The Harlow Report-GIS
2024 Edition
ISSN 0742-468XSince 1978
On-line Since 2000
GIS News Snippets
For the week of
March 25, 2024
Remember When?
A "Harlow Report" From April 03, 2023
GIS Reduces the Burden on the Suffolk County Water Authority for the Lead and Copper Inventory
by Tyrand Fuller
The Suffolk County Water Authority (SCWA) … is … one of the largest groundwater suppliers in the nation, serving approximately 1.2 million residents in Suffolk County, New York.
The 2021 US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Lead and Copper Rule Revisions (LCRR) require water suppliers to provide a complete inventory of service lines, including the material type of the privately owned portion and the utility-owned portion.
… The SCWA must maintain an accurate inventory of all lead service lines so that it can have them replaced with a safer alternative, such as copper. The SCWA decided to utilize geographic information system (GIS) technology to ensure that the corporation is meeting the requirements of the LCRR.
Read full story at Esri…
Now back to 2024
Environmental Challenges Drive New Technologies
by Larry Feld
New Jersey's environmental firms focus on innovation.
As New Jersey looks to improve its NJ-GEOWeb database (a customized interactive web application to view, query, and analyze both local and statewide areas of interest and environmental information), it is also looking to municipalities to provide important information on stormwater management. While many environmental companies like SESI are also developing their proprietary GIS systems, Protasiewicz sees great promise with the technology.
“Geographic information systems (GIS) are extremely robust,” says Protasiewicz. “[Justin M. Protasiewicz, PE, principal at SESI Consulting Engineers.] The NJDEP requires us to upload work to its website, allowing it to see all the remediation happening on a site,” he explains. NJ-GEOWeb works with GPS accuracy to provide who is responsible for the remediation on a site and identifies the LSRP, when work was started, and what kind of contamination is in situ (situated in the original, natural, or existing place or position). SESI's internal GIS keeps track of the state information as well as other project data not required for filing, such as soil samples and drawings, in one place.
Read full story at New Jersey Business…
The Complex Issue of AI and GIS
by Juan B. Plaza
It is reasonable to assume that AI can make GIS and spatial thinking accessible to everyone at levels not imagined before, but this can only be possible if--and only if--we have ESRI, the leader of the industry on board.
… After five decades of telling its customers and the world how GIS software was "special and different" from the usual software of IT departments, ESRI is now challenging ArcGIS users to join the IT world of AI. That this is being encouraged by the leading commercial GIS software company, is a very positive development and a good thing for both GIS and AI.
But why is this shift to IT happening now, and why has AI triggered it? The short answer is that the role of GIS in the IT world has been underway for a long time. A brief review of the origins of GIS and previous IT revolutions will help explain this and will set the table for future discussions on the topic.
Read full story at xyHt…
Esri's Dr. Dawn Wright Selected for 2024 US Science Envoys
by Esri Press Release
Chief Scientist of Esri to Be Among First All-Female Cohort in State Department Program's History
Esri, … is proud to announce that the US Department of State has selected the company's chief scientist, Dr. Dawn Wright, among four distinguished scientists to serve as a new US Science Envoy in 2024. Through the program, eminent scientists and engineers leverage their expertise and networks to forge connections and identify opportunities for sustained international cooperation to advance solutions to shared challenges, champion innovation, and demonstrate America's scientific leadership and technical ingenuity. The scientists selected to participate this year make up the first all-female cohort in the history of the US Science Envoy Program.
Read full story at Esri…
Flame University Signs Groundbreaking MOU With Harvard University's Center for Geographic Analysis
by Hemali Chhapia
This landmark association sets the stage for pioneering research in the critical areas of health, nutrition, and population policy.
… Established in 2006, the Center for Geographic Analysis (CGA) at Harvard University has been at the forefront of supporting research and teaching across various disciplines related to geospatial technology and methods. By leveraging its expertise and resources, the CGA strengthens the university-wide geographic information systems (GIS) infrastructure and services, enabling scholarly research and improving the ability to teach GIS and geospatial data science.
Read full story at Times of India…
N.C., Washington, D.C., Earn “A's” in National GIS Assessment
by Ashley Silver
The new 2023 Geospatial Maturity Assessment report from the National States Geographic Information Council evaluated 46 states and Washington, D.C. It highlights successes and disparities in GIS integration, and emphasizes collaboration.
… In an in-depth evaluation of 46 states and the District of Columbia, all of which submitted reports to the NSGIC this year, the organization analyzed various aspects of state-led geospatial information systems and awarded only Washington, D.C., and North Carolina an "A" rating. Eleven states earned an "A-" ranking; and more than half those surveyed earned an overall "B" grade, including "B+" or "B-." More than 10 states fell below a "B" grade in the report, released March 8.
Read full story at Government Technology…
Industry News
In Government
4 Considerations for Launching an Effective Digital ID System
by Carl Hammersburg
Successful digital identification programs need to provide equal access, security, interoperability and user convenience.
