The Harlow Report-GIS
2025 Edition
ISSN 0742-468XSince 1978
On-line Since 2000
GIS News Snippets
For the week of
September 15, 2025
Remember When?
A “Harlow Report” From September 16, 2024
Creating Responsive Maps with Vector Tiles
Creating Responsive Maps with Vector Tiles
by Miriam Daniel, VP & GM, Google Maps
Here's a look at how we're bringing generative AI to Maps —rolling out this week to select Local Guides in the U.S.
You've finally found a day the whole crew can hang out. The problem? Everyone has different preferences: one friend's vegan, another won't venture uptown, and one has a dog that never leaves their side. With so much to consider, you're going to need help figuring out the perfect place to go.
Today, we're introducing a new way to discover places with generative AI to help you do just that — no matter how specific, niche or broad your needs might be. Simply say what you're looking for and our large-language models (LLMs) will analyze Maps' detailed information about more than 250 million places and trusted insights from our community of over 300 million contributors to quickly make suggestions for where to go. Starting in the U.S., this early access experiment launches this week to select Local Guides, who are some of the most active and passionate members of the Maps community. Their insights and valuable feedback will help us shape this feature so we can bring it to everyone over time.
Read full story at Google Blog…
Now back to 2025
Best Mapping Software Trusted by Sales Teams
by Staff
Sales teams spend two-thirds of their time on tasks that have nothing to do with selling.
Summary
Sales teams lose two-thirds of their time to non-selling tasks like driving, updating spreadsheets, and manual route planning, with only 33% of inside sales professionals' day spent selling. The $2.5 billion sales mapping software market in 2024 addresses this, boosting revenue by up to 7% through optimized territories, per Harvard Business Review.
Tools like Maptive turn spreadsheets into actionable maps, cutting project timelines by 92% and boosting productivity by 10-20%. Features include heat maps, route optimization, and AI-driven territory creation. Alternatives like ArcGIS Pro offer advanced analytics but require expertise, while Mapline and QGIS cater to simpler or cost-free needs. Google Earth Pro suits basic visualization but lacks robust sales features.
Read full story at The Tech Portal…
How Can Comprehensive Ownership Data Transform Your Real Estate Decisions?
by Staff
This blog post will explore how utilizing ownership data can enhance your real estate experience and lead to better outcomes.
Summary
In real estate, access to comprehensive ownership data is a powerful tool that can significantly influence decisions for homebuyers, sellers, and investors. By analyzing ownership history, you can uncover valuable insights into market trends and property values that may otherwise be overlooked.
Long-term ownership often indicates neighborhood stability and rising home values, while frequent property turnover can signal market volatility. Integrating this data into your strategy allows you to identify undervalued properties and tailor your approach to specific market conditions. Leveraging advanced technology and data analytics helps you predict market shifts and assess risks more accurately, moving beyond traditional metrics to make proactive, data-driven decisions that lead to better long-term outcomes for your portfolio.
Read full story at USLandGrid…
Map Exports May Generate 18 Trillion Won for Korea's Spatial Industry
by Choi A-ri
Study estimates allowing exports could boost growth to 12.49% by 2030 amid security concerns
Summary
The debate over exporting South Korea's precision maps to Big Tech firms like Google is a key trade issue with the U.S. A study by Lee Ho-seok and Kwak Jeong-ho estimates that allowing map exports could boost the spatial information industry's sales by 18.46 trillion Korean won from 2026 to 2030, with growth rates rising from 4.31% to 12.49% annually.
South Korea's spatial industry, including navigation and smart city sectors, is slowing, with growth dropping from 9.92% in 2021 to 0.6% in 2023. The government resists exports due to security concerns, while Google persists, applying again in February. The decision is delayed until next month.
Read full story at The Chosun Daily…
New 3D Mapping Tech Goes Way Beyond GPS to Let Us See the Earth in Ways Never Before Possible
by Jason Hiner
Project Orbion brings together several cutting edge technologies to create a digital twin of the planet that will enable geospatial vision like we've never seen before.
Summary
A new collaboration called Project Orbion is creating a digital twin of Earth by combining various advanced mapping technologies. The initiative, led by five companies with roots in the defense industry, aims to create a next-generation 3D mapping solution that surpasses the limitations of GPS, such as quickly outdated data.
