The 10 Fastest Growing GIS Solution Providers 2017

Editorial

GIS: Spatially Learning about the World

lthough,thetermGISdatesfromthemid-1960s,thepreviouscouple

AofyearshaveseenanexplosivedevelopmentintheGISindustry.Late DataquestandDaratechoverviewsreportthattheyearlyvolumeofthe GISsoftwarebusinessispresentlyworthseveralhundredsofmillionsof dollars,ascendingataround35%everyyear,andincludingupto100 distinctivesoftwaremerchants.

Unlikemoreordinarydatabases,theitemsandrecordsinaGISareidentifiable byareawhichimpliesthataGIScanbolsterdifferentsortsofgeologicallybasedanalysisandrecovery,andreacttotopographicalinquiries.AGISisa dataframeworkwithgeologicalaccess;aframeworkforinput,stockpiling, analysisandoutputoftopographicallyreferenceddata.Itisunmistakably somethingmorethanamappingframework,asaresultoftheaccentuationon analysisasopposedtodisplay.

Bethatasitmay,thepresentvarietyofinterestsanddisciplinesinthefield,the assortmentofsoftwareproductsaccessibleandtheabsenceofaclear intellectualcentergiveanextremelyconfoundingimpressiontotheuninitiated. TheabilitiesofaGISarecharacterizedbythesubstanceofitsdatabaseandthe capacitieswhichworkonit.Inthegoodolddays,GISchangedhugelyfrom framework,howeverastheGISbusinessdeveloped,aconsensushasgradually risen.

Similarlyaswithanydataframework,itisfundamentaltogiveroutine housekeepingcapacities,includingdatainputandstorage.Since,the informationistopographicallyreferenced;aGISoughttohavethecapacityto produceamapoutput.But,itcanoffersubstantiallymoreprominentpower thanasimpleautomatedmappingframeworkfortworeasons:becauseofits analyticfunctions,andduetothesignificanceofconnectionsbetweenobjects, whicharenothugeinstraightforwardmapping.

Atthehighestlevelofabstraction,GISisarisingscienceofspatialdata.It manageshowtogather,incorporate,store,examineandshowspatialdata withinadigitalenvironment,bringingupexplicitissueswhichhavealready implicitwithinspatialanalysis,suchastheestimationoftheaccuracyofspatial data.Itmanagesthehypothesisofspatialrelationshipsandtheportrayalof geologicalvarietyinsideformalmodels.

Overthelonghaul,muchofourintuitivelearningabouttheworldisorganized spatially.Theresidentialareaaclientisutilizedwidelyinmarketresearchto creditdifferentqualities,especiallyfromthetotalpropertiesofthe neighborhood.Locationisespeciallycriticalinretailingwhichservesthe requirementsofascatteredpopulacefromacoupleofcentrallocations.

Parade

BuildingandMaintainingProfitable BusinessesandLivableCommunities

ecentyearshavebeensomeofthemostexciting,aswellaschallengingforenterprisesdwellingin

Rthegeospatialarena.Astheinfluxofgeospatialdatagrowsexponentially,GISsystemsare becomingmorepowerfulwithoutcompromisinguser-friendliness.Understandingthatgeographic informationplaysacrucialroleinbuildingandmaintainingprofitablebusinessesandlivablecommunities, ourgoalwiththisspecialeditionistohelpenterprisesfindbest-of-breedGISsolutionproviders.

TheincreasedunderstandingofthevalueofspatialdatahasledtoahugesurgeinGISproviderswhoare constantlyinnovatingtoutilizespatialdatatothefullest.Asthedemandforgeospatially-powered applicationsgrowssubstantially,GISprovidersnowoffersolutionsthatcanbemorecloselyintegratedwith enterpriseITsystems.AmidstthisslewoftechnologysolutionsthataddressthenewparadigmoftheGIS industry, Insights Success Magazine,aftermuchdeliberationandevaluation,presentsyou“The10Fastest GrowingGISSolutionProviders2017”.Thisspecialeditionblendsthethought-leadershipfromsubject matterexpertswithrealstoriesonwhatselectedvendorsaredoingfortheirclients.

Ourcoverstoryfeaturesacompanycommittedtoknowledgeandinnovationininformationtechnologies likesatelliteimageryandsoftware,GeoSolutionsConsulting,Inc Thecompanywasfoundedin2003in thecityofPanamabyMr.OscarDíazwiththepurposeofdevelopinggeospatialinformationtechnologies. Today,morethanadecadelatersinceitsinception,GeoSolutionsInc.specializesintheuseofremote sensors,thatis,intheacquisitionofinformationabouttheterritoryandelementsonit,fromasensortothe distance.

Amongotherswehave; BlackSky: Delivering Actionable Intelligence, 4DMapper: Democratizing Geospatial Data, Hydro-Comp Enterprises: Developing Best Technology and Solutions for Water Utilities; and sensewhere: World’s Leading Indoor Location Provider

Sofliponthefoliosforacomprehensiveunderstandingoftheavailabletechnologies,someimportant executiveacumenandafewexcerptsontrendsandtechnologyfromtheeditorialdesk.

