Tuesday, June 23. 2009

Podcast: Why not code the real world?

While much money is spent noting attributes of physical objects on paper maps or in electronic files, only for them to be of limited use in the field, why do we not simply code more real world object with key information? In Akron fire hydrants are coded with their water pressure by their colored domes. Even as we put all this information into databases, should we also think more about simply it putting it right where it's needed?


Subscribe to Podcast RSS

Listen Now (to download, right click on the link at left and choose "save target as")

Read the show notes

Missed any podcasts? Want to subscribe via iTunes, Yahoo, etc? Here's the index.

Tuesday, April 28. 2009

Two Reports Provide Details on Stimulus Spending for Smart Grid and Local Government

Report from Kema Consulting (download report for free) on smart grid technology job creation. Excerpt below:

Kema's projection anticipates that a potential disbursement of $16 billion in Smart Grid incentives would act as a catalyst in driving associated Smart Grid projects that are worth $64 billion. The impact of these projects would result in the direct creation of approximately 280,000 new positions across various categories, of which more than 150,000 will be created by the end of 2009. Furthermore, we estimate that nearly 140,000 new direct jobs would persist beyond the Smart Grid deployment as permanent, on-going high-value position.



A report from INPUT was issued for vendors on the stimulus as it pertains to state and local government funding. There is a $495 charge for the report which INPUT says "will prepare vendors looking to compete for state and local funding originating in the education grant programs of the economic stimulus legislation."

Podcast: Should Geospatial Education Create Subject Matter Experts or Geospatial Thinkers?

Do we encourage the next generation of young geospatial professionals to get degrees in specific disciplines such as geology, forestry, urban planning, etc. or do we train them to be “geospatial thinker" with a degree in GIS? This was the question posed at a panel at last week's Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference. This week we review the panelists' thoughts and offer up our opinions.


Subscribe to Podcast RSS

Listen Now (to download, right click on the link at left and choose "save target as")

Read the show notes

Missed any podcasts? Want to subscribe via iTunes, Yahoo, etc? Here's the index .

Monday, April 27. 2009

Intergraph, KEMA Examine Smart Grid Opportunities from Stimulus

Intergraph and KEMA are both investigating Smart Grid opportunities that are expected to result from economic stimulus funds. Intergraph, a global provider of engineering and geospatial software, and KEMA, a business and technical consultancy for the energy industry, both view the optimization of the operations control center as key to Smart Grid success. In a report released by KEMA, the company believes that of the stimulus money going towards infrastructure that at least 10% will be dedicated to advanced IT programs of which operation control centers will be a major portion. From the report (download; registration required):

KEMA's projection anticipates that a potential disbursement of $16 billion in Smart Grid incentives would act as a catalyst in driving associated Smart Grid projects that are worth $64 billion. The impact of these projects would result in the direct creation of approximately 280,000 new positions across various categories, of which more than 150,000 will be created by the end of 2009. Furthermore, KEMA estimates that nearly 140,000 new direct jobs would persist beyond the Smart Grid deployment as permanent, on-going high-value positions.

Tony DiMarco of Intergraph believes that his company is well positioned to support the growing demand for infrastructure improvements, specifically surrounding Smart Grid, outage management, mobile resource management and field force automation. Intergraph is also hosting a webinar with Stellar Grants to educate utilities on how to obtain Smart Grid stimulus money. In the area of critical infrastructure, Intergraph can also assess the vulnerability of utility networks. DiMarco emphasized that Intergraph is very focused on improving location-based situational awareness for utilities.

Tuesday, April 21. 2009

Video: GITA Keynoter: Blaine Leondard, ASCE president-elect, Tells Why U.S. Infrastructure Rates a "D" in Report Card

Blaine Leonard, the American Society of Civil Engineers president-elect, gave the keynote address at this year's Geospatial Infrastructure Solutions Conference, GITA's annual event. Leonard is the Research Program Manager with the Utah Department of Transportation in Salt Lake City, where he is responsible for balancing research needs and resources within the Department, and for managing a wide variety of research projects. Prior to joining the Department, Blaine spent 20 years as a consulting civil engineer in Utah. He holds Bachelors and Masters degrees from the University of Utah. Mr. Leonard currently serves as the 2009 President-elect of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He has served ASCE in numerous capacities at the national and local level, and is currently the Chair of the Task.

Continue reading "Video: GITA Keynoter: Blaine Leondard, ASCE president-elect, Tells Why U.S. Infrastructure Rates a "D" in Report Card"

Monday, April 20. 2009

GITA ITAG Meeting Focuses on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding

GITA's Industry Trends and Analysis Group (ITAG) [click for larger image at right] put a focus on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) aka the stimulus package. During the meeting, I presented some of the resources about where stimulus money will be headed. The PowerPoint presentation used by the group can now be download. A brief summary is below.

Continue reading "GITA ITAG Meeting Focuses on American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding"