Earlier this week I went over to speak at University of South Florida, to a graduate course on the GPS system. The course’s objective is to teach the systemic details of GPS – its structure, communications architecture, and practical application.

I was invited over by Sean Barbeau (the course instructor) to give insight into how GPS is applied and used in commercial settings, particularly how we use it in our work to build and augment geospatial data all over the world, and how it’s integral to modern geospatial tools like Fulcrum. I covered the basics of our project work, product development efforts, and design process in how we think about geospatial technology. I think it opened some eyes to approaches and technology that are somewhat non-traditional, certainly in the general academic community.

Flipping through a quick demonstration of some modern geo tools – like Fulcrum, TileMill, and QGIS – the students in the course had great questions about process, benefits and drawbacks to GPS on smart devices, and how field data collection can be done on an industrial level. OpenStreetMap figured into the discussion, since Sean has been integrating the collection of GPS traces and data capture into his curriculum as a practical usage of the GPS system and devices. He’s even turned them onto Pushpin as a tool for adding data to OSM in the local area. Several students are now working on their semester project using Fulcrum as a field capture tool – the assignment is to go collect something interesting using GPS, then import some of the useful data into OpenStreetMap. Feels great to introduce students to new alternative technologies.

I always enjoy the opportunity to speak with up-and-coming GIS professionals, as I think the “outside opinion” from someone in industry is refreshing to young people in strictly academic settings. While the theory and research angles on the geographic sciences are critical to the learning process, perspectives from practical application are essential to having the write knowledge set when moving into the commercial space.

This week we’ll be at FedGeoDay in Washington, DC, talking with government and industry about modern tools and technologies for doing work with maps and data. The schedule is packed with fantastic speakers talking about things like building beautiful maps with open source, new ways to look at geo analysis, how to tell stories with maps, and the growth of the OpenStreetMap project.

In the afternoon, look for Brian Flood’s session on the awesome additions to Arc2Earth providing syncing services to allow you to work with data collected in Fulcrum. This functionality is huge for users who want to bring data from the field and push it into another platform for analytics or presentation, like MapBox (with TileMill Connect), CartoDB, or Google Fusion Tables. With Fulcrum as a cost-effective alternative for mobile surveying and data collection needs, users no longer need to invest in expensive, proprietary hardware to get valuable information from the field. And with these added capabilities in Arc2Earth, visualization and distribution of data becomes even simpler.

The schedule is packed with great sessions, and it’s exciting to see so much innovation in alternatives to . I’ll be at the conference all day, so track me down if you want to talk about mobile tools for mapping, data collection, and how we use open source geospatial technology in our work.

Point types and subtypes include:
Infrastructure
Health
Tourism
Transport
Utilities
Telecom
Electricity
Historical Sites
Hotels
Government Offices
Education
Religion
Markets
Public Services
+ much more

If you have any specific questions, or would be interested in purchasing more specific POI types, feel free to email me (andie@spatialnetworks.com).

Our current 1:5,000 scale Afghanistan datasets are at the city level and include Asadabad, Gardez, Ghazni, Herat, Jalalabad, Kabul, Kandahar, Khost, Lashkar Gah, Qalat, Sharan, and Tarin Kowt. These datasets include building footprints, hydrology, streets, land use, landmarks, trees, and much more. Many of the features are named in three languages; English, Pashto, and Dari. We will also soon be publishing 1:25,000 provincial level Afghanistan data for Khost, Kunar, Nangarhar, Paktia, Paktika, and Kabul. These datasets all consist of multiple layers. If you are interested in purchasing a more specific set, we can create a custom listing for you. Feel free to contact us with your request!

We have a lot more POI data, as well as many more datasets similar to the current Afghanistan listings, that we hope to put on the market soon. Keep an eye on our twitter, facebook, or google+ pages for updates.

What types of data are you interested in purchasing?

Let’s take the time to look back at the first few months in terms of Pushpin users, edits, and a few other interesting stats.