A GIS Pioneer Committed to Knowledge and Innovation

Rememberthegoodolddayswhenyour geographyinstructorwouldgiveassignmentsof findingthepositiononvitalurbanareas.She wouldpresumablyneverhavesetouttogiveamind bogglingtasklikediscoveringplausiblelocaleswhere boththeclimaticandthesoilconditionsaregood.Times havechangedandalongsideit,theinnovation.Presently nooneflipsthepagesofanatlastolookfor“Patagonia.” ThetrendistoembedaninteractiveCDintoaPCand findit.Yet,thereareimpedimentsinthat,asonecan’t enquirethecannymapsanddissecttheshowedmaps. Keepinginmindtheendgoaltotakecareofthisissue GISwasdeveloped.FromintuitiveCD,individuals movedtoGIS.However,notallcouldmanagethecost oftheuseofGIS.Aroundasimilartime,Internetwas quicklygettingthecreativeabilityofmainstream researchersandblendingInternetwithGISbrought aboutthefollowingmechanicaladvancement–‘Internet GIS.’Therequirementforjoiningofthespatial innovationwiththeInternetemergedbasicallyinlightof thefactthatitisafinanciallysavvyinnovationinwhich theclientdoesnotneedtospendonpurchasing programmingormaintainingthem.Moreover,Internet hasturnedintoagenerallyuseddeviceforsimpleaccess anddispersalofdata.Fornon-GISclients,InternetGIS hasturnedouttobeahelpasInternetcarriedwithitan easytounderstandconditionwhichanybodycould accessandutilize.Ithasadditionallybeenintendedto helpallconceivabledatabasesoanybodycanaccessand additionallyspreadinformation.

InternetGISresemblesatypicalplatformforexpertsand novicesinmappingsciencefield,givingthemadaptable devicestocontroltheaccessiblemapdataandexplore differentavenuesregardingtheirrealisticintroductionon thePCscreenultimatelyresultinginthegenerationofan ‘optimal’mapwhichcanbeutilizedfordeliveringan analogueoutputintheformofapapermap.Mapsonthe Internetarerealisticportrayalsofthepapermapswhich canbeutilizedtoconveyandexaminegeographic information.ReconciliationofInternetandGISis causingachangefromsimple‘graphicalrepresentations’ ofpapermapsto‘interactivemaps.’Theseintelligent mapshavevariousinstinctivetoolstoaccessand associatewith,tosuchanextentthatthemultidimensionalgeographicaldatagaveintheInternethelp map-userstoeffectivelytakeaninterestinnotjust assessingthespatialinformationprovidedbyInternetbut alsopicturethemapsinaccordancetothelikingofthe guideclient.

‘‘ ‘‘

WhenyoutalkaboutGISrevolution,youneedtolookat GeoSolutionsConsulting,Inc.—acompanycommitted toknowledgeandinnovationininformationtechnologies likesatelliteimageryandsoftware.GeoSolutions specializesinGeographicInformationSystems,Satellite Images,RemoteSensingandRemoteSensingappliedto areasofnaturalresources,environmentandpublic services.GeoSolutionshasarichexperienceinthe design,development,andimplementationofstate-of-theartsolutionsthatintegrategeospatialtechnology, informationandcommunicationssatellites,seekingto optimizeworkflowsandreduceoperatingcostsinan innovativemanner.

Itsexperienceinthefieldandtheinternationalsupportit possessesmakesGeoSolutionsoneofthebestGIS solutionprovidersandlikewisegivescustomersenough reasontochooseitsproducts.Itsclientscanbesurethat theywillhavethenecessarysupportatalltimesto implementtheirprojects.GeoSolutionsprovides specializedservicesin Survey of information (Satellite, Aerial, LiDAR, field), Digital photogrammetry, Analysis and image processing, Implementation of geospatial data management and distribution platforms, Geospatial data processing, and Training.

SolvingComplexProblemsinEffective,Fastand EconomicWay

GeoSolutionshasthemissiontohelpexploitthe availablespatialinformationtosolvecomplicated problemsinaneffective,fast,andeconomicway.Forthe same,thefirmspecializesintheuseofremotesensors, thatis,intheacquisitionofinformationaboutthe territoryandelementsonit,fromasensortothe distance.Theapplicationsinvolveanyfieldwherethe

locationandthelocationrelationshipbetweenelements areimportant.

Althoughgeographicinformationsystemshavebeenin theworldmarketsincethe1960s,itwasinthemid1980sthattheybegantobeimplementedinagreater numberofactivities.Inourcountry,GIStechnologyis madeknownandstartedtobeusedfromthe90s.The GeographicInformationSystems(GIS)toolsareusedto: Surveysandinventories,Digitalphotogrammetry, Classificationandinterpretationofsatelliteimages,and Mapping.GeoSolutionsknowingwhatclientwould demand,goesbeyondbyofferingavariedarangeof productsandservicesthatincludedifferentfieldssuchas Marketing, Geography, Logistics, Cartography, Inventories, Cadastre, Civil engineering, Electrical, Computer systems, Geology, Mining, Ambiente, Communications, Construcción and Outside Plant Management, Construcción Hydropower, Agricultura, Seguridad Public, Bienes Estate, Banca, and others

ALittleHistory

GeoSolutionsConsulting,Inc.,wasfoundedin2003in thecityofPanamabyMr.OscarDíazwiththepurpose ofexploitinggeospatialinformationtechnologies.

Engineer,OscarDíazhasmorethan15yearsof experienceintheuseofGeographicalInformation SystemsandRemoteSensingtools.

Today,morethanadecadelatersinceitsinception, GeoSolutionsInc.specializesintheuseofremote sensors,thatis,intheacquisitionofinformationabout theterritoryandelementsonit,fromasensortothe distance.Theapplicationsinvolveanyfieldwherethe locationandthelocationrelationshipbetweenelements areimportant.

