Transforming Disease Surveillance with Big Data

The emergence of big data has opened significant opportunities for global infectious disease surveillance by enabling the analysis of vast, diverse, and rapidly updating data streams. Traditional surveillance systems rely on structured reporting but can struggle with latency and limited geographic resolution. Big data integrates information from multiple digital sources — including health records, search trends, social signals, and environmental sensors — to provide a more dynamic, near-real-time view of disease patterns. This enhances the ability of health systems to detect outbreaks early, track disease spread, and assess risk across populations.

By embracing high-volume and high-velocity data, public health professionals can refine spatial risk models and generate continuous disease risk maps that evolve with new inputs. These maps help identify hidden hotspots of infection, visualize emerging trends, and offer actionable intelligence that supports timely interventions in global health emergencies.

Driving Predictive Monitoring and Early Warning Systems

One of the key strengths of big data in disease surveillance is its capacity to support predictive analytics. Machine learning models and advanced algorithms can process historical and current datasets to forecast potential outbreaks before they escalate. Early detection supports rapid response planning and more effective containment strategies. In addition, digital sources such as crowd-sourced reports, mobile health data, and informal disease signals contribute valuable context that complements official health reporting, enhancing the sensitivity and responsiveness of surveillance systems.

Predictive models powered by big data also help public health authorities allocate resources more efficiently by identifying future high-risk regions and population segments. This capability strengthens preparedness planning and reduces the burden on healthcare infrastructure during critical periods.

Overcoming Challenges and Strengthening Systems

Despite its promise, leveraging big data for infectious disease surveillance also presents challenges related to data quality, interoperability, and ethical governance. Ensuring that diverse datasets are harmonized and reliable remains a key priority for effective analysis. Data privacy and ethical considerations must be addressed alongside technical innovation to maintain public trust and comply with regulatory standards.

Addressing these challenges requires coordinated investment in infrastructure, analytical expertise, and collaborative frameworks that bring together public health agencies, technology partners, and research institutions. By building robust and secure surveillance ecosystems, countries can enhance both local and global capacities to detect, monitor, and respond to infectious diseases.

Expanding the Role of Digital Surveillance for Global Health

As global health threats evolve, big data has increasingly become a critical component of modern surveillance architecture. By combining diverse information streams with geospatial context and advanced analytics, health organizations can generate more comprehensive insights that support both routine monitoring and emergency response. From monitoring seasonal influenza patterns to tracking emerging zoonotic threats, big data enables a broader and more precise perspective on disease dynamics.

Ultimately, integrating big data into infectious disease surveillance strengthens global health resilience by improving situational awareness and enabling more timely, evidence-based interventions. Continued innovation and investment in these capabilities will be essential to protecting populations and advancing public health outcomes around the world.

Articles

Big Data Opportunities for Global Infectious Disease Surveillance

Esri, a global leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, has announced the publication of the eighth edition of Map Use: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation, a comprehensive textbook designed to help readers understand how maps are created, analyzed, and interpreted. The 650-page publication serves as both an academic resource and a professional reference for anyone working with geographic data.

The latest edition provides a detailed introduction to the fundamentals of cartography, explaining what maps represent, the different types available, and how they support decision-making and research. According to Esri president Jack Dangermond, the book functions as a complete primer for understanding and using maps effectively in both traditional and digital environments.

Although earlier editions focused primarily on paper-based mapping, the new version reflects the growing importance of GIS technology, emphasizing digital spatial analysis and modern cartographic workflows.

A newly added chapter on map design fundamentals expands the book’s scope, helping readers understand how effective maps are constructed. Topics include:

Defining the map’s audience and purpose

Selecting appropriate projections and scales

Applying effective symbolization and color usage

Designing maps for clarity, legibility, and web presentation

Crafting clear visual messages through layout and styling

Understanding these design principles allows users not only to interpret maps more effectively but also to create maps that communicate information clearly.

The textbook is organized into three major sections—map reading, map analysis, and map interpretation—covering a broad range of topics such as:

Interpretation of environmental and human geographic features

Illustrated with hundreds of full-color maps, graphics, and photographs, the new edition reflects the latest developments in cartography, spatial analysis, and GIS technology.

