GeoWorld

GeoWorld September 2013

Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/174312

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 3 of 31

Would It Be More Unique to Have an Issue about Cloud Computing Alternatives? POSITION T BY TODD DANIELSON he headline's question has been running through my mind as I've been preparing this GeoWorld issue on "Web GIS/Cloud Computing." The more I read and the more statistics I look at, it occurred to me that these topics have become GIS, and it would be more unusual to write about systems that aren't Web or Cloud based. Of course, just because it would be more unique doesn't make it more useful. For example, most newspapers or blogs try to focus on issues that appeal to the most people, not fringe elements. And in a silly example, gossip magazines sell a lot more copies writing about George Clooney than some unknown, although excellent, actor who has a small part in an obscure movie. With that irrefutable logic, I'll press on and discuss the "Clooney" that is cloud computing. Some Statistics There's no shortage of statistics on the growing pervasiveness of cloud computing. Here are some of my favorites: cloud computing "unknowingly" already moved to cloud computing in the world Todd Danielson is editor of GeoWorld magazine, PO Box 773498, Steamboat Springs, CO 80477; e-mail: tdanielson@geoplace.com. 4 G E O W O R L D / S E P T E M B E R 2 O 1 3 (1 million servers) That's just the tip of the iceberg, but I didn't want to fill the entire column with statistics. Needless to say, cloud computing (and Web GIS) is huge, and it's getting bigger by the minute. What It Means for GIS As someone who has been in the geotechnology industry for 17 years now, I've seen the progression from desktop to locally hosted to cloud technology. It's moved very rapidly lately, and the direction goes only in one direction: to the cloud. All the major software and data vendors now have some or, in some cases, all of their products hosted online, and the reasons are many. One of the main advantages is every last bit of software functionality or don't require data hosted on their own machines turn to the cloud because they can use "what they need, when they need it." Emergency-management personnel are an excellent example. Fortunately, disasters don't happen all of the time, but, when they do, first responders need to be ready for anything and everything. Having costly equipment, software and data running constantly in their own offices eats through budgets (and electricity), so when an emergency happens, they don't have all of the resources they could. But via the cloud, emergency managers can have only a basic infrastructure running constantly, awaiting the next disaster. And when that disaster happens, and it will happen, they can scale up almost instantly and have complete server farms at their disposal. An equivalent is "on demand" television viewing via the Internet. Many people don't watch enough television to justify the large cable or satellitechannels available to them at all times. Instead, they can pay for only the shows they actually watch, cutting their costs significantly. I'm one of those people. There are several well-written and informational articles in this issue that describe how various companies and government agencies are using Web- or cloud-based systems to cut costs while increasing efficiency. It's the wave of the "now" as well as the future, and our industry is riding the crest. Happy surfing!

Articles in this issue

Links on this page

Archives of this issue

view archives of GeoWorld - GeoWorld September 2013