The UK’s Forestry Commission has revealed how it is using the latest aerial photography to manage and regulate public and private forests in the UK.

Supplied free at the point of use by Bluesky and Getmapping under the Aerial Photography for Great Britain (APGB) contract with the Geospatial Commission, the high resolution imagery is widely used across the organisation. Hosted in the cloud and delivered via web services the regularly updated photography is used to complement Ordnance Survey mapping, provide contextual detail for mapping and analysis tasks and in the creation of 3D visualisations to communicate woodland management projects.

As network and GI technologies have improved and more data has become available the Forestry Commission has embraced the cloud. This allows it to deliver the APGB imagery, alongside other types of geospatial data, to users in all parts of the business. 

The imagery can be viewed by all staff within the organisation via a simple to use web browser; Forester Web. Sitting alongside Ordnance Survey mapping, the photography is used for a wide range of purposes, providing real world context and detail for grant applications and felling permissions, for example.

Tree Health staff use the imagery both at the desktop and in the field on portable ‘toughbooks’ for mapping outbreaks of diseases and...

February 13, 2020 -- Cambridge, UK,  ( www.1spatial.com ) 1Spatial has formed a strategic partnership with international technology company Neueda. 1Spatial and Neueda will jointly provide digital solutions that enable customers to transform and improve the way they do business. ^[1]

Neueda provides digital transformation services to customers in the private sector, public sector and capital markets across the globe. Headquartered in Belfast, Neueda has bases in Dublin, London, Malaga and New York. 

As a software solutions provider and global experts in managing location and geospatial data, 1Spatial will complement Neueda’s services by provisioning geospatial digital services that support customer transformation and improvement projects.  

Duncan Guthrie, Managing Director, 1Spatial said: 

“We are excited to announce this partnership with Neueda and really look forward to working together with their highly talented specialists. We both have a similar approach with our customers and always ensure we deliver the best solutions to meet their business needs.  

“Through this partnership we look forward to delivering success for our customers and helping them unlock the value of their spatial data.” 

Peter Russell, Managing Director, Enterprise Services, Neueda, added:  

“We are delighted to formally partner with 1Spatial and look forward to working...

The Open Routing API Pilot was conducted under  OGC's Innovation Program^[2], a collaborative, agile, and hands-on prototyping and engineering environment where sponsors and OGC members come together to address location interoperability challenges while validating international open standards.

Road network data, route calculation engines, and routing algorithms are available from many providers and sources. While diversity in the marketplace is generally beneficial to consumers of route information, integration, overlay, or comparison of routes from different routing services can be a complex process. Consumers are offered route assistance derived from different road and network characteristics, based on different information models and served in different formats. Further, the routing services themselves offer non-standard interfaces for requesting and accessing routes.

The Open Routing API Pilot addressed these interoperability issues and developed methods for routing services to incorporate...

Fredericton, NB, Canada, February 11, 2020 — Teledyne CARIS^[1], a Teledyne Technologies [NYSE:TDY] company, is pleased to announce the release of HIPS and SIPS^TM 11.3^[2]. This new software upgrade will introduce the first-ever COTS (commercial-off-the-shelf) release of an AI solution for classifying and cleaning sonar noise.

Teledyne CARIS seeks to reduce significantly the need for manual cleaning and to move data swiftly from acquisition to review. The Sonar Noise Classifier automatically identifies the vast majority of sonar noise, resulting in a reduction of manual cleaning effort by a factor of up to 10x at an accuracy of 95%. This allows the hydrographer to focus more time on other important aspects of the survey and processing workflow.

This new approach to clean sonar noise is powered by the CARIS Mira AI engine, a new cloud-based platform to host current and future AI solutions. CARIS Mira AI also provides a flexible package capable of scaling with data processing needs. All data directed to the CARIS Mira AI platform is anonymized, randomized and encrypted before transmission. For additional security, no data remains stored on the cloud following the AI classification process. 

“By leveraging deep learning techniques, Teledyne...

L3Harris Technologies Selected by US Air Force for Artificial Intelligence Contract

Highlights:

• Fills critical gap for training data needed for artificial intelligence algorithms
• Addresses urgent defense need for automation to analyze large geospatial data sets
• Leverages proven modeling and simulation technology to generate training data

MELBOURNE, Fla., Feb. 12, 2020 — The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center has awarded L3Harris Technologies (NYSE:LHX) a multimillion-dollar contract to develop a software platform that will make it easier for analysts to use artificial intelligence (AI) to identify objects in large data sets.

