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Interview: Peter Large - General Manager of Trimble Mapping & GIS Division
Friday, 07 May 2010 09:36 AM
Surveying and GIS technologies continue to expand and grow. Trimble has initiated a market solutions group to help early adopters capture the benefits of new technology applications across a spectrum of sectors. Vector1 Media editor Jeff Thurston interviews Peter Large, General Manager of Trimble’s Mapping & GIS Division on this initiative and other events within the company
More on Interview - Peter LargeLeast Squares Offer Incremental Accuracy Improvement
Thursday, 06 May 2010 08:20 PM
Building the government infrastructure for land record and land parcels involves the creation of a survey database of field measurement, geodetic survey control, and the surveyors’ boundary determinations. The cadastral dataset includes parcels, boundary lines, parcel corners, and control points. With all measurements there are issues of accuracy, but with the least squares method the degree of uncertainty is recorded for incremental accuracy update.
More on Least SquaresGPS Update Adds Accuracy
Thursday, 06 May 2010 04:58 PM
This month the U.S. Air Force begins the launch of new GPS satellites that will dramatically improve the accuracy of GPS signals. The IIF generation of satellites will eventually replace half of the existing satellite constellation, with the most dramatic location improvements taking effect in our urban centers.
More on GPS AccuracyVisualisation: Geospatial Data on Display
Thursday, 06 May 2010 07:36 AM
Geospatial data attracts the attention of many people. Visualisations of raw spatial data are used to create landscapes, roads, buildings, rivers and many places where people live. Technologies such as aerial cameras, satellite images, total stations, LiDAR and radar are not only measuring and monitoring places, they are representing them - bringing reality to people, sometimes for the first time.
More on Visualisation: Geospatial Data on DisplayFIG 2010 Congress: Why Do Kangaroos Hop?
Thursday, 29 Apr 2010 02:51 PM
Keynote speaker at the XXIV FIG Conference in Sydney was Tim Flannery, writer, professor and conservationist and “one of the great explorers of modern time” according to Sir David Attenborough. Expanding on the conference theme “Facing the challenges, building the capacity” Flannery, who is chairman of the International Climate Change Council, homed in on the role of surveyors and land professionals in both contributing to solutions for climate change and convincing the public to take it seriously.
More on FIG 2010Mining and the Value of 3D
Thursday, 29 Apr 2010 02:39 PM
Mining operations have used 3D technologies for many years. These technologies provide important benefits to both open-pit and underground mining operations. The technologies used to capture 3D information include aerial and satellite imagery, laser, global positioning systems and conventional surveying equipment.
More onGNSS Construction Market Continues to Evolve
Friday, 23 Apr 2010 12:01 PM
Several events this past week have propelled GNSS and heavy construction / road building equipment into the limelight. As GNSS picks up steam there is a growing awarness that infrastructure development is once again expanding. Beyond equipment operation alone many other disciplines are beginning to see the benefits of tapping into the GNSS digital data flow.
More on GNSS Construction Market Continues to EvolveFIG 2010 Australia - Stig Enemark Speaks on FIG Achievements
Monday, 19 Apr 2010 06:22 AM
FIG is an organisation with a strong social conscience. FIG President Stig Enemark, speaking at the XXIV International Congress, explained how it has aligned its ten commissions to the UN’s Millenium development goals and in particular to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger. Stig Enemark’s goal for FIG is “Building Capacity through Flying High and keeping its feet on the ground”.
More on Stig Enemark Speaks on FIG AchievementsIndia's Rocket Fails, Ditching GSAT-4 Satellite
Thursday, 15 Apr 2010 10:49 PM
India has been working for years to develop their own cryogenic engine technology, which is needed to send heavy satellites into geostationary orbit. Today's launch would have been the first launch with their own technology, but unfortunately it appears that the ignition on the cryogenic engine, on the third stage of the rocket, failed to fire and the rocket and satellite plunged into the Bay of Bengal.
More on Idia's Rocket FailureBentley’s i-model Solves Dynamic Collaboration Problem
Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010 05:08 PM
Bentley is rolling out a new format called i-model that they’re touting as a container for open information exchange. The format is essentially a DGN but with new concepts to support the workflows of integrated project delivery where multiple disciplines need access to shared information beyond simply the exchange of an individual model or file.
More on i-modelManagement and Spatial Data Go Together
Tuesday, 13 Apr 2010 07:23 AM
Spatial data is invariably connected to management and decision making. Very few applications involving remote sensing are oriented solely to the display of images. GNSS is gaining wider attention for the contribution it can make to improved surveying, thus land management, not only to accurately locate places. Spatial information links place to management.
More on Management and Spatial DataThe Rebirth of the Ashtech Brand Firmly Focuses on Professionals
Thursday, 08 Apr 2010 08:40 PM
The news that the Ashtech brand name would replace Magellan Professional was announced in early January. This trusted brand name has a rich history, and the return comes with a clear focus on the needs of professional users.
