Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/50311
Will cloud-computing architectures become the norm for most geotechnology applications, even those that require high-end capabilities? Dan Adams: Yes. With the amount of data, the number of possible users (and installed applications) that will be using data and soft- ware, cloud-based architecture is inevitably going to play a sig- nificant role. It already plays an important role with applications such as Internet searches and watching videos. I believe that geospatial applications will need to find and adjust the balance of what data and functions are best performed locally vs. remotely over time. This will vary by application, location (bandwidth availability) and sensitivity to the most up-to-date information. The fun is going to be building applications that know how to integrate local and remote data in a way that's seamless to end users. Of course, this isn't going to be a one-time decision—as technology changes, the best on-board and cloud-based mix is going to change, too. Chris Andrews: Cloud-computing architectures won't become the norm even for high-end tech- nology applications—they will become the norm especially for high-end applications. Examining what we're doing at Autodesk, where the products I manage include a technology preview for a cloud-based solu- tion, it's clear that the cloud offers many benefits to our customers. The most high-end applications of spatial cloud architectures that we're starting to see today are predictive-optimization solutions that combine access to large quantities of data with distributed-processing abilities to allow users to rapidly construct and analyze complex models to solve problems. Oracle and IBM, both companies with embedded spatial capability in their high-end database tools, champion systems that can search through terabytes of data in seconds to solve problems. It's only a matter of time before such systems combine real-time data, Web search results and spatial information. I expect to see these tools used to predict near-term outcomes of chaotic prob- lems such as imminent traffic blockages, the spread of disease outbreaks and the location of criminals through facial recognition combined with patterns of Internet usage. Even if the average geospatial-technology user doesn't need the highest-end cloud applications, you can clearly see that capabilities such as taking data into the field, browsing through maps in online portals and combining geospatial logic with business systems become easier every day. Jack Dangermond: Cloud comput- ing provides the potential for access to and publication of dynamic data. This includes the consumption of real-time information for analyses and modeling, which then can be leveraged in applications that serve multiple purposes and audiences, meeting potentially high-volume traffic over a ubiquitous and scalable architecture. For a geospatial technologist, cloud GIS can ideally mean that data are always available, always accessible. For the mobile worker, the cloud offers an expansive field to speed workflow productivity and collaboration. Shared data and applications in the cloud can be immediately accessed to discover, view, edit, save changes and invoke geoprocessing func- tions for on-demand results. It's important to underscore that our current atten- tion to the cloud doesn't forego interest and invest- ment in on-premises desktops, servers and mobile applications. Rather, the cloud is another enabling platform to help complement and augment an orga- nization's sales, marketing, and technology portfolio capabilities. Chuck Drinnan: Of the many applications considering cloud- based implementations, GIS is an almost perfect fit. GIS requires a massive amount of data—where better to store it than on the cloud? Most GIS applications want widespread dissemination of their applications with security and access con- trol—what better medium than the cloud? In many GIS implementations, availability of experi- enced IT resources is limited. Who in your company is going to set up complex networks, maintain huge data- bases, continue to update GISs, and ensure databases DECEMBER 2O11 / WWW . GEOPLA CE . C O M 21