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Volume XVI, Issue 2, February 2020 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND
Spatial Analytics and Deep Learning in GIS
Technology trends-Opportunities and Challenges RIEGL AIRBORNE LASER SCANNERS & SYSTEMS RIEGL WAVEFORM LIDAR TECHNOLOGY for TOPOGRAPHY CHOOSE THE SCANNER EXACTLY RIGHT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC SURVEYING MISSION!
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Also explore RIEGL‘s proven LiDAR sensors for UAVs and for BATHYMETRY www.riegl.com
newsroom.riegl.international Scan this QR code to watch the RIEGL videos on our YouTube Channel. RIEGL LMS GmbH, Austria | RIEGL USA Inc. | RIEGL Japan Ltd. | RIEGL China Ltd. | RIEGL Australia Pty Ltd. RIEGL AIRBORNE LASER SCANNERS & SYSTEMS RIEGL WAVEFORM LIDAR TECHNOLOGY for TOPOGRAPHY CHOOSE THE SCANNER EXACTLY RIGHT FOR YOUR SPECIFIC SURVEYING MISSION!
VISIT US AT March 23 - 25, 2020 Washington, DC RIEGL booth 401
58° FOV forward/backward and nadir look 2.66 MHz eff. pulse rate 60° FOV 1.33 MHz eff. pulse rate dual channel 75° FOV turnkey system for high altitude, 1.25 MHz eff. large scale pulse rate for mapping customized 75° FOV system 1.25 MHz eff. especially configurations 75° FOV pulse rate for snowy 1.5 MHz eff. and icy pulse rate for small terrain for UAVs planes or and small helicopters aircraft
VUX-240 VQ-480 II VQ-580 II VQ-780 II VQ-1560 II for surveying at low flight altitudes for surveying at mid flight altitudes for surveying at high flight altitudes e.g. powerline, rail track and e.g. corridor mapping, city modeling, e.g. ultra-wide area mapping of pipeline inspection and forestry complex environments
Also explore RIEGL‘s proven LiDAR sensors for UAVs and for BATHYMETRY www.riegl.com newsroom.riegl.international Scan this QR code to watch the RIEGL videos on our YouTube Coordinates February 2020 | 3 Channel. RIEGL LMS GmbH, Austria | RIEGL USA Inc. | RIEGL Japan Ltd. | RIEGL China Ltd. | RIEGL Australia Pty Ltd. COLOPHON AND CONTENTS
In this issue Coordinates Volume 16, Issue 2, February 2020
Articles
Geographic coverage expands as imaging technology matures Alexander Wiechert 6 Emerging PNT and GNSS Technology Trends: Creating Resilient, Wireless Connected Systems John Fischer 8 Challenges for 3D mapping Graham hunter 10 Application of GIS and remote sensing in urban planning Mohd. Monis Khan 12 Identifying GNSS market in Indonesia before and the future Heri Andreas and Sandy Noveriansyah 14 Spatial Analytics and Deep Learning in GIS Dr K Kasturirangan 29
Columns My Coordinates Editorial 5 Old Coordinates 20 Conference Workshop on Advanced Spatial Analytics and Deep Learning for Geospatial Applications His Coordinates 33 Mukund Kadursrinivas Rao 35 News GIS 37 LBS & AI 38 GNSS 40 Imaging 42 UAV 43 Industry 44 Mark your calendar March 2020 to December 2020 46 This issue has been made possible by the support and good wishes of the following individuals and companies Alexander Wiechert, Graham hunter, K Kasturirangan, Heri Andreas, John Fischer, Mohd. Monis Khan, Mukund Kadursrinivas Rao and Sandy Noveriansyah; Javad, Labsat, Vexcel, Riegl, SBG System, and many others
Mailing Address Coordinates is an initiative of CMPL that aims to broaden the Printed and published by Sanjay Malaviya on behalf of A 002, Mansara Apartments scope of positioning, navigation and related technologies. Coordinates Media Pvt Ltd C 9, Vasundhara Enclave CMPL does not neccesarily subscribe to the views expressed Published at A 002 Mansara Apartments, Vasundhara Delhi 110 096, India. by the authors in this magazine and may not be held liable for Enclave, Delhi 110096, India. Phones +91 11 42153861, 98102 33422, 98107 24567 any losses caused directly or indirectly due to the information Printed at Thomson Press (India) Ltd, Mathura Road, provided herein. © CMPL, 2020. Reprinting with permission is Faridabad, India Email encouraged; contact the editor for details. [information] [email protected] Editor Bal Krishna [editorial] [email protected] Annual subscription (12 issues) Owner Coordinates Media Pvt Ltd (CMPL) [advertising] [email protected] [India] Rs.1,800 [Overseas] US$100 [subscriptions] [email protected] Web www.mycoordinates.org This issue of Coordinates is of 48 pages, including cover.
4 | Coordinates February 2020 MYCOORDINATES
Quarantined
As the official figure of deaths
Due to novel corona virus (Covid-19) surges to over 1,100,
The situation is frightening.
When thousands of the victims are being quarantined and treated,
The challenge is to trace the many, who might have been infected,
And how to curtail its further spread.
The World Health Organization recognizes the threat
As grave and global.
The world grapples to figure out ways to deal with the situation
Which is not only medically challenging
But also emotionally and socially traumatic.
The likely devastating fallouts on economy
Are yet to be assessed.
The virus is a threat to the humankind.
It also has put on test
The humanity per se.
Bal Krishna, Editor [email protected]
ADVISORS Naser El-Sheimy PEng, CRC Professor, Department of Geomatics Engineering, The University of Calgary Canada, George Cho Professor in GIS and the Law, University of Canberra, Australia, Professor Abbas Rajabifard Director, Centre for SDI and Land Administration, University of Melbourne, Australia, Luiz Paulo Souto Fortes PhD Associate Professor, University of State of Rio Janeiro (UERJ), Brazil, John Hannah Professor, School of Surveying, University of Otago, New Zealand
Coordinates February 2020 | 5 PERSPECTIVE Geographic Coverage Expands as Imaging Technology Matures Vexcel Imaging will continue to develop advanced hardware and software for the benefit of its commercial customers and for VDP with a focus on optimizing efficiency and quality. By Alexander Wiechert, Vexcel Imaging GmbH
emote sensing relies on hardware, software and focusing on more subtle evolutionary hardware changes. Rworkflow processes to deliver consistent and useful We are making modifications that increase efficiency and imaging products for a broad range of applications. When enable improved quality. For example, with faster frame the industry was in its infancy, a great deal of attention rates and new camera electronics, airplanes can fly at was focused on improving the hardware to collect a much higher speeds and collect data with a greater forward higher quality of data. Now we must fine-tune the software overlap, which leads to better image quality and more and workflow processes to fully leverage the tremendous efficiency. amount of data that is being generated. After a hectic period marked by significant advances in collection and To continue delivering improvements to our customers, processing capabilities, we have reached a more stable Vexcel Imaging is developing a completely new camera point with development cycles becoming longer and design. We are changing everything — lenses, sensors, incremental benefits to the customer. electronics, storage, and housing. This 4th generation UltraCam camera is based on the latest CMOS sensors Hardware First instead of CCD, which boosts efficiency to the next level. Hardware became the first “battleground” as industry The newest CMOS technology, for example, supports leaders continued to experiment with different approaches. an increased pixel count in the imagery and provides Eventually imaging technology made the revolutionary radiometric advantages and better image dynamics without leap from analog to digital, which resulted in significant the downsides present in previous generations of CMOS. performance improvements and created many new opportunities. The entire suite of UltraCam cameras will benefit from the new design, with the expected efficiency gain to be Now that a digital format is accepted as the most effective between 15‒40%, depending on the camera model. The technology for mapping, the aerial imaging industry is updated UltraCam Osprey will be released first, in spring 2020, with a wider nadir footprint and an almost doubled oblique collection capability. Next in line for release is the UltraCam Condor, scheduled in 2021, which will also offer a significantly larger footprint and faster frame rate. A new version of the UltraCam Eagle will follow at a later stage. Handling the Data Since imaging hardware has achieved such high performance levels, next the industry has to focus on software development and workflow processing. The volume of data collected by advanced aerial and satellite UltraCam Osprey Mark 3 Premium. The next generation UltraCam imaging resources has increased exponentially, Osprey model will be released later this year. so software products must handle larger
6 | Coordinates February 2020 data streams. Workflow processes are being streamlined annual coverage of the entire US and several European to handle the increased volume of data. As a result, the countries at 20 cm GSD, with major metro areas collected industry continues innovating by adding automation and at a higher resolution of 7.5 cm GSD. More recently survey- updated workflows to keep pace with the hardware and to grade (metric/calibrated) oblique data to facilitate 3D meet the demand for faster turnaround of end products modeling of buildings is also being collected. and analysis. The second category is “gray sky” collections, which take Vexcel Imaging is committed to investing in further place in disaster areas, immediately after floods, fires, development of UltraMap, our photogrammetric post- hurricanes, earthquakes, etc. Vexcel’s highly automated processing software that provides highly automated processing capability makes images accessible online within processing capabilities. We just launched Version 4.5 in 24 hours after data collection to all government agencies November 2019, featuring real Oblique AT, and 5.0 is on the and other emergency personnel. This access is provided horizon, which will add a rich feature set to further improve through GIC/NICB and has substantially improved the efficiency and 3D capabilities. Vexcel has learned many situational awareness of organizations trying to deliver lessons while processing our own huge datasets and that services in devastated areas. experience goes into UltraMap to benefit our commercial customers. International Flying Programs Another factor driving improvements in hardware, software and workflows is the creation of large flying programs that focus on high-resolution mapping of entire countries on a regular revisit schedule. Several flying programs started by global companies are applying the lessons learned from decades of hardware manufacturing and software development to improve their own collection and processing efforts and make up-to-date imagery available to meet the growing demand for high- resolution maps. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Blue sky imagery captured for the Vexcel Data Program.
The Vexcel Data Program (VDP) is a cloud-based imagery Demand for imagery is increasing around the world. service, founded in 2018 with the insurance industry as an The geographic priorities of Vexcel’s global partners are anchor customer. Vexcel’s exclusive partner, the Geospatial influencing the selection of overseas targets. In 2020, with Intelligence Center (GIC), was initiated by the National the UltraCam Condor collecting nadir imagery, geographic Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) that represents over 1,000 coverage will grow in Europe and potentially areas in the insurers in the US. The consortium of insurers shares the Asia Pacific region. The UltraCam Osprey is also collecting GIC program costs in return for access to current aerial high resolution urban oblique imagery of major areas in the imagery before and after natural disasters. Insurers benefit United States, and the program is expanding to Australia, from the expedited process where agents can review New Zealand and other Asian locations. imagery to assess damage instead of traveling to the site and deliver value to their customers with more accurate Large flying programs are the way of the future as they claim evaluations and faster payments. allow up-to-date imagery of entire countries to be available at lower cost. Vexcel Imaging will continue to VDP has a two-pronged approach to data collection. “Blue develop advanced hardware and software for the benefit sky” refers to the scheduled collection of priority areas to of its commercial customers and for VDP with a focus on complete large-area datasets. Initially the plan called for optimizing efficiency and quality.
Coordinates February 2020 | 7 TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Emerging PNT and GNSS technology trends Creating resilient, wireless connected systems
John Fischer s Coordinates readers, you appreciate through along the way. On a personal level, Leading industry authority Athe value of knowing where you are getting the wrong PNT data could mean that in PNT and GNSS and what time it is, along with the best you run out of gas, get lost or wind up in a technologies, and serves route to your destination. Whether you’re dangerous area. For critical infrastructure as the VP of Advanced on your way to an important business and defense programs, it can bring far worse R&D for Orolia, the world meeting at an office you’ve never visited, consequences. Add to that the fact that rogue leader in Resilient PNT or you need to find the safest route actors are getting more sophisticated in through dangerous environments, you spoofing and jamming, and the risk of PNT need reliable, continuous Positioning, data disruption and loss grow exponentially. Timing and Navigation (PNT) data. Next to PNT data, one of the most No matter how sophisticated our important tools for the latest technology technology environment becomes and innovations is access to GPS/GNSS how much further we evolve into a more signals. After all, most PNT data is digital and mobile world, we should delivered through these signals and we use be mindful that for many of our most GNSS signals for so many critical needs. essential tasks, it all comes down to the We rely on having a signal wherever we availability of essential resources like go, and we aren’t particularly opinionated PNT data and GPS/GNSS signals. When about it as long as it works and we can get we look at emerging technology trends, things done. Like turning on a light switch, these common denominators are having we hardly ever think about it but we expect a greater impact on industry’s ability it to be immediately available 24/7. to deliver reliable new technologies that are immune to emerging threats. Why will emerging Most of us use PNT data every day without technology continue to even thinking about it. We check our route rely on PNT and GNSS? options for morning traffic and, on hectic days, we might need to find the nearest Wireless connections are becoming gas station or a coffee shop with a drive- required as the minimum starting point for any new technology. If we no longer need wired connections because our wireless As PNT industry leaders, we need to establish, connections are seamless, new technology can transcend geographic, environmental continuously improve, and adapt our technology with and other barrier limits that exist today.
features that guarantee PNT data integrity in every Data speed and capacity are also essential. Transmission rates must continue to get environment. By the way, it’s not just PNT data that we faster to keep up with our requirements for instant results. Newer technologies often need to protect. We also need to ensure continuous involve much larger file and data packet sizes, so data capacity also has to keep access to resilient GNSS signals to transmit the data expanding in line with increasing demand.
that PNT-reliant systems need in order to operate What will these next-gen technology
8 | Coordinates February 2020 features do for us? With failsafe wireless It’s also important to realize that a single upgrade connections, lightning fast data speeds and extensive data capacity, we can won’t be enough. Continuous system testing enable connected systems, wireless networks and hive technology to converge through simulation, developing new solutions to our resources into a collective “brain” and manage everything at once. When defeat new threats, and Interference Detection and we no longer have to build tethered data connections, we can achieve Mitigation (IDM) technologies are needed to close exponentially superior automatic systems that are not only efficient, but operate the loop and maintain system integrity over time harmoniously with infinite inputs. Looking ahead been compromised. Today’s adversaries are developing more sophisticated What do these technology Weighing the risks and benefits of GNSS jamming and spoofing methods, trends mean for the emerging technology trends, it’s better and they can be so subtle that you’d PNT industry? to embrace new technologies and the never know they were there. benefits they offer, rather than clinging As PNT industry leaders, we need to to archaic ideas. New technologies are While resilient technologies and testing establish, continuously improve, and adapt being developed faster than ever, and as through simulation can provide confidence our technology with features that guarantee PNT leaders we need to offer access to that your system will overcome certain PNT data integrity in every environment. these features right away, not years from known threats, there are always new By the way, it’s not just PNT data that we now. Bolt-on and retrofit PNT and GNSS threats that we can’t test for today. As a need to protect. We also need to ensure solutions are available now that can not result, alerting systems that can detect continuous access to resilient GNSS only future-proof existing systems, but and inform you when you’re under attack signals to transmit the data that PNT-reliant also protect them from the latest threats. are fundamental for critical systems. systems need in order to operate. Our contributions to emerging technologies can With new digital technology, we can The PNT kit of the future will need to provide the assurance of PNT data integrity solve problems and increase efficiency ensure continuous, reliable PNT data and and GNSS signal access as building blocks in ways that would take decades or more access to GNSS signals, while protecting for tomorrow’s wireless connected systems. for humans to do on their own. At the against emerging threats. It also needs to same time, we shouldn’t rely too much provide high data transfer capacity and hub We also need to respond to the growing on machines to make our decisions. technology to integrate data from multiple demand for multiple data inputs by It’s important to maintain human in the remote sources. These needs are immediate, providing data hub and integration loop technology so that we can make a and bolt-on solutions can provide the technologies to facilitate connected human decision based on better facts. fastest route to a system upgrade. systems. By converging data points from multiple sources, we can enable higher The need for wireless, global, continuous It’s also important to realize that a single order data analysis and processing for and unimpeded data and communications upgrade won’t be enough. Continuous more intelligent, informed digital decision- signals will continue to grow. For PNT system testing through simulation, making based on countless data points. reliant systems, the data and signals are developing new solutions to defeat essential, and our role as industry experts new threats, and Interference Detection to protect them is more critical than ever. and Mitigation (IDM) technologies Critical systems require are needed to close the loop and Critical systems require extensive maintain system integrity over time. extensive testing, that testing, that will increasingly require sophisticated simulation to assess real With these emerging technologies to will increasingly require world performance for missions that look forward to, it’s an exciting time cannot afford to fail. For consumer for our industry, global businesses and sophisticated simulation technologies, simulation helps ensure consumers. With Resilient PNT and GNSS that we can rely on our personal devices systems, along with better data integration to assess real world and trust them to perform as promised. and processing, we can trust this new technology to tell us the truth and keep performance for missions While testing, simulation and Resilient us safe, while enabling us to reach for the PNT technologies can keep us online, stars and understand our world in ways that that cannot afford to fail. we also need to know when our data has we’ve never been able to do before.
