The Buzz 01.09.20

WHO’S IN TOWN?

Many of us who use smartphones are, on some level, resigned to the fact that we’re tracked wherever we go thanks to GPS in each device. The data generated by where we drive, walk, shop and travel is a goldmine to businesses. The location intelligence industry was worth $9 billion in 2014 and in only four years grew to $22 billion, according to the Geobuiz-19 report by the company Geospatial Media Communications. In town this week is theGeobuiz Summit – the “Buzz and Biz of Geospatial Innovation” – attracting more than 250 attendees from over 25 countries. More than 80 speakers and panelists are presenting from both industry and government, including Timothy Petty, assistant secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior, andScott Pace, executive director of the National Space Council, which is chaired by Vice President Mike Pence.

Mon-Tues Jan. 13-14. Monterey Conference Center, 1 Portola Plaza, Monterey. $499/government and academia; $999/corporate. geobuiz.com/summit-2020.

FREE SPEECH

One of President Donald Trump’s promises is to scrap 25-year-old NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) and replace it. The USMCA – that’s the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement – is now awaiting a vote in the Senate. Beyond addressing things like manufactured goods and agricultural products, the USMCA also makes changes to intellectual property, reflecting the existence of digital media that was just emerging when NAFTA was ratified. It calls for a committee to “identify appropriate opportunities to increase cooperation between the parties on trade-related intellectual property rights protection and enforcement.” It also calls upon each nation to protect consumer privacy on digital platforms, as well as to “promote open access to government-generated public data, to enhance innovative use in commercial applications and services.” It would change the length of copyright protection after the death of an author, bringing Canada’s 50-year and Mexico’s 100-year terms in line with the U.S.’s existing 70 years.

GOOD WEEK / BAD WEEK

GOOD:

It’s not great news when you hear the governor say that the “new normal” is wildfires, landslides and flash floods. But if it is normal, Monterey County is trying to prepare as much as possible. Luckily, Community Emergency Response Volunteers of the Monterey Peninsula (or CERV) received $190,000 in grant money thanks to Assembly Bill 72, which is meant to improve statewide disaster resilience. The funds are to be distributed locally to help prepare the most vulnerable – which include communities with high poverty rates, language barriers and social isolation. CERV has distributed that money to nine agencies so far: Central Coast Center for Independent Living, Meals on Wheels of the Monterey Peninsula, Alliance on Aging, Mujeres en Acción,Coastal Kids Home Care, Rancho Cielo, The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Center, Special Kids Connect and ITNMontereyCounty.

BAD:

By now, the Monterey Peninsula’s cutting edge sewage recycling plant was supposed to start injecting treated water into underground reservoirs. But the $126 million Pure Water Monterey project is six months behind schedule. California American Water noted the missed deadline in a Jan. 2 letter to the plant’s operators, Monterey One Water and the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District. Cal Am wrote that it’s “disappointing [the agencies] were not able to meet their contractual obligations,” and the delay means Cal Am can withdraw from its commitment to purchase water from the plant, though they’ve chosen not to do so. There’s a consensus that at least some wastewater recycling is needed for the region’s future water supply. M1W spokesperson Mike McCullough says the project can come online as soon as test results come back and state water officials sign off.