The population of the world is projected to grow by 50% in the next forty years, taking the world from the current 6.5 billion people we have to total of 9 billion. As the world grows and technology advances, geospatial technology is becoming increasingly crucial to businesses and governments. Understanding geospatial technology is the first step to being able to use it effectively.
- Geospatial technology is more than just one thing. Students who are currently studying geospatial technology, or geomatics, come from the fields of geology, statistics, archaeology, and geography. Advanced knowledge of mathematics is also crucial to geospatial technology, as the field demands careful analysis of landscapes. Geospatial analysis is used by city planners, environmentalists, and many other fields to better understand and plan both urban and rural landscapes.
- Many modern devices contribute to the geospatial data used in geospatial data analysis. The GPS technology in our smartphones, cars, and even computers is contributing every minute to the enormous pile of location data that geospatial mapping uses to understand the terrain of the entire world. This kind of information can be used when disaster relief is needed, or in rural land management, or even in community health planning. Geotagging on social media is another way data about the world gets gathered. As people freely reveal where they are and where they took pictures, it becomes possible to plot routes through difficult terrain, understand geography in a more real way, and for businesses to target advertising to the people who might really want and use their products and services.
- Everyone is benefiting from geospatial technology. One of the simplest ways we all use the results of this spatial data analysis is with online maps. These can be used for planning car journeys, for learning about traffic hazards in real time, for seeing a place before you get there and reading reviews about a destination, for planning hikes and camping trips, and just for having fun with something like Google Earth. But this info is also used by researchers to plot cultural data, to research etymology, and to do ethnic studies.
The possible uses of geospatial technology are nearly limitless. Geospatial technology is also now an integral part of our daily life and our most beloved phone and social media applications. The data garnered via location analysis can be used for fun and interest, by researchers, to help in emergencies, and to plan for the future in a more effective way. It is even being used to create even more advanced technology to make the future brighter yet.
