GIS in Education

Note: A research on the popular resort areas in Wisconsin and the three independent sets of data that verify the importance of each resort.

John Fraser Hart, he seems to me, is one of the movers of the Geography profession having published refereed articles, book reviews, and other publications, and more than a dozen books, including the award-winning, The Land That Feeds Us (1992) and his most recent The Changing Scale of American Agriculture (2003 ). Reading Resort Areas in Wisconsin simply proves his love for Geography by studying various relationships of independent geographic data to come up with conclusive judgments about how each of the dataset could verify the importance of well-known resort areas in Wisconsin. This article looks into these three: seasonally vacant housing units, numbers of persons per housing unit, and sales taxes paid by hotels, motels, and resorts – traits common to resorts, which if studied further, could differentiate one resort from the other. Readers of this article should have at an idea (though not necessary) of the locations of the resorts mentioned in the texts for a clearer picture of the descriptive approach the author used to characterize each.

Hart brings clarity to the substantial increase of summer cottages in the more remote rural areas of the northern part while there is a declining rage on the metropolitan outskirts, as he contrasts. This is true as summer cottages have been converted to retirement homes or even residences for commuters.

Hart makes a strong case for the contention that the major clusters of resort counties in Wisconsin vary differently, and in two ways: they differ from non-resort and from one another. This is really true as each resort has its own character and thus attracts different personalities. One appeals to those who prefer nature, and another one that caters to people who go for speed and excitement, and another one to the entire families. Others may even have the mixture of all personalities.

The strong point in this article may come from the final selection of the three major resort areas out of the many that thrive in the county. This, I think, is crucial to giving clarity to the state and development of what he called at the beginning of his article as “second homes”. Investigating each resort via historical facts and figures unfolds interesting gospel of the summer cottages – even to a point of analyzing in-migration and retention of people.

In finality, his conclusion is simple, as he says, that resort areas are not all alike. Each resort area must identify, establish, polish and publicize a particular image in order to attract visitors and to avoid attracting people who will be disappointed. Further, the article is able to cover the demographic and social aspects of Wisconsin and relate it to the growth of the counties due to the presence of the resorts.

URISA is now accepting abstract submissions for GIS-Pro 2011: URISA 49th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals. The conference will take place November 1-4, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Proposals for presentations, panel discussions, luncheon talks and Ignite presentations are invited.

Abstract submissions are due on or before March 14, 2011. For further details, visit www.gis-pro.org or www.urisa.org.

Conference Details:
GIS-Pro 2011: URISA's 49th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals
November 1-4, 2011
JW Marriott - Indianapolis, Indiana

More about URISA:
Since 1963, URISA members and friends from around the world have convened annually to learn about, share and discuss all things geospatial. Whether you are an established or emerging GIS Professional, the GIS-Pro Conference is for you.

Along with the new conference name, URISA has listened to you, our members and conference attendees. Through a series of surveys, interactive discussions, and a challenge set forth by Dr. Barry Wellar (2009 keynote speaker), URISA presents a series of exciting new conference themes. These themes are designed to truly reflect what GIS Professionals are looking for in a modern conference. Gone are restrictive conference tracks - what's in are coordinated themes, designed to move the conversation forward and interactively share information among conference participants.

Dig deeper...go beyond basic technology and applications and contemplate issues related to policy, information and technology management. The Conference offers a unique multidisciplinary approach, with participation from all levels and agencies of government, academia, consultants, developers, technology providers...so you receive the benefit of a variety of viewpoints and experiences.

Download Quantum GIS 1.6.0 Copiapo with GRASS for Windows. QGIS is available on Windows, MacOS X and Linux. Binary packages are provided for the current version. The current version is QGIS 1.6.0 and was released on 27 November 2010.

Quantum GIS is open source software available under the terms of the GNU General Public License meaning that its source code can be downloaded through tarballs or the Subversion repository (SVN).

For testing and learning purpose, we also provide a sample dataset, which contains collections of data from different sources and in different formats, like GPS data, a small GRASS location, GeoTiff, ERDAS Img, Shape or GML formats.

Free download here.

You are invited to submit a session proposal to the 2011 AGU Fall Meeting – the largest gathering of Earth and space scientists, educators, students, and policy makers in the world. AGU's 2011 Fall Meeting takes place 5-9 December 2011 in San Francisco, California.

The key dates for the 2011 Fall Meeting are:

* Session proposal submission opens 25 February and closes 20 April, and;
* Abstract submissions opens 8 June and closes 4 August.

Inspirational and exciting opportunities are emerging for the 2011 Fall Meeting. Keep track of the latest Fall Meeting information at www.agu.org/meetings.

I just heard from my bosses that the NASA Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI) mission has been canceled due to budget constraints. Between the HyspIRI mission and the DESDynI mission, the former has been given the go signal.

This is sad. DESDynI would have been the first space-borne LiDAR system. Currently, there is none.

Update on DESDynI Cancellation: Below is the report from spacenews.com to confirm that the DESDynI mission is canceled.

With U.S. President Barack Obama under pressure to rein in federal spending, the White House eliminated funding for the Climate Absolute Radiance and Refractivity Observatory (CLARREO) and Deformation, Ecosystem Structure and Dynamics of Ice (DESDynI) missions, Steve Volz, associate director for flight programs at NASA’s Earth Science Division, said in a Feb. 24 interview.

The multiyear budget plan NASA sent Congress a year ago called for spending $1.2 billion between 2012 and 2015 to develop CLARREO and DESDynI, two of the four top-tier missions recommended by the National Research Council’s 2007 Earth Science decadal survey. But the White House Office of Management and Budget specifically removed these funds from the agency’s 2012 budget request, Volz said in an interview.

The other two top-tier Earth science missions — Soil Moisture Active-Passive and ICESat-2 — remain budgeted for launch in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

DESDynI, the Earth-imaging radar and lidar satellite mission assigned to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., was expected to cost $1.6 billion to build and operate, a cost deemed unaffordable given NASA’s flat budget projections. NASA was told to go back to the drawing board to find a more affordable approach to the mission, one that would have NASA develop the radar element and another nation develop the lidar element, Volz said. But the start of a new development effort would have to be paid for with money now allocated for the other 14 Earth science missions NASA plans to launch by the end of the decade, he said.

