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APRIL 2007 VOL 11 ISSUE 4Th
e G
loba
l Geo
spat
ial M
agaz
ine
26 3D CITY MODELS:DATA GENERA-
TION AND APPLICATIONS
32 3D MAPPING OF WALLED CITY
40 CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY AND
PERFORMATIVITY OF 3D MAPPING
44 OPEN SOURCE 3D WEBGIS
52 SMALLEST GPS NETWORK
FOR TALLEST BUILDING...
60 SURVEYING AND MAPPING IN
VIETNAM
64 3D CITY MODELS...
INTERVIEW36 James ScottVice President (Engineering), MapInfo, US
Manish ChoudharyManaging Director, MapInfo India
58 Gaw Seng SuanDirector, Land Data Division, Singapore Land Authority
AFRICA I AMERICAS I ASIA I AUSTRALIA I EUROPE www.GISdevelopment.net
Imag
e Co
urte
sy: E
SRI
gis-asia-cover new.qxp 4/6/2007 7:31 AM Page 1
WWW.BENTLEY.COM
Bentley, the world’s number 2 provider of software solutions in
the GIS/Geospatial market according to Daratech*, provides
world-class geospatial solutions for infrastructure projects. Bentley’s
Geospatial vision is all about advancing GIS for infrastructure.
In addition to Bentley’s geospatial platform products (Bentley Map
and the Geospatial Server), Bentley provides infrastructure engineering
solutions for local governments, federal governments, water utilities,
multi-utilities, communications companies and electricity and gas
distribution companies. *Daratech’s ‘GIS/Geospatial Markets and Opportunities 2006’
© 2006 Bentley Systems, Incorporated. Bentley, the "B" logo and BE are either registered or unregistered trademarks or service marks of Bentley Systems, Incorporated or one of its direct or indirectwholly-owned subsidiaries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners. Images courtesy of the BE Awards of Excellence.
THEY ALL USED BENTLEY GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS.Learn how you can benefit from Bentley Geospatial solutions by plugging into FREE eSeminars at www.bentley.com/india/gisdev.
For purchase, support and training contact:Bentley Systems India Private Limited#203, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase-III, New Delhi-110 020Tel: 91 11 4161 4122-26 Fax: 91 11 4161 4128
WHAT DO THESE PROJECTSHAVE IN COMMON?
Effective disaster recovery for water networksin the Mumbai metropolitan areaMaharashtra Jeevan Pradikharan
Citizens and businesses given web accessto rich mapping dataCity of Mississauga/eMaps Project
Dramatic increase in operational efficiencyfor Italian multi-utilityAES Torino/SITEGAS projectBlomInfo A/S
Bentley_GIS_4.qxd 8/18/06 10:03 AM Page 1
CONTENTS
EDITORIAL 05
PUBLISHER’S VIEW 06
LETTERS 07
NEWS 08
EVENTS 74
BLOG 62
TECHWATCH 70
PICTURE THIS... 68
ARTICLE
26 3D CITY MODELS: DATA GEN-
ERATION AND APPLICATIONS
Michael Schulze-Horsel
32 3D MAPPING OF WALLED CITY
A Pilot Study to monitor ‘ChandniChowk’, an urban locality in Delhi,which came into existence in1650 AD...
Brig. (Dr) R Siva Kumar
40 CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHY
AND PERFORMATIVITY OF 3D
MAPPING
The paper engages the emerg-ing field of critical cartography toargue that 3D maps, models, andsimulations are much more thanspatial representations...
Reuben S. Rose-Redwood
44 OPEN SOURCE 3D WEBGIS
The article presents an OpenSource Solution to Enable 3DGeographic Systems on the Web...
Helton Nogueira Uchoa, LuigiCastro Cardeles, Luiz CarlosTeixeira Coelho Filho, PauloRoberto Ferreira
48 3D GIS ANALYSIS SOFTWARE
This is a compilation of commer-cially available 3D GIS tools...
51 3D MAPPING IN SOUTH
AFRICA: STATUS & USAGE
S Naidoo, B Mohamed
52 SMALLEST GPS NETWORK FOR
TALLEST BUILDING...
Joël van Cranenbroeck, Douglas Hayes, Ian Sparks Hayes
60 SURVEYING AND MAPPING
IN VIETNAM
Saurabh Mishra
INTERVIEW
36 James ScottVice President (Engineering)MapInfo, USA
Manish Choudhary
Managing DirectorMapInfo India
58 Gaw Seng SuanDirector, Land Data Division, Singapore Land Authority
Log on to www.gisdevelopment.netto subscribe to weekly ezines
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T | A P R I L 2 0 0 7 Vo l . 1 1 I s s u e 4
GIS Development Asia Pacific isintended for those interested andinvolved in GIS related activities. It ishoped that it will serve to foster agrowing network by keeping the com-munity up to date on many activities inthis wide and varied field. Your involve-ment in providing relevant informationis essential to the success ofthisendeavour.
GIS Development Asia Pacific does not necessarily subscribe to the viewsexpressed in the publication. All viewsexpressed in this issue are those of thecontributors. It is not responsible for anyloss to anyone due to the informationprovided.
GIS Development Pvt. Ltd. Printed and Published by Sanjay Kumar.Press Yashi Media Works Pvt. Ltd. B-88, Okhla Industrial Area,Phase - II, New Delhi - 110 020. India Publication Address P-82,Sector-11, Gautambudh Nagar, Noida, India Editor Ravi Gupta
GIS DEVELOPMENT WEEKLY
32 3D Mapping of walled city - Brig. (Dr) R Siva Kumar
President M P Narayanan Editor in Chief Ravi Gupta Managing Editor Maneesh Prasad Publisher Sanjay Kumar Honorary Advisor Prof. Arup DasguptaSr. Associate Editor (Honorary) Dr. Hrishikesh Samant Associate Editor Dr. Satyaprakash
North AmericaRegional Manager Annu Negi
EuropeRegional Sales ManagerNiraj
South East Asia PacificRegional Manager Sunil Ahuja Assistant Editor Saurabh MishraManager SalesKavitha SerasSouth AsiaRegional Sales Manager Shivani LalDy. Manager SalesAnupam SahVivek RawatSub EditorAnanya Ghosh
Middle East Regional Manager Swati Grover Regional Sales Manager Prashant Joshi Manager Sales Sharmishtha Seth Sub Editor Neha Arora
LocationProduct ManagerNirajSr. Asst. EditorAnamika Das Sub EditorHarpreet Rooprai
PortalManagerKarunesh Kumar MauryaDy. ManagerAnshu GargSr. Sub Editor Harsha VardhanSub EditorDeepak KB
Software Development GroupTeam Leader Kumar Vikram Team MemberViral Pandey
DesignSr. Creative DesignerPrashanto SarkarDeepak Kumar Assistant Graphic Designer Manoj Kumar Singh
Training and Research TeamCourse Co-ordinator Neeraj Budhari
EventsVicky Kalra, Albert Ahmed, Rupal Mehta Marketing Co-ordinator Megha Datta Sales Co-ordinatorUma Shankar PandeyManager - Accounts Yatindar Mohan Srivastava Dy. Manager - Accounts Anju Rawat Registration Co-ordinator Sumit Kumar Circulation Vijay Kumar Singh
GIS-contents.qxp 4/6/2007 6:51 AM Page 5
Copyright © 2007 ESRI. All rights reserved. The ESRI globe logo, ESRI, 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.
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Last month, we saw another non-GIS company showing interest in the traditionalGIS software, MapInfo, which for many of the GIS professionals has been one ofthe easy to understand and use GIS software.
Pitney Bowes, a company started in 1902, which has it's existence and growth rooted firmly in
postage and mailing, has lived its company slogan: "Engineering the flow of communication", up to
the hilt. Location intelligence could have been an excellent tool to facilitate their work process. But,
MapInfo Inc. as a company could leave quite a good number of screws in the pocket, after the acqui-
sition and merger of operations is over. Their interest in software solutions is relatively new dating,
not more than a decade, which was strengthened with the acquisition of Group1 in the year 2004.
PB Group 1 software has in its profile the expertise on Business Geographics and we may see some
activity in this area. Another view which is floating, about the increased interest in the geospatial
companies in the post Google Maps era. However, I do not have much to substantiate this except,
the previous buyout of Intergraph by an investor group lead by Hellman & Friedman, a non-GIS
investment company. But,I sincerely hope this is true, as this will bring money from mainstream.
The same week, last month, GeoEye announced the acquisition of MJ Harden Associates,
Inc. from General Electric. This affair is going to be complimentary to both GeoEye and MJ Harden.
The existing customers of GeoEye will have access to MJH aerial photographs and GeoEye will fur-
ther expand the clientèle of MJH into the federal government, where GeoEye is quite strong. Will
this lead to GeoEye re-doing their slogan which presently says"GeoEye: World's largest commercial
remote sensing company" into GeoEye: Highest quality geospatial information provider as con-
veyed by Matthew O'Connel in the press release! If this is the new line on which they are trekking,
LiDAR companies should start increasing their visibility.
Coming to the world of 3D, it is an exciting topic, particularly if you talk about the kind of neurons
a 3D image is able to stimulate. For a 'Map' which is representation of features on the earth surface,
3D is a milestone. While the purpose of map will continue to model the reality, which in our context
is earth's surface and features present on it. 3D maps are required to consideration physiological
and psychological aspects to render near real time view. Challenges are not just limited to the
effects, which will convey the relative distance between two objects or the environment and their
impact on our psychology. There is another important dimension, the data associated with these
3D maps. We would require data which will reflect property of the objects in the 3D map, for the
purpose of analysis. Objects property and maybe its behaviour vis-a-vis with the associated objects
would be required. An extension of convergence which we see the geo-engineering products talk
about today. For an example, if we have a 3D map of a city with demographic, socioeconomic data,
infrastructure, utility services... laid out with their properties associated, we hope the system in
days to come would tell us what will be the impact on demography with quantifiable change in
infrastructure.
In this issue we have few articles, with different approach to the 3D mapping. While one of the
articles talk of using high resolution satellite imagery for creating 3D maps, other uses primarily
aerial photographs and LIDAR data. The prior one does involve use of on field data capture for
height information. Both the process are applicable for creating 3D city maps. But, the method
using LiDAR and Aerial Photographs appears to be more acceptable and scalable.3D in geospatial
context has covered substantial distance from the goof old days of creating wireframe models
using an ASCII input file to 3D urban areas now available for many of the US and European cities
over Internet. Thanks to the elephants fighting to prove their dominance over web [Google and
Microsoft], we hope soon we will be able to see the cities from Asia in 3D.
5G I S D E V E L O P M E N T | A P R I L 2 0 0 7 Vo l . 1 1 I s s u e 4
From Editor’s Desk
Maneesh Prasad
“”
Advisory BoardDato’ Dr. Abdul Kadir bin Taib, DeputyDirector General of Survey and Mapping,Malaysia | Amitabha Pande, PrincipalResident Commissioner, Government ofPunjab, India | Bhupinder Singh, Manag-ing Director, Bentley India | Bob Morris,President, Leica Geosystems GeospatialImaging,USA | BVR Mohan Reddy, Chair-man and Managing Director, Infotech Enter-prises Ltd., India | David Maguire, Director,Products, Solutions and International, ESRI,USA | Frank Warmerdam, President,OSGeo, USA | Prof. Ian Dowman, Presi-dent, ISPRS, UK | Prof. Josef Strobl, Director,Centre for Geoinformatics, University ofSalzburg, Austria | Kamal K Singh, Chair-man and CEO, Rolta Group of Companies,India | Prof. Karl Harmsen, Director, UNU-INRA | Marc Tremblay, Vice President,Commercial Business Unit, DigitialGlobe,USA | Mark Reichardt, President and Chief Operating Officer, OGC, USA | Prof. MartienMolenaar, Rector, ITC, The Netherlands| Matthew O’Connell, CEO, GeoEye, USA| Prof. Michael Blakemore, Emeritus Professor of Geography, University ofDurham, UK | Dr. Milan Konecny, Presi-dent, International Cartographic Associa-tion, Czech Republic | Er. MohammedAbdulla Al-Zaffin, Head of Survey Section,Dubai Municipality, UAE | Dr. PrithvishNag, Director, NATMO, India | Rajesh C.Mathur, President, ESRI India | Dr. StewartWalker, Director of Marketing, BAE Systems,USA | Prof. Stig Enemark, President, FIG, Denmark | Prof. V. S Ramamurthy,Chairman, IIT, Delhi, India
GIS-5-editorial.qxp 4/6/2007 6:54 AM Page 5
We are all aware of our mar-ket expansion drive last
year, in terms of print publications. Welaunched GIS Development Malaysia fol-lowed by Location for the Satellite naviga-tion and positioning market and GISDevelopment Africa in the last quarter ofthe year 2006. The objective being, to pro-vide the geospatial media platform for theindustry, academia and the professionalsfor the specific region. But, as the marketdynamics is not constant, we are requiredto move ahead with better service to theregion and consolidate simultaneously. Athought which echoed during the AdvisoryBoard meeting of GIS Development, pre-ceding the Map World Conference atHyderabad in January 2007.
Today, 'Globalisation' is a term, which isgaining more and more relevance everymoment and global approach is beingseen as major pre-requisite for workingprofessionals and business communityworldwide. It is quite prevalent to pick upand join together initiatives from differ-ent places Technology development, itsapplications, skilled manpower, policyenvironment. We at GIS Development,The Global Geospatial CommunicationNetwork, specialising into providing dif-ferent kinds of platforms to communicatewith and amongst global geospatial com-munity, have continously strived tostrengthen our global network.
Keeping in view the above mentionedpoints and after much deliberation anddiscussion, we are almost concluding to
the point that we need to have far morereach at the regional level, with betterfrequency/periodicity of reaching ourreaders. The answer is, there can be nobetter way than 'Electronic Publications'or Ezines. We would be reaching out tothe needs of the region through our 'Elec-tronic Publications' in the geospatialdomain for: South Asia, South East Asiaand Africa in addition to the existing elec-tronic publications for Middle East. Theseregional electronic publication wouldfocus on the applications, policies, datastandard needs, government initiativesand business issues.
We are also standing at the cross wherewe need to strengthen our philosophy ofnetworking and reach, through combin-ing various editions of its print publica-tion into one global magazine known as'GIS Development - The Global GeospatialMagazine'. The newly combined maga-zine would be very well distributed mag-azine amongst different continents andwould serve different purposes to differ-ent continents. This Global edition of GISDevelopment would be monthly publica-tion and would reach to its readers in firstten days of every month, making betterfrequency to most of our regional readers,who were getting bimonthly or quarterlypublications. This would help to providebetter frequency and faster delivery ofinformation, which is critically importantfor most of our readers.
With lot of anxiety and expectation, Iwelcome you all to the new 'GIS Develop-ment', The Global Geospatial Magazine.
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 076
Sanjay KumarCEOGIS Development
Publisher’s Desk
The newly combined magazine would be verywell distributed magazine amongst differentcontinents and would serve different purposesto different continents
6.qxp 4/6/2007 6:56 AM Page 6
NATMO to launch Golden Map Service The move is very good but it's too late if you compare withGoogle Earth's 3D data base of USA.
Nityanand Pattnaik, India, [email protected]
Prof. Michael Goodchild receivesGITA's Lifetime Achievement Award I followed his publications during my Master's thesis and indi-vidual studies. I believe his great contribution to GIS has led usto what we have now.
Emre Aydin, Turkey, [email protected]
Google Earth to blur key Indian sitesamid security concernsThis is not unique. US government has reduced the resolutionover Camp David for example. They wanted the data over thatsite excised. We do that in India to high resolution satellite dataand aerial photography. It is a way of telling the trouble-makers"hey! here is something of interest so we have hidden it!" I thinkrealising this they have settled for a fudging of the resolution asthough terrorists depend only on Google maps for their nefari-ous activities!
Arup Dasgupta, India, [email protected]
4,800 Survey of India maps to bereleased into public domain underIndia's NSDI
There is a backgrounder to this. When Survey of India (SoI)digitised the toposheets the security agencies decided that'since digital data is more accurate than printed data' so allmaps of hitherto 'unrestricted' paper maps category will be'restricted' in digital form and all 'restricted' paper maps will be'secret' digitally. So the news that the 4800 SoI digital maps arereleased in the public domain is good news as it has at lastundone (partially) a decision based on a questionable premise.However, I think the height information (contours and spotheights) are still not put in public domain.
The geospatial community can better use its energies by usingsatellite imagery and GPS to create their own maps. If you wantto publish them, remove the lat-long references and grids. Labelthe maps as 'sketch maps. Not to scale. Coastline as per satellitedata and not as per Official Records'. Or, if you can submit themap to SoI for clearance...
Arup Dasgupta, India, [email protected]
GIS Development PortalThe articles are really educative and encouraging for a youngprofessional like me. Hopefully, I would be able to contributesomething for the journals in future. Thanks.
Sonam Tashi, Germany, [email protected]
EditorialI just read your editorial for the January-February 2007 issue ofGIS Development Middle East. I'm glad seeing open source pro-grams starting creeping in. Unfortunately, you cited MySQL spa-tial extension, which is frankly not the best tool the open sourceenvironment has to offer. As my recent paper in your magazineshowed, PostgreSQL and its PostGIS spatial extension are theonly real (better) alternative to Oracle Spatial and similar tools.Sorry the message has not passed through.
Paolo Cavallini, Italy, [email protected]
GIS Education in IndiaIts really nice to see the article on 'GIS Education: Training,Placement and Prospect’ in GIS Development Asia Pacific March2007 issue. It's a good effort for the youngsters who are interest-ed in pursuing GIS programmes.
Dr. A. Ganesh, India, [email protected]
7G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Feedback
Reader’s Column
Send in your feedback to
7.qxp 4/6/2007 6:57 AM Page 7
8 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
Kenya to use satellite technology for 2007electionsKenya: This year the Elec-toral Commission of Kenyawill assess the progress ofthe polls by tapping data andimages from the Americanand Russian satellites andoffer solutions to any hitch-es. This will enable theKenyan commission to inter-vene in areas where prob-lems might occur withoutnecessarily traveling there.Using GPS, digital cartogra-phy and remote sensing, theofficials can precisely identi-fy where ballot papers are.The technology has beendeveloped by the RegionalCentre for Mapping ofResources for Development;an international researchorganization based in Nairo-bi, Kenya.
PublicRoutes.combrings transportationdirections to MiamiUS: PublicRoutes.com, adirections-based webresource, announced thelaunch of a complete naviga-tional resource for publictransportation throughoutthe entire Miami area. Merg-ing all a city's resources intoa free, easy-to-use website,PublicRoutes.com also allowsusers to obtain information
and door-to-door directionsto the city's top points ofinterest including restau-rants, tourist attractions,sporting arenas and nightlifevenues. In addition, the web-site offers a one-stopresource to search for, com-pare and book hotels, flightsand vacation packages forthose visiting the area aswell as other travel add-onsincluding car services andtickets to events.
Lockheed Martincompletes workon modernisedGPS satellitesUS: Lockheed Martin theprime contractor for the GPSIIR programme announcedthe delivery of the eighthand final satellite in themodernized Global Position-ing System Block IIR (GPS IIR-M) production programme tothe Air Force.
There are currently threeIIR-M spacecraft on-orbit,along with 12 original BlockIIR satellites within the over-all 30-spacecraft GPS constel-lation. Each satellite in theBlock IIR-M series includes amodernized antenna panelthat provides increased sig-nal power to receivers on theground; two new militarysignals for improved accura-cy, enhanced encryption andanti-jamming capabilitiesfor the military; and a secondcivil signal that will provideusers with an open accesssignal on a different frequen-cy.
Based on the navigationuser range error, which
measures GPS accuracy, theBlock IIR satellites enableproperly equipped users todetermine precise time andvelocity and worldwide lati-tude, longitude and altitudeto within one meter.
The final eight spacecraft,designated Block IIR-M, weremodernized to enhance oper-ations and navigation signalperformance for military andcivilian GPS users around theglobe. The company is alsoresponsible for launch andflight operations support ofthe GPS IIR and IIR-M satel-lites.
WeatherBug launches GIS-basedweather infoUS: ESRI Worldwide BusinessPartner WeatherBug, aprovider of live, local weath-er information, announced0n 19th march availability ofa new service in its suite of
professional products.WeatherBug's GIS Data Ser-vices enable enterprise andgovernment customers tointegrate live weather infor-mation from WeatherBug'sNetwork of 8,000 Weather-Bug Tracking Stations intoexisting GIS based decisionsupport systems. Integratinglive weather data into GIS-based platforms helps cen-
tralise asset management,improves command centeroperations and enables criti-cal decisions to be madequickly, effciently. Specificcomponents of Weather-Bug's GIS Data Servicesinclude:Current SurfaceWeather Plots; Current Sur-face; Weather ContoursFore-cast; Surface Weather; Radarand Satellite.
Helsingor joinsBentley's MLSProgrammeUS: Bentley Systems hasannounced that the city ofHelsingor, in the north of theDanish island of Sealand, hasjoined Bentley's MunicipalLicense Subscription (MLS)programme.
The city will use its newMLS to enhance the servicesit provides to its more than60,000 citizens. Bentley'sMLS offers municipalities allthe software they need todesign and manage all theirinfrastructure for a fixedannual fee based on popula-tion.
The programme enablesthem to improve productivi-ty and reduce administrativecosts by outfitting theirentire mapping and engi-neering organisations withfully integrated software forGIS and engineering workflows. Helsingor provides itscitizens with a full range ofservices, including publicworks, electric power, districtheating, water and waste-water treatment, public safe-ty, and mapping - amongmany others. With the help
A P R I L 2 0 07
News
8-24.qxp 4/6/2007 7:37 AM Page 8
9G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
of Bentley Geo Web Publish-er, the city publishes all serv-ices-related data on theInternet and its intranet, pro-viding city staff and the pub-lic with easy access to thisinformation.
One of the additional Bent-ley solutions being consid-ered for future deploymentby Helsingor is ProjectWise, ascalable collaboration sys-tem for connecting peopleand information across thedistributed enterprise.
NavQuest.comimports routesinto Google EarthUS: NavQuest, the designerand developer of expertmarine directions, naviga-tion and business geographicsoftware announced thatvisitors to NavQuest.com caneasily export custom tripsearches to the GPX geo-graphic file format, via theFree Trip Planning servicewhich can then easily beimported into Google Earthdirectly, giving the visitorsability to import their cus-tom way-points and tripticket information to one ofthe web’s most popularonline mapping service.
NavQuest.Com’s Free TripPlanning service provideseasy export and import capability of way-points,routes and trip tickets to and from GPX (the GPSExchange ) format. GPX is alight-weight XML data for-mat for the interchange ofGPS data between applica-tions and Web services onthe Internet.
