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Home 2023 March 28

Daily Archives: 03/28/2023

Why Indoor Maps are critical in case of emergency

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Geospatial World
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Why Indoor Maps are critical in case of emergency

In public safety emergency response, it is critical to rescue public from the right location, at the right time. Digitizing indoor space data and developing it into maps is important for government agencies to be able to ensure public safety especially in case of any major incident like a fire breakout or terrorist attack. Indoor mapping helps the response teams to locate and plan rescue operations.

Also Watch: Know what is Indoor Positioning System and the technologies used in it

buildingSMART International and Geospatial World Sign MoU to Advance BIM and GIS Workflows

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News Desk
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buildingSMART International and Geospatial World Sign MoU to Advance BIM and GIS Workflows

 

buildingSMART International (bSI) and Geospatial World signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to advance openBIM and geospatial workflows for their respective industries.

This MoU was announced at the buildingSMART International Standards Summit in Rome which has been supported as a Media Partner by Geospatial World.

The purpose of this agreement is to establish a collaborative partnership between Geospatial World and bSI, aimed at promoting the benefits of developing standards and services for the BIM and GIS communities.

With a proven track record of serving the GIS community and recent expertise in the AEC industry, Geospatial World is well positioned to amplify the advantages of openBIM. Meanwhile, bSI will bring BIM experts together to help find solutions for improving the connection between BIM and GIS, contributing to a more streamlined and digitized future.

This strategic partnership will also focus on enhancing workflows between different languages and systems, as well as expanding the scope for improving productivity and efficiency. As the need for location-based technologies to integrate with design applications grows, bSI and Geospatial World will leverage their strong communities and work together to facilitate greater collaboration and innovation.

Clive Billiald, Chief Executive, buildingSMART International, said, “this agreement with Geospatial World provides a fantastic opportunity to collectively enhance digitisation of the built asset sector. As the demand for linear infrastructure increases and our IFC 4.3 standard gains prominence, alignment between our BIM and GIS communities is ever more important. With Geospatial World’s extensive expertise and strong heritage in this area, this collaborative partnership provides an excellent opportunity to advance our services and standards for the entire ecosystem”.

Sanjay Kumar, Founder and CEO, Geospatial World added, “An integrated information system that has a spatial dimension is absolutely necessary for the next generation infrastructure. As the industry is gradually understanding the value addition of GIS and BIM convergence, this collaboration between buildingSMART and Geospatial World will be extremely instrumental in bridging the gap between the global BIM and geospatial communities. With buildingSMART’s rich experience in advocacy of digitisation of the built asset sector, this strategic partnership provides an exciting opportunity to further educate, engage, and evangelise the need for integrated systems and standardisation for the entire ecosystem.”

UP42 expands Aerial Imagery and Geospatial data portfolio with Vexcel

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News Desk
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UP42 expands Aerial Imagery and Geospatial data portfolio with Vexcel

UP42, the geospatial developer platform and marketplace, has significantly expanded its aerial imagery and elevation data portfolio through a partnership with Vexcel. The Vexcel Data Program delivers geospatial data products with high accuracy, spatial resolution, and consistency.

Vexcel’s aerial data collection initiative is capturing ultra-high-resolution imagery (at 7.5 to 15cm resolution) and related geospatial data in more than 30 countries, including the U.S., Canada, U.K., Western and Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Vexcel products are used by local governments, utilities, telecoms, and AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) companies.

“Our aerial data helps end users solve some of the toughest geospatial challenges, especially when it comes to infrastructure and asset management,” shared Jason Jones, Director of Channels and Alliances for Vexcel. “End users are able to support better decision-making, enhance workflows, and generate more accurate automated insights using our premium imagery.”

The clear and accurate Vexcel aerial imagery now available on the UP42 marketplace enables users to gain greater context and insights from the world around them. These products include:

  • Oblique and True Ortho urban images at 7.5 cm resolution, or better
  • Orthos at 15-20 cm, and
  • Digital Surface Models (DSM) at 7.5cm resolution and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) at 15-20 cm resolution

The consistent quality of Vexcel image products across all geographic locations delivers insights and analysis in a variety of applications, including:

  • Vegetation management and infrastructure monitoring by energy utilities and telecommunication companies,
  • Site inspection and property assessment by AEC firms, and
  • Urban planning and environmental protection by local governments.

Woolpert Opens Office in Paris

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News Desk
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Woolpert Opens Office in Paris

Woolpert has opened an office in Paris to expand support for Google Maps Platform customers in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA).

Woolpert Senior Account Executive Eric Le Monnier will manage the Paris office, working in concert with Mark Williams, who manages Woolpert’s Google-focused office in London.

Woolpert began providing Google Maps Platform services to EMEA customers in June 2022, after nearly a decade of delivering award-winning Google Maps and Google Cloud services throughout the United States. In August, Woolpert established its Digital Innovations division to support its Google partnership.

