Remember When?
A "Harlow Report" From January 16, 2023
You Should Probably Blur Your House on Google Maps. Here's Why
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
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
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
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
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
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…
