The Harlow Report-GIS
2024 Edition
ISSN 0742-468XSince 1978
On-line Since 2000
GIS News Snippets
For the week of
January 15, 2024
Remember When?
A "Harlow Report" From January 16, 2023
You Should Probably Blur Your House on Google Maps. Here's Why
by Nelson Aguilar
It's a matter of privacy.
When I was a kid, my parents used those Thomas Guides street maps to navigate us around Los Angeles and Orange County. My dad would drive, while my mom would flip through the spiral-bound book and yell out exactly where to turn to get us to our destination.
Now, we all have Google Maps on our smartphones. It's so much more convenient to get directions from the palm of our hands, but as is the case with technology sometimes, there are certain aspects of it that can be a bit invasive of our privacy.
If you've ever used Street View, you know that you can enter almost any address into Google Maps and look at a recent image of that location …
Read full story at Cnet…
Now back to 2024
HERE Technologies Named by Uber as a Global Location Provider
by HERE Press Release
HERE Technologies has been selected by Uber to drive precise mapping and geolocation functionalities to improve pickup and drop-off locations.
HERE Technologies announced a long-term collaboration to enhance Uber's mapping capabilities globally for rideshare and food deliveries. The agreement builds on HERE and Uber's existing partnership and will help bring further advanced location-aware tools and functions to the Uber platform.
… “The mapping capability is key to creating a fast and intuitive experience for on-demand mobility and delivery solutions,” said Ajay Dalvi, Senior Director of Business Development at Uber. “Ultimately, it's all about ensuring end-users, from drivers to couriers to consumers, have the best possible experience when they're using the Uber apps. In a fast moving world, Uber's partnership with HERE helps enable Uber to remain a leader in this space with heightened fresh and accurate data, and we're excited to continue building with them.”
Read full story at HERE…
Investing in mobile mapping: Why, What, How, When? Hexagon Explains Everything You Need to Know
by Hexagon Blog
Discover why you should invest in a mobile mapping solution, how this technology is already helping customers around the world, and which system to choose.
… In this blog, we'll explain why you should invest in a mobile mapping solution, how this technology is already helping customers around the world, which system to choose, and how Hexagon is supporting individuals and businesses at all levels.
Mobile mapping systems are beneficial for many reasons: efficiency, accuracy, safety, versatility, and innovation. The Leica Pegasus TRK solution is incredibly efficient as it has been specifically developed to collect large amounts of data quickly. This saves time, money, and resources. For example, Hexagon recently worked with a customer in Germany who had previously spent two months collecting data, but it only took half a day to collect the same data set using a mobile mapping solution.
Read full story at Hexagon…
Smart Infrastructure: A Tech Revolution for Tomorrow, Ready Today
by Esri
The integration of inexpensive sensors, image capture, always-on wireless connections, advanced 3D visualization, GIS technology and BIM has revolutionized the AEC industry.
The past decade has witnessed significant advancements in technology that have transformed the field of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). Inexpensive sensors, image capture, always-on wireless connections, advanced 3D visualization, Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and Building Information Modeling (BIM) have revolutionized the way AEC professionals work and make decisions.
This integration of technology has given birth to a smart infrastructure, creating an intelligent nervous system for our infrastructure. It has not only changed how professionals in the AEC industry operate but also enhanced their ability to define infrastructure needs with precision and efficiency. The result is the development of a new generation of infrastructure that operates more effectively and sustainably.
The building blocks of smart infrastructure are as follows:
Read full story at ConstructionDIVE…
Space Mapping
by Juan B. Plaza
A satellite set to launch in 2024 will scan the Earth's surface every 12 days. What does that mean for geospatial professionals?
The NISAR satellite is set to launch from the Satish Dhawan Space Center located in the barrier island of Sriharikota, India, in early 2024 and therefore there is plenty of time for geospatial professionals to find out more about the data types and to come up with innovative ways to use it for monitoring mapping.