A Resource for Students and Professionals

While the book is primarily intended for college-level cartography and GIS courses, it also serves as a valuable reference for professionals working in GIS, remote sensing, mapping, navigation, and spatial research. A detailed glossary of modern mapping and geospatial terminology further enhances its usefulness as a long-term professional resource.

With its updated focus on digital mapping, expanded design guidance, and comprehensive coverage of cartographic principles, the eighth edition of Map Use: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation continues to provide an essential foundation for understanding how maps communicate geographic information in today’s data-driven world.

New Edition of Map Use: Reading, Analysis, Interpretation Released by Esri

Manifold System Release 5.00 Professional is a comprehensive GIS platform designed to provide advanced mapping, database processing, and spatial analysis capabilities at an accessible price point. The software combines powerful data handling tools with visualization, scripting, and web publishing functionality, making it suitable for both technical specialists and organizations requiring scalable GIS solutions.

The installation process consists of three stages. First, users install updated Microsoft system components such as Data Access Components and Jet drivers appropriate to their operating system. The second stage installs Microsoft Internet Explorer updates required by the application, while the final stage installs the Manifold software itself. After installation, users can download the latest service packs and activate the software online.

The platform includes an extensive digital manual containing thousands of pages of instructions, examples, and technical explanations. The documentation introduces users to Manifold’s unique interface, terminology, and workflow methods, which differ from many traditional GIS platforms. It also provides references to numerous publicly available geospatial data sources worldwide, helping users begin projects quickly.

Manifold organizes work within project files that store multiple components such as maps, drawings, tables, labels, charts, and scripts. Each component is managed within the Project pane, allowing users to open and edit elements independently or combine them into layered maps for visualization and analysis.

[Insert Image Here – Manifold GIS interface screenshot]

Maps serve as the primary workspace, displaying data layers such as vector drawings, raster imagery, terrain surfaces, and labels. Layers can be toggled on or off, reordered, or styled with visual effects including transparency and projection transformations. Because components are stored directly in the project file after import, edits performed within Manifold do not alter the original source datasets.

The system supports importing more than seventy raster, vector, terrain, and database formats. Each drawing component includes an associated attribute table, enabling advanced database operations directly within the GIS environment. Manifold also supports linking to external database sources through OLE DB and ODBC connections, allowing integration with enterprise data systems.

Users can perform complex queries using SQL, analyze data through built-in statistical tools, and create calculated outputs using lightweight analytic utilities designed for quick data exploration.

Mapping, Analysis, and Visualization Tools

Manifold includes a wide range of geospatial processing tools, including:

Feature selection and spatial filtering tools

Raster editing and color adjustment utilities

Image georeferencing using control points

Terrain visualization in 2D and 3D environments

Surface analysis such as slope, aspect, and elevation modeling

GPS device integration through a dedicated GPS Console

These capabilities allow users to conduct both routine GIS tasks and advanced spatial analysis within a single integrated environment.

The platform includes an Internet Map Server capable of publishing project content online using Microsoft IIS. Developers can also automate workflows using scripting languages such as JScript and VBScript or create more advanced applications through Visual Studio development tools.

Manifold System Release 5.00 Professional delivers a broad set of GIS, database, and visualization tools at a competitive price point. While the software offers extensive functionality, new users should expect a learning period due to its distinctive workflows and terminology. Once mastered, the system provides a powerful environment for spatial analysis, mapping, and data management suitable for both professional GIS practitioners and enterprise applications.

Manifold System Release 5.00 Professional: Review and Key Feature Highlights

As the 2010 U.S. Census results were being finalized, early population estimates and projections already provided a clear preview of the demographic trends shaping the nation. These insights offered businesses, policymakers, and analysts an early understanding of how population growth, migration, aging, and changing household structures would influence economic and social dynamics over the coming decade.

The U.S. population was projected to reach approximately 309 million people in 2010, representing a 10% increase from 2000. About two-thirds of the growth came from natural increase (births minus deaths), while one-third resulted from immigration.

