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  • ITT Exelis Delivers Imaging System for Next-Generation GeoEye-2 Satellite

    ITT Exelis XLS Geospatial Systems announced it has delivered GeoEye’s next-generation commercial imaging system for the GeoEye-2 satellite to Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Sunnyvale, Calif. When operational in 2013, GeoEye-2 will deliver the highest resolution and most accurate color imagery to GeoEye’s commercial, government and international customers.

    According to the announcement, the Exelis-built imaging payload for GeoEye-2 includes a telescope, sensor subsystem and outer barrel assembly and has the potential to capture panchromatic ground sample distance imagery of the Earth’s surface at 0.34-meter, or 13.38-inch, ground resolution.

    “Exelis was instrumental in helping Lockheed Martin revolutionize the commercial remote sensing market by designing and manufacturing the imaging system for GeoEye’s IKONOS satellite, launched in 1999. More than a decade later, Exelis is proud to deliver the imaging system for GeoEye’s next-generation satellite,” said Rob Mitrevski, vice president and general manager, Environmental Intelligence and Integrated Geospatial Sensing Systems at Exelis Geospatial Systems. “Exelis has long relationships with Lockheed Martin and GeoEye, and together, we look forward to the next phase of integrating the Exelis-built imaging system into the GeoEye-2 spacecraft.”

    ITT reported that GeoEye-2 will have significant improvements in capability compared with current systems, including enhanced tasking; longer focal length, which enables better resolution; advancements to the sensor subsystem, which improves image quality; and the ability to collect more imagery at a faster rate. The GeoEye-2 satellite will provide cost-effective, increased coverage and easier access to high-resolution satellite imagery for intelligence analysts, warfighters, map producers and commercial customers. GeoEye-2 will surpass the performance of the GeoEye-1 satellite, launched in 2008, in resolution, capacity and agility. GeoEye selected Exelis to begin work on the GeoEye-2 imaging system in October 2007.

    Bill Schuster, GeoEye’s chief operating officer, said, “We commend Exelis for completing this next milestone of our GeoEye-2 program with a superbly performing camera and an on-time delivery of the imaging system to Lockheed Martin. Commercial satellite imagery plays a fundamental and essential role in our country’s national security, disaster response and humanitarian efforts. Soldiers depend on it on the battlefield every day for the most up-to-date situational awareness and to meet many of their operational mission requirements. Commercial imagery is unclassified, and as such, is easily shared with coalition forces.”

    The GeoEye-2 satellite bus is being assembled at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, Calif. Its propulsion system has been installed and many of the subsystems are completed and being integrated into the spacecraft.

    “Delivery of the imaging payload is a major milestone for the team and another critical step forward in our objective to deploy this cutting-edge satellite in a timely fashion,” said Allen Anderson, GeoEye-2 program director for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company. “We look forward to integrating the payload with the GeoEye-2 space vehicle and achieving mission success for our customer.”

  • Esri Announces ArcGIS for Android Now Available for Kindle Fire

    Esri announced that ArcGIS for Android is now available for Amazon’s popular Android tablet, the Kindle Fire. ArcGIS for Android, also available on iOS devices, Windows Phones, and other Android devices, lets users access, edit, and share maps. The free app can be downloaded directly from the Amazon Appstore for Android.

    According to the announcement, ArcGIS for Android is a native application that serves as a mobile gateway into the ArcGIS system. It provides an intuitive user experience for querying map layers and data. With it, users can quickly access their own maps and data authored in ArcGIS Online as well as collect and edit geographic data. ArcGIS for Android includes a Favorites feature that accesses popular maps quickly; a tool for measuring area and distance; and the ability to display data in popups that support images, charts, links, and more.

    Esri reports that ArcGIS for Android is built on Esri’s ArcGIS Runtime Software Development Kit (SDK). This SDK lets developers create custom spatially enabled applications for Kindle Fire and other Android devices and is designed to use web services available from ArcGIS Online. Apps built using the SDK can be deployed within the enterprise or to the public via the Amazon Appstore for Android and Google Play.
    To download the ArcGIS app, visit the Amazon Appstore for Android or directly from your Kindle Fire.

