Project Geospatial

Adam Simmons interviews Yuval Lorig, VP R&D at Asterra, at the GEOINT 2025 conference. Yuval shares his background in physical geography and the geospatial industry. They delve into Asterra's work, which utilizes satellite data, particularly SAR, to monitor critical infrastructure like dams, levies, and canals, in addition to their traditional focus on water leaks. Yuval discusses the company's expansion into APIs, a SAS platform called EO 2.0, their global reach across over 70 countries, and their focus on improving technology accuracy and developing in-house AI models.

Highlights

• Interview with Yuval Lorig, VP R&D at Asterra.

• Astera focuses on monitoring critical infrastructure (dams, levies, canals) and the water industry.

• They utilize satellite data, specifically SAR, for subsurface penetration to gain insights.

• Expanding their offering to include APIs and a SAS platform (EO 2.0).

• Customer base is now global, working in more than 70 countries with almost a thousand projects.

• Latest focus is on progressing and improving the accuracy of their technology.

• They are developing their own in-house AI models based on a dedicated group and internal database.

• Asterra has grown significantly and has almost 100 people globally, with headquarters in Israel and a branch in San Diego.

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#GEOINT2025 #Geospatial #SatelliteData #SAR #InfrastructureMonitoring #WaterManagement #Dams #Levies #Canals #Astera #RemoteSensing #AI #MachineLearning #SASPlatform #ProjectGeospatial

Daniel Dufour from the city of Chattanooga discusses the rapid development of a near real-time map displaying reported flooding and road closures during Hurricane Helen. The project focused on gathering data from human reports via public works, 311, and 911 calls, rather than relying on predictive flood modeling. He highlights the critical balance between human effort and technology, utilizing a mix of open source tools like GitHub Actions, GDAL, and OpenStreetMap, alongside proprietary systems. Dufour shares valuable lessons learned regarding rapid deployment, organizational culture, risk assessment, the importance of building internal capabilities, and how open data and open source can accelerate project delivery, emphasizing that proprietary and open source technologies can effectively coexist.

• Built a near real-time map of reported flooding and road closures for Hurricane Helen in Chattanooga.

• Focused on mapping reported data from public works, 311, and 911 calls, rather than predicted flooding.

• Stresses the equal importance of humans and technology; people reporting data were essential.

• Used technologies including GitHub Actions, GDAL, OpenStreetMap, MapLibre, SafeMe Workbench, and proprietary systems like Tyler Tech and Google Maps automation.

• Discusses lessons learned such as preparation, culture, risk-taking, speeding up the decision-to-delivery timeline, and adopting a capability perspective for long-term growth.

• Highlights that open data and open source can lead to faster project delivery.

• Emphasizes that proprietary and open source can work together and it's not an all-or-nothing choice.

• Notes that humans cannot be replaced for certain tasks like taking citizen calls, contrasting with AI limitations.

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#Geospatial #OpenSource #FloodMapping #DisasterResponse #Resilience #Chattanooga #HurricaneHelen #GitHubActions #GDAL #OpenStreetMap #MapLibre #SafeMe #GIS #PublicWorks #CitizenReporting #OpenData #Technology #GovTech #FedGeoDay

Henry Rodman from Development Seed introduces EO API, a cloud-native geospatial technology stack aimed at making geospatial data more accessible and quickly available. He highlights the challenges of getting started with cloud-native geospatial solutions and presents EO API as an easy on-ramp built on sensible defaults and the STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) standard. The presentation details the four main components of EO API—PGStack, stack-fastapi-pgstack, tiler-pgstack, and tpg—explaining how they work together to enable data cataloging, access, visualization, and vector data serving, all while providing OGC-compliant services. Examples of tools and platforms like STAC Browser, NASA's VETA, and the Planetary Computer are shown to illustrate the benefits of having data cataloged in STAC.

• Introduces EO API, a cloud-native geospatial tech stack from Development Seed, designed for easy adoption.

• Explains the goal: make more data accessible to more people more quickly using cloud-native technology.

• Highlights STAC (SpatioTemporal Asset Catalog) as the de facto standard for cataloging geospatial assets and its importance for accessing tools.

