A slightly off-beat and provocative talk about great opportunities for geo-professionals in the face of global challenges.

1. Thierry Gregorius
Coventry, 25 March 2010

2. The Earth

3. You are here
People live on it

4. Energy
People need…
Water
Shelter
Food
Air Land

5. ‘Peak Oil’
Global challenges
Water
security Population
growth
Food
security
Land
Climate change degradation

6. Are we all doomed?
Yes.
The Sun, 5 billion years from now.

7. Everything is relative

8. The purpose of life?
Scotland Feb. 2010

9. Example: GPS.
X-times more productive than classic survey technology.
What do we do?
X-times more work? X-times more leisure?

13. ‘Peak Oil’
Global challenges
Water
security Population
growth
Food
security
Land
Climate change degradation

14. So what’s the point?
http://twitpic.com/wwp3d

15. The road to the future… etc… etc…
IT Y”
NA BIL
UST AI
“S

16. Sustainability n. The capacity to endure.
“Sustainability has become a wide-ranging term that can
be applied to almost every facet of life on Earth.”
Wikipedia
Is it a B-word ? Buzz ?
Bull ?
Bingo ?

17. “interdisciplinary”
“develo “environmen
pment t”
”
“socio-eco
nomic”
r ces” ”
sou “ water
al r e
“natur “land” “energy”
“transport”
“poverty”
“ food ”
“clima etc…
te cha
ng e”

18. In other words…?

21. Old skills…

22. … new jacket?

23. Re-cap…
Climate Change
Water Security
Food Security
Population Growth
Peak Oil
Land degradation

24. Geo-skills
e.g.
Climate Change Flood risk modelling
Water Security Geology, Utility management
Food Security Land use management
Population Growth Urban & transport planning
Peak Oil Exploration survey
Land degradation Brownfield remediation

25. Geo-skills Geo-data
e.g. e.g.
Climate Change Flood risk modelling Height data
Water Security Geology, Utility management Real-time data?
Food Security Land use management Remote sensing
Population Growth Urban & transport planning 3D city models
Peak Oil Exploration survey Topo
Land degradation Brownfield remediation 2D - 4D mapping

26. $ustaina£ility…

27. Of all places!

28. “We used our experience with oil and gas platforms to
design [the offshore windpark] to withstand North Sea
conditions.”
Egmond-aan-Zee, Netherlands

29. w pur pose
e ski lls, ne
Sam
Oil exploration survey, Libya 2007

30. The new oil?

31. So what’s in our geo-toolbox?

32. Sensors…
New:
Consumer

33. Data (commercial)

34. Data (government)
10
dJ an. 20
srelease
edataset
3,000 f re

35. Data (government-commercial)

36. ‘Crowdsourcing’ – users create data
www.OpalExploreNature.org
www.OpenStreetMap.org
Exeter, July 2007 Exeter, July 2008

37. Basically: A shedload of data…
Data ‘off the Web’ Commercial & paid-for gov data
blurring
boundaries…
Instant access Comprehensive and/or authoritative
Free at point of use Known or premium quality
Fast innovation Targeted end user focus (specialised)
One size fits all, unknown quality Greater turnaround time
IPR & commercial re-use issues Greater cost, but incidental to value

38. Looking at data in new ways
Upside-down Google maps Real-time data: The ‘Sensor Web’

39. A glimpse of the future
New tech: Mobile, 3D, Augmented Reality
• Still early/niche but for how long?
• TED Bing Maps demo: check it out http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera.html

40. 3D – many false dawns, but it is coming
Mobile – crowdsourcing, augmented reality

41. What does this bring?
Greater user participation
Increased choice & competition
A growing & more complex world
More sophisticated user demands
A free for all culture?
But also:
More legal test cases & legislation: privacy, copyright

42. More user choice
Also in the professional market
Emerging alternatives to Ordnance Survey large-scale mapping…
UKMapTM by The GeoInformation Group

43. More user choice
Also in the professional market
New ways of data collection e.g. crowdsourcing by professionals
People’s MapTM by Getmapping et al

45. How much data is on the
internet?
“500 billion gigabytes”

46. Legislation
Climate Change Act 2008
Environmental Liability Directive 2009
Carbon Reduction Efficiency Scheme 2010
Flood and Water Management Bill 2010
Etc…
…requiring more data, and more quality data
e.g. uninsurable risks

47. Summary
• a flood of sensors
• a flood of sensors
• a flood of data
• a flood of data
• a flood of users
• a flood of users
• a flood of uses
• a flood of uses
• a flood of legislation
• a flood of legislation
• new web & geo-technologies
• new web & geo-technologies
• user participation: people power
• user participation: people power
• more sophisticated user demands
• more sophisticated user demands
• a more complex world
• a more complex world
• the global challenges
• the global challenges

48. ultin g in… d ata
Re s ert i se &
for exp
ter need
a grea
r tu n ities
eo-o ppo
ts ofg
Lo

49. Lots of fun

50. U think?
t do YO
Wha
Thank you.
Thierry.Gregorius@Landmark.co.uk
www.twitter.com/Thierry_G