MapInfo launches its R & D Centre inIndiaIndia: MapInfo Corporationannounced that it has offi-cially opened a research anddevelopment (R&D) andtechnical support center inNoida, India, expanding itsglobal footprint and markingthe company's entrance intothe countries fast growingtechnology economy.
"The launch of MapInfoIndia underscores ourexpanding global presenceand establishes a new R&Doffice in one of the worldsleading technology centers"said Mark Cattini, Presidentand CEO of MapInfo. "Man-ish Choudhary will be spear-heading MapInfo India as itsManaging Director of opera-tions."
MapInfo India will focus onthe R&D of location intelli-gence technology and be aregional hub in the Delhiarea and help drive globalR&D efforts, enabling thecompany to better servicepartners and respond to cus-tomer needs.
From its state-of-the-artfacility, located at LogixTechnopark, Noida in India'sNational Capital Region,MapInfo India will work collaboratively with world-wide efforts to deliver location intelligence solu-tions to organizations globally.
Adding a further 290 kilometers to the largest rail net-work in Asia, the new Kashmir Railway will connect theHimalayan state of Jammu and Kashmir with the rest ofthe railway network of Indian Railways. Work on therugged and steep mountains of Jammu and Kashmirwere streamlined using Bentley's MXRAIL and MXROADsupplemnted by software tools developed by RITES' (RailIndia Techniocal and Economic Serrvices) team. Whendesigning alignments, 3D visualizations of the terrainhelped the designers avoid steep slopes, visualize cut/fillslopes and their protection. The ability to visualize theterrain for each alternative route for constructabilityeliminated the need for frequent site visits, saving RITESengineers considerable amounts of time and effort.RITES’s use of MXRAIL & MXROAD on this USD 2.5 billionproject not only saved them time and money on a criticalproject for the region, their teams efforts were rewardedat Bentley's BE Conference in Charlotte, North Carolinawhen a team of independent jurors awarded them the2006 BE Award for Rail Design. Fast Facts
• Extends the Indian Rail Network to the Himalayan state of
Jammu and Kashmir
• The cost of the Project is USD 2.5 Billion
• The rail track winds through challenging mountainous ter-rain where one stretch of 142 km has 118 bridges & 65tunnels and an elevation change of 1km
• Construction time reduced by 6 months on one 12 km
section using MX
• 3D visualization helped avoid repeated site visits whenanalysing terrain for constructability
3D Visualisation Helps Forge Railway through Remote Himalayas
8-24.qxp 4/6/2007 7:37 AM Page 9
10 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
Intermap Technologiesawarded $3.1 millioncontract to map islandin Southeast AsiaIntermap Technologies Corp.has announced that it hasbeen awarded a US$3.1 mil-lion contract to collect anddeliver geographic three-dimensional elevation andimagery data in SoutheastAsia.
The company will utilizeone of its five aircraftequipped with their propri-etary IFSAR (InterferometricSynthetic Aperture Radar)mapping technology to com-plete the project. Under theterms of the agreement, thecompany will deliver DigitalSurface Model (DSM) andOrthorectified RadarImagery (ORI) data incre-mentally throughout 2007.
Kuwait GISlaunches sDVRKuwait GIS, a Kuwait-basedGIS consulting services andcustom solutions company,has announced the availabil-ity of Spatial Digital VideoRecorder (sDVR) for the Mid-dle East. The sDVR is a com-plete, real-time geospatialMPEG2 video encoding sys-tem. It improves the wayvideo is recorded, collectingtime and location data alongwith the video. Some otherunique features of sDVR are:
• It advances spatial video col-lection capacity and stream-lines the conversion of spatialvideo into a map with no dataprocessing required.
• Is capable of recording foursimultaneous video sources.
• Can encode GPS positionalong with voice annotation
into the video recording.
• Each removable hard drivecan store up to 20 hours ofhigh quality video.
• Video is automatically asso-ciated with the time and loca-tion in which it was collectedand saved to a map.
• Data processing has beentransformed into a rapidimport operation.
• It is compatible withMediaMapper Video edition orGeoVideo for ArcGIS software.
Satellite projectdiscovers groundwater in SharjahUAE: Ground water in Shar-jah has been found througha satellite project and furtherpoints will be excavated tosustain residents' needs,informed Dr Farouk Al Baz,research professor and direc-tor of the Centre for RemoteSensing, Boston University,USA.
"Through our studies wehave found ground water inSharjah and the northernemirates. We found thepoints where ground waterexists, and more wells will bepushed for as the need aris-es," said Al Baz.
"We continue to receivesatellite images and are sup-plying the government ofSharjah with regular updatesof sites for drilling groundwater, [by using the Geo-graphical Information Sys-tem]," he added.
The research project forexploring ground water byusing space images waslaunched five years agounder the directions of HisHighness Dr Shaikh SultanBin Mohammad Al Qasimi,
A P R I L 2 0 07
News
Indian startup network operator LifeStyle Networks Ltd.is building a wireless mesh network in Mumbai in aneffort to bring broadband connectivity, and a wide rangeof services from third party companies, to a city of 18 mil-lion people. Google Earth has played a major role in thenetwork's development and rollout.
The company has installed more than 1,000 wirelessradios from mesh system vendor Strix Systems Inc. at200 nodes in Mumbai, covering about 20 square kilome-ters, or about 500,000 of Mumbai's population, and plansto have the rest of the city and its suburbs covered inanother six months. The total cost of rolling out that net-work will be between 2Billion and 2.5 Billion Rupees astold by officials.
Google Earth comes into play in the network planning.Mumbai is densely built and populated city, so the teamhas used the Google mapping service to work out wherethe radios should be positioned so that the whole city canbe covered with a signal that will offer, initially, up to 2-Mbit/s connectivity using unlicensed 2.4 GHz spectrum.
As the radios have been installed, LifeStyle's team hasinput the GPS coordinates of the network's nodes into theindividual radios, which in turn feed data into the Googleapplication to create an online network map for the com-pany to use. By feeding information from the Strix net-work management software into Google Earth, there is aposibility of nodes connected, or even whether a singleradio in a network node may be operational.
Google Earth mash-uphelps mesh Mumbai
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Member of the SupremeCouncil and Ruler of Sharjah.
Spatial Info System for reconstruction monitoring in Sri LankaSri Lanka: The French Gov-ernment has agreed to pro-vide a concessionary loan upto Euro 6.5 million for theestablishment of a SpatialInformation System forReconstruction Monitoring.The objective of the system isto provide large scale mapswith GIS application to serveas information infrastruc-ture base for reconstructionoriented GIS applicationdevelopment plans for prior-ity township development inSri Lanka. The developmentof the systems will alsoinvolve capacity buildingand technology transfer tothe Urban DevelopmentAuthority (UDA) and the Sur-vey Department. The database of this system will behoused at UDA with accessto other relevant agencies.This satellite imagery GISdata base identifies riskareas subject to natural dis-asters and existing develop-ment pattern in the areaswhere rehabilitation andnew development projects isto take place.
China cracks down on illegal surveying,mappingChina: China will continuecracking down on illegal sur-veying and mapping andinvestigate and punish leaksof state secrets, said an offi-cial from the State Bureau of
Survey and Mapping. Sevengovernment departmentsincluding State Bureau ofSurvey and Mapping, Min-istry of Information Industryand National Administrationfor Protection of State Secretshave pledged to strengthencontrol of the geographicalinformation market,the offi-cial said . He said a total of759 cases of illegal surveyingand mapping were found in2006, and many of the casesinvolved foreign organiza-tions and individuals. "Theillegal activities have notbeen stopped and more caseshave been found this year,"he said. A new regulationrestricting surveying andmapping by foreigners cameinto effect on March 1. For-eign organizations and indi-viduals who intend toengage in surveying andmapping must obtainapproval from the centralgovernment and be super-vised by local governments,according to the regulation.
Navayuga wins RAK’s e-Governmententerpise GIS projectUAE: The Ras Al-Khaimah(RAK) e-Government Author-ity (EGA) and NavayugaGroup have recently con-cluded an agreement for thedevelopment and implemen-tation of an Enterprise GISturnkey solution for the emi-rate. Navayuga is expectedto GIS-wire the entire emi-rate of Ras Al Khaimah in thenext 18 months. EGA devel-oped a blueprint for imple-menting the Enterprise GIS
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News
Since the US declared the end of major combat operationsin Iraq in May 2003, the capital, Baghdad, has seen theworst of the ongoing violence. British Broadcasting Cor-poration's animated map details the city's key locations,ethnic divisions and major bomb attacks of the insur-gency and sectarian violence. Monthly figures for civiliancasualties are from Iraq Body Count which uses at leasttwo media reports as the source for each death. Where anexact location is not possible, in areas such as Sadr City,the marker has been placed within the district. If youclick on the link, you will be taken away from the map tothe BBC News website story.
The ethnic divisions are from the International MedicalCorps. The breakdowns relate to people's recollection ofthe ethnic mix under Saddam Hussein until February2006 and the present day situation.
The satellite image of Baghdad is from Landsat imagerycourtesy of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center and USGSCenter for Earth Resources Observations and Science.
http://news.bbc.co.uk
Baghdad: Mappingthe violence
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project, which is built aroundthe use of high-quality reli-able, geo-spatial technologyand applications. The Enter-prise GIS will be deliveredthrough the RGIN network,by which various depart-ments and users will be ableto use the solution effectivelyfor transacting information.
China outlinesspace programmetill 2010China: China's space scien-tists have published outlinesof plans to begin develop-ment of a space laboratoryand space-walking by Chi-nese astronauts by 2010. Theplans are among goals pub-lished by the Commission ofScience Technology andIndustry for NationalDefense in its 11th five-year(2006-2010) plan for spacescience development.Whereas other plans includethe Moon orbit in 2007 toacquire "three-dimensionalpictures"; rendezvous anddocking of space-craft; devel-opment of an hard-X raymodulation telescope forChina's first astronomicalsatellite. Other experimentswould be on black holes; thelaunch of the Shijian (Prac-tice)-10 scientific recoverablesatellite in 2009 ;to conductmicro-gravity and space lifeexperiments.
AUST Network intro-duces GIS in its newMasters programme UAE: Ajman University ofScience and Technology(AUST) Network, UAE has
launched a graduate pro-gramme in GroundwaterEngineering and Manage-ment at its Institute of Envi-ronment, Water and Energy .The Programme is runningand supervised by a numberof distinguished staff mem-bers with extensive knowl-edge in geology, hydrology,remote sensing and GIS andpractical experience. Theobjective of the programmeis to provide an advancedgraduate education to stu-dents holding BachelorDegrees in disciplines ofAgriculture, Science andEngineering, applying newtechnologies in groundwaterengineering and manage-ment, with an emphasisupon advanced groundwaterextraction technologies.
Vietnam to developcomputerised landmanagement systemVietnam: The World Bankhas helped Vietnam trainland surveying and technicalmapping managerial staff inpreparation for a project tobuild a Land InformationSystem. The Vietnam LandAdministration Project(VLAP) was built by the Min-istry of Natural Resourcesand Environment with theaim of developing the coun-try's land management sys-tem in a more transparentand public manner. Capitalfor the project will be allocat-ed from the WB's OfficialAssistance Development.Under the VLAP, a computer-ized and easily accessibleland information service sys-
tem will be set up with equi-table services for peoplefrom all walks of life. Accord-ing to a WB representative,human resource trainingplays a critical role in imple-menting the project and thebank is willing to share expe-riences in this field. The proj-ect initially targets nineprovince.
Indonesian agencyoffers disaster-freeland map serviceJakarta: Data packagescontaining information ondisaster-free regions inIndonesia will be madeavailable through a serviceprovided by the NationalCoordinating Agency forLand Survey and Mapping(Bakosurtanal). The service isexpected to help identifysuitable, disaster-free loca-tions for businesses, as wellas for evacuation purposeswhen disasters hit. Bakosur-tanal head, Rudolf Matindassaid, the service uses a geo-spatial system to guide dis-aster mitigation planningefforts. The survey agency
compiles all the relevantaspects of their regionalstudies into an integratedinformation package, whichcan then be referenced.
Web GIS for rural roadsof Rajasthan, HimachalPradeshIndia:The largest ever ruralroad development project(expected cost around $26billion) in India, PradhanMantri Gram Sadak Yojna(PMGSY) has hosted web GISfor Rajasthan and HimachalPradesh to provide trans-parency in implementationof this project and providinginteractive spatial informa-tion to citizens as well asofficials for monitoring andmanagement of works. WebGIS software GRIMMS-Webis designed to run variousspatial queries related withrural road, habitations, workprogress etc. and also pro-vides various GIS functional-ity. GRIMMS Web is Web-GISsolution using the SQL Serverdata of Online Managementand Monitoring System(OMMS), for dissemination
'Disaster-free land', is the buzz word in Indonesia. Thisbeautiful tropical country, has had a spate of naturalcalamities in the last couple of years, the flooding in Jakar-ta being the latest. Mapping the terrain for calculating itspotential to be 'disaster prone' is an application whichmany a times uses techniques like 'weights of evidence','information value', 'conditional probability' etc. The resultfrom every modelling method has subtle differences. Itwould be interesting to know how real-estate developersin Indonesia will go about using these 'disaster-free' plotsof land - if such really exist anywhere.
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of selected information. Thegraphical data (spatial data)will be updated as per therequirement. GRIMMS-Webcan be accessed at the linkhttp://www.omms.nic.in/grimms and requires leastfamiliarization time and noinstallation at client end.PWD Rajasthan, PWDHimachal Pradesh and C-DAC, Pune have provided thenecessary support for thisproject.
FESA selects EmerGeoto provide emergencymanagement solutionThe Fire and Emergency Ser-vices Authority of WesternAustralia (FESA) has selectedthe EmerGeo GIS suit ofapplications to undertake apilot project to supportmulti-agency emergencymanagement system.
The EmerGeo solution isdeveloped by the company'sVancouver, Canada unitusing the TatukGIS Develop-er Kernel and Internet Serverproducts. EmerGeo wasimplemented at FESA byEmerGeo Solutions' Aus-tralian partner, SpatialVision. Besides FESA, the ini-tial SLIP Emergency Manage-ment working groupincludes the Western Aus-tralia Police Service and theDepartment of Environmentand Conservation. The emer-gency managment pilot proj-ect commenced in April 2006and EmerGeo has been in fre-
quent use since that time.EmerGeo is an OpenGIS-based system designed toenhance the ability of gov-ernment and industry emer-gency planners and respon-ders in the field and opera-tion centers to communicate,coordinate, and collaboratein a secure and effective way.
Glonass should becheaper: PutinRussia: According to theRussian Prsident VladimirPutin,the global navigationsystem Glonass should becheaper and of better qualitythan the GPS system.
"You know what attention Ipay to Glonass, and I hoperelevant attention will bepaid to it," Putin told Cabinetmembers. Glonass is a Russ-ian version of the U.S. GlobalPositioning System (GPS),which is designed for bothmilitary and civilian use, andallows users to identify theirpositions in real time. Thesystem can also be used ingeological prospecting.
In December 2005, Presi-dent Vladimir Putin orderedthe system to be ready by2008, and First Deputy PrimeMinister Sergei Ivanov saidGlonass would be availableto domestic users for mili-tary as well civilian purposesby the end of 2007.
Snowflake Softwarepresents 3d city modelU.K. With the new CityGML,
the three dimensional datacontains real intelligenceand is now a reliable applica-tion for real-life deploymentin telecommunications, cityplanning, disaster recovery,noise mapping, simulatorsand vehicle navigation. Dur-ing the Oracle Spatial SIGMeeting in Reading lastmonth, Ian Painter ofSnowflake Software present-ed how GO Publisher hasbeen used in the OpenGeospatial Consortium OWS-4 Test Bed to deploy CityGMLvia Web Feature Services.Earlier virtual 3d city modelsdid not provide information-apart form its visual effects.CityGML - originating fromthe SIG 3D of GeoData Infra-structure NRW is a GML3application schema designedfor multi functional citymodelling. It covers the fourmost important aspects ofvirtual 3D city models:Geometry, Semantics, Topol-ogy and Appearance.
GIOVE-A2 tosecure GalileoprogrammeThe European Space Agency(ESA) has awarded a contractto Surrey Satellite Technolo-gy Limited (UK) for initialactivities leading to the con-struction of a second space-craft for the Galileo satellitenavigation system.
Named GIOVE-A2, the newsatellite (estimated totalvalue 25 to 30 million Euros)will be based on the compa-ny's proven GIOVE-A tech-nology. From now on, therewill always be a European
navigation satellite in space.ESA wishes to guarantee
the continuity of the Galileoprogramme with the perma-nent presence of a spacecraftin orbit. This will maintainEuropean rights to the fre-quencies and allow continu-ation of the experiments ini-tiated with the successfulGIOVE-A mission andplanned for the upcomingGIOVE-B satellite.
GIOVE-A2 will help main-tain the critical InternationalTelecommunications Union(ITU) frequency filingsecured by its predecessor fora further 27 months andfacilitate further develop-ment of ground equipment.
Monitoring of the spaceenvironment will also be animportant ongoing missionobjective for the new satel-lite. GIOVE-A was the firstEuropean satellite to belaunched into medium Earthorbit (MEO) and it carriestwo environmental moni-tors. GIOVE (Galileo In-Orbitvalidation Element) is thefirst step for the Galileo sys-tem.
Efficiency gainsstrengthen UK's nation-al road network dataUK: Ordnance Survey hasannounced the latest qualityfigures for its most detailedgeographic reference basedefining Great Britain's roadnetwork. The national map-ping agency is reportingimprovements in key aspectsof the currency and accuracyof the OS MasterMap Inte-grated Transport Network
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(ITN) Layer. There are nowmore than 740,000 namedroads in the ITN Layer with99.21% of road links present(up 0.39% from last year).There are correct classifica-tions of 99.70% of A roads,99.94% of B roads and99.93% of minor roads,bringing a true 100% digitalversion of Great Britain'sroad network ever closer.
The quality improvementsfollow sustained efficiencygains in an integrated datacapture policy involving Ord-nance Survey field staff,enhanced technologies and arange of external sources.Around 300 surveyors,equipped with GPS kits andother precision measuringdevices, each travel an aver-age of 8,000 miles a yearcapturing changes to theroad network - more thantwo million miles in all.
GIOVE-A Control document releasedThe GIOVE-A Signal-in-SpaceInterface Control Document,the document that gives thetechnical details of the sig-nals transmitted by theGIOVE-A satellite, has beenreleased. This will allowreceiver manufacturers andresearch institutions to use areal signal for their researchand development.
The GIOVE-A signal valida-tion has been accomplishedthrough a network of 13Galileo Experimental SensorStations (GESS), deployedworld wide, and a GIOVE Pro-cessing Centre which com-putes precise orbits and clock
timings for the GIOVE satel-lites, based on the measure-ments made by the GESS andsatellite laser ranging sta-tions.
Galileo delayed, profitability in doubtDisturbed over the ionordi-nate year-long delay in exe-cuting the Galileo systemproject, the Transport Minis-ter of the European UnionJacques Barrot, has approa-ched the companies, whichare building the system, andasked them to furnish thereasons for delay in the proj-ect. The companies "are justnot working," his spokesper-son was quoted in mediarecently, while an unidenti-fied French diplomat told theFinancial Time that "We willgive the companies an ulti-matum," at the Europeanspace industry summit nextweek. The original timetableprojected the system to befully in place by 2010, butBarrot's spokesman said itwould not be ready until2011, adding that thetimetable was constantlybeing pushed forward. Quot-ing an unnamed executive,the FT reported that therewere doubts whether Galileocould attract enough rev-enues, saying that peoplewithin the project doubtedwhether it would restartunless there were guaran-tees it could win businessfrom its main competitor,the free US GPS. "There is adoubt over the revenues,"the executive told the paper.Galileo is being promoted as
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The world’s first civilian satellite navigation system isin crisis after the European Union warned that it mightcancel the project by May 10 if eight participating con-tractors could not agree on how to share the workload.
The Galileo project, which began in 1999, has beenplagued by disagreements over the distribution of work,as well as inadequate organization and managementwithin the bidding consortium.Also there are some inter-nal disagreements which need clarification.Galileo wassupposed to have been in operation by 2008, but it nowlooks as if a fully operational commercial service maynot be available before 2014.
If Galileo goes ahead, it would be the first civil satellitepositioning system and would be compatible with bothGPS and GLONASS.The Galileo project’s research phase,through 2009, will cost 1.5 billion euros, half of whichwill be funded by the European Union and the other halfby the European Space Agency.
In 2010 the estimate cost would be 2.1billion euros outof which one third will be funded by E.U. And rest fromprivate sources.
Galileo at Risk
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being more accurate thanGPS, giving mariners, pilots,drivers and others an almostpinpoint-accurate naviga-tional tool. Unlike GPS,Galileo will stay under civil-ian control, increasing Euro-pean Union's strategic inde-pendence.
CORS for Poland Poland: Trimble announcedthat it has been chosen bythe Polish National Office ofGeodesy and Cartography,GUGiK, to supply 78 Continu-ous Operating Reference Sta-tion (CORS) receivers andTrimble VRS™ (Virtual Refer-ence Station) technology toestablish a nationwide Glob-al Satellite Navigation Posi-tioning System (GNSS) infra-structure network for thecountry of Poland.
The Trimble VRS networkwill provide a geospatialinfrastructure for surveying,engineering and GeographicInformation System (GIS)professionals that enableshigh accuracy real-time kine-matic (RTK) GNSS position-
ing without the need of sep-arate base stations or soft-ware, significantly increas-ing efficiency and productiv-ity.
The GNSS network, knownas ASG (Aktywna Siec Geo-dezyjna or Network forOnline Positioning User Ser-vice), will be operated byGUGiK. It will be the secondnetwork in Poland and willsupply centimeter-level RTKGNSS data for a variety ofpositioning applicationsincluding geodetic andcadastral surveying, roadand bridge construction, sci-entific research as well asother high-accuracy posi-tioning applications. TheASG is expected to be one ofthe largest reference stationnetworks in Eastern Europewhen operational.
The use of the network willbe free of charge for survey-ors for the three years. Thenationwide Polish GNSS net-work follows more than 80Trimble infrastructure instal-lations networks throughoutthe world.
Improved interactivereal estate market infofor 1,100 German citiesGermany: HVB Expertise isnow offering on its Englishwebsite real estate marketinformation at www.hvbex-pertise. com for almost 1,100German cities and munici-palities supported by aninteractive GIS by AED-SICAD, based on ESRI'ss GIScore technology ArcIMS. Itallows the search for infor-mation via maps to startdirectly on the homepageand does not only show theselected spot, but all munici-palities within 30 km dis-tance for which current mar-ket information is available.The site covers the places ofresidence of 44.5 millioninhabitants, over 54 % of theGerman population.