About DESDynI
DESDynI is a science mission providing important observations for land surface change and hazards (surface deformation), and climatic variables (terrestrial biomass and ecosystem structure and ice dynamics). DESDynI uses two spacecraft each with a different sensor suited to these measurements. The sensors are: 1) a ~10 m resolution L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) system with multiple polarizations, and 2) a multiple beam lidar operating in the infrared (~ 1064 nm) with ~ 25 m spatial resolution and 1 m vertical accuracy. The mission uses repeat-pass Interferometric SAR (InSAR) techniques for surface deformation and ice sheet dynamics measurements, and polarimetric SAR for biomass estimation and spatial variability of ecosystem structure. The L-band SAR requires a satellite in ~600 km sun-synchronous orbit in order to maximize available power from the solar arrays. A 12-16 day revisit frequency balances temporal decorrelation with required coverage. Onboard GPS achieves cm-level orbit and baseline knowledge to improve calibration. The science mission has a three-year lifetime to capture time-variable processes and achieve the required measurement accuracies.

About HYSPIRI Mission:
The HyspIRI mission includes two instruments mounted on a satellite in Low Earth Orbit. There is an imaging spectrometer measuring from the visible to short wave infrared (VSWIR) and a multispectral thermal infrared (TIR) imager. The VSWIR and TIR instruments will both have a spatial resolution of 60 m at nadir. The VSWIR will have a temporal revisit of of approximately 3 weeks and the TIR will have a temporal revisit of approximately 1 week. These data will be used for a wide variety of studies primarily in the Carbon Cycle and Ecosystem and Earth Surface and Interior focus areas.

Merrick & Company’s geospatial solutions group is acquiring light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data for the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB) for two projects located in Texas. The first project covers a 2,373‐square‐mile area that includes portions of Collin, Cooke, Denton, Grayson, and Kaufman Counties. The second project, with an area of 3,241 square miles includes portions of Blanco, Kendall, Kerr, Caldwell, and Gonzales Counties. The high density data is being collected to support mapping and modeling of flood plains, hydrography, and terrain.

The Texas Water Development Board is charged with the mission of providing leadership, planning, financial assistance, information, and education for the conservation and responsible development of water for Texas and its citizens.

Merrick & Company, an $100 million geospatial, engineering, architecture, design‐build, and surveying firm, serves domestic and international clients by providing geospatial technologies, products, and services for the infrastructure, energy, and security markets. The firm’s most recent work includes providing terrestrial scanning for an electrical substation for Xcel Energy and acquiring light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data for F.E. Warren Air Force Base and for a wind farm located in Kansas. Merrick maintains eight offices in the U.S. as well as two offices in Mexico and an office in Canada.

More information about Merrick’s GeoSpatial & Surveying Solutions business unit is located at Merrick GeoSpatial Solutions.

More info about Merrick LiDAR:

Merrick uses the most-advanced LiDAR sensors on the market today. The firm owns and operates the ALS-40/50, ALS50, and ALS50-II multiple-pulse scanning systems that are capable of emitting 53,000 – 150,000 pulses per second. In addition, the firm’s LiDAR systems are co-mounted with a Digital Airborne Camera System (DACS™) for simultaneous collection of elevation and digital imagery. This level of technology combined with the firm’s LiDAR expertise, and successful project management provides clients with multiple benefits including:

* The ease of an all-digital approach to acquiring, analyzing, and using spatial data technology
* Integrated flight management for greater efficiency
* Aircraft sensor integration for cost effectiveness
* Integrated Digital Airborne Camera System (DACSTM) with proven IMU & AGPS technology for accuracy
* Utilization of Merrick’s Cessna 402B and 402C aircraft for improved schedule management
* MARS (Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing) LiDAR processing software to provide turnkey solutions

The Asiatype Group of Companies, the country’s leading publisher of folded maps, produced the first locally made Global Positioning System (GPS) portable navigation device, which it calls the Vector V100, for the Philippines.

Created to provide assistance to motorists, the Vector V100 employs electronic maps, route plotting and rerouting and turn-by-turn voice directions. It also boasts of 38,000 points of interest (POIs), so one can easily search through a number of categories, from restaurants, hospitals, tourist sites, schools, malls and even utility shops.

So far, Asiatype already has a complete street-level coverage of Metro Manila, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Pampanga, Baguio, Bulacan, Cebu, Bacolod, Tarlac, Rizal, Subic and Olongapo. It hopes to complete the coverage of the entire Philippines over the next few months. With more than 15 years of mapping data by local cartographers and Geographic Information System specialists, who get constant feedback and update on POIs, motorists are assured of up-to-date information.

For P13,900, a motorist may get the device powered by NDrive navigation software, a leading European provider of navigation services worldwide. The Vector V100 also provides unlimited itineraries and alternative routes through its 4.3-inch touch screen panel display, with a resolution of 480x272 pixels. [via: Philippine Daily Inquirer]

Trimble and Verizon Wireless announced that AllSport GPS, Geocache Navigator and Trimble Outdoors apps are now available on select Verizon Wireless feature phones, including Samsung Alias 2, Samsung Convoy and Nokia 7705 Twist.

Perfect for a variety of outdoor and fitness enthusiasts, these apps use the phone's built-in GPS to provide detailed stats, maps, and navigation essential for a variety of outdoor activities. The apps greatly enhance running, cycling, walking, backpacking and geocaching—a fast-growing outdoor sport, which combines treasure-hunting with high-tech navigation.

"Our apps continue to be one of the most widely available apps for enhancing outdoor and fitness activities. Now more Verizon Wireless customers can track their fitness goals and enjoy the outdoors by turning their phones into GPS devices," said Rich Rudow, general manager for Trimble Outdoors. "Each app provides helpful map and location-based tools specifically designed for niche markets. Hikers can navigate through remote areas with the Trimble Outdoors app, while AllSport GPS allows fitness fans to collect and analyze their daily workouts."

About the Apps

AllSport GPS: The app lets people track workouts, including runs, bike rides, walks, and more from their mobile phone. It collects more than 20 heart-pounding stats, including calories burned, miles, and speed. AllSport GPS subscribers can analyze results, store workouts, and share training sessions with friends on AllSportGPS.com and Facebook. AllSport GPS is available on select BlackBerry® smartphones, Android™ devices and feature phones.

Geocache Navigator: The app allows Verizon Wireless customers to instantly get access to 1.2 million treasures (called geocaches) hidden around the world. There is no need for pre-planning or printing maps ahead of time. Find geocaches in local parks, neighborhoods, or at far away locations. See caches on a map, read clues, and report finds from a mobile phone to geocaching.com. Geocaching is a great outdoor game for kids and adults, and it adds extra fun to road trips and family vacations. Geocache Navigator is available on select BlackBerry smartphones and feature phones.

Trimble Outdoors: The app turns Verizon Wireless devices into an outdoor navigator for hikers, backpackers, and off-roaders. Verizon Wireless customers can track routes on various maps, while collecting waypoints, photos, and audio clips. Use the digital compass and the phone's built-in GPS to stay on track. The Trimble Outdoors app is available on select BlackBerry smartphones, Android devices and feature phones.

