GeoCom sparkles in Warwick - GIS Professional · and Anne Kemp sharing a moment with Simon Wheeler....

Talking to Ordnance Survey’s new supremo

Location intelligence and government

UNCAP: geospatial and healthcare

AGI’s 2015 Awards

Resilient futures at AGI’s annual conference

Stuttgart debuts data capture technologies

Schutzberg: W3W needs cultural change

Capturing gullies the SMART way

News | People | Products & Services | GiSPro’s columnists

sponsored by

issue 67 : December 2015

sponsored by

. . . joining the geography jigsaw

GeoCom sparkles in Warwick

Leica Geosystems LtdHexagon House, Michigan Drive, Tongwell,Milton Keynes, MK15 8HTTel: 01908 [email protected]

our mission. . .to help grow the business for the wholeGIS community by providing an effective,

reliable and timely medium for news,information and comment.

Publisher: Stephen BoothEditor: Stephen Booth

Advertising & Subscriptions: Sharon RobsonSub-editor and Designer: Jason Poole

Editorial advisory board:James KavanaghDr Muki Haklay

Adena SchutzbergDr Suchith Anand

Robin Waters

Editorial and advertising:PV Publications Ltd

2B North RoadStevenage

Hertfordshire SG1 4ATUnited Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1438 352617e-mail: [email protected]

web: www.gisprofessional.co.uk

Material to be Published: All submissions willbe handled with reasonable care, but the

publishers assume no respons ibility for safety ofphotographs or manu scripts. Every precaution istaken to ensure accuracy, but publishers cannotaccept respons ib ility for the accuracy of inform -ation published or for any opinion expressed.

Reprints: Reprints of all articles are available.Call 01438 352617 for details.

Advertising: Information about advertisementrates, schedules etc. are available in a media

pack. Go to www.gisprofessional.co.ukor call 01438 352617

Publishers: PV Publications LtdNo material may be reproduced in whole or in

part without the written permission of thepublishers. © 2015 ISSN 1748-3646

Printing: The Manson Group, St Albans

read on. . .

Front cover: GeoCom 2015 images. MCRollo Home centre stage surrounded by,clockwise from the top, exhibitors, Peter

Gibb, intensive networking, the conferenceteam, Prof Iain Stewart and to his right, OS

CEO Nigel Clifford, the happy AGI staff teamand Anne Kemp sharing a moment with

Simon Wheeler. Full story begins page 14.

Next Issue: FEBRUARY 2016Copy dates Editorial: 11 January

Advertising: 19 January

p.05 Editorialp.06 Newsp.09 People

p.28 Products & Servicesp.30 GIS Calendar p.31 GiSPro Classified

> GISPro’s STANDFASTS

> GISPro’s COLUMNS

p.09 Adena Schutzberg – does W3W need Google?

p.27 AGI Column - What can we do together and what you can do

to subscribe to GiSPro, go towww.pvpubs.com/GISProfessional/Home

contentsIssue No 67 December 2015

p. 12

p. 10

p. 23

p. 08

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

03

p. 18

AGI AwardsGeoCom 2015 was the occasion to make the AGI’s awards for excellenceand achievement under the lively guidance of geologist Prof Iain Stewart.

How government is using location intelligenceLocal authorities are using location intelligence for digital engagementwith citizens, and to drive down costs, explains James Brayshaw.

UNCAP: geospatial and healthcareInteresting solutions that rely on geospatial technologies are emerging tosupport Europe’s ageing population. GiSPro reports from a recent conference.

Big Five comes of age at GeoCom’s Resilient FuturesIn the first of two reports on AGI’s annual conference we focus onDay One, including the plenaries, sessions and a little social fun.

Talking to Nigel CliffordWe quiz the new man at the helm of Ordnance Survey on a range oftopics, including Big Data, academia & research, and those pesky partners.

Caught in the gullyLast year’s winner of the AGI’s Best use of Geospatial for BusinessAward tells us all about Gulley SMART and proactive drain cleaning.

Data capture technologies at Stuttgart IntergeoWe report from September’s mega geospatial event, which saw manynew technology launches for data capture, explains editor Stephen Booth.

p. 25

p. 14

GEO Business @GEOBusinessShow# geobiz

Organised by:

Call for PapersDEADLINE22 January 2016

Submit abstracts online

BUSINESS 2016LONDON UK 24 – 25 MAY

www.GeoBusinessShow.com

The geospatial event for everyone involved in the gathering, storing, processing and delivering of geospatial information.

Incorporating:

· World class Exhibition

· Cutting edge Conference

· Commercial Workshops

· Networking Opportunities

In collaboration with:

EMPOWERING GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRIES


22 January 2016

DEADLINECall for Papers


22 January 2016

DEADLINECall for Papers SINESUB

.GeoBusinewwwONDONL

02SSINES

sShos.GeoBusine25 MA– 24UKONDON

610

om.cwY5 MA AY



ybdesinag

:y

GNIREWOPME

UDNILAITAATPSOEGG

BOEG

ybdesinagrO

SEIRTSU

# geobiz@GEOBusinessShowssenisuB

:y

@GEOBusinessShow

Step

www.gisprofessional.co.uk

Re-charged, we face new challengesDid you attend GeoCom 2015 in November? If you didn’t you missed a lively and truly informativeevent, which must surely have re-charged every delegate’s verve for all things GI related. In thesetough times, when company budgets for conferencing are often non-existent and time away fromdesks is in even shorter supply, the AGI managed to organise two (and a half if we include theForesight 2020 report on the evening of 23 November) very attractive days, especially around plenariesand debates. We’ve reported on Day One in this issue (pages 14-17); in February we’ll cover Day Two.In the meantime if anyone who attended sessions not covered by our small team and would like topen a para or two please get in touch.

I cannot too strongly recommend that all readers download and study the Foresight 2020 report. Thereis plenty of wisdom there from the industry’s thought leaders, cage rattlers and pundits. We will reviewit in more detail in the next issue. In the meantime, read it and tell us what you think; it was definitelyanother milestone achievement for the team led by Anne Kemp, which cajoled and chased contributionsand then edited it into a readable document. Well done guys. It’s available to anyone for free athttp://www.agi.org.uk/about/resources/category/100-foresight?download=160:agi-foresight-2020.

I hope you enjoy our interview with Nigel Clifford (pages 18-21). His presentation at GeoComdemonstrated his analytical and presentational skills. His leadership and management ability are soonlikely be tested. He brings a very different skill-set to the job than his predecessor, but skills that willcome into play in the coming years as Ordnance Survey faces very different challenges and changes,driven by government.

Elsewhere in this issue James Brayshaw (pages 10 & 11) makes a cogent case for government usinglocation intelligence to drive down costs. He identifies three ‘D’s’ – decentralisation, digital and data,against the challenges of retaining skilled staff, constantly driving down costs, changing demographics(think ageing population), new ways of working and wider collaboration with other agencies. WhatJames did not mention but which can certainly help cash-strapped council, is open source software.To implement it requires enthusiasm, imaginative management and dedication. All these qualitiesseem to have been in abundance at Royal Borough of Windsor & Maidenhead, where Simon Miles andcolleagues have managed to save £75k over three years by moving from proprietary GIS software toopen source. Great work guys (more on page 17).

Just as we were going to press the chancellor published his autumn statement with more than a fewsurprises, some welcome others perhaps less so. Ominously, as we report in News, there are changesahead for Land Registry (outright privatisation looms) and for Ordnance Survey, where there is a callto bring in private capital. What can it mean? Is the OS under capitalised? The last time I looked it wasmaking steady profit for the Treasury. What else could it do without further upsetting its partners andcommercial competitors? It can only mean a more commercially aggressive OS. Watch this space.

Lastly, my good wishes for the coming holiday. I hope it will be peaceful for you and those dear toyou. We shall be back with the first issue for 2016 in February.

Stephen Booth, Editor

.

welcome. . .to the December 2015 issue of GIS Professional. . .

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

05

There is plentyof wisdom

there from theindustry’s

thought leaders,cage rattlersand pundits.

“

“

joining the geography jigsaw

from the editorIssue No 67 December 2015

With this issue you will find our annual Year Planner. Please put it up some-where prominent; it helps encourage new readers as well as underscoringyour role as a “GIS Professional”

eclipse the backlash over nationalsecurity agencies and theprotection of personal data. Keyareas to watch, he says, will be:

The rapid development of•technologies that allowgreater flexibility and securityto end users, providing amore predictive and proactiveapproach of securityprocedures. Emerging trendswill include unmanned aerialsystems, the Internet ofThings and wearable devicesin public safety and intelligentsecurity solutions.The emergence of Internet of•Things programmes in publicsafety. There will be a rapidgrowth of IP-enabled devicesused by law enforcementdepartments. 4G LTE connecteddevices used by officers, invehicles and within surveillancesystems, is expected growth atover 13% until 2024.The increased debate on•intelligence and privacy,following the soaringterrorism threat levels acrossthe globe. The rising concernabout privacy laws andtechnologically sophisticatedterrorism networks will alsoeclipse the backlash againstthe National Security Agency(NSA) and protection ofpersonal data.The rising use of Web•intelligence and Big Dataanalytics throughout lawenforcement. Constraints onbudgets and an increasedfocus on business efficiencywill squeeze security providerprices with a focus onaffordable security solutionsthat show a clear return oninvestment both forprotection and operation. Thecyber problem will continuewith a call for greatercollaboration betweengovernment and industry,focus in the boardroom, andbetter cyber security hygiene.The continuous growth of•investments in critical


LR and OS for privatisation?The UK Government’s AutumnStatement & Spending Reviewrevealed a couple of anticipatedpieces of news regarding key

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

06 joining the geography jigsaw

organisations in GI. Firstly thereview contains the statement thatthe Government will “consult onoptions to move operations of theLand Registry to the private sector

from 2017”. The second, andsomewhat mysteriously relates toOrdnance Survey where they’resaying they will “develop optionsto bring private capital into theOrdnance Survey before 2020”.Watch this space, as they say.

Edinburgh’s space labThe University of Edinburgh hasteamed up with sustainabilitysoftware and data firm Ecometricato establish a new EarthObservation Lab aimed at derivingmaximum benefit from the vastamounts of spatial data producedby satellites. It will allowresearchers around the world toshare data and create customisedapplications to monitorenvironmental changes in forests,agriculture and coastal ecosystems.

The Lab, built on Ecometrica’scloud-based satellite data andmapping platform, will be hostedat the university’s School ofGeoSciences. The school’sProfessor Mathew Williams said:“Space is a big frontier foreconomic growth and job creation,and Ecometrica’s platform allowsscientists querying large spatialdatasets to share their researchfindings with organisations aroundthe world and make it available toa wide variety of users indeveloping countries.”

Mega trends identifiedBusiness analysts and forecastersFrost & Sullivan has identified thetop five “mega trends” in thesecurity industry (published beforeNovember’s terrorist attacks inParis). F&S say these trends willshape the way in whichgovernments will protect theircitizens and critical assets in thefuture. The analysis behind thesetrends is presented on a video bysenior consultant AnthonyLeather who argues thatchanging dynamics in securitysuch as the rise of wearabledevices and the Internet of Thingswill define public safetyprogrammes. He also says thatconcerns over privacy laws will

Issue No 67 December 2015

news

With groundwater flood damage in the UK costing an estimated £210million a year, a new 5-metre groundwater flood risk map has beenlaunched from independent environmental consultancy ESI. Thedevelopers claim this is the most sophisticated and accurate mapcurrently available on the market, enabling groundwater flood riskinformation on individual properties.

The map, which also includes a digital terrain model (DTM) basedon LiDAR data from the Environment Agency, is part of a developmentprogramme, that began in 2013 with a 50m resolution map and whichhas been used to screen more than 400,000 UK property transactions inthe last year. Combining comprehensive data on geology, permeabilityand historic groundwater levels, the new map includes flooding frompermeable superficial deposits which can have major implications indownstream river valleys and coastal areas. By offering a bettergranularity of risk boundaries, topography and integration with other5m surface and fluvial flooding datasets, the map provides far morereal world claritythan ever before. It will deliver address level insightwith significant implications for insurance premium calculations, landand property resilience planning and conveyancing due diligence.

Five-metre flood risk map launched

The image compares pre-existing 50m and the new 5m dataset.


GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

07joining the geography jigsaw

infrastructure security, aslegacy systems are replacedwith newer technology.Highlights include the growthof airport and mass transportinfrastructure in Asia Pacific,an expected investmentgrowth of 8% into bordersecurity, and stronginvestment in cyber solutionsin banking and finance overthe coming years.

Ireland’s GeoHive buzzesGeoHive, a free platform whichenables people to combine andlayer location-based informationfrom a range of public sectorbodies has been launched byOrdnance Survey Ireland (OSi) toprovide easy access to definitive,trusted and maintained spatialdata services from a range ofpublic sector bodies.

A report commissioned byOSi, estimates that the use ofgeospatial or location-basedinformation accrues annualsavings of �82m in the publicsector, time savings with aneconomic value of �279m, andcompetition benefits of �104m.According to OSi chief executiveColin Bray, “Accurate informationhelps us all to make betterdecisions. GeoHive is designed toallow users to join or ‘mash-up’information on a map, providinga deeper understanding of topicsthat impact our lives. Forexample, one of the stories wetell with GeoHive – called Buyinga Property in Ireland – gatherstogether data from manydifferent sources to enablepeople to view that informationin a single site to assist with theevaluation of one location toanother. The informationpresented includes propertyprices, transport, education andplanning”.

