GIS

GIS survey finds councils would benefit from GIS

1Spatial Group, Australia has released the results of a survey of Australian local government organisations’ use of geospatial data. Key findings include:

52% of the 29 NSW councils surveyed spend most of their time performing manual processes when working with or managing geospatial data;

• Staff and skills limitations (48% of councils) and/or budget constraints (48%) are the most common factors preventing councils from doing more with GIS systems or maps to provide more map-based solutions to their staff and to the public;

• 38% also say data quality levels mean geospatial data is not currently fit for providing more map-based solutions and 28% have no clear GIS/mapping strategy to guide future geospatial objectives;

• 76% say they would benefit from infield mobile/table data capture/editing of geospatial data and 66% from data quality validation/improvement; and

• 69% of councils say they would benefit from an automated public-facing system for Section 149 Certificate pre-assessments. http://1spatial.com/ au/campaign/1spatial-australianlocal- government-gis-survey/

National portal for geospatial data launched in Bhutan

National Geospatial Portal of Bhutan launched. It will serve as a gateway for users across Bhutan to discover, access, and share geospatial data and information. With the portal, users will be able to access data related to Bhutan in one place. The portal takes Bhutan a step closer to fulfilling its vision of building a coordinated national spatial data infrastructure.

Initiated by the NLC and the Centre for GIS Coordination, the portal was built with support from ICIMOD under the framework of the SERVIRHimalaya Initiative. The global SERVIR programme, jointly supported by the USAID and the NASA, integrates science and technology into development programmes. SERVIR-Himalaya is implemented by ICIMOD. www.icimod.org

India to speed up green approvals

The Government of India’s ongoing efforts to streamline green clearance process for industrial, infrastructure, mining and power projects will soon get another boost with the environment ministry planning to launch a GIS based decision support mechanism this month which will help decisionmakers in taking informed decision quickly and in a transparent manner. The GIS-based DSS will contain high resolution satellite imagery and ground details of forest cover, types of green patch, eco-sensitive zones of protected areas, biological richness, landscape and net present value (NPV) of the region and state-wise forest cover that needs to be diverted for non-forest works. Developed by the Dehradun-based Forest Survey of India (FSI), the system will also have details on notified tiger corridors, other important migratory corridors, habitat of rare and endangered flora and fauna amongst others. http:// timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Japan updates topographic map of Northern Territories

A topographic map of the disputed Northern Territories off the coast of Hokkaido has been updated for the first time in 92 years using satellite images, since territorial issues render them off limits to Japan for ground and aerial surveying.

The mapping of the islands, which were seized by the Soviet Union at the end of World War II and claimed by Tokyo, marked the completion of a 1:25,000 scale topographic map of Japan. The Geographical Information Authority of Japan (GSI) began a nationwide geographic survey to create a map in accordance with its Long-Term Plan for Basic Survey in 1964. http://ajw.asahi.com/

Chennai Corporation makes another bid to digitally map city

For the third time in six years, Chennai Corporation in India will embark upon the task of digitally mapping the entire 426 sq km of the city. The massive exercise, an attempt to establish the position of every building, road, pavement, trees, street light, drain and pipeline as well as hospitals and schools, is part of a drive to re-assess properties, particularly in the extended areas where many buildings are unassesed or under-assessed. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Global Mapper SDK v16 released

Blue Marble Geographics has announced the release of the Global Mapper Software Development Kit (SDK) version 16. It features a significant improvement in data processing speeds and several exciting new options for working with 3D data. bluemarblegeo.com