States are accelerating efforts to launch digital identification programs, aiming to make it easier and safer to use a state ID in a range of circumstances--from airport security checkpoints to age verification at retail locations. Many states already offer digital IDs and driver's licenses for Apple and Android devices and to Apple and Google Wallet users. The Transportation Security Administration now accepts digital IDs from 6 states at airport security checkpoints, and 31 states are exploring or implementing digital IDs. California recently launched a digital ID pilot with the goal of enrolling up to 1.5 million residents.
Read full story at Route Fifty…
Bridging the Gap Between GIS and Asset Management
by Chris Vanderheyden
In today's digital age, organizations looking to establish effective asset management practices have a plethora of options available to them. One example includes geographic information systems
The reality is that it's impossible to extract a holistic asset management approach from GIS software alone. To gain confidence in your organization's long-term planning and decision-making, it is essential to bridge the gap between GIS and asset management systems and start by considering your asset management maturity, systems maturity and data maturity, as these elements serve as the foundation for strong asset management programs.
Read full story at American City and County…
How Should Government Guide the Use of Generative AI?
by Adam Stone
As governments grapple with how to roll out generative AI -- or whether they even should -- policies in Seattle, New Jersey and California aim to to be broad, easy to understand and relevant in the face of change.
For some, the rapid rise of artificial intelligence is a cause of anxiety. Will AI perpetuate bias, surface inaccurate information or automate people out of their jobs? As New Jersey's first chief AI strategist, Beth Simone Noveck sees this moment not as a cause for alarm, but rather as an opportunity.
“A lot of places are being silent, leaving public servants wondering what they should be doing,” she said. In New Jersey, “we have said: You should go out and use these things, and please ask about them. Let's talk about them. Let's have a conversation.”
Read full story at GovTech…
In Technology
4 Preventative Steps to Avoid a Home Networking Disaster
by Alaina Yee
A few minutes now can save you hours later.
Setting up a router can be a quick and easy task--so quick and easy, in fact, that you might skip a few steps or plan to return to them later. Except later might not come soon enough, as I recently discovered after an unexpected (and much unwanted) reset of my router. In seconds, the device configuration and settings were all gone. Poof! With no recoverable backup on hand.
It serves me right, since I know better than to skip steps. … Take an extra 15 minutes and follow these four steps--and don't put some of them off, like I did.
Read full story at PCWorld…
Dell Tells Remote Workers That They Won't Be Eligible for Promotion
by Scharon Harding
Big turnaround from Dell's previous pro-WFH stance
“For remote team members, it is important to understand the trade-offs: Career advancement, including applying to new roles in the company, will require a team member to reclassify as hybrid onsite,” Dell's memo to workers said, per Business InsiderRead full story at arsTechnica…
Successful digital identification programs need to provide equal access, security, interoperability and user convenience.
by Howard Wen
Google Meet is a solid videoconferencing app on its own, but adding a few key Chrome browser extensions can make it even better.
The Chrome Web Store offers a slew of extensions you can install to your Chrome browser that enhance Meet in some way.
… But even Workspace users can get more out of Meet by installing some helpful Chrome extensions. The following extensions enhance the Meet interface or add new tools to it. Most can be used for free, although some require that you pay to use their more sophisticated features.
Read full story at Computerworld…
In Utilities
An Expanded Distribution Utility Business Model: Win-Win or Win-Maybe?
by Timothy Brennan
Challenges to the sustainability of the traditional distribution business model have brought calls for diversification into energy services, distributed generation, and other markets.
The chapter assesses reasons for permitting diversification despite these risks, noting that a distribution utility could retain market power even as its market shrinks. It also notes that utilities may be unduly vulnerable from pricing regimes that allow consumers to essentially get backup electricity capacity for free.
Purchase PDF from Science Direct…
Generative AI for Smart Grid Modelling
by Jonathan Spencer Jones
MIT's Laboratory for Information and Decision Systems (LIDS) aims to apply generative AI to smart grid modelling.
The initiative, part of the Tennessee Tech University led smart grid modelling and testing 'Smart Grid Deployment Consortium' project in the Appalachian region of the US, will focus on creating AI-driven generative models for customer load data.
These will then form inputs to the modelling services of the HILLTOP microgrid simulation platform for modelling and testing new smart grid technologies, in particular for the rural electric utilities that serve much of the region and for example for energy tech startups that are interested in scalability and interoperability.
Read full story at Smart Energy International…
UK Ponders Transatlantic Grid Link With US
by Sean Wolfe & John Engel
The plan, proposed by a group of London investors and consultants, would include installing six cables spanning about 3,500 miles under the Atlantic, allowing both countries to import power during peak demand due to the timezone difference.
The U.K. has become increasingly reliant on imported power in recent years, the Telegraph reports, with nine operational interconnections allowing it to receive power from other European countries. A subsea cable system between the U.K. and U.S. would have been unfeasible until recently, as improvements in cable manufacturing have resulted in much lower losses in power over long distances, the Telegraph reports.
Read full story at Power Gird International…