Business
It's a small world - especially when viewed on a mobile device. Since 2001, Florida-based GeoAge has been navigating the rapidly expanding field of location tracking to help users gather data and generate reports with situational awareness on mobile devices and computers. With Google Earth driving its proprietary solutions, GeoAge delivers rapid data collection, location tracking, and a wealth of unsurpassed aerial imagery from a familiar map interface.
The hallmark of GeoAge technology is its ability to provide mobile users with real-time data access solutions using PDAs, mobile devices, computers, and smartphones- statewide or nationwide. "By adding the full-function mapping capability in Google Earth nearly everyone can benefit from real-time mapping from a trusted name," notes Jeff Arnold, president of GeoAge. "High-performance visualization with Google Earth complementing GeoAge solutions has dramatically improved management processes in field marketing research, emergency response, forestry, civil engineering, and education."
Challenge
Recently, the staff of a state's forestry department was reporting from the field, relying on GeoAge FAST (Field Adapted Survey Toolkit) software to make daily assessments of the area's forests, facilities, and natural resources. Many of the data records included digital photo attachments captured by a handheld device.
Previously, the forestry crew depended on paper maps and a host of printed photos and documents that had to be cross-referenced and verified - a process that was tedious and time-consuming. With Google Earth, GeoAge users in the field can upload and export their files directly to supervisors and provide a spatial reference for their data, showing precisely where and when it was collected - simultaneously and in real time. "Google Earth offers an effective, user-friendly and flexible capability alongside our applications," notes Arnold.
Solution
By partnering with Google Earth, GeoAge is charting new territory, bringing powerful situational awareness to facilitate better decision-making for its customers. The dynamic reporting and mapping functionality in FAST software provides rapid visualization and comprehension of the data, wirelessly and efficiently. Best of all, users have a ready-to-deploy mobile solution that seamlessly integrates location information, digital forms, photos, videos, and other supporting data.
Results
Google Earth complements GeoAge with powerful situational awareness to facilitate better decision-making for GeoAge users. In few steps, users can upload GeoAge FAST data via the web and then map it with Google Earth. Today's field data becomes visual geospatial information in less than a minute. With the exceptional combination of Google Earth and GeoAge, geospatial data can be easily manipulated and studied with greater speed and accuracy than ever before - yielding results to improve public safety, further scientific research, and pique public interest.