February 2009 eNews
Highlights include: Aerial Photography Update from Landgate, OZRI to Hit the Road in 2009, Mapping the Victorian Bushfires, ‘Talking’ Cars Reach Testing Phase, Introducing Google Earth 5.0, MarineMap, All Streets and Challenges Before National Mapping Organisations.
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
Aerial Photography Update from Landgate
Drive for Spatial Data Network
Professional Development Courses
Rare Flora and Fauna Revealed at South-West Wetlands
Australian Geographic Funds New Search for Potoroos
2009 Grants Directory is Now Online
GIS Assistance for Firefighting and Recovery Efforts in Victoria
Australian Angle
Demonstration Products of RapidEye Satellite Imagery Now Available
The Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) White Paper
Mapping the Victorian Bushfires
National Earth Observation Group
GeoSmart Location Innovation Awards
Pictometry and 3D Model to Cover all Angles
Land Resources Snapshot at Finger Tips
Survey Strategic Context - Shaping the Future of the Cadastre
‘Talking’ Cars Reach Testing Phase
NRM Spatial Information Management Toolkit
News from Around the Globe
1Spatial Awarded ISO9001: 2008 Accreditation
Construction of Chinese Version of 'Google Earth' Launched
Making Digital Maps More Current and Accurate
ESRI Press Publishes Map Use, the Quintessential Book on How to Read and Analyse Maps
Intellitect Delivers First GPRS Drinking Water Monitors
French Battleship Found Using Fugro’s Survey Technology
NIIT Wins Singapore Land Authority Contract
Challenges Before National Mapping Organisations
Gaming and Geography to Help Beat Climate Change
Geospatial Coordination Web Site Launched by California
Czech Republic Address-Specific Flood Risk Portal
Upcoming Events
Details of events in Australia and around the world
Interesting Website of the Month
What’s Happening in the WALIS Community?
The WALIS Marine Group (WMG) first meeting for 2009 will be held at Department of Fisheries in Hillarys and will conclude with a lunch celebration to see the year in. WALIS Council has endorsed the WMG Strategic plan for 2008 – 2012. The WMG will be marketing their approach towards focusing on data gaps and marine issues being driven by climate change, sea level rise and coastal vulnerability.
Events scheduled on the Marine front include A changing climate: Western Australia in focus which outlines the latest climate change research and the predicted effects. WAMSI, CSIRO and AMOS are co-hosting this seminar on 27 March at the CSIRO Auditorium in Floreat. Contact Lynne Stephenson to register.
For more WMG related activities visit http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/projects_and_activities/WALIS_Marine_Group or contact Jenny Smith.
The Metadata Group will be meeting on 9 March 2009 to discuss Creative Commons and develop a “Terms of Reference” for the group. If you would like to attend the meeting or for further information, please contact Jade George at jade.george@walis.wa.gov.au or on 9273 7039.
Due to on-going technical difficulties users are requested not to create metadata or publishers until further notice. We apologise for the inconvenience and are doing our best to fix the problems as soon as possible.
Contact Jade George at the WALIS office on 9273 7039 if you have any questions or need urgent assistance.
Thank you for your understanding.
The Shared Land Information Capture Program has now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted or assisted in the submission of SLICP applications.
For continuous updates
please refer to the website http://www.walis.wa.gov.au/slicp
or contact the WALIS office at slicp@walis.wa.gov.au.
WALIS Stakeholders in the News
Applications for industry and individuals for the Western Australian Spatial Excellences Awards (WASEA) are now open. The closing date for submissions is 29 May 2009.
For information packs, visit the Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) website or contact the SSI office on 9386 6601.
Aerial Photography Update from Landgate
The most recently completed orthophoto mosaics by Landgate can be viewed here. They can be ordered in full or in part. For further information about any of the mosaics listed, please contact Landgate’s Geospatial Team on 9273 7045 or email geodata@landgate.wa.gov.au
If you would like to receive regular mosaic updates by email, please contact rita.swain@landgate.wa.gov.au
Drive for Spatial Data Network
An article in the Australian Financial Review highlighted the importance of a National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) and the need for policy leadership at the national level.
The headline 'Drive for spatial data network' says it all (Government Business section, Page 60). This article supports ASIBA's position to Infrastructure Australia (IA), which sought to encourage acceptance by Government that spatial data is an infrastructure. Sadly, despite supporting evidence from countries around the world and the United Nations that an SDI is an infrastructure than must be built, Australia is dragging the chain - the last round of infrastructure considerations by IA did not include any funds for an NSDI.
Source: ASIBA
Professional Development Courses
The Department of Spatial Sciences at Curtin University in conjunction with the SSI and CRCSI are holding two Professional Development Courses, scheduled for 6 and 7 April and 8 and 9 April.
The courses are, ‘Coordinate Transformations and Datums for the Spatial Industry’ and ‘Basic Introduction to GPS’ and will feature presentations by Dr Michael Kuhn, Dr Jon Kirby and Dr Joseph Awange.
Download the registration form or click here for course details.
Source: CRC-SI
Rare Flora and Fauna Revealed at South-West Wetlands
An abundance of rare flora and fauna has been discovered at several wetlands in the south-west during a Department of Environment and Conservation (DEC) mapping and monitoring program.
