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Blog: Chris Harlow on ITSearch The Harlow Report Archives
Map projections are cool but they might be a bit scary. It’s difficult to understand how can you put a very complex round-shaped surface of the Earth on a flat plane. After reading this post everything should be clear!
first published week of: 02/06/2017
New Building Digital Workplace Virtual Lab Enables Corporate Real Estate Owners and Facilities Management to Explore Intelligent Solutions for Workplaces of the Future
Trimble and Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions (Brookfield GIS) are collaborating on a world's first mixed-reality program for the property and facilities management industry using Microsoft HoloLens and Trimble technology. The program is the first project to be launched in Brookfield GIS' Building Digital Workplace Virtual Lab, a collaborative virtual environment for clients and end users to explore a broad range of technologies, including the benefits of mixed-reality technology for property and facilities management. Corporate real estate owners and facilities managers can now experience applications that have the potential to redefine how facilities management services and projects are delivered.
As part of Trimble's Mixed-Reality Pilot Program, Brookfield GIS is the first company to use Microsoft HoloLens within the property and facilities management industry. Pilots at the Building Digital Workplace Virtual Lab will focus on areas such as real-time holographic visualization of critical maintenance workflows, context-related operational data overlaid in the physical space, Building Information Modeling (BIM) integration and remote real-time collaboration.
Technology investment at Brookfield GIS is focused on emerging solutions that meet their clients' current and future challenges. Brookfield GIS currently leverages Trimble Manhattan™ software, a leading Integrated Workplace Management System (IWMS), to provide the core financial system across its global portfolio. Manhattan IWMS was selected to address each of Brookfield GIS' specific requirements, providing the ability to combine financials, lease management, facilities management, asset management, project management and analysis capabilities into a single technology platform. Building on this technology strategy, Trimble and Brookfield GIS are now making a step change to the pace of innovation advancement. Manhattan data will be displayed in a mixed-reality environment, enabling greater visualization and streamlined work processes.
"We are excited to be collaborating with Brookfield GIS to explore technologies that will profoundly impact the future of the workplace," said David George, general manager of Trimble's Real Estate and Workplace Solutions. "The Building Digital Workplace Virtual Lab is an innovative way to work closely with clients to test new technologies such as the HoloLens in real-life scenarios for facilities and property management. This approach provides a collaborative forum that brings diverse thinking and a holistic approach to solving our clients' operational challenges."
"The rapid expansion and uptake of digital and smart workplace solutions means that employees are no longer defined by a purely physical space, and can instead function as agile teams with a digital readiness that was not previously possible," said Jon McCormick, president and managing director Brookfield GIS Asia Pacific. "Together with Trimble, we have the opportunity to explore intelligent solutions for the workplaces of the future." Read full story atcontinued…
first published week of: 05/01/2017
Trimble introduced a new family of Trimble® BD GNSS boards for high-precision guidance and control applications. The BD boards' simple connectivity and configuration allow system integrators and OEMs to easily add GNSS positioning and orientation—with the ability to upgrade its capabilities—using the same board footprint, connectors and software interface for specialized and custom hardware solutions.
The compact Trimble BD boards include a broad range of receiver capabilities, from high-accuracy GNSS only to full GNSS-Inertial features for positioning and 3-D orientation. Firmware options are upgradeable, allowing functionality to be added as requirements change. Product manufacturers in markets such as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), autonomous vehicles, fleet management and aviation now have the ability to offer customers an extensive range of capabilities to meet all their needs.
The low-power BD family of boards includes the BD940 GNSS and GNSS-Inertial boards and all new top-of-the-line BD990 GNSS, GNSS-Heading and GNSS-Inertial boards, enabling customers to choose the most appropriate receiver for their applications. In addition, the BX940 and BX992 are available in a rugged enclosure for applications used in harsh environments.
Integrating Trimble RTX™ technology, which enables precise and robust location worldwide without the use of a base station, the BD boards are ideal for flexible positioning. Trimble RTX technology enables users to subscribe to a complete portfolio of real-time correction services that deliver varying levels of accuracy depending on the user's application requirements.
The new BD family incorporates the latest Trimble Maxwell™ technology with advances in high-precision GNSS-Inertial positioning. By integrating inertial sensors onto the GNSS boards, users can experience more robust performance in a variety of challenging environments such as urban canyons, tunnels, heavy canopy or other GNSS-denied environments. Robust centimeter-level, real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning is achieved through the combination of multi-frequency GNSS—full triple-frequency support of all available GNSS satellite constellations—and onboard inertial sensors. System integrators and OEMS also have the ability to detect interference with the included RF Spectrum Monitoring and Analysis tool embedded in the receiver. The GNSS engine with 336 channels is capable of tracking L1/L2/L5 frequencies from the GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou constellations.
"The OEM and system integrator communities demand high performance, reliability and support for their positioning solutions," said Elmar Lenz, general manager of Trimble's Integrated Technologies Division. "The new BD family of boards deliver the latest GNSS and inertial technology in an easy-to-integrate form factor."
first published week of: 09/25/2017
Working in 3D can help you extend your 2D maps to communicate with a more human voice. You can present more realistic objects within the context of the real world, removing interpretation and driving more informed decisions faster, especially with nontechnical audiences. Whether you’re just getting started or looking for more in-depth tools, 3D GIS can benefit your work. Here are a few suggestions of 3D resources to try.