ThesatelliteimagerythatGeoSolutionsprovidesareof thehighestqualityandofoptimalresolution. GeoSolutionsdevelopsapplicationsandsellsthetoolsto manipulate,process,organize,manage,andanalyzethe images.Thecompanyhaslocalandinternational partnerswhohavemanyyearsofcombinedexperience indevelopingsolutionswiththelatesttechnologies availableinthemarket.

InnovationatitsBest!

GeospatialBigDataisalivingdigitalinventoryofthe surfaceofourplanetderivedfromover5billionsquare kilometersofcurrentandhistoricalimageryand

information.Thisinventoryenablesyoutofind,count,andmeasurefeaturesoftheEarth’ssurfaceenablingdata analysisatascalelikeneverbefore.

SomeoftheGeoSolutions’innovativeproductsarelistedbelow:

Ÿ Global Base Map:AccesstoDigitalGlobebasemaps,buildwithhigh-resolutionDigitalGlobeimages.

Ÿ ERDAS Imagine:Processandmanipulategeospatialdata

Ÿ ERDAS APOLLO:WEBserver,archiveandcatalogimagesofanykind,resolutionandprovider.

Ÿ LPS (Leica Photogrametric Suite):Useinphotogrammetry.Efficientlytransformtheraworunpolishedimagesin geospatialdataaccurateandreliable.

Ÿ GeoMedia:ComprehensiveanddynamicGISsoftware.

Ÿ Planet Labs:Satellitemonitoringsuscription.Viewimagesofanyplaceintheworldataweeklyordailyrate.

Ÿ Google Maps API:AccesstoGoogleMapstoolsandmethodsformobileordesktopapps.

Amongthem,GBMisDigitalGlobe’sonlineservicetoallowtheclienttoviewordownloadtheirlargearchiveofhigh resolutionimageswithintheclient’sareaofinterest.Whetheryouuseitfromawebbrowser,directlyfromyourGIS software,asaWMSserviceorevendownloadingthemlocallyforfurtheranalysis;theprovisionoffreshinformation ofhighresolutionisinfinite.Itisidealforclientsthatrequireimmediateandfrequentavailabilityofimages.

Moreover,PlanetLabs’constellationofmorethan140nanoopticalsatellites,providetheabilitytoviewordownload imagestakeneverydayanywhereintheworld.Togetherwithitsonlineplatformitisaneffectivemonitoringservice foragricultural,environmental,infrastructureandmanyotherapplicationsthatrequiretheregularregistrationofa territory.

FeedbacksthatMotivateGeoSolutionstoContinueWorkingforClients

“ThespecializedservicesofGeoSolutionshaveservedtobeabletoestimateaccurateprojectcostslongbeforestarting, thecapacityandseriousnessintheservicesprovidedisfirstworld.”—IngAlexGiralt,CoordinatorofStrategic ProjectsDivision,ICECostaRica.

“Great quality of work !, They have been collaborators for more than 15 years and we know firsthand about the responsibility and seriousness of this company, we hope to continue working with GeoSolutions Consulting many more years.” —JohnSalcedoPeréz,PanamaCanalAuthority

“The quality of the satellite images provided by GeoSolutions and the advice and training they have given us for more than 10 years is really excellent, we are very pleased with the experience of working together.” —EricRámirez,Ing. OEPI-UCR.

1Spatial

Management

ClaireMilverton

4dmapper

RobertKlau

BlackSky

JasonAndrews

CARTO

JavierdelaTorre

Hydro-Comp

Dr.DinosConstantinides

Jack

OscarDiaz

Rob

Brief

1Spatialisgloballeadersinmanaginggeospatialdatathatworks

thecustomerstodeliverrealvaluebymakingdatacurrent, automated,completeandconsistent.

4DMapperisanAustraliantechnologycompanycameinto

tochangethewaypeoplevisualize,collaborate, manageanddelivergeospatialdata.

BlackSkyisasubsidiaryofSpaceflightIndustries,whichisat theforefrontofthegeospatialindustrywithitscloudbased geospatialintelligenceservice.

CARTOisthelocationintelligenceplatformforturninglocation dataintobusinessoutcomes.

Hydro-CompEnterprisesspecializesintheprovisionof

andServicestovariousGovernment,Municipal, andUtilityindustries.

ESRIistheglobalmarketleaderinGISandhashelped customersimproveresultssince1969.

GeoSolutionsConsulting,Inc.isacompanycommittedto

innovationin

technologieslike

andsoftware.

Mapillaryisapassionatecommunityofpeoplewhowantto

everyonebycreatinganimage

ofthe

PolicyMapofferseasy-to-useonlinemappingwithdataon

realestate,health,jobsandmoreincommunities acrosstheUS.

sensewhereoffersuserslocationintelligencedeepinsidebuildings

automaticcrowdsourcingtechnique,whereavailableradio

aremeasuredandmappedandtheresultantdatabase

accuratepositionbywayoftrilateration.

IoT DECADES

BUSINESS WILL BOOST ECONOMY IN THE NEXT

-By José Antônio Scodiero, Director & Founding Partner of FAST COMPANY BRAZIL

TheworldoftheInternetofThingspromisestobe themainengineoftheglobaleconomyinthenext years.Indevelopingcountries,suchasBrazil,the opportunitieswillbeevenbigger.Consideringthesizeof thelocalmarketandthepressingneedthatBrazilhasin increasingtheinnovationrhythm,technologyusageand development,thecountrycanalreadybeseenasabig globalplayerbycompaniesfromthissector.Inthis moment,themoreaccuratemottoforcompaniesthatwant toactorareactinginBrazilis“InnovateorDie.”