Over the last year, Woolpert’s EMEA focus has been on providing mobility services and technical support, which is reinforced by its geospatial expertise. The international firm collects mapping data and imagery around the world, develops and patents geospatial technologies, and owns and operates a fleet of aircraft, vessels, and sensors.

“We work in a global marketplace, but there will always be immense value in providing that local presence, so we can truly understand the needs of our customers,” Le Monnier said.

“We are one of the few Google partners who can sell the new mobility and last-mile delivery services, and we have been approved for retail, transport, and logistics through the Google Cloud Partner Program. Our team is excited to work more closely with our customers in France and to continue to provide support to over 100 countries in EMEA.”

This week, Woolpert will be at the Leaders in Logistics Summit in London, where Williams will present with VanOnGo Sales Director Denys Lanovskyi to illustrate how Woolpert helped enhance VanOnGo’s Last Mile Delivery Platform with the integration of Google Maps.

Spatial Data for Tangible Outcomes

By
Paolo Manunta
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Spatial Data for Tangible Outcomes

Asian Development Bank (ADB) uses EO data for better planning, and intervention before and after disaster strikes, as well as to prevent the negative effect of climate change, stimulating adaptation. We showcase and discuss with our DMCs (Developing Member Countries) the best solutions that EO can offer to solve the problem across urban planning, disaster risk reduction, climate resilience, forestry, energy, water resources, agriculture and others.

With ESA, we have a program called Global Development Assistance. The partnership is between ESA, World Bank, and Asian Development Bank. We design the use cases, co-design the solution with ESA for any country that requires EO data based solution. Besides, we build finance capacity and skill transfer in the country where the solution was developed for.

Digital twin can give you a lot of the opportunity to involve people who are not necessarily experts in EO satellite

ADB works also with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) and KIOST (Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology. These partnerships are aimed at offering state of the art prototypes to meet client demand. We procure data with the help of service providers and other geospatial industries. AI, ML, IoT and cloud technology are going to be the drivers of our future work in Asia.

Actionable Data

Developing countries need an infrastructure to either store this data or to process the data, because at the moment everything that ADB provides them is cloud-based so that they don’t have to move terabytes of data across the continents.

The possibility given by Copernicus, the free and open data is a game changer, but at the same time it’s also posing some challenges such as storing huge amount of data. In order to extract information from that data, tools equipped with AI/ML is required for instance, mapping coffee cultivation and agriculture indices in Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Vietnam.

We make efforts in linking the digital solution to something tangible, which is the priority of the particular country. For instance, in a country struck by disaster or at the brink of climate change, we use EO satellite data to help them build better infrastructure, and prepare better strategies for climate adaption.

Digital Twin

We expect some new developments in digital twin by the end of this year in some cities and regions in Asia.

We have strong interest in Armenia, especially in connection with the National Spatial Data Infrastructure, which can be opportunity to augment the 3D component. Our goal is to increase the capacity in our DMCs because if you build different layers of information, you do better planning and better revitalization of the city.

ALSO READ: True Digital Twin, Building Blocks for the Metaverse?

Digital twin can give you a lot of the opportunity to involve people who are not necessarily experts in EO satellite. For example, if we start with Digital Twin, 3D model and drones, and with the proper training at the municipality level, there is a huge opportunity. It can create the conjunction between focused experts on EO satellite and the end user.

ADB is in discussion with Indonesia to explore a regional Digital Twin to evaluate investments and planning beyond a single city approach. This will help cities to economically interconnect among themselves as well as with rural areas.

(Paulo Manunta is Senior Technology Specialist [Earth Observation] Sustainable Development and Climate Change Department, Asian Development Bank. The views expressed in the article are the personal opinions of the author.)

Airbus achieves in-flight autonomous guidance

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News Desk
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Airbus achieves in-flight autonomous guidance

Airbus Defence and Space and the company’s subsidiary, Airbus UpNext, have achieved in-flight autonomous guidance and control of a drone using an A310 MRTT.

In a first step towards Autonomous Formation Flight and Autonomous Air-to-Air refuelling (A4R), the technologies demonstrate for future aerial operations involving manned and unmanned assets.

Known as Auto’Mate, the technologies were integrated on an A310 MRTT flying testbed, which took off from Getafe, Spain, on 21 March, and on several DT-25 target drones, acting as receiver aircraft and flying from Arenosillo Test Centre (CEDEA) at Huelva, Spain.

Over the waters of the Gulf of Cadiz, the control of the drone transitioned from a ground station to the A310 MRTT, autonomously guiding the DT-25 to the in-flight refuelling position.

