Q & A with Spatial Information Solutions (SIS)
EIGS recently visited with Dr. Chuck O’Hara, President and CEO of Spatial Information Solutions (SIS) of Starkville, MS, to learn more about the company, their product development, and the future direction of the company. SIS is an active member of the EIGS geospatial technology cluster of the Magnolia Business Alliance (MBA).
The Sensor:
Tell our readers about Spatial Information Solutions and your role with the company.
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Commentary From: Michael Liu, Sr. Vice President, Dutko Worldwide
As voters in Louisiana and Mississippi have made their decisions for
their state political leaders, those small enterprise owners in the
tech/geospatial/aerospace sectors need to take note that in the eyes
of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) and to some extent HUD,
billions of post-Katrina Community Development Block
Grant(CDBG)dollars still remain unspent. Managers of the these funds in
both states might dispute that, claiming that those funds have been
"committed" or put under "contract," but in the end, it is what is
reported as unspent that counts. In August of 2010 Sen. Tom Coburn (R)
Oklahoma asked HUD about money left over from the post recovery allocations of CDBG funds. HUD's response: $3 billion in Louisiana and $2 billion in Mississippi.
You can bet that Sen. Coburn was not asking in order to ensure that
those funds would remain safely within those states.
My own experience as the chief of HUD's largest division in terms of
annual federal outlays (Public and Indian Housing and Section 8
vouchers) supports the "use it or lose it" view of federal dollars on
the part of the executive branch and certain members of Congress.
During my years of federal service, on a number of occasions OMB imposed
recaptures and rescissions of funds that had for years been placed in
specific "accounts" for specific housing authorities, but had not yet
been spent. In other cases, development contracts had been signed with
specific reference to use of HUD dollars allocated for those projects,
and yet because they were unspent, the position of HUD and OMB was that
these funds were subject to recapture. In most situations there were
strong practical and financial reasons why significant funds were still
"in the pipeline." But not strong enough for the masters of the federal
treasury.
There will be some interesting discussions involving the powers that be
in Jackson, Baton Rouge and Washington, DC concerning Post-Katrina
dollars allocated to projects that are still not completed.
While a Republican controlled Congress might seem to benefit Mississippi
and Louisiana with Republicans in control of the top executive
posts in those states, there will also be extreme pressure with
Republicans in DC to find ways to deal with the "deficit;" and funds
that in the eyes of federal departments and OMB are considered "stuck in
the pipeline" or "unused" will be fair game. This includes disaster recovery funds that have been in the pipeline for a number of years.
To ensure this money stays on the Coast, the best strategy for both
states is to take an honest assessment of projects with "committed" CDBG
disaster recovery funds but for which funds have not yet been spent.
Those projects that are deemed to be unfeasible or unduly delayed should
have their subsidies transferred to programs and projects that are ready
to make things happen in the here and now.
This is where the private sector can help the new administration in
Jackson and the returning administration in Baton Rouge. MBA and EIGS
can play key roles in this process with their understanding of the
region and its assets, and help to come up with new and substantive
economic development projects and programs. But quick action will be
needed since the window through which anything might occur will only be
open for a short while. Gubernatorial Inauguration Day is just around
the corner.
Passing Note: Increasingly the popular talking heads (TV) or mouths (radio), as is wont to happen during presidential election cycles, are being more provocative in attacking and sniping and providing views of all sorts regarding issues of the day. Indeed many of the personalities have thoughts worth listening to, but a word of caution to Americans seeking information and direction from these sources. Depending on what is being discussed, it is useful to weigh what is being communicated against some understanding of whether or not the source has any real experience in being involved in the management of the issue being addressed. In the world of sports, the use of former players, coaches or sports executives is deemed necessary to give reporting and analysis credibility. Unfortunately, in the realm of politics and government public discourse, the stable of regular "analysts" are by and large persons drawn from journalism or public relations rather than for those who may have actually run a program or department. A pity.
Image of the Month
Keeping track on Black Friday
Analysts visit stores, count cars to find trends
Credit: DigitalGlobe
Items of Interest
Space Law Symposium to Examine National Space Laws
Space Ref
(Oxford, MS) - The National Center for Remote Sensing, Air and Space Law and the Journal of Space Law with the International Institute of Space Law will host the sixth Eilene M. Galloway Symposium on Critical Issues in Space Law in Washington, DC, Dec …
Read more: spaceref.com
Is Geospatial Cloud Computing a Commodity?