The app and its user base

Since October, we’ve had over 4,200 downloads from the App Store, from 83 countries around the world. Of these total downloads, 431 unique users have made at least one edit using Pushpin. Zac put together a stats page that shows a stream of editing activity, updated every 10 minutes or so, so you can follow live changes happening from Pushpin. It’s great to see numbers like this, but the cool numbers showcase how many people have made (and continue to make) significant edits on an ongoing basis:

• 25+ edits: 86 users
• 50+ edits: 50 users
• 100+ edits: 20 users

These are great numbers to see, but the stats I find super gratifying are how many users made their first ever edit on OpenStreetMap using Pushpin, which is up to several dozen so far. There are also a few users who have many edits now that have only ever used Pushpin for mapping. This seems like small potatoes, but it could be momentous for the project at-large. Its been shown before that getting a newly registered user to learn and understand enough to make their first edit is a huge climb, though improving every day with the tireless work of the OSM developer community. We’re excited to be advancing this cause to get new users interested and making edits!

Edits

In total there have been 11,123 edits with Pushpin (as of this writing), including completely new data, and edits to existing data. Pushpin has been used to edit data in 64 countries, including places as varied as Réunion, Estonia, Afghanistan, Ghana, East Timor, and Sri Lanka. Here’s is a map I put together showing a snapshot of the edits to-date worldwide, to get a sense for the spread of its user base:

We released a significant update back in early December that makes Pushpin a far more powerful editor. With the added functionality to sign up for OSM from within the app, we’re hoping to drive even further awareness and knowledge of OSM, and more importantly, get new users to make edits and improvements to data in their neighborhoods. Thanks to all of the OSM users who have used Pushpin so far and made feature requests! You’re the reason that Pushpin and the OpenStreetMap data keep getting better and better.

Make sure to follow @pushpinapp on Twitter for announcements and info about future updates!

Since we released the initial version of Pushpin back in October, we’ve seen dozens and dozens of feature requests and a lot of input from the awesome OpenStreetMap community. It’s clear that there’s a need for simplicity and user-friendliness in the OSM editor space, and users from all over the globe have downloaded the app and made edits.

So in spare time over the last couple of months, Zac has cranked out a pretty substantial update to Pushpin, our OpenStreetMap editor for iPhone and iPad.

The biggest new feature in the update is the ability to edit tags on polygon features, things like buildings, parks, lakes, and others (even relations). Traced but untagged building outlines can be downloaded to Pushpin, edited, and saved back to OSM. Along with this capability, we’ve added quick selection lists for building and landuse types. Area and relation editing makes for a great workflow of tracing and adding basic tags back in the full editor at home, then taking Pushpin out in the field to add full attribution.

Zac also added a fantastic set of over 100 icons to represent different points of interest and make it easier to tell features apart. Makes it really satisfying to add everything in your neighborhood just to download and view all those POIs! Go grab the updated version and check it out. Hit us on Twitter with any questions, comments, or feedback.

And for the geeks in the audience, Pushpin was built with Fulcrum’s APIs, so it’s a great example of what could be built using our mobile data collection platform. Check out our demo app for iOS to see examples of using the Fulcrum API in an iOS app.

Other small (but useful) changes:

• Create a new OpenStreetMap account from within the app
• OAuth support
• Landscape support on iPad
• Fix for source tagging & other changeset tags
• Tons of stability improvements

We’re excited to get a more complete (yet still simple) editor out there to drive contribution by more casual mappers. Keeping the tool fast and easy has allowed us to grow our community locally, and we hope it can do the same for other mapping communities around the world. Lowering the bar to contribution from novice mappers by reducing complexity is important for the longevity and continued growth of the project, and we think apps like Pushpin can drive more edits from casual users. Along with MapBox’s work with iD and other design improvements, it’s an exciting time for OpenStreetMap. There are nearly a million registered OSM users, and we want them all to be active contributors.

I began each session by asking the same question, “What does geography mean to you?” Each had a similar response along the lines of memorizing places on a map. To be honest, I wasn’t surprised. I typically get the same response from adults. We then shifted into the basics of human versus physical geography and how the two intertwine to explain the complexities of their everyday lives with examples from the recent election outcome to something as simple as the water cycle.

Each class participated in two geography activities. First, we explored the Public Land Survey System using historical hand drawn maps from 1844 to reveal the exact location of their school in Pinellas county. We then compared the historical maps to recent topographic maps to discuss why and how land-use and land-cover has changed over 168 years.