Coordinates February 2020 | 9 TECHNOLOGY TRENDS Challenges for 3D mapping From controlling project timeframes and cost consumption, to sustainability and overcrowding, SLAM (Simultaneous Localization And Mapping) technology has become a powerhouse for progression in developing economies
Graham Hunter lthough awareness of SLAM enormous infrastructure development GEOSLAM Founder A(Simultaneous Localization And works in order to meet the demand of the Mapping) technology is at a very nascent rising population. The scale of the country state in some countries such as India, means it also has the second largest railway mapping technology itself has been network in the world, and the government particularly influential in the decision- is working to electrify the entire network making process and management of various in order to bring the benefits of the latest built environments. From controlling technological innovations to the economy. project timeframes and cost consumption, to sustainability and overcrowding, this Implementing these changes however technology has become a powerhouse for is a challenge in itself, because of the progression in developing economies. country’s diverse and challenging physical geography, which spans 3,287km2 across a broad range of terrains. Much Mapping a challenging of the country’s existing infrastructure landscape including bridges and roads, which were built during the nineteenth Among other factors, the biggest hurdle century, are no longer fit for purpose. for leaders of developing economies is to complete projects within promised deadlines and budgets. While this is a Overcoming skills shortages frequent obstacle for most countries around the world, the implications of under- India Today recently reported that over budgeting and forecasting an unachievable 80 per cent of Indian engineers are timeline in a developing economy could be unemployable, citing a lack of new- significantly detrimental, wasting materials, age technology skills and an absence of labour and, in some cases, bringing projects fundamental training. It also stated that to a complete halt. As India’s government only three per cent of engineers have seeks to improve its population’s standard skills and knowledge in areas that are of living, the country is undergoing booming, including AI, machine learning, data science and mobile development.
the biggest hurdle for leaders of developing economies Combatting these skills shortages, GeoSLAM’s method of data collection is to complete projects within promised deadlines can be performed by anyone, from inexperienced junior staff to senior and budgets. While this is a frequent obstacle for construction workers through its easy- to-use mapping solution. Individuals most countries around the world, the implications do not require any additional skills to operate the devices, enabling the of under-budgeting and forecasting an unachievable project to continue with no hold ups. timeline in a developing economy could be significantly Pushing a ‘mega city’ detrimental, wasting materials, labour and, in some to its limits
cases, bringing projects to a complete halt The overcrowded city of Mumbai for
10 | Coordinates February 2020 example, which houses roughly 22 million what we’re doing is democratising to the world the people, is the fourth most populated city in the world, coined India’s largest ‘mega ability to have 3D information at your fingertips. city’. Pushed to its limits through poor city planning, its residents are suffering This data is no longer in the domain of surveyors or at cramped railway stations, office buildings and roadsides. The situation companies selling expensive high-end equipment became so bad, that in 2013 the state minister for housing backed calls for - it’s there for anyone to access. The real challenge another new city to be constructed 50 miles away in Uran, to spread the load. though, is how to interpret and manage that data
Several versatile devices capable of managed and maintained carefully in citizens across the world would experience being used as a handheld device as well order to properly cater to the masses. the benefits that come with these systems. as being mounted onto a vehicle and an UAV, will enable city planners to access a Costa Rica, a country, which has recently clear, aerial view of the ground beneath, witnessed steady economic growth, has Democratising 3D information providing an indication of severely also turned to the latest technology to overcrowded areas of a city or locations assist with rising population rates and I would predict that we are going to of interest for future infrastructure, in the increase in deforestation. Monitoring see more rapid data capture. We live order to avoid future mismanagement. systems have been used by city planners in a ‘3D plus’ society that historically and non-governmental organisations has proven hard to capture. To tackle the housing crisis, GeoSLAM to map areas of the country’s built teams visited India in 2016 to environment to locate where people have For us, what we’re doing is help support the redevelopment of built illegal properties, and as a way to democratising to the world the ability slum housing, as part of the Prime monitor sustainable forest management. to have 3D information at your Minister Housing Scheme (Pradhan fingertips. This data is no longer in Mantri Aawas Yojna PMAY). This technology will enable governments the domain of surveyors or companies and city planners to enforce planning selling expensive high-end equipment The scheme, which aimed to build 20 models into cities, ensuring dangerous - it’s there for anyone to access. million low-cost homes by 2022, involved situations such as these don’t occur The real challenge though, is how demolishing collapsing slums and again. This might include mapping to interpret and manage that data. setting out plans to create new homes, areas for potential development of which were better fit for purpose. businesses and apartments; reducing the With the demand for capturing data on rate of deforestation and organising new the rise, more devices are entering the networks for a streamlined transport market with a focus on accessibility Managing the built system and installing fibre-optic cables and ease-of-use. As more data is environment so that everyone is fully connected. created, the need for managing that information and providing useful insights Unlike the UK, bridges in India are quicker, will be on the increase. not inspected every year and so many UAVs flying high problems with infrastructure go unnoticed. Data is also being shared more Mounted onto an UAV or simple backpack From delivering life-saving medicine, frequently too, from construction sites solution, the Horizon for example can map to mapping and monitoring sites for to head offices across the world, putting the current state, movement and predicted refugee camps, UAVs have huge potential more emphasis on the importance of decline of a structure, as well as rapidly for helping developing economies. managing results so that that data can demonstrating where improvements be interpreted in a meaningful way. are needed to ensure stability. Although their benefits are proven, their reputation for causing disruption in the air New workflow software’s are being We’re also working with more other precedes them. However in my opinion, developed that will be able to manage the Asian countries like Singapore and the effect of drone-captured data and a vast amounts of data that will be generated, Malaysia, as they drive to become ‘smart’, drone’s ability to deliver drugs to remote then to automate the processing and and, like India, tackle the increasing or hard-to-access areas, far outweigh communication of that data. It will also number of people moving to ‘mega any concerns that people may have. If be a platform for data to be backed up and cities’ in search of a better way of life. restrictions on drone technology were stored in the right place, so that it can be Mega cities need to be mapped out, relaxed, then perhaps more countries and accessed from anywhere in the world.
Coordinates February 2020 | 11 URBAN PLANNING Application of GIS and remote sensing in urban planning Initiatives of Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Government of India
Mohd.Monis Khan he Ministry of Housing and Urban Central and State level so as to enable Town & Country Planner, TAffairs (MoHUA) is engaged in the updating of the maps in a revision cycle. Head, Urban and development and promotion of State-of- Regional Information Art Technologies such as Geographic In the first phase, 25 towns from six States System (URIS) Division, Informat ion System and Remote Sensing, were selected on priority basis for coverage Town & Country Planning Aerial Photography etc. since 1990’s. The under this scheme and in the Second phase Organisation, Ministry Ministry has handled several projects and 28 towns from 19 State were taken. The of Housing and Urban schemes such as Urban Mapping Scheme, work of aerial photography and mapping Affairs Govt. of India, National Urban Information System, Sub- was assigned to NRSC for all 53 towns. New Delhi, India Scheme of formulation of GIS based All the maps generated under the Scheme Master Plan for 500 AMRUT cities. have been sent to respective State Town Planning Departments for their use.
Urban Mapping Scheme National Urban The Ministry has launched a pilot scheme Information System for preparing large-scale urban maps using aerial photography for 53 towns The Ministry has launched National Urban in order to meet the requirement of base Information System (NUIS) Scheme in maps for towns and cities, was taken up March, 2006 to develop GIS databases during the Eighth Five Year Plan. The for 152 towns/ cities in two scales i.e., budget allocation for the Scheme was 1:10,000 and 1:2000. Apart from spatial 20.39 Crores. The project envisaged data, the Scheme had other components i.e. development of technical capabilities National Urban Data Bank and Indicators of the town planning organisations at (NUDBI), Capacity Building, HW/SW and Application Development. The total outlay of the scheme was Rs. 66.28 Crores of which 75% was borne by the Central Govt. and the remaining 25% by the State. The work of spatial data was undertaken by the Survey of India, Dehradun. The spatial and attribute databases thus generated were used for preparation of Master/ Development plans, town planning schemes etc. serves as decision support for e-governance purposes. The scheme is has been successfully completed in 31st March, 2018.
Sub-Scheme on formulation of GIS-based Master Plans for AMRUT Cities
Line Map and digital map generated under Urban Mapping Scheme Formulation of GIS-based Master
12 | Coordinates February 2020 Maps generated under NUIS Scheme
Plans for 500 AMRUT Cities is one of the important reforms under the AMRUT Mission. It has three major components i.e. Geo-database Creation, GIS based Master Plan Formulation and Capacity Building. As on date 34.
States/UT with 456 towns are covered under the Sub-Scheme. The total budget allocation for the Sub-Scheme is Rs.515 Crores and sum of Rs. 97.31 Crores has been released to States.
An MoU has been signed between National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Draft GIS based Master Plan formulated under AMRUT GIS Sub Scheme Department of Space and Ministry for Geo-database creation, but State State Resources/ consultants. NRSC has Under the Sub-Scheme, as on date 226 Governments can opt NRSC or private established well equipped GIS Lab facility cities have prepared the Draft base Maps, consultancies for Geo-database creation with 150 systems at their Jeedimetla 24 cities have prepared and submitted Campus in Hyderabad and about 300 the Draft Master Plans and 1297 officials Accordingly, 21 States/UTs (242 towns/ man hour works is being done daily to from various State Governments have Cities) are with NRSC and 13 States/ accomplish the task of Geo-database been trained in 43 training programmes UTs are creating Geo-database with creation under the Sub-Scheme. under Capacity Building.
Coordinates February 2020 | 13 GNSS Identifying GNSS market in Indonesia before and the future This paper will highlight the GNSS market in Indonesia before and the future. We found that within ten to fifteen years the GNSS market in Indonesia will be the biggest around South East Asia and probably in Asia Pacific
Heri Andreas lobal Navigation Satellite System Indonesia will be the biggest around South Geodesy Research G(GNSS) is one of the best finding of East Asia and probably in Asia Pacific. Division, Faculty of Earth the twenty century world technologies. Science and Technology, It is satellite base positioning and timing Institute of Technology system. A millimeter accuracy of 4D Introduction Bandung, Indonesia positions can be provided by this GNSS system, allowed us to measure the The revolution in world scale positioning geodynamic with millimeter per year signal has begun as the satellite technology Sandy Noveriansyah only, measure small deformation and even invented in the beginning of year 70. Universitas Komputer the change of pole of earth rotation. Not Global Navigation Satellite System (UNIKOM), Indonesia to mention the GNSS for navigation and (GNSS) has been played as remarkable transportation system, it helps a lot in such tool for positioning and mapping with high traffic management, tracking, controlling, accuracy can be achieved in the easiest etc. GNSS market has contributed huge amount of dollars in world’s economy. Japan and America are two country of among others for biggest GNSS market so far. As for Indonesia, it is only part of 4% of Asia market in the early 2000. With such similar characteristic between Indonesia Fig. 1. Illustration of positioning using GNSS technology. and Japan, especially relating to fast growing nation and the ring of fire, in this case market of GNSS in the future can be promising in Indonesia. This paper will highlight the GNSS market in Indonesia before and the future. We found that within ten to fifteen years Fig.2. Illustration of multiuse of GNSS (GPS the GNSS market in and GLONASS) in variety of fields.
14 | Coordinates February 2020 way (Seeber [1], Abidin [2-3], Leick [4], Hofmann et. al. [5]). market has contributed huge amount of dollars in world’s In everywhere and in anytime worldwide when signals from the economy. Japan and America are two country of among others satellites received by the receivers, in these cases the position in for biggest GNSS market so far. As for Indonesia, it is only part of 3D or even 4D can be determined precisely (figure 1) and even 4% of Asia market in the early 2000 (DOC [6]). With such similar with precision in the order of millimeter. Not to mention, the characteristic between Indonesia and Japan, especially relating position can be also precisely determined “real-time” in the order to fast growing nation and the ring of fire, in this case market of of few centimeter by Real Time Kinematik (RTK) Method. The GNSS in the future can be promising in Indonesia. This paper will GNSS become a revolution in positioning on the 20th century. highlight the GNSS market in Indonesia before and the future.
Global Positioning System (GPS) and Globalnaya navigatsionnaya sputnikovaya sistema (GLONASS) are GNSS product by US World GNSS market and Russia. For more than two decade they give all kind of services on positioning and timing. In the case of positioning With such tremendous contribution to the world in context they allowed us to measure the geodynamic with millimeter per of application of positioning and timing (e.g. Navigation, year signal only, measure small deformation and even the change transportation, survey and mapping etc. as mentioned) the GNSS of pole of earth rotation. Not to mentioned their positioning market has given huge amount of dollar in world’s economy services for survey and mapping and geodetic engineering. like previously mentioned. The value of the world GNSS In the context of navigation, they helps a lot in such traffic technology business in 2002 reached $ 9 billion with an annual management, tracking, controlling, etc. Figure 2 shows many increase of around $ 1 billion. This means that currently the multiuse of GNSS GPS GLONASS in variety of fields. value of the GNSS technology business is estimated linearly in more than $24 billion. On the other hand an estimation of $ 96 In the recent years, the GNSS is expanding when the BEIDOU billion is given by GNSS market for present years (GPS World or COMPAS has been launched by the China, the GALIEO by [7]). Global GNSS GPS receiver market by geography shows European Union, QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite System) by the America and Asia Pacific (but mostly Japan) are the biggest Japan, etc. So, today it is not only GPS and GLONASS who market until today. It is 31.02% and 42.11%. Meanwhile 26.87% existed and give services in positioning and timing, we have more. credit for Europe and Middle East (Businesswire.com [8]). The additional satellite system is theoretically adding the value to others GNSS System since more satellite can be observed. In 2016, the GPS receiver market in Asia Pacific (APAC) was Also with combination of geostationary and original prograde valued at $1.52 billion. In the same year the GPS receiver market satellite of 12 hour period, the positioning will be more robust. in Europe and Middle East (EMEA) is growing at a CAGR of 10.25%. The GPS Receiver market in Americas is expected With such remarkable services in positioning and timing, GNSS to reach $2.26 billion by 2021 (Businesswire.com [8]).