DirectionsMag.com
Directions Magazine conducted a survey to snapshot the current thinking among several solution providers (Esri, Ubisense,eSpatial, Accela, ERDAS) about geospatial cloud computing. We wanted to know if cloud computing is now …
Read more: directionsmag.com
Federal Geographic Data Committee Launches New Geospatial Website (Geoplatform …
DirectionsMag.com
WASHINGTON, DC - The federal government and its geospatial partners today unveiled www.geoplatform.gov, a prototype Geospatial Platform website providing an initial view of the future of user-friendly, integrated, federal data collections on common …
Read more: directionsmag.com
GIS Technology Helps Health Care Industry Save Lives
DigitalJournal.com
The health care industry is using GIS (Geographic Information Systems) to save lives. By analyzing geographical health care data, public health and hospital officials are able to make better decisions for patients, increase accessibility to services …
Read more: digitaljournal.com
Did you know retailers have started using satellite images two years ago to count the cars in parking lots outside stores to estimate traffic for retailers. Computers do most of the counting automatically. Sources say the data is amazingly accurate. It has been reported that a number of investment firms pay between $10,000 and $100,000 for monthly reports.
Counting shoppers is one thing, but figuring out how much they are spending is quite another. Even if traffic is down, revenues could be up if retailers have boosted prices.
Read more: bostonglobe.com/business
Global Perspectives
China launches remote-sensing satellite
Xinhua
9 (Xinhua) - China successfully launched the remote-sensing satellite Yaogan XII Wednesday from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in the northern Shanxi province, according to a press release from the center. The satellite was sent into space aboard …
[Read the full article]
'Remote sensing to map state's resource data'
Times of India
BHOPAL: Remote sensing technology would be used to prepare a resource atlas of the state. The technology was being used to collect data and images from satellites. It would be used in the next five-year plan as well, said Alok Shrivastava, …
[Read
the full article]
The Sensor (Full text)
Tell our readers about Spatial Information Solutions and your role with the company.
O'Hara: Spatial Information Solutions, Inc. (SIS), of Starkville, Mississippi, was formed in 2006 as a spin-off company from Mississippi State University (MSU) to accelerate the commercial release of novel map accuracy software technologies. I was fortunate to have worked for Dr. David Shaw, the former Director of the Geosystems Research Institute (GRI) and currently the VP of the MSU Office of Research and Economic Development (ORED), who encouraged me to spin-out SIS and continues to support my dual-role as a company founder who provides direction, focus, know-how, and vision to a spin-off company while I continue to also work as a university researcher. I still perform research at GRI under Dr. Robert Moorhead, who also supports my efforts to develop a spin-off company, but I am taking less of a leading role in research projects and more of a supporting role since I have a responsibility to lead SIS.
The first two years for SIS were about developing a company vision as well as capabilities and capacity. I think the aspect of being a spin-off company that appeals most to me is the fact that we have the opportunity and the know how to take research results and do more than just write journal articles. While scientific journal articles are very important contributions to our knowledge and understanding, I feel passionate about developing solutions that solve real-world problems and deliver benefit to the public, to industry, as well as high-tech jobs for those who work at SIS.
The Sensor: The November 2011 issue of Professional Survey Magazine published an in-depth and very positive software review of one of your products, Topo Analyst. Can you tell us about that as well as your other products and services?
O'Hara: As we prepared our second product (Topo Analyst) for full release to market we identified a select few journals and magazines we felt would help us gain industry and market awareness. Professional Survey Magazine is a highly respected trade magazine and we felt that it was an ideal opportunity to have our new product reviewed.
Initially, we released Accuracy Analyst and that was followed by Topo Analyst. We are preparing additional tools such as Linear Analyst and Change Analyst. At some point, SIS will offer these products in a package to be called Map Accuracy Tools. Furthermore, SIS sees each of these products as being extensible such that we could offer Professional, Enterprise, and Cloud versions of these tools. Finally, we see the value in creating versions of our tools that plug into industry standard software and in creating new utilities that plug into our tools and add enhanced capabilities and benefits to the user.
SIS is focused on becoming a software company, but we do also offer services. It is our goal to develop service projects that complement our software by doing custom code development in ways that are similar to or are enhancements of our commercial products. We are open to developing novel adaptations of our tools and sublicensing the product to a major firm that might rebrand that technology as part of their own product line. SIS recognizes that we must stay focused on building commercial releases of our core technologies and at the same time, we can build capacity and expertise by conducting service projects that are well aligned with our current directions.
The Sensor: SIS is a very customer-oriented company. Give us an idea of who your customers are and how you respond to their needs.
O'Hara: Our first push into the market was with data vendors with major mapping contracts for which accuracy specifications were strictly enforced and a major aspect of the data delivery, review, and acceptance process. SIS looked at major statewide E911 image data updates which led us to the North Carolina statewide project and we also identified vendors supplying data to the USDA for the National Ag Imagery Program. We are now reaching out to major engineering firms as well as federal, state, and local government and to any agencies with a significant mapping mission.
We gather input early and often from our customers. Most frequently, we listen to customers say “We love your software, but we were wondering if you are considering doing something like …” We get fantastic ideas from our customers and work to incorporate their requests into the requirements for our incremental releases. Sometimes a customer will ask about using our tool to perform analyses we have not anticipated – we have given them a new type of ruler and they are being very innovative in the ways they are using the tool. As for our software development cycle, it could be called extreme in that we create frequent builds of our code, keep a running list of update requests and requirements, prioritize our requirements and conduct frequent incremental releases.
