The Harlow Report-GIS
2025 Edition
ISSN 0742-468XSince 1978
On-line Since 2000
GIS News Snippets
For the week of
September 8, 2025
Remember When?
A “Harlow Report”From September 09, 2024
How GIS is Revolutionizing Urban Planning
How GIS is Revolutionizing Urban Planning
by Spatial GIS Blog
Urban planning is a complex endeavor, balancing the needs of communities with sustainable development goals. In this intricate dance, Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have emerged as a pivotal tool, offering insights and solutions that were previously unimaginable.
GIS in Land Use Planning
Land is a finite resource. Determining its best use is crucial for sustainable development. GIS aids planners in visualizing land use patterns, assessing changes over time, and predicting future trends. By overlaying demographic, environmental, and infrastructural data, planners can make informed decisions, ensuring that land use aligns with community needs and ecological constraints.
Transportation Planning with GIS
An efficient transportation system is the lifeblood of any urban area. GIS plays a crucial role in optimizing transportation routes, analyzing traffic patterns, and proposing improvements. By simulating different scenarios, planners can anticipate challenges, from traffic bottlenecks to public transportation demands, and devise solutions proactively.
Environmental Impact Assessment
Every urban project, be it a new skyscraper or a highway, has environmental implications. GIS provides tools to assess these impacts comprehensively. Overlaying data on soil quality, water sources, and biodiversity, planners can gauge the potential environmental footprint of a project and take mitigative measures.
Read full story at Spatial GIS Blog…
Now back to 2025
Contours vs. Breaklines, What's the Difference?
by Mackenzie Mills & Amanda Lind
Read about the difference between contours and breaklines, and learn how to create both from terrain data in Global Mapper Pro.
Summary
Contours and breaklines, vector line features in Global Mapper Pro®, represent terrain elevation differently. Contours connect points of equal elevation, forming closed loops or ending at dataset edges, with spacing indicating slope steepness. Breaklines trace changes in slope or curvature, outlining terrain transitions like hills or ponds.
Global Mapper Pro creates contours from digital elevation models or point clouds, offering iso-height areas as stacked polygons. Breaklines are generated via three methods: identifying flat areas, curvature-based boundaries, or any surface change using thresholds.
Additional tools locate high and low points from concentric contours. Both features, available in a 14-day trial, describe terrain shape–contours via elevation, breaklines via slope changes.
Read full story at Blue Marble Geographics…
Geospatial Solutions Support Metropolitan Utilities District's Vision for the Future
by Christa Campbell
M.U.D. implemented ArcGIS Enterprise and Utility Network, resulting in an accurate, real-world data model with full network connectivity.
Summary
The Metropolitan Utilities District (M.U.D.) in Omaha, Nebraska, serving over 600,000 people, has leveraged Esri's GIS technology for over a decade. Initially using ArcMap's Utilities Viewer, M.U.D. replaced paper workflows but faced issues with internet dependency and slow syncing. Transitioning to ArcGIS Enterprise and Utility Network, M.U.D. improved data quality through pilot projects on gas and water systems, enhancing hydraulic modeling and outage management.
ArcGIS Utility Network enabled real-time outage applications, streamlining valve isolation and customer notifications via integration with SAP. For regulatory compliance, M.U.D. developed a lead service line inventory using ArcGIS tools, prioritizing replacements and enhancing transparency with plumbers through ArcGIS Survey123 and Dashboards. Risk modeling and capital improvement planning were bolstered by analyzing historical water main break data, shared via ArcGIS StoryMaps, improving decision-making and sustainability.
Read full story at Esri…
Korea Delays Decision on Apple's Request to Export High-Precision Map Data
by Jie Ye-eun
The South Korean government has postponed a decision on whether to allow Apple to export high-precision digital map data, citing the need for further deliberation on national security and industrial implications.
Summary
The National Geographic Information Institute, under South Korea's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, extended the review period for Apple's request to export 1:5,000 scale digital maps by 60 days, with a decision expected by Dec. 8. Apple's second attempt follows a 2023 rejection due to national security concerns. Google's similar request, filed earlier this year, also faces extended scrutiny.
Both companies aim to enhance navigation and augmented reality services, but Apple's domestic servers offer better data security compared to Google's lack of local infrastructure. The ministry emphasized a thorough review to assess risks to national security and the geospatial industry, involving consultations with relevant agencies.