Fig.3. Map of world transaction on GNSS GPS Receiver by 2016. APAC own 42.11%, EMEA own 26.87% and AMERICAS own 31.02%. The future prediction conclude APAC will be the biggest market in the world [8]
Coordinates February 2020 | 15 Do not forget that we just talking about GPS receivers only. As etc. If we included this segment into economic value, explained above, In the recent years, the GNSS is expanding in this case more billions dollar should be added. when the BEIDOU or COMPAS has been launched by the China, the GALIEO by European Union, QZSS (Quasi Zenith Satellite China market and economic value of GNSS is still underestimated System) by the Japan, etc. Market of receiver is even more huge. by calculation. It should be very huge in sales as well as the Production of Receiver with has BEIDOU channel is growing economic value. GNSS factories are growing rapidly in China. rapidly. Previously we only familiar with TRIMBLE, LEICA, With such big country, the china market of GNSS in their own ASTECH, MAGELLAND and TOPCON, but now we have country will be the same or even bigger than Japan market. various brand like SOUTH, HI-TARGET, CHC, NAVCOM, We mentioned again that Japan own 44% of world market COMNAV, STONEX, HEMISPHERE, UNISTRONG, etc. in the early 2000. GNSS from China is now enter Africa and South America. We can easily found SOUTH Receiver, Low cost GNSS receiver is also growing quite rapidly, and CHC, HI-TARGET in those continent and sub-continent. not to mentioned the handy type like Garmin, Magelland,
GNSS market in Indonesia
GNSS market in Indonesia is still relatively small. Fields that are using GNSS technology such as navigation and LBS, transportation, survey and mapping and geodynamic study. Indonesia has only 200-300 CGNSS (Continous GNSS) while Japan has more than 1600. First GNSS receiver come to Indonesia was in 1989 and growing market started since 1994. Slowly but sure the market is growing toward positive direction. Roughly note the vendors have sold for more than 5000 geodetic type Fig.4. Distribution of benchmark belong to primary and secondary receiver so far (Geoprima Solution [9], Wisesa Berkah Bumi Indonesia Network Frame for survei and mapping (BIG [12]) [10], and Asaba [11]). This is good news for the market.
First let’s talk in detail the beginning the receiver come to Indonesia. It was demo in 1989. After demo the Government realize that GNSS is right tool to help problems of positioning in Indonesia. In 1994 a National Program creating Network Frame for Survey and Mapping executed with GPS. All Benchmark belong to primary and secondary of Network Frame measured by the geodetic type dual frequency receiver. Figure 4 show distribution of Benchmark.
After benchmark being established, another big project being Fig.5. Tectonic motion of Indonesia regions derived established and indeed even earlier and that is high scale from GNSS GPS measurements. The movement mapping. We used photogrammetry and remote sensing indicated by vector displacement (BIG [12]) surveys beside conventional tachymetry survey. In order to accomplish the project, help from GPS is crucial. The ground control point for Photogrammetric and High Resolution Satellite Image Data comes from GPS measurements. Fix points of tachymetry is also comes from GPS. In this moment, purchasing of GPS receiver was quite remarkable. Figure 6 shows activities of GPS measurements in the fields.
Since Indonesia is very active tectonically, therefore GPS measurement for geodynamic and deformation is demanding and it started after 2004 Tsunami Earthquake in Aceh. The Government install CGNSS in many places. Approximately we have 200- 300 CGNSS. The receiver put it on the stable benchmark. There are also CGNSS on tide gauge stations, on Buoy, etc. Figure 5 shows tectonic motion of Indonesia. This information is very Fig.6. Activities of GPS measurement in the field to much useful for earthquake and tsunami mitigation program and support survey and mapping and others. also for definition of semi dynamic datum. Today Indonesia has
16 | Coordinates February 2020 SRGI 2013 semi dynamic datum, replace DGN95 static datum. Phone also capable on observing GPS satellite. Now we have many applications that is based on positioning and navigation and Another market of GNSS is on navigation and LBS using GPS or LBS such as Google Map, WAZE, GOJEK, GRAB, UBER, handheld receiver, Integration of GPS with GIS (Geographic etc. Other LBS (Location Base Services) is also available. Off Information System) and also with the Smart City. Today the Smart course those all things adding the value of GNSS economy. Below is table 1 summarize the GNSS market in Indonesia until today. Table 1. Summary of GNSS market in Indonesia until today
High precision positioning Geodynamic and deformation monitoring, disaster mitigation, early warning Future GNSS in Indonesia Survey and Mapping Survey Network, Ground Control Point, Fix Points, etc. Trend of future GNSS applications in the world as well as in Indonesia can be seen in figure 7 below (gsa.europe.eu [13]). Navigation and LBS Tracking System, Google Map, WAZE, GOJEK, GRAB, etc. Indonesia becomes one of the fastest growing nations and quicker adaptation to the world’s changing. The economic value Maritime Batimetry, vessel navigation, etc. of GNSS in the market will be tremendous. GNSS is expected Aviation Flight Navigation, UAV positioning, etc. to service many more fields in the future than today. The trend Others Military, GPS time transfer, agriculture, sport, will be to LBS, Road and others (Surveying, Drones, Maritime, recreation, etc. Aviation, Timing and Synchronization and Agriculture). The highest trend will be LBS. For countries with such disaster like Indonesia, the GNSS application for monitoring and disaster mitigation will also be future trend to accelerate.
With such similar characteristic between Indonesia and Japan, especially related to fast growing nation and the ring of fire, Indonesia will be one of the biggest market around South East Asia and even in Asia Pacific. Indeed the future prediction conclude APAC will be the biggest market in the world while Indonesia is belong to APAC. In another word Indonesia is also belong to the potential market for some reasons.
Fig.7. Trend of future GNSS application in the world [12] Indonesia is spatially bigger than Japan. If Indonesia applies GNSS in many fields, it is not impossible to defeat Japan and other countries. As noted earlier, Indonesia is still a 4.7% market share in South East Asia. This means that if Japan has reached 44%, then the deviation value is still very large as an opportunity.
The mandate of the Geospatial Information Act No. 4 of 2011 has opened up opportunities for surveys and mapping to high accuracy, which requires GNSS technology. The Indonesia Geospatial Agency (BIG) as a trustee institution must produce 1: 1000 maps of the entire territory of Indonesia, Fig.8. Fields to be survey for high scale high accuracy including the mapping of 80,000 villages (figure 8). map in Indonesia including villages. Disaster-laden Indonesia needs GNSS technology for disaster monitoring and mitigation. Indonesia is full of earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, floods, etc. GNSS technology can be used as a module in modeling disaster phenomena, which in turn becomes an input for disaster mitigation models. Estimation of CGNSS for geodynamic study to be installed in Indonesia is 6000 (base on figuring 1600 at Japan). Not to mentioned for natural deformation purpose.
If we talking man made deformation (e.g. deformation on buildings, bridges, road, railways, platform oil and gas, DAM, Fig.9. Indonesia is accelerating in development. etc.), prospect of GNSS to monitor man made deformation is Huge infrastructure is being developed. very bright. Huge infrastructures is being developed today in
Coordinates February 2020 | 17 all over Indonesia (figure 9). Today only few programs have world. Indonesia has the same future figure. As mentioned been set up to monitor some bridges, platform oil and gas and earlier in Indonesia now we have many applications that DAM. Probably no program yet on monitoring building, road is based on positioning, navigation and LBS such as and railways. So, we can imagine the prospect in the future. Google Map, WAZE, GOJEK, GRAB, UBER, etc.
Indonesia is one of the biggest archipelago country in the Based on research on literature, interviewed and questionary world. Located in the equator regions Indonesia is rich for the Goverment, the Experts, Academia, the Vendors, the natural resources such as forest (figure 10), fishing ground, variety of users, we found that within ten to fifteen years farmland, mining, etc. Managing all resources need position the GNSS market in Indonesia will be the biggest around as one basic parameters. So, we can imagine another prospect South East Asia and probably in Asia Pacific. Below is table in the future for GNSS in Indonesia. One finest example 2 summarizing the future GNSS market in Indonesia. in the future is precise farming. The others are delineation of forest boundary, calculate size of mining area, etc. Table 2. Summary of GNSS future market in Indonesia High precision positioning Geodynamic and deformation monitoring, Land parcel in Indonesia consist of about 140 millions unit. Until Infrastructure monitoring, disaster mitigation, today only 50 million is well define (e.g. certified). The rest we early warning still need measurements. For about couple years ago, the RTK Survey and Mapping Survey Network, Ground Control Point, Fix multi GNSS plays an important role in measuring land parcel in Points, etc. Indonesia. This RTK can speed up the measurement (Andreas Navigation and LBS Tracking, Fleet Management System, Google [14]). Base on record from vendors (Geoprima Solution [9], Wisesa Map, WAZE, GOJEK, GRAB, etc. Berkah Bumi [10], and Asaba [11]), GNSS receiver selling reached Maritime Batimetry, vessel navigation, surveillance, etc. more than 2000 unit in order to support land parcel measurements. Aviation Flight Navigation In the future they estimate there will be more millions to Agriculture Precise farming, Forrest management, etc. sell. Land parcel certification expected to finish by 2025. Others Military, GPS time transfer, agriculture, sport, recreation, etc. As for fleet managements system, navigation, tracking and controlling system, figure 11 show future of them in the Closing remarks
In everywhere and in anytime worldwide when signals from the GNSS satellites received by the receivers, in these cases the position in 3D or even 4D can be determined precisely and even with precision in the order of millimeter. Not to mention, the position can be also precisely determined “real-time” in the order of few centimeter by Real Time Kinematik (RTK) Method. The GNSS become a revolution in positioning on the 20th century.
Fig.10. Map of forest (natural and peatland) in Indonesia For more than two decade the GNSS give all kind of services on positioning and time. In the case of positioning they allowed us to measure the geodynamic with millimeter per year signal only, measure small deformation and even the change of pole of earth rotation. Not to mentioned their positioning services for survey and mapping and geodetic engineering. In the context of navigation, they helps a lot in such traffic management, tracking, controlling, etc.
With such tremendous contribution to the world in context of application of positioning and timing, the GNSS market has given huge amount of dollar in world’s economy. Global GNSS GPS receiver market by geography shows America and Asia Pacific (but mostly Japan) are the biggest market until today. It is 31.02% and 42.11%. Meanwhile 26.87% credit for Europe and Middle East. China market and economic value of GNSS in this country is still underestimated by calculation. It should be very huge in Fig.11. GNSS infrastructures for fleet management sales and in the economic value. GNSS factories are growing system, navigation, controlling and LSB system. rapidly in China. With such big country, the china market of
18 | Coordinates February 2020 GNSS in their own country will be the 2. Abidin, H.Z., Penentuan Posisi 10. Wisesa Berkah Bumi Ltd. same or even bigger than Japan market. dengan GPS dan Aplikasinya (PT. Interview and Questioner Pradnya Paramita, Jakarta, 1999) 2018 (2018) GNSS market in Indonesia is still relatively small as for today, nevertheless slowly but 3. Abidin, H.Z., Geodesi Satelit 11. Asaba Indonesia Ltd. Interview sure the market is growing toward positive (Departemen Teknik Geodesi ITB, and Questioner 2018 (2018) direction. Based on research on literature, PT. Pradnya Paramita, Jakarta, 2001) interviewed and questioner, we found that 12. BIG (Badan Informasi within ten to fifteen years the GNSS market 4. Leick A. GPS satellite surveying, Geospasial). Presentation on in Indonesia will be the biggest around 3rd edn Wiley, New York (2004) the seminar Establishing New South East Asia and even in Asia Pacific. References System for Indonesia 5. Hofmann-Wellenhof, B., (SRGI 2013), Jakarta (2012) Lichtenegger, H. and Walse, E., GNSS Acknowledgements Global Navigation Satellite Systems: 13. Gsa.europe.eu, Internet GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and More. access May 2018 (2018) Many thanks to students and surveyors who (Springer Verlag, Wien, 2007) help us in distributing the questioner. Thanks 14. Andreas, H., 2017, Percepatan also to people (expert, Academia, Government 6. DOC, Sales Reporton the Pemetaan Persil Menggunakan and bussinessman) who willing to interviewed. GPS Market (2008) Teknologi Mobile Base Station (MOBS) RTK MULTI GNSS 7. GPS World, News Report (2015) dan RTPPP, Conference References Proceeding FIT ISI CGISE 8. Businesswire.com. Internet Jogjakarta, Indonesia (2016). 1. Seeber, G., Satellite Geodesy: access May 2018 (2016) foundation, method, and The paper was presented at ISGNSS applications, Walter de Gruyter, 9. Geoprima Solution Ltd. Interview 2018 E3S Web of Conferences Berlin-New York, C7 (1993) and Questioner 2018 (2018) 94, 03010 (2019) OLD COORDINATES In Coordinates 10 years before…
Defining civil PNT requirements
To support the expanding demands for PNT services into the future, civil PNT requirements need to be identified. Civil agencies and departments can do this by supporting a standardized set of terms for PNT services, and state their needs without regard to how they will be implemented. This method worked well for the US military in developing and fielding GPS, and it will work well for civil departments and agencies in fostering the next generation of PNT services in years to come. The efforts being made by the United States to define PNT requirements can be adopted by other countries as well to support a universal statement of civil PNT requirements.
