spatial networks | location leverage

               A mind is a terrible thing to waste, especially when it is young and impressionable. At Spatial Networks, we pride ourselves in the work that we do in our business as well as our community. Every year, our CEO, Anthony Quartararo, takes time out of his busy schedule to visit local educational institutions in the name of philanthropy, edification and scholarship. This year, that honor was bestowed on me. I had the esteemed pleasure of visiting one of Pinellas County’s finest institutions of learning, Wellington School. 

Kanesha the GeoVeg

Mr. President, I would implore you to take care and consider carefully the concept of universal health care and the implications of the extra-ordinary taxation of so-called “cadillac” plans.

We are a small, private company. We offer exceptional benefits to our staff. I would be proud to hold our entire benefits and compensation package up against that of any company. One of the most important aspects of our corporate benefits is a commitment to staff well-being, and to this end, we provide 100% employer-paid health care and dental plans, across the board for each and every employee, regardless of tenure or role in the company. We do this for several reasons, but foremost is that our employees are also fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, sons or daughters, and one of our core values is to remove obstacles to their success. Eliminating cost barriers to making the right health-care choices is why we are determined to maintain this benefit for our staff.

Would this be considered a “cadillac” plan under your vision of universal health-care, Mr. President? It might. In that case, enacting and implementing extra-ordinary taxation in whatever form imagined would be rife with unfortunate if not unintended consequences. In our case, it would not likely have the impact or reaction that many companies take in either downsizing staff or reducing the corporate benefit, but it most certainly would cauterize any growth plans we presently have, and that impact alone, Mr. President, revisited across the country, would have dramatic, negative consequences on the economy as a whole for a generation or more. Have you counted the costs, over months and years, that this drag on the economy would have? It is geometric in nature and just like a battleship, very difficult to halt over short periods of time.

But, I will go further, as this is a corporate blog usually reserved for geospatial musings. Let’s consider the impact that an apparent lack of appreciation for the geographic aspects of the root problem have on the policy now under consideration. There are many examples of maps, yes - pretty pictures that earn their keep, that illustrate the disparity across the country (that’s geographic) in the distribution of certain major and minor health care issues and their respective economic impacts. For example, the percentage of cigarette smokers is not uniform if plotted at the postal code level across the country. Likewise, the distribution of people who are clinically obese at the postal code or other such discrete unit, shows unequal concentrations in certain geographies. I am not unfairly singling out smokers and obese people; this same application of geospatial technology can be made on any number of national health care issues which, coincidentally enough, contribute disproportionately to the overall health care costs in this country.

Would this universal health-care plan that is envisioned, or even the extra-ordinary taxation on “cadillac” plans take into consideration these geographic factors? Why would (or should) a company in California be unreasonably penalized with higher premiums or “tax” to offset the increased health care needs of an aging, yet longer-living population here in Florida? Why should a small company in Florida be burdened, disproportionately and unfairly with a “tax” on an otherwise exceptional health-care plan because certain sections of the country are overweight and thus require high-cost remedies? Lastly, what of those individuals, who, under normal circumstances are generally above average if not in excellent health? These people are sprinkled around the country. Does their geographic proximity to “poor health” clusters condemn them to pay for realities beyond their control?

Many states have toll-roads or otherwise tax users of transportation corridors, and people readily pay the premium to be able to travel relatively unencumbered. This is otherwise known as a “use tax.” Those who use the highways pay the tax; those who do not use them certainly do not have to pay. Wouldn’t a corresponding “use tax” in the health care system be more appropriate, after thorough geospatial analysis, than a blanket, naked attempt at overlooking individual choice and responsibility under the guise of fair and equitable health-care coverage?
 

There are some things we love. There are some things we hate, sometimes passionately. There are even some things we love to hate. In rare circumstances, there are even things we love to hate to love. Google is one of those rare things that I love to hate to love. I’m envious, perhaps even jealous of the company’s success and dominance in the geospatial web technologies space and the inertia is has generated shows no signs of decline any time soon.

