THE conventional geomatics industry including mapping and surveying applications has been revolutionized with the use of GPS, which is the best known, and currently fully operational satellite based navigation system operated by USA (Parkinson, and Spilker Jr., 1995). In the mean time, Russia also operates its own satellite based navigation system called GLONASS. The USA is modernizing GPS in order to retain its superiority in satellite based navigation technologies (MacDonald, 2002,). In order to keep up with USA’s progress in building next generation system, Russia is taking serious steps to modernize GLONASS as well (Federal Space Agency for the Russian Federation, 2005). The GPS and GLONASS signals are free but its availability is not guaranteed and currently most users are prepared to accept this risk (Parkinson, and Spilker Jr., 1995). However, as satellite navigation becomes a vital technology across a number of critical industrial sectors, the prospect of, for example, a nation’s transport infrastructure becoming dependent on this technology is a strategic risk that most industrial countries are not willing to accept. This argument initiated the Galileo program in Europe. Therefore, those systems form the mainframe of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) (MacDonald, 2002,).

Geospatial futurology
ROBIN MANNINGS
Is Google Earth disruptive?
ED PARSON
NSDI – then, now and whe(never)
MUKUND RAO
The benefits of future GNSS
YU-SHENG HUANG, YUN-WEN HUANG & KAI-WEI CHIANG
Managing land information
BRIG M V BHAT

RECENTLY, in July, 2007, I attended yet another NSDI Workshop – I think the 6th one at that since 2001 when the NSDI was “crafted” in India. This time, in the serene and rainy environs of Goa. Amidst the lush green and beautiful orchard-like estate of the hotel held, was a gathering of a few dedicated and committed NSDIites that I have seen for the past many years – holding on and hoping that the day will come when the NSDI will be operational. The passion for nsdi which was evident clearly and obviously.

I am not sure if new technologies like Google Earth are disruptive. People have often spoken about Google and Micorsoft being disruptive. It may be true in certain context.If you see the natural evolution the geospatial industry in last twenty years, I think that both have put many elements in a place in a form that has a widespread appeal. I think it has increased people’s awareness in geospatial information, certainly in the mass market. Actually, five or ten years before there was not much demand but with the involvement of big companies, much bigger footprints are now available. It surely has increased awareness.

AT the turn of the millennium there was a mood of optimism and then it all changed. The dot-com bubble burst, 9/11 occurred and climate change became an “uncomfortable truth”. In other words the spirit of the age, or Zeitgeist, changed and new challenges now face societies, industries and individual people.

August 2007

GIS 14 Conference

14-15 August 2007

Vietnam

2nd Indonesian Geospatial Technology Exhibition

29 August – 1 September

Bakosurtanal; Jakarta

http://www.geospatial-exh.com/

September 2007

First International Summer School on Global Navigation Satellite Systems

Sep 02 – 09 2007

Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, …

We published a circular by Central Board of Excise and Customs, Government of India that came out in April (Coordinates, May 2007).
The circular classifies high technology featured mobile phone including GPS as a secondary feature as mobile phone.
That implies four per cent custom duty rather than 34 per cent as applicable to …

Galileo would be financed entirely by EU budget
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on the financing Galileo, saying all money must come from the European Union (EU) budget for the construction of the system. The parliament asked the European Commission, the executive body of the EU, to present a revised proposal for legislation on the financing of the Galileo program.
The parliament says it will oppose any solution which wouldcombine EU funding with additional inter-governmental funding. The parliament expressed concern at the possibility that the additional financing necessary to fill the gap following the failure of the public-private partnership could be agreed on an inter-governmental basis.
The parliament also believed that if the public sector assumes the complete financing of the project, this factor should be taken into account in a future revised concession contract, especially as regards the reimbursement mechanism for public financial contributions and the prices of services.
Transport ministers from all 27 member states of the EU agreed earlier this month to build Galileo by public funding. But they failed to agree on where the funds should come from. The European Commission had to recommend entire public funding for the construction phase of Galileo in May as infighting in the eight-company consortium, which was picked to both build and manage Galileo, has put the completion date in doubt. http://english.people.com.cn

Real Time Traffic GPS Navigation Singapore
The first “Real Time Traffic GPS Navigation” beta solution is launched by MapKing in Singapore. It runs on Windows Mobile 5/6 Pocket PC phone devices equipped with 3G or GPRS wireless connection. Streamed from the intelligent transport system of Land Transport Authority, Singapore, Its real time traffic server dispatches traffic speed data to each device connected wirelessly on the road. At present, the data is updated every 5 minutes and the first generation covers highways and major roads. www.mapking.com

Use of geographical data promoted in Japan by new law
Having recognized the great contribution of applications derived from data obtained through a combined use of GIS and positioning systems for a lot of valuable uses (cadastre, floods, spatial planning, statistics on old buildings, criminality rates etc.), the Japanese government decided to draft a law for the use of these data and to give guidance for orientation of future needs as well as for financial and human resources required. This will help avoid fragmentation of initiatives efficient use by different Japanese ministries. www.gmes.info