Welcoming the moveMinister for Communications,Energy and Natural Resources,Alex White TD added, “GeoHiveis going to help us modernisepublic service delivery by

providing a free and accessibleportal where it’s easy to find,share and use the State’slocation data.” GeoHivereplaces the existing mapviewer on the OSi websitewhich has attracted over 1.5munique visitors a year. Itrepresents the first time OSi hasdeveloped a collaborativeservice to meet the needs of itsuser community”, added Bray.

GeoHive can be accessed onall platforms – PC, tablet andsmart phone. Users will be ableto create and share access toweb maps that they havecreated via social platforms suchas email, Facebook, Twitter,LinkedIn and more. GeoHivecan be accessed atwww.geohive.ie

Geovation topic will bewaterThe ninth Geovation Challengelaunched in last month. Thetopic will be Water. Use yourgeospatial imagination to thinkof innovative solutions thatglobally recognise problems. Theprize is funding and expertise tohelp realise the most promisingideas. Along the way there’s aboot camp, which is great forpersonal development. Seewww.geovation.org

Recording threatenedmonumentsThe BBC website reports that3D cameras are being given outto record ancient monumentsthat may be at risk ofdestruction. Residents will beasked to capture images as partof a project by Oxford andHarvard archaeologists. Theproject intends to distribute upto 5,000 cameras in conflictzones across the world andcapture about one millionimages of at-risk objects by theend of 2016. The initiative hasrenewed urgency following thedestruction of a temple inPalmyra. See www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-34085546

There is more news of companies and organisations on our website at www.location-source.com To get your company featured on these pages call Sharon Robson on +44 (0)1438 352617


news

Galileo launchEurope’s satellite navigationsystem has come a step nearerto completion with the launchof Galileo 9 and 10, whichlifted off together inSeptember from Europe’sSpaceport in French Guiana,atop a Soyuz launcher. Twofurther satellites are scheduledfor launch by end of this year.“Production of the satelliteshas attained a regular rhythm,”said Didier Faivre, ESA’sdirector of Galileo andnavigation-related activities.

Next year the deployment ofthe Galileo constellation will beboosted by the entry intooperation of a speciallycustomised Ariane 5 launcherthat can double, from two tofour, the number of satellitesthat can be inserted into orbitwith a single launch.

Satellite imagery growthDigitalGlobe has a geospatialindustry report entitled Engage2015. In it the company givesthe results of a survey of 150senior professionals. The reportsees the availability ofaffordable cloud services and inparticular 30cm resolutionimagery as key factors in thegrowth in use of satelliteimagery and forecasts rapidgrowth in the next few years.Visit: http://go.digitalglobe.com/e30gBW03000BHS0050OH80R

Autonomous VehiclesJaguar Land Rover and EPSRChave announced a jointlyfunded £11 million autonomousvehicle research programme.The research will take place atten UK universities and theTransport Research Laboratory.

OS Grad SchemeOrdnance Survey’s graduaterecruitment scheme for 2016 haslaunched, offering graduates theopportunity to lead the way ondeveloping innovative andinspirational solutions for digital

data. Working at Southampton,the recruits will join a structuredtwo-year programme where theywill get experience working withdifferent teams across thebusiness, delivering projects, andmeeting our customers. Thestarting salary for each role is£27,000.

UKMap maps St HelenaThe UKMap team within TheGeoInformation Group has beencommissioned by the St HelenaGovernment to create acartographic database for theisland’s new 1:25,000 and1:10,000 scale mapping. TheSouth Atlantic island currentlyrelies on Ordnance Survey mapsdating back to 1990. Thedevelopment of an internationalairport, a major road and a wharfhave rendered the existing mapsout of date. The aim is to printthe maps in time for the firstflights in late February 2016.

Certification update forconsultancyGlobal management and digitaltransformation consultancyInformed Solutions has beenawarded ISO/IEC 27001:2013certification for InformationSecurity Management. As CyberSecurity threats have increased inprofile, diversity and impact, theISO27001 standard has evolvedto address these challenges. Inparticular, the standard placesgreater emphasis on howorganisations: (1) set strategicsecurity objectives that areappropriate to the context theyoperate in; (2) measure theirperformance; and, (3) managesecurity throughout the supplychain, recognising that modernorganisations are increasinglyreliant on outsourced services,particularly with the advent ofthe Cloud.

OGC and point cloudsThe Open GeospatialConsortium (OGC) is calling forpublic participation in its newly-

The Award for Excellence inEducation went to UlsterUniversity’s “iMap: delivering GISin schools”, a collaborative projectpartnering undergraduate GISstudents with secondary schoolteachers throughout NorthernIreland to develop a GIS manualthrough modular assessment,which can subsequently be taughtin schools.

The Award for BestGeospatial Data Visualisationwent to “INRIX PopulationAnalytics visualisation, ITOWorld”, a population analyticsplatform, using anonymised andaggregated real-time mobilephone network data to showpopulation density andmovement.

Next came the AGI Award forExcellence in Research &Development, which went toWebCAT – Transport for London’sWeb-based ConnectivityAssessment Toolkit, a service thatimproves the quality and clarity ofthe geo-spatial information used tomake planning decisions in London.


GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al


established Point Cloud DomainWorking Group (Point CloudDWG). The purpose of the PointCloud DWG is to assess thecurrent state of standards andbest practices in themanagement of point clouddata and to guide OGCactivities in working with ordeveloping standards for pointcloud data interoperability,discovery, and dissemination.

Details on the Point CloudDomain Working Group can befound at: www.opengeospatial.org/projects/groups/pointclouddwg. Interested parties canjoin the e-mail list at:l i s t s . o p e n g e o s p a t i a l . o r g /mailman/listinfo/pointcloud.dwg.

Intergraph re-brandsIntergraph’s Security, Government& Infrastructure (SG&I) divisionhas re-branded globally asHexagon Safety & Infrastructure.

The new name more closely alignsthe business and its solutions withparent company, Hexagon. Thenew company will continue to usethe Intergraph name in productbranding.

QE II conference centredatesGeoPlace has announced thatits 2016 annual conference andexhibition will take place onThursday 28th April at theQueen Elizabeth II ConferenceCentre in central London. Nowin its 11th year, the event bringsthe local authority addressing,streets and geographicinformation communitytogether with industrysuppliers, to share best practiceand benefit from knowledgetransfer. The conference, whichusually attracts over 350delegates, is open to localauthority attendees across

Great Britain and is free ofcharge to attend. More atwww.geoplace.co.uk

Another organisation usingthe popular and plush QEIIcentre is Esri UK. Registration isnow open for the Esri UKAnnual Conference 2016 whichis scheduled for Tuesday 17May. Registrations athttp://esriuk.com/events/annual-conference-2016/registration

PEOPLE

Following a 25 year career in thegeospatial sector working in avariety of high profile roles bothin the UK and Japan, former AGIand Royal Meteorological SocietyCEO Chris Holcroft (right) hasjoined Informed Solutions asprincipal consultant. Chris wasmost recently director ofstrategic business development


news & people

GeoCom 2015 conference (seepages 14-17) ended with a dinnerand annual Awards for GeospatialExcellence, presided over bypopular BBC geologist ProfessorIain Stewart (described as“geology’s rock star”!). The aimof the awards is to recognise thevery best of the UK geospatialindustry and its professionalsduring 2015, as well as tocelebrate and share new insightsand foster creativity and growth.

This was a lively event withIain Stewart in top form along sideAGI Chair David Henderson. Theconference award for best paperwent to Liz Scott (emapsite) for:“Move over maps: Step out ofyour GI comfort zone and starttackling data visualisation”. Thenext award was for the best paperpresented at an AGI event duringthe year. This went to Dr ColinRoberts, Universities Police ScienceInstitute (UPSI) for: “Future Cities:Security, London - Will SmarterCities Be Safer Cities?”

AGI 2015 Awards The Award for Excellencewith Impact went to “Ebolaresponse” for MapAction’steam of volunteers and staffdeployed to Ebola-affectedcountries (Liberia, Sierra Leoneand Mali) to help tackle thespread of the disease.

The Award for Best Use ofGeospatial for Business Benefitwas won by “ORBIS Geo-RINMViewer”, a geospatial viewer forNetwork Rail that integratesfragmented asset data andimagery from across NR’s16,000km of track.

The AGI Early Career

Professional award went to PaulGeorgie and his “GrangemouthThermal 3D Survey”. The AGIStudent of the Year was to SharonRichardson, University CollegeLondon for “Measuring MobileDigital Footprints: A ModernIndex of Urban Interaction”.

The AGI Award for ExceptionalService went to Andy Murdock forhis considerable input in theAwards and the ECN Group. TheChairperson’s Award forOutstanding Service to the AGIwent to Jonathan Marshall. TheAGI Award for Career Achievementin GI went to Les Rackham.

for Ordnance Survey (OS)International.

Speaking of his new role,Chris said, “With mybackground in the geospatialsector both in the UK, MiddleEast, Far East and Pacific Rim,this is a perfect opportunityfor me to continue to developin the industry that I havebeen passionate about for allmy working life.” He willdivide his time betweenInformed’s Altrincham HQ andLondon Offices.

JonathanMarshall(centre)

received theChair's

OutstandingService to

the AGIAward.



GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

09

columnist adena schutzberg


AS I WRITE IN NOVEMBER, there’s word thatWhat3Words (W3W), the UK startup, has received newfunding led by Intel Capital. That brings the company’sfunding since its 2013 founding to $5m. W3W offers asolution for the confused state of world addresses byassigning three word codes to 3 × 3 metre grid squaresacross the globe. I’m writing this at “clash.surely.boss.”

How it works There’s nothing really magical abouthow W3W works. To find your three word locationyou identify its grid square on a map. How? Usinggood old fashioned geocoding!

W3W uses the Google Maps geocoder in its onlinetool. The user types in an address, city or postcode, thenlooks at the map to hone in on the exact grid square ofinterest. A user providing a location for the postman todeliver mail, might choose the box that includes thefront door or the standalone box. One providing alocation for a friend driving over might include the onewith the driveway. The three word location is provided inthe language of choice; W3W currently supports ninelanguages. The company worked hard to keep naughtyand embarrassing words out of the system.

With the three term address in hand, the usercan share the easy to remember triplet with whoeverneeds it. The recipient will use a W3W enabled toolto identify the location and most likely, if needed,use traditional routing tools to find a route.

In short, W3W offers a service that’s a giant, multi-language mapping table for its very small area gridsquares. The code converts triplets back and forth tomore familiar address forms: streets addresses,latitude and longitude, building names, etc.

The problems W3W solves W3W’s solutionprovides unique addresses for every 3 × 3 metre squareof land and water on earth. Many countries do notcurrently have any sort of addresses and others haveinconsistent, incomplete or complex-to-use solutions.

The solution offers addresses for much smallerareas than most addresses currently support. Housenumbers and baseball field identifiers don’t detailwhere the mailbox is or where the home dugout is.W3W can do that.

The solution uses familiar terms rather than seeminglyrandom numbers or letters to identify a location. This, thecompany suggests, makes addresses more memorableand less prone to miscommunication orally or in writing.This use of actual words is what makes W3W differentfrom many solutions that came before it. A number ofcompanies had solutions with word and number codes(US, NEW YORK, TIMES SQUARE or 8CNJ Q8ZG) or wordscreated, and sometimes paid for, by those interested inthe address (JohnsHouse).

The problems W3W faces W3W has made itscase convincingly enough to win awards and garner

continued funding. Esri has implemented the systemon its platform. W3W does not face a technologychallenge; it faces a cultural one.

In areas of the world with no or challengingsystems, W3W has a lot of promise. It also has promiseon campuses with complex (sometimes unnamed)roads, building names and building entrances. I’mthinking in particular of universities and hospitals.

Where addresses are “pretty good” and entrancesmore obvious it’s a harder sell. Consider a traditional USaddress (5514 S. University Ave, Chicago, IL 60637) andits W3W one (natively.zone.speak). The street addressabove has meaning to me and others including, I’ll bet,President Obama. That street address in on the Universityof Chicago campus. The ZIP Code has meaning, too.And, while natively.zone.speak is unique and memorableit’s not in any way related to the University or it’sneighbour grid square, certified.waddle.ranch.

Conclusion While I applaud W3W’s efforts andsuccessful marketing thus far, I need to see one morepiece of its marketing plan. How are they going toconvince companies and individuals worldwide toactually implement and use it?

The best chance of that, I think, would be ifGoogle (or its ilk) acquired the company andimplemented the vision. But that means W3W wouldneed to be “better” and “more accepted” thanGoogle’s own Open Location Code vision.

The future of addressing An interesting start-up hasattracted new funding but will success need a cultural change?, asks Adena Schutzberg.

Could Google help?

Adena Schutzberg hasworked in geospatial

technologies for 25 yearsand is principal of ABS

Consulting Group,www.abs-cg.com.

[email protected]

Below: W3W codes fortwo distant locations.


. . . ‘bad’ databehaves like avirus, infectingand negativelyimpacting anorganisationacross manyfunctions.

