Subscriber’s copy. Not for Sale INR 150 / US$ 15 e c …...GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. A - 145,...

Pric

e:IN

R 1

50

/ U

S$

15

S

ubsc

riber

’s c

opy.

Not

for

Sal

e

August 2010 Vol 01 Issue 01

T H E G E O S P A T I A L I N D U S T R Y M A G A Z I N E

www.geospatialworld.net

Copyright © 2010 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, ArcPad, ArcGIS, and www.esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community, or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

Try ArcPad Today!

Download a free evaluation of ArcPad software and see how it improves your fi eld productivity. Visit www.esri.com/arcpad.

ArcPad® software provides an accurate, hassle-free way to collect and

share data using a variety of mobile devices.

Simplify your data collection tasks by capturing, editing, and

synchronizing field information back to the office where advanced

analysis can be performed. ArcPad integrates with GPS, range finders,

and digital cameras to help you make more-informed decisions.

Complete time-sensitive projects, including field mapping, asset

inventory, maintenance, and inspections, while sharing critical enterprise

information across your organization quickly and efficiently.

Collect and Share Field Information Immediately Across Your Organization

ArcPad®

Synchronize with the server.

Quickly access field data in the office.

Label features.Use GIS with GPS. Preview maps.Find street routes.

CONNECTIONS THAT WORK FOR YOU.

To fi nd out more about Dimensions 2010, visit www.trimbledimensions.com

Don’t miss Trimble Dimensions 2010—the positioning event of the year! It’s the one place where you can make connections and gain insight into positioning solutions that can transform the way you work. Be inspired by our panel of visionary guest speakers. Increase your knowledge base from hundreds of educational sessions that focus on surveying, engineering, construction, mapping, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), geospatial, infrastructure, utilities and mobile resource management solutions. Register now and you’ll learn how the convergence of technology can make collaborating easier and more productive to gain a competitive edge.The Mirage, Las Vegas

November 8–10, 2010

©2010 Trimble Navigation Limited. All rights reserved. PN# 022540-039 (5/10)

Geospatial World I August 2010 5

Hexagon-Intergraph Deal

(Re)defining geospatial ecosystemSanjay Kumar, GIS Development

Touted as the most significant acquisition ever in geospatialdomain, the Hexagon-Intergraph deal is raising an interestingdebate over the future of the industry...

FOCUS: US National Space Policy 2010

Obama lays out bold policyThe legacy of success in space and its transformation presentednew challenges. The new US space policy calls for greater interna-tional cooperation to address these challenges.

Deepwater Oil Spill

Stretching the possibilitiesDawn Forsythe, NOAA

NOAA is developing novel uses for traditional geospatial tools totackle the deepawater oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico...

CHAIRMAN M P Narayanan

Editor & Publisher Sanjay Kumar

PUBLICATIONS TEAM

Managing Editor (Honorary) Prof. Arup Dasgupta

Director Publications Niraj

Associate Editor Bhanu Rekha

Assistant Editor Deepali Roy

Sub-Editor Anand Kashyap

Product Manager Shivani Lal

DESIGN TEAM

Sr. Creative Designer Deepak Kumar

Graphic Designer Manoj Kumar Singh

CIRCULATION TEAM

Circulation Manager Priyanka Ujwal, Vijay Kumar Singh

GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India Tel + 91-120-4612500 Fax+91-120-4612555 / 666

Price: INR 150/US$ 15

DISCLAIMER

GIS Development does not necessarily subscribe to the

views expressed in the publication. All views expressed in

this issue are those of the contributors. It is not responsible

for any loss to anyone due to the information provided.

GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. Printed and Published by Sanjay Kumar.Press M. P. Printers B-220, Phase-II, Noida, GautambudhNagar (UP) INDIA Publication Address A-92, Sector-52, Gautambudh Nagar, Noida, India Editor Sanjay Kumar

24

22

32

Inside...

07 EDITORIAL 08 NEWS 50 PICTURE THIS 54 ISPRS CENTENARY REPORT 58 EVENTS

COVER STORY.. Pg 24

THEME: MARINE & COASTAL MANAGEMENT

ADVISORY BOARD

Dato’ Dr. Abdul Kadir bin TaibDirector General of Survey and Mapping, Malaysia

Bhupinder SinghSr. Vice PresidentBentley Systems Inc.

Prof. Ian Dowman Former PresidentISPRS

Prof. Josef Strobl Director, Centre for GeoinformaticsUniversity of Salzburg, Austria

Kamal K Singh Chairman and CEORolta Group of Companies

Mark Reichardt President and CEO,Open Geospatial Consortium

Matthew O’Connell CEO, GeoEyeUSA

Dr. Prithvish Nag DirectorNATMO, India

Prof. V. S RamamurthyDirectorNIAS, Bangalore, India

KCM KumarChairman & Managing DirectorSpeck Systems Limited

Brian NichollsGeneral ManagerAAMHatch

Shailesh Nayak SecretaryMinistry of Earth Sciences, India

Prof William CartwrightPresidentInternational Cartographic Association

Dr Derek. G. ClarkeChief Director: Surveys and MappingSouth Africa

Bradley C SkeltonChief Technology OfficerERDAS

Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Holistic route to save coastsDr. K. J. Ramesh MOES, Government of India

South America on the riseDeepali Roy, GIS DevelopmentSteady growth in the uptake of geospatial technologies in

many countries of South America is creating a conductive

environment for the industry to flourish in the region...

Philippines - MapSys

Land info at fingertipsThe online mapping system, MapSys aims to ensure

integrity in real estae transaction in the Philipines....

Dr. M. Shiham Adam

Director General, Marine ResearchCentre, Republic of Maldives

INTERVIEW38

Geospatial World I August 20106

42

46

52

REGIONAL FOCUS

n January 2010, GIS Developmentmagazine celebrated its 150thedition. This milestone was cele-brated with a bumper issue inwhich we traced the journey of the

magazine in the context of the journey ofgeospatial technologies and applicationsin the same period. We also looked aheadto try and visualise the future directions ofthe technology and applications. As we didthis, we also looked ahead and tried tovisualise what our magazine would haveto do to remain an active source of infor-mation, opinion and business intelligence.Thus began a quest for an identity whichwould match the changing environment. Itwas a difficult decision to move away froman identity which had been built uppainstakingly over time. We neededchange with continuity so that our brandidentity would remain undisturbed andvalue would be enhanced.

In 2009, we held Map World Forum withthe theme 'Expanding Horizons ofGeospatial Industry'. It was a pleasantsurprise to see the way a broad spectrumof industries could identify with thetheme. Clearly the term geospatial meansmany things to many people and is theglue that binds together many technolo-gies to provide convergent applications.The future of geospatial systems lies insynergy with a wide variety of technologieslike IT, engineering and design and appli-cations like governance, public welfareand environmental protection. Therefore it

made sense to recognise the word'geospatial' as the term that would ensurechange with continuity. So with this issue,GIS Development re-brands itself asGeospatial World. With this change, wehope to continue to serve our readershipthrough awareness campaigns, advocacyprogrammes and business developmentplatforms.

Geospatial World entails more responsi-bility to make our content global. This is achallenge and an opportunity. NorthAmerica and Europe are mature marketsand are open to share thoughts and infor-mation. On the other hand, the Asianmarket has become demanding in termsof the quality of information. There is astrong need for a market oriented maga-zine which can undertake stories on themajor trends and programmes of geospa-tial industry worldwide. This calls forgreater interaction with market forces andone-to-one relationship with industrymajors.

We make a beginning with a lead story onthe trend of mergers and acquisitionswhich highlights the consolidation and convergence in the industry. Theimpact of one such major recent event onthe marketplace, and on the users hasbeen analysed. We hope to bring youmany such features in the future. Thename change signifies a greater and moremeaningful commitment to the industryand its users.

Prof. Arup Dasgupta

Managing Editor (Honorary) [email protected]

I

CHANGE

WITH CONTINUITY

E d i t o r S p e a k

7Geospatial World I August 2010

CHANGE

WITH CONTINUITY

"They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself." - Andy Warhol

NIGERIA

Billion dollar fund

for power reforms

The Africa Development Bank pro-vided USD 3 billion and the IslamicDevelopment Bank USD 2 billion forthe power sector in Nigeria. Thefund has been offered to upgradethe crucial infrastructure, the lackof which scares investors andadversely affects the development,

according to Namadi Sambo, VicePresident, Nigeria. Sambo identi-fied the challenges in this work likegeo-technical, geo-physicalorthophoto-mapping, accessibility,environmental impact assessmentproblems, legal issues and lack ofpayment to the contactors.

KENYA

GPS to map polling

booths

Interim Independent electoral Com-mission (IIEC) with the support ofstrategic partners, is working on aGPS-based system for mappingpolling centres in Kenya. The tech-nology will identify the electoral

units based on constituency ratherthan administrative boundaries,according to Dismas Ongondi,Director, IIEC ICT. Recently, the USembassy donated 250 Blackberriesto the IIEC. Speaking during thepresentation of the gadgets at theIIEC offices, the US Charge d’Af-faires Lee A. Brudvig said, "With thebuilt-in GPS in Blackberry, the IIEC

staff will be able to accurately mapout all registration and polling loca-tions through the country."

EGYPT

Scientists congregate

Scientists and representatives fromUS and Egyptian technical agenciesmet with industry and universitypartners in Cairo to examine therole that remote sensing (RS) andother space technologies can playin helping Egypt address multipleenvironmental issues, including cli-mate change. The workshop washosted by the Egyptian spaceagency, the National Authority forRemote Sensing and Space Sciences. Proposals will be for-warded for consideration to theboard of the US-Egypt Joint Scienceand Technology Fund.


Lagos to

be digitally

mapped

Consultants workingon the N 3.1 billionLagos Enterprise DigitalMapping and GIS havesaid the project wouldsoon be launched. At pres-ent, the project is in the finalstages of testing. Earlier, the LagosState government had confirmednearly 75 per cent completion of theproject. “The use of GIS would revo-lutionise the process of data acquisition, processing, storage dissemination and use of the GIS in digital format for plotting and choice-making,” said KadriObafemi Hamzat, Commissioner for Science and Technology.The purpose of the project is to produce orthophotos, digitalmaps and GIS database for the whole state.

INDIA

Fugro to survey oil

pipelines

Fugro Survey (India) has beenawarded a pipeline inspection survey contract by the state ownedOil and Gas Company, ONGC. Itsworth is approximately EURO 5 mil-lion. The total length of pipelines isapproximately 5400 km. The workwill be carried out from mid-Sep-tember 2010 to March 2011. Theproject will involve deployment ofMultibeam Echosounder, Side ScanSonar, Pinger Profile along withStarfix DGPS system in the firstphase. Subsequently, a ROTV(Remotely Operated Towed Vehicle)will be deployed to inspect thetrunk pipelines in more detail.

Degraded land

causes huge loss

India is losing INR 285 billion, atcurrent price, on account ofdegraded lands. This comes toabout 12% loss as per the total val-

ue productivity of these lands, saysFinancial Express report. Accordingto a study conducted by IndianCouncil of Agricultural Research(ICAR) and Department of Space,Degraded and Wasteland in India,cover 120.4 million hectare (Mha).This study emphasised on theusage of remote sensing and GIStechnology as one-stop solution forestimation of degraded and waste-lands of the country.

Stagnant crop yield

An analysis of the remote sensing data collected by NASAsatellites has confirmed that thegrowth rate of crop yield in Indiahas been stagnant in the lastdecade. A nine-member team ofscientists from NASA, the BostonUniversity and the Indian Institute ofTropical Meteorology, Pune,analysed the satellite remote sensing data from 1982-2006. The study also expressed fear thatthe groundwater-based expansionof grain production in India mayhave reached its limit and a furtheroverexploitation of the aquifers may lead farmers to revert to lowproductivity crops.

Rolta buys PCI

Geomatics India

Rolta has purchased all assets ofPCI Geomatics India. It has alsoentered into a definitive agreementwith PCI Geomatics whereby Roltahas acquired licenses with perpetu-al rights to complete portfolio ofPCI’s geo-imaging technologies,including source code, design andsoftware architecture exclusively forIndia and non-exclusively through-

out the rest of the world. Further,this comprehensive technologyagreement provides Rolta withaccess to ongoing and future PCIresearch and development, as wellas new products and technologyinnovations.


ISRO launches

Cartosat-2B

Indian Space ResearchOrganisation (ISRO) launchedCartosat-2B, the 17th remotesensing satellite of India.Along with Cartosat-2B, fourother satellites were alsoslung into the orbit by PolarSatellite Launch Vehicle(PSLV) rocket. Cartosat-2Bweighs 694 kg. It is mainlyintended to augment remote sensing data services to theusers of multiple spot sceneimagery with 0.8 metre spa-tial resolution and 9.6 kmswath in the panchromaticband. The multiple spot sceneimagery sent by Cartosat-2B’s panchromatic camerawould be useful for villagelevel/ cadastral level resourceassessment and mapping,detailed urban and infrastruc-ture planning and develop-ment and transportation sys-tem planning.

GPS to stop

auto-rickshaw

rip-offs

To provide customer-friendly services to commuters, Delhi Government has asked autorick-shaw owners to install GPS within six months otherwise strictaction will be taken in the form ofpenalty. The government is alsoplanning to set up call centres forthe 55,000 odd three-wheelers inthe national capital. The announce-ment was made by Arvinder SinghLovely, Transport Minister, DelhiGovernment, India. The governmenthas also started the process ofinstalling GPS in all governmentand private transport buses.

