If you were unable to attend the May 6 SmartEdge: Smart Government, Smart Environment, Smart Communities event, you can view the presentation here. The first of these free public events, “The Evolution of Open Source GIS and Its Applications for Big Data Analysis and Smart City,” focused on the use of open source geographic information system (GIS) software, which is increasingly considered one of the GIS implementation options for local governments and companies in the USA. Over the past few years, the market share of open source GIS based solutions has gained momentum as more competitors are entering the field, providing better IT integration opportunities, and addressing such issues as the lack of proper software support.
The presentation sheds light on the current state of technology in open source software, and answer questions related to current situation and future technology trends in open source GIS. Topics include strengths and weaknesses of open source solutions, the extent to which open source GIS software is used in local government operations, big data, cloud architecture, and crowd sourcing. Internationally-Recognized Open Source GIS Leader Presenters included Anthony Calamito, Federal Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Boundless, which is based in Canada. It included Ahmed Osman, founder and chief technology officer, Cartologic, based in Giza, Egypt, which is focused on bridging the gap between proprietary GIS and the freedoms offered by open source GIS.
The next SmartEdge event is currently in the planning stages so please check back!
About the Series
SmartEdge: Smart Government, Smart Environment, Smart Communities is sponsored by the Polis Center at IUPUI and its partners. The presentations are designed to share and discuss ideas and issues and/or expose the audience to solution and technologies pertaining to smart cities and their linkage to sustainability and resilience, policy and governance, and the overall well-being of communities.
SmartEdge guest speakers are thinkers, idea-generators, and implementers of smart city initiatives from industrial, research, governmental, and community entities. The series is geared for those with interest in any of the issues surrounding the concept of the smart city, whether technologic, economic, policy, service, or impact-wise.
Series presentations are expected to cover one or more of the following topics:
- Issues and concerns related to the data infrastructure underpinning smart city solution (e.g. big data, standards, data interoperability, data privacy, security)
- Capability of technologies (state-of-the-art, trends, integration, service scales, implementation issues, e.g.)
- Economics of implementation (cost of infrastructure and technology, return of investment, e.g.)
- Governance of the systems and adaptability to the changing demands of citizens, business, and political leadership
- Technical demos
- Any other topics that are deemed relative