Volume 2 Number 5 Summer 2010

T R E N D S I N G O V E R N M E N T

http://www.dlt.com/google

GeospatialTrendsinGovernment 3

Our Geospatial Proposition

6 Trending Geospatial

8 BuckEye Strong

10 Providing Geospatial Perspective

12 Geospatial Resources

14 Viewpoints: Jim Flyzik

Inside Geospatial Trends

Published by

“��We�are�all�collectors�and�we�are�all�sensors�able�to�take�part�in��the�disciplined�sharing�of�data.�Disciplined�sharing�will�save�money�and�lives.”�

Robert Burkhardt, Army Geospatial Information Officer,

puts the value proposition for using Geospatial applications

in no uncertain terms.

Trezza Media Group www.TrezzaMediaGroup.com

Public Sector Communications, LLC www.PubSector.com

The Flyzik Group www.TheFlyzikGroup.com

Geospatial…Is it satellite images of the Earth with clarity down to 1

meter, providing you detail you never thought possible?

Is it 3D visualizations of street view images with all

landmarks, buildings and businesses identified?

Is it having intelligent search capabilities on your handheld

or Smartphone so you can turn these satellite and 3D images

into useful, actionable information?

Is it an application of technology where you become

an active participant as both a consumer and creator of

information—at the same time?

Geospatial embraces all of these life-changing applications—

and promises to deliver much, much more.

continued on next page

© Copyright 2010 Trezza Media Group, Public Sector Communications, LLC

4 GeospatialTrendsinGovernment

For example, some applications—like using your Smartphone

to search and locate the nearest java hut—are embraced by

users millions of times a day right now.

Others—like having a full 3D visualization of all

existing infrastructure including gas, electricity, water and

communications layered on one map—while available, are just

starting to ramp up.

These topics—along with demonstrations designed to get

you involved—are what the Army’s Geospatial Information

Officer and Google, Autodesk, GeoEye and DLT Solutions

experts discussed with government and industry during

GeoSpatial Day in Washington, DC this past June.

Life Changing Applications

Robert Burkhardt is the Army Geospatial Information

Officer (GIO) and Director of the U.S. Army’s Geospatial Center

in Alexandria, Virginia.

He told the audience many agencies are facing challenges

accessing Geospatial data and then once they get it, finding the

best way of deploying the data.

“Data of all kinds—text, video, voice, imagery—is streaming

through networks right now at blazing speeds. In fact, there is

so much data being created and transmitted at all levels, that

many feel we are flat overwhelmed,” said Burkhardt.

But rather than be overwhelmed, Burkhardt urged the

audience to look at the positive side; that the worlds of

Geospatial, 3D visualization, storage and communications are

converging—and you are the beneficiary.

“This overwhelmingly has a good side. We have greater

detail and 3D imagery and you can pick it up on your iPhone,

Droid or Blackberry,” said Burkhardt. “This is revolutionary and

will change the way we do our normal business.”

One big change Burkhardt mentioned is in the area of

data availability. “We want to separate the data from all the

applications, from the software, and hardware. We want to

make it independent; then you can write apps based on data,

not the proprietary hardware or software you may be using.”

This is a key concept for standards and necessary to cut costs.

Convergence: The Enabler

Geoff Zeiss from Autodesk was extremely upbeat as he

explained the ongoing convergence of Geospatial, engineering

design and 3D visualization technologies. This involves

intelligent models such as BIM (Building Information Modeling),

which not only enable better design, but also sustainable

design. In the future these capabilities will be used to help

model and design entire sustainable cities.

“This is what this makes this stuff exciting. It makes it

possible to prepare simulations showing the impact of a project

and explain complex ideas clearly to people who are non-

technical,” explained Zeiss.

“If you are a city, state or the federal government, if you

want to be able to convey to non-technical or the public what

the implications are, a two minute video is much more effective

than a 1,000 AutoCAD drawings.”