John W Lavrakas President, Advanced Research Corporation, Newport, Oregon, USA mycoordinates.org/vol-6-issue-2-February -10 GNSS support to Canine search and Fuzzy strong tracking unscented rescue
Kalman filter osmografo® is an innovative technological aid for search and rescue teams using An alternative state estimation technique called the fuzzy strong tracking unscented rescue dogs. It does not substitute Kalman filter has good potential as the GPS/INS navigation state estimation technique but provides added value to expert rescuers in their operation and decision making process. The system is fit to Dah-Jing Jwo Fong-Chi Chung Shih-Yao Lai user requirements, not just technical, Professor and Department of Universal Microelectronics, but operationally. Particular fit to dog Chairman Department Communications, Co., Ltd. characteristics with a safe detachable of Communications, Navigation and Control collar of right size and weight. Navigation and Control Engineering National Engineering National Taiwan Ocean University José Caro Manuel Prieto Taiwan Ocean University Head of GNSS Advanced GNSS Engineer at Systems Division (GMV) GMV, Madrid MISSION 2020 but is ‘acceptable’ to all, especially rural people. A brand new project always generates need for training, research, standards and India needs the Land Titling project ‘yesterday’! not tomorrow or reference. Letthese be started on a sound footing. The research day after. We need to make a good beginning through a Steering action can even be started now, ahead of titling project. The Committee, as mentioned, who will identify the main ‘pillars’ State Departments of Land Surveys have all the knowledge and and the ‘milestones’ of the project. This is a mega-project which wisdom. These must be utilized. There is no of a fresh technology. is expected to bring major change. Therefore all the principles of management of change will be applicable to this project also. Prof P Misra Consultant, Land The project should be evolved in such a way that is not only ‘right’ Information Technologies
20 | Coordinates February 2020
SPATIAL ANALYTICS Spatial analytics and deep learning in GIS The future will be of Spatial Analytics - based on principles of Data Science, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. Spatial data is voluminously available for human activity – triggered by the Big Data and cloud technology
oday, information is key to the success also started in early 1970s as a unique way Tof a citizen, society, governments and of building applications by involving user humanity as a whole. Our government’s departments – called the Joint Experiments vision is to bring a new paradigm for Programme (JEP) which creating a rich governance and development with experience of applications and user service emphasis on participatory approach orientation. Way back in 1980s, we started from communities and citizens; enable the GIS activities and initiated the concept a scientific mapping of the resources, of Natural Resources Information System examine needs and aspirations of citizen (NRIS) – a spatial system demonstrating beneficiaries and society; support support for decision-making process sustainable development and spatial through many pilot-projects, particularly planning; assist quick and reliable focussing on natural resources as well as monitoring of plan implementation and planning and development . Over the years, status of development; enable transparent India has developed successful activities systems for inclusivity of society and in Imaging (series of IRS satellites, aerial support real-time mapping of feed-back platforms), Mapping (topographic and and redressal systems. Spatial Analytics thematic), positioning and surveying Dr K Kasturirangan can play an important role and support and GIS (databases and applications) Former Chairman, many aspects of national economic – both in government and commercial Indian Space Research development and governance process. domain. GIS technology is widely used Organization (ISRO), India and a good knowledge-base has been Geospatial technology has made created over the years. In fact, India has spectacular advances over the past half been at the forefront at some unique a century since the early 1970s when the systems – the National Natural Resources computerisation of maps using primitive Management System (NNRMS); the NRIS manual coding and card-punching gave and Integrated Mission on Sustainable rise to “store and print maps” at will. At the Development (IMSD); the National Spatial same time, the satellite images from ERTS Data Infrastructure (NSDI); National Urban (Landsat) gave details and perspectives Information System (NUIS); Bhuvan of every part of the Earth as never seen and more recently National GIS – these before. India’s tryst with remote sensing were all unique India-centric systems that would have brought scientific decision- making and benefits to governance and Some of the initiatives have certainly been successful to citizens in a significant way. While these systems definition were successful, I see prove GIS application potentials in a “project mode” but that the systems implementation has been not that successful and we have a lot of GIS is yet to get a “service orientation” and get assimilated catching up to do now. However, GIS based initiatives (or projects) of the various to become a part of the work-process of governance, departments of the Government; efforts at modernization of land records; various planning and nation-building in a significant manner City-GISs; GIS initiatives of the states
Coordinates February 2020 | 29 (of particular mention is the wonderful The next few years will see massive transformation, in work done by Karnataka for a Karnataka- GIS which was spearheaded by KJA); society as a whole but also in geospatial technology. GIS technology in private sector services and research activities in universities S-Insights will be the ultimate goal – but with due regard have helped bring good and operational examples of applications of GIS. to openness, access, and engagement, the geospatial
In spite of fairly wide usage of GIS as infrastructure of the future will integrate information, a technology, the full potential of GIS has not been exploited for decision- processes, and workflows, and capture sufficient support by planners, stake holders for governance-process, decision-makers information to support replicability across the world and also bring direct benefit to citizens and many others. Some of the initiatives was that a large number of research had data collection which soon made a citizen have certainly been successful to prove been generated and large workforce and a “sensor” through on always-connected GIS application potentials in a “project industries, apart from government and device, the mobile phone. So today it is mode” but GIS is yet to get a “service academia, were engaged in the GIS eco- easy to create maps of phenomena such orientation” and get assimilated to system across the world. The need to as road congestion that are valid only for become a part of the work-process of share the digitalised spatial data across a few minutes and available free to the governance, planning and nation-building user communities triggered the vision of user through mapping apps on a mobile in a significant manner. There is also a a National Spatial Data Infrastructures. device. Sensors in the environment are gap in technology development levels World-over large initiatives were taken now able to create an abundance of time- – we need to maintain a high-level of up in various nations to organise SDI and dependent geospatial data, making time national capability in this important National GIS systems. India too embarked an important element of today’s vision technology area and also leverage to on a vision to organise a NSDI in 2002 of geospatial technology. Similarly, be in the fore-front of GIS technology to bring a collective effort at aligning contemporary technology such as GPS, at the international arena. These two the geospatial community and various important aspects are at the background demonstrations of NSDI were taken up. BIM (building information management), of many recent endeavours and discussion structure-from-motion, platform- mounted – we need a forward plan of action for The birth of the www and internet in the LiDAR, and ground-penetrating radar Spatial Technology and Applications. 1990s boosted the “sharing” vision and have made it possible to acquire three- also eased the technologies that were dimensional representations of geographic In 1970s, the birth of GIS was with simple required for sharing the spatial data and features. Today, the basic element of spatial data models and a monolithic computer in generating and storing them on the data is no more x,y but
30 | Coordinates February 2020 2020 we need to go back to drawing- of the Earth – characterising how the of insights from data. In processing data boards and define of vision ahead again. planet is sensed, how the resulting data for new insights, mathematics, statistics, are transmitted and to whom, how the logic and reasoning, modelling, deep Where does one see the GIS technology various signals are conflated and stored, learning and artificial intelligence etc will and applications go from here? It is entirely and how the costs of all of this are met. be an important capability. For data to reasonable, therefore, that the geospatial be processed, engineering the data itself community should chart a path that can The future will be of Spatial Analytics will become so important – already Data help and give India a stable direction. - based on principles of Data Science, Engineering is becoming a new paradigm Where are we going with this technology, Artificial Intelligence and Deep Learning. for preparing the vast data so that it and how can it address the challenges that Spatial data is voluminously available becomes amenable to the analysis process we currently face, and will face in the for human activity – triggered by the easily and repeatedly. Outputs would coming years? With the past experience of Big Data and cloud technology. Data be as simple as answering statements; past 40-50 years, tremendous possibilities Analytics is key to obtain Insights and visualisation data products; a easy to are there that can change the way India what I see for the future is that Spatial understand GIS dashboard or any product will deal with spatial technologies Insights will drive the vision for all of that supports achieving a more informed and applications – it becoming just us for using more spatial data, maps, decision. Spatial Analysts will drive the Big one “bit” of data and applications in images and in real-time and arrive at key Data of GIS and make it easily amenable the complex Big Data Systems of answers to questions that citizens, society, to Deep Learning processes where the vast System exploding on the internet. government, industries, researchers data itself will provide triggers to further may have for their contributions for analysis. For example, the vast collections Today, geospatial technology extends the betterment of humanity and our of IRS satellite images can itself provide the into virtually all areas of human activity Earth. So S-Insights or Spatial-Insights spectral signature libraries to automatically helping to solve problems and make would be the way of development of classify and segment the newer images and decisions, predict outcomes, and discover this technology further. The next few detect changes over time – this autonomous and explain how the Earth’s environmental years will see massive transformation, in classification algorithm can be easily and social systems work and is reaching society as a whole but also in geospatial derived from the existing images that are each and every citizen on this Earth. The technology. S-Insights will be the available from 1987 onwards. Similarly, the fusing of spatial data with other data ultimate goal – but with due regard to census data collection from 1950 onwards allows its users to get “insights,” by using openness, access, and engagement, the can itself provide predictive logic and maps, images and statistics to reveal geospatial infrastructure of the future models of how Indian demography can what would otherwise not be visible, will integrate information, processes, trend for next 10/20/50 years – thereby appreciated, understood and experienced and workflows, and capture sufficient learning trend algorithms from the census by one and all. Government agencies, information to support replicability across data holdings. Or say, daily traffic data private sector, academia, and non-profit the world. It will develop on power of in a city can itself provide autonomous organisations use GIS in many aspects of technology that is anticipated in the 4I road-load indicators across every hour in their businesses and activities. Individual revolution – keeping the conflation, a city and model traffic-loads on a daily citizens encounter GIS in mapping and resampling, upscaling, and fusion of basis. There can be numerous examples by wayfinding apps, and in apps that provide S-Insights to bring benefit to one and all. which large GIS data collections can be the information that is customized to the self-learning crucibles and be “answers” user’s location. Just like a human nervous Data science is emerging as a major to questions that various problems that system collects signals from many parts element of knowledge and profession and emerge in society. In fact, GIS databases are of the body and transmits them to the is core to make sense of the vast collections naturally characterised for Deep Learnings brain, where they can be processed and of big data systems. Data science is a and artificial intelligence models because combined, leading eventually to actions, set of fundamental principles that can they are a structured, referenced collection we now have a spatial nervous system easily support and guide the extraction of time-stamped pixels, vectors, rasters, data points making them so easy for Dl and AI models. Spatial Analytics is very important GIS databases are naturally characterised for Deep and India needs to build its capabilities and capacities in this area for the future. Learnings and artificial intelligence models because This article is based on Dr K they are a structured, referenced collection of Kasturirangan's inaugural address at International Workshop Advanced Spatial time-stamped pixels, vectors, rasters, data points Analytics and Deep Learning for Geospatial Applications held during January 20 making them so easy for Dl and AI models – 31, 2020 in Bengaluru, India
Coordinates February 2020 | 31 CONFERENCE Maps by the citizens, of the citizens and for the citizens An idea mooted at International Workshop on Advanced Spatial Analytics and Deep Learning for Geospatial Applications held during January 20 – 31, 2020 in Bengaluru, India
“India has been at the forefront at some Analytics - particularly Spatial Analytics, Analytics has emerged at the forefront unique systems like NRDMS, NRIS, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and will push GIS to insightful limits NSDI, National GIS, etc.” said Dr K Modelling – all centered around spatial in future – especially becoming citizen- Kasturirangan, Former Chairman ISRO. data and geospatial applications. Specific centric in all its crowning-development. He, however, lamented that though these applications and governance issues were Dr Vishnu Chandra, Deputy Director systems definitions were successful but the addressed in the Workshop that has brought General, National Informatics Centre implementation has not been successful. tremendous awareness of using Analytics shared a very interesting experience and Deep Learning tools in GIS,” says Dr related to Swacch Bharat Abhiyan where What Dr Rangan said was true but as Mukund Rao, Chief Executive, C-SAG. people share the location of newly built the time has changed and so has the toilets and pictures of their status. These technological ambience around which the And as the workshop progressed, information are validated later. Dr Shailesh spatial technologies function. Some of these it ventured to explore the section Nayak, Director, NIAS ran through the changes and challenges were addressed where ‘spatial’ and ‘analytics’ complex phenomenon of earth system, its at International Workshop Advanced overlap and interact. components like ocean and atmosphere Spatial Analytics and Deep Learning and their interactions. He said that it is for Geospatial Applications held during important to understand this relationship January 20 – 31, 2020 in Bengaluru, India When Geodata is Big data so that we can see the connection between organized by Centre for Spatial Analytics the Indian monsoon and drought in and Advanced GIS (C-SAG), Bengaluru The workshop provided a snapshot of Australia. He also elaborated on the role of and International Institute of Information the status of geospatial data generation, Data Analytics and Modelling in weather Technology, Bengaluru (IIIT-B). usages and many of the applications as forecasting. Dr PLN Raju, Director, it brought together the faculties of many North East Space Application Centre “This is the first of its kind workshop in of the leading organizations. Dr Mukund (NESAC) shared the role of NESAC and India which has provided perspective Rao gave a comprehension of how the shared details of some of the projects and concepts of Data Science, Data technology, and application of Spatial being undertaking by his centre. Arvind Kumar, Head Bhuvan Content Generation Division, National Remote Sensing Centre spoke in detail about Bhuvan and how it is handling, managing, storing and also making accessible big data like satellite imageries. Dr P S Acharya, CEO NSDI shared learnings from SDI applications and Dr Debapriya Dr Adel Bolbol Fernandez, Prof S Sadagopan, Dr K Kasturirangan, Dr Shailesh 32 | Coordinates February 2020 Nayak and Dr Mukund Rao at the Inaugural of the Workshop. Dutta, Head NRDMS, Department of Prof NL Sarda, Retd Professor, IIT and Data. He emphasized on the Science and Technology discussed the Bombay discussed some of the issues need to think on how to make GIS spatial dimensions of spatial analytics. related to Data Analytics and Applications. better using AI. He said GeoAI – an He shared some of his experiences in interdisciplinary field of geography Citizen Series Maps (CSM) banking segment and other areas. He and AI could be the way forward. emphasized while technologists do Lt Gen Girish Kumar, Surveyor General have the capabilities in data analytics, of India explained the mandate and the domain expertise is important The data issues activities of the Survey of India (SOI). where applications are envisaged. He also spoke about Defence SeriesMaps Data being generated is huge. Dr Rao (DSM) and Open Series Maps (OSM painted the massive Datasphere – while discussing the issues of data Embracing the challenge something that will blow up soon to availability and accessibility. He shared different management systems. Millions of one interesting initiative of the SOI - There was a clear message from the bytes are added every moment and many SAHYOG App which facilitates the industry that it is aware of the challenges of these data have positional significance. participation of citizens in map making ahead is prepared to deal with it. Dr Data Science, Machine Learning, processes. Taking the cue Dr Mukund Rao Ujaval Gandhi, Google Earth explained Algorithms all have a role to play along suggested why can’t the SOI engages with how Google Earth Engine, a cloud-based with geospatial technologies. However, citizens of the country and involve them platform enables large-scale processing many questions were raised. What are in designing, developing and managing of satellite imagery to detect changes, these data, where they are generated, a new series of maps - Citizen Series map trends, and quantify differences how to use them and for what they can be Maps (CSM) – Maps by the citizens, on the Earth’s surface. Prof Praphul used, where they can be stored, how to of the citizens and for the citizens. Chandra, Founder and Chief Scientist, archive? Are all data useful? What to do KoineArth explored the intersection with them once they are used? How they of Big Data, Blockchain and Machine can be discarded? How secure are the data? Evolving Analytics Learning. He said that the blockchain What if they are hacked? Misused? etc. adds the layers of trust when we process “Gone are the days when we had paper big data with Machine Learning. Dr Adel Prof V Kamakoti, IIT Madras was of maps which were not easy to rectify Bolbol Fenandez, Global Business Lead, the opinion that data storage is not an and update,” said Prof S Sadgopan, Esri Middle East told how industry is issue. Data can be stored in cloud. Even Director IIIT-B while emphasizing the repositioning itself to new challenges. Now ML may help to find out which data are need of a professional body that can the focus is multidisciplinary research and useful and which are not. However, the bring cartographers and GIS together. server-based solutions are encouraged. problem lies in their retrieval. As data He said that the time has changed. Now Vijay Kumar, Esri India elaborated on formats keep evolving, it will be difficult children see maps on phones. While Advanced Data Analytics in ArcGIS and retrieve them. Along with, data security elaborating on the interface between Dr Shailesh Desphpande, TCS came out is a major concern. Many of us are not spatial and analytics, he said that though with a study on how to leverage spatial even aware where the data related to us we have been talking about artificial and spectral mixture of urban objects are stored and how they are used. We need intelligence since long but it is now for landuse classification. Vijay Khanna, to learn to live in this era of clouds but being nurtured with the availability of Amazon Web Service discussed Cloud which cloud is trustworthy. Trust is not a data. What is required now is to develop Configurations and Applications. Kasi term that can be defined mathematically. applications that can benefit people. Viswanadham Ponnapalli of IIC Academy detailed on processing aerial images Prof V Sridhar, IIIT-B alerted that Cyber “AI has evolved over time,” said Prof V in LiDAR and Shrikrishna Shastry, Crime is a reality and data are being Kamakoti, IIT Madras. “There was a time SkyMap Global elanorated on Geo breached. Despite all the precautions when Garry Kasparov played chess with Intellugence from Image Processing. and backups, possibility of hacking computer but now it is proposed if he can cannot be ruled out. These concerns play chess with a robot, - a significantly GeoAI – The way forward were also shared by Ms Vinutha more complex proposition,” he added. BN and Narendra N of Wipro. Professor Michael Goodchild, University Dr Mukesh Mohania, Professor, IIIT of California Santa Barbara, USA It appears that Spatial Analytics and Delhi explained the applications spoke about the future of GIS and Deep Learning are set to be at the of Machine Learning and Big data spatial analytics. He said that at present driving seat for Geospatial applications. analytics and Professor Uttam Kumar, it is an interplay of four disciplines Spatial on it own may not go beyond IIIT-B underlined the importance of viz. Information System, Geographic a point; it will be Analytics that will Data Science in Applications. Information, Artificial Intelligence provide the needed acceleration.
