Every week here at Geo Week News, we have been highlighting some of our favorite stories from around the internet that cover the geospatial, 3D, and AEC industries. Whether it’s a fascinating case study, insights from an industry thought leader, or deep dives into new tools, there is never any shortage of great writing and storytelling in this industry. So, below you will first see links to three stories that we loved this week, and then under that, check out some of the biggest news that came across the wire over the last seven days.
Stories of the Week
We start with a story from Esri about one of the many crucial use cases for GIS technology, and how it is being used for emergency response work in Washington D.C. This article, from Esri’s Mike Cox, tells the story of a relationship between firefighter Jeffrey Lenard and GIS analyst Tim Hutchison, and how the former was determined to find a way for more efficient emergency response following a tragic incident five years prior. As the article points out, they started with a simple question – “What if we could see the location of everything that matters—all at once in real time?” – and ultimately created a maritime tool using GIS that turned into a department-wide effort.
We know that BIM is becoming an increasingly crucial part of construction workflows, and in many parts of the world it is becoming a core component of what project owners are looking for from the firms with which they contract. However, there are still many strides to be made with respect to standardizing usage, and Finland is one of the countries trying to lead the way in this. This article from Aarni Heiskanen of AEC Business talks about the push taking place in the country to standardize BIM’s usage throughout a project’s lifecycle, including with procurement and supply chain management.
- GIS is certainly not a new technology anymore, with governments and other organizations having used the tools in some form for decades at this point. Of course, the technology has improved over that time and looks much different than it did at its initial development. As this article from Wanjohi Kibui at GIM International highlights, though, the job for GIS professionals is as important as ever, and perhaps even more so.
