LEADERS' OUTLOOK
Challenges and opportunities
Better HD mapping requires collecting tremendous quantities of data. Moving that data around and processing it in a timely manner is a major challenge. At Mosaic, we are striving to image the world in unprecedented detail at the highest possible speed, with minimum user requirements in terms of setup, operation, and data management. We have a number of exciting things around the corner that will ensure that the end solution, be it segmentation, routing or change detection, can be derived as quickly as possible.
Connecting Two Worlds BY JEFFREY MARTIN
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CEO, Mosaic
he general trend of automation in the evolution of human technology has allowed us to do away with the repetitive tasks that humans were forced to perform. Even now, a lot of infrastructure inspection is done by people driving down a street and finding issues that need to be examined closely. The opening of GPS data to civilians by Bill Clinton in 1996 was perhaps the single biggest opportunity for mapping. Further, digital imaging, LiDAR, the blossoming of artificial intelligence, and the ability to weave all of these together has led to new use cases, inventions, and economic benefits.
ANNUAL EDITION / JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2022
Gradual advancement
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Cameras are forever improving, but the curve has flattened and we are reaching a limit in terms of what todayâs optics can accomplish with the smallest pixels and image sensors with resolution and dynamic range. LiDAR and other types of 3D sensing are maturing quickly. In the future, we will see more solutions offering real-time intelligence and metadata. We will also see a broadening of second-degree services as more base layer solutions become available. We have been building ever more detailed aerial and ground-level photographic maps. Mobile mapping using cameras offers a wealth of information that is not available via laser scanners, drones, or aerial images. As it becomes easier to collect this data, more and more applications will come up.
Today, we see companies either doing everything on their own, or paying for a service that can provide the data that they need. A lot of private data exists, which is not shared, and a lot of work is duplicated by competing efforts. We must explore a more interesting federated solution that could allow all parties to benefit, while allowing the users to still compete meaningfully.
Mainstreaming of technology
Virtual reality as a technology hasnât yet made its way into our lives. With the current interest in this thing that we call âthe Metaverseâ, there are a few companies investing heavily into it, but we don't know what it is yet. Until personal augmented reality devices are able to properly map our surroundings, HD/3D/ 360Âș mobile mapping will play an essential role in merging the physical world with this new world we are imagining.
In the future, we will see more solutions offering real-time intelligence and metadata. We will also see a broadening of second-degree services as more base layer solutions become available. Emerging trends
We see a trend of consolidation, vertical integration, and previously competing or incompatible services being rolled up into more streamlined offerings, especially subscription-based services and Cloud processing of data. Currently, file management, processing of raw data into the final product, and presentation of that data can be cumbersome for customers who want to actually own their data. We see the market streamlining itself in this way, offering more convenient solutions in terms of data collection, processing, and usage.
