“I always read that the world, land and water, was spherical… Now I observed so much divergence, that I began to hold different views about the world and I found it was not round…. but pear shaped, round except where it has a nipple, for there it is taller, or as one had a round ball and, on one side, it should be like a woman’s breast, and this nipple part is the highest and closest to Heaven….” – Kenneth C. Davis New York Times Best Seller “Don’t know much about Geography” Permissions Department, William Morrow and Company, New York, NY, 1992.

We have Bhuvan now!
Few months back, ISRO announced its plans for Bhuvan.
And now it is a reality.
An Indian earth observation visualization portal.
Showcasing Indian imaging capabilities.
Unique and different.
From India and for India.
Open to public.
There is euphoria; there are expectations.
And a long way to go.
The first step has been taken.
Kudos to ISRO.

Testing Galileo applications for rail transportation
In the future, trains are to be equipped with systems that work with positioning information that is provided by satellite. This will be made possible by “Galileo”, which is to be simulated from 2010 onwards at the rolling stock Test and Validation Centre operated by Siemens Mobility in Wegberg- Wildenrath, Germany. A test area for satellitebased navigation for rail systems is already being set up there which will enable tests to be carried out under real conditions before the Galileo system actually goes into operation. By doing so, Siemens is supporting the futureoriented “railGATE” project that is being conducted by RWTH Aachen University and sponsored by the space agency of the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) with funds provided by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (BMWi). With testing slated to begin in 2010, Galileo is due to enter operation in 2013. www.siemens.com

Beijing plans Earth Resource III
According to the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping in Beijing, China shall launch a satellite carrying the country’s first stereo mapping camera. Earth Resource III will be launched in the first half of 2011. http://en.sbsm.gov.cn

China to regulate its GI industry
Authorities in Guangdong are cracking down on illegal surveying and mapping to better regulate the geographic information industry in the southern province. Foreign organizations, businesses and individuals have been told that they must apply to the central government’s surveying and mapping authority for approval to gather geographic information in the southern province. www.chinadaily.com.cn

ISRO to develop Indian satellite security cover
ISRO will develop its own version of the US GPS and Russian Glonass system, albeit with a limited, regional capability, with the added advantage of providing the country’s defence establishment round-the-clock security cover. The constellation of seven satellites will keep an eye on a wide swath of territory – 2,000km – in and around the Indian sub-continent. According to ISRO chief, G Madhavan Nair, the Indian Regional Navigational Satellite System (IRNSS) was being developed “considering security related issues”. www.domain-b.com

Survey of India maps for SatNav

SatNav Technologies and Survey of India (SOI) have signed an agreement that allows SatNav to use SOI maps in its consumer products. It will release SOIapproved digital maps and custom map content for commercial use in personal and mobile navigation and locationbased solutions. www.satguide.in

GSS6300 from Spirent
Spirent Communications plc. launched GSS6300 Multi-GNSS Signal Generator. It provides GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and SBAS test solutions from high-end R&D through integration and production applications. www.spirent.com

Surveying: In identity crisis
John Hannah
Bhuvan-It’s different
Shubhra Kingdang
GPS and INS for Centimeter Precision during Large GPS Outages
Ahmad Taha, Craig Hancock , Gethin Roberts and Xiaolin Meng
High-definition surveying
F Khan
Deformation prediction of a high-piled wharf
Xiaodong Yi, Erhu Wei and Chengke Jiang

The high pile wharf has the advantage of slight wave reflection, steady anchoring condition, little investment and the construction time being short. Therefore it has been widely used in coastal areas where the ground has soft soil. But, on the other hand its penetrant structure raises some problems also for the structure. In order to guarantee the request of ships draft, the front water area of the wharf has to be dug more deep,…