GIS Without the Map

Lamont Norman, global product manager – OnDemand, Geocoding & Risk Data of Pitney Bowes Insight, jokingly said that they “do GIS to people and they don’t know it,” in other words, they provide GIS without the map. This is common in the world of risk management, where what is important is a geocode of an address.

“We will take a geocode that is an address and return a latitude and longitude,” said Norman.

“That’s the first thing that’s key into all the risk management that happens. We provide a worldwide geocoding scenario, not just to the insurance market but to telecommunications, restaurant, retail and real estate markets, government, where we take an address and to best of our ability locate that address through latitude and longitude. We do this without using a desktop mapping tool, it’s done as an enterprise solution where we can do millions of these geocodes in an hour.”

Rather than dealing with a map, insurers make use of the geocode when they take on new customers. “If you’re applying for a new insurance policy, whether auto or home, they give you their address, and you start to locate that address, where it is on the globe,” said Norman. “Once we have that information, we start to determine the spatial risk related to that particular location, again, taking the insurance scenario we’ve located your address, we figured out the hurricane risk, wildfire, etc. whatever the insurer considers to be important, all without using a map. It’s easy to visualize with a map, where you bring up your property and you see how far it is from a flooding risk or from the wildfire risk. We allow insurers to basically do that without having to look at a map, and you don’t need a GIS expert to make those decision. GIS people can make decisions on other more difficult problems. Within an insurance agency or within a telecommunications agency, etc. we’re automating the GIS output to give you a spatial risk.”

This seems counter to the requirements of some industries that seek GIS to provide a visual display in the form of a map, that everybody can understand. Yet this GIS without the map is not new – other GIS companies provide this type of risk management product to their customers, usually insurers, telecommunications or real estate professionals who require it.

In speaking of risk management, both topics of floods and fires come up. Invariably,  big wildfires which we have had many of this summer, are followed by flooding, largely because the vegetation that held the land in place is no longer there to protect it. Prior to the summer fires, floods threatened the Midwestern states and drove many citizens from their homes. How to better insure these citizens against catastrophic loss due to flood and fire is a growing challenge for risk management solution providers.

Pitney Bowes Insight is providing geocoding and accompanying risk data globally that customers can make use of once they have geocoded a location. They are providing the most recently updated flood data available on the market from FEMA. FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) allows users to take a look at flood risk. Up until now, the challenge with that has been not all that flood risk data has been readily available to the market because there are historical maps that need to be digitized, converted, edge matched etc.  that you have with a national data set.

“What we released with FloodRisk Pro is a flood risk FEMA-based product that allows insurers and other companies to use that process I described to determine what the flood risk is. The process is Operational Business Geographics = GIS without the maps,” noted Norman.

Pitney Bowes will tell you the distance to the nearest FEMA flood zone, or if it’s in a FEMA flood zone, and what the distance is to the edge of that zone. The program will identify where the parcel central geocodes are and tell you the elevation so you can begin to determine if this particular parcel is above or below the flood zone. It will consequently give you a 3D understanding of the risk.

Obviously, this type of work with Operational Business Geographics is done in the insurance industry where PB Insight provides geocodes. To be able to provide complete flood risk data to the industry will be an added plus to those using their software for geocoding. They will have access to complete flood risk analysis rather than what FEMA has released or older products on the market.

Norman said the value they bring to the data outside geocoding is that they are able to add the third dimension which is the elevation and able to allow insurers or companies to quickly determine the flood risk by their own business rules.

Up to 30% of flooding damage reported is outside these special FEMA flood zones, and a lot of that is due to the flooding that has been completely modeled by FEMA, according to Norman. “What our customers are interested in is not whether a property is in a flood zone, they want to know if it’s near, to account for that 30%,” said Norman. “They are also interested in understanding for comprehensive auto, if there’s additional value there, because it does include flooding.”

Insurers typically route through NFIP, except in the cases of auto. If you’re an auto insurer and you provide comprehensive coverage you might want to know if the garage address is in or near a floodzone.

“When you’re dealing with very complicated precise data like flood and fire data, it’s very important to have a geocode that you have confidence in. That means when you put in an address you are putting in actual property,” said Norman. “We see value in that we’re able to use the actual property centroid and in some cases the actual property boundary with some additional software we have, to help customers understand, is all or some of that property at risk? Up until five years ago, this information was not readily available in the U.S. We have since started to make it available in a national dataset where we’re providing 73 million confirmed parcel centroid locations to our customers. In the case of wildfire, some areas have a higher wildfire risk than others – it is not like a zip code determination,  it’s almost like a block group in terms of differentiation. Insurers and other hazard planners want to understand what that difference is.”

