USA

Manual curation of geospatial data, especially in the realm of renewable energy infrastructure and natural resource monitoring, involves a thorough process of aggregating, cleaning, and correcting datasets from various sources, often across multiple countries. This challenge has hindered efforts in emissions reduction, disaster relief, urban planning, and more, where precise geospatial insights are paramount. While ...

In 2021, investors spent $50 billion purchasing 80,000 homes, accounting for about 18% of all homes sold in the United States that year. And as home prices increase, residential properties grow more attractive to investors who can resell renovated homes for higher prices or charge higher rents. It’s a trend that concerns local leaders nationwide, ...

The U.S. Geological Survey recently published a new topobathymetric lidar dataset for the Potomac River as part of its 3D Elevation Program (3DEP). Topobathymetric lidar provides 3D maps of the submerged riverine topography. The maps were produced in two phases for more than 120 river miles of the Potomac River through a data-acquisition contract with ...

Google is expanding its sustainability offerings with new products from its Google Maps platform, including mapping technologies for solar energy, air quality, and pollen distribution. The mapping tools use AI and machine learning paired with aerial imagery and environmental data to provide valuable information for developers, businesses, and organizations to track and mitigate their environmental ...

As growing seasons become hotter and drier across the region, farmers are increasingly challenged to grow and sustain their crops. Now Oregon State University is close to launching a dry farming map project. Lucas Nebert, a research associate at OSU, heads the project. He told KLCC that a lot of farmers are interested in alternatives ...

The Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution (TEMPO) instrument collected its “first light” measurements of nitrogen dioxide air pollution over North America on August 2, 2023. Beginning at 11:15 AM Eastern Daylight Time (8:15 AM Pacific Time), the instrument scanned the continent every hour for six consecutive hours. TEMPO measures sunlight reflected and scattered off the ...

Hexagon’s Geosystems division has updated high-resolution aerial data covering the entire Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands as part of the HxGN Content Program. Captured during the 2021-2023 flying seasons, the data set includes four-band, 6-inch resolution orthorectified imagery of Puerto Rico — except Isla Mona and Isla Desecheo, which are offered at 12-inch ...

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources will collect water samples from about 180 wells in St. Louis County for use in the development of a Groundwater Atlas of St. Louis County. Selected well owners will be contacted by mail or phone to request permission to sample their wells. The process involves collecting a water sample ...

In addition to datasets based on mercurial census tracts and census blocks, the U.S. Census Bureau will soon begin publishing datasets in a more reliable gridded format, an agency geographer said during an online event Thursday. Joshua Coutts, a geographer with the bureau’s geography division, told attendees of a National States Geographic Information Council webinar ...

Technology is helping folks with their daily lives find their basic needs. The Find Food IL Map is a digital tool created in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will likely stick around as food insecurity becomes more prevalent. When the pandemic hit, many families found themselves grappling with a new reality – a ...

The Oklahoma Broadband Office launched a new, interactive broadband map on Tuesday that details the availability, speed and equity of internet service across the state. The map shows locations in Oklahoma that either have slow internet speeds or don’t have access to internet at all. It aims to aid the state in planning how to ...

Anglian Water reports saving millions of litres of water with space-based detection of water leaks that are otherwise invisible. The company, which supplies water to almost 7 million people mainly in the east of England, launched the programme in December 2022. Based on two complete scans of its service area has reported saving over 2Ml/d ...

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) has released the first iteration the Integrated Geospatial Information Framework (IGIF)-M (Marine) Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) Maturity Roadmap for both marine and terrestrial domains. Developed as part of OGC’s ongoing Federated Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (FMSDI) Initiative, the IGIF-(M)SDI Maturity Roadmap is a quick-start guide for nations and marine organizations ...

With the release of GeoCue’s three new, high-end TrueView 3D Imaging Systems, surveying and mapping professionals can take their drone-based operations to new levels. The Alabama-based company’s TV625, TV680, and TV680LR offer customers access to a full range of advanced-level systems for collecting LiDAR and photogrammetry. Each system combines a lightweight and compact laser scanner ...

A team at the University of Washington has developed the first underwater 3D-positioning app for smart devices. “Mobile devices today can work nearly anywhere on Earth.” said lead author Tuochao Chen, a UW doctoral student in the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science & Engineering. “But the one place where we still hadn’t made ...