MALAYSIA

Real-time info about

buses

Rapid Penang, a bus operator in

Penang, Malaysia, has launchedreal-time bus arrival display sys-tem, the first of its kind for stagebuses in Malaysia. The IntelligentCommuter Information System(ICIS) display system uses GPS tomap movement of all its buses andcalculates the exact arrival time ofeach bus. The system aims toencourage usages of the publictransport.

Innovative work

by UTM

Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM)has developed a closed circuit tele-vision camera system which canproduce clear and accurate imageseven in the dark. The system, developed by the university’s Pho-togrammetry and Laser ScanningResearch Group headed by Prof Dr Zulkepli Majid of the Faculty ofGeoinformation Science and Engi-neering. Developed from the idea ofMohd Farid Mohd Ariff, one of the16 researchers in the group; it is anintegration of modern imagingtechnology and geomatics, said DrZulkepli. “The system involvesgathering of data offline and online,

10

Geospatial course

in schools

Rolta has signed amemorandum ofunderstanding (MoU)with Central Board ofSecondary Education(CBSE) as theResource Partner, forproviding GeospatialTechnology VocationCourse, for XI & XIIstandard students.Under this MoU, Rolta will provide technical assistance, develop andcreate the curriculum and also impart advanced training to CBSEteachers across the country. Potentially, there are about 11,000 CBSEschools who may want to introduce this course and Rolta has committed 11,000 software licenses of Rolta Geomatica. This is apotential donation of INR 165 crore.


Geospatial Act on the anvil

The Natural Resource and Environment Ministry,Malaysia, is drafting a Geospatial Act to create ageospatial database. The database would comprise geo-graphical information owned by agencies, departmentsand various states. “The ministry is studying suitabilityof models used by other countries. The databasecan be used to monitor disasters across thecountry,” said Minister Datuk Seri DouglasUnggah Embas. He said that the draft actwould be ready by December.

space calibration and data process-ing,” he added.

THAILAND

GIS to end land

disputes

The Natural Resources and Environment Ministry, Thailand, has invested over 2.3 billion baht tobuild a digital GIS database to settleland disputes between locals livingin forests and the authorities.Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva,said, “The technology is a goodbeginning to deal with the problem. However, it doesn’t mean the problem of forest land encroach-ment will be completely resolved.”Use of GIS to settle forest boundary

issue countrywide is scheduled for completion in 2012.

ISRAEL

OFEQ 9 RS satellite

launched

Israel launched an advancedremote sensing (RS) satellite, OFEQ9. It was launched by Shavit satel-lite launcher. The satellite will jointhe OFEQ 5 satellite, launched in2002 and OFEQ 7, launched in 2007.It was manufactured by IAI / MBTSpace division, the main contractorfor all Israel's space programmes.It weighs approximately 300kg. Itslife span is over four years and itsscanning swath is approximatelyseven kilometres.


CH

INA

Google gets entry

The Chinese governmentrenewed Google’s license to operate in the country, ending amonth long conflict that stemmedfrom China’s strict censorshiprules. The license has beenoffered with a condition thatGoogle would stop automaticallyrerouting traffic of Google.cn toits Hong Kong counterpart. Beijing Guxiang InformationTechnology, Operator of Google’sChina website, has undertaken tocomply with Chinese law.

AUSTRIA

UN-SPIDER office

in Beijing

H.E. Ambassador Hu, Xiaodi, Gov-ernment of China; Mazlan Othman,Deputy-Director General, UnitedNations Office at Vienna and Direc-tor of the Office for Outer SpaceAffairs signed an agreement toestablish a new office of the UnitedNations Platform for Space-basedInformation for Disaster Manage-ment and Emergency Response(UN-SPIDER) in Beijing, China. Itaims to raise awareness and sup-port governments, international and

regional organisations through theprovision of technical advice in theuse and access of space-basedinformation for disaster risk man-agement and emergency response.The agreement was signed during53rd session of the Committee onthe Peaceful Uses of Outer Space.`

DENMARK

GNSS summer

school in Sept

European Space Agency (ESA) isorganising a summer school inDenmark during September 1-10, 2010 for young engineers and scientists. There will be lecture on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS), devising new scientific and technical improvements, productsand services. The number of participants is limited to 50, allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

FRANCE

ESSP gets

certification

On July 12, the European SatelliteServices Provider (ESSP SAS)received a certificate of Air Naviga-tion Service Provider according tothe Single European Sky Regulation2096/2005. This is an importantmilestone towards making theEGNOS Safety of Life (SoL) servicesavailable to the aviation community.The certification was delivered bythe French National SupervisoryAuthority (NSA - Direction de laSécurité de l'Aviation Civile) incooperation with the nationalsupervisory authorities of Belgium,Germany, Italy, Portugal, Spain,Switzerland and United Kingdom.


TanDEM-X launched

The German radar satellite TanDEM-X was launched from Baikonur,Kazachstan. The satellite joined its twin TerraSAR-X, which has been inoperation since mid 2007. Together, they will spend three years collect-ing stereo radar data for a global digital elevation model (DEM) of theEarth's entire landmass. This DEM will feature a relative accuracy of

better than 2 meters (10 meter absolute) for a 12meter grid. TanDEM-X

has been launchedunder Public-Private

Partnership (PPP)between the Ger-man AerospaceCentre (DLR) andAstrium GmbH.

GE

RM

AN

Y

Nokia,

MetaCarta get

disconnected

Three months after acquiringgeographical search companyMetaCarta, Nokia is now sellingit to Qbase Holdings. However,Nokia will retain its geographicintelligence technology. In the

last few years, Nokia hasacquired mapping firm Gate5,Berlin’s Bit-side map provider,Navteq and travel social net-work Dopplr, as well as socialaddress book firm Cellity andbrowser maker Novarra. Andthat’s just in the mapping space. F

INL

AN

D

ESA, EMSA further

maritime safety

European Space Agency (ESA) andthe European Maritime SafetyAgency (EMSA) have signed anagreement to ensure that satellite

data is available to enhance maritime safety and help combat pollution from shipping.The Agreement was signed at ESAHeadquarters in Paris by ESA'sDirector General, Jean-JacquesDordain and the Executive Directorof EMSA, Willem de Ruiter. One ofEMSA’s goals is to reduce the riskof marine pollution and to assistMember States in tracing illegaldischarges at sea using satellitemonitoring. The availability of satellite data in near-real time is an essential way of monitoringsuch events.

ESA elects Chair

and retains DG

The Council of the European SpaceAgency (ESA) announced that Jean-Jacques Dordain will continue asthe Director General (DG) of ESA fornext four years. On the other hand,it has elected David Williams, Acting Chief Executive of the UKSpace Agency as Chairman of theESA Council. He will take over from Maurici Lucena of Spain. Dordain has served as DG of ESA since 2003. In July2006, ESA's Councilrenewed Dordain's man-date to July 1, 2011. Thisthird mandate extends histerm to June 2015.

UK

Global forest

monitoring service

DMCii launched Global Forest Mon-itoring Service. It uses satelliteimagery to produce easily-under-stood maps of forest cover change.The service’s wide-area forest sur-veys can be updated annually,monthly - or more often still for

areas judged most at risk – deliver-ing the timely data necessary foroperational management. It isbased around a constellation of sixsatellites known as the DisasterMonitoring Constellation. The satel-lites have a joint daily repeat imag-ing capability for anywhere in theworld, meaning that even cloudyareas can be imaged frequentlyenough to achieve full coverage.


ISS monitors world’s sea traffic

International Space Station (ISS) started tracking individual ships. Anexperiment hosted by European Space Agency’s Columbus module is test-ing the viability of monitoring global traffic from the Station’s orbit. Theship-detection system under test is based around the Automatic Identifi-cation System, the marine equivalent of the air traffic control system.Now, all international vessels, cargo ships above certain weights and pas-senger carriers of all sizes must carry ‘Class A’ AIS transponders, broad-casting continually updated identification and navigation data.

Vodafone open

sources

Wayfinder

Vodafone is making almost allWayfinder software code avail-able via open source. “Given ourdecision to stop developing turnby turn location based servicesas part of our core business, itseemed an obvious choice tomake the code we own opensource,” said Pieter Knook,

Voda’s Internet Director. How-ever, two years back the

company boughtWayfinder for 230million Swedishcrowns (now USD31 million) to

underpin location-based advertising and

power its GPS navigation.

Mapping tool for

councils

The Department of Climate Changeis about to distribute a new map-ping tool for councils in Australia to

identify which areas may be floodedby rising sea levels. The tool will beused to restrict development in vul-nerable areas. "The pilot coastalinundation visualisation tool willprovide the ability to investigatewhich areas will be inundated

under different sea-level scenar-ios," said Penny Wong, Minister forClimate Change, Canberra. Thedepartment will hold workshopsover the next couple of months toshow how the tool works. It will dis-tribute maps showing sea-level ris-es to 2100.

New Chair for

TASSIC

The Minister for Primary Industriesand Water Bryan Green announcedthe appointment of Gary Nairn, asthe new chair of the TasmanianSpatial Information Council (TAS-SIC). After a 25 year career as asurveyor in Australia, the UK andEurope, including 13 years of run-ning his own surveying and map-ping business, Nairn served as theMember for Eden-Monaro in theAustralian Parliament from 1996until 2007.

Disaster monitor

in real time

University of New South Wales(UNSW) researchers will developsatellite surveying technologies thatwill allow flooding, bushfires, defor-estation and earthquakes to be

monitored in real time under a USD4.7 million Australian SpaceResearch Program grant from theFederal Government. AssociateProfessor Andrew Dempster, Facul-ty of Engineering, UNSW’s School ofSurveying and Spatial InformationSystems, will lead a consortiuminvestigating flying formations ofSynthetic Aperture Radar (SAR)-equipped satellites to allow highlyaccurate, three-dimensional imag-ing of the Earth’s surface, creatingnew, niche space capabilities forAustralia.


Lasers to study river system

Lasers will be used as part of a 12-month study of the Mary Riveraimed at generating a clear understanding of how rising sea lev-els will affect the catchment. Civil engineers from Charles DarwinUniversity, Australia, are leading the USD 200,000 project onbehalf of the Territory Government to assess the effectiveness ofseveral man-made barrages. The University's Prof. Eric Valentinesaid, "We'll be surveying the floodplain in various ways and we'rehoping to use a LiDAR technique."

APPLICATION

Common spatial

info platform

US Army Central Coalition ForcesLand Component Command and USAir Forces Central are pooling datasources to satisfy their individualgeospatial mission requirementsthrough the newly formed Geospa-tial Central Command Collaborative

(G3C). The collaborative activity willeliminate overlap of information,save the time, energy and moneypreviously spent to collect the samedata for two separate militarybranches. The G3C is a single web-site and map with GIS rivalling thespeed of Google Maps even fordeployed or remote users, accord-ing to Dave Williams, an assistantarchitect at AECOM, the companyproviding technical, operational andprofessional management solutionsfor the project.

GPS-based

tsunami prediction

A NASA-led research team hasdemonstrated a prototype for animproved GPS-based tsunami pre-diction system. The network, man-aged by Jet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena, California, can

detect ground motions as small asa few centimetres. "This successfultest during Chilean earthquake(February 27) demonstrates thatcoastal GPS systems can effectivelybe used to predict the size oftsunamis. This could allow respon-sible agencies to issue better warn-ings that can save lives and reducefalse alarms that can unnecessarilydisturb the lives of coastal resi-dents," said Y. Tony Song who ledthe research team.

PRODUCTS

Trimble MX8

introduced

Trimble introduced MX8 MobileSpatial Imaging System, anadvanced mobile data capture sys-tem that combines imaging andlaser scanning capabilities tomeasure objects in 3D to produce3D, 4D and 5D data sets for spatialimaging projects. The Trimble MX8Mobile Spatial Imaging System isexpected to be available in the thirdquarter of 2010. The new system issuitable for as-built modelling,inventory, inspection, encroach-ment analysis and asset manage-ment for roadways, bridges, rail-ways, utilities and other infrastruc-ture.


Infrared satellite to

predict sandstorm

Researchers based at the Universityof Pittsburgh developed a methodfor predicting dust and sandstormsusing infrared satellite images. Thistechnique was successfully tested toforecast 2008 New Mexico duststorm—the area’s largest indecades—two days beforehand.Lead author Stephen Scheidt, a

research associate in Pitt’s Department of Geology and Planetary Sci-ence; Michael Ramsey, a Pitt associate professor of geology and plane-tary science and member of NASA’s ASTER science team; and NicholasLancaster of Nevada’s Desert Research Institute further determinedthat this approach can be expanded into a worldwide system to monitorareas prone to dust storms or to track drought in regions threatened bydesertification.


DIGITAL MAPS

Historic maps online

Over 3,200 historic maps of North Carolina are nowavailable online as part of the Digital North CarolinaMaps Project. North Carolina Maps contain morethan 3,000 maps, ranging in date from the late 1500sto 2000 and including detailed maps for each ofNorth Carolina's one hundred counties. North Car-olina Maps is made possible by the Institute of Muse-um and Library Services under the provisions of theLibrary Services and Technology Act as administeredby the State Library of North Carolina.

Record 240,000 volunteers

for OpenStreet Map

The numbers of volunteer cartographers workingworldwide on OpenStreetMap has reached 240,000.They are trying to create a digital map of every streetin every city and village on the planet. It is a kind ofgrass-roots Wikipedia for maps that is transforminghow map data is collected, shared and used — fromthe desktop to smart phones to car navigation,according to an article published in Los AngelesTimes. OpenStreetMap uses public mapping datafrom government agencies and aerial imagerydonated by Yahoo and others. It took about threeyears for OpenStreetMap to hit 10,000 users, but in

the last 12 months, the community has swelled fromabout 110,000 members to 244,000.