Coordinates February 2020 | 33 HIS COORDINATES “India should have a new series of maps – Citizen Series Maps” says Dr Mukund Kadursrinivas Rao, Chief Executive, NIAS Centre for Spatial Analytics and Advanced GIS (C-SAG), National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS), India
and developmental activities. While GIS upon in Agri-GIS and the understanding data availability was major challenge in the importance of Analytics, it was timely the past, it is no more an issue. Today, to share the knowledge of Spatial Analytics spatial data is generated in multitude of that we and others in the world have with a ways – through satellite measurements and wider cross section of experts in India and imaging; through sensors on Unmanned bring focus on this important technology Aerial Systems or aircrafts; embedded and applications area. To that extent, precise positioning using specialized this Workshop has served an important hand-held devices; underground utilities purpose of C-SAG – this is the first of its data collection systems; indoor positions kind workshop on SA and DL in India. and mapping; mobile systems and Wi-Fi systems based on positions of transmitters; I am happy to inform your readers that radio-frequency identification (RFID) C-SAG successfully conducted the Dr Mukund Kadursrinivas Rao using networks of fixed detectors/readers; International Workshop on Advanced laser imaging matched to 3D geometry Spatial Analytics and Deep Learning and many, many more methods. In for Geospatial Applications during Jan What is the relevance and fact, world-over society is generating, 20-31, 2020. A total of 51 candidates importance of this workshop? referencing, archiving and using vast from government, industry, academia amount of such “integrated” data sets. and NGOs participated in the 10-day Today, geospatial technology extends into Datasets are now “time-stamped” - making workshop. The Workshop was inaugurated virtually all areas of human activity helping them amenable to easy change detection by Dr K Kasturirangan and proficiency to solve different problems, make better and time-analysis. As a result, now we certificates were awarded to participants decisions, predict outcomes, and discover have good quality, real-time access and by Mr S Ramadorai on Jan 30, 2020. and explain how the Earth’s environmental easy affordability to GIS layered data and social systems work – efforts are on across the world (and also in India) - to see that the technology benefit reaches particularly, private-sector initiatives of At the Workshop, you each and every citizen on this Earth. MapMyIndia, Here, Google Earth, ESRI mentioned to Surveyor General etc are changing the outlook for access about a new series of maps In India, GIS based initiatives (or and use of spatial and locational data. for India – CSM? Can you projects) have been undertaken in various elaborate your vision on this? departments of the Government; various India does not still have a profound initiatives in the states; unique GIS capability in Spatial Analytics – we still India has 2 series maps – DSM – Defence applications in private sector and research are into basic database and visualisation Series Maps and OSM – Open Series activities in universities – these have helped regimes of what I call “bottom of Maps. Both these maps are under the aegis to bring good and operational examples pyramid of GIS”. We need to maintain a of SOI and various policies govern its use of applications of GIS in India. However, high-level of national capability in this and applications. Of course, DSM is not in spite of fairly wide usage of GIS as a important technology area of GIS and also available to non-military users; OSM has technology, the full potential of GIS has not leverage to be in the fore-front of GIS its own difficulties of updating, datedness, been exploited in India as GIS is yet to be technology at the international arena. digital amenability, easy accessibility and embedded into work-flows and practices “controlled restrictions” etc. As a result, of Governance and citizen systems – One of the goals of C-SAG is also to a citizen can never even dream of being which is very critical so that governance- further the knowledge and capabilities in able to use these DSM and OSM even in process and decision-making can bring Spatial Analytics. With 2 years of massive his life-time. Many a times I have felt we direct benefit of GIS actions to citizens data collected, analysed, experimented have kept these maps (and satellite images
34 | Coordinates February 2020 too) “locked” and citizens has no way of and AI tools can be used for effective on cloud processing and deep learning envisioning his country except through vetting and building the CSM – which algorithms. Spatial Analytics (SA) is “foreign maps and images” (Google, Bing I feel can be easily developed in 1 becoming increasingly important as it helps and so on). The small efforts that Indian or 2 years for the whole country. determine intrinsic geographic patterns industries have done (like MapMyIndia) – patterns of commonality, optimality, have their own terms for availability and In the Workshop, I personally proposed and suitability, predictability etc and adopts accessibility. Thus, I have always felt that discussed the idea of CSM with Surveyor advanced modelling and heuristics of citizens may really not know their country General of India on Jan 24, 2020 and he data science and self-learning principles. and maps are being denied to them – policy readily agreed with the idea – the 50 and SA processes definitions of “where”; issues are also not helping this problem. odd participants also endorsed the idea and metrics of distances/area/shape/proximity/ echoed that CSM is worthy to take up as a nearness etc; relationships between data I have always questioned “What does a national citizen movement. I also feel that by similarity; siting and locating analysis; citizen look for in maps” and in my views, the Government will also like the idea as it spatial econometrics; aviation analytics; a citizen looks for basic information of has an extremely pro-citizen development Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) administrative boundaries, simple terrain paradigm – thus, I requested Surveyor and simulations using interpolation features, water bodies, important city General to discuss with Government for methods. GIS Augmented Reality provide and rural information, transportation a fast-track project on this. C-SAG has reality street views; In-Building Mapping features, cultural features, tourism been asked to submit a idea-note on CSM where laser and mapping instruments on features, governance features and some and we are soon submitting the same. robots develop indoor maps and data. All more (actually in my count a list of about of these characters of SA are oriented to 50 features can be the core minimum a “find patterns”; “newer meanings” in data. citizen would need and most would be What interface you see points, some line and some polygonal between Advanced Data It is important that organisations in features). In C-SAG we have done a Analytics and Geospatial India apply many of the newer Data study and determined that these 50 to 60 Applications? Science concepts and tools for spatial features can be easily obtained from public data – like R, Python, Tensor, Tableau satellite images, Positioning surveys of Data plays a critical role in bringing – using which one can build focussed crowd-sourcing and basic cultural and logical decision-making, intelligence and applications of structured and un- administrative features from SOI. Further, wisdom in society – and citizens are one structured data fusion and mashups in today younger citizens are well-versed block of users of various types of data. GIS. They can power many a new and with mapping and imaging technology and Today, the world generates about 30-35 innovative applications – reaching the can easily populate lots of features from Zettabytes (1ZB is 1 Trillion GB) of data last-in-mile, like our farmer in Agri-GIS. primary and secondary sources – which annually and this is expected to grow to when vetted and verified can become ~170-200 Zettabytes by 2025. Worldover, excellent content for maps for citizens. One thousands of experts are working on ways What are the future will recall that this method and technology to deal with this data explosion. Most of elements you see of of citizen making maps and managing these data have location tags and thus we geospatial technologies them have been proven already. Thus, I are to deal with voluminous and ever- vis-a-vis technologies like felt that India should have a new series growing data. Managing the Datasphere AI, ML, Big Data, etc? of maps – Citizen Series Maps (CSM) is becoming as important as managing the which can be a unique project managed climate/environment, managing economy There are 6 areas that the future is charting by SOI, with a Citizen Council driving and managing the social and cultural out in the broad Datasphere. One, Data the design, development, management fabric of society. Development of the Management – where big data concepts are and utilisation solely by and for citizens Geographic Information System (GIS) defining capabilities to create, manage and of India. The CSM can ultimately become industry is due to the incorporation of access large increasing volumes of spatial an a new series maps that any citizen new and upcoming technologies like Data data autonomously and build Systems of can access and utilise with authentic Analytics, 3D, Augmented Reality (AR), System across the globe with advanced data boundaries and vetted/verified features and Virtual Reality (VR) in GIS systems. access/verification/certification/security at which can be updated suing public- Artificial Intelligence (AI), automation, the core as Blockchain technology systems; domain satellite images instantly to bring cloud, Internet of Things (IoT), and Sensor Metrics – where Internet of Things authorativeness to CSM. I am sure that miniaturization of sensors are expected to (IoT) is slowly bringing an exponential there will be many start-ups and corporates, be the catalysts driving the development. expansion of sensors or measurement citizen groups and NGOs, universities and systems – all of which geo-tagged, students and even government officers As a result, world is developing robust including the ubiquity of drones, satellite- that will be most happy to contribute to analytics capability and customised based imaging and under-the-ground CSM. In fact, advanced Deep Learning “solutions” – that too in a Big Data model, mapping, which is making geographic data
Coordinates February 2020 | 35 more readily timely, available and relevant country; high-granular DEM is still not “governmental squabbles” and never took for decisions and analytic processes on available easily and obtaining UAS based off; newer avatars come up and make some any place on Earth; Cloud - the rise of imaging-at-will is even now a “no no”. drive ahead – of course, in each of these distributed computing and the Cloud is Other nations have made tremendous endeavours we have made some small leading led to increasingly flexible GIS progress on the generation of systematic progress (in some bits) but as a national systems that can quickly scale both data geospatial data - we have constricted our enterprise in RS and GIS we are left far storage capacity and processing power own abilities. Two, the map/image/spatial behind and that is the reason we do not to answer questions that were previously data policies are even now “restrictive” have a national excelling eco-system of insurmountable; Crowd Sourcing - with and not-so-easy procedures that frustrate government-industry-academia-society in the ubiquity of smartphones and tablets a user who wants to use geospatial data – Geospatial sector. On other hand, nations and increasing mobility, citizens and mute imagine that IRS images cannot be ordered like USA, Europe, Australia, China and equipment are becoming data sources with online while world-over satellite images others have done considerably, if not ease and clarity that is helping creating are online the very day of acquisition; remarkably, well and are quite advanced. a quickly shared common GIS view in even now we do not have 2019 updated The best thing for India now would be the decision process; Spatial Analytics digital OSM for India (which can be easily to turn to the geospatial technology/data/ tools where the trend is towards adopting done); all public-funded data really is services offerings from these advancing modern concepts of data science and not available on National Portal – in all nations and develop robust application sophisticated spatial analytics capabilities these and many other areas other nations system and then, if possible, leap- across geographic AND other data/ have progressed far ahead with use of frog far ahead in next 10-20 years!! information that can reveal newer patterns, advanced technology and better policy trends, and relationships in ways that management. I feel we have just “churned hitherto has not been possible AND finally, and churned” over the past years to in- What is way forward for Deep Learning – where advancements in effect. As a result, I feel that, we have not geospatial technologies machine learning and artificial intelligence been pragmatic in building the best of especially in India? have greatly accelerated analysis of eco-system for Geospatial technology – even massive volumes of imagery and neither did we create technical excellence In my tryst with RS and GIS of past geographic data fused with financial, in geospatial technology; we have not built 40 years, I do feel that some of the environmental, banking, citizenry, disaster best of societal and national applications government agencies could have and emergency, natural resources, land, that benefit governance of society; we distinguished themselves much better in water and many other information. did not encourage and build a home- the “national spirit” as far as geospatial grown geospatial industry system and technology is concerned – with their turf- nor have we boosted advanced research wars and squabbles they did not help There have been many in our universities. In fact, once again boost or grow an integrated working initiatives in India like NSDI, we seem to have missed the “bus”!! together in this “integrating field of GIS”. National GIS but somehow But the nation moves on – development Private sector have “sold products and they could not materialise happens and prosperity and economic hours” and faded away when the jingle in way they were envisaged? growth is happening – sometimes I feel went off. Academia could never peak to What could be the reasons? is geospatial technology and applications excelling advanced research and just made really that important – I am convinced a knowledgeable work-force. To each his I have written about this in the past – to but the nation seems not yet (like say, own seems to have been the motto – and me there are 3 important issues. One, is the mobile technology; railway technology; therefore each has done some bit but the lack of easy accessibility (whatever data aviation sector). Maybe we need “whole system” has never emerged. is available is also not easily accessible renewed collective efforts once again!! to users) to most current and granular In today’s parlance, I think a “nationalistic geospatial data for the country. Data When I look back, national systems like spirit” is even more essential in geospatial generation must get out of government NNRMS-NRIS and NRDMS laid the technology where the larger national agencies and must become a private initial ground-break and showed the good must be the driver to develop a enterprise and become a commodity of potential of RS and GIS in enthusiastic progressive eco-system that promotes easy trading/exchange and commerce. As demonstrative projects; NSDI attempted to technical merit/excellence and helps a nation, our present ability to generate bring along a platform of data generators develops a goof and progressive eco- advanced, automated and systematic for easy data exchange and availability system. The ME must step-back and geospatial data is very limited and is of geospatial data – NSDI has just make for the WE – that will be good for constricted – just imagine, we still do not become a small government office now; geospatial technology. Ultimately what have large scale base maps for the whole National GIS aimed to build a seamless, will count is HAS THE NATION (WHICH country; we don’t have Indian sub-metre national-level geospatial data and DSS MEANS ITS CITIZENS) BENFITTED?? current satellite images for the whole platform but seems to have got trapped in We must work for this now.