“

“

AS GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS are facing widerand more complex pressures than ever before, the‘three Ds’ are tasked with driving its transformation:Decentralisation, Digital, and Data1.

Decentralisation is pushing increasing powerback into the hands of local government agencies,

who need to ensure they have the capacity andcapabilities to deliver. Digital By Default meansproviding a multi-channel service to citizens withlimited budgets. Data is the intelligence on whichtimely, accurate decision making and financialplanning must depend. Further challenges faced bylocal government include:

• Retaining skilled, motivated staff in the face of payfreezes and staff cuts

• The need to constantly drive down costs andgenerate savings, and managing public concernsabout cutbacks

• Adopting new ways of working such as agile andmobile working

• Coping with changing demographics• The need to improve collaboration with partners in

public service agencies such as police, fire andhealth services

Underpinning these challenges is a requirement for clearleadership with confident, relevant, informed decision-making at its heart. This is where data, the third of thethree Ds comes into play, and has the capacity to makea success of decentralisation and digital.

Precise, accurate data drives decision-making andensures strategies and plans are founded on facts astrends are analysed, accurate forecasts produced andbudgets appropriately allocated. Contrary to this,inaccurate ‘bad’ data behaves like a virus, infectingand negatively impacting an organisation across

many functions. In local government, there is ashifting focus onto achieving outcomes, whichimplies a more holistic approach to budget allocationand results, rather than pure service delivery and boxticking. Data is the key to achieving these outcomes.

Local governments are rolling out softwareplatforms which enable them to:

• Enrich traditional data with enhanced contextualinformation such as a location, including the nameof a specific place, or demographics

• Analyse data more effectively with advancedspatial analysis that drives informed, insight-driven business decisions

• Visualise key data on maps to make deep analysisand insight-sharing easier and more effective thanever before

Until fairly recently, geographic and related data haseither been used in silos across an organisation or keptwithin a GIS department. Now it is being adopted across

an organisation, moving into the mainstream withdepartments collaborating, sharing and analysing thedata together. This kind of data addresses the ‘Where?’element in the decision-making process, and is usedacross many local governments to drive transformation.It has quite literally, a far-reaching effect on enablingoutcomes and improving citizen services. They are usingthis powerful insight to bring local information to fuelgreater citizen services such as such as “Where’s mynearest. . ?”, to report a fault, infrastructure assetmanagement, optimised vehicle use, maintaining asingle customer view and crime location analysis. Forexample, rather than making decisions based on datafrom broad geographic regions, local governments areusing location intelligence to help analyze crimestatistics at street level, enabling accurate deployment ofpolice resource.

Location Intelligence in practice Torfaen CountyBorough Council in Wales implemented a locationintelligence and data management platform to helpdrive its transformation. The ‘software-as-a-service’,cloud-based approach generated significant costsavings. The data also enabled improved citizenservices and citizen engagement across the boroughthrough new web-mapping services. Local citizenscan visit the council website and use the mappingsystem to find out information specific to their exactlocation on topics such as refuse collections, schoolcatchment areas, local nature reserves and nearest

Three ‘D’s’ drive government Government organisations are using location intelligence to drive digital engagement, argues James Brayshaw, todrive down costs and engage with citizens. But there is still room for more transparency

and raising public awareness through a multi-channel approach.

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al



Three D’s drive location intelligence


Over five years,the software-as-a-service

solutiondelivered a 38%saving over an

in-houseoption. . .

“

“

leisure activities. It enriches the website, reducespressure on the council’s service support team andimproves the citizen experience.

Barnsley Council in the North of England is usinga location intelligence platform in a similar way,enabling it to generate savings whilst providingenhanced, interactive services to its citizens. TheCouncil created MyProperty, an online tool in whichlocal citizens can enter their postcode and accessuseful information about their area. Citizens can alsoaccess Barnsley Council Interactive Maps, a digitalinteractive mapping services which enables them toactivate overlays on top of a detailed map on thearea: for example, clicking on ‘Car parks’ highlightsthe relevant areas on the map. Other overlay optionsinclude ‘waste recycling sites’, ‘police stations,‘highway closure diversions’ and ‘pedestrian areas’.Local residents can also access area photography andhistorical mapping of the region.

As well as delivering improved services tocitizens, the Council uses software for mapping andgeographic analysis and to build, maintain andmanage centralised catalogues of spatial data. As itis a cloud-based service, it can share data within andoutside the Council. The platform acts as a tool kit,providing flexibility by enabling the Council to selectthe data solutions it requires at a certain point in

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

11

time. Over five years, the software-as-a-servicesolution delivered a 38% saving over an in-houseoption as well as a 99.9% guaranteed availabilityover a secure and controlled network.

Transparency is key Councils are using geographicdata to deliver an improved digital experience, butresearch shows they still have a way to go before theircommunities believe they are really maximising thedigital revolution. Whilst 70% of council leaders believetheir organisation is embracing the opportunities newtechnology has to offer, only 28% of the public agree2.

Whilst the councils are using geographic data andadvanced software platforms, citizens may beunaware of some of this activity, and could benefitfrom hearing more about transformationprogrammes. And whilst citizens are happily usinginteractive mapping services, they may not necessarilythink of the power behind these platforms, norconsider them as being advanced digital services.Councils need to bridge this gap with transparency,sharing information on transformation programmeswith their citizens. And they need to do this usingphysical and digital communications, offering abreadth of multi-channel options to their citizens.

1, 2 Price Waterhouse, “The Local State 2015”

Three D’s drive location intelligence

Subscribe today. . . and get the next issue absolutely FREEPuzzled about the geography jigsaw? Whether users, managers, developers, consultants, datacollectors, sensor and system developers or academics and researchers, GiSPro is for all those who workin the broad field of spatial data application, management, interrogation, collection and processing.

GIS Professional one year: £34.95 (UK) / £37.50(overseas)*................Reduced rate for AGI / RICS: £27.95................

Digital GiSPro Only (includes archive access): £14.95..................

Important: Digital subscriptions require you to fill in the email section of the form below in order toreceive the digital issue. A digital only subscription includes access to the archive of back issues.

TOTAL: £...........................

PLEASE COMPLETE THE FORM BELOW IN CAPITALS TO SUBSCRIBE:Title: ...................... Name: ..........................................................Company:................................................Address(1st line): ........................................................................................................................................2nd line: ..................................................................3rd line: ......................................................................Post/Zip code:........................................Country: ........................................................................................tel:.......................................................... email: ...........................................................................................

CONTACT DETAILS NOTE: a receipt will be sent to you when your credit card details are confirmed and funds are cleared.PV Publications Ltd, 2B North Road, Stevenage, Herts SG1 4AT, United Kingdom.Tel: +44 (0)1438 352617 Email: [email protected] Web: www.pvpubs.com

Name on card: ............................................. Registered address of cardholder: ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Card No: Signature: ....................................................

Please debit my credit card for the amount of: .......................... £SterlingCredit Card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex) Start date: ........... Expiry date: ........... Security code (last 3 digits on reverse): ................

* All subscribers get FREE password protected access to our searchable archive of back issues.

You can subscribe online to any or all of our titles by going to www.pvpubs.com. Payment is by credit card or PayPal.



MOST OF YOU READING GiSPro are geospatial buffs.You understand the benefits digital mapping linked todatabases of information can deliver. Some of you areeven geospatial evangelists – constantly encouragingothers and seeking new areas of human activity whereour technology can bring benefit. Whilst only being acommentator in that latter category, I did promisereaders in the last issue that I would tell you more aboutthe UNCAP conference, an EU-backed event to promotelocation technologies for Europe’s ageing population.This was not a vast conference, indeed in the

confines of the Mercure hotel in the middle ofNottingham it was quite cozy. The Lord Mayor ofNottingham, councillor Jane Morris, was there to getproceedings underway. Alas she was several minutesinto her speech before she realised it was the one she’ddelivered the previous evening. The right one found inthe depths of her handbag and we were off.Dr Giuseppe Conti introduced the subject of

Ubiquitous Interoperable Care for Ageing People –

UNCAP – which is funded through the EU’s Horizon2020 research and innovation programme. Conticertainly woke us up with a breathtaking ridethrough the opportunities ahead from smart trackingof medical devices to avoid over ordering, real-timelocation services (RTLS) to take advantage of the re-engineering of the internet and the networkedsociety. The EC’s vision is of an even more complexnetwork with a plug-and-play 27million euros projectto use the internet for health issues. Conti envisionsroles for geo-fencing, FIWARE (the Future Internetaccelerator (another EU project backed by 80 million

euros), robots in hospitals, the cloud and theinternet of things.

Primordial soup or bran? Calmer timescame from John Herring of the Open GeospatialConsortium who was with us to talk about thefuture of services in an urban environment. Nowplanning and the environment is an area thatOGC has only recently recognised as meriting itsattention. Herring cited that parable of a numberof blind men encountering an elephant for thefirst time. They each feel their way rounddifferent parts of the animal then compare noteson what they’ve found. There is no agreement.The internet is just like that in Herring’s view,

‘The Internet is today’s primordial soup’.He continued his theme that might be summed up

as, where is the internet leading us, via René Thom’scatastrophe theory, whereby small changes in certainparameters of a nonlinear system can cause equilibriato appear or disappear, or to change from attracting torepelling and vice versa, leading to large and suddenchanges of the behaviour of the system; to Dijkstra’salgorithm, which is all about finding the shortest pathsbetween nodes. He finished on the book “KahlogAlbran – the Profit”, a business book spoof on a 1970snew age book, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Building for all ages I am always surprised when aconference is able to receive a speech or presentationsuccessfully from someone thousands of miles away. Itrequires an awful lot of clever technology. Sadly for mostof the time we’re not quite there yet. Nottingham wasno exception as we gamely struggled to hear AmrutaAwachat in India fighting a cold and who is a GIS

researcher working for GI Standards, the conferenceorganisers. This was a pity as I think Amruta would havesaid much of relevance about how as India enjoysgreater prosperity they too have an ageing population.Their cultural and social values are differently slantedand more holistic than many of ours in Europe. Forinstance, they are developing residential projects thatare built for a broad generic population so parents canleave their kids with grandparents living nearby duringthe day whilst they work. Just when you thought youwere free of the kids. . . You can read more of Amruta’spresentation in the article in our Nottingham specialedition of GiSPro at www.gisprofessional.co.uk or call01438 352617 and we’ll send you a copy.

Eddy Oldfield is also from OGC, which has “ahealth domain working group” indeed there’s notmuch OGC doesn’t have a working group to cover. Hespoke about health and interoperability where it is partof OGC’s EDM community – emergency and disastermanagement. This is an important aspect of OGC’swork and covers areas like open mapping standards forthe tracking of diseases (epidemiology), sensor webenablement and SDIs – spatial data infrastructures.

Ignorance and standards The EuropeanTelecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) was at theheart of Scott Cadzow’s presentation on Security and

Geospatial and health care – we needto get the treatment right A conference in Nottingham around emerging geospatial technologies offered some interesting solutions for supporting

and caring for Europe’s ageing population. But we need to make sure we get thestandards right as several speakers emphasised, reports Stephen Booth.

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

12

UNCAP conference


John Herring of theOpen GeospatialConsortium.


Dignity, which really means privacy. Taking as his guideConfucius’ statement that “Real knowledge is to knowthe extent of one’s ignorance”, he told us that at themoment there are roughly 7 billion mobile phones and– guess what - they only work because of standards.While we need to integrate wellness into health

care, Cadzow’s view is that health professionals are notresponsible for delivering a healthy population.Individuals have to accept responsibility, an aspecthighlighted by the shocking Ebola outbreak where manydied through careless health care practices. He believesthat health care of the elderly is still in its infancy andmore needs to be done in training young doctors aboutbeing old. The aim should be to migrate self-care as partof an eHealth system. You can read more aboutmarkets, standards and security in a great article byScott Cadzow in our Nottingham special issue.

An out-of-the-box solution Leonardo Plotegher isone of those who believes that location technologiesare a real gamechanger. He introduced the UNCAP box,an Android-based device with an HDMI dongle that canconnect to a host of medical sensors – glaucometers,heart rate monitors, EEC’s, fall detectors, etc. This isenabled by localisation technologies like GPS, Wi-Fi andZigbee, an open, global wireless standard to provide thefoundation for the Internet of Things by enablingsimple and smart objects to work together. The UNCAPbox, which may connect via your TV, is in beta test butis expected to be available by the end of the year alongwith a mobile version.Involving SMEs in the health care market was the

theme of Wolfgang Kniejski’s presentation. He is thefounder of INI-Novation GmbH, a companydedicated to delivering products and services to helpthe elderly and people with cognitive impairment;typical UNCAP beneficiaries. This is aboutcommercial exploitation of the UNCAP ecosystem, heexplained. Once again you can learn more about INI-Novation in our Nottingham special issue.

