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Need and relevance of Geomatics education at C-DAC
Trend
Geomatics has evolved through various landmark developments such as:
- Change in emphasis from:
- Analogue computing to digital computing
- Visual interpretation to automatic classification
- Hardcopy maps to softcopy maps
- Manual digitization to semi-automatic digitization
- Large scale aerial photographs to high resolution satellite imagery
- Analytical plotters to softcopy photogrammetry
- Mainframe to desktops
- Standalone desktops to LAN, WAN or Grid based systems
- Proprietary devices (printer, scanner & others) to plug & play
- Command based interface to Windows menu based with pick & click
- Proprietary software to COTS software
- Proprietary data formats to interoperable data formats
- Hardcopy manuals to HTML based on-line help
- Theoretical concepts to live applications
- Isolated tools to turn-key solutions
- Development of mere spatial database to spatial analysis/modeling
- Vector models to hybrid models (for spatial analysis)
- Conventional surveying techniques to high-resolution RS for map updation
- RS satellites with multiple spatial, temporal, radiometric, and spectral resolution
- Airborne laser terrain modeling (ALTM) for terrain mapping at high resolution
- Availability of microwave RS with multiple look angles, bands and polarizations
- Emergence of hyper spectral remote sensing with satellite based systems
- Extensive usage of smaller, affordable and precise GNSS for ground truthing
- Availability of high-end scanners for conversion of paper maps to digital
- Improved solutions in CAD, cartography and dynamic terrain visualization
- Availability of sophisticated image processing algorithms and analytical techniques within COTS software in a user-friendly environment
- Exploitation of digital computers for generating quality cartography outputs.
- Support for spatial data types from major database vendors
- Availability of Open Source Software (OSS) in Geomatics
- Development of Location Based Services (LBS) using ICT and GT
- Definition of national data policy and development of National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI)
- Availability of more and more information on Internet
These developments have resulted in the availability of information and services about terrain at varied scales and details at much faster rates and revolutionized the industry.
Need
In Information Technology (IT), 20% is technology and 80% is information. This information should be demand driven and relevant in terms of time and space. In the era of IT, it should include diversification of existing practices and resources prevailing within the government. 80% - 90% of government data is geographic in nature - containing an address, service area, pin code, or latitude/longitude co-ordinates. In fact, decision invariably considers geographical parameters such as location, distance, direction, proximity, adjacency, topography etc. With the availability of spatial data at regular intervals with sufficient details using high-resolution RS data in the recent past and development of NSDI in near future, there is a significant shift from ‘conventional’ Decision Support System (DSS) to the ‘spatial’ DSS (SDSS).
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