Early 2003 HVB Expertisestarted its presentation forproperty market informationin Germany with 400 citiesand municipalities. Afterentering the city name andoptionally the street name,the user will receive currentcharts on rents and prices forup to five property types(condominium apartmentsand new buildings, second-hand sale; single-familyhomes, semi-detached hous-es; terraced houses anddeveloped land), as well asbasic structural data (popu-lation, unemployment rate,purchasing power index,completed apartments) for 1,084 cities and munici-palities in Germany, includ-ing an interactive geographi-cal map.
Mio releases C320GPS unit
Mio introduced its newC320 GPS recently. Like thepreviously announced C520,the C320 packs a 4.3-inchwidescreen display,although it apparently dropsthe Bluetooth functionalityof its pricier sibling. The unit
provides MP3 player capabil-ities and navigation options,with maps of 22 WesternEuropean countries, courtesyof TeleAtlas pre-loaded onthe 1GB of internal memory,and optional real-time trafficinformation available tothose that need it.
What's more, the unit willalso provide warnings aboutspeed cameras, with freeupdates available for a year -- just be sure to keep it out of Switzerland. Look for thisone to roll out in Europe next month for 350 , or about$465.
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The stalling of the Galileo program due to profitabilityissues has hit the headlines this week. The blame game ison with Mr. J Barrot, the EU's Transport Commissionerrequesting a mandate to study “reasonable alternatives”to the current situation. The eight company Galileo con-sortium is sure to feel the heat. GPS chips may have 'sur-plus' channels than used ones if the Galileo program takesa dive. Might be, many of us will continue being satisfiedusing the old faithful 'low end' GPS units we bought in thesummer of 06.
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Intergraph announcesImageStation 5.1Intergraph Corporationannounced the release ofversion 5.1 of the ImageSta-tion® suite. It enables usersto process digital pho-togrammetry workflowsfrom project creation to ori-entation and triangulation,3D feature collection andediting, Digital TerrainModel collection and editing,and orthophoto productionusing aerial and satellite sen-sors.
ImageStation XE whichwas also introduced alongwith Image Station 5.1 is anintegrated interface for otherImageStation products witha centralized environmentthrough which users cancontrol the project creationand production workflow.The user interface provides acentralized launch point foreach application, and it actsas a common photogramme-try project informationwarehouse from which eachapplication can retrieveinput and output parametersand data.
Leica IPAS PPPPost ProcessingSoftwareLeica Geosystemsannounced a new post pro-cessing software packagewithin the IPAS product fam-ily Leica IPAS PPP. It provideshigh accuracy position andvelocity determination usingthe data from a single GNSSreceiver. The software pro-vides accurate solutions forremote areas as no reference
station data is required. “Fly-ing without ground refer-ence stations is the opportu-nity we now can offer oursensor users with IPAS PPP”,describes product managerTauno Saks. This new postprocessing software workswith Leica Geosystems Air-borne Sensors, such as theLeica ADS40-II Airborne Digi-tal Sensor and the LeicaALS50 Airborne Laser Scan-ner, and is also suitable foruse with other systems. Highaccuracy position and veloci-ty determination is guaran-teed using the data from asingle GNSS receiver, no ref-erence station data isrequired to achieve accuratesolutions.
Precise Point Positioning(PPP) technology IPAS PPPuses the Precise Point Posi-tioning (PPP) technology tak-ing advantage of down-loaded precise satellite orbitand clock corrections whenpost processing the trajecto-ry of the sensor flight mis-sion. This offers a range ofadvantages. Typical positionaccuracy from IPAS PPP is 15cm horizontal and 20 cm inheight.
Ireland set toundergo GIS basedtaxationGovernment intends to usesophisticated “spies in thesky” to detect people’s homeimprovements or amenitiesthat would affect the valueof their properties. The Con-servatives, who have beencarrying out an investigationinto the council tax revalua-
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tion database, say thatNorthern Ireland is beingused as a testing ground forGIS based taxation involvingaerial photographs and satel-lites.
With the report on localgovernment finance by SirMichael Lyons being pub-lished this week, the Toriessaid that, contrary to minis-terial claims, the Valuation& Lands Agency, which actsas the Northern Irelandcouncil tax department hasteamed up with OrdnanceSurvey to use “oblique aerialphotography” and “large-scale mapping” for tax valu-ations on people’s homes.The two bodies have beencombined into one “shadowagency” to facilitate datasharing between them.
Tele Atlas launchesContentLinkTele Atlas unveiled Con-tentLink™, a unique Web-based program for contentproduction and distributionthat gives location-basedapplication developersaccess to a wide range of up-to-date, specialized contentand points of interest.
Tele Atlas ContentLink isdesigned to streamline time-to-market by allowing devel-opers to rapidly discover andobtain the latest content pro-vided by publishers such asentertainment, lodging andservices data. Publishers ofany size can post content tothe portal, and leverage TeleAtlas’ unique editing toolsand specialized geocoding tocategorize, locate and verify
the precise position of theircontent on Tele Atlas maps.Developers can then search,acquire and download thecontent to create highly tar-geted applications and per-sonalized downloads for per-sonal and in-car navigationsystems, mobile and wirelessdevices, Internet solutionsand location-based services(LBS). For example, a naviga-tion device could show end-users the nearest locations ofa WiFi hotspot or parkingspot, or an application coulddeliver content of specificinterest to football enthusi-asts in London.
Trimble introduceslassen DR+GPS Modulefor Vehicle and AssetTracking applicationsTrimble introduced theLassen® DR+GPS module thatcombines dead reckoning(DR) with Global PositioningSystem (GPS) technology ona single, compact board.When GPS signals are limit-ed or not available, such as inurban canyons and tunnels,the Trimble Lassen DR+GPSmodule provides reliable andaccurate positioning infor-mation. It is an ideal solutionfor system integrators orOEMs who are adding loca-tion capabilities to vehiclenavigation, fleet manage-ment and asset tracking sys-tems.
The Lassen DR+GPS moduleaccepts inputs from an ana-log gyro, an odometer pulseand a forward/reverse indi-cator. Its sophisticatedDR+GPS algorithm automati-
cally calibrates these sensorsand optimally blends thesensor inputs and GPS to pro-duce accurate position andvelocity outputs in hostileGPS environments such asurban canyons.
Pictometry imageviewing facility forCadcorp SISCadcorp has announced anew, easy-to-use free appli-cation for viewing Pictome-try oblique view imagerywithin Cadcorp SIS – SpatialInformation System. Thisviewer is available for usewith Cadcorp SIS desktopproducts, including MapModeller, Map Editor andMap Manager.
Pictometry provides aninstantly available, ‘off-the-shelf’, library of high-resolu-tion 15cm imagery, withevery feature in the built andnatural environment imagedfrom all four points of thecompass along with the ver-tical view. Using Pictometryoblique imagery the size,shape, design, constructionand surrounding environ-ment of any building can berapidly assessed fromupwards of twenty differentoblique and vertical vantagepoints.
Leica's digitalorthophotoproduction systemLeica Geosystems GeospatialImaging has announced thelaunch of Leica Ortho Accel-erator (LOA), offering astreamlined orthophoto pro-duction environment. LOA
was developed to speed upthe rate and accuracy withwhich digital orthophotosare produced. It is a CuePacadd-on to GeoCue, which is ageospatial process manage-ment system.
With orthorectification andmosaicking capabilities,Leica Ortho Accelerator takesadvantage of the distributedand scheduled workflow pro-cessing capabilities providedby GeoCue. It also containsvarious modules providingcapabilities such as multi-user access to the same proj-ect, distributed processing,production step cuing andseveral other benefits.
NovAtel releasesnew version of itspostprocessingsoftwareNovAtel released version7.80 of its GrafNav/GrafNet,GrafNav/GrafNet Static,GrafNav Lite, and GrafMovpostprocessing software.This latest software releaseincludes advancements suchas precise point positioning(PPP), enhanced GLONASSprocessing, and other fea-tures.
The new embedded PPPprocessor permits dual-fre-quency carrier phase pro-cessing without a base sta-tion. Users can expect 10-40cm kinematic accuracies and2-10 cm static accuracies,although accuracies can varydepending on age of thedata, time length of collec-tion, satellite geometry, fre-quency of cycle slips, receivertype, measurement quality,
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and other factors. EnhancedGLONASS processing enablesboth GPS and GLONASSsatellites to be used in Kine-matic Ambiguity Resolution,reportedly resulting in faster,more reliable fixes andcleaner trajectory processing.The new Mission Plannersupports GPS and GLONASSdata. Also, GLONASS datacan now be extracted fromNovAtel OEMVTM-3, Leica1200 GG, and RINEX formats,in addition to other manu-facturer formats that werepreviously supported.
"We are very excited aboutthe release of our new Ver-sion 7.80 postprocessing soft-ware. The PPP addition canreduce costs for customersby eliminating the need forbase stations, while theenhanced GLONASS featuremaximizes the capabilities ofNovAtel's latest OEMVTMreceiver series," said Pat Fen-ton, CTO, NovAtel.
NovAtel authorized tosell Galileo receivers
NovAtel, announced that ithas been granted temporaryauthorization by the Euro-pean Space Agency (ESA) tosell Galileo/Giove-Areceivers to a limited num-ber of specified companies,making NovAtel one of thefirst GNSS manufacturers tosell Galileo receivers. NovA-tel has had a productionstandard receiver and anten-na available since early
2006, however ESA hadrestricted external sales upto now. In the meantime ESAhas conducted an intenseinternal test campaign withGIOVE-A for over a year.
This decision will allowthe wider community out-side the ESA in-house cam-paign to join
in GIOVE-A evaluation andtest. These receivers weredeveloped in conjunctionwith the Canadian
Space Agency and trackL1/L5 GPS or L1/E5a Galileo."NovAtel has been involvedin the development ofGalileo technology since2000. Recently it announcedthat it was the first companyoutside Europe to be accept-ed as a Full Member ofGalileo Services.
Google supportingGeoRSS
Google will support GeoRSSas a data format for geo-graphic content in GoogleMaps. This move enableusers to create data in what-ever format is most conven-ient for them. By supportingboth KML and GeoRSS helpsa wider variety of people andapplications to contributecontent to Google Maps.
According to Google theyhave built support for theSimple GML, and W3C Geoencodings of GeoRSS. All auser needs to do is to enterthe full URL of a GeoRSS fileinto the Maps query box toload the file. Most impor-tantly, Google has extendedsupport for displaying geo-graphic data -- both KML and
Mailstream software, hardware, services and solutionsprovider Pitney Bowes Inc. announced it has entered intoa merger agreement to acquire location intelligence solu-tions provider MapInfo Corporation for approximately$408 million. It is anticipated that MapInfo will operateas a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes within itssoftware segment. MapInfo has approximately 940employees worldwide with locations in the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, Canada, Continental Europe,Australia and Asia. MapInfo has announced the settingup of a research and development (R&D) and technicalsupport center in Noida.
The transaction is expected to close in the second calen-dar quarter of 2007. Pitney Bowes said the acquisitionstrengthens its position in the growing location intelli-gence market."At Pitney Bowes we have long understoodthe importance of location in connecting the right infor-mation with the right recipient. Increasingly businessesand governments alike are using location-based infor-mation to enhance their reach, performance and deci-sion-making capabilities," said Michael Critelli, chairmanand CEO of Pitney Bowes. MapInfo CEO Mark Cattini said"the combination of Pitney Bowes and MapInfo will dra-matically expand our access to critical resources.In aninterview conducted by the GISdevelopment team TheV.P. Engineering James Scott of MapInfo has informedthat the organization is looking forward of having adevelopment centre in India with focuss on global prod-uct.The M.D. of MapInfo also focusses on geospatialaspects of the compoany as well as software develop-ment as the key to the acquisition.
More on this maybe read on page 36.
Pitney Bowes to acquire MapInfo
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GeoRSS -- into the GoogleMaps API. Now in addition toprogramatically adding con-tent to a Maps API site, userscan create the content asKML or GeoRSS and load itinto the Map with a simplefunction call. This meansthat the more than 1 millionKML files that are availablefrom all over the web caneasily be mashed up withthe maps.
Google yet todecide on blurringkey Indian sites
India: Even as the high-res-olution images of vital Indi-an installations on GoogleEarth have irked securityagencies, Google Inc said ithas not yet taken a decisionon blurring aerial images ofsensitive Indian installationsavailable on Google Earth.
“We take security concernsseriously but obscuringimages will not help. Wehave never degraded imagequality. The images availableon Google Earth are alsoavailable for purchase fromvarious satellite companiesin market.
The government needs todeal with this issue at thelevel of satellite companiesbecause they are sellingimages to us, mapping serv-ices are available commer-cially, sometimes free of costand sometimes for a price. Ifimages damage securitythen they need to talk tosatellite companies. Blurringneeds to be done by satellitecompanies. Targeting GoogleEarth will not fix the prob-
lem,” said Andrew McLaugh-lin, Head of Global Public Pol-icy of Google.
At the same time, he wasquick to point out thatGoogle had not foreclosedthe option of blurring
images. “We are still talk-ing to the Indian govern-ment and the idea is to reacha resolution and to
ensure that all questionsare answered and concernsaddressed. We have not yetdecided whether or
not to blur some key sites,”said Mr McLaughlin.
Garmin partnerswith HondaGarmin has been selected asthe exclusive supplier ofcompact navigation devicesto Honda Access Europe N.V.The unit is a custom productwith features that are specif-ically designed to comple-ment Honda vehicles.
It contains a preloadedHonda database so driverscan always find their nearestdealership and has a customdash board attachment withan integrated power supply.There is a unique mount foreach vehicle dash board,which means no visiblewiring and when the naviga-tion device is removed, amatching cap discretelyhides the mount.
The design is based on thepopular Garmin nuvi 360which combines slim- line,portable casing with
European mapping, Blue-tooth wireless capabilitiesand a wealth of extra fea-tures.The units will be sup-
plied by Honda AccessEurope N.V. and offered indealerships across Europe.
Microsoft joinsOpenAJAX group
Microsoft will be participat-ing in the OpenAjax allianceto make the AJAX (Asynchro-nous JavaScript and XML)Web scripting techniquemore interoperable. OpenA-jax also plans to detailprogress on its OpenAjaxHub technology, which isintended to provide interop-erability among differentAJAX frameworks.
Microsoft has been promot-ing AJAX via its ASP.NetAJAX technology, formerlycalled "Atlas."
Developers can build AJAX-style applications and inte-grate with the .Net Frame-work. The alliance has setout to bolster AJAX by mak-ing it more interoperable. Aprincipal goal has been toenable developers to usemultiple AJAX technologieswithin the same Web appli-cation.
Topcon announcesagreement on manage-ment integration withSOKKIATopcon Corporationapproved to enter into abasic agreement on manage-ment integration withSokkia Company, at a boardof directors meeting held onMarch 16, 2007. The manage-ment integration will beimplemented through anacquisition of SOKKIA’sshares by the Company, as
the result of which SOKKIAwill become a subsidiary ofthe Company. The manage-ment integration will beimplemented only when theCompany and SOKKIAobtain clearance for themanagement integrationfrom the Fair Trade Commis-sion of Japan from the view-point of the AntimonopolyLaw of Japan. The Companywill announce details of themanagement integration,once it approves the man-agement integration afterobtaining the clearance fromthe FTC.
GeoEye acquiresaerial imageryprovider from GEOil and GasUSA: GeoEye announced theacquisition of M.J. HardenAssociates, Inc. from GeneralElectric Company. M.J. Hard-en is a provider of digital aer-ial imagery and geospatialinformation solutions. Geo-Eye completed the acquisi-tion of M.J. Harden's out-standing stock on March 15,2007, and will operate thecompany as a wholly ownedsubsidiary.
"This acquisition enables usto provide satellite and aerialimagery along with geospa-tial solutions to our resellersand customers," saidMatthew O'Connell, Geo-Eye's President and Chief
Executive Officer. The dealwill give GeoEye's customersaccess to M.J. Harden digitalaerial imagery where cus-tomers may need higher res-olution imagery than what is
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22 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
available from GeoEye'ssatellites."The combinationof GeoEye's high-qualitysatellite imagery and M.J.Harden's map-accurate digi-tal aerial imagery will pro-vide our customers informa-tion of unprecedented quali-ty," said Doug Leibbrandt,general manager of M.J.Harden Associates, Inc."We're eager to collaborateon a full range of geospatialproducts and solutions forcustomers in a wide range ofmarkets."
Galileo developmentstalled over profitabilityquestionsAccording to this newsrelease, Jacques Barrot - theEuropean Union TransportCommissioner hasapproached the companiesbuilding the Galileo systemasking for the reasons for theyear-long delay in the proj-ect.
The companies "are just notworking," his spokesmanwas quoted as saying by thebusiness daily, while anunidentified French diplo-mat told the FT that "We willgive the companies an ulti-matum,"
at a European space indus-try summit next week. Citingan unnamed executive, theFT reported that there weredoubts whether Galileocould attract enough rev-enues, saying that peoplewithin the project doubtedwhether it would restartunless there were guaran-tees it could win businessfrom its main competitor,
the free US Global Position-ing System (GPS). The origi-nal timetable projected thesystem to be fully in place by2010, but Barrot's spokesmansaid it would not be readyuntil 2011, adding that thetimetable was constantlybeing pushed back.
Geosoft and ESRICollaborate onsoftware solutionsfor Mining andGeosciencesGeosoft Incorporated, aprovider of software andsolutions for the geosciencesindustry announced its col-laboration with ESRI to deliv-er integrated software anddata management solutionsfor the global mining andgeosciences sector.
The collaboration willresult in a scalable and inter-operable software platformthat improves the availabili-ty and integration of geosci-entific data for successfulearth exploration and dis-covery. The joint solutionwill provide geoscientistswith faster, better ways tofind and integrate their data for knowledge develop-ment and business decision-making.
Remote Sensingmarket to benearly USD 10Billion by 2012
According to a recentresearch report, total globalmarket expenditures forremote sensing products wasmore than $7 billion in 2006and will reach almost $7.3
billion in 2007. At a com-pounded annual growth rate(CAGR) of 6.3%, the marketwill grow to more than $9.9billion by 2012.
Weather forecasting holdsthe highest share of the mar-ket throughout the forecastperiod, hovering at approxi-mately 38% of the total glob-al market through 2012.
Bentley becomesprincipal memberof OGC
The Open Geospatial Con-sortium (OGC) announ-cedthat Bentley Systems, Incor-porated has upgraded tobecome a Principal Memberin the OGC.Principal Mem-bers have complete authori-ty over the specificationrelease and adoption processthrough their voting rightsin the Planning Committee(PC). It is by PC vote thatOpenGIS specifications areapproved and released bythe Consortium.
"The OGC is pleased thatBentley has chosen toassume a leadership positionin the consortium's member-ship," Sam Bacharach, Execu-tive Director of the OutreachProgram, said. "We look for-ward to them applying theirexpertise in advancing thecause of standardization."
Bentley played a centralrole in OWS-4 and helped usto demonstrate a frameworkof interoperability across thelifecycle of building andinfrastructure investmentinvolving design, construc-tion, operation and decom-missioning."
NAVTEQ TRANS-PORT selected byTrimbleNAVTEQ, a provider of digi-tal map data for location-based solutions and vehiclenavigation, has announcedthat they have been chosenby Trimble and Telogis tosupply NAVTEQ TRANSPORTtruck attributes. Trimble'sTrimFleet family of productsincorporates the GeoBasegeospatial software platformfrom Telogis, which relies onNAVTEQ map data and uti-lizes the NAVTEQ TRANS-PORT dataset.
The detailed data includedin NAVTEQ TRANSPORTallows fleet operations toroute trucks away from lowclearance areas and streetsin which trucks cannotmaneuver, helping to reduceincidents and minimize out-of-route miles.
Furthermore, by matchingroutes to road-network reali-ty, NAVTEQ TRANSPORTenables the development ofapplications that supportmore accurate route calcula-tions.
Rolta announcesBen Eazzetta asnew President ofInternationalOperations
Rolta India Limited,announced the appointmentof Ben Eazzetta as Presidentof International Operations.Based in Atlanta, he willhead Rolta’s subsidiaries inthe US, Europe and the Mid-dle East.
"Ben is an outstanding and
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valuable addition to theRolta team," said Kamal K.Singh, Chairman and Man-aging Director of Rolta IndiaLimited - the parent compa-ny of Rolta International.Ben will be replacing A.P.Singh, who will be relocatingto India as Joint ManagingDirector and will be respon-sible for delivery, productionand support for Geospatial,Engineering and eSolutionsservices worldwide. Bothgentlemen will join theBoard of Directors, workingfull time for Rolta.
Intermap Technologiesawarded $1.5 M con-tract for mapping andimagery dataIntermap Technologies Corp.has announced that itsIntermap Federal Services,Inc. subsidiary has received aUS$1.5M contract to provide3D digital elevation data and orthorectified radarimagery for an internationalproject.
Under the terms of the datasale, the company will deliv-er high-resolution data andimagery during the secondquarter of 2007 from geogra-phy collected last year usingthe company's proprietaryInterferometric SyntheticAperture Radar (IFSAR) tech-nology.
"We are pleased to continueto meet the needs of thisinternational client year-after-year," commentedGarth Lawrence, Senior VicePresident of Operations forIntermap Technologies. "Theintrinsic value of our radar
imagery and elevation dataallows our client to meetrequirements that wouldotherwise be unachievable."
Intermap acquiresMultiMedia ComputerIntermap Technologies Corp.announced that it hasacquired MultiMedia Com-puter, a Czech Republic soft-ware development company.The acquisition of MMC willenable Intermap to evolve itsproduct offerings from puredata sales to solution-basedapplications for specific mar-kets where strong demandfor 3D digital elevation dataexists.MMC has also success-fully used its software andthe technical expertise of its20-person staff to developand deploy flood-mappingapplications while securingstrong relationships withinEuropean insurance industry.
ScanEx launches"Transparent World"ScanEx Center initiated thenew educational space proj-ect "Transparent World". Theproject envisages the manu-facturing and launch of themicro satellite with opticalequipment into the orbit. Itwill be able to deliver middleresolution images (around 50meters) to a network ofground receiving stations,deployed in the university,research and regional cen-ters throughout the world.
The principle objective ofthe “Transparent World”project is to demonstrate thepossibility of creating anaffordable and easy-to-
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A remarkable scientific approach recently has broughtabout three dimensional maps of the universe. The maphas been a joint project of an international team of scien-tist who analyzed the COSMOS field, the largest field ofgalaxies ever observed with the Hubble space telescope.