By “block group,” Norman means a city block – four to five blocks long and two blocks wide, which is a fairly detailed risk data polygon which will follow natural patterns, and is highly irregular. Geocoding has to be accurate for understanding both fire and flood risk. “If you’re off by 100 or 50 ft., you could end up with a very different wildfire rating or flood zone rating, and that can impact your resource planning for that particular location, and your insurance risk assessment,” said Norman.

While wildfires have not equaled hurricanes or earthquakes in terms of loss, they are becoming more significant. More people live near wildlands and have more assets threatened by fire. Global warming contributes to the number of wildfires that occur each year.  “For our wildfire data which we’re planning to release by the end of this year, we’re actually able to provide enough information where insurers can confidently determine what the wildfire risk is,” said Norman. “What that means is that if they’re able to use our dataset, they’re able to come up with an accurate risk price for these properties.”

Norman quotes statistics that claim that wildfire damage will increase in the 21^st century by up to 118%, primarily due to climate change, Most homes catch fire not directly from flame contact – they ignite from inside out due to airborne firebrands, for example, a piece of wood blowing in the air it goes out as much as two to three blocks from where the fire is actually burning, sucked into the vents in the house, then it burns from inside out. “With the increasing wildfire risk that is emerging in the market today it all begins with precise and highly accurate geocoding,” said Norman.

Pitney Bowes Insight works with very sophisticated consultants who understand fire modeling as well as fire science. This allows them to get a detailed view of fire risk using fire behavior modeling, historic wildfires and other factors. Currently the company has a governmentally based fire risk product designed expressly for the state of the California. The fire risk product they are developing now for launch at the end of 2011 will offer a greater scope.

Top of the News

Two new technical certification examinations are now available from Esri. ArcGIS Desktop Developer Associate and Enterprise System Design Associate join the growing list of certifications that validate technical expertise in Esri’s desktop, developer, and enterprise software.

The Esri Technical Certification Program recognizes individuals proficient in Esri technology. Certifications are awarded in different areas of expertise at both the Associate and Professional levels. The program, available worldwide, provides the following benefits:

• It enables organizations to maximize investment in Esri products by employing a workforce certified in ArcGIS best practices.
• It creates professional development opportunities for ArcGIS users.
• It helps companies, government agencies, and other organizations assess current or potential employee skill sets in the use of ArcGIS technology.
• It gives Esri software users the opportunity to distinguish themselves and their organizations with certified qualifications.

Riegl USA announced Surveying Solutions, Inc. (SSI) as a new Mobile Mapping User. SSI will utilize the Riegl VMX-250 with the CS6 Camera System to collect detailed topography, asset management, and precision survey data at near highway speeds. The use of the system will allow for safe non-hazardous working conditions.

The Omega Group is extremely proud to announce the release of our CrimeMapping.com Mobile application for the iPhone platform. This FREE download represents the culmination of our efforts in bringing the public a high level of data integrity and accuracy through our simple, intuitive service. Creating more self-reliance among community members is a great benefit to intelligence led policing efforts everywhere and has been proven effective in combating crime. Our CrimeMapping.com Mobile application will empower the public through helping to promote transparency and trust between the police and the communities they serve.

NAVTEQ announced that users of geographic information systems (GIS) and geo-marketers have access to new tools to support their efforts. This new content is available now, having been integrated in NAVTEQ’s Census Boundaries and Census ID products for the US and Puerto Rico as of the Q1 2011 database release.

These products contain multiple layers providing more options for slicing data when conducting GIS and business analysis. Among the layers in NAVTEQ’s U.S. Census Boundary product is Census Block, the most granular administrative unit at the federal level.  In this layer census blocks can be bounded on all sides by visible features that in densely populated settings occupy only a small area, but may cover several square miles of territory in sparsely populated rural areas. In addition to the Census Block feature, Census Boundaries contains Census Block Groups and Census Tracts. 