Customers can purchase apps depending on compatible phone in Verizon Wireless' online Media Store (www.verizonwireless.com/mp3), Media Center/Get It Now®, V CAST Apps or Android Market™. V CAST Apps, available on select BlackBerry and Android smartphones, give customers an ever-expanding selection of games, productivity tools, entertainment and news apps. V CAST Apps enables customers to pay for their apps with one click, and the charge will appear on their monthly wireless bills. A full list of compatible phones can be found at: http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com/SupportedPhones/#carrier=verizon.

For more information on Verizon Wireless products and services, visit a Verizon Wireless Communications Store, call 1-800-2 JOIN IN or go to: www.verizonwireless.com.

MathWorks invites you to join us for a free webinar on February 23, 2011.

Large Data in MATLAB: A Seismic Data Processing Case Study
23 Feb 2011
10:00 AM EST (Eastern Standard Time)

In this webinar we discuss how to work with large data in MATLAB. Through an example seismic analysis case study we will show you how to:

• Work with data that is too large to fit in available memory on a single machine
• Perform large data analysis computations on a computer cluster (we will use a cluster running 64 MATLAB Distributed Computing Server workers)
• Introduce GPU computing for speeding up solutions of the wave equation for seismic analysis.

Register here.

About the Presenter: Stuart Kozola is a product manager at MathWorks and focuses on MATLAB and add-on products for data analysis, mathematical modeling, and computational finance. Prior to joining MathWorks in 2006, Stuart worked at Pratt & Whitney (United Technologies) as a design engineer working on combustion systems for gas turbine engines. Stuart earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from the University of Wyoming, M.S. in Chemical Engineering from Arizona State University, M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and an M.B.A. from Carnegie Mellon University.

The Master Geo-information Science (MSc Geo-Info) at Wageningen University has been evaluated by the Keuzegids Master 2011, as the best study in the category (rural) planning. The Keuzegids evaluates the quality of 600 Master studies at the Dutch universities. The guide helps future students with their choice by comparing the different Master studies on quality aspects.

In the category (rural) planning, the Master Geo-information Science scores the best at all criteria (ranging from study content to facilities and contact), with a total score of 80.

Video:


About the GIS at WUR:
The MSc programme 'Geo-information Science' (MGI) in Wageningen offers a unique blend of geo-information science methods, technologies and applications. Especially the combined use of earth observation techniques (Remote Sensing) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for problem solving within the environmental disciplines is an asset of the Wageningen approach.

Visit the MSc Geo-information Science website.

The use of remote sensing in soil and terrain mapping - A review by Titia Mulder, Sytze de Bruin, Michael E. Schaepman and Thomas R. Mayr,

Abstract
This article reviews the use of optical and microwave remote sensing data for soil and terrain mapping with emphasis on applications at regional and coarser scales. Remote sensing is expected to offer possibilities for improving incomplete spatial and thematic coverage of current regional and global soil databases. Traditionally, remotely sensed imagery have been used to support segmentation of the landscape into rather homogeneous soil–landscape units for which soil composition can be established by sampling. Soil properties have also been inferred from optical and microwave data using physically-based and empirical methods. Used as a secondary data source, remotely sensed imagery may support spatial interpolation of sparsely sampled soil property data. Soil properties that have been measured using remote or proximal sensing approaches include mineralogy, texture, soil iron, soil moisture, soil organic carbon, soil salinity and carbonate content. In sparsely vegetated areas, successful use of space borne, airborne, and in situ measurements using optical, passive and active microwave instruments has been reported. On the other hand, in densely vegetated areas, soil data acquisition typically relied on indirect retrievals using soil indicators, such as plant functional groups, productivity changes, and Ellenberg indicator values. Several forms of kriging, classification and regression tree analyses have been used jointly with remotely sensed data to predict soil properties at unvisited locations aiming at obtaining continuous area coverage. We expect that remotely sensed data from existing platforms and planned missions can provide an important data source supporting digital soil mapping. Yet, most studies so far have been performed on a local scale and only few on regional or smaller map scale. Although progress has been made, current methods and techniques still bear potential to further explore the full range of spectral, spatial and temporal properties of existing data sources. For example, space borne spectroscopy has been of limited use in retrieving soil data when compared to laboratory or field spectroscopy. To date, there is no coherent methodology established, where approaches of spatial segmentation, measurements of soil properties and interpolation using remotely sensed data are integrated in a holistic fashion to achieve complete area coverage. Such approaches will enhance the perspectives of using remotely sensed data for digital soil mapping.

Get the full text of the article here [PDF].

Blue Marble Geographics announces the release of GeoCore 2.0, the all-in-one data conversion developer tool kit for geospatial data. Version 1 was released last year. The updated version of GeoCore includes the latest versions of GeoTransform, GeoCalc, and GeoTranslate software development toolkits. With these three products combined into GeoCore, users can seamlessly work with any Blue Marble data conversion toolkits in the same development environment to build powerful geospatial software. Whether your application needs coordinate, vector, CAD, raster, 2D or 3D geospatial data, GeoCore enables developers to address a variety of unique data transformation challenges, quickly and efficiently freeing up time to work on your core offering. Within GeoCore 2.0, developers will have access to GeoCalc 6.4.5 coordinate transformation library and toolkit, which now has support for HTDP time dependent shifts, Alberta Township System (ATS) land grids, as well as new Geoid definitions, and many other features.

Another exciting GeoCore feature is GeoTransform 6.1. This includes new interoperability components that allows sharing data between GeoTransform and GeoCalc applications, improved coordinate system reading and writing for Esri, and Erdas’ ERMapper coordinate system definitions, Digital Elevation Model support, and Blue Marble’s Projection Recovery Tool technology, which helps recover lost coordinate reference system from legacy datasets. The final component of GeoCore is the most recent version of GeoTranslate 5.1, the Blue Marble vector file conversion toolkit. Developers will also find within GeoTranslate the latest vector file Projection recovery technology, and spatial database read/write support for Esri ArcSDE, File and Personal Geodatabase, Oracle Spatial and PostGIS Spatial.

GeoCore gives software developers the coordinate transformation and definition powers GIS experts have come to rely on with GeoCalc, plus the ability to handle all of your raster and vector file format and geometry needs with GeoTranslate and GeoTransform. OEM Partners for Blue Marble span many verticals in geospatial software and include Landmark Graphics, Merrick and Company, Avenza Systems, Optech Inc, Inova, and many others. Look for these new features in their software over the next few years.