The latest monitoring survey of the tributaries of the Blackwood River revealed native plants and animals that had not before been recorded at the survey sites.
Web link to full article: http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/news/department-of-environment-and-conservation/rare-flora-and-fauna-revealed-at-south-west-wetlands.html
Australian Geographic Funds New Search for Potoroos
A search for new populations of the world's most endangered marsupial, the Gilbert's potoroo, will soon be underway on Western Australia's south coast thanks to a generous fundraising effort from the Australian Geographic Society.
The critically endangered quokka-like animal is known only to exist in small numbers at Two Peoples Bay Nature Reserve near Albany and Bald Island off the coast east of Albany.
A team of volunteers will be rostered to staff four radio tracking stations so the nocturnal movements of six to eight potoroos can be monitored throughout the fortnight.
Web link to full article: http://www.dec.wa.gov.au/news/department-of-environment-and-conservation/australian-geographic-funds-new-search-for-potoroos.html
2009 Grants Directory is Now Online
The 2009 Grants Directory lists more than 110 grants available to local governments and community groups. Every grant program listed in the directory provides information on the funding amounts, who can apply and closing dates for submitting applications.
The 2009 Grants Directory can be viewed at: http://grantsdirectory.dlgrd.wa.gov.au/
Web link to article: http://www.dlgrd.wa.gov.au/News.asp#208
GIS Assistance for Firefighting and Recovery Efforts in Victoria
ESRI Australia and ESRI Inc are providing GIS support to those involved in managing the ongoing firefighting and recovery stages of the Victorian bushfires. If you require assistance to support these efforts, or would like to read more, click here.
Source: ESRI Australia
To fit in with a crowded industry conference calendar, ESRI Australia’s client conference, OZRI, will be hitting the road in 2009, with events to be held throughout Australia during August.
By holding events in each capital city, ESRI Australia clients from around the country will get the chance to experience a taste of OZRI, without having to travel beyond their own state or territory.
Web link to full media release: http://www.esriaustralia.com.au/esri/NewsEvents/OZRI_conference_PR.pdf
The native title system could be set for changes this year, based on proposals currently being considered by the Federal Government on how to improve the system and speed up the settlement of claims.
Amendments to the Native Title Act, possible formation of a national representative body and strategies to help native title holders optimise benefits from native title agreements are among Federal proposals.
Until that time, the Tribunal is continuing to go about its tasks. It offers many services - claim mediation, registration testing, future act mediation and arbitration and ancillary services such as geospatial and research – which assist the Federal Court and parties to resolve matters.
Web link to full article: http://www.nntt.gov.au/News-and-Communications/news/columns/Documents/Koori%20Mail%20column%20Chris%20Sumner%2020090128.pdf
Source:
Koori Mail, page 22, General News, 28 January 2008
Australian Angle
Demonstration Products of RapidEye Satellite Imagery Now Available
Demonstration products generated by the RapidEye system are being made public for the first time. The samples of the RapidEye Standard Image Products show an area over Griffith in New South Wales, Australia.
The sample datasets are available for download as a RapidEye Ortho Product (level 3A) and RapidEye Basic Product (level 1B).
Web link to press release: http://www.rapideye.de/upload/documents/Press_Releases/RapidEye_Press_Release_Demonstration_Products_01_26_2009.pdf
Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS) White Paper
The Australian Government released the CPRS White Paper on Monday 15 December 2008. The paper outlines the final design of the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme and the medium-term, target range for reducing carbon pollution.
The CPRS works by mandating that every organisation with a facility that emits 25 kilotonnes of CO2-e or more per year must report and purchase a permit for every tonne of CO2-e it releases.
The White Paper follows from the Green Paper, released in July 2008, which canvassed options on the design on the scheme. It takes into account the outcomes of a broad consultation and input from more than one thousand submissions.
Electronic copies of the CPRS White Paper can be found on the Department of Climate Change website at www.climatechange.gov.au/whitepaper/index.html
Mapping the Victorian Bushfires
As the worst bushfires in Australia's history moved across Victoria, many utilised innovative online mapping tools to assess the risk of the fires reaching their own homes.
Google's engineers created a map containing the latest up-to-date information about fire locations and their status, based on data provided by Victoria's Country Fire Authority (CFA).
Aus-emaps.com created its own map of the fire locations - derived from data provided by Federal Government body Geoscience Australia through its Sentinel national bushfire monitoring system.
Additionally, NASA published satellite images showing the bushfires and how the smoke traveled across the Tasman to New Zealand.
Web link to news article: http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/web/social-media-lights-up-as-victorian-bushfires-rage/2009/02/09/1234027910408.html
National Earth Observation Group
In line with Geoscience Australia's business directions, Geoscience Australia’s Remote Sensing Group has been renamed as the National Earth Observation Group (NEO).
Click here to read more.
GeoSmart Location Innovation Awards
GeoSmart believe that location based applications (LBS) on mobile phones and converged devices will be commonplace in four to five years’ time...and they want to bring that time forward.
The concept behind LBS is the ability to interact with people and services in real time with the focus on location. The ubiquity of the mobile phone is the core element, it is the one device that people have with them all the time.
