GIS

Airbus to provide an end-to-end Geo-Information system to Thailand

The Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency of Thailand (GISTDA) has selected Airbus as partner for its next-generation national geo-information system. The end-to-end system will make Thailand one of the few nations able to fully exploit geo-information for societal benefits. Fully in line with Thailand’s 4.0 policy, the THEOS-2 programme will constitute a major milestone in the development of Space in the Eastern Economic Corridor and its Digital Park.

As part of the contract, a comprehensive capacity building programme will involve Thai engineers in the development of an integrated geo-information system, ground segment and two Earth observation satellites: a very high-resolution and a small satellite system. The small satellite system from Airbus’ subsidiary SSTL will be assembled and tested in-country by Thai engineers to deliver technology transfer and involve local suppliers. This will be complemented by an extensive training scheme capitalizing on Airbus’ comprehensive geo-intelligence expertise, and will further develop Thailand’s geo-spatial industry.

EarthSense air quality sensors activate zero emission running to reduce city air pollution

Air quality monitoring technology from EarthSense has provided real time data for trials into the use of low emission vehicles to improve air quality in polluted city centres. The data, collected by both mobile and static EarthSense Zephyr air quality monitoring sensors, was used to automatically activate zeroemission running of hybrid vehicles as they passed through some of the most heavily polluted city streets.

ACCRA (Autonomous and Connected vehicles for CleanerR Air) was a twelve month project, led by Cenex, the UKs first Centre of Excellence for low carbon technology, in partnership with Leeds City Council and Transport Systems Catapult. Using parts of Leeds Clean Air Zone, ACCRA used real time air pollution measurements, captured by EarthSense, to trigger zero-emission running mode in a 7.5 tonne Range Extended Electric Vehicle (REEV) when entering a designated control zone. During the trials, EarthSense sensors were mounted in key locations in the city centre as well as on vehicles travelling through the area. Data from the sensors was used to update an air quality model, in real time, which was then used to regulate the vehicle’s emissions in the most polluted/trafficdominated areas. www.earthsense.co.uk

Ordnance Survey MasterMap freely available

Making key parts of the Ordnance Survey (OS) MasterMap freely available will help businesses use geospatial data more easily and drive innovation across the UK economy. As part of the Prime Minister’s London Tech Week roundtable today, the Government has announced that key parts of the OS MasterMap will be made openly available for the public and businesses to use. It is estimated that this will boost the UK economy by at least £130m each year, as innovative companies and startups use the data. This is a step on a journey towards more open geospatial data infrastructure for the UK.

HIPS and SIPS 11.0 simplifies bathymetric processing workflow

Teledyne CARIS™ has announced the release of HIPS and SIPS™ 11.0. This release introduces several improvements making it easier for users to start new projects and process data, as well as an enhanced user experience while interacting with survey data.

Version 11.0 offers one-step processing. The new Georeference Bathymetry function is a single step which initiates Sound Velocity Correction (SVC), Load Tide, Apply Tide, Merge, and Compute Total Propagated Uncertainty (TPU). The same trusted algorithms are still applied but with the added benefit of being combined into a single process. This creates a more streamlined user experience requiring fewer interactions, and eliminates the need to concatenate Sound Velocity Profiles into a single file. Another new capability is the concept of having Dynamic or Static layers for tracklines. This allows the user to create a rule-based layer using any of the trackline attributes. www.teledynecaris.com

PolyU to apply smart sensing technology in urban tree management

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) on14th June kicked off the Jockey Club Smart City Tree Management Project, a large-scale pilot project in Hong Kong, with the support from academia, non-government organisations (NGOs) and the Government, to apply smart sensing technology (SST) and GIS for monitoring tree stability to enhance timely appropriate mitigation measures for sustaining longer tree lives.

Tree anchorage is critical to its structural stability. Weak anchorage will be reflected in a tree tilting, which in serious case poses the hazard of falling. In the Project, sensors will be tailor-made and installed on the lower trunk of selected urban trees to monitor their tilting angle in a 3-dimensional manner, as a way of assessing the stability of the root and thus the tree. Data will be collected for a quantifiable analysis of the trees’ root plate movement through the use of SST, i.e. the technology of monitoring environmental changes with the use of remote sensors and techniques, via the GIS-based platform.

Taking into consideration of various environmental factors, a threshold will be determined to design the monitoring system as a scientific measurement of the root plate movement and stability. When the tilting angle of a tree exceeds the threshold, the project team will be alerted to conduct a visit to verify the data for the purpose of calibrating the system. When considered necessary, it will inform the relevant tree management team to undertake actions in a timely manner.

Members of the PolyU-led Project team include The University of Hong Kong (HKU), The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and Friends of the Earth (Hong Kong). The project also receives support from relevant government departments.