PenStreetMaps is a popular and well-known open source repository for address and GIS data. It may be tempting to want to use this free data to solve your business problems. In many cases, this data may be perfect for what you need; however, there are also many scenarios where a premium paid for a data set is required or preferred.

Join us as we focus on address-level data and geocoding and take a high level look at both data sets to explore the advantages and disadvantages of both options. We will also take a deeper dive into specific use cases, including:

A look at how the City of Burbank uses Premium address data to improve city services,

How a governmental agency like a county might use open source or premium address data,

Other possible business uses of both the open source and premium data sets that can cross industries from insurance, health care, to e-commerce.

Geospatial Webinars

Explore When to use OpenStreetMaps vs Premium Address Data

Designing and building smarter, more resilient infrastructure requires taking a broader view of the natural and built environment. The fusion of GIS (geographic information system) and BIM (building information modeling) enables stakeholders to put their projects, issues, and assets on a map, while gaining a deeper understanding of their interaction within the geographic context.

ArcGIS GeoBIM connects models, documents, and more in Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360 with the power of GIS through an intuitive web-based experience. We will cover how GIS-BIM integration with ArcGIS GeoBIM help to improve collaboration and streamline communication from the planning and design phases, through to construction and maintenance. The presenters will also highlight the evolution of ArcGIS GeoBIM and potential capabilities with Autodesk.

Avoid costly and time-consuming file translation effort that impact successful projects

Put your project issues and component documentation on a map within the geographic context

Link GIS and BIM/CAD datasets for an intuitive way for teams and stakeholders to access up-to-date information

Unify processes to facilitate better communication of designs with key project stakeholders

Connect with future integrations between Autodesk and Esri

More about the product and associated workflows featured:

ArcGIS GeoBIM delivers an innovative, easy-to-use web-based experience for teams to explore and collaborate on building information modeling (BIM) projects and issues, using data from multiple systems in a geospatial context. Architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) teams can easily work with linked data from multiple systems in configurable web apps that simplify the communication and collaboration with teams and stakeholders.

Bridging GIS-BIM to Design, Build & Maintain Resilient Infrastructure

Access to detailed geographic information across Europe has taken a step toward simplification with the completion of the Open Maps For Europe 2 initiative, which has finalized a shared spatial resource spanning multiple countries.

The finished release makes it possible to view and use large-scale mapping information from ten European states within a single environment, removing the usual need to consult separate national systems. The material covers key spatial elements such as borders, transport routes, and surface water features, all aligned to a unified spatial framework.

Instead of stitching together maps maintained independently by different authorities, the project rebuilt the data into a common structure. Public records from land administration, cartographic, and cadastral bodies were processed through a centralized workflow designed to smooth inconsistencies where national datasets typically fail to align at borders. The result is a continuous geographic representation that can be accessed through one platform rather than multiple national portals.

This effort was carried out through collaboration among several European bodies responsible for official geographic information. EuroGeographics played a coordinating role, working alongside mapping and cadastral institutions from a number of EU member states, each contributing verified source material and technical expertise.

Project leaders say the approach demonstrates how cross-border geographic information can be made easier to use without forcing users to manage different formats, technical standards, or access points. By handling alignment and harmonization at the production stage, the system reduces the complexity normally associated with multinational spatial analysis.

The final output prioritizes three categories of information that consistently rank highest among public-sector and professional users: territorial administration, transport infrastructure, and inland water systems. These layers are intended to serve as a practical foundation for future Europe-wide spatial services, supporting policy implementation at the EU level and reflecting internationally recognized principles for core geospatial data.

Articles

Open Maps For Europe 2 Expands Coverage With Final High-Value Data Release

Are you ready to empower students? YouthMappers are college students making a difference with geospatial technology. Devastating 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 7.5 magnitude aftershock, struck southeast Turkiye and northwest Syria.  The consortium organizes a global community of learners, researchers, educators, and scholars to create and use open geographic data that directly address locally-defined development challenges worldwide. Students and their faculty advisors in the US and in developing nations are invited to learn more about YouthMappers, an international university consortium on Mapping for Resilience.

About the great work completed by the YouthMappers

Dr. Patricia Solis, YouthMappers and Arizona State University

Dr. Thomas Mueller, Professor, California University of Pennsylvania and Adjunct Professor, Northeastern University

A Beginner's Guide to GeoHumanitarian Mapping Organizations

Molded Part Design brings together a range of tools to accelerate the development of injection-molded parts and improve the manufacturability of your products.

High altitude waivers for larger mapping projects

Kyle Miller, Business Development, Censys Tech

NX | Tips & Tricks | Molded Part Designer

Are you looking for powerful and comprehensive GIS solutions? Something that may meet all your GIS needs, but costs relatively low?