Download free essays on Geography and GIS from ESRI. "Essays on Geography and GIS Volume 3", part of ESRI's e-book series, is available for download at no cost. Volumes 1 and 2 are still available and have been downloaded by more than 40,000 people since the series was first launched in September 2008.

The eight articles in Essays on Geography and GIS, Volume 3, include

* “Geospatial Responses to Disasters: The Role of Cyberspace,” by Melinda Laituri
* “Governance of the NSDI,” by Will Craig
* “What Is the Geographic Approach?,” by Matt Artz and Jim Baumann
* “Kingston University London: 20 Years of GIS Education,” by Kenneth Field
* “Building INSPIRE: The Spatial Data Infrastructure for Europe,” by Max Craglia
* “GIS in a Changing World,” by Jack Dangermond
* “Getting to Know the Mapping Sciences Committee,” by Keith Clarke
* “Opening the World to Everyone,” by Jack Dangermond

Download the free "Essays on Geography and GIS" PDF document.

SuperGIS Server 3 is a set of map server software enabling enterprises to create, manage, integrate, and publish various GIS services in the centralized server architecture. For users who are in field survey, they can apply SuperPad online editing functions to modify the feature services published by SuperGIS Server and synchronize the map data on the server side to keep the coincidence of the data.

The feature services published by SuperGIS Server can support multi-user navigating and editing the map data. Users can get the feature services with SuperPad and utilize SuperPad editing tools to add, remove, move, rotate, zoom, and edit the features, attributes, and coordinates of the feature services. Furthermore, in editing the map data in the field, the editing results might be uploaded to the server inefficiently and unsuccessfully because of internet connection problems. However, SuperPad online editing mechanism allows users to edit the data offline and connect to SuperGIS Server to upload and synchronize the data when they finish editing. As a result, surveyors no longer need to bring large quantities of map data with them in conducting the field survey; also, it does not take much manpower and time to manage the data after survey any more. The work efficiency of the surveyors can be improved significantly as well.

If you would like to try the powerful integration between SuperPad 3 and SuperGIS Server 3, please visit www.supergeotek.com to download the trial.

SuperGeo Technologies is pleased to announce the new release of GPS Learning CD is released globally.

GPS Learning CD is especially designed for GPS beginners. The CD contains abundant and complete GIS knowledge, including the history of GPS, operation principle, signal format, methods to position and measure, etc. Accompanied with Flash animation, GPS concepts, which are hard to explain in books, now can be presented dynamically in animation. Therefore, beginners can effectively build up the complete GPS basic knowledge in the planned and vivid learning environment.

GPS Learning CD can be applied as the materials the lecturers use in the college course. Therefore, lecturers do not have to spend a great amount of time preparing for the course and can avoid the mistakes caused by citing the incorrect internet sources. In addition to assisting lecturers in teaching, GPS Learning CD is also suitable for the people whose work is related to GPS. They can gain the knowledge about GPS and the basic concepts by themselves with the comprehensive contents and the easy descriptions in the CD.

Does interest in GPS Learning CD? Go to www.supergeotek.com to get the more information and order GPS Learning CD online.

A second imaging satellite is scheduled to start beaming high-resolution pictures of the UAE from outer space by the end of next year, according to the report.

A contract was announced yesterday between the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and a Russian space company, to launch DubaiSat-2 from Yasny Cosmodrome in northern Russia.

International Space Company Kosmotras (ISCK), based in Moscow, also launched DubaiSat-1 in July 2009.

The new satellite will orbit slightly closer to Earth and at a faster speed than the older model, said Salem al Marri, the director of EIAST's space programme department. It will also incline at an angle aligned with the UAE's coastline to capture more pictures in one path.

Nominate Your Colleagues for the Recognition of a Lifetime!

AGU Union medals and awards are among the most respected honors in the Earth and space sciences communities. Take this opportunity to nominate inspiring leaders in their fields.

Nominations for 2011 honorees must be complete and received at AGU headquarters by 15 March 2011.

What’s required?

* A letter of nomination outlining the nominee’s significant contributions.
* A curriculum vitae.
* A bibliography (with a brief paragraph stating the candidate’s total number of publications).
* A minimum of three, but not more than six, supporting letters (at least two by individuals not currently or recently associated with the nominee’s institution of graduate education or employment).

Other Requirements:

* For AGU medal nominations, candidates must have an active AGU membership status at the time of submission.
* For AGU Union award nominations, some restrictions may apply.
* Macelwane Medal nominees must be younger than 36 years of age on 1 January of the year of presentation. Their birth date must be included in the letter.
* Falkenberg Award nominees must be younger than 45 years of age on 1 January of the year of presentation. Their birth date must be included in the letter.

Visit the website for more info.

According to the report, Nigeria has signed an imagery sales agreement with DMC International Imaging Ltd., UK, to promote the business viability of the NigeriaSat-2, ahead of its launch this quarter, together with NigeriaSat-X. Already, a verdict came from the international community that images from the second Nigeria earth observation satellite, NigeriaSat -2, would be of high quality, compared with those of other satellites.

Director-General of the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Seidu Mohammed, said that the agreement would assist DMCII to canvass for international customers and signing necessary sales contracts prior to launch of the satellites. He explained, “The NigeriaSat-2 sensor will provide imagery of 3 resolutions, that is, 2.5 m panchromatic, 5m multispectral (R, G, B, NIR) and also carries the 32m multi-spectral payloads of Nigeria Sat-1, and more importantly NigeriaSat-2 can image in stereo mode, while the NigeriaSat-X sensor will provide 22m multi-spectral (RGB, NIR) imagery.

“For Nigeria, the intended usage of imageries from NigeriaSat-2 and Nigeria Sat-X is for broad area coverage inclusive of land use, geospatial analysis and environmental change monitoring. It will also be used for mapping, accurate geo-location and resale. NigeriaSat-2 is expected to provide a maximum of 250 images per day, while imagery volume from NigeriaSat-X has been established to be a handful of images per day, sharing many of the same storage and processing capabilities from the NigeriaSat-2 system.”

“In order to better prepare NASRDA for the exploitation of imageries from the NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X satellites for the international market, NASRDA has received necessary approval from the Federal Ministry of Justice to sign an agreement with the DMCII, UK as the exclusive distributor for the sale of NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X outside Africa. Distribution of these imageries within Africa will be the responsibility of NASRDA’s company-GeoApps Plus Ltd,” He added.

On the planned launch of the satellite from Russia, he said, “It is important to note that 44 per cent of American spacecrafts to date were launched in Russia. Therefore, it is relatively safe and cost effective to launch from Russia.”

Annual EPO Conference from the Astronomical Society of the Pacific (ASP), in Partnership This Year with the American Geophysical Union (AGU) and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI).

