GPS World

Tag: technology

  • UAVs, high-accuracy GNSS: Red-hot, right-now tech

    By Eric Gakstatter

    It’s been a few months since I’ve published a GSS Monthly newsletter column. What a busy few months it has been. It’s been all about UAVs, high-precision GNSS projects and GIS, with some conferences and workshops sprinkled in between. High-accuracy GNSS technology and UAV technology are hot trends— red hot.

    UAVs: Prosumer and mapping on a slope

    Obviously, consumer UAVs have exploded in the mainstream consumer electronics market during the past five years. Since the FAA began requiring UAVs to be registered in late 2015, far more UAVs have been registered (~700,000 to date) with the FAA than manned aircraft (~320,000).

    In fact, the number of registered UAVs aircraft eclipsed registered manned aircraft more than a year ago! The FAA reported that at any one point during the day, there are ~7,000 manned aircraft flying in the U.S. airspace. That begs the question, how many UAVs are flying above our heads at any one point in time? No one can answer that question.

    On the coattails of consumer UAVs in mainstream America is the use of UAVs in the USA’s commercial world. Since the FAA opened the floodgates in August 2016 to allow almost anyone to fly UAVs for business ($150 and answer 42 out of 60 questions correctly), lots and lots of companies are buying inexpensive “prosumer” UAVs and extracting tremendous value from them.

    Prosumer electronics is equipment and software targeted at the consumer market but also good enough to be used for business. The UAV market is a perfect example of this. DJI, by far the biggest UAV manufacturer in the world at $1B+ in annual revenue, targets the mainstream consumer market and sells a huge number of low-, medium- and high-end UAVs to businesses. Think about it: You can buy a DJI Phantom 4 Pro at your local Apple Store and the next day be generating one-foot elevation contours on a project site!

    Following is an example of a papermill I flew a few weeks ago. I flew it in less than one hour (50 acres), generated an orthophoto with 2.4-cm/pixel resolution and a digital elevation model (DEM) with 4.79-cm/pixel resolution.

    Figure 1 - 2.4cm/pixel resolution orthophoto - 50 acres
    Figure 1.  2.4-cm/pixel resolution orthophoto, 50 acres.
    Figure 2 -DEM with 4.79cm/pixel resolution of the same flight
    Figure 2.  DEM with 4.79-cm/pixel resolution of the same flight.
    Figure 3- Zoomed in image of the same DEM
    Figure 3.  Zoomed-in image of the same DEM.

    The detailed data above, generated from a $1,500 UAV, is clearly outstanding. By the way, the purpose of the project was to determine the volume of the various stockpiles, which I’ve not computed yet. But if the volume calcs are close enough to the traditional terrestrial-based measuring methods, the UAV return on investment (ROI) argument will be hard to beat.

    It takes ~14 hours each month to measure all the stockpiles on this site using traditional terrestrial measurement tools. Also, the measurements must be taken on the weekend when the site activity is minimal. It took less than one hour to fly the entire site, and I flew it twice (one time west-east direction at 80/80 overlap and one time north-south at 70/70 overlap) to make sure I had enough data. I mean, seriously, I drove 1.5 hours to the site. Why not spend another 20 minutes to fly it in a perpendicular direction?

    To date, I’ve only flown relatively flat sites such as construction sites, agricultural fields, and industrial sites. That was until a couple of weeks ago. While I’ve become pretty comfortable at flying open and relatively flat sites over the past 18 months, I’ve not ventured into flying a site with a lot of elevation changes and tree canopy. I finally did that earlier this month, and it was both challenging and rewarding. There are a few problems on sites with major elevation changes and tall tree canopy:

    A. Maintaining visual line of sight (VLOS) as required by the FAA.

    B. Flying in such a manner that the image-processing software has good quality data to work with so you can generate the products you need.

    The mission planning/control software plays a very important roll in this process. Well, it always does, but it really does in this case. Typically, the mission planning/control folks want you to fly at a consistent height above the ground so your overlap is consistent. This is very difficult to accomplish if you’re flying a site with a lot of elevation change. In that case, they typically tell you to launch from the highest (or nearly the highest) elevation point and fly at that elevation.

    The problem this causes is that you could end up flying 500, 600 or 700 feet above ground level (AGL). For example, if you are flying a site with 500 feet of elevation change and you instruct the mission planning/control software to fly at 350 feet AGL, at some point in the project the UAV will be at 850 feet AGL. That can be a problem from both a regulatory standpoint (FAA allows UAV flights up to 400 feet AGL) and an image-processing standpoint.

