EDITORIAL
On 19th of October this year, in the Minnesota National Guard Test Facility in the US, a miniSAR from the Sandia National Labs, was successfully tested onboard a Lockheed Martin SkySpirit UAS. The achievement was made public this week. The new miniSAR can take high-resolution (four inch) images through any weather, at night, and in dust storms. The only difference between the larger SARs and the miniSAR is range. The larger SAR can produce an image in the 35 kilometer range due to its large antenna and higher transmitter power compared to the miniSAR, which is expected to have a range of about 15 kilometers – which is more than enough for small UAS applications. Front line army commanders will now have the power to see all - in all weather conditions. A crawling enemy soldier in camouflage gear is a sitting duck under the roving beam of the miniSAR.
The concrete steps by the Russian government in rejuvenating the GLONASS program have been in the news for some time. The latest being the proactive talks with Kazakhstan, Ukraine and India on the joint use of the GLONASS system. What lends credence to the talks is the preparation to launch three satellites of the GLONASS constellation on 26th December this year. With the directive from President Putin that the system should be up and running by 2008, the national space agency ‘Roskosmos’ is burning the midnight oil. This is sure to give the Galileo team sleepless nights.
The involvement of a head of nation like President Putin in initiatives on the technology front are laudable. Supporting cutting edge technology and drafting policies to transfer the benefits of such developments to the common citizen is a trend in today’s politicians. The participation of high ranking ministers from India and other countries in Map World Forum is a sign of the changing times. I invite you all to participate in this confluence of global geospatial leaders scheduled in Hyderabad, India between the 22nd and 25th January, 2006 during the Map World Forum – ciao.
Dr. Hrishikesh Samant
hrishikesh@gisdevelopment.net
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ARTICLES OF THE WEEK
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Soil Thematic geo Database for Dubai Emirate
Hussein Harahsheh, Mohamed Elias
Global Scan Technologies,UAE
AbdulAzim Elniweiri, Mohamed Mashroum, Yousef Marzouqi, Eman Al Khatib
Dubai Municipality,UAE
B.R.M. Rao, M.A. Fyzee
NRSA, India
GIS and Internet GIS Technologies: Impact and Challenges in Land Administration
Dr. Ing. Asst. Prof. Moha El-Ayachi
Head of Department of Geodesy and Surveying,
IAV Hassan 2, Rabat, Morocco
mannanhere@gmail.com
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