Saturday, July 30 - Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Tremont Plaza Hotel, Baltimore Maryland

The Astronomical Society of the Pacific, the American Geophysical Union (AGU), and the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) invite you to join us for a national conference on science education and public outreach, held in conjunction with ASP's 123rd Annual Meeting. The conference will gather professionals in Earth science, space science, and other science disciplines to meet, share their work, and learn from the work of others - to make connections, forge collaborations, and advance efforts to create more integrated science education approaches to serve our audiences.

The conference, with the theme of "Connecting People to Science," will be held at the Tremont Plaza Hotel in Baltimore, a few blocks north of the Inner Harbor in the city's downtown area and close to restaurants and attractions. The conference proper will be held Monday through Wednesday, August 1-3, with special events the preceding weekend, July 30-31. Conference sessions will take place in the completely restored Baltimore Masonic Temple building, providing a unique and beautiful setting for learning what's up, sharing our experience and results, improving our practice, and making connections with each other across science disciplines.

Please mark your calendars for this "hands-on," intellectually stimulating meeting for everyone involved in science education and public outreach. Visit the conference web site, and sign up there to receive more information about the meeting as it becomes available, and come back often as the conference web site grows. Watch for announcements of special co-hosts, co-sponsors, speakers, events, and the call for abstracts between now and spring.

We encourage AGU members and other science EPO professionals to share their experience and expertise via posters, short oral presentations, and/or longer workshops and special interest group sessions. Plenary sessions and panels will explore areas of common interest and how we might better connect our science education efforts and serve our audiences. We're all about the business of connecting people to science -- with a variety of sciences in a variety of ways. Come to Baltimore this summer to connect with your colleagues and advance our combined efforts to create a science-literate and science-rich future!

The ASPRS 2011 Annual Conference Preliminary Program is now available for viewing online at www.asprs.org/milwaukee2011. The Annual Conference will be held May 1-5, at the Frontier Airlines Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

With a conference theme of, “Ride on the Geospatial Revolution”, attendees will travel along the geospatial road for the next generation with an outstanding lineup of pre-conference workshops, captivating speakers, 100 plus technical sessions, a new poster session format, student and young professional events and social networking events for everyone.

Kicking off the conference will be Paul Ramsey, co-founder of PostGIS, an open source geospatial database used globally in the geospatial industry. The Conference will also feature an address from incoming ASPRS President Gary Florence. We will then take a moment to look back at our geospatial history with a roundtable discussion led by ASPRS President Carolyn Merry, who will be joined by three esteemed geospatial leaders – Dr. Terry Keating, Dr. Charles Olson, Jr. and Ronald Ondrejka. These gentlemen will all give us an oral history of where the geospatial road has been, where we are now and where we will go in the years to come.

And that’s not all. Attendees are encouraged to take advantage of the Exhibit Hall with vendors from around the world, and the networking opportunities offered throughout the conference. Early registration runs through April 1, 2011. For more details and information about the ASPRS 2011 Annual Conference, take a look at the Conference Preliminary Program at www.asprs.org/milwaukee2011.

Founded in 1934, ASPRS is an international professional organization of 6,000 geospatial data professionals. ASPRS is devoted to advancing knowledge and improving understanding of the mapping sciences to promote responsible application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems and supporting technologies.

NAVTEQ, the leading global provider of maps, traffic and location data enabling navigation, location-based services and mobile advertising around the world, announced the launch of NAVTEQ Traffic in the United Arab Emirates, the first traffic launch for NAVTEQ in the Middle East.

According to recent NAVTEQ research, traffic information is the most sought after navigation-related feature on GPS navigation devices with 96% of wireless navigation users saying they want the feature and 89% of in-car drivers citing a desire for real-time traffic in U.A.E. Additionally, traffic-enabled navigation users in this region spend 18 percent less time driving on average than those without navigation, or an annual savings of four days less on the road.

NAVTEQ's comprehensive new coverage in this region includes more than 3,700 kilometers of roadways for U.A.E.'s three largest cities - Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah, covering more than 50% of the region's population.

NAVTEQ Traffic is a quality-tested, comprehensive solution that links up-to-the minute traffic information to map data and enables wireless transmission directly to in-vehicle navigation systems, personal navigation devices and cell phones. NAVTEQ Traffic delivers detailed information about traffic speeds, allowing drivers to make better routing and re-routing decisions.

With this most recent launch, NAVTEQ continues to lead the way as the global traffic leader, enabling industry-leading, accurate traffic information around the world. NAVTEQ Traffic is also currently available in 23 countries around the world*.

"High-quality, accurate traffic information is in high demand in the Middle East," said Howard Hayes, senior vice president for NAVTEQ Traffic. "The launch of NAVTEQ Traffic in the United Arab Emirates, our first traffic launch in this region, represents our continued dedication to deliver comprehensive real-time traffic information that saves travelers time and money wherever they travel in U.A.E."

GITA’s 2011 Geospatial Solutions Conference will take place in Grapevine (Dallas), Texas from April 10-13, 2011.

GITA will explore the integration of existing infrastructures using geospatial technology in order to maximize efficiencies and extend the life of these valuable assets. With billions of dollars on the line, GITA is bringing together the most credible, informed and objective presenters in order to give you a unique perspective on the decisions you face. This is the only event that will deal with the impacts of decisions across electric, telecommunications, gas, water, sustainable energy, public sector, transportation and the smart grid.

Please click here to register.

As thousands of Twitter updates like those above continue to pour out of Cairo amid the political unrest, a new UCLA computer mapping program is allowing the rest of the world to easily eavesdrop on the riveting turmoil, UCLA reported.

"HyperCities Egypt" streams and then archives tweets from protesters in Cairo who are taking part in the pro-democracy push that has captured the world's imagination since Jan. 25.

"You just let the program run, and you almost feel like you're there," explained Yoh Kawano, a member of the UCLA Center for Digital Humanities program, who built the program's interface. "It collects tweets live from Cairo and displays them in real time on a map."

Subtitled "Voices from Cairo through Social Media," the program displays a new tweet every four seconds over a digital map of Egypt's capital. Because it gathers tweets from those who have enabled Twitter's "add location" function, the program also maps the precise location in Cairo from which they were sent. And the Twitter users' avatars — often photos of the protesters themselves — accompany the poignant messages, providing a moving immediacy to the experience.

The program is a feature of UCLA's HyperCities, a collaborative research and educational platform for exploring the layers of city spaces in an interactive, hypermedia environment. Examples include a program that allows visitors to explore ancient Rome and one that presents 800 years of Berlin's history. Unlike most of HyperCities' other features, "HyperCities Egypt" is not used to delve into deep history.