 To make GIS software friendlier and easier to access, Supergeo, the leading GIS software provider, collects GIS users’ ideas around the world, and vote the 10 most useful features of SuperGIS Desktop for you. The key features cover 3D data view, geodatabase support, advanced GIS analyses, automatic process designer, etc. 

 Join us and see what are the most popular and useful GIS tools to support your geospatial tasks.

 In this webinar you will learn more about:

Advanced geodesy data observation in 3D view

No worries: GIS data compatibility and continuity

Easy data production and applicable solutions

Intelligent GIS design, management, and analysis

Danny Wang, Product Specialist, Supergeo Technologies

GIS companies, GIS professionals, Consultants, Municipal Corporations, Public Work Department, Development Authority, Institutions/Academia

Top 10 Features of SuperGIS Desktop 3.2

 GeoPackage is an open standard that provides mainstream application developers an easy mechanism for accessing geospatial data in a format that can be used directly by mobile devices such as smartphones.  GeoPackage is based on SQLite. This webinar will provide an overview of the applications and resources for developers who want to utilize the new standard.

 How GeoPackage lets application developers of lightweight mobile apps tap into a mix of powerful cloud-based location services  and data

How GeoPackage works in situations where Internet access is intermittent or disconnected entirely

How GeoPackage is useful for applications in mobile workforce data capture, providing information during an emergency event

How GeoPackage APIs increase cross-platform interoperability of apps and Web services in a mobile environment

 Officials involved with public safety, public works, transportation and disaster management know that limited network access or network failure compromise access to mission-critical map data. And when the network is not reliable, map data must be loaded and stored on mobile devices. Often, existing GIS and mapping applications rely on unique, proprietary and expensive map data solutions that don’t support sharing across organizations.  GeoPackage helps solve these problems.  Developers who are not geospatial experts can implement this standard to provide government agencies with inexpensive and innovative location information solutions.  The OGC GeoPackage standard can also help government IT managers save money and time by providing their stakeholders with improved capabilities for sharing geospatial data.

 Jeff Harrison, President, CEO and Founder, The Crbon Project

Government officials who specify requirements for location solutions, and the providers who develop those solutions

Learn about GeoPackage:  A New OGC Standard for Mobile App Development

Understanding how human and natural environments have changed in the past and predicting what will happen in the future is increasingly important for studying climate change, urban sprawl, deforestation, and more. To address these concerns, this webinar will show you how to use the ArcGIS framework to understand historical trends, see change, and predict future scenarios with a time-series collection of imagery.

How to understand historical trends, see change, and make predictions using time series data

Esri, the global market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence, and mapping, offers the most powerful geospatial cloud available, to help customers unlock the full potential of data to improve operational and business results. Founded in 1969, Esri software is deployed in more than 350,000 organizations including 90 of the Fortune 100 companies, all 50 state governments, more than half of all counties (large and small), and 87 of the Forbes Top 100 Colleges in the US, as well as all 15 Executive Departments of the US Government and dozens of independent agencies. With its pioneering commitment to geospatial information technology, Esri engineers the most advanced solutions for digital transformation, the Internet of Things (IoT), and advanced analytics.

Multidimensional Analysis: Trends, Prediction, and Change Detection

Raymond Camden from HERE Technologies will demonstrate how to use the web-based HERE XYZ Studio to build and design interactive maps. You'll see how to import map data, add it to a map, and then add custom styles. Finally, Raymond will show how you can share your maps with others.

Build a custom web map of National Parks using HERE XYZ, a location data management service

HERE, the Open Location Platform company, enables people, enterprises and cities to harness the power of location. By making sense of the world through the lens of location we empower our customers to achieve better outcomes - from helping a city manage its infrastructure or an enterprise optimize its assets to guiding drivers to their destination safely. To learn more about HERE, including our new generation of cloud-based location platform services

Building Awesome Maps with HERE XYZ Studio

How is the demographic landscape changing in your neighborhood? Join Esri’s Chief Demographer and Demographic Product Management team to learn how to perform quality data-based analysis for the communities that matter most to you. Discover how to recognize patterns and trends with the latest demographic data available on the market with an overview of trends, age, diversity, and housing affordability, including new data measures and indexes coming soon in Esri’s demographic updates.

How to perform quality data-based analysis and visualizations in the communities that matter most to you.

How to jumpstart your spatial analysis with ready-to-use demographic and business data for 135+ countries and 15,000+ variables.

How to recognize trends in your community and business with the latest demographic data available on the market.

Lucy Guerra, Product Manager, Demographics, Esri

Karisa Schroeder, Product Marketing, Demographics, Esri

GIS analysts, managers, professionals, specialists, and technicians,

Analyst Commercial real estate executives,

Explore Ready-to-use Demographic Data for Location Intelligence

Government agencies and commercial organizations must consistently do more with less, even when it comes to GIS. Boundless offers a way for these entities to see increased efficiencies in the way they create, edit, and share geospatial information across their organizations and with the public – without the limitations of named user logs or the frustration of unpredictable costs.