    Fortunately, the mission planning/control software I use just introduced a Terrain Awareness feature. It uses SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation data. Granted, it’s 30-meter pixel elevation data, so each elevation block is 30 meters x 30 meters, so I really wondered if the resolution was high enough. The site I was going to fly was only 60 acres in size and had 550 feet of elevation change. Note that the trees on the site had already been harvested, so the land was relatively clear. There’s about a 550-foot difference from the projected launch point (purple dot) to the northern and western end of the site. Following is the mission plan for the site I was planning to fly.

    Figure 4- 60-acre site with ~550 feet of elevation change
    Figure 4. 60-acre site with ~550 feet of elevation change.

    To give you an idea of the slope, the solid red lines in the following image are 100-foot elevation contour lines. The green triangle is the projected UAV launch point. This was a great launch point because I could see the entire site and maintain VLOS.

    Figure 5- Site topo with projected UAV launch point
    Figure 5.  Site topo with projected UAV launch point.

    I chose to fly the mission at 300 feet AGL. I figured it would be high enough if there was some “slop” in the SRTM elevation model. Still, I was concerned about the resolution of the SRTM data because at 300 feet AGL, my UAV would be flying below the launch elevation due to the extreme elevation slope on the site. Remember, the Terrain Awareness feature of the mission planning/control software is based on the SRTM elevation data, and not based on any sensors in the UAV itself — if the SRTM elevation data was incorrect, my UAV might crash into the ground.

    Following is the SRTM elevation data along with the flight path data displayed in the mission planning/control software.

    Figure 6 - The projected UAV flight path based on the SRTM elevation data
    Figure 6.  The projected UAV flight path based on the SRTM elevation data.

    The moment of truth came when I launched the UAV from the start point (purple dot) and watched it rise to 300 feet AGL to start its mission. The first few swaths were uneventful. After that, it started to fly into the canyon, following the terrain as programmed, then rise up from the canyon during each pass. It was a thing of beauty to watch.

    Unfortunately, about 70% of the way through the mission, it started raining, so we called it quits. However, we proved that at least on the four sites I flew that day, the SRTM data and Terrain Awareness feature were effective in collecting data in steep-slope environments. Following is the 2.69-cm/pixel orthophoto generated from the flight. Note the tracks where the logging rigs pulled the logs up the steep slope.

    Figure 7 - 2.69cm/pixel resolution orthophoto
    Figure 7.  2.69-cm/pixel resolution orthophoto.

    Following is a zoomed-in view of the UAV launch site.

    Figure 8 - Zoomed in view of the orthophoto
    Figure 8.  Zoomed-in view of the orthophoto.

    Following is an image of the 5.37-cm/pixel DEM generated from the flight data. Notice the logging tracks.

    Figure 9 - 5.7cm/pixel image of the DEM generated from the flight data
    Figure 9.   5.7-cm/pixel image of the DEM generated from the flight data.

    Following is a zoomed in view of the 5.37-cm/pixel DEM image.

    Figure 10 - Zoomed in 5.37cm DEM image of UAV launch point
    Figure 10.  Zoomed-in 5.37-cm DEM image of UAV launch point.

    The mission was successful in proving that SRTM elevation data was sufficient enough to fly a mission with a dynamic AGL. It handled the steep slopes by maintaining a sufficient AGL elevation as I hoped it would despite only having 30-meter x 30-meter block elevation resolution. The image processing software seemed to like the UAV data, as you can see from the results above. I didn’t have to spend any additional processing time over and above what I usually spend in order to generate these products.

    I did experience a hiccup with the mission planning/control software running on my iPad Mini 2. It turns out that the Terrain Awareness feature in my mission planning/control software requires some extra CPU horsepower — the software overpowered my iPad Mini and crashed once during a mission. The UAV kept flying its intended course as instructed, but it stopped taking photos when the software crashed, so I brought it back to the launch point.

    After visiting the software vendor’s website, it became clear to me that it’s probably time to upgrade my iPad Mini to the latest model to keep up with the new features being implemented in the software.

    A Quick Note on High-Accuracy GNSS

    In March, I attended the Hawaii GIS conference and decided to perform some benchmark testing on a survey mark using WAAS and a high-accuracy GNSS receiver.

    My goal was two-fold.

    1. See how WAAS is behaving in Hawaii. WAAS in Hawaii is an anomaly because it’s far away from the Continental U.S. (CONUS) where all the WAAS reference stations are located (there’s one in Honolulu, but that’s it). In other words, Hawaii is the most challenging place for WAAS accuracy in North America.
    2. See how many GNSS satellites I could track and use in Hawaii.

