The ongoing Syrian crisis, which broke out in April 2011, has been a severe humanitarian disaster, with more than 190,000 deaths since the start of the conflict. However, evaluating the ongoing crisis in Syria is challenging, because reliable and comprehensive witness reports are hard to gather in a warzone. Therefore, satellite images, as one of the few sources of objective information, are potentially of great importance.
In their recent study published in International Journal of Remote Sensing, Xi Li and Deren Li analyzed the effect of the Syrian crisis on levels of night-time light as a means of evaluating and monitoring the conflict. By comparing the levels of light in March 2011 and February 2014 (see Figure 1), they found that in all of the provinces, the levels of night-time light had declined sharply following the breakout of the conflict. Indeed, in most provinces, the level of night-time light decreased by more than 60 percent.
Notably, the authors also found that the number of internally displaced persons (IDPs) from each province showed a linear correlation with the level of night-light loss. This relationship between the number of displaced persons and the drop in night-time light levels may allow for the quantitative estimation of the number of IDPs from other areas of conflict, such as Iraq, where the activities of Islamic State are causing significant civil unrest.
Under the theme “Taking the Pulse of the Planet,” 275 members of the GEO community from more than 45 countries will chart the next steps in creating and implementing a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) during the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) Eleventh Plenary Session. The session will be held November 12-14 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A highlight of the conference will be announcement of the winners of the GEO Appathon, a global app development competition built on the 80-million-plus resources available through GEOSS. The Appathon attracted 250 competitors from 50 countries, and will generate easy-to-use decision tools for mobile devices and computers.
GEO’s mandate is to harness the power of Earth observations from sources across the globe to provide more and better information to leaders in government, industry, and civil society confronting fundamental decisions affecting people and societies worldwide. One key GEO initiative that will be highlighted during the meeting is developing a comprehensive system to monitor the availability and quality of fresh water, in partnership with the World Health Organization, the UN Environmental Programme and other UN agencies as part of the UN Sustainable Development agenda.
GEO is leading the creation of an Africa-wide technological and human infrastructure so decision makers have the capacity to access and use Earth observations in making key decisions. To strengthen agricultural activity and reduce market volatility, GEO is coordinating the assessment of growing conditions of the world’s major crops through a combination of regional expertise, ground observations and analysis of meteorological and satellite data.
GEO is a voluntary partnership of governments and organizations that envisions “a future wherein decisions and actions for the benefit of humankind are informed by coordinated, comprehensive and sustained Earth observations and information.” Members include 94 nations and the European Commission and 77 participating organizations comprised of international bodies with a mandate in Earth observations.
GEO’s agenda spans nine Societal Benefit Areas, including agriculture, biodiversity, climate, disasters, ecosystems, energy, health, water and weather.
A high-resolution aerial photo captured by the senseFly swinglet CAM over an advancing flow breakout heading towards Pāhoa, Hawai‘i, on October 22.
Using an unmanned aerial vehicle equipped with a camera, a team from the University of Hawaii is mapping the active lava flow front of the Kilauea Volcano on Hawaii Island.
On October 22, a flight team from the UH Hilo Spatial Data Analysis and Visualization (SDAV) Laboratory used a senseFlyswinglet CAM professional GIS drone to map the active flow front. The high-resolution still images captured by an RGB camera payload were then merged into a full orthomosaic for use by Civil Defense emergency planners. The flight was a collaborative partnership with Hawaii County Civil Defense and the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory.
As of October 29, the lava flow is headed toward the town of Pāhoa in the district of Puna, threatening to cut off the main highway and other access roads, isolating an area of about 10,000 residents from the rest of the island. The flow is advancing at 10 yards an hour and is 280 yards from Pahoa Village Road.
The researchers plan to fly again and continue supporting relief operations with quick aerial assessments when needed. Sensefly representatives are closely monitoring and supporting the team’s mapping relief effort and are ready with additional equipment as needed.
The UH Hilo flight team includes Ryan Perroy, assistant professor of geography and environmental science; Nicolas Turner, SDAV cyber computer programming analyst; and Arthur Cunningham, consultant for aeronautical science.
“The lava flow has already impacted the lives of many residents in Puna,” Perroy said. “Our UAV support can provide quick and accurate information to emergency responders.”
The team closely monitored the flight performance of the swinglet CAM UAV as it traveled over the lava and noted minor turbulence as it crossed the thermally dynamic environment. A county helicopter provided support with an air observer on board from the UAV team during flight operations.
The Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Office of the Federal Aviation Administration worked closely with the Hilo research team on approval of their Certificate of Authorization. The flights are in direct support of disaster-relief operations in the area, and the FAA and flight team worked together to make sure all safety concerns were met.