At the same time, the nation continued to age:

Median age increased from 35.3 to 36.8 years

The 60–64 age group grew by more than 50%

Baby Boomers began moving into retirement-age brackets

Echo Boomers entered the workforce during the Great Recession

These demographic shifts signaled long-term changes in labor markets, retirement systems, and consumer demand.

Regional and Metropolitan Growth Patterns

Population growth varied significantly across states and metropolitan regions. Fast-growing states such as Texas, Utah, and the Carolinas accelerated in the second half of the decade, while others, including Nevada, Arizona, and Florida, experienced slower growth following economic downturns.

Major metropolitan areas showing strong population increases included:

These regional differences reflected broader economic conditions, job opportunities, and migration patterns.

Demographic projections indicated that diversity would be one of the defining features of the decade:

The Hispanic population grew by approximately 40%, accounting for nearly half of total population growth

The Asian population increased by more than 30%

The African American population grew at roughly the national rate

This diversification reshaped consumer markets, workforce composition, and community planning across the country.

Household composition continued to evolve, reflecting changing lifestyles and economic realities:

Married couples with children represented about 22% of households

Single-parent households comprised about 12%

These changes had major implications for housing demand, consumer spending patterns, and social services.

Education, Workforce, and Retirement Trends

Educational attainment increased, particularly among younger women, who surpassed men in college degree completion rates in many age groups. Meanwhile, older workers—especially those aged 55 to 64—remained active in the workforce longer due to retirement savings uncertainties and economic conditions.

Continued income pressures for younger workers entering the labor market

The anticipated 2010 Census results underscored the importance of demographic intelligence for planning and decision-making. Population growth patterns, migration flows, ethnic diversity, and shifting household structures all influence:

Workforce planning and education investment

Long-term economic development strategies

Although final census tables would take years to fully release, early projections already provided a reliable picture of a nation becoming older, more diverse, and geographically dynamic, shaping the economic and social landscape for the decade ahead.

Insights Expected from the 2010 Census

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) education is no longer limited to universities and professional training programs. Across the United States, innovative high school initiatives are equipping students with advanced geospatial skills, preparing them for careers in spatial technology while enabling them to address real-world challenges even before graduation.

The Geospatial Semester: Real-World Learning in High School

One of the most successful examples is the Geospatial Semester program at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia. Developed through a partnership between Virginia high schools and the Integrated Science and Technology department at James Madison University, the program allows juniors and seniors to work on applied GIS projects in collaboration with professional organizations.

Students participating in the program have worked with agencies such as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to identify wetlands located within government easements. These analyses help support conservation planning and climate adaptation strategies. Many students have presented their findings at major professional venues, including the Esri International User Conference, demonstrating the professional-level quality of their work.

The program also offers students college credit through James Madison University, providing both academic and career advantages. Since its launch in 2005, thousands of students have earned credits while gaining hands-on experience with geospatial tools and methodologies.

GIS Scholars: Applying GIS to Community Challenges

In Rochester, New York, the GIS Scholars initiative gives high school students the opportunity to perform advanced geospatial analysis addressing local social issues. Working in collaboration with School Without Walls and municipal partners, students analyze data related to crime patterns, housing conditions, transportation access, schools, and minority-owned businesses.

Their mapping and analytical work has supported decision-making efforts across the city, including identifying optimal locations for new bus stops, assessing neighborhood service accessibility, and locating high-impact retail sites. The program has also received municipal funding and research contracts, highlighting the value of student-generated geospatial analysis.

Building Career Pathways Through Early GIS Education

Programs like the Geospatial Semester and GIS Scholars demonstrate how early exposure to GIS can significantly accelerate career readiness. Students develop technical expertise, gain experience working with real clients, and build portfolios that can lead directly to internships, military technical roles, or employment in the geospatial sector.

For students who pursue higher education, early GIS training provides a strong academic advantage, allowing them to enter university programs with advanced technical skills already in place. Equally important, these initiatives show that young learners can make meaningful contributions to solving environmental, social, and planning challenges.

As geospatial technologies become increasingly central to decision-making across industries, expanding GIS education at the secondary-school level is helping cultivate the next generation of geospatial professionals—long before they enter the workforce.

