University of Calgary Professor Wins Award for 3D Mapping Innovation

A professor from the University of Calgary has received significant recognition for his innovative work in 3D digital mapping. Faramarz Samavati was awarded the Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Research Leadership for his development of a groundbreaking 3D digital mapping system, a project he has dedicated the past 15 years to advancing.

In a statement, Samavati expressed his gratitude, stating, “It is a great honor to receive that, and also I am proud of the team that I have built and the mentorship and supervision of many graduate students and interns because this innovation is kind of a collective achievement.” His work addresses fundamental issues in digital mapping, which often relies on a “flat Earth” model that distorts geographical representations.

According to Samavati, current digital mapping applications frequently misrepresent sizes of continents, leading to misconceptions about their true dimensions. He noted, “Digital maps like Google Maps always have distortions. For example, Greenland on the map looks much bigger than Brazil, but in reality, it is smaller.” By utilizing a 3D approach, his team aims to accurately depict geographical features.

In collaboration with Calgary-based software company Vivid Theory, Samavati and his graduate students developed a Discrete Global Grid System (DGGS). This system functions like a large quilt draped over the globe, segmenting the Earth’s surface into small, manageable cells. Each cell is assigned a unique code, akin to a postal code, which facilitates efficient information storage and retrieval.

Samavati elaborated on the system’s potential applications, stating, “We can create a much more efficient system for processing a lot of data related to Earth, because this distortion needs to be handled somehow.” He emphasized that his system is designed to accommodate the Earth’s curvature, thereby providing enhanced accuracy.

Graduate student Lakin Wecker explained the technical challenges associated with the DGGS’s rapid data processing capabilities. He noted that while many DGGSs prioritize accuracy, they often compromise on speed. Wecker’s role involves optimizing data access times, measuring performance in nanoseconds—where one second equals one billion nanoseconds. “Although that seems like a pointless endeavor for most people, the size of data that humanity is producing about the Earth is so large that we have billions and trillions of records,” he said. “If you save that extra few nanoseconds per record and you do it 300 billion times, now it’s actually a realistic savings.”

Samavati’s partnership with BigGeo, a Calgary-based startup focused on location-based data, further amplifies the impact of his work. The company is developing the Spatial Cloud, a secure cloud computing system designed for handling spatial data. Brent Lane, CEO of BigGeo, highlighted the importance of spatial data, stating, “Spatial data represents 80 percent of all the data that exists on Earth, and so it’s become a major part of the future of AI.”

Lane added that AI can leverage Samavati’s 3D mapping system to provide users with quick and accurate information, enhancing everyday applications. “If you’re using your ChatGPT interface, you could use our connected technology to answer questions about what’s the best place to pick up your laundry on the way home from your kid’s soccer practice,” he explained.

The Mitacs Innovation Award for Outstanding Research Leadership is presented to post-secondary supervisors with exemplary records in fostering collaboration between academia and industry. This initiative is supported by funding from the Government of Canada and various provincial and territorial governments.

Looking ahead, Samavati envisions his 3D mapping system evolving into a comprehensive digital twin of the Earth. He stated, “My vision is to have a living digital twin of the Earth, with which we can understand our planet in a better, totally different way and build tools for occurrences that you can’t always understand.” Such advancements could be pivotal in predicting natural disasters and enhancing overall global understanding.

For more information about BigGeo, visit their website at https://biggeo.com/.