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

13

Exploring the great indoors Steve Fuller, who istitled Knowledge Exchange Fellow GRACE fromNottingham University’s Geospatial Institute, is anindoor location specialist. He told us all aboutproblems such as devising a location system forNottingham’s Queen’s Medical Centre with its 27 milesof corridors and 10,000 doors (all in white or grey).Currently mobile phones can deliver around 8 metresprecision from the current satellite constellations. Thatis expected to fall to 1 metre with the newconstellations coming on stream like the EU’s Galileo.But none of that is much good if you’re inside abuilding! Instead, you have to rely on things like RFIDtages, Bluetooth markers and ultrasonics. Trackingsystems involving a mobile phone are best, he argues.‘They’re good but you need some technical ability andof course they need re-charging’. He also says youshouldn’t rely on just one tracking system; ultimately itwill fail. You need more than one solution. He also toldus about a new emerging comms technology: Li-FiLight Fidelity, a bidirectional, high speed and fullynetworked wireless communication technology.

Riches will flow if we get the treatment rightI vaguely thought that for once we were going to getaway without mentioning the ubiquitous INSPIREDirective to harmonise European spatial datainfrastructures. I had reckoned without theformidable Kathi Schleidt of the AustrianEnvironmental agency. She quotes Machiavelli’s ThePrince of 1518: “In the beginning of the malady, it iseasy to cure but difficult to detect, but in the courseof time, not having been either detected or treatedin the beginning, it becomes easy to detect butdifficult to cure.” She thinks his prescription stillholds for INSPIRE. If we get it right then riches willflow – the usage for this data are almost boundless.They range from flooding, biodiversity, dangerousspecies, soil toxicity, unstable geology (mudslides),air quality, avalanches, earthquakes to the personalsuch as trees or birdsong.The final speaker for the day was Anne Wilson, a

nurse practitioner, who gave a distinctly Scottishperspective to health care for an ageing population. Sheexplained that 36 million people worldwide havea diagnosis of dementia while 28 million sufferwithout a diagnosis. People may live for up to tenyears after a diagnosis and Scotland hasimproved its record for this. Patients now get oneyear’s guaranteed post-diagnosis support and thecountry has a charter of rights to alleviate thestigma and discrimination of dementia.This was a fascinating event that certainly

gave your reporter new insight into thepossibilities that location technologies offer. Ourthanks to GI Standards for inviting us. We’llkeep track of UNCAP’s activities and update youfrom time to time. In the meantime, if you’d liketo know more go to www.uncap.eu


Kathi Schleidt:Machiavellian insight

to INSPIRE.


UNCAP conference

India: a more holistic approach to housingsolutions.

EACH DAY’S EVENTS FELL BETWEEN opening andclosing plenaries. In between there was a choice(often difficult for your team of reporters) of up tosix different tracks. Let’s start with the pre-conference dinner which saw the launch of theForesight 2020 report and a presentation from NigelClifford, new CEO of Ordnance Survey.

Introducing Clifford Anne Kemp argued that neverhas geography been more important. FortunatelyClifford sees big opportunities for our skills acrosssecurity, demography, economics, migration,environmental change etc. He showed a simpletriangular graphic of four small triangles with geographyat the centre and each triangle around it representingwhere our geo capabilities can be directed: Plannedevents like the Olympics, a project that brought togetherour smart city skills; Tipping Point events, like migration;Acute events, like the flooding last year in the SomersetLevels. An intriguing analysis.

The rising challenge facing OS in the geospatialcommunity, says Clifford, is that ‘geography toucheseverything you do’ whether it’s helping to eradicate

polio in the Middle East or at home from flooding.Helpfully for the latter the OS’s GeoVation

initiative, a springboard for a new generationof geospatial entrepreneurs, will focus on

water for its next topic.

Crystal-ball gazing Announcing AGI’s Foresight2020 report Kemp emphasised the power ofteamwork. She ably compéred a discussion betweentwo of the editing team, Simon Wheeler (Land &Property Services, Northern Ireland) and GrahamWallace (Esri UK Ltd), with insightful questioning andgentle extraction of interesting answers that rangedfrom the need to improve the human/machineinterface to ensuring that the work we do is valuedthrough accreditation. Wallace reminded us of theneed to focus on collaboration as ‘the GI industry isbutting up to a lot other industries’.

The report has been nearly a year in the makingand comprises 60 invited papers on different aspectsof GI. Totalling over 300 pages, a 30-page executivesummary introduces the Big Five themes that AGI has

GeoCom 2015: AGI’s conference calledfor resilience The geospatial community gathered at Chesford Grange

Hotel near Warwick in November for three days of conferencing, networking and social fununder the banner of “Resilient Futures”, report Stephen Booth and Richard Groom.

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

14


AGI GeoCom

The conference kicked off witha dinner and presentation by

Nigel Clifford (above).

Geography

Tipping Point Events

PlannedEvents

AcuteEvents


Left: Nigel Clifford's triangulargraphic of events that surround

geography.

Below: Anne Kemp ably compéred aquestion session between the editors.


been debating over the last year or more. A briefreview by Andy Coote looks back to the 2010Foresight report to see what we got right and whatwe didn’t see coming. You can download it athttp://www.agi.org.uk/about/resources/category/100-foresight?download=160:agi-foresight-2020

While it may be too easy to dismiss thismammoth study as epic crystal-ball gazing on topicswhich it is fairly easy to predict 80% of likely change,not all of the remaining 20% are likely to appearfrom nowhere and to have a major impact. Some arethere already and may have been missed or giveninsufficient attention. Five years ago we failed to seethe impact of UAVs, mini constellations of satellitesor the rise of Big Data. Nevertheless, AGI’s Foresight2020 is to be recommended as an important keyreference source over the coming years for all playersin geospatial, whether they’re interested in what’shappening to technology, the role of professionals orthe state of the global community.

Day 1, beginning with geology Kicking the dayoff conference chair Rollo Home enquired how manyhad been up at 7.30 am that morning for theGeoRun’. Seven brave souls put their hands up. Maybe more tomorrow. Home defined the conference’skey word ‘Resilience’ as an ability to maintainprogramme through disruption (my OxfordDictionary gives ‘able to recover quickly from difficultconditions’). Perhaps more importantly he remindedus that change ‘is the new constant’.

Two very different keynotes got delegatesthinking, some not necessarily very positively. DrHelen Reeves of British Geological Survey spoke on‘Exploiting the city’s Subsurface’ – a hidden world ofgeology and resources, like water and energy as wellas minerals; and human activity ranging from utilitiesand tunnels to basement extensions in Kensingtonand Chelsea. There is therefore a lot of urban ‘geo-capital’ in the subterranean cityscape. She citedGlasgow where she believes some 40% of its energyneeds could come from geothermal sources. It’s alldown to city spatial planning and modelling, andgeology is a strong input. Ground risk contributes to50% of project delays and insurance claims aftercompletion. She recommends the ASK (AccessingSubsurface Knowledge) initiative, pioneered byGlasgow, as a means of reducing risk. The city’sGSPEC data standard, is a knowledge exchangeinitiative for construction stakeholders to workthrough a BGS data portal to share ground data thataims to utilise the subsurface in a sustainable way.Later in the conference a presentation argued for aGround Modelling BIM solution.

Turning to those wealthy home owners in Chelseawho have expanded their properties by diggingdownwards, Reeves said that some 450 properties hadnew basements last year. This is an expanding 3D worldwhere regulation has not caught up with reality. And

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

15

because it is hidden, it is hazardous. Weneed subsurface policies for undergroundsites, she thought, where lack of dataremains a problem. I wondered about thecurrent legal regime, which is weak forsuch works, relying on good faith andrelationships with stakeholders to ensurethat contracts include requirements forground investigation. Remember that the property youown is defined by a 2D plan from the Land Registry anddoes not usually include the mineral rights below. Iwonder how many people realise that once upon a timethe land occupied by our sprawling capital contained agreat network of small rivers, streams and ditches, whichbecame channelled into sewers and drains or were justlost as building spread.

I have a clever idea. . . Charlie Davies of iGeolise isan extremely lucid and even charismatic speaker(something that often characterises PPE graduates I’venoticed). Now none of that means that what he had tosay was of particular significance in advancing ourknowledge of GI. He describes his company as one that‘accidentally became a GIS company’ and has benefitedfrom open data, albeit with a lot of cleansing.

The iGeolise platform looks at the world throughtime rather than geographic boundaries (createdhistorically for taxation purposes); in other words it ishuman led through the metric of time. By taking feedsfrom road and rail sources with travel times, iGeolise isable to tell you within a second how many places are,for instance, within a half hour travel time of yourpossible home – a useful sales tool for estate agents.

Davies argues that by simply using isochronesyou not only get 50% irrelevant data, you miss lotsof opportunities. To date his clients have come fromthe sales side of property development. It boasts 200million searches per month and growing. The servicecan be used to search for results at different times ofday. One example cited was a recruitment companysearching for staff to work antisocial hours. Theyused iGeolise to determine the best places to lookbased upon travel time to work using night buses.

One suspects that this is more Google maps thanMastermap. None of this is particularly unique inapplying geospatial technology and upset oneindustry veteran who criticised it bluntly on theconference twitter feed.


. . . it may betoo easy todismiss this

mammoth studyas epic crystal-ball gazing. . .

“

“Issue No 67 December 2015

AGI GeoCom

Above (top): CharlieDavies of iGeolise. Inset (left): HelenReeves of the BritishGeological Survey. Inset (below):Conference chair RolloHome.


Exciting addresses We moved on to stronger meatfor GIS professionals. Dr Bob Barr chaired a sessionson “Core Reference Geographies” and admits to‘getting excited about addressing’. Britain has comethrough what some have described as “theaddressing wars”. The winner, some say, was theRoyal Mail, now in the private sector. Barr wonderedwho owns an address, is it like the subsurface? Butderived data from OS data is still Crown Copyright.

A very big address database is going to be compiledfor the next census, due in 2021(possibly the last one).Alistair Calder of the Office for National Statistics (ONS)explained how excellence was not good enough where3% of addresses in the 2011 census were inaccurateeven though data was matched from PAF, NLPG, AL2and the Valuation Office. As we shall see he had plentyof examples – some right howlers - from 2011.

For 2021 initial data will come from GeoPlace andthe focus will be online and encouraged people tocheck their registration and details through an internetaccess card. Calder spoke of the ‘need for brilliantclassification and minimal over coverage’. Those whodon’t respond will be chased up, physically.

It’s only through examples that you appreciatesome of the challenges associated around an addressdatabase. He showed a photo of a front door, with“Flats 1-6” painted above it; closer examinationrevealed door bells for 7 flats. More confusingly, theaddress mentioned numbers 30-31 and a road name,which was round the corner!

Interestingly, ONS uses the power ofGIS to find areas with multiple electricitymetres, which suggests multipleoccupancy (for 2011 one London boroughneeded 40% of addresses checking).Once you understand that the data camefrom the NLPG with its remit to identify alladdresses – not just letterboxes - it’s nottoo hard to see that some of the returnedmail from the last census includedaddresses like “The Car Park Hut. . .”.There was even one to a sundial and to“London Airport, Heathrow”.

Calder’s colleague, Ian Coady painteda rosier picture of the 2011 census. Itwent well. There were even awards. He

acknowledged however that there were areas forimprovement and for 2021 there would be ‘moreagile delivery, a different profile of hard-to-countareas and mapping of household internal access’. Foroutput data parishes, which account for 10% ofBritain, remain a challenge.

For Ordnance Survey’s Chris Chambers there wasmuch to celebrate, yet ‘we’ve only just started onhow to remain the best addressed nation in theworld’. Chambers acknowledges that addressing‘isn’t sexy’ (unless ladies, you count Kevin Costner inThe Postman) yet is fundamental to so many thingsincluding the right to vote. To remain the worldleader in geospatial addressing much effort isneeded; currently there are some 62,000 changesdaily to the NLPG (OS’s national topographicdatabase is only around 10,000).

I wondered whether it was really possible to dobetter than a 3% error yet currently there is a99.41% match between NLPG and PAF. I wasreassured to hear that more deskwork would bedone this time (after all a visual scan through thedatabase would surely have revealed sundials, hutsand airports). Bob Barr was pleased to hear that thedatabase would be subject to crowd sourcing andthat the work already done by GeoPlace wasprobably good enough right now.

Leave GIS at the door Following lunch, twopresentations focused on value for money and the useof open source software in local government. MattPennells of Harrow Council says that it’s not reallyabout data but joined-up thinking and communicatingto the public. So far their communicating hasmanaged to save £1.2 million from the grass cutting,flower planting and green spaces. But according toPennells these savings are not easy to achieve whenyou have to work with technology companies who donot understand geo or UPRNs and ‘people’s ideas canrun away with them’. Choosing suppliers is not alwayseasy either when a competitive tender is involved.‘Don’t expect 10/10 boxes to be ticked’. Hisconclusion was, ‘leave GI/GIS at the door and uselanguage that works for users’.

The community of open source software usersand developers is growing rapidly. Faced with

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al



AGI GeoCom

Below: Chocolate andwine tasting tolighten the mood.

The exhibition area ia alwaysgreat for networking.

dwindling budgets after the financial crisis RoyalBorough of Windsor & Maidenhead (RBWM) opted in2012 not to renew their 12 Esri seats and instead gofor open source architecture built around QGIS.Simon Miles, RBWM’s GIS developer, spoke on howthey worked with Astun Technology and Cadcorp’sMap Modeller. He’d even found some open sourcesoftware that converts QGIS into web mapping.

Today they are 100% open source; ‘It’s fun, it’sreliable and does the job’ was his judgement onQGIS. It had involved lots of learning but nowmanagement want more open source. With hindsighthe acknowledged they would have benefited from aslower roll out of QGIS but he calculates that they’veachieved savings of £75k over three years, so ‘wenow have the directors interested!’

