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The Harlow Report

The Harlow Report-GIS

2024 Edition

ISSN 0742-468X
Since 1978
On-line Since 2000


GIS News Snippets

For the week of
March 11, 2024


 Remember When?
A "Harlow Report" From March 13, 2023

How Could Government and Private Entities Benefit From a Marriage of AI & GIS for Mission-Critical Solutions?

by Mayurakshi Das

The convergence of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) has unearthed several real-world applications for the new concept, and completely revolutionized the sector in a number of ways.

… When enhanced with the unique abilities of AI, GIS can be used for a range of mission-critical solutions such as: epidemic control, climate forecasting, assessment of renewable energy potential, logistics management, data cleansing, image interpretation, semantic classification and segmentation, handwriting recognition, speech recognition, face recognition, virtual reality, image processing and more.

 Read full story at The Times of India

 Now back to 2024


Easy Access to George’s Spatial Data

by George Municipality [Zaire]

The viewer also includes historical aerial imagery dated back as far as 1957, enabling a simple investigation into possible heritage assets and relevance on the site.

The George Municipality's Geographic Information System (GIS) department is excited at being able to introduce the GIS public viewer, a user-friendly online mapping tool designed to provide the residents of George and property professionals with easy access to spatial data that relate to the development of land, land transactions and investment planning.

… “Answering the ‘where’ question for any project, initiative or important decision is now easy for everyone,” says municipal communications head Chantèl Edwards.

Link to public Viewer: GIS Public Viewer: George Municipality Mapping Portal

 Read full story at Georgia Herald


Hamilton County Among the First in the State to Use Artificial Intelligence for GIS Mapping

by  Scarlett O’Hara

Hamilton County [Indiana] officials say for the first time ever, they’ll be using artificial intelligence to map the county.

… It might seem like artificial intelligence is everywhere these days, and the list of uses for AI is only growing. In Hamilton County, the Geographic Information System (GIS) Office says they’ll be using it to map the area better than ever before.

“Departments will be able to use that for urban planning, agriculture studies, flood mapping,” GIS director Joan Keene explained.

 Read full story at Fox 59


How GPS Location Services Work: A Deep Dive Into the Technology

by  Frederick Nyame

Explore the world of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology, from its military origins to everyday use. Learn how GPS Services work.

… The story of GPS begins in the 1970s when the US military sought a navigation system independent of ground-based infrastructure. Imagine a world before GPS, where navigating relied solely on maps, compasses, and dead reckoning – a method prone to errors and limitations. This innovative system aimed to provide soldiers with precise location information, ensuring accurate movement and communication during critical missions.

 Read full story at GizChina


No Longer Just an Experiment: 30 Years of the IGS

by Joseph M. Smith

The International Global Navigation Satellite Systems Service (IGS), a voluntary federation of more than 200 self-funding entities, celebrates three decades of providing high-quality data.

Every day, people around the world use the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) to accurately pinpoint their location on Earth. Yet the amount of effort that goes into building, maintaining, and ensuring high-quality GNSS data is often underestimated.

“It's a bit like turning on a light switch or plugging something into an electrical socket,” said Allison Craddock. “You don't sit and contemplate how the electricity works, where the power plant is, or what the infrastructure looks like. It's so ubiquitous and so reliable, most users don’t stop to think about how it is made.”

 Read full story at EarthData

EarthData

Trimble and DroneDeploy Introduce Premier Positioning Accuracy … for Reality Capture from Drones

by  Trimble Press Release

RTX-based cloud positioning service expands project opportunities for drone mapping

Trimble announced the integration of the Trimble Applanix POSPac Cloud® post-processed kinematic (PPK) GNSS positioning service, featuring CenterPoint® RTX, with the drone mapping and data collection capabilities of DroneDeploy’s reality capture platform. With the Trimble cloud positioning service, DroneDeploy customers can expect centimeter-level accuracy and an automated, streamlined workflow when performing reality capture with drones.

 Read full story at Trimble


Industry News


In Government

No-Code Automation Software is the Future for Federal Agencies

by  Obspring

Take control of risk management processes with the most advanced, easy-to-use GRC software.

The vast innovation and possibilities are exciting for many, but some dread the burden it will cause on their IT resources. With modernization efforts driving federal agencies to adopt cloud-based technology, leadership is looking to create efficiencies and enable better collaborations that don't break the bank or overwhelm burdened teams.

Here we'll take you through the increase in demand for cloud-based no-code technology, including how this software works and how it helps federal agencies.

 Read full story at NextGov

Wi-Fi 7 Is Here: What Does That Mean for State and Local Governments?

by  Michael Hickey

State and local agencies have a lot to look forward to as Wi-Fi 7 finds its footing, but Wi-Fi 6E remains the dominant wireless networking option.

The Wi-Fi Alliance has introduced Wi-Fi 7, officially known as 802.11be, as the latest wireless internet standard and is now officially certifying devices that support the new technology. In the future, homes and offices could have Wi-Fi capable of delivering peak rates of over 40 gigabits per second.

““Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 enhances Wi-Fi performance in the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, bringing cutting-edge capabilities to enable innovations that require high throughput, lower latency, and greater reliability across home, enterprise, and industrial environments,” the alliance states. “Key applications supported by Wi-Fi CERTIFIED 7 include augmented, virtual, and extended reality (AR/VR/XR), immersive 3D training, and ultra-high definition video streaming.”

 Read full story at StateTech

Zero Trust Experts: Prioritize People, Culture in Your ZT Journey

by  Grace Dille

Zero trust security is a complex and moving target, but cybersecurity experts today explained how focusing on your people and instilling a culture of cybersecurity can help Federal agencies reduce zero trust complexity

At the Visualyze Zero Trust Security Summit hosted by MeriTalk and Gigamon on Feb. 29 in Washington, D.C., panelists shared how they are focusing on the culture piece of zero trust in order to be successful.

“We can talk about the tech stack … but it’s really about the changes that are happening inside the organizations themselves,” said Sean Connelly, senior cybersecurity architect at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and program manager of its Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) initiative.

 Read full story at MeriTalk




In Technology

17 Hidden iOS 17 Features You Should Definitely Know About

by  Nelson Aguilar

These hidden iOS features and settings might change the way you use your iPhone.

iOS 17 has been out for nearly half a year, releasing in September 2023, and while that's plenty of time to explore Apple's latest mobile OS update, there's always something new to discover.

If you want to take a closer look at some of the lesser-known features and settings on iOS 17 right now, here's what you need to know.

 Read full story at Cnet

How Does a Chatbot Remember the Prompts You Gave It?

by  Bijin Jose

What are context windows, and how do they help chatbots 'talk' to you? Is a larger context window always a good thing? We explain.

ChatGPT can engage us in engrossing conversations, coming up with interesting answers to a variety of questions. What you see and interact with is the chat interface, much like WhatsApp or any other messenger, and the one you are conversing with is the AI. In this case, the AI is GPT 3.5 or GPT-4, the large language model (LLM) that powers the chatbot.

But have you ever wondered how the chatbot ‘talks’ to you? How does it remember the earlier prompts you shared during the conversation? The amount of conversation a chatbot can remember depends on something called context window. While we can read everything we input on the chat interface, it doesn’t quite work in the same way for the chatbot. The text it can ‘see’ or ‘read’ at a given moment is called its context window.

 Read full story at The Indian Express

The Highest-Paid IT Skills — and Why You Need Them on Your Resume

by  Lucas Mearian

Not surprisingly, generative AI skills topped a list of capabilities companies are seeking in new hires.

The top 10 highest paid skills in tech can help workers earn up to 47% more — and the top skill among them is generative artificial intelligence (genAI), according to a new report from employment website Indeed and other sources.

For example, the top three skills — genAI, system-on-a-chip (SoC) and deep learning — each command an annual salary north of $170,000.

This year, the median salary for IT skilled workers is $101,323, according to IT business consultancy Janco Associates.

 Read full story at Computerworld




In Utilities

2024 PJM Outlook: Tough Choices Loom on Capacity Market, Plant Retirements, Transmission Planning

by  Ethan Howland

Ensuring that enough new generation comes online to replace retiring power plants is a key issue that threads through PJM’s expected focus this year, stakeholders and observers said.

The top issues facing the PJM Interconnection this year are capacity market reforms, power plant retirements and the development of a new transmission planning paradigm, according to key stakeholders and industry consultants.

Adding to the complexity of PJM’s challenges, the issues are intertwined.

“Everything is connected,” said Steve Lieberman, American Municipal Power vice president of transmission and regulatory affairs. “We might talk about them in silos on different days, but the rules for the capacity construct, the rules for the energy market, the way the interconnection queue works, the way we do the transmission planning … it’s really all together.”

 Read full story at UtilityDive>


FEMA to Fund Net-Zero Energy Projects – Including Solar Microgrids – in Disaster Areas

by  Kathy Hitchens

In the wake of a disaster, schools, hospitals, fire stations and other community infrastructure entities are now able to use FEMA grant money to rebuild using net-zero technologies such as solar microgrids and heat pumps.

… Solar microgrids, heat pumps, high-performance appliances, and passive heating and cooling systems are among the types of projects that now qualify for grant money from the programs.

 Read full story at Microgrid Knowledge


U.S. Power Sector Turns to Innovative Technologies for Extreme Weather Prediction

by  Sydney Leimbach

Recent research shows that U.S. utilities and power companies have implemented prediction technologies, smart grid systems, AI, and more for grid resilience.

New research recently published by Wi-SUN Alliance shows that utilities and power companies in the United States have turned to advanced weather prediction technologies, integration of renewables, predictive maintenance analytics, and more in order to address the growing prevalence of extreme weather events.

 Read full story at Environmental+Energy Leader




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