Geospatial makes interaction with the government

more transparent and it is much easier for government

administrators to explain and show to people what is happening

with key projects added Zeiss.

Geospatially the future is going to be streaming information in real-time to your handheld device—your Droid, iPhone, Blackberry etc.— allowing you to be both a Geospatial data customer and contributor at the same time.

GeospatialTrendsinGovernment 5

Geospatial Value Proposition

“Geospatially the future is going to be streaming

information in real-time to handheld devices—my Droid or

iPhone--making local information relevant when you are

standing on a street corner,” said Google Earth Product

Specialist Mike Evanoff.

“Another geospatial driver is the mass participation and

mass adoption, which was not possible not that long ago,”

noted Evanoff. “Millions of people around the world now are not

only consumers of GIS but are also contributors adding data

and updating information.

“For example, using Google MapMaker—within 72 hours

after the Haiti earthquake—citizen contributors starting adding

roads, streets and other points of interest; within a short

amount of time you have a fully populated outstanding quality

map of Port Au Prince,” said Evanoff.

GeoEye owns two satellites and provides much of Geospatial’s

raw materials. Web delivery tools are GeoEye’s fastest growing

delivery systems and it has changed the dynamic.

Steve Miller from GeoEye noted you used to have to have a

data custodian to enter and extract data from a system. “With

web delivery tools and services platforms that complement

the efforts of Google, now you have the ability to deliver

information and you don’t have to be a professional to use it,

you just have to be a consumer.”

DLT’s Jim Helou urged the audience to not let “what you

perceive the technology is today be a limit as to what you want

to do tomorrow.” There are lots of creative minds building

today’s tools and tomorrow’s building blocks. “Let’s not let the

tools and how they are packaged today to be limiting, we need

open communication and creativity to break new barriers.”

Army GIO Burkhardt stated the GeoSpatial value proposition

in no uncertain terms.

“We are all collectors and we are all sensors able to take

part in the “disciplined sharing of data,” declared Burkhardt.

“Disciplined sharing will save money and lives.” n

During Geospatial Day in June, Geospatial experts from

Google, Autodesk and GeoEye held a panel discussion hosted

by Jim Flyzik of The Flyzik Group. Of course, the conversation

turned to the bottom line for Geospatial: What is in it for me?

Here’s what the panelists said.

Mike Evanoff, Google

“What our customers are getting from the Google Geospatial

is the ability to aggregate all of their data from a number

of different places and put into a single user interface…

an example is the state of Alabama using Google Earth

Enterprise….the value proposition is we put this data into an

interface and then provide tools

so you can use it…”

Steve Miller, GeoEye

“We operate satellites that cover the earth and provide high

resolution imagery…we collect images where they shoot

down survey aircraft… a big part of what we do is we are

participants in UN Charter for Disasters…whenever there

is a disaster (e.g. Gulf Oil Spill)… we can collect information

about these disasters and ubiquitously out to users or to

emergency responders…”

Geoff Zeiss, Autodesk

“The power of visualization will be a driver that changes

the industry quite a bit over the next several years…in

construction…instead of using an AutoCAD drawing tool

for printing blueprints, people are now building electronic

models of structures…now you can begin to estimate

materials quickly…that is important for sustainable design…

if you need to know what carbon footprint it…how much

energy, water and CO2 emissions, this can be done easily…

and doing digital photography you can create models for

older buildings…”

It will employ intelligent design and 3D visualization software allowing governments to map infrastructure and provide better information for the armed forces, first responders and law enforcement.

Geospatial Benefits

WATCH VIDEO

WATCH VIDEO

WATCH VIDEO

By Jeff Erlichman, Editor, On The FrontLines

6 GeospatialTrendsinGovernment

Trending GeospatialArmy GIO Robert Burkhardt discussed the value proposition and major drivers for Geospatial in government—data, governance, standards and the “Big Enterprise”.

RobeRt buRkhaRdt is the aRmy Geospatial infoRmation officeR (GIO).

