GIS

Ordnance Survey finds its way with Altitude Angel

Altitude Angel has announced that Ordnance Survey are to incorporate its aeronautical data to its in-house survey planning platform.OS will be incorporating Altitude Angel’s GuardianUTM Cloud platform into its in-house survey planning software which is used to determine whether it is suitable for their Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) team to carry out a survey using a UAS, or whether it is more appropriate for one of the OS’s 230 surveyors to ‘get their boots on the ground.’ www.altitudeangel.com

World-first service letting farmers see through clouds

A world-first cloud-free imagery service that could revolutionise the way satellites are used in precision agriculture has been announced by UK technology companies Origin Digital and Aspia Space. The new ‘ClearSky’ service, launching imminently in the UK, feeds radar data into a deep neural network to derive the view of a field that a satellite would see if there were no clouds blocking its camera. Farmers using ClearSky are guaranteed to receive an image every 6 days showing them how their crop is developing, whatever the weather. This is in contrast to traditional, weather-dependent imagery, which can often have gaps of several weeks between cloud-free views. https://digital.originenterprises.com

UKHO supports maritime trade and economic growth in Belize

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) has started surveying the seabed of the southern waters of Belize as part of the UK government’s Commonwealth Marine Economies (CME) Programme. Following a stakeholder meeting with the Belize Port Authority and wider Belizean government in late 2019 it was agreed that the country’s southern waters would be surveyed using Satellite Derived Bathymetry (SDB). SDB uses satellites to capture high resolution imagery which can then be processed to calculate seabed depths down to 40 metres, depending on the clarity of the water. This method captures large areas quickly and has no negative impact on ecosystems and marine life. Data collection and processing is expected to take several weeks and will focus on areas south of Belize City. https://www.gov.uk

India to have two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture & Utilization

Two National Centres of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization are being established in India.

The two Centres, namely the National Centre of Excellence in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCoE-CCU) at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay, Mumbai and the National Centre in Carbon Capture and Utilization (NCCCU) at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Bengaluru are being set up with support from the Department of Science & Technology, Govt. of India.

These CoEs will facilitate capturing & mapping of current R&D and innovation activities in the domain and also develop networks of researchers, industries and stakeholders with coordination and synergy between partnering groups and organizations. The Centres will act as multi-disciplinary, longterm research, design development, collaborative and capacity-building hubs for state-of-the-art research and application-oriented initiatives in the field of CCU. https://dst.gov.in

Bluesky Adds Scottish Cities to MetroVista 3D City Line-up

Bluesky International has added Edinburgh and Glasgow to its growing coverage of MetroVista 3D city models. Acquired using a state-of-the-art aerial sensor that simultaneously captures vertical and oblique imagery together with high point density LiDAR, MetroVista data is becoming increasingly popular for smart city applications. Providing a geographically accurate and detailed 3D representation of the urban environment, MetroVista data has already provided insight for a range of applications including urban design, defence and security modelling, insurance assessments and utility and telecom planning. www.bluesky-world.com

XMAP Cloud GIS brings government flexible working closer to home

XMAP, the local government GIS, has been developed to underpin the UK government’s latest proposals for flexible working. If adopted, the initiative will give millions of workers the right to request flexible working, including remote working, from the moment they start a new position.

XMAP, a service by Geoxphere, is a native cloud-based web application that can be accessed from any, web-enabled device, without plug-ins, bolt-ons or additional installations. This ensures users working remotely on laptops or in the field using tablets or mobile phones can access the geospatial data they need when they need it. https://xmap.geoxphere.com