• Describes EO API as a set of sensible defaults for organizations wanting to get started with cloud-native geospatial.

• Details the four main components: PGStack (Postgres extension for STAC), stack-fastapi-pgstack (STAC API server), tiler-pgstack (visualization/tile server), and TPG (vector server with OGC API Features/Tiles).

• Emphasizes that once data is cataloged in STAC, it enables compatibility with a wide range of tools and OGC-compliant services.

• Shows examples of platforms utilizing STAC APIs, such as STAC Browser, NASA's VETA, and the Planetary Computer.

• Mentions that EO API is open and available for anyone to download and run, with deployable repositories and Docker Compose available.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #OpenSource #CloudNative #EOAPI #STAC #DevelopmentSeed #Resilience #GeospatialData #Postgres #OGC

Karen Townsend, President of Sea Island Software, presents Hurrvac, a web-browser based application widely used by US government emergency managers in hurricane-prone areas. She explains that Hurrvac, which has been tracking hurricanes for over 30 years, aggregates critical data including National Hurricane Center forecasts, independent storm surge modeling for coastal communities, and evacuation studies from the US Army Corps of Engineers. The presentation focuses on the 2024 hurricane season, using Hurricanes Helen and Milton as examples to demonstrate Hurrvac's capabilities, such as tracking multiple storms, providing real-time notifications, visualizing potential storm surge zones, and using a "timing arc" technique to help emergency managers decide when to call for evacuations. Hurrvac also offers post-storm assessment tools, including wind impact depictions and storm surge hindcasts, and is provided free to federal, state, and local employees thanks to sponsorship from FEMA, the US Army Corps of Engineers, and NOAA.

• Presents Hurrvac, a widely adopted web browser-based tool for hurricane decision support.

• Hurrvac supports US government emergency managers in coastal communities from Texas to Maine and globally.

• Combines data from National Hurricane Center (forecasts), US Army Corps of Engineers (evacuation studies), and independent storm surge modeling.

• Has tracked 268 Atlantic hurricanes over more than 30 years, starting with Hurricane Hugo in 1988.

• Shows capabilities using examples from the 2024 hurricane season, highlighting Hurricanes Helen and Milton.

• Provides real-time notifications from the National Hurricane Center on storm updates and developments.

• Helps emergency managers evaluate potential storm surge threats and identify coastal zones for evacuation.

• Introduces the "timing arc" as a visual technique to determine how much time remains before an evacuation needs to begin.

• Includes post-storm assessment tools like wind impact areas and storm surge hindcasts from the National Hurricane Center.

• Hurrvac is a free program for federal, state, and local employees, sponsored by FEMA, US Army Corps of Engineers, and NOAA.

• Mentions having over 30,000 registered users and the ability to handle thousands concurrently thanks to AWS cloud scaling.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #OpenSource #Resilience #EmergencyManagement #Hurricanes #Hurrvac #NOAA #FEMA #USACE #StormSurge #Evacuation #TropicalCyclones #DecisionSupport

This video features the opening remarks and speaker introductions for a session at FedGeoDay 2025 focused on Open Source Geospatial Applications for Resilience. The speaker sets the stage by acknowledging the challenges in the world but emphasizes the power of the community and the open source ethos in adapting and supporting climate resilience efforts. Key themes for the presentations that follow are outlined, including cross-functional and cross-jurisdictional collaboration, the democratization of data and analysis, and the speed and timeliness of delivery. The speakers presenting in this session are introduced with brief backgrounds highlighting their expertise: Karen Townsen, Daniel Defor, Henry Rodman, and Xan Frederick's.

• Opening remarks for the FedGeoDay 2025 session on Open Source Geospatial Applications for Resilience.

• Highlights the importance of the community and the open source ethos in supporting climate resilience.

• Identifies cross-functional/cross-jurisdictional support and collaboration, democratization of data and analysis, and speed/timeliness of delivery as common themes for the day.

• Introduces the presenters for the session: Karen Townsen (Sea Island Software), Daniel Defor (City of Chattanooga), Henry Rodman (Development Seed), and Xan Frederick's (USGS National Geospatial Program).