The researchers from the California Institute of Tech-nology and also the associated laboratories of the CNRSand the CEA grouped into a scientific team. Under thiscollaboration the first three-dimensional map of darkmatter in the Universe using gravitational lensing effectswas done. For astronomers mapping the distribution ofthe mass in the Universe from its light component is aconsiderable challenge. It is an exercise as complicated asdetermining the extent of a city solely from aerial photo-graphs taken at night. Luminous matter (stars, galaxies,ionized gas) represents only about one sixth of the totalmatter of the Universe.
Nonetheless, despite the complexity of the task, a three-dimensional map of all of the mass, luminous and darkmatter was made for the first time in the COSMOS field.The map of dark matter was made by measuring theshapes of half a million distant galaxies. The COSMOSsurvey done by Hubble includes 575 images from the ACScamera (Advanced Camera for Surveys). The COSMOSsurvey thus brings us a three-dimensional map of thedark matter in the Universe and will allow us for the firsttime to monitor the relationship between the distribu-tion of dark matter and the formation and evolution ofgalaxies.
3D Map of the Universe Unveiled
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24 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
access source of operationalspace information about thenatural events and process-es, happening on Earth, forfurther use in education, sci-ence and economy.
At the first stage, a pilotlightweight nanosatellite of12 kg is to be launched to testthe technical solutions. A thesecond stage, a system of 5-6nanosatellites is anticipatedto be deployed, providing forthe overview of the entireEarth surface during a day.Satellites are to be insertedinto one orbital plane, butwith different equator cross-ing times, allowing a groundstation to receive multi-tem-poral images from differentsatellites within the entirestation footprint.
QGIS 0.8 releasedQuantum GIS (QGIS) is a userfriendly Open Source GISthat runs on Linux, Unix,Mac OSX, and Windows. Thelatest release version of QGISncludes features like search-ing attribute data, exporttool enhancements, WMSsupport, multi-platformGRASS support, new toolboxcommands, enhanced vectorediting and layer editing.QGIS allows users to create,maintain and geo-spatialdata in a wide variety of for-mats of vector, raster, anddatabase formats includingthe popular ESRI ShapeFile,geotiff, Mapinfo, GeographyMarkup Language.
One of the benefits of QGISis its ability to run straight ofa memory stick or USBdevice making it a “portable”
application. This allowsusers to carry and view GISdata anytime anywherewithout depending on theclient machine to actuallyhost the GIS software.
Google supportingGeoRSSGoogle now supports Geo-RSS for data format on geo-graphic content in GoogleMaps. The company wantsto enable users to create datain a format most convenient.Supporting both KML andGeoRSS would enable awider variety of people andapplications to contributecontent to Google Maps.Most importantly, Googlehas extended support for dis-playing geographic databoth KML and GeoRSS intothe Google Maps API. Now inaddition to programaticallyadding content to a Maps APIsite, one can create one’s owncontent as KML or GeoRSSand load it into the Map witha simple function call. Addi-tionally, KML is on its way tobecoming an OGC standard.
UNEPEnvironmentalAtlas on Net .Artic portalAn interactive map servicehas been introduced basedon environmental variablesand parameters of the Arcticregion. Data has been col-lected from a variety of datasources (mostly global
datasets) and prepared forthe polar view. The ArcticEnvironmental Atlas drawswork from the UNEP/GRID-ARENAL, for various Arcticproject in almost all thefields from CONSERVATIONTO POLLLUTION monitoring.The arctic circle being themost versatile and delicatearea of the northern hemi-sphere controls major part ofthe global climate.
The service has been devel-oped by UNEP/GRID-Aren-dal, a UNEP environmentaldata and information center.UNEP/GRID-Arendal, basedin Norway, acts as the Arcticfocus center of UNEP, andhas worked closely with sev-eral Arctic conservation andmonitoring initatives. Themap is also a service in theUNEP as Net.ARCTIC portal.The technical solution forthis interactive map is basedon ESRI's ArcIMS InternetMap Server, and it can alsobe accessed through ArcIMSor OpenGIS WMS clients.
The back drop themes canbe overlaid by a number ofadditional features,physicalas well as political ones too.Sources used for such handyinformation service is thebest global publicly availablecollection of data and maps,that have been both collect-
ed and projected to show apolar view.
ISPRS bookon’Advances inMobile MappingTechnology’Tao and Li’s book on “Advances in Mobile Map-ping Technology” describesthe latest research and devel-opments in the fast-movingarea of mobile mappingtechnology, which allows
geospatial data to be gath-ered by mapping sensorsmounted on mobile plat-forms.
These platforms includesatellites, aircraft, road vehi-cles and ships; while thenewest portable sensors maysimply be carried by an indi-vidual.
The book addresses a widevariety of research issuesand provides researchers andpractitioners with an overallview of the latest develop-ments. Full table of contentsand authors is available [email protected].
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The need for computer-based photo-realistic visuali-zation of 3D urban environments is growing for
many applications like urban planning, telecommunica-tion planning, engineering, architecture, 3D city informa-tion systems, and homeland security to name only a few.Even though only being able to display 2D data, web portals,where the user can explore digital maps and aerial/satelliteimages experienced a rapidly increasing popularity.
The development of geospatial solutions has reached a mile-stone with the upcoming of 3D realtime visualization solutionslike Google Earth, Microsoft Virtual Earth and NASA Worldwind.These make it possible for a worldwide community of users tonavigate freely in all spatial dimensions from space to street-level in a virtual 3D landscape which consists not only of terrainand image data but also of reality-based 3D city models, inte-grated into a global context.
3D city models can be cost-efficiently generated using pho-togrammetry or airborne laser scanner data and - in combina-tion with 3D Digital Terrain Models (DTM) textured with high-resolution orthophotos as complete 3D scene - fulfil specificrequirements for above applications and in various industries.
The Swiss/American CyberCity Group is specialized in the pro-duction and distribution of reality-based 3D city models. Itmaintains a constantly growing database of 3D city models of
major cities worldwide. Amongst others, these include LosAngeles (USA), San Diego (USA), Chicago (USA), Paris (France),Hamburg (Germany) and Florence (Italy). The modelling of largecities in Asia (e. g. Beijing, Hongkong,…) is planned for 2007 and2008. However, the experience shows that not only large citiesbut also small cities benefit from a 3D city model. This articleillustrates the efficient generation of reality-based 3D city mod-els and photo-realistic 3D landmarks and shows the real benefitof 3D models in a number of different applications.
GENERATION OF THE 3D CITY MODELS
CREATING THE GEOMETRY
By using photogrammetry it is possible to determine the three-dimensional coordinates of the building roof points by meas-urement in two aerial images taken from different positionsduring an flight campaign.
CyberCity-Modeler creates 3D city models using photogram-metry and laser scanner data (LIDAR: LIght Detection And Rang-ing). Generally, different Levels of Detail (LOD) can be derivedfrom various input data. We differentiate between (see Figure 1)buildings with flat roofs (so called block models), buildings withmain roof structures and buildings with detailed superstruc-tures like dormers, chimneys etc. If cadastral data like planimet-ric building footprints from terrestrial surveying are available,even roof overhangs can be created easily by extruding the 2Dpolygon to the 3D roof structure. By being flexible in the cre-ation of different LODs from the same data source, it is alwayspossible to tailor the 3D data to be produced to the customer
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0726
3D Model
3D CITY MODELS:Data Generation and Applications3D CITY MODELS:Data Generation and Applications
Michael Schulze-Horsel
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project needs and to its budget range. Theaccuracy of the final 3D data outputdepends on the source data. For detailedroof structures it can be approximately0.20m when using stereo aerial images ofa representative fraction scale of 1:5,000with forward overlap 60% and side over-lap 30% or digital imagery with a groundsample distance of approx. 0.10m. On theother hand, if main roof structures arederived from stereo satellite scenes (e.g.Quickbird, IKONOS) with a resolution ofapproximately 0.60-1.00m, an accuracyof approximately 1.50m can be achieved.
TEXTURE MAPPING
To get photo-realistic virtual buildingmodels, different kinds of textures (repre-sentative facade picture) may be applied.Large areas can be textured easily usinggeneric textures chosen from an avail-able library of sample regional textures,which brings along the advantage thatlarge areas can be textured with low costsand the disadvantage that specific wallsdo not appear as they do in reality. Tohave the real appearance of the actualwall, a procedure to semi-automaticallyapply facade textures using (oblique) aer-ial images has been developed. CyberCityapplied this texturing procedure for theinner city of Hamburg (Figure 2). This tex-turing is generally applied for large areas,where the realistic textures are impor-tant and a good overall impression has tobe achieved, e.g. for web-based 3D geoin-formation systems.
The most photo-realistic textures areobtained when acquiring terrestrial digi-tal photographs of the buildings on siteand the cleaning of the images from
disturbing objects such as trees or carsetc. These high quality textures are mostly required when simulating theview of a pedestrian or from a car in sim-ulation and urban planning applications(Figure 3).
EXPORT OF THE TEXTURED 3D CITY MODELS
3D city models are exported to GIS for-mats like shapefile and geodatabase foranalysis in ArcGIS 9 (ESRI Inc.), to stan-dard CAD formats (e.g. DXF) and to thereal-time format OpenFlight supportingmultiple LOD for interactive visualizatione.g. in TerrainView (ViewTec AG). Thisvariability in formats increases the valueof the 3D data for customers not onlyfrom the local government by allowingthe use in several departments but also ina number of different systems, whichlegitimates the initial investment in theproduction of such data.
APPLICATION AREAS FOR 3DCITY MODELSThe experience shows that 3D sceneshave a greater effect in the decision mak-ing process of people than two-dimen-sional drawings, written text and tableswith numerical information. In particularthis applies for geospatial informationand is the basis for a number of applica-tions where 3D city models and 3D land-marks are used.
URBAN PLANNING
Urban planning is certainly one of themost important fields of application for3D city models. Local governments findthemselves often confronted with com-plex decision processes about largerrestructuring projects of old town areasand investment projects (e.g. a new shop-ping centre, commercial area, industrialsite). Using a 3D city model in a state-of-the-art realtime visualization solution, allparties involved in the decision-makingprocess can fly interactively through thevirtual 3D city model. Since the realtimevisualization systems support a numberof CAD-formats, participating architectsmay place their drafts of planned projectsin the 3D city model and present it to thepublic (Figure 4). When a new road con-struction is planned, an interactive 3Dvisualization may help to demonstratethe possible alternatives (variant plan-ning). The impact on the natural land-scape becomes most clear in the 3D virtu-al representation of the situation. Besidesthe terrain, image data and 3D city mod-els, it is also possible to show various 3Dobjects like bridges.
DISASTER CONTROL
With the global climatic changes current-ly becoming apparent, a protectionagainst natural disasters like floods isnecessary in both developed and devel-
27G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Fig. 1 Level-of-Details (A: Block model withflat roof, B: Main roof structures, C: Mainroofs with detailed superstructures, D: Roofoverhangs).
Fig. 2 3D City Model of Hamburg, Germany, with semi-automatic texturing using oblique aerialimages (Pictometry). Left: St. Michaelis Church. Right: City Hall
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oping countries. 3D city models in combi-nation with detailed DTM serve as a basisfor numerical flood simulations (Figure5). Using detailed 3D city models, it is possible not only predict whether parts of a city will be affected by the flood ornot but also how severe the impact on thebuildings will be. These simulations help to plan efficient flood protectionmeasures.
ENGINEERING
The Central Outfall Sewer (COS) project ofthe City of Los Angeles Department ofPublic Works Bureau of Engineering,which is a part of a larger effort to reha-bilitate the entire city sewer system, is aproject that demonstrates the potentialof 3D city models in engineering applica-
tions. The project included the creation ofa geospatially accurate 3D terrain andcity model along the COS path. The modelincluded maintenance-hole structures,connecting sewers, street names, pro-posed construction sites and 3D buildingsto name only a few.
The model enables planners, engineersand decision makers to test, view andevaluate the spatial and visual impacts ofchanging project conditions and parame-ters in real time within a detailed, spatial-ly accurate, georeferenced computerenvironment. Videos of the internalinspection of the sewer were integratedas hyperlinks to the corresponding loca-tion in the sewer (Figure 6). The under-standing of the complex project informa-tion was improved and a successful com-
munity-outreachprogram includingmulti-media andweb-streaming wasachieved. The avail-ability of the modelhelps the engineersto reduce theamount of timeneeded for field vis-its and therefore theinternal costs.
LOCATION
MARKETING
Once an investment
project like a commercial area is realized,it is important for the operator of the siteto acquire customers, e.g. companiessearching for a new office location. Theoperator may be a real estate company ora local government. As it is not only theprice that governs the decision makingprocess but also aspects like connectivityto public transport, local infrastructureand the location of the site in a larger con-text, an interactive realtime visualizationwith a 3D model is an excellent tool forbusiness development and business loca-tion marketing. The German companyInfraserv Höchst, operator of a largeindustrial area in Frankfurt, uses adetailed photo-realistic 3D model createdby CyberCity of the industry park for theacquisition of new companies willing tosettle down in the area.
TOURISM
Tourists planning their holidays benefitfrom web-based interactive visualizationtools with 3D city models. Thanks to theavailability of spatial and descriptiveinformation, tourists are able to gain agood impression about their holidayresort and to visit the virtual 3D model ofthe resort via internet to plan their holi-days.
They can search for hotels, restaurantsand plan sightseeing trips. The web-based tourism information systemMap2Day, for example, combines a 2D
A P R I L 2 0 07G I S D E V E L O P M E N T28
Fig. 3 3D City Model of Los Angeles, USA. Photo-realistic textures inthe Little Tokyo district. Courtesy of CyberCity 3D LLC.
Fig. 4 3D City Model of Los Angeles, USA. Photo-realistic textures in theLittle Tokyo district. Courtesy of CyberCity 3D LLC.
The model enables planners, engineers anddecision makers to test,view and evaluate thespatial and visualimpacts of changingproject conditions andparameters in real time
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map window with a 3D scene. Points ofInterest of various categories can be dis-played in both 2D and 3D.
A second group of users of touristic 3Dweb portals is represented by the hoteland catering industry, hotel reservationsystems and tourism interest groupings.For hotels and restaurants it is importantto gain name recognition that is as highas possible. Using Map2Day the hotelmanagers are able to present their hotelincluding all advantages of its location(e.g. the view on a lake from the roomwindows). Special offers and events maybe announced in Map2Day as well.
A 3D city model of Salzburg, Austria hasbeen integrated into Map2Day. This 3Dmodel contains about 16,500 buildingsfrom which about 1,500 were measuredusing photogrammetry. The photorealis-tic textures of the buildings in famous oldtown of Salzburg were derived semi-automatically from oblique aerialimages.
PROPAGATION SIMULATION OF NOISE
AND CONTAMINANTS
Large cities have very often severe prob-lems with ubiquitous traffic noise frommultiple sources. In order to carry out
noise protection measures it is crucial tocalculate numerical simulations on thepropagation of the noise.
These simulations again require adetailed data basis including a 3D citymodel. In a similar manner also the prop-agation of contaminants in the air can becalculated.
Further fields of application for of 3Dcity models are homeland security, navi-gation, architecture, engineering andconstruction (AEC), as well as the enter-tainment industry (TV, movies, computergames). For example, CyberCity has gen-erated a 3D city model of Yokohama,
Japan, by order ofSTARLABO Corpo-ration, Tokyo, inorder to evaluate3D city modelscreated from aThree-Line-Scan-ner (TLS) data forcar navigationapplications.
LANDMARKSIn general, a“landmark” isdefined as anobject, which isclearly visibleeven from agreater distance
and which therefore may serve as helpfor orientation. 3D landmarks are digitalmodels of buildings like churches, towers,famous historical buildings and otherimportant buildings. CyberCity currentlygenerates about 1,400 photo-realistic 3Dlandmarks of Germany for Harman/Beck-er Automotive Systems GmbH, a manu-facturer of automotive navigation sys-tems. and distributes the 3D landmarks toa number of different customers.
DIFFERENT APPROACHES FOR THE
CREATION OF 3D LANDMARKS
Concerning geometry and textures, 3Dlandmarks have a higher level of detailcompared to 3D city models generatedfrom aerial images. For the production ofthe 3D landmarks several approaches areavailable. These are primarily terrestriallaserscanning, close-range photogram-metry and simple 3D modelling fromarchitectural drawings and photos.
The high point density of laser dataallows the generation of a very detailedmodel of the building. However, applica-tions of landmarks do not require suchhigh-detailed building models. In mostcases an additional photography cam-paign for the textures is necessary.
Close-range photogrammetry is anoth-er approach of data capture and com-bines the acquisition of building geome-try and textures. This technique allows a
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Fig. 5 Flood simulation of an area in Bavaria, Germany at different waterlevels. In order to enhance the view of the DTM, a shaded relief has beencalculated and overlaid over the DTM. The flooded area is coloured inblue, the buildings of the 3D city model are displayed in red. Courtesy ofCyberCity AG and the Technical University Munich.
Fig. 6 3D Model along the COS path, Los Angeles, USA. Videos of the internal inspection ofthe sewer were integrated as hyperlinks into the real-time visualization with TerrainView(ViewTec AG). Courtesy of CyberCity 3D LLC.
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high accuracy concerning building recon-struction. However, the quality of the tex-tures, is in most cases not sufficient fortexture mapping. An additional photog-raphy campaign for the textures is neces-sary, too.
Simple 3D modelling represents thethird approach of creating 3D landmarks.Experienced 3D modellers use architec-tural drawings, photos and in some casesdistance measurements from a laserrange finder in order to create a 3D land-mark. Existing 3D software solutions areused for the modelling and texture map-
ping. The geometric accuracy is lowercompared to laserscanning and close-range photogrammetry. However, thesignificant lower price for the productionjustifies this approach.
The geometry of a 3D landmark is notcomparable to high-polygonal 3D build-ing models (“high-poly models”). Thoseare mostly built of hundreds of thou-sands of polygons whereas 3D landmarkshave a very simple geometry. The num-ber of polygons ranges from some hun-dreds to 1,500 - 2,000; in rare cases toabout 4,000. The District Heating PlantSpittelau in Vienna, Austria (Figure 7) isbuilt of about 3,800 polygons and 180separate texture bitmaps.
FIELDS OF APPLICATION FOR
3D LANDMARKS
3D landmarks are used for a number ofdifferent applications. These are forexample automotive navigation systems,digital travel and city guides, computergames (especially flight simulators), mili-tary simulation systems and web-based3D visualization solutions (e. g. GoogleEarth and TerrainView Web). Anotherapplication is urban planning and land-scape architecture. The landscape archi-
tects von Canal architekten und inge-nieure, Koblenz (Germany) used photo-realistic 3D landmarks and won the land-scape architecture competition for theNational Garden Show 2011 in Germany.
THE FRAMEWORK CONDI-TIONS FOR 3D CITY MODELSIN DEVELOPING COUNTRIESIn order to generate 3D city models,stereo aerial images, stereo satellite data(e. g. QuickBird) or airborne laserscannerdata are required. Furthermore, accurateground control points are necessary forthe image orientation.
These are captured in a terrestrial sur-vey campaign. In principal, there are norestrictions concerning aerial data cap-ture for the generation of a 3D city model.If both aerial images and airborne laser-scanner data are avaibable, the imagedata is regarded as a preferred datasource.
In areas with restrictions concerningthe flight campaign (e. g. military areas,areas with combat activities), high reso-lution satellite data (e. g. from the Quick-Bird satellite) might be an alternative.
When suitable image data has beencaptured, it can be used not only for thecost-efficient generation of detailed 3Dcity models but also for the production oforthophotos and DTM.
All data may later be integrated into ageographic information system and amodern digital geodata infrastructure ofthe cities.
The previously mentioned applications- especially urban planning, disaster con-trol and engineering - show the potentialof 3D city models for mastering theemerging spatial problems of the rapidlygrowing cities in developing countries.An increasing demand of detailed 3D citymodels worldwide is expected for thenext years.
30 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 07
Fig. 7 3D Model along the COS path, Los Angeles, USA. Videos of the internal inspection ofthe sewer were integrated as hyperlinks into the real-time visualization with TerrainView(ViewTec AG). Courtesy of CyberCity 3D LLC.
The impact onthe naturallandscapebecomes mostclear in the 3Dvirtual repre-sentation of thesituation Michael Schulze-Horsel
CyberCity AG, [email protected]
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During late 2005 and for the wholeof 2006, the Municipal Corpora-
tion of Delhi (MCD), the Delhi High Court and theSupreme Court, deliberated with the governmentupon whether the construction done in the walledcity, after the Master Plan was approved, was legal orillegal? If they were illegal, how to identify them andalso how to check this rampant illegal construction inthe wake of rapid urbanisation and populationgrowth?
Several surveys were conducted but each one had its own benefits and limitations. This led to a virtual stand-off in thefinal decision of the court. The need of the hour is for peoplefrom science and technology research fraterneity to come forward and suggest technologies/ techniques, which couldease the stand-off.
The Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govern-ment of India and an agency of the Russian Academy of Sci-ences (RAS) signed a Memorandum of Understanding for a pilot
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0732
3D Mapping
3D Mapping of Walled City
Brig. (Dr) R Siva Kumar
A Pilot Study to monitor ‘Chandni Chowk’, an urban locality in Delhi, which cameinto existence in 1650 AD. Today it is one of the most crowded wholesale market looking for “Technological (3D mapping) Intervention”
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study on generating 3D GIS Database ofZone I of Delhi. The area identified was20sq km of Chandni Chowk area of thewalled city, Delhi.
Chandni Chowk was built in 1650 AD asan accompaniment to the Red Fort. It wasdesigned by Jahanara, the Emperor'sfavorite daughter. A large chowk("square") with a central pool was built atsome distance from the fort. The storygoes that on a moonlit night, the newcomplex and the pool lay shimmering; asa result, it acquired the name ‘ChandniChowk’ or the”moonlit square". Anotherlegend says that the Chowk was namedafter its silversmiths.
There is also a confusion regarding the word 'chandi' (silver) with 'chandni'(moonlit). Fig-1 shows an image of Chandni Chowk.
The monitoring of the area was alsoimportant because of the fact that this isthe one of the oldest places in Delhi, fromwhere urbanisation started and on whichthe present Master Plan has little impact.However, considering the fact that this isIndia's most prominent wholesale andretail market for more than three cen-turies, monitoring this region is crucial, inview of the safety of people and property.