The best example of listening to our customers and the industry was when we kept hearing from virtually everyone we talked to, “We love Accuracy Analyst, and what we really need is a tool that does the same exact things for elevation data in raster (DEM) format or for LiDAR point cloud data.” Our product release plan had previously called for release of Linear Analyst as our second product. We had early software for Linear Analyst, but after measuring the response from the market and the input from our customers we decided to move Topo Analyst forward as our second product.
The bottom line is that we are small and nimble. SIS is capable of adapting to changes in software requirements and needs. We are able to build capabilities internally or to reach out and work closely with global experts to move our code forward. It is all about shipping quality software and generating sales. No one cares if you stick with your roadmap, but the roadmap does not generate market interest or translate to sales. You have to listen to your customers, determine where they have problems, and be brutally honest about your capability to deliver a solution that meets their needs that they will buy. In our economic environment, software tools such as SIS develops must be perceived as ‘gotta have it’ because ‘nice to have it’ will not allow us to grow our business.
The Sensor: Let’s talk about one of your recent publications. You had an article featured in the November 2011 issue of Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing (PE&RS). Tell us a little about the article and the significance of being featured in this publication.
O'Hara: For many of our customers, the verification of data accuracy used to be an optional task due to cost and time and the tedious and inconsistent nature of manual methods. In many cases, flawed data were provided to customers and customers accepted the data. Often the data were found to be flawed after the delivery which required that the data be ‘reworked’ to address the problems found. In some cases, the problems were detected by customers early and data deliveries were rejected causing major losses in revenues. Even in prosperous times rejection of products and non-payment for major mapping efforts is painful, but in the current economic climate, project rejection and non-payment on major projects may be catastrophic. For many mapping projects requiring ortho photos and / or lidar products the data resolution, fidelity, and accuracy requirements are quite stringent and verifying products on the production side as well as on the customer side can be a difficult process. SIS tools provide a shared analytical interface that may be used by the data vendor and the customer to cross-verify data in an efficient, consistent, and standardized manner.
The Sensor: Since being established in 2006, SIS has been involved with various business organizations in the state, including the Magnolia Business Alliance. What value do you think an organization such as MBA brings to your company?
O'Hara: SIS is seeing tremendous value and leadership within MBA. We’ve already had enormous help in getting our software tools partner with NVision for the GSA schedule. MBA is always highly responsive to our needs. We look forward to a lasting relationship.
The Sensor: What do you see on the horizon for SIS?
O'Hara: In late 2009, SIS released its flagship product in Accuracy Analyst (currently at version 3.0). In Accuracy Analyst (AA), SIS provides a unique set of automated capabilities which simplify and standardize the process of accuracy assessment of aerial or satellite image data; loading images, analyzing accuracy, and generating professional reports rapidly in a cost-effective manner. Data providers and their customers appreciate the use of Accuracy Analyst to effectively assure and communicate the accuracy and quality of new data in quantitative, reproducible ways, so that maps may be updated using new images without uncertainty or delays.
The latest software product, Topo Analyst, brings the same capabilities for verifying the accuracy and quality of elevation data from either traditional digital elevation models (DEMs) or from LiDAR point cloud data. The user-friendly interface and native features of Accuracy Analyst and Topo Analyst mean that 30 minutes of training are enough to prepare staff to effectively use this software to efficiently and automatically conduct tasks that currently depend upon lengthy, complex, and expensive services, so that they can map with confidence.
SIS technologies replace traditional manual map accuracy verification, quality assurance, and content management methods with leading technology software applications that deliver significant benefits through savings in costs and time, improving the quality and content of map data, and reducing uncertainties in the decision-making so vital to our rapidly changing world. Addressing the accuracy, quality, and uncertainty of map data is what SIS does through delivering novel software solutions that eliminate over 95% of the time and cost of traditional manual approached to data verification and validation.
SIS sees that data are becoming a commodity. Whether our customers need to test ortho images, line data, topography or map updates, there is a tremendous need growing that is “under the radar” to have tools to determine if one source of data is better than another. It is the vision of SIS to become the ‘go to’ company when it comes to verification of map data accuracy!
About Spatial Information Solutions:
SIS develops leading-edge software solutions that verify accuracy, enhance data products, or enable enhanced, integrated, and interactive quality control of advanced mapping data. SIS software solutions are developed through analyzing producer and user needs, designing streamlined and highly automated workflows, implementing solutions using standards-based methods, and conducting exhaustive end-user acceptance testing leading to refined tools that exceed expectations. SIS standard software solutions fill vital gaps in the industry and SIS is available to conduct services to deliver customized solutions that meet your data verification, enhancement or quality control and documentation needs. For more information, visit www.spatialis.com.