    Holy moly, was I surprised at how good it was. I’ve tested WAAS in Hawaii several times in the past many years. The last time I tested it was in 2013 and the GNSS receiver I used (GPS + GLONASS) achieved a steady 80-cm accuracy. That was pretty darned good for WAAS in Hawaii at that time.

    I packed up some receivers and hiked about 4 miles to a survey mark I could find in Honolulu. I was a great survey mark for testing because it was on the sidewalk of a quiet residential street. Following is a photo of the survey mark.

    Figure 11 - PID DK4162 survey mark in Honolulu
    Figure 11. PID DK4162 survey mark in Honolulu.

    I set up on the survey mark and then looked at the satellites the receiver was tracking. I wanted to know how many GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou satellites were being used. Following is a screen shot.

    Figure 12 - Total number of GNSS satellites being used – 23
    Figure 12.  Total number of GNSS satellites being used – 23.

    Twenty-three GNSS satellites being used! Are you kidding me? This is more than double the number of GPS satellites being used. This illustrates the power of four-constellation GNSS that is only going to continue to get better over the next several years.

    What surprised me the most was the number of Galileo satellites being used, and this was before two Galileo satellites were declared healthy in late May.

    My next test was to evaluate WAAS accuracy. Who cares how many satellites the receiver is using if the accuracy isn’t improved? I plumbed the receiver antenna on the survey mark and plotted ~7 minutes of data.

    Figure 13- Accuracy plot compared to the DK4162 survey mark coordinates
    Figure 13. Accuracy plot compared to the DK4162 survey mark coordinates.

    Yep, that’s about 30-cm accuracy over a 7-minute period. That’s better by a factor of two compared to the accuracy I saw in 2013. Sure, WAAS has improved somewhat, and maybe the ionosphere was particularly happy that day, but I have to believe that the additional GNSS satellites contributed the most to the improvement in accuracy. In the next few months, I’m going to be performing more tests with WAAS and RTK on my GNSS test course near my office. I’ll keep you posted on the results of those tests.

    The Esri International User Conference – July 10-14

    As usual, I’ll be attending the largest gathering of GIS professionals in the U.S. next month, the Esri International User Conference. 16,000 of our colleagues will descend upon San Diego to share, network and enjoy the spatialness that we have for one another.

    If you’re interested, I’m giving a couple of presentations at the Esri UC:

    • Tuesday (July 11), 08:30 a.m., Room 28B (subject to change)

    Paper Title: An Efficient, Accuracy Mobile GIS Workflow using RTK GNSS

    Session Title: Mobile Data Collection

    This is cool project I worked on with WaterOne, a large water utility, to design a real-time, high-accuracy GNSS workflow in the Esri environment. They are collecting data at the centimeter level for mapping their above-ground assets as well as new construction using tablet computers and RTK GNSS receivers.

    • Thursday (July 13), 8:30 a.m., Room 29C (subject to change)

    Paper Title: UAV (drone) applications for water utilities

    Session Title: Applied GIS: Three Unique Examples

    This is some groundbreaking work I’ve done with American Water on using UAV technology for mapping and inspection. We did a lot of experimenting during the proof-of-concept phase to figure out what applications are practical and which aren’t.

    Thanks, and see you next time.

    Follow me on Twitter at https://twitter.com/GPSGIS_Eric

    All Provided by Eric Gakstatter

  • Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360, cloud services offered for digital reality-capture market

    Lieca-Cyclone-WHexagon announced today its new Leica Cyclone REGISTER 360 laser scanning software for simpler, automated registration, and its Cyclone Cloud Services platform for secure global collaboration through an on-demand software-as-a-service model.

    Together, the new products offer users smarter ways to register, visualize and collaborate around digital reality projects, delivering solutions into the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC), plant, survey and public safety markets through the connected Leica Cyclone family.

    “Digital realities are enabling professionals and newcomers to laser scanning to shape the world around us. Whether it’s on a construction site for building documentation or in a plant environment for life cycle updates, efficiencies and productivity gains are realised with the ability to merge reality and digital data quicker and with more accuracy,” said Hexagon President and CEO Ola Rollén. “These new developments in laser scanning registration with our Cyclone software improve the user experience and overall workflow of point cloud processing.”

