GIS

Ordnance Survey to help Guyana reap the benefit of geospatial data

Ordnance Survey (OS) is to provide consultancy services to the Guyana Lands and Surveys Commission (GLSC) to re-establish and further develop the GPS Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) network in Guyana. The project seeks to establish and sustainably maintain a modern, robust and accurate national geodetic positioning network for Guyana. A re-established CORS network will help Guyana in relation to meeting its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and will enable better transport, secure land tenure, better government, increased economy and happier citizens.

OS, working with GLSC, will establish full functionality and usability of the existing Network Operations Centre (NOC) and 8-site CORS network. Design and document associated CORS management processes and train staff to be able to operate all first and second line operational activities, establish third line support cover with GNSS equipment and software manufacturer. OS will assist GLSC in specifying, procuring and deploying specialist equipment for the CORS network in accordance with identified national development needs and the strategic business requirements of GLSC.

DARPA explores underground mapping

The Defense Department’s research arm is getting interested in mapping and navigating subterranean space.

As part of its SubT Challenge, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency wants technologies to help the military and responders map, navigate and search underground complexes, from man-made tunnel systems, urban and municipal underground infrastructure as well as natural cave networks.

DARPA will convene a competitor’s day in the Louisville Mega Cavern, a 100- acre manmade limestone cave underneath a portion of the city’s southern section. The cave currently houses commercial storage facilities and public recreation businesses such as underground zip lines and electric bike and tram tours. Before being converted to current uses in the late 1980s, the cavern was an underground crushed limestone quarry from the 1930s to the 1970s.

DARPA said it is looking for teams of providers that can put together core systems that have autonomy, perception, networking and mobility with an eye towards developing integrated systems and software solutions that can meet the extreme challenges underground environments present. https://gcn.com

Blockchain-based open mapping architecture

Hyperion, an open blockchain-based mapping architecture based on Hyperion Digital Location Right (HDLR), has announced the official launch of its mapping technology. It fundamentally disrupt existing mapping systems by providing the infrastructure to support a completely decentralized, self-governing global map that users anywhere can contribute to, edit or utilize for their own needs, and share the economic value.

The Hyperion ecosystem addresses a number of key pain points in mapping development. First, the cost of developing and maintaining detailed, up-to-date maps using a top-down model is hugely expensive and inefficient. Second, this model makes it difficult to ensure that maps are accurate or up-to-date. Third, current mapping infrastructure is controlled by governments or private companies, creating barriers for other users to access or utilize these maps. Hyperion addresses this using a three-stranded model which it calls the ‘Hyperion Trinity’. www.hyn.space

Singapore startup wants to help ‘Bricks’ target audience via location

Despite the rise of e-commerce marketplaces, traditional retail players still can compete successfully if they have the right tools to better target consumers in the physical realm. This is where Singapore startup WhereIsWhere hopes to step in and offer location-based services, which it says will plug a critical hole in the industry and arm brick-and-mortar retailers with the ability to engage potential customers.

According to the CEO and founder Terence Mak, every merchant was eager to tell potential customers the promotions it offered, but the information business owners could provide was limited to what could be displayed on the storefront. This form of marketing to capture passerby traffic was no longer effective adding instead that mobile now was the new consumer interface.

Azteca Systems releases Cityworks 15.3

Cityworks–Azteca Systems announced the release of Cityworks 15.3, the latest version of the company’s web GIS-centric platform for public asset management. The new release features significant enhancements to support apps that streamline the care of public infrastructure, permitting, and property.

It is designed to help organizations manage public assets and their associated data, work activities, and business processes. This release supports end user functionality in Cityworks apps such as Performance Budgeting, Public Access, Operational Insights, and Storeroom. It also supports the release of Style 1.0, which allows users to customize the interface of other apps for their end users. www.cityworks.com

Australia to spend $7bn on six drones

Anew partnership with the US Navy will see Australian defence purchase a fleet of long range Triton drones for maritime surveillance of the waters surrounding Australia’s continental border and the Asia-Pacific region, with the first system to be delivered in 2023.

It is reported that the estimated cost of the entire fleet and associated infrastructure will total almost $7 billion, with the Government’s investment in the first of these six aircraft coming in at a cost of $1.4 billion. www.spatialsource.com.au