NEWSBRIEFS – GIS

Intelligent map system tender by SLA

The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) has awarded the tender for the design, development and maintenance of a government-wide intelligent map system to NIIT Technologies Pvt. Ltd. The proposed solution shall be based on ESRI ArcGIS Server 9.3 and Microsoft Dot Net Technology. www.sla.gov.sg

EC awards INSPIRE@EC contract

The Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat) has awarded the INSPIRE@EC contract based on ESRI technology. It covers the development of the technical components of a European Commission (EC) spatial data infrastructure compliant with the provisions of the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE). www.esri.com

$73 billion in potential geospatial spending- MAPS

According to an analysis by MAPPS, the association of geospatial firms, the economic stimulus bill passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama includes more than $73 billion in programs that will require geospatial data, technology, services and applications in at least 24 Federal agencies. www.mapps.org

EVC provides key map and GIS data for UN FAO project

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have chosen East View Cartographic as the map provider for its Desert Locust early warning system. The system, with its geographic focus on northern Africa, the Near East and Asia, tracks environmental conditions and locust infestations so that early actions can be taken to prevent plagues from developing. www.cartographic.com

PolicyMap launches affordable GIS e-resource for students

TRF’s PolicyMap.com is opening up its online market and demographic data to university students at a deeply discounted rate. They can utilize the website for quick access to more than 4,000 data indicators related to demographics, real estate markets, education, employment, money and income, crime, energy, and public investments. www.trfund.com

California lawmaker targets Internet mapping sites

A California lawmaker is targeting Internet mapping sites, fearing their detailed images of public buildings provide a blueprint for terrorists Assemblyman Joel Anderson, from San Diego, USA introduced a bill after reading that terrorists who attacked in Israel and India used Google Earth and Microsoft’s Virtual Earth. Clear, detailed images of schools, hospitals, churches and all government buildings would not be allowed. His bill would make it illegal in California to post close-up images of such buildings. www.mercurynews.com

Osama hunt: can UCLA trump CIA?

According to a team of UCLA geographers, they have a good idea of where the world’s no.1 terrorist leader was at the end of 2001 – and perhaps where he has been in the years since. In a new published study, the geographers report that simple facts, publicly available satellite imagery and fundamental principles of geography place Bin Laden in one of the three large compounds in Parachinar town in Pakistan’s Kurram area. The team relied on two principles used in geography – the distance-decay theory, and the island biogeographic theory, to pin Bin Laden’s location to one of these buildings. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

TCS completes ERP project for Cochin port

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has completed an ERP implementation at the Cochin Port Trust (CPT). CPT would now be enabled and empowered to closely monitor performance, improve operational efficiency and provide higher standards of service. The GIS-based estate management system will enable CPT to monitor as well maximize returns on their reality holdings. www.business-standard.com

Australian bushfires spark Open Data debate

Australia’s southeast suffered its worst ever outbreak of bushfires last month which killed many people, left thousands homeless and devastated huge swaths of the state of Victoria.

The disaster has also sparked renewed debate about the need for open data and the role of private industry in assisting with information flows to the public in disaster situations. www.dse.vic.gov.au

Map mistake: three officials suspended in India

In major gaffe Himachal Pradesh’s official roadmap of India conceded inalienable parts of the country – Pakistan Occupied Kashmir and Aksai Chin to its neighbours Pakistan and China, the state government suspended three officers for the blooper. www.timesofindia.com

CartoPac offers new method of moving pipeline GIS data

CartoPac Field Solutions, powered by Spatial Data Technologies, Inc. and New Century Software, Inc., shall offer a joint solution to the oil and gas pipeline industry that creates a round-trip workflow between the field and the office by integrating a number of their applications and processes. www.cartopac.com