From his vantage point, Burkhardt shared his first-hand

view of Geospatial trends in government with the Geospatial

Day audience.

“The first trend has to do with

data—the sheer amount of it being

collected from various video and

satellite sources; and how to make the

best uses of it?” said Burkhardt.

For individual users, the best

example is how your Smartphone can

process satellite imagery, 3D mapping

and navigation tools to show you where you are at all times.

“These apps are changing the way we live as handhelds create

data as well as consume it,” said Burkhardt.

For organizations that need to acquire data, the trend is

even better. More and more companies will be collecting raw

information in the future. Now there is foundational data

at sub-meter levels. “Data is quickly becoming more of a

commodity, with prices heading lower,” noted Burkhardt.

No More “Coffee & Doughnuts” Governance

Governance used to be very informal or non-existent said

Burkhardt. But leaders are quickly changing this “coffee &

doughnuts” attitude towards governance. They now understand

the problems of having huge amounts of data; but they also

know they can make better decisions if they had the availability

of data at right time and place.

“Recognition of the problem is causing them to say I need

some form of governance,” said Burkhardt. “It doesn’t have to be

linear from top down, but governance nonetheless; they also see

the solution-based piece of layering that shows patterns we didn’t

know before, allowing people to make much better decisions.”

The key to success is partnerships with state, local and

federal government agencies, NGOs, the Open Geospatial

Consortium.

“So the governance process is not necessarily ‘coffee &

doughnuts’; it has to have teeth to certify, to direct, to give

policy, to move money, to have compliance matrixes on people

who are building systems. Those are the kinds of things now

that leaders are demanding from the Vice Chairman of the

Joints Chiefs to the lowest combat team commander,”

said Burkhardt.

Standards & Data Models

Burkhardt strongly supports the notion of independent

data. “We want to separate the data from all the apps, from

the software and hardware. We want to make it independent;

then you can write apps based on data, not the proprietary

hardware or software you may be using. This is a key

concept to bring about standards and organizing back office

functions.”

Burkhardt is looking for the “sweet spot” on standards. “We

want to find that sweet spot of the minimum set of standards;

what is the minimum set of standards necessary to share

information and have it line it up geometrically so we can fuse

it and have it line up from a topology so we can understand it

and understand what we are looking at.”

He urged standards be adopted across the board whether

federal, state, local or NGO. “We need to establish standards

for tactics, techniques, and procedures; we need to standardize

how you do your work. Do you go to imagery first? Those kinds

of things are tactics, techniques and procedures that are driven

by technology and availability of the data.”

Data models, critical for sharing complex Geospatial data,

include the NFDD, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency’s

(NGA) data model, which may become the DOD’s geospatial

data model in the future, and AGDM, which is the Army’s

geospatial data model.

Big Enterprise

Digital semantics is just as important as speaking using

precise language in everyday business meaning that data

models need to be worked said Burkhardt.

“We can’t afford to do an API translation between one

and another and another and keep paying for all of those

translations,” noted Burkhardt.

For Burkhardt, it comes down to the idea of the “Big

Enterprise” and the disciplined sharing of data — which is

Geospatial’s inherent value proposition.

“Because data is oriented in space and time and if the

geometry and taxonomies are right for fusion. Now you see

patterns didn’t know existed and you can begin to anticipate

of what is happening next,” said Burkhardt. “You can make

better sense of the world and as a result make a better

decision. n

—Jeff Erlichman

As the Master Government Reseller, DLT Solutions partners with Autodesk to provide the Public Sector with integrated digital design mapping/ GIS solutions that increase productivity, sustainability and accountability.

Designed to bridge the gap between CAD and GIS systems, our solutions include:

• 2D and 3D digital design and engineering software• Model-based design featuring mapping and management tools • And more at www.dlt.com/autodesk

Want to learn more? View educational webcasts around geospatial and digital design at www.dlt.com/geo-design

8 GeospatialTrendsinGovernment

BuckEye StrongThe Army’s BuckEye System provides high-resolution urban terrain imagery for tactical missions in Iraq and Afghanistan.