  • Google Announces Google Maps Floor Plan Marker App

    Google introduced Google Maps Floor Plan Marker App which enables those who’ve uploaded floor plans to improve the indoor location accuracy their visitors experience when using indoor maps within their venue.

    According to the description in Google Play, the Google Maps Floor Plan Market App helps Google Maps show users their location more accurately within indoor venues. Walk around the floors in a popular, public building to collect publicly broadcast data, and afterwards, users of the Google Maps Android app will be able to see their location (“the familiar blue dot”) in those floors when they’re inside the venue. Note that you must first upload a floor plan. Likely to be of interest mostly to map enthusiasts and venue owners.

  • Thales to Provide GPS SAASM Receivers for French Navy Lynx Helicopters

    Thales has been awarded a contract by the Service Industriel de l’Aéronautique (SIAé), France’s military aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul service, to supply stand-alone GPS receivers for the French Navy’s Lynx helicopters, which are currently being upgraded by the French defence procurement agency (DGA).

    Thales’s GNSS 1000-S receiver relies on SAASM (Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module) technology to access military GPS encrypted signals. This technology also uses state-of-the-art signal processing offering extended satellite tracking capabilities in terms of precision, integrity, availability and jamming resistance in severe operational conditions.

    This contract consolidates Thales’s European leadership in the field of military GPS receivers, which already equip FREMM multi-mission frigates, cruise missiles, Tiger helicopters, C-135 refuelling aircraft, Atlantique-2 marine patrol aircraft and Mirage 2000D fighters in service with the French armed forces, and the tanker aircraft being delivered for the UK’s FSTA (Future Strategic Tanker Aircraft) programme.

    The GNSS 1000-S is part of Thales’s suite of GNSS products which will be presented at the European Navigation Conference in Gdansk, Poland, April 25-27 on the Galileo Services booth.

  • FCC Announces Initiatives to Combat Smartphone and Data Theft

    FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski joined major police department chiefs, including New York City Police Commissioner Raymond E. Kelly, Philadelphia Police Department Commissioner Charles Ramsey, Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Chief Cathy Lanier, Washington, D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray, wireless carriers, and Senator Chuck Schumer to announce new initiatives to combat cell phone and data theft.

    Genachowski commended police departments and members of Congress, in particular Senator Schumer, for calling attention to a growing epidemic of robberies targeting smartphone users. Genachowski announced an industry commitment to develop a shared, centralized database that will record unique identifiers of stolen wireless devices to prevent their reuse, thereby making it harder for thieves to resell stolen wireless devices. Legislation, sponsored by Senator Schumer, will ensure that authorities have the tools they need to crack down on efforts to evade this technological solution.

    According to the FCC, there is a growing epidemic of robberies involving smartphones and other cell phones:

    • More than 40% of all robberies in New York City involve smartphones and other cell phones.
    • The situation is getting worse: In Washington, D.C., cell phones were taken in 54% more robberies in 2011 than in 2007, and cell phones are now taken in 38% of all DC robberies.
    • Other major cities have similar statistics, with robberies involving cell phones comprising 30-40% of all robberies.
    • Robberies are, by definition, violent crimes, and there are many instances of robberies targeting cell phones resulting in serious injury or even death.
    • A recent Symantec study indicates that a loss or theft of an unsecured smartphone often results in access to sensitive personal data.
    Chairman Genachowski, with the support of major city police chiefs and the wireless industry, announced new initiatives by wireless carriers, initially including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and Sprint who cover 90 percent of US subscribers, to deter theft and secure customer data:
    Implement a database to prevent use of stolen smartphones.
    • Within six months, when Americans call their participating wireless provider and report their wireless devices stolen, their provider will block that device from being used again. This system will be rolling out globally using common databases across carriers over the next 18 months.
     Encourage users to lock their phones with passwords.
    • Smartphone makers will notify and educate users in the most highly visible ways—through messages on the smartphone itself and through “Quick Start” user guides—about how to use passwords to deter theft and protect their data.
    Educate users on lock/locate/wipe applications.
    • Wireless providers will directly inform their customers about how to find and use applications that enable customers to lock/locate/and wipe smartphones remotely.
    Public education campaign on how to protect your smartphone and yourself.
    • The wireless industry will launch a campaign, with media buys, to educate consumers on how to protect their smartphones and themselves from crime.
    Progress benchmarks and ongoing dialogue.
    • The wireless industry will publish quarterly updates and submit them to the FCC on progress on these initiatives.
     Accountability.
    • The FCC will engage the public safety community and wireless carriers in an ongoing dialog, with regular, quarterly meetings, to ensure that the most effective technological processes are in place to deter smartphone theft and data exposure.
    • The FCC will launch a proceeding if progress on the above deliverables falls behind schedule.
     Legislation expected to criminalize tampering with unique hardware IDs on cell phones.
    • Members of Congress are planning to introduce legislation that will make it a federal crime to take steps to evade the effective deployment of a stolen phone database, including by tampering with hardware identifiers on wireless devices.
    • Criminalizing tampering with unique hardware identifiers has been an integral part of successful foreign deployments of stolen cell phone databases and the deterrence of cell phone theft.