36 | Coordinates February 2020 NEWS - GIS
Blue Marble Geographics announces NOAA, Ocean Infinity to advance residential and commercial construction partnership with COPTRZ ocean exploration and mapping projects. www.renoworks.com
Blue Marble Geographics® has announced NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration The Netherlands DGeo subscribes its first official partnership with a UK Office of Ocean Exploration and Research to Maxar’s SecureWatch platform GIS-focused company — COPTRZ, UK and Ocean Infinity have announced a Commercial Drone Experts. Providing new agreement to develop deep-water Maxar Technologies has announced the comprehensive support to businesses autonomous technologies that can gather Defence Geographic Agency (DGeo) of interested in using drones, COPTRZ will ultra-high-resolution ocean information. The Netherlands Ministry of Defence now include Blue Marble’s GIS software signed a multi-million dollar, multi- and point cloud processing software Global The four-year Cooperative Research year subscription to SecureWatch, the Mapper® and the LiDAR Module® to and Development Agreement (CRADA) company’s cloud-based geospatial its portfolio of surveying solutions. between NOAA and Ocean Infinity will intelligence (GEOINT) platform. also focus on advancing telepresence or the Esri partners with OSI transmission of ocean information in real DGeo will leverage SecureWatch to enrich time to public and academic audiences as its geospatial foundation data holdings Esri has announced its partnership with well as new data-collection and processing and derivative product portfolio that Open Systems International, Inc. (OSI). methods to increase the value and relevance aid critical decision-making within The Their joint customers in the electric, gas, and of deep-ocean data. www.workboat.com Netherlands Ministry of Defence (MoD). water utility industries will now be able to Through SecureWatch, DGeo will have leverage both Esri’s ArcGIS Utility Network Cloud-based geospatial data access to Maxar’s 110-petabyte, high- Management as part of their GIS and OSI’s refinery and modeling platform resolution satellite imagery library, daily monarch operational technology (OT) imagery collections, Vivid and Metro platform. OSI has extensive experience in Descartes Labs has announced the imagery mosaics, FirstLook service and leveraging Esri GIS network models as an availability of the Descartes Labs Platform, synthetic aperture radar data from MDA’s input to OSI’s real-time OT solutions built the industry’s first-ever cloud-based RADARSAT-2 satellite. www.maxar.com on the monarch platform. www.esri.com geospatial analytics platform. It provides enterprises with a real-time geospatial Public grants fund to accelerate Hasse receives N.J. conservation data catalog and flexible modeling Blockchain development award for vast online mapping project environment – all in one complete package. Nervos Network has announced a public Rowan University Professor of Geography This modeling tool enables forecasting grants fund to fuel ecosystem growth John Hasse and a team of researchers have capabilities across industries, including and development for its permission compiled a massive trove of New Jersey agriculture, energy, sustainability, less layer one blockchain—the Nervos land use data and moved it all online for easy mining, shipping, financial services, Common Knowledge Base (CKB). access, a project that will benefit students, and insurance, to facilitate everything To provide participating individuals, journalists, municipal officials, developers from agricultural monitoring to mineral teams, and projects with the resources and residents for decades to come. The exploration. DescartesLabs.com necessary to develop and deploy new project spawned numerous research offshoots solutions on the network, Nervos is including the New Jersey Conservation Renoworks enters into committing $30 million USD in grants Blueprint to help guide development in the agreement with EagleView to be awarded across multiple project state and to preserve valuable and often categories ranging from infrastructure sensitive parcels for future generations. Renoworks Software Inc. has announced development to decentralized applications. the integration of aerial measurement Hasse described NJ MAP as an interactive data from EagleView into the Renoworks As an open source public blockchain, atlas, a 21st Century resource that FastTrack Platform. The agreement allows Nervos is striving for a completely makes finding detailed ecological and Renoworks to integrate EagleView’s decentralized ecosystem. The new grants environmental information easy, and patented measurements with Renoworks fund will allow Nervos to promote puts it literally in the palm of one’s hand, FastTrack, the all-in-one 3D modeling, blockchain innovation and facilitate be it from a laptop, a desktop computer visualization, and measurement solution collaboration across the wider developer or a smartphone. He said the NJ MAP for the construction and remodeling community. Through the grants program, program and side projects such as the industry, enabling Renoworks to blockchain teams and projects will be Conservation Blueprint not only help broaden its customer base and provide able to make significant contributions illustrate the state in an unprecedented additional solutions to multiple industry toward building out the infrastructure of way but also are helping to save resources, stakeholders, including manufacturers, Nervos Network and help further expand financial as well as physical. dealers, contractors, and retailers, in both the ecosystem. www.nervos.org
Coordinates February 2020 | 37 NEWS - LBS & AI
Iridium Cloud Connect goes live well as enhancing the patient experience. raw data using a feature store service, and This user plans to implement the Inpixon providing explanations for the model’s Iridium Communications Inc. has mapping and location platform within its predictions. The service is the first of its announced that Iridium CloudConnect, app-based solution in a manner that will, kind and helps organizations with little to the first and only satellite cloud-based in addition to the benefits outlined above, no machine learning expertise plug and solution offering truly global coverage for also address regulations and requirements play state-of-the-art AI into their existing Internet of Things (IoT) applications, is for those with disabilities by providing applications and business processes now actively serving customers. This new patients a filter to navigate a path that is effortlessly. http://realityengines.ai service combines Iridium® IoT capabilities handicap accessible. www.inpixon.com with Amazon Web Services (AWS) IoT Using artificial intelligence and cloud services extending customers’ Phiar launches AI-powered to enrich digital maps IoT reach to the more than 80 percent of AR navigation app the Earth that lacks terrestrial coverage. Researchers at the Massachusetts Phiar, a Palo Alto-based startup that Institute of Technology (MIT) and The service makes it easier to do business is using artificial intelligence and Qatar Computing Research Institute by translating between industry-standard augmented reality to enhance vehicular have developed an artificial intelligence cloud protocols and Iridium’s Short Burst navigation, is finally making its long- model that uses satellite imagery to Data® service. This allows virtually any awaited AR driving app available for the tag road features in digital maps. IoT device connected through the Iridium first time — albeit in a limited fashion. network to speak natively with AWS IoT The company recently announced the The RoadTagger model combines a services as well as other value-added start of a private beta program for iPhone convolutional neural network (CNN) elements available in AWS Marketplace. users, and plans to expand the program and a graph neural network (GNN) to to Android devices later in 2020. automatically predict the number of lanes Iridium’s IoT services continue to and road types hidden by obstructions. experience strong subscriber growth. Phiar notes that the app automatically picks Commercial IoT data subscribers grew visible AR overlays by looking at the road, The CNN digests raw satellite imagery 25% from the third quarter of 2018 lighting, weather, and objects present in the while the GNN segments the road into through the third quarter of 2019, to live video, drawing pathways using either 20-meter tiles or graph nodes linked by 767,000 customers. www.iridium.com lines or higher contrast patterns that will be lines; the CNN extracts road features more visible as you drive. It also uses AI for and shares that data with its immediate Indoor mapping platform selected lane segmentation, semantic segmentation, neighbors. http://news.mit.edu for patient wayfinding and 3D localization, allowing the app to determine and draw a proper navigational HERE’s new HD GNSS enables sub- Inpixon has announced its indoor route through multi-lane streets. The user meter positioning for mass market mapping solution has been selected can then just follow the suggested path, as by a leading mental healthcare facility well as seeing floating icons that indicate HERE Technologies has introduced its in North America. Utilizing its indoor points of interest and traffic signals. One High Definition GNSS (HD GNSS) mapping platform, Jibestream, the key to these tricks is on-device edge positioning, a cloud-based solution that solution is expected to allow patients AI processing rather than reliance on enables mass-market devices to achieve to effectively search for and navigate cloud servers. https://venturebeat.com sub-meter accuracy across the globe. to specific locations, such as reception areas, doctor and therapist offices, and RealityEngines.AI HD GNSS enables new user experiences testing areas and clinics, within the autonomous AI service with lane-level navigation, augmented hospital’s multi-building complex. and virtual reality. It combines precise RealityEngines.AI, a San Francisco- point positioning (PPP) and real-time The U.S. healthcare market loses based AI and machine learning research kinematic (RTK) positioning methods, approximately $150 billion per year startup, is coming out of stealth and allowing for fast convergence time, from missed medical appointments, due launching the world’s first completely high availability and global coverage. in part to the difficulty some patients autonomous cloud AI service to address face navigating complex buildings. The common enterprise use-cases. The cloud It also supports off-the-shelf mobile indoor mapping and location platform is AI service automatically creates, deploys devices and internet of things (IoT) trackers designed to empower users to create map- and maintains deep learning systems in equipped with dual frequency chipsets enabled solutions that enable patients to production. The engine handles setting such as the Broadcom BCM47765 and easily locate and navigate to destinations up data pipelines, scheduled retraining of BCM47755. More mass-market devices within the hospital complex, in turn, models from new data, provisioning high and vehicles are being equipped with reducing missed or late appointments, as availability online model serving from dual-frequency GNSS receivers. With the
38 | Coordinates February 2020 HD GNSS service, the receivers enable However, experts had their misgivings. First test of vehicle equipped high-precision positioning, HERE said, a “The implementation of AI in policing with smart LiDAR sensor capability that was cost and geographically and sharing data of AI development prohibitive less than two years ago. with the private sector is a concern as RoboSense has announced the world’s there is no data protection law. The state first public road test of a vehicle equipped TomTom Traffic Index government needs to inform people if with a Smart LiDAR Sensor. The RS- their data is being shared even between LiDAR-M1 Smart LiDAR is the world’s TomTom has released the results of the departments, as the fundamental right first MEMS Smart LiDAR Sensor to TomTom Traffic Index, a report detailing to privacy guarantees that no one can incorporate sensor hardware, AI perception the traffic situation in 416 cities in 57 use my data without my permission,” algorithms, and IC chipsets, transforming countries. Bengaluru in India takes the said Srinivas Kodali, an independent conventional LiDAR sensors from an top spot this year with drivers in the reseacher based in Hyderabad who information collector to a complete data southern Indian city expecting to spend works on data and governance. analysis and comprehension system, an average of 71% extra travel time stuck providing essential information for in traffic. Next in the global rankings are This concern was shared by some citizens. autonomous vehicle decision-making Philippine capital, Manila (71%); Bogota “It is definitely a matter of concern, faster than ever before. www.robosense.ai in Colombia (68%); last year’s most because data on us can be used in a wrong congested city, Mumbai (65%); and Pune manner, especially by private players. The Trimble to acquire Kuebix (59%), also in India; making up the top state government needs to actually tell five most congested cities in the world. us before they do anything with the data Trimble has announced acquisition they have collected." www.livemint.com of privately held Kuebix, a leading Greater Moscow1 takes the lead in Europe transportation management system (TMS) (59%) with Istanbul (55%) coming a Hitachi Automotive Systems provider and creator of North America’s close second. Kyiv (53%), Bucharest and TomTom collaboration largest connected shipping community. (52%), and Saint Petersburg (49%) make This acquisition will enable Trimble up the rest of the top five. Paris (39%), Hitachi Automotive Systems Americas, to bring together its network of private Rome (38%) and London (38%) ranked Inc. and TomTom, the location technology fleet and commercial carrier customers, in at 14th, 15th and 17th respectively. specialist, have announced that they are which collectively represent more than collaborating on a proof of concept for the 1.3 million commercial trucks in North In the US, the top five most congested development of a new real-time hazard America, with Kuebix’s extensive cities are Los Angeles (42%), New York service for navigation and Advanced community of more than 21,000 shipping (37%), San Francisco (36%), San Jose Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). companies, creating a powerful new (33%) and Seattle (31%). www.tomtom.com platform for planning, execution and Through the collaboration, the companies freight demand-capacity matching. Telangana, India launches AI projects will combine technological strengths to deliver real-time updates on the location Patent for automated indoor The Telangana government, India has of road hazards, detected by Hitachi map generation capabilities begun several initiatives on artificial Automotive Systems’ vehicle sensors, intelligence (AI) and information ECU (Engine Control Unit) and on- InnerSpace, an IoT-based indoor technology (IT), including signing board DNN (Deep Neural Network), location intelligence platform for Smart of memoranda of understanding with to navigation and ADAS applications Buildings, has been awarded a patent by technology companies and launching pilot running TomTom’s connected services. the US Patent Office for its approach to projects on AI. The state government has generating maps for indoor navigation. also declared 2020 as the ‘Year of AI’. Hitachi will use its in-car sensor and edge The patent (#10458798B2) titled “Method processor technology to detect potholes for Sensing Interior Spaces to Auto- The state government now also aims and road debris, process that information, Generate a Navigational Map” protects the to transform public service delivery and send it to its cloud. This information company’s unique approach leveraging and governance with the help of deep is transferred to TomTom’s cloud- LiDAR to create maps of indoor spaces. It technology. The state has identified eight based fusion engine – TomTom Traffic. uses WiFi networks and/or its proprietary emerging technologies, including AI, TomTom would then deliver the hazard sensors to measure how people and blockchain, cloud, Internet of Things, information to all navigation and ADAS things behave within an indoor space. and robotics, in its push for the use of applications running TomTom’s connected The company makes it easy for clients in technology. The Telangana government services in the same manner it delivers its Food & Beverage Retail, Public Safety has also formulated policy frameworks traffic data, helping drivers make better and Security, Workplace Experience, for blockchain, drones, cybersecurity decisions that save time, reduce stress and and Real Estate Operations to turn any and e-waste, among other things. create safer roads. www.tomtom.com building Smart. Innerspace.io
Coordinates February 2020 | 39 NEWS - GNSS