Generation of 3D database from Chand-ni Chowk would enable 3D modelling andestablishment of real time monitoringsystem for,
• Visualisation of data in 3D
• Real time moni-toring of illegalconstructions
• Land encroach-ments
• Crowd monitor-ing
• Traffic manage-ment
• Tax collectionfor properties
• Planning anddevelopment ofthe areas
• Utilities man-agement such aswater, power,gas, sewerageetc.
• Disaster mitiga-tion and man-agement
• Environmentalmonitoring suchas pollution con-trol
METHODOLOGYIn a conventional map, which is in two-dimension, the height information isshown in the form of contours. However,the elevation of each object in the mapcannot be shown unless the elevation ofeach object is measured and then incor-porated in the map. The calculation ofelevation of each object is either donethrough conventional survey methods orthrough aerial photography, combinedwith GCPs (Ground Control Points) to
generate 3D mod-els on digitalmachines. Thistechnique is timeconsuming andcumbersome. Inthe present pilotstudy of ChandniChowk, in addi-tion to the exist-ing technologies,video mappinghas been incorpo-rated to its best
use. The data and information requiredfor building and maintaining a 3D GISinclude:
• Orthorectified Imagery
• Digital Terrain Models
• Digital Photography and Video Mapping
• 3D vector features
• Non-spatial attribute information asso-ciated with the 3D features
Orthorectified images were used in thepresent study to generate the orthomapof the region. The graphic map of theregion is of no use because in order to cre-ate what is there on the ground,
33G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Fig. 1.: Present-day Chandni Chowk
Fig. 2a Fig. 2b
Fig. 2. Study Area (2a) and Road Network of Delhi City Zone Area (2b)
3D GIS can be used to generate a'visibility fan' to monitor maximum area24x7
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orthomap is required. Another require-ment for this is the very accurate heightinformation for all the objects.
Thus, apart from a large number ofground control points, the ALTM (Air-borne Laser Terrain Mapping) data of Del-hi (see box) was used.
ALTM offers very high accuracy, interms of height, which can generate veryhigh resolution digital elevation modeland/or contours of 10-15cm spacing,which is otherwise not possible using the
conventional aeri-al photography orany other groundmethods.
In brief, themethodologyadopted is firstlyto provide GCPs,fly an ALTM mis-sion and mapheights at every10-15cms. Takingthe height controlpoints, adjust it tothe scale withhigh resolutionsatellite imageand make it intoan ortho map. Onthis ortho map,take the video of
the area, and the ortho map and stitchthem up.
This will result into an live 3D GIS map.Since the stitching is done digitally and the map used is ortho, the heightinformation in the final map is fairlyaccurate. The basic requirements for the3D GIS model are,
• Geometric properties
• 3D topological relationships
• Semantics
• Physical properties of the objects
Following are the inputs which wentinto preparing the 3D GIS of ChandniChowk:
• Base map on scale 1:2500
• High resolution satellite data (in thepresent study, QuickBird image wasused)
• GCPs
• Video of the area
• High resolution DEM from LiDAR/ALTM
• 3D GIS data processing and analysissoftware
STUDY AREAThe study area (Figure-2a) for the currentpilot study comprises the Delhi City ZoneArea I and covers 20 sq. km area. The arealies between 77o12’30”E to 77o15’30”E and28o35’30”N to 28o42’30”N coveringChandni Chowk, Red Fort, Darya Ganj,Sadar Bazar,Tilak Bridge, Pragati Maidan,Hauz Khas, Civil Lines, Minto Road, NaiSarak etc.
The transportation network of the areais shown in Figure-2b. The GCPs used inthe study for LiDAR is shown in Figure-3.
PUTTING TO USEThe generated 3D GIS of the area was putto use with collection of thematic infor-mation on the residents, buildings andavailability of different utilities. As thestudy was done in a pilot mode, only
A P R I L 2 0 07G I S D E V E L O P M E N T34
Fig. 3. GCPs Used for Georeferencing
Fig. 4 2D GIS of Chandni Chowk Fig. 5 Resultant 3D Model
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10,000 samples were taken from thestudy area for which every data on peo-ple, housing and utility was collected andanalysed. Data on property tax calcula-tion was also incorporated which result-ed in automated property tax calculation,devoid of any ambiguities. After makingthe database, in the area of 20sqkm,every inch of detail can be seen. The col-lected data can further be used, if it is con-tinuously monitored with additionalinformation from the information track-ing cameras (Figure-6a and 6b). The datafrom these cameras can be fed to themonitoring stations and the develop-ments can be monitored. 3D GIS can beused to generate a 'visibility fan' and byjudiciously choosing the number of cam-eras and its placement, maximum areacan be covered and monitored 24x7 forsurveillance, fire hazards, illegal con-structions, complaints of water stagna-tion etc. There can be innumerable num-bers of applications of this technologysuch as:
• Urban land use survey and planning
• Urban base map preparation
• Urban utilities and infrastructure• Urban transportation & traffic planning
• Urban water supply and sanitation
• Urban tourism and re-creation
• Urban census
• Urban fringe area land use dynamics
• Urban land use change detection andupdation
• Urban encroachment of slums ontovacant lands
A monitoring centre for the 3D GIS RealTime Monitoring of City Zone Area hasalready been setup at the MCD Premises(Figure-7) to detect illegal constructions.Similar monitoring centres are beingplanned for the Real Time Security Man-agement at Delhi Police Headquartersand in the courts for monitoring imple-mentation of decisions.
FUTUREThe technology is being transferred toSurvey of India (SoI) and now SoI is get-ting geared up to take this data and cre-ate 3D GIS for entire Delhi, by the end of2007. This is also necessary, in view of the2010 Commonwealth Games and the pro-posed 2016 Olympics that are to be heldin Delhi. The Urban Development Min-istry, Government of India, is keen to takeup the project and extend it to 400 citiesin the country, in the next two years.
The Urban Development Ministry is tak-ing this as an opportunity to use this kindof dataset for making the plans more reli-able, more pragmatic and also to max-imise the use of resources. Delhi Develop-
ment Authority (DDA) is looking at it tocreate zonal plans of Delhi. Additional lay-ers need to be added, like power lines,water lines, sewage lines for which data isavailable, with which a complete plan fordevelopment could be created and man-aged.SoI alone cannot cover all the 400cities, as planned by the Urban Develop-
ment Ministry. They will go into the PublicPrivate Partnership mode and the technol-ogy will be made available to the public.There are competent people and compa-nies available in the country who canshare the load of developing the 3D GIS for400 or even more number of cities.
G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07 35
Fig. 6a Outdoor camera with IR and Fig. 6b: Indoor dome camera
Brig.(Dr.) R Siva KumarHeadNRDMS and NSDIGoverment of India
Fig. 7 Monitoring Station
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Q. How did you initiate the process of establishing the develop-ment centre for MapInfo in India?
A. James Scott: About 2 years ago we started looking at Indiaintensely and I was here to explore the possibilities. We werelooking forward to MapInfo's technical expansion here andManish Choudhary got us hooked up with RMSI for approxi-mately a year. That's how we started. From the past we haveclearly realised to have MapInfo's own operation here. That'swhat led to having our own office here with Manish as the headof the operation of MapInfo India. We are really excited abouthaving a development centre here which is very much focussedon a global product development and engineering for mapping.
Q. Will it be just focussed on R&D or it will go beyond into thirdparty solutions/application development?
A. James Scott: The way it is going to work for us is to startwith product and engineering development activities. It isabout contributing to the development of our existing productsand then follow it up with new products, like MapInfo Profes-sional, with Envinsa and geo-coding products worldwide. Thepeople here in the development centre at Noida and other cen-tres will contribute to these product development.
We will start with the product development and later expandfrom software development into the data development activi-ties. We would take up a combination of software and data serv-ices, to get the solutions converted to wrap the applicationsaround the data. So we will grow our data development and willalso grow our services capability here.
A. Manish: Eventually our office will have the product devel-opment R&D. We have existing development centres in Ameri-ca, Canada and Europe. All of these centres work as one globalengineering team working for product development. So there isno difference between having a centre in Toronto or UK.
James Scott: The global engineering operations of MapInfo are
spread across 6 offices worldwide that are predominantly in theUS, Canada and UK and now Noida. Now, we have 7 offices forproduct development. It is not about what India centre is goingto do. It is about contributing to the global engineering productdevelopment areas.
Q. In the field of software development work in India, youstarted testing waters in association with RMSI. Why did itlast only for one year?
A. James Scott: It was a learning process. MapInfo is a reason-ably conservative company in terms how we approach newthings. So, we felt it was important to have a talent pool in India,and this would be cost-effective. We are certain about the needto improve our market capacity within the product develop-ment part of engineering. To figure out the best way to do it, wethought it was important to understand the situation in India.To understand how to have an operation in India, the bestoption was by letting somebody who is established in this situ-ation and leverage upon what they have. RMSI did the initialfiguring out regarding what were the options for us and itproved to be a successful relationship. It has worked out prettygreat for us but again product development is not sometimes allabout GIS and geospatial but is also about smart engineeringbackground and train people for product development. This cen-tre gives us the ability to do that. We have our own people andwe spend a lot on training. Product development is about mov-ing people through our smart engineers into a very high endvalue added chain. One may write code, but the discipline ofwriting a code for product development is very differentbecause you may need to support people for 10-20 years. So byhaving our own centre we can actually cultivate that disciplinemuch more efficiently than having a third party relationship.We retain IP, we retain people, we recruit people who want tomake a career in product development only. We see that enoughcompanies in Delhi are doing it now. Overall in the grand R& D
36 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
Interview
A P R I L 2 0 07
James ScottVice President (Engineering)MapInfo, USA
Manish ChoudharyManaging DirectorMapInfo India
James Scott and ManishChoudhary on their newdevelopment center at Noidaand MapInfo’s proposedacquisition by Pitney Bowes
36-37.qxp 4/6/2007 7:02 AM Page 36
37G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
scheme in India, the trend we are seeing is that low-end servic-es into high-end services and also into research. Hence our ownoffice gives us a lot of leverage.
Q. Do you foresee the actual architectural and design workbeing done in India?
A. James Scott: I expect the things will change over time. Ini-tially, we won't be bringing quite as much architecture anddesign. However, once they have the understanding, they willbe as able to contribute to products as any of our other offices.What we found is that we tend to have some sort of specializa-tion, we do some things across offices and some things are morein a single office in terms of different products and where theyare developed. So it will depend on what expertise is being built.I expect an application expertise because many of the peoplehave a background in services engagement originally, e.g., webapplications. There is no specific plan or intention to limit theIndia office in any way. We would like to grow as much as thetalent allows us. The experience of the individuals will dictatewhat they get into. In general we are quite excited with many ofthe programmers having 8-10 years of expereince in softwaredevelopment.
A. Manish: It is not about volume or numbers. It is about qual-ity and people who can contribute to product development. Outof 600 people whom we interviewed, we selected 20. These arepeople who come from geospatial engineering etc. It has beentough to find such a strong team of people. They are focussed onthe geospatial aspect as well as software development. The peo-ple who have come here have a long term career goal in thegeospatial industry.
Q. If MapInfo has a projection of profit to the tune of 40 milliondollars by 2011, why was it scouting for investor?
A. James Scott: I can say that for MapInfo to be acquired, a lotof organizations had approached MapInfo. Pitney Bowes wasone of the many who had approached. There were so many, thatfinally our CEO Mark Cattini went to the board and said thatlooking at the shareholders perspective we should probablydoing be something more structured to look at the situationmore carefully. The board established a separate sub-group ofthe Board of Directors and they engaged Jefferies Broadview to
help us through the process. They went out and approached alot of different companies, both private equities and strategicacquisition companies and asked them about their interest.
Q. Acquisition by Pitney Bowes is going to be an integration oftheir existing LBS service with MapInfo location intelligence.What kind of synergy do you see?
A. James Scott: Pitney Bowes' history is about the mail stamp-ing machines. Their view of the mainstream is growing andbecoming more about the general flow of communications. Thismeans giving the right information to the right people in theright way. So in that sense, there are issues of who are the rightpeople and where are they. They have started to recognise it.That is where their location intelligence and our strategic direc-tion look like a good alignment with what they want to do tobolster and strategically expand and grow their software busi-ness around that. They already had a player a couple of yearsago called Group 1 which had focus on address pointing andaddress geo-coding for finding the right people. Now for takingit to next level, they need to supplement it with MapInfo’s loca-tion intelligence. One of the important aspect of our operationsis around the right people, in terms of demographics and predic-tive analytics and prying that into location. If you know wheresome people are with whom you want to communicate, thenyou can use some of the products, tools, ideas and technologiesthat MapInfo has to pin-point where some other groups of peo-ple like that are located. That's where the strategic alignment is.Another element is if you look at their (Pitney Bowes') verticalmarket focus and MapInfo's vertical market focus there is a100% overlap except that they go for some additional verticalmarkets like telecommunications, financial services, real estateand public sectior, which are equally vertical markets for PitneyBowes.
Q. If the acquisition of MapInfo by Pitney Bowes goes throughwhat kind of impact do you see on the development centre inIndia?
A. James Scott: One key in this whole message around PitneyBowes is that they made a tender offer to buy the stock andfrom that day it will take 4-6 weeks for the acquisition. Becauseof the regulatory controls in North America, there's no particu-lar discussion between Pitney Bowes and MapInfo at this time.We won't begin any integration discussion with them untilafter the deal closes. Our expectation is that the R&D centre inNoida will grow significantly and MapInfo's product engineer-ing globally is going to grow as the company's ability to gener-ate revenues also grows.
James Scott, [email protected] Choudhary, [email protected]
A P R I L 2 0 07
“”
Their location intelli-gence and our strategicdirection look like agood alignment
36-37.qxp 4/6/2007 7:02 AM Page 37
Co-organisers
Co-sponsors
®
The recent proliferation of 3D maps and othermulti-dimensional visualizations has gained
considerable public attention, resulting in a growingbody of scholarly literature that explores the intercon-nections of spatial representation, geographic infor-mation science, and virtual reality (VR) studies (Rap-er, 2000; Fisher & Unwin, 2002; Li, 2007).
The current obsession with virtualizing “reality” and realizingthe “virtual” has also been reinforced—if not manufactured—by the mass media. Hollywood films, such as last year’s Déjà Vu,mesmerize audiences with the fantasy of techno-scientificmachines capable of warping space and time, thereby renderingreal-life simulations of past events that can be manipulated by“external observers” from the future (Fig. 1). The 3D simulator isenmeshed in a series of performances that actively shape thenarrative plot of the film, which involves nothing less than thegrand intrigues of terrorism, murder, and romance. Realitybegins to intermix with simulation as the past and present col-lide, leading even the most hard-nosed realists to wonder ifeverything is mere postmodern simulation after all.
The present paper engages the emerging field of critical car-tography to argue that 3D maps, models, and simulations are
much more than spatial representations but can also be con-ceived as performative practices that constitute a set of inter-ventions within a contested field of geographical narratives.Each narrative stakes a claim in the “emplotment” (White, 1973)of the interactive 3D image within a broad narrative structure ora more fragmented and contingent conception of the “real.”Similar to any textual production, the designers of a 3D maplikely have their own interpretive understanding of its place ina given conceptual horizon, yet the multiple audiences thatencounter this map are not categorically bound to the tyrannyof the designer’s original intentions (for a discussion of geo-graphical rhetoric and multiple audiences, see Smith, 1996).Indeed, the sovereignty of the designer over his or her simulatedworld is fleeting at best, as the 3D model either gets incorporat-ed in a diverse array of narratives or gathers dust in the mother-board of computational oblivion.
In what follows, I provide a selective overview of criticalapproaches to cartography and suggest how such perspectiveshave the potential to offer insights into 3D mapping as a spatialpractice that enacts particular geographical narrative perform-ances. I then draw upon my own experience in the field of 3Dmapping to illustrate the rhetorical ambiguities associated withplacing 3D maps within a circuit of performative representationthat is, in many respects, beyond the map designer’s control.This lack of narrative control is not something that should dis-courage map designers from making digital 3D cartographicmodels. Rather, if 3D modellers are conscious of the field of com-
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0740
Philosophy
Critical Cartography and Performativity of3D Mapping
Reuben S. Rose-Redwood
The paper engages the emerging field of critical cartography to argue that 3D maps, models,and simulations are much more than spatial representations
40-43.qxp 4/6/2007 7:04 AM Page 40
peting historico-geographic narratives—as well as the rhetorical performativity oftheir 3D model vis-à-vis this discursivefield—then they at least stand a chanceof critically intervening in this performa-tive arena.
CRITICAL CARTOGRAPHYAND 3D MAPPING AS A PER-FORMATIVE PRACTICEThe historiography of cartographic map-ping is in the midst of a considerablereevaluation. One of the major sources ofinspiration for this historiographic shifthas been the History of Cartography Pro-ject, originally founded by J.B. Harley andDavid Woodward, which is currently inthe process of publishing a multi-volumetextbook series entitled, The History ofCartography, from an interdisciplinaryperspective. Harley played a pivotal rolein drawing attention to the social contextand power relations that underpin map-ping as a spatial practice, which is now amajor focus of critical cartography (for acompilation of many of his importantworks, see Harley, 2001).
A number of recent works provide auseful historical and theoretical assess-ment of “critical” approaches to cartogra-phy (e.g., Pickles, 2004; Crampton & Kry-gier, 2006). Pickles (2004: 43) argues that,mapping is an interpretive act, not apurely technical one, in which the prod-uct—the map—conveys not merely thefacts but also and always the author’sintention, and all the acknowledged andunacknowledged conditions and valuesany author (and his/her profession, time
and culture) bring to a work. Thus, like allworks, the map carries along with it somuch more than the author intended.Also, like any text, the map takes on a life(and a context) of its own beyond theauthor’s control.
This recognition of the interpretivequality of mapping, and the “life” of amap, challenges the positivist claim thatmaps accurately represent the “realworld”—as a reflection in a mirror—solong as the “purely technical” procedureshave been followed with precision. Thesetheoretical differences are often framedas part of the realist/constructivistdebate, which has shaped the philosophi-cal landscape of the social sciences for atleast the last decade (Hacking, 1999).
The aims of critical cartography aremultiple, but theyinvolve an analysisof the “socio-politi-cal relationsinscribed in map-ping products andpractice” (Harris &Harrower, 2006: 1).Theorizing mappingas a spatial practice
entails situating the process of map-mak-ing within a broader cultural context. Themap not only represents but also inter-venes in the world (Hacking, 1983), andthis cartographic intervention can beseen as the enactment of a “cartographicperformance.” The performative qualityof mapping was recently highlighted asan important theme in the critical cartog-raphy literature (Del Casino & Hanna,2006), and Harris & Harrower (2006: 5)contend that “the idea that the map‘author’ can fix meaning associated witha map toward a specific political goalappears unlikely. Instead, maps are per-formed, enacted, and iteratively inter-preted with respect to different mean-ings and purposes depending on thetime, space, and interests involved intheir production and use.” The notion ofcartographic performativity blurs theconceptual boundary between map pro-duction and consumption, and also pin-points the multiple meanings that tie amap into the interpretive web of dis-course and narrative.
At first glance, a map may appear to bethe complete antithesis of a narrative,with the former generally considered to
41G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Critical cartographyinvolves an analysis of the“socio-political relationsinscribed in mappingproducts and practices"
Fig. 1: The 3D simulator as techno-scientific fantasy in the Hollywood film, Déjà Vu
40-43.qxp 4/6/2007 7:04 AM Page 41
be a static depiction of space and the lat-ter traditionally viewed as a sequentialordering of temporal events. Yet, this dis-tinction obscures the implicit narrativestructure encoded into the ontology of amap as well as the multiple possibilitiesfor rearticulating this encoded narrativewith new meanings that may alter thestory-line in directions unanticipated bythe map’s initial designer.
It is for this reason that critics nowargue that we should view “maps not asfinal, static, or fixed products, but ratheras processes and iterative practices, sub-ject to changing meanings and uses”(Harris & Harrower, 2006: 4).
This is all the more true for digital 3D maps that are anything but fixed and static, with interactivity now being built into most 3D cartographicvisualizations.
This interactive quality of contempo-rary 3D mapping is part of what I havedescribed as a cartographic performancethat enacts the 3D image as an element ofa geographical narrative. As Pickles(2004: 89) rightly suggests, the prospectof “reducing the map to a single narra-tive” should be considered with a greatdeal of skepticism, since this implies thatthere is only one true interpretation ofthe map, and hence of the “world.” What
is currently need-ed is a self-reflex-ive critique of 3Dmapping practicesin order toimprove the levelof critical dis-course within the3D modelling com-munity (Schuur-man, 2004). Thisself-reflexive cri-tique goes beyondmerely attackingan object ofinquiry (in thiscase 3D mapping),
but rather extends a line of constructivecritique that “start[s] from a position ofcaring about the subject” (Schuurman,2004: 51). It is from this vantage pointthat I will attempt to critically interrogatemy own experience as a 3D modeller inthe next section.
CONFESSIONS FROM A“PART-TIME” 3D MODELLERON THE NARRATIVE AMBIGU-ITY OF CARTOGRAPHIC PER-FORMANCESTo foster such a positive dialoguebetween critical cartography and 3Dmapping scholarship, while at the sametime providing aconcrete exampleto illustrate theconcepts present-ed in this paper, Iwill apply thenotion of narra-tive ambiguity tomy own carto-graphic perform-ances as a 3Dmodeller. My aimhere is not simplenaval-gazing, butrather to elucidatethe performative
aspects of 3D mapping as a spatial prac-tice that is caught up in a network of con-tested meanings that I—as a modeller—have encountered with respect to myown research in 3D mapping. In present-ing the autobiographical “confessions”that follow, I am consciously aware of therisks that come along with such a rhetori-cal technique. However, I neverthelesschoose to follow Moss (2001: 9) in main-taining that “analysts need to placethemselves critically in the researchprocess and the construction of geo-graphical knowledge.” This personaldimension, which is so often lacking inmost academic writing, is an importantwindow into the actual practices ofresearch, and will hopefully render con-crete the arguments that I have present-ed in a more general fashion in the previ-ous two sections.
I should begin by noting that myresearch in the field of 3D mapping hasbeen relatively tangential to the rest ofmy academic scholarship, so I would con-sider myself in all honesty to be a “part-time” 3D modeller. As a graduate studentwriting a master’s thesis on New YorkCity’s grid street plan of 1811, I began toexplore the early surveys that had beenconducted to map out the grid plan. Thisled me to examine the field books thatthe chief surveyor, John Randel, Jr., had
A P R I L 2 0 07G I S D E V E L O P M E N T42
Fig. 2: Geo-referencing the Randel Farm Maps using GIS technology
Fig. 3: Creating a point coverage of elevation data from the Randel FarmMaps depicting Manhattan’s pre-grid topography
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compiled as well as a series of maps thatare commonly known as the Randel FarmMaps (Fig. 2).
