GIS in Education

The Ingenieurbüro für Geoinformatik (GisEO) and the geoinformation service provider DELPHI IMM GmbH recently won the contract for the development and realization of a geo portal and web services to supply a comprehensive survey of educational information based on spatial data. The emerging web technology is planned to support education representatives, parents, students as well as national and international school partners in investigating the structure and performance of schools and after school care or day care facilities in the Land Brandenburg based on up-to-date maps. The supply of the web application will be free of charge and is scheduled to be completed by May 2011.

Representative international school achievement studies like PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) have not only set off an increasing public interest towards pedagogical school profiles and other performance data. Moreover, the number of online users visiting the website ‚School Portraits of Brandenburg‘ of the education server Berlin-Brandenburg is testament to the popularity of online services supplying detailed but transparent educational information. Yet, most of the present available Educational Geo Information Systems (EduGIS) show wide deficits in describing educational information in a space-related context. Consequently, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Land Brandenburg (Staatliche Schulamt Wünsdorf) has realized the missing or at least bad availability of educational based geoinformation for different user groups despite its indefeasible high impact on investment decisions and site questions. “Due to the large variety of educational opportunities for parents there is no greater challenge than choosing an appropriate school or day care center site. The supply of geo-coded school sites and after school care or day care center sites as web service will facilitate the individual decision process by delivering helpful and crucial information like for instance the school address, the name of the school authority or the distance from the child’s home. At the same time, we will implement a technology that avoids the redundant data capture and storage but allows the rapid and profound use of data in combination with other data sources (web services and attribute data),” states Rolf Lessing, Managing Director of DELPHI IMM.

In developing the geo portal and the web services in the course of a funded project by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) the Land Brandenburg will provide a completely free service package. Both education representatives and the public will obtain an interactive web platform to handle versatile tasks and issues in the field of educational information management. This represents a significant step towards a better information culture for the education system of the Land Brandenburg, which will succeed to meet the ever-increasing public demand for information on structure and capacities of the regional education sector. Finally, the project activities are scheduled to allow for a functional enhancement of the geo portal EduGIS at a later date.

Contacts:
Ingenieurbüro für Geoinformatik (GisEO) - Frank Schönburg
T +49 3378 8649-15
www.giseo.de

DELPHI IMM GmbH - Anita Diedrigkeit
T +49 331 62 000 26
www.delphi-imm.de

1.5 billion hectares (5.8 million square miles) of land are suitable for forest restoration, according a new analysis by the Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration, a partnership between the World Resources Institute, South Dakota State University, and IUCN.

The global map shows where forests have "great potential for recovery", including great swathes of deforested landscapes (about two-thirds of the opportunity) across Africa, Brazil, and Indonesia as well as degraded forests and woodlands. The analysis breaks opportunities into two classes: wide-scale and mosiac (or patchy) forest generation.

The study find that most of the opportunities occur not in frontier areas where deforestation is presently occurring, but in regions where forest degradation and deforestation have already occurred. It notes that restoration opportunities vary depending on local conditions.

"These areas should not all be restored in the same fashion," states the World Resources Institute (WRI) on its web site. "There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Each forest landscape is unique and needs its own restoration design which responds in a balanced way to societal preferences and needs."

"Lands that are currently used for crop production or grazing, for example, are not suitable for wide-scale restoration. They may, however, offer opportunities for restoration in mixed land-use mosaics. Many historically deforested areas belong to this category."

The map was released as world leaders met in Cancun for climate talks. One of the hottest areas of discussion in Cancun was the so-called reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) mechanism, which proposes to pay tropical countries for protecting, restoring, and "sustainably managing" their forests. The conference ended with an agreement to pursue REDD.

Some countries are already seeing forest regeneration. Costa Rica and Vietnam are among the nations that have seen recovery of forest cover outside industrial plantations.

The Global Partnership on Forest Landscape Restoration map is based on relatively coarse (1x1 km) remote sensing data and considers current land cover, land use, population density and other factors. It does not incorporate tenure arrangements and land-use dynamics, which could complicate forest recovery and restoration.

[via] For more information, please visit wri.org/restoring-forests.

Satellite images have now become a vital back-up tool in responding to disasters all over the world.

But Australia doesn't own any satellites, instead relying entirely on cooperation from foreign governments and commercial operators.

State Emergency Service volunteers often risk their lives to rescue others -- and sometimes they get there too late -- but lately their response has been helped by satellite images bought from overseas.

“This up to date information really helps us to make the right decisions when it comes to lives that are potentially at risk,” SES Geographic Information Officer Austin Pepper told SBS.

But Andrew Dempster from UNSW says having to buy information can hamper rescue efforts.

"The problem with always buying your data from other people is that you can't guarantee that the satellites will be tasked to do what you want. And you always have to pay for it," he told SBS.

The need for help from space was highlighted on one of Australia's darkest days, when a firestorm swept across Victoria, killing more than 200 people.

Peter Woodgate from SICRC says many more lives could have been saved on Black Saturday if rescue teams had had access to certain satellite images.

Happy Holidays everyone! Let us have a little fun and join in tracking Santa on Google Earth today. The site called NORAD has been tracking Santa Claus since 1955. In the past two years or so, NORAD has been using Google maps and Google Earth.

Track Santa here.

Why NORAD track Santa
For more than 50 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight.

The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.

In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.

Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to phone calls and emails from children all around the world. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Millions of people who want to know Santa’s whereabouts now visit the NORAD Tracks Santa website.