You maY not know what LIDaR stanDs foR, but If You have eveR DRIven

over the posted speed limit, you may have been trapped by it.

LIDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging and it is the

technology a state trooper uses to calculate how fast you are

driving.

In the Geospatial world, LIDAR is a laser beam that

provides the data to visualize terrain. It allows the user to

get a visualization of the contour of the land quickly and less

expensively than with tripod and survey team. It is usually

mounted on fixed wing aircraft or helicopters that scan the

ground, not measuring speed and distance, but calculating

contour and terrain very, very accurately. And it is one of the

central components of the Army BuckEye System.

The Army relies heavily on Geospatial information and

services (GI&S) for all of its Warfighting and peacetime

operations, and the growing importance GI&S in all Army

operations has made it a key commodity. BuckEye’s unclassified

readily available, high-resolution imagery continues to provide

the precision needed to correctly identify, assess, and act

upon an adversary, as well as support reconstruction efforts

necessary to restore critical infrastructure.

Born Out Of Need

According to the Army, the BuckEye System was born

in 2004 out of the need for unclassified high-resolution

geospatial data for tactical missions.

It started as a helicopter-mounted digital color camera

system that produced high-resolution imagery for intelligence,

surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) and change detection

missions.

Then in November 2005, a new BuckEye system was

deployed to Iraq on a fixed-wing aircraft to concentrate on the

urban mapping mission. In addition to a digital color camera,

it included a LIDAR sensor to collect high-resolution, high-

accuracy elevation data.

LIDAR data supports improved battlefield visualization and

line of sight analysis. Because of its 3-dimensional accuracy,

LIDAR also supports the ortho-rectification of imagery, making

it more accurate as well. Once ortho-rectified, image frames

can be combined into large mosaics.

Then in May 2006, a helicopter-mounted camera system

was deployed to Afghanistan to conduct Intelligence,

Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions in support

of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF). In November 2007, a

fixed-wing aircraft with both a color camera and LIDAR system

deployed to Afghanistan.

“The usefulness of mapping in the military has been

significantly extended with the advent of accessible satellite

imagery,” according to SSG Eric Briscoe, 445th Civil Affairs

Battalion.

“I was amazed at the level of detail I could see in the

black and white satellite imagery I had access to with [other]

software; then I saw BuckEye. Not only is Buckeye imagery

extremely more detailed, and full color, it is also the most

recent imagery available. BuckEye really paints a vivid picture

of what an area actually feels like and is an invaluable planning

and analysis tool from the troop on the ground to the decision

maker on top.”

Present Operations

BuckEye systems have been supporting U.S. Central

Command for more than four years. In Iraq, the BuckEye

Imagery/LIDAR system is centrally-controlled to support the

entire theater. It has collected over 67,000 square kilometers

of data, primarily over urban areas, but also along main supply

routes.

This revolutionary data set includes over 1700 tiles of LIDAR

elevation data at 1-meter resolution that now covers most

Iraqi cities. The imagery system has collected over 1,500,000

individual color images at 10 to 15-centimeter resolution.

They are quickly indexed and made available for viewing in

a web page. BuckEye products are unclassified, so they can be

BuckEye won the 2006 Army Greatest Invention of the Year award and the U.S. Geospatial Intelligence Foundation Geospatial Intelligence Achievement Award (Military category).

GeospatialTrendsinGovernment 9

Soldiers of the 25th Brigade know that having the right

Geospatial data can save their lives.

At Geospatial Day, Army GIO Robert Burkhardt recounted

how in 2004-2005, the 25th Brigade

was being deployed to Mosul, Iraq—what

they thought was a calm, not chaotic

environment.

“What they thought they were going

into a week before deployment changed

dramatically,” said Burkhardt. “All police

disappeared; all the police stations

were taken over by Al Qaeda. It didn’t

look like a calm environment, it looked

like a combat environment. Everything

they thought they knew they didn’t know any longer. It was a

peaceful area and now it was immensely chaotic.”