Each partner contributes a unique technology: Aechelon provides photorealistic imagery, Niantic Spatial offers quick scanning via smartphones and drones, and ICEYE uses high-resolution radar for centimeter-level accuracy. Distance Technologies creates 3D heads-up displays, while BlackSky uses AI to provide instant analysis of high-resolution data. This combined approach promises to deliver real-time, actionable insights for public safety, disaster response, transportation, and agriculture, with the potential to one day evolve the current GPS systems used in our daily lives.
Read full story at ZDNET…
The Future of Geospatial Data Demands a New Approach to Management
by Norman Barker
Geospatial data serves as the foundation for many mission-critical and time-sensitive applications, including Earth observation, location-based services, defense, population health, and more. However, geospatial data is not just one thing and can be quite heterogeneous, coming in many different forms including point clouds (e.g., lidar and sonar); polygons (e.g. buildings and areas of interest), and rasters.
Summary
Geospatial data is critical for Earth observation, defense, and other applications, but it comes in various complex formats like point clouds and rasters. Managing this data is challenging due to issues with storage, data governance, and the high cost of cleaning and preparing it for analysis. Traditional methods, like relational databases, often require specialized resources and are not scalable for large-scale, collaborative projects.
The solution is a new approach using a unified, multimodal, cloud-native database. This single platform can store and analyze all data types—including geometries, point clouds, and rasters—alongside raw files and machine learning models. By coupling serverless compute with the data, it eliminates costly transfers, allowing for faster, more efficient processing. This unified approach makes data easier to manage and enables professionals to achieve comprehensive “full picture” insights previously impossible.
Read full story at xyHt…
Industry News
In Government
FEMA Begins Security Overhauls Following Cyber Incident and Employee Firings
by David Dimolfetta
The agency recently blocked users from accessing multiple websites and made password changes to an internet security tool in efforts to shore up its cyber posture, people familiar say
Summary
Following a cyber intrusion, FEMA, under Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, fired 24 technology staff, including top IT and cybersecurity officers, on Aug. 29, after a vulnerability compromised the agency's network. Suspected issues include unsecured internet applications and legacy protocols, with Zscaler security controls now password-protected to prevent disabling.
FEMA blocked access to sites like X and Facebook, citing security concerns. Poor mobile device configurations on a contractor's Slack channel may have contributed, as logins don't expire, risking data theft. DHS noted agency-wide security failures, including lack of multi-factor authentication. A related Microsoft SharePoint hack in July may be linked, though unconfirmed.
Read full story at NextGov…
Half of US Residents “Uncomfortable” About AI in Government: Survey
by Ryan Kushner
Survey respondents see the new technology as a way to increase government efficiency but express concerns about privacy, bias and inaccuracies.
Summary
According to PayIt's January survey, 58% of U.S. and Canadian government agencies use AI for resident-facing processes, but resident trust lags. A June survey showed declining comfort with AI among Generation Z (down 10% from 2024) and Generation X (down 13%), while millennials and baby boomers saw slight increases.
Over 80% of respondents expressed concerns about AI's potential for inaccurate, biased decisions, privacy reduction, job losses, and environmental harm. Transparency is critical, with over 75% of respondents urging governments to disclose AI use in services. The report emphasizes that government leaders must address resident trust alongside AI's technical deployment.
Read full story at SmarcitiesDIVE…
Social Security announces leadership team light on government experience
by Erich Wagner & Natalie Alms
The agency's new leadership roster — announced alongside a reorganization plan sources say is short on details — is intended to bring a fresh perspective into SSA, its commissioner said. Critics argue they lack the expertise usually required of most agency leaders.
Summary
The Social Security Administration (SSA) announced a new leadership roster and reorganization, introducing executives from organizations like the National Rifle Association and X, many lacking government experience. Commissioner Frank Bisignano emphasized blending seasoned employees' expertise with new perspectives.
Notable appointees include Nicholas Perrine, former NRA director, as chief communications officer, and CIOs Michael Russo and Aram Moghaddassi, linked to Elon Musk's ventures, overseeing technology. The communications office lost around 100 employees, and the reorganization aims to streamline operations into three areas: field operations, processing centers, and digital services.
Critics, including Kathleen Romig, note the unusual influx of leaders without SSA expertise, raising concerns about institutional knowledge.
Read full story at Government Executive…
In Technology
How to Tell If Your Phone Has Been Hacked
by Joe McKinley
Could cybercriminals be infiltrating your bank account or stealing your identity right now? Here's how to find out if your phone is under attack.
