The Harlow Report-GIS
2025 Edition
ISSN 0742-468XSince 1978
On-line Since 2000
GIS News Snippets
For the week of
May 26, 2025
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A “Harlow Report” From May 27, 2024
Revolutionizing Navigation: Global Digital Map Market Surges
by Industry Global News 24
Global Digital Map Market to Reach Valuation of US$ 54.8 Bn by 2034; Anticipated to Experience CAGR of 11.6% During 2024 — 2034
…The demand for digital maps is driven by the need for efficient navigation, transportation optimization, urban planning, e-commerce logistics, mobile services, outdoor recreation, and emergency preparedness. These factors contribute to the continued growth and innovation in the digital mapping industry, as companies develop new technologies and solutions to meet evolving user needs.
Read full story at NewsWire…
Now back to 2025
Advancing Public Works With Real-Time GIS
by Adam Carnow
Explore how public works use real-time data and GIS tech to boost efficiency, transparency, and service delivery.
High-performing public works organizations are increasingly embracing data-driven decisionmaking to enhance their operations and service delivery. As they strive to implement this approach, the need for the latest and highest-quality data becomes paramount. To meet this demand, organizations are investing in internet of things (IoT) sensor networks and live data feeds, which are revolutionizing the public works profession by providing elevated metrics and analytics.
One of the most common data feeds being implemented by public works organizations is automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems. These systems track the movements of various vehicles, including street sweepers, garbage trucks, snowplows, mowers, and fleet vehicles. The sensors on these vehicles provide more than just location and speed data; they offer detailed information on vehicle functions. For instance, in winter maintenance, the sensors can indicate whether the plow blade is up or down, and whether the vehicle is applying material to the road surface and at what rate. Additionally, vehicles can be equipped with cameras to collect pavement condition data, asset locations, or AIpowered graffiti detection.
Beyond vehicle sensors, stationary sensor networks are also being used. These include pavement temperature sensors, flood gauges, landfill stockpile temperature sensors, and various facility management sensors such as temperature, humidity, air quality, Wi-Fi signal strength, motion, and door lock sensors.
Read full story at Esri Blog…
How Google Maps Protects Against Fake Content
by Christina Wichiencharoen, Product Manager, Google Maps
Here are three ways we stop policy-violating content from being submitted to Google Maps.
Summary:
Google Maps benefits from over 300 million contributors annually, updating information for 250 million places with 20 million daily contributions like reviews and photos. To ensure accuracy, Google employs automated systems and expert teams to remove fake or unhelpful content. They use three strategies to prevent policy-violating submissions:
Real-time response: Systems monitor for suspicious patterns, like a spike in 1-star reviews for a Missouri bar, prompting actions like disabling ratings temporarily and removing violating content.
Proactive measures: During sensitive times, such as elections, Google restricts edits to factual details for places like polling stations to prevent misinformation.
Long-term : For locations like police stations or prisons, where contributions are often unhelpful, Google limits or blocks content like reviews while maintaining essential details like addresses.
Users may see notifications when contributions are restricted, with links to Google's policies. These efforts ensure Maps remains reliable, with ongoing improvements to combat harmful content.
Read full story at Google Blog…
Mapping the Path to Recovery
by Melanie Peterson
Turning complicated data into an easy-to-use and interpret product can be extremely difficult, especially in an emergency response. That's where Joseph “GIS Joe” DiRenzo comes in.
DiRenzo is a geographer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is deployed to Los Angeles County to help with the 2025 Southern California wildfires recovery process. USACE is supporting the recovery by assisting with debris removal in partnership with Los Angeles County, CalOES, FEMA and other partners.
DiRenzo, who typically works for the Honolulu District as a geographer and the lead drone pilot, said he works on all kinds of projects in a typical day from emergency management to civil works. He added, “We use GIS [Geographic Information Systems] and drones to help us plan smarter and respond better.”
For the wildfire recovery process, DiRenzo said he uses GIS to help track cleanup progress and make sure the teams have the information they need to get the job done efficiently. “Maps might not sound exciting to everyone, but they're essential. GIS helps turn a massive, complicated situation into something teams can work with,”he said. “The work that USACE and our partners are doing is important because we're bringing structure to chaos.”
Read full story at U.S. Army…
Ordnance Survey Unlocks New Data-Driven Innovation With Snowflake
by GIM International Staff
Ordnance Survey (OS) has revealed that its open datasets are now available through Snowflake Marketplace.
This paves the way for innovation across sectors from urban development and EV infrastructure planning, to environmental monitoring, emergency response and other essential location-based services. Therefore, allowing users to access OS's trusted location data via Snowflake's platform opens the door to a wealth of possibilities. Ordnance Survey (OS) is the UK's leading mapping authority.
The Snowflak AI Data Cloud makes it easier for users to directly access OS data within applications such as web mapping tools, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and business intelligence platforms. This streamlined access will help organizations improve workflows, reduce data management complexity and enable more effective, data-driven decision-making.