The lava flow advances directly behind researchers (from left) Matt Patrick and Frank Trusdell, geologists at the U.S. Geological Survey Hawaiian Volcano Observatory; Asia Addlesberger, GIS specialist with the County of Hawai‘i; Tim Orr, head geologist at HVO; and UH Hilo researchers Ryan Perroy, assistant professor of geography and environmental science; Nicolas Turner, cyber computer programming analyst; and Jonathan Price, associate professor of geography.
Sokkia has released the the NET AXII, the latest in its line of high-accuracy measuring stations. Designed for precision-intensive tasks such as monitoring, bridge construction, and other highly detailed engineering projects, the NET AXII series is a fully robotic total-station solution.
The series includes the NET1 AXII and the NET05 AXII with 1-inch angle accuracy and 0.5-inch angle accuracy, respectively. “NET1 AXII is an excellent choice for long distance measurements, and NET05 AXII is a powerful solution for high-accuracy survey and construction projects,” said Brice Walker, vice president of survey sales.
“These fully robotic models offer a superior level of performance compared to conventional systems that simply lock on to the nearest targets, Walker said. “The NET AXII auto-collimation system allows the measuring station to lock on to targets that are closest to the center view of the telescope, providing long-range precision even in low-light conditions. Additionally, the exclusive Reflector Prescan technology dramatically improves setup efficiency by automatically locating approximate reflector positions, even in situations where they cannot be seen by the human eye.”
Features include Bluetooth connectivity options, an IP65 durability rating, and TSshield security and maintenance.
Topcon Positioning Group announces an update to its world’s first line of 3D positioning systems designed for one-operator layout — the LN-100W. The latest model includes Bluetooth functionality.
The LN-100W is on display at InterGeo 2014, being held this week in Berlin.
“LN-100W offers an enhanced level of connectivity with the addition of Bluetooth functionality,” said Ray Kerwin, Topcon director of global surveying products. “Now operators have an additional wireless communication option that will provide greater versatility with devices such as tablets that might not be WLAN ready.
“The update exemplifies our focus on making the LN-100 as simple to use as possible,” said Kerwin. “The LN-100W offers the popular self-leveling, one-operator 3D layout features of the original model, and takes the ease-of-use a step further.”
The LN-100W is the newest of BIM (Building Information Modeling) solutions from Topcon.
Icaros, Inc., a provider of aerial remote sensing and 3D visualization solutions, will unveil the IDM 1000 digital oblique mapping system next week at the 2014 InterGeo Conference in Germany. The versatile Icaros Digital Mapper (IDM) 1000 combines a high-accuracy photogrammetric nadir camera with four high-quality oblique sensors in a modular airborne imaging package.
“Icaros developed the IDM 1000 for mapping organizations that want to maximize their investment in an aerial sensor system,” said Tom Bosanko, CEO of Icaros. “The IDM 1000 can be configured to meet the geospatial application needs of traditional photogrammetric imaging as well as 3D oblique mapping, all in one flexible system.”
Icaros will display the IDM 1000 in booth #A4.009 Hall 4.1 at the InterGeo Conference and Trade Fair being held in Berlin October 7-9.
The modular IDM 1000 package is built around the IDM 200 nadir camera with a new mount supporting up to four 45-degree oblique sensors. The standard IDM 1000 configuration includes an 80-megapixel (MP) nadir natural-color (RGB) sensor, four 36-MP oblique RGB sensors, modular mount, embedded GPS/INS, flight planning and management system, and the Icaros Photogrammetric Suite (IPS) of software tools.
“Clients have the option of purchasing the IDM 1000 as a complete solution,” said Bosanko. “Or they can buy and operate the IDM 200 as a stand-alone unit and add the oblique cameras and mount later as their mapping offerings expand to include 3D modeling and oblique visualization.”
The IDM camera family offers eight sensor-design alternatives, including near infrared and thermal infrared imaging. Each IDM camera delivers sub-pixel accuracy, high-dynamic range and true-color pixel collection. Depending on altitude, the pixel GSD ranges from 1 cm to 100 cm in nadir or oblique operations. The IDM 1000 can be flown on rotor or fixed wing aircraft and modified for flight on some UAVs.
Aerial oblique imagery is used extensively in tax appraisal and assessment, and its applications are expanding rapidly into facility management, infrastructure monitoring, building energy audits, public safety and other GIS markets that benefit from creation of accurate 3D models and elevation data sets. The IDM 1000 is considered ideal to serve in the energy, utility, oil & gas, mining, urban development, security and defense markets.
