big data

A globe showing the view of the arctic and north America with animal migration tracks mapped out.

Big Data and Animal Migration

Mark Altaweel

Scientists are using big data methods combined with modern GPS tracking and machine learning to enhance their understanding of global animal migration patterns.

Startups and the Future of Spatial Analysis

Mark Altaweel

A growing number of startups are developing new approaches to advanced spatial analysis for everyday solutions across many fields and industries.

Detecting Flooded Roads From Satellite Imagery

Mark Altaweel

Mapping flood damage by manually examine imagery is a time-intensive and expensive process. New, automated methods using satellite data that compare pre and post-flood conditions are being developed.

Data Driven: GIS Guiding the Future

Troy Lambert

Mapping has always been data driven, and the more data we gather, the more important practical visualization of that data becomes.

Mapping Billions of Data Points in Milliseconds

Elizabeth Borneman

With its GPU power, MapD can process and map billions of data points in milliseconds.

California Red-legged Frog Photo Credit: G. Fellers, U.S. Geological Survey

Using Song Meters to Count Frog Populations

Elizabeth Borneman

Conservationists use cameras, acoustic sensors, and audio recording devices to count the red-legged frog in Watsonville Slough, Santa Cruz County.

Open Source Big Spatial Data with GeoMesa

GIS Contributor

Bob DuCharme, a technical writer with CCRi, writes about how open source GeoMesa can help users with managing large spatio-temporal datasets. GeoMesa can stored petabytes of GIS data and serve up tens of millions of points in seconds.

Strava has captured over 400,000 bike trips a year in Oregon.

Big Data, GIS, and Bikes

Rebecca Maxwell

The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has set a precedent for public agencies across the country with the purchase of ...

Strava heat map showing the opular running and biking routes in San Francisco.

Creating a Global Heat Map from 41.5 Million Runs

Rebecca Maxwell

Strava, a GPS running and biking application, recently released a detailed global heat map of popular routes across the globe. The map contains over 160 million activities with 375,000,000,000 data points.

How Spatial Big Data Underpins Smart Cities

1Spatial

Underpinning any smart city program is trusted geospatial information; one single source of reliable, location-specific data.

The IBM Ebola tracker.

Empowering GIS with Big Data

Sangeeta Deogawanka

Analysis of Big Data in a geographic context has empowered organizations and businesses faced with huge amount of data and diverse technologies. The integration of maps with multiple layers of information tells the full story behind the data. Trends and patterns are revealed. Queries are answered and new questions are also addressed. At the same time, predictive modeling on massive datasets help drive accurate decision-making, profitability and effective resource management.

Can Spatial Big Data Build a Better Everyday Life?

1Spatial

Mike Sanderson, the Director of Strategy at 1Spatial, provides a perspective piece on the rise of big spatial data and the importance of being able to base management decisions on correct real-world data.