Afteracycleofmorethan10yearsofcontinuousgrowth, thatputthecountryinevidenceonthegloballandscapeas partoftheselectgroupofso-calledBRICs(Brasil,Russia, IndiaandChina)andthatstressedevenmoreitsleadership inLatinAmerica,Brazilisnowentering,inthepasttwo years,amomentofpoliticaltensionthathasreflected directlyintheeconomy Themomentnowisofreviewing andrestructuring.Butinspiteoftheperceptionofsome foreignexecutivesandentrepreneursthatthisisnotagood timetoinvestinthecountry,itisclearthatBrazilhada virtuouscycleofmanyyearsandreachedahigherlevel.All

thisindicatesthat,forsure,notallislost.Farfromit.The timeisforopportunities.

Withthestabilizationofthesmartphonemarket,there’sa greatpotentialforthetechnologyindustry-especiallyin thesemiconductorsarea-inbusinessinvolvingconnected cars,agriculture,livestock,smartcities,amongothers.To fullyusethisopportunities,itisnecessarytounderstandin whichwaysitispossibletodevelopthebesttechnological solutionstodifferentregions.Andthesolutionstoproblems fromdifferentcountriescanonlybefoundlocally

Investingintherighttimeandintherightmoment

DespitethelowparticipationofBrazilinthe semiconductorsindustry,thecountryhasagreatpotentialto usetheInternetofThingsandtodevelopinthissector.Itis afieldinwhichnoonehastheadvantageyet:weare, theoretically,inthesamelevelasUnitedStatesandChina. Besidesthat,achiptoasensorforIoTischeaperandeasier todevelopthanonemadeforsmartphones.Therefore,itis lesscostlytoinvestinIoT

José Antônio Scodiero

Director - Founding Partner of FAST COMPANY BRAZIL

With over 30 years of experience in areas like information technology, personal computing, semiconductors, entrepreneurship and startups, José Antônio Scodiero has already acted as a high level executive in several big and successful international corporations like: IBM; Apple Computer; OkiData, where he was president of the Brazilian subsidiary, and more recently; AMD, leader in the semiconductors segment, where he held the position of Vice-President for the Latin America region. José Antônio Scodiero is graduated in Electronics Engineering with specialization in hardware and microelectronics and has an MBA in Corporate Administrations by Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP).

As an entrepreneur, he founded lots of startup companies since the 90’s, having created his first company when he was only 24 years old. In 2009 he founded Fast Company Brazil, with the objective of catapulting multinational organizations, from sectors like digital technology, semiconductors and software that are seeking to install subsidiaries in the Brazilian and Latin American markets. In 2010 he obtained the certification of Corporate Governance from the Brazilian Institute of Corporate Governance (IBGC) and started acting as a consulting advisor in companies in 2011. In 2012, he became president of the task force of semiconductors of AMCHAM - American Chamber for Brazil and USA. Still in 2012, Scodiero was also elected Director of SBMICRO - Brazilian Society of Microelectronics, where he remains until the end of 2016.

Inthetechnologyworld,theinnovationchainhasinverteditselfrecently,withthelargedomainofbigmultinational companiesgivingspacetostartupsandnewentrepreneurs.Thismovementcreatesapulverizationofopportunities.Itisno longersomethingconcentrated,inthedomainoffewbigplayerslikeitusedtobe.Thereisspaceforcompaniesfromoutside thecountryandalsofortheappearanceofnewlocalplayersthatcanlearnanddeveloptheirownsystemsandfomentthe industry.

Thetechnologygiants,thatlostawaveofopportunitiesthatemergedwiththemobilebusiness(smartphones,tabletsand M2M),nowaremovingrapidlysotheydon’tmissoutontheopportunitiesthattheIoTsegmentwillbring.Thereareseveral examplesinthisdirectionandIBMisoneofthem,sinceitsannouncement,inDecemberof2015,toreturntotheconsumer electronicsmarket,tenyearsaftersellingitscomputerdivisiontotheChineseLenovo.Theproblemisthattherearealotof companies,bigandsmall,repeatingthesamestrategiesinthesearchofitsownspaceinthetechnologymarket.Thisneedsto change.Themotto“InnovateorDie”alsoneedstobeappliedintheplanning.

IoTasatransformingagentofaneconomy

Aswellasingreattransformationsofthepast,therevolutioncausedbyIoTwillchangetheentirelandscapeofthecareer scenario.Itisestimatedthatintime,itwillbepossibletosee20to30millionjobsmigrate,andsomefunctionsmight disappear,thankstorobotics,intelligentmachinesandartificialintelligence(AI),thatwillinfiltrateinnewcorporateareas andautomatethepositionsthatarerepetitiveandtransitional.

Butwhatitseemslikebadnewsisinfactareadaptation,fromworkstationsfocusedonoperationaltoopportunitiesinareas thatdemandsdataanalysis,abilitytosolveproblems,thinkcreatively,innovateandworkwithinateam.Nothingtoodistant fromtheprofilethattodayiscomprehendedasagoodprofessional.Itisanevolutionarymovement,drivenbytechnology

Ifthejobopeningsinoperationalworkstationstendtodrop,theopportunitiestoprofessionalsthatseekqualificationand evenreinventionwillgrowalot.Itisamarketthat,accordingtoIDC,willgrowaboutUS$1,7trillionuntil2020.This amountneeds,andwillbe,sharedamongtheprofessionalsthatmanagetokeepupwiththedemandsofthemarket.

be Customer-driven?

fHenryFordhadquestionedpeoplewhattheywanted,wouldtheyreallyIhavesaid‘fasterhorses’?