     

  • Bradford Parkinson to Discuss ‘GPS for Humanity’

    Brad Parkinson
    Brad Parkinson

    As part of the Stanford Engineering Hero Lecture Series, Brad Parkinson will present a talk on “GPS for Humanity” Monday, April 30, at 7 p.m. Pacific Time. The lecture will be broadcast online at no charge. If you would like to view the live broadcast, register at the Stanford University site.

    In large part, Parkinson will present the story he told in GPS World, The Origins of GPS, Part 1 and Part 2. Here is the lecture description:

    More than anything else, GPS has become the United States’ gift to humanity. Cell phones rely on GPS for timing. Ship and aircraft carry multiple GPS receivers to provide positioning information. Other applications range from earth movement to disease tracking to search and rescue. Dr. Bradford Parkinson, chief GPS architect and Stanford Professor Emeritus of Aeronautics and Astronautics, will describe the origins and applications of GPS and explore its future, including one application enabled when the world has more than 50 interchangeable civil signals.

    Bradford Parkinson is chief architect of the now-ubiquitous Global Positioning System (GPS), which he led as a U.S. Air Force colonel in 1973. As a professor at Stanford, he pioneered GPS for aviation and other applications, including the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) used by the FAA. More recently, he led the NASA/Stanford Gravity Probe B program that validated Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity to an unprecedented accuracy. Parkinson is co-editor and an author of the best-selling textbook, Global Positioning System: Theory and Applications.

  • GLONASS 701K Reactivated

     

    News courtesy of CANSPACE Listserv.

    GLONASS 701K, the first GLONASS-K1 satellite, launched on February 26, 2011, has been reactivated on frequency channel -5. GLONASS 701K, still undergoing flight tests, had previously been active, transmitting legacy FDMA signals on channel -5 between April 8 and October 10, 2011, using almanac slot 4 although the satellite was (and still is) physically in/near orbital slot 21. Transmissions resumed on October 31, 2011, using almanac slot 3, and ceased again on November 30, 2011. During these tests, the satellite was set unhealthy in the broadcast almanac.

    GLONASS 701K does not currently appear in the broadcast almanacs but its broadcast ephemeris gives its designation as 26 or R26 in IGS nomenclature.

    Some receivers may not currently track GLONASS 701K (also known as GLONASS 801 by the IGS to distinguish the satellite from an earlier GLONASS-M satellite also numbered 701) given that it is not in the almanacs and/or has a non-orthodox slot number. Some software providing conversions between receiver data formats and RINEX formats may not recognize the satellite either.

    However, according to reports, at least Javad receivers can successfully track the satellite at the moment.

    The reactivation of GLONASS 701K may be a hint that plans to expand the GLONASS constellation from 24 to 30 satellites, as previously reported, are actually underway.

    Thanks to T.S. Kelso and Javad Ashjaee for information concerning the reactivation of the satellite.

  • Navitel and AND Automotive Navigation Data Announce Strategic Partnership

    Navitel, navigation provider for Russia and Eastern Europe, and global mapping company AND announce a strategic partnership in developing car navigation maps for Navitel Navigator.

     

    Navitel and AND will combine their knowledge, experience and know-how to develop navigation products, the annoucement said. Navitel can now introduce Western European maps for their navigation solution. Thanks to this cooperation, Navitel will offer the market extremely detailed, precise, and actual Western European maps with all Navitel online-services support.

