Perspectives

A significant amount of spatial and geodata related work is related to urban activity. This involves all kinds of geodata including cadastral, topographic, infrastructure, demographic, transport and many other types of information. At the same time we can find similar levels of activity related to rural environments. While modelling for each may take on different characteristics, there are connection points between urban and rural areas. Should Rural and Urban Spatial Models Link Together?

Read more: Should Rural and Urban Spatial Models Link Together?

Intelligent infrastructure combines sensors, network connectivity and software to monitor and analyze complex systems to uncover inefficiency and inform optimal operations. The sensor component collects operational detail over time as well as providing real-time inputs on current conditions. The network connectivity ensures the flow of information between systems, other sensors, and practitioners. The software component provides oversight and analysis, integrating insight from various systems and personnel. Intelligence is constantly improving from such a system through incremental improvements that are informed through constant monitoring and analysis.

Read more: What is intelligent infrastructure, and how do geospatial tools contribute?

New mobile prod­ucts are arriv­ing in the mar­ket­place daily. Along with them come new appli­ca­tion pro­gram­ming inter­faces (APIs). Each of these is used to access soft­ware pro­grams of dif­fer­ent types. Geospa­tial and design inter­ested par­ties have never had a greater oppor­tu­nity to access pow­er­ful spa­tial data so read­ily — and sim­ply. The growth in APIs is expand­ing rapidly. Dif­fer­ent mobile phones, more spa­tially related Apps — how does we wade through it all?

Read more: Different mobile phones, more spatially related Apps — how do we wade through it all?

The concept of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) is really quite simple as it involves the capability to tune the wavelength, pulse width and frequency of laser light, bounce that light off objects, and capture returning light over time to measure X,Y, and Z dimensions as well as the returning light’s intensity. The technology has proven to be quite useful for capturing 3D terrain and features, and is being used extensively to map infrastructure and natural resources.

Read more: How can it be that we’re only scratching the surface of LIDAR’s potential?