Intherealmsofbusinessandinnovation,HenryFordwasoneoftheworld’s greatestinnovatorsandaquotablearistocrat.Perhapsthemostfamousquote creditedtoFordgoes:“IfIhadaskedpeoplewhattheywanted,theywouldhave saidfasterhorses.”

ButtherearenosuchrealevidenceswhichcouldprovethatFordeverstated this,butwordsappliedtohimstillportraythattrueinnovationisdonewithout customerinput.ThoughoneofthemostsuccessfulcapitalistsinAmerican

historyhadsaidit,itwouldn’tmake theproverbanymoreappropriate.

Infact,thereisapossibility,that customersmighthavetoldFord exactlywhattheywanted—explicitly, afastermodeoftransportation.They mightnothavetalkedabouttheneed foracombustionengine,butthat’sthe partofartandscienceofunderstanding customerfeedback.

Thecustomersdonotalwaysknowthe formfactorsthatareavailabletothem, andthat’sexactlywhereyour opportunityliestoinnovateandcash outyourinnovationasabusinessman. Clientsoftenunderstandtheirproblems andcommunicateenoughinformation thatyoucanusetogrowyourbusiness. Herearesomeinsightsonhowtoget optimizedcustomerfeedback.

EnquireThoroughly

Mostofthetimes,customersknow whattheywantbutareunableto articulateitproperly.So,youhaveto askprecisequestionsthatwouldallow youtocollectperceptionstobeused foryourinnovation.Studiesshowthat givingaclienttoomanychoicesoften netsyoupooranddisorganized feedback,butit’salsoimportantto givethemtheopportunitytobringup somethingthatyouhaven’tanticipated. Youshouldalsoaskabouttheir personalorbusinessproblems.Never askfeature-basedquestions,ifyouare sellingandinnovatingwithtechnology forsmallbusinesses.Because,they aren’tthinkingabouttechnology features,theyaremorefocusedon makingmoneyandsavingtime.So,

alwaysaskquestionsaroundtheir problemstatementandthenbridgethe gapwithyourtalentandinnovation.

StatisticalAnalysisofNumbersand Behaviors

Atricktogetmorereliablefeedback indicatorsistostudythenumbersand behaviorpatternoftheclient.Ifyour clientskeepsayingtheyloveaproduct ingreen,butinstead,eachtimethey intenttobuyblue,thenalwaysstick withblue.Studyyourdataand behaviorspersistentlytomakesure thatthecustomers’wordsmatchtheir actions.

DistinguishbetweenDestructive CriticsandConstructiveCritics

Whileit’svitaltoconsiderallthe feedback,includingtheonefrom onlinecriticsandalsocustomer services,youneedtoexploremoreinto whoisgivingthatfeedback.For example,ifyouarereceivingposts aboutaproblem,takeadeepdigintoit andfindoutifit’sarealproblem.Ifit doesn’texist,disregardit.

Thesameinsightgoesforwants.A handfulofindividualsmaygowhiny wheelsforapersonalwant,butthat doesn’tsignifythatthebroaderbaseof clienteleswantsthesame,sodomore research.

Also,keepacheckonminions.These arethesamegroupofgofersthatkeep probingforsomethingorcomplaining together.Ifsuchathingishappening, theymightbejustaco-dependent groupoftrollsyouneednotworry about.Ifyouareobservingdifferent

patronsgivingconcernedresponseand inputsaroundthesameissues,that wouldbeconsideredmorereliable thanmanypostsorinquiriesfromthe samegroupofpeople.Theexception tothiscouldbewhenthegroupis well-thought-outinfluentialamong yourcustomerbase.

It’salwaysbeneficialtosolicityour feedbackthroughprivatesurveys insteadofpubliconessothevocal minoritydoesn’tswayyour community.

AlwaysSegregatetheRelevant Group

Togetabroaderscopeofresponses andvaluablefeedbacks,reachoutto yourbestexistinganddesiredtarget customers.Ifyouaren’tsurewhatand howyourcustomersthink,selectan evocativenumberofpeopleandask them.Surprisingly,customersaremore likelytoprovideyoufeedbacksifyou actuallyaskthem.But,firstassurethat theyaretruebuyersofyourproduct— iftherespondersaren’tgoingtobuy yourproduct,theirresponseswould neitherhelpyounorthem.

Conclusively,innovationcouldbe customerdrivenmostofthetimes,but weneedtoplaysafeandkeepour visionsclear.Baginallthe constructivecriticismsincewithout criticismthere’snosuccessand innovation.

Whethermovingina driverlesscarordeliveran e-commerceproductat

customersdoorstep.“Location”plays

animportantrole.Thereisasignificant dimensionof“Location”inevery businesstransactions.Locationcanbe anaddress,aserviceboundary,asales territory,oradeliveryroute.Therefore location-specificdataanditsanalytics arehighindemandamongvarious enterprises.Analyticsoflocation-based datahelpsanorganizationtoearnmore profitandalsocontributeinmaking operationalactivitiesmuchmore efficientandfaster.Enterprisesfrom differentdomains,therefore,now startedusinglocation-baseddata analyticsapplication.“Spatial Intelligence”isoneofthem.