How to save on licensing costs, while extending access to anyone who needs it

How to achieve more flexibility and scalability in your GIS operations

How to quickly get your GIS to the cloud, without IT disruption 

All GIS leaders, practitioners, and users in commercial enterprises or Government agencies, and anyone interested in learning more about geospatial and location-based technology solutions based on real-world contributions from our guest panelists.

Boundless offers solutions that enable customers to create, publish, visualize, and share geospatial information across their organizations, without concerns about spiraling costs tied to licenses and number of users. Provide the access you need, right when it’s needed, with no costly roadblocks. 

Engage with Boundless to obtain an assessment of your infrastructure, and we will provide a complete migration path for your solution at no cost – Boundless will prepare a project plan, stand up the baseline cloud infrastructure, deliver a pathway for data migration and provide training and support to get you started. No other geospatial software company gets you to the cloud faster, at scale and with limitless user licenses - all at a lower total cost.

Learn How Boundless Enables Modern GIS for Complex Use Cases

Are you ready to empower students? YouthMappers are college students making a difference with geospatial technology. The consortium organizes a global community of learners, researchers, educators, and scholars to create and use open geographic data that directly address locally-defined development challenges worldwide. Students and their faculty advisors in the US and in developing nations are invited to learn more about YouthMappers, an international university consortium on Mapping for Resilience.

Learn How College Students Are Defining Humanitarian Mapping

In the rapidly changing world that is GIS, explore why careful attention to data sources and data quality is more important now than ever before. Issues such as citizen science and cloud services are changing how data can be accessed, used, and presented.

Join Dr. Joseph Kerski for a lively, informative, and practical session on why data quality still matters in your GIS work.

Explore Why Data Quality Matters

IT migration projects of any kind tend to be headache-inducing for the best of us. With various interconnected or competing systems, cloud and server-side technology, and custom apps and systems all needing to be smoothly ported over, it can become a challenging balancing act trying not to break anything. GIS is no exception.

Our friends at the City of Austin recently undertook a project to migrate their GIS to a new environment. They needed to move all of their GIS apps, workflows, and custom items to the new subdomain. Over the years they had created a large number of ArcGIS Online items with a variety of associated server URLs and license URLs. This made the migration difficult, as the URLs needed to be properly migrated and updated to avoid breaking anything.

After some trial and error, City staff discovered a powerful solution for their problem, which greatly simplified the process of finding and updating these URLs during the migration. They were so thrilled with the amount of time and effort saved that they've agreed to share their story with the DirectionsMag audience to help others who may be having similar challenges with ArcGIS Online item management.

How the City of Austin used VertiGIS Studio Item Manager to shave hundreds of hours off their GIS server migration project

How VertiGIS Studio Item Manager can be used to find (and easily replace) URLs for ArcGIS Online items you create

Some tips and tricks for using VertiGIS Studio Item Manager to efficiently manage your ArcGIS Online and Portal items

VertiGIS® is a leading GIS solution provider and software developer. Their focus is the development of software solutions and services that help utilities, land management, public sector, energy, telecommunications, and manufacturing customers build bridges between their business processes and location technology. VertiGIS is the maker of VertiGIS Studio®, which is used by thousands of customers to enhance the capabilities of the applications they build with Esri’s ArcGIS® and deliver a world-class experience to millions of end-users around the world.

Curious about how VertiGIS Studio Item Manager could help your organization make better use of ArcGIS Online? Great news! It is currently a completely free-to-use product! If you want to log in and give it a try: navigate to vertigisstudio and scroll down to find and launch Item Manager.

How the City of Austin Simplified their GIS Migration with Advanced ArcGIS Online Item Management

Have you looked at applying for specific waivers from the FAA? Join us and learn some of tips and tricks we use to get approvals and maximize ROI.

Tips & Tricks for Part 107 Waivers and Mapping

Unexpected damage to subsurface infrastructure is disruptive and often expensive. The good news? In most cases, it’s also preventable. In this webinar, we’ll look at the data on damage, its leading causes, and how combining GIS with new technologies can help reduce risk. See how streamlining workflows around 811 locate requests enables utility owners and operators the ability to empower locators in the field, manage seasonal influxes of tickets, and track damage prevention efforts.

The scale and impact of damages related to locating practices

How to handle different locating scenarios such as emergency requests, working with contractors, and complying with requirements for positive response or documentation

How managers, dispatchers and locators benefit from a GIS-centric ticket management solution

VertiGIS® is a leading GIS solution provider and software developer. Their focus is the development of software solutions and services that help utilities, land management, public sector, energy, telecommunications, and manufacturing customers build bridges between their business processes and location technology. VertiGIS is the maker of Geocortex®, which is used by thousands of customers to enhance the capabilities of the applications they build with Esri’s ArcGIS® and deliver a world-class experience to millions of end-users around the world.

