Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/99375
G eoWorld magazine is again proud to publish this end-of-year ���future-casting��� feature, which has been a fixture of our December issue since 1992. This exercise provides our editorial advisory board members a chance to reflect on a year���s worth of changes to the geotechnology industry as well as ponder what the future may hold. At the rate of current technological change, we may have to run our ���Industry Outlook��� feature every six months instead of annually to keep proper track of all the rapidly evolving complexities in the geotechnology arena. In just 12 months, last year���s main theme, ���cloud computing,��� moved from a growing and innovative technology to a mainstay and universal element of most things geospatial. Social media and its geographic uses have exploded, to the point where Twitter maps now are used by mainstream media to describe what���s happening in the world in very real time. And the interfaces people use to access and learn from information are increasingly becoming smaller and more mobile. The smartphone now is the de facto interface for everything digital. Because of the varied and explosive use of geotechnology, we asked several questions of our board members and allowed them to choose a few selections that best fit their areas of expertise and interest. Two of the most-answered questions relate to the topics of the ubiquitous mobile navigation devices and the data quality derived from social media. Modern geospatial Web capabilities also were discussed. Based on current events, we also asked about the future of the rapidly evolving commercial remote-sensing industry and the effectiveness of scientists using geotechnology to understand global problems. And to cover the industry���s ���building blocks,��� we asked about the general state of education in geography and geotechnology. The answers were as varied and innovative as the technologies themselves. But don���t forget, this printed version represents a small segment of the insight that was collected. To read each board member���s responses in their entirety, see the feature archive on the Web at www.geoplace.com. Will the ever-increasing use of navigation devices and GPS-enabled smartphones further decrease our geographic literacy? Dan Adams: No, but how we read a map has changed. Instead of carrying a paper map while travelling, consumers have immediate access to digital maps via their mobile devices. People have quickly adapted to panning and Dan Adams, vice president of zooming and searching for spa- Product Management, TomTom tially enabled content. The widespread availability of inexpensive GPS-enabled phones combined with Internet and cloud computing provides people with diverse spatial information, in real time, on demand. People now always have maps. Peter Batty: No, I don���t think it will. Maps are used for many purposes besides navigation. You could argue that the increasing use of maps online will increase geographic literacy, as people see maps much more often. Peter Batty, founder and vice For example, I recently viewed president, Geospatial Technology, Ubisense many interesting and interactive maps online showing the path of Superstorm (formerly Hurricane) Sandy: the way power outages grew through time, the location of Red Cross shelters, a cool visualization of the last 150 years of hurricanes and more. D E C E M B E R 2 O 1 2 / W W W . G E O P L A C E . C O M 15