The last activity entailed the students planning and mapping for a zombie virus outbreak in their school. I posed the question, “How are geographic tools used to make predictions and find solutions to a problem”? First, we collected mock zombie point locations with Fulcrum to determine where the outbreak occurred. We were able to identify and map outbreak points on the campus in Google Earth. The students determined a quarantine zone for the healthy and traced a polygon around the “Safe Zone” area with suitable infrastructure. We wrapped up the lesson by discussing how the same actions can be implemented to real disaster scenarios.

I’ve always enjoyed introducing students to the world of opportunities through geography. I’m thankful to have discovered my passion for geography at a young age and I’m appreciative for the opportunity to share it with students.

Are Internships useful?

Of course they are! Internships allow you to experience what you are learning in college, by utilizing it in an office setting, and getting real-world experience. Getting this experience will benefit you later on when you can use it for future positions or better yet, it may develop into a full-time position.

What you get out of an internship will always help you moving forward in your work, life, and overall future. Learning is endless and being around super smart people is a very contagious way to learn.

Nowadays finding a job can be a real challenge, especially if you don’t have any experience. In order to get experience, you must first find a job. Well, that is somewhat of a double-edged sword that can be difficult to get around, but an internship is a good way to do that.

Spatial Networks sees interns as passionate individuals who are willing to gain great knowledge and experience. Many finish their internships here and continue working with us full-time. It is always something to keep in mind during an internship, prove you are capable and passionate about what you are working on and that will benefit you in long run.

Do yourself a favor; look into our internship program or any other internship that may work best for you. Doing an internship is generally short-term, so you can test your future career without committing, and it’s a great way to try it out and see if it is best for you.

Nothing but GOOD can come out of an Internship.
• Meeting people in your field
• Get hands-on experience
• Test out your career choice
• Build your confidence
• Internships look great on a Resume

If you are interested in seeking an internship with Spatial Networks, Inc., please contact me careers@spatialnetworks.com and I will be happy to discuss further.

Polls are open from 7 am to 7 pm. I have class from 9:30-5:00, forty-five minutes away… I am lucky enough that if I were to show up for class 15 minutes late with an “I voted” sticker on my shirt, I’m sure my professor would understand. The extra hour of sleep from Daylight Savings Time is barely enough to motivate me to wake up earlier on a weekday. Wouldn’t it be nice if there were another way?

The Census Bureau is working on making public participation easier (and less expensive). The 2013 American Community Survey is going to be available online, but that’s an annual form delivered only to a sample size of 2.5% of American households. The most recent decennial census questionnaire, in 2010, cost $13 billion. The 28% non-respondants made it so 1.4 million census workers had to visit door-to-door. These workers were supposed to be outfitted with handheld computers but due to technical malfunctions, they had to be replaced with good ol’ fashioned pencils and paper (worth $3 billion). The effort to keep up with a culture of automation is appreciated, but with over half of Americans already in ownership of smartphones, the 2020 census could utilize the tech their workers will likely already own to do the work.

Estonia was the first nation to vote via cell phone in 2011. Voters who wanted to participate were assigned an identification chip for their cell phones. To prevent intimidation tactics, voters were allowed to vote as many times as they wanted to and only the most recent vote was counted. Finland and Sweden are apparently also looking to implement something similar.

Many surveys have concluded that the top reasons for low voter turnout in the U.S. are “Lack of interest” and “Couldn’t make it (too busy/sick)”. While mobile data collection software, like Fulcrum, may not be able to combat general apathy (or maybe it can!), it could definitely make it easier for the busy, sick, immobile or couch-locked citizen to vote. Not spending the additional cash for specially designed polling machines or census handheld computers in favor of mobile phones/tablets would only sweeten the deal.

Do you think utilizing Fulcrum could encourage voter turnout? Do you think Fulcrum would be better for census respondents or census workers? Leave a reply!

By far, what resonated most with me during this year’s event was the keynote by DNI Clapper, particularly the comments about sequestration during a time where the US and it’s allies around the world are faced with threats and challenges that rival the height of the Cold War.  A perfect storm of sorts and like the movie, it’s not likely to end well.