Learn How to Streamline Locating Tasks and Prevent Damage to Subsurface Infrastructure with a GIS-Centric Approach

ArcGIS for Power BI is a custom data visualization tool built into Microsoft Power BI that brings mapping capabilities to your reports and dashboards. As of January 2021, ArcGIS for Power BI supports Publish to web and Embedded enabling you to share your Power BI reports—with Esri maps—within your organization. Not just that, ArcGIS for Power BI is now also available on Report Server. Now with any ArcGIS user type, you can view Power BI reports with privately shared ArcGIS content. To create maps within Power BI, you need a Creator or higher user type.

Learn how to easily bring maps created within your ArcGIS organization into Power BI.

Find how to use the new capabilities - embedded, publish to web and report server.

Get started – find everything you need to know about user types and licensing.

See a demo of the top 10 ArcGIS for Power BI tools that you can leverage today to map and analyze your data.

Make Beautiful and Accurate Maps within Microsoft Power BI with Esri’s ArcGIS for Power BI

The GIS professional faces many challenges, especially as governments continue to embrace a digitized world. Whether it's gathering and sharing accurate data, deploying the most up-to-date software, or improving cross-department collaboration, access to the right tools can accelerate GIS transformation and help government entities build the smart cities of tomorrow.

Digital transformation is vast, complex, often groundbreaking, and always necessary. Whether you’re a multi-billion-dollar organization or a government department or agency, evolving your processes to address your challenges is vital if you wish to succeed.

And government teams — GIS teams, in particular — have significant challenges. Overseeing multiple software applications that need to share data, keeping up-to-date on the latest software releases, maintaining better communication with residents — the list goes on.

So, how do advances in GIS technology support digital transformation in the government sector? Nearmap looked at the challenges of their GIS customers and helped them improve workflows using its platform. 

Budgets are complicated. Procurement even more so. GIS teams are responsible for assets, tools, and systems that are shared with cross-functional teams, and their outputs are usually on behalf of others. This makes for convoluted procurement processes, which can prevent government teams from moving forward with much needed technologies.

“Keeping GIS data accurate and up to date is difficult with one annual aerial capture, but Nearmap has changed that. They offer a proactive survey program which allows us to keep our GIS datasets as recent as possible so we can keep pace with rapid growth” -  Shane Burnham, GIS Analyst, The City of Carmel, IN

Aerial imagery is essential to government departments. When the truth on the ground forms the foundations of the future, fidelity is not just important: it’s vital. Many GIS teams need two or three flyovers a year simply to remain current with development changes. However, most simply don’t have the budget to procure bespoke flyovers. In the face of procurement challenges, they have to make do with outdated flyovers supplemented with low-resolution satellite imagery instead of the up-to-date high-resolution geospatial data they need.

Nearmap provides a sub-3” ground sampling distance (GSD) per pixel that delivers imagery clear enough to count the tiles on someone’s roof when calculating roof pitch. Further, Nearmap captures locations up to three times per year — covering 700 urban and regional areas — so GIS teams no longer have to worry about finding budget for bespoke flights when up-to-date information is required. 

GIS professionals deal with vast quantities of geospatial data —especially when you need to analyze everything from emergency routes to stormwater runoff. But data is only useful when it’s good data: sufficient, accurate, timely, current, and — ideally — comparable.

Correcting inaccurate data costs time, resources, and money — three things most GIS teams are in short supply of. Adopting technologies that digitally transform data collection allows you to level-up the information you work with. The more comprehensive the data, the more accurate, agile, and informed your projects, developments, and analysis will be.

Nearmap thrives on data as much as you do, which is why they strive to capture as much information as we can every time they fly. They continually survey the regions that matter most to you, capturing sufficient, accurate, timely, current, and comparable data. This enables GIS professionals to detect changes more often, in just a couple of clicks, with instant access to the Nearmap catalog of current and historical imagery, georeferenced to show you truth over time. 

“High-resolution aerial content from Nearmap gives us a better view of our assets in the field and allows us to understand how variables like new development or road maintenance are impacting the conditions of those assets” – Wade Allsup, Information Systems Specialist, Yucaipa Valley Water District

GIS professionals are at the pulse of every government organization, deriving data and insights, and creating web applications for government departments. Every piece of data GIS teams generate, every insight they glean, and every report they publish tells a story that enables someone in another department to perform more effectively.

Aerial imagery plays a significant role in this storytelling for many sectors. The tight alignment between the two means that GIS professionals from all government sectors — small, local teams to national agencies — use Nearmap imagery to create detailed base layer maps that integrate directly into their GIS, CAD, and open-source mapping platforms.