    Lieca-Cyclone-W2Cyclone REGISTER 360 is the a professional-grade registration software that combines automation, high performance and ease of use into one powerful package available to novices and experts alike. Simplifying and automating the entire production process, Cyclone REGISTER 360 enables users to automatically process, validate and deliver point clouds according to rigorous quality control and reporting standards.

    Cyclone Cloud offers professionals a new way to consume and deliver digital reality data through a highly scalable, intuitive and web-based platform. TruView Cloud Services is the only cloud-based digital reality visualization and collaboration platform that enables quick setup of private user communities, connecting with and making the data available anywhere in the world.

    Users can publish digital reality content in Cyclone from handheld devices and terrestrial, mobile and unmanned aerial vehicles. With open application programming interfacing, the data can be delivered in any device and operating system with connectivity for building information modeling, geographic information systems and computed-aided drafting.

  • Teledyne Optech coastal and ocean monitoring helps with disasters

    Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar System (CZMIL) to be shared at conferences as a critical rapid environmental assessment tool for both natural and manmade disasters

    Teledyne Optech’s Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL) system is a critical rapid environmental assessment tool for monitoring natural and man-made disasters. From detecting sewage pipe leaks, mapping oil slicks and measuring coastline changes after hurricanes, to counting underwater debris in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, CZMIL excels at identifying and monitoring oceanic environmental changes, especially in emergency scenarios.

    • At the Oceans ’17 MTS/IEEE conference in Aberdeen, Scotland, Senior Scientist Viktor Feygels will present “CZMIL as a Rapid Environmental Disaster Response Tool.” Using case studies from CZMIL and its predecessor systems, Feygels will describe four distinct applications of Teledyne Optech lidar bathymeters. Attendees can catch this presentation in Room 15 on June 21 at 12:10 p.m.
    • Research Scientist Hieu Duong and Marine Business Manager Bob Marthouse will present “Small-Object Detection using Coastal Zone Mapping and Imaging Lidar (CZMIL)” at the Teledyne CARIS International User Group Conference in Ottawa, Canada. Conference attendees can hear about these applications on Thursday, June 22, 10:05 am, in the Rideau Room.

    “CZMIL has proved to be ideally suited for rapid environmental assessment and small-object detection,” said Bob Marthouse. “Both the upcoming MTS/IEEE Oceans ‘17 conference and the recent United Nations Ocean Conference during the week of June 5 underline the urgent requirement to more critically monitor our oceans and coastlines. At Teledyne Optech, we were pleased to be part of this ongoing effort.”

  • Utility post-processing software delivers CAD drawings

    Leica-DXutility-WLeica Geosystems has released its new DX Office Vision utility post processing software for mapping ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data from the field into a CAD drawing.

    DX Office Vision allows even non-experienced users to obtain professional 3D CAD drawings and visualize the detected underground utilities in a simple way, according to Leica. The intuitive interface enables users to filter, select, identify and make annotations of the located targets. With DX Office Vision, post-processing for all ground-penetrating data requires no add-on or third party software.

    “Following the demo of the new DX Office Vision I have to say I am impressed. The user interface is very intuitive with key processing views easily manipulated for fast interpretation of ground penetration radar data. I was particularly impressed with the DX Office Vision feature that allowed me to clean up the scan and highlight certain areas to give a clearer view of hyperbolae,” said Alex Rampton, surveyor at Plowman Craven.

    DX Office Vision was developed by utility surveyors who know what is needed from a post processing software. The software was created to reduce the post processing time and eliminate all unnecessary steps to convert data or chose parameters. The software guides the user to create a reliable 3D map of the underground detected utilities with minimal training.

    “DX Office Vision aims to make interpretation of GPR data easy to master for constructors and surveyors who are not familiar with how to interpret it,” said Tughan Telatar, product manager, Construction Tools for Leica Geosystems. “DX Office Vision is so simple to learn that anyone from the crew can take over data processing into professional CAD drawings in five steps and 50 per cent faster than traditional methods.”

  • Drone Delivery Canada achieves BVLOS in test flights

    Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (DDC) reports the success of a pivotal milestone towards commercializing its drone logistics platform after successfully achieving beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in test flights.

    The success of these flights, which took place in Foremost, Alberta, after DDC received a Special Flight Operating Certificate from Transport Canada, prove that DDC’s BVLOS technical capability has now passed the most important landmark that enables the DDC platform to run commercially.

    The systems tested predominantly include DDC’s proprietary FLYTE management system, its avoidance technology and communications platform. During the flights, DDC’s Mission Control Centre in Toronto, 2,500 kilometers away, successfully monitored and record telemetry in real time for each flight.