Innovative Geospatial Programs Help High School Students Become GIS Professionals

The tab2tfw-272.mbx utility is a compact extension designed for MapInfo Professional users who need to convert TAB georeferencing information into TFW (TIFF World File) format. This tool simplifies the process of generating world files required for accurate raster image positioning across different GIS platforms.

The translator reads spatial reference parameters stored in MapInfo TAB files and automatically produces corresponding TFW files, allowing raster datasets to be used in other GIS environments that rely on world file referencing.

Using the tab2tfw-272.mbx tool provides several advantages:

Enables quick conversion of MapInfo georeferencing data

Improves interoperability between MapInfo and other GIS platforms

Eliminates the need for manual creation of world files

Simplifies raster image sharing and integration workflows

GIS analysts commonly use this utility when exporting imagery from MapInfo systems, preparing datasets for cross-platform use, or ensuring consistent spatial referencing when distributing raster data to external teams or partners.

Small but practical utilities like tab2tfw-272.mbx remain valuable components of GIS workflows, helping maintain data compatibility and streamline everyday geospatial processing tasks.

tab2tfw-272.mbx – MapInfo TAB File to TFW File Translator

Schneider Electric has entered into a strategic collaboration with IPKeys Technologies, LLC, a company recognized for delivering standards-driven energy interoperations software, advanced network communications engineering, and enterprise-grade security systems. The alliance is designed to strengthen smart grid infrastructure by equipping utilities and energy consumers with tools that enhance reliability, safety, and economic efficiency.

At the heart of this initiative is the integration of IPKeys’ EISSTM Online platform with Schneider Electric’s cloud-based Energy Profiler Online (EPO). By combining these technologies, customers participating in IPKeys Power Partners’ load aggregation services gain expanded visibility into their energy performance. The integrated solution enables near-real-time monitoring of consumption, precise tracking of savings metrics, and active participation in automated demand response events.

Access to detailed and accurate energy usage data empowers both facilities and utilities to optimize operational decisions. Organizations can better understand consumption patterns, identify efficiency opportunities, and implement measures that support cost reduction and long-term sustainability. Utilities, in turn, benefit from more predictable load behavior and improved grid stability.

The collaboration leverages the OpenADR 2.0b protocol, a widely recognized standard for automated demand response communications. By utilizing this framework, the joint solution delivers enhanced interoperability, flexibility, and usability. Facilities can respond dynamically to demand response signals, improving overall program performance and helping to manage peak load conditions as they occur.

The ability to view granular energy data in close to real time allows customers to make informed operational adjustments. Beyond cost control, this transparency supports reliability improvements and environmental objectives, reinforcing broader sustainability commitments. At the same time, utilities and aggregators can coordinate load management strategies with greater precision.

This bundled, standards-based offering represents the first customer engagement and demand response platform to combine near-real-time load reporting with real-time load control through OpenADR 2.0b. The deployment underscores continued industry adoption of the standard, delivering tangible benefits across the energy ecosystem—from utilities and aggregators to end users.

Robert Nawy, Managing Director and CFO of IPKeys, emphasized the significance of the expanded partnership, noting that integrating Schneider Electric’s Energy Profiler Online with the EISSTM Online system unlocks new value for electricity consumers. Technologies originally designed for utility-scale applications are now accessible to energy managers and a broader spectrum of customers, providing them with tools to improve performance and efficiency.

Energy Profiler Online delivers measurable value to a wide range of energy services providers. These include regulated investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, electric cooperatives, energy retailers, and demand response aggregators. By partnering with IPKeys Power Partners, Schneider Electric further accelerates OpenADR adoption while enhancing customer engagement and operational effectiveness throughout the energy value chain.

The integrated platform strengthens flexibility, improves usability, and supports higher performance standards for both providers and consumers, reinforcing the transition toward a more responsive and intelligent smart grid.

Schneider Electric is a global leader in energy management, operating in more than 100 countries. The company provides integrated solutions across diverse markets, including utilities and infrastructure, industrial automation and machinery, non-residential buildings, data centers and networks, and residential applications. With a workforce exceeding 150,000 employees, the Group reported sales of 31 billion US dollars in 2013. Schneider Electric’s mission centers on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive, and environmentally responsible while helping organizations and individuals maximize the value of their energy resources.