In questioning someone asked if you had themoney would you go back? ‘No’ said Miles, ‘In theproprietary world you don’t get the same level ofsupport as you do in open source’. Initially there wasa worry over the lack of support but today there is agrowing commercial industry behind open source,which only charges for support – not intellectualproperty rights.

3D debate 3D visualisation was a topic for debate.Caroline Steer from Esri, Kelvin Wong and Claire Elludfrom UCL followed the chairman’s instructions andgave examples of good and bad 3D visualisation andstriking examples of analysis using 3D data.Examples of poor visualisation were generallysituations where it was felt that 2D visualisationwould have been more appropriate and the 3Dalternative was either misleading or obscured data.Of course static images are 2D views of a 3D model!Rollo Home turned the question on its head by givinggood and bad examples of 2D visualisation. He

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

17

suggested that 2D is less suitable for situationswhere there are layers of data physically on top ofeach other, such as overpasses and overhangs.

There is also a question over ethics because itis easier to use 3D to misrepresent data. Thisproblem is being addressed by a 3D ethics charter.A member of the audience turned this idea on itshead by noting the eye’s ability to focus on partsof an image in the same way that amateurlandscape photography is often disappointing, asfeatures that were so clear to the naked eyeappear on the photograph as insignificant specks.Try to regulate that!

A new look at satellite imagery “The onlyconstant in life is change” was the title of a talk byAndy Wells of Sterling Geo. He updated the audienceon the latest in remote sensing. The technology hasadvanced greatly over the last decade, so he urgedthose who had tried it out and been disappointed tolook again. Costs have plummeted whilst thenumber of satellites have multiplied and theresolution reduced to 35-40cm. Landsat 8 data anddata from the new ESA Sentinel satellites is of muchlower resolution but is free. It is also easier to orderdata. He introduced the concept of establishingroutines to analyse satellite data and producestatistics automatically for monitoring of change.The technique is not 100% reliable but it can be auseful tool for identifying situations that warrantfurther investigation.

In the next issue of GiSPro we will cover Day 2’splenaries and sessions around Standards, Is open dataworking? And other topics. We invite readers whoattended GeoCom 2015 to submit thoughts and reportsof other sessions by Monday 18 January latest.


AGI GeoCom

BS0

134A

D/G

ISPR

O/1

215

w w w . b l u e s k y - w o r l d . c o m

Aerial Photography | LiDAR | Height Data | Thermal Imagery | OS MasterMap® Old Aerial Photography | NDVI | Flood Data | Open Data

t 01530 518 518 e [email protected]

W i s h i n g f o r a n e w L i D A R s u r v e y t h i s C h r i s t m a s ?

T h i n k

T h i n k



We need to bemore thoughtfulabout how our

data isconsumed, howdo we make it

reallyaccessible, . . .

“

“I MET CLIFFORD IN OS’S GEOVATION HUB in the City,a buzzy building which also houses Catapult, a bodypromoting future and smart cities of which moreanon. Tucked away at the end of a large open planoffice full of young innovators, we had a wide-ranging discussion that included his views onwhether geospatial is special, OS’s strengths andweaknesses, where it needs to go next, itsinternational activities, big data mining and massdata sensors and how far OS should be going withthis, and about the ‘fabric of the brand’.

But first we discussed a situation that had arisenonly a few days earlier around the launch of 77m’sMatrix website which offers large-scale nationalmapping derived mainly from open data sources likeLand Registry polygons, Valuation Office data, OS’sUPRN’s and background aerial imagery. OS is clearlynot happy about this development but 77m’s PhilipHighland is confident they’ve covered every legalangle. Clifford was tight-lipped about this after first

feigning ignorance. He did however confirm that OSdata is still Crown Copyright administered throughthe National Archives. An issue to watch.

A fascinating blend We began by talking aboutwhat had attracted him to the position. ‘I’m ageographer so there’s a natural affinity’. Indiscussions about the job it became clear to him, ‘ah,I know you as a provider of maps but I understandnow that you’re a digital provider of content with abroad commercial footprint from the emergencyservices right the way through to helping SME’s andstart-ups – a fascinating blend of ingredients.’

Although he’s a geographer and fellow of the RGSthis is a rather general qualification to be heading upOS. Does he feel confident in fulfilling the statutoryrole as advisor to government on geospatial matters?He paused. ‘There is a point in your career, fairly earlyusually, when you realise that you can’t know morethan everyone reporting to you. That’s been present inmy career since I was 26 or 27. At the age of 32 I wasput in charge of six teaching hospitals so would Iadvise the Royal College of Surgeons on theirpractices? No, but did I know how to synchronisetogether a complicated set of functions, specialismsand vested interests? Yes. It’s not like being the PoetLaureate where all you have to do is produce pieces ofpoetry, it’s more of a team effort.’

Brand So what had a he discovered about the OS’smuch vaunted brand and reputation, based tooeasily on the public’s enthusiasm for printedLandranger maps (now with free digital access) butwhich account for barely 10% of OS’s total sales.Was it time for a change? Does OS, like IBM orGoogle, have enough brand definition to continue inits present form?

‘I think if you were an alien dropped into this youwould find huge brand recognition which is almostuniversally benign. People may not be able to explainwhat ordnance means but they’ll probably know whatsurvey means. That is a very, very valuable asset for us.’

Okay, so how do you think you can build on theexisting strengths of OS, and what do you thinkthose strengths are? There are several areas. ‘One ofthe key strengths of the OS is its employees – they’rereally committed to the cause. That is a reallyvaluable thing. Many companies and organisationswould die for the kind of commitment and

engagement we’ve got from the team inside OS.’‘When we did our brand research last year it

found a lot of positive feedback around authoritativeinformation, part of the national fabric andtrustworthy. When we spoke to internationalcommunities what comes back is more emphasis onthe technology expertise, having been on the journeyfrom analogue to digital, from small scale to verylarge-scale data and managing data.’

So what is to be improved upon? ‘We need to bemore thoughtful about how our data is consumed,how do we make it really accessible, which is whysome changes to the licensing model are coming.From a perception perspective, ensuring that we areseen as a digital content data player’. OS’s thinkingon this is related to recruitment where they arelooking to blend geography with data science. ‘To bea really attractive employer I want us to be seen as adigital player in addition to the traditionalcartographic role.’

Is it special? So, did he think geospatial is special?‘Yes, absolutely it is. When I ran six hospitals inGlasgow one of the first things I did was to get amap of the city and put it on the wall of my office.As people came through the door they said, ‘Gosh, Inever thought of it like that; so that’s why peoplearen’t going to that surgery because the M8 runs

Talking to Nigel Clifford Since June last year Ordnance Survey GB has had a new CEO. GiSPro met him in London recently at the Geovation

Hub, of which more anon. Nigel Clifford comes to the job via a career covering the NHS,e-commerce, British Telecom and other mobile players. He has a degree in geography

from Cambridge and is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

18

GiSPro interview


Nigel Clifford, new manat the helm of OSGB.



What is thepurpose of open

data? It’s toallow

experimentation,market

testing andsocial

development, . . .

“

“through the middle of the catchment area.’

He believes geospatial is special because of theway visualisation allows a different set of what hecalls “smarts” to be deployed in someone’s head. ‘It’sno longer mathematics or algebra; it engages with awhole lot of different synapses, Secondly, geospatialis true so you can use it as a golden thread to tietogether lots of different datasets; and linkingdifferent sets together enables you to make moresense of activities that are focused on a location or asingle person but which are served through manydifferent agencies.’

He gave an example from the NHS. ‘One of thethings we’ve been looking at recently is bed-blockingand A&E, clearly an area which I experienced havingworked through several winters in Scotland. So wesewed together social care data, waiting time data,beds blocked or extended stays in hospital andgeography, so you can begin to look atcommissioning areas, social work areas and wherethey might work more closely together.’

We discussed the app Esri showed at their userconference earlier this year. The app trackedindividual journeys inside a hospital to discover thebest location for regularly visited services such as thepharmacy. He was enthusiastic. ‘That sort of microplanning becomes so important when you’re tryingto reduce waiting times for a prescription (and costs).It all contributes to the patient experience and that’swhat is so interesting about being able to makethose connections. Geospatial enables people tomake smarter decisions.’

The geospatial accelerator We moved on to theurban environment and the tax base of cities. ‘It’sbecoming increasingly focused on attractingindustry, commerce and people who will form a bigstable tax base; it all becomes very interesting. Thejuxtaposing forces of migration, demography,security all contribute to urban planning andmanagement which is underpinned by geospatialand segues into transport routing. Geospatial is anaccelerator and can make a real difference.’

Clifford had been to the Citylabs session recentlywith Michael Bloomberg (ex mayor of NY) and BorisJohnson. ‘Both of them were thoughtful about howyou enact change in an urban environment withoutcausing mayhem; how far should it be politician orcitizen led? An answer in Singapore will be differentto the one in Jakarta. There will be the equivalent of400 new cities over the next 25 years, mostlythrough expansion of existing ones.’

International dimension Next we turned to OS’sinternational role and relationships with otherNMA’s. Would he be continuing OS International’srole, which has been such an important aspect of hispredecessor’s time at OS? ‘Yes, for a couple ofreasons. The first is that the support that we can

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

19

provide is particularly valued by NMA’s due to thejourney that we’ve been through, from military, togovernment to part commercial, moving fromcompletely closed data served through 19th centurymethods to digital data served by 21st centurymeans.’

He talked about the different licence regimes,how you manage open data and its reuse, which OSnow has considerable experience of. ‘Thoseexperiences are seen as valuable. Plus our experiencein running a very large database with a supply chainaround Indian subcontractors for data processing ofaerial imagery and our own home-grown suppliersmeans that a number of mapping agencies haveasked us to come and have a look at them with aview to how they might improve what they do.’

Is there really an international market for this? Sofar OS International’s only client has been theBahraini NMA. ‘We’ve done some research thatshows that our brand recognition is high, respect forcapabilities is high so we think there’s a market placeout there.’ He is hopeful others will follow.

Research and a conjoint twin We turned to OS’sinvolvement with academia. Would support continuefor research into aspects of geospatial data at UKuniversities?

‘Absolutely. In the last 14 or 15 years we’vesupported over 100 PhD’s and MSc’s. The interestingmovement is that it’s not just geospatial; we’relooking at data science – the conjoint twin ofgeospatial. Because the scale of geospatial sensordata is going to be so significant in the next decadefor big data and on a scale that hasn’t been therebefore. The use of new techniques, the cloud,analytics are all part of it.’

I queried whether big data mining is the job ofOS. Surely that’s what your partners should bedoing? ‘Mining, absolutely but I think thecollection and ordering of it is something we’rehaving to take very seriously. By 2050, 100 billionsensors will be in place around the world; wecurrently have 7 billion.’

We turned to the policy of open data which mayyet be the source of dispute with 77m. OS currentlyhas 16 open datasets out there at the moment, ‘soit’s well received. The focus that we’re putting into itat the moment is to understand who’s using it andon the licence conditions. What is the purpose ofopen data? It’s to allow experimentation, markettesting and social development, which we canencourage through licensing conditions and put inplace more data centric licensing conditions likesoftware providers.’

‘If you become a billionaire then probably the UKtaxpayer should benefit from that. There’s a tippingpoint where enough proven success means that arevenue stream begins to accrue so it’s only fair thatthe taxpayer should benefit.’ I wondered if there’s

GiSPro interview




. . . theconversationaround smart

cities isbecoming veryinteresting fornew models ofconsumption

and new waysof utilising

geospatial. . .

“

“anything in the OS’s conditions that require theirerstwhile partners to register their businesses in theUK. He didn’t think so.

Reporting and oversight He reports to AnnaSoubry, minister of state for small business, industryand enterprise. Clifford is very pleased with theboard he reports to and the relationship into BIS(Department of Business Innovation and Skills) andthe Shareholder Executive (ShEx), where board-member Ron Craig also sits on the OS board. ‘He issomeone who understands our business as well asthe Whitehall machinery’, says Clifford.

OS is run by an Executive Board that in addition toClifford, includes Neil Ackroyd, Katie Powell andAndrew Loveless. Non-executive members includeAnne Jessopp, director of business services at the RoyalMint, Stephen Lake, formerly with Reuters and QinetiQ,Jaques Cadranel from Which?, Mike Carr former chiefscience officer for BT and Rob Margetts CBE as chair.

Partners, fuzzyness and abrasiveness Weturned to the thorny question of partnerrelationships and where he thought OS might befalling down in meeting the needs of today’s users.‘We’re living in a world where people are more andmore used to being able buy whatever they wantwhen they want it, in whatever form they want.We’re still playing catch-up on that but we arecatching up. We’re very much driven by what thecustomer wants’. He told me about a recentconference of OS surveyors in Wales which he hadaddressed and where the focus had very much beenon this. ‘We’re also doing some research with bothlarge and small customers as well as our partners tounderstand what customers and end users need.’

It’s no secret that there has been quite a lot ofabrasion between OS and its partners and resellers.Some of it around the fuzzy boundaries betweenwho sells what to which and to whom. For instance,why does OS capture aerial imagery which has eitheralready been captured by the private sector or indeedcan be easily contracted out. Another moan comesover business that partners thought was there’s butsuddenly is taken on by OS. One group of partnershas complained formally to the EuropeanCommission.

