When looking at all the coming changes to the geospatial technology tools and inputs that are emerging and immediately over the horizon, there's a mixed feeling of excitement and trepidation. How will all of these new data-collection platforms, workflows and analytics impact the world of today's practitioners as well as the vendor community?
Earth Observation Embracing the New Space Environment: The Significance of EO Smallsat Constellations
During the last several years, numerous companies announced their intention to launch low-cost Earth-observation satellite systems, most of which will be constellations of satellites. This implies a significant increase in the amount of Earth-observation data being collected and a growing number of supply choices, but what are the industry implications?
Mapping Forest Loss with Landsat
With at least one image of every location on Earth per season for 43 years, the Landsat data archive contains more than 50 trillion pixels. So how could you put all of that imagery to use in discovering and monitoring subtle changes on Earth? One answer lies in the...
Japan's New Weather Satellite Provides Whole-Planet View
Japan’s Himawari-8 weather satellite was launched on Oct. 7, 2014, and began operation on July 7, 2015. The satellite is in a geostationary orbit  22,000 miles from Earth, allowing for a full global view at twice the resolution of similar weather satellites. The...
Research Institute Spins Off New Surveillance Sensor Office
The Sensor Systems research effort at the University of Dayton Research Institute has grown significantly since its inception in 2007. A group of 32 full-time researchers focused on research and development for sensors for surveillance applications have been spun off as the Sensor Accelerated Processing and Exploitation (Sensor APEX) office.
Finding Stable Sites to Calibrate Orbiting Satellites
South Dakota State University (SDSU) imaging engineer Larry Leigh will use Google Earth images to find sites to calibrate Earth-imaging satellites, thanks to a one-year, $46,000 Google Earth Engine Research award. He's the first SDSU researcher to receive the award.
Predictive Analytics, Drone Technology Could Help Save South Africa's Rhinos
In the wake of record numbers of rhinos slaughtered in 2014 by poachers in South Africa ” an estimated 1,200 ” there's a glimmer of good news: a high-tech anti-poaching technique is stopping the bad guys in their tracks.
Europe and Pacific Northwest Face Record Heat
A map shows daytime land-surface temperature anomalies in Europe from June 30-July 9, 2015, compared to the 2001“2010 average for the same period. Shades of red depict areas where the land surface was hotter than the long-term average; areas in blue were below average.
UNESCO and UNITAR-UNOSAT Protect Cultural Heritage with Geospatial Technologies
At the annual meeting of the World Heritage Committee in Bonn, Germany, UNESCO and UNITAR (the UN Institute for Training and Research) signed an agreement to protect cultural and natural heritage sites with the latest geospatial technologies. The strategic partnership will enable the organizations to work together during conflict situations and following natural disasters, sharing their respective expertise, and collaborating on prevention and capacity development.
ISRO to Launch DMC3 Earth-Observation Constellation
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is slated to launch its heaviest commercial load on July 10, 2015, with a payload of five satellites made up of the DMC3 constellation of optical Earth-observation satellites as well as two others aboard a PSLV-XL rocket from the Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh.