Auto’Mate Demonstrator technology focuses on three pillars:

  • Accurate Relative Navigation to precisely ascertain the relative position, speed and attitudes between the tanker and the receiver;
  • Intra-Flight Communication between platforms to allow information exchange among the different assets, increasing the autonomy of the system of systems;
  • Cooperative Control Algorithms to provide guidance, coordination, consensus and collision-avoidance functionalities to the tanker and the receiver/s.

These technologies, developed by a European team from Spain, Germany and France, will continue to increase the capability gap among competitors, as well as being re-used in key technological projects, such as the Future Combat Air System (FCAS).

Airwayz announces partnership with Royal NLR

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News Desk
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Airwayz announces partnership with Royal NLR

Dynamic UTM/USSP provider, Airwayz, announces it is collaborating with NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre to support the development of the drone industry across Europe.

The partnership will see Airwayz and NLR combine efforts to perform trials together, research best practice, accelerate R&D, and – where appropriate – respond to industry RFPs (Requests for Proposals) together. Combining NLR’s expertise in Air Traffic Management (ATM) with Airwayz’ dynamic Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system provides an excellent framework for U-Spaces, supporting their accelerated roll-out across Europe and providing the potential to delve deeper into Urban Air Mobility (UAM) schemes.

Airwayz and NLR are already cooperating on multiple projects for Air Navigation Service Providers (ANSPs). Additionally, both Airwayz and NLR are active at the Port of Rotterdam, with Airwayz spearheading the creation of a safe and efficient U-Space across the port for commercial drone services to flourish.

Apple acquires WaveOne, a startup that uses AI to compress videos

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News Desk
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Apple acquires WaveOne, a startup that uses AI to compress videos

Apple has made an acquisition of a startup that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to condense video files, according to a report on TechCrunch. The move is expected to enhance Apple’s video compression capabilities, allowing for more efficient storage and transmission of videos. The financial details of the deal have not been disclosed.

A month ago, Bob Stankosh, who previously served as WaveOne’s head of sales and business development, revealed the sale of the company in a post on LinkedIn.

WaveOne was established in 2016 by Lubomir Bourdev and Oren Rippel and was renowned for its “content-aware” video compression and decompression algorithm that could be executed on the AI accelerators present in many phones and PCs.

By utilizing AI-powered scene and object detection, WaveOne’s technology had the ability to comprehend a video frame, enabling it to prioritize faces over other elements in a scene, thus conserving bandwidth.

Before Apple’s acquisition, WaveOne was able to secure $9 million in funding from various investors, including Khosla Ventures, Vela Partners, Incubate Fund, Omega Venture Partners, and Blue Ivy.

Indian Government to announce first PLI for drones soon

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News Desk
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Indian Government to announce first PLI for drones soon

The Indian government will announce the first set of production-linked incentives (PLI) for drones quickly, mentioned civil aviation secretary Rajiv Bansal mentioned on the CII Worldwide Convention and Exhibition in Bengaluru.

He mentioned 15 drone classes have been certified so far.

Bansal mentioned the government is selling a scheme for the creation of airports, heliports, and seaports. He mentioned there was progress on small airfields and that work is in progress on heliports.

Bansal mentioned, “One of many largest challenges in seaports is environmental clearance as there are enormous environmental issues around it. A number of the seaports being inbuilt in Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep ought to see the sunshine of day in FY24.”

Spire Global gets U.S. Government Satellite Weather Data Contract

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News Desk
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Spire Global gets U.S. Government Satellite Weather Data Contract

Spire Global, Inc., a provider of space-based data, analytics and space services, has been awarded an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to compete for orders under a $59 million ceiling.

The award is part of NOAA’s Commercial Weather Data Program’s Radio Occultation (RO) Data Buy II. The contract commenced on March 27, 2023 and will run until March 26, 2028.

Spire will provide NOAA with near-real-time RO data that consists of vertical profiles of atmospheric measurements, including pressure, humidity and temperature across all points of the globe, as well as ionospheric measurements.

The data will be used for NOAA’s operational weather forecasts, space weather models and climate research, among other applications.

Spire was awarded a total of four NOAA contracts in FY22, valued at $23.6 million, and has provided data to the agency since 2016.

Geospatial is the Change Agent

By
Thomas Harring
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Geospatial is the Change Agent
Thomas Harring

The world is on the cusp of a new era — climate crisis, geopolitical turmoil and economic slowdown hint at a major shift. However, the geospatial industry is poised to help a changing world deal with the challenges ahead. Convergence enabled by geospatial and accelerated by digitalization is a trend to look forward to.

Geospatial trajectory

Geospatial technologies encompassing digital reality solutions, sensors, software and autonomous technologies, along with 4IR technologies such as cloud computing, AI/ML, IoT, etc., will be a defining factor for various industries. With the help of these technologies, Hexagon supports these industries on their journeys toward an autonomous and sustainable future. The further we go, the more potential we have. And that’s the trajectory of the geospatial industry as well.