To experience the program, visit http://egypt.hypercities.com. Please note: The program was built to run on Internet Explorer 8 but also works on Firefox 3.6, Chrome and Safari.

"HyperCities Egypt gives users a sense of living — and reliving — history," said Todd Presner, the brainchild behind HyperCities and a professor of Germanic languages and literature, digital humanities, and comparative literature.

In addition to streaming the tweets, the "Hypercities Egypt" program is archiving these historic messages, going back to Monday, Jan. 30, the last date for which back-tweets were available when the team started building the program. The feature allows users to retrieve messages by time and date.

Because Twitter does not make archived messages permanently available, after a certain point these windows onto history would have been lost to the general public, said David Shepard, the HyperCities team leader and a UCLA doctoral candidate in English.

UCLA's HyperCities project also includes a similar archive of social media communications from the civil unrest that erupted around Iran's 2009 presidential election. "The Tehran Election Protests" features more than 800 YouTube videos, Twitter feeds, Flickr photographs and other forms of documentation, all organized chronologically. The result is the largest day-by-day, hour-by-hour — and sometimes even minute-by-minute — Web documentation of the election protests in Iran.

"It all really started with us saying, 'We did Iran — should we try Egypt?'" said Kawano, UCLA's campus geographic information systems (GIS) coordinator and a lecturer at the UCLA School of Public Affairs.

The "HyperCities Egypt" group hopes the resource will draw historians, political scientists and scholars in media studies and communication for many years to come, Shepard said.

Continuing its pioneering focus on innovation for the commercial truck navigation market, TeleType has expanded its WorldNav Truck GPS offerings to include two new models featuring a serial expansion port allowing special communication accessories to be offered. Optional accessories for this unique port include Traffic Antenna for unlimited use of traffic incident and congestion reports, tire pressure monitoring, and live tracking.

The new communication features are available in a 5 inch (model 520060) and a 7 inch (740060) model. Both devices feature high resolution 7-inch touch screen equipped with Bluetooth for hands free cell phone use, an FM Transmitter to hear voice instructions over the vehicle’s radio system. These GPS models features a slim contemporary style and advanced navigation features such as Lane Assist and Smart Search Technology™, and include 12 million points of interest with a unique phone number and business name lookup to make finding destinations fast and easy. The systems include maps for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico.

“These new WorldNav Truck GPS models offer the next level in GPS navigation for commercial trucking by offering communications capabilities in portable truck GPS navigation systems,” according to Marleen Winer, V.P. Business Development for TeleType.

These new models are available now through on-line sales channels. The optional communicator accessories are scheduled to be released during Q2 2011. For further information contact TeleType Company at 1-800-717-4478, 1-617-542-6220. WorldNav 740060 (7” model), retail $349. WorldNav 520060 (5” model), retail $279.

###

Established in 1981, TeleType has emerged to become a leader in the field of Global Positioning Systems and was the first company to offer a portable GPS solution for commercial truck drivers. TeleType specializes in software systems integration and innovative products for a variety of industries. Products range from the user friendly GPS navigation systems to advanced developer tools such as Software Developer Kits (SDK). This latest program innovation is yet another example of the pioneering advancements that has—and will continue to— set TeleType apart in the field of GPS technologies.

Contact Information
TeleType Co.
Marleen Winer
617-542-6220 x120
contact@teletype.com
www.teletype.com
1-800-717-4478

AGU’s Public Affairs department is looking for a summer intern. This is an opportunity for undergraduates, graduate students, and recent grads to learn more about the intersection of public policy and Earth and space science. Tell a friend, tell a student, or apply yourself!

The American Geophysical Union (AGU)Public Affairs department maintains a continuous flow of information between AGU scientists and Capitol Hill. The department advocates on behalf of Earth and space science as related policy evolves in Congress. The Public Affairs intern will work closely with Public Affairs and Outreach staff. This internship provides an opportunity to learn about the public policy process first-hand and to gain knowledge about Earth and space science policy issues, including climate change and natural hazards.

The intern will attend congressional hearings and briefings that relate to Earth and space science policy and write summaries for the AGU website and other publications. The intern will also assist with AGU members’ congressional visits and with organizing congressional briefings and receptions. The internship also includes social media outreach, authoring articles for AGU’s weekly membership newsletter Eos, and administrative tasks, as assigned. This is a paid internship.

Good research and organizational skills are a must. Coursework related to Earth or space science, political science, and communications are a plus.

Internship Requirements:

* College student, graduate student, or a recent graduate
* Preferred majors include, but not limited to, Earth or space sciences, public policy, and communications
* Cover letter strongly recommended with application

Application Due Date: Tuesday, 15 March 2011

Anticipated Start: 2 May 2011

Anticipated Internship Duration: Three months

To apply, please click here.

Geomatics Event at Geo Horizon 2011. Geo Horizon is the largest student event of its kind in India conducted by Society of Geo informatics Engineers, Institute of Remote Sensing, Anna university, Chennai. It provides a platform for Students and Young scientists a platform to showcase their research. We are having events for other Engineering students also.

Details:

Geo Horizon -11
March 18 to 20, 2011
Institute of Remote Sensing, College of Engineering, Guindy, Anna University, Chennai-25, India- 600025

For more, please contact G.Ganeshan +91-9585849043 ganeshanp65@gmail.com or visit http://www.geohorizon.org.

More than 200 researchers from over 24 countries congregated at the biennial POLinSAR workshop held at European Space Agency’s (ESA) centre for Earth observation in Italy. The workshop aimed to provide an opportunity to review the advances made in the technique of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) polarimetry.

This technique allows polarised information to be measured in the signals backscattered from Earth to a satellite sensor. Polarimetric interferometry is achieved by using two polarimetric images, acquired from slightly different angles, to provide information on the 3D structure of the view.

Currently, data come largely from Canada's Radarsat-2 and Japan's ALOS mission. However, Germany's newly launched TanDEM-X promises to play an important role in the future of SAR polarimetry.

Results demonstrate how the techniques are becoming more useful, in particular for assessing water resources and carbon stocks. For example, a year's worth of data from Radarsat-2 has been used to create a time-series of images of an area of wetland in northern France.

Prof. Eric Pottier from the University of Rennes 1, France, explained, "Collaboration between ESA and the Canadian Space Agency within the Science and Operational Applications Research for Europe project has yielded, for the first time, time-series of data to closely monitor wetlands. These new time-series have demonstrated that we can monitor the water levels in the area, which helps to improve management practices. Moreover, the data can also be incorporated into models to help predict emissions of methane to the atmosphere."