Monitor, Measure & Mitigate: Integrated Solutions for Geohazard Risk
by NV5 Geospatial
Helping Infrastructure, Transportation and Utility Leaders Stay Ahead of Landslides, Subsidence, and Slope Failures
Summary
NV5's integrated geohazard monitoring combines advanced satellite imagery, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), and lidar to protect critical infrastructure like roads and pipelines from risks such as slope instability and erosion. Their ENVI Inform system uses SAR for near real-time detection, creating historical baselines and issuing automated alerts for abnormal ground movement.
Ground-based investigations validate alerts using subsurface exploration and instrumentation, while NV5's engineers design tailored mitigation strategies, including grading, drainage control, and slope stabilization. Lidar enhances precision terrain analysis, tracking changes like erosion or landslides. NV5's end-to-end approach—from detection to remediation—ensures cost-effective, timely solutions, minimizing costly damage and catastrophic failures.
Read full story at NV5 Geospatial…
The Rise of Geospatial AI: How a Decade of Innovation is Tackling Societal Challenges
by SuperMap Blog
As the wave of Digital Transformation (DX) sweeps across every sector of society, the fusion of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become commonplace.
Summary
In Tokyo, SuperMap, a global GIS vendor, has pioneered "Geospatial AI" (GeoAI) by integrating AI with Geographic Information Systems for over a decade. Since 2014, SuperMap conceptualized "Geospatial Intelligence," evolving GIS to extract actionable insights from geospatial data. By 2018–2019, AI was embedded into GIS products for spatial and image analysis.
In 2024, SuperMap consolidated AI functions into the "SuperMap AIF," enhancing all products. In 2025, the "SuperMap AgentX Server" introduced natural language-driven "Spatial Agents," democratizing GIS use.
GeoAI addresses Japan's challenges, including disaster prevention through AI-driven risk prediction and real-time damage assessment, infrastructure maintenance via automated inspections, and precise area marketing. SuperMap's GeoAI transforms GIS into a universal platform for a safer, sustainable future.
Read full story at SuperMap…
Industry News
In Government
How Maryland Is Approaching Statewide IT Modernization
by Kaitlyn Levinson
The state released an IT master plan that aims to innovate how state employees approach emerging technologies and how services are delivered to residents.
Summary
Maryland's Department of Information Technology released an IT Master Plan to modernize government services from 2026 to 2028.
“Governments across the US often suffer from IT systems that are outdated, costly, overly expansive, and do not deliver services at the quality that constituents deserve — unfortunately, Maryland has not been the exception,” officials said in a statement last week.
The plan focuses on strengthening IT capacity and culture, centralizing IT services, and improving service delivery and customer experience. Initiatives include appointing technical experts to IT projects, launching the Maryland Data Academy for data and AI literacy, and consolidating software solutions across agencies.
Read full story at Route Fifty…
Is Artificial Intelligence a Friend, Foe or Frenemy? NIST Wants to Find Out
by John Breeden II
The standards agency will be hosting a working session to discuss how AI-empowered attacks can be used to sometimes get around traditional defenses.
Summary
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a dual-use tool in cybersecurity, aiding both defenders and attackers. It enhances anomaly detection and response times for defenders but also automates and scales attacks like phishing and data poisoning.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is addressing this through virtual workshops, with the final one on September 2, 2025, focusing on countering AI-empowered attacks. Agentic AI, capable of autonomous multi-step attacks, is a growing threat, bypassing traditional defenses in minutes, as shown in a Unit 42 study.
NIST emphasizes proactive defenses, including zero-trust principles and strong identity controls. Human oversight remains critical, as AI-driven code changes can increase vulnerabilities, necessitating developer training and robust monitoring.
Read full story at NextGov/FCW…
Salt Typhoon Hackers Targeted Over 80 Countries, FBI Says
by David Dimolfetta
The Chinese campaign appears to have reached into other organizations beyond the telecom industry, including transportation and military infrastructure networks, according to a Wednesday advisory.
Summary
The Salt Typhoon hacking group, believed to be Chinese, targeted over 80 countries, including the U.S., breaching telecom systems and other critical infrastructure.
The FBI notified at least 600 organizations, including government and military networks, about the breaches, which have been ongoing since at least 2019. The hackers exploited vulnerabilities dating back to 2018, compromising systems used for lawful intercepts and exfiltrating sensitive data.
Read full story at NextGov/FCW…
In Technology
Google Denies Reports That 2.5 Billion Gmail Users Were Impacted by Security Issue
by Amanda Yeo
It turns out the hack might not have been the security disaster it was made out to be.
Summary
Google denied reports that 2.5 billion Gmail users were impacted by a security breach. The company clarified that the breach involved its Salesforce server, not Gmail, and affected a much smaller number of users.