An informed team is a cohesive team. Miscommunication results in prolonged projects and duplicated work. Digital technologies that make it easier to leverage data internally ensure everyone remains on the same page throughout.

The most important stakeholder in government is the general public. Residents want to know what’s happening in their communities surrounding publicly funded government initiatives.

Citizens want to know about government plans to tackle zoning or areas of new development; about emergency routes and road closures; updates to land use and land classification; and information on construction delays and events. They also want to feel confident that their county holds their correct parcel information permitting and taxation purposes. However, the way this information is collated would often be unintelligible and, frankly, dull to the average person. 

The raw data GIS analysts work with isn’t appropriate. How you present your story is as important as the story itself if you want people to understand and be interested in what you have to say.

They say a picture speaks a thousand words, and never is this truer than when sharing geospatial information with everyday people. Nearmap’s high-resolution vertical imagery allows you to bring cities to life.

"As a local government GIS Manager, my goal is to always provide the highest quality and most up-to-date authoritative information. My team and I strive to have a single source of data so that all users – internal and external – have consistent access to our communication tools and platforms.” – Lauri Sohl, Civic Analytics/GIS Manager, City of Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Transform your GIS workflows – download the ebook.

The government sector has come a long way in adopting new processes and technologies, but it remains a slow journey. The need for change, however, is accelerating and digital transformation is a necessity, not a luxury.

More government departments than ever are utilizing GIS data and aerial imagery to achieve a level of insight and intelligence they simply cannot get from ground level. Assessment, utilities, AEC, transportation, public works, public safety — every sector is becoming more reliant on technology to get the job done, GIS in disaster management is expected to hit a global market size of $9.4 billion by 2030, and government teams across the world are investing in GIS solutions for homeland security, aerospace, and military applications.

Nearmap fuels digital transformation in government entities — traditionally a conservative sector when it comes to embracing new processes — by giving their teams access to high-resolution, up-to-date, contextual geospatial intelligence. 

Founded in Australia in 2007, Nearmap is one of the ten largest aerial survey companies in the world by annual data collection volume and is publicly listed in the ASX 200.

Top 4 Challenges in Government for Digital Transformation in GIS

Editor’s note: Thank you for joining us for this edition of GeoInspirations. Today our distinguished columnist, Dr. Joseph Kerski, features Stacey Stark, instructor of GIS and geography, and director of the Geospatial Analysis Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth, Minnesota, U.S.

I have had the very great pleasure of getting to know thousands of wonderful educators over my career. One of my favorites is Stacey Stark. I think after reading this column, you will be as inspired as I have been with all of her accomplishments but, also, with how she remains focused on the accomplishments of those she mentors. I have met many of her students over the years and it is clear that their academic pathway and subsequent career have been positively influenced by interacting with Stacey.

Describe her current position and background. “My position is the director of the Geospatial Analysis Center at the University of Minnesota Duluth. The GAC provides GIS support and expertise in classrooms and research projects in all five of UMD's colleges and many non academic programs. Our workshops and faculty consultations aim to expand the use of spatial analysis, and our services include everything from writing a proposal to data analysis. My job is to keep all this running and funded. In addition to UMD research and teaching, we have a significant number of external projects that keep our salaries stable and provide valuable work opportunities for undergraduate students,” she replied.

“GAC serves as a technical resource center for Hazard Mitigation Planning in the State of Minnesota. Many of our external projects involve working with counties to update their Hazard Mitigation Plans. These plans include a lot of spatial analysis and mapping for natural hazards such as flooding, tornadoes and wind events as well as identifying vulnerable populations and public assets.”

What convinced her to enter this field? She replied, “I started out my career in water resources management — because of my love for wilderness and river travel — and learned about GIS in 1993 at the [U.S.] Forest Service when I was offered a volunteer position to help foresters complete timber sale maps on a green screen with 0s and 1s. Even this simplistic method of digitally mapping our forests intrigued me. While I continued my education in water resources, I took all the GIS classes I could while pursuing a Master of Science in Watershed Science. It was the application of GIS to river conservation and watershed management that made me realize I had connected the skills and subjects I love.

“After working at an EPA research lab as a GIS specialist for several years, I took a risk to expand my experience in a job in the UMD geography department managing a GIS lab and pursuing GIS projects. By building new collaborations one at a time, I learned that I actually love being a ‘generalist’ and applying my skills and experience in different fields all the time. I love that my job is never the same year after year. My ‘lab’ grew from one staff person to four plus students and now supports the entire campus community. There have been so many rewarding collaborations that we are fortunate to be a part of: GIS projects with economists, pharmacists, planners, farmers, ecologists, soil scientists, K12 educators, anthropologists, emergency managers, electricians, journalists, and student life administration to name some! What other field could you be in and work on meaningful research projects with all these professionals?” (Author’s note: Indeed!)

