International Geospatial Digest April 10th, 2023

1. The Future of GIS with ChatGPT; will we require humans to write Python Scripts?
2. At least 32 dead after tornadoes strike 11 states. Aerial photos show the path of destruction.
3. Training the next generation of GIS professionals
4. Supporting urban spaces with UAV mapping and 3D modelling
5. Italy Bans ChatGPT over Data Privacy Concerns

The Future of GIS with ChatGPT; will we require humans to write Python Scripts?

In today’s era, coding became an important part of GIS and it is a great concern for GIS professionals to implement coding after using traditional GIS tools since years. Now, ChatGPT can be useful for producing simple python scripts, who wants to perform advanced functionalities and automation in geospatial analysis.  It is just a beginning of AI so of course the complicated codes may require human attention to make corrections. However, in this article, the author is sharing his experience of using ChatGPT for generating python scripts in GIS without any editing required from human side. Read More

At least 32 dead after tornadoes strike 11 states. Aerial photos show the path of destruction

It was expected to be a threatening weather conditions last week in South and Midwest of USA, which already experienced a great hit by tornadoes in at least 11 states. There were few deaths occured in McNairy County and also Mayor Larry Smith shared his thoughts on the destruction happened across the county. This article shows us some interesting maps of reported tornado locations and occurred damages, also some aerial images for comparing destructions before and after destructions. Read More

Training the next generation of GIS professionals

There is an increasing demand of geospatial data collection in various organizations. It is important that today’s youngsters get trained on tools required for acquiring geospatial information, useful for them in their future profession. Therefore, a program called Land.Air.Sea.Robotics (LASR) started at John Hopkins University, which educate students about latest data collection tools and software. The course is taught by uniquely qualified instructors like Dr. Blanchard, who is experienced in the field of navy and aviation. Read More

Supporting urban spaces with UAV mapping and 3D modelling

A team from Greece has explored the application of UAVs for spatial mapping in urban environments. It is very challenging to achieve high-accuracy in urban mapping due to the presence of impervious and complex surfaces. The study has been conducted for the area of 81000 m² and the images were captured with a drone camera at the height of 93.34 m above ground. Then a 3D model was generated using a Pix4Dmapper software, which was further textured and rendered to get a detailed view of urban voids and area boundaries. This method is advantageous over terrestrial laser scanning and useful for many urban planning applications. Read More

Italy Bans ChatGPT over Data Privacy Concerns

Italy is the first western country which banned ChatGPT, a trending chatbot from U.S. start-up OpenAI. It was a temporary but immediate restriction to protect the data of Italian users and further the investigation will be conducted if the chatbot breaches the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). OpenAI also disabled ChatGPT temporarily, which is compiled with GDPR. The Italian data protection authority provided 20 days to OpenAI for addressing the watchdog’s concern with further imposing of required penalties. Read More