users sometimes don’t understand the reach of spatial analysis and how it can help them. GIS practitioners need to market and evangelize the power of spatial analysis to help change that image.
Photo: rmnoa357/Shutterstock.com
You can break down location intelligence into six categories. As you move down this list, the value of the location intelligence increases:
Understanding Where. A map (could be paper or PDF, but should be an interactive web map) showing where the fire stations are located across a city.
Measuring Size, Shape and Distribution. A map showing the size, shape and distribution of wetlands across an area would help with wetland protection and preservation.
Determining How Places Are Related. Showing how certain soil types correspond to flood zones.
Finding the Best Locations and Paths
To find the best location for a new fire station, run a drive-time polygon process to show the coverage area for each fire station. The areas that are uncovered are where a new fire station is needed.
To find the best path for field inspectors: We have 50 inspections to do today and three inspectors. Divide the inspection locations among each inspector and create the most efficient route to get their work done.
Detecting and Quantifying Patterns. Crime analysts look at crime data to try to predict where the next one may occur and to help identify known perpetrators. (See also An inside look at fighting crime with GIS.)
Making Predictions. Modeling a watershed can allow for flood predictions based on anticipated rainfall.
Another way to help break the mapmaker image is to rebrand. Most staff in any organization use spreadsheets daily for a multitude of things that bring value to the organization – some say it’s the number one business intelligence (BI) tool.
There are GIS software tools that are as easy to use as a spreadsheet; in fact, you can use GIS inside of spreadsheets.
Wetlands map, Oregon’s Klamath Lake. (Map: USGS)
Even though spreadsheets are such a useful tool, you don’t see a Spreadsheet Department. Spreadsheet is just the name of the tool, so you don’t have, or name, a department for it. A department should be named based on the function, or value, it serves.
GIS should be thought of as BI with location data and spatial analysis, or location intelligence. A great way to get people to understand the real value and power of GIS is to rebrand your GIS department to something like Enterprise Location Intelligence.
One such example of this is Walgreens. As the drugstore chain’s GIS department became more strategic and tied to the analytics of the organization, the company rebranded it as Enterprise Location Intelligence.
If your organization has a BI group, they should consider reorganizing to put GIS with that BI group. I’m seeing real-world examples of this rebrand:
GIS job title changes to things like:
Data Analytics Manager
Content Delivery Manager
Business and Location Intelligence Manager
Reorganization putting GIS with BI: A major city has a Smart City initiative, and in response the city has reorganized its IT group — they now have a Data Analytics Group that consists of a BI team and their GIS team.
This rebrand, and expansion of the understanding of the true purpose and value of GIS, will not just help the organization realize more return on investment (ROI) for their GIS investment, it will help the GIS practitioners elevate their value to the organization and hence their careers.
What can you do? If you’re a GIS practitioner:
Explore rebranding your title and your GIS group as a start to changing your image from mapmaker to solution provider.
Evangelize the power of location intelligence. This is actually pretty easy to do. When someone asks for a map, ask them why they need it, probe to find out more about their project; you will probably uncover a need for spatial analysis.
Start to enable others in your organization to become GIS users via easy-to-use web maps and apps. As they use GIS, they will realize its full potential and seek to utilize it more often.
If you’re not a GIS practitioner, seek out your GIS team to learn more about their capabilities and how they can help you. And, become a GIS user, there are plenty of GIS tools available that are easy to learn and use.
This article originally appeared on Govloop.com and is reprinted with permission.
Adam Carnow is an Esri community evangelist and part of the GovLoop Featured Contributor program.
GIS is growing in importance to urban development, whether for environmental impact studies, geofencing or building information modeling (BIM). Sharing GIS data with developers is critical to a coordinated approach to smart city growth.
By Christine Easterfield, Principal Analyst, Cambashi
Just over half the world’s 7 billion population lives in cities. In Europe, this rises to three quarters, and 30 cities worldwide have populations of more than 10 million — the majority in India, China and South America.