Who or what most inspired her during her career? “One thing that has been very important and inspiring to me in my career is being a part of GIS user groups, committees and the MN GIS/LIS Consortium (our state professional GIS association, MN GIS/LIS in short). For many years, I was the sole GIS specialist in my department, so making other connections was critical to my professional development. I’ve served on the executive board of the MN GIS/LIS and in leadership roles several times now, and I am always learning from my GIS professional peers in different sectors. I have been so inspired by the dedication and professionalism of GIS leaders in Minnesota as well as the spirit of collaboration across sectors.

“I am compelled to introduce the students who I work with to the great MN GIS professional community as well, and they know how much I value it. I strongly encourage the students who work with me to participate in the MN Student Scholarship Competition and mentoring program in Minnesota, as well as to apply for student scholarships to conferences anywhere they can. Now that I have been working with undergraduate students for over a decade, it is my former students who inspire me. About three-quarters of my former GIS student employees have stayed in the Minnesota GIS community. Nothing is more satisfying than seeing my former students take leadership roles in GIS positions and continue to engage in the GIS community by presenting, teaching, hosting user groups, GeoMentoring, and attending networking events for college students. One of my students was invited to the Esri stage with me at the Esri 2015 Education Summit, and another won an Esri award with her innovative story map portfolio in 2018.”

What project or initiative of which she is most proud? She replied, “Professional engagement in a fast-moving field such as the geospatial industry is critical for all of us. However, as an introvert, I especially believe in one-on-one connections, which sometimes don’t happen readily in the professional world without a third-party matchmaker or introduction. I love to be a connector, so I started a Young Professionals Mentor Program at the annual MN GIS/LIS Conference ten years ago for students or those just entering the field. It is still going strong with about 17 mentor pairs at each conference. I’m very proud of this program and to be part of a community where so many talented professionals are willing to talk with students or those just entering the field. I get many positive comments from the GIS professionals, many of whom sign up year after year.

“I was so honored last fall to receive the MN GIS/LIS Polaris Award for contributions to the Minnesota GIS community, particularly my role coordinating the Young Professionals Mentor Program and the Annual MN GIS/LIS Student Scholarship Competition. This year I started matching GIS professionals with K-12 educators at the annual MN Educator Day (sponsored by MN GIS/LIS) to jumpstart more GeoMentoring pairs. Largely due to our active GIS professional organization, GeoMentoring and GIS in K-12 schools has taken off in Minnesota.”

What is the most important thing on which Stacey thinks we need to work as the geography/education/science/geospatial community? “My experience is that most great GIS professionals are very good at collaborating. Often it is the GIS person in a project that brings a team together and has working relationships with multiple parties. The importance of communication cannot be understated. On one hand, it seems as though we work with non-GIS users all the time, but on the other hand it still seems like so many people (educators, leaders, data analysts) in all sort of fields still need an introduction to the power of spatial analysis and what it is! We need to keep telling people what we do with maps and spatial data, and tell the stories about how a map or analysis was the lightbulb that [insert story here: changed someone’s mind, got the project funded, made the planning better, or saved a life!].”

What is Stacey’s advice to a new professional in these fields? “Of course, my first bit of advice will be to get engaged with your local or regional GIS community. No matter where you are in your career, your involvement is valuable. And when you are not surrounded by your GIS peers, you should be sharing what GIS can do. In many fields the GIS expert may be cast in a support role. But remember, you have expertise using tools to help others see things in a different way which may give a project new direction or more meaning. So speak up and integrate your geospatial skills into your work portfolio, your hobby or your side job to demonstrate what you can do!”

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” —Mary Oliver

GeoInspirations: Stacey Stark, Touching the Future

Understanding Coastal Imagery and Its Importance

Coastal imagery refers to high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery focused on coastal zones, shorelines, estuaries, and nearshore environments. These visual datasets are essential for observing physical changes in coastal landscapes, assessing erosion, tracking sediment movement, and supporting environmental stewardship. By capturing detailed spatial information about land–water interfaces, coastal imagery helps researchers, planners, and decision makers understand dynamic processes that shape coastal systems.

In a world where coastal development, sea level rise, and extreme weather events exert increasing pressure on shoreline communities, accurate and up-to-date imagery provides foundational insight. Coastal imagery enables the visualization of shoreline change over time, identification of vulnerable areas, and evaluation of the impacts of human activities and natural events on coastal environments.

Applications of Coastal Imagery in Science and Planning

Coastal imagery supports a wide range of applications in both science and practical planning. Environmental scientists use imagery to quantify changes in beach width, dune morphology, and wetland extent, informing habitat conservation and restoration efforts. Urban planners and civil engineers rely on coastal imagery to guide coastal zone management, infrastructure placement, shoreline protection design, and risk mitigation strategies.