‘I can’t speak about what happened before June(when he joined OS). We’ve set up a partner advisorycouncil and we’re doing some research into thepartner community and what they want out of us. Ithink the abrasion - a good phrase – is something wecan address by being clear about where we’re goingto play and where we are not going to play. We’veasked our advisory council to get our products guysto do a comprehensive walk-through of our road map(the product direction of changes and improvementsover the next 18 months or so). We’ve also been outon the road talking to partners and finding out about

the spaces we should inhabit for the greater good;and doing that with advance warning rather than justputting stuff into the market. Inevitably there will besome partners who feel as though we shouldn’t exist.But we’re here to make the overall community assuccessful as we can.’

A new direction? So does he have a new directionfor OS? Are there other areas he feels OS needs tomove into? Are there areas that OS should NOT beinvolved in? Has he identified the potential users oftomorrow?

‘It’s a good question which can be looked at froma GB or international perspective. For GB, theconversation around smart cities is becoming veryinteresting for new models of consumption and newways of utilising geospatial where we can help withefficient uses of resources such as associating it withBIM, electronic vehicles and the new sensor arrays.’He quickly adds, ‘Although it will be an OS withpartner conversation to the city.’

I wondered whether there would really be a rolefor OS around autonomous vehicles, which requiremuch higher accuracy levels than OS normallycaptures apart from issues like, if an accident isinevitable, does the vehicle run down a womanpushing a pram who is not paying attention or driveoff the road into harm’s way?

‘At its base is simply the fabric of Britain. Whilesuch vehicles will exist within a bubble it will have toexist within a larger set of infrastructure, sounderstanding how that is changing is an area wewant to stay in. The broader point is that there aregoing to be new data sources: how do we regardthem – embrace, reject or stand off from them? Ofcourse we should embrace them and bring their datainto the market. Will it cause that abrasion we talkedabout earlier with partners? If we enter into it with“it’s for the greater good for the greater number”and we maintain an open dialogue with advancewarning and clarity of where we’re going to positionourselves, then we would hope we can find someaccommodations around that.’

Growing the pie So how does he plan tocoordinate/collaborate/cooperate with the privatesector regarding current and future mapping/geospatial issues? In a nutshell, how will he grow thepie? More open data?

‘Part of that is making more data openlyavailable. On a structural level providing moresupport to the advisory council. We need a goodunderstanding of what our markets look like andthen have good discussions with partners aboutwhere we’re best positioned to participate in termsof the value chain, but we need the right productsand the right licensing conditions.’ Turning to thelatter, Clifford’s predecessor once told me shewanted to get the licence down to a single side of

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

20

GiSPro interview




. . . you’renothing likewhat I was

expecting; youare big data, . . .

“

“

A4. ‘We’re not there yet’ he confirms ‘but theaspiration is there’.

Is there a clear view out there? Our final topicwas whether government, industry, and the generalpublic has a clear idea of the immense value of agood national mapping system in improving thecountry’s infrastructure – the backbone of economichealth and growth. If not, how was Clifford planningto raise awareness?

‘I think we are somewhat spoilt in this country.Nearly everyone I talked in a country I visited recentlycomplained that it didn’t have the same level ofmapping as we have. We are well served throughvarious levels of infrastructure, mapping being oneof them, but it’s still important that we keepreminding policy formulators and opinion formers ofthe value of what we do. We’re looking at doing aseries of “a day in the life of. . .” to illustrate this.’

An interesting idea. ‘It would be about how youget up in the morning, switch on the light fromelectricity that comes to you in a trench positioned

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

21

by OS data. You catch the school bus which has beenrouted through data provided by OS, your internetshopping arrives using a UPRN provided by OS or apartner, etc. So how do you make this come aliveand hold it up to the public?’

He explained. ‘We are fortunate in that there are anumber of government departments where thesignificance of what we do is baked into their world, likethe Rural Payments Agency, MoD, COBRA . We need toshowcase the value of geospatial to the public sector.’

I mentioned Sir Mark Walport’s address last yearat AGI’s GeoCom when he said that ‘geospatialunderpins everything’ he did. Clifford gave aninteresting anecdote about how a governmentdepartment’s scientific adviser had recently visitedOS and was amazed at what he saw: ‘Crikey, you’renothing like what I was expecting; you are big data,you have a complex supply chain, complex delivery toa high standard’.

There is clearly work to be done in showcasing to thepublic sector what OS does for others to take advantageof. GiSPro wishes Nigel Clifford well in his mission.

GiSPro interview


Developed from OS’s’s Geovation initiativeto promote interesting ideas that exploitgeospatial technology, the Hub is located inClerkenwell, an area which some regardalong with neighbouring Shoreditch, asLondon’s digital district. The unit isaccommodated within a building thathouses Catapult, an initiative aimed atdeveloping ideas for future cities. It buzzeswith technology, not all of it very sensible.

When I arrived I had to sign in via aniPad which didn’t recognise the name of theperson I was seeing or me. Much consultingof databases, requests for additionalinformation, etc. and I was eventually in. Anexample of society’s growing belief thatdigital is the way for everything, meanwhilelosing the human connection. For digitalfirst-wavers like me we foolishly thought itwas about saving time and money.

The Hub is an experimental lab or drop-in centre for would-be innovators andentrepreneurs where they can play withideas around location and informationtechnology. They can get a desk, networkwith peers, seek help from OS’s tech team or

talk to industry experts at OS events. Thereis also an event auditorium and privatemeeting rooms. The Hub can also provideopportunities for seeking funding frompotential investors.

The facility is under the management ofAlex Wrottesley and a small team. It consistsof a large open-plan office that canaccommodate around 30 people givingthem desk space and internet connection.On the day I visited about 20 people werehard at work at their laptops. Alex explainedsome of the diverse projects they wereengaged on.

An app to help farmers negotiate thecomplexities of the EC subsidies regimeenabled them to get their field sizes correct(getting them wrong can incur penaltiesfrom the Rural Payments Agency, whichhandles claims on behalf of the EC).Another, which readers may already beaware of, is aimed at lone workers andkeeping them safe, especially people likesurveyors, who often visit unoccupied sitesby themselves. Their employers have a dutyof care under such circumstances.

There is even one under development forjournalists that aims to link all the threads of astory into one point, reducing the amount ofendlessly repeated information on news-feeds.

Got a bright idea that relies ongeospatial? Go to: https://geovation.uk/hub/

Below: Lost in a world of Geovation.

The Geovation Hub

• a subscriber to Geomatics World• an RICS Geomatics Group member• someone who recommends or purchases surveying technology/services

To register or subscribe go to: www.pvpubs.com/Showcase/Free

------------------------------The easiest way to receive a FREE copy is bygoing to www.pvpubs.com/Showcase/Free

The Editor, Engineering Surveying Showcase,2B North Road, Stevenage, Herts, SG1 4AT,tel: 01438 352617 fax: 01438 351989e-mail: [email protected]: www.pvpubs.com/showcase

To receive FREE copies of Showcase you must beone of the following:

Engineeringsurveying showcase

Engineering Surveying Showcase is a unique window into theexpertise and applications for the geospatial engineeringaspects of Geomatics.

Showcase goes to over 6,000 engineers, surveyors and otherprofessionals working in construction and development.


GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

23

. . . twenty firstcentury

highways assetmanagement is

high tech,digital and

mobile.

“

“

MANAGING DRAINAGE AND WATER FLOW intoroadside gullies may seem one of the moretraditional and perhaps low tech roles carried out bylocal government. In fact, the reverse is true: twentyfirst century highways asset management is hightech, digital and mobile.

The award recognised the results achieved by aproject KaarbonTech undertook with Walsall Counciland their contractors, Lafarge Tarmac. The objectivewas to deliver a project that would combineinnovative of use geographical data with digitalinformation management to:

1. Reduce localised flooding2. Improve maintenance of the gully network3. Achieve financial savings given the challenging

context of reduced local authority budgets

Walsall Council and their contractor LafargeTarmac are responsible for a network of 33,000gullies. Analysis by the council in 2013 found thatreactive gully cleaning costs more than ten times theamount of a planned clean. Evidence showed thatwhilst costs had remained broadly the same overrecent years the gully network in Walsall had actuallybeen cleaned less.

A change in focus from the costly and reactiveapproach of emergency gully cleaning to a moretargeted and intelligence led proactive regime wasneeded. The delivery of a proactive programme was

dependent upon the ability to collect and use datamore effectively.

Intelligent use of data The ‘Gully SMART’software uses Ordnance Survey geographical datasets to map and monitor drainage networks andother local authority assets and can be used onhandheld Android and iOS devices.

Dorset based company KaarbonTech designedthe software specifically to enable highways staff tocombine the use of geographic location data withenvironmental data sets such as flood zones. Thisapproach has enabled local authority highwaysteams to put in place proactive managementstrategies based on clear data.

The AGI award judges recognised the resultsachieved by a joint project with Walsall Council andtheir contractors Lafarge Tarmac. The threeobjectives of the project were to reduce localised

flooding, improve maintenance of the gully networkand achieve financial savings for Walsall Council.

Mapping innovation The council has a workforcedeployed across its network both managing andresponding to issues. ‘Gully SMART’ was specificallydesigned with this kind of workforce profile in mindand was always intended to be used on handheldAndroid and iOS devices as well as on the desktop.

Users are able to access, update and harvest dataand create targeted work programmes that respondto the identified priorities. This marks a move awayfrom reactive asset management.

Features of the software include:Data capture for teams in the field using voice, video•and photo with GPS being used to ensure accuracyof location against Ordnance Survey mapping.A complete inspection history of assets across the•authority’s network can be downloaded within15-30 seconds, enabling the user to work offlinefor the rest of the day whilst being easily updatedonce reconnected.Flood zones, road names and ward boundaries•automatically populated. Gullies identified forattention are clearly visible on the robusthandheld devices.Collected data overlaid on OS MasterMap and/or•aerial imaging to provide perspective and aid analysis.

Caught in the gully! Last November KaarbonTech won the 2014 Association of Geographic Information (AGI) award for Best Use of Geospatial for Business

Benefit with their Gulley SMART highways asset management software package. Theirmanaging director, Mark Entwistle, explains how proactive drain cleaning can improve

highways departments’ performance while saving time and money.


Drainage networks

Customer focus “We were mindful of these risksand invested time in the preparation phase, putting inplace a number of measures to successfully manage thechallenges,” said managing director Mark Entwistle.

The implementation of new technology is notnecessarily a smooth process and unless wellmanaged there is real potential for impact onproductivity during the transition. In this instancethere was also the need to populate the new systemwith accurate location and condition data. ‘GullySMART’ runs on handhelds so that the majority ofusers were familiar with the operating systems. Bothtechnicians in the field and office users required onlya two hour training session prior to using the system.

The new software uses terminology familiar tostaff, which aided the transition and deliveredconsistent recording of condition and location data.This consistency aided management when settingeffective performance targets.

Understanding that the data collection would bevery repetitive, the software was streamlined toavoid needlessly answering the same questions overand over. By minimising button pressing andharnessing the smart devices to offer predictedanswers, it emerged that the data being entered wasgiving accurate condition and silt level measurement.Technicians were more likely to answer accurately ifthere was less repetition for them.

The pre-rollout preparation paid off withimproved performance and productivity from thetechnicians actually increasing as teams were able toplan their days more effectively.

‘Gully SMART’ was introduced in 2013 andwithin the first nine months of using the new system66% of gullies across Walsall had been cleaned.

John Roseblade, Group Manager, Highways &Environment, Walsall Council said, “This is exactlythe type of innovation we have needed. Theintelligence that is being gained enables us toobjectively reduce the frequency of cleaning where itis not needed and to prioritise problem areas.”

Sharing innovation The ability to shareinformation with other council departments and also

with relevant external organisations is clearly a keybenefit to any modern asset management system. Inthis instance the accurate geographical informationcaptured by ‘Gully SMART’ facilitated innovative waysof working with other agencies/stakeholders with arole in asset management. For example, teams in thefield recorded gullies unable to be cleared due tocollapsed pipework or blocked sewers. The accuracyof the location information made it possible for otheragencies – such as Severn Trent Water – to be alertedand problems to be addressed more quickly.

Areas of excessive leaf fall have been recorded andthe intelligence shared with colleagues in the council‘Clean and Green Team.’ This is enabling these areasto receive prioritised road sweeping during theautumn months and before predicted heavy rain.Mark Entwistle explains, “Automatically associatingplotted drainage assets with their geographic settingand other datasets enables better decision makingand a more refined understanding of the network.”

Financial efficiency Local government continuesto be challenged by tight budgets and investment innew technology needs to be able to demonstratevalue for money. In this case cost reductions wereachieved as a result of streamlining workprogrammes to prioritise cleaning of vulnerablegullies before heavy rain rather than afterwardswhen they were blocked.

Figures from the council showed that, within anaverage 8 hour working day, teams can completenine emergency gully clean outs. However, proactiveplanned cyclical cleaning using the ‘Gully SMART’system enables 145 clean outs to be completedwithin the same working day. Savings are also beingmade by reduced fuel usage and planned gullycleaning and maintenance programmes were alsoseen to be reducing both fuel and time wastage.

