First Galileo satellite repositioned
Surrey Satellite Technology (SSTL), UK, has completed the repositioning of the first Galileo test satellite, GIOVE-A, to a higher orbit to make way for the operational satellites of Europe’s satellite navigation constellation. From the GIOVE-A operational headquarters, the operating team executed a series of precisely planned manoeuvres during July and August that have repositioned the satellite 113km above the orbit that the 27 operational Galileo navigation satellites will occupy. www.sstl.co.uk

ISRO’s Desk
India to launch satellites to study climate change
India shall soon be launching two dedicated satellites in polar orbit to study climate change through atmospheric research and detection of greenhouse gases. It will make India one of the few countries in the world to have such advanced facility to study the impact of climate change due to emission of greenhouse gases. www.thaindian.com

Digital village in China
A two-year project to bridge the urbanrural digital divide in Yunnan Province in southern China is gathering pace. US$18 million so far has been spent in the creation of the ‘Yunnan Digital Village’, which will bring information technology to 16 cities, 129 counties and 130,000 villages in the province. The initiative was devised by Intel, which provided consulting services as well as technology and engineering solutions. http://chinadigitaltimes.net

GPS IC shipments forecast for 2010
According to ABI research GPS IC shipment growth should see a 30% increase. The unabated interest in GPS-enabled smartphones during the recession has been a life-saver for the GPS IC industry, and future growth will be fuelled by the integration of GPS in feature phones across Europe and Asia. www.abiresearch.com

Integration of GPS Flight Tracking into Aviation Management SaaS
Trindigo has integrated Blue Sky Network’s GPS tracking and automated flight following technology into Blue Sky aviation management suite. It will enable continuous monitoring location of flights within Trindigo’s web-based solution using Blue Sky’s near real-time GPS data. www.blueskynetwork.com

ikeGPS™ powered by u-blox
u-blox and Surveylab has unveiled the successful integration of u-blox’ LEA GPS receiver module into Surveylab’s ikeGPS remote data capture products. It is a combination of positioning technology from u-blox with a 3D compass, laser rangefinder and digital camera. www.u-blox.com

Delays, litigations, cost overruns.
Technical and engineering challenges.
Social and environmental concerns.
And more importantly, non-willingness at many levels.
All the ingredients of a mega infrastructure project in India.
Yet, the Bandra-Worli Sea Link has happened

Making of Bandra-Worli Sea Link
Shubra Kingdang, S Diwanji Rakesh Kaul, Len Gower
Towards hazards prediction
Rainer Mautz, Washington Yotto Ochieng and Hilmar Ingensand
Sustainable land governance
Stig Enemark
Landslide vulnerability
LP Sharma, P Debnath, Nilanchal Patel, MK Ghose

The damage caused by Hurricane Katrina to the southern United States has exploded the myth that natural disasters happen only to poor countries. Yet there is a grain of truth in the myth. Natural disasters happen all over the world, but the extent of damage and loss of life has far more to do with the preparedness and responsiveness of the relevant human systems, not only where the disaster happens but also often half-way across the world.

Generally, the entire railway line is divided into several sections, and each section is fi nished separately.
Firstly, we need to collect the existing information of one section, such as map and control points. Then, survey the topography of the working area, select position of control points, set the control point network, and produce the control points by GPS static survey…