Shoaib Burq, the founder of GeoBase, discusses his background in geospatial and the development of GeoBase, a geospatial backend as a service. GeoBase aims to provide developers with a powerful and easy-to-use platform for building geospatial applications. The product handles data storage, querying, and other backend services, allowing developers to focus on creating an amazing user experience. Shoaib highlights the growing demand for geospatial developers and the need for a tool that combines geospatial technology with software engineering. He also mentions various use cases for GeoBase, including real estate search, fleet tracking, and solar energy potential analysis. The project is currently in private beta and will be generally available soon. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Phil Cooper, an expert in remote sensing and geospatial data, joins the show to discuss Amazon's cloud services and their impact on the space and satellite sector. He explains the launch of Amazon Location Services, which offers mapping and geospatial capabilities tailored for B2B use cases. Phil also highlights the increasing importance of remote sensing and satellite data, driven by the reduced cost of launch and the exponential growth of data volumes. He discusses the process of capturing and processing satellite data, emphasizing the move towards near real-time data delivery. The conversation touches on topics such as data strategy, data formats, and the Overture Maps Initiative.Phil highlights the potential of geospatial data in addressing global challenges and the need for responsible and meaningful questions to be asked. He predicts the rise of companies working in space and the changing nature of the GIS profession. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Today's conversation is wide-ranging - taking us through the British electoral system, the distortion of electoral maps, the use of drones in agriculture, the importance of green spaces in cities, and statistical modeling in spatial contexts. The diversity of topics comes about due to our recap of the biggest week days in Geomob history with events in Edinburgh, Leuven (the first Geomob Belgium), and London. Ed had the good fortune to attend the Belgium and London events, he shares his impressions. Finally, the conversation touches on the energy consumption of AI and the need for sustainable solutions. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Lukas Hort, a game designer at Hamburg-based Pipapo Games, discusses their game Map Map, which is all about cartography and mapping. The game involves exploring islands, marking locations on a map, and finding clues to a legendary lost treasure. The target audience includes map fans and cozy gamers who enjoy relaxing gameplay. The game is still in development and will be available on Steam, where a preview video can be seen. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Steven and Ed discuss #geoweirdness, a series of content "threads" that OpenCage creates on mastodon to engage with their audience and promote their geocoding API. They talk about the challenges of marketing a geocoding API and the need to create content that is interesting and shareable. They discuss the different types of threads, including country-specific threads and threads about specific topics that span all countries. Steven cites the example of the recent thread about the European football championship and the changing borders of countries. From there the discussion moves to #fridaygeotrivia, a live geo trivia game Ed organized on the final Friday of the month on mastodon. He discusses the difficulty of coming up with new topics and questions. Finally, our hosts play a quick round of geo trivia, asking each other questions about football and geography. Ed and Steven encourage listeners to check out the geoWeirdness threads and participate in the geotrivia quizzes. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed chats with Steve McLeod, the founder of Feature Upvote, a service that allows customers to suggest and upvote ideas for products. At the recent Geomob Barcelona and Berlin events we used the service to vote for best speaker at Geomob events. They also explore the challenges of gathering feedback, distinguishing between different types of feedback, and overcoming language barriers. Steve shares advice for managing feedback and making customers feel listened to. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Our conversation covers two recent Geomob events, one in Barcelona and the other in Berlin, with discussions on the talks, speakers, and audience feedback. We then delve into the Amazon geospatial event in London, the new voting system, upcoming Geomob events, and the challenges of managing sponsors. Finally we salute Geomob sponsor Ed Parsons on recently winning the Royal Geographic Society's Professional Geography Award. Well done! Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Gala Camacho, organizer of Geomob Edinburgh, joins Ed on the podcast to discuss her experience organizing the event and provide advice for others interested in starting GeoMob in their cities. The first event in Edinburgh was a success, with a diverse range of talks covering technical, artistic, and business topics. Gala emphasizes the importance of creating a relaxed and inclusive atmosphere at Geomob events, where attendees can make connections and discuss geospatial topics. She also highlights the need for more speakers and encourages anyone interested to submit their ideas. Overall, the event received positive feedback and demonstrated the demand for a geospatial community in Edinburgh. The next Geomob Edinburgh will be on June 25th Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Sanna Jokela, CEO of Gispo, joins us to discuss a project the company did with UNESCO's International Institute for Educational Planning, and which was presented at the most recent Geomob Finland in Turku. The project focused on using rainfall data to find optimal school hours in sub-Saharan Africa. Gispo specializes in open source geospatial tools and works with both local and global clients. We also briefly discuss the Finnish geospatial scene, which has a strong emphasis on open source, with many companies using tools like QGIS. The project for UNESCO is still being tested, but the QGIS plugin they developed has the potential for impact in the community. The conversation also touches on the importance of open data and the power of OpenStreetMap in school projects. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