Map on migration patterns

Forbes magazine has posted an interactive mapshowing county by county, where Americans movedto and where they moved from. According to the map,more people are still moving into Central Oregonthan out of it. The map is based on 2008 data, beforethe economy meltdown. The map casts doubt on thetheory that higher tax rates cause higher-incomeclass to flee a state en masse.

Cycling at Bing and Google

Bing Maps and Google Earth are following 2010 Tourde France in their own typical style. Bing Maps hasput together an application full of data on each of the21 stages. It is built with Silverlight. It features an

elevation and distance graph to give its users an ideaof the type of climbs the riders will encounter. Thereis also weather information, ten days ahead. On theother hand, there is a KML file for Google Earthwhich shows the route of the Tour de France. In addi-tion, Google has set up an exclusive page for the HTCColumbia team. The team’s eight riders can betracked in real-time through that page.

ERDAS APOLLO on

the cloud

ERDAS released ERDAS APOLLO onthe Cloud, a new cloud-based datamanagement and delivery solution.It provides a simple entry point intothe geospatial server world. It is

suitable for organisations that havelimited IT infrastructure and expert-ise, yet still want to Web-enabletheir large volumes of geospatialdata. This solution is also an alter-native for users requiring a geospa-tial server solution on an intermit-tent basis or for a one-time project.

NEXTMap USA

dataset available

Intermap Technologies announcedcommercial availability of itsNEXTMap USA countrywide digitalmapping programme at the 30thESRI International User Conferencein San Diego.

It is available via the company’sOpen Geospatial Consortium (OGC)-based cloud computing platform,TerrainOnDemand. The dataset fea-tures digital surface models, digital

terrain models, orthorectified radarimages, elevation shaded imagesalong with a variety of othergeospatial products.

Ashtech introduces

MobileMapper 100

Ashtech unveiled MobileMapper 100 at ESRI International User Conference 2010 in San Diego. It isa GIS handheld for high-precisionmobile mapping and data collec-tion. It is the newest generation ofAshtech GNSS handheld mappingsolutions.

It provides real-time sub-metre,to centimetre accuracies in arugged and very lightweight 22-ounce (0.62 kg) unit. It integrates anopen operating system, built-incommunications and Ashtech’sBLADE technology.

ALERT

Chesapeake Bay at

risk

A new state-of-the-art map by Con-servation Fund shows that Chesa-peake Bay is at risk due to the risingsea level. It is the largest estuary inthe United States.

The map also provides snap shotsof high-resolution inundation modelsfor Washington, D.C., DorchesterCounty, Maryland and Virginia Beach,Virginia. Sea level is predicted to risesteadily along the East Coast due tochanging climate, which, along withperiodic storm surge, could result inshoreline erosion, coastal flooding,salt water intrusion of freshwaterresources and inundation of somecoastal areas.

The 30th ESRI International User Conference was held in San Diego, California. Jack Dangermond,President, ESRI, during the inaugural address talked about his vision of 'GIS opening the world foreveryone'. Everyone is getting more involved in crowd sourcing and social media. There are hugeopportunities to bring in new types of real-time information from citizens. For example, Twittertweets can now be georeferenced, noted Jack. During the conference, the President's award wasgiven to the City of Frisco, Texas. The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Carlos SalmanGonzalez, the President and CEO of Sistemas de Informacion Geográfica S.A. (SIGSA). National Geo-graphic Society's board chairman Gil Grosvenor was awarded the society's highest honour, theAlexander Graham Bell Award to Dangermond and Roger Tomlinson, the father of GIS.

'GIS opening the world for everyone'

EV

EN

T


CANADA

Apple acquires Poly9

Apple has acquired Poly9, aCanadian online mappingfirm, according to a reportpublished in a French-Canadian news portalcyberpresse.ca. The web-site reports that majority ofPoly9 staff left Quebec tosettle in the Apple’s officein California. However, offi-cial confirmation has notbeen given. It was said thatthe Cupertino, California,company asked Poly9employees to not discussthe matter. If the report istrue, it would be second mapping company acquisition by Apple. Last sum-mer, the company quietly purchased PlaceBase.


Greater cooperation

The Policy directs concerningdepartments and agencies to iden-tify potential areas for internationalcooperation including space sci-ence, space exploration, spacetransportation, space surveillance,missile warning, geospatial infor-mation products and services andmore for human activity and use.The Secretary of State, after con-sultation with the heads of appro-priate departments and agencies,shall carry out diplomatic and pub-lic diplomacy efforts to strengthenunderstanding of, and support for,US national space policies and pro-grammes and to encourage the for-

eign use of US space capabilities,systems, and services.

Public-private partnership

The Policy seeks partnerships withprivate sector to enable safe, reli-able and cost-effective commercialspaceflight capabilities and servicesfor the transport of crew and cargoto and from the ISS. It calls forpartnerships for the research anddevelopment in support of next-generation launch systems. It alsoemphasises on a sustained roboticpresence in the solar system toconduct scientific investigations ofother planetary bodies; demon-strate new technologies and scout

locations for future human mis-sions.

Orbital debris

Addressing orbital debris issue andfor the responsible, peaceful andsafe use of the space, the Policysays that the US will abide with theinternational and industry stan-dards and policies, such as theUnited Nations Space Debris Miti-gation Guidelines. It will develop,maintain and use space situationalawareness (SSA) information fromcommercial, civil and nationalsecurity sources. It will pursueresearch and development of tech-nologies and techniques for pre-serving the space environment,through the Administrator of theNational Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration (NASA) and the Sec-retary of Defense.

Leadership in GNSS

Recent progress in building GlobalNavigation Satellite Systems(GNSS) by nations around the world such as Galileo by EU,GLONASS by Russia, GAGAN byIndia and Biedou by China werecreating a doubt over the suprema-cy of US owned Global PositioningSystem (GPS). The Policy pledges tomaintain the US leadership in theservice, provision, and use of GNSS.With this aim, the US will invest indomestic capabilities and supportinternational activities to detect,mitigate and increase resiliency toharmful interference to GPS,

FOCUS: US NATIONAL SPACE POLICY 2010

The legacy of success in space presented

new challenges. The new US space policy

calls for greater innternational cooperation

to make it happy heavens!

22

Decades of space activity has littered Earth's orbit with debris and asthe world's space-faring nations continue to increase activities inspace, the chance for a collision increases. Spy satellites are raising

national security threat. To address such issues, Obama Administrationunveiled National Space Policy 2010. The policy renounces the unilateralstance taken in National Space Policy 2006 by Bush Administration andemphasises international cooperation across a wide range of scientificexploration and national-security projects. The new policy is quite ambitious inthe sense it aims for improvements in space exploration, healthier use of spacefor general wellbeing, greater international cooperation, public-private partner-ship and US leadership as the key driver to achieve all these, for a brighter andsustainable future. Here are the highlights of the US Space Policy 2010.

Obama lays out bold


and identify and implement, as necessary and appropriate. It willengage with foreign GNSS providersto encourage compatibility andinteroperability.

Future course

The Policy is quite ambitious. By2025, it expects that US will begincrewed missions beyond the Moon,including sending humans to anasteroid and by mid-2030s, to sendhumans to orbit Mars and returnthem safely to Earth. With the helpof ISS and its international part-ners, it intends to expand efforts toutilise the ISS for scientific, techno-logical, commercial, diplomatic andeducational purposes, and serve asa continuous human presence inEarth orbit by 2020.

EO and weather

With this new Policy, space-basedobservation, research, and analysisof the Earth's land, oceans andatmosphere are supposed toimprove greatly. The NASA Admin-istrator, in coordination with otherappropriate departments and agen-cies, shall conduct a programme toenhance US global climate changeresearch and sustained monitoringcapabilities, advance research intoand scientific knowledge of theEarth. The US will be responsiblefor the requirements, funding,acquisition and operation of civiloperational environmental satellitesin support of weather forecasting,climate monitoring, ocean andcoastal observations, and spaceweather forecasting.

Monitoring change

The Policy states that the US Secre-tary of the Interior, through theDirector of the United States Geo-logical Survey (USGS), shall conductresearch on natural and human-induced changes to Earth's land,land cover and inland surfacewaters and manage a global landsurface data national archive andits distribution. The Secretary willdetermine the operational require-ments for collection, processing,archiving and distribution of landsurface data to the United StatesGovernment and other users.

Conclusion

Many media reports observed achange in the tone of language ofthe new policy over the precedingone. "I think the biggest differencebetween the Bush policy and theClinton policy was the tone of it,and I think the biggest differencebetween the Obama policy and theBush policy is the tone, the tenor,"said Marcia Smith, founder and edi-tor of SpacePolicyOnline.com. "Thebiggest news is Obama's focus oninternational cooperation, a depar-ture from his predecessor. Specifi-cally, he wants countries to worktogether to clean up space junk,which the Pentagon has said is athreat. The document also explainshow NASA will cede ground to theprivate sector, working with com-mercial firms to develop newmodes of space transport," writesPopular Science..

23

POLICY


HEXAGON-INTERGRAPH DEAL

(RE)DEFINING GEOSPATI

TOUTED AS THE MOST SIGNIFICANT ACQUISITION EVER IN GEOSPATIAL

DOMAIN, THE HEXAGON-INTERGRAPH DEAL IS RAISING AN INTEREST-

ING DEBATE OVER THE FUTURE OF THE INDUSTRY. SANJAY KUMAR, CEO,

GIS DEVELOPMENT GIVES AN EXHAUSTIVE ANALYSIS...

24


As geospatial industry entered a phase of consol-idation and expansion, there have been severalacquisitions and mergers over the past five

years. Apart from a few core 'GIS companies', rest ofthe industry has been busy finding ways and means toexpand their product portfolio and integrate theirofferings to the geospatial user base. Several innova-tive approaches by companies towards businessdevelopment have led to increasing the utility and rel-evance of geospatial industry.

A substantial credit goes to the entry of new businessentities, which cut through legacies and opened up new-er market opportunities. One event which had a signifi-cant impact on geospatial industry is the entry of Hexa-gon in 2005. Hexagon, which was in the business of mete-orology instrumentations, had adequate knowledge andunderstanding of scientific instrumentation business andleveraging the same, decided to enter geospatial indus-try. And it did so with a bang, acquiring Leica Geosys-tems, a 180-year-old company which's into the businessof surveying and mapping solutions. Having done itshomework for growth within the geospatial industry,Hexagon began acquiring more geospatial companiesoffering quite complementary and supportive technolo-gies to existing market base of Leica Geosystems andsupported software components to Leica Geosystems'offerings in photogrammetry, scanning, surveying,machine control and imaging business. In parallel, Hexa-gon also continued its stride to acquire/invest in many ofits existing partner companies with an objective to build astrong local presence and capacity especially in emergingmarkets like China, India and South America.

Within five years of its existence in geospatial indus-try, Hexagon acquired a complete range of geospatialtechnologies marching its way to fulfill its vision of(re)defining geospatial industry and its mission of beingthe largest geospatial company in the world. And today,that dream seems to have fructified with the successfulacquisition of Intergraph. This move makes Hexagon notonly the largest but the most comprehensive geospatialsolutions company in the world. This is undoubtedly the

AL ECOSYSTEM

25

Mother of all deals

Deal Stats

>> Hexagon acquires Intergraph, a provider of enterprise engineering and geospatial software

>> Cash purchase price of USD 2125 million on a cashand debt free basis

>> The acquisition is fully financed via bank facilities.Hexagon intends to pursue a rights issue correspon-ding to USD 850 million as soon as practically possiblefollowing completion of the acquisition

With the acquisition of Intergraph, we are able to seamlesslyconnect the real world with maps or drawings. By adding Intergraph's technologies to our product offering, Hexagonwill be able to create new exciting solutions that will changethe way our customers operate in several industries acrossthe world. We are indeed excited about the future for ourGroup

- Ola Rollén, President and CEO, Hexagon AB’

“

most significant event for geospatial industry and can beconsidered to be one of the major, if not the largest acqui-sition within the geospatial ecosystem. Earlier majoracquisitions of Tele Atlas and Navteq were by players fromoutside the geospatial industry. Though some may claimthe same about Hexagon, it is very much a geospatialplayer since its acquisition of Leica Geosystems. Thoughthe direction this event provides to the geospatial industryremains to be seen, let us discuss a few intelligent con-clusions one can draw.

PROVIDE NEW DIMENSIONS TO WORLD

GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRY

Hexagon's acquisition of Intergraph is certainly a signifi-cant event in the geospatial market and gives it a clearedge as having perhaps the largest assembly of productsand solutions of any company in this space. It will be aforce to be reckoned with for sure. Intergraph was proba-bly 'the real acquisition' on the software solution side thatmade sense for a company like Hexagon. We can expect achanging supply chain of related software and hardwareto follow.

An industry stakeholder opined that Hexagon's acqui-sition of Intergraph is a clear signal of the ever-increasingstrength of the geospatial industry and that Intergraph'sinvestors got an excellent return on their investment.Since all boats rise with the tide, the entire industry ben-efits from such transactions. The acquisition also reflectsthe importance, in today's geospatial marketplace, ofcombining content and distribution to give customers aone stop shop of geospatial solutions.