To be sure, the 25th had people providing them

information from various stovepipes. They had sensors;

they had LIDAR. What they didn’t have were the Geospatial

tools to find the information they were looking for to quell

the insurgency.

The 25th turned to the Army’s Geospatial Center for help.

“They asked us for help. But before we could help them, they

had to put in a clear taxonomy on the

way they described things,” explained

Burkhardt.

“With that we were able to give

them a simple web tool to track the

trends and the things they needed to

know such as whom the Imam is and

who is selling gas.”

The commander used that simple

tool go after his critical pieces of

information. “I want to know about

X and platoon leaders would find that out. That exposed

patterns they could use to protect themselves. Plus it

not only prepared the 25th, but the transition to the unit

from Alaska that came behind them was the smoothest

transition ever and that sharing information actually

saved lives.” n

Geospatial Saves Lives

WATCH VIDEO

carried into the field with combat soldiers.

In Afghanistan, the BuckEye Imagery/LIDAR system is

controlled at the CJTF level. A large portion of the imagery

and LIDAR is processed in-theater to provide rapid response to

tactical mission planning. It has collected over 26,000 square

kilometers of data.

The AGC has worked hard to make Buckeye data readily

available to our fighting forces and supporting agencies. Data

is both pushed to requesting units on DVD, and made available

via the Internet on all DOD networks.

As soon as collected imagery is received at the AGC, it is

indexed and made viewable on the center’s Web sites. LIDAR is

processed into gridded tiles, edited and posted to the networks.

Imagery ortho-mosaics are posted as they are completed and

quality checked.

Other products available on-line include indexed image files

as GeoPDF mapbooks, NITF Geocoded Image frames, and high-

resolution Urban Tactical Planner databases.

Currently in testing is a prototype Unmanned Aerial System

(UAS) with BuckEye sensors. A miniaturized LIDAR sensor has

been developed to support a variety of Army UAS programs

into the future. n

Special thanks to the Army Geospatial Center (AGC) for their assistance with this article.

10 GeospatialTrendsinGovernment

Providing Geospatial PerspectiveExperts from Autodesk, DLT, GeoEye and Google share their visions of a Geospatial future – from the power of visualization to mapping infrastructure.

Geospatial technoloGies coupled with 3d visualization aRe chanGinG

the way we relate to our environment. Applications are

unlimited as we morph from being passive Geospatial

data consumers to active Geospatial data contributors. At

GeoSpatial Day, experts from GeoEye, Google and Autodesk

talked about challenges and opportunities.

Providing much of the source data imagery for Geospatial

users is GeoEye. Steve Miller explained his company core

business is remote sensing, operating 2 very high resolution

satellites that collect data at less than a meter resolution along

with a fleet of survey aircraft.

These two collection

methodologies provide a lot

of the source data/imagery

customers use to then overlay

their individual vector data.

Currently GeoEye is negotiating

a follow-on to the NextView

contract with the National

Geospatial Intelligence Agency

(NGIA).

As a major raw materials

provider, Miller expects prices to

go down as imagery becomes more of a commodity and more

companies and countries launch their own satellites to collect

source imagery.

That presents challenges in how to license and sell to an

organization said Miller. Initially GeoEye copied the desktop

application software licensing model. But that has changed

with multi-organizational licensing where the data can be

shared with appropriate users whether they are defense,

civilian, state, local or NGO.

“We are getting pressure from state and local governments

that want us to put data on their websites for citizens to used

and download,” Miller noted. “That is a challenge as to how we

capture economic value. We need another step in the evolution

of relationship with customers as they get power to access and

use the data themselves.”

Enabling Sustainable Design

Geoff Zeiss from Autodesk shared his excitement about the

convergence of geospatial, 3D visualization and high-powered

engineering and architectural programs that enable intelligent

design and modeling.