“The IDM 1000 package includes all of the software needed to process nadir and oblique imagery and perform advanced photogrammetric measurements,” said Bosanko. “The new Icaros Measurement Tool (IMT) is included.”
The IMT is a universal oblique measurement tool. It enables customers working within Esri’s GIS environment to view and measure structures in oblique aerial imagery captured by any commercial oblique sensor system, including those from Pictometry, Vexcel/Microsoft, IGI, Leica, and Midas. IMT works equally well measuring images captured by oblique sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
As GIS users continue the move to 3D, oblique imagery will be critical for constructing accurate image-based realistic 3D models. IMT enables users to manipulate and view oblique imagery while leveraging other geospatial data layers within their GIS environment. This capability allows users to navigate multi-image scenes in three dimensions while zooming and panning.
The IMT software will also be demonstrated in the Icaros booth at InterGEO.
Housing shortages and rising property prices in urban areas, depopulation and energy revolution in rural areas — the contrasts couldn’t be greater. On Thursday, October 9, land management experts will come together at InterGeo to discuss key issues and potential solutions.
“The key to making rural areas viable in the long term is to work together. Citizen participation, shared usage strategies, cooperation between municipalities — boundaries are disappearing and it’s land development that makes this possible,” said Hartmut Alker, chair of the Federal and State Working Group on Sustainable Land Development.
In this context, the conference at InterGeo focuses on four major themes:
Flood prevention using land management strategies.
Housing shortages in urban areas, taking into account socially progressive land use and forward-looking area management.
Competition for land during the energy revolution as a political issue and a challenge to engineers to find compatible and compensatory solutions.
The future of rural areas is a broad topic that examines the “successful shrinking” and successful development of villages and rural areas.
“Developing strategies for the future of rural areas in the context of demographic change is of fundamental importance for Germany as a successful business hub. However, it is not yet given sufficient priority within society,” said Martina Klärle, executive director of FFin – Frankfurter Forschungsinstitut.
At the event, exhibitors will showcase a broad portfolio of tools and solutions for land management. Planning software, 3D simulations and high-resolution remote sensing data are prime examples of geodetic services in this field.
GSS at InterGeo. GPS World/GSS staff will be reporting from InterGeo October 7-9. The massive trade show, held this year in Berlin, is considered the world’s leading conference trade fair for geodesy, geoinformation and land management. With more than 16,000 visitors from 80 countries, it is one of the key platforms for industry dialogue. Staff members attending include GPS World Editor and Publisher Alan Cameron, Survey/GIS Editor Eric Gakstatter, and Digital Editor Joelle Harms. All three are accepting meeting invitations for companies interested in discussing their products and services. Contact [email protected].
MAPPS, the national association of private sector geospatial firms, has been selected as a member of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) working group on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). MAPPS is the only representative of the geospatial, aerial survey, and remote-sensing community on the committee.
“As an association representing the many private sector businesses that are anxious to use unmanned aerial systems for commercial geospatial applications, we are honored to participate on this important committee,” said John Palatiello, MAPPS Executive Director, who will sit on the committee. “The geospatial community has been safely flying aircraft for decades and understands the safety implications of introducing a new technology in the national airspace. Our members see a great opportunity to utilize UAS to provide new geospatial data and applications benefiting the citizens of the United States.”
The Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) user working group will hold its first meeting today. FAA has tasked the committee to provide input from users or potential users of UAS on immediate, near, and long-term issues for integrating UAS into the national airspace system.
The committee is co-chaired by Michael Toscano, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Melissa Rudinger, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and Mark Reed, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA). According to Jim Williams, Manager of the UAS Integration Office in FAA, the associations represent “a diverse group of potential UAS users in certain key industries, such as agriculture, mapping, photography, energy, public safety, cargo, communications, and others.
Palatiello has been MAPPS Executive Director since 1987. He was an original member of the federal government’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) and currently serves on the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) Advisory Board. He is president of John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc., an association management and public affairs consulting firm, where he is a national government affairs consultant to the National Society of Professional Surveyors, Executive Director of the Maryland Society of Surveyors, and Administrator of the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural & Engineering Services (COFPAES). Palatiello was named one of the ten most influential people in the geospatial community by Directions Magazine.
A bill to establish a “Digital Coast” program whereby the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) develops a coordinated and comprehensive national mapping effort for coastal, state and territorial waters of the United States, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, earning praise from MAPPS (the national association of private sector geospatial firms).
More than half of all Americans, 153 million people, live on or near a coast, and an additional 12 million are expected to move to the coasts over the next decade. Yet, despite this population density and economic development, much of the 95,000 miles of U.S. shoreline does not have current, accurate maps and geospatial information; moreover, much of what does exist pre-dates the 1970s.
