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NV5 Geospatial Blog

Each month, NV5 Geospatial posts new blog content across a variety of categories. Browse our latest posts below to learn about important geospatial information or use the search bar to find a specific topic or author. Stay informed of the latest blog posts, events, and technologies by joining our email list!



New ENVI Agent, IDL Agent, and GeoAgent Quick Guides

New ENVI Agent, IDL Agent, and GeoAgent Quick Guides

6/9/2026

The recent release of ENVI® Agent, IDL® Agent, and GeoAgent™ revolutionize how users interact with geospatial software. These agentic AI applications act as partners to plan, simplify, and execute complex workflows. Knowing where to start can be challenging for new users. To this end, we developed three new quick guides to... Read More >

Introducing NISAR Data Support

Introducing NISAR Data Support

6/5/2026

The release of ENVI® SARscape 6.3 in April 2026 includes preliminary support for NASA-ISRO SAR (NISAR) data. The NISAR mission is a joint Earth-observing satellite project between NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization designed to monitor changes in the planet’s land and ice surfaces using advanced radar imaging. It... Read More >

Monitoring Illegal Mining in the Amazon: Turning Persistent Data Into Actionable Insight

Monitoring Illegal Mining in the Amazon: Turning Persistent Data Into Actionable Insight

5/28/2026

Illegal mining over decades has constituted one of the most persistent and complex socio-environmental problems in the Brazilian Amazon. In recent years, with the increasingly intensive use of mechanized extraction, the associated environmental impacts—such as deforestation, intense soil disturbance, river siltation, and mercury... Read More >

From Answers to Action: Why ENVI and IDL Agents Go Beyond General AI

From Answers to Action: Why ENVI and IDL Agents Go Beyond General AI

4/20/2026

As generative AI tools like Claude and Gemini continue to gain traction, many organizations are asking the same question: Can general purpose AI actually support real geospatial workflows, or does it stop at surface-level answers? That question was front and center in our recent webinar, Meet Your New Partners in Science: ENVI... Read More >

Mapping Earthquake Deformation in Taiwan With ENVI

Mapping Earthquake Deformation in Taiwan With ENVI

12/15/2025

Unlocking Critical Insights With ENVI® Tools Taiwan sits at the junction of major tectonic plates and regularly experiences powerful earthquakes. Understanding how the ground moves during these events is essential for disaster preparedness, public safety, and building community resilience. But traditional approaches like field... Read More >

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AUVSI "Making the Most of Big Data" Panel

Anonym

Last week I was fortunate to participate in the “Making the Most of Big Data” Panel, at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Conference at the World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The panel consisted of industry experts on the technical execution, scientific, legal, and policy aspects of Geospatial Big Data, and was held before an audience of approximately 120 attendees.

I was able to speak about the future of Geospatial Big Data, including forward looking technological and cultural considerations. One topic of interest  to the audience was the “Passive Analytics” concept under research by Exelis VIS, and it’s applications to geospatial big data. The concept behind Passive Analytics is the idea that often times, geospatial data is collected with a specific purpose in mind, and that this purpose is reflected in the “telemetry” or “metadata” associated with the collect. By carefully examining the details and trends present in this metadata, it is possible to determine (to some reasonable degree of accuracy) the ways in which a user may want to exploit that data. 

For instance, consider a UAS platform carrying an FMV sensor and orbiting an areaof interest. The fact that the platform has performed an orbit, and kept the sensor steady on a specific area throughout the orbit, can be detected within the metadata. This can serve to identify to a system that this area is important, and queue the system to take some action, such as computing a 3D model from the source FMV. This 3D model may be a more effective product for exploitation by the end user.   

The monitoring of the incoming data, and the execution of processing when entry criteria are met, can be handled by the big data processing center without user input (passively, thus Passive Analytics). The result is a refined or enhanced product, available on-demand when the user searches the big data system.  The Passive Analytics frameworks, and related products, such as ENVI Services Engine (ESE), and Jagwire, are just some of the technologies Exelis VIS brings to the evolving world of geospatial big data.  

Speaking at the panel was a great experience; it’s exciting to see the new realm of possibilities opening up as Geospatial Big Data makes its way to the forefront of the Geospatial and Analytics communities.  My sincere thanks go to my fellow panelists, and the great team at AUVSI for the wonderful experience. I look forward to participating again next year, and seeing just how far Geospatial Big Data has grown.

 

1 comments on article "AUVSI "Making the Most of Big Data" Panel"

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Luis

Mr Bower,

I attended the presentation about Big Data in Atlanta, and I would like to review it (I'm working on a college homework).

Do you know if there is any place from which I could download it?

Thanks in advance.

Regards,

Luis

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