Category Archives: Spatial IT/GIS
Virtualization: the Greatest Tool You Don’t (Currently) Use
This post is dedicated to a good friend, Chris Johnson, who, when we worked together a few years back, introduced me to this cool new word: VIRTUALIZATION. You see, Chris is an IT guru (see: enterprise systems architect)—a friend that every GIS guru should have so that you’ve got someone to pick up the pieces...
How to Use the New QGIS 3D
When QGIS revealed that they were going to add a 3D viewer, I was skeptical. Rumors were going around about it being a bolt on functionality and not really being fully adopted. To be perfectly honest, I was put off before there was anything to look at. As screenshots started to appear from Lutra Consulting,...
The Problem with GIS and Augmented, Virtual, and Mixed Reality
Over the last few years, altered realities technology has exploded, and now, with the introduction of Apple’s ARKit and Android’s ARCore, AR, MR, and VR are well within the reach of the non-developer. I can confirm this as I’ve created a few AR apps and MR apps myself over the last few months, with no experience...
Making Heightmaps
There is no hiding it: I’ve been building a lot of 3D data recently, partly to sell, partly to fuel my adventures into augmented reality (if you’re interested in me adding this to the blog, please say!). The main vital thing has been the heightmap. Providing Certainty in 3D Heights What is a heightmap, you...
SWAMS
Using GIS for utility asset management: the Water Supply Asset Management System The cost of maintaining water system utilities is a concern of all responsible administrative authorities. And utilities are assets that need to be sustained rather than replaced again and again to provide people with quality service. Therefore, better asset management is needed; without...
The (Android) Empire Strikes Back: Mainstreaming Augmented Reality, Part 2
Let’s pick up the AR thread again and look at what the Android platform has to offer in augmented reality (AR). It was just a matter of days after Apple rolled out its ARKit SDK (software development kit) when Google followed suit with its ARCore SDK. ARCore is built on Tango technology but expands the...
