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GIS : March 2000
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GIS put to work by Insurance Group
GIS Forum South Asia to be represented at 15th UNRC
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder for Weather Forecasting
China plans to develop Telecom GIS software
ORACLE databse in Indian languages
Indormation kiosks awaiting adoption
ITC initiative to make MP soya farmers Netizens
Boost to GIS Industry by the new Karnataka IT Policy
UP introducing GIS-based Computerisation Project
Rural Development Networks, Kerala
GIS put to work by Insurance Group
Inter Mutuelles Assistance (IMA), a leading French international assistance company and a subsidiary to a number of French mutual insurance companies, has implemented a high performance client/server based system using the open, modular GeoConcept Explorer 4.0 software. This was needed, as Inter Mutuelles Assistance requires immediate access to information on the exact location where any incident takes place (i.e. address, town country), on the type of incident (road accident, breakdown) and on how and by whom the problem is being solved (garage, hospital). This high performance system is designed around a cartographic server dedicated to the calculation of graphs, distances and routes and a map server to visualise maps and the system is linked to 500 workstations from which IMA personnel can make operational enquiries. More information can be obtained from GeoConcept: Dan Chappell, +44 1273 675100 or websites
www.ima.tm.fr or www.geoconcept.com
'GIS Forum South Asia' to be
represented at 15th UNRC
The Permanent Committee on GIS Infrastructure for Asia and Pacific (PCGIAP)
has invited GIS Forum South Asia to participate in hte 15th United Nations
Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific (UNRCC-AP), which is
scheduled for April 11-14, 2000 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
While recognising the importance of support by the GIS Forum South Asia to
sustainable development across South Asia, the PCGIAP and UNRCC-AP invites the
GIS Forum as an observer to the conference. Ravi Gupta, Director, Centre for
Spatial Database Management and Solutions (CSDMS) would be participating in the
conference. GIS Forum South Asia in its meeting resolved in its first
meeting at Kathmandu, Nepal during April 14-15, 1999 that it would support the
national/ transnational initiatives, in particular of UNRCC.
The conference theme is; The 15th UNRCC-AP; a
Milestone for Sustainable Development. The event will be occasion that
harmonises the work of UNRCC-AP and the PGCIAP which is developing the
Asia-Pacific Spatial Data Infrastructure (APSDI) and addressing national spatial
data infrastructure needs in the region. The primary objective of the conference
is to provide a regional forum where government officials, planners, scientist
and experts from Asia and Pacific and other regions could meet to address the
common needs, problems and experiences in the field of mapping and related
sciences. For details, visit: www.permcom.apgis.gov.au
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder for Weather Forecasting
Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS), a 390-pound instrument scheduled for launch in December 2000, will be able to read atmospheric temperature to within 1 degree centigrade in one kilometer layer altitude in the Earths lower atmosphere. This will help the meteorologists to pinpoint the weather conditions a week in advance and thus help in forecasting the weather conditions. AIRS will measure more than 2000 discrete infrared colours in the 3.7 to 15.4 micrometer range and its high resolution spectrometer will precisely sample the Earth’s atmosphere from the ground up to as high as 30 miles. By determining the infra red signatures of gases like CO2 and water vapour, the system determines the air temperatures and moisture profiles. The AIRS instrument consists of 40,000 space qualified components and uses a high-resolution array grating spectrometer, along with an advanced focal plane to achieve high performance and long usable life expectancy. More details can be obtained from: Earth Search Sciences, Inc. Email:
info@pevron.com or visit www.earthsearch.com
China plans to develop Telecom GIS software
Qiao Xing Universal Telephone Inc. (Nasdaq: XING) with Geography and Resource Institution (GRI) of the Chinese Sciences and Technology Academy will jointly develop an atlas or map of digital networks and a geographic information system (GIS) that maps telecommunication networks. Qiao Xing will provide funding and GRI will be engaged in Research and Development activities. The proposed digital network atlas will be offered through an e-business platform and will utilize space graphics and high-precision digital effects. The telecommunication network GIS will be used by telecommunication companies for designing, building and managing networks and transmission lines including maintenance of call and system operation. For further details contact Qiao Xing Universal Telephone Inc. at
qxxiao@pub.huizhou.gd.cn or visit
www.qiaoxing.com
Oracle database in Indian languages
ORACLE India announced its first local language database on March 13 for the Indian market that would be initially available in Hindi and Tamil. It is planning to tap the government sector in a big way with the Indian language-enabled versions of its database products. As a part of this initiative, ‘Oracle 8.1.6’ will be launched in Hindi and Tamil by June-July this year. Seven more Indian languages would be added to capabilities of the database at a later stage.