IPKeys Technologies, LLC serves as a strategic technology partner within the energy, Department of Defense, commercial, and federal sectors. The company specializes in the design, development, integration, and deployment of secure Internet Protocol-based technologies, software platforms, and communications systems. Through its expertise in standards-based energy interoperations and secure networking solutions, IPKeys supports mission-critical infrastructure modernization initiatives.

Schneider Electric and IPKeys Expand Smart Grid Capabilities with Integrated Demand Response Platform

In 2010, the GIS Department of Douglas County, Nebraska, was responsible for maintaining a distributed server environment spread across multiple facilities. At that time, the county’s internal IT division did not yet provide a virtualized infrastructure, meaning each new application or expansion required the purchase and configuration of dedicated physical hardware. As infrastructure demands grew, the department faced additional capital expenses and longer deployment cycles.

Simultaneously, Esri began highlighting the viability of operating ArcGIS Server in cloud environments, particularly on Amazon Web Services (AWS). After evaluating the AWS platform and reviewing guidance on deploying Esri software in the cloud, the department chose to pilot a cloud-based GIS architecture.

The initial step was straightforward: establish an AWS account and associate a payment method. A virtual server was then provisioned using a preconfigured Esri Amazon Machine Image (AMI), which included ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Desktop already installed. Amazon’s Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) provided the virtual infrastructure necessary to host these services without purchasing new hardware.

Once connected to the EC2 instance, the team registered the ArcGIS software using its developer license. Basic validation followed. An HTML file was uploaded to the web server and accessed through a browser to confirm functionality and performance. The response time was strong, confirming that the cloud-hosted web layer performed as expected.

Next, GIS datasets were transferred to the environment using Dropbox for file synchronization. Map services were published and consumed through desktop clients as well as ArcGIS Online. These workflows functioned smoothly. Encouraged by the results, the department migrated a smaller FLEX-based web mapping application to the cloud instance and reconfigured it to consume services hosted there. That test also succeeded without complications.

Expanding to Database and Enterprise Applications

With the proof of concept validated, attention shifted toward scaling the environment. A separate geodatabase server instance was created, and Cityworks—an asset and work management system built around GIS—was installed on the web server. Cityworks Server AWS operates as a browser-based, GIS-centric application layered on top of ArcGIS Server.

By late winter 2011, Douglas County had two active EC2 instances: one supporting web services and another hosting the geodatabase. Cityworks was fully operational in the cloud. Gradually, production applications and additional map services were transitioned from on-premises infrastructure to AWS.

In spring 2011, Pictometry Online was deployed within an EC2 environment running MySQL. By summer, approximately 75 percent of the county’s enterprise GIS operations were running on Amazon cloud servers.

Hybrid Workflow: Local Data Creation, Cloud-Based Services

While core services moved to AWS, geospatial data creation and editing continued locally. Updated datasets were replicated to the cloud environment, where nearly all public-facing web applications and services were hosted. This hybrid approach balanced local data control with the scalability of cloud infrastructure.

Cost management became an ongoing focus. Although AWS proved more affordable than maintaining physical servers, the department actively pursued further efficiencies. Amazon S3 was tested as a lower-cost storage platform for datasets and JavaScript-based web applications, offering both improved performance and reduced storage expenses. Automation scripts were implemented to shut down non-essential EC2 instances outside business hours, lowering operational costs for applications that did not require 24/7 uptime.

From a GIS administration standpoint, elasticity emerged as the single greatest advantage. The ability to spin up new server instances or replicate existing images and pay only for actual usage transformed development and testing workflows. Software upgrades and custom application trials no longer required hardware procurement or long lead times.

At the organizational level, reliability improved and reliance on internal IT resources decreased. Infrastructure costs became more predictable, and AWS offered multiple pricing strategies for optimization. The department gained the capacity to scale resources up or down in response to operational demands.

The migration process was not without obstacles. Transitioning to a cloud-based GIS required deliberate planning, extensive testing, and persistence through trial-and-error phases. Several performance and connectivity challenges emerged.

