GIS

National security missions for the Australian DoD supported by Maxar

Maxar Technologies has delivered 3D data products and high-resolution satellite imagery to the Australian Department of Defence under recent multi-million-dollar contracts.

Maxar’s 3D data suite enhances situational awareness and decision-making for military applications. The 3D data suite includes a 3D Surface Model, which provides a high-fidelity, positionally accurate and photorealistic view of terrain and surface features and textures. www.maxar.com

GIS-based portal to facilitate DDA’s 2041 ‘master plan’

The Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R) is preparing a ‘web-available GIS large scale map’ for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). The map will help the DDA envisage their 2041 master plan for the national capital. The DDA has sanctioned a budget of Rs 7.5 crore for IIT-R to complete the project.

Earlier this month, the DDA gave its preliminary approval to the master plan draft for Delhi in 2041. www.timesofindia.com

Designing the future EU quantum internet

The European Commission has selected a consortium of companies and research institutes to study the design of the future European quantum communication network, EuroQCI (quantum communication infrastructure). It will enable ultra-secure communication between critical infrastructures and government institutions across the European Union.

The European consortium led by Airbus is composed of Leonardo, Orange, PwC France and Maghreb, Telespazio (a Leonardo and Thales 67/33 joint venture), the Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) and the Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica (INRiM).

The EuroQCI will integrate quantum technologies and systems into terrestrial fibre optic communication networks, and will include a space-based segment ensuring full coverage across the EU and other continents. Ultimately, this will enable secure Europe’s encryption systems and critical infrastructures such as government institutions, air traffic control, healthcare facilities, banks and power grids against current and future cyber threats.

Since June 2019, 26 Member States have signed the EuroQCI Declaration, agreeing to work together with the Commission, supported by the European Space Agency, towards the development of a quantum communication infrastructure covering the whole EU.

The first service to make use of it will be quantum key distribution (QKD). The QKD service will transmit encryption keys through quantum communication channels on both terrestrial fibre optic and space laser links. Using quantum photon states makes key distribution immune to vulnerabilities unlike the current methods. www.airbus.com

Intermap and TATA Communications strategic agreement

Intermap has entered into a strategic agreement with TATA Communications. Intermap will initially support TATA’s expansion of its 5G wireless telecommunications network in select Indian cities. Intermap’s elevation data-as-a-service (EDaaS) solution for telecom network and real estate site planning increases the efficiency and reduces the cost of planning operations for companies that operate at country-wide or even global scale. www.intermap.com

Gauging survey and ‘digital twin’ of Scotland’s Railway

Fugro has been awarded a contract to survey Scotland’s entire rail network and provide Network Rail with a holistic gauging database that includes clearance data from the track to lineside structures, platforms, objects, and the train-to-train passing interface. The routewide gauging Geo-data will support the continued safe passage of trains operating on the network and facilitate the introduction of new rolling stock.

The project started at the end of April and will survey approximately 2750 route kilometres, spanning 93 different route sections and 638 station platforms. The use of Fugro’s train-mounted RILA monitoring system will remove the need for surveyors to be on or near the track during data collection and thus deliver a clearly defined health and safety benefit. It will also afford unrivalled speed of survey data acquisition. www.fugro.com

Concept3D introduces new 360° Map

Concept3D have launched its latest product, 360° Map, which takes interactive mapping to the next level by creating true 3D models for significantly enhanced wayfinding, appearance and functionality. A major advancement from traditional 3D rendered maps which only allow the user to view a building or location from a single, fixed perspective, the structures, grounds, and even the trees in Concept3D’s new 360° Map can be viewed from North, South, East and West, providing a realistic experience unlike any mapping system available. Concept3D launches 360° Map in collaboration with Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hawaii Convention Center, and Baldwin Wallace University, demonstrating the potential of the new software for sporting arenas, major event and conference centers, higher education, and tourism. www.concept3d.com

Schneider Digital and DAT/EM Systems global partnership

DAT/EM Systems International and Schneider Digital have announced a global partnership agreement for the distribution of the latest 3D stereoscopic vision technology from Schneider Digital to all DAT/EM customers around the globe. Under this cooperation from now on, DAT/EM partners worldwide can directly distribute to their clients the 3D PluraView stereo monitors and Schneider Digital Workstations as complete photogrammetric workplace solutions, for example in combination with the Summit Evolution Professional digital stereoplotter. www.datem.com

HERE and Bentley Systems partnership

HERE Technologies has announced the availability of a solution that makes it easier for US departments of transportation (DOTs) to conduct fixed asset management activities, plan capital investments, and deliver infrastructure performance assessments according to federal regulations.

