Reality Mapping vs Digital Twins

This Esri article sounds like a lot of marketing word salad, but the animated GIF is cool!

True Orthos vs Trad Orthos & ArcGIS Reality

First, what is ArcGIS Reality?

I'm not entirely sure, here's what Esri says: ArcGIS Reality is a suite of photogrammetry software products designed to enable reality capture workflows for sites, cities, and countries.

One main feature seems to be the abilaity to create & use so-capped True Orthophotos as opposed to Traditional Orthophotos.

• True Orthophotos vs. Traditional Orthophotos: Why do pixels matter in the age of AI?
• The Different Types of Ortho Images Created in ArcGIS

The animated GIF below demonsrates the main difference between true orthos & trad orthos. 

3D model of Sutro Tower in San Francisco

This is super-slick: https://vincentwoo.com/3d/sutro_tower/

Google Alpha Earth

Google Alpha Earth is a new geospatial AI model that acts as a virtual satellite: it assimilates all kinds of geospatial data & does the processing for you. Then, you just ask & get ready-to-use AI-generated 'maps' of whatever you want. No more working with dozens of raw datasets!

Example: glacier mapping. In thed old days you would have spent considerable time finding useful cloud-free images, do some kind of processing, and then run some kind of index or band-ratio calculations. Now you can just ask: give me the size of the Humboldt Glacier over the last 10 years.

For now the focus seems to be on physical data collected by sensors, but I would assume that human data from will be included in the future.

More here: AlphaEarth Foundations helps map our planet in unprecedented detail

The End of GIS: AI!

The AI Revolution is Coming for GIS: What You Need to Know About Microsoft’s Latest Warning is a pretty dire read...but you probably should add 5-10 years to this timeline. Here are a few take-home messages for me:

• The impact will be most-significant on the entry-level jobs.
• But, field work and basic project management will still be around for a while.
• Coding is still a key skill, but it will be all about AI-assisted coding in the very near future. But, you will need to have a good understanding of coding and how AI 'thinks' in-order to effectively prompt the AI.
• Take an online class in maschine learning for geospatial applications.
• Combine GIS expertise with complementary skills such as urban planning, environmental science, and more.

Historical Aerial Photos

Remember when air photos were a thing? Well, they still are! This place https://e-topo.com/mapv2.aspx offers the low-res 300 dpi versions for free somehow.

I Got a Drone!

Fun series from John Nelson!

1. I Got a Drone, part 1: Unboxing & Goals

ICESat-2 Topography across the Super Bowl

That's just cool: mapping the topography across the Super Bowl LVII stadium with ICESat-2: A Super View of Arizona.

Everest From Above

This could be cool: Everest From Above. Alas, hidden behind the pay wall. Lame.

(Glacier) Timelines

Cool science-art project visualizing glacier recession in the Swiss Alps: Timelines. I really like the dual drone footage (see example below). For more 'traditional' data viz approach, see this: So schmolzen die Schweizer Gletscher in 160 Jahren weg.

Drones vs Laser!

Eker et al. (2019) Monitoring of Snow Cover Ablation Using Very High Spatial Resolution Remote Sensing Datasets is a great paper comparing super-detailed snow cover mapping using drones and terrestrial laser scanning and includes detailed methods and processing information.

Snow Depth Mapping using SfM and more

Goetz and Brenning (2019): Quantifying uncertainties in snow depth mapping from structure from motion photogrammetry in an alpine area. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2019WR025251.

Filhol et al. (2019): Time-lapse Photogrammetry of Distributed Snowdepth During Snowmelt. Water Resources Research, doi: 10.1029/2018WR024530. Ground-based, oblique with 3 cameras - easy in concept, but the details are complex. They make a good point: usually we either have high-frequency time series from point measurements or sporadic spatial data from satellites, UAVs, etc. Their approach tries to bridge that gap.

AirMap

AirMap is a quick and interactive web map for drone users to see local airspace restrictions and other important information needed to plan a drone 'mission'.

Humboldt Glacier (Venezuela): Drone Videos

Here are three incredible drone videos by Helena Carpio of the Humboldt Glacier in late February 2018.

• https://youtu.be/cqHXK3v1WII
• https://youtu.be/t3xCB7k6aR4
• https://youtu.be/KLbO0eNE4aQ

OpenAerialMap (OAM)

OpenAerialMap (OAM) is a set of tools for searching, sharing, and using openly licensed satellite and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) imagery.

Sure - looks good. Let's hope people will use it!

LiDAR vs Photogrammetry

Drone LiDAR or Photogrammetry? Everything you need to know. is an interesting and useful read. But it misses the point (I think). LiDAR is LIDAR = gives you a DEM, DTM, DSM - whatever you prefer to call it. Photogrammetry gives you orthophotos - which is something entirely different. Unless you are talking about doing SfM from your images.

ArduPilot Autopilot Suite

The ArduPilot Autopilot Suite is everything and more you need for any kind of autonomous vehicle. More also here.

Drone Training

https://xkcd.com/1881/

OpenAerialMap

OpenAerialMap is an open service to provide access to a commons of openly licensed imagery and map layer services. Download or contribute imagery to the growing commons of openly licensed imagery.

Seems like the available imagery is either standard satellite images that you could get from many sites or UAV images for specific places around the world.

Drone Resources

A simple compilation of papers and other resources related to drones and their applications.

• Rossini et al. (2018): Rapid melting dynamics of an alpine glacier with repeated UAV photogrammetry. Geomorphology, 304, 159-172. UAVs and SfM.
• 8 tips that will let you achieve survey-grade accuracy of your drone survey.
• Wigmore and Mark (2017): Monitoring tropical debris-covered glacier dynamics from high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle photogrammetry, Cordillera Blanca, Peru. The Cryosphere, 11, 2463-2480.
• Ryan et al. (2017): Derivation of High Spatial Resolution Albedo from UAV Digital Imagery: Application over the Greenland Ice Sheet. Frontiers in Earth Science, May 2017. Using a basic consumer grade camera to measure albedo. Not quite as simple as it sounds, but very cool!
• Dabski et al. (2017): UAV-based detection and spatial analysis of periglacial landforms on Demay Point (King George Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica. Geomorphology, 290, 29-38. Home-made professional fixed-wing drone paired with a Canon 700D DSLR.
• O'Connor et al. (2017): Cameras and settings for aerial surveys in the geosciences: Optimising image data. Progress in Physical Geography, 41(3), 325-344. Lot's of details about cameras and lenses.
• Krsak et al. (2016): Use of low-cost UAV photogrammetry to analyze the accuracy of a digital elevation model in a case study. Measurement, 91, 276-287. Using a DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ to create a high-quality DEM.