Addressing Two Challenges Currently Experienced in the Mapping Industry
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- 25 April 2010 | By Karen Bester | 5526
Two major challenges that users presently face in the mapping industry are the handling of mass data and the creation of really true orthophotos. Large amounts of data are produced using e.g. laser scanners, image matching, TIN creation, etc. but it is not always successfully managed. The uSMART Mass Data Module (MDM) is however capable of storing and manipulating unlimited amounts of data. Creation of true orthophotos i.e. orthophotos where the dead/occlusion areas are filled from neighbouring images, can also be done in an automated procedure in uSMART.
GIS Technology Changes Wine Marketing
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- 18 April 2010 | By Daniel Schellenberg | 4886
Wine is the new affordable luxury. People select wine products by year and cultivar, but the role of the wine region is also a major factor in marketability. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can change wine marketing by delivering spatial data in the form of maps to the target consumer who is socially-minded and has an interest in agriculture and the environment.
Grid Computing - An Option for Large Scale Spatial Data Infrastructures?
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- 16 April 2010 | By Christian Kiehle & Alexander Padberg | 3633
In the 1990's a novel conceptual computing approach was introduced by Ian Foster: “Grid computing has emerged as an important new field, distinguished from conventional distributed computing by its focus on large-scale resource sharing, innovative applications, and, in some cases, high-performance orientation.”. Over the course of the last few years, researchers have been working hard to analyze the potential of Grid computing for Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI). Is it possible to utilize the enormous computing power of a grid for processing tasks from the spatial domain?
Geoprocessing in Spatial Data Infrastructures
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- 11 April 2010 | By Theodor Foerster, Bastian Schäffer and Bastian Baranski | 5034
Science, industry and administration require web-based geoinformation concerning storage, availability and processing. This trend will continue in the future as the available amount of spatial data sets increases. This is due to the availability of more detailed data acquisition techniques and improvements regarding Web technologies. Data is collected through airborne laser scanning, detailed models in 3D, billions of affordable and therefore ubiquitous geo-enabled sensors respectively devices such as smart phones equipped with GPS, as well as data acquisition by the masses (crowd-sourcing).
Mapping the Lie of the Land
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- 23 March 2010 | By David Mole and Adam Thomas | 2746
Satellite derived ground and structure stability information is increasingly being used by developers and engineers who require a detailed understanding of ground stability issues across the UK. David Mole and Adam Thomas explain how a new satellite technology will offer valuable insight into Britain’s changing landscape at a time when the impact of climate change is making technology more important than ever.