Gala Camacho, organizer of Geomob Edinburgh, joins Ed on the podcast to discuss her experience organizing the event and provide advice for others interested in starting GeoMob in their cities. The first event in Edinburgh was a success, with a diverse range of talks covering technical, artistic, and business topics. Gala emphasizes the importance of creating a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere at Geomob events, where attendees can make connections and discuss geospatial topics. She also...

Sanna Jokela, CEO of Gispo, joins us to discuss a project the company did with UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning, and which was presented at the most recent Geomob Finland in Turku. The project focused on using rainfall data to find optimal school hours in sub-Saharan Africa. Gispo specializes in open source geospatial tools and works with both local and global clients. We also briefly discuss the Finnish geospatial scene, which has a strong emphasis on open source,...

James Morrison, head pilot and UAS ("Unmanned Aircraft System") lead at Ordnance Survey, discusses the use of drones in mapping and surveying. He shares examples of how drones were used to quickly assess landslips and update mapping in the Isle of Wight, as well as capture data for residential housing developments. James explains the different types of drones used by Ordnance Survey and their capabilities, including capturing imagery with centimeter-level accuracy. He also discusses the...

Robin Wilson, maker of the British Placename Mapper, discusses his project and the power and joy of digital geography. The web app allows users to search and explore British place names, revealing fascinating patterns and historical trends. Robin built the tool for fun during a period of free time and was pleasantly surprised by its viral success on social media and Hacker News. He emphasizes the importance of simplicity in building web geo-focused tools. Show notes on the Geomob website,...

Giuseppe Sollazzo, an open data expert and one of the organizers of Open Data Camp 9, returns to the podcast to discusses the upcoming event and the state of open data. Open Data Camp 9 will take place on July 6th and 7th in Manchester, and is a community event that brings together people interested in data from various angles, including data activists, OpenStreetMap contributors, and public sector workers. It is a discussion-based unconference where attendees pitch topics and engage in...

Carston Hernke, the founder of Honeycomb Maps, and recent Geomob Berlin speaker, shares his journey of building a geospatial data analysis tool using WebAssembly. He discusses the frustration of building geospatial applications that don't meet user needs and the aha moment of discovering the concept of direct manipulation. Carston explains how WebAssembly allows for faster and more responsive geospatial experiences in the browser. He introduces Honeycomb Maps, a tool designed for operations...

In this week's conversation Ed and Steven recap the recent Geomob London event, including discussing the best speaker contest and potential improvements to the voting process. They mull how to best celebrate the 20th anniversary of OpenStreetMap's founding. Finally the discussion turns to recent developments on their respective projects, including a feature in The New York Times for Mapillary and tutorial videos for OpenCage. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more...

Steven is joined by old friend Sean Wiid to discuss UP42, a geospatial marketplace and platform that connects users with commercial geospatial data sources and processing algorithms. Sean shares his journey in the geospatial industry and explains how UP42 aims to address the complexity and fragmentation in the Earth observation and geospatial industry. They discuss the tasking of satellites, the number of data providers on the platform, and the importance of analytics-ready data. Sean also...

In this episode Ed interviews Octavio Herrera, the founder of recently-launched AddressHub, an address intelligence API for parcel delivery companies. Octavio discusses the importance of address data and the challenges associated with it. He highlights common mistakes in address data, such as abbreviations, inconsistent formatting, and assumptions about addresses working the same way in different countries. Octavio explains how AddressHub helps solve these issues by cleaning and normalizing...

Nigel Edmead, of enumanation, joins Steven to discuss the importance of teaching geospatial professionals how to articulate the business benefits of their work. He explains that geospatial professionals need business skills to compete for investment resources and secure funding for geospatial projects. Nigel highlights the need for soft skills, such as communication and marketing, to effectively promote the adoption and uptake of geospatial information. He describes the development of a...

Ed is joined by recent Geomob London speaker James Milner who discusses Terra Draw, a cross-platform, open source map editing tool. He explains the inspiration behind Terra Draw and its use cases, highlighting its differentiation from other mapping tools. James shares the current status of the project and future plans, as well as the open-source nature of Terra Draw and the contributions from the community. He discusses funding and sponsorship, including the support he received from OSGeo UK....

Steven's guest this week is Jorge Sanz. They discuss the evolution of open source in the geospatial industry, particularly around the role of larger tech companies like Carto, where Jorge previously worked, and Elastic, where he now works. They delve into the capabilities of Elasticsearch and its use in geospatial applications. The conversation touches on the importance of data privacy and ownership, as well as the need for individuals to have an exit strategy from social media platforms....