Acquisitions/Agreements/Alliances

Spatial Energy announced the extension of its preferred partner relationship with Astrium GEO-Information Services to provide Astrium’s high quality TerraSAR-X high resolution Radar Imagery and Elevation Data, including Digital Surface Models (DSM) and Digital Terrain Models (DTM) derived from TerraSAR-X data, to energy companies in North America.

eSpatial, has granted AÇAO Informática exclusive rights to re-sell the SaaS-based edition of eSpatial OnDemand GIS.

AÇAO and eSpatial already have a strong relationship: in 2008, AÇAO was granted the rights to re-sell the server-based edition of eSpatial OnDemand GIS in the South American market.

Mapbiquity.com and Manastash Mapping announced a partnership that makes simple, cost-effective web mapping available to more organizations. Although easy to use, Mapbiquity requires a small amount of technical knowledge to prepare data and publish a web map. The new services provided by Manastash Mapping eliminate that need by helping clients generate and manage their own location-based data, configuring the data in Mapbiquity, and publishing maps on the client’s web site.

Announcements

MAPPS, the national association of private sector geospatial firms, has joined a coalition of organizations in a letter opposing the inclusion of any new aviation taxes as part of deficit reduction measure to be considered by Congress.

It has been rumored that the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate are considering a “user fee” on all takeoffs and landings of general aviation aircraft – a move that would have a negative affect on the private aerial photography and geospatial profession.

“This proposed ‘user fee’ is misleading, it is a direct tax on general aviation to reduce the deficit,” said John Palatiello, MAPPS Executive Director. “A ‘user fee’ would provide revenues to FAA for system operation, maintenance and improvement. However, this proposal would be a ‘revenue-raiser’ set on reducing the national debt. This would be a direct tax that adds a financial burden on general aviation, including small businesses conducting aerial photography.”

A Consortium, led by Intergraph Corporation and including 1Spatial and Snowflake Software, successfully completed the delivery of its innovative Geospatial Data Management System (GDMS) to Great Britain’s national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey in January of this year. Following successful pre-production trials, the new system achieved a successful ‘Go  Live’ in July and is now in full production mode. To satisfy Ordnance Survey’s operational needs, the system had to meet challenging and exacting requirements for both performance and process control.  Most significantly, the system will ensure consistency between Ordnance Survey products and will enable it to develop new, innovative products to address both the current and future business needs of the organisation.

Intergraph will open Intergraph 2011 Australiaon August 22 in Adelaide, Australia, bringing together the country’s top businesses and organisations for a day of informative sessions and networking among industry leaders.

Intergraph 2011 Australia will be held August 22 at Hilton Hotel in Adelaide, August 24 at Rydges Hotel in Perth, and August 26 at Hilton Hotel in Brisbane. The industry-leading user conferences will feature keynote sessions by Intergraph global and regional management, and process, power and marine industry representatives from major organisations, including a keynote address from Woodside Energy Limited on realizing integrated engineering to support integrated operations.

Financials

Intermap Technologies Corporation reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2011. A conference call will be held  at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss the results.

The financial information presented herein has been prepared on the basis of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) for interim financial reporting and is expressed in United States dollars, unless otherwise noted. The amounts in this earnings release, including the interim financial statements for the three and six months ended June 30, 2010, have been restated to reflect the adoption of IFRS, with effect from January 1, 2010.

Revenue for the second quarter of 2011 was $4.4 million, a 16% decrease from the $5.3 million recorded in the same period in 2010. Of the revenue recognized in the second quarter, $2.4 million was attributable to the Company’s contract services business and $2.0 million was attributable to the licensing of the Company’s NEXTMap database.

People

Learon Dalby has joined The Sanborn Map Company, Inc. as Vice President of Geolocation Solutions. Mr. Dalby will be responsible for growing Sanborn Geolocation business practices in state government and commercial sectors. In his past role as a state leader in the Arkansas Geographic Information office, Learon had notable success directing a broad range of enterprise initiatives; participating in planning, analysis and budgeting as well as working with both the private and public sector at all levels of government. Learon has become a recognized leader in facilitating, managing and advising regional and statewide geospatial efforts. Learon will be expanding Sanborn’s capabilities to serve the state government and commercial markets, developing public/private initiatives and expanding solution offerings for large commercial customers.

New Products

ERDAS announces that the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is using ERDAS APOLLO to manage data collected from different space missions and deliver it for public consumption via a web portal.