The U.S. military and intelligence community are inundated with massive amounts of data generated by remote sensing systems. Automated searches using algorithms that can identify pre-loaded images of objects makes pinpointing them easier. However, in order to train these algorithms, real images are often unavailable because they are either rare or do not exist. The L3Harris tool creates sample images used to train search algorithms to identify hard-to-find objects in the data, which will help make it easier for the military and intelligence community to adopt artificial intelligence.

“L3Harris is a premier provider of modeling and simulation capabilities that provide risk reduction for our customers...

GIS is being used to better understand current and potentially future patterns of vandalism.

The post Using GIS to Map and Track Vandalism appeared first on GIS Lounge.

PITTSBURGH, Feb. 11, 2020 — (PRNewswire) —  While online and mail order package delivery systems have proven beneficial, variables like weather conditions and the inability of receivers to wait at home for deliveries cause problems. Fortunately, an inventor from Knoxville, Tenn., has designed a delivery system of products from businesses to consumers that takes advantage of a unique transport method.

He developed WETOME to provide a direct drone-to-mobile-device package delivery system that allows users to control the purchase and delivery of a product. As such, it eliminates the need to let deliveries sit outdoors exposed to the elements. Furthermore, it reduces the chances of deliveries to incorrect destinations and prevents theft of packages left outside. This time-saving system also affords peace of mind in regard to security as well. In addition, it is convenient, effective and affordably priced.

The inventor's personal interest inspired the idea. "I wanted to speed up the delivery of purchased products from the seller to the buyer," he said, "and give the buyer more control."

The original design was submitted to the Knoxville sales office of InventHelp. It is currently available for licensing or sale to manufacturers or marketers. For more information, write Dept. 18-KXX-211, InventHelp, 217 Ninth Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15222, or...

  Annual Event Showcases Federal Government Using GIS for Evidence-Based Decision-Making

REDLANDS, Calif. — (BUSINESS WIRE) — February 11, 2020 — Esri^[1], the global leader in location intelligence, is hosting the 23rd annual Esri Federal GIS Conference, which started today in Washington, DC. The gathering is an opportunity for federal government GIS professionals to discuss best practices, participate in more than 130 professional development workshops, and connect with subject matter experts from across the country.

At the opening Plenary Session, Esri founder and president Jack Dangermond discussed how GIS, as the intelligent nervous system for the nation, is powering data-driven decisions that can help create a sustainable future. The session featured thought leaders from several organizations, giving presentations on their uses of GIS to help address the economic, social, environmental, and security needs of the nation. Presentations included the following:

• US Department of Agriculture (USDA)—Agricultural Research Service: "Partnerships for Data Innovations: Engaging Scientists through Data Sharing"
• US Environmental Protection Agency: "Mapping Today's Air Quality Data for a Cleaner Future"
• US Census Bureau: "50 Days until Census Day 2020—How Will You Respond?"
• The Y (YMCA): "Strengthening Communities across America"

"The Plenary...

Subject to regulatory clearance, Spaceflight becomes the cornerstone of Mitsui & Co.’s space strategy, continuing to operate as an independent U.S.-based company

HERNDON, Va. – Feb. 11, 2020 – Today,  Spaceflight Industries, Inc.^[1] announced it has signed a definitive share purchase agreement with  Mitsui & Co., Ltd.^[2], in partnership with Yamasa Co., Ltd. to sell its satellite rideshare launch business , ^[3] Spaceflight, Inc^[4]. Mitsui & Co.’s planned acquisition of the launch service provider is a unique opportunity for Spaceflight to further invest and expand its commercial and government rideshare launch services while Mitsui & Co. expands its portfolio to offer space services. Financial details of this deal are not disclosed.

“Spaceflight has established itself as an influential company in the space industry, making rideshare a credible and reliable option for smallsat launches,” Tomohiro Musha, general manager of aerospace systems & rail leasing division in Mitsui & Co., said. “The acquisition of an industry leader is an optimal way for Mitsui & Co. to enter the space industry and expand its business by offering greater access for customers considering utilizing services related to space. Spaceflight...