July 22, 2014
Geospatial advances allow users to create national maps at unprecedented scales and speed. By Kumar Navulur, director, Next Generation Products, DigitalGlobe (www.digitalglobe.com), Longmont, Colo., and Mark Cygan, Map, Chart, Data Production and SDI Industry Solutions manager, Esri (www.esri.com), Redlands, Calif. National mapping organizations (NMOs) are responsible for producing and maintaining a wide variety of
July 22, 2014
The successful 2008 launch of the RapidEye satellites marked a turning point in the Earth observation industry. The lessons learned offer a roadmap to getting future satellite programs—government and commercial—from the drawing board to the launch pad. By Kevin P. Corbley, a business development consultant in the geospatial industry and founder of Corbley Communications (www.corbleycommunications.com),
July 22, 2014
Building an operative offshore emergency response capability for oil and gas operations requires the right combination of tools to ensure effective decisions are made during the critical first 24-48 hours of an event. By Paul Kennedy, MDA Geospatial Services Inc. (www.mdacorporation.com), Richmond, British Columbia, Canada. Since the 2010 Macondo incident in the Gulf of
July 22, 2014
From seismic planning to pipeline routing, accurate elevation data can support a range of oil and gas applications. By Michael Hall, geologist, Airbus Defense and Space (www.geo-airbusds.com), Leicester, United Kingdom. Oil and gas exploration and development involves building an understanding of Earth’s surface and subsurface through a variety of methods, including ground survey, seismic
July 22, 2014
Satellite-derived bathymetry reduces risk and cost of offshore seismic surveys. By David Critchley, CEO, Proteus (www.proteusgeo.com), Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Bristol, United Kingdom. In recent years, energy companies have relied increasingly on high-resolution satellite imagery to plan the onshore seismic survey operations that are crucial to hydrocarbon exploration activities. Image data improves the safety, accuracy
June 12, 2014
By Rob Mott, vice president of Geospatial Solutions, Intergraph Government Solutions (www.intergraphgovsolutions.com), Madison, Ala. Unmanned aircraft system applications are endless, and the technology promises widespread benefits. The field of unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) is one of the fastest-growing geospatial technology sectors in defense and civilian applications as well as in personal-use markets. In the last
June 12, 2014
The program is being developed to respond to growing needs for high-quality topographic data and a wide range of other 3-D representations of natural and constructed features. By Larry Sugarbaker, senior advisor, U.S. Geological Survey National Geospatial Program (www.usgs.gov/ngpo), Reston, Va. As the lead federal agency for terrestrial elevation data, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
June 12, 2014
Earth imagery and image analysis software help lead more customers to the solar grid. By Mary Jo Wagner, a freelance writer based in Vancouver, Canada. Read any recent report on the health of the solar industry, and you’ll likely reach the same conclusion: The sun has been shining brightly on this renewable energy sector—very
June 12, 2014
Despite a downward trend in government spending on space, Earth observation programs continue to expand globally. By Adam Keith, director of Space and Earth Observation, Euroconsult (www.euroconsult-ec.com), Montreal, Canada. Last year marked the first year of decreased government spending on space programs since 1995. After years of continuous growth, global budgets for space programs have
June 12, 2014
By A.J. Clark, president, Thermopylae Sciences & Technology (www.t-sciences.com), Arlington, Va. Picture a spectrum. On the left is the old world of geo-spatial intelligence in which a satellite collects an image and sends it to a ground station. From there it goes to a database, where analysts clean it up with tools designed for the
5th Anniversary Special Edition