One significant issue involved hosting a production geodatabase in the cloud while maintaining acceptable performance for desktop GIS users on the internal network. Initial attempts relied on ODBC database connctions, but latency proved problematic. Switching to web services did not fully resolve performance constraints for desktop workflows.

Ultimately, for users who could not shift to web-based tools, the department deployed small EC2 “micro” instances functioning as cloud-hosted remote desktops. Users connected directly to these instances and accessed the cloud database internally within AWS, effectively minimizing latency. This solution delivered consistent performance and reliability.

Internet bandwidth was another consideration. Some county facilities had slower connections than the main office. Before full migration, the team evaluated whether bandwidth upgrades were feasible, whether personnel could be relocated, or whether alternative remote access strategies were required.

Data replication also demanded careful attention. Maintaining synchronization between local editing environments and cloud-hosted geodatabases was essential for data integrity. Reliable replication processes became a foundational component of the cloud architecture.

Throughout the transition, the DCGIS team documented challenges, performance bottlenecks, and configuration strategies. Their experience underscored three essential elements for success: comprehensive planning, rigorous testing, and openness to organizational change.

Today, Douglas County operates a predominantly cloud-based enterprise GIS infrastructure. The move to AWS has increased scalability, enhanced system reliability, and improved overall performance. Operational expenses are comparable to previous hardware-based models, but with greater flexibility and fewer capital investments.

As the department continues to expand its geospatial services and data-driven applications, cloud infrastructure provides the agility required to adapt quickly. By embracing Amazon Web Services and ArcGIS Server in the cloud, Douglas County positioned its GIS operations to be more responsive, efficient, and sustainable in the long term.

Migrating Enterprise GIS to the Cloud: Douglas County’s AWS Journey

Segmentation systems help organizations group customers, markets, or geographic areas into meaningful clusters based on shared characteristics. By identifying similarities within groups and differences between them, segmentation supports targeted marketing, strategic planning, and spatial analysis. While commercial segmentation products are widely available, customized segmentation systems provide flexibility and can be tailored to specific operational goals, datasets, and geographic contexts.

A segmentation system organizes individual objects—such as customers, neighborhoods, or markets—into clusters known as segments. This process, commonly referred to as cluster analysis, groups objects with similar demographic, behavioral, or geographic attributes while ensuring that each segment remains distinct from others.

Geodemographic segmentation systems typically rely on variables such as:

Consumer behavior and lifestyle attributes

These systems assume that individuals within a given geographic area share similar socio-economic characteristics and behavioral patterns.

Key Steps in Building a Segmentation System

Creating a customized segmentation model involves a structured methodology designed to ensure statistical reliability and practical usability. The main steps include:

Selecting relevant input variables from multiple data sources

Reducing the number of variables using statistical techniques

Determining the optimal number of segments

Clustering objects into segments using analytical algorithms

Creating profiles and descriptions for each segment

Mapping the segments and linking them to additional datasets

Statistical software packages such as SPSS, SAS, or modern data-mining platforms are typically used to perform clustering, similarity measurements, and variable reduction.

Diagnostic variables are the core indicators used to differentiate segments. To be effective, these variables should:

Be relevant to the specific business or analytical objective

Avoid strong inter-correlation with other variables

Common statistical methods such as correlation analysis, regression modeling, or principal component analysis can help eliminate redundant variables and improve model performance.

Selecting an appropriate number of segments is critical. Too few segments may hide important differences, while too many may reduce interpretability. A common rule of thumb, such as Sturges’ rule, can provide an initial estimate, after which clustering performance metrics can refine the final number.

Clustering algorithms—such as hierarchical clustering, K-means clustering, or neural network-based approaches—assign objects to segments based on similarity or distance measures. Each segment is represented by a centroid or central profile, allowing analysts to identify the most typical representatives of each group and better understand segment characteristics.

Once segments are created, statistical summaries (means, ranges, and standard deviations) help define the distinguishing features of each group. Based on these characteristics, descriptive names are assigned to segments to make them easier to interpret and communicate within organizations.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) play an essential role in visualizing segmentation results. By linking segment identifiers to geographic boundary datasets, analysts can create thematic maps showing how different segments are distributed spatially. These maps can then be integrated with additional business or operational datasets to support deeper insights.

