Aspiring to Capture the World in Its Entirety
In the realm of Earth observation, traditional satellite imagery has long been a crucial tool for understanding our planet’s dynamic changes. However, it grapples with limitations in resolution, accuracy, and the ability to penetrate areas shrouded in darkness or dense vegetation. These constraints hinder its efficacy in addressing critical challenges such as climate change, disaster response, sustainable farming, conservation, and forestry. The emergence of a groundbreaking solution is on the horizon — one that transcends these limitations and promises a transformative impact on how we perceive and comprehend our planet.
Shifting the Lens of Earth Observation
LiDAR, or Light Detection and Ranging, is a remote sensing technology that employs lasers to measure distances and generate detailed, high-resolution 3D maps of the Earth’s surface. While terrestrial and aerial applications have long utilized LiDAR, the true potential lies in space-based LiDAR, a domain that remains largely untapped. Current satellite imagery offers only a two-dimensional perspective, with a mere 5% of the Earth’s landmass mapped using LiDAR. The advent of space-based LiDAR marks a paradigm shift, presenting a solution to the limitations of traditional Earth observation methods.
Unveiling a Fresh Approach to LiDAR Mapping
At the forefront of this transformative shift is NUVIEW, pioneering the creation of the world’s first commercial LiDAR satellite constellation. NUVIEW’s ambitious mission is to provide a continuously updated global 3D point cloud from space using 20 satellites in orbit, addressing the most complex challenges in scientific, environmental, and commercial domains. The company stands out as a first-mover, leveraging cutting-edge satellite, sensor, and software technology to produce high-quality, precise data. With expertise in global-scale commercial success, NUVIEW’s team, alongside strategic distribution partners, brings a distinctive blend of technical proficiency, proven market success, and operational know-how to the industry.
Unearthing Benefits for a Better Planet
The potential benefits of space-based LiDAR mapping are vast and diverse, spanning crucial sectors and disciplines. NUVIEW’s innovative approach promises enhanced climate change monitoring and natural disaster management, enabling the tracking of deforestation and reforestation efforts, assessing glacier and ice sheet changes, and gauging the impacts of natural disasters. Resource management and infrastructure planning stand to gain significantly, with applications ranging from optimizing agriculture and land use for sustainability to guiding urban development and facilitating efficient natural resource management. Archaeological discoveries and cultural preservation will also find a new ally in NUVIEW’s capabilities, unlocking the potential to unearth lost civilizations, monitor historical sites, and preserve cultural heritage. Scientific research and innovation will receive a boost as well, providing researchers with unprecedented access to high-quality global data and fueling advancements in geography, geology, and environmental science.
Ushering in a New Age of Global Progress
NUVIEW’s pioneering constellation of space-based LiDAR satellites signifies a leap into the future of Earth observation. By revolutionizing how we perceive and interact with our planet, NUVIEW aims to unlock a myriad of benefits across various sectors. From monitoring climate change to optimizing resource management and preserving cultural heritage, the applications of annual LiDAR mapping are boundless. NUVIEW’s commitment to overcoming the challenges associated with this groundbreaking endeavor heralds a new era of Earth observation, one driven by accurate, up-to-date global data. Standing on the cusp of this transformative journey, NUVIEW emerges as a key player, reshaping the landscape of Earth observation and paving the way for a more informed and sustainable future.
Is the NSGIC Emerging Partner program right for you? If you are a new company considering whether to partner with NSGIC, this blog post was written for you.
We are makepath, a geospatial data science company focused on Open Source GIS, Open Source Machine Learning, and Visualizations. We were founded in Austin Texas in February of 2020. We joined NSGIC as an Emerging Partner in mid-2020.
The bottom line is we have found our partnership with NSGIC to be a great long-term investment.
It has taken consistent follow-through and conscious engagement, and almost three years later, we are now a Bronze Level Business Partner and have many active partnerships with both individual states and with private business partners.
In this post we will share what has worked for us.
Why NSGIC
It boils down to Community, Ideas, and Access.
NSGIC provided us a unique opportunity to meet face to face with lots of decision makers at the state level, as well as to strike alliances with other business partner companies.
The bi-annual conference is a unique opportunity to meet people while sharing our work and knowledge of Open Source tools.
We have met GIS practitioners and decision makers from dozens of states, as well as influential executives from other NSGIC partner organizations.
We have also learned a lot from the webinars and talks provided by member states and business partners.
The conference has a great sense of camaraderie and a sense of possibility that’s hard to put into words.
A Bit of History
NSGIC’s first meeting was in 1991 and the organization was incorporated in 1994.
The organization then began forming partnerships with the vendor community to bring new perspectives and financial support to the group.
Initially it was mostly larger, established companies that signed on as partners.
The Emerging Partner program was introduced in 2017-18 in an effort to provide an opportunity for newer and smaller organizations to engage with NSGIC.
Our Results
As I mentioned above, we have many partnerships that have bloomed from our involvement in NSGIC. For brevity’s sake, I want to highlight one state and one private partnership that came directly from us being a NSGIC Emerging Partner.
State of Texas
Planet Labs
Conclusion
In sum, we have found that the more we invest in the relationship with NSGIC, the more we get out of it.