“When you look at Google street view, right now you can’t

see very much inside the buildings,” explained Zeiss. “Now

we have tools that architects and construction companies

are using and putting this together with Geospatial and 3D

visualization. This makes this stuff exciting and makes it

possible for you to convey to people who are non-technical.”

“If you are a city, state or the federal government, if you

want to be able to convey to non-technical or the public what

the implications are, a two minute video is much more effective

than a 1,000 AutoCAD drawings.”

Further, Zeiss said the tools

help with sustainable design for

both new and older buildings.

“We are able to take digital

photos of an older building and

create 3D models that can model

energy consumption and the

buildings carbon footprint and

communicate that to the public.”

This dramatically improves

business processes said Zeiss.

“Instead of using an AutoCAD

drawing tool for printing blueprints, people are now building

electronic models of structures and can begin to estimate

materials (e.g. how many 2x4s or bricks?).”

This web-based technology also allows the customer to walk

through and experience textures and colors of your kitchen or

living room. “This changes how construction companies design

things and how you participate in the process, whether building

a house or a water treatment plant,” added Zeiss. “It allows you

to get all the stakeholders involved in the process.”

Mapping Infrastructure Challenge

While Zeiss sees big changes in design, one area where the

challenge is worldwide is mapping infrastructure and keeping

accurate track of our infrastructure, whether it is overhead

power lines, telephone cables or underground power, telecom

and water infrastructure.

Much of that information exists, but not in a form people

can use easily.

“For emergencies, wouldn’t it be nice to know where the

switches and transformers are? This is technically feasible.”

GeospatialTrendsinGovernment 11

Much of this important information about building

interiors is on paper stashed in government vaults. “There are

blueprints for permitting process; afterwards they end up in the

basement,” said Zeiss. “This is an area for convergence; being

able to bring all this information together. It already exists

and we need to make available through Google so it can be

visualized and made accessible.”

Shrink Wrapped Apps

Mike Evanoff explained that Google Enterprise looks at

technologies you might use on the Internet and then figures

out “how can we shrink wrap it and bundle it and put it on your

network?”

“What our customers are getting from the Google is the

ability to aggregate all of their data from a number of different

places and put into a single user interface.”

As an example, Evanoff described what is happening in

Alabama, where they have 63 counties each with its own

system and independent contracts to get aerial imagery. “What

they did with Google Earth Enterprise is create one interface

they can present back to those counties, thus eliminating all

the duplication of effort.”

One of the keys to the Google value proposition is their

ability to take different silos of information (e.g. traffic and

weather layers) from different sources and present them in one

single interface without having to compress data.

“We go out and get different data sources simultaneously

and display it clearly for our customers and their customers

and their customers,” said Evanoff.

Clearly these three industry leaders agree that the power

of visualization is going to be the driver that changes how you

interact with your environment in the coming decade. n

If you think about Geospatial imagery today, you have

satellites taking high resolution photos. With high resolution

you have massive files using lots of storage and need lots of

processing to make them usable.

“When the customer gets it, it’s already out of date; it’s like

the printed phone book, it’s not accurate

anymore,” DLT’s Jim Helou told On The

FrontLines in a recent interview.

Data in and of itself is just one piece

said Helou. The idea is to make data

usable and actionable and deliver it to

the customer based on how they need

it, whether it is in the field or behind a

firewall regardless of application.

“Data is going to be streaming

real time and up to date, accessible,” noted Helou. “We

need to look at the photos a satellite took yesterday not

three months ago. We need to compress the processing

and deliver to customers in a much more economical and

usable format. In short: quicker, faster, better.”

In doing that Helou seeks to ease what he calls

“customer pain”.

“When a government customer picks up the phone and

calls us, they have a pain and they don’t know what tools

and products are out there to help them solve it,” Helou said.

“Sometimes it is data. They have tools and just need them.

But other times they need to layer data that brings you to

the architectural and utility layer law enforcement and first

responders need.