A Japanese company developing a constellation of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) imaging satellites is the latest to turn to Rocket Lab after the bankruptcy of rival launch company Virgin Orbit. Rocket Lab announced Aug. 17 that it signed a contract with Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space (iQPS) for a dedicated launch of its QPS-SAR-5 ...

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has released a compilation of national-scale geological, geophysical and mineral resource datasets from Australia, Canada and the US through a collaboration between the three countries’ federal geological surveys. “Geology doesn’t stop at the border and neither does our data,” said USGS scientist Anne McCafferty, who led the effort. “Scientists will ...

GEM has been producing low-speed electric vehicles for more than 25 years and has sold more than 65,000 of them. LSVs are more than a golf cart—they are street legal on most roads posted 35 mph or less. Yet knowing where those roads are and where a GEM can take you can be a challenge. ...

The University of South Florida has received a $1.5 million National Science Foundation grant which will allow researchers at the university to develop an application to identify flood risks. The app will combine volunteered geographic information and community crowdsourced data such as photos, and videos, with near real-time data on flooding. Using dynamic modeling and ...

Earlier this month, Planet Labs PBC, a leading provider of daily data and insights about Earth, completed its previously announced acquisition of the business of Holding Sinergise d.o.o. (“Sinergise”), a leading developer platform for Earth observation (EO) data. The purchase of the Sinergise business, based in Ljubljana, Slovenia, accelerates the advancement of Planet’s Earth Data ...

NYC Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch famously said in 2022 that “the rats don’t run this city, we do” — but a newly launched map showing rodent-related violations shows it may be closer to a 50/50 split. The color-coded and searchable map was introduced Tuesday. It breaks down at a building-by-building level what places passed their ...

Mapbox, a maps and location platform, has released new platform updates to enhance user’s 3D mapping experience by adding powerful dynamic lighting capabilities and landmark 3D buildings. The new ready-to-use platform aims to enhance wayfinding and spatial orientation for users and provides a polished canvas for custom location data. Mapbox Standard is now accessible in ...

An interdisciplinary team from San Diego State University analyzed the accessibility of public restrooms along transit lines countywide and found a shortage of facilities, particularly in the busiest stations, and a lack of important features in existing restrooms. Their project, “Where Can You Go On the Go?” was an initiative of SDSU’s Project for Sanitation ...

Neuralangelo, a new AI model by NVIDIA Research for 3D reconstruction using neural networks, turns 2D video clips into detailed 3D structures — generating lifelike virtual replicas of buildings, sculptures and other real-world objects. Like Michelangelo sculpting stunning, life-like visions from blocks of marble, Neuralangelo generates 3D structures with intricate details and textures. Creative professionals ...

The City of Midland spends $2.5 million a year to bring water to Midland. On Tuesday, the Midland City Council approved a contract that will help make sure more of that water reaches the city and its customers. City leaders approved $212,000 in costs with Asterra of La Jolla, California, and that Asterra will perform ...

The Wyoming State Geological Survey has developed a new interactive map that will make it easier to research the state’s extensive mineral resources. The online Mineral Resources of Wyoming map will be routinely updated as new data become available. The map is an update and expansion of the WSGS’s 2018 Mines and Minerals map. New ...

Having somewhere to cool off on a hot day in Austin is crucial to staying safe during the summer. Knowing where you can go to cool off is now easier for Austinites and visitors thanks to an interactive Google Map on the City’s Alerts page. During the summer months, City facilities like Austin Public Library ...

The U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission issued a solicitation for an unclassified report on China’s remote sensing technologies and applications. The commission, established in 2000, is an independent agency of the U.S. government that directly reports to Congress and the president. The request for proposals, issued Aug. 8, seeks a report that assesses China’s ...

Hurricane-related flooding can result in a slow transformation of ecosystems found on land and in water, as floodwaters can carry invasive wildlife and plant species into new regions, accelerating their spread. When invasive species spread into new areas, there can be environmental, economic and human health effects that can cost the U.S. billions of dollars. ...

As non-native plants invade new areas, state officials worry about their effects on local ecosystems, infrastructure and recreation. Japanese knotweed, an invasive plant commonly found in the Northeast along roadsides, wetland areas and waterways, for example, can damage highway and water infrastructure, according to a 2021 report from the U.S. Transportation Department. It can grow ...