Another interesting note came in as, "With large play-ers like Microsoft and Google now in the market, thismove allows Hexagon to shore up a substantial portion ofcommercial geospatial technology into one conglomer-ate. Hexagon prides itself in being among the top playersin any market they choose to play a role in…..so competi-tors beware!" Appreciating the acquisition, a geospatialenthusiast said, "I generally favour this acquisition. Thegeospatial industry (in almost all sectors including hard-ware and software supply, service providers) remainssub-scale and fragmented. There are very few truly globalplayers, with Leica Geosystems, Trimble, ESRI beingexceptions (I don't really count Google as being in geospa-tial but perhaps they are). On the service provision side,there is no really large global player (Fugro is large andglobal payer, but more involved in geophysics thangeospatial)." He further added, "We love hearing stories ofsmall companies and innovation in our industry, but thereality is we lack companies that truly have the scale tofully capitalise on the benefits of geospatial. Governmentsare often immature and idealistic in their thinking ongeospatial and in many cases are hindering the develop-ment of the industry and the roll-out of pragmatic (asopposed to idealistic) solutions for their stakeholders. Ifwe had 'larger' scale service providers, we would have abetter voice and argument to work with government onpublic - private partnerships, influence governmentstrategies etc."


Measure real world

Change real world

Present model ofreal worldConstant flowof

updated informationto gain qualityand efficiency

With large players like Microsoft

and Google now in the market, this

move allows Hexagon to shore up a

substantial portion of commercial

geospatial technology into one

conglomerate. Hexagon prides itself

in being among the top players in any

market they choose to play a role

in…..so competitors beware!

The deal brings complementing technologies of Hexagon and Intergraph together

POSSIBILITY OF NEW ALIGNMENTS AND PARTNERSHIPS

WITHIN GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRY, ESPECIALLY FOR

HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE COMPANIES

It is widely believed that this event will, for sure, havetremendous impact on the existing alignment and part-nership network of the industry. There would be hardlyanyone who would not be affected in the geospatial tech-nology business.

As with all consolidations, this event will eventuallylead to many of the remaining players aligning with one orthe other large players (e.g. Trimble, Topcon, ESRI), amal-gamating their distinct spheres of influence. All compa-nies have a limited resource to support a set of solutionenvironment. Though various standards and interoper-ability protocols did break down proprietary boundariesallowing broader compatibilities, companies still tend toalign themselves in camps that they believe share com-mon ground with. While interacting with the CEO of onepotential camp, I could clearly perceive that there arefew options left with large players and thisacquisition makes couple of them natu-ral allies to carry (or rally) on

business in the market. For instance, it makes a clearcase for Trimble or Topcon to get closer to ESRI or Bent-ley. Many of those companies who were working withIntergraph were traditionally competing with Hexagonportfolio of companies and vice versa, and it is certain thattogetherness of Intergraph and Hexagon will make themchoose either of the camps. The partner network of thesetwo companies may have to wield caution in taking theirnext steps.

Such changing tides do not affect large enterpriseslike Microsoft, Oracle and IBM, as their roles and expert-ise remain untouched. These companies have beenmature enough to initiate and continue working with mul-tiple geospatial partners. While interacting with few ofthem at the recently held ESRI user meet, I could sensethe beauty and benefit of such maturity wherein seniorrepresentatives of two such large enterprises were in dis-cussion with me for creating a panel on enterprise GIS inone of our forthcoming conferences and jointly educatethe end users about the benefits of enterprise GIS. Suchan approach will certainly be beneficial for geospatialindustry and I hope emergence of large geospatial com-panies will create opportunities for joint business devel-opment strategies while maintaining their competingpositions independently.

TRIGGER MORE ACQUISITIONS/MERGERS

AS COMPETITORS OF HEXAGON MAY

FIND IT NATURAL TO EXPAND THEIR

PRODUCT PORTFOLIO.

This acquisition will definite-ly encourage other large


geospatial companies to expand their product portfolio.Now the question is whether a geospatial software com-pany would acquire hardware and scanning capabilities orvice versa. My reading is that it's more likely that ageospatial hardware company may acquire a softwarecompany as significant consolidation has already takenplace in geospatial hardware and data acquisition tech-nologies whereas pure GIS software companies have keptthemselves active in creating and developing more of aniche market for themselves. A senior executive of a com-pany who may be potentially a key decision maker forsuch a move in the past did sound cautious while accept-ing the possibility of major acquisitions in the near future.

He did mention that it will be worth watching the progressof Hexagon's implementation plan of integrating its exist-ing product portfolio as Intergraph has few competingproducts to the existing portfolio of Hexagon in the field ofcameras, sensors and photogrammetry.

Providing a different perspective, another executivesuggested that "integration should be quite smooth asLeica Geosystems and Intergraph have some good solu-tions and generally complement each other. Combiningtheir resources would certainly appear to make sense andmay help both parties create some solutions."

Adding a new dimension, another stakeholder sug-gested that the process of acquisitions will also expand topotentially large geospatial solution/service companies,primarily due to the fact that with the entry of large enter-prises, geospatial industry is moving towards being solu-tion centric rather than product centric and next bigacquisition could be a sizeable geospatial solution com-pany. Possibility of such an acquisition is quite high forthose originating and operating in large emerging mar-kets like India, China, Brazil and Russia.

As localisation, while delivering geospatial services, iskey to success, it would be strategic to have such largelocal presence and delivery capacity and capability. Fur-thermore, these companies may provide requisite supportand capacity to offer solutions to large clients worldwideas well.

However, the quest for solution companies to acquiresoftware and hardware products and skills are wellknown too. Pursuing this path, the Rolta Group acquired afew software development companies like Orion in therecent past and entered into joint venture with Thales. Sowe foresee a shift in acquisition pattern and may soon findsome solution company acquiring software and hardwaretechnology company. And since there is much likelihoodof realignment and newer alliances, it may in the processwitness few smaller acquisitions to facilitate smooth inte-gration and implementation of Hexagon's consolidationstrategy.

Another viewpoint suggested that "in order to enterthis market and gain a good market share, the existingsuppliers or companies will need to enhance themselvesmore and do some adjustments, such as improving theproduct provisions or adjusting the pricing structure, forentering or surviving in the new competitive environ-ment," and this will motivate further alliances and acqui-sitions.


With the entry of large

enterprises, geospatial industry

is moving towards being solution

centric rather than product

centric and next big acquisition

could be a sizeable geospatial

solution company

28

TECHNOLOGICALLY, IT MAY FOSTER MORE INTEGRATION

BETWEEN AND AMONGST SURVEYING, SCANNING,

IMAGING, PHOTOGRAMMETRY AND GIS.

Geospatial industry is fragmented enabling smaller play-ers to keep their strong presence in niche markets. Butthe same has eventually led to a situation demarcatingsegments by technologies and creating strong uncon-nected compartments within the industry. Such a nicheapproach was necessary at some stage to nurture tech-nological development, but after a certain stage, itbecomes a bottleneck. This was recognised by many inthe industry at quite an earlier stage and efforts are on todevelop interoperable environment. This effort will gainmomentum with this acquisition as 'the two are the mostnotable market participants to share a 'commitment tothwarting interoperability', according to the CEO of alarge GIS software company.

It is a well known fact that the interoperability initia-tive is limited within and amongst GIS companies and thescope of integration needs to be expanded to more dataacquisition and management technologies. Entry of largeenterprises has facilitated better interoperability andcommunication protocols within these segments. AddingIntergraph to its portfolio, Hexagon shall be the first groupcompany to have strong presence in almost all geospatialtechnology segments. It has systematically acquired anumber of capabilities that move them from a limited testand measurements company to a much broader andmore capable information acquisition and managementand solutions company. Providing a different but relevantviewpoint, a former senior executive of Hexagon says,"Hexagon has always claimed to be a significant force insoftware, but in reality, with the exception of a handful ofsmaller dedicated software entities like ERDAS, its soft-ware was more a necessity of its sensors. This acquisitionchanges all of that and gives them a legitimatesoftware/solution presence in the geospatial market. Withproper investment, this will become a major force on itsown merit and clearly provides opportunities throughoutHexagon for more comprehensive data capture/data useapplication solutions integrating sensor workflows withreal world applications."

Strengthening the above argument, a professor ofgeoinformatics says, "The increasing integration of hard-with software is another interesting facet, with sensors ofall kinds feeding and fitting quite naturally into processingsequences." He further adds a word of caution by putting

his argument, "So, are all these developments in everyone's best interest? The diversity of offerings isbeing reduced to precarious levels. Bigger is not alwaysbetter. Not all acquisitions are driven by market sense and portfolio building. The actual integration ofproducts after acquisitions sometimes shows littleprogress even after years. Let's see how things will develop in this case!"

MORE COMPREHENSIVE AND INTEGRATED GEOSPATIAL

SOLUTIONS TO END USERS, WHILE IT MAY ALSO

RESTRICT THEIR OPTIONS OF DEALING WITH MULTIPLE

VENDORS

What does this deal have for end users? While goingthrough the history of various initiatives of interoperabilityand standards, it is clear that end users have been thedriving factor always. I do recall my discussions withDavid Schell about the difficulty in bringing four compa-nies together to a table, leave alone sharing their productarchitecture. But then, it was the users who recognisedthe importance of interoperability and almost forced manyGIS companies to develop interoperable environments.

I could sense the repeat of same story as large enter-prise users have been motivating geospatial and IT com-panies to get together and integrate their offerings fromdata acquisition to data management to IT integration andfinally delivering valuable solutions.

A large enterprise user commented that "this acquisi-tion creates a unique opportunity for geospatial users,particularly those in the utility industries. Traditionally,the marriage of GIS systems, business processes and


Measure real world

Industry (CAD)

Maps (GIS)

Process data Present real world3D factory

Measure real world Process dataPresent real world

3D city

The new-found synergy ensures constant flow of real world data to3D models and back

raster-based analysis was cumbersome at best. Standardanalysis activities often had to pass through several layersof assessment performed in a variety of applications.Google-like referencing of layers - building a view - hasbecome commonplace as decision makers search fortools that bring some of these analysis layers together asone. While this is effective, it introduces potential risks -poor accuracy, misaligned positional reference and lackof attribution to name a few." He further adds, "With LeicaGeosystems and Intergraph now playing for the sameteam, a proven, established, scalable and robust GIS plat-form will be made available to Leica Geosystems, a for-ward-thinking technological juggernaut. The result couldbe the GIS industry's first true 'full-service' GIS platform,affording detailed analysis capability, real-time imageaccessibility, 3D modelling, and the heavy-lifting compo-

nent to manage volumes of detailed, relational data in anetworked environment to users both in the office and inthe field."

Providing a user perspective, a leading spatial con-sultant says, "The logical growth path for Hexagon (and itscompetitors) is to move from specialised functions likemetrology and CAD to broader functions like operations,asset management and logistics. Intergraph bringsextensive experience and capabilities for managing largespatial data sets within enterprise processes. Both ofIntergraph's divisions, [Power, Process and Marine(PP&M) and Security, Government and Infrastructure(SG&I)] provide software and services for managing largedata flows that include spatial elements. Intergraph inter-faces with large ERP and asset management systemsfrom vendors like Oracle, IBM and SAP. Hexagon's R&Dteams are already working towards sensor fusion capa-bilities for a number of different applications. I expectthat Intergraph developers will quickly integrate Hexa-gon's extensive metrology capabilities within Intergraph'stechnologies and then into enterprise IT infrastructure."

He further commented that "Intergraph already hasimpressive 3D visualisation capabilities. Coupled withHexagon's metrology, 3D visualisation could become arich environment for process management as well asdesign. Intergraph brings deep expertise in a wide rangeof vertical segments like public safety, public works andintelligence. With Hexagon's sensor platforms, Intergraphmay be able to bring together real-time information withinfrastructure data to create better situational awarenessacross different processes and functional areas. Forexample, Intergraph may integrate public works data withpublic safety information to enhance information foremergency response."


After four years as a private

company, Intergraph is going public

again. What does it really mean for

GIS practitioners and the users of

Intergraph? And what of other

players in the industry; will it make

any real difference to life in Red-

lands, California (home to ESRI) and

their worldwide user base? These

are all interesting questions...

Championing the cause of end users, a professoropines, "Businesses are increasingly 'walking the talk' ofbeing more solution oriented. Instead of isolated tech-nologies, longer, more complete sections of workflowsare offered by individual vendors." He further adds, "Thelandscape of geospatial technologies has certainlychanged a lot over just a short period. And chances arethat it will keep changing, with landslides and earth-quakes shaking up what we took for an already consoli-dated environment of technologies. Just like open sourceand open content have increasing impact, some sensorsdo not necessarily depend on 'big technology', but can bereplaced with mass technology or crowd technology. Thelatter will rather expand the reach of geospatial technolo-gies, though - core themes like maintaining aging infra-structures and developing new infrastructures will cer-tainly benefit from stronger consolidated vendors match-ing the task."

CONCLUSION

Picking up threads from where we began, ie., if the Hexa-gon-Intergraph deal will define/redefine the geospatialecosystem, I think the answer is 'yes' to a large extent.This is because Hexagon has been investing in not onlyacquiring the entire range of geospatial technology, whichwas earlier offered by many companies individually withtheir own little compartments, but it is investing indeploying the same with customised approach to servelocal needs, to begin with, in major emerging markets.Today, within five years of its operations and associationwith geospatial industry, Hexagon has the largestportfolio of geospatial hardware andsoftware products, and also toadd to its technological

capacities, it has largest capacity to deliver to the localneeds of emerging markets.

Interestingly, Hexagon is also probably the only com-pany which has its largest revenue base from a developingnation like China which contributes 17% to its annualturnover and Europe is a leading regional market withmore than 40% of its annual revenue.

