Weekly GEOINT Community News

Department of Transportation to Require UAS Registrations; Uber Rolls Out Mapping Cars; Seattle Police Selects Accenture for Data Analytics

Uber_Mapping_Car

Department of Transportation to Require UAS Registrations

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it has created a task force to develop recommendations for an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) registration process, according to an FAA press release. The task force will be composed of 25 to 30 representatives from unmanned and manned aviation industries, the federal government, and other stakeholders. It will advise the department on which aircraft should be exempt from registration due to low safety risks, as well as explore options for a streamlined system that would make registration less burdensome for commercial UAS operators. The task force is expected to deliver its report by Nov. 20.

Uber Rolls Out Mapping Cars

Business Insider reports Uber recently launched a fleet of vehicles with cameras in an effort to improve the company’s mapping capabilities. According to the article, Uber plans to build its own maps following its acquisition of mapping startup DeCarta in March and a subset of Microsoft’s Bing mapping technology in June. The cars have been on the road for the past several months to collect imagery that will help improve Uber mapping features such as routing and estimated arrival times.

Seattle Police Selects Accenture for Data Analytics

The Seattle Police Department recently chose Accenture to design and implement a data analytics platform to give the department reliable and rapidly accessible data that will enable it to meet important management and governance objectives and support leadership decision-making. The technology will provide the police department with enhanced reporting and analytic capabilities relating to its operations and investigations, including the creation of system alerts to improve leadership monitoring and oversight of policing activities and administrative processes.

Dewberry to Collect LiDAR Data in Hawaii

Dewberry has been contracted by NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management to collect and deliver topographic elevation point data derived from multiple return LiDAR measurements for the Pelekane Watershed on Hawaii’s Big Island. The data will help local hydrologists and watershed managers identify soil erosion hot spots and formulate sediment budgets. Dewberry will perform data collection, processing, accuracy assessments, and delivery as well as provide all necessary labor, equipment, material, software, and supplies.

Textron Systems Releases RemoteView 4 on Linux

Textron Systems Geospatial Solutions announced the release of its newest product, RemoteView 4 GEOINT software. RemoteView 4 has an extensive set of GEOINT tools that enhance the intelligence gathering and analysis process, providing an analyst-centric graphical user interface, streamlined navigation, and workflow aligned toolbars and profiles. Functioning on the Linus operating system, RemoteView 4 offers the same advanced imagery exploitation capabilities as the Windows-based RemoteView 4 software, giving customers a choice in application programs and embedded systems.

Peer Intel

Ambassador R. James Woolsey Jr., a national security and energy specialist, was elected chancellor of the Institute of World Politics. Woolsey previously served in the U.S. government in five capacities, including director of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1993 to 1995.

DigitalGlobe announced the appointment of L. Roger Mason Jr. to its board of directors. Mason is a senior vice president at Noblis and a member of the board of directors for the Intelligence and National Security Alliance.

Vencore selected C. Steven “Steve” Griffin as senior vice president and program manager of the NASA Engineering Services Contract (ESC) at the Kennedy Space Center. In this role, Griffin will lead Vencore’s ESC team in the design and development of new systems, technologies, and equipment to be used for the ground processing of space launch vehicles, spacecraft, and payloads.

Photo Credit: Uber

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