geospatial 03 2012 100/- ISSN 0972-6810 Volunteered geographic information and crowdsourcing have emerged as tremendous methods of collecting user-generated content. Anthony Stefanidis

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Volunteered geographic information and crowdsourcing have emerged as tremendous methods of collecting user-generated content. Anthony Stefanidis and Matthew T Rice discuss the role these new paradigms are playing in data collection and

raising situational awareness through active citizen participation

geospatialTODAY

032012 www.geospatialtoday.com` 100/-

Geoinformationfrom all and for all



CONTENTS02 NEWS

12 GEoiNformatioN from all aNd for all

Volunteered geographic information and crowdsourcing have emerged as tremendous methods of collecting user-generated content. Anthony Stefanidis and Matthew T Rice discuss the role these new paradigms are playing in data collection and raising situational awareness through active citizen participation

26 GEodESiGN for SuStaiNablE

dEvElopmENt

GeoDesign brings geographic analysis into design processes, resulting in intelligent, thoughtful designs that promote sustainability. Tom Gardner discusses the importance of the concept in urban planning.

28 StrENGthENiNG EmErGENcy rESpoNSE SyStEm

A web-based interactive response mapping system is the key to an effective emergency response plan, as it provides critical information to first responders to expedite rescue operations

41 ENabliNG ENtErpriSE iNtEGratioN

Organisations across industries are gearing up for enterprise integration without which it will be extremely difficult for them to upgrade their existing systems or add new technologies. Gijsbert Noordam explores the different approaches that Bentley solutions offer for enterprise integration

prof ian masserVisiting Professor, Centre for Advanced Spatial Analyses, University College, London, UK

Jack dangermondFounder and President, ESRI

dr Shailesh r Nayak Secretary, Min of Earth Sciences

dr v JayaramanFormer Director, NRSC

maj Gen (dr) r Siva KumarCEO-NSDI, Head - NRDMS

K r Sridhara murthiSenior Expert, Office of Advisor to PM, Innovation and Public Information Infrastructure, India

m moniDeputy Director General, National Informatics Centre, Government of India

rajesh c mathurVice Chairman, ESRI India

dr mukund raoConsultant (National GIS), Planning Commission

dr r NagarajaGroup Head, NDC, NRSC

dr N l SardaProf. Computer Science & Engineering Department, IIT Bombay

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coNtact uS

VOLUME 11 ISSUE 1

Editorial advisory board12COVER STORY

iNtErviEWS

Greg Bentley CEO, Bentley Systems

Ajith Menon CEO, DES Mapping Solutions

18 2436croSSiNG thE diGital dividE

21capacity buildiNG for SuStaiNablE dEvElopmENt

New survey reveals the impact of climate change on indian water resources

indian teacher to join the flight of teacher liaisons programme

According to the findings of Climawater project, a

three-year project work jointly conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi and the International Water Management Institute, India will face huge challenges in maintaining adequate food and water supply in the next few decades. However, these challenges can be overcome by following an integrated, multi-sectoral approach that takes into account water use from farm to river basin level. The survey has been funded by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs

through Bioforsk, a national research institute in Norway, and its findings have been compiled into a book titled “Water and Climate Change:

The US space foundation has invited Vandana

Suryawanshi, a teacher at the Vidya Valley School in Maharashtra, India, to join the 2012 Flight of Teacher Liaisons programme. Vandana will join 19 other outstanding educators who have been selected for actively

the space industry and the military. At the 28th National Space Symposium of the Space Foundation to be held from April 16-19 in Colorado, the 2012 Teacher Liaisons will be publicly recognised. During the event, the liaisons will also participate in workshops and education programmes.

and resources to further integrate space principles into the classroom.

The programme has more than 270 active participants and new members are selected by a panel comprising experienced teacher liaisons and representatives from

investments and further policy reforms to remain food secure whilst protecting the natural systems on which agriculture relies. The book is compiled based on extensive research carried out in the Godavari River Basin which covers large areas of the states of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Chhattisgarh and Pondicherry, as well as parts of Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. According to the authors of the book, Dr A K Gosain of IITD and Dr Udaya Sekhar Nagothu of Bioforsk, this is one of the first studies using a multi-scale integrated approach.

promoting space and science education.

The flight of Teacher Liaisons programme will act as an advocate for promoting space-themed education across the curriculum in schools in the US and will use the Space Foundation provided training

technology to aid in treasure hunt in hyderabad

Following the revelations made by workers

involved in construction at the Vidyaranya School in Hyderabad, regarding the presence of an underground tunnel which is said to contain a hidden treasure trove, the state archaeology department has jumped into action and has started excavation activities. Initially, manual

Development Corporation (NMDC) and the Geological Survey of India are also being involved, and if required, the National Remote Sensing Centre will also be roped in the excavation process.

According to Dr P Channa Reddy, Director of Archaeology and Museums, scanners and earth imagers will help in locating the treasure, if it exists, and also in tracking the location of the tunnel and to know whether it is a standalone structure or is linked to similar structures. Treasures are said to exist in Saifabad and surrounding areas.

Tunnels containing empty chests have been unearthed in

earlier excavations in Saifabad area.

and mechanised digging methods were used to locate the tunnel. To expedite the excavation process, the state archaeology department has planned to use ground scanners, earth imagers, long-range gold detectors, and gradiometers to get electromagnetic and acoustical information on what lies beneath. The National Mineral

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An integrated approach to adaptation challenges.”

The book further states that India will have to make more

02 | geospatial TODAY march 2012

researchers map purnagad fort

North carolina city chooses infoSewer

Researchers from Bharat Itihas Sanshodhak Mandal

are mapping Purnagad, a hill fort in Ratnagiri district that was constructed in 1724 AD by Kanhoji Angre, chief of the Maratha Navy. A grant of `1.5 lakh has been provided to the mandal by the Indian Council of Historical Research (ICHR) for the two-year mapping project that will be conducted using total stations. The fort is of particular significance because it has pure Maratha architecture untouched by other architectural influences.

The City of Hendersonville, North Carolina, has

selected InfoSewer for ArcGIS as its sewer modelling platform. InfoSewer has helped define the standard in the industry for GIS-centric sewer network analysis, planning and design since 2003. “InfoSewer gives us the blend of powerful, easy-to-use

Association of GIS-centric Software, InfoSewer is a powerful ArcGIS-based computer program for planning, designing, analysing, sanitary, storm and combined sewer collection systems. It can be effectively used to model both dry-weather and wet-weather flows and determine the most cost-effective and

analysis capabilities we need to effectively plan and manage our sewer system,” said Brent Detwiler, City Engineer. “We have a significant investment in Esri ArcGIS technology, and InfoSewer lets us leverage our GIS data for fast and accurate modelling.”

Certified by the National

Mapping will aid in repair and maintenance of the fort and will also aid in attracting tourism. According to Sachin Joshi, a researcher involved in the mapping project, the Purnagad fort has been chosen because its fortification, gateways, bastions, and other structures are considerably intact, and detailed drawings and mapping of the fort can be done easily.

The researchers also plan to explore trade activities in the

fort before 1860. The team has preferred to use Total Stations instead of manual mapping because it will help in mapping different contours of the fort easily. Places where canons were stationed, residential areas, storerooms and granaries will be particularly mapped during the exercise. Even though the ceilings of the fort have crumbled, its walls still stand high. After mapping, the details can be used to reconstruct the fallen structures.

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rolta upgrades its cutting-edge geoimaging technology

Rolta has released Geomatica 2012, a

complete and integrated software solution featuring tools designed to solve challenging problems of remote sensing, photogrammetry, GIS and digital mapping. With this upgraded software platform, Rolta continues to provide the high performance software tools that enable geospatial professionals to solve real-world problems

faster and cost-effectively. Rolta Geomatica 2012 has been built from the ground up using 64-bit architecture and is designed to utilise the full breadth of a user’s computing resources to deliver maximum performance, while taking advantage of the proven track-record and experience of hundreds of users of earlier versions of Geomatica.

The demand for effectively handling large volumes of

Developed using 64-bit architecture, the Geomatica

2012 software enables better image processing

and enhancement.

geoimaging data is growing due to the increase of voluminous earth observation data from satellite and aerial sensors. Rolta Geomatica 2012 is enriched with sophisticated software tools and algorithms that enable

geospatial professionals to complete their tasks much faster than before. The new upgraded software provides huge improvements such as on-the-fly image enhancements, drag-and-drop file handling combined with new functionalities such as optical and coherent change detection, making Rolta Geomatica 2012 an exceptionally capable advanced geoimaging solution.

reliable method of wastewater collection. Built atop ArcGIS, InfoSewer enables engineers and GIS professionals to work simultaneously on the same integrated platform, commanding powerful GIS analysis and hydraulic modelling in a single environment using a single dataset.


Solar atlas soon for india

rmSi joins Google’s authorised reseller program

SuperSurv 3, mobile survey system for android oS released

The Centre for Wind Energy Technology

is developing a database that will help in identifying hotspots for installing solar plants in India. Currently, solar power developers in India use information from radiation maps of NASA for identifying best locations for installing solar power plants. A Chennai-based government agency has expressed plans to develop a state-of-the-art solar atlas of India within two years which will aid in speedy development of solar power projects. The atlas will help

RMSI has become an authorised reseller of

Google Earth Enterprise and Google Maps API Premier. Google Earth Enterprise is an application based on Google Earth that helps organisations to visualise their imagery and geospatial data on Google Earth so that the information is useful and accessible to decision makers and their front-line employees. Google Maps API enables organisations to add powerful

SuperGeo Technologies has released SuperSurv 3,

a mobile survey system with a global coordinate system which supports bilingual – traditional Chinese and English – user interface. SuperSurv 3 can also be operated on Android mobile devices. It mainly offers users with the convenience of data collection in field survey and supports to display base map

products. RMSI received training, support and deployment services from Google, as well as access to APIs for integrating Google’s geo products into its customer’s business applications. Anup Jindal, Chief Operating Officer, RMSI said, “Adding Google’s geo products to our already existing vast portfolio of products and solutions will further strengthen our unique ability to provide complete solutions.

in locating hotspots with high solar radiation potential for generating solar power. Based on the database,

and easy-to-use interactive maps to their public website or internal applications.

In addition to reselling Google’s products, RMSI will also be responsible for deployment, training, management, and maintenance of these

As a reseller RMSI will be responsible

for deployment and maintenance of google

products.

tom tom opens new facility in pune

Tom Tom has opened an expanded map making

facility in Pune, India, to enhance its focus and commitment to the Indian market. The new facility will use state-of-the-art standards for delivering fresh, accurate navigation content and routing intelligence to Indian customers. The company generates compelling map products particularly designed for Indian consumer using multiple data sources including the latest crowd sourcing and community input tools. Commenting on the new facility, Jocelyn Vigreux, Managing Director of TomTom India said that their products are gaining traction in India and the new facility will play a major role in further improving the maps and popular features such as landmark navigation and emergency help. TomTom maps provide 100 per cent coverage of more than 5,000 cities and towns across India. They are designed to work with Landmark Navigation and exclusive TomTom extras such as advanced lane guidance and spoken street names.

in SGT format and Web map services. Users can import vector layer for references to collect spatial data more effectively.

With GPS, camera, and custom tables, it allows surveyors to completely record the attributes of point, line, polygon features and photo information; and ensures that the collected data can

be successfully applied in other GIS software. When conducting field surveys, users are allowed to collect data, record track, and use waypoint guidance simultaneously to achieve their tasks efficiently.

Designed with user-centered concept, SuperSurv 3 can customise the map display and set the overlay order of layers and colour of features.

able to make a better choice of which solar technology (photovoltaic, solar thermal or any other) to use. The Indian government plans to generate 20,000 MW of solar power by 2022 and to achieve this goal a national solar mission has been established by the central government to offer financial incentives and subsidies for promoting investment in this form of clean energy. Out of India’s installed power generation capacity of some 1.9 lakh MW, solar energy currently accounts for just over 100 MW.

project developers will be able to estimate the output of a solar plant more efficiently. In addition, they will also be

march 2012 geospatial TODAY | 05

Nikon uses NavtEQ maps in its coolpiX aW series

la county department of public Works deploys innovyze technology

Nikon is using NAVTEQ maps and location content

in its COOLPIX AW series of compact digital cameras. This is the first COOLPIX camera series targeted for outdoor applications, and the AW100 is the first waterproof, shock-proof and cold-resistant camera among Nikon’s compact digital cameras. The camera is also equipped with GPS support, an electronic compass and a map display. Users can check their exact location on the map display. GPS helps in pinpointing geo-tagged photos via Point

improvement programme and optimise business performance. The purchase equips LACDPW with a comprehensive range of high-performance ArcGIS-centric water infrastructure analysis and management capabilities, enabling it to address critical design, operational, water quality, and capital investment planning issues with maximum effectiveness while improving customer service. LACDPW

will use Innovyze programs to develop and calibrate accurate, comprehensive dynamic models of all its districts. These models will aid the enterprise in optimising its capital improvement plans to provide maximum benefit at the lowest cost.

“We were looking for a comprehensive, easy-to-use GIS-centric solution for both hydraulic and water quality network analysis and asset

performance modeling that would help us optimize our complex water systems,” said Ray Razo, P.E., Associate Civil Engineer, Waterworks Division at LACDPW. “The Innovyze ArcGIS-centric smart water network management applications suite gives us a set of very powerful tools to tackle short- and long-term planning, operational and management challenges while maintaining the highest level of service.”

of Interest (POI) data supplied with the NAVTEQ map. NAVTEQ map features millions of POIs in over 50 categories, including restaurants, tourist attractions, shops, hotels and much more. Maps and location content enable users to organise their photos geographically and identify where and when a particular photo was taken. Every year NAVTEQ collects millions of miles of data to validate the road network and a wide range of location content, as per the changes occurring in the real world.

