MalaGIS

Sharing GIS Technologies, Resources and News.

GIS professionals often work with OSM (OpenStreetMap) data, which has a strong reputation in the open data domain. However, in recent years, as OSM data continues to expand globally with increasing geographic features, frequent updates, and wide regional distribution, importing and processing OSM data has become highly time-consuming and hardware-intensive. Although the traditional .osm.pbf (Protocolbuffer Binary Format) is widely used, it still faces performance bottlenecks, especially on machines with limited hardware resources. Recently, the GeoDesk team introduced the GOB data format, aiming to improve the efficiency of data distribution and import, making OSM data processing lighter and faster.

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Recently, when downloading data from NASA-related websites, many users have encountered the following message: "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, NASA is not updating this website." Translated, it means: "Due to the lapse in federal government funding, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has suspended updates to this website. We apologize for any inconvenience caused." I tested several websites and found that common ones like NOAA, EarthData, GISS, etc., all display this message. What exactly is happening? And what impact will it have on the vast number of GIS professionals?

Above: Notices on various NASA websites

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OSRM (Open Source Routing Machine) is a high-performance routing engine written in modern C++, specifically designed for computing the shortest path in road networks. Its core objective is to provide a fast, reliable, and customizable routing solution capable of handling continental-scale road network data, returning results in milliseconds. It serves as an ideal underlying engine for building applications such as map navigation, logistics distribution, and location-based services.

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Recently (on October 24), the Google Earth team updated their official website, announcing that this upgrade officially integrates the Gemini large model into Google Earth, adding geospatial reasoning capabilities. This transforms it from a platform primarily displaying satellite images into an intelligent geospatial analysis platform that can understand and respond to natural language queries.

Geospatial Reasoning

To solve complex problems, one must see the big picture. This is the concept behind "Geospatial Reasoning," a framework powered by Gemini that now enables AI to automatically connect different Earth AI models—such as weather forecasting, population maps, and satellite imagery—to answer complex questions.

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Earlier, we shared resources for Global Mapper Pro v25.1. Coincidentally, right after installation, Global Mapper Pro v26.2 was released. So, we uninstalled the freshly installed v25.1 and reinstalled v26.2. The installation is relatively straightforward, and the new version offers more features and greater convenience. Friends in need can download and update.

Introduction to Global Mapper Pro v26.2

Global Mapper Pro v26.2 focuses on "user experience enhancement," "visualization/animation capability improvements," and "point cloud/terrain display control enhancements." It caters to both the ease-of-use needs of GIS beginners and provides finer control for advanced lidar/3D analysis users. Key updates include:

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Recently, a hot topic in the news is the accusation by China's National Security Agency that the United States breached China's National Time Service Center. I have read several news articles that generally introduce this event, but none mention the detailed process. Later, I found a detailed analysis in an official tweet by the National Computer Network Emergency Response Technical Team/Coordination Center (CNCERT), titled "Technical Analysis Report on the Cyber Attack by the U.S. National Security Agency on the National Time Service Center". The content is very professional and provides detailed data, so experts can refer to this article.

I skimmed through it and found that although the introduction is detailed, the initial step of obtaining login credentials for the computer terminals is only briefly mentioned. How did the NSA obtain the login permissions for the computers at the Time Service Center? How was the first breach in the security defense opened?

Triangulation

According to the disclosure by CNCERT, the initial breach occurred between March 24, 2022, and April 11, 2023, when the NSA attacked and stole secrets from more than 10 devices at the Time Service Center through "Triangulation". In September 2022, the attacker obtained the login credentials for an office computer through a foreign-brand mobile phone used by a network administrator at the Time Service Center, and used these credentials to gain remote control of the office computer.

No further information was provided, so I searched for this Triangulation. This is not the triangulation in surveying, but rather a term first disclosed by the renowned Russian security firm Kaspersky. The original article is Operation Triangulation: The last (hardware) mystery. The core attack chain is shown in the figure below:

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In a previous article "Accessing Pre-Vectorized Trail Data from China's Outdoor Platform: Two Step Road - MalaGIS", I introduced a popular domestic platform for downloading, sharing, and hosting trail data. Many users found it quite useful, but some outdoor enthusiasts raised concerns: what if such a platform shuts down? Would they still be able to safely download their own data? I cannot guarantee that, but if you have such concerns, an open-source trail data management platform called Wanderer is recommended.

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In the previous article, QGIS 4.0 Roadmap Unveiled: Major Qt6 Migration Scheduled for October Release, we introduced some early news about QGIS 4.0. According to the official roadmap, QGIS 4.0 (based on Qt 6) was expected to be released in October 2025—around this time. However, upon checking the official website yesterday, it appears that QGIS 4.0 has been officially delayed, with the new release date now set for February 2026.

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In the previous article, Loading the Geovis Earth Basemap in ArcGIS Pro, ArcMap, and QGIS, I introduced the free Geovis Earth basemap service. Recently, some readers asked whether I could create a tutorial on loading imagery from Siwei Earth.

So I gave it a try — and yes, it technically works (using their free API). However, the imagery turned out to have major positional offsets, making it unsuitable for practical use. Still, the API extraction method itself is quite interesting, so let’s explore it.

PS: If you’re only looking for a usable basemap URL, you can skip this post. I’ve tested it — it doesn’t work properly.

Above: The loaded data shows significant offset issues.

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In the previous article, A Guide to Using Jilin-1 Satellite Imagery as a Basemap in ArcGIS Pro, I introduced the Jilin-1 basemap service as an alternative to China’s Tianditu maps for ArcGIS Pro users. Many readers asked whether there are other map sources available. Today, let’s look at another excellent basemap provider — Geovis Earth.

PS: I’ve actually mentioned Geovis Earth several times in earlier posts. Back then, with so many international basemap options, few paid attention. However, after ArcGIS Pro Services Blocked in China? Chinese Users Are in Trouble..., the number of stable and accessible basemap services in China has significantly decreased. In this context, Geovis Earth has become a great alternative.

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