ISRO’s NavIC will support Qualcomm procured by the European Commission and The European Commission in 2017 operated by French space agency CNES. ordered two Ariane 62 launches for Qualcomm has released three new chipsets Galileo — two satellites at a time — that will come with support for India’s The Cospas-Sarsat satellite repeaters with launches then slated for 2020 and NavIC satellites -- developed by ISRO. are supplemented by a trio of ground 2021. The first of those launches slipped stations at the corners of Europe, known to 2021 due to a disagreement between Support for NavIC will be seen on as Medium-Earth Orbit Local User ArianeGroup, Ariane 6’s manufacturer, Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 720G, Terminals (MEOLUTs), based in Norway›s and the European Space Agency, that 662 and 460. These are budget to mid- Spitsbergen Islands, Cyprus and Spain›s delayed the start of serial production tier performing chipsets that will be Canary Islands and coordinated from a until last April. https://spacenews.com seen on upcoming budget-friendly control center in Toulouse, France. This trio smartphones. www.indiatimes.com is soon to become a quartet, with a fourth Be ready if you lose GNSS station on France›s La Reunion Island in signal, Airbus advises pilots Galileo now replying to SOS the Indian Ocean under development. messages worldwide As operators report an increasing The satellites relay distress messages to number of GNSS signal losses related For three decades the Cospas–Sarsat these MEOLUTs, which then relay them to radio frequency interference, Airbus system has used relays on satellites such to local search and rescue authorities. The is reminding pilots of the consequences as Europe’s MSG and MetOp to pick up service’s return link message capability and required action in the cockpit. distress calls from ships and aircraft. was developed as an inherent part of the Galileo system. https://phys.org Various reasons may explain the loss As well as providing global navigation of GPS signal. It can cause the loss services, Europe’s Galileo satellite Russia to modify its tracking of some navigation and surveillance constellation is contributing to saving station in Angola functions. Built-in redundancies maintain more than 2000 lives annually by relaying position computation capability. SOS messages to first responders. And The Russian Lower Parliament endorsed from now on the satellites will reply Russian-Angolan cooperation on space The power of the GPS signal “is to these messages, assuring people research and peaceful use of outer space, comparable to the power emitted by a 60- in danger that help is on the way. signed in April 2019 during President watt light bulb located more than 20,000 Joao Lourenco’s official visit to Moscow km [12,000 mi.] away from the surface This ESA-design “return link” system, amidst plans by Roscomos to leverage of the earth; this means the signal could unique to Galileo, was declared operational the capacities of its station in Angola for easily be disturbed by any ground source recently. The delivery time for the return data reception from Russian satellites. located near an aircraft and emitting in link acknowledgment messages from the GPS L1 frequency,” Airbus experts in initial emergency beacon activation is The agreement includes the conditions operations, navigation and security say in expected to be a couple of minutes in for the exchange of information and the a company publication focusing on safety. the majority of cases, up to 30 minutes customs regime for special goods as maximum, depending primarily on the well as allows the development of joint The source can be a personal jammer time it takes to detect and locate the alert. activities of both countries in the fields activated in the vicinity of an airport, a of space research and astrophysical protection system around a sensitive site All but the first two out of 26 Galileo satellites research, materials science, space or military activity in a conflict zone. A carry a Cospas-Sarsat search and rescue medicine and biology; communications, GPS repeater in a hangar, used for aircraft package. At only 8 kg in mass, these life- manned flights and training, as well maintenance, can cause interference saving payloads consume just 3% of onboard as satellite navigation, including the with actual GPS signals, the experts power, with their receive-transmit repeater deployment of GLONASS radio stations note. GPS spoofing and anti-drone housed next to the main navigation antenna. in Angola. https://africanews.space measures have not created any problem yet, but Airbus monitors such threats. Galileo’s Search and Rescue service is EU reserves four Ariane 6 rockets Europe’s contribution to Cospas-Sarsat, for Galileo navigation satellites Interference can cause the loss of GNSS operated by the European Global Navigation position and timing. In that instance, Satellite System Agency, GSA, and designed The European Commission has “pre- the Flight Management System (FMS) and developed at ESA. As the overall Galileo booked” four launches using Europe’s next- will revert to the onboard inertial system architect and design authority, generation Ariane 6 rocket. Arianespace’s reference system (IRS) and ground-based ESA has been responsible for the interface first Ariane 6 mission will launch 30 small navigation aids, such as DME and VOR between the core Galileo infrastructure to broadband satellites for startup OneWeb (distance measuring equipment and VHF the Return Link Service Provider facility, during the fourth quarter of 2020. omnidirectional range). “A loss of GNSS
40 | Coordinates February 2020 inputs does not lead to a map shift or an of services and data from the EU’s constellation mass-market satnav erroneous position computation by the flagship space programmes; receiver modules plus two antennas FMS. In the case of a loss of GPS signal, ▪▪ the regulatory framework in place — aboard a test CubeSat. the FMS switches from the mixed GPS/ facilitates service and data uptake; IRS position to an IRS-DME/DME ▪▪ the Commission’s activities have This opportunity, funded through ESA’s position or IRS-VOR/DME or pure actually succeeded in boosting the European GNSS Evolution programme, IRS, in order of priority,” the experts uptake of services and data, and; was conceived together with ESA’s explain. The loss of signal was temporary ▪▪ the Commission has set up a proper Galileo Science Advisory Committee, in most of the reports Airbus received. monitoring system for this purpose. a group of scientists advising ESA on Nevertheless, there is a list of a dozen scientific matters related to Galileo and systems and functions that can be affected. Currently, the EU has three fostering its scientific exploitation. flagship space programmes: The capability for required navigation ▪▪ Copernicus: the world’s largest earth This first AstroCast CubeSat was launched performance (RNP) operations can be lost. observation programme. Operational in December 2018, and the first results The predictive functions of the terrain since 2014, it currently has seven confirming the use of Galileo satellites awareness and warning system (TAWS) can satellites in orbit. Copernicus aims for positioning were reported at the recent disappear. The runway overrun protection to provide accurate information Galileo Science Colloquium in Zurich, (ROPS) system may no longer work for use in the environment, typically demonstrating orbital positioning ADS-B Out can be lost, too. If this happens agriculture, climate, security and precision down to less than 5 m. in an area where such automated position maritime surveillance fields. reporting is required, pilots should notify ▪▪ EGNOS: the European Geostationary ESA’s Galileo Navigation Science Office air traffic control.https://aviationweek.com Navigation Overlay Service. and GNSS Evolution are looking into Since 2009, this system has been extending this pioneering experience to Use of the EU’s space assets supplementing the Global Positioning perform more CubeSat-based experiments under scrutiny of auditors System (GPS) by reporting on the in space to test ideas for evolutions of accuracy of its data and sending European satnav systems and scientific The EU currently has three space corrections for aviation, maritime experiments with Galileo, in partnership programmes: Copernicus, which provides and land-based navigational use. with universities and research institutions. data from earth observation satellites; ▪▪ Galileo: Europe’s global navigation Galileo, a global satellite navigation satellite system (GNSS). Launched Spire Global shares early data from and positioning system; and EGNOS, in 1999, the programme has GNSS Reflectometry satellites a European regional satellite-based currently 26 satellites in orbit. augmentation system used to improve Galileo aims to provide very Spire Global shared early data from the performance of global navigation precise navigation services. new GNSS Reflectometry cubesats at satellite systems. Up to the end of 2020, the American Meteorological Society total EU expenditure for the deployment The audit report is expected to conference. With its existing fleet of more of infrastructure and the operation be published towards the end of than 80 cubesats, it gathers GNSS radio of satellites and ground stations will 2020. www.eureporter.co occultation weather data in addition to amount to some €19 billion. A further tracking ships and airplanes. The European €15.5 billion has been proposed by the CubeSat in Galileo receiver Space Agency’s Pioneer program, which Commission for the 2021-2027 period. supports demonstration of new technologies, CubeSats are nanosatellites based on systems and services, helped fund The auditors have published an Audit standardised 10 cm-sized units. Originally Spire’s GNSS Reflectometry program. Preview on the EU’s space assets and their devised for educational uses, they are use. Audit Previews provide information on nowadays being put to commercial Spire’s first two GNSS Reflectometry an ongoing audit task. They are designed as and technology testing uses. The Swiss cubesats are technology demonstrators. a source of information for those interested Astrocast company is assembling a It is developing two more GNSS in the policy or programmes being audited. constellation based on 3-unit CubeSats to Reflectometry cubesats to launch later serve the emerging internet of things (IoT). this year. With the second pair of GNSS The audit will assess specifically whether Reflectometry cubesats, Spire plans the Commission is promoting effectively Vigilant for new initiatives that foster to offer sustained monitoring of soil the services provided by the EU’s innovation in the field of navigation, moisture and ocean winds. The data main space programmes. In particular, ESA navigation researchers supported will have important applications for the auditors will examine whether: Switzerland’s ETH Zurich technical weather forecasting, agriculture, drought ▪▪ The Commission has decided on university to fly a navigation payload monitoring and flood prediction, Masters a robust strategy regarding the use — composed of four low-cost multi- said. https://spacenews.com
Coordinates February 2020 | 41 NEWS - IMAGING
Agreement on data utilization Department of Electrical and Computer is scheduled for launch to the ISS in of EOS with FAO Engineering at Yokohama National March 2020. Bartolomeo is developed University. “This makes the device large on a commercial basis by Airbus using Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and heavy, with limited overall speed its own investment funds and will be has agreed to collaborate with Food and and a high cost. It all becomes unstable, operated in cooperation with ESA. Agriculture Organization of the United particularly in mobile devices, hampering Nations (FAO) on data utilization of the wide range of applications.” The platform can accommodate up to 12 Earth Observation Satellites(EOS), and different experiment modules, supplying Imai Ryoichi, JAXA Vice President and In recent years, according to Baba, more them with power and providing data Daniel Gustafson, FAO’s Deputy Director- engineers have turned toward optical transmission to Earth. It is suitable for General for Programmes have signed the phased arrays, which direct the optical many different experiments. Due to the Memorandum of Understanding at JAXA beam without mechanical parts. But, unique position of the platform with a Tsukuba Space Center on January 23, 2020. Baba warned, such an approach can direct view of Earth from 400 kilometres, become complicated due to the sheer Earth observation including trace gas Leveraging this cooperation, JAXA number of optical antennae required, measurements or CO2 monitoring of and FAO will be monitoring forests as well as the time and precision the atmosphere are possible, with data and mangroves around the world needed to calibrate each piece. useful for climate protection or for use by JAXA’s satellites with L-band by private data service providers. Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR). “In our study, we employed another approach - what we call The Multi-Needle Langmuir Probe Only JAXA has observed forest using ‘slow light,’” Baba said. (m-NLP) is an instrument from the L-band radar (SAR) technology from 1992. University of Oslo and the Norwegian Observation data of global forests that Baba and his team used a special company Eidsvoll Electronics to measure JAXA has been accumulating for over 25 waveguide “photonic crystal,” aimed ionospheric plasma densities. With years will be provided to the System for through a silicon-etched medium. Light its relatively low orbit, the ISS passes Earth Observation Data Access, Processing is slowed down and emitted to the free near the peak plasma density of the and Analysis for Land Monitoring (SEPAL) space when forced to interact with ionosphere. The m-NLP is currently the that is FAO’s toolkit for monitoring forest the photonic crystal. The researchers only instrument in the world capable of and land-use. Additionally, this cooperation engaged a prism lens to then direct resolving ionospheric plasma density supports JAXA to improve the accuracy the beam in the desired direction. variations at spatial scales below one of its satellite data. http://global.jaxa.jp metre. It will gather valuable data “The non-mechanical steering is thought to from the equatorial and mid-latitude Slow light to speed up LiDAR be crucial for LiDAR sensors,” Baba said. ionosphere, enabling study of the dynamic sensors development processes in this region in unprecedented The resulting method and device are small- detail. The Langmuir Probe will map A team from Yokohama National sized, free of moving mechanics, setting plasma characteristics around the globe. University in Japan believes they have the stage for a solid-state LiDAR. Such www.airbus.com Shoreline mapping developed a method to obtain such a sensor a device is considered smaller, cheaper contract for Quantum Spatial by taking advantage of slow light, an to make and more resilient, especially in unexpected move in a field where speed mobile applications such as autonomous NV5 Global, Inc. a provider of is often valued above other variables. vehicles. www.spacedaily.com professional and technical engineering and consulting solutions, has announced Light detection and ranging also called ESA and Airbus sign contract that Quantum Spatial, Inc. (“Quantum LiDAR sensors can map the distance Spatial”), an NV5 company, has been between distant objects and more using The Bartolomeo platform from Airbus selected as prime contractor under the laser light. In modern LiDAR sensors, gives new opportunities for research on National Oceanic and Atmospheric many of the systems are composed of the International Space Station (ISS). Administration’s (NOAA) Shoreline a laser source; a photodetector, which The European Space Agency ESA has Mapping contract. The $18.8 million converts light into current; and an optical now firmly booked a payload slot for a contract to perform shoreline mapping beam steering device, which directs Norwegian instrument to monitor plasma services includes the collection and the light into the proper location. density in the Earth’s atmosphere. processing of topographic and bathymetric LiDAR data and aerial imagery and “Currently existing optical beam steering The Bartolomeo platform - named after covers the North Carolina Coast, the devices all use some kind of mechanics, Christopher Columbus’ younger brother Florida Panhandle, Guam, and portions such as rotary mirrors,” said Toshihiko - is currently in the final stage of launch of the Commonwealth of the Northern Baba, paper author and professor in the preparation at Airbus in Bremen and Mariana Islands. www.NV5.com
42 | Coordinates February 2020 NEWS - UAV
KazUAV supports World components. For example, solid states UPS and Bank’s school infrastructure drives (SSD) are used more efficiently by Henry Schein risk assessment initiative the software, as well as additional CPU sign agreement cores and extra RAM. www.simactive.com KazUAV, a group company of Japan- UPS and Henry Schein, Inc. has based Terra Drone Corporation, has been DJI introduces the Zenmuse XT S announced an agreement to explore supporting the World Bank in its initiative and test a variety of drone delivery use to build sustainable school infrastructure DJI has introduced a new thermal imaging cases. The use cases would examine in the Republic of Kyrgyzstan. As part camera, the Zenmuse XT S, for DJI’s unmanned aerial vehicles within of the General-Purpose Simulation Matrice 200 Series drones. The camera business-to-business operating models. Program (GPSS) under the Global Facility features an infrared thermal imaging for Disaster Reduction and Recovery sensor with high thermal sensitivity and The initiative to explore drone (GFDRR) grant-funding mechanism of resolutions for clear and detailed thermal deliveries will begin in 2020 and the World Bank, KazUAV has surveyed imagery. It enables firefighters, police will focus on testing the transport and mapped Kyrgyz schools for a pilot officers, inspectors and more to gather of essential healthcare products by project. A highly-detailed database of intel beyond the capabilities of visual UPS to customers of Henry Schein, the educational infrastructure facilities data, and act on them quickly to save a provider of healthcare solutions – consisting of geographic coordinates, money, time and lives. www.dji.com to office-based dental and medical aerial imagery, orthophotomaps, and 3D practitioners. www.nasdaq.com models of the school buildings – has been Team up by Pierce Aerospace Hyundai Motor and Uber partnership created to help the World Bank make and DRONEDEK better decisions for improving the safety Hyundai Motor Company and Uber and functional conditions of schools Indiana drone startups Pierce Aerospace have announced a new partnership to in Kyrgyzstan. www.terra-drone.net and DRONEDEK LLC have teamed to develop Uber Air Taxis for a future advance commercial drone delivery. aerial ride share network and unveiled a The Leica Aibot AX20 new full-scale aircraft concept). Hyundai promises high precision The collaboration unites Pierce Aerospace’s is the first automotive company to join Remote Identification expertise and the Uber Elevate initiative, bringing Leica Geosystems positions Aibot technologies and DRONEDEK’s automotive-scale manufacturing AX20 as “a complete UAV solution for patent portfolio in last-mile logistics, capability and a track record of mass- land surveying, civil engineering and including a drone mailbox system. The producing electric vehicles. The air construction.” Its biggest advantage teams’ combined systems provide the vehicle concept Hyundai released is that its photogrammetry is “high infrastructure that enables scalably recently was created in part through resolution, high precision—it’s possible of authenticated package delivery to Uber’s open design process, a NASA- to achieve better than one centimeter government, commercial, institutional, inspired approach that jump-starts accuracy, depending on how accurate and residential locations throughout innovation by publicly releasing vehicle your ground points are and how high the world. www.dronedek.com design concepts so any company can you fly.” Maximum area coverage is 150 use them to innovate their air taxi acres per flight, but project coverage New drone solutions by Blue models and engineering technologies. more typically runs 25 acres, in line innovation and Kyocera with Aibot’s surveying and construction Draganfly releases new payloads missions. The result is highly accurate Blue innovation Co., Ltd. and Kyocera information through 50 percent fewer Corporation have announced that the Draganfly Inc. has announced three photos covering the same sample area, companies reached an agreement to new specialized payload offerings, at lower cost, using fewer staff. jointly develop a new drone solutions. which are intended to expand agricultural research and environmental Correlator3D™ version By flying multiple drones with mobile relay monitoring using drones. 8.4 by SimActive station functions in areas where mobile phone signals do not reach, such as disaster It has developed these new payload SimActive Inc. has released sites, the “moving communication relay options in collaboration with research Correlator3D™ version 8.4 with significant station system” enables reliable mobile experts in agricultural and water accelerations. The new version leads phone communication as if under normal resources fields. These new camera to speeds that are multiple times faster circumstances. By combining technologies packages, are intended to increase compared to previous releases. It allows a from both the companies, it will develop efficiency and improve the spatial dynamic allocation of hardware resources, a moving drone-enabled communication and spectral quality of actionable data reducing potential bottlenecks from PC relay station. https://global.kyocera.com collected. www.draganfly.com