The Location Innovation Awards are designed to give Kiwis the opportunity to use their imagination to help shape the future. There are four different categories: social networking, proximity-based marketing, LBS games, and AA maps widgets. Participants are asked to create solutions to fit one of these categories, using LBS applications.
Visit the website for details.
Pitney Bowes FireLocator is a free, state-of-the-art site that disseminates timely critical wildfire data and information to the public.
FireLocator integrates data from multiple sources to provide users with comprehensive views of both current and past wildfires. By entering a target address in the address bar, users are able to mark a location of interest on the map using Pitney Bowes MapInfo’s geocoding technology. This allows users to track fires around a specific address, neighbourhood, or area of interest.
Read about FireLocator here.
Pictometry and 3D Model to Cover all Angles
The City of Greater Geelong (COGG) in Victoria has awarded a contract for supply of Pictometry multi-angle oblique imagery and a 3D City Model.
COGG chose a full Pictometry 3D solution from AAMHatch through a competitive EOI and Tender process late last year.
The solution includes a fully textured 3D model of the Geelong Central Activity Area (CAA) covering approximately 5 sq km, as well as Pictometry oblique aerial imagery covering the entire extent of the urban areas of Greater Geelong including townships of the Bellarine peninsula - an area of 350 sq km.
Web link to full article: http://www.aamhatch.com/news.cfm?itemId=8224D6DA-19B9-EFA7-D62756B97192ED6D
Land Resources Snapshot at Finger Tips
A new snapshot of the soil qualities in Western Australia's agricultural areas is expected to become an essential tool for local government, planning agencies and researchers.
The free publication from the Department of Agriculture and Food, available on the web, summarises land resources information for local government authorities in the South West Agricultural Region.
The new summary of agricultural land resources is based on data collated from regional surveys over more than 20 years. It updates a 1999 publication covering part of the South West only. Land resources in the South West Agricultural Region can be accessed at http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/aboutus/Pubns/rmtechreport_index.htm or with other mapping information via http://spatial.agric.wa.gov.au/slip/ and Go to Maps.
Web link to full article: http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/aboutus/mr/mr050209a.htm
An Australian venture capital company called Ipernica has purchased a small startup in Western Australia called NearMap.
The move has aroused interest in the industry because NearMap's founder is local entrepreneur Stuart Nixon, who created ER Mapper and later sold it to Leica Geosystems. Leica still sells the ER Mapper product, as well as its compression format, ECW and Image Web Server.
NearMap is a vehicle to launch the next generation of technology. It is an engine for mosaicing large amounts of very high definition imagery. Its novel imaging technology is set to revolutionise the capture of 3D urban models.
Web link to full article: http://www.asmmag.com/news/nearmap-focuses-on-cities
Reprinted from www.asmmag.com, copyright 2009 ASM.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Map World Forum in Hyderabad on 10 February, Sharon Cottrell, the general manager of customer services at Land Information New Zealand, confirmed that data from a new database of topographic information will be available to third parties for the cost of dissemination, that is, essentially for free.
The hope is that the data will prompt a round of product development by 3rd parties to commercialise and use the data in consumer and business products.
The database is the fruit of a 4-year project by LINZ to remap all of the topography of the country at 1:50,000 scale. National release is due on 1 September. It will use the new NZGD2000 datum.
Web link to full article: http://www.asmmag.com/news/new-NZ-land-database
Reprinted from www.asmmag.com, copyright 2009 ASM.
Survey Strategic Context - Shaping the Future of the Cadastre
Land Information New Zealand and the New Zealand Institute of Surveyors (NZIS) have established a joint working group to take a critical look at the cadastral survey industry.
With the move to 100% e-lodgement and pending changes to the Rules for Cadastral Survey, the review of the industry is timely, says Surveyor-General Don Grant.
Web link to full article: http://www.linz.govt.nz/survey-titles/stats-projects-notices/news-notices/2009/0122-shaping-future-cadastre/index.aspx
'Talking' Cars Reach Testing Phase
South Australian-developed radio technology that allows cars to ‘talk’ to each other and alerts drivers to the risk of an accident, is getting closer to reality with testing taking place in Adelaide.
The world-leading technology provides warnings to drivers of potential intersection crashes, rear-end collisions and lane drift – and could be available in everyday vehicles as soon as 2012.
The technology will also enable traffic flow management and optimised route selection for drivers, reducing the costs of traffic congestion and greenhouse emissions.
Live safety demonstrations of the technology will be held at an Australian Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) industry event. DSRC is a radio technology that combines GPS and Wi-Fi like communications to effectively enable cars to talk to each other.
Web link to full article: http://www.sciencealert.com.au/news/20091302-18797.html
Source: Science Alert
NRM Spatial Information Management Toolkit
The regional spatial information management toolkit has been developed to assist the Natural Resource Management (NRM) regions to obtain full value from their investment in the collection, management and use of spatial data.
The toolkit has been developed in close cooperation with stakeholders across the region and draws on information published in the natural resources information management toolkit by the National Land and Water Resources Audit (NLWRA) in 2003.
Click here for a list of FAQ’s.
