Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Latest News
    • Storage

    Pinpointing Data

    By
    Lisa Vaas
    -
    April 28, 2003
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Organizations looking to pinpoint the location of potential customers, create better delivery routes or site retail outlets in the most desirable spots are increasingly demanding better access to geospatial data to help them do those things.

      Application developers such as Oracle Corp. and Environmental Systems Research Institute, known as ESRI, are responding with increased support for geospatial data—exact latitude and longitude coordinates—in their software.

      Oracle, of Redwood Shores, Calif., is readying several products that take advantage of its namesake 9i databases native ability to manage geospatial data. For instance, an upgrade to the companys Citizen Interaction Center—a call center for government agencies—will use geospatial data to permit someone to call in and report a problem (such as a broken gas main). The software could show the call center operator where the problem is (where the gas main is located). An upgrade to Territory Manager in Oracle Sales Online will get expanded sales territory capabilities.

      Separately, venerable GIS (geographical information systems) software developer ESRI is readying ArcGlobe, a three-dimensional visualization application that enables users to add their own geospatial data on top of the images and terrain data that comes with the product. ArcGlobe, which the Redlands, Calif., company demonstrated at its Business Partner Conference last month, is expected to be a part of Version 9.0 of ESRIs ArcGIS, which is due to be generally available later this year.

      While Oracle and ESRI are making geospatial data easier to manipulate, other vendors, such as Meteorlogix LLC, are providing easier access to such data. The Minneapolis-based company last month introduced MxInsight GIS Weather, which delivers real-time weather data through a subscription service.

      The city of Tucson, Ariz., is using geospatial data in conjunction with ESRIs ArcIMS GIS data presentation software to produce a Web site geared for real estate agents and others searching for commercial property within the city.

      The site describes parcels and buildings in a system that includes a variety of geospatial layers, including the street network and whether it falls within a development tax credit zone. Real estate agents can add more information in the form of geospatial or relational data, such as amenities and lease rates. Users query the Web site to find and evaluate the real estate when deciding where to situate businesses.

      The Web site grew out of an effort by the citys economic development office to understand why it had excess industrial real estate, said Russ Riblett, business development specialist with the city. When Ribletts office displayed geospatial data associated with that project on a Web site, it quickly saw that other constituents could also use the data. Now he sees increasing demand for applying geospatial data to problems his agency addresses.

      “Its ever-expanding,” Riblett said. “We continue to add new pieces of information, like the electrical infrastructure.”

      Although Riblett doesnt track who is using the Web site, he has heard secondhand reports that people have found commercial sites using the spatial data. In addition, the time savings of allowing citizens to access the data on the Web rather than having his staff answer questions using paper maps in City Hall has produced a $250,000 return on investment, Riblett said.

      The ability of applications to handle geospatial data, also known as SIM (spatial information management), will become ubiquitous within the next three years, thanks to the rapid growth of spatial capabilities in database management, application server and data access technologies, according to a report issued this month by International Data Corp. The Framingham, Mass., research company said that several factors will cause SIM capabilities to spread like wildfire. Open availability of basic spatial functionality in data access and database management software and a substantially lower cost of entry for SIM vendors that want to enter new vertical markets are two important factors, according to IDC.

      Andrew Mendelsohn, senior vice president of Oracles server technologies division, said that geospatial data use in applications is becoming “pretty mainstream.”

      “Spatial data used to be something that just scientists did for oil search drilling,” Mendelsohn said. But, nowadays, with the spread of wireless technology, spatial data has gone mainstream, he said.

      Lisa Vaas
      Lisa Vaas is News Editor/Operations for eWEEK.com and also serves as editor of the Database topic center. Since 1995, she has also been a Webcast news show anchorperson and a reporter covering the IT industry. She has focused on customer relationship management technology, IT salaries and careers, effects of the H1-B visa on the technology workforce, wireless technology, security, and, most recently, databases and the technologies that touch upon them. Her articles have appeared in eWEEK's print edition, on eWEEK.com, and in the startup IT magazine PC Connection. Prior to becoming a journalist, Vaas experienced an array of eye-opening careers, including driving a cab in Boston, photographing cranky babies in shopping malls, selling cameras, typography and computer training. She stopped a hair short of finishing an M.A. in English at the University of Massachusetts in Boston. She earned a B.S. in Communications from Emerson College. She runs two open-mic reading series in Boston and currently keeps bees in her home in Mashpee, Mass.

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×