Innovyze, a leading global innovator of wet

infrastructure modelling and simulation software and technologies, announced that the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (LACDPW), California, is installing Innovyze’s industry-leading InfoWater, InfoWater MSX and CapPlan smart water modelling and management solution software to support its comprehensive capital

r-apdrp implementation falling behind schedule in J&K

The central government has recently criticised

the Jammu and Kashmir government over the slow pace of implementation of the R-APDRP project in 30 identified towns of the state. The Union Power Ministry had earlier sanctioned approximately `1,700 crore to the J&K government under

R-APDRP, of which `119 crore were immediately released as the first installment for undertaking up-gradation of

grid stations, transmission lines and feeders to cap the T&D losses. The centre is annoyed as the state has diverted a major part of R-APDRP funds to other areas. Since 2002, the union government has allotted `3,900 crore to J&K under the APDRP for implementing reforms in the power sector.

However, most of the funds were used for purchasing power to meet the consumer demand and very little funds were allocated for rectifying AT&C losses. According to an official, the state has not been implementing the reforms strictly and has been making cosmetic changes instead.

The Jammu & Kashmir power department has failed to meet

the targets set under R-APDRP.

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Exploring the diamond potential in rayalaseema

mapping forest cover in J&K

customise area analysis applications with the community analyst api

constituency, Ramagiri in Penugonda constituency, Chigacherla village in Dharmvaram, and other villages – Pillalapalle, Timmasamduram, Brahmasamudram and Nagareddypalle – to inspect if there are any kimberlite formations.

A team of 37 experts, including 18 kimberlite

specialists from South Africa, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Norway, Finland, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, England and other countries visited the Rayalaseema area to explore the diamond bearing kimberlite formations in the region, under an idea sharing programme organised by the Geological Survey of India (GSI) in the district.

The foreign experts were joined by 10 geologists and nine other experts form GSI. Earlier, geological surveys had been conducted in the region as part of the National Diamond Project and 53 kimberlite

Dwindling forest cover has become a major concern

for the Jammu and Kashmir government. The state has therefore asked ISRO to conduct satellite mapping to check how the afforestation projects implemented across the state during past two decades have fared. The

ESRI has released an API for Community

Analyst, allowing greater flexibility for developers who need to create customised applications that assess the population characteristics of an area. ESRI Community Analyst is a Software as a Service (SaaS) mapping solution that provides GIS capabilities in a simple and

formations were identified. Experts from the De Beers diamond company have also conducted an aerial survey using ultrahigh resolution magnetic equipment to locate kimberlite resources in the region.

The 37-member team visited Lepakshi in Hindupur

easy-to-use framework through a Web application, as an add-in for ArcGIS for Desktop, and now as an API for customised development.

With the Community Analyst API, developers can create custom Web, mobile, and desktop applications that produce detailed reports using thousands of data variables, including demographic, health, and crime. The API also gives developers more control over what data and specific geographies they want users to view, publicly or

internally. Community Analyst provides detailed information about the demographic composition and lifestyles of neighborhood residents. Reports are provided as presentation-ready PDFs, Microsoft Excel spreadsheets, or XML streams. A free 30-day Community Analyst API trial is available at esri.com/ca.

initiative will also help the government to demarcate the total area under green cover and in implementing preventive measures to save forests from further encroachments. Other advantages of the survey include assessing the density of crops, types and availability

of non-timber forest produce and medicinal plants in different compartments. According to Shant Manu, Commissioner Secretary Forest, the ground work has been completed for enabling ISRO to start collecting the latest data about the state forests.

SuperGeo develops a GiS mobile guide system app for iphone

SuperGeo Technologies has joined the plan being

implemented by Development Center of United Technology, Ministry of Education in Taiwan, to develop a local mobile guide system app “Yilan Yuanshan Trip” for iPhone users. To promote the development of tourism in Yuanshan Recreational Agriculture Area, the system integrates the digital guidance information of several areas, Zhenshan, Dahudi, and Hengshangto. The system will also help in achieving the target of promoting the agriculture development in Yuanshan Township, Yilan. Yilan Yuanshan Trip integrates not only GPS, e-compass, and augmented reality, but also the GIS and LBS technologies which allow tourists to recognise the direction and distances of the scenic spot easily. Using GPS functions, tourists can effortlessly obtain the information, such as accommodation, cusine and cultural history, on their current location. Users can receive the latest sales news and discount message from local shops via push notification. SuperGeo has released a number of applications for Android platform in addition to the application for the industry-academy cooperation.

The API will provide enhanced capabilities to

application developers for developing customised

applications.


iic technologies ltd buys dmc ii-230 camera

cSr plc to use Synopsys technology

Hexagon Geosystems has announced that IIC

Technologies Limited has purchased a Z/I Imaging DMC II-230 large-format digital mapping camera system. IIC Technologies is the first Indian company to purchase the DMC II digital sensor, introducing the latest digital imaging technology to the Indian mapping market. “IIC Technologies has established an outstanding reputation for supplying high-quality and cost-effective photogrammetric and geospatial solutions in last two

major factor for succeeding in mobile computing markets. CSR has successfully installed the Galaxy platform in its 40-nm, high-end Coach 14 digital camera chip.

The SoC is extremely complex and has millions of instances and intellectual property (IP)

decades. Our new airborne data acquisition capabilities augment our existing surveys, image processing, GIS and software development strengths to deliver end-to-end geospatial solutions with a quick turnaround. DMC II 230’s large format capability, high performance along with unmatched radiometric and geometric resolution among the large format frame cameras will help us to deliver increased productivity and quality to our customers,” said Rajesh Alla, Group Chairman and MD, IIC Technologies.

blocks, including Synopsys’ DesignWare USB 2.0 and DDR IP. Key components of the Galaxy platform include Design Compiler Graphical with IC Compiler, IC Compiler Zroute technology and PrimeTime HyperScale technology.

is a major factor for being chosen by CSR. According to Babak Bastani, Vice President of global chip design at CSR, the Galaxy Platform will better enable CSR to predictably tape out differentiated designs for delivering superior performance with low power consumption, which is a

CSR plc is using Synopsys’ Galaxy implementation

platform for designing its 40-nanometre (nm) system-on-chips (SoCs). The ability of the Galaxy platform to deliver a robust hierarchical SoC design flow while meeting the requirements for aggressive timing, area, and power goals,

GbbiS introduces mobile business locator

GbBIS has launched a new mobile locator to ensure

the accessibility of business locations and information to customers across the US. This Mobile Locator joins a family of services for a wide range of browsers, the iPad, and smartphones.

The Mobile Locator provides cross-platform support, allowing customers to find business locations on their smartphones, tablets, or at

home on their computers. Using this application, customers can search by ZIP code, address, city, or state to generate a detailed map of locations closest to them as well as turn-by-turn navigation and location information. “Among the

seamlessly into our website, says Jim Forguson, Project Manager for Liberty Tax Service. “Customers are able to find our locations simply by typing in their ZIP Code and are provided with a detailed map as well as directions to and from each store location. Cross-platform support guarantees the most accessibility of our store locations to our customers wherever they are when they need them.”

Finding business locations has just got

easier with the new Mobile Business Locator.

advantages of our new Mobile Locator service is its complete customisability,” explains Dan Olasin, President and CEO of GbBIS. “It is specifically designed to be compatible with any company’s corporate identity. Businesses don’t need to reformat their websites or style in order to incorporate our application.”

The Mobile Locator application integrates

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leica Geosystems bags contract from ordnance Survey

bentley provides bim tools for Europe’s largest construction project

plus options for multiple reflectorless Total Stations. This award follows previous successful tenders. In 2007, Leica Geosystems supplied over 100 Leica GRX1200 GNSS receivers that provide the raw data to Ordnance Survey’s OS Net, Leica SmartNet and other Network RTK services in Great Britain. The Leica Viva GS15 receivers

Bentley Systems has announced two key

initiatives to support the construction phase of Crossrail – Europe’s largest construction project. The initiatives are aimed at integrating the whole Crossrail supply chain to create best practices in information modelling for construction.

Moreover, they are in keeping with the UK government’s construction strategy, which calls for replacing adversarial cultures in projects with collaborative ones. At the recent Crossrail Tier 1

After an 18-month competitive tendering

process, Leica Geosystems Ltd has been awarded the contract to supply over 200 survey grade Leica Viva GS15 GNSS receivers to Ordnance Survey, the National Mapping Agency for Great Britain. The contract also includes the supply of over 200 Leica DISTO D8 handheld distance meters,

through the ProjectWise system of collaboration servers and services and eB software for controlling project information.

A newly chartered Crossrail/Bentley Construction/BIM academy will support the Crossrail “extended” enterprise with innovative applications of BIM for the Crossrail construction phase. The new academy will help Crossrail project participants discover and assess, in a collegial environment, the benefits of advanced technology.

will replace 250 Leica System 500 GPS receivers that were supplied to Ordnance Survey’s field surveyors in 2002.

Neil Ackroyd, Ordnance Survey Director of Data Capture and Management said, “For over 220 years Ordnance Survey has been surveying the changing landscape of Great Britain and I am proud that we are recognised as being highly innovative in maintaining and enhancing one of the most detailed and up-to-date geographic databases in the world.” “It is core to our strategy that Ordnance Survey surveyors are equipped with the best tools to carry out their job. After a thorough procurement process, with strong competition, we are pleased that the new Leica Viva GS15 GNSS receivers are now being actively used across the country by our surveyors,” he added.

contractor Briefing held at Bentley UK headquarters, Bentley announced that Crossrail’s Enterprise License Subscription (ELS) for Bentley’s application software portfolio will be broadened to serve the extended “Crossrail enterprise” – now encompassing its Tier 1 contractors. Crossrail’s ELS connects project participants

GpS to strengthen public distribution system

Following the statement made by Sharad Pawar,

Union Agriculture Minister, that the National Food Security Bill can’t be implemented unless the distribution network is improved, K V Thomas, Union Minister for Consumer Affairs and Food and Public Distribution has initiated revamp initiatives including use of specialised vehicles, installation of dedicated rail lines, GPS, new silos and biometric identification system to enhance the public distribution system. According to Thomas, most of the states in the country are modernising the public distribution system either by computerisation or by allotting Aadhaar cards, and this is proving to be beneficial. The food security bill aims to provide low-cost food grains to 63.5 per cent of India’s population at an estimated cost of `65,000 crore. Certain issues, such as who should incur the transport charges – between FCI and ration shops – also need to be settled.

up maps poll stations

As reported by the Times of India, voters in Uttar Pradesh,

who are unsure about the location of their polling booths after the delimitation exercise, can now refer to Google Maps for help. Umesh Sinha, the Chief Electoral Officer in UP has launched a Google map-enabled search engine with which voters can now find out the name and location of their polling station. Speaking to TOI, Sinha said, “This is a Geographical Information System-based initiative which will come in handy for those people who are new to a region. You can search for your name on the photo electoral roll, the location of the polling booth will also show up.” The location of polling booth can be checked at www.ceouttarpradesh.nic.in.

Bentley solutions will help in intigrating the

entire supply chain and information modelling

in the crossrail project.


Geosemble and baE Systems strengthen product integration

National GiS ready, says Sam pitroda

Geosemble Technologies, Inc and BAE Systems

have expanded their collaboration to integrate Geosemble’s GeoXray data-to-knowledge application and BAE Systems’ GXP Xplorer data discovery and retrieval software.

Together, the system captures a wide range

of organisational and Internet-based knowledge about a given geographic area while giving users control over tuning and filtering content of interest.

process for the past one and a half year with the help of K Kasturirangan, former chairman, ISRO. Pitroda added that the United Progressive Alliance government is aiming at enhancing the country’s infrastructure, which will be a major enabler in delivering public services. The

government has allocated `1 lakh crore for infrastructure upgradation, which, till date, no other government has done. It will involve providing connectivity to all the 2.5 lakh panchayats through optical fibre, developing multiple platforms for delivery of services and launching series

of mission mode projects. These tasks are expected to be completed within 24 months. The central government is also developing a National Knowledge Network connecting all universities, colleges, laboratories and industrial clusters.

The product intigration better enables users in mining, intigrating

and filtering content of interest.

“GXP Xplorer is integrated, or ‘mashed-up’ with the GeoXray server that monitors news websites, blogs, Twitter tweets, and Facebook posts, and geotags the information so it can be discovered in a single search by GXP Xplorer users,” said Janis McArthur, product manager for GXP Xplorer. The combined capability leverages GXP

Xplorer’s strength and capabilities in cataloging and federating multiple data stores – images, maps, terrain, videos, and documents – with GeoXray’s functionality for automatic mining, analysing and integration of geographically relevant information such as news and social media.

According to Sam Pitroda, advisor to Prime

Minister on Infrastructure, a consolidated national level GIS that will enable the governments to deliver services efficiently is ready and will be placed before the cabinet shortly. Development of national GIS was under

iiitmK launches land resources information system for Keralawill be shared with local administration through Web GIS for efficient planning. The Web GIS application (http://gis.iiitmk.ac.in/ LRIS) was launched by Dr T M Thomas Isaac, Former Finance Minister, Government of Kerala, in connection with national seminar on watershed planning for natural resources management organised by Kerala State Land Use Board held at Thiruvananthapuram in February.

The primary objective of LRIS is to disseminate resource information to the people at grassroots level for supporting decision-making and

developed a Web GIS based Land Resources Information System (LRIS) for Kerala State Land Use Board. For the first time in Kerala, the land resources information

Indian Institute of Information Technology and

Management Kerala (IITMK), an autonomous institute established by Government of Kerala, has designed and

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developmental planning. The LRIS application and thematic layers can be accessed through any standard Web browser with user-friendly navigational approach. The LRIS is developed using open-source GIS technology facilitating access to large number of thematic layers over the Web. It also helps querying, analysing and printing of thematic data. It is also envisaged to facilitate data utilisation and dissemination at district level nodes supported by the deployment of necessary hardware and training.

New custom-made maps from ordnance Survey

agri company equips sales team with GpS-enabled tablets

The much loved Ordnance Survey (OS) Explorer

Map and OS Landranger Map series of maps have now been extended further with the introduction of a new customisable version. The new customised versions allow anyone to customise their own map, choose their own title and select an individual cover image from a wide selection of photographs. Matching the existing look and feel of the

Krishidhan Seeds, an agricultural research

driven company based in India, has equipped its marketing and sales team with 3G-enabled android 2.3 Tablets to better serve the farmers and agriculture fraternity. These GPS-enabled tablets provide retailers

be of the same quality and detail which customers have used and appreciated.