Information kiosks awaiting adoption
As harbingers of right to information, information kiosks have arrived, awating adoption by the Delhi government and other central and state governments. Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit promised to turn Delhi into the number one cyber city by 2003. She wished the capital to have as many cyber cafes as there were public call booths. Kiosks are planned to be started near slums so that the knowledge of IT percolates into the society cutting across the socio-economic barriers. The Bangalore-based Shonk technologies has offered the ‘Delhi Cyber Vision: 2003’ to translate into reality. Indiosks, as the information vending machines are called, consist of touch screen computers enabling access to information and laser cards that is able to store all personal data. With the help of such information kiosks information can reach the doorstep of the people at little or no cost and as a result the access to internet for the common man will demystify it.
ITC initiative to make MP soya farmers Netizens
Soya farmers are going to become the first Netizens in the farm sector. A major programme called ‘Soya Chaupal’ will be flagged off in June this year, initiated by ITC. The programme will make harvesting technology, market intelligence and weather data accessible to the soya farmers through the internet in collaboration with the state government, agricultural input companies like Monsanto and local commission agents. It will concentrate in six villages near Bhopal district, which is largely a soyabean growing area. The programme aims to provide timely and correct programme aims to provide timely and correct information to soya farmers on weather, good growing practices, inputs like seeds, herbicides and prices ruling in the domestic and international markets. The data and information would be collated by ITC through tapping the expertise available in the local universities, state agriculture department and agricultural input companies.
Boost to GIS Industry by the new Karnataka IT Policy
A centre for e-governance under the IT departmernt will be set up in Karnataka to facilitate IT projects in all departments. These include ‘Bhoomi’ (land records), ‘Nondani’ (land registration), ‘Khajane’ (computerisation of all 225 treasuries) and ‘Reshme’ (silk marketing). On March 18, the Karnataka government announced its millennium information technology (IT) policy, ‘Mahithi’, a broad-based plan aimed at increasing employment, building state and district level databases. ‘Mahithi’ which means information in Kannad, talks of the first ever IT bonds for Rs. 300 crores to finance people-friendly IT-friendly services that will further support GIS industry. It also plans incubation centres for start-up companies, computerisation of land records, land registration, treasuries at all levels and promotion of Kannada in IT.
UP introducing GIS-based Computerisation Project
Uttar Pradesh is going to become the third state to introduce Geographical Information System (GIS)-based computerisation project to increase the speed of decision-making process for development after Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The project will help to reduce regional imbalance by an analysis of available resources according to the needs of a particular area. GIS programme will be implemented in a phased manner. In first phase, all the data related to five departments, energy, irrigation, education, public works department and health in six districts would be compiled under GIS. The state government has signed an MoU with Maharishi Global Pvt. Ltd, under which the latter would install internet facilities in 50 districts with an investment of Rs. 50 crore. The planning department has already made computers available in 19 divisions and 62 districts to collect various data required for development.
Rural Development Networks, Kerala
Kerala goverenment is providing connectivity to 152 block panchayats with the comissioning of Rural Development Network in association with NIC. The main objective is to provide development information to rural people encouraging their participation in development activities.
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