• Encourages viewing the Project Geospatial website for recordings and proceedings of FedGeoDay and other events.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #OpenSource #Resilience #ClimateResilience #Community #Democratization #Collaboration #EmergencyManagement #ProjectGeospatial

Jaymes Cloninger, CEO of Motive Corporation, presents the findings of the first annual Geospatial and Federal Report 2025, based on a survey of federal government GIOs and CIOs. The report captures a snapshot of the current state of geospatial technology within federal agencies. Key insights reveal that the role of geospatial technology has expanded across all responding agencies over the past five years. Major challenges identified include budget constraints and difficulties in establishing dedicated GIS positions within organizational structures. Barriers to modernizing geospatial infrastructure primarily stem from dependencies on legacy systems, along with security/compliance concerns and budget limitations. Data interoperability remains limited, with most data being siloed or only partially integrated. Data sharing is overwhelmingly cited as the area of geospatial governance most in need of improvement, and the majority of agencies surveyed lack a formal data governance framework. AI, cloud technology, and open data initiatives are perceived as having the greatest potential impact in the coming years. While funding is generally deemed only "somewhat adequate," spending priorities are focused on workforce development, data acquisition, and infrastructure modernization. Engagement with external partners is moderate, with private industry and state/local governments being the most valued collaborators. The report also notes that the perceived importance of open source geospatial software varies widely among agencies. The presentation concludes with a lighthearted observation that many geospatial leaders feel they operate like MacGyver, improvising solutions with limited resources.

• Presents the first annual Geospatial and Federal Report 2025, based on a survey of federal GIOs and CIOs.

• Finds that the role of geospatial technology has expanded in all surveyed federal agencies over the last five years.

• Identifies primary challenges as budget limitations and difficulty in getting GIS positions on organizational charts.

• Highlights key barriers to modernizing geospatial infrastructure: legacy system dependencies, security/compliance, and budget.

• States that geospatial data interoperability is mostly siloed or partially integrated; no agency reported full integration.

• Finds that data sharing is the area of geospatial governance most in need of improvement.

• Reports that most surveyed agencies lack a formal geospatial data governance framework.

• Identifies AI, cloud, and open data initiatives as the trends expected to have the most impact in the next 3-5 years.

• Indicates federal funding for geospatial programs is perceived as only "somewhat adequate" by the majority.

• Lists spending priorities: workforce development (highest), data acquisition, and infrastructure/modernization.

• Notes that engagement with external partners is moderate, with private industry and state and local government being the most valued.

• Reveals that the importance of open source geospatial software varies across agencies.

• Suggests that geospatial leaders often feel they are akin to MacGyver, working with limited resources.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #FederalGovernment #GeospatialStrategy #GIS #OpenData #AI #CloudComputing #DataSharing #LegacySystems #WorkforceDevelopment #MotiveCorporation #GeospatialReport

This fireside chat explores achieving resilience in the "Cyber War," particularly concerning cyber security in open source systems. Moderated by Ashley Fairman, the discussion with Damian Taylor (USPS) and Jennifer (Supply Chain Risk Management expert) defines resilience as the ability to recover quickly or preempt disruptions. They advocate for a "defense-in-depth" approach with multiple layers of security, acknowledging that disruption is inevitable. The evolution of cyber threats, from simple viruses to sophisticated, state-sponsored attacks often leveraging AI, is discussed, highlighting how interconnected systems increase the impact and cost of incidents, such as the SolarWinds supply chain attack. The panelists emphasize that humans are often the weakest link and stress the need for continuous monitoring, detection, and response. Key tips for enhancing resilience include sourcing from reputable vendors, conducting third-party assessments, understanding how systems are used, and leveraging security frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK. Strategic investments in people (training and knowledge sharing) and prioritized technology (like active disaster recovery systems) are identified as crucial. They underline the importance of collaboration across government, academia, and industry, noting challenges like overclassification hindering vulnerability sharing.

• Discusses cybersecurity resilience in the context of open source systems.

• Defines resilience as the ability to get back up quickly when knocked down or preempt disruption.

• Advocates for a defense-in-depth strategy, using multiple layers of security measures.

• Describes the evolution of cyber threats from simple viruses to sophisticated, agenda-driven, state-sponsored attacks, increasingly leveraging AI.

