Geospatial

• [New] The new Arc7 ice-class tankers are designed to ensure year-round navigation along the Northern Sea Route, including its Eastern part, and will have increased icebreaking and maneuvering characteristics as compared to the previous type of Arctic tankers currently used by the Yamal LNG project.
• [New] Multipolarity in space presents a range of challenges and opportunities for the United States to achieve security and prosperity in space.
• [New] The coming year will see us build a compelling narrative focused on helping stakeholders accelerate their navigation of the digital landscape as they plan for a hybrid future.
• [New] The energy consumption from Bitcoin mining will peak in 2024 and will generate around 130 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
• [New] The recent blockage of the Suez Canal for several days will prompt some sea transportation outfits to take a look at the Northern Sea Route through the Arctic as an option.
• [New] There will be an integration with Google Maps as part of the shopping experience, which not only has implications for in-person shopping experiences, but also for building efficiencies around grocery delivery as well.
• An air quality layer will join Google Maps' existing options - which includes traffic and satellite views - in Australia, India, and the US in the coming months.
• GPS and heart rate monitoring might be today's must-have features, but tomorrow's include ECG measurements, which are found on the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 and Fitbit Sense.
• Orolia will continue as a world leader in Resilient Positioning, Navigation and Timing and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) solutions for military and commercial applications worldwide.
• The weather layer will have a worldwide release, while the air quality layer initially launched in Australia, India, and the United States.
• Britain will soon deploy its new aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, to the Indo-Pacific to ensure freedom of navigation against China, its systemic competitor.
• Google will be adding eco-friendly driving routes, as well as air quality and weather updates, in the coming months.
• Eco-friendly driving routes - A new routing model will enable Google Maps to automatically select the route with the lowest carbon emissions footprint.
• Google plans to launch the weather layer globally and launch the air quality layer first in Australia, India, and the US.
• GHGSat Inc, a Canadian company that hopes to become the global reference for remote sensing of greenhouse gases, uses satellite technology to monitor leaks.
• Earth observation and remote sensing systems are becoming increasingly vital as countries seek tools to address threats posed by extreme weather conditions and climate change.
• While Iran is rejecting any direct talks for now without US concessions on lifting crude oil and other economic sanctions, the scheduled Vienna talks could lay out the road map for an eventual deal.
• For a nationwide service, South Korea will establish a cooperative system with broadcasting, information and communication sectors to provide precise standard-time information and expand it to other industries to prevent disruptions in national infrastructure even when GPS is suspended.
• To be available on Android and iOS, the weather layer will be made available globally, while the air quality layer will launch in Australia, the US, and India, with plans to see it expanded in other countries.
• As the world's wealthiest economies, strong leadership is needed from the G7 nations to advance rapidly the next generation climate technologies that will be needed in the next 10 to 30 years to create the net zero world of 2050.

Last updated: 18 April 2021