    In 2012, in addition to maps of all Eastern Europe, CIS and Asia countries, Navitel will expand its cartographic coverage and release new maps of all Western Europe countries. Thus, Navitel will offer users navigation on the territory of all Eurasia from Pacific to Atlantic Ocean.

  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles: Past, Present and Future Impact on GIS

    By Art Kakinski, GISP

    My first exposure to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) was in 1972, serving as a young Ensign on a WWII class destroyer. The UAV was called DASH(Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter). It was a small, counter-rotating rotor drone helicopter used to extend the anti-submarine warfare (ASW) reach of a destroyer. It carried Mark46 torpedoes but could also carry nuclear depth charges. The disappointing characteristic of DASH is that it had a nasty habit of either disappearing over the horizon never to be seen again or, worse yet, crashing into the superstructure of its mother ship. 1970s technology just wasn’t up to the complex task of controlling such a vehicle.

    Enter 2012, and UAV technology looks like science fiction. My recent participation at the USSOCOM TNT exposed me to some new developments in military technology and UAVs in particular. Most of you are familiar with the better known UAVs such as the Predator, Global Hawk, or smaller Shadows, but the number of UAVs has grown exponentially with some of the most interesting developments occurring in small UAVs and persistent surveillance. With more than 100 UAVs in today’s market, it’s impossible to do a comprehensive column about UAVs, but just like the blind men looking at an elephant, the following is one GIS guy’s view of this growing market.

    Hot New UAV Systems

    Building on early lessons learned with vehicles like DASH, the Boeing A160 is a UAV helicopter, but the similarity to DASH ends there. Its design incorporates new technologies not previously used in helicopters, allowing for greater payload, endurance, and altitude than any helicopter currently in operation. The experimental program has ambitious goals of a 2,500-mile range and 24-hour endurance with a 1,200 pound payload. The 35-foot helo flies autonomously rather than relying on real-time human control with speeds over 140 knots.

    A reoccurring theme that has been presented at GEOINT and other ISR conferences is that many UAVs currently in use are proving to be almost as expensive to operate as manned aircraft. Because of this, engineers have been looking into alternate technology, including persistent surveillance. One example is the Long-Endurance Multi-Intelligence Vehicle (LEMV) a hybrid blimp and aircraft.

     

    The Lockheed Martin vehicle shown here will be tested in-theater this year. It is designed to operate unmanned and untethered at 20,000 ft. for weeks at a time carrying a 2,500-lb. intel payload. On first glance the LEMV looks like a sitting duck, but based on actual tests the low static pressure, lighter than air, aerodynamic lifting body is very survivable. At GEOINT, Maj. Gen. James O. Poss, USAF, said that if you are lucky enough to hit it from the ground with small-arms fire, it might come down next week.

    UAVs at TNT

    There were numerous UAVs at TNT, but the two that particularly caught my attention and imagination were two inexpensive vehicles that I believe could be game changers for the GIS community.

    One was a very light weight UAV from a small Ohio company called UAVision.They were flying UAVs that on first glance looked like toys, but the composite skins and advanced electronics quickly shattered that first impression. The vehicles are battery powered and almost silent in flight with loiter times of about 30 minutes. Weighing 4-8 pounds, they were easily hand launched and fly autonomously once in the air.

    The operator programs the flight path into a GIS display and the aircraft follows the programed path, ultimately doing a soft landing on to the grass next to the operator. Shown here is the live video feed from the camera on the UAV overlaid with the programed flight path (orange polygon). The resolution of the video was excellent and the image was surprisingly stable. They were also testing the ability to locate, identify, and track RFID tags from the air.

    This vehicle is designed to ultimately meet new UAS standards that are included in a recent FAA Bill. The bill, signed by the President February 14, includes important provisions regarding the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the national airspace system. One provision could have a very rapid impact on the GIS community. It allows government agencies and first responders to fly very small UAS (4.4lbs or less) within 90 days if they meet certain requirements. The goal is to permit law enforcement and firefighters immediate access to these small systems for lifesaving purposes and to increase public safety. Some believe that this technology may be readily available for surveying and mapping within three years.