These visual datasets also underpin hazard assessment, where imaging before and after storm events reveals damage patterns and informs emergency response planning. By integrating coastal imagery with geographic information systems and analytical tools, professionals can conduct change detection, spatial modeling, and temporal analysis that improve understanding of coastal dynamics.

Tools and Technologies for Coastal Image Capture

Capturing coastal imagery involves a combination of satellite sensors, aerial platforms, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Satellite imagery provides broad, repeatable coverage that is ideal for monitoring large coastal regions over time, while aerial photography from manned aircraft offers finer detail that supports site-specific analysis. UAVs equipped with high-resolution cameras and multispectral sensors complement these methods by delivering localized, on-demand imagery for focused study areas.

Advances in remote sensing technologies — including LiDAR, multispectral, and thermal imaging — expand the analytical potential of coastal imagery by revealing elevation, vegetation health, and thermal gradients. These rich data layers support integrated analyses that go beyond simple visuals to quantify physical and ecological conditions along coastal margins.

Driving Better Coastal Decisions with Spatial Insight

When used in mapping platforms and analytical workflows, coastal imagery becomes a powerful decision support asset. Coastal managers, environmental agencies, and research institutions use imagery-derived products to inform policy, prioritize conservation investments, and communicate complex spatial information to stakeholders. Interactive maps, change detection visualizations, and time-series analyses help translate raw imagery into meaningful insight that drives action.

As pressures on coastal systems grow, the value of reliable and detailed coastal imagery continues to increase. By enhancing visibility into shoreline processes and environmental change, these datasets support sustainability efforts and empower decision makers to plan adaptive, resilient responses to coastal challenges.

Coastal Imagery: Mapping Shorelines, Monitoring Change, Fueling Insight

The Strategic Role of Geographic Information Systems

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have become indispensable tools for organizations seeking to improve decision making and planning with location-aware insight. By integrating spatial data with analytical tools, GIS enables users to visualize patterns, examine geographic relationships, and interpret complex datasets within a geographic context. This spatial perspective helps leaders make better decisions in areas such as infrastructure development, resource allocation, environmental management, and service delivery.

GIS goes beyond traditional mapping by providing dynamic analysis that unifies data sources, reveals trends that would otherwise remain hidden, and supports scenario planning. Whether assessing market potential, optimizing logistics, or planning community services, GIS puts decisions into a geographic framework that enhances clarity and strategic alignment.

Improving Planning Outcomes with Spatial Analysis

One of the greatest strengths of GIS lies in its ability to inform planning processes with objective, data-driven insight. Planners use spatial analysis to identify optimal locations for new facilities, estimate service coverage, and model future growth patterns. Tools such as heat maps, proximity analysis, and overlay functions help reveal where demand, risk, or opportunity is most concentrated. By visualizing alternative scenarios on interactive maps, decision makers gain a more comprehensive understanding of potential outcomes before committing to action.

This spatial approach also enhances forecasting by incorporating geographic variables such as connectivity, terrain, and demographic distribution, which traditional business intelligence alone cannot capture. As a result, planning becomes more resilient and responsive to real-world conditions.

Enhancing Operational Efficiency and Risk Management

In addition to strategic planning, GIS improves everyday operations by optimizing workflows and resource deployment. Organizations can use spatial insights to refine routing for field teams, monitor assets in real time, and allocate resources more efficiently based on demand patterns. This operational clarity helps reduce costs, improve service performance, and strengthen responsiveness to challenges.

GIS also supports risk assessment and mitigation by mapping hazard exposure, infrastructure vulnerabilities, and critical service dependencies. Planners and managers can identify areas at higher risk, prioritize interventions, and communicate complex risk profiles more effectively through intuitive visuals.

Geographic Information Systems serve as a common platform for collaboration across departments and stakeholders. Interactive maps and spatial dashboards enable multidisciplinary teams to explore data together, share insights, and align goals more effectively. Visual tools help bridge technical and non-technical audiences by transforming complex information into intuitive representations that support shared understanding and informed discussion.

Through collaborative GIS environments, organizations build a culture of data-informed decision making where spatial intelligence informs both tactical actions and long-term strategies. This unified approach increases transparency, builds consensus, and strengthens the overall impact of planning and operational decisions.

How Geographic Information Systems Improve Decision Making and Planning

Are you ready to fly? In high-resolution imagery collection, UAVs are the latest standout. Join us as we discuss what it takes to collect and process top quality imagery. We’ll run through a sample flight checklist, discuss the importance of control points, and give advice on obtaining imagery while in flight. We’ll also share how we consume the imagery on Trimble devices and in LizardTech’s free GeoViewer application.