The SweepSAR technique allows full-resolution, multi-polarimetric observations across an extended swath (greater than 240 kilometers). In transmit mode, the phased-array feed is tuned to illuminate the entire swath. In receive mode, they are tuned differently, so that the return echo scattered from the ground can be localized in time and hence in space. Transmit and receive events nearly overlap in time and space but are shown separately here for clarity. Image Courtesy of NASA/JPL SAR refers to a technique for producing fine-resolution images from a resolution-limited radar system. It requires that the radar be moving in a straight line, either on an airplane or, as in the case of NISAR, orbiting in space.
The NISAR spacecraft will have two fully capable SAR instruments: NASA's 24-centimeter wavelength L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (L-SAR) and a 10-centimeter wavelength S-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (S-SAR) provided by the Indian Space agency. NISAR has an approximately 240-kilometer swath, about seven-meter resolution along track and two- to eight-meter resolution cross-track (except in the Sahara Desert where it will be 30 meters).
Read full story at xyHt…
USGS Partners With Nevada to Map Critical Mineral Potential With Cutting-Edge Data in Nevada
by USGS
Mapping effort will identify areas in the state with critical mineral resource potential that could strengthen the national economy.
The funding comes in part from an investment by the President's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in the USGS Mineral Resources Program's Earth Mapping Resources Initiative (Earth MRI), which provides $320 million over five years through the USGS to advance scientific innovation and map critical minerals vital to the Nation's supply chains, economy and national defense.
The work will modernize our understanding of the Nation's fundamental geologic framework and improve knowledge of domestic mineral resources both in the ground and in mine waste, a key step in securing a reliable and sustainable supply of the critical minerals that power everything from household appliances and electronics to clean energy technologies like batteries and wind turbines.
Read full story at USGS…
Industry News
In Government
SAIC Unveils New Business Unit Structure
by Ross Wilkers
Science Applications International Corp. will take on a different alignment in this iteration of the strategy, which its new CEO told investors is mostly about the organic growth engine.
Science Applications International Corp. is showing more of what the company is describing as its "strategic pivots" with new chief executive Toni Townes-Whitley in that role for two months now.
After markets closed Monday, SAIC announced it will realign into a new structure of five smaller business units focused on specific customer categories from the current setup of two large divisions. The new structure will take effect on Feb. 3.
The five new business groups will be Army; Navy; Air Force and combatant commands; space and intelligence; and civilian. This is in contrast to the current alignment of two groups: defense and civilian, and national security and space.
Read full story at Washington Technology…
Tampa's CIO and CTO Steps Down After 12 Years of Service
by Katya Maruri
During his tenure, he oversaw 128 employees within the city's Technology and Innovation Department, along with a $27 million accelerated applications and infrastructure portfolio replacement.
Longtime Tampa Chief Information Officer and Chief Technology Officer Russell Haupert is retiring, ending his 12-year tenure with the city.
Haupert announced his decision via LinkedIn over the weekend, stating, “I'm happy (and maybe a little sad) to announce that after 12 years, I'm retiring from the City of Tampa! We've come so far from the sleepy little downtown I saw on my first day in October of 2011-- before the Riverwalk, the Stanley Cups, Superbowl Championships and all the other amazing changes that came with the stunning growth of our city.”
Read full story at GovTech…
You Can Now Easily Search Through Every Executive in Federal Government
by Eric Katz
A modernized 'Plum Book' will provide more updated, accurate information on top agency officials.
A new website has made available a database of anyone serving in a top-ranking position in the federal government, offering new insight that advocates said will boost transparency and better prepare new administrations to transition into power.
The Office of Personnel Management launched the site to comply with the Periodically Listing Updates to Management (PLUM) Act, which so far includes the names, roles and pay levels of more than 8,000 executives in government.
Read full story at NextGov/FCW…
In Technology
Microsoft Adding New PC Button in Its First Significant Keyboard Change in Decades
by Aliza Chasan
The Microsoft Copilot app lets you ask questions, draft text, and generate images using AI.