    Although 4.4 pounds doesn’t sound like a lot, UAVision’s current aircraft already has shown the ability to capture and geo-reference the imagery. 4.4 pounds seems to be a safety benchmark that puts the UAV in the same category as birds. Statistically, most manned aircraft can survive a collision with birds up to 4.4 pounds, so the low-flying UAV would pose a minimal hazard to manned aircraft. Unlike current big UAVs that have six- and seven-figure price tags, a complete UAVision system can come in as cheap as $30,000. I could easily envision GIS operations using these systems for surveillance or even low-cost imagery capture.

    The second vehicle that caught my attention was a hybrid air system from Sofcoast. Sofcoast created an aerostat the combines the benefits of a tethered balloon with the stability and directionality of an aircraft with control surfaces. This could be the most elegantly simple and low=cost solution to persistent aerial surveillance I’ve seen.

     

    The operator launches the aerostat silently using a modified fishing rod and reel. Once in position, the clear vehicle is very unobtrusive. It silently monitors the area below and has the added benefit of being almost invisible at night. I can easily see this being used for security during large public events or in response to natural disasters as a survivor search tool or to catch or deter would-be looters. To get an idea of the quality and stability of the video feed from the system, click on the following video:

    Future Systems

    There are numerous articles on the Internet that explain some rather exotic UAVs in development.

    The Propulsive Wing is a new patented aerodynamic platform that integrates an embedded, distributed cross-flow fan propulsion system within a thick wing. It looks like a fat flying wing but has the potential to carry very heavy payloads with very stable flight characteristics and short takeoff and landing.

    The Nano Hummingbird or Nano Air Vehicle (NAV) is a tiny remote-controled aircraft built to resemble and fly like a hummingbird, developed under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). The Hummingbird is equipped with a small video camera for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes and, for now, operates in the air for up to 11 minutes. It can fly outdoors, or enter a doorway to investigate indoor environments.

     

    Honeywell completed delivery of an initial order for 90 RQ-16 T-Hawk “hover and stare” micro air vehicle (MAV) systems to the U.S. Navy in December 2011, for use in detecting roadside bombs in Iraq and Afghanistan.

    Zephyr is a lightweight solar-powered UAV which was originally designed and built by the United Kingdom defense firm Qinetiq. The carbon-fiber aircraft uses sunlight to charge a lithium sulfur battery during the day, which powers the aircraft at night. It holds the current UAV endurance record with an 82-hour flight at an altitude of 61,000 feet.

    On the really creepy side are rumors of Nano UAVs the size of insects. Following is a video clip from the University of Pennsylvania showing a swarm of UAV quad copters flying in formation and showing an almost collective intelligence.

     

    The “fly on the wall” may soon be a reality, controlled by your GIS technician.

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  • Companies Look for Alternatives to Google Maps, but Location Giant Chugs Along…

    The big news at the recent O’Reilly Where 2.0 and GPS-Wireless conferences, both located in the San Francisco Bay Area, may be continued industry fallout from Google’s decision to start charging higher volume users. Location-based services may have jumped the shark, as one Nokia executive said at GPS-Wireless, but such deals as Foursquare’s partnership with American Express can only help grow consumer awareness and drive mobile purchases. Indoor positioning and connected vehicles continued to be a hot topic at both Where 2.0 and GPS-Wireless. Yet, at least one executive at GPS-Wireless said that “the year of LBS has come and gone — and nobody noticed it.”

     

    SAN FRANCISCO — A few companies in the location industry have decided to change mapping vendors in the wake of Google’s decision to start charging companies when their sites averaged 25,000 map views per day. Around the time of the recent 2012 Mobile World Congress, Foursquare said it would move from using Google Maps to user-contributed map service OpenStreetMap. The company said Google’s recent price increases prompted the change.

    Foursquare did not change mapping vendors because of the quality of the maps, said Holger Luedorf, Foursquare vice president and head of business development. “Google Maps are a great product. We are big fans of openness, but it was not the lack of quality why we switched,” he said at GPS-Wireless 2012.

    But while some companies are heading to other places because of the Google charging policy, the company says it is still doing well. “We did announce that Google was going to start charging for 25,000 or more [map hits]. In terms of usage, we have actually gone up since the announcement,” said Jay Akkad, Google product manager, mobile local ads, also at GPS-Wireless conference.