News from Around the Globe
Google Inc. has launched ocean in Google Earth, a new feature that enables users of Google Earth to dive beneath the water surface, explore 3D underwater terrain and browse ocean-related content contributed by leaders in ocean science and advocacy.
The new version of Google Earth also introduces Historical Imagery, a feature that enables users to virtually travel back in time through archival satellite and aerial imagery, Touring, which makes it simple to create a narrated tour in Google Earth and share it with the world and Google Mars 3D, which features hi-res imagery and terrain of the red planet.
Web link to press release: http://sites.pressatgoogle.com/ocean/Home/faq
FirstLook offers estimates of the wind resource globally, allowing you to compare the wind resource from Timbuktu to Bengaluru, Gdansk to Lake Titicaca, and Brisbane to Houston.
FirstLook provides a thorough wind resource and power assessment, including detailed site statistics. It utilises advanced scientific modelling techniques and the latest wind models to tell you what time of year and day you can expect the highest wind speeds at your site. It also advances the wind assessment process with a revolutionary, easy-to-use tool based on superior wind map data. The report format is standardised for all sites, helping improve the productivity of your due-diligence process.
Visit the website for more.
1Spatial Awarded ISO9001: 2008 Accreditation
Following an ongoing programme of quality management and four days of intensive auditing 1Spatial has successfully upgraded its ISO9001 accreditation to comply with the 2008 specification and TickIT version 5.5.
Web link to press release: http://www.1spatial.com/news_events/news/news.php?news=288
Construction of Chinese Version of 'Google Earth' Launched
The State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping launched a program to set up a service platform on national geographic information for the general public. The move, disclosed at a national conference for directors of surveying and mapping bureaus held on January 14, marks fundamental changes in China's traditional services to supply basic geographic information. Upon completion, the program will provide comprehensive online geographic information services similar to "Google Earth" and "Google Maps" to all types of institutions and to the general public.
Web link to full article: http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90776/90882/6575042.html
InstantAtlas is an inexpensive yet powerful data visualisation and presentation tool. It is being used in the UK and internationally by national, regional and local crime and policing bodies for online crime mapping and reporting. It enhances the value of data by making patterns and trends in crime statistics easy to see and explore. No specialist expertise in software development or GIS mapping is needed - yet the results can be stunning and highly effective.
Link to website: http://www.instantatlas.com/crimemapping.html
Making Digital Maps More Current and Accurate
The 'oddly enough' sections of newspapers regularly feature amusing stories of GPS mayhem. One lorry driver in Poland had such confidence in his positioning device that he ignored several signs warning that a road had been closed and drove straight into a lake!
In addition to providing a cautionary tale about investing too much faith in technology, this amusing anecdote highlights a more mundane and daily challenge: how to reflect the constantly shifting topography of Europe's road network.
Web link to full article: http://www.gpsdaily.com/reports/Making_Digital_Maps_More_Current_And_Accurate_999.html
Source: GPS Daily
Farallon Geographics, working with the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara, The Nature Conservancy, and Ecotrust, has developed "MarineMap", a Web 2.0 mapping and decision support system to identify marine protected areas.
MarineMap combines an extensive catalog of GIS data, sophisticated spatial analysis, and an intuitive user interface to enable members of the public to participate in the selection of marine environments that should be designated for conservation, recreational, and commercial uses. MarineMap allows participants to identify and design marine protected areas (MPAs) interactively, and to share proposed MPA areas among stakeholders.
Web link to full article: http://www.fargeo.com/press/releases/gis-based-web-mapping-to-identify-marine-protected-areas/
ESRI Publishes Map Use, the Quintessential Book on How to Read and Analyse Maps
To unlock the wealth of information in a map, a person must know how to read one. That's why Map Use: Reading and Analysis, Sixth Edition, will be a valuable book for people who work with, study, and appreciate maps and want to improve their map reading and analysis skills.
Replete with nearly 500 maps, photographs, tables, and charts to illustrate the text, this informative volume from ESRI Press teaches the basic concepts of geography and the skills of map reading and analysis.
Web link to press release: http://www.esri.com/news/releases/09_1qtr/map_use_book.html
Source: ESRI
All Streets is a fascinating series of maps by Ben Fry, which are compiled of 26 million segments of road line segments.
Ben Fry is a designer who received his doctoral degree from the Aesthetics + Computation Group at the MIT Media Laboratory. His research focused on combining fields such as computer science, statistics, graphic design, and data visualisation as a means for understanding complex data.
All Streets was an example he created for one of his students in 2006. All of the streets in the lower 48 United States are mapped (Hawaii and Alaska were omitted because there aren't enough roads to outline their shape. No other features (such as outlines or geographic features) have been added to the image, however they still emerge as roads avoid mountains, and sparse areas convey low population (as is quite evident here). It’s one of those cases where even in a (relatively) raw format, the data is quite striking.
The technical details about Ben’s project are a very interesting read, and a further update is located here.
