GIS

Dataplor expands in 100 countries

Dataplor started in 2017 with a mission to map the local businesses of Mexico. Having rapidly expanded in the past year and on track to triple annual revenue, the company’s data now covers 100 countries and 150 million POIs. It plans to extend coverage to 150 countries by the end of 2022 to continue providing customers with accurate POI data in developing economies. While pursuing growth, the firm remains committed to maintaining accuracy across all of its locations. By working with local experts to vet geospatial data, the firm closes gaps in machine errors with boots-on the-ground verification to ensure its numbers truly reflect local businesses, which are always changing. This dynamic accuracy gives dataplor’s intelligence an edge over rivals who have accurate information for developed economies like the US but haven’t done the legwork to understand poorly mapped business geographies in, say, India or Brazil. dataplor.com

New Esri initiative provides free Geospatial software for nonprofits

Nonprofits are increasingly taking a geographic approach to implementing their plans and ensuring the success of their goals. To support and advance the missions of small nonprofits that may think GIS software is out of reach, Esri has launched the Esri Small Nonprofit Organization Grant Initiative. The grant initiative will provide 150 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with access to GIS training and software.

The GIS technology available to grantees will empower nonprofits of all sizes to better communicate their cause, understand communities, act on their mission, measure impacts, as well as extend services, attract volunteers, expand donor networks, and shape public policies. www.esri.com

India’s Crop Map at Village-Level

RMSI Cropalytics, a Noida-based agri-tech start-up, launched the first of its kind crop map for India at the village level. The new crop map shows the geo-location of sown acreage of the current cropping season in high resolution.

Currently, crop acreages are estimated at a coarse resolution at the state or district level but not marked or verified on the map. The first-of-its-kind crop map will be updated at the village level every Kharif and Rabi season, covering major crops such as paddy, soybean, maize, sugarcane and wheat at high resolution. RMSI Cropalytics makes the crop map actionable by overlaying useful data on it, including village boundaries, farm sizes, crop health, weather forecasts, yield estimates and land ownership. It allows for more accurate acreage estimation by village and sharper identification of agrarian distress, as well as data-based decision-making on the deployment of resources, risk mitigation and procurement. www.rmsi.com

Bluesky wins extension to multi million pound contract

Aerial mapping company and consortium lead Bluesky International, in partnership with Getmapping plc, has been granted a contract extension from the Geospatial Commission to continue to supply aerial photography, 3D height models and Colour Infrared imagery, to public sector organisations across Great Britain. The contract, branded as Aerial Photography Great Britain (APGB), was first signed in 2018 enabling 4500 UK local authorities, emergency services, environmental bodies and central government departments to access, free at point of use, high quality aerial data. www.bluesky-world.com

DWR launches new web based mapping tool

A new web-based tool developed by the Department of Water Resources (DWR) will allow the public to explore thousands of groundwater projects across California to get a better understanding of one of the state’s most critical water supply resources. The virtual mapping tool is part of the State’s ongoing commitment to develop new, innovative solutions to provide information and resources to address the effects of California’s changing climate and ongoing severe drought. The web-based tool is intended for anyone interested in learning more about state and local investments in groundwater sustainability and the return on those investments. https://water.ca.gov

Global Mapper Mobile expands GNSS device communication

Blue Marble Geographics has announced that Global Mapper Mobile version 2.3 provides additional options for connecting with GNSS receivers. It has always included the ability to connect to external GPS devices, but version 2.3 expands this to include support for any GNSS device that uses TCP/IP communication. Additionally, this mobile update provides Global Mapper analysis tools for volume calculation and viewshed for terrain data. http://bluemarblegeo.com