Though it seems that Hexagon is redefining the indus-try ecosystem at this moment, it largely depends on howthe company copes up with integration of various tech-nologies and the increasing pressure of shareholders(hungry for ROI). Going by the history of Hexagon, it

appears that the company is quitecompetent to handle such a

challenging environment,especially because they donot have a long legacy ingeospatial industry.

31

Businesses are increasingly

'walking the talk' of being more

solution oriented. Instead of

isolated technologies, longer,

more complete sections of

workflows are offered by

individual vendors

Note: The author takes total responsibility for the views expressedin this article. Neither GIS Develop-ment nor any other person is directlyor indirectly responsible for thesame. The author consulted andinteracted with a select group ofindustry leaders and would like tothank them for the same.However, as most of contributorsshared their views off the record,their names have been held back.


The BP Deepwater oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico is an envi-ronmental and economic

tragedy. As oil continues to spewfrom the well (as this is written),the innovative responses by gov-ernments, industries and the pub-lic has been unmatched to thepoint that one is reminded ofAlbert Einstein's observation: "inthe middle of a difficulty liesopportunity."

National Oceanic and Atmos-pheric Administration (NOAA), theUnited States' lead science agencyfor the oil spill response, is tacklingthe "opportunity," developing noveluses for traditional geospatial tools,applying new thinking to dependableprocesses, and pioneering geospa-tial applications that are borne ofdesperate times. NOAA is coveringall spatial and temporal dimensions- satellites in space, planes in theair, ships on the sea, and sonarbeaming to the ocean floor - to pro-vide the best available scientificadvice to the full range of respon-ders. It is not an exaggeration to saythat NOAA and other US agenciesare managing what may be thelargest single collection of spatial

data to occur, ever, with the singlepossible exception of NASA's collec-tion of spatial data for the universe.

So, what is NOAA doing, geospa-tially speaking?

The world's satellitesrespond From the beginning of the disaster,the world watched, literally, as theoil slick moved from the gushingwell site to the Gulf Coast shoreline.Within hours of the blowout, NOAAwas collecting and analysingimagery from satellites. Within days, the agency was coordinatingimagery from other satelliteproviders, producing geospatialinformation in the form of shapefilesand animations, and providingessential experimental data to stateand federal agencies.

While the public focuses atten-tion on the US response, expertsknow that the US is not alone in thespace-based effort. After the federalgovernment activated the Interna-tional Disaster Charter, NOAAbegan coordinating imagery to mapsurface oil spill extents, using datafrom satellites operated by spaceagencies in the US, Canada, Italy,

Germany and elsewhere. In anothersituation, on-the-ground surveys byassessment teams were not match-ing well with dated shorelineimagery, since Louisiana shoreline

DEEPWATER OIL SPILL

STRETCHING THE POSSIB

NOAA is developing novel uses

for traditional geospatial tools to

tackle the Deepwater oil spill iin the

Gulf of Mexico

32

Inse

t Im

age

Cou

rtes

y: D

igita

lGlo

be


is eroding in some places at a rate of20 meters or more per year. NOAAcartographers applied algorithms tosatellite imagery from several com-mercial satellites and from NOAA's

Applanix Digital Sensor System toplan aerial observations that wouldprovide contemporary shorelinedata to assist the assessmentteams. Uses of satellite images

have ranged from highly technical tobroadly accessible. While scientistspore over the images, NOAA alsouses the data to produce publiclyavailable animation showing the

ILITIES

33

daily change in the extent of surfaceoil. The revolutionary use of satellitedata has not been without chal-lenges. NOAA scientists undertook adifficult assignment of identifyingthe location of oil slicks from space.For instance, medium resolutionvisible light images are producedwhen the sun's angle creates aglare off the surface of the ocean. Ifthe glare is not wide enough, satel-lites cannot detect the entire plume.Because of this and other short-comings, like the narrow swath cov-erage and time gaps between satel-lite passes, analysts use all of thedata available to generate a com-posite over a 24-hour period.

Despite the difficulties, the widerange of satellite imagery applica-tions is groundbreaking.

Sensors provide accuratepicture For decades, NOAA has used

remote sensing technology and aer-ial photography to map and meas-ure changes occurring over thecountry's 95,000 miles of nationalshoreline. Scientists knew thatrefinements would lead to a widerange of future capabilities thatsupport coastal science and man-agement and this event has rein-forced that knowledge.

Agencies throughout the USgovernment have an array of remotesensing assets. As agencies workcollectively to prioritise responseand recovery efforts, sensor opera-tors on NOAA's aircraft make dailyflights, equipped with state-of-the-art mapping cameras. The crewshave already collected thousands ofbaseline (pre-impact) shore anddamage assessment images ofcoastal areas, especially focusing onthe land/water interface in high-pri-ority areas, in the effort to protectwildlife and the shoreline.

Knowledge, in and of itself, isvaluable. But this ongoing crisisdemonstrates the immediate con-nections between scientific obser-vations and life altering decisions.As wildlife personnel, emergencyresponders, and lawyers attempt toassess the continuing damage, his-torical data is essential. NOAA'sremotely sensed imagery from pre-vious mapping projects supportsongoing assessments of shorelinefeatures that were present prior tothe spill.

Surveyors look into thewater column NOAA's predecessor organisationshave been mapping the coastalseafloors since the early 19th centu-ry. Today, hydrographic vessels col-lect data to produce NOAA's nauticalcharts and to help re-open ports fol-lowing hurricanes. As sonar tech-nology improves, however, NOAA isstretching the possibilities.

Could hydrographic surveys beconducted, in essence, in the watercolumn? Instead of focusing thesensor on the ocean floor, and char-acterising the conditions of the seabottom, can hydrographers use amulti-sensor approach to detect the


NOAA uses the datato produce publiclyavailable animationshowing the dailychange in the extentoof surface oil

Cleaning work after the oil spill

migration of submerged oil? Whatother oceanographic instrumenta-tion can be adapted to assist in thecrisis?

When approached with a pro-posal for research that could pro-duce immediately helpful informa-tion, NOAA officials acted quickly.They organised a new mission totest the feasibility of using acousticand flourometric scanning to findsubsurface oil. A team ofresearchers from NOAA, the USEnvironmental Protection Agency,the University of New Hampshire,and Woods Hole OceanographicInstitution conducted the survey.

On their initial cruise, scientistsobserved high fluorescence andreduced dissolved oxygen anomaliesmore than 10 km from the wellhead.There was also a subtle acousticanomaly, the significance of which iscurrently the subjectof intense study,especially since, onsubsequent cruisescloser to the well-head, they observeda clear acoustic sig-nature of oil risingnear the surface.The crew collectedwater samples toassist with the char-acterisation and validation of theacoustic signature.

Old survey data supportnew uses The more people learn of the exis-tence of geospatial data, the moreunanticipated uses arise. One groupof scientists learned that NOAA hadmultibeam survey data, collectedduring the 1990s, from the seaflooraround the BP drilling site. NOAA

used the bathymetric data, extend-ing to the south and to the east ofthe BP drill site, to create a regionaldigital terrain model of the area, andthat model is helping improve oceancirculation models.

Coastal planners have longanticipated the day when hydro-graphic survey data could helpguide planning and restorationefforts after a major catastrophe.That day arrived earlier this sum-mer, when the State of Louisianaasked for near-shore bathymetry,gathered earlier by single-beamsoundings, to support projects pro-tecting shores and wetlands fromspill impacts.

In another novel use of tradition-al data, the US Coast Guard wasable to use NOAA's coastline con-tour data depicting underwater sur-faces to plan placement of spill con-

tainment booms.Bathymetric datawas also used toplot specified geo-graphical points toassist in watersampling activities.

Modelersstretch the imaginationWhat else does

NOAA do with the contemporary andhistorical data? Just exploring themodeling developed to anticipatethe extent and the effects of the oilcould keep a coastal scientist occu-pied for decades.

Immediately, scientists fromthroughout NOAA and the US Navycombined modeling efforts to gen-erate daily trajectories for bothnear-shore and offshore surface oil.Piling innovation on top of innova-

tion - like adapting a modeldesigned to track oyster larvae --the modeling team also begandeveloping methods to producethree-dimensional trajectories. Atthe same time, NOAA scientistsbegan looking beyond the three-daytactical forecast, working withweather experts, climate scientists,and regional river forecasting cen-tres to develop long-range circula-tion forecasts that look out 40 dayson the fate of the accumulated oil atthe surface.

To be effective, today's emer-gency responders need to view spa-tial relationships. NOAA and theUniversity of New Hampshire'sCoastal Response Research Centerdeveloped the EnvironmentalResponse Management Application(ERMA), a web-based GIS that integrates oceanographic and environmental products into a common spatial format to deter-mine the extent and effects of thespill, among other uses. GeoPlat-form.gov/gulfresponse, the geospa-tial website for the oil response, is avaluable "one-stop shop," integrat-ing the latest oil spill trajectory withfishery area closures, wildlife dataand place-based Gulf Coastresources - such as pinpointed loca-tions of oiled shoreline and current


NOAA has usedcomputer models toestimate the potentialthreats to US coastlinesthat might result if oilspilling continues

positions of deployed research ships- into one customisable interactivemap.

Most recently, NOAA has usedcomputer models to estimate thepotential threats to US coastlinesthat might result if oil spilling fromthe Deepwater Horizon site contin-ues until a relief well successfullystops the flow. Modelers point outthat although it is impossible to pre-dict precisely where surface oil willgo in the coming months, it is possi-ble to analyse where surface oil ismost likely to go by (a) using histori-

cal wind and ocean current records;and (b) accounting for both naturalprocesses of "weathering" andhuman intervention to recover andremove the oil.

Protecting the maritimeeconomy While much of the scientificresponse and recovery effort focus-es, understandably, on wildlife andsensitive ecosystems, the US isacutely aware of potential chal-lenges to the maritime transporta-tion system, especially in these economically challenging times.Keeping mariners informed, andavoiding further complications in analready complicated maritime situa-tion, NOAA produces severalgeospatial products specificallydesigned for safe and efficient navi-gation through the oil contaminatedshipping areas.

To support safe and efficientmaritime commerce, NOAA is pro-ducing nautical charting productsthat display the spill zone forecast

based on the most recent projec-tions. The charts depict the 48-hourforecast for oil location juxtaposedagainst the standard safety fairwaysthat lead to port approaches.

These charts help ships avoid oilslicks, but mariners requested addi-tional assistance. To avoid "trafficjams" among transiting ships,NOAA worked with the US CoastGuard and the US Navy to establishone of the alternative anchorageareas for vessels that need toundergo inspection and decontami-nation before entering ports. Thepilots' association requested a mag-netometer survey of the proposedalternate anchorage at the mouth ofSouthwest Pass, the primary deep-draft entrance to the MississippiRiver to ensure that anchors wouldnot rupture buried - and uncharted -pipelines.

The world gains a newunderstanding of geospa-tiality As images of the spewing oil and farreaching plumes burn themselvesinto our human awareness, they areconstant reminders that space,land, water, and life are intimatelyand exquisitely connected. To helpthe nation respond to and recoverfrom this disaster, and to preventanother, geospatial experts fromNOAA and other US federal agen-cies are providing an understandingof the physical and geospatial rela-tionships that tie these systemstogether.

Dawn Forsythe

Communications SpecialistNational Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationOffice of Coast [email protected]


To be effective,today's emergencyresponders needto view spatialrelationships

Obstructions in the proposed alternative anchorage area charted by NOAA

ITC develops and transfers knowl edge on geo-informationscience and earth observation

ITC is the largest institute for internationalhigher education in the Netherlands, providinginternational education, research and projectservices. The aim of ITC's activities is the inter-national exchange of knowledge, focusing oncapacity building and institutional developmentin developing countries and countries in transition.

Programmes in Geo-information Science and Earth Observation

Master of Science (MSc) degree (18 months)

Master degree (12 months)

Postgraduate diploma (9 months)

Diploma (9 months)

Certificate course (3 weeks-3 months)

Distance course (6 weeks)

Courses in the degree programmesApplied Earth Sciences

Geoinformatics

Governance and Spatial Information Management

Land Administration

Natural Resources Management

Urban Planning and Management

Water Resources and Environmental Management

I N T E R N A T I O N A L I N S T I T U T E F O R G E O - I N F O R M A T I O N S C I E N C E A N D E A R T H O B S E R V A T I O N

www.itc.nl

For more information:ITC Student Registration officeP.O. Box 6, 7500 AA EnschedeThe NetherlandsE: [email protected]: www.itc.nl


Maldives's coastal and marineecosystem is the key asset base forthe country, with the two largestccontributors to the economy -tourism and fisheries. What is themandate for Marine Research Cen-tree towards preserving this ecosys-tem?

The mandate of the MarineResearch Centre (MRC) is to under-take research on fisheries andmarine resources, including thecoral reefs and to provide technicaladvice to its parent Ministry - theMinistry of Fisheries and Agricul-ture, for rational management ofmarine and fisheries resources.

Other than this primary mandate,MRC is also engaged in promotingthe understanding the marineenvironment to public at large.

What are the key areas wheregeospatial technologies are beingused in Maldives towards coastaland marine ecosystem and how?

