NYC FBI InfraGard Meeting

NYC, NY
SARA made a quick appearance yesterday at the FBI InfraGard meeting at the Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York City. Emergency Responders, Regional Planners, and GIS Users from around the NYC Metro area attended the event, learning about how GIS can be used for emergency preparedness, situational awareness, and disaster response coordination.

Fun in the Florida Sun

Boca Raton, FL

Nothing like the feeling of sand on your wheels after a long week of work right! SARA spent the weekend in Florida after wrapping up the week's meetings at Tyco Safety Products in Boca Raton. The week of meetings around the southeast included visits with industry giants such as Cingular and ROLTA. Though the sun didn't shine as much as it could have at the beach, she did enjoy the break from the NYC winter.

SARA Joins the Snow Patrol

Bethesda, MD
Faced with frozen roads and fast falling snow, SARA pitched in to help clear snow in Bethesda late this week. Though she didn't have the power of the other snowblowers and plows, she showed finesse and determination as she helped get sidewalks cleared during the worst ice-storm to hit Washington DC since 1999. Luckily she had her snow tires on, and kept warm with a wool beanie. Maybe indoor life is more her style....

On Deck: SARA Surveys for the US NAVY

Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois.
All hands (and bots) on deck. SARA and friends spent some time last week helping the US Navy survey facilities at the Great Lakes Naval Station, just outside of Chicago. This week long trip was part of a pilot project to help compare traditional survey methods to SARA's capabilities. While the weather was a bit on the cold side, SARA stayed warm by covering huge amounts of square footage in a wide variety of building types.

read more here...

SARA meets Senator Snowe

Camden, ME
SARA had the chance to make some new friends in high places today, a face to face meeting with Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME). The Senator was visiting the offices of PenBay Media to learn more about this small business located in Camden Maine, and took some time to learn about SARA and what she does best. Senator Snowe and Deborah McNeil are shown getting a demonstration of SARA, with PenBay President Ann Yahner.

Redlands Cartographers Making Maps, with Robots!

Redlands, CA.
In a town steeped in cartographic tradition, a young group of future cartographers are making maps in a very non-traditional way; with a robot. A group of preschoolers at Trinity Episcopal Nursery school came face to face with SARA the robot yesterday, each taking a turn at driving her around. SARA (the Spatially Aware Robotic Assistant) was visiting with staff at ESRI in Redlands CA, and made a surprise visit thanks to school director Beverly Gaston.


Forget finger-painting, these preschoolers had the chance to use cutting edge technology to create high resolution Lidar floorplans, and have some fun in the process. The final map was anything but childish.