We look forward to continuing our long-term commitment to the NSGIC community. And if you join because of this blog post, find me at the next Conference…beers (or coffee) on me!
Pablo Fuentes is Founder and Principal at makepath, a proud NSGIC Business Partner and former Emerging Partner. Thank you to Jenna Leveille and to NSGIC leadership for their help with reading this post and for the NSGIC historical context.
As part of its final-year deliverables, NSGIC’s Geo-Enabled Elections project today released the 2022 State Election Director Report, documenting progress in the use of GIS technology in elections across the United States since the project’s inception in 2017.
In the report, the authors note that a remarkable 86% of U.S. states and territories have participated in the Geo-Enabled Elections project over the course of the project.
Election directors from 28 states and territories were interviewed or surveyed for the report, providing details on advances in the integration of GIS in elections. Examples include a greater use of audits to verify voter lists, and a significant increase in real-time updates of voter addresses.
In other areas, change is happening more slowly. Most state election directors hope to have a voter registration system (VRS) that supports GIS not by 2024, but by 2027. Currently, 10 out of 28, or 39% of election directors stated that they have a VRS that can use geospatial data, although some are not using that functionality yet.
Key opportunities to leverage GIS technology in elections remain. While regular audits have increased significantly, not all are spatial audits, and not all use complete, external address information. In fact, several states continue to do spatial data audits irregularly, or lack some of the spatial data needed to conduct a complete audit.
Increasing the integration of GIS in elections can save time, reduce the risk of errors, and contribute to transparency in elections. It also has financial benefits. As one election director notes in the report:
“The value likely is monetary, which translates to FTE(s) in elections that have GIS knowledge and software skills.”
For states that need to pick up the pace, NSGIC project manager Jamie Chesser says collaboration between election directors and geographic information officers is key.
“This is what we have seen in all states that have made significant progress, and NSGIC has worked to encourage deepening relationships between those two groups of professionals. This is perhaps the most significant accomplishment of the project.”
To download the full report, click here. To receive an invitation to the 2022 Elections Geo-Summit on December 8, where the report’s findings will be discussed, sign up for the project’s email news.
NSGIC is grateful for the time and candid input of the 28 U.S. election directors who participated in the interviews and surveys that made this nationwide report possible.
Accurate and up-to-date addresses and their locations are critical to transportation safety and are a vital part of Next Generation 9-1-1. They are also essential for a broad range of government services, including mail delivery, permitting, and school siting. In addition, the data can help enable critical applications including public health tracking and disease vector control, natural disaster response, transportation planning, construction/improvements notification, and provision of affordable housing. The National Address Database (NAD) is a unified collection of authoritative address points integrated from partners across the country. In most cases, the data is collected and maintained at the tribal or local governments, the data authorities, and aggregated to the state level before submission to the NAD.
While participation is strong, not all states with address data have been able to become NAD partners. In some cases, there are policies in place that restrict data from being shared publicly. Overcoming these restrictions is important – and possible.
View Addresses for the Nation – Pathways from Restricted Data to Open Data here.
Recently, members of URISA and the NSGIC NG9-1-1 Working Group came together to collaboratively author an informational document for policy makers and elected officials not familiar Next Generation 9-1-1. “GIS is Critical for Next Generation 9-1-1” is a fact sheet that communicates how 9-1-1 works, how Next Generation 9-1-1 is different, and the important role of GIS in Next Generation 9-1-1. Rather than answering all of the questions, GIS is Critical for Next Generation 9-1-1 opens the door to continued conversation about Next Generation 9-1-1 GIS efforts in a particular state, region, or locale.
For more Next Generation 9-1-1 GIS information and resources, visit the NSGIC NG9-1-1 Working Group webpage or the URISA Next Generation 9-1-1 Task Force webpage. You can view the document here.
With six months remaining for the Geo-Enabled Elections project, key stakeholders are looking ahead to what’s next while also recognizing accomplishments to date.
Currently, the project team is finalizing the 2022 State Election Director Report, documenting progress in the use of GIS technology in elections across the country since the project’s inception in 2017. Targeted for release in the fall, the report will review advances in voter address management and auditing, states’ access to technology and systems capable of using GIS location information, collaboration with state GIOs, and more.
In the meantime, the Geo-Enabled Elections Phase Two/Year Two report is available for download. It describes how the national conversation changed in recent years, with a much greater understanding of the concept of geo-enabled elections in evidence. Stakeholders in counties, states, agencies, the private sector, and academia are pulling together to elevate the use of GIS in elections nationwide.
NSGIC created and facilitated that process, supporting state and county election administrators by offering case studies, hosting webinars, and providing a webpage with tools and training for any election office wishing to further elevate their use of GIS in elections. Says Jamie Chesser, project lead:
“NSGIC has worked with GIS and election leaders around the country to create a blueprint for how to enhance election accuracy, efficiency, and transparency with GIS. With that blueprint in hand, we know state and local jurisdictions have access to the tools and know-how to take it from here, in 2023 and beyond.”
