FOSS4G 2024 Preview

Ed welcomes back Joana Simoes (a five-time Geomob speaker!) to discuss the upcoming Geoob Lisbon event, which she co-organizes together with Miguel Marques. They explore the growing geospatial scene in Lisbon, the diverse presentations attendees can expect, and the importance of community engagement in the geospatial field. The conversation encourages listeners to participate and connect with others in the geospatial community. We hope to see you in Lisbon on October 2nd! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Alastair is joined by old friend and former colleague Geoff Smith to discuss land cover mapping, focusing on the European products. Geoff explains his background in geospatial and his work on the UK Land Cover Map projects. They discuss the importance of existing land cover datasets like CORINE and the UK Land Cover Map, and how they can be used for localized land cover data. They also delve into the role of Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Service, and its land monitoring service. Geoff explains the concept of EAGLE, a hierarchical approach to describing land cover and land use, and how it relates to CORINE. Finally (how could it be otherwise) they touch on the potential role of AI in land cover mapping and the challenges it presents. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed interviews Jo Walsh, a pioneer of the open data movement, one of the earliest people involved in OpenStreetMap, and co-author of the highly-influential O'Reilly book "Mapping Hacks". They discuss the early days of the open data revolution, the emergence of projects like OpenStreetMap, and the challenges and future of open data. And much more. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed and Steven catch up on their summer activities. There is now a Geomob page on Ripple.fm a social network focused around podcasts. We encourage all listeners to join the discussion there. Next topic is the recent exodus from Twitter and the emergence of alternative platforms like Mastodon and speciifically BlueSky, where Steven is now also mirroring Mappery content. The conversation concludes with a reminder about the upcoming Geomob events and a break from #fridaygeotrivia for the month. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

George Porto Ferreira, chair of sponsorship for FOSS4G 2024, joins Steven to discuss the conference taking place in Belém, Brazil from 2nd-8th of December. This year the annual gathering of the open source geospatial community will focus on the environment, and will feature keynote speakers such as Veronica Andreu, Luis Mota, Ariel Antiany, Tom Crowley, Céline Jaquin, and Gilberto Câmara. As always the program will include workshops, academic papers, and presentations on various geospatial software. The event aims to attract a diverse group of attendees, with a special focus on Latin American participants. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Recent Geomob London speaker (April 2024) Wil Waters discusses the Geospatial Index, a listing of publicly traded geospatial companies he has developed. Wil is host of a new geospatial podcast of the same name. He explains the motivation behind the project and the potential for geospatial practitioners to capture more value from the industry. Wil also explores the idea of creating a publicly tradable entity based on the Geospatial Index and the challenges involved. He emphasizes the importance of taking a systematic approach to investing and encourages geospatial professionals to consider ownership positions in geospatial companies. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.  

In this episode we introduce new co-host Alastair Graham, who wil take the lead on all things Earth Observation here on the Geomob podcast!   Long-time geospatial podcast listeners will of course recognize Alastair from the Scene From Above podcast which he co-hosted for several years. We are delighted to add his experience and insights to the show. We discuss Alastair's background in geospatial and Earth observation, and his reasons for returning to podcasting. We then also explore the challenges of making the Earth observation industry commercially viable and the need for education and use cases to create awareness and demand.   It's exciting to add a new voice to the show. Welcome Alastair! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.  

Recent Geomob Berlin speaker and avid cyclist Dave Whittingham discusses his project Kreuzungen, a service that allows users to upload their GPX tracks and find out which rivers they have crossed. The project started as a fun idea and has now gained popularity amongst Strava users. Dave highlights the importance of open data and open-source tools in making the project possible. Kreuzungen serves as an example of learning through experimentation and play in the geospatial community. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Shoaib Burq, the founder of GeoBase, discusses his background in geospatial and the development of GeoBase, a geospatial backend as a service. GeoBase aims to provide developers with a powerful and easy-to-use platform for building geospatial applications. The product handles data storage, querying, and other backend services, allowing developers to focus on creating an amazing user experience. Shoaib highlights the growing demand for geospatial developers and the need for a tool that combines geospatial technology with software engineering. He also mentions various use cases for GeoBase, including real estate search, fleet tracking, and solar energy potential analysis. The project is currently in private beta and will be generally available soon. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Phil Cooper, an expert in remote sensing and geospatial data, joins the show to discuss Amazon's cloud services and their impact on the space and satellite sector. He explains the launch of Amazon Location Services, which offers mapping and geospatial capabilities tailored for B2B use cases. Phil also highlights the increasing importance of remote sensing and satellite data, driven by the reduced cost of launch and the exponential growth of data volumes. He discusses the process of capturing and processing satellite data, emphasizing the move towards near real-time data delivery. The conversation touches on topics such as data strategy, data formats, and the Overture Maps Initiative.Phil highlights the potential of geospatial data in addressing global challenges and the need for responsible and meaningful questions to be asked. He predicts the rise of companies working in space and the changing nature of the GIS profession. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.