The new maps allow anyone to go online and select their own special location to centre the map on. Helping to avoid a ‘life on the edge,’ the customer decides what goes in the centre of the map. It could be any location that is important – someone’s home, their town or favourite walk.

OS Explorer Map at 1:25,000 and OS Landranger Map at 1:50,000 scales, which are recognised as the definitive maps for outdoor activities, the custom-made version will

chandubi beel is shrinking, reveals arSac

A study conducted by the Assam Remote Sensing

Application Centre (ARSAC) of the Assam Science Technology and Environment Council (ASTEC) has revealed that the water-spread area of Chandubi Beel, the wetland famous for its clean environment and scenic beauty, is shrinking.

The survey was done using Survey of India toposheet and satellite imagery relating to the period between 1911 and 2007. Factors posing threat to the existing to this water body still remain to be determined. As per the data provided by ARSAC, the Beel had a water-

Schools to use Google maps to ensure fair admissions

Following the complaints on schools taking advantage

of distance criterion for manipulating nursery admissions under economically weaker section category, certain schools are using Google Maps in the admission selection process to make it more fair and transparent. The Directorate of Education guidelines require admission preference to be given to children living within 1 km of the school, under the EWS category. Second preference for admission is to be given to students residing within 3 km of the school. Based on the seats available, third preference should be given to students living at a distance of 6 km and more from the school. To calculate the distance, schools are using various options such as DTC route map, meter-reading of school bus running in that area, Google Maps and Google Earth among others. Certain schools are also taking a declaration from the parents regarding the distance of the residence from the school.

These customisable versions of map offer

greater flexibility to the users in choosing there own images and

photographs.

with real-time and instant solutions and information on the availability, supply status, dispatch details and stock requirements. According to Sushil Karwa, MD, Krishidhan Seeds, this is the first of its kind implementation in India, wherein an agro-based company is using technology

to streamline the unorganised sector. The basic objective of the exercise is to equip the company resources with technology and tools that aid in sustainable production. These tablets will enable the marketing and sales team to engage with farmers across all the key markets in 18 states.

Z/i imaging announces release of Z/i Software version 6.4

Z/I Imaging announced the release of its Z/I Software

version 6.4. The software includes a suite of products for the DMC and DMC II camera families for raw image data post-processing, distributed processing, digital image enhancement, in-field data copy and real-time image quality control. Version 6.4 has now a new licensing system embedded based on the Leica Geosystems licensing server. An exciting range of new features such as automatic check of matching point distribution and individual absolute radiometric calibration parameter calculation based on used exposure time and f-stop, are included.


spread area of 448.60 hectares in 1911-12.

This area had further expanded to 481.19 hectares which could have happened due to the impact of the 1950 earthquake. The area of the

lake decreased to 392.61 hectares in 1967-68, which further decreased to a water-spread area of 203.20 hectares in 2007. The depth of the lake has also decreased from 8 metres to 3 metres, recently.

COVER STORY


The emergence of Web 2.0 during the past decade signalled the transformation of the Web, from

a passive repository of multimedia content, to an active environment that facilitates interactive information sharing and collaboration. In this manner Web 2.0 has been the driving force behind the rise of user-generated content in a variety of disciplines. Regarding geographic information in particular, this evolution fostered the emergence of crowdsourcing and volunteered geographic information (VGI), which are substantially altering our profession.

Volunteered geography and crowdsourcing are terms used

often interchangeably to refer to the engagement of the general public in the generation and contribution of geographic information, regardless of formal qualifications. If we want to be factually correct, the term crowdsourcing should be used to refer to the assignment of specific tasks (typically mapping tasks) to non-professionals (most often the relevant user community). The term volunteered geographic information is broader in its scope, referring to voluntary contributions of geographic information by the general public at-large, without the explicit assignment of specific tasks to them, and not necessarily within the scope of a specific mapping mission or campaign.

from all and for allVolunteered geographic information and crowdsourcing

have emerged as tremendous methods of collecting user-generated content. Anthony Stefanidis and

Matthew T Rice discuss the role these new paradigms are playing in data collection and raising situational

awareness through active citizen participation

A cause célèbre of volunteered geography has been disaster and emergency response, epitomised by the post-earthquake use of ushahidi to map Haiti in 2010

Geoinformation


million inhabitants is a massive slum neighbourhood in Nairobi, Kenya, and as the second largest urban slum in Africa, lacks most of life’s necessities: there is no sewage, until recently there was no water, and still only 20 per cent of the slum has electricity. Yet, within this heavily challenging environment we have witnessed the emergence of an awe-inspiring organised grass-roots crowdsourcing campaign that transformed a 21st century terra incognita (an empty spot on the map) to one of the densest maps available. Data on water distribution points, clinics, schools, and numerous other themes were collected and uploaded by local volunteers, some of whom were only introduced to basic computer operations like emailing and Web browsing during that project.

The Kibera mapping project uses OpenStreetMap, a prototypical example of a participation-enabling architecture that supports VGI contributions by both domain experts and amateurs alike, with the data belonging to the community at large. Google Map Maker is another such example architecture, but with a slightly different ownership arrangement, as Google retains the rights to the data contributed through Map Maker.

The evolution of VGI and crowdsourcing

While these two notable success stories are very recent, VGI and crowdsourcing have been around for a while. Since almost two decades ago the US Geological Survey (USGS) played a pioneering role on crowdsourcing through a variety of volunteered map data collection projects, where citizen cartographers revised

interactive mapping, proved to be the tool of choice for a diverse community that shared the same goal: to capture and monitor the chaotic situation in the ground, and to make this information available to all interested parties, ranging from doctors and engineers to journalists and local residents. Within a few hours a volunteered-based crisis mapping system was set up and deployed to provide timely information, from all for all.

Ushahidi, a Swahili word for testimony, was originally set up to monitor election violence in Kenya in 2008, and therefore it is appropriate that another representative example of VGI using open-source platforms comes from Kenya. Through the map Kibera project young locals have created, since 2009, the first free and open digital map of their own community of Kibera, collecting and mapping relevant physical and socio-cultural data. Kibera, with its nearly 1

The contributors of such information are often young, tech-savvy, and form well-connected user communities, but their background differs from the traditional geospatial professional community. More often than not, they are educated in computer science, engineering, or related disciplines, but not in traditional geography, cartography, surveying, planning, or cadastral management.

A cause célèbre of volunteered geography has been disaster and emergency response, epitomised by the post-earthquake use of Ushahidi to map Haiti in 2010 (Figure 1). One could argue that this was the ‘perfect storm’ situation for it: an event that captured global attention, in a place that lacked the fundamental infrastructure, yet was relatively easily accessible. Ushahidi, a free and open-source platform for information collection, visualisation, and

Since almost two decades ago the US Geological Survey (USGS) played a pioneering role on crowdsourcing through a variety of volunteered map data collection projects

Figure 1: Ushahidi’s Crisis Map of 2010 Haiti Earthquake (http://haiti.ushahidi.com/)


COVER STORY

maps. Since 1994, through the establishment of what turned out to be the National Map Corps program, the USGS had been crowdsourcing map data contributions. It is worth mentioning that, according to the USGS, between 1995 and 2001 volunteers identified and annotated between 100 and 300 maps every year. It is interesting to note that in 2008, just when the world at large started accepting crowdsourcing as a useful approach, the USGS had to suspend its National Map Corps program due to funding limitations.

Expanding the thematic scope of its crowdsourcing program, a few years ago USGS launched its Did You Feel It? website to gather data about earthquakes from the people who experience them all over the US. User responses are analysed to provide a description of the effects of the earthquake and the extent of damage, bypassing instrumentation-driven traditional ways of gathering felt information. Moving further towards volunteered citizen science, National Geographic recently launched its FieldScope program to support the engagement of students in fieldwork, and data integration for a variety of scientific observations.

Opportunities and challenges

Volunteered and crowdsourced geographic information presents both challenges and opportunities for the traditional geospatial community. The primary challenge for the established geospatial practice is the integration and leveraging of the massive and valuable contributions from this new, expanded user community into traditional geographic information systems.

Volunteered and crowdsourced contributions are frequently difficult to integrate with existing resources because they are often incomplete, unattributed, loosely structured, and syntactically incompatible with existing geospatial frameworks that maintain a common, consistent projection environment and metadata schema. Because they are created and contributed by end-users rather than by an official agency, they are often considered to be unreliable.

Information accuracy

Early studies assessing the quality of VGI like OpenStreetMap (OSM) have compared it to established authoritative mapping organisations such as the United Kingdoms’ Ordnance Survey (OS). In Hakley’s study OSM information was shown to be quite accurate, on average within 6 m of the corresponding position recorded by OS. Furthermore, in a brief four-year period of performance, Haklay

found that OSM had captured approximately 29 per cent of the area of England. By any standard measurement methodology, this is an impressive result.

Whatever it may lack in structure and traditional accuracy pedigree, volunteered geographic information more than compensates by virtue of its temporal advantage and local authority. The temporal advantage of VGI is unquestionable. In the Haiti example we saw vividly how volunteers were able to beat the authorities in providing rapid and reliable mapping of the crisis to support rescue and recovery operations. In comparable emergency situations the temporal relevance of the volunteered data is typically more valuable than its comprehensive adherence or non-adherence to existing standards. Local authority on the other hand comes from the fact that volunteers typically contribute information for areas

Volunteered and crowdsourced contributions are frequently difficult to integrate with existing resources because they are often incomplete, unattributed, loosely structured

Figure 2: Map of Kibera from OpenStreetMap


with which they are familiar, and thus interpret the information around them much better than an analyst lacking local expertise would. It is probably this reason that makes information contributed by non-experts to be comparable in accuracy to authoritative datasets, especially when it is coupled with the massive amounts of data contributed by volunteers, which tend to minimise the effects of gross errors.

Beyond these issues of accuracy and temporal currency, VGI and crowdsourcing have a transformative effect on our community by changing the value of geospatial information and its role in government by fostering transparency, citizen engagement, and citizen participation in decision-making. Furthermore, one could argue that the above-mentioned ‘geoinformation from all for all’

mentality that characterised the Haitian crisis response appears to be the driving force behind VGI: the crowd does not generate data with the intent of augmenting a state or an agency database, but rather because they realise that the information they contribute is needed by their colleagues to address a specific issue. In that sense volunteered geography is very much a community-building process, albeit a community that may be virtual in its nature.

When they volunteer information, citizens act as hybrid sensors that detect events of interest and report them. These events of interest may range from mundane (e.g. using one’s cell phone to report potholes in Corpus Christi, Texas) or contributing information about navigation hazards for the blind , to global interest (as was the case in

the Haiti crisis response). The idea is still the same: people report what they perceive to be important and valuable information. Accordingly, one could argue that VGI may have a higher semantic content than standard geospatial databases.

While our community is slowly adapting to VGI and crowdsourcing, with their particularities and opportunities, we are witnessing the emergence of the next wave of non-traditional geographic information: ambient geospatial information extracted from social media feeds. Similarly to VGI, social media feeds often convey geographic information, as people frequently comment on events happening at or affecting their location, or refer to locations that represent momentary social hotspots (e.g. by referring to the location of a protest, or to the area hit by a natural disaster). Harvesting this information and using it to raise our situational awareness is the next challenge presented to our community as we move towards an exciting future.

Whatever it may lack in structure and traditional accuracy pedigree, volunteered geographic information more than compensates by virtue of its temporal advantage and local authority

Anthony StefanidisDirector, Center for Geospatial Intelligence, [email protected]

Figure 3: USGS crowdsourced map depicting the impact area of an earthquake (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/dyfi/events/us/c0005jg1/us/usc0005jg1_ciim.jpg)


Matthew T RiceAssistant Professor, Department of Geography and Geoinformation Science, George Mason University, [email protected]

COVER STORY

POInT OF InTEREST

After six and half years as a free and unlimited-use companion to

amateur cartographers and map heads everywhere, Google Maps API now has a usage cap. Exceed the cap and you’ll incur overage fees, payable to Google.

The cap currently sits at 25,000 map loads per day, but there is no guarantee it won’t decrease, if maps-based ad revenue (98 per cent of Google’s revenue comes from ad placement) fails to impress their shareholders.

So, here are four easy ways to optimise your maps and keep them flying below Google’s radar:

Upgrade to V3

Google Maps API V3 is not only faster and more versatile than V2, but its overage fees are much cheaper: only $4 per 1,000 map loads vs $10 for V2 (all figures in US dollars).

Avoid stylised maps

Google Maps default styles, colours and iconography are

effective and well recognised internationally, with regional variations that reflect local tastes (e.g. roadways for UK and US look different).

Nonetheless, stylised maps were launched in 2010 to let you override these defaults. To heck with convention or usability! But save yourself some money (and your users some grief) and keep your stylised maps off the Web, because its usage cap is 10 times lower, and overage fees twice as expensive.

Reduce page loads

The usage cap measures the number of times your map is loaded into a browser, and

refresh map content after the response arrives.

Use the API Console

Sign up for the Google API console at https://code.google.com/apis/console, create an API key, then decrease the setting for “Per-user limits for API project.” This will prevent a minority of users from using a majority of your daily quota.

Overage fees apply only if your map exceeds the cap for 90 consecutive days. Monitor the console regularly. If your map has exceeded the cap for the previous two months, schedule one day to throttle public access to the map. After just one day below the cap, you’ll be fine for another three months.

Google Maps API remains a free-to-use service – but only if you use it efficiently.

For more information on usage limits, please visit http://code.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/javascript/usage.html.

Note: A small correction to my February column: The URL to the HTTP Archive website is http://httparchive.org, not http://archive.org

Google is all set to cash on its map

API and has now set a usage cap,

exceeding which users will be charged

a fee. Here are a few interesting and

easy tips to effectively use the API,

while maintaining the usage count

below the fee limits

Kevin MacDonald [email protected]

equates to a single page load. Most websites (especially enterprise-class) refresh page content via the page load, with a user typically loading dozens of Web pages during a single session. You will quickly exceed the usage cap, if your map refreshes its markers, polygons and other content this way.