The button -- called the Copilot key -- will launch Microsoft's AI chatbot, the company's executive vice president Yusuf Mehdi wrote in the Thursday announcement. He said Microsoft sees the key addition as “the entry point into the world of AI on the PC.”
“We believe it will empower people to participate in the AI transformation more easily,"”Mehdi wrote.
Copilot, announced in March of last year, integrates AI into Microsoft's software. The tool is integrated with Microsoft 365 and works alongside Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and Teams. Users can currently access it with the keyboard shortcut Windows + C.
Read full story at CBS News…
Why Doesn't Windows Have a Decent PDF Editor?
by Anders Lundberg
Mac users are spoiled by the built-in PDF editor Preview, which has been around for 20 years. Why is there nothing like it on Windows?
In recent weeks, I've had the pleasure of familiarizing myself with the many PDF reading and editing programs available for Windows. But it hasn't been an enjoyable experience. Not that there aren't any decent programs out there-there are several that work well. But time and time again, I'm struck by how lucky I've been to be a regular Mac user.
Mac OS has a built-in program for simple PDF editing ever since Mac OS X first saw the light of day in 2001. Microsoft has had 22 years to take inspiration from Apple, but Windows still lacks a proper PDF program. Fortunately, the new Edge has a decent PDF viewer that can also be used to mark up and annotate, but adding and deleting pages requires third-party software.
Read full story at PCWorld…
X Temporarily Restored Headlines to Posts With Links
by Ivana Saric
X began removing news links and headlines from posts in October after Elon Musk said the new changes would "greatly improve" aesthetics on the platform.
After X removed headlines from posts, users needed to click the image to see the title.
Some critics claimed the move caused confusion by obscuring where a linked image would direct users.
Read full story at Axios…
In Utilities
DOE to Fund Up to $70M for Grid Security Research
by Sean Wolfe
The research and funding is meant to support technologies that protect the grid from from physical and cyber hazards.
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced up to $70 million in funding to support research into technologies designed to increase resilience and reduce risks to energy delivery infrastructure from a variety of hazards, including cyber and physical threats, natural disasters and extreme weather events.
Managed by DOE's Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security and Emergency Response (CESER), the All-Hazards Energy Resilience program funding opportunity will be available to public and private sector stakeholders, universities and DOE's National Laboratories and is meant to advance technologies that strengthen the resilience of America's energy systems, including the power grid, electric utilities, pipelines and renewable energy generation sources like wind or solar.
Read full story at Power-Grid International…
NuScale Power to Lay Off 28% of Its Workforce to Save Costs
by Reuters
Despite a promising start for its new nuclear technology, NuScale has faced cost and subscription issues and had to terminate one of its SMR projects in November, which was undertaken in partnership with a power company in Utah.
Utility firm NuScale Power (SMR.N) said on Monday it will lay off about 28% of its full-time employees as part of its cost-saving measures.
The cost-saving measures, which include the removal of 154 full-time employees, are expected to result in approximately $50 million to $60 million in annualized savings, NuScale said.
NuScale's small modular reactor (SMR) received design certification from the U.S. nuclear power regulator last year, the first such approval in the country for the technology.
Read full story at Reuters…
Why States Should Prohibit Utility Political Contributions
by Mark Van Orden
The 2005 repeal of PUHCA left public utility commissions in 30 states susceptible to political influence, jeopardizing their responsibility to ensure reliable service at just and reasonable rates.
Regulation of electric utility companies is best conducted when public utility commission regulators are afforded a significant level of independence from the political process. Close observers of utility regulation, however, recognize that PUCs have become increasingly politicized. There are several mechanisms through which politicians can influence PUC regulatory processes, including holding disciplinary hearings, appointing commissioners and amending governing legislation. Assuming that politicians represent their constituents' interests, one might expect these mechanisms to produce consumer-friendly regulatory outcomes, including a low authorized return on equity, or ROE.
Read full story at UtilityDive…