GIS Development News Update 15th January 2004

Applications

President Bush of US outlined a new agenda for exploring space this fortnight Wednesday, pledging a return to the moon as early as 2015, then pushing to Mars and beyond. "It is time for America to take the next steps," he said during a speech at NASA headquarters. His ambitious plans hit the headlines across the globe with mixed sentiments and responses. Interestingly another news that hid somewhere behind was that Iran began work on Bam reconstruction but rejected US delegation. Iranian foreign ministry said that the time was not yet right to receive a high-level US delegation to follow up on Washington's dispatch of aid.

In another development, Iran who has already developed a long-range missile of its own declared that the country would launch a satellite of its own within the coming 18 months. "Iran will be the first Islamic country to enter the stratosphere with its own satellite and its own indigenous launch system," minister Ali Shamkhani said. Mr. Shamkhani described Iran's aerospace programme as being part of the country's "deterrence force".

Other interesting cases were when the Chinese authorities mentioned that from 1988 to 2002, the course of the Yellow River section in northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region has continued moving eastwards, up to 2.7 kilometers. This discovery was made by the Ningxia remote sensing center by comparing the lands at data provided by the United States in 1987, 1999 and 2000.

As a new outbreak of Ebola hemorrhagic fever struck northwestern Congo, ESA is set to gather satellite data to help resolve the scientific enigma of this deadly disease. In another case, America's third-largest meat company, Swift & Co., will use retina scans and a global positioning system to track the lives of its cattle from birth to grocery store by 2005.

A significant news (to jot down for future reference) was that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has started providing satellite imagery data on river basins and water resources in the country to a task force on inter-linking of major rivers. ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair told that aerial images of the river basins, valleys and hilly and terrain areas were being provided to facilitate mapping of the linkages since the task force was set up last year.

This fortnight, Antonio Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs Crime (UNODC), recently presented the results of the 2003 Afghanistan Annual Opium Poppy Survey. To conduct the survey, UNODC used Dubai, United Arab Emirates-based Space Imaging Middle East (SIME) four- and one-meter-resolution imagery from the IKONOS satellite.

Other shortlisted news are,

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Business News

The Pentagon would share its satellite know-how if the European Union adopted U.S.-backed technical standards for Galileo, its planned multibillion-dollar satellite navigation tool, U.S. officials said recently. If Europe goes along, the United States also will commit to using the signal structure at issue in the next generation of its own GPS, turning it into a de-facto international standard and unleashing investments. European refusal, on the other hand, would harm U.S. and NATO security interests "which would be highly corrosive to the transatlantic relationship.

Representatives from the United States and Europe will further discuss on how to make Europe’s planned Galileo Satellite Navigation System compatible with the U.S. GPS. The meeting, to be held in Washington, will evaluate use of a signal structure, called Open Service, introduced by the European Commission last November.

Interesting suggestive moves indeed!

The Indian Space Research Organisation recently signed a MoU with the Israel Space Agency (ISA) to include an Israeli telescope on board India's GSAT-4 satellite planned for launch in 2005.

Obtaining satellite photographs of Israel nowadays is just a matter of placing a credit card order with one of the international consortia marketing images from outer space. A paying customer can obtain photos with a resolution of between 80 cm and one meter, good enough to spot a tank or an infantry squad guarding a Golan Heights hilltop.

President George W. Bush announced on Monday that the United States and India would deepen cooperation on civilian nuclear activities, civilian space programs and high-technology trade.

Europe's commercial satellite launching company Arianespace has won contracts to send up two satellites for Japan's JSAT Corporation. The launch contracts are Arianespace's 20th and 21st for Japanese commercial satellites

In recognition of his numerous achievements in the industry, the GIS Certification Institute has awarded Roger Tomlinson, the GISP Certificate for ‘Lifetime GIS Achievement’. In addition to the Certificate, the URISA Board awarded a lifetime membership in the association.

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Products

AutoCAD 2004, has been the latest product from Autodesk, and perhaps the fastest, easiest AutoCAD release ever. It was announced recently that it is packed with new and enhanced features. AutoCAD 2004 software is the 2D drafting and detailing and 3D design tool recently introduced and used by designers worldwide.

The Geodetic and Cartographic Institute (GKÚ) in Bratislava, the official provider of geographic information in the Slovak Republic, announced this fortnight, the web-based project to allow public access to land registry information via the Internet. The service will be available from February 2004.

NASA debuted a color picture from the Spirit rover showing gray rocks peppering a Martian lake bed awash in its natural hues of red, pink and orange. The spectacular quality of the image, taken with a dual camera system called "pancam" that's mounted on a mast jutting up from the rover is worth a watch!

Interestingly enough, two Indian-led Silicon Valley firms, eTouch and Speedera Networks, are key contractors in the project that has brought back spectacular Mars images – live –to millions of space-struck earthlings.

Wherify Wireless Inc., developers of GPS-based location products and services, unveiled the world's smallest GPS Locator Phone recently. Trimble also introduced a location device for consumer-oriented automotive applications -- the TrimTrac(TM) locator. The TrimTrac locator was showcased at International CES also.

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Miscellaneous

A Russian Proton rocket carrying a communications satellite, Express-AM22, took off from the space base of Baikonur in Kazakhstan this fortnight. The satellite is supposedly carrying digital television, Internet and mobile telephone links.

The case of Beagle deepened in discussions as the European team has received no transmissions from the craft, which was supposed to touch down on the distant planet on Christmas Day to begin its search for Martian life. NASA's orbiting Mars Odyssey has passed five times over the spot where scientists hope Beagle landed, without picking up a signal.

In an encouraging move, the students and teachers are set to reap benefits with the decision by Manitoba's Ministry of Education, Citizenship and Youth to license GIS software for all publicly funded schools in Manitoba.

Another exciting reading was the case where the Board of Selectmen in Greenwich, voted unanimously to appeal a judge's order that the town give citizens access to aerial photographs and digital maps contained in the town's geographic information system. Town officials have tried to exempt the database from public records laws, arguing that detailed information about Greenwich could undermine the town's security and violate residents' privacy.

Finally, another interesting news was that an unconventional California company has won a $200,000 contract with the Air Force Space Command to develop a way to launch one-pound micro-satellites quickly and cheaply using big balloons.

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