The keys to successful image collection with a UAV

The basics of processing and georeferencing aerial imagery including a comparison of software options

The end products you can create from aerial imagery, including orthorectified mosaics and DEMs

Robert Parker, Sales Engineer, LizardTech

Mitch Tweedy, Lead Tech Support, CompassTools

Getting Top Quality UAV Imagery - Best Practices for Image Processing and Collection

Advanced Aerial Imagery for Enhanced Spatial Understanding

Getmapping has provided newly captured high-resolution aerial photography for the Enfield area, offering detailed views of the landscape that support a wide range of mapping and planning applications. These high-quality images capture fine-scale features of the built and natural environment, giving planners, analysts, and decision makers the ability to examine spatial detail with precision. Enhanced aerial imagery contributes to more accurate base maps, improved visualization, and deeper understanding of local geographic patterns.

The aerial photography delivers a level of clarity that benefits both immediate situational assessment and long-term spatial analysis. Urban planners can use the imagery to assess land use changes, identify infrastructure assets, and support development projects with current visual data. Emergency responders and public safety teams also benefit from detailed imagery that improves situational awareness and preparedness.

Supporting Planning, Development, and Environmental Assessment

High-resolution aerial imagery is a critical resource for local authorities, consultants, and developers working in built environment and environmental planning. In Enfield, this detailed photographic dataset enables teams to quantify spatial relationships, analyze growth trends, and monitor changes over time. From infrastructure maintenance planning to environmental impact assessments, accurate aerial views enhance the quality of spatial decision making and help align projects with community goals.

Land management and transportation agencies can incorporate these aerial images into geographic information systems (GIS) to improve routing analysis, network planning, and asset tracking. The clarity and precision of the imagery support workflows that depend on up-to-date visual context for mapping and analysis.

Enhancing GIS, Mapping, and Visualization Workflows

The aerial photography supplied by Getmapping elevates GIS and mapping workflows by providing a robust visual foundation that complements vector and attribute data. Spatial professionals can overlay reference layers, perform change detection, and generate interactive maps that communicate insights clearly to internal teams and external stakeholders. The imagery improves the interpretability of spatial models and contributes to more effective communication of analytical results.

Visualization tools that leverage high-resolution aerial photography allow organizations to create compelling maps and interactive dashboards that support presentations, stakeholder engagement, and strategic communication. These tools help bridge the gap between raw data and intuitive geographic understanding, making complex spatial information more accessible to decision makers, partners, and the public.

Delivering Value Across Sectors and Use Cases

The availability of updated high-resolution aerial photography in Enfield benefits a broad range of sectors, from urban development and environmental monitoring to utilities management and public safety. Accurate imagery supports evidence-based planning, more informed investment decisions, and enhanced operational coordination. By investing in detailed aerial data, organizations improve their ability to anticipate challenges, optimize resource allocation, and deliver better outcomes for communities and stakeholders.

This aerial photography initiative underscores the value of quality geospatial data and its role in strengthening planning, analysis, and communication across diverse applications. High-resolution visual datasets continue to be essential assets for modern mapping, location intelligence, and spatial decision support.

Getmapping Supplies High-Resolution Aerial Photography of Enfield

What Is Spatial Analytics and Why It Matters

Spatial analytics combines geographic context with traditional data analysis to reveal patterns, trends, and relationships linked to location. This form of analytics extends beyond basic reporting by embedding spatial dimensions into decision processes, enabling organizations to understand not just “what” happened, but also “where” and “why.” By visualizing data on maps and layering multiple datasets — from demographics and transportation networks to customer behavior and environmental factors — spatial analytics provides deeper context that supports smarter, more informed decisions.

Organizations across sectors are recognizing the value of spatial analytics as a core component of business intelligence. It helps bridge siloed datasets and unifies insights in a geographic framework that supports strategic planning, operational efficiency, and market understanding.

Enhancing Strategic Planning with Geographic Insight

Spatial analytics plays a pivotal role in strategic planning by enabling decision makers to identify opportunities and risks tied to specific locations. For example, businesses can analyze customer trade areas, optimize site selection for expansion, and assess competitive landscapes with precise geographic models. Urban planners and public agencies can evaluate infrastructure needs and service accessibility across regions, improving resource allocation and long-term planning outcomes.

By integrating geospatial insight into analytics workflows, organizations improve forecasting, scenario planning, and performance evaluation. This leads to more resilient strategies that account for geographic variability and real-world constraints.

Improving Operational Efficiency Across Functions

Beyond strategic initiatives, spatial analytics enhances day-to-day operations by optimizing logistics, service delivery, and asset management. Routing and network analysis help reduce transportation costs and improve response times for field teams, while geospatial monitoring supports maintenance planning and resource distribution. Retailers can align inventory and staffing with demand patterns, and utility providers can monitor infrastructure health using spatial data trends.

Operational teams equipped with spatial analytics gain greater situational awareness, enabling faster responses to emerging issues and enabling continuous performance improvement.

Getting Top Quality UAV Imagery - Best Practices for Image Processing and Collection

Read more