Source: Ben Fry
Intellitect Delivers First GPRS Drinking Water Monitors
Intellitect Water (UK) has recently delivered the first real-time, in-pipe water quality monitors to customers in both the UK and overseas. It is a very significant milestone for the business; the Intellisonde monitors have internal dataloggers which enable them to record water quality and flow data continuously. However, the addition of GPRS puts the product in a league of its own as water companies can now access continuous data remotely which provides them with enormous advantages.
Web link to full article: http://management.environmental-expert.com/resultEachPressRelease.aspx?cid=24081&codi=45241&idproducttype=8&level=0
French Battleship Found Using Fugro's Survey Technology
The wreck of the French battleship Danton has been discovered during Galsi pipeline investigation using Fugro’s survey technology. The Danton sunk in 1917 off the coast of Sardinia in over 1,000 meters water depth.
Web link to full article: http://www.fugro.com.au/news/newsdetails.asp?item=439
NIIT Wins Singapore Land Authority Contract
The Singapore Land Authority – the national mapping agency – has awarded the tender for the design, development and maintenance of a government-wide intelligent map system, to NIIT Technologies. NIIT will use technology proposed by ESRI India in partnership with ESRI Singapore.
The system will be based on ESRI’s ArcGIS Server 9.3 and Microsoft's Dot Net technology.
Web link to full article: http://www.asmmag.com/news/niit-wins-singapore-land-authority-contract
Reprinted from www.asmmag.com, copyright 2009 ASM.
The Dangers of GPS
The problem is that nothing works 100 %. GPS is very close, but for some users under some circumstances, “very close” is not good enough.
GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) is a common acronym encompassing all existing and planned satellite-based navigation systems. So far, the US-built GPS dominates the scene completely, but the Russian GLONASS is approaching around-the-clock global operational status, and other systems are being developed (the European Galileo, the Chinese Compass/ Beidou and the Indian IRNSS). There are also augmentation systems of more or less operational status (the US WAAS, the European EGNOS, the Japanese MSAS and the Indian GAGAN).
Satellite navigation is becoming part of everyday life, user equipments are becoming cheaper, smaller, easier to handle and with increasingly improved performance. This development is expected to continue for the foreseeable future with receivers in mobile phones and cars as dominating markets.
Web link to full article: http://www.mycoordinates.org/feb09/dangers.php
Source: Professor Börje Forssell, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Dept. of Electronics and Telecommunications, Trondheim, Norway
(Originally appeared in Coordinates, Volume V, Issue 2, February 2009)
Challenges Before National Mapping Organisations
Over the last few years we have seen significant, global, often disruptive, change in the technological and social environment within which National Mapping Organisations (NMOs) operate.
These changes will continue to have profound effects on both: the way geographic information (GI) is captured, managed, traded and used; and the role and function of national mapping agencies.
GI is now exchanged under global (W3C based) information standards and influenced by developments in: wireless, mobile, positioning, sensing, location, imaging, storage and processing technologies. These developments enable GI to be expressed and visualized in 2-, 3- and as 4Dimensions (the temporal dimension) as well as in virtual and augmented reality and increasingly, to be delivered as part of an on-line service.
Web link to full article: http://www.mycoordinates.org/feb09/chall.php
Source: Vanessa Lawrence CB, Director General & CEO, Ordnance Survey, UK; Lam Joon Khoi, Chief Executive, Singapore Land Authority, Singapore; and Dr P Nag, Director, National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organisation (NATMO), India
(Originally appeared in Coordinates, Volume V, Issue 2, February 2009)
Gaming and Geography to Help Beat Climate Change
Lord David Puttnam, the film maker and Labour peer, is calling for the use of serious video games and location-based information in the battle against climate change.
Speaking ahead of his keynote speech at Ordnance Survey’s Terra future conference, Lord Puttnam said: “Serious games based upon real-life geography should be vital tools in our fight against climate change. Educating people about the impact of prolonged changes to our climate in an accessible way is the best catalyst for action I know.”
Web link to full news release: http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/media/news/2009/lordputtnam.html
Geospatial Coordination Web Site Launched by California
California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman and State Chief Information Officer Teri Takai yesterday announced the launch of a new Cal-Atlas Geospatial Clearinghouse Web site to help government agencies better coordinate their geospatial efforts and allow public access to geospatial data. The innovative approach to technology will allow the general public to access maps, data and information that has not previously been accessible on a single site or from a single source.
Web link to full article: http://www.govtech.com/gt/617147?topic=117676
Source: Government Technology
Czech Republic Address-Specific Flood Risk Portal
Intermap Technologies today announced that its flood modeling application used to assess address-specific flood risk throughout the Czech Republic is now commercially available to the general public. The application is available on the Czech Insurance Association’s (CAP) web site for all consumers interested in obtaining property information for flood prone areas in the Czech Republic.
The flood risk application focuses on the watercourses at risk of causing property damage for 210 of the larger cities and towns in the country. After selecting a specific property, users automatically receive an insurance risk report specifying potential risks related to their selection.
Web
link to full press release: http://www.intermap.com/interior.php/pid/1/sid/306/tid/245/nid/2235
Upcoming Events
iGeoMap 2009
20-21 March, J N Tata Auditorium, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore
With almost 300 million Indians living in urban areas (in 3700 towns and cities), the country has the second largest urban population in the world. Essential infrastructure facilities, specifically in the areas of water management, roads, transportation, housing, sanitation and sewage, need to be provided to this growing urban population.