Summary
Cybercrime is a growing threat, with the FBI reporting $3.5 billion in losses in 2019.
Signs your phone may be hacked include rapid battery drain, overheating, slow performance, unusual data spikes, unauthorized calls or texts, spammy pop-ups, unfamiliar apps, or odd account activity.
Hackers target phones for sensitive data like contacts, messages, and passwords. Vulnerabilities include clicking suspicious links, using public charging stations, downloading malicious apps, leaving phones unattended, poor password habits, or unsecured WiFi.
To protect a hacked phone, change passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and restore the device from cloud storage. Monitor bank accounts and report suspicious activity immediately to mitigate losses.
Read full story at Reader's Digest…
How to Undo OneDrive Backup and Restore Your Personal Files to Your Windows 11 PC
by Ed Bott
This article includes step-by-step instructions to turn off OneDrive Backup and reset your local folders.
Summary
Microsoft's Windows 11 now automatically enables OneDrive Backup for new installations, syncing folders like Documents, Pictures, and Desktop to the cloud when using a Microsoft account. This shift, removing the option to save files only locally, aligns with Microsoft's cloud revenue interests but also protects against data loss from theft or ransomware. Users concerned about privacy can disable this feature.
To undo OneDrive Backup, access OneDrive settings in File Explorer, stop backup for each folder, and move files back to local folders using File Explorer tabs. For Microsoft 365, Word autosaves to OneDrive by default, but users can revert to local saving via Word Options, with similar changes planned for Excel and PowerPoint.
Read full story at ZDNET…
Inside New York City's New Academy to Grow IT Talent
by Stephanie Kanowitz
The city launched its first Information Technology Management Academy last month. Officials say they hope to support employees' long-term career growth in technology.
Summary
New York City launched its first Information Technology Management Academy to support the long-term career growth of top IT talent.
The 12-week program, which began on August 14, focuses on developing leadership skills, understanding city systems, and learning best practices from IT executives. The inaugural cohort of 27 employees from 19 agencies will graduate with stronger management skills and an expanded knowledge base.
Read full story at RouteFifty…
In Utilities
Lakeland Electric to Become First to Open Liquid Nitrogen Energy Generation Facility
by Spectrum News Staff
Lakeland Electric is set to become the first utility company in the country to open a liquid nitrogen generation facility.
Summary
Lakeland Electric will open the first liquid nitrogen energy generation facility in the US, generating enough power for 5,000 homes. The facility, located at the Socrum substation, will use solar heat and liquid nitrogen to generate electricity.
Read full story at Spectrum News…
Smarter Data for a Smarter Grid: AI-Powered Lidar Is Transforming Utility Infrastructure
by James Conlin
With scalable, intelligent data classification, utilities can move beyond reactive maintenance and into predictive decision-making.
Summary
As power grids age and climate threats intensify, electric utilities are turning to modern technology for better asset management. Light Detection and Ranging, or lidar—a technology that creates detailed 3D models of utility networks and their surroundings—is a critical tool for this task.
While lidar provides valuable raw data, its real power comes from classification, which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to label and organize the billions of data points. Traditional methods are slow, labor-intensive, and can’t keep up with the massive datasets generated by modern lidar. AI-powered classification, especially deep learning, quickly and accurately identifies features like wires and vegetation, helping utilities proactively manage assets, mitigate risks, and streamline maintenance.
The future of grid management lies in integrating AI and lidar, enabling utilities to move from reactive to predictive maintenance.
Read full story at UtilityDive…
SRP and Google Launch Collaboration to Advance Long Duration Energy Storage Innovation, Grid Resilience in Arizona
by SRP Newroom
Salt River Project (SRP) and Google announced a first-of-its-kind research collaboration to better understand the real-world performance of emerging non-lithium ion long duration energy storage (LDES) technologies.
Summary
Google will help fund SRP’s pilot projects and analyze the operational data to gain insights into the technologies’ performance.
Both organizations are working toward ambitious sustainability goals: SRP aims for net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, while Google seeks to power its global data centers and offices with 24/7 carbon-free energy. This collaboration, which could include multiple pilot projects, builds on their existing relationship. Previously, SRP developed three renewable energy projects—two solar facilities and a wind farm—to support Google’s data center in Mesa, Arizona.
Read full story at Salt River Project…