Geographic Information Systems and Science, a richly illustrated guide for both students and practitioners of GIS, is now available for purchase. GIS technology is proliferating throughout the world in myriad applications. While many technical books and writings describe these uses, Geographic Information Systems and Science explores many of the "real-world" applications of this rapidly evolving field. In so doing, the book also illuminates some of the growing commonalities between the concerns of business, government, and science; how issues of management, ethics, risk, and technology intersect; and how GIS provides a gateway to problem solving. Designed for readers who are already familiar with GIS, the full-colour book is aimed at intermediate-level undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and busy professionals who need clear and succinct information about this fast-developing technology. In the words of its authors, the purpose is to make its readers "more capable of doing certain desirable things".
Visit:-
www.esri.com/esripress
Top Stories
ER Mapper Helps Geophysics Strike Gold
Earth Resource Mapping would like to congratulate Kirsty Beckett from UTS Geophysics on winning an ER Mapper license and Gold Nugget in the Earth Resource Mapping's 'Australia's Golden Treasure Hunt Competition' at the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists 15th Geophysical Conference and Exhibition in Brisbane. Ms Beckett will use the ER Mapper license to further research currently being conducted on the 'Elashgin Project'. The Elashgin Project is a test case to investigate the environmental application of ultra detailed airborne radiometric and magnetic data for modelling and managing catchments issues including salinity and soil quality. The project involves a range of private industry, government departments and universities including UTS Geophysics, Agriculture WA, CSIRO, University of WA and Curtin University of Technology. The treasure hunt was developed using Earth Resource Mapping's Image Web Server.
Visit:-
www.ermapper.com
Send your maps by fax via Maporama fax export
Maporama, the European leader in online cartography and geocentric information, launches today Maporama Fax Export, a new product allowing for sending a Maporama map to the entire world by fax. Using Maporama Fax Export, Maporama's customers can now offer their website visitors a simple and efficient means of sending their maps by fax. The whole process is very simple - the users only need to create a map of their choice and input the destination fax number. Maporama Fax Export thus transforms any fax into a distant printer. The maps for fax sending via Maporama Fax Export are formatted in order to achieve an excellent readability. Thanks to this feature, last generation faxes provide a high-quality print output that is comparable to what the users obtain when printing with an ordinary office printer.
Visit:-
www.maporama.com
Leica's consumer product DISTO division under new leadership
With the appointment of Klaus Brammertz as President of Leica Geosystems' Consumer Products (DISTO) division, the Company is expanding its hand-held laser measurement (DISTO) business into the consumer focused Do-it-Yourself (DIY) market. Mr. Brammertz, who will join the Company on September 1, brings a wealth of experience in the home construction and DIY markets and will lead the Company's expansion into this arena. Leica Geosystems' DISTO products already enjoy a leading market position among professional building contractors. The DISTO hand-held laser meter measures distances to millimeter-accuracy with the push of a button. Leica Geosystems believes that its DISTO products, highly popular among professional building craftsmen, will also be adopted as the practical everyday tool for the DIY enthusiast. By addressing this expansive market, the Company sees an opportunity to significantly grow sales and profit in its Consumer Products division in the coming years.
Visit:-
www.leica-geosystems.com
County Transit selects Aether MobileMax2 for wireless communications and tracking services
Aether Systems, Inc. a leading provider of wireless data products and services, has announced that County Transit, Inc., a Wisconsin-based motor carrier has selected Aether MobileMax2 Aether's wireless communications system, for its fleet of concrete delivery, dump and boom trucks. County Transit has installed the system on a majority of its fleet of 150 trucks and plans to complete all installations during the second half of the year. Aether MobileMax2 automatically switches between terrestrial-based and satellite communication pathways without driver or dispatcher intervention to ensure complete coverage and cost-efficient communications. The MobileMax2 data terminal transmits data messages and GPS position reports over both satellite and terrestrial communication pathways and provides data on vehicle fault codes and driver performance. This information allows companies to evaluate individual driver and vehicle performance, notify operations when a vehicle engine exceeds specified parameters, and calculate the distance vehicles travel in each state. County Transit will use this data to develop cost-saving techniques such as managing drivers' idle time, as well as preventing damage to its vehicles.