Finally, media from all over the world rely on NORAD as a trusted source to provide updates on Santa’s journey.

Geoportal Single Space Agency, which provides a continuous mapping of the earth's surface from satellite Resurs-DK1 "," Monitor-E satellite, Meteor-M1, as well as a number of foreign spacecraft, began its work in the Science Center Earth Operative Monitoring (NTs OMZ), says report.

"Geoportal Space Agency is designed to provide access to public users as well as businesses and individuals to information resources of a single bank of geospatial data, efficient search on a single directory of remote sensing (RS), the calculation of the coordinates and distances for selected objects on the photomap, the formation order archival materials RS "- said after the launching ceremony Geoportal head of" Russian Space Systems (RCS) Yuri Urlichich.

According to him, users Geoportal, access to which is provided from the sites of Roskosmos , PKC and NTs OMZ will be able to get online with the supplied information based on data received from the spacecraft Resurs-DK1 "," Monitor-E, Meteor -M1, Okean-O "(number 1), Resurs-O" (number 2,3,4) and ERS-2.

"The cost of creating Geoportal Space Agency is more than 10 million rubles. It was created in cooperation with the RCC Institute of Precision Instruments. Initially, in order to fly Geoportal could use foreign users, it is standardized in ISO 15000. With the completion of the Russian space group with new satellite remote Sensing geoportal will be updated with new data ", - said Urlichich.

He clarified that, as geo-portal is created primarily on the budget, and provided them information will be free for government agencies.

The system creates geoporatala open to the possibility of placing directories of remote sensing data of any Russian company. The first such step has already been made - the portal presented the data directory of Sovzond. Plans are underway to develop additional services Geoportal, which will further implement the entry and processing of data from satellite navigation systems GLONASS / GPS, integrated delivery of heterogeneous data, the use of distributed banks of satellite images.

Information on geoportal will be updated daily. At the present time to enter into a layer of continuous cover the earth's surface has trained more than 200 routes shooting from the satellite Resurs-DK1 "on Russian territory.

In addition, with the launch created now looking spacecraft ERS Canopus in Resurs-P "will be available with the information they received.

As promised the organizers of the Geoportal, it will be wound up a page where every registered user can leave their comments and suggestions on the use of the new system.

The launch of Russia's new-generation Glonass-K satellite has been postponed until 2011, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The satellite atop a Soyuz-2.1.b carrier rocket was to blast off from the Plesetsk Space Center on December 28.

"Preparations have not been completed for the ground complex to navigate the Glonass-K spacecraft," the ministry's statement said.

The Glonass-K, which has a service life of 10 years, will beam five navigation signals - four in the special L1 and L2 bands and one for civilian applications in the L3 band.

A Proton-M carrier rocket with three Glonass-M satellites veered off course and sunk in the Pacific Ocean on December 5.

The failure was attributed to a series of manufacturing mistakes.

The satellites were supposed to finalize the creation of Russia's Glonass Global Navigation Satellite System.

Glonass is Russia's answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, and is designed for both military and civilian uses. Both systems allow users to determine their positions to within a few meters.

Russia currently has a total of 26 Glonass satellites in orbit, although only 20 of them are functional.

MOSCOW, December 21 (RIA Novosti)

Watch this Lunar Eclipse online video. It is quite an amazing 10-minute video taken last night, Tuesday, December 21, 2010.

Video:

Geospatial World Forum
Date: January 18 - 21, 2011
Place: Hyderabad International Convention Centre
Novotel & HICC Complex, Cyberabad Post Office , Hyderabad, India

Register here.

Geospatial World Forum shall be driven by an objective to provide an appropriate representation of geospatial industry and its relevance in tomorrow’s world and it will embrace in itself, the directions and dimensions for geospatial industry. It will be a true business development platform for geospatial industry and will provide a wonderful environment for promotions, marketing, branding, leadership, collaboration, partnerships networking and so on.

Geospatial World Forum will be a medium of convergence of various stakeholders of global geospatial community and its integration with end users of geospatial information. It will be a combination of activities covering technology to policy to user oriented themes at global level. Framework of Geospatial World Forum will encourage various international professional societies focussing on different sub domains of geospatial community to discuss latest developments and its integration with other sub-domains within the geospatial community and also with other related domains.

Geospatial World Forum will act as a facilitator to participating agencies to organize activities according to their area of specialization and interest. Each activity will be designed primarily by the respective participating agency in consultation with the organizer.

Esri Asia Pacific User Conference
Date: January 26 - 27, 2011
Place: Manila, Philippines

Geodata Systems Technologies, Inc., the sole Esri distributor in the Philippines, is proud to be hosting the 2011 APUC January 26–27 at the Edsa Shangri-La Hotel in Manila, Philippines. For two days, in one place, you'll have Esri at your fingertips. The APUC will be an excellent event and tremendous resource for anyone working with GIS technology in the Asia Pacific region.

LizardTech, a division of Celartem Inc. and a leading provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, announced the release of the 8.0 version of the MrSID Decode SDK (DSDK) to complement the recent release of LizardTech GeoExpress 8. This SDK gives developers tools to support viewing files in the MrSID Generation 4 (MG4) format, unveiled with the recent launch of GeoExpress 8, which adds support for multispectral data, alpha channels and improved mosaicking.