• Highlights the significant impact and increasing cost of cyber incidents, citing the SolarWinds supply chain attack as an example.

• Identifies humans as often the weakest link and stresses the need to think as part of a larger, interconnected ecosystem.

• Provides tips for enhancing resilience: sourcing from reputable vendors, conducting third-party assessments, understanding how systems are used, and implementing continuous monitoring, detection, and response.

• Stresses building a true secure environment that goes beyond mere compliance checklists.

• Recommends strategic investments in people (training, knowledge sharing) and prioritized technology (active disaster recovery systems, security frameworks like MITRE ATT&CK).

• Underlines the critical importance of collaboration across government, academia, and industry, suggesting efforts to lower barriers to entry, particularly for state and local entities.

• Discusses challenges in validating the security of hardware and software from potentially untrusted sources and the difficulty of assessing models.

• Mentions the need for better vulnerability sharing and moving past overclassification in government.

• Highlights the value of "red teaming" (simulated attacks) for testing defenses and training staff.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Cybersecurity #Resilience #OpenSource #SupplyChainRisk #CyberWar #DefenseInDepth #MITREATTCK #CyberThreats #RiskManagement #Collaboration #USPS #DICECyber

Xan Frederick's, the Emergency Response Coordinator for the USGS National Geospatial Program, discusses how open geospatial resources contribute to disaster prediction, preparation, and response, emphasizing the human element and building proficiency with data tools. She highlights The National Map as a core resource, aggregating data from USGS and partner agencies like federal, state, local, industry, and academia. Xan explains how users can access this data via services or through the Geospatial Information Response Team (GIRT) hub. The presentation includes a demonstration differentiating US Topo and OnDemand topos and showcasing the Toppo Builder application, noting the free print delivery service for emergency responders. She defines key concepts in resilience like modeling (forecast/hindcast) and risk mitigation, adding "morale" as a critical third element. A significant portion focuses on the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), demonstrating a viewer for visualizing vast amounts of free online LiDAR data and stressing the need for interoperable, OGC-compliant, cloud-optimized data sets that are easy to use during disasters. She concludes by emphasizing the necessity of collaboration across sectors and leveraging resources like the USGS National Geospatial Program user engagement office.

• Discusses the importance of open geospatial resources for disaster prediction, preparation, and response.

• Emphasizes the human element in resilience and the need to build proficiency or a "data muscle" using tools.

• Introduces The National Map as a cornerstone for aggregating USGS and partner data from various sources (federal, state, local, industry, academia, nonprofits).

• Highlights how to access National Map resources via services (feature and map services) and the Geospatial Information Response Team (GIRT) hub.

• Explains the role of GIRT in providing open geospatial data to USGS scientists and emergency responders.

• Compares US Topo (pre-published) and OnDemand topos (customizable, multiple scales, best available data), demonstrating the Toppo Builder application.

• Mentions the availability of free printed US Topos or OnDemand topos for emergency responders via the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA).

• Defines modeling (forecast/hindcast) and risk mitigation as key elements in resilience, adding "morale" as a crucial third.

• Introduces the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and demonstrates a viewer for visualizing LiDAR point clouds.

• Highlights the vast amount of free, online LiDAR data available (over 70 trillion points).

• Stresses the critical need for interoperable, OGC-compliant, cloud-optimized geospatial data sets that are easy to use during a disaster.

• Mentions the USGS National Geospatial Program user engagement office as a resource for learning about available tools and data.

• Emphasizes that collaboration across federal agencies, industry, academia, and other partners is essential for success.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #OpenSource #Resilience #USGS #NationalMap #DisasterResponse #EmergencyManagement #LiDAR #3DEP #TopoMaps #GIRT #OpenData #Interoperability #Collaboration

This video segment covers the question and answer portion of the "Open Source Geospatial Applications for Resilience" demonstration session at FedGeoDay 2025. A key question is posed to Karen Townsend of Sea Island Software regarding the effort required to integrate the various data sources used in the Hurrvac application. Karen explains that it's a significant, long-term development effort involving a small team with deep knowledge of diverse data formats, including traditional text-based weather service products and modern raster data sets for probabilistic forecasting. She highlights the continuous work needed to keep pace with new data products and formats from sources like the National Hurricane Center and NOAA, noting that not all data is currently available in modern, easily integrated formats like STAC. The session concludes due to time constraints, with the moderator thanking the presenters.

