Awesome Geo Technology – 10 Cool things seen at ESRIUC 2014

Indeed there’s no shortage of cool and amazing technology to touch, see, and hear about at ESRIUC, actually, its almost overwhelming so creating a list of just 10 awesome things I saw is no simple task. Hopefully I won’t crush any feelings for those not mentioned here and just let it be known that this list could likely easily be rehashed into a “100 Cool things” list if I had the time!

And so, enjoy these 10 Cool things seen at ESRIUC 2014:

WorldDEM, global elevation model – This Global DEM from Airbus Defense & Space is very impressive. At 12m x 12m accuracy, this raster data product is going to be in high demand I think. Actually, many/most land areas are much more accurate (about 5m x 5m) and the vertical accuracy is reported conservatively at 2m (relative) . Coming soon, this data product will be available soon and provide data for the entire land mass of the Earth, roughly 150 million square Km. See www.geo-airbusds.com or @AirbusDS_GEO_NA on twitter

exactEarth ArcMAp Add-in – exactEarth provides a very impressive global view of marine vessel positions and now, ArcGIS users can ingest this remarkable data product into their own ArcGIS / ArcMap services. The exactAIS GWS ArcMap Add-in is available as a free download, enabling even the novice ArcMap user to use and exploit exactAIS GWS data immediately. See www.exactearth.com. See also the impressive, exctEarth ShipView web viewing tool for marine vessel data analysis and more!

Algalita Marine Research Institute (NGO) – I’m familiar with this org. and have heard presentations from their executives in the past, however, seeing their volunteers and images of their projects is always impressive and heart warming. Algalita is dedicated to the preservation of the marine environment and its watersheds. Given that the Earth is roughly 70% oceans, the health of these marine ecosystems are extremely important to us all. The organization has been working tirelessly to better understand the scope and impact of marine debris, in particular plastics, and the potential impacts on the human population. Algalita membership is open to all and they are also interested in your cooperation as a volunteer – heck, you could even help out by organizing a beach clean up effort in your local community! See www.algalita.org

GeoGopher from Lizardtech – Something new and a little different from the creators of the popular MrSID data format and supporting tools, GeoGofer is a very low-cost application (just $250) that will help users find and organize their geospatial imagery very quickly and efficiently. GeoGofer integrates seamlessly with Esri technology and uses an existing ArcGIS Online subscription solution to store and query the information. Using GeoGofer, users can browse all of their imagery, tag images, and perform powerful queries using simple tools. See more www.lizardtech.com/geogofer

CityBuddy – seen at the ESRIUC startup zone, CityBuddy from PathGeo is a mobile app (iOS) that provides loacation-based hotspots ranked by social media posts. Using the app, users can identify areas nearby where popular events are taking place, this determined by likes, reviews, comments, and photos posted online. the app uses crowd-sourced technology to analyze social media posts to provide what they call actionable consumer intelligence. The app is available for $1.99 (full functionality) or as a limited functionality, free version. See more about the company at pathgeo.com.

Cedar Tree CMP1 mini smartphone – Those of you who know me likely know that I’m an Android user/fan, so when I see cool Android-based technology I get excited! The new, Cedar Tree CMP1 did exactly that, and more! This ultra-compact, full featured Android device is compact, handy, and the ideal companion for the field worker – its pretty tough too! Shipping in the very near future, this device should ideally target the field services market as well as recreation, fitness, and emergency uses. The device is small and ideally a secondary device and can easily be taken into environments where mobile users typically wouldn’t feel comfortable with their “usual” device, mainly because it is small and easily stored in convenient places. The device boasts dual SIM slots, MicroSD slot (memory expansion), radio antenae, swappable battery, and more. The killer feature though, the CMP1 will sell unlocked for just $150 – WOW! I’ll take 2 please… See www.cedartreetechnologies.com

OpenCounter – Another technology from the Startup Zone, OpenCounter is a very slick business permitting solution. OpenCounter helps budding business owners and entrepreneurs to access the city business permitting process. Using the system, business owners can retrieve economic development reports and also identify locations in their city that are suitable for their business. The app also provides estimates of fees and permit requirements in order to expedite the startup process. See more about OpenCounter at www.opencounter.us and on Twitter @opencounter

Application Builder (from Esri) – Esri’s new web application builder for ArcGIS Online is indeed a WOW technology and you’ll see this one very soon at 10.3. Simply put, anyone will be able to easily create and deploy their very own web apps and services to any device or platform via ArcGIS Online with very little, if any, required programming skills – WOW. stay tuned and watch @esri for more on this one!

Antris Security Solution – Antris, a Canadian-based startup, was showing off a very cool application that has your back! The Antris “virtual buddy” is essentially a trusted, travel alert security system. Antris will provide adventurers, boaters, travelers, professionals and their families and employers with improved security and peace of mind through the delivery of location-based alerts and notifications. From the company, “Like a FREE global reverse 911 service, ANTRIS will execute an automatic multi-step Reminder & Alert Response Process and optional Emergency Responses if our Member fails to check-in to confirm their safety and security on schedule.” See more at www.antris.com

Spike from ikeGPS   —  Spike is the world’s first laser accurate Smartphone measurement solution enabling you to safely and accurately snap, measure, model, and share any object up to 600 feet (200 m) away. With a simple snap from your Smartphone, you can measure height, width, and area from a photo, and capture target location. Measurement and location are saved with the picture, and can be easily shared via email as a PDF. The gang from iKeGPS gave me a demo and it really did make me saw WOW… its was simple, with a very intuitive UI, and the measurement capabilities and 3D extraction of a design was very fast and simple. Interesting to note that Spike was launched by iKeGPS using a very creative Kickstarter campaign.. nice stuff!

Check it out at http://www.ikegps.com/spike/ – see also a demo in this video

See Also:

2014 ESRIUC Message from Jack – become Geo Designers – Once again another International Esri user conference has come and gone. Myself, like about 15,000 others who made the trip to San Diego are now coming down from a big "Geo High" and are organizing our notes and contact information from all the great things we saw and fabulous people we met. The week began much like most other conference week’s did, with loads of excitement and Esri President Jack Dangermond addressing the huge crowd in attendance at the opening plenary.

Editor (19579 Posts)

Glenn is a geographer and a GIS professional with over 20 years experience in the industry. He's the co-founder of GISuser and several other technology web publications.