GIS

Singapore pledges S$10 million to the ITU P2C Digital Coalition

Recognising the importance of ensuring that all countries are able to participate in and benefit from the growth of the global digital economy, Singapore is pledging S$10 million to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Partner2Connect (P2C) Digital Coalition to support the international community in harnessing the full potential of digital technologies in line with the United Nation’s (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

ITU, the UN specialised agency for Information and Communication Technologies, launched the P2C Digital Coalition in September 2021 to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation globally. This multi-stakeholder alliance promotes a partnership-based approach to mobilise the resources needed to achieve universal connectivity by 2030. ITU P2C has received over 700 pledges from government and private entities amounting to over US$30billion to date, but more can still be done to spur global digitalisation. www.imda.gov.sg

Geospatial Commission recommends creation of new taskforce for land use

A new Land Use Analysis Taskforce should be established to support decisions about how land in the UK is used, according to a new report from the Geospatial Commission.

The report recommends that government policies related to using land should be supported by a new taskforce and cutting edge data analysis. It would assess the potential to reconcile competing demands for how we use our land to meet national priorities – such as those relating to infrastructure, housing, agriculture and the environment – with the land available in the UK.

The report sets out how better data can be used to drive land-usedecisions that drive growth, while also protecting the environment, adapting to climate change and achieving net zero emissions. www.gov.uk

Satellite derived bathymetry for 13 Regions to NGA

TCarta Marine has been awarded a contract to deliver satellite derived bathymetry (SDB) and seafloor classification data for the coastal zones of 13 regions around the world to the National GeospatialIntelligence Agency (NGA) under contract to Maxar Technologies.

TCarta will deliver seabed depth and feature maps from high-resolution multispectral Maxar WorldView-2 and WorldView-3 satellite imagery for the 13 regions. SDB measurements are accurate to depths of 20-30 meters depending on water conditions, with two-meter spatial resolution. Feature classification includes coral reefs, large rocks, sandbars, and other navigation hazards. www.tcarta.com

Underwater mapping breakthrough

Aurigo Software is partnering with the University of Florida’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering to develop an innovative system for underwater surveying, mapping and inspection, provisionally named Bathydrone.

The current process to gather data for new underwater construction or the inspection of existing assets such as bridges, docks and levees consists of manual surveying from divers or survey sensors mounted to a boat. With the new, safer and more efficient Bathydrone system, a drone drags a small vessel on the water’s surface, eliminating the need for manual surveying. The vessel is equipped with a COTS sonar unit mounted on its bottom. The sonar unit has down-scan, sidescan and chirp capabilities and logs data onboard the console, which is located inside the hull. Data can then be retrieved postmission from the console and plotted in various ways. www.aurigo.com