Due to the increasing availability of information systems and data, planners and municipalities are focusing on modeling the urban space using Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
The iGeoMap 2009 conference will address urban infrastructure issues using GIS along with presenting state-of-the-art practices.
Click here to register.
2009 Annual Meeting of the AAG
22-27 March, Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas
The Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) attracts geographers and related professionals from around the world. The meeting forum stimulates discussion about research, education, accomplishments, and developments in geography.
This year's program will feature 4,000 presentations by leading scholars and researchers from more than 60 countries; an international networking reception; exhibitions showcasing recent scholarly publications, advanced geographic technologies, and expanding employment opportunities; and numerous field trips to explore the rich cultural and physical geography of Las Vegas and the surrounding region.
Visit the website for more details or to register.
SPAR 2009
30 March – 1 April, Hyatt Regency, Denver Colorado
SPAR 2009 is all about the business and technology of capturing, managing and integrating 3D information. Topics to be discussed include 3D laser scanning, mobile survey and mapping, LIDAR dimensional control, asset management, BIM/ CAD/ GIS integration, security planning and forensics and digital heritage preservation.
Now in its sixth year, SPAR 2009 attracts attendees from the world's largest petroleum and petrochemical producers, manufacturing companies, shipbuilders, civil and transportation infrastructure engineering firms, industrial metrologists, architects, geotechnical and mining firms, land surveyors, and federal, state and local governments.
Register
online here.
GEO-9
1-2 April, Ricoh Arena, Coventry, UK
GEO-9 is the UK's only dedicated geospatial trade exhibition. GEO-9 will be showcasing leading players from every aspect of the geographic information industry. From measurement and data collection through to advanced geospatial analysis, GEO-9 brings them all together at the same event.
GEO-9 will also host the popular, long running m3 conference. Grounded in the three m's; measuring, modelling, managing, this year's conference theme will be "When every penny has to count: cost effective geo-solutions for challenging times". The m3 conference provides delegates with the opportunity to come together to review current practice, discover emerging technologies and debate future opportunities and attracts business leaders, practitioners and academics from Europe and beyond. Each day will hear a stimulating keynote speaker to set the scene.
Check the website for more details or to register.
Expedition 2009
8-9 April, Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel, Toronto, Ontario
As much as 85% of the enterprise data that companies already possess has a reference to location that is considered when making critical decisions. Location Intelligence leverages this location content to help companies unlock potential and improve business performance.
Attend Expedition 2009 to learn how your organisation can improve business performance by leveraging location content to Unlock the Potential.
Registrations are now open.
3rd International Conference on Remote Sensing
15-17 April, Altas Park Hotel, Moscow
The theme of the conference is ‘The Synergy of High Technologies’ and the main topics of the conference will be up-to-date technologies and development trends of Russian and foreign Earth remote sensing programs; software systems, technologies and solutions for data processing from leading international and Russian developers; applications of remote sensing data for different fields; and hits and misses while project implementation using satellite imagery and GIS.
Click here to
register or visit the website
for more information.
Geoforum2009
23-25 April, Lviv, Ukraine
GeoCAD’09
8-9 May, Alba Iulia, Romania
Read the First Announcement or visit the website.
Where 2.0 Conference
19-21 May 2009, San Jose, California
Where 2.0 2009 delves into the emerging technologies surrounding the geospatial industry, particularly the way our lives are organised. Maps are everywhere now, and presented as realistically or as representationally as suits your needs.
The barriers to building location-based online and enterprise apps have been lowered, and the field is crowding with players. Now that consumers have access to incredible amounts of data and the tools to visualise it, what's considered cutting edge? Where is the next mapping frontier? Who are the hackers and early adopters backing? Is there still a first mover advantage?
You can also witness this ground breaking content first hand by attending sessions, workshops, Ignite, and the Where Fair at the 2009 event.
Visit the website for more.
2nd International Conference on Earth Observation for Global Changes (EOGC2009)
25-29 May, Chengdu, China
Knowledge about changes to the Earth's surface and the underlying processes that induce them has enormous impacts on how society responds to these changes. With its remarkable progress in the past decade, Earth observation technology has been playing a crucial role in studies on global changes.
EOGC2009 will include several presentations on the use of remote sensing applications to assess environmental changes, as well as Geospatial Data Processing and Integration for Change Detection and Environmental Monitoring by the Global Geodetic Observing System (GGOS).
Visit
the website for further details.
GeoTec Event 2009
1-4 June, Vancouver Convention Centre, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
The GeoTec Event offers its attendees high calibre and timely presentations from knowledgeable industry leaders, geospatial technologists and users from Canada and the world.
Click here for details on the call for papers.
ISPRS Hannover Workshop 2009 - High-Resolution Earth Imaging for Geospatial Information
2-5 June, Hannover, Germany
Earth imaging from air and space has undergone major changes over the last years. Examples of new and significant developments comprise a growing use of digital aerial cameras, an increasing number of high-resolution and hyperspectral satellite sensors, of laser scanning and SAR/InSAR. Calibration issues are important for every sensor.
