Life in the Geospatial Cloud and Other Current Developments

How to Easily Get Data Online, Using the Cloud with
Geospatial Technology, Web Maps, Who’s Involved with
Geospatial Technology, Geospatial Technologies in K–12
Education, and College and University Geospatial
Educational Programs

It’s an understatement to say that geospatial technology is a rapidly changing and advancing field. New Websites, imagery, tools, gadgets, and developments are coming at an incredible rate. GPS, digital maps, and satellite images are part of everyday life. When an app on your phone can provide you with the coordinates of your location, a map of what’s nearby, a high-resolution remotely sensed image of your surroundings, and directions to wherever you want to go, you know that geospatial technologies have become an essential part of your life—and they’re not going away. Or, as the Geospatial Revolution Project from Penn State University put it: “The location of anything is becoming everything.” Back in Chapter 1, we discussed the incredibly wide variety of human activities that utilize some form of geospatial technology—if it involves location, it’s going to involve geospatial technologies. We’ve covered a lot of ground over the last 14 chapters of this book, but every day there are new frontiers opening up, and every technological breakthrough brings the promise of new worlds to explore.

Geospatial technology is playing an increasingly significant part in our daily lives, whether in our work, travel, or recreation. We have even established observance days, dedicated to showcasing and celebrating these vital new technologies. The National Geographic Society kicks off Geography Awareness Week each November, and since 1998 the Wednesday of the week has been GIS Day. GIS Day is sponsored by a number of prominent agencies and groups (including the National Geographic Society, Esri, the USGS, and the Library of Congress). It is aimed at promoting GIS for students, educators, and professionals in the field. Each year on GIS Day, there are GIS-related events at schools, universities, and workplaces across the world. Similarly, 2006 saw the launch of Earth Observation Day (usually observed in April) to showcase remote sensing research and education across the globe.

This chapter explores the new frontiers and advances in the geospatial world, and takes a look at who’s making this progress possible through their participation, support, and sponsorship. How can you get involved with creating your own maps online, or obtaining the newest (and coolest) geospatial devices, tools, and data? What kind of educational opportunities are there in higher education, and how is geospatial technology being used at the K–12 education levels? We’ll look into all of these topics, and review some examples of what’s happening in geospatial technology (and, again, there’s no way we’re going to be able to cover everything or salute everybody—these pages aim to provide a sampling of what’s out there). To get started, see Hands-on Application 15.1: Other Freely Available Geospatial Technology Programs and Tools Online for a wide variety of other free geospatial tools you can access.