Instead, load the map into the browser once and keep it there until the user closes the browser or navigates away from the map entirely. When a map needs content, don’t initiate a page load. Instead, use a JavaScript controller within the map to send a request to the server, and


HOW DO YOU SEE THE GEOSPATIAL MARKET EVOLVE In 2012?

We see many of the same trends that have been apparent in the last two years continuing in 2012. In the world of infrastructure, we see geospatial technology

Use of point cloud data will increase as geospatial

technology gets seamlessly integrated into diverse

industrial applications. Information mobility will be

the key and Bentley is taking drastic measures to

make its applications mobile, says Greg Bentley,

CEO, Bentley Systems

continuing to be subsumed into industry applications. This makes it possible for geospatial routines to be executed seamlessly within engineering workflows rather than in stand-alone products by specialists in a different department. Bentley’s geospatial technology is now

embedded in its applications for energy utilities, water utilities, rail owner-operators, road and highway agencies, and communications service providers.

We also see a trend towards greater use of point clouds in geospatial workflows to

capture the as-built or as-is nature of infrastructure or terrain. Point clouds have become cheaper to capture using ever-advancing but more cost-effective scanning technology. However, the challenge has been to bring point clouds into engineering and geospatial

Greg BentleyCEO, Bentley Systems

Information mobility is the

key

InTERVIEW

workflows more effectively – given the sheer size of these files, which can comprise gigabytes or even terabytes of data. Bentley has been working hard to address these issues and to make sure that point clouds can be used easily in infrastructure engineering and geospatial workflows. To this end, Bentley has introduced a new version of its Descartes V8i product (SELECTseries 3) delivering advanced point cloud processing and management capabilities. Its innovative new features speed point cloud workflows and reduce costs. This technology will be complemented by product offerings derived from the acquisition of Pointools (the leading hardware-neutral provider of point cloud software technology) this past November.

Finally, ProjectWise V8i (SELECTseries 3) supports the streaming of point clouds, thus overcoming the problem of having to transfer huge files over a corporate network. It is Bentley’s goal to establish point clouds as a fundamental data type in infrastructure workflows to further increase the productivity of design and operations teams and enable point clouds to usefully serve the function of “as-operated” 3D models for every infrastructure asset. We also see the continuation of 3D city projects, now that the technology is readily available to support 3D workflows – with the main challenge being the need to adapt workflows and to change the 2D mindset of users rather than technology-related issues.

WHAT COULD BE THE MAJOR UPCOMInG TECHnOLOGY TREnDS?

When it comes to sustaining infrastructure, there is growing demand for information mobility. This involves the ability to share AECO and geospatial information across the infrastructure lifecycle and across project disciplines in a controlled and secure fashion. In short, we are talking about exchanging information, one to many, such that the right version of information, in the appropriate format and with the required level of precision, can be accessed by the project team members who need it – all at the right time. This ability is particularly crucial in integrated projects to facilitate collaboration, enable decisions to be made in the context of other disciplines, and to make the “hand-off” between design and construction and the “handover” between construction and operations “hands-on.” Bentley’s i-model container for open infrastructure information exchange delivers this information mobility while our ProjectWise system of collaboration servers and services secures it. Together, they ensure information mobility with integrity.

HOW DO YOU SEE THE CURREnT VOLATILE ECOnOMIC SCEnARIO AFFECTInG THE GEOSPATIAL SECTOR?

In developing economies, we have not seen a downturn in geospatial sales, and it is likely that most large developing economies will

continue to see good GDP growth in both absolute and relative terms in 2012. These growth rates will far exceed those in developed economies. Currently, there is a shift in the axis of economic power and dynamism from the west to the east. Bentley is in a good position to profit from these changes. The geospatial sector will remain challenging in developed economies, especially as government spending is reined in as part of the austerity packages needed to restore sound fiscal positions in economies with sovereign debt worries. However, Bentley believes that spending on geospatial technology in utilities will still see growth.

THE RECEnT ADVAnCES In MOBILE TECHnOLOGY SEEM TO BE GREATLY InFLUEnCInG THE GEOSPATIAL SECTOR. YOUR COMMEnTS.

Mobility is a key secular trend in technology of all kinds and the geospatial world is no different. Bentley is taking active steps towards making its applications available on mobile devices, and we will see a wide range of product releases in 2012. In particular, users wish to be able to view and mark up geospatial information on mobile devices and Bentley will support this trend.

We recently announced the preview version of mobile apps that extend ProjectWise V8i collaboration and Bentley Navigator V8i review and markup capabilities to the iPad. Initially focussed on engineering design review, Bentley’s iPad apps help users prepare and collate

information, package and distribute it, perform a field task, and then return the package of information for analysis and reporting.

ProjectWise Explorer for the iPad allows users to create secure work packages from documents stored in ProjectWise. A wide variety of file types can be added to a package and sent to the iPad for use at a construction site or other remote locations. With this app, our users can open the packages, view the contents, see properties of individual files, and preview certain file types. These files can be shared with other applications that offer advanced editing features. Once the annotated documents are created on the iPad, a return package can be exported to ProjectWise Explorer on a desktop and synchronised for review.

Bentley Navigator for the iPad provides a panoramic view of 3D design models. Using the iPad’s motion sensors and touch screen, users also get object properties, which enable them to, for example, determine pipe thickness, paint colour, and pressure rating. Bentley Navigator for the iPad also allows users to easily review designs, red-line, and conduct safety inspections.

With Bentley’s iWare apps, which are available for no charge at www.bentley.com/iware, users can create their own design models by converting DGN, Revit, DWG, DXF, Rhino, and 3DS files into optimised i-models for the iPad.

An opportunity for the geospAtiAl community?

DAtA visuAlisAtion

In the past few months, we’ve noticed that more and more people are talking about data

visualisation.

It’s not really surprising. Data is bigger than ever – not just in the geospatial sphere, but also in the wider business community.

Organisations have moved beyond simply collecting data and designing or purchasing systems to house it – now they’re heavily engaged in analysis. And as the people in these organisations become more familiar with their data and what they want to analyse, they have naturally started to ask: “How can I report on this?” And as these reports become more important within an

organisation, people start to ask: “How can I report on this data in a more visual way?”

Why the visual emphasis? Because – when they’re done well – visually-oriented reports are quicker and easier to read and interpret. From infographics to datagraphics, everyone’s trying to condense large volumes of data into bite-sized chunks of information, and to display the results in a visual way.

Imagine a complex spreadsheet with tens of columns and hundreds of rows. There’s a lot of data there – but analysing it will take you considerable time. Even when you sum the data up and provide figures or statistics, you’re still looking at a lot of numbers, which

Until recently, data visualisation options have been limited for most organisations. But the rising popularity of the discipline means more tools have come onto the market. And GIS software has its part to play.

While it was simply not an economic option for the majority of organisations in the past, low-cost SaaS-based GIS software is a real data visualisation option for many organisations.

So instead of simply focussing on the status quo within the geospatial industry, perhaps it’s time that we all paused for a moment and considered what the convergence of lower-cost GIS software and the current hunger for data visualisation tools could mean for the geospatial community.

At eSpatial, we see it as an exciting opportunity: a chance to show the wider business community what our software can do, and an opportunity to help more organisations to create visually-oriented reports of their data.

We’ve embraced the opportunity – will you?

More and more organisations are now

turning to visualisation as a quick and

effective means of analysing the ever

growing business data. It is time they

use innovative and low-cost technologies

such as Saas-based GIS software to

generate visually-oriented reports

Philip O’Doherty CEO, eSpatial

take time to digest. Increase your audience, and you increase the amount of time spent analysing or digesting the results of the analysis.

In contrast, imagine if you could summarise that same, complex spreadsheet so that the key results would be clear within seconds of viewing them. Data visualisation makes this possible: by selecting the appropriate visual elements, and combining them with judicious use of colour, you can turn that spreadsheet into one simple, clear visual report.

In the geospatial arena, we’ve taken data visualisation for granted. The software we’re all familiar with typically provides both maps and charts or graphs – both of which display data in a clear, visual manner.

We know that displaying points on a map can make a bigger impact than a series of numbers in a spreadsheet – and that it’s far easier to understand. And people are looking for exactly the same things – visual impact and clarity of information – when they consider data visualisation.


COLUMn

To strengthen the utility of geography as a discipline to promote sustainable development, the skills of geographers need to be upgraded to suit the requirements of modern information modelling techniques and decision-making

for sustainable development

Capacity building


HUMAn RESOURCES

Our environment is visualised as all of the conditions and circumstances that

surround and influence life on earth, including atmospheric conditions, food chains and water cycle. It is a harmonious blend of life in its infinite diversity with the non-living factors – climatic, edaphic and topographic. All the living beings are in tune with the environment; their origin and evolution, and even extinctions are in perfect blend with time and dynamism of nature. The humans, however, are not only coming out of this primal harmony, but also destroying it in many ways.

Addressing the UN Commission on sustainable development in May last year, Professor Jeffery Sachs, Director, Earth Institute and special advisor to UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, said:

• “We have passed beyond the global tipping point that we have been anticipating for decades.”

• “We are now living on a planet of environmental turmoil, noting an increase in the number of floods, droughts, and food and water shortages around the world.”

• “Fundamentally, we have a global ethics crisis,” because, “while we need to find a path towards sustainable development, we are scrambling, instead, for resources and advantage.”

The forthcoming Earth Summit 2012 to be held in June in Rio de Janeiro will be taking place in the background: “The world is facing several mounting crisis and challenges – Food

crisis, energy crisis, volatile oil prices, accelerating ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss, water scarcity, and an increasing number of climate-induced extreme weather events. These multiple and inter-related crises call into question the ability of a growing human population to live peacefully and sustainably on this planet, and demand the urgent attention of governments and citizens around the world” (http://www.earthsummit.org).

Science or technology alone or in combination cannot redeem the deteriorating situation and set right once again a healthy atmosphere for natural continuity of life and evolution. Humans, forming a major and decisive sector of the biosphere, have a conscious role to play in this regard. The impending global crisis, both economic and ecologic, having tumultuous effect on the entire biosphere, has prompted scientists and thinkers to probe into the social and ethical dimensions of environmental conservation as well (Subashchandran and Ramachandra, 2008).

Professor Sachs, in his book titled “Common Wealth – Economics for a Crowded Planet” states “The defining challenge of the twenty-first century will be to face the reality that humanity shares a common fate on a crowded planet. That

common fate will require new forms of global cooperation for sustainable management of resources on our planet.”

Sustainable development at the grassroots level

Sustainable natural resources management is the backbone for the food security, nutrition security and environmental security, and has to be implemented right at the grassroots level. In India, the Twelfth Plan approach paper has laid emphasis on “moving towards faster, sustainable and inclusive growth.” This means that the time has come to address the issues related to sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles even in villages through traditional knowledge and S&T. India has witnessed decentralisation of powers through 73rd amendment of the Indian Constitution and more than 2.50 lakh Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) are institutionalised. Thus, about 2.50 lakh geography experts, one for each Gram Panchayat, will be required to provide advisory services on natural resources management, by maintaining spatial data system and non-spatial data system, which amounts to establishing a high-resolution GIS laboratory in every Gram Panchayat. Just as planning for national and regional development is done by economists; geographers are required to plan for sustainable development.

Upgrading the skills of geographers

In India, there are about 400,000 schools, 20,000 colleges and 500 universities/institutions of higher education and research. In all 4 lakh schools of the

The total shift in information modelling technology that is taking place today involves mathematics, statistics and analytical modelling of available data to extract actionable knowledge

Dr Moni has been instrumental in realising “agricultural informatics” way back in 1985-86, while establishing “DISNIC-AGRIS” project under the DISNIC programme, for which he was the founder programme director. He was also instrumental in achieving synergisation of computer science & engineering and agricultural science & technology in the form of an MTech level course in agricultural informatics.


HUMAn RESOURCES

Dr Madaswamy Moni Deputy Director General, National Informatics centre [email protected]

The course curriculum of the geography discipline needs to be changed to make the students of geography proficient in computer science with spatial informatics

• Setting up of a National University of Geography (NUG) for undertaking advanced level research, development and extension (REF), and get it linked to 250 departments of geography in institutions throughout India

• Making “natural resources management” and “Earth care policy studies” as compulsory subjects at graduate level of geographic studies

• Institutional linkages between departments of geography and departments of computer science & engineering, for undertaking joint research and developmental activities

• Developing interoperable geospatial systems through industry standards and protocols

The course curriculum of the geography discipline needs to be changed to make the students of geography proficient in computer science with spatial informatics. This type of specialisation is needed for taking the spatial technology to the village level for grassroots-level development. A possible option is to convert the present three-year graduation course structure of geography into a 4-year course as in BTech.

• Change in the geography curriculum so as to embrace “geography and spatial informatics – geoinformatics”

• Establishment of an Earthcare Policy Institute (EPI)

• Setting up of GIS laboratory in about 250 colleges where geography is being taught at graduate level and above, and also in 300 colleges of agricultural science and technology

• Adoption of a district to implement “agricultural resources information system” through development, education, research and training in a continuous manner

• Empowerment and knowledge enhancement to adopt fusion of technologies through capacity building

country, geography as a subject is being taught, but the geography curriculum does not teach mathematics, statistics, computer science & information technology and analytic modelling. Over more than 200 colleges do not teach mathematics to the geography students, whereas the total shift in information modelling technology that is taking place today involves mathematics, statistics and analytical modelling of available data to extract actionable knowledge.

To strengthen the utility of geography discipline for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles at the grassroots level, Dr Madaswamy Moni has suggested to Dr K Kasthurirangan, Member, Planning Commission, the following measures, during the Twelfth Plan period:


GREEn BUSInESS COnCEPT SEEMS TO BE CATCHInG UP. WHAT POTEnTIAL DO YOU SEE FOR IT In DEVELOPInG ECOnOMIES LIKE InDIA?

