The Harlow Report-GIS
2025 Edition
ISSN 0742-468XSince 1978
On-line Since 2000
GIS News Snippets
For the week of
June 16, 2025
Remember When?
A “Harlow Report” From June 17, 2024
Apple Maps Updated With Topographical Data, Suggested Hikes
by Ed Hardy
Apple Maps in iOS 18 will help you plan your hikes, whether through the wilderness or a city.
New features in Apple Maps in iOS 18 will be a boon to hikers. The app is getting topographic maps along with thousands of suggested hikes across national parks in the United States.
The app can also create custom walking routes.
… Any city dweller will tell you that not all the walking goes on in forests. With the upcoming version of Apple Maps, users can create custom walking routes in urban areas too.
Read full story at Cult of Mac…
Now back to 2025
Discover New Ways to Use GIS Technology
by Indiana University Staff Writer
From business analytics tools to job materials to dynamic presentations—IU offers users a wide range of GIS tools for data gathering and dynamic visualization.
GIS (Geographic Information System) technology has become an ordinary part of our daily lives whether navigating an unfamiliar road or tracking the route a package takes to our doorstep. For all its prevalence, many people are not aware of the full scope and variety of applications for GIS technology.
Katie Chapman, an analyst and programmer in UITS Research Data Services, is working to change that on IU campuses because as she notes, “a lot of people just don' know the extent of the GIS resources we have here and how much is available to them at no cost.”
As part of her work on the UITS Research Data Services team, Katie introduces students, faculty, and staff to all that the ArcGIS platform has to offer in terms of advanced data gathering and dynamic visualization.
Highlighting the significance of GIS data, Katie notes that “everything you study happens in a location.” Katie' personal experience using GIS technology to glean insights from large data sets put her on the path of teaching and supporting GIS users from across academic disciplines and professional domains.
Read full story at IU…
End of an Era: Landsat 7 Decommissioned After 25 Years of Earth Observation
by USGS Communications and Publishing
After 25 years of capturing Earth's changing landscape, the Landsat 7 satellite received its final transmission from the U.S. Geological Survey and was officially decommissioned June 4, closing a remarkable chapter in space-based observation.
While Landsat 7's long watch over Earth comes to an end, Landsat 8, launched in 2013, and Landsat 9, launched in 2020, continue to work together to create a complete snapshot of Earth every eight days. Their successor—Landsat Next—is currently planned to launch in the early 2030s and provide even greater coverage and detail.
Launched in 1999 as a joint mission of the USGS and NASA, Landsat 7 significantly enhanced Earth observations and provided a key part of the Landsat program's five decade-plus record of imaging the planet's surface. The satellite's imagery will remain archived at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center, continuing to support scientific discovery and decision-making for the future.
“The Landsat satellites have delivered over 50 years of extraordinary science data, economic value and national security benefits by informing decisions in every sector of the economy—from monitoring drought in the West to guiding disaster recovery,” said Sarah Ryker, USGS Acting Director. “For 25 of those years, Landsat 7's data helped farmers, land managers, city planners, and scientists, as well as communities around the world better understand and manage land, water, and other natural resources.”
To learn more about Landsat 7's distinguished mission, visit: A Final Farewell to Landsat 7 | U.S. Geological Survey.
Read full story at USGS…
How to Save Your Screenshots to Google Maps
by Molly McHugh-Johnson
This new feature uses Gemini capabilities to identify places in your screenshots and saves it for you.
If you ever have trouble keeping track of all of the screenshots you take of travel blogs, news articles or social media posts when you're researching places to go for an upcoming trip, you'll want to try out this new Google Maps feature. It uses Gemini capabilities to find names of places in your screenshots and helps save them to a list for you, making travel planning a breeze. Here' how to use it:
- Navigate to the You tab.
- At the top of the You tab, you'll see a Screenshots list with a badge that says “Try it out!” Tap the badge. This will open a video showing you how the feature works — you'll even be able to test it out alongside the video.
- You'll see a request to allow Google Maps access to your photos. Choose when it has access. (There' also a manual option if you don't want to give Maps full access, more on that later.)
- Next time you take a screenshot that includes the name of a place, head to Google Maps after.
- If Maps recognizes a place, a message will pop up telling you that it has places ready for you to review.
- Tap “review,” and decide if you want to save the image to your screenshots list or not. (You can add these images to other lists later, too, if you want.)
- You also have the option to upload screenshots manually: When you're in the app select the Screenshots list under the You tab. From there, you can upload screenshots manually. The rest of the process is the same!
- You'll see the saved places directly on your map or can get to the list through You tab to access while you're on the go.
Read full story at Google Blog…
Mapping Successful 15-Minute Cities
by LocalGov Staff
Is GIS the difference between success and failure for 15-minute neighbourhoods? Alex Zirpolo, principal GIS consultant at Lanpro, argues it is.
For planners and communities alike, few urban concepts have attracted as much public interest — and misunderstanding — as the 15-minute neighbourhood.