HERE data sources, including HERE map, light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, and street level imagery, are now accessible within Bentley Systems’ Orbit, an on-premises application or cloud service for managing, analyzing and sharing reality meshes, extremely large point clouds, imagery, and traditional GIS data. Now, state and city DOTs can quickly build digital twins, which are highly accurate 3D representations of their physical realities, without the time and cost required to acquire the LiDAR and street-level imagery themselves. www.bentley.com

Secure on-orbit ethereum multisignature transaction services on the ISS

SpaceChain has announced that its blockchain-enabled payload has been launched into space from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and will be subsequently installed at the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, made possible by Nanoracks and its Space Act agreement with NASA, marks SpaceChain’s fourth blockchain payload launch into space and the first demonstration of Ethereum technology integration into its hardware on ISS. Nexus Inc. (Nexus) will be the first SpaceChain customer to have direct access to this service.

The security and remoteness of space infrastructures ensures the independence of Ethereum contract operation from centralized terrestrial servers, hence providing more efficient smart contract operation and greater application scenarios. www.spacechain.com

Chooch AI integrates synthetic data generation

Chooch AI has announced artificial intelligence modelling using synthetic data generation. It generates synthetic data based both on CAD files and 2D images, and creates thousands of variations on annotated objects in images, changing angles, backgrounds, and obstructed views. With AI-augmented computer training, Chooch AI can create datasets and high accuracy AI models in minutes even with a limited number of images. https://chooch.ai

Point cloud modeling with BricsCAD

The software engineers at PointCab have introduced yet another Plugin to the market that facilitates point cloud modeling. Next to their existing Plugins for Revit and Archicad, PointCab has released their “4Brics Plugin” for the CAD Software BricsCAD. With the Plugin, users of PointCab’s Origins software can now transfer all important 3D information from the point cloud to BricsCAD in real-time. https://pointcab-software.com

USGS releases nationwide marsh vulnerability maps

U.S. Geological Survey scientists have developed and made available a new mapping resource that can identify the most vulnerable marshes across the contiguous U.S. through a combination of remote-sensing and satellite technologies. These maps provide critical information to land managers and help inform marsh conservation and restoration strategies without costly site-specific or labor-intensive assessments.

The USGS has shown that marsh resilience can be evaluated by calculating the ratio of unvegetated area to vegetated area across an entire marsh system, covering marsh plains, channels, ponds and intertidal flats. The method, termed the UnVegetated-Vegetated marsh Ratio or UVVR. UVVR, uses data collected from 2014-2018 through remote sensing techniques, such as satellite imagery and aerial photography, to gauge how much of an individual marsh is open water and how much marsh plants cover it. By comparing the ratio of ponds, channels and tidal flats to marsh vegetation, land managers can determine which marshes stand the best chance of persisting in the face of changing conditions. www.usgs.gov

Scottish Forestry uses Bluesky aerial photomaps

Scottish Forestry is using specially commissioned aerial photography to help identify trees in distress. It awarded Bluesky a contract to capture almost 1,400 square kilometres of standard (RGB) aerial imagery together with colour infrared (CIR) photography following a competitive tender process. The data was captured during the summer of 2020 and delivered to Scottish Forestry ready for use in a range of desktop mapping and GIS software. www.bluesky-world.com

Australian Government establishes a freight data hub

Geoplex have developed a national interactive tool to help provide vital insights into Australia’s freight system. The National Freight Data Hub (NFDH) will help industry, governments and researchers to better understand Australia’s freight system, evaluate and plan for the future. The insights aim to help industry make more efficient decisions on movements, and even better understand the impact of traffic congestion on freight pricing. www.novasystems.com