Why Use a Customized Segmentation System?

Customized segmentation systems allow organizations to:

Incorporate proprietary customer or operational data

Focus on highly specific geographic or market conditions

Reduce dependency on costly commercial segmentation products

Align analytical outputs directly with business strategies

When properly designed, customized segmentation models complement commercial segmentation systems and provide highly targeted insights that support precise decision-making.

Developing a customized segmentation system requires careful variable selection, statistical analysis, and geographic visualization. Although the process involves technical expertise and specialized tools, the resulting segmentation framework offers significant advantages by delivering tailored insights that reflect the unique characteristics of specific markets, customers, or geographic areas.

A Primer on Creating a Customized Segmentation System

Maurits van der Vlugt serves as a senior consultant within SKM’s spatial business unit, where he leads the delivery of Geo-IT services and Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)–aligned solutions across Australasia. His role centers on translating complex spatial technology frameworks into practical, enterprise-ready implementations for clients operating in diverse sectors.

With a strong emphasis on systems integration, Maurits provides both strategic guidance and hands-on technical expertise. His consulting work spans the design and deployment of distributed systems, the implementation of interoperable web services, and the application of spatial data standards that ensure long-term scalability and compatibility. By aligning geospatial architectures with established standards, he helps organizations reduce risk, improve interoperability, and maximize the value of their spatial investments.

A significant component of his work involves enabling robust web services delivery within enterprise environments. This includes architecting service-oriented solutions that connect disparate systems, streamline data exchange, and support real-time spatial information access. Through careful attention to standards-based design, he ensures that geospatial infrastructures remain adaptable to evolving technological requirements.

In recent initiatives, Maurits and his co-author have concentrated on enhancing the usability and user-centered design of web mapping applications. Their efforts reflect a broader recognition that technical capability alone does not guarantee adoption. By improving interface design, workflow clarity, and overall user experience, they aim to make web mapping tools more intuitive and effective for a wider range of users.

Through his combined strategic insight and technical proficiency, Maurits van der Vlugt continues to contribute to the advancement of Geo-IT services and standards-driven spatial solutions throughout the region.

Maurits van der Vlugt: Advancing Geo-IT Services and OGC-Based Spatial Solutions

Two weeks ago, Directions Magazine marked a milestone with the tenth edition of its Location Intelligence conference. This year’s program was closely aligned with initiatives from LocationTech, HERE Technologies and Oracle Corporation’s Spatial and Graph teams. Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg attended sessions across all four tracks and distilled the event into a series of themes that reveal where the geospatial industry is heading.

Big Data Lessons from Nielsen: The Story Behind “Elizabeth’s Soap”

The opening keynote came from Paul Donato, executive vice president and chief research officer at Nielsen. His presentation centered on a compelling story that illustrated the complexity of consumer measurement in developing markets.

In rural Kenya, an entrepreneur named Elizabeth purchases bulk soap in a distant city, subdivides it, and resells it locally. Her customers do not recognize global brands; they simply buy “Elizabeth’s soap.” In such markets, supply—not demand—defines brand presence. For Nielsen, the challenge is not theoretical; it involves identifying which small retailers carry which products and in what quantities, often in regions where electronic transaction records are nonexistent.

Historically, Nielsen has relied on manual inventory counting. Field enumerators visit shops and record stock levels by hand, a process that is labor-intensive and expensive. Today, however, remote sensing techniques are used to identify areas unlikely to contain retail outlets. By analyzing what Donato described as a “retail signature,” teams can avoid visiting empty areas, reducing enumeration costs by as much as 40 percent. The story underscored how geospatial analytics and big data techniques are transforming even long-established measurement practices.

Location-Based Marketing: A Supporting Actor, Not the Star

Asif Khan, founder of the Location Based Marketing Association, demonstrated how location-based advertising can drive engagement—but often as a secondary mechanism rather than the core attraction.

