Small Things of Big (Geospatial) Data

Be it clicks or likes; the networked world today is generating vast amounts of data at a significantly increasing rate. This together with exponentially increasing internal data is resulting in data explosion, popularly called “Big Data”.

The history of Big Data traces its origin to 1940s; the earliest documented use of the term “information explosion” and today we have Big Data explosion in geography (geospatial data).

Big data is a broad term for data sets so large or complex that traditional data processing applications are inadequate (Wikipedia). Paleolithic petroglyphs to modern data centers, the human race has always dealt with information. With technology innovation, Moore’s law is becoming irrelevant and Parkinson's Law of Data; “Data expands to fill the space available for storage” is resulting in information overflow or so called Big Data.

The world of Big Data is unfolding dramatically right before us from the amount of data being generated to the way in which it is structured and used. Despite the ever growing interest on “Big Data”, we surprisingly hear little about “Big Geospatial Data.” Nevertheless geospatial data has always been “Big Data”. Thanks to the advancements in geospatial data collection or acquisition such as satellite, remote sensing, global navigation satellite systems, aerial surveys using photographic / digital cameras, sensor networks, LiDAR and now Internet of Things (IoTs), is leading to exponential growth in volume of geospatial data. Big (Geospatial) Data exceeding capacity of current computing systems, presents its own set of opportunities and challenges. Examples of Big (Geospatial) Data include, but not limited to earth observation data, sensor data, location information, spatio-temporal data; which are key inputs for real time monitoring and management class of geospatial applications.

Organisations that generate and or consume geospatial data, suddenly find themselves swimming in so much data that they don't know what to do with them, besides faced with challenges such as capture, query, analysis, visualization, and dissemination of this data.

Contrary to the notion that Big (Geospatial) Data is just about handling lot more data (both structured and un-structured) requiring sophisticated data storage systems, organisations embracing Big (Geospatial) Data fail to take note that, it is also about handling

 Volume: unprecedented growth in data volumes
 Velocity: rapid increase in the velocity or speed of data creation (generation)
 Variety: extension in the variety of data types to be handled

Big (Geospatial) Data is more specifically concerned with the advancing speed in which new information, from an increasing number of diverse data sources and types, confront organisations trying to embrace Big (Geospatial) Data.

As with any Big Data, the three V’s: Volume, Velocity and Variety are the critical challenges with Big (Geospatial) Data as well. With efficient handling of these three V’s or “Small Things of Big (Geospatial) Data”, organisations embracing Big (Geospatial) Data is sure to reap the full benefits.

With FME (Feature Manipulation Engine), the industry standard in spatial data transformation technology, from Safe Software Inc., Canada you are in “Safe” hands for a reliable handshake with the ever growing Big (Geospatial) Data universe.

Volume: With support for several Big Data applications, FME eases the process of migration of voluminous (Volume) legacy or existing data of different types and models from/ to Big Data services or solutions.

Velocity: There is so much of geospatial and non-geospatial data today available for use immediately or in real time as soon as it is collected. In order for such real time data to be of any use, it requires suitable systems in place, to handle the advancing speed in which new information floods the system, from an increasing number of diverse data sources and types. FME’s real-time processing functionality has the ability to immediately respond to events and trigger different FME actions to ensure real-time data is delivered exactly how it's needed in actual real-time.

Variety: FME’s exceptional data conversion, transformation, integration, validation and migration capabilities together with support for 345+ data sources such as BIM/ CAD/ Database/ GIS/ LiDAR/ Raster/ Vector/ Web/ XML/ Sensor file formats and data model barriers; can help organisations solve Big (Geospatial) Data challenges with ease.

With one powerful integration engine and three ways to deploy: FME Desktop, FME Server and FME Cloud, keep ahead of evolving Big (Geospatial) Data, while addressing the three critical V’s or “Small Things of Big (Geospatial) Data”. While FME Desktop lets you connect and transform data in limitless ways, FME Server provides enterprise-level access to FME's powerful capabilities. FME Cloud is the hosted version of FME Server with no hardware required.

Despite several challenges posed by Big (Geospatial) Data, it has the potential to improve operations and make quicker and intelligent decisions. Big (Geospatial) Data when converted, transformed, shared and or integrated appropriately using a platform like FME, can help organisations gain useful insight to increase revenues, better manage its assets and improve operations geospatially, not just in a BIG way but also in a “Safe” way!

Geospatial Intelligence: The “Safe” Way

The intelligence, defence and law enforcement communities increasingly rely on geospatial intelligence in today’s world of evolving terror threats, theatres of war, natural disasters and civil unrest.

The ability of GIS to add spatial perspective to any data being analysed or monitored is the key to geo-intelligence. “Data is Power” and a key component that drives any geo-intelligence solution. Thanks to sensors and IoT (Internet of Things), big data is now a reality: the volume, variety and velocity of data coming into any geo-intelligence system continue to reach unprecedented levels.

Geo-intelligence is about timely collection, exploitation and analysis of geospatial data, including sensor data, imagery etc to maximise operational capabilities, assess risk and informed decision-making. “Right Information” at the “Right Time” in the “Right Form”

Many a time, at the critical hour, when the need is for a common operational picture the intelligence agencies end up with GIS interoperability issues not just against GIS file formats but also against real time information from sensors and IoTs. GIS interoperability is the ability to integrate or exchange information between different components of any geospatial (intelligence) solution, even though different agencies are on different GIS platforms and therefore file formats and data models.

GIS interoperability has long been a burning issue in the geo-intelligence community. For years geo-intelligence users and decision makers continue to maintain data locked up in some proprietary format until the gloomy cloud of interoperability issue suddenly snuck out from nowhere and its dark shadow descends over when the nation is under threat or a disaster strikes. A nightmare scenario, but for this digital alchemy: FME from Safe Software Inc., Canada, the industry standard in spatial data transformation technology.

Geo-intelligence community is an always connected world and FME’s data conversion, transformation, integration, validation and migration capabilities can not only empower this community to overcome 325+ CAD/GIS/Database/Web/Sensor file formats and data model barriers but also solve day-to-day data interoperability challenges.

With FME Desktop, FME Server and FME Cloud, keep ahead of evolving sensors or IoT technology and the ever increasing quantity of disparate data types to integrate and instantly make use of urgent intelligence. Increase operational efficiency by removing data integration problems. Build situational awareness by collecting, filtering, and analyzing information from vast data volumes to effectively identify threats and share critical knowledge. Make sense of your sensor data with FME to derive useful, actionable information from sensors with FME's ability to read and process sensor messages, analyze them and identify significant events, then execute appropriate responses to these events, all automatically and in real or near real-time.

FME Server is a complete sensor data processing solution that enables users to productively overcome all of the complications associated with utilizing sensor data. FME technology supports data transformation and integration between JSON, XML and CSV- the most common formats for raw sensor messages - and hundreds of other data types and applications, enabling you to use sensor data effectively with other data and in any system you need. Accomplish complex analysis with sensor networks, alert people and systems of sensor events in real-time, connect to sensor data management platforms and maximize the value of sensor data with FME.

With sensors in your own pockets, no matter whatever be the sensor data or GIS file formats that you handle, the only time GIS interoperability could be fun, is when you make peace with GIS file formats and sensor data using FME!