If you’re new to 3D GIS, a guided tour of a web scene is a good place to start. All you need is an internet connection and a modern desktop browser such as Firefox or Chrome.
A bird’s eye view can be a useful way to give someone a meaningful perspective of your subject area
How quickly can you create a new 3D scene that includes changing 2D symbols into 3D objects? Start to finish in less than 10 minutes.
2D maps are valuable for data workflows such as editing features. With ArcGIS Pro, you can visualize 2D and 3D side by side. This side-by-side view lets you see how your work in one view can impact the other view in real time. For example, if you add proposed building footprints to a 2D map, you can see the visual impact in a 3D scene.
Linked views in ArcGIS Pro let you explore the same building data in 2D and 3D
For more ways to get started, try ArcGIS Learn 3D exercises.
ArcGIS Learn has several lessons to help you get started in 3DWorking in 3D can help you extend your 2D maps to communicate with a more human voice. You can present more realistic objects within the context of the real world, removing interpretation and driving more informed decisions faster, especially with nontechnical audiences. Whether you’re just getting started or looking for more in-depth tools, 3D GIS can benefit your work. Here are a few suggestions of 3D resources to try.
For more ways to get started, try ArcGIS Learn 3D exercises. continued…
first published week of: 03/13/2017
As retailers in 2017 continue to face headwinds, the competition is more challenging than ever. Customers are empowered by 24/7 access to the global marketplace. For many retailers, new store growth has slowed, so sales and margin growth are increasingly being driven more by incremental growth from existing stores. To continue to excel in this environment, every business should be mindful of three trends in retail big data:
Retailers already have access to myriad data from sources like point of sale (POS), mobile devices, inventory management systems, and in-store sensors. As useful as this data is on its own, real insights happen when retailers can connect disparate data to see the conditions that bring success. And one powerful way to do this is by viewing data through the lens of location. Maps enable people to instantly spot and explore patterns and relationships in data.
Location is the common thread of data and enables decisions to be made about matters such as where to position existing merchandise and where to site new stores. Spatial analysis also allows retailers to more efficiently drive traffic through stores by effectively using the data typically only used in the online shopping environment. By tapping into insights derived from in-store sensors and customer mobile devices, retailers can make better decisions about where to allocate goods and employees in a strategic way that is targeted to consumer behavior. Forming a business strategy that leverages integrated location data helps retailers match the in-store customer experience with what consumers experience when shopping online. This is made possible by analyzing demographics, buying patterns, and customer movement in the context of space and time.
Spatial analysis is the key to understanding where, when, and why things happen. With this insight, retailers can engage existing and potential customers and spur in-store sales.
Learn more about how a location strategy can optimize retail operations.
Retailers already have access to myriad data from sources like point of sale (POS), mobile devices, inventory management systems, and in-store sensors. As useful as this data is on its own, real insights happen when retailers can connect disparate data to see the conditions that bring success. And one powerful way to do this is by viewing data through the lens of location. Maps enable people to instantly spot and explore patterns and relationships in data.
Location is the common thread of data and enables decisions to be made about matters such as where to position existing merchandise and where to site new stores. Spatial analysis also allows retailers to more efficiently drive traffic through stores by effectively using the data typically only used in the online shopping environment. By tapping into insights derived from in-store sensors and customer mobile devices, retailers can make better decisions about where to allocate goods and employees in a strategic way that is targeted to consumer behavior. Forming a business strategy that leverages integrated location data helps retailers match the in-store customer experience with what consumers experience when shopping online. This is made possible by analyzing demographics, buying patterns, and customer movement in the context of space and time.
Spatial analysis is the key to understanding where, when, and why things happen. With this insight, retailers can engage existing and potential customers and spur in-store sales.
Learn more about how a location strategy can optimize retail operations.
first published week of: 03/06/2017
The aim is to establish a clear, nationwide framework for the use of geolocation technologies
U.S. legislators have reintroduced bills that would place curbs on warrantless access by the government to electronically generated geolocation information of Americans, including on the use of cell-site simulators that can capture cellphone data.
Bicameral legislation introduced Wednesday, called the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act, aims to create clear rules for when law enforcement agencies can acquire an individual’s geolocation information, generated from electronic devices like smartphones, GPS units and Wi-Fi equipped laptops.
Another bill, the Cell Location Privacy Act of 2017, requires law enforcement, including local, state and federal agencies, to obtain a warrant for the use of cell-site simulators, with exceptions such as the use of the technology in emergencies or for foreign intelligence surveillance. It also imposes a fine or imprisonment of up to 10 years, or both, for any one knowingly using a cell-site simulator, except under certain exceptions like a warrant.
Also known as Stingrays or “IMSI catchers,” cell-site simulators track the location of mobile phones by mimicking cellphone towers.
The geolocation privacy bill was introduced by Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon; Representative Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah; and Representative John Conyers, a Democrat from Michigan. Chaffetz introduced the Cell Location Privacy Act in the House of Representatives. continued…
first published week of: 02/20/2017