The recent announcement by Google to embark on developing a computer operating system to compete with Microsoft isn’t surprising and not even the reason I love to hate to love them. What may be unsettling is the fact that this really is an existential threat to Microsoft (not to mention ESRI, but that is another post and more near-term than long-term). Let me explain what this will likely mean to Microsoft and what this means to the geospatial industry and why it is important.

When Google succeeds (notice the affirmative stance, as there is ample evidence to suggest they haven’t quite figured out how to fail as often or as catastrophically as the rest of us…), they will have an operating system for every computing device available (mobile handheld, laptop, PC and dare I say, server). They (Google) already have the web applications realm well honed and in a comprehensive manner, the last piece of the puzzle to usurp the kingdom that is Microsoft is the control of the operating systems that run those computing devices. Android was a start and a precursor of things to come, now realized.  

True to form, Google will likely have enough cash on hand at the time of the future "launch" that they could, if they were smart (which, clearly they are and no one needs me telling them this..) strike some major OEM arrangements with hardware manufacturers to have their OS pre-installed and ready to ship, just like you have the choice today of Windows or Linux for example. However, Google’s OS will undoubtedly and in elegant fashion, work extraordinarily well with all the online applications and services under Google’s collective "hood", out of the box and always-on-demand. Once more, Google could take the extraordinary step of giving away their devices (when was the last time consumers paid for anything that Google provides?) and thereby flooding and the entrenched incumbent (Microsoft) with an overwhelming show of force (like the IT version of the Powell Doctrine). Google could easily justify the expense of the equipment and shipping because, in true Google fashion, they would have a EULA that enables them to leverage consumer behavior at the OS level unlike anyone, including Microsoft has ever been able to master. This leverage would be the foundation for the business justification for capital expenditures on equipment for "free" to the consumer (perhaps at an upper limit of a few million initial freebies) because Google would know that the information generated at the OS level, not to mention the application interactions and "always-on" nature of the Google OS-powered computers would generate geometric value in advertising capabilities, and that is where Google stands alone.

Furthermore, given my bias towards geography, and the love-hate-love intellectual relationship I have with Google, I see the obvious play here at the OS-level; that Google Earth/Maps would be one of the core components of the OS engine and would be engineered and designed to maximize every bit and byte in a geospatial context, again, for derivative business intelligence (internal to Google) to amplify their ability to drive ad revenue and downstream-value off the charts. It’s coming and it will be a reality, because, as I have stated repeatedly over the years and yet to be disproven, geography is the science of everything, and Google’s mission is to catalog the world’s information and make it available - it is only natural and entirely human to portray that on a map. And what do we know about maps - aside from being the coolest thing since sliced bread, they make the complex story simple, they convey what words, charts, tables, graphs and sound bites cannot. Geography as an indispensable part of Google’s OS is great news for the geospatial industry.

Now, this is an existential threat to Microsoft, as I stated above. Microsoft could, should and will do the following in response to Google. They could "compete" at some point; that is, wait a couple more years until they feel truly threatened by the Google OS computer potential, and then start lowering their per license fees for everything Microsoft in an effort to push off the inevitable or salvage a portion of the market in some sort of unequal equilibrium. They should be bold and open-source all they have now. Let me repeat for emphasis. They should be bold and open-source all they have now. This would accomplish two primary things; a) it could potentially make Google rethink the OS strategy for now, or forever, but it might only delay its true threat to Microsoft by another few years, even a decade and b) it would put Microsoft’s big brains on notice that they need to get busy and move up the value-chain and innovate. Talk about a resurgent powerhouse contribution to economic recovery! Alas, what Microsoft will do is nothing. They will continue to take for granted its global user base, it will continue to be status-quo in technology innovation, it will ignore the threat from Google’s OS until it finds itself in a death grip, and by then it will be too late
 

Geography is indispensable. It is inconceivable in our contemporary global economy, that any business or governmental function does not use or need to fully leverage geography as part of its core mission. So much depends on understanding the location context of information on a continuous basis, that a mastery and full appreciation of geography, and its manifest applications in geospatial technologies, is an indispensable component to progress and success in any measure.Those that lack this appreciation and competence of geography in their organizations are under-utilizing available resources at best, and at worst, are negligent towards their stakeholders and constituents.