Today, all these data are used for the production of geospatial information. At the same time, updating existing geospatial databases has gained more importance, and automation has had a significant impact on the processing chain. In addition, the stunning success of Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth along with developments such as GEO (intergovernmental Group of Earth Observations), GEOSS (Global Earth Observation System of Systems) and GMES (Global Monitoring of Environment and Security) have significantly changed the remote sensing arena in the last few years.
These developments form the background for the ISPRS Hannover Workshop High-Resolution Earth Imaging for Geospatial Information 2009.
spatial@gov Conference 2009
15-16 June, National Convention Centre, Canberra
Spatial capabilities offer increased value to every facet of government operations. The 2009 spatial@gov Conference is a new event for the spatial community and will focus on the importance of spatial information in enhancing the business of all tiers of government. This conference will focus on the benefits of using ‘place’ or ‘location’ as a powerful enabler to support policy development, service delivery and internal business processes. The program will cover government spatial activities in the areas of national priority including Social Inclusion, Climate Change and a range of other government activities.
Visit the website for more details.
GEOG-AN-MOD 09 and ICCSA 2009
29 June – 2 July, Kyung Hee University-Global Campus, Yongin, Korea
The Fourth International Workshop on Geographical Analysis, Urban Modeling, Spatial Statistics will be held in conjunction with the 2009 International Conference on Computational Science and its Applications (ICCSA 2009).
The growth of Spatial Data Infrastructures, geo-portals and private sector initiatives produced an increase of geographical data availability at any scale and worldwide. This growth has not been fully coupled by an increase of knowledge to support spatial decisions.
Spatial analytical techniques and geographical analysis and modelling methods are therefore required in order to analyse data and to facilitate the decision process at all levels. Old geographical issues can find an answer thanks to new methods and instruments, while new issues are developing, challenging the researchers for new solutions. This workshop is aimed at contributing to the development of new techniques and methods to improve the process on knowledge acquisition.
Click here for important dates or visit the ICCSA website for more details.
ESRI Survey and Engineering GIS Summit
11-14 July, San Diego, California
Registrations are now open.
6th International Symposium on Mobile Mapping Technology
21-24 July, São Paulo, Brazil
The main objective of the conference is to discuss the most recent technology and its application, to exchange experiences and to promote future research aiming at the development and the production in the fields related to mobile mapping.
Symposium on Mobile Mapping Technology
IAG2009, Geodesy for Planet Earth
31 August – 4 September, Buenos Aires
IAG2009 will be an event that covers the whole of geodesy in an exciting social environment that extends knowledge, improves practice and widens networks. Following the long outstanding tradition of these scientific assemblies, IAG2009 will be a major scientific event, bringing together geodesists from all over the world, and demonstrating the vital role that geodesy plays in our society.
Visit
the website for more.
10th South East Asian Survey Congress (SEASC) 2009
4-7 August, Bali International Convention Center (BICC), The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia
Geospatial technology has been increasingly recognised as a vital part of our life. Geo-information as the product of this technology has found its application in various sectors. At the individual level, geo-information has now become a part of our lifestyle, with the use of digital maps and satellite based navigation systems.
Globally, the world is facing many issues that need mutual collaboration among organisations and countries, since a problem that occurs in a country may interface its neighbouring countries. Geo-information is one of the important key factors to overcome such kind of global/ regional issues holistically.
Many organisations have been collecting and managing various kind of geo-information for their own purposes. This situation creates isolated geo-information islands that are not connected and accessible to each other.
Therefore, “Integrating geo-information islands” has been chosen as the theme of the SEASC. For more information, visit the website.
Map Asia 2009
18-20 August, Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore
The 8th annual international conference and exhibition on geospatial information, technology and applications is being organised by GIS Development and the Singapore Land Authority.
The Asia and Pacific region demands and offers scope for application of the various Geographic Information technologies like GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing and Imaging.
To meet the requirements of the Geo-informatics community in the Asian region, every year Map Asia raises a platform for the Asian Geo-informatics community to realise, recognise, and reveal the stages of dissemination of Geospatial Information.
GISCA 09
27-28 August, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan
Geographic Information Science and Technologies have evolved into a key instrument for managing our societies, environments and infrastructures, as well as individuals’ daily lives.
The GISCA series of conferences aims at building a Central Asian network of GIS professionals supporting the sustained development of this region into an environmentally friendly, secure and prosperous society.
ISPRS Workshop Laserscanning 2009
1-2 September, Paris, France
Laserscanning 2009 is the 6th ISPRS workshop dedicated to the processing and the analysis of point clouds acquired and generated from active airborne and terrestrial sensors. LiDAR data has been studied for many years. They are widely used, from accurate city modelling to many thematic approaches (eg. forestry, hydrology) where the topography and the land cover are involved. Based on LiDAR data as well as data from other sensors, surveyors and scientists have built an operational framework to extract spatial information, but also are facing challenging tasks to enhance current point cloud processes.
Laserscanning 2009 will focus on new data, methodologies, algorithms and applications related to the processing of point clouds as well as sensor improvements and new sensor-driven calibration techniques.
Visit the website for more details.