Ed Freyfogle interviews Jake Cracknell, co-founder and CTO of doorways.ai, a company focused on geocoding and routing for the delivery use case. They discuss the frustration of navigating the last 100 meters of a delivery and the need for efficient routing and parking solutions. Jake explains how doorways.ai provides navigable geocoding, doorway geocoding, and optimized paths that avoid barriers. He also highlights the challenges of geocoding and routing in complex areas and the potential for...

Max Lenormand returns to the podcast, this time to join Steven in discussing the emergence of generative AI and its applications in the geospatial field. Max explores the challenges and opportunities of using generative AI in geospatial data analysis and mapping. The conversation delves into the importance of trust and accuracy in geospatial data, as well as the potential impact of AI on historical mapping and indoor mapping. Max also shares his concerns and excitement about the future of AI...

Ed and Steven announce the first ever Geomob Edinburgh (March 26th) and recap recent Geomob events in London, Barcelona, and Berlin. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Old friend Thierry Gregorius, an executive coach and founder of True Horizon Coaching - and occasional London geomobster - discusses his journey from the geospatial industry to coaching. He highlights the transferable skills developed within the geospatial industry and the challenges faced by professionals transitioning in and out of the industry. Thierry and Ed also explore the impact of AI on the geospatial industry and emphasizes the importance of human skills, such as emotional...

Ed and Patrick Ribeiro discuss explorer.land, a map-based storytelling and transparency tool for nature-based projects related to climate change. The platform allows organizations to showcase their projects on a map, providing transparency and accountability to stakeholders. It offers features such as aerial imagery, thematic layers, and real-time data to help users understand the impact of these projects. The goal is to build trust and encourage financial support for organizations working on...

Steven interviews Ana Lucia González Paz, a senior journalist in visual journalism with the BBC World Service. They discuss the role of visual journalism in a radio program, the importance of maps in storytelling, and the personal connection between maps and memories. Ana Lucia shares her inspiration for creating A Map Inside, a flip book that explores the geography of mountains and how they shape our identities. They also touch on the topic of disputed borders and the challenges of creating...

In this episode Neelima Mohanty and Pragya Pant share their experiences as young women in the geospatial industry and the impact of mentorship on their careers. They discuss the challenges they face as women in a male-dominated field and the importance of equal opportunities. Nalima talks about her internships and the practical experience she gained, while Pragya highlights the transformative nature of mentorship. They offer advice to mentors and mentees, emphasizing the need for flexibility,...

Ed and Steven catch up on their holiday experiences, their projects, and look forward to this week's Geomob London event. They discuss the growing financial challenges of running Geomob and explore potential sponsorship ideas to cover the rising costs. One idea is to offer a 'buy one, get one free' sponsorship package, where sponsors support both the podcast and an open-source project. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our...

Joining Ed this week is data expert Auren Hoffman. Auren is the founder of SafeGraph, a geospatial company that aggregates geospatial data from multiple sources and sell it to a diverse list of clients. Listen in as Auren explains where the data comes from, how it is used, and the issues around accuracy. They also discuss the business of places data and the type of clients that need it the most. The key, according to Auren, is knowing your customer and building your product with them in mind....

In this episode, Steven and Ed discuss their favorite tools and workflows for daily tasks. They cover clipboard management tools like Clip Menu and Clipy, the differences between browser-based and local installations, the use of password managers like OnePassword and LastPass, the power of the Perl programming language, and the convenience of QGIS to Web for building interactive web maps. They emphasize the importance of mastering tools and investing time to understand their full...

We start off 2024 with a new series focussing on the humanitarian use of GIS and partnering with MapAction, the humanitarian mapping charity and volunteer driven organisation that works with local and regional disaster management agencies worldwide. Joining Steven are Renee Babb, Lavern Ryan, and Alan Mills. The focus of the discussion is the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) and their partnership with MapAction. Lavern has been working at the government of the small...

Once again we convene the Geomob expert panel to look back on 2023 and make predictions for 2024. Join Steven, Ed and the geo-elves: Ken Field, Mark Iliffe, Jeremy Morley, Ed Parsons Denise McKenzie, and Alex Wrottesley for our extra-long holiday special.   We wish all of our listeners a restful holiday break and a geotastic 2024! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

You'll want to take a look at these photos before you listen to this episode. Joining Steven this week is anthropologist and humanist Angel Arenas, the creator of Giant Interactive Maps that promote different territories in a gamified way. These huge outdoor maps are placed in public spaces and walked on by hundreds of people at a time. However, they are not just works of art, the public is encouraged to answer questions and interact via virtual reality and learn about the areas on the map....