It is an exciting time for the geospatial industry. New use cases are emerging, and existing users are finding innovative applications for the surveying industry, the defense sector, public safety, agriculture and forestry, disaster management, construction, and so on.

It is an exciting time for the geospatial industry. New use cases are emerging, and existing users are finding innovative applications for the surveying industry, the defense sector, public safety, agriculture and forestry, disaster management, construction, and so on.

On the other hand, companies like Hexagon democratize geospatial technologies, which are beginning to make deep inroads into the entertainment, climate services, automation, insurance sector, and many more.

Industry convergence

Over the past few years, industry convergence has created ripple effects across all industries. New business models and technology platforms will be required to meet evolving company needs, customer expectations and technology demands. Smart Digital RealitiesTM — where all data is digitally available, in one place, in real-time, with 360-degree context — fuse the physical world and the digital world, and considerably accelerate convergence. The geospatial industry integrates, for example, with the automobile, construction, building and manufacturing industries to provide autonomous processes and insights to reduce inefficiencies and improve decision-making.

Industry convergence is also a driving force behind the next wave of transformations. At Hexagon, we drive change with innovation, hence the geospatial industry’s contribution is crucial.

Awareness is the key

Amidst the changes and challenges around us, people are getting much more aware of the power of geospatial data, analytics and visualization. Customers’ demands are more specific and they are looking for integrated solutions. Tech companies encourage customers to leverage the correct data to power new ways of thinking.

ALSO READ: The Changing Face of GIS

Hexagon assists customers in putting data to work and enables an autonomous and digitalized future. For instance, a few years back, Hexagon launched HxDR, a cloud-based storage, visualization and collaboration platform for reality capture and geospatial data. It seamlessly combines data from different sensors, and various stakeholders can access the data from anywhere in the world. Digital realities are helping to identify the errors and project pitfalls before they happen. Understanding deviations and impact early means increasing efficiency and safety, improving planning and saving costs.

Autonomy is not just about cars and robots but can offer so much more. It will improve the climate, protect cities, and build a smarter and brighter future for the next generation.

(Thomas Harring is the President Geosystems at Hexagon AB. The views expressed in the article are the personal opinions of the author.)

Geospatial Data Enables Sustainability

By
Caitlin Kontgis
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Geospatial Data Enables Sustainability

Today, the geospatial domain is undergoing a transition, which I think is quite positive, as people are seeing the power of geospatial data for a variety of applications.

Historically, the geospatial industry has been limited to a niche group since both data and computing were prohibitively expensive for widespread adoption. It was only in 2008 that NASA opened up its archive for free use (later ESA would also provide open access to their satellite imagery).

In the decade after that, many New Space data providers emerged with unprecedented supplies of low-cost, high-resolution satellite imagery. Cloud processing also became more widely available. The combination of these advancements allowed geospatial data to become a valuable tool across many industries.

Data as a social good

In present times, the evolution of “New Space” further democratizes access to critical data extracted from satellite imagery, which was previously limited to governments. This shift has fueled expansion and innovation within the commercial space sector, creating more accurate and accessible insights than before.

At Satellogic, we are able to provide low-cost, affordable access to high-quality imagery. These advancements would have seemed impossible when I began my career in remote sensing.

Addressing environmental challenges

One of the reasons why it’s so exciting to witness this “geo-transition” is the ability of these technologies to tackle environmental challenges. It’s impossible to change what you can’t see, and the fact that we now have regular, global coverage of the Earth means that there is transparency into what is happening to our broader environment.

With satellite data and other geospatial data sources, it’s possible to track supply chains to ensure sustainable sourcing and equitable distribution of resources. A great example is some of the work Satellogic is doing with the GREEN+ Jurisdictional Programme to monitor protected areas across the world.

Innovative offerings

Satellogic’s Constellation-as-a-Service (CaaS) is the product I’m most excited about as we enter 2023. It allows governments who do not have a space program to develop the skills to use satellite imagery.

Rather than investing in their own satellites, ground stations, and processing facilities, they can leverage what we’ve already built at Satellogic.

The CaaS offering can also expand the capacity of governments with a space program currently in place. Specifically, it enables a government (or other entity) to purchase capacity from our constellation and task our satellites over its sovereign territory.

The capacity can be used across our entire fleet, enabling customers to optimize collection windows to capture exactly what they need. Recently, Albania purchased the capacity equivalent of two NewSat spacecraft but can allocate that capacity across 30 satellites however they need.

Satellogic will also launch the next iteration of our Mark V satellite model, which has a native resolution of 70cm (compared to our current fleet which has a native resolution of 1m). Thanks to vertical integration, we can improve our technology while keeping the cost low for the end user.