Visit:-
www.aethersystems.com.
CGG awarded world's largest high-resolution 3D survey by Petrobras
The Compagnie Generale de Geophysique (CGG) has been awarded the world's largest High-Resolution 3D seismic survey by the Brazilian Oil Company, Petrobras under a non-exclusive contract. The 2700+ sq. km area to be imaged by this new acquisition is located in the highly productive offshore Campos Basin in Brazil. The main objective of Petrobras in recording this High-Resolution Seismic survey is to "ring fence" the producing field for the first time with the highest quality seismic available. This improved High-Resolution survey will provide a better image and understanding of the producing reservoir. This type of survey has the added benefit of serving as the baseline survey for future 4D programs to monitor the producing reservoir over the entire lifetime of the field. Acquisition and onboard processing will be performed in this complex area by the CGG Harmattan, including on-board processing with completion of final onshore migration processing by CGG's reservoir processing group located in Paris, France.
Visit:-
www.cgg.com
Asia News
M.Sc course in GIS from University of Punjab
The geography department, University of Punjab, has announced admissions in the MSc course in GIS (Geographic Information system). This is a major step towards filling the gap between GIS education and the geography department and deserves appreciation. The major role of GIS is in natural resource management (including forestry).
The changes in forest cover over time can be ascertained without chances of human bias. The eligibility criteria for admission announced by the Punjab University is limited only to graduates of physical sciences. However, foreign universities accept forestry graduates in GIS courses (including MSc).
It would be appropriate if the university allowed forestry graduates to get admission in the MSc in GIS courses. This shall be a major contribution towards sustainable management of natural resources in Pakistan.
Visit:
http://www.dawn.com/2001/08/31/letted.htm#13
Pentasoft cuts jobs, wages to beat slowdown
CHENNAI - Software services and training firm Pentasoft Technologies said it was restructuring operations by cutting low-productivity jobs and switching most employees to a variable wage to beat the slowdown.
Pentasoft Chief Executive D Kannan said at the weekend that over 100 people had already been laid off from the firm's total work force of about 3,500 and said he expected the "right-sizing" to continue in the current quarter.
"We are restructuring in such a way that each project group and division has to manage its own revenues and costs and at the same time are looking at the productivity of each employee and will be moving most to a fixed plus variable salary structure."
The Chennai-based firm's sales grew 18.4 per cent year-on-year to Rs 1.55 billion in the April-June quarter.
Sales, however, grew less than half-a-percent from the preceding January-March quarter as the effects of a slowdown in its key US market saw revenues from the US drop 5 per cent during the quarter to June, to 43 per cent of the total sales.
Kannan said Pentasoft was reviewing the size and output of its core middle-level staff including programmers and software analysts and was also looking to cut back on entry level staff.
"Market conditions are forcing us to adapt and we are looking at people who have not yet acquired latest technology skills, probationers and trainees and may move some of these people out to contracts or outsource jobs like implementation support."
He declined to put a specific figure on the cost savings that could accrue from the restructuring.
Source: The Economic Times (
http://www.economictimes.com/today/03tech08.htm)
Satellite Enterprise Ready for Blastoff
BEIJING,August 28-(Xinhuanet)-- China's first state-owned satellite company opened for business in Beijing on Saturday. Aerospace Dongfanghong (DFH) Satellite will mass produce small satellites. A DFH spokesman prdicted an annual production capacity of six satellites in the short run, and more than 10 in later years,according to latest issue of Beijing Today.
The Chinese Academy of Space Technology has previously produced nine small satellites. The successful launches have given China an edge in small satellite research.
Investment partner China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation chairman Xue Fuxiang said China's aeospace flights had previously depended on the government to develop space technology, restricted due to lack of investment from the state and bars on private capital. But now China's aerospace development no longer dpends on the government.
It marks a good beginning for China's aerospace technology toward industrialization, wrote Wu Bangguo, Vice-Premier of the State Council, in a congratulation letter.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
