Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Location Based Apps for India

Soon several social and biz apps will start leveraging (x,y,z, t, photo/video/other info from remote sensor)!! Time for GIS to come into mainstream and limelight!!

Facebook.com, Apple, Foursquare.com, twitter.com etc all all keen to track your location the moment you use the app from your mobile device. More and more will follow and eventually every app will be trying to get your (x,y at specific time). This is extremely powerful information and will be used in more than one ways by companies. Need I elaborate that? Some other day..

How many LBS apps or apps that use "location" exist in India? I will try and find out. If you know of few interesting ones, please let me know.

Manoj

Saturday, May 21, 2011

R-APDRP - Will it succeed?

R-APDRP is one of the key projects that has consumed lot of "discussion time" amongst GIS professional in India. Even on my blog, you are finding it's mention again and again!!

I found this very interesting student paper where Ambuj Lal has done a "Review of APDRP and RAPDRP"

Ambuj has made very interesting & relevant comment: "If R-APDRP fails and most likely, it will, the failure would squarely rest on MoP and the PFC, who have goofed up the entire execution, stating that if we give utilities the right to think and act on their own, the projects will fail. PGCIL which was the earlier consultant failed in APDRP-I. A set of 5-6 consultant panels in APDRP-II or R-APDRP also has not had much success. In essence then, the reason for the failure of R-APDRP would be attributed to the wrong strategy and approach of MoP and PFC both on technical and contractual issues and empaneling of vendors and the confusing specifications that has been made, with no teeth to consultant, resulting in all Utilities facing the dire consequences of grant becoming loan, and thereby eroding their already weak financial position"

While Ambuj Lal's paper clearly indicates that he has done extensive study and analysis to draw final conclusions, several other seasoned professionals have also drawn their "conclusions" on why with R-APDRP fail. Fact is that almost everyone is "struggling" and more often then once, there is specific mention of "GIS" as one of the key contributing factors for failures of R-APDRP.

But let me ask you - what do you think is required to make R-APDRP (and more specifically GIS survey) successful?

Manoj

PS: I strongly believe that the current situation can be turned around. What it needs is for us to focus on how can it be corrected then on why will it fail!! This is an exceptional opportunity for GIS industry to develop additional skill sets and position itself for a brighter future!





Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Where's Lalit Modi? Don't ask me who is he!!

Check out:

http://www.whereslalitmodi.com/

Great mash-up.

Next time - do demonstrate technology- I expect "a band" to be made compulsory to be used by Lalit Modi, so that one can find his real time location.

Manoj

ps: I have keen interest in technology but little interest in Lalit Modi's whereabout!

Monday, May 9, 2011

If Obama can find Osama Using Geo-Spatial Technolgy, why can't you map, track, monitor and kill your competition?

It's interesting to note that Geospatial Technology played significant role in tracking and monitoring OBL. Gepatial Technology was used for:

1. Creating three-dimensional renderings of the Abbottabad compounds using imagery and laser-based sensing devices--laser radar, or ladar.

2. Analyzing data from a sophisticated next-generation drone that kept watch on the compound before, during, and after the raid. The drone was an RQ-170 built by Lockheed Martin.

3. Helping the Joint Special Operations Command create mission simulators for the pilots who flew the helicopters into the breach

4. Providing to the CIA and other policymakers assessments of the number of people who lived inside the compound, their heights and genders.

How was this possible? Apart from normal mapping - remotely identification of what an object or a building is made out of, conducted sophisticated pattern analysis of human characteristics, like gait and body size, carried out facial recognition using sophisticated software and used hyperspectral sensors to get information below the surface!!

So I must ask this simple question to businesses in India - If Obama can find Osama Using Geo-Spatial Technolgy, why can't you map, track, monitor and kill your competition? You will need just a fraction of all the sophisticated techniques mentioned above!

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Geographic Information Can make you and me healthy!

Folks - Please view this.

If anyone of you come up with app idea or product idea, and want to take that to implementation stage - get in touch with me!!

Also, before you buy home - do try to assess the "environment" around the place where you will eventually live !!

Geographic Information Can make you and me healthy! And if you have a good app or biz plan, that can make you and me wealthy as well!!

What's wrong with acquisition's?

This is an interesting phase in Indian GIS Industry. I had strongly believed that Indian GIS market has an extremely bright future and I continue to carry the same belief. The type and size of projects that are and will be executed in India are extremely challenging and huge! And this trend will continue in foreseeable future. Additionally I expect that "Private Sector" will also "embrace" GIS based solutions much more than done in past. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of my thoughts on that subject, in near future.

There are "rumors" that a large GIS company will be acquired soon. I get calls, emails and questions on different forums from people asking me about my opinion on what's my take on the news. Here's what I feel:

1. There is NOTHING WRONG in acquisition. This is a normal market phenomenon. Open any business paper and you can read about mergers and acquisition's almost on daily basis!

2. Usually acquisition's are good for all parties. Company that spends money in acquiring businesss spends more money and efforts to unlock value and maximizing returns from the investment. This may lead to change in direction of acquired company and hence better growth compared to past! But then this change is what the original company needed!!

3. International market have several examples like NavTeq by Nokia, MapInfo by Pitney Bowers, ERDAS by Hexagon, Intergraph by Hexagob etc. and we have seen that acquired companies have done well. There can be argument about degree and direction but fact is that growth has happened. Indian examples are fewer and far between and that's largely because of small industry size.

4. Good employees and good managers stand to gain from such step. Those who have got into a comfort zone and don't want to change, are the ones who are likely to be negatively impacted but that number is usually very small!!

5. A deal is not done, until its done and hence it shall NOT BE be discussed in public. A rumor is a rumor and let's not speculate!!

Why am I writing this? It will help me to redirect emails and calls to this post and I will save some time!

Overall, this is exciting time! For the GIS market - in general. If this rumor is proved correct, my earlier belief that SI will play a much bigger and much more decisive role in Indian GIS industry will be resolved even further!!

Manoj




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