The Farm Maps include a wealth of geo-graphical information concerning thepre-grid Manhattan landscape, includingquantitative elevation values at many ofthe intersections of the proposed gridplan (Fig. 3). After determining the datumthat the surveyors used to calculate theseelevations, I then created a 3D model ofManhattan’s pre-grid topography usingGIS technology (Fig. 4). When writing upmy results to be published in an academ-ic journal (Rose-Redwood, 2003), I situat-ed this 3D model within an ironic narra-tive of recreating Manhattan’s historicallandscape using the very data that hadbeen collected to help “obliterate” thepre-grid landscape in the first place.
As I put it at the time, “it is ironic thatthe same quantitative techniques thatfacilitated the ‘obliteration’ of the pre-grid landscape offer the means by whichto construct a three-dimensional digitalmodel of pre-grid Manhattan topogra-phy” (Rose-Redwood, 2003: 124). In mycommentary on the model that I wasthen presenting to an academic audience,I consciously sought to challenge theapparent “neutrality” that is oftenclaimed for such a model.
As the map’s “author,” I emphasizedthat the nineteenth-century maps thatenabled the creation of this 3D modelwere not mere representations of thelandscape but had, in fact, played anactive part in intervening to reshape thelandscape that the mapmakers wereclaiming to depict.
I argued that “such quantitative tech-niques are politically implicated in creat-ing, and destroying, the very landscapesthat quantifiers seek to represent” (Rose-Redwood, 2003: 130). Here I was narratingagainst the grain of a more traditionalaccount that I could have given followingthe standard narrative of scientific objec-tivity and neutrality.
This latter rheto-ric seemed utterlydisingenuous tome, because itignored the politi-cal dimensions ofsurveying andmapping withinthe context of thecapitalist rational-ization of Manhat-tan’s landscape.
My attempt totextually embedthis 3D modelwithin a narrativeon the dialectic between representationand intervention, as well as the spatialpolitics of mapping itself, can be seen asan example of a map’s “author” claimingpartial control over the meaning of a 3Dmap. Yet, the meaning ascribed by theauthor of a text does not foreclose thepossibility that different audiences willdraw quite contrasting meanings fromthe very same 3D image. The dream offixing spatial representations with one-and only one-single meaning is the fanta-sy of authoritarian purists who cannotcope with the narrative ambiguity associ-ated with the diverse spectrum of carto-graphic performances that are possible in relation to any given 3D map, model, orsimulation.
I had not fully grasped the idea that car-tographic mapping was performativeuntil I found myself in front of a cameracrew that was featuring my 3D model aspart of a documentary on New York Cityfor the Discovery Channel in 2003 (WeBuilt This City—New York, 2003). In thespotlight, I was playing the role of the“expert,” with the 3D graphics of themodel lending an appearance of scientificauthority to support the statementsbeing made by the film’s narrator abouthow this model enables us to “see” whatManhattan’s landscape once “looked like”before the grid was “stamped” upon it.
The larger plot of the film positioned the3D model, and my discussion of the gridplan, as part of a triumphalist narrative ofeconomic progress and “a restless urge togrow driven by [the city’s] great entrepre-neurs and leaders.” This is certainly nothow the author would have framed my3D model, yet I had very little control overhow my cartographic performancewould fit into the narrative structure thatthe film’s producers had developed. The3D map had taken on “a life (and a con-text) of its own beyond the author’s con-trol” (Pickles, 2004: 43).
I would contend that this narrativeambiguity rests at the heart of all carto-graphic performances-not only in massmedia but also on the printed page of anacademic journal, in the conference hall,or university classroom. To the extentthat a 3D map is interactive, the divisionbetween the role of the “performer” and“audience” begins to break down, as theprocesses of map production and con-sumption become indistinguishable (DelCasino & Hanna, 2006). It is within thiscontext that sites of critical engagementare now emerging to reshape the land-scape of cartographic performance.
G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07 43
Reuben S. Rose-RedwoodDepartment of GeographyPenn State [email protected]
Fig. 4: Visualizing Manhattan’s pre-grid topography in 3D betweenapprox. 1st and 155 Streets (darker shading signifies higher elevations)
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Various companies offer diffent kindsof 3D mapping solutions. In the world
of FOSS (Free and Open Source Software) for mapping,there are some desktop GIS with 2D features and a fewsystems with some kind of visualization in 3D (such asGRASS and OSSIM). In order to store a geographicdata, a good FOSS DBMS would be PostgreSQL withPostGIS.
Open3DGIS' (O3DG) basic idea is to provide a simple way tointegrate a 2D GIS with 3D visualization and interactivity on theweb, using only FOSS components and open standards. O3DGsdevelopment team defined some initial ideas:
• Integration with a 2D desktop GIS that can store and mantaingeographic data in DBMS (the most important feature). The goalis to have a database model with few attributes. so that it will beable to work with FOSS 2D GIS (QGIS, gvSIG, OpenJUMP, etc.)reading the same data source from PostgreSQL. These fewattributes must enable the generation of a 3D model from 2Dgeometry;
• X3D standards are used for visualization on web browsers.There are many free plug-ins for most platforms (Windows, Linux,
etc) that enable 3D visualization of a X3D file format.
O3DG works with a simple concept: to view, interact andupdate a 3D geographic information from a DBMS using a webbrowser. At this moment, there is no intent of develop-ing spatial 3D analysis, but in the future, theremay be some.
The concept of a WebGIS (acronym for Web-based Geographical Information System) isnowadays very widespread [Mitchell, 2005].Solutions such as Google Maps havebecome very popular in the lastfew years, thanks to the avail-ability of free geographic dataon the World Wide Web.
Free and Open Source Softwarerelated to geomatics and geo-sciences are still somehow scarce,but there has been a huge increase inthe number of projects available nowa-days. In 2006, The Open Source GeoSpatialFoundation (OSGEO) was founded with thefollowing mission:
“...to support and build the highest-quality opensource geospatial software. The foundation's goal isto encourage the use and collaborative development ofcommunity-led projects. ” (http://www.osgeo.org)
One of the mature open source projects is MapServer. Simplyput, this is a renderer that displays spatial data organized in a
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0744
FOSS
Open Source 3D WebGISOpen Source 3D WebGIS
Helton Nogueira Uchoa I Luigi Castro Cardeles I LuizCarlos Teixeira Coelho Filho I Paulo Roberto Ferreira
The article presents an Open Source Solution to Enable 3D Geographic Systems on the Web
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database, or in different files (the mostcommon files would be: shapefiles forvectors, and tiff for images). MapServer,as described in its manual, is not a fullGeographical Information System. Itintends to excel at rendering spatial datafor the web, as described in CGI MapServ-er Reference Manual.
MapServer has been used throughoutthe years in many projects where it wasneeded to display 2D Geographical Dataover the Internet. It is, nowadays, a cheapand stable solution for doing so, beingcomparable to many of the modern com-mercial web applications currently avail-able.
MapServer relies on OpenGIS specifica-tions. These specifications represent aconsensus on how spatial data should bestored, queried and retrieved.
However, neither MapServer, nor thelatest OpenGIS specifications define pre-cisely how to deal with tri-dimensionaldata. Albeit almost all spatial phenome-
na can be satisfactorily modelled using2D data, in some applications,
the knowledge of 3D posi-tion is crucial for dealingwith them. As an example,
many subterranean tubes canbe found under the sewer sys-
tem ofanyurbansce-
nario. Ifa subway
needs to beconstructed
under this area,it is necessary to
know the spatial tri-dimensional distance
between those tubes, other-wise there would probably be
undesirable accidents. In this case,a 2D GIS would not fit. So, there is a
need for 3D data to be correctly dis-played and analyzed in a Web GIS. As
MapServer isalready OpenSource, a naturalsolution would begiving it 3D webfeatures, devel-oped as a plug-in,and also distrib-uted as FOSS. Thisidea (of develop-ing it freely) wasalso in agreementwith the philoso-phy of the institu-tions that are cur-rently sponsoringthis project.
THE IDEABEHINDOPEN 3D GISOpen 3D GISintends to enablea geographic data-base (geodata-base) to be viewedin a 3D visualiza-tion on the web,using a webbrowser (such asMozilla, MozillaFirefox, Opera orInternet Explorer).Basically, version0.1 consists of aseries of scripts,written in Python,which extract spa-tial data obtainedfrom severalsources andloaded into adatabase (in thiscase, PostgreSQLwith the modulePostGIS). The user can choose betweentwo options: export 3D features directlyto this through the cgi_o3dg.py script
loading them from an already openedMapServer rendering window usingHTML query methods, or loading tridi-
45G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Fig. 1 This diagram shows how Open 3D GIS works
Fig. 2 Random curves from which the tri-dimentional mesh was extracted
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mentional meshes directly from Post-greSQL. This script calls Open 3D GIS andthen converts all objects represented in3D to a surface, through Delaunay trian-gulations.
The modelling script uses Blender'sPython API to generate a 3D scene fromthat tridimensional surface. Blender is anopen source software for 3D modeling,animation, rendering, post-production,interactive creation and playback. It iswell known among the FOSS community.
The scene is stored as a “.blend” file bydefault. Another option is the generationof a X3D scene. Albeit X3D has some limi-tations, if compared to Blender, it is anopen format, widely recommended by
the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)and fully integrated with the most usedweb-browsers (although it requires anadditional plug-in in order to be correctlyshown). X3D is a XML-based format andhas evolved from VRML.
After the generation of the X3D file, themodel is exported to the browser, and canbe freely viewed by the user. Figure 1explains graphically the proceduresdescribed above.
PROCEDURES AND EXAMPLESIn order to test how Open 3D GIS works, arandom set of level curves (generatedautomatically by a script developed at
OpenGEO) was loaded into MapServer(Figure 2). This experiment is widelyaccessible through the web addresshttp://www.opengeo.com.br/ms/o3dg/.
At first, the whole area is loaded into thebrowser window. After that, the user canselect a subset of that area, that will beseen in a larger zoom. When ready, it ispossible to generate the 3D rendering ofthe selected area, through a button locat-ed at the left of this window.
CONCLUSIONSThis article shows the first steps towardsfully integrating MapServer in order toprovide a full 3D web environment. Thisfirst version of Open 3D GIS serves forvisualization purposes only, and wasdeveloped with the intent to experimentthe trade-offs of dealing with 3D datathrough the web.
Even though the results shown here aresomehow very simple, it is expected inthe near future that new versions shouldinclude the capability of representing 3Dobjects, such as buildings, roads andtrees, and a basic query model, withwhich the user will be able do ask thedatabase about such 3D objects. In nextversions, Blender will be removed fromOpen 3D GIS and the solution will workon a pure X3D engine. Also, through theproject's official page, located athttp://www.open3dgis.org, it is possibleto download the current version of Open3D GIS. It is distributed through the GNUGPL license and has also a SourceForgeproject page, located at http://source-forge.net/projects/open3dgis.NOTE: The entire article with full references can be found at www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/asia/years/2007/Apr
A P R I L 2 0 07G I S D E V E L O P M E N T46
Fig. 3 X3D renderings for the study area
Helton Nogueira [email protected]
Luigi Castro Cardeles*[email protected]
Luiz Carlos Teixeira Coelho [email protected]
Paulo Roberto [email protected]
* For Correspondence
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There has been many commercial software availablefor performing the 3D analysis of the spatial data,
besides the extension of the popular GIS software.
In this listing, we have listed some of the commercially avail-able extensions and 3D visualization & analysis software. Thefeature listed are from their respective websites.
AUTODESK AUTOCAD MAP 3DAutoCAD Map 3D software is a engineering GIS platform for cre-ating and managing spatial data. This bridges CAD and GIS byproviding direct access to data, regardless of how it is stored,and by enabling the use of AutoCAD software tools for main-taining a broad variety of geospatial information.
The software can analyze the data for elevation, slope, andaspect. The use of AutoCAD 3D can add a whole new depth ofvisual information by creating and analyzing 3D raster surfaces,adding aerial photographs or digital elevation models (DEM andDTED) quickly. It can also combine vector and raster data withthe help of raster draping capabilities for fully detailed, photore-alistic 3D renderings.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=3081357
BENTLEY MICROSTATION MicroStation is a CAD platform used by architects, engineers,contractors and GIS professionals to integrate work on build-ings, civil engineering projects, power plants and geospatialinformation. PowerDraft module of Microstattion is used forproduction 2D/3D drafting and detailing. Bentley Navigator canmove up to 3D visualization and construction simulation. Bent-ley View is the view-only version of Bentley Navigator is an ide-al tool for interactive 3D design walk-through and schedule sim-ulation. This FREE desktop tool. Bentley View can also view and
print 2D/3D Microstation and Autodesk files. The 3D modelingcapabilities of Microstation includes,
• Advanced and comprehensive wireframe, surface, mesh andfeature-based solid modeling tools
• Versatile tools for carving and sculpting 3D geometry
• Google 3D Warehouse Integration
• Support for 3DS Max files (Autodesk)
www.bentley.com/en-US/Products/MicroStation/ resource+center.htm
ER MAPPERER Mapper offers a complete suite of tools to generate maps ofthe highest quality and to incorporate 3D views in a map. Itincludes powerful, fully integrated 2D and 3D processing capa-bilities. In this, multiple layers of raster and vector imagery canbe displayed in 3D. On the fly, the image view can be changedfrom 2D planimetric to 3D perspective or 3D flythrough modes.With the new surface gridding wizard being introduced, grid-ded datasets can be created from height values which can beincluded with raster imagery for display in 3D.
Some specific 3D functionalities of ER Mapper are,• Automatic performance balancing when working in 3D
• Any 2D view can be shown in 3D simply by adding a height layer
• Location query in 3D using the 3D cursor
• Preferred 3D view and properties can be saved and recalled
The ER Mapper also has a surface grid wizard which creates
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Software
3D GIS ANALYSIS SOFTWAREThis is a listing of commercially available 3D GIS tools
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multi-band images from multiple inputsources.
www.ermapper.com/ProductView.aspx?t=96
ESRI ARCGIS 3D ANALYST This is an extension for ArcGIS suite ofproducts. The ArcGIS 3D Analyst exten-sion provides tools for 3D visualization,analysis, and surface generation. ItIncludes ArcGlobe and ArcScene.
The analyst also includes terrain datamanagement and geoprocessing tools. 3DAnalyst provides tools for 3D modelingand analysis, such as viewshed and line-of-sight analysis; spot height interpola-tion; profiling; steepest path determina-tion; and contouring.
With 3D Analyst, users can:• View a surface from multiple viewpoints
• Query a surface
• Create realistic perspective imaging
• Examine the visual impact of buildingnew structures
• Analyze atmospheric, surface, and sub-surface pollution dispersion
ArcGlobe is one of two applicationswhich gives you a new and unique wayto view and analyze your GIS data.
ArcScene is other which allows you toeffectively manage 3D data, perform 3Danalysis, create 3D features, and displaylayers with 3D viewing properties. http://webhelp.esri.com/arcgisdesktop/9.2/index.cf
m?TopicName=An_overview_of_3D_Analyst
INTERGRAPH GEOMEDIAGeoMedia is a suite of products of Inter-graph which provides powerful analysistools, including attribute and spatialquery and terrain analysis. GeoMediaGrid and Terrain are the two modulesthrough which, terrain analysis can beperformed.
GeoMedia Grid provides seamless inte-gration of vector and grid data formatsfor viewing and analysis.
GeoMedia Terrain adds terrain analysisand visualization to the GeoMedia envi-ronment.
www.intergraph.com/geomediasuite/default.asp
INTERGRAPH DYNAMO TERRAIN MODELERDynamo Terrain Modeler (DTM) is one ofthe products of Intergraph's Digital Carto-graphic Suite (DCS) which creates superi-or elevation data and relief maps throughaccurate digital terrain models. Thesemodels can also be used for terrain analy-sis. DTM detects anomalies and queuesthem to a user as feature and elevationediting is performed, increasing overallproductivity. DTM can
• Support conversion for most publicdomain gridded data
• Integrate feature data with gridded orirregular point data
• Validate and edits feature data and ele-vation models
• Creates and export continuous tone andcolor-coded shaded relief
• Generate cartographic quality contours
www.intergraph. com/dcs/default.asp
LEICA VIRTUAL EXPLORERLeica Virtual Explorer give users the abili-ty to convert the earth into a clear andspatially accurate, unparalleled digitalreality. Terabytes of spatial informationare seamlessly merged into a highlyinformative digital earth and distributedto users worldwide without preprocess-ing. Using a planetary viewing environ-ment, users everywhere can independ-ently explore and analyze 3D terrain witha broad array of GIS and analysis tools.Users can also choose to collaborate intheir exploration by sharing chat, views,scene markups and custom GIS layerswith other users.
The components and add-ons that makeup Leica Virtual Explorer give users accessto a variety of GIS customization andsharing tools. The Leica Virtual Explorersuite offers 3D visualization capabilitiesintegrated with spatial and attribute-based querying, editing tools, geocodingand dissemination capabilities.http://gi.leica-geosystems.com/LGISub1x251x0.aspx
MANIFOLD SYSTEM Manifold Systems Release 7x can inte-grate surfaces and terrains for 2D and 3Dvisualization. This can import terrain ele-vation data from almost any formatknown and incorporate surfaces intomaps as shaded 2D images showingrelief, slope, aspect or visualized as realis-tic 3D terrain views. Manifold 7x SurfaceTools enables surface tools functionalityin Manifold 7x editions. It provides asophisticated surfaces calculator, theTransfer Heights command, visibilityzones, expanded interpolation optionsand the ability to work with profiles andelevations. 3D View Studio is a powerfulsystem for seeing data in 3D and perform-ing 3D analytics.
www.manifold.net
MICROIMAGES TNTMIPSTNTmips is the main product of Microim-ages for GIS analysis. Using the 3D Dis-play raster object cell values can be usedas elevation values to create color 3Ddraped surface images in parallel or per-spective views. The process also displaysvector and CAD objects in 3D, independ-ently or in any overlay combination witha raster object. Thus complex 3D displaycan be created, that combines an eleva-tion raster, a "draped" image raster, andmultiple 3D vector and CAD overlays.
The Elevation Mapping and OrthoimageCreation module of TNTmips can use thespatial information contained in pairs ofstereo images to derive an approximatesurface of the overlap area and an eleva-tion surface in a raster object. Such eleva-
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tion information can be applied to rawimagery to correct spatial displacementsand produce an orthoimage with map-like geometry. TNTmips can performwatershed analysis and elevation rasterobjects can be analyzed to derive theviewshed for a selected point and obser-vation height above the surface.
TNTsim3D for Windows is a FREE stand-alone program that can be used to createfly over 3D terrains with keyboard or joy-stick controls. This is used in conjunctionwith TNTmips and the TNTmips datapreparation step creates a terrain objectand a texture object which are speciallyoptimized for real-time interactive 3Dsimulation.
www.microimages.com/products/tntsim.htm
MAPINFO VERTICAL MAPPER MapInfo Vertical Mapper has a widerange of analysis tools that allows toreveal trends in data and its unique pre-diction capabilities, whereby the user can
specify a test location and MapInfo Verti-cal Mapper will identify areas with statis-tically similar attributes. Vertical Mappercreates grids, or continuous surfaces ofinformation, from point data by estimat-ing values for cells between knownpoints.
Geographic analysis is made possiblethrough grid technology. Complex math-ematical expressions can be used to cre-ate derivative grids, or perform line ofsight analysis. Some functions that canbe applied to the grid data are:
• Overlaying one grid on another andapplying a mathematical function
• Calculate steepness or direction
• Show cross sections
• 3D perspective view of the terrain withoptional overlay of imagery
• Natural Neighbor (Voroni) analysis(Gridding based on categorical data)
• Location profiler
http://extranet.mapinfo.com/products/Overview.c
fm?ProductID=1739&productcategoryid=
SKYLINE SOFTWAREThe TerraExplorer suite of productsenables users to experience fully interac-tive terrain viewing capabilities.
When used in collaboration with GeoMedia platform, it enables real-time3D visualization capabilities for an entire range of geospatial information,from digital elevation models to high-resolution imagery and geospatial features.
TerraBuilder allows users to create aphoto-realistic, geographically accurate,3D model of the earth for their geo-refer-enced applications.
TerraPhoto3D is a server-side renderingmachine that takes snapshots of Skyline's 3D world to be used with any web page. End-users can navigateand modify the 3D world from any PC, Web browser, hand-held or wire-less device, using the powerful HTMLbased API.
www.skylinesoft. com
51G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Status
Three dimensional (3D) mapping has come a long way inSouth Africa, starting primarily with aerial photogram-metry. The photogrammetric methods have become
increasingly automated and Digital Terrain Models (DTMs) aregenerated by stereoscopy, using overlapping aerial photo-graphs and ground control points as input. Digital ElevationModels (DEMs) are a collection of elevation data (heights) givinga representation of the Earth's surface. South Africa is fortunatethat the Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping (CDSM) pro-duces 400m, 200m, and 50m DEMs for flat, mountainous andbuilt up areas respectively (CDSM, 2007). The most effective 3Ddisplay is obtained by draping an image over the DEM.
3D mapping was, until recently, the exclusive domain of geo-information practitioners. It required expensive and highly spe-cialised software. Today, freely available software such asGoogle Earth, has made 3D mapping accessible to the public andhas spurned a new and huge demand for three-dimensionalmaps. Currently, most GIS users in South Africa are using 2Dmapping but the rapidly growing interest in 3D models isincreasing and rendering techniques are being developed. Theuse of 3D functions is particularly powerful for the creation ofDEMs and 3D visualization models which are used in a verywide range of applications.