More onEconomy - Surveying - Geospatial Technology
Wednesday, 07 Apr 2010 07:20 AM
Warwick Watkins, Surveyor General of New South Wales and researcher author Pedro Harris say "people are becoming IT savvy and are increasingly demanding new e-government services... To tackle these information management challenges and structural reforms head on, requires greater reliance of shared infrastructure, shared services and access to current information."
More on Economy - Surveying - Geospatial TechnologyA Geospatial Novel? Why not!
Monday, 29 Mar 2010 09:27 PM
What is geodetic engineering? This is the next question I usually received after my first answer to what is your major? The conversation could then be very long. That was the starting point when I challenge myself to do something to popularise the discipline of geodetic engineering and geospatial issues in general.
More on Writing a Geospatial NovelCrowning Saudi Post with "GIS Technology Innovation Award"
Wednesday, 24 Mar 2010 09:24 AM
Saudi Post is awarded for the pioneer project of innovating a new Postal Addressing System, which is one of the most accurate systems in the world in the field of locating an address resulting in the identification of more than two million postal addresses of residential and commercial locations in the Kingdom with the accuracy up to one meter.
More on Saudi PostThe Geospatial Equipment Monitoring Systems Connection
Monday, 22 Mar 2010 01:02 PM
Equipment management monitoring systems have evolved significantly over the last few years. From machine control for highways and roads to mining equipment, agriculture and forestry along with advances in engineering and coupled geospatial technologies are providing many benefits that ensure higher quality operations, increased safety and reduced cost.
More on Geospatial EquipmentGLONASS - Putting GNSS in the Picture
Tuesday, 16 Mar 2010 02:33 PM
The Russian satellite based navigation and positioning system GLONASS is knocking on the GNSS door once again. With 19 operational satellites, three of which were newly launched and another in commissioning phase, GLONASS is almost at the magic 24 number - providing reliable global coverage.
More on GLONASS and GNSSHow to Pay for GIS?
Friday, 05 Mar 2010 10:55 AM
The existence of Software as a Service, Open Source, Crowd Sourcing and Computing in the Cloud will challenge existing business models for IT companies, but it won't alter the fundamental rule: you pay for what you get.
More on How to Pay for GISHave Geospatial Tools Helped in Tsunami Mitigation?
Monday, 01 Mar 2010 10:10 AM
Another earthquake within the Asia-Pacific basin spawned tsunami warnings this past weekend. Hundreds of thousands of people headed to higher land to avoid disaster, the result of constant monitoring of the earth's seismological activity. Have geospatial tools helped to mitigate these impacts?
More on Tsunami and Geospatial ToolsDefining Spaces, Place and Augmented Reailty
Wednesday, 24 Feb 2010 05:34 PM
Augmented reality brings new perspectives and interpretations about the spaces and places that we live in. Once assigned to the distant future, augmented reality is available today. While many applications related to virtual worlds and fictional places, virtual reality applications are finding useful and valuable applications in every day applications.
More on Space and VRDevelopment and Management of an Indian Police GIS
Sunday, 21 Feb 2010 08:37 PM
To review the progress of applications of GIS in police administration and to formulate further strategy for development and management of Police GIS in district Almora, a one day workshop was jointly organized by the Police Administration Almora and the Centre of Excellence for NRDMS in Uttarakhand (COE NRDMS) at the Meeting Hall of the Superintendent of Police Almora January 2010.
More on Police GIS in IndiaCBERS-3 Go Ahead
Wednesday, 17 Feb 2010 10:53 AM
Brazil and China have agreed to launch the fourth China Brazil Environmental Remote Sensing satellite in 2011. The satellite was originally slated for launch in the second half of this year, but a design meeting last week decided on a new schedule.
More on CBERS-3Ethics Charter for 3D Visualization
Monday, 15 Feb 2010 12:28 PM
With the growing use of 3D technologies and further developments in the field of 3D visualization images have become more important as representations of reality. Some have suggested that 3D visualization is replacing the map as the primary cartographic graphic,and that this shift is leading toward ethical issues.
More on 3D CharterAsian Remote Sensing Converging on Disaster Response
Thursday, 11 Feb 2010 07:32 AM
Asia is moving rapidly to achieving an independent capacity in the use of remote sensing for disaster response. Speakers at the sixteenth session of the Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum (APRSAF-16; 26-29 January; Bangkok) urged the creation of a space segment to Sentinel Asia, using satellites from south Korea, India and Japan.
More onGeospatial Technology in Asian Agriculture
Monday, 08 Feb 2010 01:24 AM
Rice harvesting in the Mekong Delta is lower than what it could be. Only 28% of the 420,000 acres under cultivation benefit from high technology, suggesting large increases in production could be achieved with more technology input.