    One of the big topics at GPS-Wireless is the idea that the term location-based services has “jumped the shark” in terms of consumer awareness and acceptance. “What the hell is LBS? It is an enabling technology,” said Duncan McCall, PlaceIQ co-founder and CEO. “The mythical Starbucks LBS deal does not make me care. We now have advertisers who have a particular [return on investment] they are looking for.”

    At least one speaker, on a venture capital panel, said that the expression “LBS” hasn’t been useful in defining the market in at least eight years. “The huge opportunity is not location — there are tons of 100K-a-year-guys staying at the Red Roof Inn and not the Four Seasons. The huge opportunity is how people shape their habits — and location is one way,” said Prioleau Advisors’ Marc Prioleau. “Banner ads push to consumers, but the objective is loyalty. It’s the ‘we know where you are and where you go’ model.”

    In all of the talk about LBS, the usual “who pays for it” was a hot topic at GPS-Wireless. “With 150,000 ads on a platform, [the consumer] doesn’t have to pay for it,” Luedorf said.

    For the navigation piece of LBS, it still is the one area consumers know about and want, panel members said.

    “Navigation still is hot. More than half of our users choose to use carrier-branded navigation,” said Brian Salisbury, TCS director of business development. “Consumers will start marginalizing a [paid for] service when it stops producing for them. The value for the consumer is if it is bundled with other services—sometimes that bundle is subsidized.”

    People still are paying for navigation, despite attendees saying that a freemium model is the future, said Kris Kolodziej, Verizon Wireless associate director of cloud and location services. “Consumers are always going to find options. Maybe they will be looking at premium traffic [in the future],” he said.

    Groupon, which presented at GPS-Wireless, announced at the recent 2012 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona that one quarter of its users purchased vouchers through a mobile service, a triple increase to more than 9 million deals. The company also said that LBS and proximity-based sales will increase because it plans to roll out mobile service in more than 30 countries soon. Currently, the company has its daily-deal service, online, in 48 countries.

    “The core foundation of our company is the daily deal. Groupon Now goes into the core of location — where we are expanding into 30 markets — so location doesn’t get more specific,” said Andreas Lieber, Groupon director of mobile partnerships. “We recently released our mobile numbers and are seeing 25 percent growth — this is a really significant revenue stream.”

    Mobile searches and deals will continue to grow, Google’s Akkad said. “Mobile searches have grown four times since 2010, according to our user surveys. This is a huge opportunity for developers,” he said. “One area we have noticed is the ability to close the loop in the location business. Businesses have to identify who is coming into their stores — that’s why hyper local ads are important — because of the proximity signal that tends to be a strong signal.”

    The big location market still is evolving, but Foursquare’s deal last summer with American Express doesn’t hurt consumer awareness. “The deal with American Express drives users to Foursquare. No one knows how it is going to play out, but we are seeing an uplift as people are spending money,” Luedorf said. “[Location is] not monetizing heavily right now — companies need scale. But it actually is selling. We believe it’s through an ad model we can build, but not a premium service. Facebook and Twitter are trying to monetize — we will see.”

    While the deal with American Express is a nationwide one where cardholders check in with Foursquare on their mobile devices at certain shops and restaurants for deals, check-ins may not be the emphasis the company wants in the future. “We are seeing more people consuming the data — not just checking in. They want to see what’s local in terms of tips for eating out and drinking and other entertainment,” Luedorf said.

    Overhyped Expressions in the Location Industry           

    One of this editor’s pet peeves is the use of the word “experience” as in “consumer experience” when a company official describes a market, product or service. In a new technology and markets panel, moderator Clay Babcock of Rand McNally asked his panel what is an overhyped expression in the location industry. Kanwar Chadha of CSR said, “GNSS triangulation, TV or otherwise.”

    Nick Brachet, CTO of Skyhook Wireless said, “near field communications.” Babcock chimed in with “augmented reality,” the expression “gadget play.” David Allen, CTO of Locaid said “anything to do with beacons.” Ankit Agarwal, Micello CEO, “any Starbucks story, especially something about a coupon.” One person said, in a conference filled with this story line, “indoor positioning is overhyped.”