The Concept of Green Business is a reaction to the global “environmental crisis”, i.e. rapid growth of economic activity and human population, depletion of natural resources, damage to ecosystems and loss of biodiversity. Green design and production are considered as means of reducing or eliminating these impacts while maintaining quality of life by using careful assessment and clever design techniques for developing eco-friendly products and processes that are less harmful as compared to the conventional ones. Today, green business is the top priority on the innovation agenda of many companies. This agenda today not only poses challenges, but also opens up significant innovation opportunities. In the past few years, Indian companies have entered the IT domain and today India has successfully become a world leader in IT. In a similar

manner, Indian businesses need to adopt, develop and execute green business and attain leadership in this domain. The concept of green business has the power to transform the competitive landscape across sectors, and will force customers to change the way they think about products, technologies, processes, and business models.

YOU HAVE BEEn PROMOTInG AnD EnCOURAGInG BUSInESSES In KERALA TO GET InVOLVED In THE GREEn BUSInESS. COULD YOU SHARE WITH US YOUR ExPERIEnCES In THIS REGARD?

We follow a two-pronged approach – non-profit and for profit. As for non-profit organisations, it’s more of an awareness drive to the people, to educate them to practice green and eco-friendly life style. For instance, programmes have been initiated by the Ecological Security and Climate Organisations Net (ESCON), wherein they promote development of

Green business has emerged as a tremendous business opportunity that not only aids in environmental conservation but also promises huge revenue potential. Ajith Menon, CEO, DES Mapping Solutions, discusses the crucial role geospatial technologies are playing in implementation and monitoring of green business

clean, green and vibrant ecosystems.

As for profit-oriented businesses, DES Mapping Solutions is associated with TiE Kerala and working with the members to consolidate and capitalise on green business opportunities in Kerala, such as opportunity to create sustainable business for the plantation industry and the possibility to create carbon credits using the tremendous green cover in the state. Green tourism is another potential area we are focussing at, as it offers tremendous business opportunities while generating foreign exchequer for the government.

YOU ALSO HAVE BEEn PARTnERInG WITH InVESTORS In InDOnESIA, CAMBODIA AnD VIETnAM. HOW DO YOU COMPARE THESE MARKETS WITH InDIA?

The investors in Indonesia, Cambodia and Vietnam are mainly investing in forest land. These investors are set to earn millions of dollars through the sale of carbon

credits. Earlier, we have seen a lot many communities around the globe exploiting the forest resources, but with the onset of green business concept such as creating and selling carbon credits, these investors are all set in for preserving, maintaining the forest and actively pursuing reforestation and afforestation programmes to generate greater carbon credit potential. Investors in the green business are also channeling a substantial portion of their business revenues to the local communities to encourage them to halt illegal logging and are paying them to adopt alternate livelihoods methods. India has huge forest resources, but I have not come across even a single private investor investing in forests of India. I think it’s time for implementation of a sustainable forest management policy, wherein the government should invite private investors to invest, maintain, manage and expand Indian forests.

HOW CAn GEOSPATIAL TECHnOLOGY BE USED

businessgreen

Promoting

InTERVIEW

In PROMOTInG GREEn BUSInESS? WHAT ROLE DOES DES MAPPInG SOLUTIOnS PLAY?

Geospatial technology is the key to green business – carbon mapping, sustainable urban management and development, eco-friendly infrastructure development, alternate energy etc.

Satellite remote sensing technologies have been tested and are currently widely suggested for use as a tool for monitoring, assessment and verification of carbon pool from natural resources such as forests. Various scientific programmes and field tests have confirmed that there is definite cost-benefit in using remote sensing approaches, depending on the wide range of ecosystem and land use conditions as well as the range of approaches to carbon credit accounting.

Geospatial technologies are emerging as important new tools for advancing green building practice in the construction sector. For example, GIS-based tools

FOR HELPInG CLIEnTS InTERESTED In GAInInG CARBOn CREDITS?

DES Data Appliance is the industry’s strongest range of proprietary technology products targeted at the agriculture, environmental and forestry sectors. It integrates unique line of geospatial information products generated in map form from imagery captured from a constellation of orbiting satellites and/or aircrafts. DES generates its products using an exclusive core competency in remote sensing and mapping and integrating geospatial modelling techniques. Customers use DES Data Appliance to calculate biomass and conduct carbon

mapping. DES is also in the process of developing appliance for green infrastructure and green construction management domain, drawing our experiences in integrating Building Information Modelling (BIM) and GIS.

TELL US ABOUT YOUR OnGOInG PROJECTS?

We have ongoing projects in Southeast Asian countries and Brazil. We are working with the investment companies to create forest carbon credits using the remote sensing techniques. DES Data Appliance is the integral part of the overall deliverables so that the stakeholders can monitor and review the status of the forest.

are often applied by teams planning and evaluating neighbourhood patterns and design such as “walkability” based upon data on streets, pedestrian routes, bicycle routes, transit accessibility, building entrances, and a variety of other factors. GIS-based tools are used in individual building designs or while designing townships to make them more eco-friendly and to minimise impact on environment during construction. These factors contribute directly to green building credits related to sustainable site design. The Indian Green Building Council envisions positioning India among the world leaders in green buildings by 2015.

DES Mapping solutions is based in Asia Pacific and pioneers in green business that harnesses geospatial technology such as Remote Sensing and GIS. DES is partnering with financing and carbon accounting companies to provide end-to-end solution to the customer.

TELL US ABOUT THE DATA APPLIAnCE DEVELOPED BY THE DES GROUP

for sustainable development

GeoDesign brings geographic analysis into design processes, resulting in intelligent, thoughtful designs that promote sustainability. Tom Gardner discusses the importance of the concept in urban planning

sustainability. In essence, GeoDesign, underpinned by GIS technology, merges the creation of design proposals with simulations that show the impacts that potential designs will have on communities, using location as a common element.

In my role as the Western Australian Business Manager at ESRI Australia, the nation’s leading location intelligence specialists, I can see a very real value for GeoDesign in the region. Western Australia is

As the challenges facing our communities evolve and reach a new level of complexity, our tools must also evolve

Populations around the globe are flocking to cities at an increasing rate; in fact, it is

estimated that more than 50 per cent of the world’s population now resides in heavily urbanised regions. And this trend of city living shows no signs of slowing down. Now, more than ever, a focus on strategic planning and sustainable development is vital.

GIS technology has a long history of driving urbanisation, environmental understanding

and decision-making in this area. World-wide, policy makers, planners, scientists and architects rely on the technology for data management and analysis. As the challenges facing our communities evolve and reach a new level of complexity, our tools must also evolve. This is why the concept of GeoDesign is so topical.

GeoDesign brings geographic analysis into design processes, resulting in intelligent, thoughtful design that promotes

GeoDesign


URBAn PLAnnInG

one of the world’s largest and least densely populated states – however the population is rapidly expanding. This means developing an understanding of where its assets are now, and deciding where they should be in the future, are among its biggest challenges. Many of the issues the state is facing – providing infrastructure, workforce distribution, resource management – relate to the geographical isolation and distribution of these assets.

Just recently, we worked on a project with Australian economic and social policy think tank the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) to construct a map for its ‘Inventing the Future: Shaping WA from 2010 to 2050’ discussion series. At this series, Western Australia’s most senior decision-makers used GIS tools to underpin discussions around sustainable planning and address key issues for the future, such as resource management, employment and infrastructure. While not strictly ‘GeoDesign,’ the project did raise awareness of the value geographic thinking can bring to urban development and design.

In the case of the CEDA map, GIS helped provide clarity around important questions about how Western Australia will need to develop to meet the demands of the next 40 years. For example, with the state’s population projected to reach 4.3 million by 2050, we need to ensure there are enough hospital beds, classrooms, roads and ports – not to mention energy and water resources.

The GIS contained in one of the applications used by CEDA showed the locations of major resource projects, demographic data of energy and water

assets, and other important information on infrastructure. By understanding the spatial aspects of the issues that had been discussed, the forum could discuss sustainability with a new, heightened level of understanding.

The CEDA application is evidence that when it comes to urban planning, the importance of geographic thinking is already gaining momentum.

At a conference last year, I had made a presentation on GeoDesign and the role it could play in helping Perth meet its population projection – particularly from an infrastructure perspective. As our population grows, the need to increase and improve public transportation becomes critical. Through the use of GeoDesign tools, it’s very easy to start modelling the impacts that a potential light rail system could have for the community – and it’s easy to visualise the benefits the population can expect and the pressures it would relieve, well before any design plans are finalised.

Moving forward, I think one of the great benefits of GeoDesign is the way it can facilitate community consultation – in fact, over the next few years I believe it will help rewrite the book on community involvement in urban planning decisions.

GeoDesign can be used throughout a project’s various stages, but the good news for the community is that it can help foster greater participation and inclusivity in the public consultation phase. It’s transforming traditional methods of stakeholder consultation from a linear process into an iterative and interactive one.

When designs are traditionally released for public consultation,

plans are usually displayed somewhere for the community to view, perhaps with a model or diagram of the design and some analysis in the forms of graphs or tables. While it’s a common practice, it lacks context and is unlikely to provide a clear view of the effects the development may have on wider aspects of the community.

However, using GIS GeoDesign tools, we can play out multiple planning scenarios and immediately see the ramifications for areas of community importance such as employment opportunities, environment impact and public access to infrastructure.

A good example lies with the creation of new shopping centre in a community setting. Essentially, GeoDesign combines designs and sketches with information and projections, such as population or pollution emissions, and places them in a digital geographical format. This means we can position the new shopping centre design on a digital map and immediately see how the design affects the data and forecasts. Communities are presented with a visual representation of the impact the development would have on population levels, job opportunities, waste production and a multitude of other aspects. Each of these forecasts is layered and can be manipulated by users so they only view the information they need.

GIS enables an understanding of these issues and provides a clearer picture of the action required moving forward.

When it comes to urban planning, the importance of geographic thinking is already gaining momentum


Tom GardnerBusiness Manager, ESRI Australia

The common man has a growing concern in regards to their safety, especially when living

in proximity to gas pipelines. Accidents such as those that happened in San Bruno and Allentown have public officials questioning the reliability of gas operators to proficiently respond to a major event. These concerns have operators taking a hard look at their current emergency response plan to see how effective they will be in the event of a major disaster.

The gas industry faces a much larger challenge when it comes to developing an effective emergency response plan. Gas pipelines carry products that have the potential to explode when exposed to ignition, especially when there is a leakage. With third-party damage as the leading cause of pipeline leakage throughout the US, the potential for ignition is almost a forgone conclusion when it comes to gas pipelines. Emergency response plans cannot eliminate these threats, but must address the aftermath once they occur. Fire, injuries and evacuation of surrounding structures are but a few of the immediate concerns that must be dealt with. Deployment of first responders (Fire, Police and EMS), cutting the flow of gas or

Strengtheningemergency response system

A web-based interactive response mapping system is the key to an effective emergency response plan, as it provides critical information to first responders to

expedite rescue operations

other inflammable product that was being piped, and evacuation of people are of the highest priority when addressing public safety. An emergency response plan is as good as the people implementing it, so gas operators need to maintain a team of first responders who have the proper equipment to respond to such events. In many cases, local communities form a joint task force for responding to accidents.

Identifying the impact zone

Part of the operator’s responsibility is to know the impact zone associated with each pipeline. They must also know which structures (businesses, homes, apartment building etc.),

as well as areas where people could collect (playgrounds, parks etc.), fall within these impact zones. Both of these are part of the high consequence area (HCA) analysis that operators are required to perform for each pipeline in their system. By knowing these HCAs ahead of time, each location can be incorporated into the emergency response plan (ERP). In the event of an accident, the ERP should have a mechanism in place to alert the people living in HCA immediately with instructions on what they should do and where to go.

Knowing which locations do not respond can facilitate

GAS SECTOR

An emergency response plan is as good as the people implementing it, so gas operators need to maintain a team of qualified first responders


deployment of first responders to these areas to verify no one is there, or provide assistance if needed. ERP should have pre-established evacuation points at safe distance away from the accident point. This allows for evacuees to safely report in and aids in the determination that everyone has been successfully accounted for. Roles and responsibilities for company personnel need to be predefined in the plan to ensure fast, effective deployment of both equipment and people to expedite the response.

Controlling the supply of product (gas) to the release/leakage point is critical once the public safety has been addressed. This can be done by two ways: first, Automatic Shutoff Valves (ASV) and Remote Controlled Valves (RCV) can be used to cut off the supply of gas to the accident site, especially if it is close enough to the leakage point. The second is to manually block the valves, which requires company personnel to be deployed to the location to manually close the valve to slow down the supply of product (gas) to the leakage point. In the response plan, each valve location needs to be identified beforehand to enable quick action.

With the Pipeline Hazardous Material Safety Administration (PHMSA) putting operators on notice that ERPs must be reviewed and updated, another aspect of the plan deployment has come to the forefront. Providing first responders’ access to ERPs in advance has become a priority. On August 31, 2011, the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) had released the pipeline accident report on the San Bruno, CA, natural gas pipeline explosion and fire. A

major recommendation of the report was: “Require operators of natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines and hazardous liquid pipelines to provide system-specific information about their pipeline systems to the emergency response agencies of the communities and jurisdictions in which those pipelines are located. This information should include pipe diameter, operating pressure, product transported, and potential impact radius.”

The intent of the recommendation is for the operators to provide each authority that could/would respond to a release the detailed information regarding the pipeline and product being transported within their area of responsibility.

Response mapping system

Development of an interactive web-based response mapping system that can be integrated/ linked directly with a database driven ERP for rapid analysis in the event of an accident is critical to an operator’s initial response. This type of system can be used to provide first responders easy access to detailed information required to assist in their response. The information can be tailored down to specific areas of accountability for each authority along the entire pipeline system.

Having the ability to locate the point of gas leakage or accident and then determining the driving directions to the location is one of the first requirements of the first responders. With the use of the response mapping system, this can be accomplished almost immediately once an exact location has been determined, aiding in the initial response. Both ERP and the response mapping

system should be web-based and should be easily accessible using a secure-login. Response mapping can allow the end-user direct access to live traffic feeds, if available, to assist in rerouting traffic around an event, provide live weather feeds to assist in determining response strategies and give a detailed list of qualified response personnel in the immediate area, if necessary.