“Last year we introduced an updated MrSID DSDK for LiDAR data and now we’re adding support for raster data. This release of the MrSID DSDK allows third-party developers to add support for viewing and decoding data compressed to any version of the MrSID file format,” said Jon Skiffington, director of product management. “We’re excited to offer this SDK to our partners and look forward to the release of their products that support MG4 as well as MrSID Generation 3 and MrSID Generation 2.”

MG4 is the new version of the LizardTech MrSID file format that the geospatial industry has relied on for years. MG4 accommodates new technologies for analyzing the earth by supporting hyperspectral imagery, LiDAR point cloud data, and multiterabyte datasets. With MG4 users can losslessly compress their geospatial data, mosaic datasets together, color balance raster imagery, and manipulate data in many other ways. LiDAR data compressed to MG4 can be viewed in Merrick MARS, Overwatch LiDAR Analyst, ESRI 3D Analyst, and LizardTech’s free GeoViewer. Raster imagery compressed to MG4 can be viewed with either of LizardTech’s free viewers.

A free download of MrSID Decode SDK 8.0 is available at http://developer.lizardtech.com.

Here are the latest papers / articles that have been presented as posters or orals at the AGU 2010 Fall meeting under "Active Remote Sensing Measurements of Vegetation 3-D Structure and Biomass: Assessing Accuracy and Sources of Uncertainty."

Follow me on twitter for the latest happening at the AGU 2010.

1. Effect of Ground Surface Reflectance on LiDAR Waveforms, Height Metrics and Biomass Estimation. B. D. Cook; J. Rosette; P. R. North; J. Rubio; J. Suárez.

Forest attributes such as aboveground woody biomass are commonly derived from LiDAR waveforms using empirical relationships with relative height metrics, i.e., percentiles of returned energy relative to the ground elevation. However, LiDAR waveforms and height metrics are strongly influenced by the reflectance properties of vegetation, soils, and litter at or near the ground surface, adding a level of uncertainty to biomass estimates. To estimate this range of uncertainty, we used FLIGHT, a ray tracing radiative transfer model that simulates single and multiple scattering, to simulate the effect of realistic ground cover types in a mixed, intermediate-aged forest near Howland, Maine, USA. Simulated cover types included sphagnum moss, lichen, leaf litter, bare soil, and snow, which were evaluated for forest canopy cover ranging from 27 to 98%. We discuss multiple scattering in feature waveforms (i.e., reflected energy above the ground peak) and attempts to reduce biomass uncertainty by excluding potentially confounding ground returns.

2. Estimating Above Ground Biomass using LiDAR in the Northcoast Redwood Forests. M. Rao; E. Stewart

In recent years, LiDAR (Light Intensity Detection Amplification and Ranging) is increasingly being used in estimating biophysical parameters related to forested environments. The main goal of the project is to estimate long-term biomass accumulation and carbon sequestration potential of the redwoods ecosystem. The project objectives are aimed at providing an assessment of carbon pools within the redwood ecosystem. Specifically, we intend to develop a relational model based on LiDAR-based canopy estimates and extensive ground-based measurements available for the old-growth redwood forest located within the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, CA. Our preliminary analysis involved developing a geospatial database, including LiDAR data collected in 2007 for the study site, and analyzing the data using USFS Fusion software. The study area comprised of a 12-acres section of coastal redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, located in Orick, CA. A series of analytical steps were executed using the USFS FUSION software to produce some intermediate data such as bare earth model, canopy height model, canopy coverage model, and canopy maxima treelist. Canopy maxima tree tops were compared to ground layer to determine height of tree tops. A total of over 1000 trees were estimated, and then with thinning (to eliminate errors due to low vegetation > 3 meters tall), a total of 950 trees were delineated. Ground measurements were imported as a point based shapefile and then compared to the treetop heights created from LiDAR data to the actual ground referenced data. The results were promising as most estimated treetops were within 1-3 meters of the ground measurements and generally within 3-5m of the actual tree height. Finally, we are in the process of applying some allometric equations to estimate above ground biomass using some of the LiDAR-derived canopy metrics.

3. Forest Biomass Mapping Using Lidar-derived Canopy Height Metrics at Maine in USA.
W. Huang; G. Sun

Forest biomass from regional to global level is important for underlying and monitoring the ecosystem responses to natural and human activities. Lidar provides the ability to directly measure canopy height index for aboveground biomass estimation. Our study site is located in Howland, Maine, United States. Data source consists of airborne medium footprint lidar data in 2009 and ground data from DESDynI field campaign in August 2009 and 2010. Canopy vertical structures are captured by the Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) with entire return signal (i.e. in ~30 cm vertical bins). We first calculated height metrics (i.e. h10 to h100, totally 15 indices) by waveform decomposition using either Gaussian or numeric filter. Then, metrics were compared with RH indices at different levels: footprint of 20m diameter circle, squared plot of 25 x 25m, 50 x 50 m, 50 x 100 m and 50 x 200 m, respectively. At last, the biomass map was created. Height metrics from h50 to h80 show high correlation with biomass. Among them, h65 and h70 are the best, which is consistent with previous perspective that RH50 (or HOME, height of median energy) and RH75 have the best linear relationship with aboveground biomass. Comparison between h metrics and RH indices shows the latter one is better. In addition, both single and multi-variable linear regression model significant improvement with the increasing of field plot size.

