Comments on: "Statistics from Space": Fun with the Gates Foundation and Data as a Public Good http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/ News and updates from GeoIQ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:55:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: Charlott Klipfel http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-696 Charlott Klipfel Thu, 03 Jun 2010 17:56:55 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-696 hi,damn good apple in your post,I love thatfantasticapple,I need to find one for me,jane hi,damn good apple in your post,I love thatfantasticapple,I need to find one for me,jane

]]> By: Doretha Alvarran http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-695 Doretha Alvarran Thu, 11 Mar 2010 19:16:06 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-695 This is a significant blog posting, im glad I found it. Ill be back again in the future to check out other posts that you have on your blog. This is a significant blog posting, im glad I found it. Ill be back again in the future to check out other posts that you have on your blog.

]]> By: Foundation http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-694 Foundation Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:36:36 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-694 I can't add your rss feed to my reader, what could be the problem? I can’t add your rss feed to my reader, what could be the problem?

]]> By: Company founder http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-693 Company founder Thu, 12 Mar 2009 07:33:13 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-693 I tried to signup for your RSS feed but it didn't work. How can I do this? I tried to signup for your RSS feed but it didn’t work. How can I do this?

]]> By: Sean Gorman http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-692 Sean Gorman Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:23:32 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-692 Hi Carey - You can reach me through sean at fortiusone.com. best, sean Hi Carey -

You can reach me through sean at fortiusone.com.

best,
sean

]]> By: Carey Biggs http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-691 Carey Biggs Fri, 28 Nov 2008 10:36:11 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-691 Just wondered if there's an email address I can use to contact you Sean? I want to speak to you about agricultural research tools but a post on here will look like a cheap sales pitch! Many thanks Carey Bigs Just wondered if there’s an email address I can use to contact you Sean? I want to speak to you about agricultural research tools but a post on here will look like a cheap sales pitch!

Many thanks

Carey Bigs

]]> By: Brain Off » Wrapping up UNGIWG :: Mikel Maron :: Building Digital Technology for Our Planet http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-690 Brain Off » Wrapping up UNGIWG :: Mikel Maron :: Building Digital Technology for Our Planet Tue, 25 Nov 2008 13:59:20 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-690 [...] vs sdi. I gave a brief overview of the system and philosophy, with a brief example derived from Sean’s demos for the Gates Foundation. Good to see the acknowledgment that GC is bringing the accessibility of web tools with the [...] [...] vs sdi. I gave a brief overview of the system and philosophy, with a brief example derived from Sean’s demos for the Gates Foundation. Good to see the acknowledgment that GC is bringing the accessibility of web tools with the [...]

]]> By: Library: A Round-up of Reading « Res Communis http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-689 Library: A Round-up of Reading « Res Communis Mon, 17 Nov 2008 15:49:51 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-689 [...] “Statistics from Space”: Fun with the Gates Foundation and Data as a Public Good - Off the Map [...] [...] “Statistics from Space”: Fun with the Gates Foundation and Data as a Public Good – Off the Map [...]

]]> By: Sean Gorman http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-688 Sean Gorman Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:29:16 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-688 Thanks for the elaboration Jubal. I think going bottoms and top down is definitely the best way to both interconnect and validate data. Not to mention creating the feedback loops between both users and policy makers. Has the potential to create a new paradigm for sustainable agriculture and development IMHO. @Chris - I think there is always an important role for commercial data that users pay for, but the value of that data only increases with more data that is put in the public domain. Creates a network effect so that "for fee" data can be combined with public data in new innovative ways. Commercial providers need to make money, but I think there is a positive externality of giving some data away for free to jump start the network effect. For goverments and NGO's I believe making the data publicly available free of charge creates a much larger economic multiplier than any revenue they would generate selling it. Just one very biased opinion on the topic. Thanks for the elaboration Jubal. I think going bottoms and top down is definitely the best way to both interconnect and validate data. Not to mention creating the feedback loops between both users and policy makers. Has the potential to create a new paradigm for sustainable agriculture and development IMHO.

@Chris – I think there is always an important role for commercial data that users pay for, but the value of that data only increases with more data that is put in the public domain. Creates a network effect so that “for fee” data can be combined with public data in new innovative ways. Commercial providers need to make money, but I think there is a positive externality of giving some data away for free to jump start the network effect. For goverments and NGO’s I believe making the data publicly available free of charge creates a much larger economic multiplier than any revenue they would generate selling it. Just one very biased opinion on the topic.

]]> By: Tyler Erickson http://blog.geoiq.com/2008/11/11/statistics-from-space-fun-with-the-gates-foundation-and-data-as-a-public-good/#comment-687 Tyler Erickson Thu, 13 Nov 2008 15:23:43 +0000 http://blog.fortiusone.com/?p=753#comment-687 I strongly support free distribution of data collected from government sensors. However, in the case of the 'free' Landsat data, this freedom comes at a high price. USGS will no longer distribute raw Landsat data and other lower level projects, which up to this point have been available for purchase for a nominal fee (~$500 and can be redistributed to other users). The data that USGS will offer for free is a specific data product (L1T - Terrain Corrected) that has been processed with a specific choice of parameters: resampled to a UTM grid using cubic convolution resampling. Resampling satellite data, by cubic convolution or other sampling methods, smooths the dataset and removes some of the 'information content' contained in the original data. While this likely does not matter to a user that just wants a 'pretty picture' image as a base layer, it is of great concern to researchers that use Landsat data for quantitative analyses (such as classification, change detection, feature detection, etc.). While these analyses can be (and are) performed on the L1T data product, the results will tend to be less accurate and precise than working with non-resampled data products. In summary, USGS has moved in the direction of distributing fewer data products. They will no longer distribute low-level Landsat data products, which is a tragedy for the research community. USGS has been pretty good at downplaying this fact, while strongly highlighting that a single Landsat product will be made available for free. Links: Announcement of 'free' data: http://landsat.usgs.gov/products_data_at_no_charge.php Description of Landsat data products: http://landsathandbook.gsfc.nasa.gov/handbook/handbook_htmls/chapter11/chapter11.html I strongly support free distribution of data collected from government sensors. However, in the case of the ‘free’ Landsat data, this freedom comes at a high price. USGS will no longer distribute raw Landsat data and other lower level projects, which up to this point have been available for purchase for a nominal fee (~$500 and can be redistributed to other users).

The data that USGS will offer for free is a specific data product (L1T – Terrain Corrected) that has been processed with a specific choice of parameters: resampled to a UTM grid using cubic convolution resampling. Resampling satellite data, by cubic convolution or other sampling methods, smooths the dataset and removes some of the ‘information content’ contained in the original data. While this likely does not matter to a user that just wants a ‘pretty picture’ image as a base layer, it is of great concern to researchers that use Landsat data for quantitative analyses (such as classification, change detection, feature detection, etc.). While these analyses can be (and are) performed on the L1T data product, the results will tend to be less accurate and precise than working with non-resampled data products.

In summary, USGS has moved in the direction of distributing fewer data products. They will no longer distribute low-level Landsat data products, which is a tragedy for the research community. USGS has been pretty good at downplaying this fact, while strongly highlighting that a single Landsat product will be made available for free.

Links:
Announcement of ‘free’ data: http://landsat.usgs.gov/products_data_at_no_charge.php
Description of Landsat data products: http://landsathandbook.gsfc.nasa.gov/handbook/handbook_htmls/chapter11/chapter11.html

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