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GPS data, whether waypoints, tracks, or routes, can be easily added to your ArcGIS Online web maps. Here’s a closer look at how you can use GPS data, plus some tips on getting more information out of your GPS locations.
Adding GPS tracks, waypoints, and routes
Once you have collected tracks, waypoints, or routes using your GPS device, you can add them to your ArcGIS Online web map. First, export the data from your device as a GPX file – the GPS Exchange format. How you create the GPX file will depend upon the GPS device and software you use.
In this example we’re using a Garmin device and the bundled Garmin MapSource software. But no matter what device you are using, the procedure will be similar.
Generate the GPX file
First, connect your GPS device to your computer, and using your GPS software transfer the data from the device: continued…
first published week of: 01/18/2016
With over 4,000 Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) members, we see a huge range of uses for OS data in the public sector, making efficiency and cost savings. We’re also aware of a wide range of geographic information systems (GIS) being used by members to manage their geodata needs. One of our PSMA members, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, migrated to using open source GIS in 2015 and has found significant efficiencies in staff time, cost savings and an increase in the number of departments using OS data.
It started in 2012 with a well-known situation for a local authority – needing to provide a wide range of services against a reduced budget. This was set against a backdrop of an increasing demand for geographic data to help the authority make analytical decisions across multiple departments. The Council started to investigate open source technologies, and decided that QGIS with PostGIS would be the best for them.
By late 2015 all staff were using QGIS and PostGIS and could continue to access OS MasterMap, OS VectorMap Local and all of the OS products that they were using previously. There has been an increase of 225% in GIS users and the Council now has over 130 users, spread across most departments. Users have already seen benefits from greater access to data as then now have read-only access to 90% of all GIS layers.
Multiple departments now use GI in a whole variety of ways. Elections administration use GIS to cross-reference council tax addresses; open source technology is used for public facing web mapping; Trading Standards have found time savings for investigating properties and locations; and the list goes on.
Other departments, such as the Trees Section and planning department, have increased the number of GIS users, enabling more people to quickly answer queries and freeing up time for people working off-site. continued…
first published week of: 03/14/2016
Utility field crews rely on asset information on a daily basis for critical work that impacts energy reliability and public safety. As utilities transition to a digital version of their geographic information system (GIS) networks, it is imperative their workforce have fast, reliable and simple access to this asset data-regardless of Internet connectivity. Meanwhile, the utility industry is challenged with declining revenues and a retiring workforce, requiring more efficient means of collaboration between office and field.
With improved Internet connectivity, many organizations can benefit from connected mobile solutions. But every utility has areas of poor connectivity in its service territory, and field crews are engaged in critical work every day. A rock-solid disconnected solution is needed, especially in the case of storms and disaster recovery. Despite this common need, utilities have struggled to find cost effective solutions that give reliable mobile access to data.
Recent advancements in technology are changing this. New mobile solutions offer reliable offline access to asset GIS information and are scalable to the data and user requirements of any size utility. At the same time, complexity has significantly diminished from both the perspective of the end user and the administrator. These solutions offer a new low when it comes to the total cost of ownership, allowing utilities to support critical business processes in an environment of tighter budgets and an evolving workforce. continued…
first published week of: 05/09/2016
As the Internet of Things (IoT) expands toward 21 billion devices in 2020, the volume of location data, along with all other data types, will only increase. The move toward a world of connected cars, smart devices, and intelligent sensors will create high-value markets focusing on spatial analysis and geo-analytics. After all, this is the key premise of IoT: linking devices, humans, and networks all together to give consumers more knowledge and control.
Let’s remember that geo-analytics is not just the holy grail of our “Internet of everything” future. In the past couple of years, the insight value of location data has been extremely important to many other business verticals. Take, for example, location-based targeting in advertising: Juniper Research predicts that revenue generated by location-based services will reach $43.3 billion by 2019. This will drive the introduction of more intelligent devices, vehicles, and sensors that produce data at a much higher rate than we have ever seen; nearly all of that data generated will have a spatial element to it.
Today’s market leaders are using geospatial analytics to draw location-based insights and optimize workflows, reduce costs, manage risk, and optimize the customer experience. Geospatial data is providing organizations with opportunities to utilize fast data processing and analytics to make highly differentiated, insight-driven decisions. Let’s consider some of the key use cases in which the combination of geospatial data and real-time analytics can provide significant value: continued…
first published week of: 07/18/2016
The ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC brings crisis management data into the GIS technology that emergency responders around the world already use every day.
Intermedix and Esri Collaborate to Bring Open Data to Crisis Management
Intermedix and Esri announced the release of the ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC. The tool will connect ArcGIS mapping technology to WebEOC crisis information management software.
During large-scale emergencies and disasters, it is critical for response personnel to have easy access to GIS data in order to respond quickly and effectively. The ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC brings crisis management data into the GIS technology that emergency responders around the world already use every day.
We are creating a connection between the leading mapping solution and the leading crisis information management system to provide public safety organizations with comprehensive visualization of assets in real time. John Heinen, Intermedix senior vice president of Emergency Preparedness and Response
"The ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC allows emergency management personnel to connect their industry-leading crisis management system to the ArcGIS platform," said Christopher McIntosh, director of public safety industries at Esri. "The combination provides unparalleled information sharing, decision support, and situational awareness capabilities to jurisdictions, regions, and countries around the globe."
The ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC provides seamless integration between the two products. As records are created in WebEOC, they are simultaneously made available in ArcGIS Online. WebEOC data can also be used in tandem with other ArcGIS Online data sources, tools, and dashboards. The result of this integration is the near real-time data availability of WebEOC information within ArcGIS Online applications, without the need for any development, middleware, or technical expertise. Now, clients' can integrate their WebEOC system of record information with their GIS visualization environment.
"At Intermedix, we are committed to providing our clients with solutions that encourage collaboration and increase situational awareness," said Intermedix senior vice president of Emergency Preparedness and Response John Heinen. "The creation of the ArcGIS Extension for WebEOC is a great example of that. We are creating a connection between the leading mapping solution and the leading crisis information management system to provide public safety organizations with comprehensive visualization of assets in real time."
To learn more about WebEOC, visit Intermedix online at www.intermedix.com/solutions/webeoc.
To learn more about ArcGIS solutions for emergency management, visit Esri online at go.esri.com/pr-emergency.
first published week of: 06/27/2016
As mobile continues to hit the mainstream, our approaches to information discovery are rapidly evolving along with our buying habits. A recent study conducted by IDC Research and YP found that only 36% of online desktop and mobile users initiated a local business search on a traditional search engine. Moreover, approximately 80% of study participants said they own smartphones, a figure which roughly mirrors overall US smartphone penetration.
Today’s smartphone-toting consumers are relying on new ways to find local businesses, which may include recommendations from social networks, customer reviews social-local apps like Yelp, retargeted ads from business websites previously visited, and increasingly, opt-in push notifications containing mobile coupons and promotions triggered by beacons and geofences from nearby businesses.
Welcome to the new era of proximity based marketing.
Proximity Based Marketing Defined
Proximity based marketing (aka proximity marketing) is a catch-all term used to describe any use of location technologies to directly communicate with customers through their mobile devices. Importantly, this communication is not limited to smartphones— it applies to any GPS or Bluetooth-enabled device (i.e. laptop, tablet, even some feature phones). continued…
first published week of: 02/08/2016