    DDC is set to become the first and only drone logistics compliant operator approved by Transport Canada, which is expected to occur in the fourth quarter of 2017, followed by commercial operations in the first quarter of 2018.

    Commercial operations are forecast to be based on a revenue model that comprises of integration fees, set-up fees, and on going reoccurring revenue. DDC’s revenue is based on a traditional software as a service
    (SaaS) model format.

    Below is a video of DDC in Foremost, Alberta, performing Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) testing.

    “We are the only pure play drone delivery company that has ever successfully achieved BVLOS flights under Transport Canada’s oversight,” claimed Richard Buzbuzian, president of Drone Delivery Canada. “This is a major milestone for our company. With this success in hand, we now have greater visibility than ever before to operate commercially. Additionally, more than ever, we are also seeing international inquiry for our platform. This win has been a major step forward for us, both domestically and internationally.”

    “The success of these flights now allows us to expand our testing with both new and existing clients that include large corporations and government organizations in Canada and abroad,” said Tony Di Benedetto, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada. “Given Canada’s geography and some of the obvious and social opportunities in Northern Canada, we believe the best place to start commercializing this platform is in our own backyard, then internationally as we prove out our systems.”

  • Boundless Suite 4.10 streamlines mapping with open GIS

    Boundless has released Boundless Suite 4.10, designed to streamline the creation of maps and applications using open GIS.

    The company also released a new Boundless software development kit (SDK) and contributions to the community release of GeoServer 2.11.

    The company also entered a strategic partnership with geospatial intelligence firm Spatial Networks Inc. to bring software and data solutions to government and defense customers worldwide. SNI and Boundless are delivering the capability to quickly support users locked into proprietary software architectures with limited abilities to connect to third-party data sources.

    The SNI and Boundless teams will be at the GEOINT Symposium (Booths 731 and 961) June 3-6 to highlight this partnership.

    Boundless Suite 4.10 includes enhancements designed to make working with open GIS easier. Users now have all the necessary installation files, tools, extensions and premium support options needed to ensure a successful deployment of open GIS.

    Unlike proprietary solutions, Boundless Suite 4.10 offers flexibility and scalability, without complicated and costly licensing models, enabling organizations to scale up or out freely without being penalized.

    Features of the new release

    • Support on the CentOS 7 operating system, giving users outside of the Windows ecosystem access to the most comprehensive open GIS solution.
    • Leverage modern symbology styles with Mapbox Styles, a modern way to style data that is designed to work across the entire Boundless product platform. This update lets users style applications quickly and consistently across desktop, web and mobile.
    • Designed to work in modern IT architectures, including virtual machines, elastic DevOps architectures and the cloud, allowing customers to maximize their GIS investment and lower total ownership costs.

    “Boundless Suite 4.10 represents our continued commitment to releasing quality geospatial software on a regular basis,” said Anthony Calamito, VP of product at Boundless. “The new capabilities in Suite 4.10 make publishing spatial data easier, make it accessible on more operating systems and enable the simplified styling of data across the Boundless ecosystem.”

    Boundless SDK. Boundless’ new SDK ships with Boundless Suite 4.10. It enables users to easily create web mapping applications that leverage the OpenLayers 3 library, using the React framework.

    The SDK additionally powers the web application builder in Boundless Desktop, which allows users to quickly create quality applications without writing any code.

    GeoServer 2.11. Boundless Suite 4.10 ships with GeoServer 2.11, which has been updated to include improved loading and OGC request times for large installations, making it possible to manage tens of thousands of layers in GeoServer with minimum load times.

    GeoServer 2.11 comes with increased EPSG support and improved identification and handling of obscure .prj files and directories of shapefiles. These new updates greatly decrease the load time for shapefiles, and allow GeoServer to better support data from ArcGIS.

    The Boundless open GIS platform includes Connect, Desktop, Exchange and Suite.

  • Fugro partners with Skyline on oblique imagery, 3D modeling

    Fugro is enhancing its mapping services with the introduction of an integrated software package that creates realistic, yet spatially accurate, high-resolution 3D building models using oblique imagery.

    The product will benefit emergency responders during critical infrastructure planning, as well as those involved in infrastructure development, utilities and property management.

    Fugro, partnering with Skyline Software Systems, Inc., provides infrastructure management professionals with robust new capabilities in oblique mapping, including detailed 3D models and view shed studies for advanced visualization and analysis.
    Fugro, partnering with Skyline Software Systems, provides infrastructure management professionals with robust new capabilities in oblique mapping, including detailed 3D models and view shed studies for advanced visualization and analysis.