ASI is collaborating with the ESA and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on the Cassini-Huygens, Mars Express, and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) missions. The Cassini-Huygens mission primarily focuses on two of Saturn’s moons, Titan and Enceladus, as well as Saturn itself. So far, the mission has found evidence of heat and organic chemicals and the possibility of liquid water on the surface of Enceladus, indicating the potential for the formation of primitive life forms. Cassini, the orbiter component of Cassini-Huygens, carries 12 instruments which have returned a daily stream of data since arriving at Saturn in 2004.  Huygens, the smaller probe portion of Cassini-Huygens, landed on Titan’s surface in 2005 and returns data about Titan’s vast methane lakes and hydrocarbon sand dunes.

Trimble introduced  its next generation AP Series of embedded GNSS-Inertial OEM modules plus Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), featuring a high-performance 220 channel multi-frequency GNSS receiver with dual-antenna heading support. Integrators can now harness the latest in GNSS positioning technology for improved mobile positioning accuracy and robustness, as well as add GNSS heading for improved orientation performance without the need of a second GNSS card. The result is improved performance and a reduction in size, weight and cost over previous versions.

GIS Cloud, the cloud based geographic information system (GIS) for visualization, sharing and collaboration of geo data online, announced on their blog that users of their application and platform have a new system for mobile data collection available. The new application targets Android based smartphones, with iOs support coming soon.

Trimble introduced  the Trimble CCSFlex Compaction Control System for soil and asphalt compactors. The CCSFlex is designed to offer both asphalt and earthmoving contractors an easy-to-use and affordable system for pass count mapping.

Trimble announced the release of its next generation of Trimble TerraSync software. TerraSync software is used by utilities, public sector, natural resources, and many other organizations worldwide as a key component of enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) data collection and asset management projects. The latest release focuses on updates requested by users to address their changing needs.

Key updates in the TerraSync software include:

• QuickPoint data collection mode for easy, productive one-click data capture. Working in Trimble QuickPoint data collection mode, repetitive point features can be collected with a single press of a button or a tap of the screen.
• Trimble LaserAce 1000 rangefinder integration. Data collection in QuickPoint mode is fast and efficient—just one remote measurement is required to log point features to collect more measurements in less time.

Sivan Design is proud to announce the public release of its 3D-GIS in the Cloud App for Apple iPad. The App is available for free download from the App Store.

The 3D-GIS in the Cloud App allows its users to navigate the city and its underground in 3D, retrieve spatial information about buildings and infrastructures, and perform three dimensional GIS analysis. The App extends the organization’s GIS reach beyond the office and allows its employees to make collaborative and accurate business decisions in both field and office environments. The App is an excellent tool for organizations that wish to keep their GIS information current with ease and supply their on-site personnel with the most current information to perform their tasks more efficiently while reducing possible disorientation-information errors.

InfoGrow Corporation has launched a new program to help developers migrate their mapping applications from MapPoint Web Services to Bing Maps. Microsoft announced earlier this year it will no longer support the older MapPoint platform as it migrates its users to the more powerful, faster, and graphical Bing Map platform.

Pitney Bowes Inc. introduced the MarketSpace™ Web platform in the U.S. to help high-volume transactional mailers connect with third-party advertisers to sell the white space on their statements for targeted advertising opportunities. With the MarketSpace Web platform, third-party advertisers can select and purchase advertising placements based on demographic and geographic targeting for more effective customer communications.

HP expanded its Elite business desktop portfolio with the industry’s first all-in-one PC that integrates the power of Intel second-generation Core vPro technology⁽¹⁾ to deliver up to 40 percent better performance, 15 percent faster hard drive access⁽²⁾ and reduced downtime via remote IT management.

Makai Ocean Engineering has released a demo version of their highly anticipated software, Makai Voyager. The driving motivation behind its development is to provide scientists with an easy to use program to process, analyze, and display the exponentially increasing amount of data being collected from atmospheric and other sensors around the globe.

Autodesk, Inc. debuted a range of new AutoCAD products built for Mac OS X Lion: AutoCAD 2012 for Mac, AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac and AutoCAD WS for Mac software. This marks the first time Autodesk has offered AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD WS for the Mac.

Around the Web

GISCafe Today Blog

Sudan Mass Graves Reportedly Found August 24, 2011, HuffPost World

Events

Tags: Geocoding

Category: Pitney Bowes Business Insight

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