4. Measuring Above Ground Biomass and Vegetation Structure in the South Florida Everglades Wetland Ecosystem with X-, C-, and L-band SAR data and Ground-based LiDAR. E. A. Feliciano; S. Wdowinski; M. Potts; S. Chin; D. A. Phillips

Worldwide, anthropogenic activities are disturbing and disrupting nutrient rich bio-diverse wetland ecosystems. Disturbance of the South Florida Everglades has been particularly acute, but difficult to quantify given its limited accessibility. Successful ecosystem monitoring requires the use of remote sensing. We used space-based Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) observations to estimate vegetation structure and above-ground biomass and track their changes over time. Our study leveraged three different SAR wavelengths that interact with different aspects of the vegetation. The short wavelength X-band (3.2 cm) signal interacts mainly with canopies; the intermediate wavelength C-band (5.6 cm) signal interacts with both canopies and branches; and the long wavelength L-band (24 cm) signal interacts with both the surface and lower portion of the vegetation. We used dual- and quadruple-polarization observations acquired from the TerraSAR-X, RadarSAT-2, and ALOS satellites. Different polarization data reflect radar signal interaction with different sections of the vegetation due to different scattering mechanisms.

In order to calibrate the multi-wavelength and multi-polarization SAR observations, we conducted field measurement in three vegetation communities: hammock, pine and cypress. Our ground measurements included both traditional forestry surveys and state-of-the-art Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), a.k.a. ground based LiDAR surveys. A week long TLS survey was conducted in the Everglades National Park in the three calibrations sites using a Leica ScanStation C10 TLS instrument which utilizes a narrow, green (532 nm) laser beam. During this week we collected a total of 29 scans (33 GB of data). The TLS surveys provided centimeter resolution 3-D point clouds of the ground surface and below-canopy vegetation. Initial analysis of the data has provided detailed 3-D estimates of the vegetation structure and above ground biomass. A comparative analysis of the ability of the three bands of SAR to quantify above ground biomass in the different communities is presented. We also determine the essential bands needed to most efficiently estimate biomass. We find that the performance of SAR differs by community types. More rigorous data processing will provide important quantitative measures that will allow careful calibration of the remote sensing SAR data.

5. Modelling Sensor and Target effects on LiDAR Waveforms. J. Rosette; P. R. North; J. Rubio; B. D. Cook; J. Suárez

The aim of this research is to explore the influence of sensor characteristics and interactions with vegetation and terrain properties on the estimation of vegetation parameters from LiDAR waveforms. This is carried out using waveform simulations produced by the FLIGHT radiative transfer model which is based on Monte Carlo simulation of photon transport (North, 1996; North et al., 2010). The opportunities for vegetation analysis that are offered by LiDAR modelling are also demonstrated by other authors e.g. Sun and Ranson, 2000; Ni-Meister et al., 2001. Simulations from the FLIGHT model were driven using reflectance and transmittance properties collected from the Howland Research Forest, Maine, USA in 2003 together with a tree list for a 200m x 150m area. This was generated using field measurements of location, species and diameter at breast height. Tree height and crown dimensions of individual trees were calculated using relationships established with a competition index determined for this site. Waveforms obtained by the Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (LVIS) were used as validation of simulations. This provided a base from which factors such as slope, laser incidence angle and pulse width could be varied. This has enabled the effect of instrument design and laser interactions with different surface characteristics to be tested. As such, waveform simulation is relevant for the development of future satellite LiDAR sensors, such as NASA’s forthcoming DESDynI mission (NASA, 2010), which aim to improve capabilities of vegetation parameter estimation.

6. Reducing Uncertainty In Ecosystem Structure Inventories From Spaceborne Lidar Using Alternate Spatial Sampling Approaches. M. A. Lefsky; T. Ramond; C. S. Weimer

Current and proposed spaceborne lidar sensors sample the land surface using observations along transects in which consecutive observations in the along-track dimension are either contiguous (e.g. VCL, DESDynI, Livex) or spaced (ICESat). These sampling patterns are inefficient because multiple observations are made of a spatially autocorrelated phenomenon (i.e. vegetation patches) while large areas of the landscape are left un-sampled. This results in higher uncertainty in estimates of average ecosystem structure than would be obtained using either random sampling or sampling in regular grids. We compared three sampling scenarios for spaceborne lidar: five transects spaced every 850 m across-track with contiguous 25m footprints along-track, the same number of footprints distributed randomly, and a hybrid approach that retains the central transect of contiguous 25m footprints and distributes the remainder of the footprints into a grid with 178 m spacing. We used simulated ground tracks at four latitudes for a realistic spaceborne lidar mission and calculated the amount of time required to achieve 150 m spacing between transects and the number of near-coincident observations for each scenario. We used four lidar height datasets collected using the Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor (La Selva, Costa Rica, Sierra Nevada, California, Duke Forest, North Carolina and Harvard Forest, Massachusetts) to calculate the standard error of estimates of landscape height for each scenario.
We found that a hybrid sampling approach reduced the amount of time required to reach a transect spacing of 150 m by a factor of three at all four latitudes, and that the number of near-coincident observations was greater by a factor of five at the equator and at least equal throughout the range of latitudes sampled. The standard error of landscape height was between 2 and 2.5 times smaller using either hybrid or random sampling than using transect sampling. As the pulses generated by a spaceborne laser are a valuable resource to be conserved, any strategy that decreases the number of observations required to develop large scale inventories with a given level of confidence should be pursued. Data fusion between lidar data and a spatially complete data source (e.g. polarmetric or interferrometric SAR) will also benefit from a spatially distributed sample of lidar as the average distance between any point and a lidar observation is greatly reduced. This study demonstrates that more flexible spatial arrangements of observations can result in estimates of average landscape height that have as little as one-third of the uncertainty of estimates made with an equal number of observations along transects. The method of sampling described here can be implemented by a technology, Electronically Steerable Flash Lidar, that can distribute observations in the patterns described here and simultaneously support transect sampling.

