GIS

New Tsunami Scenarios for Indonesian Early Warning System

The recent earthquake and tsunami in Chile showed once again how important a precise early warning system is. Scientists of the Alfred Wegener Institute are supporting Indonesians in creating new tsunami scenarios for the northeast of the archipelago. The Australian-Indonesian Facility for Disaster Reduction initiated the project and provides a Linux cluster with 212 compute cores for the simulations in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta. This corresponds to the computing power of 50-100 typical workstation PCs.

The Indonesian early warning system was developed and installed by a team of German scientists, led by the German Research Centre for Geosciences (GFZ), after the devastating tsunami of 2004.

At the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) a simulation code “TsunAWI” and also a database of 4,400 detailed scenarios for possible earthquakes with magnitudes from 7.2 to 9.0 in the Sunda Trench were developed. In case of a warning there is access to a very fast and simple real-time simulation which estimates the warning level well. However, this simulation is much coarser and doesn’t allow for example a detailed look at individual stretches of coastline or the possible flooding.

Red Cross Offers Interactive Tool to Access and TrackLive, Wildfire Info

The American Red Cross has launched an interactive online map that consolidates multiple sources of disaster data into a realtime, interactive tool to get information and updates about the Western Wildfires. The tool is a high-tech, user-friendly visual database for media and the public to learn the size and scope of current disasters and locate services such as Red Cross shelters. The Red Cross “Map Journal” pulls together in one location multiple layers of GIS data from the Red Cross and government sources. The Map Journal leverages the power of Esri’s ArcGIS Online Technology to create a customizable web mapping application that is also mobile friendly.

Cadcorp launches Notice Board^TM

Cadcorp, has launched Notice BoardTM, a responsive smart searching product for local government websites. Notice Board enables a local authority to add a mobile-friendly spatial searching capability to their existing website. Cadcorp has developed the product on the premise that many people who visit a council website, are not browsing, but are looking for information about a particular locality – very often their home address or current location. http://cdcp.io/nbd

UN-GGIM: Europe offers inspiration for global data delivery

European initiatives to deliver harmonised dependable geospatial information could help provide a global solution to meet demand for interoperable data, says UN-GGIM: Europe. The workshop, part of the fifth session of the United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM), demonstrated how Europe is managing, sharing and distributing harmonised, dependable and seamless geospatial information across boundaries.

It highlighted how the INSPIRE Directive provides a framework for cooperation to ensure compatibility between national spatial data infrastructures (SDI) whilst the European Location Framework provides the practical means for delivering operational cross-border data and pan-European services. The side event, at UN Headquarters in New York, featured speakers from the European Commission, Belgium, Norway and Slovenia as well as UN-GGIM: Europe and attracted a global audience from other UN-GGIM regional committees.

Esri Partners with U.S. Census Bureau

In support of the U.S. Census Bureau’s launch of its free online tool Census Business Builder, Esri has committed to provide data and mapping capabilities to small-business owners that help guide their research for opening a new business or expanding their existing business. The Census Business Builder is one of the first applications combining American Community Survey (ACS) data, Demographic and Economic Statistics along with Esri consumer spending data in a shared services managed cloud environment. It blends all data sets into one seamless application by leveraging Esri’s ArcGIS platform.

StreetMapperIV from 3D Laser Mapping

The new ‘StreetMapperIV’ mobile mapping system has been launched. StreetMapper first came onto the market in 2004, driven by client demands to survey roads and structures above the road with unparalleled safety, speed and accuracy. What resulted was a first-of-a-kind system from 3D Laser Mapping, paving the way for mobile mapping systems to come. The original StreetMapper system used four Riegl laser scanners and the best commercially available IMU at the time. The technology was a game-changer for its day, but one which needed to be refined to reach the needs of ever changing modern markets. Alternative versions were developed in 2010 and 2012.