Technology Forum - Sensor Web & Big Data

Dr Sarah Parcak
Associate Professor of Anthropology
University of Alabama
US




ABSTRACT
The Future of Space Archaeology: LiDAR, Hyperspectral, and Multispectral High Resolution Imagery Processing
This presentation will discuss the possibilities and potential for satellite archaeology applications across diverse fields, including archaeology, anthropology, cultural heritage management, and cultural resource management (especially pertaining to land development and utilities).  It will focus on the use of imagery datasets for the growing global crisis of archaeological site looting in the face of war or popular uprisings like the Arab Spring. The field of “space archaeology” is growing, with an increased use of remote sensing datasets applied to diverse global heritage projects.  Archaeologists, however, have become too focused on finding things using limited datasets without a critical assessment of the full range of remote sensing techniques and datasets. Conversely, some archaeologists employ remote sensing specialists to work for their projects, who publish advanced technical papers which archaeologists with only a general working knowledge of satellite imagery processing cannot fully utilize (and without appropriate archaeological applications). This presentation will draw on case studies from the author’s archaeological research and collaborative activities in Egypt, Kenya, Tunisia, Jordan, Italy, Romania, and Alabama.  She will include data integration, data mining, and the possibilities of working with Big Data. She will discuss the use of WV-1, WV-2, Geoeye, IKONOS-2, and EROS-B datasets, as well as LIDAR and hyperspectral camera data alongside traditional NASA datasets.
Dr. Ahmed Abukhater
PhD, GISP
Global Director of Product Management
Pitney Bowes Software
USA

BIO
Dr. Ahmed Abukhater, GISP, is an architect, designer, and planner by trade. He is currently serving as the Global Director of Product Management at Pitney Bowes Software. In his role, he is dedicated to advancing the application of enterprise geospatial solutions and delivering global access to knowledge of GIS by promoting geospatial intelligence as the industry standard technology. Previously, he served as Esri’s Global Industry Manager for Planning and Community Development and Director of PLACES in California and a GIS Manager and instructor at the University of Texas at Austin. With over a decade of proven leadership in various executive management roles in the US and overseas, he is a noted thought leader and a sought-after keynote speaker in a number of areas including GIS solutions and strategic marketing in planning and community development, environmental science and sustainable development, and trans-boundary water resources management and conflict resolution. Dr. Abukhater holds a Ph.D. in Community and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Austin, a Master’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Bachelor’s degree in Architectural Engineering. Throughout his career, Dr. Abukhater has authored numerous publications, served on many governing and advisory boards, and received over 20 prestigious awards for his work. He is married and a proud father of three children.

ABSTRACT
"How “big” is Big Data really is? A GIS prospective"
Today the world is changing around us with data flowing in all directions with location intelligence at the heart of everything we do. The availability, velocity and staggering volume of structured, semi-structured, and unstructured data made the “big data” concept pertinent and critical to our work and presented an opportunity and a challenge to the GIS professionals. “Big data” can enable us to connect people, places and things and provide increased insights as to the nature and importance of various activities and transactions. What has been lacking is a meaningful consideration of how organizations can derive value from the data available to them by making it part of their enterprise ecosystem and business workflow. This calls for a mechanism to manage, view, synthesize, analysis and present data in a meaningful way that ensures ubiquitous access and collaborative decisions.

This presentation will provide a pragmatic look at the concept of “big data” in the context of the GIS industry and associated challenges and opportunities. It will also offer future directions of how enterprise location intelligence can be used as a platform to take advantage of “big data” in the pursuit of organizational productivity and efficiency.