SpatialIntelligence SpatialIntelligence(SI)isan applicationofGISandisalsoknown asLocationIntelligence.Spatial Intelligenceistheprocessofderiving meaningfulinsightsfromgeospatial datacapturedbyGIS.Withmany differentobservations,patternsget discoveredwhichhelpabusinessto

takebetterdecisions,optimizetheir businessoperationsandincreasetheir profits.

EminenceofGIS GISstandsforGeographicInformation System.GISisasystem,whichis designedtocapture,store,manipulate, manageandpresent“Location” specificdatatoitsendusersin graphicalformat.Itisasystemwhich comprisesofsoftware,hardware, people,data,andmethods.

GISsoftwareletsanorganizationto producemapsandothergraphic displaysofgeographicinformationfor analysisandpresentation.GISismuch morethanacontainerofmapsin digitalform.GIShardwarehelpsto captureanimageandotherdigitaldata foraparticularlocation.Peoplearethe endusersofGIS;itcanbeGIS technicians,managers,administrators, etc.

SpatialIntelligenceforBusinesses Transformation

Itisgenerallyknownfactthatmore than80%ofalldatahasalocation

elementtoitandthatlocationdirectly affectsthekindofinsightsthatyou mightdrawfrommanysetsof information.Bycarryingoutaspatial analysisofthisdatausingvaried businessintelligence(BI)tools, decisionmakerswillabletobetter understandthepast,currentand forthcomingaspectsofbusiness operationstoderivevaluableinsights andmakemosteffectivedecisionsfor theirbusinesses.

Mostofthetimeenterprisesrequire customer’sdatarelatedtospecific locationstoknowincomelevels, educationalbackground,buyinghabits ofpersonsresidinginaspecificarea whichhelpsabusinesstofinda probablelocationwherethatparticular businessgetflourished.

SpatialIntelligencederivesmeaningful observationsforanexistingbusinessas well.Inwhichareasanorganizationis performingwell?Whicharethe underperformingareas? Whicharethe areaswhereacompanyneedstofocus immediateattention?Thereisaseries ofmanyimportantquestionsrelatedto

abusinessgrowth.Spatialintelligence hasthepotentialtoderivemeaningful answerstothesequestions.

Spatialrelationships,patternsand trendsrevealpricelessbusiness intelligenceandbringeasy-tounderstandvisualizationtobusiness applications.Thepoweroflocation intelligenceenablescompaniesto identifyandincreasewherebusiness performsstrongerandcutdownon failingassets.

SpatialIntelligenceisGetting RecognitionamongDifferent Enterprises Companiesfromdifferentverticalsare takingSpatialIntelligencevery seriouslyandinvestinghugemoneyon it.Traditionalplayersofthegeospatial industrylikeEsri,HexagonandPitney Bowesareworkingwithspatialdataon alargescale.Apartfromthese companiesmanyhard-coreIT corporationslikeOracle,Microsoftand IBMarealsoventuringintospatial analyticsatfullthrottle.Forinstance,

byintegratingEsri’stechnologiesinto AzureIoTSuite’spreconfigured solutions,Microsoftisempowering customerstogainvaluableinsights aboutwheretheirassetsareandwhat theyaredoingatalltimes,anywherein theworld.

Whichsectorsaregainingfrom SpatialIntelligence?

Therearetwocategoriesofbusinesses whichareusingSpatialIntelligence. Thefirstsetisofthosebusinesses whicharenaturallyembeddedin

geographiesliketransport, telecommunication,orrealestate, whichabsolutelydependonlocationbasedinformation.Thesecondset comprisesofthegroupofuserswho notessentiallyusegeospatialdataon aneverydaybasisbuttheystilldepend onitforbetterperformance.These wouldberetailers,insurance companiesandbanks.

Let’senlightenhowthesesectorsare gainingwithSpatialIntelligence:

Logistics:Tochecktheconsumption rateofaparticularproductona particularlocationhelpwarehouse managementtodetermine,whichstock isneededonaprioritybasis?Thusit helpsalogisticcompanytomaintain demand-supplyratiowithoutany caveat.CompanieslikeUnitedParcel ServiceandFedExareaugmenting deliveryroutesusingspatialanalytics.

Transport:Todeterminetheshortest andfastesttransportationroutesfor delivery,SIisveryhelpful.Apartfrom this,italsoprovidesdirectionto travellerswhiledriving.

RealState:Manypeoplebuyahouse basedonthelocation.Peopleprefera locationwhichisneartoahospital,a railwaystation,schoolsetc.Spatial analyticsprovidesresearch,analysis, andpresentationofeachprospective site.Ithelpsindeterminingidealsites fordevelopment.

Telecommunication:Inanalyzing rivalsnetworkcoverage,actual bandwidth,potentialareatotapnew businessopportunity,SIisreally helpfulfortelecommunication.

Energy:SpatialIntelligenceishelping energyindustrytoidentifythepotential locationforenergyexploration. Retail:Spatialanalysisishelpingthe retailindustrytomaintainstock delivery,storemanagement,inventory management,marketingandsales.

AdvertisementIndustry:SIhelps AdvertisementandPRagencyinorder tofindpotentiallocation,toinstall billboardsothatitgetsmaximum views.

Healthcare:Toidentifyingthose locations,whicharemorepronetoa certaindisease,SIprovidesvaluable inputstothehealthofficialstomake policyandadministrativedecisionsto controlepidemicdiseases.

Airportsandairlines:Airtraffic controluseSItotrackflightoperations withgreateraccuracy andefficiency.SI helpsairlinesto rerouteflightpathin caseofanemergency. Italsohelpsin optimizingfueland staffcost.

