In case you missed it: February 2020 top blog posts round up

In February 2020, the AWS Public Sector Blog covered stories on the value of Earth observation data, the Smithsonian Open Access Initiative, and more. Watch The Brief, hosted by Sarah Worley from We Power Tech, to learn more, and scroll down for links to these stories.

The true value of Earth Observation data…now

A picture of our entire Earth’s surface is taken every day. Such a possibility—or even the concept—would have seemed unfeasible and unaffordable just ten years ago. With continued technology improvements, we are witnessing a rapid increase in the number of miniature satellites capturing Earth observation (EO) data. This data is now accepted by many industries including agriculture, insurance, utilities, and urban planning to deliver actionable insights. Learn more.

Smithsonian releases 2.8 million images through Smithsonian Open Access Initiative

The Smithsonian Institution announced the availability of more than 2.8 million two- and three-dimensional images and files through the Smithsonian Open Access Initiative. With this initiative, anyone with an internet connection has access to high-resolution media files, the accompanying metadata, and research from the Smithsonian Institution’s 19 museums, nine research centers, and zoo. This Smithsonian dataset is the largest museum collection released to date. Learn more.

IDC MarketScape names AWS as a leader in IoT applications platforms for smart cities

AWS has been named a leader in worldwide applications platforms for smart cities according to the IDC MarketScape: Worldwide IoT Applications Platforms for Smart Cities 2019–2020 Vendor Assessment. The report assessed the market landscape on Internet of Things (IoT) applications platforms for enabling smart cities. Learn more.

TCO and cost optimization: Best practices for managing usage on AWS

While moving to the cloud saves cost when compared to on-premises IT models, it is important to inspect possible mistakes that could lead to unplanned cloud costs. Based on customer cost optimization consultations with AWS, some organizations have seen up to 33% reduction in cloud spending waste. Here we provide some tips and resources to recognize cloud cost optimization. What are some other common oversights customers make that can drive up their cloud spend? Check out the missteps to avoid.

Top five desktop-as-a-service trends in higher education

Educational institutions are turning to cloud-based solutions to enable anywhere, anytime access from any device. By using secure desktop-as-a-service (DaaS) solutions to provide consistent applications on every virtualized desktop, institutions can reduce variable costs, remove capital expenditures, and achieve mission objectives. Check out five DaaS trends in education.

Check out what you missed on the blog in December and January, and stay updated on the latest AWS news for the public sector by reading the AWS Public Sector Blog.