Disregarding geospatial technologies as burdensome administrative costs, or discretionary capital expenditures is extraordinarily shortsighted and suggests inadequate business vision that will result in sub-optimized financial performance over time and decision-making processes that yield inaccurate results. In every department, group or function within a Corporation or Government, geography plays an indispensable role in perfecting the goals and objectives of the organization. If geography is not viewed in this light, or not leveraged in the maximum, then those Corporations and Governmental organizations will suffer as a result. Those leaders that recognize the critical nature and key role that geospatial technology plays in strategic planning and tactical execution will achieve and maintain a level of excellence in their respective markets, and will generate history and knowledge that has exponential value over time.

Geography is much more than knowing the States and Capitals of the Union, it is much more than picking the right postal code for purchasing real-estate, it is much more than choosing with route to take on summer vacation. Geography is as critical as email, the Internet, banking, or any other conventional business tool. The Internet truly has changed everything, but this is a relatively recent phenomenon. Geography has been "around" and indispensable since, well, as long as there has been geography on the planet earth. It is an indispensable aspect agrarian communities, as well as nomads and traditional, native peoples. Modern business and governments have only recently begun to rediscover the value that geography, or at least the application of geospatial technologies, can have across the enterprise, and some are even recognizing that it is truly indispensable and embrace geography in innovative and often disruptive ways.

Geography always has been, but never more so indispensable than in today’s global community and the increasingly complex choices face by Governments, corporations and individuals. The consequences of poor decision-making are no longer limited to local, small or short-term impacts, but as has been seen over the last 24 months, decision-making without full appreciation of geography can have exponential, negatively cascading impacts across the world that can last for decades. Geography is uniquely qualified as the single most important and therefore, indispensable applied science because it is equally available to both world leaders and local citizenry. The tools, data & technology than can be brought to bear on any given issue have never before been so accessible to the world community. Geography has no equal in this realm, and so it is, entirely indispensable.
 

There is now Diet Nestea Iced Tea in the refrigerator at Spatial Networks! This alone is enough to make my week, but I’m also learning about different things at work which is fun. I’m learning about web marketing, html, GIS, and mobile technologies which are all very exciting to nerds like me. I’m learning about new things and learning how things I have always known about can be used better. I’ve learned to back up my data whenever possible too…ha. There is a digital war going on out there for marketshare and a continued search for innovation. When companies stop looking at their competitors and stop listening to people they get into trouble like Myspace has. Geodexy, Terkserv, and other Spatial Networks programs have the potential to take on the mobile application market priced at the right price and by providing the right easy to use features to consumers. It’s defiantly important to make sure they are near perfect before being released to the masses, and that leaves time to get a great marketing plan with a timeline ready too. I guess that’s why Spatial Networks needs Software Engineers, Mobile Application Developers, and an International Sales Engineer (careers@spatialnetworks.com). Trust me this software has the potential to make it and I will love learning from you if you come aboard. People here will listen to you and your ideas. It’s a great place to work…even for an intern because hey…there’s free soda, coffee, nerf fights, and sometimes food. We have an intern that should have been a chef! Plus you will get paid and can laugh at me! I only dream about money while biding my time, learning, and finishing my last class for my B.S. Apply for the win!

National Case Study

In the Spring 2009 issue of ArcNews, Daniel C. Edelson (Vice President for Education, National Geographic Society) wrote a shocking yet inspiring article on geographic literacy in the United States+. It was featured in the inaugural column of the “Geo Learning” series. In this article, he stated that, “It’s no secret that Americans know next to nothing about geography.” I figured he was probably right, but how bad could it possibly be considering the diversity of this nation (I would like to note here that optimism can be a dangerous adversary if abused).

The latest National Geographic/Roper Poll (2006) conveys the incredible deficiency of 18-24-year-old Americans in the subject of geography. The survey found that half the participants could not locate New York on a map of the United States, and nearly 6 in 10 could not locate Ohio. One-third of the young adults in the survey gave the wrong answer when asked to name the continent where the Amazon rain forest is located. And, after being at war with Iraq for three years, 63 percent of young Americans could not identify Iraq on a map of the Middle East.”

Shocking as they are, these statistics are real and exemplify the severity of the situation at hand. National Geographic’s justifiable response to the survey prompted the implementation of the “Geographic Literacy in the U.S. by 2025” campaign as well as the “Geo Learning” column which urges GIS professionals to play an important role in the campaign in order to increase the rate of geographic literacy in the United States. Thusly, here I stand, PDA and GPS in hand, ready to be put to work.

Local Case Study

After ranting and raving throughout the office condemning the public school system, I decided that it would be healthier and more productive (not to mention quieter) to blog about the issue instead. I was beginning to write the manifesto to end all manifestos when I decided that I would do one better and conduct a survey of my own using local, young adults as my guinea pigs¹. Ten questions were selected from the National Geographic/Roper Poll (2006), in hopes of saving time, and presented to young students at St. Petersburg College (SPC) Clearwater Campus. I was optimist (yet again) going into the project. I theorized that by surveying young adults seeking higher education, the results yielded would be higher overall, in comparison to those of the national survey were the level of education was not a qualifying factor.

Though I interrogated students during their finals week (as if they weren’t under enough pressure), the partakers gladly contributed to the cause and encouraged their friends and classmates to do the same. Though many of the test takers expressed concern due to the lack of geographic literacy in their mental arsenal, they (and I) had a great time. Generally, the individual results of the questionnaire led to discussions on political, physical, cultural, historical and world geography, proving the naturally intriguing and inclusive disposition framework of geography (if handled properly). All in all, the goals of the project were met. The summary revealed that the SPC students scored higher on the selected questions than the young adults that participated in the national survey in 2006. This may again be due to the fact that the SPC students are just that, students. Their inquisitive nature makes them more apt and likely to voluntarily initiate geographical thought than someone who may not have attended an institution of higher learning.

If the goals of the National Geographic campaign are met, this will no longer be the status quo. Giving every U.S. citizen to the opportunity to think analytically and individually, beyond the facts that are spoon fed to them by the media and other potentially bias sources of information. American adults must learn how to think for themselves and becoming geographically literate is one of the major first steps that must be taken. I hope that, like the participants at SPC, these findings (in both the national and local surveys) ignite a fire deep in your bowels that sparks you to learn as much as you can about the world around you. We only have one planet; we owe it to her to be as familiar with her as humanly achievable in order to be the best caregivers and stewards possible.

Kick-starting spatial methodology is simply a matter of will. Tip: next time you here a news report (e.g. H1-N1 influenza) instead of saying, “Hmmm that was interesting. Now I’m in the mood for some meat candy,” take it one step further and look up some of the places mentioned. Think about the relationships between those places and Mexico (i.e. the source). Whether those relationships are physical, economic, political or cultural, they are factors to be considered. Hypothesize about the occurrences of probable and confirmed cases of H1-N1 in an area. Why do some places seem to be more affected than others? Is climate a factor? Click on the link below to find out more ways to improve your geographic literacy.

Geography is irrelevant. In today’s interconnected, globalized economy and communications culture, geography no longer matters. Both ends of an internet connection may physically terminate at two computers thousands of kilometers apart, across oceans and continents, but there is no real difference in the location of those two points. They are essentially coincident, both in the abstract and in the real-time nature of connectivity. Geography is irrelevant in so many ways, due in part because of the technological advancements in communications, geospatial technology, consumer behavior and education, content and choice.