    Announcing a strategic partnership with Skyline Software Systems Inc., Mike Wernau, Fugro’s Oblique program manager explained, “We are now able to take a 2D oblique product and deliver a realistic 3D environment with enhanced viewing, query, analysis and reporting options. The value that users are going to discover as a result of this software fusion is something the market has really never seen before.”

    The new partnership offers clients an integrated oblique viewing and 3D modeling software. The integration of TerraExplorer and PX Mapper transforms the application of 3D environments by using 2D oblique imagery to create high-resolution building models that are both realistic and spatially accurate.

    Fugro’s oblique mapping solution includes high-resolution 360-degree oblique imagery and the PX Mapper visualization and analysis software. The Fugro/Skyline alliance allows oblique customers to experience Skyline’s automated modeling technology along with TerraExplorer’s optimized analytics capabilities including terrain analysis for flooding, contours, slope and volume metrics, lines of sight and view shed queries and shadow analysis.

    “By combining oblique imagery with our high-quality 3D modeling tool and integrating those models with the unlimited capabilities of TerraExplorer Pro, we’ve created the optimal environment for GIS infrastructure,” said Eatay Ben Shechter, director of production at Skyline. “This versatile product supports countless real-world applications, where time-critical decision making is required, from urban planning to real-estate management, and multiple different emergency response scenarios.”

    A flagship project employing this integrated 3D environment is already underway with completion in Summer 2017.

  • Boundless partners with Planet to expand image access

    Boundless, an open GIS company, has announced a strategic partnership with Planet, the integrated aerospace and data-analytics company that operates history’s largest fleet of Earth-imaging satellites. The partnership enables Boundless customers to access the massive library of high-quality Planet imagery and fast-loading imagery basemaps within Boundless Connect.

    Starting today, Boundless Desktop users can access this content through the Boundless Connect plugin. Planet content is also accessible through Boundless Suite and Exchange subscriptions.

    “This partnership significantly advances the content available through Boundless Connect, and expands our ability to provide high-quality imagery to Boundless users,” said Anthony Calamito, vice president of product for Boundless. “This represents a major step forward in providing our growing user base with valuable insights through Planet’s content. We are excited about this partnership and all the capabilities that will be delivered to our users, now and in the future.”

    A Planet image of Bingham Canyon Mine, Salt Lake County, Utah, taken March 10, 2013.
    A Planet image of Bingham Canyon Mine, Salt Lake County, Utah, taken March 10, 2013.

    The partnership with Planet will provide access to:

    • Basemaps – Automated basemaps optimized for clear seasonal coverage, completeness and visual quality, perfect for map backdrops. In addition, quarterly or monthly timelapse basemaps gives users access to the latest imagery.
    • Image Tiles from PlanetScope – 4-band (RGB and NIR) imagery for visual or analytic use.
    • Image Tiles from RapidEye – 5-band (RGB, NIR, and Red Edge) imagery for visual and analytic use.

    “This partnership is a huge step forward in delivering the most extensive and up-to-date satellite imagery catalog and basemaps to the broader geospatial community,” said Alex Bakir, vice president of product marketing for Planet. “Boundless’ open, flexible platform pairs perfectly with Planet’s data and platform services, and gives Boundless users the tools and content needed to integrate seamlessly into their workflows. We are very excited to be working with Boundless and look forward to what is to come.”

    Boundless-Planet-3-W

    Boundless offers an open GIS ecosystem through a combination of technology, products and experts that gives enterprises deeper intelligence and insights using 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.

    In November 2016, the company extended its proven GIS platform with Boundless Connect, a subscription service to the most comprehensive repository of GIS resources, and Boundless Desktop, a full-featured, professional desktop GIS, bringing a powerful ecosystem of geospatial knowledge, tools and resources to the enterprise.

  • Esri releases mobile app for understanding the oceans

    The app provides a new way to measure marine environments on a 3D interactive map for more cost-effective fishery planning and informed conservation.

    Esri has released an Ecological Marine Units (EMU) app for mobile devices. The app is a resource for scientists, educators, governments and industries seeking accessible information and imagery about the ocean’s long-term physical and nutrient properties.

    The EMU app puts data such as temperature, salinity and dissolved oxygen from 52 million locations throughout the world’s oceans at any user’s fingertips. This data informs how livable marine environments are for ocean-dwelling species as well as the overall health of the ecosystem.

