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Blog: Chris Harlow on ITSearch The Harlow Report Archives
Lidar, 3D, and more tools at the intersection of geospatial technology and the built world
Surveying is far from a new profession, with evidence of rough versions of surveyors going all the way back to ancient Egypt's “rope-stretchers,” who measured property lines and foundations for structures like the Great Pyramids using knotted cords. We've certainly come a long way since then, and the profession has particularly advanced to a notable degree over the last couple of decades, with a number of new technologies popping up for surveyors to add to their toolbox. …
One of the most impactful new additions to the surveyor’'s toolbox is lidar, which can be used a number of ways, including by attaching a scanner to a drone to do complex surveying. Among the companies harnessing this technology and making it more accessible to surveyors is SPH Engineering and their UgCS software, which is used for drone flight planning. SPH Engineering was co-founded by Alexey Dobrovolskiy, who is now the company's Chief Technology Officer, who told Geo Week he got in start in developing software for corporate functions while enjoying drones as a hobby when he came to the realization that they were just “a computer with motors.”
Dobrovolskiy said, “15 years ago, we found that mission planning software was very basic, very primitive. In the best case, you’re able to play on the roads using just waypoints or the 2D surface.”
Read full story at Geo Week News…
first published week of: 08/29/2022
ArcGIS Pro 3.0 is now available and included are important updates and new capabilities with the ArcGIS Pro SDK for .NET.
ArcGIS Pro 3.0 is now available and included are important updates and new capabilities with the ArcGIS Pro SDK for .NET.
Some of the new features in 3.0 include a newly redesigned start page, export presets for maps and layouts, maps in reports, new geoprocessing tools, and many performance and productivity enhancements. ArcGIS Pro developers will find many new opportunities to support and streamline organizational workflows with custom tools built with the SDK. Here are some of the SDK highlights of the release with links to new documentation and resources.
Pro 3.0 and .NET 6 Changes
ArcGIS Pro 3.0 is built on .NET 6.0, Microsoft’s latest edition of .NET with Long Term Support. As this a major update for Pro, the 3.0 version change is a breaking change release. The APIs include breaking changes with important functional, performance, and quality improvements.
Due to the .NET 6 upgrade and API breaking changes, Pro developers will need to recompile their 2.x add-ins with Pro 3.0 and Visual Studio 2022 so that they will work with 3.0. Users should refer to the ProConcepts 3.0 Migration Guide document for important updates and extensive information on steps and considerations for migrating 2.x code to 3.0.
Read full story at Esri…
first published week of: 08/15/2022
The March 2022 update delivers many new capabilities and enhancements. Read this article to learn more about what's new, updated, and improved.
ArcGIS Online lets you understand the world around you by using interactive maps to connect people, locations, and data. You get smart, data-driven styles and intuitive analysis tools that deliver location intelligence. ArcGIS Online gives you the ability to make maps and apps to share your insights with your organization or the world. You can use it as a complete, cloud-based solution or to extend and complement the capabilities of ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Enterprise.
Don’t have an ArcGIS account? See Create an ArcGIS Account.
The March 2022 update includes new functionality in Map Viewer plus other enhancements and new capabilities throughout the ArcGIS Online website. Highlights are provided below.
Use the links below to jump to sections of interest.
Read full story at Esri…
first published week of: 03/28/2022
The ArcGIS API for Python 2.0 shows performance and security improvements, framework and UX upgrades, new modules and deprecated functionality.
The ArcGIS API for Python is releasing version 2.0 in February 2022. The release will focus on performance and security improvements, framework and UX upgrades, new modules, and removal of deprecated functionality. While the major version is incremented to 2.0, the API remains fully backwards compatible, meaning your existing notebooks and scripts will continue to work after the upgrade.
Optimization and performance improvements
In version 2.0, ArcGIS API for Python users will observe several performance improvements including much quicker import times for the API itself. These improvements have required careful engineering and refactoring of the internal components of the API, keeping it speedy and agile for users as it continues to grow in size and scope.
Read full story at Esri…
first published week of: 02/07/2022
There is a growing ebb in the tide of UAS adoption for aerial surveying, mapping, and remote sensing—finding the right balance between manned and unmanned aerial operations
Unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS), or just plain old “drones”—call them whatever you wish—have had a tremendous impact on geospatial industries.
A decade ago, there was widespread skepticism over a drone’s viability for surveying, mapping, and construction. In the ensuing years, the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) these systems are based on—small, fixed-wing, multi-rotor, and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL). Now, here we are, an eventful decade later with the needed civil aviation rules in place. UAS are nearly as ubiquitous in the toolkits of surveying and mapping firms as GNSS rovers and terrestrial gear.
Existing aerial surveying and mapping firms were also quick to adopt UAS, expanding their services. Additionally, new UAS-centric firms grew from the wellspring of UAS development for the relatively inexpensive “pro-sumer” market. And there are growing choices for small imaging, lidar, and other sensors these small UAS can carry. Multi-sensor navigation/positioning solutions, mission planning software, auto-pilot, post-processing, automated feature recognition and classification tools, online processing, and data hosting services—these lateral resources have likewise seen explosive growth.
Read full story at xyHt…
first published week of: 04/25/2022
Volunteers with aptly named MapAction use maps and visualizations to guide humanitarian organization’s response to disasters and conflict.
When the conflict in Ukraine began in February 2022, an exodus of more than five million people ensued. Crisis response organizations immediately mobilized to bring humanitarian aid to those who were displaced, most of them women and children. As the deadly campaign unfolded, staff and volunteers from nonprofit MapAction—all of them skilled in the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology—also deployed. For two months, they equipped response teams with digital maps and geographic analysis that helped guide efforts to save lives and reduce suffering.
In operation since 2002, MapAction dispatched GIS professionals to neighboring Poland within 24 hours of a request to support agencies involved in delivering humanitarian aid.
Read full story at Esri Blog…
first published week of: 11/21/2022