The application of the geospa-tial technologies is in its infancy inthe Maldives. Part of the problemlies in its lack of resources -human and financial resources, butalso lack of proper institutionalframework for collecting, collatingand disseminating the information

in an easily accessible medium.However, I am happy to say that theGovernment is making progresstowards having a national spatialdata infrastructure, which includesnot only the hardware and softwareplatforms, but also the institutionalmechanisms to enable the sharingof standardised meta-data. This isnow very important for the Mal-dives in the context of climatechange and to enable the effectiveuse of our resources for our devel-opment. Our resources are verylimited and mainly restricted tocoral reefs and the islands withinthem. Although in an ad hoc way

INTERVIEW I Dr. M. Shiham Adam

38

Dr. M. Shiham Adam

Director General

Marine Research Centre

Republic of Maldives

SAFEGUARDING

THE RESOURCES

we use geospatial technologies forplanning purposes, for instanceallocation of islands for fisheries,tourism and agriculture. Within theprivate sector, the technology isused for base-line assessment inenvironmental impact assessmentworks and developing resource usemaps.

While tourism is the chief contribu-tor to the country's exchequer,increasing tourism and develop--ment activities also bring with itthreats to the coastal ecosystemand marine pollution. Are geosppa-tial technologies being used toaddress this issue?

Under the Environmental Pro-tection and Preservation Act of theMaldives, it is mandatory to under-take environmental impactsassessments for developmentprojects. This is routinely done inthe development of tourist resorts.Investment in a resort island mayrun into hundreds of millions of

dollars and therefore it is criticalthat proper planning is done beforethe investment takes place.Geospatial techniques are used tomap the island's habitats (marineand terrestrial), including vegeta-tion and beach lines. The baselineinformation also helps to under-stand the beach dynamics and helpto plan and provide engineeringsolutions to beach erosion issues.

GPS, GIS and satellite images areincreasingly being used to enhanceproductivity and efficiency in fish-eries. How are they being used inMaldives to boost the fishery sec-tor?

Maldives piloted the use ofsatellite imagery of ocean color orprimary productivity along withoceanographic data to predict thepotential fishery zones. The pre-dicted fishing grounds were tele-vised after the weather forecastevery evening. Unfortunately, thiswas made available through a hefty

subscription from an overseascompany. We have not been able tomaintain that subscription. I like tobelieve there is enormous potentialto use satellite imagery to enhancethe productivity of the fisheries. Itcan also be used as a powerful toolfor fishery management and regu-latory enforcements like the VMS.

Global warming is gaining concernworldwide. What is its effect on Mal-dives and what the country iis doingor contemplating to do at nationaland global level?

Maldives is a nation of smallcoral reef islands. The islands areflat and none of the islands riseabove 1.5 meters over the meansea-level. As a result, Maldives ishighly vulnerable to climatechange and sea-level rise. Climatechange because it has direct effecton the coral reefs. Corals normallylive at their upper thermal limitsand sustained increase sea-watertemperature causes coral bleach-


Geospatial technologiesare being used forallocation of islands forfisheries, tourism andagriculture. Within theprivate sector, thetechnology is used forbase-line assessment inenvironmental iimpactassessment works anddeveloping resourceuse maps

’

“

Interview

ing - a phenomenon that is increasingly becomingcommon. While the short term effects of bleachingare whitening of corals and loss of their colour, thelong-term effects are disastrous. Coral, if notrecovered after bleaching, lose their structuralcomplexity. They become rubble mounds with dra-matic changes in fish composition.

Reefs become less resilient and lose their abili-ty to fully recover. In the end, coral reefs lose theirability to protect the islands from waves. Increasein sea-level has direct consequence - loss of beachand erosion. Maldives has declared to become car-bon neutral by 2020. Maldives is encouraginginvestments in renewable energy sources, includ-ing wind and solar energy as a way to reach carbonneutral status as soon as possible.


Maldives is a nation of smallcoral reef islands, highly vulnerableto climate change and sea-levell rise.It has declared to become carbonneutral by 2020

’

“

Trimble® ®

RCMRD, Kenya

KI

KE E

: IE IRA RXI A

rural development& land reformDepartment:Rural Development & Land reformREPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA


India has a long coastline of7,500 Km housing about 63million people. The 73

coastal districts (out of a totalof 593) contribute about 17percent of the country's popu-lation. India's coastal zone isendowed with a wide range ofmangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses, salt marshes, sanddunes, estuaries, lagoons,and a unique marine andcoastal flora and fauna. It hasa huge potential for offshorewind, tidal, wave and futureocean thermal energy. A sig-nificant share of India's eco-nomic infrastructure - 197major or minor ports and 308large-scale industrial unitsincluding maritime facilities,petroleum industries andimport-based industries - islocated on the coasts. Despitebeing ecologically rich andeconomically important, thecoastal and marine areashave not received adequateprotection and preservationand are under stress. Rapid

ICZM I Dr K J Ramesh

42

HOLISTIC

ROUTE TO

SAVE COASTS


urban-industrialisation, maritime transport, marinefishing, tourism, coastal andsea bed mining, offshore oiland natural gas production,aquaculture and the recentestablishment of special eco-nomic zones have led to asignificant increase indemand for infrastructure,resulting in the over-exploitation of naturalresources.

Coastal zones of India arehighly vulnerable to multi-haz-ards like cyclones, floods (Figure 1), earthquakes andtsunamis and landslides. Theimpending prospect of chang-ing climate is bringing addi-tional degree of coastal zonevulnerability with the threat ofsea level rise and loss of valu-able deltas/wetlands. Extremepressure of human population(over 25%) on coastal ecosys-tems is beginning to be seen inmany urban habitations like inKerala, Mumbai and Kolkata.Apart from developing a sys-tem of effective impact minimi-sation due to natural disasters,especially cyclones (Figure 2and Figure 3) and floods, it isstrongly believed that it is pos-sible to enhance sustainabledevelopment of the coastalzones leading to the reductionof vulnerability by evolving anappropriate Integrated CoastalZone Management (ICZM)plan.

While ensuring environ-ment protection and biodiversi-ty conservation, ICZM shouldfocus on optimum utilisation ofcoastal resources, minimisa-tion of impacts due to natural

43

Core ICZM sector Critical spatial/non-spatial information layer at a sub-taluk scale in coastal zonesLAND USE DATA

• Use of CARTOSAT images for aquaculture pond area assessment

Assessment of aquaculture pond area from pollution control boards

• Matching coastal zones with soil and land-use layers

• Preparation of resource development unit map

• Drainage / irrigation canal length

• Assessment of water management improvements & impact on agricultural yields

• Collection and extraction for measures as input to EDSS from district develop-ment plans

• Collection of data (incl. trends) on employment, invested assets, profits forsmall/medium and large industries

• Check internal consistency of data district reports

• Preparation of GIS layer with religious sites and their relative importance

• Preparation of GIS layer with (proposed) protected natural areas and forests

• Collection of agronomic data for main crops

• Mapping and estimation of total open water and percentage irrigation canals,tanks, river, lakes, lagoons, Estuaries; fish ponds and drainage canals, beaches,sand dunes and bars; earth/rocky Cliffs and rocky foreshore; mud/tidal flats;deltas, salt marshes and tidal inlets; low land coast spits and barrier islands

SOCIO-ECONOMIC DATA

• Collection of income distribution data, employment rates and labour wages

RESOURCE USE AND WASTE GENERATION DATA

• Preparation of GIS layer with municipality - wise quantum of generation of solidwastes

• Preparation of GIS layer with list of industries

• Inventory of waste water generating and their yearly waste water emissions

• Adjustment of fuel-wood balance

• Mapping the status of electrical power supply and transportation data

ENVIRONMENTAL AND WATER RESOURCES DATA

• Preparation of GIS layer groundwater resources

• Air quality at urban centres

• Preparation of GIS layer with salinity contour for groundwater

• Preparation of GIS layer with monthly mean concentration of various pollutantsand suspended particulates

• Preparation of GIS layer with monitored noise levels at urban centres

• Preparation of GIS layer with air quality

• Preparation of GIS layer with locations of coastal erosion /accretion

• benchmark water quality data (distinguished between types of open watersources)

FLOODING INFORMATION

• Spatial layers fine scale storm surge simulations (using historical cyclone data)

• Mapping the severity of flooding & damage factors by flood hazard classification

• Generation of spatial vulnerability index and Assignment of flood characteristicsto each cluster of villages, based on flood hazard map (incl. geomorphological sit-uation)

• GIS scenario maps of flooding/inundation with various prescribed intensityscales of river flooding and cyclone surge and assess possible impacts for differ-ent frequencies of occurrence

• Mapping and delineation of a most representative flooding event for each clusterof villages for multi hazard risk resilience efforts

DAMAGE AND VULNERABILITY DATA

• Mapping of the potential vulnerability indices and most vulnerable zones basedon the existing scenario

• Mapping of the relief and response machinery and support infrastructure - densityand condition of cyclone shelters/schools/hospitals/ places of worship; civildefense/govt./fire/para-military etc.

disasters and strike a bal-ance between these twofor sustainable develop-ment and the basis forthis is the risk assess-ment analysis(physical/social/econom-ic). Existing developmentoptions along the coastalzones of Andhra Pradeshare delineated in Figure 4.

It will be prudent tocarry-out the mapping(atleast at 1:25,000 scale)

and delineation of coastalwetlands, patches(<20ha preferably) ofmangroves and shelter-belts, identify new areasfor expansion of coastalbio-shields on priorityusing high resolutionsatellite data (IRS LISS IVor CARTOSAT). Also, it isimportant to institution-alise the remote sensingbased annual monitoringmechanism for containing

degradation of coastalbio-shields and preserva-tion of natural coastalbarriers. It is also neces-sary to identify suitablecoastal zones for shrimpaquaculture based onremote sensing tools andregulate the setting up ofshrimp farms based oncarrying capacity of openwater by incorporatingremedial measures forensuring the water quali-ty. States need to be sup-ported by technical min-istries of Govt. of India tobuild state level technicalcapacities for implemen-tation of ICZM plans. Hereis a list of componentsthat should become partof ICZM:

• Estimation of assimilativecapacity and delineation ofregional environmentalmanagement plan

It includes variousenvironments and associated factors ofcoastal zones to be dealtholistically

- Water environment -Inventory of waterresources (surface andground) with respect toquantity and quality and seasonal variations includ-ing delineation of assimila-tive capacity based region-al water environment management plan

- Land environment -Delineation of regionalland environment management plan

- Biological environment -Collection of information

on flora and fauna in theregion, analysis of remote-ly sensed data includingdelineation of regional bio-logical environment man-agement plan includingthe conservation plans

- Air environment - Issuesof concern are predictionof impact on air environ-ment due to proposedindustrial developmentalplans and alternate devel-opmental options, anddelineation of assimilativecapacity based air environ-ment management plan

- Noise environment inurban areas - Delineationof acoustic environmentmanagement plan in viewof the aquatic fauna in thezone

- Socio-economic environ-ment - Collection of base-line data on human settle-ments, demographic pat-terns, occupation, eco-nomic and health status ofthe community and alsoexisting facilities for socialwelfare and health careincluding delineation ofsocio-economic-historical-cultural status of indige-nous people.

Estimation of SupportiveCapacity

- Assessment of fisheriesactivity, its impacts andoptions for benefitenhancement

- Delineation of coastalerosion processes andextent of coastal flooding

- Assessment of compet-ing demands for land foraquaculture, agriculture,mining, industry, forestryand settlements and delin-eation of preferred landuse options

- Assessment of availablesurface and groundwaterresources in terms ofquantity and quality andresource potential


Figure 1:Delineation of river flooding incoastal zone ofAndhra Pradesh

Figure 2:Delineation ofcyclone windvulnerability inthe coastal zoneof AndhraPradesh

Flooding due to river flow and heavy rainfall due to monsoon depression

Wind affected area’s

Strong winds (>64 kts)

Weaker winds (>64 kts)

enhancement options vis-à-vis increasing needs

• Evaluation of alternativedevelopmental scenariosand delineation of a pre-ferred scenario

- Evaluation of alternativescenarios through conse-quence analysis in termsof carrying capacity indica-tors including hazard/vul-nerable reduction plans

- Delineation of preferredscenarios in terms of pri-oritised developmentalaction plan, which includestechnological interven-tions, policy reforms andinstitutional capacity build-ing including mechanismsfor participating inresource managementplans

Delineation of institu-tional mechanism andcapacity development

- Review of existing envi-ronment and resourcemanagement programmesincluding environmentalregulation, fisheries man-agement, conservation,beach erosion manage-ment and pollution control

- Identification of trainingneeds in the sectoral lineagencies and organisenecessary efforts

The basis for theResource Management

Plan (RMP) is formed bythe environmental capaci-ty of the resources, mainlyland and water. Theessential information onpotential opportunitiesand conflicts/constraintsare required to be used inthe formulation of thedevelopmental actionplan. Consequence analy-sis tool has to be devel-oped for generating out-put scenarios in terms ofsustainable developmentindicators such as incomeper capita, and assimila-tive capacity usage andalso handle different sce-nario prescriptions forchange in land use, popu-lation growth and otheraffected factors.

Development of GISbased Expert DecisionSupport System (EDSS)for the river basins, deltasand other vulnerableareas along the coast willbe useful for optimumutilisation of coastalresource, disaster preven-tion and impact minimisa-tion plan through analysisof various scenarios. Sustainable coastal zonedevelopment can only berealised when an inte-grated water and shoreline management isin place, when riskassessment becomes partof the planning process,when an equitable distri-bution of development issecured to alleviatepoverty and reduce

cyclone vulnerability, andwhen early warning iseffective at the sub-dis-trict scale.

