Surveyors have a rich history and recognized longstanding contribution to societies worldwide. This will always be part of the surveyors’ identity and I don’t think using new technology will change that. I don’t think maintaining domain identity is exclusive of integration. There is a big difference between integrating technologies and integrating professions. Surveyors have many new tools producing large amounts of data, such as LiDAR, highprecision imagery, and GPS.

The idea for designing unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for rapid mapping originated from a doctoral dissertation in aerodynamics by Peter Cosyn, one of the three founders and now Director of R&D at Gatewing. Maarten Van Speybroeck, Director of Operations and Finance, was involved with this idea as subject for a thesis.

August 2012:
The XXII Congress of the ISPRS, 25 August – 1 September 2012,
Melbourne, Australia, www.isprs.org;

A drone of Homeland Security, US
‘Spoofed’ by Texas College Researchers
Before the offi cials operating it
Supposedly for a wager of just USD 1000
Demonstrates again the dangers and vulnerability of GNSS.

Only 1.5bn of the estimated 6bn land parcels worldwide have land rights formally registered in land administration systems. Many of the 1.1bn slum dwellers and further billions living under social tenure systems wake up every morning to the threat of eviction. These people are the poor and most vulnerable and are excluded any form of security of tenure; they are trapped in poverty. Increasing global population and the rush to urbanisation is only going to turn this gap into a chasm.

Roads are improved and maintained depending on its roles such as transport routes, minelayers of lifelines, refugee roads at disaster and also needs of users. To improve the roads safety and convenience, road authorities need the data to be used to comprehend 3D shape of the road space and its deformation quickly and accurately.

WAAS provides very precise navigation service, with both horizontal and vertical guidance over the Continental United States (CONUS) and a large portion of Alaska, Canada, and Mexico. Other countries and regions of the world also have fielded or are fielding similar systems. WAAS and each of these other systems are known as a Satellite Based Augmentation System, or SBAS. As envisioned at its inception, WAAS today provides service from enroute through approach.

We have read this article with interest and appreciate the opportunity offered to us by the Coordinates’ Editor to debate the point of view presented there regarding the evolution of Geodesy in different parts of the world. We hope the arguments presented in the following paragraphs provide valuable information regarding the current situation of Geodesy in the Latin America and Caribbean regions.

July 2012:

COM.Geo 2012, 1-3 July,
Washington DC, USA, www.com-geo.org/conferences/2012/index.htm

2012 Brisbane International Geospatial Forum, 8 – 11 July
Queensland, Brisbane, Australia, www.imtamaps.org/events/

When various governments raise objections
To the easy access to geospatial information for security reasons
Especially by online providers of such information,
We demand liberated and conducive policy ambience.