This might include seeking additional funding to upgrade voter registration systems, so that those systems can accurately place voters in the right voting districts, or collaborating with lawmakers to pass legislation to codify the use of GIS in elections in state statute.
The benefits are clear to many election leaders who have recently completed their redistricting work. Processes that might previously have taken weeks to complete could be done in just minutes thanks to GIS data. Voters were automatically sorted into the correct new voting districts and the results displayed in a visual format, making any erroneous locations easy to spot.
As for the next steps to take, for any states or counties that are unsure, Chesser offers straight-forward advice:
“Speak to your state GIO. They can help assess the current level of GIS integration in elections in a jurisdiction, and in collaboration with election leaders, determine what the right next steps are to continue to safeguard the accuracy, efficiency, and transparency of election processes.”
The Geo-Enabled Elections project was featured in the news this spring, shining a light on the work to make elections more accurate and efficient using GIS. The topic is timely, given that new voting districts are being rolled out across the country, followed by a string of local and national elections.
Jill Clark and Joseph Kerski’s excellent blog, centered on public domain spatial data, featured a discussion on how the data used to conduct elections can be improved using data culled from other sources. Kerski, a geographer with a distinguished career in GIS and education, serves as education manager at Esri. The blog, Spatial Reserves, continues the conversation started in the book by Clark and Kerski, The GIS Guide to Public Domain Data, and aims to provide GIS practitioners and instructors with the essential skills to find, acquire, format, and analyze public domain spatial data.
NSGIC’s guest blog post discussed how voter roll data can be audited and enhanced using data from other realms, including assessor and transportation department data. It also touched on how election data in GIS form can contribute to transparency and voter confidence. The blog post can be found here.
Separately, the publication electionline on May 5 featured examples of progress made across the country in the area of election modernization. The article also highlighted the new Resources for Election Directors available on the Geo-Enabled Elections project’s website. This set of tools, free to download, is designed to help election administrators and their GIS partners elevate their use of GIS in elections, improving accuracy and saving work effort.
Lastly, the article previewed NSGIC’s focus for its Geo-Enabled Elections project during 2022, the project’s final year: a survey of the nation’s state election directors. The planned survey report, to be published in the fall, will document advances in voter address management and auditing, states’ access to technology and systems capable of using GIS location information, collaboration with state GIOs, and more. The full electionline article is available here.
The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) has created the GISCI Endorsement Designation Program to help increase the value of GISP Certification for our primary stakeholders, and to help facilitate the growth of the GISP Program within the geospatial community. The GISCI will grant the GISCI Endorsement Designation to organizations that the GISCI deems to be supportive of GIS Professionals and the GISP Certification process by way of internal activities, programs, and policies. The designation is not only a commitment to GISP Certification for staff, but also to upholding the ideals of the GIS Certification Institute.
The GISCI Endorsement Designation is available to all organizations (public, private/commercial) with exception of GISCI member organizations. Organizations seeking the GISCI Endorsement Designation must submit a formal application listing the criteria met as verified by the organization’s HR representative. A review committee will evaluate each application and if the organization meets the criteria, the committee will forward the application to the GISCI Board of Directors for approval. Each approved GISCI Endorsement will last for three (3) years, provide the organization with permission to display their organization logo on our website and provide permission to display the GISCI Endorsement designation on their website. There is no cost to obtain this designation. More information is available at https://www.gisci.org/Employers/GISCIEndorsedEmployer.aspx
Criteria
For an organization to receive the GISCI Endorsement Designation they must meet a minimum set of requirements as well as some (but not necessarily all) of the optional requirements. All organizations must meet the following industry-standard criteria:
- Encourage or require all GIS staff to have or obtain GISP certification during employment with the organization.
- Pay for initial GISP certification fees for candidates.
- Pay for ongoing GISP recertification fees for candidates.
In addition, organizations are strongly encouraged to meet one or more of the following criteria:
- Pay for ongoing specialized training.
- Pay for GIS-related continuing education courses.
- Tie compensation to GISP Certification (e.g., bonus, raises)
- Promotion criteria includes required GISP Certification
- Provide support for ongoing activities to maintain certification (e.g., conference attendance and presentations, membership in professional societies)
- As an organization, strive to meet the ethical standards of the GIS Certification Institute and support their GISPs in meeting those standards
Application
If an organization wishes to apply for the GISCI Endorsement Designation, please send an email to Tony Spicci, GISCI Executive Director, at tspicci@gisci.org requesting the designation. The application should include a cover letter requesting the designation and adherence to the minimum qualifications and required criteria along with a summary of how the organization either currently meets or plans to meet one or more of the additional criteria. If the organization meets the qualifications and the review Committee approves the request, the GISCI will send additional information to complete the process. There is no cost to obtain this designation.
About the GISCI
The GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) is a non-profit organization that promotes the advancement of proficient GIS professionals through its international GISP® (Certified GIS Professional) certification program. The Institute fosters rigorous professional and ethical standards, community engagement, and professional mentoring within the GIS industry.
More information about the GISCI is available at www.gisci.org
Contact Info:
Tony Spicci, GISP CGMP
Executive Director – GIS Certification Institute
847.824.7768 tspicci@gisci.org