The ability to overlay revised or new response locations, updated resource planning for key components such as command centre location, equipment staging, and zone headquarters are just a few highlights of an efficient response mapping system. This gives operators the ability to keep the corporate office informed at all times of an event regardless of where it is located. Real-time updates can be posted immediately to reflect the most current conditions in the field. The capability to print and store maps on demand gives an operator the ability to keep all stakeholders apprised of their current situation despite how often it changes, while at the same time, keeping historical records of any/all changes and updates that happen throughout a response situation.

The question is – does your emergency response plan provide the critical information needed to enable first responders make informed decisions in the event an accident?

Development of an interactive web-based response mapping system that can be integrated/ linked directly with a database driven ERP for rapid analysis in the event of an accident is critical

Terry StrahanGIS Manager – Houston Operations Morris P. Hebert Inc.


Vegetation management and tree trimming is increasingly important in the electric

transmission and distribution industries. Vegetation management is the process of trimming, cleaning, and/or spraying trees, shrubbery, and other types of vegetation under and around facilities to prevent service interference and damage to power supply network. Standards from the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) require utilities to eliminate all power outages caused by vegetation interference with power lines. Failing to meet these requirements can cost utilities up to $1 million per occurrence per day. According to Energy Dimensions, this has forced utilities to increase their expenditures on measuring, monitoring, and dealing with vegetation threats.

And while there are standards and regulations that mandate proper procedures be in place for vegetation management, research indicates that many of the financial penalties imposed upon electric utilities today are directly related to insufficient vegetation clearance along power lines. Improper vegetation clearance on transmission lines was a factor in the August 2003 blackout, where 50 million people across the Northeast US and Southeast Canada lost power. In addition, fires in California in 2007 were blamed on power lines making contact with electrical equipment or vegetation. According to the NERC’s Standard FAC-003-1, the purpose of the Transmission Vegetation Management Programme is “To improve the reliability of electric transmission systems by preventing outages

from vegetation located on transmission rights-of-way (ROW) and minimising outages from vegetation located adjacent to ROW, maintaining clearances between transmission lines and vegetation on and along transmission ROW, and reporting vegetation-related outages of the transmission systems to the respective Regional Reliability Organisations (RRO) and the NERC.”

The NERC mandates are forcing utilities of all sizes to increase their expenditures on monitoring vegetation risks to their power lines and other infrastructure. While utilities generally have some form of procedures in place to address vegetation management, they are often paper-based and require many manual procedures to capture enough information to help in the decision-making process. Utilities also approach vegetation management from different angles. Some use the traditional workflow of assessment inspection, work, and post-trim inspection. Other utilities trim different circuits every few years, while some perform vegetation surveys with treatment recommendations. Regardless of the approach, companies are now looking to geospatial solutions to not only control and automate proper vegetation procedures, but in turn provide cost savings.

Leveraging on existing geospatial data, utilities can mobilise information to make it readily available across the enterprise, making it simple to update reports from the field instead of filling in paper documents at the office. Many utilities are benefitting from GIS-based approaches in the US, as they enable more efficient vegetation management practices, provide


POWER SECTOR

Trimming the risk from vegetation Power outages caused by vegetation interference, has been a cause of concern for many utilities for long. Moving beyond the traditional procedures, utilities are now looking towards geospatial solutions to address the issue – not only for automation of the process, but also to reduce cost

the ability to leverage and enforce warranties with the trim contractors, and have significantly reduced their paper overload. Utilities have found that their existing investment in GIS could be better leveraged and that it was beneficial to add a vegetation management layer into their GIS rather than use an external system.

Utilities are now able to take their geospatial infrastructure and landbase data to the field on GPS-enabled tablet PCs. Vegetation conditions are captured and trimming work is assigned and monitored easily. Crews are able to record their production work against the assigned conditions, which enabled quicker, more efficient invoicing and payment. The inspectors are able to verify the work done in real time with ease. All of the information captured in the field is synchronised

to the back-office GIS and then available not only for analysis and reporting, but also downloaded in subsequent data subsets to the field. Because of this analysis, timely, cost-effective decisions and trending were enabled with the information captured.

Other benefits of automating work process include:

• Fewer inspectors involved in the inspection process

• Decrease in workers over time

• Enhanced work quality and quick decisions.

• Significant reduction in operational cost as data collected and analysis is possible in real time.

Reduction of data entry personnel

Elimination of paper maps

Demand Re-trims (17 hrs/yr/crew @ $85/hour X 47 crews)

Pre-Inspection Efficiency (25% efficiency)

Decreased Fuel Adjustment Payout through Routing Efficiency (5% efficiency)

$120,000

$10,000

$65,000

$144,000

$25,000

50% so far

Hard dollar monetary benefits (business case of a utility) Business case Actual


Kecia Pierce Intergraph Corporation

india to have its own GpS this year

prague to host the headquarters for Galileo

ISRO developing human space flight technology

iSRO plans to put India’s own regional positioning

satellites into the orbit this year. This Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System includes a seven-satellite constellation and when it becomes fully functional in the years to come, it will be more accurate than the US GPS. It will be available to users round the year and in all weather conditions. ISRO, in collaboration with the Airports Authority of India,organised the first Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) meet for providing a brief overview on the uses of navigational systems to potential users, planners, industry and scientists. The

iSRO is developing technologies that will

aid in human spaceflight programmes in future. The space agency had recently successfully conducted space capsule recovery experiment. For the development of space flight technologies, a synergy of institutes has been put to work as a part of the pre-project phase of the programme. According to Unnikrishnan Nair from the

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thumba, Trivandrum, ISRO is identifying the existing technologies that need to be strengthened and will also develop new technologies that will be required for an indigenous programme. In this process, institutes with expertise in different areas will work along with the industry in developing new technologies. Technologies will be tested and developed

for a vast range of things ranging from space suit and environmental control system, to life support system, crew escape system, human rating of launch vehicle, enhancing reliability and safety equipment. The entire space flight activity consists of three parts: ascent, orbital and descent. Each activity consists of a sub-set of technologies for which selection and training of the crew needs to be done.

the Czech government has inked a deal with the

European GNSS Agency for establishing the headquarters of Galileo satellite navigation system in Prague. The deal was signed by Czech Transport Minister Pavel Dobes and

reap a financial windfall, as it will prove of critical help in diverse activities ranging from precision seeding on farmland to pinpoint positioning for search-and-rescue missions. Galileo will have a network of 30 satellites and is expected to become operational by 2014.

Carlo des Dorides, executive director of the European GNSS Agency. Galileo is said to be more precise and reliable than the current GPS, and is fully controlled by civil authorities. European Union expects the GNSS to

SpaceX develops Superdraco res-cue rockets

SpaceX has successfully tested its SuperDraco

rocket engine, which will form a critical component for safety and landing systems used in its Dragon spacecraft. The SuperDraco system has been developed by upgrading and enhancing the technology used in existing Draco propulsion system used to manoeuvre the Dragon spacecraft in orbit. Each SuprerDraco engine is capable of generating 15,000 lb of thrust, and eight of them will be built onto the Dragon module, allowing it to escape a faulty booster or land – on Earth or otherwise – with a high degree of accuracy.

uK govt to nur-ture space sector

the UK government has expressed plans

to provide £2.5 million support to the space sector for developing commercial products and services using space technology or space-derived data. The investment is a part of the UK Space Agency’s National Space Technology Programme (NSTP). This lucrative business opportunity will be shared by 22 British companies. The grant funding is being jointly provided by the UK Space Agency, the Technology Strategy Board, and the South East England Development Agency.

meet also offered a platform to link industry, users and service providers enabling them to share information to promote navigation and positioning satellite systems

NEWS

for transportation, disaster management, environment and agriculture. The regional navigational satellite system will provide accuracy better than 20 metres.


SPACE TALK

SPACE TALK

Booster shot for US air traffic controlThe transition to GPS satellites based air traffic control is a step towards accommodating the future increase in air traffic, while ensuring greater safety and enhanced operational efficiency of aircrafts

GPS satellites will soon take over the control of air traffic movement in the US, which is

currently managed by the radar-based control systems. The transition follows a bill passed in the US parliament to speed up the transformation of the US air traffic control system from radar-based to GPS satellites based technology. Commenting on the bill, Ray LaHood, Transportation Secretary in the US said, it was necessary to ensure the much needed infrastructure investments, upgradation and accomplishment of critical aviation safety programs.

The bill that awaits the approval of President Barack Obama, further proposes to open US skies and provide military, commercial and privately owned unmanned drone flights greater access to US air space in the coming four years. Thus, unmanned drones will be sharing air space with other airliners, cargo planes, business jets and private manned aircrafts. Currently, the FAA restricts the use of unmanned aircrafts to military applications including border patrol. Approximately 300 public agencies and their private partners also fly drones in limited areas at low altitudes

and away from airports and urban centres.

While many nations around the world have either moved on or are in the process of implementing satellite-based technology for air traffic control and monitoring, the US has been rather slow in treading on this transformational path as it operates the world’s most complicated air space. The country not only accounts for 35 per cent of the global commercial air traffic, but also has the most varied private aviation in the world.

As per the bill, a funding of $63.4 billion will be granted to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over a period of four years, which includes $11 billion allocated for air traffic system upgrade and modernisation. To speed up the transition process, a deadline of June 2015 has been marked for the FAA, before which new arrival procedures will have to be implemented at the 35 busiest airports in the US, to enable planes to use the more precise GPS navigation system for landing and takeoff.

The GPS navigation system will enable planes to glide more steeply, land and take off closer together and more frequently, even in bad weather as the pilots will have a clear idea of the precise location of other planes and obstacles in air and on the ground. The satellite technology will update the information on surroundings and other aircrafts every second, as compared to radar technology that updates the information every 6 to 12 seconds. Through the next decade, the US expects air traffic to grow by 50 per cent, and to accommodate this, the satellite-based navigation system will be critical.

The US not only accounts for 35 per cent of the global commercial air traffic, but also has the most varied private aviation in the world


Governments continue to dominate the space market, as satellite systems are critical infrastructure for communications and geo-information solutions for civilian and military users

SPACE TALK

Satellite market to record sustained growth

While most governments around the world have resorted to more stringent spending on space activities, the global market for MSS, FSS and Earth observation continues to record sustained growth, reports Euroconsult

While the global economic scenario remains gloomy, the global satellite

industry will continue to grow, predicts Euroconsult, the leading international consulting and analyst firm specialising in the satellite and space sectors. Prospects for the satellite industry will remain favourable over the decade in a variety of areas. The next ten years should see continued growth for commercial markets, while at the same time stagnating growth for

government spending should be expected at least through mid-decade.

Fixed satellite services

According to a recently released report by Euroconsult titled, “Satellite Communications & Broadcasting Markets Survey,” the market for satellite bandwidth used for traditional Fixed Satellite services (FSS) will be worth almost $15 billion in 2020. “While we have seen slowing growth rates in leased capacity, FSS operators’ revenue

growth has continued to outperform the global economy, and operating margins remain high for most operators. In the near term, the difficult economic environment could weigh on the market,” said Pacôme Revillon, CEO at Euroconsult. “Still, connectivity needs and the growth of digital TV in emerging regions, combined with the launch of new generation high throughput satellite systems should continue to drive growth. The value of satellite capacity leasing should consequently


grow at 7 per cent over the next ten years.”

Mobile satellite services

In another report titled “Mobile Satellite Communications Markets Survey,” Euroconsult forecasts that the Mobile satellite services (MSS) market will grow at nearly 13 per cent per year on average, from 2.4 million terminals in service in 2010 to 7.8 million by 2020. Low-data rate machine-to-machine (M2M) devices will have a significant share in this subscriber growth while their contribution to service revenues will remain limited.

“MSS wholesale revenue is expected to grow roughly 7 per cent per year over the decade, due to increased demand for broadband and other MSS services in a number of vertical markets and emerging regions,” said Wei Li, Senior Consultant at Euroconsult and principal author of the report. “Nevertheless, competition from terrestrial and VSAT networks will remain a major limitation for MSS growth in L-band.”

Planned satellite launches

Euroconsult’s “Satellites to be Built & Launched” report estimates that 1,145 satellites will be built for launch from 2011 to 2020, 51 per cent more satellites than the previous decade. Revenues from the manufacture and launch of these satellites will be worth $196 billion worldwide, of which 70 per cent can be attributed to government demand.

Euroconsult forecasts 203 commercial communications satellites with a market value of $50 billion will be launched into the GEO arc over the next ten years. Some of these satellites were recorded in satellite

manufacturers’ order books during the flurry of ordering activity over the past five years. Commercial satellite services outside the geostationary orbit will get a boost over the next decade with a total of 165 satellites to be built and launched into medium and low Earth orbits (MEO and LEO).

“Governments continue to dominate the space market, as satellite systems are critical infrastructure for communications and geo-information solutions for civilian and military users,” said Rachel Villain, Director for Space for Euroconsult and editor of the report. “The government market is worth more than double the commercial market, but is largely closed to non-domestic manufacturers. Export opportunities for manufacturers exist with governments in countries with no space industry.”

Government spending on decline

However, government space activities are entering a stagnation phase following years of continuous expansion during the last decade. Following a peak funding level of $71.5 billion in 2010, government budgets for space programmes are anticipated to begin a slow decline at a minimum of -1 per cent per year on average by 2015 according to Euroconsult’s report, “Government Space Markets, World Prospects to 2020.” In the most optimistic scenario, this would result in a stabilisation of approximately $70 billion for the next five years.

“Government investments in satellite systems are cyclical, driven by the procurement of operational systems in

large space countries,” said Steve Bochinger, President of Euroconsult North America. “Following stimulus funding allocated to space projects to support national economies and innovation, most governments have returned to more stringent budget spending. This has already resulted in cutting non-priority budget items including space programmes.” Government stakeholders will increasingly look for cooperation opportunities with their counterparts and with the private sector to maximise their investment and share risks on key programmes.

Earth observation drives market growth

Earth observation remains a driving factor for the space industry with $8 billion spent by government civil and defence agencies worldwide in 2011. According to Euroconsult’s “Satellite-Based Earth Observation” report, EO commercial data sales are due to grow by 12 per cent on average per year over the decade, reaching nearly $4 billion by 2020 with very high-resolution datasets remaining dominant. Although commercial data sales may be affected in the short term by tightening budgets, long-term prospects for data sales remain positive; key drivers include commercial data sales to defence agencies globally to support their IMINT requirements and a developing private sector, particularly for LBS. Realising this, “operators are developing mechanisms to provide data to a global client base – through providing direct access to their proprietary satellites, developing online services and expanding distribution networks,” said Adam Keith, Director of Earth Observation at Euroconsult.