Read full story at GIM International…
Protect Yourself Against Location Tracking Abuses
by Adam Engst
Recent revelations of unauthorized location tracking by Babel Street expose privacy vulnerabilities for iPhone users. Adam Engst offers actionable strategies to reduce the likelihood of having your privacy violated by data brokers.
News broke last week that a company has been tracking millions of smartphone users over long periods of time without any opt-in permission or notification, potentially violating state and federal laws in the United States and putting vulnerable people at risk (see“ Exposé Reveals Ongoing Smartphone Location Tracking Threats ,” 23 October 2024). This reported behavior by Babel Street's Locate X makes me livid! Many of our online actions chip away at our privacy, but most are optional and offer something in return. Sometimes, we're even told explicitly how our information might be used and can opt out or switch services. You can choose to swap the likes of Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter for Bluesky or Mastodon, and if you don't want Google to see your Web searches, there's always Brave Search, DuckDuckGo, Kagi Search, and Perplexity.
But no one intentionally shares their location with Babel Street; no one has granted permission in any way that could be construed as allowing it. I doubt any but a handful of people in specialized fields and law enforcement even knew who Babel Street was before last week. …
Here's where things get murky. To avoid uniquely identifying smartphones, Apple and Google use something called a Mobile Advertising ID (MAID) on iPhone and Android phones. MAIDs are unique, randomly generated, and don't have to be persistent. Most importantly, they were supposed to be disentangled from personal identity, enabling advertising companies to distinguish individuals without relying on information such as a phone number or email address. The idea that a MAID can be kept separate from its user's real-world identity turns out to be a fantasy.
Read full story at Tidbits…
Industry News
In Government
Federal Cost Cutting Leads Cyber Contractors to Rework Ties With Government
by David DiMolfetta
Federal agencies are trying to do more with less on cybersecurity spending as DOGE pursues spending reductions. Officials still insist that the private sector is needed to combat hackers.
On the sidelines of last week's RSAC Conference, cybersecurity practitioners said the Trump administration's broad cost-cutting push is pressuring government contractors to rethink how they deliver their cybersecurity services to agencies with diminished budgets.
The Department of Government Efficiency's federal reduction plans have targeted swaths of agencies who have budgeted for digital defense tools like antivirus or endpoint detection software. Parallel efforts led by senior administration officials have also targeted core security offices like the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which recently ended some threat hunting contracts alongside the pursuit of broader workforce cuts.
But the U.S. government remains a prime target for hackers, in part because its computer networks were built on aging legacy systems and continue to store sensitive, high-value information on thousands of workers. That setup has helped create longstanding relationships with the private sector, a dynamic that's been called into question for the first time in years.
Read full story at NextGov/FCW…
Government Security Ops Detect Threats With AI Solutions
by Erin Brereton
States benefit from artificial intelligence software that maintains comprehensive surveillance.
Listen (08:46)
When New Jersey's cybersecurity system identifies a possible email threat, a notification is sent to the security operations center team, and the corresponding account may be disabled automatically. The team can then review the associated data to confirm the threat.
“Our systems kick off a bunch of processes to pull information together,” says Michael Geraghty, CISO and director of the New Jersey Cybersecurity Communications Integration Cell. “By the time the analyst gets it, he has a clearer picture of what's happening.”
New Jersey receives a comprehensive picture of its threat landscape on demand from several cybersecurity solutions using artificial intelligence capabilities. State governments now use generative AI in cybersecurity operations, according to the National Association of State Chief Information Officers.
Read full story at StateTech…
Pennsylvania Turns to AI to Help Reduce Time-to-Hire
by Kaitlyn Levinson
The state aims to bring the time it takes to hire a new employee down to within 50 days.
By the end of this year, Pennsylvania wants to be filling vacant state jobs within 50 days. To get there, the state's Office of Administration has turned to data analytics and innovative tech like generative artificial intelligence.
The 50-day goal builds upon the state's previous progress to trim down hiring times since Gov. Josh Shapiro took office in January 2023. Since then, the time to fill job vacancies declined 35% as of March 2025 from 90 days to 58 days.
It can be hard for the public sector to compete for job candidates with the private sector, where the hiring process can happen three times faster than in government. But closing the hiring gap is crucial for state governments, as workforce shortages continue to burden existing workflows and service delivery.
Read full story at RouteFifty…
In Technology
ChatGPT's Image Generator Is Now in Microsoft Copilot. Here's What You Can Do With It
by Macy Meryer
Microsoft Copilot now supports photorealistic image generation, and allows you to customize and edit the visuals it creates.
Microsoft announced that it has introduced significant enhancements to its Copilot AI assistant, integrating OpenAI's GPT-4o model to support advanced image generation capabilities. This update lets users create detailed visuals directly within Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel and Outlook, by simply describing their desired image.
