The Search for the Economic Value of 3D Geoinformation

Adding a Third Dimension to the Mapping Agencies’ Dominant Data Environment

In 2017, 11 European public mapping agencies (PMAs) financed a EuroSDR project to explore the economic value of 3D geoinformation. They gained from being able to share knowledge with one another about the findings and their concerns. For the investigated cases, the cost-benefit ratio was found to be about 1:3. Since the calculated financial benefits were rather circumstantial, however, the academics involved in the project complemented the study with a scientific article in which they attempt to provide more nuance by focusing on the broader public value. They conclude that, in general, the use of 3D geoinformation is increasingly profitable.... (read more)

2018-10-10 03:08:49

Leading 4 Decades of Innovation in Lidar Technology

GIM International interviews the RIEGL Team

Whenever anyone talks about Lidar technology in the geospatial sector, it is only a matter of time before the name RIEGL is mentioned. Thanks to its renowned R&D department, the Austrian provider of innovative Waveform Lidar technology has a rich history of proven innovations in 3D. Today, RIEGL provides mapping and surveying professionals with airborne, mobile, terrestrial, industrial and unmanned laser scanning solutions. To tie in with the company’s 40th anniversary, 'GIM International' interviewed founder Dr Johannes Riegl and three of his staff members. Dr Riegl, your company is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, congratulations! How did it all start... (read more)

2018-10-15 08:50:17

Standards Are a Great Help for Establishing Land Administration

GIM International Interviews Christiaan Lemmen

In 2017 Dr Christiaan Lemmen, a former contributing editor of 'GIM International', was appointed as professor of land administration modelling at Twente University’s Faculty ITC for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation. He is the leading designer of the ISO 19152 international standard for geographic information – Land Administration Domain Model (LADM), the second edition of which has been in development since 2018. In this interview, he discusses the importance of LADM standards, poverty and tenure security, and the long and winding road to put well-functioning land administration in place in developing countries. The Land Administration Domain Model is actually an... (read more)

2019-05-28 01:39:20

3D is the New Normal in Switzerland

Mapless Topographic Products Are the Future

Switzerland is unique in that it is still the only country to have switched entirely to 3D for its national object-oriented topographic database. As users increasingly discover the advantages in terms of new workflows and services, nobody regrets leaving the 2D era behind. According to Swisstopo, the extra dimension creates no extra costs – only extra benefits. It took the Swiss Federal Office of Topography (Swisstopo) ten years to build an object-oriented topographic database in 3D, with the last objects having been completed in 2019. “Nothing is excluded now; everything you can think of is available in 3D. Even the... (read more)

2019-08-29 09:42:38

How Can Establishing a UAV Fleet Help Your Business Take off?

Best Practices in Drone Mapping

Read this interview with five pioneers in the field for insights into the best ways to introduce drones into your business model. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs or 'drones') are increasingly becoming the solution of choice and have indeed proven to be a disruptive force across a multitude of industries in the past decade, including for the geospatial surveying profession. But will drones really provide all the answers to your mapping challenges? We interviewed five pioneers in the field to take us beyond the hype, explaining the lessons they have learned from the frontline and sharing their insights on the best... (read more)

2019-09-05 09:59:05

COVID-19 Responses and FIG2020: Lessons for Surveying Education

FIG Commission 2: Professional Education

The focus of FIG Commission 2 is on innovative and effective professional education and training for surveyors. This involves curriculum development, innovations in teaching and learning, life-long learning, attracting new students, and continuing professional development (CPD). A key aim of this term is to update the FIG Commission 2: FIG Publication No. 46. Enhancing Surveying Education through e-Learning with a focus on “Blended Learning” and better understanding how to combine face-to-face (f2f) and e-learning approaches. We seek to understand how current students best learn, good practices in e-learning, and in blending f2f and e-learning approaches for both teaching and training.... (read more)

2020-05-08 01:23:13

Emerging Web and Game Engine Tech for 3D Cities

Considerations When Choosing Application Development Platforms

The increasing number of solutions for developing 3D city model applications poses a challenge for developers. This article outlines key considerations that help them to create applications efficiently while utilizing the potential benefits of the 3D data. 3D city modelling has become an established activity in major cities. As a part of this development, city models are increasingly developed to support numerous applications that involve large user groups, such as collaborative urban planning, pedestrian navigation, event planning and the discovery of services and businesses in cities. The 3D city models themselves, produced by cities, public organizations and private companies, are... (read more)

2020-10-02 09:27:44

Bringing Geography into Everything

GIM International Interviews Ed Parsons

As Google’s geospatial technologist, Ed Parsons is responsible for evangelising Google’s mission to organise the world’s information using geography. GIM International caught up with this ‘man with a mission’ in Barcelona during one of his countless foreign trips. (By Wim van Wegen, GIM International) You’re the geospatial technologist at Google, responsible for evangelising Google’s mission to organise the world’s information using geography. Can you describe that mission? In many ways it’s quite a unique role since the number of people within Google that are really focused on outside the organisation is quite limited. A key aspect of the role is... (read more)

2015-08-20 11:21:42

National Mapping as a Service

Ordnance Survey Ireland Shows New Perspectives, Part 2

National mapping organisations from all over the world are interested to see how Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) is planning for its future. Not only has OSi re-engineered its work processes and implemented a multi-resolution data store to automate product and service delivery, but it has also developed a collaborative portal and is leading the way towards a National Mapping Agreement. OSi is now in the process of making ‘linked data’ available for all 50 million Irish real-world objects. Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) has a clear technical strategy for offering national mapping as a service. In its own words, OSi wants... (read more)

2017-01-09 09:58:00

Future Trends in Geospatial Information Management

UN Expert Committee Regards Connectivity as Key to Growth

The most significant changes in the geospatial industry in the next decade will come not through a single technology, but rather from linking multiple technologies together. Especially the development of big data analytics will boost smart use of the location component to integrate data from many sources. The United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management (UN-GGIM) sees precise location information forming a core part of tomorrow’s all-connecting IT infrastructure. Read on for its insights into the trends over the next five to ten years. (By Frédérique Coumans, contributing editor, GIM International) In December 2015 the United Nations published... (read more)

2016-05-12 05:18:53