In South Africa, we can define a few distinct categories where3D mapping is commonly used namely; commercial sector andmarketing, planning and design, as a learning tool for the pro-
motion of information and tourism as well as in mining. 3Dmodels are effective for visualizing the locations of users, spatialdistribution of the clients and market demands for specific eco-nomic activities as well as the availability of space for develop-ment. Various agencies use DEMs for Radio Frequency planningin the design and implementation of mobile telecommunica-tion network coverage. Landscape designers make use of 3Dmodels for their inherent aesthetic considerations. The use of 3Dvisualisation and mapping in architectural applications is thenorm today, achieving almost photo-realism. Extensiveresearch has been done into 3D visualization projects using 3Dreconstruction of cultural heritage buildings and other cultural
resources using photogrammetric techniques and laser scan-ning. Some mapping companies are employing 3D mappingand visualization for more intuitive maps from which touristscan benefit. Mining companies are using 3D maps for slope andsite monitoring systems, and also to monitor faulty activitiesbefore, during, and after earthquakes. 3D is also being usedwidely in archaeology for reconstructing the spatial context ofthe geology and fossils. The demand for computer-based, photo-realistic, real time visualisation of 3D environments will acceler-ate as more agencies, municipalities and geo-information stake-holders make high quality GIS data available in South Africa. NOTE: The entire article with full references can be found at www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/asia/years/2007/Apr
S Naidoo and B MohamedDepartment of Land Affairs, Chief Directorate of Surveys and Mapping, South Africa
3D rendering of Stellenbosch
S NAIDOO I B MOHAMED
3D Mapping in South Africa: Status & Usage
Rendering of South African DEM
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The Burj Dubai tower in Dubai, UAE, willrise to a height of over 800m when com-
plete in 2008. In addition to being very tall it isalso quite slender. It is anticipated that therewill be movement of the building at upper levelsdue to wind loads, crane loads, constructionsequence and other factors.
The self climbing formwork system for the building is com-plex, due to the shape of the structure and requires a large num-ber of control points. It has been necessary to develop a surveysystem that can efficiently provide the large number of controlpoints and can be used when the building is moving.
An analysis of predicted movements has been completed anda system installed which delivers accurate positioning for con-struction set out at the top level of the formwork.
Limited results are available to date but monitoring indicatesthat the required accuracy is being achieved.
BUILDING MOVEMENTSThe various components resulting in the displacement andmotion of the structure can be divided in to three groups.
Long Period MovementsThese components may cause movement in the tower in a peri-od of from one week to 6 months.
Uneven Raft Settlement: As the load on the raft foundationincreases it will continue to settle and if the settlement is
GPS Network
A P R I L 2 0 07
Smallest GPS Networkfor Tallest BuildingCore Wall Survey Control System for High Rise Buildings
52 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
JOËL VAN CRANENBROECK I DOUGLAS HAYES I IAN SPARKS HAYES
The article describes a procedure using GPS observations combined with a precision inclination sensor to provide reliable coordinated points at the top of the world’s tallestbuilding under construction in Dubai
52-56.qxp 4/6/2007 7:10 AM Page 52
uneven this will cause a correspondingtilt in the tower structure.
Raft Deformation: Due to the greaterload at the centre of the tower the raftfoundation will deform as constructionprogresses and this deformation mayaffect the verticality of the structure.
Construction Sequence: Construction isprogressing in a circular sequence on a 5 -7 day cycle for each level and this willcause the centre of mass of the buildingto move from the vertical axis and maycause a corresponding movement in thestructure. Refer Figure 3.
Building Design: The design of the build-ing, with the set back on wings occurringat different levels introduces a movementof the centre of mass in the building as itrises and the final position of the theoreti-cal design shape is offset from the verticalaxis. This may cause a movement in thetower position which is closely linkedwith the construction sequence.
Concrete Creep and Shrinkage: Longterm, differential, creep and shrinkage inthe tower columns may cause the towercentre to move by small amounts over along period. The amount of deflectionwill depend on the level at which the dif-ferential shortening develops.
Daily MovementsThis component may cause movement inthe tower over a 24 hour period.
Solar Effects: The concrete surfacesexposed to the sun will expand whencompared to those on the opposite side ofthe building. This will result in the build-ing moving "away" from the sun. With atemperature differential of ten degreescentigrade, a movement of up to 150mmat the top of the concrete is possible overa six hour period.
Dynamic MovementsThese components cause movement inthe tower with periods of as little as 10seconds up to 15 minutes. The move-ments are a result of Building Resonance,
Wind Drag and Crane Loads. The loadsand other effects on the tower will causeit to move from the theoretical verticalaxis and the natural building resonancewill cause it to oscillate about this offsetposition. The survey system had to bedesigned to tolerate this movement and allow construction to proceed in acontinuation of the alignment of the previous levels.
FORMWORK SYSTEMThe formwork for each concrete pour iscomprised of a series of individual forms ,all of which require control. This hasresulted in 240 control points for the formwork system for each level. Itwas not practical or safe to use the tradi-tional method of plumbing up throughfloor penetrations and at the beginningof the project it was decided to use resec-
tion as the primary procedure for surveycontrol.
INITIAL SURVEYSAt the commencement of the contract,six permanent bench marks were estab-lished around the site and precisely sur-veyed. These marks consisted of a con-crete encased steel "I" beam extendingdown to about 15m below ground level. Acap was cast at the top to provide a solidwork platform. These marks were usedfor all the initial set out surveys and as abase for the monitoring work.
LOWER LEVELSDue to the large number of control pointsrequired for the formwork it was neces-sary to develop a method so that the con-trol was only measured once. The onlysolid part of the building is the concrete
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Figure 1. GPS and circular prism collocated
HAYES
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and the technique sets marks in the topsurface of the newly cast concrete.
A total station instrument is also set upon the concrete and position establishedby resection to the external bench marks.The marks set in the top surface aremeasured by radiation from this resectedcontrol position and the precise coordi-nates for each mark calculated.
When the formwork is raised to thenext level the marks are offset onto themain working deck of the formworkwhich is tied in to the concrete at thatposition. The back of the shutters canthen be positioned from these marks.
From ground to about Level 20 resectionwas possible from the external controlmarks which were distant about 100 to 150 m from the base of the tower.Observation redundancy was possible
and very highquality resultswere achieved.Verticality obser-vations confirmedthat the towerwas not movingand raft founda-tion measure-ments indicatedthere was no dif-ferential settle-ment to cause thetower to tilt.
Hence it was astraight forwardsurveying task toset out control forthe formworkusing thismethod.
UPPER LEVELSAs the buildingrises it will comeunder the influ-ence of variousforces as
described in 1.2 above and will start tomove by varying amounts and some-times in random directions.
Above Level 20 it became increasinglydifficult to sight the external control onsite due to obstruction from the upperdecks of the formwork system. At thisstage it became necessary to implement anew method of resection and a measure-ment system that could tolerate buildingmovement.
CORE WALL SURVEY SYSTEMThe movement of the structure createsseveral problems for precise survey; at aparticular instant in time, theoretically,you need to know exactly how much thedesign centre line of the building is offsetfrom the vertical axis and at that same
instant you need to know the precisecoordinates of the instrument. However a'mean' position taken over a short periodfor both elements can provide a suitablesolution.
Instrument Position DeterminationGPS operating in static mode are beingused to establish survey control at theupper levels. The system comprises aminimum of 3 GPS antenna/ receiversmounted on tall fixed poles at the top lev-el of the formwork.
A tiltable circular prism is placed beloweach antenna and a Total Station instru-ment (TPS) is set up on the concrete visi-ble to all GPS stations. The GPS plus TPScomprises a "measurement system".
In static GPS mode, satellite signal datais received and recorded for a period of upto 1 hour. During this same period of time,the TPS instrument is used to measure aseries of angles and distances to theprisms mounted below the GPS antennas.The TPS then measures to the referencemarks placed on fresh concrete which arethe reference points for control of theformwork.
After completion of observations, datais returned to the office for processing.Computation of GPS antenna positions iscarried out, processed against data from a
54 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 07
GPS operatingin static modeare being usedto establishsurvey controlat the upperlevels
Figure 2. Continuous Operating Reference Station
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Continuously Operating GPS ReferenceStation Leica GPS GRX1200 Pro withAT504 chokering antenna and Leica GPSSpider software, using Leica Geo Officesoftware (LGO).
Computation of TPS position is then car-ried out actually as a least squares resec-tion. Finally transformation is performedof the 3 WGS84 antenna coordinates andresected TPS coordinates into the localcoordinate system and from this a deter-mination of coordinates of all measuredreference marks is made. These stepsyield coordinates of survey instrumenta-tion and reference marks in the site proj-ect coordinates.
The coordinates computed by using theobservations (directions and distance) areinternally consistent but must be trans-formed into the reference frame defined
by the set of GPS antennas. In our case aswe use a single total station, the problemis simply a 3D transformation also knownas similarity transformation or Helmerttransformation.
BUILDING ALIGNMENTDETERMINATIONThe Core Wall Survey System (CWSS) usesNIVEL200 dual-axis precise clinometersto accurately determine displacement ofthe tower alignment from vertical. Cli-nometers measure absolute tilt to +/- 0.2”arc. This angular measurement can beapplied to the vertical distance of the cli-nometers sensor above the foundationraft to provide a computed plan displace-ment in X and Y at that elevation due tothe tilt of the structure. A total of 8 preciseclinometers are to be networked at
approximately every 20 floors up thetower as construction proceeds. Whenthe clinometers are installed initiallythey will be calibrated in relation to thesurvey control at that level by verticalityobservations from the raft foundation. Aseries of observations will provide amean displacement in X and Y for that tiltmeter at that time and will then beapplied to all future readings so that theoutput will reflect the displacement ofthe tower alignment at that level in rela-tion to the vertical axis.
Clinometers will be connected throughan RS-485 single bus cable to the LAN portof a dedicated PC located at the surveyoffice running Leica GeoMoS software.
Continuous, real-time measurements ofstructure tilt can be logged for eachinstrument floor, and data output as X
55A P R I L 2 0 07 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
Figure 3. GPS active control points
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and Y components of building alignmentfrom the vertical. Amplitude peaks ofsmoothed data represent structure oscil-lations.
The mean displacement of the regres-sion line represents total mean displace-ment of the structure. A block of data cor-responding to the GPS observation datawill be used for this purpose. Differentia-tion of the tiltmeter data at different
heights will allow correction for nonlin-ear structure tilt.
PRECISIONAn examination of the likely errors in theCWSS indicates that it will be possible tocontinue to set out the formwork alongthe vertical alignment of the structure toa precision of ± 15mm. It should also bepossible to identify any long term move-ment of the tower that has a value of>20mm in any given direction.
ANALYSISMonitoring surveys will provide informa-tion on raft foundation settlement anddeformation and this can be used to accu-rately determine the offset of the towerat a particular level due to the influenceof these factors. Similarly surveys tomeasure the differential shrinkage andcreep in the core walls and columns canbe used to derive this possible componentof tower movement.
A dynamic model of the building hasbeen developed and from this it has beenpossible to derive values at any given lev-el for the effects of constructionsequence, building design and solareffects. For the period of the control sur-vey if the tower cranes are shut downthen the only remaining unknown com-
ponent of building movement is that dueto wind. Weather stations are to be estab-lished at three locations on the tower andthese will stream continuous data ontemperature, wind speed and direction.This can be correlated with the tilt meterdata to determine a relationship. It isanticipated that this analysis will revealany long term movements in a givendirection and if necessary correctiveaction can be taken.The Nivel200 Net-work segment of this system can be usedfor tower monitoring, both during con-struction and after completion of thestructure. If this is integrated with othermonitoring information it will provide acomplete system of structure monitoring.
CONCLUSIONSThis concept uses a combination of con-
trol and common points located in thedeformation area. A combination of GPSsurvey techniques, Automatic Total Sta-tion, clinometers readings and mathe-matical modelling will provide a meansto drive the construction of the world'stallest building as a straight structuralelement and provided a wealth of data onbuilding movement. It's only the start ofa long journey up to the final completionof the Burj Dubai tower and the authorsknow that they will have to complementthe existing data fusion system with oth-er elements for the time being.NOTE: The entire article with full references can be found at www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/asia/years/2007/apr
56 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 07
Figure 4. Tiltmeter to PC Connection
Figure 5. Data Fusion System
*Joël van CranenbroeckBusiness Development Director forGNSS Reference Stations andStructural Monitoring ,Leica Geosystems [email protected]
Douglas HayesChief SurveyorSamsung Besix Arabtch [email protected]
Ian Sparks HayesProject SurveyorConnell [email protected]
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Q. Kindly highlight the functional areas of Land Data Division? A. As a division, Land Data Division (LDD) is quite new in Sin-
gapore Land Authority (SLA); it came into being in April lastyear. While establishing LDD, we enlarged the scope of responsi-bilities of the former Land Resource Projects Division by addingthe Data Planning and Management function to the existingMapping and Land Records functions. Mapping and LandRecords captures spatial data to support internal land opera-tions needs and State land/building ownership data for report-ing of State reserves.
In creating LDD, we wanted one division in SLA that could helpto integrate all the different data residing in the many silo data-base systems within the different SLA departments into a logi-cal whole. We wanted to be able to pull data from the differentdatabases and put it together seamlessly and efficiently to gen-erate the information needed for operations, planning, decisionmaking, policy formulation, etc.
We also wanted the division to be responsible for putting in place a good data governance framework for providingavailability, usability, integrity and security of datawithin SLA. In short, the function of LDD is to ensure that data is appropriately captured so as to be able to generate qualityinformation.
SLA also manages the Land Data Hub (LDH) of Singapore thatstores spatial information from various agencies for sharing thesame among different government agencies. LDD is one of themain contributors to the LDH as it shares information on Landand Building Ownership with the Hub.
Q. How does Land Data Hub function? How close is it to an NSDI?
A. LDH is a collaborative national land data sharing pro-gramme. It is a one-stop centre for digitised land data, operatingsuccessfully since 1989. These digitised land data include dataon buildings, roads, utilities networks, urban planning, address-es, street directory and topographical maps. It also has a system
called Land Information Network (LandNet) which rides on highspeed government intranet and facilitates online data sharing.
LDH is managed by a Steering Committee (LDH SC) comprisingSenior Management representatives from various data provideragencies.
The LDH SC is chaired by CEO of SLA. The committee providesoverall leadership and guidance to the programme. As far asLDH's likeness to NSDI is concerned, LDH has many elementsnecessary for NSDI. However, the primary objective of LDH is tosupport current operations at various land related gencies. NSDIon the other hand is more holisitc.
Q. How important is NSDI for Singapore?
A. NSDI is vital for Singapore. It is something we need to eval-uate. Since we already have LDH, it may be relatively easy totransform it to an NSDI using the same platform rather thanstarting from scratch. One of the prerequisites of NSDI is a Com-mon Geodetic Framework.
In Singapore, we were fortunate to have a Common GeodeticFramework in place; since 1948 everybody in Singapore usedCassini projection with the coordinate framework prescribed bythe Survey Department of SLA.
Five years back we converted the system into a modern GPSfriendly coordinate system called SVY 21, which is based onTransverse Mercator Projection System. We carried out a nation-wide exercise of converting all the layers into the new SVY 21system. SLA led that project and in 2004 we achieved a levelwhere all information from multiple quarters fit into this estab-lished standard. From the GIS data format angle, LDH hasalready established certain standards. We understand that dif-ferent agencies due to the differing needs of their applicationsmay have different types of GIS data. We ask agencies to give usdata in any form they have; we transform that into an openOracle Spatial format. Agencies can take back the data from therepository in any industry standard format.
Q. Can you provide us more details on the Oracle GRID project.
A. The Oracle's Database GRID technology that we have has
‘
58 G I S D E V E L O P M E N T
INTERVIEW
A P R I L 2 0 07
’Gaw Seng SuanDirector, Land Data Division, Singapore Land Authority
We are putting in place a goodland data governance frameworkIn public service for 23 years, Mr Gaw has been Director at the Singapore LandAuthority since 2001. He is responsible for management of land and propertydata as well as records, to be shared among the public sector. He also acts as theCovering Commissioner of Lands
‘
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many benefits. In the whole of Asia Pacific, we are the first touse grid technology because we saw its potential very early.LDH is growing as more and more agencies continue to con-tribute their data.
Grid technology helps to expand the scale of data sharingapplication incrementally as new agencies and new data setsare added.
The GRID infrastructure also provides a fool-proof environ-ment, thereby providing high system availability and bettercontrol over the operations.
Q. How are the components of data infrastructure - LDH, LandNet and Integrated Land Information System (INLIS)related?
A. LandNet is the system that helps in LDH's operations, i.e., itis actually a platform where data sharing takes place. We haveour satellite servers installed at various agencies, which help toimport agencies’ data and make subsequent changes to it auto-matically through scheduled processes. Of the data that come tothe central respository, we filter information that is useful forpublic consumption.
Such information are then packaged as services and madeavailable to public through INLIS website (www.inlis.gov.sg),which is a one stop land information portal for public, operating
since 1998. For example, public can search for Property Title infowhich provides details about owners, price at which the proper-ty was transacted, legal encumbrance of the searched propertyetc. We partner with other government agencies to providethese services to public. We will be adding many more similarservices in future.
Going one step ahead, we have plans to make LandNet a con-sultation platform for the government agencies. The concernedagencies can carry out online consultations in the wake of adevelopment planned for a piece of land. For example, if a devel-opment authority is converting a food court into a shoppingmall, the plan can be put online and feedback from the affectedagencies can be sought.
Q. Brief us on the LandNet Web Services.
A. The LandNet web services are for consumption of government agencies. If an agency has a website for their functions and they want their site to be enabled with a mapping component, they do not need to buy their own GIS infrastructure. They can just log onto this web services, which will allow them to choose which layer theywant to see and what tools they needed to browse and querythe maps.
Gaw Seng Suan, [email protected] “”
The first map of Vietnam was compiledin early 1490 under the directive of
king Le Thanh Ton of Le dynasty. This attempt wasmade for the purpose of military operations. Laterunder his reign the first atlas of Vietnam, knownamong Vietnamese as the Hong Duc Atlas, was com-pliled. For long, the Atlas served not only for nationaldefence but also for land management.
After the liberation of North Vietnam in 1954, the DRV (Demo-cratic Republic of Vietnam) Government founded the NationalDepartment of Surveying and Mapping (NDSM) in 1959. NDSMwas in charge of basic surveying and mapping implementationin North Vietnam. At that time in South Vietnam the triangula-tion network, established by French before 1954, was upgradedby the US Army Map Service (AMS), using advanced radio-posi-tioning techniques and a new map series in 1:50,000 scale, cov-ering the whole country was compiled. Several photographymissions for making 1:30,000 and 1:60,000 scale maps were alsoundertaken. In 1994, Vietnamese government decided to incor-porate NDSM into the State Department of Land Management(SDLM), thus building up the General Department of LandAdministration (GDLA), which later became the present Depart-ment of Survey and Mapping under the Ministry of NaturalResources and Environment (MoNRE).
In due course of time, adavanced map production technologiesthat largely includes the usage of aerial photography, resultedin the generation of maps in various scales as:
• Cadastral map in scale 1:500 and 1:1,000 for urban land
• 1:1,000-1:2,000 for urban residential land
• 1:2,000-1:5,000 for agricultural land
• 1:10,000-1:25,000 for forested land
• Topographic map in scale 1:10,000 for industrial and coastalzones
• 1:25,000 scale maps for areas of important rural economy
• 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 for the whole country
• Sea bed topographic map in scale 1:10,000-1:25,000 for thecoastal zone
• 1:50,000 for the continental shelf
• 1:100 000 for offshore fishing zone
GIS came to Vietnam in the early 1990s, with the advent ofWinGIS - the first widely known GIS software developed by fewVietnamese academicians. WinGIS later on became the productof Dolsoft company and was renamed DolGIS. In the meantimethe GIS was introduced in the contry also through internationalprojects funded by agencies UNDP, UNEP, CIDA, SIDA, etc. Underthese projects some prototypes of GIS applications were devel-oped. These also served in imparting GIS training to officials ofVietnamese central authorities and some research institutions.
As part of these projects, GIS was known only as a tool toanalyse data from satellite image and integrate the data forapplications in fields of geology and environment. "Strengthen-ing the capacity of facility management", the project under theconsultancy of Dr Jerry C Coner, former UN regional adviser andfunded by UNDP, was the first GIS project for facility manage-ment in Vietnam. It developed a prototype of an undergroundfacility database for 1 sq km in Hochiminh City. Many officialsunderwent training in GIS in Qatar as part of this project. Theproject attracted governmental officials, scientists, professorsand students and GIS came to be recognised as new decisionsupport system useful for administration of big cities undergo-ing rapid urbanization.
In 1994, Center for Developing IT and GIS (DITAGIS) was found-ed. DITAGIS center belongs to HoChiMinh city University ofTechnology (HCMUT) and is one of the major data generatingagencies. In 1996, the year of inception of Center for RemoteSensing (under the MoNRE), a National GIS project under theMinistry of Science and Technology was implemented. Theproject focussed on digitising map of Vietnam at 1:50,000 scaleusing MapInfo software. In 1998, GIS project of DongNaiprovince was undertaken. This was the first project using GIS to
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0760
Country Pages
Surveying and Mapping in Vietnam
Saurabh Mishra
Vietnam has come a long way from historical ‘Hong Duc Atlas’ to initiatives for NSDI
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manage environment at provincial level. In 2000, Hochiminh City Department of
Science and Technology proposed thesystem of GIS for urban administration,called SAGOGIS comprising about 50 sub-systems but the project has not run so far.
In Vietnam, GIS has been used for vari-ous operations at provincial level. Manylocal governments and agencies haveproposed GIS projects for implementa-tions at their institutions.
Three major GIS application areas in thecountry are land use and planning, urbanmanagement and disaster management.GIS projects on disaster management aremainly funded by the central govern-ment. Almost all the surveys are done onthe coordinate system of VN-2000.
Now-a-days provincial departments ascivil and construction have also startedusing GIS technology. Some cities ortowns have developed GIS systems forpublic administration. The city GIS sys-tem as Bienhoa City comprises 16 geo-databases of 16 governmental agencies ashousing, land, planning, communication,telecommunication, power, water sup-ply, sewage, environment, population,trade and service, industry, religion, edu-cation, health, culture.
These data are shared among agenciesvia data network. In addition, some com-panies, as cable television company, alsouse GIS for their businesses and adver-tisement activities. The market for GIS isgrowing. Since 2000 many new compa-nies have entered into the market. The
major companiesare:
• Dolsoft• VIDAGIS
• HaiHoa• Diaviet
• GlobalGIS
With publicorganisationsmaking base maps,private sector hasbeen collectingsocio-economicdata to install geo-databases forprovinces. DataAvailability remains the issue with theprivate players.
The major user organisations/govern-ment departments using GIS data are -
• Ministry of Resources & Environmental
• Department of Resources and Environ-ment all of province of VietNam
• Department of Agriculture rural develop-ment
• Saigon Water supply Company (SAWA-CO) (Hochiminh city)
• Department of Health of Hochiminh city
• Hochiminh Telecom company.