“The Digital Coast Act is needed to realize the concept of a Digital Coast as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS),” said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. “The Digital Coast Act provides an opportunity to help America’s ocean, coastal and shoreline areas by addressing issues raised by the U.S. Oceans Commission, the Pew Commission, as well as several NAS reports, all of which have highlighted the need for surveying, charting, remote sensing, and geospatial data of America’s coasts, harbors, ports, shorelines and ocean resources critical to the nation’s most basic economic and recreational activities, to smartly conserve a fragile environment.”
“Greater emphasis has been paid to monitoring sea-level rise, coastal conservation and emergency preparedness and response in the wake of natural and manmade disasters,” MAPPS President Jeff Lower, said. “This Digital Coast Act will coordinate the pooling of resources from multiple agencies (federal, state, and local) and other stakeholders to map the various needs once, and then utilize and apply the high-quality data and products numerous times, thus reducing taxpayer waste while maximizing the return on investment for all stakeholders.” The Digital Coast is a geospatially enabled program to improve coordination and support work with stakeholders to identify geospatial priorities; improve coordination of coastal mapping and management activities; use standards and standardized methods for data acquisition, processing, and distribution to ensure broadest utility of data; promote best practices when applying geospatial data for coastal decision making; and contract for the collection and creation of quality non-navigation feature data sets to include: shoreline change, satellite and aerial imagery, land use and land cover maps, benthic habitat mapping, terrestrial topography, shallow water bathymetry, and submerged aquatic vegetation.
U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced the Digital Coast Act of 2014 on September 18. The bill compliments a bipartisan effort in the U.S. House of Representatives by C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Don Young (R-AK), cosponsors of Digital Coast Act, H.R 1382.
Proteus FZC, a provider of satellite-derived mapping and classification services, will discuss its use of high-resolution WorldView-2 imagery to derive accurate forest inventory and tree classification maps in Abu Dhabi during a free webinar with DigitalGlobe.
“Vegetation Analysis in the Desert Using Satellite Imagery,” part of the ongoing DigitalGlobe LEAD Webinar Series, will be held September 24 at 12:30 p.m. BST (7:30 a.m. U.S. EDT). Register by clicking here.
The webinar is aimed at managers and technical analysts from forestry, agriculture, remote sensing and GIS organizations in private and public sectors. The webinar will cover:
How very high-resolution satellite remote sensing technology is being deployed commercially for tree inventory and condition analysis.
Tools that are available now to help agriculture, forestry and environmental decision makers in areas with sparse water resources.
How to use satellite data in support of environmental planning and policy creation.
Richard Flemmings, Proteus project manager, will offer insight into a recent 20-million tree mapping and classification project performed by Proteus FZC in Abu Dhabi. As an extension to an Emirate-wide habitat and land use/land cover project, Proteus applied advanced processing algorithms to the multispectral and panchromatic WorldView-2 image data to differentiate many tree species and assess the condition of individual trees, critical for irrigation management.
“This project demonstrates the viability of using very high-resolution satellite imagery to quickly and cost effectively create baseline vegetative inventories within diverse land-use areas,” said Flemmings. “The mapping technique used in Abu Dhabi can be applied to create forest and vegetation inventories of other species anywhere in the world.”
Since 2011, Proteus has been delivering solutions for mapping and classification projects using multispectral satellite imagery. These mapping projects have been delivered for environmental, oil & gas, engineering and other coastal zone applications in Europe, USA, the Middle East and Caribbean.
For more information on Proteus products, see www.proteusgeo.com or email [email protected] for further details or to discuss individual requirements.
LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, will be showcasing its products at eight conferences this fall.
LizardTech representatives will highlight its newest product, GeoGofer, a software solution for powerful image searching and sorting. The representatives will be available for product demonstrations and to answer questions at the following shows:
September 8-11 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at GIS-Pro 2014, booth 229.
September 15-16 in Orlando, Florida, at the eighth annual Central Florida GIS Workshop.
September 22-24 in Columbus, Ohio, at the 2014 Ohio GIS Conference.
September 22-26 in Grand Junction, Colorado, at the GeCo in the Rockies Conference.
September 25 in Denver, Colorado, at the Esri DIUG.
October 5-8 in Groton, Connecticut, at the Fall Northeast Arc Users Group (NEARC).
October 20-24 in Austin, Texas, at the 2014 Texas GIS Forum.
October 22-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the MAC URISA 2014 Conference.