“So, if I’m a firefighter, not only do I want to know what

roads to use, but I also want to know where the gas, water,

electricity shut offs are; where are the exits and what the

building is made of so they can react quicker,” explained

Helou.

“We can provide a solution to

that need, whether it’s Google Earth,

Tele Atlas or Autodesk and fuse that

together so they can access that

information.

That means taking an approach

where “I’ll load data on your server, fuse

it and package it up and plug into your

rack. It could be a full blown Google

Earth globe with whatever you ask for,” Helou explained.

“You don’t need in-house technical resources, you just order

what you want and ‘rack and stack’.”

With Geospatial you don’t need to be limited by today’s

technology, because today’s tools are the building blocks for

tomorrow’s Geospatial apps said Helou.

“In the Geospatial search world, there is convergence of

technology so you can make intelligent assumptions. That

is happening now as relational databases can now store and

process Geospatial data.”

So, if you are a Geospatial guy, don’t think a search

component isn’t for you,” said Helou. “Take a look; we can do

things better, faster and cheaper.”

Making Data Actionable and Usable

WATCH VIDEOJim Helou, DLT Solutions

12 GeospatialTrendsinGovernment

WebsitesNational Geospatial-Intelligence Agencyhttps://www1.nga.mil/Pages/Default.aspxNGA provides timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in sup-port of national security objectives. The term “geospatial intelligence” (GEOINT) means the exploitation and analysis of imagery and geospatial information to describe, assess and visually depict physical features and geo-graphically referenced activities on the Earth. Geospatial intel-ligence consists of imagery, imagery intelligence and geospatial (e.g., mapping, charting and geodesy) information.

USGS National Geospatial Programhttp://www.usgs.gov/ngpo/The National Geospatial Program provides leadership for USGS geospatial coordination, production and service activities. The Program engages part-ners to develop standards and produce consistent and accurate data through its Geospatial Liaison Network. Operational support is provided by the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center. These and other Program activities that are essential to the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) are managed as a unified portfolio that benefits geospatial information users throughout the Nation.

Open Spatial Consortiumhttp://www.opengeospatial.org/The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.® (OGC) is a non-profit, international, voluntary consensus standards organi-zation that is leading the development of standards for geospatial and location based services.

The Geospatial Information & Technology Associationhttp://www.gita.org/GITA is the professional association and leading advocate for anyone using geospatial technology to help operate, maintain, and protect the infrastruc-ture, which includes organizations such as utilities, telecommunication compa-nies, and the public sector. Through industry-leading confer-ences—along with research initiatives, chapters, membership, and other programs—GITA provides education and professional best practices.

The Geospatial Data Gatewayhttp://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/GDG is the One Stop Source for environ-mental and natural resources data, at anytime, from anywhere, to anyone. The Gateway allows you to choose your area of interest, browse and select data from our catalog, customize the format, and have it downloaded or shipped on CD or DVD.

Geodata.govhttp://gos2.geodata.gov/wps/portal/gosGeodata.gov is your one stop for finding and using geographic data and will help you: Find Data or Map Services; Make a Map; Browse Community Information; Cooperate on Data Acquisitions; Publish your Data and Map Services

nationalatlas.gov™http://nationalatlas.gov/ If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a map is worth ten thousand. This is not like any atlas you remember. This is nationalatlas.gov™, and it shows us where we are. It allows you to use your imagination and, by probing and ques-tioning, to choose the facts that fit your needs as you explore the American story.

Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS)http://cegis.usgs.gov/In January 2006, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS) was established. The CEGIS vision is to conduct, lead, and influence the research and innovative solutions required by the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and the emerging GeoSpatial Web.