7. Sensitivity of LIDAR Canopy Height Estimate to Geolocation Error. H. Tang; R. Dubayah

Many factors affect the quality of canopy height structure data derived from space-based lidar such as DESDynI. Among these is geolocation accuracy. Inadequate geolocation information hinders subsequent analyses because a different portion of the canopy is observed relative to what is assumed. This is especially true in mountainous terrain where the effects of slope magnify geolocation errors. Mission engineering design must trade the expense of providing more accurate geolocation with the potential improvement in measurement accuracy. The objective of our work is to assess the effects of small errors in geolocation on subsequent retrievals of maximum canopy height for a varying set of canopy structures and terrains. Dense discrete lidar data from different forest sites (from La Selva Biological Station, Costa Rica, Sierra National Forest, California, and Hubbard Brook and Bartlett Experimental Forests in New Hampshire) are used to simulate DESDynI height retrievals using various geolocation accuracies. Results show that canopy height measurement errors generally increase as the geolocation error increases. Interestingly, most of the height errors are caused by variation of canopy height rather than topography (slope and aspect).

8. Validating LiDAR Derived Estimates of Canopy Height, Structure and Fractional Cover in Riparian Areas: A Comparison of Leaf-on and Leaf-off LiDAR Data. L. A. Wasser; L. E. Chasmer; A. Taylor; R. Day

Characterization of riparian buffers is integral to understanding the landscape scale impacts of disturbance on wildlife and aquatic ecosystems. Riparian buffers may be characterized using in situ plot sampling or via high resolution remote sensing. Field measurements are time-consuming and may not cover a broad range of ecosystem types. Further, spectral remote sensing methods introduce a compromise between spatial resolution (grain) and area extent. Airborne LiDAR can be used to continuously map and characterize riparian vegetation structure and composition due to the three-dimensional reflectance of laser pulses within and below the canopy, understory and at the ground surface. The distance between reflections (or ‘returns’) allows for detection of narrow buffer corridors at the landscape scale.

There is a need to compare leaf-off and leaf-on surveyed LiDAR data with in situ measurements to assess accuracy in landscape scale analysis. These comparisons are particularly important considering increased availability of leaf-off surveyed LiDAR datasets. And given this increased availability, differences between leaf-on and leaf-off derived LiDAR metrics are largely unknown for riparian vegetation of varying composition and structure. This study compares the effectiveness of leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR in characterizing riparian buffers of varying structure and composition as compared to field measurements.

Field measurements were used to validate LiDAR derived metrics. Vegetation height, canopy cover, density and overstory and understory species composition were recorded in 80 random plots of varying vegetation type, density and structure within a Pennsylvania watershed (-77.841, 40.818). Plot data were compared with LiDAR data collected during leaf on and leaf off conditions to determine 1) accuracy of LiDAR derived metrics compared to field measures and 2) differences between leaf-on and leaf-off LiDAR metrics. Results illustrate that differences exist between metrics derived from leaf on and leaf-off surveyed LiDAR. There is greater variability between the two datasets within taller deciduous and mixed (conifer and deciduous) vegetation compared to shorter deciduous and mixed vegetation. Differences decrease as stand density increases for both mixed and deciduous forests. LiDAR derived canopy height is more sensitive to understory vegetation as stand density decreases making measurement of understory vegetation in the field important in the validation process. Finally, while leaf-on LiDAR is often preferred for vegetation analysis, results suggest that leaf-off LiDAR may be sufficient to categorize vegetation into height classes to be used for landscape scale habitat models.

I am tweeting the AGU 2010 events. Follow me on twitter @talksmart.

A satellite map of the disaster area was used by the Emercom of Russia during their assistance to Israel in fire fighting activities near the Haifa city. Detailed imagery of IKONOS satellite from December 4 was used by ScanEx specialists to prepare and provide a satellite map of the fire-stricken area to the Russian EMERCOM, where fire blazes and smoke plumes were detected.

The fires have been raging near the city of Haifa – the third in size city in Israel – starting December 2. According to the estimates of the experts over 2000 hectars of forest has been burnt out and over 40 people died. Fire brigades from Russia, Greece, France, Turkey and other countries took part in the fire fighting activities.

Russian EMERCOM aviation completed fire extinguishing in Israel on December 7 after making 16 flights at the Carmel Mountain (near Haifa). In all, over 40 aircrafts were used in fire fighting, including two Il-76 and two Be-200 amphibian aircrafts of the Russian EMERCOM.

“Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his gratitude to Russia during the conversation with RF President Medvedev for the quick and efficient response to all applies of Israel for help and assistance in this large disaster response activities, - reports RBC Information Agency.

South Africa unveiled its national space agency on Thursday, aiming to become a leader in earth observation technology across the continent in 10 years, the minister of science and technology said, via report.

"Our combined efforts at enhancing South Africa's space capabilities will be of immense value to the scientific community in the Southern African region," Naledi Pandor said.

"We believe (the launch of SANSA) will stimulate investment and the local scientific research sector," she added.

