November 2019 Summaries

The United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP25, will take place in Madrid from December 2nd to December 13th, bringing together politicians, private stakeholders, environmentalists, and advocates to explore solutions for tackling global climate change. Spatial data analysis can help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as Zero Hunger by optimizing agriculture policies, boosting green energy through alternative fuel station location and solar wind power supply curve understanding, and improving sustainable cities with mobility solutions like Traffico and Urbo. Collaboration between sectors is essential to achieving the SDGs, and open data release can enable more agile decision-making and measure progress on these goals. CARTO will host a panel discussion on climate change analysis on December 9th and explore ways for tech companies to become carbon neutral through location intelligence solutions.

You've probably heard that Google Fusion Tables and the Fusion Tables API will be turned down on December 3, 2019. This means embedded Fusion Tables visualizations will also stop working that day. CARTO can help with a full stack Location Intelligence platform providing robust cloud-hosted solutions for managing and analyzing spatial data. You can easily create web maps with a drag-and-drop tool and conduct advanced spatial calculations and analyses at scale. Unlike other geospatial platforms, CARTO offers a fully managed geospatial database, saving time by creating views and new tables directly in the platform. The platform also captures the power of Spatial Data Science, allowing users to save time gathering and cleaning data and speed up analysis with Python packages like CARTOframes. You can transition to CARTO by downloading your data from Google Takeout or exporting it to a CSV or KML file, then syncing it into CARTO to create a map, style it, and publish it in 30 minutes. Additionally, CARTO offers a grant program for small non-profits working on social impact projects and a free trial option.

The 3rd annual Spatial Data Science Conference, #SDSC20, took place at Columbia University last October with over 500 attendees from various sectors and fields, representing a significant increase in attendance compared to previous years. The conference highlighted the growing importance of spatial analysis across multiple industries and showcased its applications in different areas. The event was well-received, with many considering it the most exciting yet, paving the way for future conferences in London and New York City, scheduled to take place in September 2020 and Fall 2020 respectively. Spatial Data Science skills are becoming increasingly relevant across various job types, making it an essential skillset for data scientists and developers, as well as professionals from other sectors. The conference aims to foster connections among attendees and provide opportunities to learn about the latest techniques and technologies in spatial data science.

Calculating catchment areas using human mobility data is essential for businesses, especially in sectors like Retail and Real Estate. Traditional methods such as circular trade areas or isochrones can be unreliable due to various factors like population density and travel patterns. The use of human mobility data from Vodafone Analytics provides a more accurate and flexible approach to calculate catchment areas. This method uses the origins of visitors aggregated at different levels (cell, municipality, province) and takes into account variables like type of activity, day of the week, time of day, and sociodemographic characteristics. The results show that traditional approaches fail to capture where people visiting a specific location actually come from, while human mobility data allows for building targeted catchment areas in different scenarios, such as weekdays and weekends, or by customer profile. This method can provide valuable insights for businesses, enabling them to make informed decisions on staffing, location management, inventory, and more.

Spatial analysis has become an increasingly important tool in the private equity industry, with many funds using advanced types of analysis to find new opportunities at different stages in the investment process. This trend is driven by high market valuations and an abundance of dry powder waiting to be deployed, as well as a desire for differentiation among PE firms. Spatial data science has traditionally been concentrated in industries with clear physical footprints, but funds are now willing to invest in profiles that can understand customer behavior patterns and location-related information across various investments. The use cases for spatial analysis are spreading across multiple industries such as Consumer Goods, Communication Services, Energy, and Utilities, where understanding infrastructure and networks is crucial for reaching target returns. Spatial analysis is most useful in the screening phase and portfolio management phases of a deal, where it can provide a competitive edge or increase potential valuation on exit.

PostGIS Day celebrates the evolution of GIS and its future prospects. The industry has seen a revolution in recent years, with maps becoming more advanced and location data being utilized in various sectors such as retail, real estate, biodiversity, and banking. This growth is driven by new users and platforms emerging from the GIS revolution. Many people who don't know about GIS are actually doing it, including data analysts, data scientists, and developers with some knowledge of maps. The industry has never been bigger, with a growing number of players providing cross-industry platforms and niche industry geospatial specialists. As a result, GIS is blending in with other technology, which has important consequences for the future of the field.

The winter season offers numerous opportunities for data scientists, analysts, developers, and spatial professionals to engage with like-minded individuals and learn from industry experts at various conferences and events across London, Belgrade, Madrid, Munich, Bangalore, and Tokyo. Events such as Big Data LDN 2019, ODSC Europe, Data Science Conference, Big Things 2019, Mobility Maps & Location Intelligence, Business Analytics Intelligence Conference, and Kaggle Days Tokyo cater to diverse interests and skill levels, providing a platform for networking, knowledge sharing, and practical information exchange. These events also promote the exchange of innovative ideas, encourage open source software growth, and foster community engagement, making them ideal destinations for professionals looking to boost their skills and stay updated on industry trends.

The Principality of Andorra has partnered with CARTO and MIT's City Science Group to better monitor, understand, and analyze its tourism industry, a major economic driver. The partnership aims to explore mobility and behavioral patterns, leveraging spatial analysis tools to gain insights into the country's diverse tourist behavior. With 46% of its economy driven by tourism, Andorra seeks to use data-driven policies to support its world-class tourism industry and drive national growth. By harnessing location intelligence and modern data streams, the partnership will generate actionable insights that inform smarter decisions at the national level, positioning Andorra as a global leader in building data-driven policies.

The PostGIS 3.0 release includes over 8000 projections out-of-the-box, including the popular Equal Earth Projection. The Equal Earth Projection is gaining popularity due to its ability to maintain accurate area without distortion. CARTO users can now access and use this projection in their maps, with the option to add it manually or have all 8000 projections automatically added in a future update. Users can apply the projection by copying and pasting a specific SQL definition into the spatial reference table, and then start using it with SRID 8857. Additional projection options are also available, including EPSG 8858 and EPSG 8859 for different regions, allowing users to customize their maps further.