White Papers/Special ReportsThe National Geospatial Intelligence Agency-PathFinder Magazine

AutoCAD Map 3D & MapGuide Enterprise-Open GIS (Autodesk)

Earth Knowledge (Google Enterprise & Maps)

Washington DC Safeguards (Google Enterprise & Maps)

Geospatial Solutions (Autodesk)

Maritime Geospatial Solutions (GeoEye)

VideosGeoSpatial Leaders Forecast “What’s The Next Big Thing?”Mike Evanoff, Google

Geoff Zeiss, Autodesk

Steve Miller, GeoEye

Conferences:Geospatial Conference 2010 October 19-21, 2010, Athens, GA

FOSS4G 2010 September 6-9, Barcelona, Spain

GIS for National Security October 24-27, 2010, Abu Dhabi, UAE

ResourcesLink to every Website, White Paper, Special Report and Video at www.onthefrontlines.net/geospatial.

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http://www.dlt.com/geoeye

14 GeospatialTrendsinGovernment

we’ve all heaRd the phRase, “a pictuRe is woRth a thousand woRds”.

Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) are proving that old

adage to be true plus much, much more.

It is remarkable how fast GIS systems have proliferated

across all segments of industry. The uses are limitless and

there is no end in sight. The use of visualization is rapidly

becoming the way requirements are defined and specified and

a key component of the applications that are being built. In the

late 1980’s, early 1990’s, GIS was largely about digitized maps

and integration of satellite imagery. Today,

GIS is about mapping locations of objects,

placing intelligence into the objects and

the ability to derive knowledge from such

objects.

It is not possible in this article to discuss

all the ways GIS are being used to support

business processes. To name but a few

as listed in Wikipedia, GIS systems are

used in cartography, remote sensing, land

surveying, utility management, natural

resource management, photogrammetry,

geography, urban planning, emergency

management, navigation, and localized

search engines.

Why have such systems grown so

quickly?

First, there are hundreds of examples of

positive ROI’s and significant cost savings being derived from

GIS applications. A simple example would be the ability to re-

route vehicles to avoid traffic congestion for on-time deliveries.

Second, GIS allows for better understanding, better

education, and more knowledge sharing. Think of the wealth

of information about the geography of the world, weather

patterns and navigation that can be gotten with a few clicks of

a mouse.

Third, GIS enhances communication and decision-making;

questions about where to live, work, and play can easily be

discussed and answered by seeing visual imagery of locations.

Fourth, early on in GIS developments, certain common

gateway interfaces were agreed to and many open standards

were adopted. This allows object use and reuse by anyone that

can access the object on the network. There is no need for

every application to rewrite code to add intelligence to objects.

And in my humble opinion, the biggest reason visualization

growth will remain on the fast track is the elimination of

ambiguity associated with text. Images are easy to understand.

Try to describe a complex Satellite Image of the Gulf oil spill

and the multitudes of scenarios that weather patterns can

create without use of imagery. Can you create that picture in

text in less than a thousand words?

What constraints still need to be overcome to reach even

higher levels with GIS? I would argue the

remaining challenges are associated with

wireless bandwidth, wire-line infrastructure,

and skilled resources. Wireless broadband

communications continue to get better

and expand but we still lack the speed

and coverage in many areas around the

world to have efficient use of complex

GIS on wireless devices. And in many

land-line networks around the world, the

communications infrastructure equipment

(routers, gateways, switches, etc.) are

still old and outdated and need to be

modernized to support these advanced

technologies. And finally, trained

experts in designing GIS applications

and understanding the best ways to

apply visualization techniques to current

business systems are still relatively scarce. It is rare to find

organizations with a lot of depth and bench strength in these

skills.

Visualization has been identified by great thinkers as an

important concept for a long time.

“If I can’t picture it, I can’t understand it.”

— Albert Einstein.

“It is impossible to even think without a mental picture.”

— Aristotle.

“Man’s mind cannot understand thoughts without images

of them.” — Thomas Aquinas.

Today and into the future, visualization will be used to

share knowledge and better understand our universe. GIS are

the enablers of better processes and systems to make that

universe a better place. n

“ Visualize” the Future

“Albert Einstein said ‘If I can’t

picture it, I can’t understand it...”

Viewpoints

By Jim FlyzikThe Flyzik Group

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