    Esri-EMU-oceans-appOrganizations involved in fishery planning, for instance, can use the EMU mobile app to review proposed boundaries with a better understanding of which habitats will likely harbor certain species and manage fisheries more cost-effectively.

    By using the EMU mobile app, industries that depend on fishing yields can spend less time and money on areas that are less profitable. Conservation groups that need easy access to information on the environments of marine protected areas (MPA) to more effectively regulate them now also have a mobile tool for understanding the chemical makeup of these areas.

    “The EMU mobile app will serve as a fresh, widely available resource for professionals who benefit from a deeper understanding of the ocean’s structure — its salinity, temperature, oxygen levels and nutrients,” said Dawn Wright, Esri chief scientist. “Scientists and nonscientists alike who must study and understand the ocean now have the freedom of a convenient mobile interface with this vast wealth of environmental data.”

    The primary data source for the EMU mobile app is the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) authoritative World Ocean Atlas, with marine chemistry information from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and topographic data from GRID-Arendal.

    The app provides access to this globally comprehensive, data-driven 2D and 3D data and serves as an educational tool for easily understanding marine environments and how they are affected by climate change.

    The EMU mobile app is free from the App Store and Google Play.

  • USGS proposed budget focuses on core science and efficiency

    President Donald Trump has proposed a $922.2 million Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget for the U.S. Geological Survey. The proposed FY18 request reflects a savings of $137.8 million in appropriated funds from the FY 2017 CR baseline and a continued commitment to the bureau’s core mission.

    The USGS proposed budget provides science support for disaster alerts and rapid response, producing high-resolution geospatial data, addressing new and emerging invasive species and disease, tackling water challenges and supporting development for the Landsat 9 satellite ground system.

    According to a USGS press release, the request ensures that the USGS will continue to focus on conducting leading-edge research and providing impartial scientific data to key stakeholders and decision-makers to help promote stewardship of public lands and waters and protect the health, safety and prosperity of the nation.

     

    The USGS will also conduct work on environmental impacts of resource extraction and understanding how mineral resources interact with the environment to affect human and ecosystem health.

    The agency will also continue to develop and apply new methods to forecast, detect and understand health implications of toxins produced by harmful algal blooms. Additionally, the USGS will continue research to understand contaminants and pathogens related to drinking waters.

    The USGS budget also places strong emphasis on assessing the occurrence, quality, supply and use of energy and critical mineral resources. The FY18 budget request for the USGS Energy and Minerals Resources Mission Area is $74.4 million.

    The agency will continue to assess energy resources and provide publicly available scientific data and tools to inform energy policy discussions as well as to support science-based decisions that facilitate responsible resource management, including oil, gas, coal, geothermal, uranium and gas hydrate energy resource activities. This request will also allow the USGS to focus on understanding the genesis and distribution of the nation’s critical mineral resources, particularly in Alaska, mid-continent and southeast regions of the United States.

    The USGS FY 2018 Budget Justification is available here, and additional details on the President’s FY 2018 Budget are available on the department’s website.

  • Icaros releases version 5.0 of OneButton drone image-processing software

    IcarosOneButtonExample-WIcaros Inc., a provider of aerial imaging software, has released version 5.0 of OneButton Standard and Professional image-processing software for unmanned aerial systems. The 5.0 release contains a significant number of major new features and hundreds of other improvements, including a new 2D and 3D map and model viewer.

    Icaros developed the OneButton family for geospatial end users to easily and automatically generate precise, fully orthorectified 2D maps and 3D models from frame-based aerial imaging systems. Originally engineered for manned aircraft sensors, the OneButton software has been modified to accommodate the unique collection conditions of unmanned aerial systems (UAS).

    OneButton is application platform and sensor agnostic, and processes raster image data from small-, medium- and large-format frame sensors capable of capturing visible RBG, multispectral, near-infrared and thermal infrared data.

    New features and capabilities in version 5.0:

    • Provides both traditional and true orthomosaics
      • Maintain original pixel values for multi-spectral and thermal analysis(traditional)
      • Creates composite imagery for urban areas and tall structures(true)
    • Provides new viewer capabilities:
      • View 2D and 3D outputs such as orthomosaics, point clouds, and photo meshes
      • Create fly-through videos
      • Generate contour lines from GeoTiff terrain models
      • Label features and control the appearance of you maps and models
      • Add other georeferenced data as layers for reference
    • Scalable
      • No restrictions on image size and project size
      • Checkpoint restart
      • High performance / processing speed
    • Other additional improvements include:
      • Support for all the major sensors (multispectral, thermal),
      • All industry standard output formats (e.g., big TIFF)
      • Higher levels of ASPRS accuracy
      • Higher quality of feature extraction

    In release 5.0, the Professional Edition is now much easier to use. Professional Edition extends the Standard Edition with quality enhancement tools for more refined, professional results. It includes an innovative and easy-to-use photogrammetric dashboard giving you fine tuning control over the photogrammetric process. Other tools in the Professional Edition let users enhance output results.