… What can I do with Copilot's AI image generation?
The integration of OpenAI's latest AI model, GPT-4o, enables Copilot to generate high-quality, photorealistic images from textual descriptions, greatly expanding what users can do with visual content. Users can create custom graphics, illustrations and designs without the need for external design tools. Users can also modify existing visuals, apply stylistic transformations and produce legible text within images.
Microsoft initially began rolling out these GPT-4o image generation tools to enterprise users through Microsoft 365 Copilot last month. Now, the same capabilities are reaching the general public through the consumer version of Microsoft Copilot.
Read full story at CNET…
Google Chrome Vulnerabilities Expose Millions — What Should You Do About It
by ETtech
CERT-In has issued a warning about multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome for Windows, MacOS, and Linux, potentially allowing remote attackers to execute code by persuading users to visit specially crafted web pages.
Multiple vulnerabilities in Google Chrome for desktop can expose users to remotely executed cyberattacks, according to a warning issued by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).
In a vulnerability note earlier this week, the nodel government cybersecurity agency warned that these vulnerabilities have been spotted in Chrome for Windows, MacOS and Linux.
The CERT-In vulnerability note CIVN-2025-0099 refers to Google Chrome versions prior to 136.0.7103.113/.114 for Windows and Mac and 136.0.7103.113 for Linux. All individuals and organisations using Google Chrome for desktop via Windows, MacOS or Linux run systems are exposed to these vulnerabilities, CERT-In said.
Read full story at Economic Times…
Why Using ChatGPT Is Not Bad for the Environment
by Adam Engst
A detailed analysis demonstrates that individual ChatGPT use has minimal environmental impact compared to other everyday activities.
At his Substack newsletter The Weird Turn Pro, Andy Masley presents a comprehensive argument that concerns about ChatGPT's environmental impact are misplaced:
The question this post is trying to answer is “Should I boycott ChatGPT or limit how much I use it for the sake of the climate?” and the answer is a resounding and conclusive “No.”
It's not bad for the environment if you or any number of people use ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Grok, or other large language model (LLM) chatbots. You can use ChatGPT as much as you like without worrying that you're doing any harm to the planet. Worrying about your personal use of ChatGPT is wasted time that you could spend on the serious problems of climate change instead.
Read full story at Tidbits…
In Utilities
Energy Department Announces Emergency Actions to Provide Overdue Relief to Puerto Rico Power Grid
by U.S. Dep't of Energy
The Department of Energy (DOE) today announced new emergency actions to provide urgent and immediate assistance to the American citizens of Puerto Rico and strengthen the island's failing power system.
The Department of Energy (DOE) announced new emergency actions to provide urgent and immediate assistance to the American citizens of Puerto Rico and strengthen the island's failing power system. Just one month after Puerto Rico's most recent island-wide blackout, U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright is issuing two emergency orders authorized by the Federal Power Act Section 202(c) to address critical grid security issues and improve grid resiliency.
These orders, issued by the Office of Cybersecurity, Energy Security, and Emergency Response (CESER), in accordance with President Trump's Executive Order: Declaring a National Energy Emergency, will unlock emergency protocols and empower Puerto Rico's government to address immediate problems plaguing the already fragile grid system and prevent further widespread outages ahead of peak summer demand season.
Read full story at U.S. Dep't of Energy…
For the First Time, a U.S. Utility Seeks Permit to Build Small Modular Reactor
by Kevin Clark
TVA President and CEO Don Moul said that by going first, they can show other utilities a way to accelerate the development of small nuclear reactors.
The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is now the first U.S. utility to seek a permit to build a small modular reactor (SMR).
The federal utility submitted a construction permit application (CPA) to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to build an SMR using GE Hitachi's (GEH) BWRX-300 technology. Receiving the construction permit is the next step in TVA building the reactor at the Clinch River site near Oak Ridge, Tennessee.
TVA President and CEO Don Moul said that by going first, they can show other utilities a way to accelerate the development of small nuclear reactors. Utilities have been reluctant to invest in nuclear power because of the price tag and delays for construction.
Read full story at PowerEngineering…
TVA Is First US Utility to Apply for an SMR Construction Permit
by Brian Martucci
The application kicks off a multi-year federal permitting process as the country's largest public power provider works to bring its first advanced reactor online in late 2032.
In a statement hailing “a significant milestone for TVA, our region and our nation,” TVA President and CEO Don Moul said the application would accelerate “the development of new nuclear technology, its supply chain and delivery model to unleash American energy.”
TVA says it will be the first U.S. utility to deploy GE Hitachi's BWRX-300 boiling water SMR. The design borrows from larger boiling water reactors developed by GE since the 1960s, but occupies a significantly smaller footprint and incorporates passive safety features that nuclear experts say reduce the risk of safety events.
Read full story at UtilityDive…