Scenario specificgeospatial distribution offlooding and high windhazard damage, modelingsystems of cyclone andriver flooding would haveto be employed. The haz-ard maps of wind andflooding thus generatedwould be used for thehazard, risk and vulnera-

bility analysis. Further, itis essential to map anddelineate sufficient infor-mation on economicalaspects of the invest-ments and the probabilityof multi-hazard impact onthe coastal zone.

Dr K J Ramesh

Advisor(Climate Change & Disaster Support) and Scientist-GMinistry of Earth SciencesGovernment of [email protected]


Sustainable coastalzone development canonly be realised whenan integrated waterand shoreline man--agement is in place

Figure 3:Delineation ofcyclone inducedstorm surgeintensity in thecoastal zone ofAndhra Pradesh

Figure 4:Existingdevelopmentoptions in thecoastal zones ofAndhra Pradesh


An increasingly dynamic par-ticipant in the world econo-

my, South America is making itspresence felt in the globalgeospatial arena. It has beenmaking investments in geospatialtechnologies since long, initiallyfor management of its abundantnatural resources and extendingit to areas like infrastructure andutilities. Here's a look at how theindustry is placed in the geospa-tial ecosystem in the continentand the opportunities and chal-lenges before it.

STEADY GROWTH

Active uptake and demand ofgeospatial technologies are a pre-requisite for the industry to flourish.The industry is unanimous that theusage of geospatial technologies inSouth America has been encourag-ing with steady growth. MerrillLyew, International Regional Man-ager, Latin America, ESRI, tracesthe genesis of the use of geospatialtechnologies in South America inthe second half of the 1970s, whenthe Chilean state agency CIREN-

CORFO (Information Center for Nat-ural Resources - Corporation forthe Promotion of Production)acquired GIS licenses for crop mon-itoring, agricultural policy makingand funding, followed by hiring of aconsulting company to find the bestlocation for a coal mining city inVenezuela by using GIS, to illustratethat Latin American countries ingeneral are early adapters of inno-vative technologies.

The early adoption has been fol-lowed by sustained growth. MariaCabello, European Projects Direc-tor, Tracasa, observes that theuptake of geospatial technologies inthe last ten years in South Americahas been the same as many othercountries world wide. The uptakeand growth is not just limited to afew countries but covers almost theentire continent. Peru-based Mari-no Carhuapoma of IDEASG concursthat the use of geographic informa-tion systems has been increasing inrecent times in the country espe-cially in areas such as consumerbusinesses and local governmentbusiness. The prevalence of

geospatial technologies is observedby Chile-based Patricio Llanos,Partner, Geoinformación whoinforms that geospatial technolo-gies have been used in areas suchas mining, forestry, gas, petroleum,water, energy, electric for as longas 20 years ago. Equador-basedIng. Jorge Coronel, CEO, GeoSIMA

REGIONAL FOCUS I Deepali Roy

South America On The Rise

Steady growth in the uptake of geospatial

technologies in many countries of South

America is creatiing a conducive environment

for the industry to flourish in the region

46

asserts that use of geocoded datahas been growing for many years.Highlighting the growth factors,Coronel says that the trigger forexponential use in recent years hasbeen the launch of Google Earthand Google Maps that make popu-lar the images and coordinates forusers such as biologists, engineers

and teachers. The need for gettingcoordinates through GPS was animportant factor too. The technolo-gy according to him has arrived inSouth America and now people cansee their locations on GPS-enabledcell phones and taxis can findaddresses easily. Governmentagencies are also fuelling the

growth, he informs, as they incor-porate remote sensing, GIS, GPS inareas like environmental studies. Asignificant growth factor has beenthe management of naturalresources that the continent has inabundance, according to Merrill.

KEY USERS

With South America experiencing avibrant geospatial ecosystem, theindustry gets the opportunity tocater to a wide variety of end users.According to Merrill, after the useof geospatial technologies by theforestry sector in the second half of1980s, the first half of the 1990switnessed the extension of GIS toother areas like utilities and trans-portation. Today, these technologiesare not restricted to the public sec-tor but are used in the public andprivate sectors alike.

Tracasa, which offers cadastral,cartographic and territorial infor-mation applications and systems,finds users in the public adminis-tration, mostly ministries of econo-my and finance. IDEASG is dedicat-ed to developing information sys-tems for consumer companies andgovernment institutions, especiallylocal governments. The key mar-kets for GeoSIMA are local govern-ments, environmental servicescompanies and private consultants

The early adoptionof geospatialtechnologies has beenfollowed by sustainedgrowth


for its geoservices including cartog-raphy, geolocation, surveying andremote sensing process. Social sci-entists like archaeologists and soci-ologists also form the user base forGeoSIMA, who are keen to under-stand how they can put their dataon a map and maximise the bene-fits of geospatial technologies.

A number of verticals in SouthAmerica are increasingly usinggeospatial technologies. Accordingto Merrill, while natural resources,utilities, and public services havebeen the traditional verticals,telecommunications, education andtransportation are picking up. Mariais of the view that cadastre, tenancyand regularisation of land, cartog-

raphy, land planning and use, agri-culture and environment servicesand solutions are the buzzwords inthe use of geospatial technologies.Jorge identifies environment, urbanplanning and oil as the verticals toreckon with. The picture is not veryvibrant however when it comes tolarge-scale projects incorporatinggeospatial technologies, especiallygovernment projects. According toMerrill, as much as the SouthAmerican countries are earlyadapters of innovative technologies,in some areas they lag a couple ofyears behind the trend. He addsthat most users are at the projectand stand-alone level, very few atthe departmental wide usage andmuch less at the enterprise level ofGIS usage. However, there aresigns that enterprise GIS is on therise in South America, says Merrill.Maria concurs that the situation ofprojects is not too good at themoment. According to her, the gov-ernments are receptive only if theyhave loans or World Bank credits touse and spend. Lack of qualifiedtechnical professionals to guide theprojects is also an issue. Marinoobserves that sometimes the gov-ernment institutions begin with amajor project, but after a whilemost problems arise due to incor-rect definition and vision of thescope of projects, as there are noqualified technical professionals inthese projects. For Equador how-ever, Jorge opines that the countryis witnessing all kinds of projects,including department and enter-prise levels for both private andgovernment.

DATA AVAILABILITY

Data forms the crux of any geospa-

tial activity and its availability or thelack of it can determine the successof geospatial applications and serv-ices. South America being a largecontinent, the status of data avail-ability, policies and other issuesconcerning it vary from country tocountry. Merrill informs thatgeospatial data is available, in somecountries more than in others andmore for urban than for rural areasand within specific countries morefor developed than for developingregions. Also, spatial data infra-structure policies and efforts at thenational level can be found inalmost every country with certaincountries being ahead of others intheir efforts and data availability.

Patricio believes it is easy to getdata in Chile, while Jorge feels thatalthough it is not very difficult to getdata in Equador, the problem is thatit is very old in most cases. One canbuy a map 1:50000 (the nationalscale) in Equador according to himbut is only a black & white copy or alow quality colour copy. An old mapalso might not show dynamic fea-tures like roads. Maria, too, high-lights the challenge of getting up-to-date information. Data unavail-ability or lack of updated data how-ever is not a deterrent for the usersin benefiting from the technology.Merrill opines that GIS users do notwait for government agencies tocatch up with their legislative man-dates, and have recurred to aerialphotography and satellite imageryto obtain their data.

PUBLIC PRIVATE

PARTNERSHIP

PPP is often seen to be beneficial infacilitating the uptake of geospatialtechnologies. In South America.


With the continentexperiencing a vibrantgeospatial ecosystem,the industry gets theopportunity tto cater to awide variety of end users

Merrill Lyew International RegionalManagerLatin America ESRI

Spatial data infrastructurepolicies and efforts at thenational level can be found inalmost every country

’

“

PPP is making strides but not quiteat a pace that matches the industryexpectations. As Merrill expresses,PPP model is at a beginning stagein Latin America and has not beenexploited as those in the privatesector would hope for. The bigimpediment according to him islegislation and current rulings.Another reason for lack of partner-ships is that the government wantsto do everything, as highlighted byMarino. Maria sheds light on rea-sons behind some collaborationswhere they exist, informing that thecollaboration exists where there arefinanced projects to carry out, oth-erwise it is very difficult to facilitatedata. Another reason for the collab-oration is that private companiesare more adept at developing tech-nologies that are required by thegovernment.

MANPOWER CAPACITY

Adequate and trained manpower isthe driver of any industry towardsgrowth. Ever since the advent ofgeospatial technologies in SouthAmerica, the continent has beengiving due attention to capacitybuilding and supply of trained man-power to keep up with the activities.While the initiatives are there, theindustry feels there is a long way to

go. According to Merrill, GIS in edu-cation is starting to pick up, but notas widely spread as to satisfy thedemand of qualified manpower bythe industry. Several universitiesfrom Mexico to Argentina are imple-menting graduate courses, very fewat a post-graduate level, heinforms. Patricio too opines thatavailability is not sufficient. Avail-ability also varies with the levels.According to Maria, while manpow-er demand is sufficient for low andmedium levels, the paucity of avail-ability is more pronounced at highlevels. Government policies need tobe finetuned to build capacity.According to Marino, there arecapable and qualified professionals,but the administrative system is notvery conducive to recruitment.

CHALLENGES

While opportunities abound, theindustry is not without its set ofchallenges. Sound policies fuelindustry growth. As Merrill says,the challenge is that legislation islagging behind the technology. Pro-hibitive prices of products and inad-equate information about productsand technologies are also a chal-lenge, according to Patricio. Heillustrates that if he is looking for acertain technology, for exampleaugmented reality for GIS, then hehas no way of knowing if there isany company working towardsdeveloping that technology. Anotherchallenge the industry faces isinadequate knowledge of geospatialtechnologies and their benefitsamong clients. As Jorge explains,clients ask for a service or technol-ogy but they are unable to use it tothe full potential. The heads ofgeospatial projects are often per-

sonnel from political backgroundrather than technically trained personnel and this can impact theindustry.

CONCLUSION

South America has been makingrapid strides in harnessing thepotential of geospatial industry. Thecontinent has been an early adaptorof technologies and has been striv-ing to capitalise on the start. Sever-al challenges notwithstanding, thegeospatial arena has been witness-ing initiatives to strengthen its fibre.Escalating technology uptake offersa fertile ground for the industry tothrive and leave its mark on theglobal geospatial ecosystem justlike the continent's economy itselfis becoming a force to reckon within the global economy. The uptakeand potential is restricted not justto a few large countries in the con-tinent but the smaller countries arelapping up the technology withequal gusto, offering opportunitiesfor the industry to march aheadacross the continent.

Deepali Roy

Assistant [email protected]


Technology uptake isnot limited to largercountries, smallercountries are lappingup the technoology withequal gusto

49

In the last ten years, theuptake in South America hasbeen the same as in manyother countries world wide

Maria Cabello European ProjectsDirectorTracasa

’

“


These colourful arrows busily pointing in alldirections are vessels in the Mediterranean Sea,off the coast of Greece, headed towards theirdestinations. It is now possible to track positionof vessels including passenger vessels, cargovessels, tankers, high speed craft and yachts inreal time. The website marinetraffic.com, partof the community-based Marine Traffic project,provides free real-time information to the publicabout ship movements and ports. The initialdata collection is based on the Automatic Identification System (AIS). AIS transponders onboard vessels include a GPS receiver, which collects position and movement details. Datareceived is uploaded in the database in real timeand are immediately available on the map andon other pages.

Text & image courtesy: marinetraffic.com

Picture this..

Marine Tracker


Philippines, an archipelagoof 7107 islands with richbiodiversity, is one of the

emerging economies in SoutheastAsia. Quick development necessi-tates a systematic land adminis-tration and management system.To aid prospective buyers, mort-gagees and investors, Chamber ofReal Estate & Builders' Associa-tions (CREBA) has launchedMapSys - the Philippines' firstfully automated parcellary onlinemapping system

(www.mapsys.ph). Mapsys aimsto ensure integrity in transac-tions involving real estate in thePhilippines, by providing aninformation-packed GIS map ofthe specific parcel being offeredfor sale or as collateral for loans -wherever such a parcel may besituated in the Philippines.According to CREBA officials, theGIS Parcel Vicinity Map showsgeo-referenced location and con-figuration, its geophysical attrib-utes and the geographic and spa-

tial features of itsvicinity orlocality as

plotted fromthe survey data

contained in theownership docu-ment in justabout a minute.This helps

resolve a seriousproblem in the

Philippines, wherebuyers/mortgagees/

investors are often vic-timized by misrepresenta-

tions as to the actual loca-tion of the land. It uses a

dynamic scale that ranges from1:1,000 to 1:20,000. The generat-ed parcel map enables users toaccurately locate the parcel onthe ground by just using a com-pass and their car's odometer (ora GPS equipment). It also informsusers if their source document -i.e. title or survey plan - is erro-neous or defective in its descrip-tion of the parcel.

MapSys Architecture Mapsys uses ESRI's ArcGIS Serv-er platform, and was built usingthe application developmentframework (ADF) and dynamiclink libraries (DLLs) of ArcGISServer. However, the parcel plot-ting and map layouting applica-tions were conceptualised anddesigned by CREBALAND anddeveloped by it in collaborationwith its technical partner XSYSInc. It also leverages the reliabili-ty of high-end IBM servers. Map-Sys' digital geodatabase has acomprehensive nationwide cover-age in the Philippines. It containsapproximately 30 layers of infor-mation for each administrativesubdivision in the country includ-ing nearly 30,000 barangays (thesmallest administrative divisionin the Philippines) and 1750towns and cities. The databasecontains digitised geographiccoordinates of the country's offi-cial location monuments nation-wide, commonly known as tiepoints.