While lauded by planning professionals for its potential to improve quality of life, 15 (or 20) minute neighbourhoods (or cities) have been marred in debate, especially since the post-pandemic introduction of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods (LTNs): in Oxford in February 2023, 2,000 pro-car protesters clashed with police over plans to split the city into six self-contained districts.
The 15-minute City
First proposed by French academic Carlos Moreno in 2016, the vision was simple: that city residents could enjoy a higher quality of life by accessing work, school, shops, healthcare and leisure within a 15-minute walk or cycle from home. Compact, well-connected communities reduce car dependency, improve health outcomes, support local economies, and contribute to net zero goals.
Beneath the rhetoric, however, lies a serious planning challenge. Designing neighbourhoods that are not only walkable but also truly functional, inclusive and sustainable is not straightforward. Proximity to amenities is only the beginning. It's in the balance of competing priorities — affordability, connectivity, land availability, environmental sensitivity and long-term resilience — that the real complexity lies.
Read full story at LocalGov…
Why Your GIS Skills Are More Relevant Than Ever
by Wanjohi Kibui
The global GIS market is predicted to grow by over 13% through 2025 and beyond, reflecting the evolution of spatial intelligence into a foundational layer of modern operational and strategic decision-making.
This is the moment for GIS leaders, developers, analysts and educators to step forward, according to Wanjohi Kibui of LiGIS Consulting in Kenya. “GIS is no longer just a tool, it's a language — and those who speak it are increasingly shaping policy, guiding investment and solving complex societal challenges,” he writes in this column.
Several years ago, while consulting for a government-led land management initiative, I found myself sitting with the project manager reviewing what appeared to be accurate land allocation maps. Everything looked fine on paper. The parcel boundaries were intact, the coordinates checked out and the documentation was seemingly flawless. But when we took those same maps to the field, the picture was entirely different. Informal settlements had crept in, roads had been rerouted and riparian zones were now home to newly constructed buildings.
After internal inquiry, we had only one way to prove this. The turning point came when we overlaid the spatial data with recent high-resolution satellite imagery (acquired). The discrepancies leapt off the screen. What we had assumed to be accurate maps were, in fact, outdated snapshots of a reality that had already moved on. That moment underscored something that all GIS professionals understand deeply: the map is only as good as the context behind it. In other words, it became clear that spatial data without context isn't just incomplete — it's risky.
Read full story at GIM International…
Industry News
In Government
Exploitation Trends Underscore the Need for Layered Cybersecurity
by Dominick Sorrentino
A look at 2024's exploitation trends reveals shifts in hackers'approaches, and suggests a proactive approach to cybersecurity for state and local governments.
Listen (04:41)
From Virginia to California, state and local cybersecurity experts have identified quickly patching vulnerabilities as a top cybersecurity priority.
However, new data from SonicWall suggests that patching isn't enough. In its 2025 Threat Brief, SonicWall notes a 110% increase in attacks targeting Microsoft vulnerabilities, amounting to more than 6.9 million threats blocked by SonicWall firewalls.
Crucially, the most commonly patched vulnerabilities weren't always the most exploited. Remote code execution flaws made up 40% of vulnerabilities but only accounted for 19% of exploits. By contrast, elevation of privilege (EoP) bugs — which can be less visible but are often more dangerous — were the most exploited, accounting for 38% of real-world attacks.
Read full story at StateTech…
FBI's Brett Leatherman to Take Lead of Bureau's Cyber Division
by David DiMolfetta
Leatherman said in a recent LinkedIn post that FBI Director Kash Patel elevated him to the role.
Brett Leatherman, a longtime FBI official who was most recently deputy director for Cyber Operations, will take over as assistant director of the bureau's Cyber Division, he announced in a LinkedIn post Sunday.
… In an interview with Nextgov/FCW at the RSAC Conference earlier this year, Leatherman said that Chinese government hacking groups and ransomware gangs continue to keep him up at night. He also said he was feeling better about improvements between public-private partnerships.
Read full story at NextGov/FCW…
Gov. Greg Abbott Signs Law Creating Texas Cyber Command
by Chris Teale
The Texas governor had declared creating a cyber command an emergency item earlier this year. State officials said it will be the largest state-based cyber department in the U.S.
The cyber command will be based at the University of Texas at San Antonio and funded by an initial investment of $135 million. State officials said the cyber command will contain a cyber threat intelligence center to find and fix any vulnerabilities in state and local government networks and train users on cyber hygiene. It will also coordinate with governments at various levels on responding to cyberattacks and collaborate with those governments to establish what state leaders called the “gold standard for cybersecurity.”
Read full story at Route Fifty…
In Technology
FAA Finally Replacing Floppy Disks and Windows 95 in Air Traffic Control Systems
by Rob Thubron
Better late than never
It's 2025, and the FAA has decided it's time to stop using floppy disks and Windows 95 for air traffic control. The head of the agency, Chris Rocheleau, wants to replace the archaic systems with something that belongs in the 21st century.