Community benefits The general public have highexpectations of their local authorities and being ableto demonstrate evidence of wider communitybenefits of new technology is important.

The cyclical maintenance programmes in Walsallare reducing the risk of properties flooding in periodsof heavy rainfall. Improved highways drainage isincreasing safety of all road users and reducing riskof accidents caused by water on the road.

Elected members enquiring about maintenancework in their wards can now get accurate andgeographic specific information from officers,thereby improving wider public perception.

Mark Entwistle says, “Our work with WalsallCouncil and Lafarge Tarmac has delivered realtangible results. Our technology is robust, provenand now being used across highways networks inSurrey, Croydon, Norfolk and Suffolk.” There is agrowing role for geospatial data in managing assetswithin both the public and private sectors.


GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al


About the authorMark Entwistle, managingdirector, foundedKaarbonTech in 2012.Mark brought to thebusiness extensiveexperience in the field ofutilities assetmanagement andinnovation. The visionbehind the products andservices is theunderstanding that thecollection of data is onlyhalf the picture – it ishow that data is usedthat makes thedifference.


Drainage networks

Below: Drains beingmanaged by WalsallCouncil with the helpof geographical data.



GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

25

INTERGEO 2015


. . .Simultaneous

Localisation andMapping, or

SLAM,technology. “

EARLY AUTUMN MEANS A TRIP to Germany for theIntergeo event. This year it fell in Stuttgart (2016 isHamburg then Berlin for 2017). As RICS’s JamesKavanagh observes, “The event is always a hothouseof new ideas, geo technology and a great indicatorof how. . . global geomatics is evolving.”

The three-day show attracted a record 549exhibitors occupying some 15,000 square metres andsome 16,500 visitors of which over 30% were firsttimers with half from beyond Germany. The newStuttgart Messe could not have been better located:right next to the airport.

At the organisers press conference there wasmuch talk of “Geospatial 4.0” which seems to beabout intelligent networking. I must confess tohaving missed Geospatials 1, 2 and 3, although Esriin a press release defined 4.0 as “to integrate andlink any information to space.” Whatever attemptyou make to define and categorise our business it isprobably best to focus on the technology and moreimportantly, what it can do for users.

The following is little more than a snapshot ofwhat was on offer at Intergeo. We will have missedplenty but we think we’ve captured some of themore significant developments from companies whoare also players in the UK market.

Droning again. . . If it is possible to discernparticular technology themes this year then one hasto be drones and shrinking mobile mapping systems.The flying things certainly created a buzz. Drones,UAVs, call them what you will, enjoyed their own hotspot at Intergeo: the ‘flight zone’ wheremanufacturers were able to demo their craft in theair. It is extraordinary how these devices, both fixed-wing and multi-copter, have developed rapidly asdata gathering platforms, encouraging an equallyimpressive evolution of lightweight sensors.

Some have focused on developing UAVs fordedicated applications. Riegl’s RiCoptor, one of the

first with a LiDAR sensor, now has a bathymetriccompanion, the BathyCopter, which incorporates agreen laser rangefinder developed by Riegl. Thelatest Aibotix multicopter UAV can now carry a multi-spectral sensor as well as enabled by RTK correctionsvia sister company Leica Geosystems’ SmartNETservice. Trimble meanwhile, has launched its firstmulti-rotor UAV, the ZX5 with a 16 Mpx camera.Topcon too were showing their first step into thistype of platform with the Falcon 8 Octocopter with a36 Mpx camera and the ability to be “back-packed”.

Mobile mapping Mobile mapping has also beenmoving ahead, helped by miniaturisation of sensorsand more compact solutions. 3D Lasermapping, anearly pioneer in this field, launched the compactStreetMapper IV system with just one connectingcable between the vehicle platform and sensor unit.The sensor package includes a high-resolutionpanoramic camera, laser scanner, MEMS inertial unit,GNSS and control unit, all of which fit neatly into aprotective pod.

Leica Geosystems were showing the latest

incarnation of their Pegasus mobile mapping system: abackpack version. Applications include BIM as well as 2Dmapping; accurate positioning is achieved in GNSS-restricted areas using Simultaneous Localisation andMapping, or SLAM, technology. Together with a highprecision inertial measurement unit, Leica describe thisas a “position-agnostic solution”. Sensors log positionand time with full 360° views and LiDAR plus ahardware light sensor, ensure that images are usablewhile other functions are verifiable and adjustablethrough the operator’s tablet device.

The Trimble MX7 system mounts easily on avariety of vehicles. Controlled by a touch-screentablet using Wi-Fi technology, the system captures360° fully-direct georeferenced imagery using aspherical camera and GNSS/INS technology. Imageryis calibrated for high-accuracy photogrammetry,allowing users to position, measure, annotate andextract information.

GNSS Designed for GIS and survey professionals,Trimble’s latest GNSS receiver works with theirhandheld devices and iOS, Android or Windowsmobile handhelds, smart phones and tablets usingBluetooth or via USB. When paired with a mobiledevice, the Trimble R2 receiver adds professional-grade GNSS capabilities to enable high-accuracy datacollection.

Stuttgart showcases data capture technologies Data is essential for any GIS. Fortunately today there is a vast array of rapid data capture technologies. GiSPro’s sister publication Geomatics World reports from the world’s biggest

exhibition of geospatial technologies.

Above: UAV’s andportable mapping systemswere centre stage atStuttgart’s Intergeo.

“

CMOS(ComplementaryMetal Oxide

Semiconductor)sensors have

been around forawhile . . .

“

“

Totally total stations Counting the many Chinesemanufacturers, there must now be more than 20different total station brands. Big players like Leicaand Trimble even have two (GeoMax and SpectraPrecision respectively).

Topcon’s DS-200i direct-aiming motorisedimaging station is compatible with Autodesk BIM360 Layout app for the Apple iPad and is the secondtotal station that Autodesk and Topcon havecollaborated on. The DS-200i offers non-contactreflectorless measurement up to 1000 metres andbuilt-in wireless WLAN connects the iPad with theBIM 360 Layout app. But no Android yet.

A new range of motorized total stations wasannounced for Trimble’s Spectra Precision brand. TheFocus 35 RX robotic instruments move the user fromthe instrument to the detail pole. Speed ofobservation and precise positioning is provided bypatented StepDrive motion technology controllinghorizontal and vertical motion.

Laser scanners Driven by Building InformationModelling (BIM), 3D laser scanning and imagingsoftware are behind many geospatial applications aswell as construction planning and design. Trimble’slatest scanner, the TX8 3D offers greater accuracy(down to 1 mm) and streamlined onboard operationin measuring to longer ranges, decreasing field timefor capturing high-accuracy data.

Topcon has refreshed its laser scanner range withthe announcement of three new models. Using Topcon’sPrecise Scan Technology II, the GLS-2000 models aredesigned to emit pulse signals three times faster thantheir earlier scanners. The scanners feature dual 5Mpxcameras, including one with a 170-degree wide-anglelens for high-speed imaging, as well as an 8.9-degreetelephoto camera coaxial with the measuring axis.

Austrian company Riegl has five decades experienceof developing lasers. Their latest terrestrial scanner, theVZ-400i offers scan rates up to 1.2 mHz with 5mmaccuracy. Range is 800 metres and operation is via atouch-screen. An integrated gyroscope, accelerometer,compass and barometer help re-assure users thatconditions are right for data collection.

But perhaps, whilst the VZ-400i is an evolutionaryproduct, the most interesting development from Riegl isthe VUX-1UAV, an ultra lightweight laser scannerdesigned for use with a UAV. Described as a “survey

grade scanner” and operating at 200 swathe scans asecond, it captures data at 500k points a second.Impressive from a unit that weighs just 3.5 kgs and issized at only 227 × 180 × 125mm. Accuracy is quotedat 10mm and precision 5mm. Data is stored in a 240Gbmemory and power consumption is typically 60W froman 11-32V DC supply. More powerful versions offeringhigher scan rates and designed for use with light aircraftand helicopters or terrestrial mobile platforms are alsoavailable using the same lightweight sensor.

FARO Technologies updated its laser-scanningsoftware PointSense. This is a surveying and as-builtdocumentation software suite. With the release ofVersion 16.5, PointSense now includes additional toolsand functionality for efficiently processing of 3D laser-scan data in AutoCAD and Revit packages. Thefunctionality for AutoCAD includes simultaneous fit ofmultiple polygon cross-sections, single click planeextraction, and auto-boundary detection.

We’ve already mentioned SLAM technology, whichis helping mobile systems stay on track when GNSS isweak or unavailable. Readers may also be familiar withthe ZEB1 handheld laser scanner, which has featured inpast issues of GiSPro’s sister titles Showcase andGeomatics World. The SLAM technology behind ZEB1was developed through a joint venture between CSIRO(Australia’s National Science Agency) and 3D LaserMapping from Nottingham (now marketed throughGeoslam Ltd). The same technology has also been builtinto a tiny laser scanner weighing only 1.2 kg: theGeoSLAM ZEB-REVO, which can be mounted on avariety of platforms to capture up to 40k points persecond. Once the data is captured users have to uploadit to Geoslam’s cloud for processing into a 3D model.The potential applications and integration into mobileand aerial systems are exciting but will users want to belimited by the vendor’s cloud only processing?

Airborne mapping CMOS (Complementary MetalOxide Semiconductor) sensors have been around forawhile in consumer cameras. Now Leica Geosystemshas introduced the DMC III with the industry’s firstlarge format CMOS airborne sensor. Based on newCMOS, imaging sensor technology, the DMC IIIoffers the world’s most efficient coverage in a singleframe sensor at 25,000 pixels – 25 per cent morethan any other camera on the market say Leica. Thecamera uses a single monolithic sensor providing 391Mpx. The new technology also includes benefits like78dB dynamic range and extremely low image noiselevel, allowing customers to fly more hours per day.The design of the DMC III supports Leica’s commonsensor platform with LiDAR and oblique sensors tominimise operating and training costs.

• You can read more about the current market for UAVsand other geospatial technologies in our twice-yearlyEngineering Surveying Showcase publication. Fulldetails on page 22.



GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

26

INTERGEO 2015


Above: left, 3D Lasermapping’s compactStreetMapper IV. Right,Riegl’s lightweight LiDARsensor.



GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

27

AGI column


AS THE FESTIVE PERIOD DRAWS EVER CLOSER it’scustomary to look back and wonder where the lastyear has gone (doesn’t time fly!), however thegeneral sentiment across the AGI membership is tolook forward with an ever growing sense ofenthusiasm for the opportunities that are beingafforded to us in these changing times.

It is no secret that times are also hard. At thisyear’s annual general meeting, AGI Council sharedsome of the organisation’s issues with gatheredmembers and asked for their support in plotting adifferent course for the future. Such changes willnecessarily impact on the funding structures onwhich AGI depends, but has to start with a renewalof our commitment to champion the value ofgeographic information – both in traditional, butmore importantly in non-traditional quarters. Ichallenged the audience at this year’s AGI GeoComconference to ask themselves not “what ‘AGI’ isdoing” (note the use of the third person) but rathermore to consider what “we could do” (together) andto consider what “I will do” (as an individual). Asimple but important call to arms. Together, the AGImembership must consider what it would like to

have achieved when looking back from the futureand to consider how we might best individuallycontribute to those outcomes.

AGI Council has committed to outline some

proposals over the next few months and this willstart with the next council meeting in Decemberfrom which we will share some high level thoughtsand an important timeline for these conversations.

Quality as high as ever This year’s annual GeoComconference was fantastic and reported heavily elsewherein this issue of GiSPro. Volunteer driven with the supportof the AGI Team, the quality of presentations,workshops, sponsor demonstrations and networkingwas as high as ever. The conference remains animportant showcase for the value our industry delivers.

Our Awards Dinner was particularly wellsupported this year. A very high number of entriesacross all categories ensured some very worthywinners were recognised by their peers and adeservingly high number of entries were short-listedand praised during the evening. Two very specialawards were made that evening. First to JonathanMarshall in recognition for his significant input toAGI as a council member for the last nine years – ofcourse, his commitment to AGI goes back muchlonger! And, to Les Rackham, deservedly beingawarded with AGI’s Career Achievement Award in

recognition of the very many contributions he hasmade to our industry. All of our award winnersshould be very proud of their achievements.

A document to show how we can make adifference As we end 2015 we do so armed withthe insight and foresight offered by many of ourmembers and industry leaders in the AGI ForesightReport 2020. In the first few days of its launch, thereport had been downloaded more than 500 timesdemonstrating its appeal, relevance and interest tomany – both within our industry and from those whoseek greater understanding of the role of GI inhelping them and their business challenges. TheForesight Report endeavours to address how the GIindustry can make a difference during a period ofmassive change and incredible need. If you’ve nothad a chance to review yet, you can download itfrom www.agi.org.uk/news/foresight-report

Finally, I’ll finish this year by thanking ourvolunteers and all those who have supported andparticipated in AGI’s activities during 2015. Buoyedby the enthusiasm expressed at the GeoComconference, I look forward to working with you todevelop our plans for the future.

What can we do together and whatyou can do AGI Chair David Henderson looks back at the year, November’s GeoCom and AGM and the launch of Foresight 2020. Now it’s time for members to step

up and say what they like achieved.