6th International Symposium on Digital Earth (ISDE6)
9-12 September, Beijing, China
The theme of the conference is ‘Digital Earth in Action’ and will continue the tradition of gathering world-class scientists, engineers and educators engaged in the fields of digital earth, earth observation, geo-informatics and relevant applications to review the progress of Digital Earth during the last decade and discuss the achievements of Digital Earth and the recent developments.
Click here for details.
International Conference on Geo-Spatial Solutions for Emergency Management (GSEM)
14-16 September, Beijing, China
Geo-spatial technology is one of the three emerging technologies in the 21st century. Driven by societal and economical needs, geo-spatial solutions for emergency management techniques are now in the frontiers of the geospatial technology, and have received an increasing interest in the academic, government, industries, and beyond. CASM as the largest multi-disciplined comprehensive research institute in China in the field of surveying and mapping, will strive to make this event a symposium of the highest quality.
Visit
the website for all the
details.
Spatial Sciences Institute Biennial International Conference
28 September – 2 October, Adelaide, South Australia
This biennial conference is the premier event for spatial sciences in the Australasian region. It attracts a large and diverse audience and in 2009 will embrace a new format. It will provide cutting edge developments in the application of spatial science to a diverse set of disciplines, communities and people: indeed this diversity is the inspiration for the conference theme of Spatial Diversity.
The conference theme will be delivered via plenary and keynote presentations, technical papers, symposia, workshops, competitions, awards, site visits, dinners, lunches, coffee, exhibitions, breakfasts, walks and talks. The aim is to attract key players in the industries where spatial information is important – environment, mining, defence, land administration, agriculture, disaster management and more. Together with these people, a large range of exhibitors of technology and applications will be present.
The call for abstracts is now open. Visit www.ssc2009.com for more information.
CoastGIS 2009
30 September – 2 October, Santa Catarina, Brazil
CoastGIS, the International Symposium on GIS and Computer Mapping for Coastal Management, is a series of conferences that began in Cork, Ireland, in 1995 as a collaboration between the Commission on Coastal Systems of the International Geographical Union and the Commission on Marine Mapping of the International Cartographic Association.
In the early 1990s, both were aiming to find a vehicle through which coastal issues and technological processes could be examined and means by which recent advances in the mapping of the world's coastal zones could jointly find an outlet.
As a major event, the CoastGIS series attracts an international audience of coastal researchers, managers and practitioners who use one or more of the geospatial technologies.
Visit the website for more.
22nd CIPA Symposium (2009)
11-15 October, Kyoto, Japan
The 22nd International Committee for Documentation of Cultural Heritage (CIPA) Symposium will be an international and inter-disciplinary event on recording, documentation, preservation and restoration of cultural heritage applying information and communication technology.
To be held in Asia for the first time, the topics to be covered will include GIS, intellectual property and open cource, terrestrial/ aerial photogrammetry and
22nd CIPA Symposium7th FIG Regional Conference
19-22 October, Hanoi, Vietnam
The theme of the 7th FIG Regional Conference is ‘Spatial Data Serving People: Land Governance and the Environment - Building the Capacity’ and is divided into three sub-themes: Land Administration; Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and the Environment; and Capacity Building.
WALIS Forum
11-13 November, Perth Convention Exhibition Centre
WALIS Forum is one of the premier GIS events in Australia, attracting over 650 participants from a diverse range of professions. Held every 18 months, the Forum provides an opportunity to address issues related to the collection, management and application of geographic or spatial information. WALIS Forum
4th International Conference: Earth From Space - the Most Effective Solutions (2009)
1-1 December, Moscow, Russia
Rapid development of the space information technology has deprived the limited groups of specialists of the privilege to control telecommunications, navigation and remote sensing of the Earth from space. We can witness how Earth observation from space helps to resolve a wide range of practical tasks, becoming a modern public information instrument.
The International Conference "Earth from Space - the Most Effective Solutions" is the largest biennial event in sphere of Earth remote sensing in Russia and CIS countries, attended by around 350 participants from different countries. The goal of the conference is to show the experience of practical use of satellite monitoring in different branches of economy together with the recent developments in remote sensing as the backbone of cost-efficient functioning economic systems and is an opportunity to demonstrate the latest innovations, achievements and practical results in sphere of space information technologies.
Visit the website for more.
Interesting Website of the Month
NASA Earth Observatory
The NASA Earth Observatory shares the images, stories, and discoveries about climate and the environment that emerge from NASA’s Earth system science research, including its satellite missions, in-the-field research, and computer models.
Some feature mapping of the site include an Image of the Day; Global Maps, including Chlorophyll, Aerosol Optical Depth and Sea Surface Temperature; and Natural Hazards (the usual suspects such as fires, storms and floods).
Of particular note on the site is Blue Marble. In 2002, NASA produced the Blue Marble, the most detailed true-color image of the Earth’s surface ever produced. Using data from NASA’s Terra satellite, scientists and data visualisers stitched together four months of observations of the land surface, coastal oceans, sea ice, and clouds into a seamless, photo-like mosaic of every square kilometre of the planet. Blue Marble Next Generation builds on this, with new Earth imagery providing a detailed look at an entire year in the life of our planet.
Link to website: http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/
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