“The whole idea is to replace the system. No more floppy disks or paper strips,”Rocheleau told the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing … . Rocheleau is referring to paper flight strips, the pieces of cardstock on which key details of a single flight — such as call sign, aircraft type, and altitude — are printed or handwritten.In 2023, an FAA assessment found that over a third of the nation's air traffic control systems are unsustainable, and some are starting to fail.
Many US air traffic control facilities still use legacy systems because the subsystems they serve were built in the 1990s, have been exhaustively safety-certified, and must never be shut down. That means replacing them is an incredibly difficult, not to mention expensive, undertaking, and whatever system is brought in must be designed with safety and security in mind.
Read full story at Techspot…
Major Changes Coming in OS 26
by Adam Engst
Apple has once again overwhelmed us with a torrent of announcements during its Worldwide Developers Conference keynote. Adam Engst highlights those he believes will have the most significant impact on our Apple experience when they launch later this year.
Apple's WWDC 2025 keynote once again felt like the lightning round of a “What's New In?” game show, featuring categories for each of the platforms. Oddly, Apple presented them in the order of iOS, watchOS, tvOS, macOS, visionOS, and iPadOS, perhaps to conclude with the highly positive changes coming to the iPad. (I'm once again condensing the entire collection to OS for space-limited headlines.)
With only a few pauses to switch presenters, the company raced through announcements and brief demos of numerous new features, or, as Tim Cook redundantly said, “new innovations.” Although the feature selection often felt disjointed, two themes emerged: the new Liquid Glass interface design and Apple Intelligence. More on those shortly.
Apple also swiftly confirmed the rumors regarding the version numbers, which will all increase to 26, much as car manufacturers designate their model years. And yes, as leaked a few days ago, the name for macOS 26 will be Tahoe, named after Lake Tahoe.
As usual, developer betas of the new operating systems are now available, with a public beta scheduled for July and initial releases in the “fall,” which typically means September to coincide with new iPhone models.
Read full story at Tidbits…
Windows 10 Support Ends on October 14, 2025
by Microsoft
After October 14, 2025, computers running Windows 10 will still function, but Microsoft will no longer provide the following: technical support of any issue, software updates orn security updates.
As a reminder, Windows 10 will reach the end of support on October 14, 2025. At this point technical assistance, feature updates and security updates will no longer be provided. If you have devices running Windows 10, we recommend upgrading them to Windows 11 — a more current, in-service, and supported Windows release. If devices do not meet the technical requirements to run on Windows 11, we recommend that you purchase the Extended Security Update (ESU) program or replace the device with one that supports Windows 11.
This notification contions by providing options for staying supported on a Windows operating system
Read full story at Microsoft…
In Utilities
Duke Energy Proposes Milestone New Natural Gas Plant to Help Build a Stronger Energy Future for South Carolina
by Duke Energy Press Release
Site would take advantage of existing infrastructure and more than a century of partnership with Anderson County
Duke Energy announced the company's intent to submit an application to the Public Service Commission of South Carolina (PSCSC) for approval to build a new natural gas power plant in Anderson County.
The company expects to submit the construction application to the PSCSC later this year. If approved, construction is anticipated to begin in summer 2027 and would be expected to serve customers by early 2031.
Read full story at Duke Energy…
National Grid Installs Grid-Enhancing Technology for More Renewable Power Through Existing Transmission Lines
by Staff
The newly-installed tech has the potential to save consumers around $27.12 million per year and release additional capacity on the network, enough to power 75,000 homes a year.
National Grid has partnered with LineVision, a provider of non-contact overhead power line monitoring systems, for the deployment of dynamic line rating (DLR) sensors on circuits between one of the major North-South power system boundaries to expand the capacity of its existing overhead power lines.
The new technology covers five circuits between Penwortham (Preston) and Daines (Manchester) and four circuits from Norton (Middlesborough) to Thornton (York), together increasing the capacity of over 275 km of overhead line conductor.
Read full story at T&D World…
Vast Array of Solar Power Equipment Left Exposed Online
by Eric Geller
The most commonly exposed device has been discontinued and vulnerable for a decade, new research found.
The transition to renewable energy sources and the increasing digitization of the power grid have combined to create serious cybersecurity risks. Forescout's latest findings illustrate how the absence of secure design practices in critical infrastructure devices also can endanger people's lives and present opportunities to destabilize entire regions.
Forescout's report — based on a scan of public IP addresses using the Shodan search engine — contains details about the distribution of solar equipment with internet-accessible management interfaces. For example, these devices are more prevalent in Europe and Asia than elsewhere, with three-quarters of the devices residing in Europe and 17% in Asia. Germany and Greece each have one-fifth of the total number of exposed devices. In addition, the 10 vendors with the most exposed devices were not the same as the 10 vendors with the biggest market shares; global titan Huawei, for example, is not on Forescout's list.
Read full story at UtilityDive…