Another exciting result has been the discovery of historical forest fire scars. Dr Shane Cloude from AEL Consultants said, "Using data from ALOS for test sites in remote northern Canada, we have been able to detect scars from fires set 10 to 20 years ago, thus allowing a time sequencing technique. Even through new tree growth we can easily detect these old scars, which help us work out how often fires occur and, thus, how much carbon is being put into the atmosphere, which is important for climate change."

Polarimetric interferometic data may also be used to map urban environments in 3D, as the animation at the top shows. This 3D reconstruction of Toulouse, France, was derived from SAR data collected by the airborne system RAMSES from ONERA, the French Aerospace Lab.

Looking to the future, results from some of ESA's airborne campaigns to support the development of the candidate Earth Explorer BIOMASS mission were presented. These results show how the mission could, if selected as the seventh Earth Explorer, detect and map changes in forest biomass over time.

It was also demonstrated that, through tomography data acquisition and processing, a full 3D image of some forests could be achieved. [via]

The file formats .lge, .lce, and .lgw are all associated with the LVIS dataset. The LVIS, or the "Laser Vegetation Imaging Sensor" is a NASA remote sensing instrument known as a lidar. LVIS datasets are distributed for free via the LVIS NASA website after signing in for an account.

The downloaded data will have extensions .lge, .lce, and .lgw. How will you make them all useful for analysis? You need to follow exactly the steps provided online. I posted the steps below.

The LVIS file repository can be accessed here.

The source code for the 'lvis_release_reader' is very basic C code, and should compile on just about any compiler.

Here are some steps to compile it for a windows platform:

1) download / obtain a free compiler (LCC is a great one)

http://www.cs.virginia.edu/~lcc-win32/

current direct link: ftp://ftp.cs.virginia.edu/pub/lcc-win32/lccwin32.exe

2) install it on your machine (run the lccwin32.exe program and install on your machine)

Just accept all the defaults if you're not sure.

3) download and uncompress the lvis_release_reader which you can obtain from http://lvis.gsfc.nasa.gov

for this example, I put the files in C:\LVIS

4) create a new project in LCC and add the release reader source code

Click to:
Start -> Programs -> lcc-win32 -> lcc-win32

In the wedit program (lcc's editor) click to:
Project -> Create

Now, enter a project name and where the home of the project is.
For this example, I used lvisreader as my project name and C:\LVIS for both source and object directories.
And make sure 'Console Application' is toggled (should be by default)
Click 'Create'

Click 'NO' to using the application skeletonl.

Add the source code to the project:
Just click on the lvis_release_reader.c and OK

Click NEXT through all the defaults (or you can change things if you like)

5) Compile our program:

In the wedit program, click to:
Compiler -> Make (or you can just hit F9)

That's it, you should have a lvisreader.exe in C:\LVIS now

I would rename the .LGE, .LCE or .LGW file to something easier to type because you have to run this from the console.

For example, as a test, I'm looking at some Panama data and I'm going to rename it to something short:

rename LVIS_CR_1998_VECT_20060123_Barro_Colorado_Island.lge to bcdata.lge

Load up the console:
Start -> Programs -> Accessories -> Command Prompt

Then in the console, I can just type:

cd c:\lvis
lvisreader bcdata.lge > bcdata.txt

and you have ASCII data from the binary distribution file.

If ever you get into problems, please leave a comment and I'll see what I can do.

AGU’s Fall Meeting is the premier event for Earth and space sciences, attracting the best and brightest geoscientists from around the world. Over the past decade, meeting attendance has grown six to eight percent each year. The 2010 Fall Meeting hosted 19,000 attendees, with nearly 6,000 attending from outside the U.S., and we expect a similar level of participation at the 2011 Fall Meeting.

Supporting the growing interest in the Fall Meeting and maintaining the high quality of AGU science and AGU’s reputation for excellent meetings necessitates adjustments to some key deadlines. Session proposal and abstract timelines for the 5-9 December 2011 Fall Meeting are:

* Session proposal submission: 25 February - 20 April (Proposal Deadline is 20 April)
* Abstract submission: 8 June - 4 August (Abstract Deadline is 4 August)
* Availability of the Meeting Program: week of 15 September

These new deadlines will ensure that AGU is able to meet the expectations of all meeting participants, while effectively managing the publications and other logistics deadlines. The AGU Meetings Committee and AGU staff are committed to improving the Fall Meeting and ensuring that it continues to be the premier meeting of geophysics. We encourage members to organize sessions, submit abstracts, and contact the Meetings Committee, Fall Meeting Program Committee, and work with their Section and Focus Groups to make the 2011 Fall Meeting the best ever. Please send comments or questions to meetingsdir@agu.org.

Here's the video of Discovery's Monday night rollout to the launch pad. For a second time NASA space shuttle Discovery is moved to Launch Pad 39A for its last flight to the International Space Station.

For the past ten years, the American Meteorological Society (AMS) has run a highly successful Summer Policy Colloquium. This year AGU is cosponsoring the colloquium, which will run from 5-14 June, 2011, in Washington, DC.

Approximately 30-40 entry-level to mid-career Earth scientists and engineers attend an intense, ten-day immersion course. Participants meet with policy officials from the executive branch, Congress, media outlets, and others engaged in public policy related to Earth science. During the colloquium, participants learn about policy basics and the latest in science policy. They also use case studies to explore several issues in depth. Ultimately, participants develop a deeper appreciation of the policy process and build skills, experiences, and contacts to use throughout their careers to shape policies and become scientific policy leaders. Over 350 individuals have attended the colloquium and its alumni currently are working in Congress, university leadership, non-governmental organizations, and senior government or corporate positions.

Participation is limited to 50 individuals on a first-come, first-served basis, and tuition is $5000, not including room and board. The paleoclimate program of the U.S. National Science Foundation has provided full funding (tuition, room, and board) for 10 graduate students and two faculty from minority-serving institutions. This funding is available through a nationwide competition, and applications are due on Monday, 28 February, 2011.

For more information, please contact Ann Cairns (acairns@agu.org or +1-202-777-7505) or William Hooke (hooke@ametsoc.org or +1-202-737-9006, ext. 420).

The Philippine National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) welcomes contributions for the July 2011 issue of the Infomapper. The publication contains basic information and updates on the agency’s activities, research and development studies, and project applications in surveys, mapping, and resource information technology.

For this issue, the publication is accepting and publishing one or two project profiles, feature articles, technical papers, theses, and dissertations on GIS under the GIS Section. Interested contributors are invited to submit their manuscript on or before 31 March 2011 for possible inclusion in the forthcoming issue. Final manuscripts will be selected by the publication’s Editorial Board.