• Features the audience Q&A session for the panel on Open Source Geospatial Applications for Resilience.

• A question is directed to Karen Townsend about the effort of integrating diverse data sources for Hurrvac.

• Karen explains it's a long-term development effort involving a six-person team and years of knowledge of different data sources.

• Mentions challenges with traditional text-based data formats (like weather service marine products) and integrating new raster-based probabilistic forecasting data.

• Highlights the continuous need to keep pace with new data formats and products from the National Hurricane Center and NOAA.

• Notes that not all data sources are currently available in modern formats like STAC.

• The moderator thanks the presenters and concludes the session due to time limitations.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #OpenSource #Resilience #EmergencyManagement #DataIntegration #Hurrvac #NOAA #DataManagement #QandA #GeospatialData

Katie Picchione, Response Coordination Lead for the NASA Disasters Response Coordination System (DRCS), delivers a keynote addressing how Earth observation data can be applied to the "what, so what, and now what" framework of disaster response. Drawing on real-world examples and the increasing frequency of billion-dollar disasters, she underscores the urgent need for timely access to overhead imagery and actionable geospatial information for emergency managers and survivors. The NASA Disasters Program, including the newly established DRCS, systematizes the agency's efforts to provide Earth observation data support to response agencies. Katie discusses common misconceptions about satellite data and introduces NASA's diverse Earth Fleet. She presents examples of products developed by NASA, such as power outage maps, flood extent grids, and severe storm signatures, noting the often experimental nature of these outputs. The presentation outlines four main avenues for accessing NASA's extensive, free, and openly available Earth observation data: publicly available apps (like Worldview and FIRMS), the Disasters Program portal, APIs (like Gibbs), and direct data downloads (from Earthdata). She concludes with a call to action for the community to collaborate in building a stronger practice around utilizing open Earth observation data for disaster resilience.

• Keynote addressing the application of Earth observation (EO) data in the "what, so what, and now what" framework of disaster response.

• Highlights the increasing severity and frequency of disasters and the critical need for timely access to overhead imagery and information.

• Explains how remote sensing can amplify various emergency management activities, from evacuation to recovery.

• Introduces the NASA Disasters Program and its three elements: science portfolio, Disasters Partnership and Learning Platform (portal), and the DRCS (Response Coordination System).

• The DRCS, established in 2024, systematizes NASA's support posture for response agencies (federal, state, local EM, nonprofits).

• Discusses common misconceptions about satellite data, including its constant availability, appearance, and coverage.

• Shows examples of NASA EO products developed for disasters: power outage maps, flood extent/depth grids, landslide analyses, and severe storm signatures.

• Notes that many NASA products are experimental rather than authoritative, complementing data from agencies like NOAA or USGS.

• Outlines four primary ways to access NASA EO data: Apps (Worldview, FIRMS), the Disasters Program Portal (providing ArcGIS REST/WMS and download options), APIs (Gibbs), and direct data downloads (Earthdata).

• Emphasizes that all NASA EO data is free and openly available.

• Mentions the ARSET program as a resource for training on using EO data in disaster response.

• Discusses the NASA Disasters Program's operational model, including coordination with FEMA (via mission assignments) and decision-making based on team bandwidth and resource availability.

• Briefly touches upon collaboration with international bodies like the International Disasters Charter and the use of the International Space Station (ISS) for imagery.

• Mentions recent NASA aerial missions (UAVSAR, AVIRIS-3) supporting disasters, noting these assets are often deployed for science and can be costly or serendipitous to access for response.

• Calls for building a stronger community of practice around using open Earth observation data in disaster response.

For more content like this check out www.projectgeospatial.com

#FedGeoDay #Geospatial #OpenSource #Resilience #NASA #EarthObservation #DisasterResponse #EmergencyManagement #Remote Sensing #SatelliteImagery #OpenData #DRCS #Worldview #FIRMS #Earthdata #SAR #LiDAR #Flooding #Wildfires #Hurricanes #ARSET