In Guatemala, the footwear retailer Meat Pack launched a promotion targeting customers inside competitors’ stores. Discounts began at 100 percent and declined over time, motivating customers to race to redeem their offers before they diminished. In another campaign, Nivea embedded a child-tracking concept into a sunscreen promotion. Parents registered a paper “watch” via a mobile app that triggered alerts if a child wandered beyond a defined radius. In both cases, location awareness enhanced the campaign but did not define it entirely.

Khan also positioned augmented reality as an emerging media category—potentially an “eighth medium.” Rather than replacing earlier channels, new media historically reshape existing ones. Television altered radio; digital publishing reshaped print. If augmented reality becomes mainstream, its influence on mobile location-based services, broadcast media and digital content distribution could be profound.

Geospatial Policy in Washington: Missed Opportunities

A panel featuring John Palatiello of MAPPS, Kevin Pomfret of the Center for Spatial Law and Policy and Jules Polonetsky of the Future of Privacy Forum explored federal policy issues.

Panelists highlighted multiple areas where geospatial expertise could address national challenges: incomplete federal land inventories, the absence of a unified national parcel dataset, insufficient coastal mapping as climate risks increase, outdated highway infrastructure planning, underground utility mapping deficiencies, and FEMA’s flood insurance debt. Federal agencies, according to the Government Accountability Office, remain poorly coordinated in their collection and use of geospatial data. Even the term “precise geolocation” appears in policy discussions around unmanned aerial vehicles without a consistent definition. The implication was clear: opportunities for geospatial leadership exist, but they are not always seized.

Privacy and Transparency: The Consumer Perspective

Polonetsky drew attention to how consumers perceive data use differently depending on context. When Amazon recommends products based on purchase history, customers generally welcome the personalization. When Target inferred a teenager’s pregnancy before her family knew, public backlash followed.

Transparency, he argued, determines acceptance. Walt Disney Parks and Resorts’ MagicBand system collects extensive behavioral data yet delivers tangible value—shorter queues, personalized experiences, enhanced safety. Organizations that openly communicate how data are used and clearly articulate consumer benefits are more likely to maintain trust.

Opt-In Tracking at Scale: Placed’s Model

David Shim, CEO of Placed, described a different model: voluntary, compensated tracking. Approximately 150,000 individuals agree to share continuous location data in exchange for payment or charitable contributions. The result is roughly 150 million location events daily, with millions actively validated by participants. Aggregated data are then used to model broader consumer behavior and evaluate advertising effectiveness.

Oracle 12c: Performance Gains Through Proximity

At the Oracle Spatial Summit, Jim Steiner emphasized that Oracle Spatial and Graph 12c delivers dramatic performance improvements. Two factors drive those gains: moving processing closer to the data and the introduction of the Spatial Vector Accelerator—described by one user as a “magic switch.” Steiner also pointed to future growth areas including cloud-based models, indoor positioning, beacon technologies and evolving computational architectures.

Social Media, Public Safety and Constitutional Limits

The Canadian firm AGSI showcased its Go360 Public Safety & Security Suite, which aggregates publicly available social media posts from platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Law enforcement can query posts by geography, timeframe and keywords, and even establish automated alerts. An alert reportedly surfaced during the Kenya mall attack before some local authorities had complete situational awareness.

C. G. Walwyn of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force praised the tool’s utility. Because the data are public, privacy concerns are minimized. However, expanded tracking methods risk invoking Fourth Amendment scrutiny in the United States. Observers predicted that once offenders recognize how location data expose them, behavioral changes may follow.

Leave Data in Place—or Version Everything?

Andrew Turner of Esri advocated for publishing open data directly from authoritative sources without unnecessary duplication. Tools such as Koop enable GeoJSON services hosted elsewhere, including GitHub, to be exposed as feature services within ArcGIS Online.

Oracle echoed this philosophy from a performance standpoint: keeping datasets in place and moving processing to them significantly accelerates workflows, particularly for large data volumes such as LiDAR.

Conversely, Juan Martin of Boundless introduced GeoGit, a distributed toolkit designed to manage geospatial data versioning. His premise was that truly authoritative datasets rarely exist; instead, data evolve for specific purposes. GeoGit, intended for browser, Python and QGIS integration, manages those changes behind the scenes without disrupting user workflows.

Writer and Communications Specialist in Geospatial Innovation