MalaGIS

Sharing GIS Technologies, Resources and News.

While recently researching how to load Bing Maps in ArcGIS Pro, the author conducted a simple packet capture of Bing Maps and discovered an unusual phenomenon. When requesting tile data, Bing Maps uses a request format that is noticeably different from common approaches. For example, services like Gaode Map typically pass xyz parameters, which correspond to x and y coordinates and the zoom level z. In contrast, Bing Maps passes a single integer parameter instead of three separate xyz values. How does this work? The image below shows a packet capture of Bing Maps requesting remote sensing imagery.

The image below shows a packet capture of Gaode Map requests.

Clearly, the request format of Bing Maps differs from that of Gaode Map. Bing Maps uses an integer parameter, while Gaode Map uses xyz parameters. So how is the Bing Maps request format generated?

Read More >>

Users of ArcGIS Pro who wish to customize advanced features often rely on Python scripts, as many functions of ArcGIS Pro itself are implemented using Python. However, directly installing various Python packages in the built-in environment can easily lead to compatibility issues (especially since Python packages often have compatibility problems between versions). Therefore, ArcGIS Pro comes with a built-in Conda environment and packages the environment that ArcGIS Pro depends on as a read-only environment. This ensures that ArcGIS Pro remains stable and does not fail to run due to arbitrary modifications by users. As shown in the figure below, the software clearly indicates that the default environment cannot be modified.

Read More >>

Many users encounter issues when installing third-party packages for ArcPy, sometimes accidentally causing conflicts with Python versions and their corresponding packages. Incompatibilities between package versions can be particularly frustrating and may even disrupt core functionality of ArcGIS or ArcGIS Pro. This article provides a reference for the default Python and NumPy versions bundled with various ArcGIS versions, which can be helpful for troubleshooting such problems.

Read More >>

In a previous article titled "ArcGIS Pro Basemap Service Access Issues in China and Solutions", we discussed the blocking of ArcGIS Pro services in China. Although services were later restored, they have been fully switched to Tianditu services, which offer limited basemap options—only six are available. Therefore, I have been continuously exploring and sharing more basemap services accessible within China. Today, I will introduce a method to add Bing Maps as a basemap in ArcGIS Pro. This approach is somewhat indirect and is provided for reference.

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>

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

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>

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.

Read More >>

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:

Read More >>

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:

Read More >>