There is a light in the distance (I don’t think it’s the proverbial freight train however), in that another proverb comes to mind: necessity is the mother of invention.  Shrinking GEOINT budgets should (and I stress, should, all things being equal) force the NGA and other areas of the USG involved in GEOINT (ok, so that’s every body) to make wiser, more cost-effective choices when it comes to technology solutions, infrastructure, services and data.  Getting more for less (or at least at financial parity) is part of the strategic success to navigate through the uncertain times ahead and survive, if not thrive, during sequestration.

Small and medium sized companies provide what the GEOINT community needs most today; innovation.  Most small companies must radically innovate and take risks in order to survive against large, lumbering incumbents (software and service providers).  It’s not an unfair criticism to state that almost no real innovation occurs in really large companies (you know who you are), and it is truly a rare thing to see breakthrough innovation in large organizations.  When we do see this from big companies, it’s because of a radical champion who goes against the grain of conventional, corporate culture and group-think, breaks the mold, inspires and motivates others to challenge the status quo.  Jeff Jonas continues to be one of the rarest of the rare in that category, and since I am on that subject, the standout shout-outs go to Chris Tucker (“Tucker was right”) and Abe Usher, both attributed by Jonas during his keynote talk during the luncheon.

Corporations are not people (sorry Mr. Romney), but they do act very much like people at times.  When a business reaches a certain revenue milestone, the business leadership starts to adopt an explicit, risk-adverse posture.  We see this in the human experience all the time.  I’m always perplexed by this transformation in businesses and I’ve come to the conclusion that when this shift happens, it is because the goals of the business are no longer aligned with the goals of the customer base.  It’s subtle, but look for it in the GEOINT industry.  It is particularly frustrating when it is taxpayer funding that supports and drives a large majority of the revenues of many of the largest companies in the industry and yet, the returns for every dollar diminish rapidly year over year.

I was truly encouraged to see considerable traction in the FOSS4G / MIL-OSS community during this GEOINT event, and the growing community that is beginning to realize the significant power and value that open-source has for GEOINT, not to mention that many of those open-source companies are also small, hungry and innovative centers of excellence that are worthy custodians and stewards of taxpayer funds.  I look forward to the growth of this community and hopefully to a greater contribution as our own company explores various business models in that arena.

I’m already anxiously awaiting GEOINT 2013 for many reasons, not least of which, is that it is going to be in Tampa, Florida and in our neighborhood where we can showcase what small business in Florida has to offer the GEOINT community at large.  Be sure to mark it on your calendar for next year and if some decisions favor us over the next year, we’ll have some surprises in store for the event.

All in all, it was a fantastic event, packed with great presentations from all sorts of angles and interests in OpenStreetMap – from software development, to cartography, to mapping in the field, to data visualization. The OpenStreetMap community is vibrant in every sense of the word, and is poised to take it to the next level given the project’s amazing growth so far in 2012.

Project founder Steve Coast kicked off the first day with a great opener and his perspectives on OSM’s trajectory, and where he sees the important things ahead in 2013. He made a point of focusing on the serious commercial viability of OpenStreetMap as a dataset and platform, and announced a 2013 “Commercial Users Conference” for businesses to get together and discuss OSM in the context of business, rather than from a volunteer or contributor standpoint. It’s exciting for the growth and maturity of the project.

I presented a side project of mine, field surveying water features (while out kayaking, fishing, and sailing) to add to OSM, with the objective of having an free and open dataset of nautical information that can be used by anyone to build their own nautical charts. Zac demonstrated the design process of our latest app, Pushpin, and the technical process of building out a mobile editor for OpenStreetMap data. We were only a small part of the great lineup of presenters. Dane Springmeyer and Artem Pavlenko covered new features in Mapnik 2.1, Nathaniel Kelso & Mike Migurski showed their terrain maps, and Martijn van Exel launched the next iteration of the “Re-Map-a-Tron” for fixing issues in OSM data. You can peruse the the talk schedule and check out a lot of the slides on the OSM wiki.

Included below are slides from both my and Zac’s talks. Let us know what you think in comments or find us on Twitter at @colemanm and @zacmcc. Photos are courtesy of Justin Miller, who took some great shots throughout the weekend, and are up on the Flickr group.