The agency, which already has two micro-satellites, will produce timely data imagery to help detect natural disasters and monitor water resources around South Africa and the continent, Pandor said at the launch.

The new agency, which aims to bring together previously un-allied experts in the field, will also seek to revive several space facilities that were mothballed in the 1990's during apartheid rule, said a government official.

However, the establishment of the agency's new structures will mean full operations will only resume in April 2012.

The agency's interim chief executive Sandile Malinga estimated that it would cost South Africa approximately 600 million rands (86.7 million dollars) a year to run the agency.

"These are conservative figures. Our satellites will be built here at home using local expertise. We are hoping that will help reduce cost," said Malinga.

South Africa joins Nigeria, Algeria and Egypt among African countries which already have active space agencies.

According to the ministry, South Africa had primarily been a consumer and a net importer of space technologies.

"There is a need to develop systems and sub-systems to support our requirements and to grow the local industry," the ministry said in a statement.

Esri has released an updated version of its ArcGIS for iOS app. In addition to using the app to discover and explore maps, find places and addresses, and query map layers and data, users can now collect and update geographic information system (GIS) information directly from their iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch devices.

The app lets users collect, edit, and update features and attribute information while performing field data collection and inspection. The update is available at no cost from the App Store.

Users of the updated ArcGIS app can

* Use onboard GPS to collect and update GIS data.
* Attach photos and movies to collected data.
* Tap on the map to get information about a location.

In addition to the ArcGIS app, an API is also available that lets developers and Esri partners create focused, spatially enabled applications for iOS devices. These custom apps can be deployed within an enterprise or to the public via the App Store.

To download the app update, visit the App Store.

The Director of the Centre for Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing (CGIS) at the National University of Rwanda, has urged government, private institutions and individuals to embrace the use of GIS as a way of expediting national development.

Prof. Jean Nduwamungu made the call, yesterday, during celebrations to mark the world GIS Day.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a set of tools that integrate, store, edit, analyze, share, and display geographic information.

Founded in 1999, CGIS aims at serving as a national and regional training and research outreach centre to address the issue of rural sector transformation and poverty reduction.

The annual world GIS Day aims at enabling its users to open their doors to schools, businesses, and the general public to showcase real-world applications of GIS that are making a difference in the society and their use to support national development.

Speaking during the celebrations, Nduwamungu noted that GIS technology can be applied in any field, and speeds up the implementation and realization of one's objectives.

He urged the public to make use of the centre in order to benefit from its services.

The celebrations were marked by presentations on various researches that were conducted in the field of geographic information in the country.

The event attracted experts and researchers from the centre, the National University of Rwanda and other institutions of higher learning in the country and outside.

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GeoEye, Inc., a premier provider of superior satellite and aerial-based geospatial information and services, announced today that it has agreed to purchase 100 percent of the stock of SPADAC Inc., a geospatial predictive analytics company, for $46 million in cash and stock. Upon the completion of the acquisition, SPADAC will become a wholly owned subsidiary named GeoEye Analytics. This acquisition will enhance the breadth of GeoEye's information service offerings and expand its customer base into new markets.

SPADAC provides geospatial predictive analytic solutions to over 40 customers in key markets of defense, intelligence and homeland security. Since SPADAC's formation in 2002, its industry-leading predictive analytics technology, combined with its world-class team of geospatial analysts and intelligence professionals, enables SPADAC to help customers gain the insight they need to support their mission-critical operations around the world.

Matt O'Connell, GeoEye's president and chief executive officer, said, "GeoEye is pleased to welcome SPADAC's highly skilled employees to our team. We have worked together since 2007, when GeoEye acquired a minority ownership interest in the company. We believe that, by combining our imagery collection capabilities with SPADAC's location-based analytic solutions, we can help our customers gain unprecedented insight about the areas around the world in which they operate. We believe we will be the only company in the industry to provide this end-to-end capability."

"SPADAC will continue to be a strong, trusted partner to its existing customers and will now be able to leverage GeoEye's leadership and information service offerings such as EyeQ," said Mark Dumas, SPADAC's chairman and chief executive officer. "GeoEye will also provide us with the financial resources to broaden our capabilities to better serve our existing and future clients."

Brian O'Toole, GeoEye's chief technology officer, added, "SPADAC is a strong strategic fit; their technology and services will enable us to accelerate our growth in information services. By combining SPADAC's predictive analytic solutions with our EyeQ Web platform, we'll be able to offer subscription-based access to a new class of advanced information services."

SPADAC's revenues are forecasted to be approximately $27 million in 2010. Timing and completion of the transaction are subject to customary closing conditions.

CONFERENCE CALL INFORMATION

GeoEye Inc. (NASDAQ: GEOY), will host a conference call for investors and analysts to discuss the acquisition of SPADAC.

When: Dec. 8, 2010, at 9:00 a.m. EST

To Participate: At least 10 minutes prior to the conference call, callers wishing to participate on the call may dial toll-free (877) 776-4039. International callers who wish to listen may dial (631) 291-4808. Callers may identify themselves to the operator as GeoEye conference call participants or by using the conference ID: 29414974.

The conference call will also be webcast on the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's corporate Web site, www.geoeye.com. To directly access the live webcast, go here, and click on the "Dec. 8, 2010, Investor Update Webcast" link. Please allow 15 minutes before the scheduled start time to register, download and install any necessary audio software.

