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INDUSTRY |GNSS | GIS | IMAGING | GALILEO UPDATE

First copy of UAE electronic statistical atlas launched

The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has launched its fi rst copy of the UAE’s electronic statistical atlas. It comes within the framework of the strategic initiatives of the NBS to meet requirements of data users. The atlas is the latest sophisticated data device linked to the GIS technologies and their applications. http://gulfnews.com

New survey technique offers detailed picture of our changing landscape

A new surveying technique developed at The University of Nottingham is giving geologists their first detailed picture of how ground movement associated with historical mining is changing the face of our landscape.

The new development by engineers at the University has revealed a more complete map of subsidence and uplift caused by the settlement of old mines in the East Midlands and other areas of the country and has shown that small movements in the landscape are bound by natural fault lines and mining blocks. http://www.nottingham.ac.uk

Restoring the Great Lakes through mapping

A team of researchers in US from the University of Michigan and the University of Wisconsin – Madison produced the most comprehensive map to date of the Great Lakes’ stressors, and also the fi rst map to explicitly account for all major types of stressors on the lakes in a quantitative way. These maps open the discussion on global restoration. By making calculated decisions based on extensive data, the world’s leading environmental issues can be approached with realistic solutions that can save time and money. Through a press statement, team leader and University of Michigan professor, David Allen, explained that the map represents the combined infl uence of 34 stressors on each of the fi ve Great Lakes and ranks the importance of each stressor in relation to how it affects the lake itself. www.theinternational.org

Geoinformatics helping refugees in South Sudan

In South Sudan, UNHCR is using satellite imagery, interactive mapping, digital fi ngerprinting and text messaging to strengthen refugee protection, help the most vulnerable and reach out to refugees in urban areas. In Yida refugee settlement, the largest in South Sudan with more than 65,000 refugees, biometrics is a critical way for UNHCR to target services, to prevent multiple registrations and make planning and delivery more effi cient. www.unhcr.org/50dc5a309.html

US$65m for digitising land parcels in Thailand

Department of Lands (DOL) under Ministry of Interior, Thailand will continue its ongoing “Cadastral Information Systems (CIS) project in digitising title of 32 provinces, with approved fi scal budget of THB 2 billion (US$ 65m) in 2013, said DOL Deputy Director General and CIO Thammasak Chana. The project will convert and transfer the title deeds of 14 million land parcels of 32 provinces from paper-based documents to digital data by leveraging and integrating ICT, MIS and GIS technology.

China to launch 1st national geoinformation survey

China will launch its fi rst national survey that will examine the country’s geographic conditions next year. The survey, with investment of about 1.1 billion yuan ($175m), will take three years to monitor China’s nature and geographic conditions relating to humans. Information collected will consist of the country’s territorial size, geological regions, topographic and geomorphic characteristics as well as road and transportation networks. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

Google cash buys drones to watch endangered species

Drones could soon be helping protect rhinos, tigers and elephants in Africa and Asia, thanks to cash from Google. Controlled via a tablet computer, the small autonomous aircraft will photograph poachers and track animals via smart radio tags. The World Wildlife Fund added the $5m grant would also fund software that could map where poachers strike. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/

Draft Australia New Zealand Foundation Spatial Data Framework announced

Work in New Zealand and Australia to develop national spatial data infrastructures has been given a boost by the announcement from the Australia New Zealand Land Information Councils’ vision for an Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) Foundation Spatial Data Framework. The vision for the ANZ Foundation Spatial Data Framework is that the same foundation spatial data will become common place in all sectors of the Australian and New Zealand economies. ‘Foundation spatial data’ describes the basic layers that are needed by users of location-based information. They are the original pieces of spatial information that are created by authoritative sources, like government agencies. Often, this information is collected for core business purposes by these agencies, and not made available in a consistent way, if at all. www.linz.govt.nz

IIT-Roorkee, India invents costeffective virtual mapping tech

Replacing the costly laser technology for virtual mapping of any location or structure, the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee (IIT-R), has come up with a technological solution to 3D virtual mapping by using photogrammetry for the fi rst time in the country. The institute has now uploaded the sample of its work titled ‘3D model IIT civil org’, a 3D model of the department of civil engineering and its surroundings, on YouTube, to get comments from industry and the general public. According to the inventor, this technology will help any civil administration authority to mark the existing illegal encroachments on roads, in markets or other places in an effective way, with precision and accuracy to determine the exact area of that site and structure. http://www.hindustantimes.com

SLA and NYP Collaborate

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on 7 November 2012 to collaborate on geospatial education, training, research and development. This strategic partnership would enable both organisations to tap into each other’s expertise and resources in promoting the use of geospatial information system and technology in Singapore.

Myanmar braces for first census in 30 years

Dr. Khaing Khaing Soe, Deputy Director of the Department of Population at the Ministry of Immigration and Population in Myanmar, shares how the country is making preparations for its 2014 nationwide population census, the first in 30 years. Khaing shares that at present, the Ministry is currently leveraging GIS to streamline the workload in field operations. “Even if our Department is only at the initial stage of GIS uptake, we are starting to see the tangible benefi ts of leveraging GIS. It helped us save time and energy by reducing redundant workfl ows. In addition, it also allowed us to make better decisions so we can effectively streamline our operations.”