Government agencies:Notonly privatecompaniesbut manygovernment agenciesarealso usingSI.Defense agencies,town planningdepartment orpublicdistribution systemallareusing SIforbetter administrationand efficientoperations.

InsuranceCompany:Climateisnot underanyone’scontrolbutpoliciesare. Droughtandhailstormhavebecomea commonphenomenonsincelastfew decades.Droughtandhailstorm contributetolarge-scalecropdamages. Cropinsurancehasgainedpopularity duetodroughtandhailstorm.SIhelps insurancecompanytopredictin advanceaboutfutureclimatebehaviors foraparticularlocationandhelpsthem inmakingcropinsurancepolicyand promotionaswell.

Humansthinkvisually,therefore spatially.Duetovisualdecoding, comparisonofdataandinvaluable businessinsights,SIhasalreadymade inroadsacrossvariousenterprises. Withmanyemergingtechnologieslike crowdsourcing,humangeographyand visualanalytics,dominanceofSpatial Intelligencewillonlygrowfurther.

TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION: An indispensable factor in business

Weusedtosaythatthestorytellingbusinessisall aboutthepeople.Talentsfromdifferentfields–writing,producing,editing,thelistgoeson–cometogethertocraftamazingvideocontentthatgoonto inform,inspireandentertainpeoplethroughtheirtelevision sets.

Thesedays,technologicalinnovationplaysahugerolein notonlydemocratizingthefilmmakingprocess;makingit moreaffordabletotellstoriesataprofessionalquality.Itis alsotransformingwhatkindofstorieswetell,wherepeople cangetitandhowtheyconsumeit.Andit’snotjustabout thetelevisionanymore,it’sthesecondscreen,waitno,it’s alsothevirtualscreen.Technologyisreshapingthevery faceandfateofthecontentbusinessandthosewhocan graspitstruepotentialearlyandmakethebraveleap forward,couldreaptherewards.

Thefactorsaresimplytoocompellingtoignore.Inthe followingparagraphs,Ihopetogiveyouasnapshotofhow embracingtheconvergenceofstorytellingandtechnology, changedourbusinessdramatically.

JocelynandIsetupBeachHouse Pictures12yearsagotocreate contentthatwearepassionate about.Sure,itwasalsoimportant thattherewasagapintheAsian marketplaceforgreatinternational qualityprograms,andthat Singaporesupportedthemediaina myriadofways,butfromthevery beginning,ithasalwaysbeenabout thestorytelling.

Welearnedquicklythatrunningthe companyislikerunningamarathon. Youkeeponeeyeonthefuture,

Jocelyn Lile Managing Director

whileyoubuildonwhatyou’vegot.So,whilewewerea two-manteammovingourownfurniture,wekeptinvesting indiversificationandscalingup.Welearnttoremain steadfasttoourvision(greatstories,globally),buttostay flexibletoadapt.Goodthingtoo,becauseinthelast12 years,technologythrewuscurveballaftercurveball. Withinthefirsttwoyears,aco-productionforDiscovery ChannelcalledManMadeMarvelschallengedusto upgradefromStandardDefinition(SD)programdeliveries toHighDefinition(HD)deliveries,tokeepupwith internationalbenchmarks.Forasmalloutfitwithlimited resources,itwasatoughlearningcurve.Youcaneitherturn itintoanopportunitytogrow.Orfailandbeviewedas inadequatetocompetewiththerestoftheworld.The choicewassimple.

Thattransitionpavedthewayforournexttechnological leap–3Dfilmmaking.Nottoolongago,theworldwas goingga-gaoverAvatarandthelatest3DTVsets. Manufacturerssawanopportunitytomakealotofmoney, butmakingthecontentthatwouldkeeppeoplegluedtothe devicewasnoeasytask.Themain problemwasmakingitfastenough,good enough,affordableenough,andat volume.Wecouldn’tcompetewiththe largercompaniesthrowingmillionsat mega-productions,butwecoulddevelop costeffectivemethodsoffilming3Dthat achievedadocumentaryaesthetic(most 3Dfootagewereslavestoatripod,we madeourshandheld)andpassedQCat thehighestlevels.Moreimportantly,they hadtobegoodstories.Wemadeover15 hoursofcontentinjusttwoyears,which wasagreatmeasureofsuccess.

However,3DTVeventuallyfadedaway duetoalackofdemand,withanother videoformatrisingthroughtheranks–

About the Author:

Donovan is a founding partner of Beach House Pictures and spearheads strategy and content development. He also executive produces, writes and directs many of the company’s international productions, and is overseeing BHP’s expansion into online content with the integration of new technologies. One of Asia’s most experienced factual filmmakers, Donovan has worked on award winning shows including Lonely Planet Six Degrees for TLC (Best Entertainment & Best Editing – Asian TV Awards) and Megastructures: Singapore’s Vegas for Nat Geo International (Silver World Medal – New York Festivals).

Donovan Chan Creave Director Beach House Pictures

Ultra-HighDefinition(UHD),commonlyknownas4K.Withinaspaceofafewyears,wehadtoinnovateagaintostayahead ofthecurve.Bythispoint,wehadgrownasacompanyfromatwototwenty-manteam.Wehadagrowingbusinesstofeed, yetwecouldnotignoretheopportunitiesofUHD.Alotofeffortandtimewasputintomulti-taskinginbothgrowthareas. CulminatinginsuccessfulearlyUHDdeliveriestoNatGeoWild(OtterTown)andChannelNewsAsia(AerialIndia).With OtterTowngettingthenodasfinalistsatthe2017NewYorkFestivalsforBestNature&WildlifeandBestSoundDesign.