This trend will continue. It is projected that the global population will reach almost 10 billion by 2050, which means cities will need to cope with increasing demands on housing, transport and communications.
Growing urban populations place considerable stress on housing stock. Cities need to provide scope to build new, but also to look at best use of existing properties.
In the growing urban population, there will always be a proportion that needs more support as employment rates shift and wages do not always keep up with city expenses. Social housing projects need to keep pace, and making the most of city resources opens opportunities for smart buildings.
The role of GIS
Proposed Indianapolis zoning map. (Image: City of Indianapolis)
Coordinating new build and refurbishment plans across a city requires planning and organization, and a set of tools to support planners and designers. The layout of city-planning zones is the starting point for many new developments — sharing data about these areas is typically achieved using a GIS (geographic information system).
The standard city map with records of roads, emergency routes, bike routes, key buildings, new development zones, existing housing stock, utility services and street lighting are a central resource for most cities.
Sharing data between these city maps and developers’ plans is critical to a coordinated approach to city growth.
Environmental impact
The early stages for many developments involve an environmental impact study. How will the new development fit into the existing landscape? What restrictions are imposed because of the conditions of the site or the current demands on local resources? What options are there for addressing these constraints?
This last point is important for acceptance of the development. Being able to show a level of flexibility to accommodate local concerns and developers’ challenges will build a cooperative relationship. The ability to easily integrate building plans with the city map means that confidence is quickly built into the new plans.
Combining the geography of the city view with the building model destined for development provides a perfect foundation for an integrated GIS/BIM model to take the development from drawing board to handover.
Maintaining a digital twin of a development, in the form of a BIM, provides a rich source of information about the as-built building — exact measurements, materials used, changes from the original design and more. Integrating this with the city maps held in GIS means a continuous dataset can be formed.
Tools for construction site inspection and reporting
Photo: Alen Ajan/Fotolia.com
Developing building information models (BIMs) requires monitoring the build activity and accurate recording of the construction. The best way to do this is as it happens.
Simple-to-use tools that are robust enough to cope with a construction site are becoming more available from software providers. These support gathering data by construction teams and contractors as the work is completed.
As well as recording data, these tools are also useful in registering the progress and completion of tasks. Many enable interaction with central systems that can send changes and updates directly to the site for immediate action.
The same tools can register the location of the user, enabling safer working practices to be enforced.
The practice of geofencing to monitor or even restrict access to parts of a construction site, by registering the location of a device against a predefined region on a map of the site, can track critical activities and react with the most appropriate action if an incident is reported.
Remote site inspection and reporting
The Aeryon SkyRanger. (Photo: Aeryon Labs)
The safest inspections don’t involve human intervention at all. Sending an unmanned aerial vehicle, UAV or drone, to fly over your site removes risk to staff when viewing hazardous environments.
Photographic imagery collected by drone can be loaded into GIS tools and accurately registered against the map of the area to provide a seamless view of the site.
Data integration is key
The range of data that can be accurately gathered and viewed together now covers original 3D designs, 2D construction plans, inspection photo-imagery and as-built updates.
Integration of BIM and GIS tools means that these different data types can be viewed together and in the same spatial context.
Support for building operation, management and maintenance in the wider context of a smart city
On-the-spot data capture of accurate as-built building information models that can seamlessly integrate with existing city plans leads to a data resource that cities can build on to improve safety, security and facilities for their citizens.
So what should the smart city planner be looking for?
Existing geospatial and data management tools already address many of these challenges, and when an opportunity for a technology refresh is presented, the approach to smart city support should be a big part of the mix.
Christine Easterfield
Christine Easterfield is principal analyst for Cambashi. She has more than 20 years’ experience in the software business. Her experience has covered geospatial asset management for the utility industry: assessing market needs and opportunities, managing customer requirements, liaising with development teams and running global product introduction programs.
Previous roles include programming, training, consultancy and product marketing management.
She has worked for a range of companies from multinationals to small start-ups, resulting in an understanding of how different sized organisations operate, grow and manage change. Christine has a BSc in Computational Sciences and an MA in English Literature.