Please send your manuscript by email gislink_namria@yahoo.com or by snail mail to:

Ms. Maria Romina D. Pe Benito
Officer In Charge, Media Production Division
Information Management Department
NAMRIA, Lawton Avenue, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig

Further inquires may be addressed to Ms. Xenia R. Andres at (02) 810-2890 or at 810-4831 local 430.

Please make plans to join your fellow IDL and ENVI users at VISualize 2011 in Washington, DC from April 12 - 14. VISualize is designed to bring together IDL and ENVI users to provide opportunities for networking, sharing ideas, and working on strategies that advance our geospatial, scientific data analysis and visualization community.

In response to the request for workshops for both IDL and ENVI, we have expanded VISualize to three days. You are welcome to attend one, two, or all three days.

ITT VIS is now accepting abstracts for VISualize 2011. If you have an interesting application, a desire to report success that furthered your research, or want to demonstrate a creative approach using ENVI or IDL, VISualize 2011 offers the perfect venue to share it with your peers or to get feedback from other users in the community.

Suggestions for topic areas include, but are certainly not limited to:

* Remote Sensing, GIS and Geospatial Applications
* Atmospheric & Climate Applications
* Data Analysis & Visualization
* Astronomy, Astrophysics & Planetary Physics
* Medical/Biological Applications

Abstract submission deadline is March 11, 2011. Your abstract submission should include the title of your presentation, your name and contact information, the organization you are representing, a short informal description of your proposed presentation, and a short biography. Please submit your abstract via email to hcline@ittvis.com.

When - 04/12/11 8:30 am - 04/14/11 4:30 pm

Where - World Wildlife Fund
1250 24th St NW #6, Washington, DC 20037
USA

Register here.

Winners of the Inaugural DigitalGlobe 8-Band Research Challenge have formally presented their research findings, further demonstrating the benefits of high-resolution 8-Band Imagery from DigitalGlobe for remote sensing based analysis.

The studies, presented at the recent Geospatial World Forum in Hyderabad, India, also described how 8-Band Imagery will lead to practical applications in areas such as coral reef conservation, precision agriculture and forestry management. Some of the most notable studies found that with 8-Band Imagery, these researchers could:

* Create accurate bathymetry maps (+/-77 cm) over near-shore coral reefs in Florida, and support more comprehensive coral reef conservation programs;
* Map invasive alien plant species at a 95% accuracy rate, enabling more efficient monitoring and eradication programs in Swaziland;
* Create highly accurate clutter maps with only a +/-0.5% error rate to support more effective wireless network infrastructure planning in South Africa;
* Delineate 10 commercial tree species within a heterogeneous forest with 90% accuracy, information that is vital for forest conservation management and forestry-related biodiversity research;
* Extract key vegetation parameters (leaf angle, chlorophyll, brown pigments) which support precision agriculture, by providing indications of plant health, growth rates and the impacts of disease or drought.

"It is very exciting to see the sophisticated research that has been accomplished through this challenge," said DigitalGlobe CTO Walter Scott. "The results speak clearly to the value of 8-Band Imagery and how it will enable us to deliver greater information and insight to our customers."

The 8-Band Research Challenge encourages researchers to investigate how 8-Band Imagery, available exclusively from DigitalGlobe, can enhance analysis and classification research and enable the development of next generation geospatial applications. A summary of all the research findings is available on the website www.8bandchallenge.com, along with the 15 recognized papers.

List of the 8-Band Challenge Winners:

* James F. Bramante – National University of Singapore, Tropical Marine Science Institute
Derivation of Bathymetry from Multispectral Imagery in the Highly Turbid Waters of Singapore’s South Islands
* Jeremy M. Kerr – Nova Southeastern University, National Coral Reef Institute
WorldView-2 Offers New Capabilities for the Monitoring of Threatened Coral Reefs
* Christoph C. Borel – Air Force Institute of Technology
Vegetative Canopy Parameter Retrieval Using 8-Band Data
* Hamdan Omar – Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM)
Commercial Timber Tree Species Identification Using Multispectral WorldView-2 Data
* Antonio Wolf – Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.
Using WorldView-2 Vis-NIR MSI Imagery to Support Land Mapping and Feature Extraction Using Normalized Difference Index Ratios

[via]

[Reported by 234next.com] The federal government is set to carry out a comprehensive hydrocarbon mapping of Nigeria’s oil and gas basins to ensure the efficient exploration for the natural resources across the inland sedimentary areas. The initiative follows the considerable progress recorded in recent times by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in its oil exploration activities to discover oil in the country’s portion of the Chad Basin. Indications are that in the last six months the NNPC has intensified the search for a commercial crude oil find in the Chad Basin, in line with the present administration’s aspiration to achieve increased crude oil production capacity and reserve. The Chad Basin forms part of Nigerian Frontier Inland Sedimentary Basins, consisting Anambra, Bida, Dahomey, Gongola/Yola and Sokoto basins alongside the Middle/Lower Benue Trough.

First in 100 years:

NNPC’s general manager, group public affairs, Levi Ajuonuma, who disclosed this yesterday in Abuja said the hydrocarbon mapping project, which would be the first in the over 100 years history of crude oil exploration in the country, is designed to guarantee precision and exactitude in the evaluation of data in the course of exploration of the inland basins.

“The idea is to look beyond the prolific Niger Delta Basin and extend the search to some other basins with good sedimentation and robust tectonic history,” Mr. Ajuonuma said.

He said the charge for crude oil find in the Chad basin initiative is being spearheaded by the NNPC’s New Frontier Exploration Services Division, which is also working in consultation with a renowned expert, the United Nations geophysicist and consultant, Deborah Ajakaiye, to ensure that the entire Nigerian Frontier Inland Sedimentary Basins to carry out the proposed hydrocarbon mapping.

According to the consultant, a former president of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (Africa Region), who also worked on similar prospects in Saudi Arabia, Chad, Sudan, Argentina and some other Latin America and African countries, the hydrocarbon mapping exercise is programmed to cover the aerial and ground survey of the country, to pin-point areas of high potentials as well as identify most prospective oil and gas zones.

“This project entails the comprehensive and systematic airborne geophysical surveys involving gravity, magnetic and electromagnetic surveys of the inland basins with state of the art equipment. It also involves detail integrated programme of geophysical, geological, petrological and geochemical studies,” Mrs. Ajakaiye said.

On the progress of exploration activities in the Chad Basin, Mrs. Ajakaiye remarked that the targeted reservoirs in the ongoing 3D seismic survey in the Chad Basin are staked reservoirs modeled after similar reservoirs of the neighbouring oil producing basins in Chad and Cameroon.