While phishing attacks are a concern, Google emphasized its strong security measures and encouraged users to remain vigilant.
Read full story at Mashable…
Google Gets to Keep Chrome, Judge Rules in Search Antitrust Case
by by Lauren Feiner
Now, Google can finally appeal the case.
Summary
DC District Court Judge Amit Mehta ruled that Google won't have to sell its Chrome browser to address its illegal search monopoly, as found in violation of the Sherman Antitrust Act.
Rejecting the Justice Department's proposals to break up Google or ban payments for default search placement, Mehta instead ordered Google to share limited search data with competitors to boost competition and barred exclusive distribution deals for its search and AI products.
Described as the most significant antitrust ruling against a tech giant since Microsoft, Google can now appeal. Critics, including DuckDuckGo and the American Economic Liberties Project, argue the remedies are insufficient, potentially allowing Google to maintain its dominance.
Read full story at The Verge…
How to Tell If Your Computer Has Been Hacked
by Rachel Weingarten
Strange pop-ups, unexpected apps and a mind-of-its-own webcam? Here's how to tell if your computer has been hacked—and what to do about it.
Summary
Hackers infiltrate computers using viruses, malware, and social engineering tactics, exploiting vulnerabilities like weak passwords.
Signs of a hacked computer include sluggish performance, rapid battery drain, and excessive fan activity. Unexpected internet connections, unusual webcam activation, and increased data usage are red flags. Other indicators include persistent pop-up ads, malfunctioning smart devices, altered browser settings, unfamiliar toolbars, and unresponsive websites or tools.
If hacked, act quickly: confirm the breach, update passwords, freeze credit, and monitor accounts. Prevent hacks with strong antivirus software, secure passwords, and multi-factor authentication. Public Wi-Fi and malicious browser extensions also pose risks, so use VPNs and trusted extensions.
Read full story at Reader's Digest…
In Utilities
New York's Green Energy Fantasy Continues
by Jonathan A. Lesser
The state's latest plan would break the bank, without meaningfully reducing emissions.
Summary
New York's Draft 2025 Energy Plan, aiming for electrification and zero-emissions, claims it will cut costs, fight climate change, and create 60,000 jobs by 2035. However, it faces criticism for unrealistic assumptions, including surging energy costs from utilities like ConEd, seeking $2 billion annually in rate hikes. The plan relies on unproven technologies, like retrofitting 17,000 megawatts of gas generators to burn hydrogen by 2040, requiring massive investments– $25–$65 billion for wind capacity alone.
It also proposes gasifying waste for hydrogen, ignoring energy demands, and assumes federal funding will offset the $270 billion cost. Critics argue the plan will burden consumers, fail to significantly reduce global emissions, and overlook practical solutions like reopening Indian Point or lifting the fracking ban.
Read full story at City Journal…
PJM Stakeholders Overwhelmingly Pan Proposal for Data Center Interconnection
by Ethan Howland
Amazon and others urged PJM to drop the proposal and instead focus on how to improve load forecasting, bolster the grid interconnection process and strengthen regional transmission planning.
Summary
PJM Interconnection stakeholders, including Amazon, strongly opposed a proposal for connecting new data centers to the grid, as revealed in comments released on August 28, 2025.
Critics urged PJM to abandon the plan, citing concerns over its effectiveness. Instead, they recommended enhancing load forecasting, improving the grid interconnection process, and strengthening regional transmission planning to better accommodate the growing demand for data centers.
The feedback reflects broader concerns about integrating large-scale data centers, like those near Ashburn, Virginia, into the grid efficiently and reliably, ensuring the region's power infrastructure can support rapid technological expansion.
Read full story at UtilityDive…
Utah Signs MOU to Explore Building Nuclear Reactor With New Technology
by Alixel Cabrera,
The agreement with Bill Gates' TerraPower could allow the selection of a site for a sodium-cooled fast reactor and storage facility.
Summary
Utah signed a non-binding memorandum with TerraPower, founded by Bill Gates, to explore a site for a Natrium sodium-cooled nuclear reactor and energy storage plant, similar to one in Wyoming.
The Utah Office of Energy Development, TerraPower, and Flagship Companies aim to identify a site by late 2025, considering community support and infrastructure. Gov. Spencer Cox supports the project, aligning it with his Operation Gigawatt plan to double Utah's energy output using diverse sources. TerraPower's CEO, Chris Levesque, emphasized Natrium's cost-effective, safer design.
The initiative supports Utah's role in the U.S. nuclear renaissance, addressing rising energy demands from AI and data centers.
Read full story at Power Engineering…