Geo Industry Leaders in Al Jazeera Video on Remote Sensing

Former GeoEye spokesperson and now the executive director of the GeoEye Foundation Mark Brender and Directions Media Editor in Chief Joe Francica are featured in an Al Jazeera video on satellite imagery use in the media. The story focuses on demonstrations in Tunisia whereby Tunisian bloggers were posting news about the Ben Ali government via Google Earth.

- Directions Magazine Featured Video

Update 5: Multiple Geospatial Resources for the Haitian Earthquake Efforts

Throughout this past week, we’ve continue to add more resources on how the geospatial community is assisting the rescue efforts for the Haitian earthquake (*Updates):

Maps & Web Services

• USGS
• USGS Hazards Data Distribution System
• ERDAS Web Service (UPDATED Jan.22)
• Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Source: ReliefWeb)- Haiti population maps
• U.S. Army Geospatial Center

Satellite Imagery

• DigitalGlobe - WorldView-2 Imagery (free, but registration required)
• DigitalGlobe - Haiti Coverage map (pdf)
• GeoEye
• RapidEye
• Spot Image
  • *Spot’s Imagery coverage
• AEgis Technologies - 3D database
• NASA -  Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) instrument on NASA’s Terra spacecraft captured this false color image of Haiti, on January 21, 2010
• MDA-Radarsat-2
• NOAA Imagery
  • KML File of NOAA Imagery
• NASA Airborne Imagery
• *Pictometry

Community Source mapping websites

• OpenStreetMap
• Google MapMaker
• CrisisCommons.org (Wiki)
• NationsOnline

Mapping Portals

• National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) portal - UPDATED (Jan. 22) - NGA has analysts en route to Haiti in support of U.S. SOUTHCOM and Department of State. Deployed analysts will provide geospatial intelligence products and services. NGA has already provided hundreds of products to its SOUTHCOM and State partners. NGA remains committed to making as much information and as many products available as possible—e.g., imagery, terrain maps and others products and assessments—at the unclassified level for use by first responders and disaster response workers. NGA continues to add products to the NGA-earth.org Web site for their use.
• Ushahidi Network (in French)
• Bing Maps - Port-au-Prince
• Google - Lat Long Blog
• Google Earth - KML file
• GeoCommons (FortiusOne)
• Harvard Center for Earthquake Geospatial Research Portal (via @mattartz)
• Depiction’s web portal
• Carbon Project Blog - Streaming SDI data services
• Korem/MapWorkspace - Haiti Boundaries
• AND Mapping
  • AND data set of Haiti (free)
  • Online editable map
    

Onsite support:

• GISCorp - The UN has requested support
• MapAction - MapAction team members are on their way to Haiti
  • MapAction Building Damage Assessment
• ESRI - Imagery, maps and other resources
  • ESRI Video - Social Networking and Geo (YouTube)
• ESRI Blog - Accessing OpenStreetMap data within ArcGIS to support the Haiti Earthquake Response
• Immersive Media - Panoramic streetview videos taken by handheld device
• UN/Pan American Health Organization - Disaster Relief

Media

• Wall Street Journal - Good thematic of estimated damage by neighborhood
• USA Today - Map of earthquakes with more than 1000 deaths
• New York Times - Map showing magnitude of the disaster
• MSNBC
• Washington Post
• *The New Yorker Magazine
• *Fast Company - OSM report
• BBC
• *BBC Slideshow of volunteers mapping Haiti

Blog reports

• OpenGeoData
• Thinkwhere
• Google Earth Blog
• Geosquan
• Global Voices
• Po Ve Sham - Muki Haklay’s Blog - Haiti – further comparisons and the usability of geographic information in emergency situations
• Spatial Knowlege - OSM progress in Port-au-Prince (video).

CNN, GeoEye, Microsoft Photosynth to Capture Inauguration

CNN, Microsoft and GeoEye are collaborating in various ways to capture the inauguration of Barack Obama in imagery. CNN is asking anyone attending the inauguration to send digital photographs to contribute to a project called "The Moment" that will feature a 3D montage using Microsoft’s Photosynth. Microsoft is asking those using a camera phone or digital camera to take photos and mail them to .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) but to make sure that the Capitol building is in the image as the technology uses common reference points to create the 3D image.

GeoEye will have GeoEye-1 passing over the Mall at 11:19 a.m. on Tuesday according to Beet.tv. Weather permitting, high resolution imagery will be provided to the media. The image will also be used as part of the Photosynth project.

New Poll on Map Hawk - The Media and Remote Sensing

Most all TV news stations now augment some of their coverage with remotely sensed data such as from Google Earth. Does this use of imagery…Tell us what you think at Map Hawk...the blog that "watches how the media uses maps."

DigitalGlobe, AEgis Supply NBC with 3D Models of Olympic Venues

DigitalGlobe, using their 0.6 meter satellite imagery and AEgis Technologies, using both COTS and propriety software, have supplied 3D models of Olympic venues to NBC TV. The models are being used during broadcasts of the Olympics. According to both companies, the project was originally developed for the NGA to support the security efforts of the U.S. athletes. However, Chuck Herring of DigitalGlobe said it was a fantastic opportunity to display, in a more public forum, the work that sometimes unreported due to the sensitivity of most of their government projects. DigitalGlobe supplied a mosaic of a large area in Beijing to AEgis that then combined the imagery with their simulation software and using recent photos of the venues, were able to produce highly accurate 3D building models. NBC does not have some of the more detailed 3D models that are being used by the NGA. DigitalGlobe and AEgis have set up a separate website with models that will be used by NBC. More later next week when I have an opportunity to visit AEgis for a deeper dive into their technology.