Podcast: Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda
BRINGING AR TO EVERYONE'S TABLET
Paul Hoemke, Business Analyst at Argis Solutions, participated in a fascinating podcast with Karen Jagoda at the Esri UC earlier this month. Listen to the whole podcast at Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda. We've reproduced a few of the highlights here.
Argis Solutions is bringing augmented reality to maps on everyone's tablet. We encourage users to step into their maps and use the Argis Lens to visualize their data. Anything they have marked and selected— areas, specific points— they will be able to view. We are giving people on the ground real data, visualized. As soon as it’s updated, users can look at future plans as laid out in their data versus what is present-day data.
Karen was impressed with how much more accessible this made GIS data. Tablets now carry much more robust technology that makes this visualization a reality. Just a few short years ago, this AR visualization wouldn't be possible. Argis Solutions aims for the field person who is not a GIS expert but wants to look and understand instantly what an organization's geospatial data can tell them. An additional benefit is users can check what is real against what is visible in their data. Sometimes that is just an anomaly, but it becomes worth it to investigate more. Our software has brought a new quality check that saves a lot of pain and money.
Argis Solutions offers a SaaS service, which means we offer a subscription to the Argis Framework on an annual basis, then allow a company's administrator to pick the set of users who use the product license keys. We can supplement user's data with other public data, but we mostly find our current customers’ primary focus is their own data. Our software can allow different sources to the Framework. Karen commented that this AR visualization is a bit of a revelation to people. Often they did not realize how robust the data could be. What seemed like science fiction has become fact.
It is very exciting to see the application of cutting-edge GIS technology coming down to the consumer level— there’s even a potential application for political canvassing. We think there are a lot of possibilities. Data opens up opportunities and options.
Since 2007, Digital Politics with Karen Jagoda has been a non-partisan show with an eye on the convergence of digital technology and politics and advocacy, and what it means for fundraising, mobilization, persuasion, and getting out the vote.