The market for satellite bandwidth used for traditional Fixed Satellite services (FSS) will be worth almost $15 billion in 2020.


the

The Namma Ooru Website initiative of RTBI has enabled numerous villages in Tamil Nadu to bridge the digital divide and mark their presence on the Web

Crossingdigital divide

RURAL InITIATIVE

For long, villages have been sidelined out of our country’s robust economic picture.

Most of us do not know the significance and prominence of villages, and those who have moved away from their native villages rarely stay connected to their roots. Given the rapid migration to cities instilled by seeking better livelihood opportunities over the past few decades, a pertinent need is felt to capture information about Indian villages and create an online identity for them by making information easily available and accessible through the Web.

A humble beginning

The Rural Technology and Business Incubator (RTBI) of IIT Madras is a not-for-profit organisation whose primary motive is to design, pilot and create successful businesses in rural space, leveraging information and communication technology (ICT). RTBI has experience in using ICT for initiatives across domains including health, agriculture, financial inclusion, village community development and for rural distributed production services.

A recent initiative by RTBI was to create an online identity for villages and make available this information to those people who have migrated to cities. When this idea was further explored by talking to non-resident villagers, they provided suggestions on what information they would perceive as useful when they read or hear about their village. So on a trial basis, the RTBI team began with an exercise to build a website for Thirukostiyur village in Sivaganga District as part of “Rural Collaborative Platform Initiative,” the larger intent of which was to create formalised communication channels and

virtual platform to connect rural and urban population, especially the non-resident villagers. This was achieved by creating a detailed village website (http://now.rtbi.in/demo/), village-specific maps and finally SMS groups to network in the absence of Internet. Information such as about village, history of the village, tourism information, village map was provided through the website. A mapping exercise was done for the village, wherein the resources were clearly mapped including details on the timing, address and contact information wherever applicable.

The success of this pilot project was fructified when National Internet Exchange of India and RTBI collaborated in November 2010 to initiate the NOW – Namma Ooru Website (Our Village Website) initiative. Sivaganga District in Tamil Nadu was chosen as the pilot district for this initiative. The novelty of this idea was to involve the rural youth and empower them

to help create an identity for their own village. The NOW team conducted a district-wide “Namma Ooru Website Creation Competition” for this purpose.

Launch of nOW competition

All the colleges located in Sivaganga District were invited to participate in the “Namma Ooru Website Creation Competition” irrespective of streams (Engineering or Arts and Science) or category (Government or Private) colleges. The NOW team made effort to meet and discuss the larger objective of the initiative, i.e. to encapsulate and disseminate village-specific details and to create a rural identity for Indian villages, with all the college mentors who expressed interest to enroll their students in the contest. The colleges were asked to nominate students and form them into groups of three members each. The student groups were divided into batches and detailed technical training was provided. At a later stage, the NOW team

A pertinent need is felt to capture information about Indian villages and create an online identity for them by making information easily available and accessible through the Web


Students Participating in village website development

also inducted village participants who were not affiliated to any educational institution in the training process.

Three main components were taught during the training sessions:

1. Creation of a village website

2. Using an SMS group for social networking in rural areas

3. Creation of a detailed village map

After the completion of the technical training workshop, the students were given a three-month time period for creating a website for their village. During this period the student’s progress was regularly monitored by having reviews with them. The NOW team travelled extensively across Sivaganga in the past year meeting and interacting with students, mentors, villagers, panchayat officers. It was evident that NOW’s intent to capture village-specific information such as historical significance of villages, demographic details, livelihood, rural businesses, self-help groups, education and literacy levels, tourism, local

self-government, and most importantly a detailed village map was slowly coming to life at the hands of the rural youth. Besides this, the youth created numerous village SMS groups and enrolled villagers into it and used it as an official networking platform. The outcome of the NOW initiative was two-fold – empowering rural youth with digital literacy and creating a rural identity for villages.

Voicing rural issues: The scope of the initiative does not end with just capturing and showcasing glorious village information, but it also aspired to give the villagers an opportunity to voice the local issues, concerns and areas that need development. The award winning team at the competition was from Puduvayal village that dedicated an entire page to talk about the environmental issues ruining the village and went ahead to propose solutions for the local issues. In addition to dissemination of information, the website also offers rural entrepreneurs, self-help groups and small-scale businesses a platform to connect with and cater to larger audience.

Rural tourism: Another fascinating component that the participants most effectively brought out on their websites was Rural Tourism: ancient temples, mosques, churches, local markets, palaces, prominent place were written about, photographed, mapped and showcased to the world. Most of the information provided on the websites included: name and contact details of the local self-government (Panchayat Raj), details on hospitals, banks, educational institutions, historical significance of the village. Few of the participants even admitted that they came to know these details only after participating in the competition. The websites were evaluated by not just the appearance and design, but also by the uniqueness of content presented.

Mapping rural resources

The existing maps available on the Web (such as Google or Bing) show clear distinction between rural and urban areas. While urban region are mapped extensively to provide street-level details, it can be observed that rural maps are ambiguous or unavailable. Take the case of Tamil Nadu, where villages have only been mapped to the boundary level. Detailed digital maps of rural areas, with natural and physical resources marked, are currently unavailable. But mapping of this sort is vital and serves as a tool for understanding socio-economic and infrastructure facilities available and disparities in the villages, without which meaningful policy making and development programmes cannot be undertaken at the grassroots level. It will also be useful for developing a micro-evel plan of each village. Mapping of rural resources can open up rural markets to the world. To bridge the information

All the colleges located in Sivaganga District were invited to participate in the “namma Ooru Website Creation Competition” irrespective of streams (Engineering or Arts and Science)


Mapping being taught to villagers

RURAL InITIATIVE

gap between rural and urban areas, NOW conducted detailed mapping of rural villages at a large scale with local community participation. The mapping project included:

• Mapping of natural and physical resources with local community participation

• Development of an effective village resource mapping methodology for NGOs, government sectors or any other development practitioners

• Using technology-based approach in mapping to improve accuracy

• To make the mapped resources available in digital format on a Web portal for wider accessibility by the public

Data collection

Participants enrolled in the NOW initiative for mapping village resources included school students, village elders and panchayat clerks, demonstrating the ease of use of the existing mapping technology. All the participants were provided with a data logger for a period of two weeks. The participants felt empowered and thoroughly enjoyed the responsibility of carrying a GPS device for mapping resource points in their villages for the very first time. Most of them chose to teach their fellow villagers how to map their village and carried out the exercise as a team.

After the map points were collected, the tracks were downloaded from the GPS device to PC using the software GPS phototagger and these tracks were uploaded in Google Map Maker as overlay that allows users to place KML and image files on top of the map tiles to assist with mapping. Google map tools were used to mark

The outcome of the nOW initiative was two-fold – empowering rural youth with digital literacy and creating a rural identity for villages


Singampuneri village after mapping

Singampuneri village before mapping

points of interest mapped

• Water bodies: ponds/lakes/streams

• Village boundaries

• Educational institutions

• Health care facilities (PHCs, SHCs, private clinics including RHPs’ clinic)

• Religious centres: temples/mosques/churches

• Utility services: Bank/ATM, post offices, ration shops

• Small-scale industries

• Any additional prominent places used for common purposes

mapping process









advantages









the locations in Google Maps. For the convenience of villagers, the maps were made available in both Tamil and English. Once these resources were mapped on Google Map Maker, Google community approved and published the resources in Google Maps in one or two weeks of time. In few cases, it took even a month to get it approved.

Issues and challenges

• Some of the resources marked by the participants were not approved by the Google community though it was verified by the local villager

• Low Internet bandwidth in remote areas took longer time for opening Google Map Maker website

• Good resolution satellite imagery was not available for some of the villages, and so the mapping was done purely with GPS tracks on the map view and not hybrid view of Map Maker

Accomplishments

Namma Ooru Website (NOW) initiative has given a face to

55 different villages across Sivaganga and 5 other districts in Tamil Nadu. As many as 165 rural beneficiaries were trained and they have mapped 43 different villages in detail. The Top 11 websites (out of the 55)were selected by a preliminary judging session held at IIT Research Park on November 12, 2011. NOW Competition concluded on December 17, 2011 in a Grand Finale organised at IIT Madras. The Top 11 groups were given an opportunity to come to IIT Madras along with their team mates and give a detailed presentation to the Panel of Judges who selected the Top 3 winners (Puduvayal, Kanadukathan and Iyyampalayam villages).

Sustaining the websites

The grand finale of NOW was a conclusion only for the contest, but the larger objective to sustain the created village websites is an area which is currently being massively explored. The team from RTBI is putting in considerable effort to explore various means to sustain and scale up this initiative. All the participants involved in the website development are

Suma Prashant Vice President, IITM’s RTBI

Vasumathi Anandan Project Associate, IITM’s RTBI

Vincy Pushpa Mary Project Associate, IITM’s RTBI

being inspired to continuously update the village website and sustain this initiative. To this end, the participants have demonstrated a lot of ownership for maintaining their village websites. In certain villages, even the local panchayat body had come forth to sustain the village website. Overall the NOW initiative proved to be a community activity, a common thread which brought together people from different walks of life for the larger cause of creating a niche for their village in the virtual world.

To bridge the information gap between rural and urban areas, nOW conducted detailed mapping of rural villages at a large scale with local community participation


Technical training workshop for villagers

RURAL InITIATIVE

Organisations across industries are gearing up for enterprise integration without which it will be extremely difficult for them to upgrade their existing systems or add new technologies. Gijsbert noordam explores the different approaches that Bentley solutions offer for enterprise integration

enterprise integration

The members of today’s most efficient and effective project teams require instant access

to all the business functions an enterprise can offer, regardless of which system the functionality resides within. This means that organisations cannot afford to isolate the business applications they deploy. Rather, they must connect all applications into a larger, integrated solution.

The focus of enterprise integration has traditionally been on connecting database-driven, form-based applications. However, for those organisations for whom geospatial information is critical, geospatial and GIS applications are increasingly being included due to the unique strategic value they add to business processes.

The need for geospatial enterprise integration

In recent years, the subject of enterprise integration has been at the forefront of leading geospatial organisations.

Enabling

TECHnOLOGY

For many years, IT support for business processes largely involved buying new hardware and software, or hiring programmers to build applications – with the principal approach being to remain competitive by purchasing additional software packages.

This strategy worked up to a point, but had a fundamental effect on the organisation’s IT infrastructure: every application implemented created its own legacy and dependencies.

Without these applications, an organisation’s critical business processes cease to exist. In many cases, this has made it extremely difficult for organisations to replace old applications or even to implement additional new ones. A good solution to this problem is to apply an enterprise integration strategy.

Given the widespread need for geospatial enterprise integration, software vendors are expected to provide the means to make it possible. Bentley’s software portfolio offers a number of geospatial enterprise integration options.

Four entry points

In today’s information technology markets, almost every organisation has a unique set of enterprise integration requirements. As such, a cornerstone of Bentley’s integration strategy is flexibility.

Its comprehensive geospatial architecture offers four entry points to geospatial enterprise integration:

1. Data (information) integration

2. Integration with Bentley’s geospatial desktop clients

3. Integration with ProjectWise/Bentley Geospatial Server

4. Integration with Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools

The first option focusses on ensuring that information in multiple systems is kept consistent. The other options offer a platform for process integration to link business processes across applications. And integration using Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools also adds the ability to create a single, consistent front end across a cluster of applications.

Data (information) integration

When the need for other enterprise integration goals is limited, data integration – to ensure that information in multiple systems remains consistent – might be all that is needed. Bentley’s geospatial products offer two approaches to data integration:

• Data exchange – Bentley’s geospatial interoperability tools can be used to exchange data in common GIS data formats like ESRI Shapefiles or MapInfo TAB

and MID/MIF; CAD formats such as DGN and DWG; XML-based exchange formats such as LandXML; or GML as the ‘transportation vehicle.’

• Data collaboration – This is achieved by sharing one common spatial database using Bentley’s geospatial desktop products as two-tier clients or n-tier clients in conjunction with the Bentley Geospatial Server.

Data exchange

Exchanging data through import and export – often using specially designed exchange formats – is a well-established practice. From long-standing formats like DXF to newer formats like GML, the principle is the same: export data out of system ‘A’ into an exchange format, then import the data into system ‘B’. A primary challenge of data exchange is to successfully carry over the syntax and semantics of the data from one system to the next. A good solution to preserve syntax and semantics is to natively support data formats from other systems – something MicroStation does very successfully with the DWG format. Another solution is to offer a flexible object modelling environment at the receiving end that can map the syntax and semantics of the data that is exchanged. This is what Bentley’s geospatial products offer with their XML-based Feature Modeling (XFM) object model and interoperability framework.

Exchanged data offered to Bentley’s geospatial desktop clients is dynamically mapped to the XFM object model they use. Once mapped, it is possible to customise the mapping definitions and store them in import and export XML files.

In today’s information technology markets, almost every organisation has a unique setof enterprise integration requirements. As such, a cornerstone of Bentley’s integrationstrategy is flexibility


TECHnOLOGY

Bentley desktop clients have a choice between directly accessing data in a two-tier architecture, or using the Bentley Geospatial Server for a scalable, multi-user editing environment based on Oracle’s Workspace Manager technology. Any GIS client that – like Bentley – respects the transaction models provided by the Oracle database can be plugged in to create a data collaboration environment.

Data collaboration is the enterprise integration model of choice when two or more GIS platforms need to be tightly integrated – not just to review data on either end, but for all parties involved to be able to modify and use the data throughout its editing lifecycle. It establishes a single data store with transaction-controlled data access. Bentley offers this type of collaborative environment through its ProjectWise Connectors for ArcGIS and Oracle.

Integration with Bentley’s geospatial desktop clients

In today’s information technology landscape, many desktop-based applications take care of a sub-task within more complex business processes, which may also use other applications. As a first step toward enterprise integration, organisations often start by creating point-to-point connections between applications.