    At Where 2.0, the expression “SoLoMoCo” is destined to be one of those types of overhyped monikers. SoLoMoCo stands for a busy mix of social, local, mobile and commerce.

    Panel at GPS-Wireless.

    Exhibits at GPS-Wireless.

     

  • CAST Navigation Introduces Handheld Simulator

    CAST Navigation of Tewksbury, Massachusetts introduced its SGX GPS Satellite Simulator. With its compact size — 7 × 11× 3 inches — and weighing in at just over 4 pounds, the SGX is CAST’s newest and smallest fully capable simulator to date.

    The new SGX replaces the CAST-SIMCOM Simulator which was a 17-inch, 50-pound simulator. The SGX lightweight portability operates on AC or battery power, features 16 channels of L1 C/A and P codes, and is extremely accurate and repeatable, according to the company.

    Features include touch screen, individual satellite power control, and start and stop scenarios with a touch of a button.

    The CAST-SGX is portable, affordable, lightweight and utilizes CAST long standing proven technology.

    CAST has been in the GPS simulation and support business for more than 25 years, designing, developing, manufacturing, and integrating innovative GPS/INS simulators and associated equipment for government, military, prime vendor, and consumer markets.

  • How To Justify a Local Government GIS

    A couple of years ago, I wrote a piece titled, “The Struggles of a City GIS Manager.” With government budgets being cut 15+%, one of the activities that always seems to be included in the discussion is GIS. When the GIS is up and running, has the GIS manager worked his/her way out of a job? I thought I’d revisit the subject and mention a recent report released on the return on investment (ROI) of King County’s (Washington) GIS after 20 years in service.

    At a recent municipal public meeting on transportation I attended, the issue of pavement management was being discussed in detail along with a report from a company hired to rate the condition of road system within the municipality. The Pavement Condition Index (PCI) was reported for each municipal road segment in tabular format. As you can imagine, with ~100 miles of road in the municipality, the tabular list was overwhelming…page after page after page of text. How does one interpret and make decisions based on data that’s difficult to interpret? Of course, I asked whether the data was available in a “GIS format” so that the citizens could more easily visualize the condition of each road segment. The answer was yes, but this was not included in the service contract. Then the conversation turned to using the in-house GIS department (one full-time + part-time) to integrate the tabular data into the municipality’s street data. Someone asked, “Can they do that?” The answer was yes, technically they can, but they are busy working on other projects.

    I think one of the reasons that municipal GIS departments seem to always be in the budget-cut discussion is because elected officials, and probably municipal executive management, don’t understand how valuable it can be. The PCI study was a great example. When the city ordered the PCI assessment, it declined the $2,000-3,000 option to have the data delivered in GIS-ready format. However, once a city councilor scanned the gobs of PCI data in the report and understood how difficult it would to interpret the data for the city council, city staff, and the public, the councilor stated, “Our food budget is more than that.” In other words, a no brainer decision to spend the $3,000.

    Municipal GIS managers, as much as they may not want to, need to be promoting their services within city government. How about a GIS Day event within city government where GIS departments can showcase their capabilities to the various city departments? Unfortunately, it can’t be a one-time event. This is a continuing education process. People who aren’t knee-deep into GIS have a lot of information being thrown at them every day. There’s no way to consume it all and we shouldn’t expect them to. Therefore, it’s all about consistent reinforcement of the concepts and capabilities of the GIS department so when the engineering or public works department is considering infrastructure work, GIS is somewhere in their train of thought.

    On another note, King County (Seattle, WA) commissioned a consulting firm to analyze the benefits of the use of GIS in King County. According to the report, King County set up its GIS in 1992. The analysis was performed for the period 1992-2010.

    Conclusions drawn from the analysis were quite impressive:

    “Even by our most conservative estimate (in which we discount past cash flows at 3%, assume a diminished value for outputs in excess of 1992 levels, and interpolate past benefits using a B/C ratio that decreases by 10% per year), King County’s GIS program is estimated to have earned $776,361,408 in net benefits from 1992 to 2010.”
    That’s $776 million, folks.
    You can read the executive summary of the report here.
    You can read the full report here.
    If you’re involved in local government GIS, it’s worth your time to read it.
    Thanks, and see you next week.
    Follow me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/GPSGIS_Eric