GIS

India plans geo-physical and geo-chemical mapping of national resources

4th meeting of Geo-science Advisory Council (GAC) was held under the Chairmanship of Union Steel and Mines Minister and Chairman, GAC Mr. Narendra Singh Tomar in New Delhi.

According to Mr. Tomar said, “India has about 8 lakh square kilometer area identifed as Obvious Geological Potential (OGP). However, the geophysical and geochemical mapping has been achieved only to a limited extent. Since the feld of mining is directly linked to country’s growth, we must develop a time-bound action plan to complete geo-physical and geo-chemical mapping of our national resources and share this data in public domain to attract investment in mining. Emphasis of action plan should be on speed and quality.” http://pib.nic.in/

Bentley and Trimble Advance BIM through Construction Modeling

Bentley Systems and Trimble have committed to leveraging construction modeling for the beneft of capital, industrial, and infrastructure project delivery. Aspects of construction modeling include modeling of temporary works, intelligent positioning, “splitting and sequencing,” detailing for fabrication, workface planning, construction work packaging, and support for distributed construction – referencing and supplementing design modeling deliverables. www.bentley.com

PM office to oversee mapping agency in Ethiopia

A new draft law submitted to the executive branch is considering the re-establishment of the Ethiopian Mapping Agency (EMA) by altering its accountability from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development (MoFED) directly to the Offce of the Prime Minister.

The agency was originally established in 1954 as the geography and mapping institute of Ethiopia. Since then, it has passed through various organizational setups until its establishment as an autonomous agency of the government of Ethiopia. According to the proclamation, the agency has been responsible for the compilation, preparation, publication, administration and distribution of fundamental geoinformation data and reporting it to MoFED. Conducting geodesy, aerial photography, satellite imagery, topographic maps, thematic maps and hydrograph are some of its responsibilities. www.thereporterethiopia.com

Telecom department in India wants GIS mapping of telecom towers

Telecom department of India has urged the telecom service operators in the country to put 584,000 telecom towers on GIS, for quick visual analysis to plan, manage and administer strategy that could facilitate necessary incentives. This has been a long standing demand from the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) and the Ministry of Environment.

With GIS mapping, the MNRE wants to gauge energy drawing patterns of telecom service operators so as they can segregate tower sites that have maximum, median and minimum diesel consumption with red, yellow and green symbols. The GIS-based system will help MNRE to effectively track and monitor operators’ carbon footprint and additionally, it could assist department to recommend telcos with reduced emission levels for appropriate incentives and rebates. http:// articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com

GIS set to increase property tax

The Ongole Municipal Corporation in Andhra Pradesh,India will conduct a survey through GIS in all the divisions in the municipal corporation to identify the houses on which additional floors have been constructed with the permission but not paying property tax. The consultancy appointed by the corporation will carry out a survey and submit a report to the municipal corporation. Based on the report, the corporation will issue notices to house owners for collection of property tax dues. www.deccanchronicle.com