James Morrison, head pilot and UAS ("Unmanned Aircraft System") lead at Ordnance Survey, discusses the use of drones in mapping and surveying. He shares examples of how drones were used to quickly assess landslips and update mapping in the Isle of Wight, as well as capture data for residential housing developments. James explains the different types of drones used by Ordnance Survey and their capabilities, including capturing imagery with centimeter-level accuracy. He also discusses the importance of safety and following regulations when flying drones. James envisions the continued use of drones in surveying, with potential advancements in sensors and flight times.  Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Robin Wilson, maker of the British Placename Mapper, discusses his project and the power and joy of digital geography. The web app allows users to search and explore British place names, revealing fascinating patterns and historical trends. Robin built the tool for fun during a period of free time and was pleasantly surprised by its viral success on social media and Hacker News. He emphasizes the importance of simplicity in building web geo-focused tools. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Giuseppe Sollazzo, an open data expert and one of the organizers of Open Data Camp 9, returns to the podcast to discusses the upcoming event and the state of open data. Open Data Camp 9 will take place on July 6th and 7th in Manchester, and is a community event that brings together people interested in data from various angles, including data activists, OpenStreetMap contributors, and public sector workers. It is a discussion-based unconference where attendees pitch topics and engage in conversations. Giuseppe also talks about the evolution of open data in the UK, highlighting the importance of data maturity and understanding how to use data effectively. He mentions the successes in data release, such as TFL's open transport data, but also acknowledges the challenges of maintaining and standardizing data. We also highlight Giuseppe's weekly data newsletter, which covers a wide range of data-related topics and has been running for 12 years. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Carston Hernke, the founder of Honeycomb Maps, and recent Geomob Berlin speaker, shares his journey of building a geospatial data analysis tool using WebAssembly. He discusses the frustration of building geospatial applications that don't meet user needs and the aha moment of discovering the concept of direct manipulation. Carston explains how WebAssembly allows for faster and more responsive geospatial experiences in the browser. He introduces Honeycomb Maps, a tool designed for operations teams in the mobility and last-mile delivery markets. Carston emphasizes the importance of simplicity in geospatial tools and offers resources for learning more about WebAssembly. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

In this week's conversation Ed and Steven recap the recent Geomob London event, including discussing the best speaker contest and potential improvements to the voting process. They mull how to best celebrate the 20th anniversary of OpenStreetMap's founding. Finally the discussion turns to recent developments on their respective projects, including a feature in The New York Times for Mapillary and tutorial videos for OpenCage. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Steven is joined by old friend Sean Wiid to discuss UP42, a geospatial marketplace and platform that connects users with commercial geospatial data sources and processing algorithms. Sean shares his journey in the geospatial industry and explains how UP42 aims to address the complexity and fragmentation in the Earth observation and geospatial industry. They discuss the tasking of satellites, the number of data providers on the platform, and the importance of analytics-ready data. Sean also highlights the differences between UP42 and other competing marketplaces and emphasizes the focus on providing a user-friendly interface and API for customers. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

In this episode Ed interviews Octavio Herrera, the founder of recently-launched AddressHub, an address intelligence API for parcel delivery companies. Octavio discusses the importance of address data and the challenges associated with it. He highlights common mistakes in address data, such as abbreviations, inconsistent formatting, and assumptions about addresses working the same way in different countries. Octavio explains how AddressHub helps solve these issues by cleaning and normalizing address data and using multiple geocoders to find accurate coordinates. He also shares his perspective on alternate address solutions. Finally, Octavio promises he will be speaking at a Geomob Berlin in the near future.  Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Nigel Edmead, of enumanation, joins Steven to discuss the importance of teaching geospatial professionals how to articulate the business benefits of their work. He explains that geospatial professionals need business skills to compete for investment resources and secure funding for geospatial projects. Nigel highlights the need for soft skills, such as communication and marketing, to effectively promote the adoption and uptake of geospatial information. He describes the development of a certificate of leadership skills for geospatial professionals and the delivery of e-learning modules and webinars. Nigel emphasizes the importance of tailoring business skills training to the geospatial industry and providing real-world case studies and examples. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed is joined by recent Geomob London speaker James Milner who discusses Terra Draw, a cross-platform, open source map editing tool. He explains the inspiration behind Terra Draw and its use cases, highlighting its differentiation from other mapping tools. James shares the current status of the project and future plans, as well as the open-source nature of Terra Draw and the contributions from the community. He discusses funding and sponsorship, including the support he received from OSGeo UK. James reflects on his experience presenting at FOSS4G and the value of the Geomob community. He concludes by inviting listeners to get involved with Terra Draw and share their feedback. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Steven's guest this week is Jorge Sanz. They discuss the evolution of open source in the geospatial industry, particularly around the role of larger tech companies like Carto, where Jorge previously worked, and Elastic, where he now works. They delve into the capabilities of Elasticsearch and its use in geospatial applications. The conversation touches on the importance of data privacy and ownership, as well as the need for individuals to have an exit strategy from social media platforms. Jorge also shares his involvement in the geospatial community, Geoinquiets Valencia, his recent visit to his first in-person Geomob event in Barcelona, and his aspirations for a Geomob chapter in Valencia. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.

Ed Freyfogle interviews Jake Cracknell, co-founder and CTO of doorways.ai, a company focused on geocoding and routing for the delivery use case. They discuss the frustration of navigating the last 100 meters of a delivery and the need for efficient routing and parking solutions. Jake explains how doorways.ai provides navigable geocoding, doorway geocoding, and optimized paths that avoid barriers. He also highlights the challenges of geocoding and routing in complex areas and the potential for using AI and machine learning in the future. The recently-founded company now exposes a public demo so potential users can see the benefits of doorstep level geocoding. Finally, no discussion of geocoding or routing would be complete with out a horror story. Jake and team have done the analysis and found the worst routing example in the UK. Show notes on the Geomob website, where you can also learn more about Geomob events and sign up for our monthly newsletter.