In addition to GeoGofer, LizardTech representatives will provide product demonstrations of the company’s entire line of geospatial products. The LizardTech product line includes GeoExpress software, which enables geospatial professionals to compress and manipulate satellite and aerial imagery, Express Server software for high-performance image delivery and publication, and LiDAR Compressor software, which turns giant point cloud datasets into efficient MrSID files.
Microsoft Corp. has announced the Nokia Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM smartphones running the latest Windows Phone 8.1 operating system, bringing industry-leading imaging technology to more affordable price levels.
Microsoft also announced two new accessories that provide innovative ways for people to interact with their phones, plus the Lumia Denim update, which brings extra features and enhancements to existing Lumia smartphones.
“Our strategy is to help people do more with stunning products that unite and showcase the best of Microsoft’s digital work and life experiences,” said Chris Weber, corporate vice president of Mobile Devices Sales at Microsoft. “The Lumia 830, Lumia 735 and Lumia 730 Dual SIM combine popular Microsoft services such as Skype, Microsoft Office and OneDrive with amazing Lumia innovations in design and imaging to bring experiences that people value, at prices they can afford.”
The Lumia 830: The Affordable Flagship
With a slim design, the Lumia 830 is what Microsoft calls an “affordable flagship” that delivers high-end innovations such as optical image stabilization and PureView imaging to more people. It captures high-quality images and videos, day or night, with a 10-megapixel PureView camera with ZEISS optics, Rich Recording and the thinnest optical image stabilization system to date on a Lumia.
It delivers the best of Microsoft with pre-loaded Microsoft Office Mobile; the latest version of Windows Phone 8.1 with Lumia Denim; and OneDrive with 15 GB of free storage, allowing content to be synced and shared easily. It comes with flagship Lumia innovations such as integrated wireless charging in a sleek and light aluminum and polycarbonate design.
Lumia 830 will begin rolling out globally this month.
Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735: Built for Skype and Selfies
With wide-angle, front-facing cameras and a slim, pocketable style, the Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 let people easily capture and share more. The front-facing 5-megapixel camera is great for Skype video calls, letting people share more of the world around them or bring more family and friends into a call.
With an offer for a free, three-month Skype Unlimited World1 subscription, it’s easier than ever to have an international voice call with friends and family on their mobile and landline phones, right from the Lumia 730 or Lumia 735. Plus, with the integration of one-tap Skype video call access during voice calls, people have even more ways to share their stories, no matter where they are.
Lumia 730 Dual SIM and Lumia 735 will also begin rolling out globally this month, featuring a 2220 mAh battery, 8 GB of internal storage and 15 GB of free OneDrive storage. The Lumia 730 Dual SIM will be priced around 199 euros before taxes and subsidies, while the Lumia 735 with LTE/4G and wireless charging support will be priced around 219 euros before taxes and subsidies.
New Accessories
Microsoft Devices Group on Thursday also announced two new additions to the innovative Lumia accessories line:
The second-generation smart Wireless Charging Plate DT-903 makes the most convenient way to charge even better by intelligently alerting people when to charge and highlighting notifications with a subtle glow.
The Microsoft Screen-Sharing for Lumia Phones HD-10 lets people beam any content from their smartphone to an HDMI-enabled screen, easily and without content restrictions. It is good for reliving memories with friends and family or sharing presentations at work.
Lumia Denim
Lumia Denim combines the latest Windows Phone 8.1 update with exclusive experiences for Lumia smartphones. Lumia Denim also cements Microsoft’s leadership in imaging with the introduction of unique innovations in Lumia Camera that make the camera work faster and more intuitively. Coming as part of the Lumia Denim update to Lumia 930, Lumia Icon and Lumia 1520, Lumia Camera offers the following:
Speed. Never miss a moment with Lumia Camera and its fast camera startup and capture speeds. Take numerous photos with just milliseconds between shots.
High definition. Using Moment Capture, a long press of the camera button within the app automatically starts 4K-quality video recording at 24 frames per second. Each frame is of high image quality at 8.3 megapixels, allowing every single video frame to be selected and saved as a still image.
Intuitiveness. Get the best shot every time with Rich Capture, which simplifies picture-taking with auto HDR and Dynamic Flash. With Rich Capture, people can avoid the hassle of adjusting camera settings; they can shoot first and edit and select the perfect shot later.
Quality. Capture high-quality smartphone images in low light with the latest-generation imaging algorithms.
Lumia Camera will initially roll out as an update with Lumia Denim for Lumia 930, Lumia Icon and Lumia 1520 and as an over-the-air update for Lumia 830 in Q4 2014. Lumia Denim will roll out as an over-the-air update to all the other Lumia Windows Phone 8 smartphones, following partner testing and approvals.