Replay: An audio replay of the this conference call will be available through midnight Dec. 15, 2010, by dialing 1-800-642-1687 and typing in the conference ID number: 29414974. International callers may dial 1-706-645-9291. An archived webcast of the conference call will be available here approximately two hours after the conclusion of the call.

Today, SpaceX became the first commercial company in history to re-enter a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit.

SpaceX and NASA will have a post-mission press conference at 3:30 PM EST at the press site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Participants include:

* Elon Musk, SpaceX CEO and CTO (via satellite from Mission Control in Hawthorne, CA)
* Gwynne Shotwell, SpaceX President
* Alan Lindenmoyer, NASA Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Manager


SpaceX launched its Dragon spacecraft into low-Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket at 10:43 AM EST from Launch Complex 40 at the Air Force Station at Cape Canaveral.

The Dragon spacecraft orbited the Earth at speeds greater than 17,000 miles per hour, reentered the Earth’s atmosphere, and landed in the Pacific Ocean shortly after 2:00 PM EST.

This marks the first time a commercial company has successfully recovered a spacecraft reentering from low-Earth orbit. It is a feat performed by only six nations or government agencies: the United States, Russia, China, Japan, India, and the European Space Agency.

It is also the first flight under NASA’s COTS program to develop commercial supply services to the International Space Station. After the Space Shuttle retires, SpaceX will fly at least 12 missions to carry cargo to and from the International Space Station as part of the Commercial Resupply Services contract for NASA. The Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft were designed to one day carry astronauts; both the COTS and CRS missions will yield valuable flight experience toward this goal.

View the press kit: http://www.spacex.com/downloads/cots1-201012.pdf

About SpaceX
SpaceX is developing a family of launch vehicles and spacecraft that will increase reliability and performance of space transportation, while ultimately reducing costs by a factor of ten. With the Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 rockets, SpaceX has a diverse manifest of launches to deliver commercial satellites to orbit. After the Space Shuttle retires, the Falcon 9 and SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft will start carrying cargo, including live plants and animals, to and from the International Space Station for NASA. Falcon 9 and Dragon were developed to one day
carry astronauts.

Founded in 2002, SpaceX is a private company owned by management and employees, with minority investments from Founders Fund, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Valor Equity Partners. The company has over 1,100 employees in California, Texas and Florida. For more information, and to watch the video of the first Falcon 9 launch, visit the SpaceX website at SpaceX.com.

DigitalGlobe, a leading global content provider of high-resolution earth imagery solutions, today announced it has finalized the judging panel for its inaugural 8-Band Research Challenge. The judges, respected scientists from around the world, will be responsible for reviewing final submissions and selecting the 15 papers that best exemplify sound science and innovative applications of 8-band, high-resolution imagery. Winners will be announced on December 16 and invited to present their findings at the Geospatial World Forum in Hyderabad, India in January.

The DigitalGlobe 8-Band Research Challenge encourages researchers to investigate how 8-band, high-resolution imagery can enhance image analysis and classification research. Commercial 8-band high-resolution imagery is exclusive to DigitalGlobe and delivered via the company’s WorldView-2 commercial satellite. WorldView-2’s 8 spectral sensors are narrowly focused and provide complete coverage of the visual spectrum, along with 2 near-infrared bands. Together the bands are designed to improve the segmentation and classification of land and aquatic features beyond any other space-based remote sensing platform. Ultimately they give scientists a more detailed view of the earth and the ability to analyze information in completely new ways.

The judging panel includes top remote sensing scientists from Europe, the Asia Pacific region and the United States:

* Dr. Ing. Anko Börner - Head of the Department of Information Processing of Optical Systems, German Aerospace Center (DLR), Germany;
* Dr. Stuart R. Phinn – Director of the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Network (Australia), and Director of the Centre for Spatial Environmental Research, School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management, The University of Queensland, Australia;
* Dr. Hrishikesh Samant - Associate Professor of Geology, St. Xavier's College, India and Senior Associate Editor at GIS Development;
* Dr. Walter Scott - Founder and CTO, DigitalGlobe, United States.

“We are honored that such esteemed researchers share our excitement about the potential for 8-band technology, and are eager to help marshall in the next great evolution for geospatial imaging,” said Walter Scott, CTO of DigitalGlobe.

To learn more about DigitalGlobe’s 8-Band multispectral imagery, including detailed datasheets and whitepapers, visit this.

For more information about the DigitalGlobe 8-Band Research Challenge, visit www.8BandChallenge.com.

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, announced that SuperPad 3 supports to connect numerous types of GIS services.

SuperPad 3, the full-function mobile GIS software designed for professional field surveyors, is able to help surveyors who need professional GIS tools to rapidly and effectively collect, edit, and measure the spatial data in the field.

The built-in “Data Services Toolbar Extension” in SuperPad 3 enables SuperPad users to access the WMS (Web Map Service) and WFS (Web Feature Service) services conforming OGC standards through the Internet. Therefore, surveyors can easily overlay the services on the map; the services are useful references for data analysis and editing.

Furthermore, SuperPad 3 also provides the solution for connecting with SuperGIS Server. As a result, surveyors will be able to utilize the Internet connection device in PDA or handheld devices to log in SuperGIS Server and access the map services and feature services published by SuperGIS Server when the device is connected to the Internet.

In the mean time, users will be capable of directly navigating and editing the data in SuperPad 3. Therefore, surveyors will no longer need to carry large quantities of complicated map data when they survey or process field tasks outdoors. Then, the manpower and time needed to process the data can be saved enormously, and the working efficiency of surveyors can be improved greatly, too.