PHILIPPINES - MAPSYS

The online mapping system,

MapSys aims to ensure integrity

in real estate transactions in

the Phillippines

52

Land info at fingert


MapSys also contains fullydigitised topographic maps, up-to-date road maps, hydrologic maps,land cover maps, local land usemaps, Department of Agriculturezoning maps and a host of othervaluable spatial information,processed by CREBALAND fromraw data obtained from govern-ment agencies and other reliablesources.

Registration and Subscrip-tion. MapSys has been designedwith a global perspective. Regis-tered users can create accurate lotplans and vicinity maps of anyparcel in any location nationwide,online, 24x7 and in real time inMapSys.

All they need to do is to enterthe technical description of theparcel they want mapped, usingany document containing the nec-essary information such as a titlecertificate or a survey plan. Visualguides help them at every step andat the end of the process, the sys-tem displays a download link forcomplete parcel map. This linkremains available only for tendays. Any firm or institution withregular mapping needs can applyfor subscriber access.

Cost factor The cost of developing CREBA-LAND GIS and its component sys-tems including Mapsys amountedto more than PHP 120 million,according to CREBA officials. Thisincludes the cost of building the

comprehensive, multi-layered geo-database from the scratch, the cost of acquiring/aggregating theraw data (paper-based maps andother information from variousofficial sources), the investment insoftware and hardware and systemdevelopment/automation costs.

Market responseEven before its formal launch,major banks, real estate tradeorganisations, the ConsumersUnion of the Philippines and giantinstitutions have shown a enthusi-asm to participate, according toCREBA officials, who add, "TheChairman of the Congressional

Committee on Housing and Urban Development has endorsedthe system for use by local governments nationwide and iscurrently in talks with us on howthe poorer local government units(LGUs) may connect to the system for the preparation andupdating of their comprehensivelocal land use plans, as well as inidentifying sites for socialisedhousing. We are launchingawareness campaigns to popu-larise Mapsys for the benefit ofindividual dealers in Philippinereal estate."

(Based on inputs provided by CREBA LandServices and Title Warranty Corp.)

53

Land details on MapSys

tips


On July 4, 1910, the International Societyfor Photogrammetry, now the Interna-tional Society for Photogrammetry and

Remote Sensing (ISPRS) was founded in Vien-na, Austria on initiative of Prof. EduardDolezal. In July 2010, the Society celebrated

the Centenary of its foundingand the major contributions ofthe many professionals whohave played a role in its devel-opment over the past 100years, at its birthplace, ViennaUniversity of Technology. Aseries of events marked thehistoric occasion.

Book launch Celebrations kicked off on 2July with the launch of abooklet produced by the JointBoard of Geospatial Societiestitled "Geoinformation for Dis-

aster and Risk Management; Examples andBest Practices." The venue was the UnitedNations Office of Outer Space Affairs (UN-OOSA) in the Vienna International Centre. Theevent was attended by a select group of diplo-mats, administrators and scientists and wasfollowed by a press conference. Orhan Altan,President, ISPRS presided over the function.

In his opening remarks, David Stevens ofUN-OOSA welcomed the guests andremarked that this is a landmark booklet as itputs together some very interesting casestudies. Marc Cygan, President, JBGIS, briefly

dwelt on the rationale for the booklet and itsintended audience. He was of the opinion thatit would be useful not only for the present butfor the future as well. Sisi Zlatanova, one ofthe editors, traced the process of the creationof the booklet and the challenges associatedwith writing for politicians who are the intend-ed audience. Piero Boccardo, another editor,illustrated the approach of the case studieswith the example of the Haiti earthquake.

At the press briefing chaired by T Doi ofUN-OOSA, chairperson of the press briefing,commented that the booklet was the result ofa partnership between UN-OOSA and JBGISand its success indicated that there is a needto work together in the future as well. OrhanAltan, while responding to questions about

ISPRS - Foundation celebrations

54

A century of excellence VIENNA

ISPRS President Orhan Altan presents the Karl Krausmedal for the best textbook


open data policies, capacity building, integra-tion with national and international disastermitigation bodies, use of local information,etc indicated that it was still 'work inprogress' and the booklet was the first ofmany such initiatives in the pipeline.

Strategic recommendations The Elektrotechnisches Institut of the Techni-cal University of Vienna was the venue for anOpen Business meeting of the ISPRS in theafternoon of 3 July, 2010. The programmebegan with congratulatory messages frommember societies from the USA, Canada,

France and Hungary aswell as from internation-al organisations, namely,IUGG, IAG and ICORSE.Ian Dowman presentedthe strategic plan whichled to a very lively dis-cussion on several rec-ommendations. Theseinclude the pros andcons of double blindreviewing, the need forindexing and the differ-ent needs of academi-cians and industry. Thiswas followed by a pres-

entation of the activities of the regional repre-sentatives from Africa, Asia and Latin Ameri-ca. After a presentation of the permanentcommittees of the Society, a presentation onthe publications drew considerable respons-es. The main issues were open access, need

to avail the services of a publishing house forpublications and joint publications with othersocieties. The need for more emphasis onspatial information science instead of justremote sensing was also discussed. JohnTrinder spoke on the need to restructure theCommissions and this was also followed by alively discussion on whether to have more orless commissions, renaming commissionsand a study on why some commissions areactive and others dormant.

The picture that emerges is that ISPRS isessentially driven by academic needs. There-fore the need for high quality papers througha strong review process is needed. The lack ofindexing in standard indexes leads to aninability to find suitable papers later on.

The services of a professional technicalpublishing house are required for the paperand online publications. Similarly there is aneed to avail the services of event managersto manage conferences. A large number ofconferences are desirable both in terms ofvisibility and outreach but expensive in termsof resources. The possibility of joint eventswith other professional societies and withother commissions and working groups ofISPRS is therefore a requirement. Interfaceswith industry and state institutions were con-spicuous by their absence in all discussionsand this is perhaps a weakness ISPRS needsto address. ISPRS could look at IEEE to seehow the interests of the industry, governmentand academe can be balanced.

55

The Centenary celebratedthe contributions ofprofessionals who haveplayed a role in theSociety''s development

’

“

The D-Day On the centenary day, 4 July, the invitedguests assembled in the Kuppel-Saal of theVienna University of Technology. Welcomingthe delegates, the Rector of the TechnicalUniversity of Vienna, Professor Peter Skalicky,gave a brief background of the institution andits history. The Kuppel-Saal, he mentioned,was 200 years old and a fitting venue for thecelebration of ISPRS's Centenary. The firstevent was the presentation of the Karl Krausmedal to the best textbook.

Karl Kraus was a passionate teacher andan authority on pho-togrammetry. The prizewas instituted by theAustrian Society of Surveying and Geoinfor-mation, the GermanSociety of Photogram-metry Remote Sensingand Spatial InformationScience and the SwissSociety of Photogram-

metry and Remote Sensing. There were sevenentries out of which the award went to "CloseRange Photogrammetry: Principles, Tech-niques and Applications" by Thomas Luh-

mann, Stuart Robson, Stephen Kyle and IanHarley. Speaking on the history of ISPRS, Professor Gottfried Konecny gave a wonderfulexposition interspersed with historical snip-pets and humour in his inimitable style. Thehistory is available as a booklet. The secondspeaker, Lawrie Jordan from ESRI spoke ongeoimagery- a new paradigm and covered thecurrently available technologies and theincreasingly important role of magery ingeospatial applications. Dr Norbert Pfeiferelaborated on the core issues facing thegeospatial world and the future areas of work.These were new sensor technologies,increased automation in modelling, newapplications and feedback from sensors andmethods. In between the events, the Universi-ty string quartet regaled the audience withpieces form Handel, Mozart and Strauss. Inthe evening, a gala dinner was arranged atthe Festsaal of the City Hall of Vienna. Thedeputy mayor welcomed the audience. Thehighlight was an address by Prof Franz JosefRadermacher who spoke on global sustain-able development. He made a strong case forinclusive growth, avoiding the zero-sum gameof the capitalist world.

Prof. Arup Dasgupta

Managing Editor (Honorary)[email protected]


Future areas of workinclude new sensortechnologies, increasedautomation in modelling,new appliccations andstronger feedback fromsensors and methods

’

“

On 4 July, a gala dinner was arrangedfor the guests at theFestsaal of the CityHall of Vienna


CONFERENCES

58

Mark your Calender...

AUGUST 2010

2 - 4 August

GITA Annual Geospatial Infrastructure SolutionsBrisbane, Queensland, Australia http://www.gita.org.au/event_gis.php

2 - 4 August

WISERD Qualitative GIS Conference: emerging issues andpossible futuresCardiff University, Cardiff, UK http://www.wiserd.ac.uk

03 - 06 August

AGSE 2010 Universidad Católica de SantaMaría, Arequipa Perú http://applied-geoinformatics.org

7 - 12 August

International Summer School onGeotechnologies Ponta Delgada, Azores Islands, Portugal http://www.gislands.org

14 August

Spatial Information Day 2010 Adelaide, South Australiahttp://www.spatialinformationday.or

g.au/index.html

16 - 26 August

GeoGathering 2010 Houston, Texas Area, UShttp://www.geogathering.com

16 - 18 August

2010 URISA/NENA AddressingConference Charlotte NC, UShttp://www.urisa.org/address-

ing/2010charlotte

26 August

Intergraph Local GovernmentSolutions Information Session Perth, Australiahttp://www.intergraph.com/global/au

/geomedia/government-

solutions.aspx

25 August - 01 September

International Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing Congress Melbourne, Victoria, Australia http://www.isprs2012-melbourne.org

SEPTEMBER 2010

1 - 3 September

IV Regional Workshop on Geographical Information andLand Management Rio Gallegos, Santa Cru Patagonia Argentina http://www.igot4.com.ar

1 - 3 September

Queensland Surveying and Spatial Conference 2010 Brisbane, Queensland, Australia http://www.qssc.com.au

1 - 3 September

IV Regional Workshop on Geographical Information andLand Management Rio Gallegos, Santa Cru Patagonia Argentina http://www.igot4.com.ar

5 - 8 September

3rd GNSS Vulnerabilities andSolutions 2010 Conference University of Nottingham, UKhttp://www.rin.org.uk

9 - 12 September

7th European GIS in EducationSeminarSerres, Greecehttp://www.eugises.eu

12 - 16 September

National States Geographic Infor-mation Council (NSGIC) AnnualConference Minneapolis MN, UShttp://www.nsgic.org

15 - 17 September

International Conference on

SDI 2010Skopje, Republic of Macedoniahttp://sdi2010.agisee.org/index.php

19 - 21 September

G-spatial EXPOYokohama, Japan, Portugal http://www.g-expo.jp/en

20 - 23 September

Spie Remote SensingToulouse, Francegal http://spie.org/x6262.xml

21 to 22 September 2010

GIS in Mining and Exploration2010Perth, WA, Australiahttp://www.gisinmining.com.au

22 September

LI GeoCloud 2010Washington D.C., UShttp://www.locationintelligence.net

28 to 30 September 2010

Geospatial Intelligence SummitVienna, Austria, Austria http://www.jacobfleming.com/jacob-

fleming-group/conferences/defence/

GEO

OCTOBER 2010

7 - 9 October 2010

Geospatial Technologies for Sustainable PlanetAllahabad, Uttar Pradesh, Indiahttp://www.mnnit.ac.in/opensdi2010/

18 - 20 October

ESRI Health GIS ConferenceDenver, Colorado, UShttp://www.esri.com/events/health/i

ndex.html

19 - 22 October

2010 Geospatial ConferenceAthens, Georgia Area, UShttp://www.geospatialconference.com

19 - 22 October

12th GSDI world conferenceSingaporehttp://www.gsdi.org/gsdiconf/gsdi12/

24 - 27 October

GIS for National Security,Defence & Emergency Manage-ment ConferenceAbu Dhabi, UAEhttp://www.geospatialdefence.com

26 - 28 October

2010 ESRI Europe, Middle East,and Africa User Conference Rome, Italy http://www.esri.com/events/emea

©2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

When it comes to high-precision printing, HP Designjets lead the way - be it accuracy, colour reproduction, high definition scanning, continuous tones, smooth transitions or a wide colour gamut. Simply put, these state-of-the-art printers have everything you will ever need to bring your next big idea alive.

THE HALLMARK OFPRINT RENDERING.

HP DESIGNJET PRINTERS

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW.HP.COM/GO/DESIGNJET

HP DESIGNJET T1200 HD-MFPA trusted choice for demanding professionals• HP Thermal Inkjet Colour MFP• Print A1 (D)-sized documents in up to 28 secs. per page• Scan width-1067mm (42) & Print width-15mm (0.6)• 38.1cm (15) touch screen graphical display for easy, intuitive operation• DVD/CD reader/writer to save files directly to disc• CCD scanner and embedded post script for excellent 3D scanning

HP DESIGNJET T770A reliable PLUG-AND-PLAY Team Printer• HP Thermal Inkjet Colour LFP• 2 A1/D-sized prints per minute• Precise accuracy of 0.02mm minimum line width and 0.1% line accuracy• Front-loading top roll printer saves time and convenient.• Built-in network card and original HP-GL/2 and RTL for greater OS support

Subscriber’s copy. Not for Sale INR 150 / US$ 15 e c …...GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. A - 145,...

Documents

Transcript of Subscriber’s copy. Not for Sale INR 150 / US$ 15 e c …...GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. A - 145,...