Weekly GEOINT Community News

Bomb Cyclone Hits East Coast

A severe winter storm known as a “bomb cyclone” swept through the Eastern United States last week, disrupting travel and commerce for days with white-out conditions and freezing temperatures. In support of public safety, Esri published an interactive weather map displaying rain, snow, ice, and mixed precipitation throughout the country in real time. The map employed public social media posts to visualize the storm’s effects on local communities. NOAA published detailed thermal imagery of the cyclone taken by its NOAA-20 and GOES-East satellites. Data sets include visible and infrared, colorized infrared, water vapor, and composite true color images. NASA tracked the storm as well, creating a 24-hour infrared loop of the cyclone’s evolution as well as temperature and moisture visualizations.

New Jersey Poised to Ban Drunk Droning

Lawmakers in New Jersey are expected to pass a bill banning the operation of drones while drunk or under the influence of drugs. Offenders could face up to a $1,000 fine or a maximum of six months in prison. Reuters reports New Jersey is the first of 38 states considering such restrictions on the operation of unmanned aircraft, though nine states (including Texas, Nevada, and Oregon) already prohibit flying drones over prison facilities.

MIT Researchers Improve LiDAR Accuracy

An MIT research team aims to solve the pervasive “curse of light speed” that hinders LiDAR sensors from clearly seeing far-away objects. Because of the speed at which light travels (a foot in just one nanosecond), it can be difficult to determine precisely how long light takes to bounce back to a LiDAR sensor. The MIT team’s solution is not a more powerful optic sensor, but a light filtration system that uses fiber optics to measure the light beam’s exact path before it reaches the detector. This method can be applied to self-driving technology, allowing cars to see into the distance during foggy conditions.

Peer Intel

Maxar Technologies appointed Mike Greenley group president of MDA, a Maxar Technology company specializing in robotics, surveillance, and satellite systems. Greenley served as sector president of Canadian imaging systems company L-3 Wescam since 2016. Effective Jan. 15, he’ll lead all MDA lines of business and personnel.

Altamira Technologies Corporation promoted Jonathan Moneymaker to president. Moneymaker joined Altamira in 2014 as executive vice president and CSO, and will now oversee strategy, sales, customer deliveries, and growth for the company.

Photo Credit: NOAA