    “We have worked with many UAS image processing products, and OneButton sets a high standard. The Professional Edition is easy to use and provides many of the advanced photogrammetric options essential for producing the high-quality, accurate results that customers expect from AeroVironment,” said Seth Merickel, Senior Software Engineer at AeroVironment.

    Current users of OneButton Standard and Professional editions can download and install the latest version. New OneButton software clients qualify for a free 30-day trial available at the following links:

    Standard edition

    Professional edition

    OneButton creates a complete image processing workflow for aerial image data and can front-end both GIS and analytics workflows to enable customers to solve challenging problems related to everything from agriculture and forestry to utilities and city planning. It is highly customizable to meet the needs of specific vertical market applications.

    OneButton automatically processes raw raster imagery with onboard GPS/IMU data to stitch the individual scenes together into seamless, color-balanced orthomosaics meeting photogrammetric precision and quality standards. Outputs include digital elevation models (DEMs), true color 3D point clouds, and multispectral mosaics — all ready for ingestion directly into GIS and analytics software environments.

  • US Forest Service and Quantum Spatial improve interactive visitor map

    Quantum Spatial Inc., an independent geospatial data firm, has worked with the U.S. Forest Service to continually improve its Interactive Visitor Map over the past year, giving the visitors access to easy-to-use, searchable resources through which they can discover and explore recreational opportunities in national forests.

    Using feedback from a variety of stakeholders — including forest rangers and the public — Quantum Spatial and the Forest Service have improved navigation, expanded search capabilities, and added alerts about severe weather, fires and floods.

    NationalPark-Quantum-Map-O

    They also have integrated social media — including Twitter feeds from 120 national forests and grasslands, geolocated Tweets from forest service personnel and crowdsourced content from Yonder, a social media app for outdoor enthusiasts.

    The Interactive Visitor Map provides information about 193 million acres of National Forest System land, including 371,000 miles of roads, 158,000 trail miles and more than 24,000 recreation sites.

    “As summer approaches, vacationers are looking forward to hiking and camping in national forests,” said Kurt Allen, Quantum Spatial’s vice president, federal vertical lead, public sector. “The Interactive Visitor Map we developed in collaboration with the Forest Service and other partners gives the public a convenient, easy-to-use online resource from which they can learn more about their destinations and plan their trips.”

    The Interactive Visitor Map was developed by a cross-functional team of contractors, with Quantum Spatial leading the architecture redesign portion of the project. Quantum Spatial focused on presenting maps and data in a way that is logical and easier for users to navigate, as well as adding social media functionality.

    Typically in contracts for projects such as this, the parameters are set in advance, leaving very little flexibility to adapt as the project evolves and the needs change over time. The Forest Service took a different approach, calling for agile software development in its contract, to help speed development and enable them to quickly pivot to make unanticipated improvements to the map.

    The approach, which is unconventional among government agencies, enabled the team to deliver new features of the map on an incremental basis.

    “The Forest Service has taken a very visionary approach in using agile development. During the past year, we have been able to systematically improve the map’s usability and deliver richer content, based on feedback from a range of real users,” said Cherie Jarvis, eGIS practice lead at Quantum Spatial, which has been providing geospatial services to the Forest Services for 15 years. “We are honored to partner with the Forest Service on this project to achieve its mission of quickly delivering in-demand resources to the public.”

    Since the map was initially introduced, usage has grown from an average of 1,000 page views a day to more than 2,000 page views a day now, with an upward trajectory anticipated to continue as the summer season approaches.

    “The latest iteration of our Interactive Visitor Map has been very well received, and usage has grown considerably,” said Donavan Albert, national web manager for the Forest Service’s Office of Communication. “We have gotten great feedback from our rangers, who use it as a primary resource to answer visitors’ questions, as well as the public who find useful information for planning their trips and have the ability to share images and details about their favorite destinations.”

    The Forest Service expects to continue making refinements to the map. Improvements planned for the future include the ability to more precisely geolocate Tweets and expansion of the content into a mobile app that is functional in environments where there is limited or no internet connectivity.