• Department of Industry of DongNaiprovince
• Department of Science and Technologyof DongNai province
• Department of Planning and Investing ofDaNang city
GIS EDUCATIONGIS education started as short courses atvarious seminars and conferences. Thesecourses were funded as part of projects ofinternational organisations. These shortcourses have contributed significantly todissemination of the GIS applications inVietnam. Before the education becameformal as Bachelor's and Master's degree,it was part of curriculum of courses ofenvironment, geology, geography, mine,surveying and informatics at universitiesin Hanoi and Hochiminh City. Other insi-titutions running couses are as:
• University of agriculture, Hochiminh City- Bachelor in GISystem
• Univ of Technology, Hochiminh City -Master of Cartography, Remote sensingand GISystem
• University of Information Technology,associating with foreign universities inorganizing GIScience courses in Masterdegree
• Short term GIS softwares training atDITAGIS centre - ArcGIS, ArcView GIS,MapInfo, Microstation, Geomedia
The need of using GIS in Vietnam isincreasing - both in the government andprivate sectors. A national spatial datainfrastructure has still not been created;one of the factors behind is lack of nation-al standards. Vietnamese governmentpromulgated a decree-law of disseminat-ing spatial data of hard copy or soft copy,under which all spatial data are to bemanaged by governmental agencies anddisseminated limitedly. Geodatabasesthat exist for provinces as part of provin-cial data infrastructures and facilitatingadministration have been designed byfew Vietnamese companies with sizesnot large and compatible with others to alarge extent.Reference:http://www.fig.net/pub/proceedings/korea/full-papers/session3/dang-le.htm
With inputs fromDr. Tran Vinh Phuoc, (UIT), Mr LUU DINH HIEP (DITAGISCentre) and Thanh Le Phuoc (Vietnam - Denmark VIDAGISCo.)
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NSDI has stillnot been creat-ed; one of thefactors behindis lack of nation-al standards
Saurabh MishraAssistant [email protected]
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THE DIRT Pete Kelsey, Technical Evangelist,Autodesk is the creator of this blog. He has an ongoing project onon Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile.He is using Autodesk Civil 3D 2007
and Trimble GPS gear to inventory, monitor, and map archeo-logical sites on Rapa Nui. He has already created survey grade,georeferenced, 3D models the site, and then overlaid these mod-els on the base map of the entire island that he has himselfdrawn. In the blog, Pete Kelsey provides an account of the workthat he is doing on Civil 3D, especially in the Easter Islands.
http://petekelsey.typepad.com/the_dirt/2007/03/
3d_modeling_on_.html
GIS OBSESSEDThe blog has been created byMike Olkin, an ESRI-authorisedArcGIS instructor. There are nine articles posted underthe 3D GIS section. Most of
the articles are based on 3D models developed for the town ofAmherst, Massachusetts, USA. The blog also features sectionson SketchUp, Google Earth, ArcGIS 9.2, Resources and ArcGISServer.
http://gisobsessed.blogspot.com
ALL POINTS BLOGGary Smith from Green Mountain Geo-Graphics, Ltd.,shares his take on the newversion of SketchUp and what he knows
about its integration in the GIS world in this article. He discuss-es two new additions to the software, namely, Photo Match andLayout which enable users to build and add 3D content to theirexisting designs.
www.allpointsblog. com/archives/2340-New-SketchUp;-
Whats-it-mean-for-GIS.html
EARTHWARE BLOGThe author has puttogether a list ofnew features thatMicrosoft is in theprocess of develop-
ment into the Virtual Earth, version 5. The features that will beready for release by summer include Support For Mac’s SafariBrowser, Mobile API / Tileserver, Rooftop accuracy geocoding forUS. Other features that would be available in the near future arethe Polygon Searching and native GIS support, Better Custom,Image Overlays, Map Metadata, Street side views, Improved 3DModel Textures, Support for a 3D Model Community and Licens-ing for use of imagery outside of Virtual Earth. There are articles in other featured sections (General Mapping,
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0762
A compilation of blogs and articles on 3D mapping and modelling
Blogs: 3Blogs: 3D Mapping
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Google Earth, Google Maps and MicrosoftVirtual Earth) that make for a good read.
www.earthware.co.uk/blog/?p=20
WEB 3D CONSORTIUMThe Web3DConsortiumdefines andevolves the
X3D royalty-free open standards file for-mat and run-time architecture to repre-sent and communicate 3D scenes andobjects using XML over the Web and net-works.
It is an ISO ratified standard that provides a system for the storage,retrieval and playback of real time graph-ics content embedded in applications, all within an open architecture to supporta wide array of domains and user scenarios. The community blog provides a forum for discussion regarding the utili-ty, applications and developments inX3D.
www.web3d.org/community/blog
TRULIA BLOGThe blogfeaturesTrulia, a
new add-on to Google Earth that enablesyou to search for real estate in 3D!
Trulia also enables you to opt for dailyfeeds that match your real estate searchrequests and view the search results inGoogle Earth. The articles available underthe sections titled 'Mapping' and 'Geocod-ing' can be useful for people searching forinformation on real estate in the US.
www.truliablog.com
MEGABLOGThis blog hasbeen createdby architec-
ture students. It serves as a platform toshowcase their projects. Most of thepapers that have been posted have a 3Dcomponent. The post on 'Seismic City' has
the ingredients required for an interest-ing and informative read.
http://cu-megablog.blogspot.com
BLOGS CONTAINING ARTICLES ON 3D
“Microsoft Challenges Google EarthWith 3D City Maps”The article elaborates upon how VirtualEarth 3D from Microsoft can challengethe dominance of Google Earth.“The onlyway that it can truly surpass GoogleEarth is to introduce features that are notpresent in Google Earth” is a definingstatement in the sense that only the 'newfeatures' will determine whetherMicrosoft's new software can truly sur-pass Google Earth or not.
www.odditysoftware.com/blog
“Google Earth Technical andNon-technical Aspects Explained”This article gives the readers an idearegarding how it produces 3D images ofthe entire globe.
The article also provides a link to theNASA’s Shuttle Radar Topography Mis-sion or SRTM (http://srtm. usgs.gov/)data that is used by Google to generatethe digital elevation models (DEMs).
The DEMs and GIS data are togetherused to produce the 3D world images thatwe see on Google Earth.
The SRTM used radar instruments tocollect data for the most detailed, nearglobal topographic map of the Earth evermade.
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“TIBET IN 3D”The article gives an insight into how aNon-Governmental Organization called'Machik' is working to bring Tibet out ofoblivion, through a set of online projectsthat bring information about Tibet. Thisinformation would not only help others toknow about this mystical land but alsohelp Tibetans preserve their cultural her-itage. The Lhasa Neighbourhood Projecthas been explained in some detail in thisarticle. To quote, “it overlays the bound-aries of traditional neighbourhoods overthe contemporary map, neighbourhoodsthat remain only in stories and memories.People can explore these neighbourhoodsvia map and and 360 degree photo panora-mas. This means that students in rural vil-lages can see sites like the Parkour Plaza,the plaza outside the holiest of all temple.”The blog is hosted by Ethan Zuckerman,who is working at the Berkman Center forInternet and Society at Harvard Law Schoolas a research fellow.
http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?p=1059
Ananya GhoshSub [email protected]
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Urbanization has evinced interest from awide section of the society includingexperts, amateurs, and novices. With the
development and infrastructure initiatives mostlyaround the urban centers, the impacts of urbaniza-tion and sprawl would be on the environment and thenatural resources.
With the rapid development of technologies in recent years, 3D-GIS has emerged as a reality. Creation of 3D digital city modelusing conventional stereo images of aerial photos or satelliteimages is a cumbersome and less cost effective technique forapplications in wireless telecom networking and risk manage-ment. In telecom networking, the most important parameter forlocation of the signal towers is the building density data. Theheight of the buildings causes obstruction and loss of signalover a distance in urban areas.
A digital city model is very helpful in planning the installationof signal towers. The high resolution satellite imageries are usedto capture building polygons. The ratio of the base and the top ofthe building gives a relative height data which can be multi-plied with a factor based on the actual height of one building todetermine the actual height for all the buildings.
STUDY AREA, SOURCE, SCOPEAs a part of the study an area of approx. 2.5Sq.Km. of Kolkata citywas taken and a Merged QuickBird imagery of a resolution of 70cm was used for the study (Figure 1). These images were used asit is possible to distinguish both the skyscrapers and the resi-
dential areas when viewed at off nadir angle. The scope of thestudy includes creation of 3D city model for the area and Userneed assessment in that specified area. The study not onlyfocuses on the urban city modeling but also the use of these citymodels for micro-cellular and urban planning.
METHODOLOGY AND SOFTWARE USED The Methodology of the study (flow chart shown in Figure 2)comprises the following activities:
• Extraction of 3 main layers in AutoCAD platform (Built-up,Hydro & Road network )
• Plotting and Ground verification
• Image classification on Erdas platform
• Integration of all the layers (classified output)
• 3D visualization of the model created.Activity-wise details of theMethodology adopted are described below
BUILT-UP LAYER• Building Roof tops were captured as polygons in the AutoCADenvironment. The captured building polygons were moved to theirrespective bases using the semi automatic methods.
• Due to large variation in the building structures, semi automaticmethodology could not be used at all locations to find out thebuilding heights and the aid of field visit was taken in those areas.The Building heights were calculated based on the number offloors of the buildings.
• Classification of the building polygons as residential, commer-cial and industrial areas with reference to the field data received.
• An average height of about eight feet was taken as the stan-dard height for a floor and accordingly the building heights werecalculated (for the buildings where the height information couldnot be collected)
PLOTTING AND GROUND VERIFICATIONAfter the rooftop capturing and their respective base move-
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3D Models
3D City Models forUrban GIS
Raghuveer Jalli I Pramod Kumar D
The article presents a 3D GIS model for the city of Kolkata, India, using satelliteimagery and field work for building heights
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ment, unique IDs were generated overthe building footprints (bases) and theirhardcopy plots were taken at 1: 500 scale.The unique IDs were generated using anin-house built tool, which generates anumerical text (unique ID) at center ofeach building polygon. It also creates acorresponding Excel file which containsthe unique ID field with unique IDs. Thisapproach helps to verify each and everybuilding polygon on the field and its cor-responding height information can beentered into the hardcopy Excel files.
Numerous hardcopy plots were taken inAutoCAD software and their correspon-ding hardcopy excel sheets were given tothe field team, who were allotted differ-ent work allocation units to work upon.
The hardcopy plots included:• Master plan of the area: it included allthe major roads along with their names,and about a hundred and fifty main land-marks and important places in Kolkata.
• Image Hardcopy: It included the image(background) and overlying roads andtheir names along with landmarks points.
• Drawing Plots: It included the hardcopyplots of CAD drawings. It had buildingfootprint polygons along with their uniqueids and master plan drawings overlaid onit taken at 1: 500scale on Ansi D size (22x 34inches) paper.
Each and every building was identified,its height and building type (whethercommercial, residential or industrial etc)was noted on the ground and the infor-mation wasentered in theexcel sheet.
The measure-ment was mainlydone by threemain methods:
• Visual estima-tion methodswere used inthose places,where the entrywas restricted.
• GPS was used,where the entryinto the buildingwas possible.
• Collected height information fromestate manager or security etc.
Vector extraction and buffering The entire transportation layer was
divided into various categories like free-ways, highways, main roads, ramps,streets and railways etc. These layerswere extracted from the imagery and theappropriate widths were assigned basedon the standards that were used for dif-ferent classes.
HYDRO LAYERThe hydro layer consists of the confinedwater bodies and river courses. The riversare extracted either as lines or polygonsbased on the width.
IMAGE CLASSIFICATIONAll the other layers like vegetation classeswere classified using the semi automatedmethods after modification of the unsupervised product of the pan-sharp-ened data. The classes like playground,stadium etc. were captured manually,taking the reference of toposheets andguide maps.
INTEGRATION OF DIFFERENTLAYERS
• Building base polygons converted toRaster
• Buffered road network converted to Raster
65G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Fig. 1: Satellite image of the study area (Portion of Kolkata city)
Fig. 2: Flow chart for digital city model creation
Image classification
Other landuse classes
Digital City Model
Integration
Vector extraction andbuffering
Capturing buildingpolygons
Incorporating heightinformation
Single high resolution off nadir Image
64-66.qxp 4/6/2007 7:22 AM Page 65
• Classified layer of the other classes(vegetation, open barren, playground, and stadium etc.) from the modified unsu-pervised product of Pan-sharpenedimages
3D VISUALIZATION OF THE DATA A 3D view of the data (Figure 3) was gen-erated by providing building heightinformation, attached as an attributewith vector datasets (building footprints)using Arcview 3D analyst.
Softwares UsedThe software used for the study were:
• Auto Cad Map for roof top capturing andfurther movement of the tops to bases.
• Arcview 3.2-3D analyst for elevationdata creation and processing
• In-house developed tools for processingand format conversion
• Erdas Imagine for the extraction of Classified output and Virtual 3D simulation
ADVANTAGES• The building height can be taken foreven small buildings to very high risebuildings (rooftop structures like storagetanks, lift rooms etc can be ignored)
• General conventional methods needoverlapping stereo pairs for creation of3D model, whereas with this method asingle high resolution image is sufficientfor creating a 3D model
• Actual building heights can be comput-ed (with an inaccuracy of 2-3 metres) onan average if true height of one or morebuildings in the work area is known. Con-sidering the quick turnaround time andlow cost for the creation of data with suf-ficient acceptable accuracy limits, thismethod is much more acceptable thanconventional methods especially for cer-tain applications such as telecom networkplanning
• Trained professionals are not requiredand an average individual with good CADcapabilities can carry out the task withease
CONCLUSIONHigh-resolution satellite data, obtained
from satellites such as IKONOS andQuickBird, have considerably increasedthe interpretability of land use/land cov-er and transport network data extractionfor wireless telecom and utility sector.This present approach enables users tovisualize complicated urban planninginformation in 3D, to evaluate allowablecapacity of block and to simulate buildingplans. With visualization and analysiscapability, 3D-GIS is considered as a pow-erful tool to solve various issues whichmodern cities confront.NOTE: The entire article with full references can be found at www.gisdevelopment.net/magazine/asia/years/2007/apr
A P R I L 2 0 07G I S D E V E L O P M E N T66
Raghuveer Jalli RMSI, Noida, [email protected]
Pramod Kumar DRMSI, Noida, [email protected]
Fig. 3: 3D visualization of the study area.
64-66.qxp 4/6/2007 7:22 AM Page 66
Picture This...
Dust Storm in NorthernChinaA dust storm struck northwest-ern China, on March 24, 2007. The MODIS flying onboard theTerra satellite captured thisimage the same day. In this pic-ture, the dust plume forms afeathery brush over the brownlandscape. Source points for thedust storm appear near the baseof the mountain range to thewest, and the dust moves in asemicircular motion toward theeast. West of the storm, cloudsappear to move in a similar fash-ion, and may be driven by thesame weather system that stirredup the dust.
Credit: Jesse Allen, Earth Observatory , NASA
http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/
Najd Plateau,Saudia ArabiaThe Medium Resolution ImagingSpectrometer (MERIS) image iscentred over the plateau regionof Najd located in Saudia Arabia,bounded on the west by the AlHijaz mountains and on all othersides by desert sands. A curiousfeature about this image are theirrigated fields shown as greyand black circular patterns at thetop and centre left of the image.
Credit: European Space Agencyhttp://earth.esa.int/earthimages
A P R I L 2 0 07G I S D E V E L O P M E N T68
68-69.qxp 4/6/2007 7:24 AM Page 68
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T 69
The Sun's Magnetic FieldVivid orange streamers of super-hot,electrically charged gas (plasma) arc from the surface of the Sun, reveal-ing the structure of the solar magneticfield rising vertically from a sunspot.This extremely detailed image of theSun was taken by the Solar OpticalTelescope on the newly launched Hin-ode spacecraft on November 20, 2006.
It and other images, which NASAreleased for the first time on March 21,2007, reveal that the Sun’s magneticfield is much more turbulent anddynamic than previously known. Hinode is a collaborative mission led by the Japan Aerospace ExplorationAgency, the European Space Agencyand Britain's Particle Physics Astrono-my Research Council.
Image credit: Hinode JAXA/NASA
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/solar-b/
Fire and IceThis image of Scandinavia, comprising countries on the Scandinavian Peninsula, namely, Norway and Sweden, andjust south, Denmark, was capturedby the MODIS on the Terra satelliteon March 27, 2007. Although snowcovers much of the area, which is ofno surprise, considering the ArcticCircle runs through, just north ofthe Bay of Bothnia, it is surprisingto spot few red dots (marked in redcircle), spread in the centre of theimage that are the locations of firesthat MODIS has detected.
Credit: Jeff Schmaltz,http://modis.gsfc.nasa.gov/gallery/
individual.php?db_date=2007-03-30
A P R I L 2 0 07
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Consumer market for GPS-enabled prod-ucts and services is booming at a paceunimagined few years ago. As the
manufacturers realize the potential of this trend, theshelves are flooded with gadgets that integrate thistechnology into our daily lives. In TechWatch we bringyou a compilation of such lifestyle applications andproducts.
One such application is in the field of fitness, sports and healthmonitoring. Listed in forgoing paragraphs are some of the avail-able GPS devices designed for the purpose of keeping a track ofyour fitness regime or act as a personal trainer while you have a
go at your favourite sport. All these devices are either capable ofdisplaying the results on their own in-built screen or can beintegrated with your cell phone.
TIMEX BODYLINK SYSTEM
The Timex Bodylink system (www.timex.com) offers athletesand fitness enthusiasts the unprecedented ability to track, storeand analyze several key indicators of personal performance.Using the very latest in digital technology, the Bodylink systemis a network of up to four devices worn on the body that acttogether as a single information and sport monitoring system.The Timex IRONMAN Triathlon Bodylink performance monitoris the essential element to the Bodylink system by providingreal-time workout data. It teams with the Timex Digital HeartRate sensor and the Timex Speed + Distance sensor to simulta-neously provide comprehensive performance feedback.
CASIO GPR-100 GPS WATCH
Casio (www.casio.com) released the GPR-100, a small, light-weight wrist-worn device that uses GPS technology to displayreal-time data on distance, speed, and pace. This is a new avatarof their earlier and the first GPS-cum-watch venture ProTrek,launched in 1999. GPR-100 boasts of an ultra compact GPSreceiving antenna, a compact, high-performance GPS module,and embedded wafer level package (EWLP) technology. It alsofeatures automatic time adjustment using satellite data and thedevice displays the exact time anywhere in the world.
Runners who break records in long-distance races are able to
G I S D E V E L O P M E N T A P R I L 2 0 0770
Tech Watch
Harpreet Rooprai
GPS-enabledFitness Gear
70-71.qxp 4/6/2007 7:55 AM Page 70
adjust their speed at just the right timewhile maintaining their own pace andhence more and more players are relyingon devices that measure run data usingGPS technology.
NAVMAN SPORT TOOL RANGE
Sport Tool range by NAVMAN is designedto give athletes all the necessary ultra-precise information: speed, distance, laptimes, etc. – easily visible on an integrat-ed display.
This Sport Tool uses GPS technology toprovide accurate readings and real-timeinformation on speed and distance trav-elled. This lightweight device is strapped
to your arm, has 16 hours rechargeablebattery life and is water resistant. This300 series device comes in different mod-els and are suited for most of the sportsapplications, be it walking, running,
cycling, skating or skiing.
More information on the product can beobtained from sports and lifestyle page ofwww.navman.com
GARMIN 305 FOOT POD
Although Garmin (www.garmin.com)has many products in its Forerunner andEdge range, which are being used as fit-ness equipments, all of them do not workwhen you are training indoors. To tacklethis, Garmin introduced 305 Foot Pod, anaccessory to the Forerunner 305 thatallows athletes to train indoor where aGPS signal is unavailable.
This shoe-mounted device wirelesslycommunicates with the wrist-worn Fore-
runner 305 to provide accurate distanceand speed while training on treadmills orindoor tracks. Once the accessory isturned on, the Forerunner 305 recognizesits wireless signal and asks if the userwishes to train using the Foot Pod insteadof with the Forerunner’s built-in GPS.Once confirmed, the Forerunner 305 deac-
tivates the GPS and Foot Pod beginsmeasuring the workout.
ADEO F ITNESS COMPANION
MotionLingo (www.motion-lingo.com) has come out with
its Adeo Fitness Companionwith built-in GPS technology.
The device can announce yourrunning speed, the dis-
tance travelled, time andother stats at preset
intervals. You can use thegadget by itself, or con-
nect it to an MP3 playerand listen to music in
between exercise updates.This device connects to GPS
satellites to track & record yourworkouts and audibly reports your
distance, pace, speed, elapsed time, eleva-tion and calories burned. It features Mul-ti-sport functionality i.e., it could be usedfor running, walking, biking, blading, ski-ing. This talking GPS trainer also lets youchart and evaluate your workouts onyour PC or Mac and works with any MP3player, iPod, or alone.
TRIMBLE ALLSPORT GPS APPLICATION
Trimble introduced “AllSport” GPS appli-cation to extend its Trimble Outdoorsfamily of products and services into thepersonal fitness management category.Trimbles AllSport GPS applicationenables fitness enthusiasts to engage in a
fitness program that tracks results andmaps progress on a cell phone. The latestversion of the AllSport GPS applicationcan measure distance, time speed and
calories of outdoor activity, pinpoint cur-rent location on a street map, topographi-cal map and aerial photos, and store theactivity and fitness information on thehandset.
The data is then automaticallyuploaded to the AllSport GPS Website(www.allsportgps.com) for viewing,analysis and sharing. Additionally, theapplication allows users to track theprogress of their fitness routines, exportworkouts to Google Earth to view in aninteractive 3-D presentation.
71G I S D E V E L O P M E N TA P R I L 2 0 07
Harpreet RoopraiSub [email protected]
70-71.qxp 4/6/2007 7:55 AM Page 71
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April 2007 23 - 25 April 2nd National GIS Symposium & ExhibitionKhobar, Saudi Arabia
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29 - 30 May Where 2.0 ConferenceSan Jose, California, USA
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June 2007 5 - 9 JuneInternational Symposium on Digital EarthSan Francisco, USA
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July 2007 3 - 7 JulyInternational Symposium & ExhibitionApplied GeoinformaticsSalzburg, Austria
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74.qxp 4/6/2007 7:28 AM Page 74
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Build and publish your 3D-rendered scene from the barest of resources: raw imagery and ground control points. Use our seamlessly-integrated Leica Photogrammetry Suite to create stereo pairs, extract terrain and create orthorectified imagery. Take these same stereo pairs into
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Copyright © 2007 Leica Geosystems. All rights reserved. ERDAS IMAGINE is a registered trademark and exclusive property; Stereo Analyst is a registered mark. IMAGINE Enterprise Loader, IMAGINE Enterprise Editor, IMAGINE Easytrace and IMAGINE AutoSync are trademarks. Geospatial Imaging Chain is a trademark, service mark and property of Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging, LLC.