More on Geospatial TechnologyMeasuring Mountain Height: From Surveying to Satellites
Monday, 01 Feb 2010 02:07 PM
There are many ways that the height of a mountain can be determined. Altimeters are the easiest approach but theodolites, global positioning systems (GPS) and satellite imagery can also be used.
More on Measuring HeightsGlacial Melting—The View Up Close
Wednesday, 27 Jan 2010 08:53 AM
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development in Kathmandu has issued a statement on the recent controversy on the rate of glacial melting. In 2007, the UN' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a report called AR4. The report repeated a claim made by Professor Syed Hasnain in 1999, published in New Scientist magazine, in the UK, that glaciers in the Himalaya, would melt completely by 2035.
More on Glacial MeltingLIDAR Measurement & Monitoring
Tuesday, 26 Jan 2010 10:27 AM
The year 2010 is termed the 'Year of the Laser' to many people. Since inventor, Theodore Maiman demonstrated the first laser in 1960 at Hughes Research Labs in Malibu, Calif., the study of light or 'photonics' has grown and expanded immensely.
More on LIDAR MeasurementChinese Compass Satellite Furthers Navigation
Tuesday, 19 Jan 2010 09:30 AM
China has launched the third satellite in its Compass global satellite navigation system. It was launched from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwestern Sichuan province at about 0:12 a.m. Beijing Time on 17 January.
More onViet Nam - Setting Higher Agricultural Targets
Sunday, 17 Jan 2010 12:05 PM
Agricultural production is highly linked to land resources and their location. Recently Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung suggested that Viet Nam needs to set higher targets for agricultural production. He pointed to the need for better models that link economy to production for local conditions.
More onRazaksat Imagery
Thursday, 14 Jan 2010 09:12 AM
Imagery from the Malaysian Razaksat satellite will be available to users during the next few months. Speaking at the International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition in LangKawi, deputy science technology and innovation minister Fadillah Yusof said the configuration process to sharpen the imagery from the satellite was still not completed.
More on RazakSATGoogle to Flee China?
Thursday, 14 Jan 2010 08:58 AM
On 12 January, David Drummond, Google Inc's chief legal officer published a blog announcing his company was considering its position in the Chinese market, after officials there attempted to hack email box belonging to civil rights activists, both inside and outside China.
More on Google in ChinaNAVTEQ - State of Asia Navigation
Thursday, 07 Jan 2010 12:37 PM
Navteq in Singapore has released statistics that provide a perspective on the state of the Asian consumer navigation industry in 2009.
More on NAVTEQ in AsiaChina Plans Hi-res Satellite
Thursday, 07 Jan 2010 11:34 AM
An official with the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping in Xian says China will put a high-definition survey satellite into space in 2011.
More - China Plans Hi-res SatelliteNew Report Analyzes the Growth of the GIS Market in China
Tuesday, 05 Jan 2010 07:22 PM
TechNavio Insights recently completed a report that analyzes the prospects for the Geographic Information System (GIS) market in China from 2008 to 2012. The report summarizes the wide range of applications of GIS technology, and aims to inform government policy so that the market will grow and thrive.
More on China GIS MarketIndonesia - Tsunami Early Warning System Progressing
Monday, 04 Jan 2010 12:05 PM
Five years after the Indian Ocean tsunami, Indonesia’s early warning system remains a work in progress, officials and experts say.
More on Indonesia TsunamiNagasaki and Warship Island The Seaport Town Opened to the World
Tuesday, 29 Dec 2009 02:37 PM
Nagasaki has played an important role as a port of diplomacy and trade. For example, Dejima of Nagasaki was the sole port of external trading for more than 200 years during the Tokugawa Shogunate, who decided to close the country in 1633.
More on Nagasaki and Warship Is.Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation
Saturday, 19 Dec 2009 04:21 AM
Adaptation and mitigation of rural lands are complementary, not mutually exclusive, approaches to tackling climate change, says a new report from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
More on REDDASM Special Report: Towards Multi-GNSS
Tuesday, 01 Dec 2009 12:00 AM
Within the next year, production satellites for the Japanese QZSS system, the Chinese Compass, and the European Galileo constellation will all enter service. That's not really news. The timetable was already on the slate in 2000, and for all the pratfalls and pitfalls along the way, system providers have largely stuck to their guns. So, the evidence seems to be that it takes about a decade for the GNSS to evolve. That begs an interesting question: what will the GNSS look like in 2020?
More on GNSSFaro Laser Scanner Used in Peking Man Cave
Wednesday, 25 Nov 2009 11:12 PM
Scientists have completed a laser scan survey of the Zhoukoudian cave system. Zhoukoudian is famous for its archaeological discoveries, including one of the first specimens of a Chinese variant of Homo erectus, also known as Peking Man.
More on Zhoukoudian