David Henderson is ageospatial professionalwith a geographer’s heart.He is the Head of ProductManagement &Development at OrdnanceSurvey and is serving asAGI’s Chair in 2015.

Les Rackham (centre) receivedAGI's Career AchievementAward with Prof Iain Stewart(left) and Andy Coote.

Common language ofgeography helps IoTThe Internet of Things (IoT) isclaimed to help new ways ofthinking about how we work withand share information. Esri isworking with Microsoft tointegrate location services andspatial analytics to Microsoft’sAzure IoT Suite. “Location isfundamental to realizing value inbeing connected,” says ChrisCappelli, global businessdevelopment, Esri. “There can beno IoT without understanding thephysical and spatial context of themachines it consists of. Thecommon language of geographyunlocks the value in IoT datastreams.” Microsoft’s Sam Georgeadds, “Our collaboration with Esriwill extend the Azure IoT Suite toinclude rich location andgeospatial services, which arecritical in the world of IoT.”

Add-ons for NautizHandheld Group has announcedexpansion pack features for its

NAUTIZ X8 rugged PDA. Newfunctions make the handheldmore versatile for field workers inmarket segments like forestry,surveying and construction. ABluetooth (LRBT) Expansion Packallows long-range communicationup to 300 metres. An empty add-on cap allows users to installcustom accessories using theproprietary interface.

Remote sensing suiteTrimble’s latest Remote SensingSuite combines the capabilities ofthe new Inpho SATMastermodule with its eCognitionsoftware, to generate highquality data, models and analyticsfrom satellite imagery. SATMasterprovides streamlined workflowsto generate DTM’s and DSM’sfrom overlapping satelliteimagery. eCognition Essentials,included with SATMaster,provides a guided workflow toeasily generate land cover maps.

Meanwhile, recentenhancements to the Inpho

suite v7.0 and UASMaster v7.0are aimed to improve dataquality and reduce productiontime. Updates include morerobust processing of UAS datagenerated to cope withchallenging flight conditions,support for highly accurateGNSS data in UASMaster as wellas streamlined support for thenew ZX5 rotary UAS platformand performance improvements.PDF quality reporting is nowsupported and ortho images aregenerated directly from colourpointclouds within seconds.UASMaster Lite now supportsup to 800 images.

Esri offers Trimble deviceIn a surprise move GIS softwaregiant Esri has endorsed thelaunch of the Trimble R1 GNSSreceiver as suitable for collectingprofessional-grade data withCollector for ArcGIS. The GNSSreceiver is a rugged certifiedMIL-STD-810, IP65 rated devicewhich is compact, lightweightand provides positioning data toiOS, Android, or Windowsmobile handhelds, smartphones,and tablets using Bluetoothconnectivity.

Maritime monitoringMDA has announced thecommercial release of two newmodes on RADARSAT-2 thatwere developed specifically forship detection and othermaritime monitoring activities.With swath widths of up to 500km, the data provides a cost-effective way to monitor largeareas ocean for applicationssuch as ship detection, icemonitoring and oil on water.

Sitelink3D app for AndroidTopcon’s Sitelink3D real-time 3Dmanagement service is nowcross-platform compatible formobile devices. Regardless ofplatform, when field operatorsor managers are away fromtheir desks, the app is designed

to provide instant access toproject data and ongoingactivities for any job site. TheAndroid app is currentlyavailable from Google Play.

OS revolution continuesThe latest phase in OrdnanceSurvey’s rejuvenation of its papermaps is the release of Explorermaps with an exclusive mobiledownload. The Explorers followthe successful launch of OS’s 62Outdoor Leisure (OL) map titles.Landranger maps will bereleased in February next year.

StreetMapperIVLaunched at the StuttgartIntergGEO, 3D Laser Mapping’sStreetMapperIV mobile mappingsystem is portable, automatedand ieasy to use, yet retainssurvey grade accuracy. With asingle cable connection attachingthe system to the vehicle, it is thesimplest StreetMapper designyet. Each system comes with ahigh-accuracy laser scanner andmarket leading navigationsystem, with optional sensoradditions of panoramic camerasand navigation upgrades.

Emapsite launchessubsidence peril modelData services provider emapsitehas launched a geocoded perilsmodel enabling insurers andunderwriters to assess thesubsidence risk for every propertyin the UK. Subsitree, available asa discrete dataset and throughan on-tap location contentplatform, gives a detailedperspective into the distributionof risk, based on the latest soiltype and tree data as shown inNational Tree Map data.

Historic maps for schoolsDigimap for Schools has addedthe OS 1-inch Seventh Series toits portfolio of historic maps.Their current range includes datafrom the 1890s, the 1950s-60sand the present day. The historic


GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al


There is more news of products and services on our website at www.pvpubs.com To get your company featured on this page call Sharon Robson on +44 (0)1438 352617

New maps for Poland and all ofEurope for GIS use

To mark last November’s GIS Day, GfK released an extract of ultra-precisedigital mapping of Poland from its newly released GfK Europe Edition2015. Precise, up-to-date maps are prerequisites for error-free, geographicanalysis and geomarketing applications. GfK offers what is claimed to bethe largest collection of worldwide postcode and administrative maps aswell as other geodata for use in GIS environments.


products & services

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

29

There is more news of products and services on our website at www.pvpubs.com To get your company featured on this page call Sharon Robson on +44 (0)1438 352617

OS maps have been scanned andgeo-referenced by the NationalLibrary of Scotland (NLS). Theannual cost is £69 for primaryand £144 for secondary schools.

Let the work flowmiso (sic) has adopted a newapproach to data apps that allowsimple solutions to commonbusiness problems to cometogether in the form of ‘apps’,known as Workflows. Availablefrom the DataFlow store, they areavailable to browse, purchase anddownload. Once downloaded,each of the Workflows can belaunched in the DataFlow Player,enabling users to beginprocessing their data in minutes.The service is community-led,with users coming together toshare their experiences anddiscuss their challenges toidentify common problems

suitable for development intonew workflows by miso and thecommunity.

The first released workflowis the AddressBase PremiumOptimiser, which automates theconversion of AddressBasePremium data into moreuseable formats. Both DataFlowand the AddressBase PremiumOptimiser have been launchedto current users of miso’sInterpOSe software. Furtherreleases will follow.

New website forAllmapdataMapmechanics “allmapdata”team has released a new website(allmapdata.com) that offers fullyresponsive and intelligent scalingon desktops, tablets andsmartphones, while maintaininga clear and logical navigationhierarchy on all platforms. The

design brief was to make it easierthan ever before to navigate therange and depth of map data onoffer. Products are presentedunder easily-understoodheadings with separate tabs forintroductory information,features, attributes, case studiesscreenshots and videos forindividual products. Data isavailable via CD, DVD, cloudplatforms or as immediatedownloads from the MicrosoftAzure cloud computing platform.

Three words helpaddressingPoor addressing is frustratingand costly in developedcountries; it can be a nightmarewithin informal settlements andunregulated neighbourhood indeveloping countries. Even indeveloped nations streetaddressing can be irregular and

incomplete; finding an addressand communicating it to otherscan still be a very imperfectscience. Whilst coordinateswork for GIS professionals, theyare error-prone and poorlyunderstood by non-GIS users,prohibiting their morewidespread use.

Esri has thereforeannounced that what3wordswill be providing its three-wordaddress and location referencesystem to the ArcGIS platform.This is an addressing andlocation reference system basedon a global grid of 57 trillionsquares of 3m×3m; each squarehas a unique pre-assignedthree-word address. Forexample, crayon.giants.liking isa perfect spot in the GrandCanyon to take a picture of theKaibab Suspension Bridgeacross the Colorado River.


products & services

ADVERTISERS INDEX

AGI

Bluesky

Caledonian

Geo Business

GiS Professional

Korec

Leica Geosystems

PV Publications

p.30

p.17

p.29

p.04

p.11

Back cover

Inside front cover

p.31

calendarIssue No 67 December 2015

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

30

| seminars | conferences | exhibitions | courses | events | workshops | symposiums |We welcome advance details of conferences, seminars, exhibitions and other events which are likely to be of interest to the GIS community. Please mention the name of the event, venue, date and point of contact for further information and send to Jason PooleGISPro, 2B North Road, Stevenage, Herts SG1 4AT or e-mail: [email protected].

GeoBIM Europe10-11th December 2015, Novotel, Amsterdam, Hollandwww.geo-bim.org/Europe/index.html

USI 2015 Conference14-16th December 2015, Sheraton Hotel and Marina, San Diego, USAhttp://unmannedsystemsinstitute.com/

Maps, Charts, and Intelligence16th January 2016, Geospatial Building, University of Nottingham, UKwww.rin.org.uk/Events/4117/

SkyTech 201627-28th January 2016, Building Design Centre, London, UKwww.skytechevent.com

TUSExpo 20162-4th February 2016, The World Forum, The Hague, The Netherlandshttp://tusexpo.com/

International LiDAR Mapping Forum 201622-24th February 2016, Hyatt Regency, Denver, USAwww.lidarmap.org/international/

Geoplace: Everything Happens Somewhere28th April 2016, QEII Centre, Westminster, Londonwww.geoplace.co.uk/news-events/annual-conference

Esri UK Annual Conference17th May 2016, QEII Conference Centre, Londonwww.esriuk.com/events/annual-conference-2016/

GEO Business 201624-25th May 2016, Business Design Centre, London, UKwww.geobusinessshow.com

Geospatial World Forum23-26th May 2016, Rotterdam, The [email protected]

DECEMBER 2015 FEBRUARY 2016

MAY 2016

JANUARY 2016

APRIL 2016

FEBRUARY 2016

DROP IT, DRENCH IT, POUND IT!

www.handheldgroup.com

NAUTIZ X8 THE NEW ULTRA-RUGGED FIELD PDA

DISTANCE LEARNING GIS PROGRAMMES

MSc/PgDip/PgCertcourses in GIS bydistance learningJointly delivered by ManchesterMetropolitan University and theUniversity of Salford

New Masters in• GIS• Applied GIS• GI Technologies

Designed to meet the needs of GIS professionals and those newto the industry.

See our website for further details:www.unigis.org

+44 (0)161 247 [email protected]

Educating tomorrow’s GIS professionals

[email protected] 454 0426

MapInfo Software and TrainingMAPublisher & Geographic Imager + Training

Postcode PAF data & Xtreme Accuracy postcode boundaries

MapInfo Software and TrainingMAPublisher & Geographic Imager + Training

Postcode PAF data & Xtreme Accuracy postcode boundaries

[email protected] 454 0426

GiS

Pro

fess

ion

al

31

By advertising in Display, Classifiedor Recruitment you can benefit fromthe extra exposure we give regularadvertisers in our News sections.

Call 01438 352617 now and discover how we can help yourealise your marketing plan.

Web? email? Print? PR?It’s the marketing mix that counts

PV Publications Ltd, 2B North Road, Stevenage, Herts SG1 4AT, United Kingdom.Tel: +44 (0)1438 352617 Email: [email protected] www.pvpubs.com

Subscribe today. . . and get the next issue absolutely FREE

Geomatics World one year: £35 (UK) / £39.50 (overseas)*Digital GW Only (includes archive access): £14.95

Find out all about Geomatics application and practice. GW is published under licence fromthe Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) - the UK's qualifying institution for surveyors

and professionals working in the geospatial and geoinformation fields.

GIS Professional one year: £34.95 (UK) / £37.50(overseas)*Reduced rate for AGI / RICS: £27.95

Digital GiSPro Only (includes archive access): £14.95

Puzzled about the geography jigsaw?Whether users, managers, developers, consultants, datacollectors, sensor and system developers or academics and researchers, GiSPro is for all those who

work in the broad field of spatial data application, management, interrogation, collection andprocessing.

Engineering Surveying showcase one year: £15.95 (UK) / £19.95 (overseas)*Showcase is a unique window into the expertise and applications for the geospatial engineering

aspects of Geomatics. All subscribers to Geomatics World receive Showcase free of charge.

To subscribe and for more information visit www.pvpubs.comTo subscribe and for more information visit www.pvpubs.com

You can subscribe online to any or all of our titles by going to www.pvpubs.com. Payment is by credit card or PayPal.* All subscribers get FREE password protected access to our searchable archive of back issues.

ClassifiedTo reserve space in the next issue callSharon Robson on +44 (0)1438 352617

One of the UK’s leadinggeospatial consultancies

www.thinkwhere.com

mobile data collection, with value added

Customisable data capture software designed specifically for functionality and ease of use

K-Mobile data capture software has the capability to run on

all Trimble® Windows® Mobile hardware platforms. Both software

set-up and field use are simple and intuitive, shortening learning

curves and enabling faster mobilisation of work forces. Forms are

easily customisable and can be as simple or as complex as the task

requires.

Additionally, if your internal processes are more complex, we can work

alongside you to develop a customised K-Mobile solution.

K-Mobile comes with OS StreetView™ maps as standard. Optional

extras also include device tracking, lone worker support and full cloud

based and manual data transfer.

[email protected]

tel UK: 0845 603 1214 IRE: 01 456 4702

GeoCom sparkles in Warwick - GIS Professional · and Anne Kemp sharing a moment with Simon Wheeler....

Documents

Transcript of GeoCom sparkles in Warwick - GIS Professional · and Anne Kemp sharing a moment with Simon Wheeler....