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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!



Geo Sessions 2025: Geospatial Vision Beyond the Map

Geo Sessions 2025: Geospatial Vision Beyond the Map

8/5/2025

Lidar, SAR, and Spectral: Geospatial Innovation on the Horizon Last year, Geo Sessions brought together over 5,300 registrants from 159 countries, with attendees representing education, government agencies, consulting, and top geospatial companies like Esri, NOAA, Airbus, Planet, and USGS. At this year's Geo Sessions, NV5 is... Read More >

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 >

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New to IDL 8.3: !DEBUG_PROCESS_EVENTS System Variable

Anonym

In IDL 8.3, you can use the !DEBUG_PROCESS_EVENTS system variable to control whether or not IDL generates widget events at breakpoints.  By default, this variable is set to 1 which causes IDL to send widget events even when IDL encounters a STOP statement or breakpoint from the workbench.  You can turn off these events by setting !DEBUG_PROCESS_EVENTS to 0.  This change was made in IDL 8.3 to allow users to interact with IDL 8 Graphics (aka New Graphics) while debugging their programs. For example, if you run the following program (test_process_events_default), you will be able to interact (rotate, zoom, etc) with the surface when IDL is halted at the STOP statement. 

pro test_process_events_default
  !debug_process_events=1 ;default setting
  a=findgen(100)
  ng_sur=surface(hanning(200,200))
  stop ;breakpoint
end

However, if you run the program below (test_process_events_zero), you will not be able to interact with the surface when IDL hits the breakpoint:

pro test_process_events_zero
  !debug_process_events=0
  a=findgen(100)
  ng_sur=surface(hanning(200,200))
  stop ;breakpoint

end

In previous versions of IDL, widget events were stopped when IDL encountered at breakpoints. In IDL 8.3 you may encounter unexpected widget events because the default behavior is different. One example of this type of situation is debugging an application with widget timer events.  For example, if you run the application shown below (break_timer_example) in IDL 8.2, execution will halt at the STOP call and no widget events will be generated.   If you run this code in IDL 8.3 with default settings (!DEBUG_PROCESS_EVENTS=1), timer events will continue to generate even at when IDL encounters the STOP call. 

pro break_timer_example_event, ev
    widget_control, ev.id,get_uvalue=uval
  print, 'timer fired'

  widget_control, ev.top,timer=2
  stop

end

pro break_timer_example
  base = widget_base(/column, uvalue='base')
  widget_control, base, /realize
  xmanager, 'break_timer_example', base, /no_block
 
widget_control, base, timer=2
end
 

I hope that this information will be helpful. Thanks for reading!

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