Coordinates February 2020 | 43 NEWS - INDUSTRY
Vexcel Imaging to acquire understanding of modern mining coverage in the Arctic, from 65 degrees Image Resources from Verisk and its associated technologies. Northwards, providing broadband for civil and military users in the Arctic. Vexcel Imaging, a leader in aerial imagery Developed in partnership, Mining 4.E data, large-format aerial cameras, and will cover the complete mining cycle, Miniaturized rubidium atomic photogrammetry software, signed a from discovery to reclamation, as well as clock improves performance definitive agreement on 21st Jan 2020, the innovation and technology spurring to acquire the imagery sourcing group improvements at each step. Participants Microchip Technology Inc. has announced from Verisk’s Geomni business. The will learn about the overriding importance the industry’s highest performance atomic acquisition will combine Geomni’s of safety in all aspects of mining and the clock for its size and power - MAC- imagery surveying and content-related radical changes in mining. Hexagon.com SA5X. The new device also delivers a teams and assets into Vexcel. Verisk, a wider thermal range, critical performance leading data analytics provider, will be Mesa® 3 Rugged Tablet improvements and other enhancements a minority owner in Vexcel with full Running Android™ over previously available technology. access to all aerial imagery libraries. Juniper Systems, Inc. has released the It is a miniaturized rubidium atomic The combination of Geomni’s fleet of Mesa 3 Rugged Tablet running on the clock that produces a stable time and fixed-wing aircraft and aerial operations, Android™ operating system. It is the frequency reference that maintains a high mapping business, and oblique aerial next evolution in rugged handheld degree of synchronization to a reference image library together with Vexcel’s sensor computing and data collection for all clock, such as a GNSS-derived signal. Its business and data program will create the Android-based application needs. combination of low monthly drift rate, world’s leading geospatial data library. short-term stability and stability during Offering performance increases across temperature changes allow the device to Geomni’s analytics team and assets will the board, the Mesa 3 is backed by maintain precise frequency and timing remain part of Verisk and continue to Juniper Systems’ world-class support requirements during extended periods focus on world-class advanced analytics. and durability promise. Running on of holdover during GNSS outages or for The team will work closely with Vexcel Android 9.0, the Mesa 3 will grant applications where large rack-mount clocks on a strategic road map and joint users access to the Google Play Store are not possible. Operating over a wider projects. www.vexcel-imaging.com providing the data collecting, mapping, temperature range of -40 to +75 Celsius, and productivity applications users require the MAC-SA5X was designed to quickly Visualization platform for accurate to be successful. www.junipersys.com achieve atomic stability performance by digital representation of real world taking less time to lock compared to some GMV to install control system of the existing clock technology available Hexagon has announced the introduction of for Space Norway’s two in the market. www.magnetprgroup.com HxDR, a new cloud-based, digital-reality Arctic-deployed satellites visualization platform. It creates accurate Integration of robots into digital representations of the real world GMV has signed a contract with construction site through the seamless combination of reality Northrop Grumman for development capture data from airborne, ground and and supply of the Satellite Operations Trimble, Hilti and Boston Dynamics mobile sensors. Users can then leverage the Center for Space Norway HEOSAT’s have announced a collaboration to complete, accurate and precise replicas to ASBM-1 and ASBM-2 satellites. explore the integration of Trimble’s visualize and share their 3D design projects and Hilti’s construction management and models within a real-world context. Space Norway HEOSAT, a subsidiary of software solutions, GNSS technology the government owned Space Norway, and reality capture devices with Boston For the first time, airborne imagery and is a Norwegian company set up to run Dynamics’ Spot Robot platform. The laser scans, indoor and outdoor terrestrial the Arctic Satellite Broadband Mission objective behind the partnership is to scan data and mobile mapping data can (ASBM). ASBM-1 and ASBM-2, built explore the use of autonomous robots, be seamlessly combined using HxDR. . by Northrop Grumman on the GeoStar3 equipped with Trimble and Hilti survey platform, make up the core of ASBM, a instruments, in the construction industry. Hexagon and University of Arizona satellite system designed to work in highly introduce Mining 4.E curriculum elliptical orbits (HEO) to ensure broadband Autonomous robots can play a significant connectivity at latitudes beyond the reach role in construction, specifically in Hexagon’s Mining division and the of geostationary satellites. Geostationary production and quality control workflows University of Arizona have announced satellites are capable of providing coverage by enabling automation of routine and the launch of Mining 4.E, an online from the equator, whereas ASBM satellites tedious tasks, reducing workload and course designed to broaden the will be using their unique orbit to provide improving safety. The companies will
44 | Coordinates February 2020 collaborate to develop a “proof-of- of different traffic situations. For that than 25 percent graphics performance concept” solution. Equipped with Trimble’s purpose, test drives are performed with a boost over its predecessor. The 865’s and Hilti’s reality capture devices as its real, ready-to-drive vehicle on a chassis external X55 5G modem-RF system payload and directly communicating with dynamometer or powertrain testbed. is compatible with 5G technologies. a cloud-based construction management application, the Boston Dynamics Spot The range of environment simulations BAE Systems to get Collins GPS Robot will be able to provide consistent carried out with AVL DRIVINGCUBE™ and Raytheon ATR businesses output, deliver improved efficiency on can now be extended to include repeatable tasks and enable up-to-date GNSS signals, bringing simulation BAE systems has reached definitive as-built data analysis. www.trimble.com closer to reality than ever before. The agreements for the proposed acquisitions vehicle’s GNSS receiver (e.g. GPS) is of Collins Aerospace’s military GPS Scan2K Terrestrial Scanner by Carlson stimulated realistically using GNSS business and Raytheon’s Airborne signals generated on the testbed. Tactical Radios (ATR) business. Carlson Software recently released its Scan2K Laser Scanner, a versatile, fast, For generating GNSS signals, Rohde Mediatek Helio G70 mid-range easy-to-use solution for the creation & Schwarz GNSS stimulators are used SOC officially announced of accurate 3D survey data up to a (R&S®SMBV100B or R&S®SMW200A), range of “2K” (2,000) meters. which allow the generation of signals for all Chinese chip maker – MediaTek – has of the available satellite navigation systems announced the launch of a new SoC the Built with surveyors in mind, the Scan2K (GPS, Glonass, Galileo, BeiDou, QZSS, MediaTek Helio G70. It uses an 8-core 64- is at home in the field with its weather- SBAS) across all frequency bandwidths bit design, with four Cortex A75 large cores proof housing, user-friendly sunlight- (L1, L2, L5). rohde-schwarz.com clocked at 2GHz plus four Cortex A55 visible touch screen interface with small cores running at 1.7GHz. MediaTek simple, menu-driven operations for New L-band receiver enables cm- did not reveal which manufacturing quickly collectng and georeferencing level positioning for the mass market process is being used but we can safely point cloud data. With an integrated assume it’s the same as the G90T, thus high-resolution camera, inclinometers, a U-blox has released a cost-effective the older 12nm. www.gizchina.com/ compass, and an L1 GNSS receiver, it can approach to bringing centimetre-level be deployed in many environments and accuracy to GNSS receivers. Its new Broadcom’s second-generation orientations, including mobile operations. NEO-D9S GNSS correction data receiver dual-frequency GNSS Carlson’s partner on the Scan2K project module receives GNSS correction data is Teledyne Optech, a world leader in 3D from correction service providers broadcast Broadcom introduced in 2017 the survey systems. www.carlsonsw.com on the L-band (at 1525–1559MHz). A first mass-market implementation of host processor is then able to decrypt dual frequency: BCM4775. This chip AVL adds Rohde & Schwarz GNSS this correction data and present it to a makes use not only of the classic L1 stimulation to vehicle test environment high precision GNSS receiver, merging frequency broadcast by every satellite, corrections directly with readings from but also of the more advanced L5 signal GNSS signals are of major importance the satellite constellations to facilitate broadcast by a subset of the satellites. for positioning and tracking, orientation much more accurate position readings than and safety-related information, such as those provided by GNSS signals alone. The use of this enhanced L5 signal congestion, in road traffic. A collaboration improves the accuracy of GNSS in an between AVL and Rohde & Schwarz, The module is a correction-only urban scenario, as it mitigates the main two of the world’s leading providers receiver, based on the company’s source of error: the reflections in the nearby of measuring and automotive testing latest 9th generation (D9) platform. buildings, also known as multipath. Given systems, now permits the reproduction www.electropages.com the unabated need for better precision of realistic GNSS reception conditions and accuracy, Broadcom has introduced for testbed vehicle testing. As a result, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets its second-generation dual-frequency users can reliably test all aspects of GNSS solution — the BCM4776. GNSS-based vehicle positioning – a core Qualcomm’s Snapdragon chipsets power The new chip is capable of using the new functionality of autonomous vehicles. millions of Android smartphones and BeiDou-3 constellation’s B2a signals tablets. The Snapdragon 865 features (the Chinese indicator for L5). It will AVL DRIVINGCUBE™ enables the major upgrades in key areas like the be able to track 30 new L5 signals (60 reproducible testing of driver assistance central processing unit, digital signal percent more) with a significant impact on systems and driving features for self- processor, image sensor processor, accuracy. End users will experience much driving vehicles using a real vehicle and modem. It offers up to 25 percent higher reliability of the submeter accuracy within a virtual environment in a variety improved CPU performance and more inherent to dual-frequency L1-L5.
Coordinates February 2020 | 45 MARK YOUR CALENDAR
March 2020 AEC Next Technology Expo + Conference YES! I want my Geo Week June 3-5, Chicago March 23-25, Washington, DC, www.aecnext.com I would like to subscribe for (tick one) www.geoweek.com XXIVth ISPRS Congress HxGN LIVE India 14 - 20 June 2020 24-25 March 2020 Nice, France Delhi, India www.isprs2020-nice.com Rs.1800/US$100 Rs.3000/US$170 Rs.4300/US$240 https://hxgnliveindia.com The 8th International Conference on April 2020 Cartography and GIS (ICCGIS) United Nations/Mongolia Workshop 15 - 20 June First name ...... on the Applications of GNSS Nessebar, Bulgaria https://iccgis2020.cartography-gis.com 13 - 17 April Last name ...... Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia July 2020 www.unoosa.org GI Forum Designation ...... SpaceTimeAI 2020 7 - 10 July 20 - 22 April Salzburg, Austria www.gi-forum.org Organization ...... London, UK www.ucl.ac.uk/civil-environmental- Esri User Conference geomatic-engineering/ Address ...... 13 - 17 July May 2020 San Diego, USA www.esri.com ...... China Satellite Navigation Conference May 2020 September 2020 City ...... Pincode ...... Chengdu, China Commercial UAV Expo Americas www.beidou.org September 15-17, Las Vegas, www.expouav.com State ...... Country ...... XPONENTIAL 2020 4 - 7 May 7th International Conference on Geomatics Phone ...... Boston, USA and Geospatial Technology (GGT) 2020 www.xponential.org 21-24 September 2020 Royale Chulan, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Fax ...... GISTAM 2020 http://ggt2020.uitm.edu 7-9 May Email ...... Prague, Czech Republic ION GNSS+ 2020 www.gistam.org 21 - 25, September I enclose cheque no...... FIG Working Week 2020 St. Louis, Missouri, USA www.ion.org 10 -14 May drawn on ...... Amsterdam, the Netherlands October 2020 www.fig.net INTERGEO 2020 date ...... towards subscription European Navigation Conference 2020 13 – 15 October 11-14 May Berlin, Germany www.intergeo.de charges for Coordinates magazine Dresden, Germany www.dgon.de AARSE2020 in favour of ‘Coordinates Media Pvt. Ltd.’ GeoBusiness 2020 26-30 October 20 - 21 May Kigali, Rwanda London, UK https://aarse2020.org www.geobusinessshow.com Sign ...... Date ...... November 2020 ICCM 2020: International Conference Trimble Dimensions 2020 Mail this form with payment to: on Cartography and Mapping 2 - 4 November 21 - 22 May Nashville, USA www.trimbledimensions.com Coordinates London, UK https://waset.org A 002, Mansara Apartments December 2020 C 9, Vasundhara Enclave June2020 Amsterdam Drone Week & UAM Summit Delhi 110 096, India. International Conference on Localization December 2-4 www.amsterdamdroneweek.com and GNSS (ICL-GNSS 2020) If you’d like an invoice before sending your 2 - 4 June payment, you may either send us this completed Tampere University, Finland https://events.tuni.fi/icl-gnss2020 subscription form or send us a request for an invoice at [email protected]
46 | Coordinates February 2020 RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 Publication: 15th of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 Publication: 15th of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 Posting: 19th/20th of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 Posting: 19th/20th of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 ISSN 0973-2136 ISSN 0973-2136 Volume XIII, Issue 12, December 2017 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND Volume XIII, Issue 04, April 2017 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND
UAV for • Low cost aerial mapping • Water quality estimate
Crowd monitoring through WiFi data “Quality of Galileo is better than the current GPS” POSITIONING • GNSS • NAVIGATION
SD65_CMPL_April 2017.indd 1 12/04/17 6:32 pm
RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 th th Publication: 15 of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 Publication: 15 of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 th Publication: 15 of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 th th th th Posting: 19 /20 of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 Posting: 19 /20 of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 th th Posting: 19 /20 of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 ISSN 0973-2136 ISSN 0973-2136 ISSN 0973-2136 Volume XIV, Issue 10, October 2018 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND Volume XV, Issue 1, January 2019 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND Volume XIV, Issue 3, March 2018 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND
Earthquake prediction method using artificial “There is intelligence a serious A vision for a fully threat to GPS” digital cadastral –Prof Bradford Parkinson survey system
Tracking cities from the sky with Artificial Intelligence Navigation: Trends and Challenges Road design parameter analysis based on the GNSS data
RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 RNI: DELENG/2005/15153 No: DL(E)-01/5079/17-19 Publication: 15th of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 Publication: 15th of every month Licensed to post without pre-payment U(E) 28/2017-19 Posting: 19th/20th of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 Posting: 19th/20th of every month at NDPSO Rs.150 ISSN 0973-2136 ISSN 0973-2136
Volume XV, Issue 6, Jun 2019 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND Volume XV, Issue 7, Jul 2019 THE MONTHLY MAGAZINE ON POSITIONING, NAVIGATION AND BEYOND
P ublic P rivate P artnership The way ahead for solving land Privacy and ethics tenure issues? under the gaze of eyes in the sky
3D geospatial for disaster risk reduction and response Static precise point positioning using triple-constellation GNSS
“The monthly magazine on Positioning, Navigation and Beyond” Download your copy of Coordinates at www.mycoordinates.org