Three Hot GIS Trends for Gov in 2011

As the number of uses for geospatial technology continues its ascent, so too will the technologies designed to help users capitalize on the vast amounts of data created. In a recent article in GISCafe, author Susan Smith examines some of these solutions among them are geospatial cloud computing, 3D cities, and mobile technology. I am sure you have seen the Windows 7 commercials where an everyday person is faced with a challenge that cannot be overcome with their current work flow. The solution? “To the Cloud” and magically all their problems go away. In the cloud, consumers can do everything from making their family picture look normal, to talking to grandpa while sending him a video of his grandson opening a Christmas gift. Now if only the cloud could make your life a work that much easier. Well if you work with a GIS system this might just be possible sooner than you think.

GeoEye and Google Elevate Insight: Destruction in Haiti, Then and Now

On January 12, 2011, the people of Haiti marked the one year anniversary of the 7.0 earthquake that devastated their country. It’s been a year since the disaster and signs of improvement dot the landscape. But 1.2 million people still make their homes in tent cities and the destruction can be seen from miles above Earth. The New York Times has created a sobering interactive feature using aerial photos from GeoEye and Google Maps to show Port-au-Prince before and after the earthquake in Haiti last January. Using the application it is possible to view aerial imagery from both before and after the earthquake, and includes shots of the tent cities that were created after the quake as well as the damaged structures in the city and the UN logistics relief operations base.

CE News Webcast Series “A Case Study on Road Reconstruction”

Back in December, our good friend Dave Lingebach over at CADD Centers of Florida wrote about Riviera Beach, Florida and how they improved their infrastructure on a budget. Don’t miss the opportunity to hear Dave discuss the case study as a speaker in the upcoming CE News Webcast Series for “A Case Study on Road Reconstruction” this Thursday, January 20th at 1 p.m. EST. Take a moment to register - I’m sure if you have a scheduling conflict they will be in contact with the archive information afterwards. Here’s the blurb from their website on the event if you still need convincing: In March 2010, the Department of Community Development of the city of Riviera Beach, Fla., began work on a $640,000 road reconstruction project of 1,340 linear feet. The project called for the replacement of all water lines, fire hydrants, sub grade, base rock, pavement, curbsides, and sidewalks in the area. This webcast will showcase how Riviera Beach city engineers, with the help of Autodesk Partner CADD Centers of Florida, used AutoCAD® Civil 3D® to simplify the design process — easily resolving conflicts between water, sanitary, and storm sewer lines before releasing construction documents, and expediting the permit process. Join us and learn how the city completed construction and bid plans 60 days ahead of schedule and saved $30,000 in design fees.

Bridging the “Cloudy” Gap Between GIS and AEC

Once upon a time GIS sat in its own little bubble – mapping the world obliquely, orthogonally and with untold potential for data integration, location-based intelligence gathering and analysis, and so on. Today that little bubble has burst opening new windows of opportunity that couples the visual power of high resolution GIS imagery with the evolving needs and mandates that drive the AEC industry – sustainable design, an increasingly visually-oriented workforce and a utilities infrastructure system in desperate need of an overhaul. In light of these drivers, GIS and AEC folks are marrying up big time. Take for example a quiet little union that is happening at Autodesk. According to industry publication, GISCafé, in the past year Autodesk has quietly, yet deliberately, disbanded its GIS division and moved it under its AEC Solutions division, once the official headquarters of AEC flagship products such as Revit and Civil 3D.

What is LiDAR? How can you use it? Let us make it simple.

Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR (lie-dar) - you’ve heard of it, right? Then you should know that LiDAR uses light waves to collect data and provide 3D information for an area of interest or a project area. It’s great to use for surface and vegetation mapping, transportation corridor mapping, transmission route mapping and 3D building mapping. If you’re not in the know, don’t sweat it. DLT Solutions and Autodesk teamed together once again to provide a valuable guide entitled, LiDAR for Dummies. This free e-book is an essential resource for surveyors and agencies who are interested in LiDAR but aren’t necessarily familiar with how it works. It’s also a great refresher for those more experienced with the technology, but may want to broaden their knowledge.

3D Maps Go Mobile

Google has just taken another step in making geospatial data more usable and actionable with the launch of Google Maps 5.0 for mobile devices. This new version of Google Maps comes with 3D imaging that allows the user to rotate, tilt and even re-route offline. Also available are compass mode and smoother zooming. Currently, Google Maps 5.0 is only available on Android mobile devices, but as with any new technology, I’m sure that’s going to change very quickly. So what does this mean for the public sector? The answers aren’t very clear; however, it’s likely that law enforcement agencies and military officials will benefit greatly from these enhancements.

Autodesk University 2010 – All Good Things Must Come to an End

The Beatles. The Washington Capitals’ 2010 14 game win streak. Autodesk University (AU) 2010. What do they have in common? Like all good things, they eventually came to an end. Luckily, the Beatles legacy continues to thrive through old recordings, the successful solo careers of band members and the entire catalog now available on iTunes. And fear not digital design fans. Much like the Beatles, Autodesk University 2010 will continue to thrive in the blogosphere, and through archived webcasts, audio interviews, videos, and more.

Powering and Connecting the Heartlands – Rural Utilities Work Smarter

The U.S. electric utility industry is mammoth in size, supplying approximately 4.0 million gigawatt hours in 2009 alone. And when we think of the body of utility companies that work to keep our lights on day-in and day-out, it tends to be the big guns, like Pepco and Con Edison, that spring to mind. But it’s a little known fact that 42% of the U.S. power infrastructure is managed by publically-owned rural electric and municipal cooperatives – 900 of them in fact, operating in 47 states and owned by the customers they serve! Here are a few other little known facts about America’s rural utility providers: • They carry more electricity than private firms, and do it with less revenue and a cheaper cost • They manage 42% of the U.S. power infrastructure • They show a 82% satisfaction rating from customers • It’s not just power – rural electric and municipal utility companies serve multiple commodities and services including, gas, water, wastewater, solid waste, storm drainage, cable, Internet and telecommunications and more

Oblique vs Orthogonal Imagery: Which one is better?

Acronym and DLT Solutions recently hosted a webinar with Dan Whalen from Lockheed Martin on their Intelligence on Demand (IoD) solution. One of the key takeaways of the webinar answered the question as to why oblique imagery is more useful and actionable than orthogonal imagery. If you’re not already familiar, orthogonal images are straight-down shots of buildings and points of interest from a long range satellite orbiting the earth. Oblique images on the other hand, like those provided by IoD, are taken at a 40 degree angle from a low flying aircraft equipped with a five camera system that rapidly captures images from all cardinal directions. This provides a much clearer and identifiable image.

Case Study: Need to Improve your City Infrastructure on a Budget with Limited Resources and Still Save $30,000?

David Lingebach is the Director of Government Services at CADD Centers of Florida, a Gold Autodesk Partner based in Ft Lauderdale, FL. For the past 6 years, David has been working exclusively with government agencies, helping to implement and support the use of Autodesk design tools. The City of Riviera Beach is a small harbor city in Palm Beach County, Florida. Like many local governments across the country, Riviera Beach has struggled over the past few years to continue to improve city infrastructure with a tight budget and limited human resources. Federal funding programs, like the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, continue to channel funds for the construction of renovations and repairs to local roads. Grants like the CDBG, however, often come with a price to public works departments for the costs of designs, design tools, and skilled personnel not covered by the grant. Further, these grants most often include deadlines for use that force cities like Riviera Beach to complete projects quickly and with little room for errors or delays.