AsUHDlookssetforexplosivegrowth,anotherexcitingnewareaofstory-techconvergencecametoourattention.Andthe timingwastoogoodtoignore.

Bythistime,wewerea70-mancompanywithmoreresourcestoinvestinthepotentialnewrevenuestream-VirtualReality. Webelievethatthe‘experiential’contenthavecomeandgoneandthatVR(especially360video)needtobeenhancedby greatstorytellinganddirectedtowardsdefinitiveusergroups,likeeducation.BHPsoonbecamethefirstcompanythatthe MinistryofEducationallowedtopilotVRinSingaporeschoolsand,inadditiontotheMOEwealsoworkedwithSamsung forhardware.Thissingleexperiencehasledtoevenmoreopportunities,whichcouldfundamentallychangeourbusinessyet again.

Youcouldsaythatthemoralofthestory,istowell,sticktotellingagreatstory,yourstory,whileembracingchange.Less simplyput,neverignorehowseeminglydivergentideascouldconvergetotransformyourbusiness.Weliveinarapidly evolvingstatusquo.Andwhileitcanbeveryscary,itisalsofullofhope.

GIS Boom on the Planet Earth

eographicInformationSystemistheGodofallthe

Gtechnologiesrightnow.OnecanimplementGISin mostofthefields.Itwillberighttosaythat,there isaGISBoomonthePlanetEarth.”

LatestTrendsInGeoSpatialIndustry:

1.SurveyandMapping:Landsurveyingforurbanand ruraldevelopmentwiththehelpofthemostadvancedlaser andsatellitecollaboratedinstruments,helpstoacquiredata andthesamedatacanbevisualizedin3D.Waterbodiesor anoceansurveylikehydrographicandBathymetricsurvey helpstounderstanduser,underwaterworldtillthedepthof 4500mdeepseain3D;hydrographyisalsousedforpreand postdredgingandGeo-ThermalActivities.

2.UrbanManagementApplication:Urbanmanagement applicationhelpstomonitormassiveurbanbigdata,with statisticallandrecordsanddemography.Itcanalsobe customizedaccordingtothedifferentcountry’s governmentsurbanizationpoliciesandparametersfor accurateandanalyticurbanagglomerationdataoutput.

3.LocationBasedServices:LocationIntelligence,Site suitabilityanalysis,Geo-fencing,usagebasedinsurance, vehiclefleetmanagementandrealtimeproducttrackingare fewexamplesoflocationbasedservices.LocationBased Serviceisverymuchimportantthesedays,torehabilitatea businesslocationinanothercountryoramarketresearch forsettingupaproductorservices.Wecanalsomonitorthe spreadofDiseasewiththehelpofArtificialIntelligence.

4.SmartCity:ASmartcityisneveranexpensivecity,but; itisamostresourcefulcityatcomparativelyaffordable rates.Smartmobilitywhereeffectivepublictransportimprovestrafficflow,Smartwaterwherehighqualitywater supplycateringtogrowthpopulationandsmartplanning whereexpansionofcityispreplannedtillnext100years withMachineLearning.

5.InfrastructureManagement:MegaStructurescanalso bevisualizedandmonitoredin3Dandcanbemanaged withcustomizedparametersandqueryingfilters.Withthe helpofmoreadvancedGISautomatedsoftwareandreal

timehigh-endmotionsensorsitisalsopossiblerecord smallestmovementinAerodromeorgiantmultidisciplinaryfunctioningconstructionsite.

ChallengesFacedWhileEnteringInTheAtmosphere OfCorporateSphere:

1.Itisacriticaltasktomaintaincashflowforastartup consultancy: Forastartupinfrastructurecostandoverheadexpenses holdsthemajorpercentage.Travellingoneplacetoanother tomeetclientsandvendors,Gettingparticipatedin National/Internationalconferencestounderstandthemarket upgradation,settingupmeetingswithseveralsmall, mediumandhighprofileindustrialists;needsaheavyand constantcashflow

2.Torunmultipleprojectswithlimitedcashandtostick withPre-plannedbusinessprojectmodel:AStartup companybreathesontheprojectoutsourced.Itisnotatall difficulttogetcollaboratedwithsomeofthegenuine companiesbycommunicationdevelopmentandhuman networking.Themainobstacleiswhenyouinvestin particularprojectandmoneyinflowisinverselyopposite. ButWorkinputismoreimportantthanmoney,soitistricky torunmultipleprojectswithlowcashreimbursementfrom multipleclientsandmoneymanagement.

3.AlltheGovernmentalGISprojectshavetremendous EarnestMoneyDeposit(EMD)tobidtheTender:The technologywearedealingwithisverymuchexpensiveasit ismostadvanced,effectiveandwelloriented.Inevery country,GISdataismajorlyproducedbycountry’sown government.Therefore,inIndiaanyGISproject'stender EMD(EarnestMoneyDeposit)amountisextremelyhighas pertheprojectrequirementwiththelockingperiodofthe EMDamount.AllGovernmentsectorshaspre-defined eligibilityforminimumworkexperiencetobidforthe tender,butthereisnochanceforanyfreshcompanyto participateforthetenderbecausethetenderparametersare alreadysequencedinanordertowinbythebigGIS Players.So,nowhowthefresh,newandveryhigh technicalskillmanpowerstartupcompanywillgrowin India,isthebigQuestion.