To experience the powerful functionality of SuperPad 3, please visit www.supergeotek.com to download the FREE trial.

Esri has released a mobile geographic information system (GIS) API for the new Microsoft Windows Phone platform. The ArcGIS API for Windows Phone can be used to create interactive applications that combine mapping resources, such as maps, locators, and geoprocessing models, with Windows Phone technologies and frameworks, such as the application bar, controls, and location.

The API is available at no cost from the ArcGIS Resource Center and includes a detailed blog, forum, samples, and support. It is built on the Silverlight framework of the Windows Phone application platform, which includes existing Microsoft tools and technologies such as Visual Studio and Expression Blend. Developers already familiar with Silverlight will be able to create new applications for Windows Phone without a steep learning curve. The ArcGIS API for Windows Phone and the ArcGIS API for Microsoft Silverlight/Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) have the same architecture; therefore, you can reuse application logic in ArcGIS applications built for Windows Phone, Web, and desktop applications.

"This is a very exciting development for the Microsoft developer community because it allows us to use the tools that we're already familiar with to build a new class of applications for Windows Phone quickly and easily," says David Stampfli, technology architect at Microsoft. "The capabilities of the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone are truly impressive and will allow developers to tap into the full power of the ArcGIS platform."

The ArcGIS API for Windows Phone enables users to go beyond basic mapping. For example, users can

* Develop applications that use their own authoritative data.
* Display data on an ArcGIS Online or Bing Maps basemap.
* Add graphics and markups to a map interactively.
* Search for features or attributes within GIS data and display the results.
* Execute a GIS model using ArcGIS Server and display the results.

The API is designed to work with and use the Web services available from ArcGIS Server and ArcGIS Online. Developers and Esri partners can easily build applications that work with their own published Web services and use the API to create applications that can be deployed within their enterprise or to the public via Windows Marketplace.

To download or get more information about the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone, visit the ArcGIS Resource Center International users can contact their local distributor for more information.

Three Russian satellites, being sent into orbit to complete Russia's GLONASS navigation system, fell off course on Sunday and crashed into the Pacific Ocean not far from the Hawaii Islands, Ria News Agency reported.

A spokesman for Russia's space agency Roscosmos told Reuters the satellites had strayed from their course and caused an "un-planned situation." He did not confirm that they had crashed.

The satellites were being carried by the "Proton-M" rocket carrier, which blasted off early on Sunday from the Baikonur space center in Kazakhstan.

Deforestation rates in the Brazilian Amazon declined 14 percent from August 2009 to July 2010, reaching the lowest rates ever recorded for the second consecutive year, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced in Brasília. Satellite images analyzed by Brazil's National Institute for Space Research (INPE) show that an estimated 6,450 square kilometers of forests were cleared in the 12-month period, bringing rates to their lowest since monitoring started in 1988.

The record-breaking decrease represents a major contribution to reducing Brazil's greenhouse gas emissions, as global negotiations progress at the 16th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP16), currently underway in Cancun, Mexico.

"We are fulfilling the commitment we have made in Brazil. We will fulfill it because it's our obligation to do so," said President Lula. He also announced new integrated policies to promote sustainable development in the Amazon region, alongside the first results from Brazil's deforestation monitoring system in the Atlantic Forest. "We are committed to advancing the reduction in deforestation, improving monitoring and creating the conditions for sustainable development in the region," said Minister of Environment Izabella Teixeira.

According to the Ministry of Environment, the successive drops in Amazon deforestation rates are a result of the Plan for Amazon Deforestation Prevention and Control (PPCDAM), an integrated set of integrated government policies that combine enhanced satellite monitoring and enforcement operations with land tenure regularization, alongside initiatives to encourage sustainable activities in the region. With the support of 13 government agencies, PPCDAM was instrumental in helping to reduce deforestation in the Amazon by 76.8 percent from 2004 to 2010.

Satellite images analysed by INPE's near-real time deforestation detection system (DETER) have enabled the Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA), with support from the Federal Police, to set up precise and effective enforcement operations to halt illegal deforestation as it happens.

NASA images reveal disappearing mangroves worldwide
In August 2010, NASA and the US Geological Survey released the first-ever satellite analysis of the world's mangrove ecosystems. They found that mangroves covered 12.3% less area than previously estimated. Now, NASA has released images of the world's mangrove ecosystems, which currently cover 137,760 square kilometers. Yet this number keeps shrinking: mangroves are vanishing rapidly due to rising sea levels, deforestation for coastal developments, agriculture and aquaculture.

Among the world's most important ecosystems, mangroves are tropical saline-adapted forests that survive in tropical coastlines. These forests serve as nurseries for a variety marine fish, underpinning global fisheries and providing additional food for coastal communities. In addition, they store massive amounts of carbon and act as buffers against marine erosion. Recent studies have even found that mangroves buffer human populations and property against tropical storms. Yet despite their importance, less than 7% of the world's mangroves are under legal protection.

Source: PR Newswire

Google Earth Engine is a new tool to give scientists, communities, and environmental activists with better access and understanding of climate change. Google unveiled the latest Labs project during the United Nations COP 16 conference today.

This new platform brings online for the first time an "unprecedented amount of satellite imagery and data" - the complete archive of more than 25 years of historical satellite imagery. This archive is on the terabyte scale, and few organizations have the storage or computing power to handle it. Therefore much of this information has up til now gone unused.

Video: Google Earth Engine Overview