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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!



Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

Not All Supernovae Are Created Equal: Rethinking the Universe’s Measuring Tools

6/3/2025

Rethinking the Reliability of Type 1a Supernovae   How do astronomers measure the universe? It all starts with distance. From gauging the size of a galaxy to calculating how fast the universe is expanding, measuring cosmic distances is essential to understanding everything in the sky. For nearby stars, astronomers use... Read More >

Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

Using LLMs To Research Remote Sensing Software: Helpful, but Incomplete

5/26/2025

Whether you’re new to remote sensing or a seasoned expert, there is no doubt that large language models (LLMs) like OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Google’s Gemini can be incredibly useful in many aspects of research. From exploring the electromagnetic spectrum to creating object detection models using the latest deep learning... Read More >

From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

From Image to Insight: How GEOINT Automation Is Changing the Speed of Decision-Making

4/28/2025

When every second counts, the ability to process geospatial data rapidly and accurately isn’t just helpful, it’s critical. Geospatial Intelligence (GEOINT) has always played a pivotal role in defense, security, and disaster response. But in high-tempo operations, traditional workflows are no longer fast enough. Analysts are... Read More >

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

Thermal Infrared Echoes: Illuminating the Last Gasp of a Dying Star

4/24/2025

This blog was written by Eli Dwek, Emeritus, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD and Research Fellow, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard & Smithsonian, Cambridge, MA. It is the fifth blog in a series showcasing our IDL® Fellows program which supports passionate retired IDL users who may need support to continue their work... Read More >

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

A New Era of Hyperspectral Imaging with ENVI® and Wyvern’s Open Data Program

2/25/2025

This blog was written in collaboration with Adam O’Connor from Wyvern.   As hyperspectral imaging (HSI) continues to grow in importance, access to high-quality satellite data is key to unlocking new insights in environmental monitoring, agriculture, forestry, mining, security, energy infrastructure management, and more.... Read More >

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Helios Proves To Be a Force Multiplier

Erin Eckles

Helios® was originally conceived to provide localized real-time weather information to detect the occurrence and impact of weather on road conditions along highways. By leveraging the Closed-Circuit TV network for highway traffic management and applying advanced analytics and machine learning to those feeds, Helios can detect and verify when roads are wet, snow covered, icy, and even provide alerts for fog conditions among others.

Overtime, Helios’ “eyes-on-the-ground” capabilities have also been used to help improve weather forecast and road models. The ability to detect ground truth fills the gaps that both satellite and radar miss (just because radar shows green, does not necessarily mean precipitation is hitting the ground). By providing on-the-ground-weather condition verification, Helios helps meteorologists fine-tune their algorithms to improve the accuracy of their weather forecasts.

Fig 1. In this graphic, Helios analytics camera shows roads are in fact dry while radar shows rain.

 

Last month, during Hurricane Florence, Helios proved again to be useful in other ways beyond those two use cases above. Thousands of citizens, and hundreds of Departments of Transportation (DOT) staff, emergency personnel, news organizations, big retail stores and others signed up to access Helios at no cost for the duration of the storm and its aftermath. We know that emergency and rescue personnel do best when they have actual verifiable intelligence about the locations they’re responding to. During Florence, DOTs, first responders and police benefitted from accessing the Helios’ camera network to validate and identify roads that were flooded so they could properly re-route traffic and emergency personnel avoid these roads when deploying emergency vehicles.

 

Fig 2. Helios extensive camera network and deep machine learning capabilities can automatically flag hazardous road conditions, such as storm surge and/or pooling water, to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of DOT response or to send alerts to drivers of this dangerous condition. Furthermore, it can document as the storm progresses for additional situational awareness.

As the 2018 winter season begins, Helios will again assist DOTs and all those organizations involved in securing safe navigation for those tasked with the free movement of freight. Helios can be used to track winter storms and enhance situational awareness by providing a second set of eyes on the ground to provide verification of weather impact on our roads. 

Fig 3. Helios instantly analyzes any set of persistent cameras and provides the current state of the weather and its impact on the ground.

Helios has become a force multiplier by providing a set of new perspectives on the weather with detailed verification of the unfolding impacts on the ground. If you’re interested in learning more, watch this webinar – Avoid Dangerous Road Conditions with Hyperlocal Weather Info.

 

 

 

 

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