To facilitate this type of integration between Bentley’s geospatial desktop clients and other applications, two options can be explored:

• Customisation – enhancing Bentley’s geospatial desktop client using APIs to create an interface with other applications

Import and export paths that are fully mapped out create data exchange lifecycles. These paths can help formalise the way in which data in common GIS formats is sent and received between geospatial clients.

Many non-Bentley GIS clients offer the ability to exchange data using common GIS formats. Often, their import/export option is fairly rigid and data is exported and imported using a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Bentley Map, on the other hand, offers a lot of flexibility when exchanging data, for example, in data selection and sub-selection and when adjusting symbology. Rules for data exchange can be formalised using import and export XML files, creating the ability to exchange data both ways without losing any information.

Data exchange lifecycles work well when only one of the geospatial clients is allowed to modify the data at a given moment in time. Note that there is no transaction mechanism in place, so possible conflicts in data modification will have to be identified and resolved manually. When data ownership is clear and only extensive data exchange takes place, using the data exchange lifecycle approach

may be sufficient. In other cases, however, more sophisticated data exchange methods are required.

Data collaboration

Data collaboration adds transaction support to the rich syntax and semantic model for data exchange used by Bentley’s geospatial products. With transaction support in place, a robust data integration platform is created, allowing sophisticated collaboration among applications that previously were operating separately. An important example of how the Bentley Map platform can collaborate with other GIS clients is its integration with ArcGIS.

In this use case, a common Geodatabase is used to store and retrieve data. The ArcGIS client accesses the common data store through its proprietary server architecture. Bentley clients either access the data store directly for read-only purposes, or use the Bentley Geospatial Server as the transaction manager for long transaction-based, readwrite data access.

Bentley’s geospatial products support another approach to data collaboration: the use of Oracle Spatial or Locator as the common data store. Here,

Data exchange lifecycles work well when only one of the geospatial clients is allowed to modify the data at a given moment in time


• Common protocols – using ISO/OGC protocol-based functionality to interface with other applications.

Customisation

For many business processes, dealing with geospatial data is critical for an organisation. At the same time, the ability to interface directly with geospatial data is often only required during parts of a business process. A typical solution for this is a form-based solution with an interface to a GIS client. Due to the nature of form-based applications, such an interface is often customised.

If the scope of integrating business processes is limited, creating point-to-point interfaces between applications can work well. Bentley’s geospatial products are designed to be customised, offering a wide choice of development environments including scripting, VBA, MicroStation Development Language (MDL), C++, and C#. Over the years, many successful interfaces of this kind were created by Bentley and its partners.

The moment the scope of integrating business processes widens, the complexity of the integration will exceed the development of point-to-point interfaces (the number of point-to-point connections grows in the order of the square of the number of points). Other strategies should then be explored. Even then, the ability to customise can prove to be extremely beneficial.

Using common protocols

There has been a steady increase in the creation and adoption of standards in the geospatial community. Whether this increase is from government agencies or groups of industry

specialists, there is a boost in jointly defining IT standards to benefit us all.

Within the geospatial world, one of the prime bodies of interest is the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). It is a non-profit, international, voluntary consensus standards organisation that leads the development of standards for geospatial and location-based services.

A key advantage of using standards and protocols for enterprise integration is its breadth of scope. A protocol can be used for data exchange, but, due to its generic nature, the list of applications that potentially can support it is larger than the GIS-specific exchange formats. In many cases, the use of protocols can also replace customisation,

or make it far simpler. Another aspect of adopting protocols is that it can be a step toward vendor independence. With the right protocols in place, individual business applications can be replaced, without having to re-implement the business rules.

In recent years, Bentley’s geospatial team has been actively pursuing the inclusion of OGC and other industry protocols into its product portfolio. Both its client and server products show a growing list of supported protocols and standards, including OGC protocols like WMS and WFS. In line with the geospatial community as a whole, more and more protocols will be implemented in the future.

• When the emphasis is on data (information) integration, Bentley offers a syntax and semantically rich interoperability platform that leverages its XFM object model. Where XFM-based data exchange lifecycles are not sufficient, Bentley ProjectWise ArcGIS and Oracle Connectors take semantic interoperability to the next level to create robust, multi-user editing environments.

• Where process integration is the goal, Bentley positions its ProjectWise and Bentley Geospatial Server products as the federated environment that acts as the single point of truth across multiple applications, linking business processes. In addition, the fact that all of Bentley’s geospatial products come with full APIs ensures that, when required, the ‘last mile’ in process integration can be reached.

• When it is about vendor independence, Bentley shows its commitment to open standards and protocols such as GML, WFS, and WMS, by continuously working on those standards that matter most to the market. By creating native two-tier and n-tier interoperability with Oracle Spatial/Locator databases, Bentley provides an open gateway to bring geospatial data to an industry-standard data store.

• When a common interface is required, Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools offer a wide choice of geospatial clients, including WFS or WMS clients, Adobe Flash clients, and mash-up clients. Each of these can be easily integrated in a cluster of applications to provide a single consistent interface.

The keyword in the Bentley geospatial enterprise integration strategy is flexibility. Itis encouraging to observe that this strategy works in a steadily growing number ofenterprise integration implementations.

bentley’s geospatial enterprise integration options

An important example of how the Bentley Map platform can collaborate with other GIS clients is its integration with ArcGIS


TECHnOLOGY

Integration with ProjectWise/Bentley Geospatial Server

As Bentley’s server platform, ProjectWise (and its geospatial cousin, the Bentley Geospatial Server) is the natural entry point for enterprise integration. For server-to-server integration, these products use Bentley’s Connector architecture. This architecture ensures that a common transaction model is established between the Bentley server platform and the third-party server platform with which it integrates.

Two types of Connectors are available, and both are implemented as standard add-ons to the core server platform:

• Interoperability Connectors – they ensure that the Bentley server platform is able to interface with enterprise geospatial data stores. Implementing an interoperability Connector creates a collaborative environment between Bentley’s geospatial products and an ArcGIS Geodatabase or an Oracle Spatial/Locator database.

• Enterprise Connectors – they provide an interface to other, typically non-geospatial,enterprise

Bentley’s geospatial products support another approach to data collaboration: the use of Oracle Spatial or Locator as the common data store

range of clients it can service. This makes it easier to integrate into portals, mash-up clients, and enterprise platforms that use a Web front-end. As such, the publishing tools are not only suited for process integration, they also ‘blend in’ the portal, mash-up client, or enterprise platform to offer the enduser a single interface.

With this integration, the end-user is offered a single consistent interface, saving users from having to learn to interact with different software packages for a single task. With their support of many types of clients, Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools offer flexibility in choosing the type of client that best integrates in a given cluster of applications.

Conclusion

The need for enterprise integration in many organisations is clear. Without it, organisations are locked into their current and past systems, unable to tie them together. Organisations face a specialised set of additional challenges and issues when geospatial information is a critical element of their enterprise information. Software vendors have an important responsibility to help organisations achieve their enterprise integration goals. Bentley’s geospatial team takes that responsibility very seriously, and offers different entry points for enterprise integration. This is extremely important, because organisations differ and, therefore, have different enterprise integration requirements.

Gijsbert Noordam Senior Consultant, Geospatial Center of Excellence, Bentley


platforms. One of the most prominent enterprise Connectors allows for process integration between Bentley’s server platform and SAP.

A key strength of integrating with Bentley’s server platform is that it offers a platform for federated data management. This allows different geospatial and non-geospatial environments to collaborate as one. Naturally, it also offers the ability to benefit from the strengths that Bentley’s geospatial products have to offer. For example, when integrating with the ArcGIS platform, it is appealing to shift the data editing tasks to the Bentley side, with its comprehensive array of highly efficient and accurate data editing tools.

Integration with Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools

Where ProjectWise and the Bentley Geospatial Server focus on data management, the primary focus of Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools is to present and use geospatial data, typically using Web technology such as browsers or Web services.

With the richness and diversity of the Web-based world as a given, a key strength of Bentley’s geospatial publishing tools is the

Telmap released the fifth edition of Telmap metrics report that summarises usage and activity

conducted through Telmap-based solutions. Looking at the fourth quarter of 2010 and 2011, Telmap noticed an interesting pattern with relatively high numbers of kilometres driven in October and December, and a relative decline in such activity in November.

In addition, in Q4 of 2011 a significant increase in searches for shopping and fun related places has been noticed, which may be indicative of holiday shopping that’s typical to that time of year. In addition, there has been a significant increase in search for specific cities, which again may be related to family visits out of town during the holiday season.

Q2, 2011 was the first quarter where Telmap saw the number of new activations on Android devices surpassing the number of new activations on iOS. This trend continued into Q3, 2011 and in Q4 this trend has flipped and Android fell second to the iOS. Most likely, this is due to the launch of the popular iPhone 4S which happened during the fourth quarter. Telmap anticipates a close race between Android and iOS in 2012 for the top two leading platforms for Telmap users. Telmap provides white-label, fully hosted and managed location-based services, serving 7.5 million end users around the world.

Rolta net profits increase by 5 per cent in Q2 of FY12

Rolta India has reported a consolidated net profit of `65 crore in the second quarter of FY12, an increase of 4.8 per cent over

`62 crore posted in the previous quarter. EBITDA increased to `190 crore from `178.96 crore on quarter-over-quarter basis. EBITDA too improved at 40.25 per cent versus 36.8 per cent. Revenues from enterprise geospatial and defence solutions decreased by 6.5 per cent to `243.1 crore from `260.2 crore. Enterprise design and operation solutions revenues remained flat at `104.7 crore. Enterprise IT solutions division’s revenues rose 2 per cent to `123.8 crore from `121.35 crore.

uS dept of homeland security calls for vendors

The US dept of homeland security has announced a budget of $50 million for hiring four contractors to conduct aerial remote sensing, which includes taking photos from airborne sensors of homeland

security missions and emergency incidents, processing those images and disseminating them throughout the department. The vendors will collect aerial imagery using digital cameras in “vertical” or “oblique” renditions to support emergency and non-emergency incidents nationwide.

According to the department, these airborne images are essential for homeland defence missions and for planning national special security events such as super bowls or any other national political conventions. They will also be used for enhancing border, port and airport security, performing critical infrastructure inventories and assessments.

india to map aquifers

In the next five years the Indian government has expressed plans to spend `50 billion ($1 billion) to map underground water resources that are depleting due to indiscriminate sinking of wells by farmers.

The primary objective of the exercise is to avert water crisis and increase the availability of water for agriculture that accounts for 20 per cent of the $1.7-trillion economy. A major cause for depletion of underground water table is competitive drilling of bore wells.

Mapping of aquifers and large underground water reservoirs will help India in better managing cropping patterns and to ensure adequate availability of drinking water for the growing population. More than 85 per cent of Indian villages and half of its cities rely on wells for water. Farming accounts for about 90 per cent of total water withdrawals in India, with the irrigated acreage almost tripling since 1950. According to Mihir Shah, member of the Planning Commission, a Planning Commission’s working group on water has been organised that has requested for a budget of `100 billion for auditing groundwater resources across India in phases through various federal funding programmes. The first phase of mapping will begin this year and will be completed in India’s Twelfth Five Year Plan through March 2017.

telmap Q4, 2011 metrics report


MARKETS

trimble records 4.2 per cent increase in Q4 revenues

Trimble recorded $435.2 million in fourth quarter revenue, a 4.2 per cent increase sequentially and 34.6 per cent increase on year-over-year basis. The revenues exceeded the high end of the guided range of $415-420 million (flat sequentially, but increased 28-30 per cent on year over year). While the US commercial and residential construction

markets continue to remain week, but this did not impact Trimble’s business in the last quarter. In recent months, Trimble has also made a number of acquisitions which are helping to build the product portfolio and to position the company in markets with better growth prospects.

A business-segment-wise analysis revealed that E&C unit made revenues of $238.7 million, which was down 1.0 per cent sequentially and up 30.1 per cent on year-over-year basis. E&C segment is generally known to show sequential strength in the first two quarters of the year and declines in the next two. Within the E&C category, the most important markets are heavy and highway, large-scale commercial, smaller-scale commercial and housing. Of these, the heavy and highway construction and survey instruments businesses have continued to grow.

Infrastructure development in emerging economies remains an attractive growth area, while the commercial and residential construction business in Europe remains weak. The previous quarter revenues were helped by both agricultural and GIS business segments. GIS business was impacted by conservative municipal and state budgets, but still recorded strong double-digit growth over the year-ago quarter. The company is now taking a more focussed approach to target industries, such as forestry, construction supply, transportation and logistics, communications, environmental, field services and public safety.

EvENtS

march 2012

19-23

aSprS 2012 annual conference

Sacramento Convention Center, Sacramento, California, USA

www.asprs.org

apr 07 - 08

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

4th icdip 2012

www.icdip.org

apr 02 - 04

San Francisco, USA

Where 2.0

http://whereconf.com/where2012

apr 16 - 18

Loveland, USA

GiS-t 2012: GiS for transportation

www.gis-t.org

mar 26 - 30

Tunis, Tunisia

Geotunis 2012

www.geotunis.org

mar 12 - 15

San Antonio, USA

GiS/cama technologies conference

www.urisa.org

apr 11 - 13

Sacramento, USA

calGiS: 18th california GiS conferencewww.urisa.org

apr 11 - 13

Lancaster, UK

20th GiS research uK conference

www.lancs.ac.uk

Join the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) for the ASPRS 2012 annual conference. The conference theme, “Imaging and Geospatial Technologies – Into the Future,” offers a glimpse into a fascinating program filled with technical sessions, keynote speakers, workshops and more, all focused on what is to come for our industry.


WhENEvEr youhEar GEoSpatial

thiNK of uS.

Technology Demystified. For You.

w w w . g e o s p a t i a l t o d a y . c o m


RNI NO.: APENG/2002/7101RNI NO.: APENG/2002/7101 POSTAL REGISTRATION NO.: HD/1125/2010-12POSTAL REGISTRATION NO.: HD/1125/2010-12

Documents

geospatial 03 2012 100/- ISSN 0972-6810 Volunteered geographic information and crowdsourcing have emerged as tremendous methods of collecting user-generated content. Anthony Stefanidis