Linking Space Technology and User Needs

GIM International interviews Carlo des Dorides, Executive Director, GSA

Space technology has a big influence on the transformation of the way we live, work and play. The core mission of the European Global Navigation Satellite Systems Agency (GSA) is to ensure that European Union citizens get the most out of Europe’s satellite navigation programmes. In this in-depth interview GSA’s executive director, Mr Carlo des Dorides, talks about Galileo, EGNOS, Copernicus, UAVs, location-based services and much more. The developments in the GNSS industry are continuing at a steady pace. Where do we stand now? As our GNSS Market Report shows, the global GNSS market remains dynamic. GNSS is used around... (read more)

2017-02-06 10:32:07

Galileo: Commercial Hopes Unrealistic

GIM Interviews Owen M. Goodman, Chief Operating Officer, Fugro N.V.

It is likely to be 2012 before the Galileo system itself is fully operational on a stand-alone basis, says this month’s interviewee Owen Goodman, and Galileo will never be a commercially viable service as long as GPS and Glonass are free. Given current plans, Galileo is heading inevitably towards a funding crisis. National security and defence agencies could make a substantial financial contribution, but this at the expense of Galileo’s status as a civilian system. The EU should leave the fulfilment of specialist civilian needs to commercial GNSS augmentation service providers and the makers of ‘RTK-type’ GNSS equipment, so that... (read more)

2006-02-23 12:00:00

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

Galileo: Commercial Hopes Unrealistic

GIM Interviews Owen M. Goodman, Chief Operating Officer, Fugro N.V.

It is likely to be 2012 before the Galileo system itself is fully operational on a stand-alone basis, says this month’s interviewee Owen Goodman, and Galileo will never be a commercially viable service as long as GPS and Glonass are free. Given current plans, Galileo is heading inevitably towards a funding crisis. National security and defence agencies could make a substantial financial contribution, but this at the expense of Galileo’s status as a civilian system. The EU should leave the fulfilment of specialist civilian needs to commercial GNSS augmentation service providers and the makers of ‘RTK-type’ GNSS equipment, so that... (read more)

2006-02-23 12:00:00

Need for New Players and Leaders to Enter the Land Sector

GIM International Interviews Dr Robin McLaren

Dr Robin McLaren is a widely known and recognised authority with more than 30 years of experience in the profession. Having developed GIS technology for a number of years, Robin set up his independent consulting company, Know Edge Ltd, in Edinburgh in 1986, providing GIS solutions for governmental and utilities clients across the United Kingdom. Following an introduction to international land administration and management during a UN-FAO mission to North Yemen in 1989, this became a major market for the company. 'GIM International' interviewed Robin to learn more about his involvement in many innovations and to hear his insightful opinions. Read... (read more)

2017-06-01 09:20:26

TIGER Tale

Uncertainty of US Core Geo-demographic Data

Core geo-demographic data in a GIS-compatible format derived from decennial US censuses has greatly benefited marketers, social scientists and governments. It has also inspired development of similar datasets in other countries. However, the US Census Bureau’s Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER) data has many limitations, including missing or erroneous data, inaccurate or deliberately misleading responses, misinterpretation by casual users, and reinterpretation by various groups bent on teasing out information. There is also potential for criminal misuse of derived information. One of the biggest sources of uncertainty concerns undercounting of various groups, many but not all socially marginalised. So-called... (read more)

2007-01-02 09:23:23

Geohazard Management on the Canadian National Railway Corridor

A Multi-sensor Approach

In Western Canada, substantial lengths of the transportation corridors are located within steep mountainous terrain and deeply incised river valleys. This is also the case for the Canadian National (CN) rail lines, which traverse the Rocky Mountain, Cascade and Coastal ranges from Edmonton, Alberta, to the ports of Vancouver, British Columbia (BC). Along this corridor the railway infrastructure is exposed to various slope geohazards including landslides, debris slides and rockfalls, all of which are problematic for the safe and efficient operation of the railway. In a recent case of rock slope failure along the CN rail line in British Columbia,... (read more)

2016-11-03 04:44:19

Good Land Governance is Key in Sustainable Development

GIM International Interviews Daniel Roberge

Good, transparent land governance will serve a country’s national resources management, the rights of its citizens, and the reduction of poverty. Daniel Roberge is chair of FIG Commission 7 on Cadastre and Land Administration, and is director of the Office of the Surveyor General of Québec, Canada. He is convinced of the significant role that good land governance and transparent land management need to play in the future. The role of the surveyor will evolve to keep pace with the rapid growth of new ways of land management. Having completed the first year of your four-year term as chair of... (read more)

2012-04-12 04:14:17

High-level Political Support Needed

GSDI and Land Administration within Europe

Administrative reform within Europe has had a tremendous impact on land administration all over the continent. Geo-Spatial Data Infrastructures (GSDI) may bring further improvements. The authors review land policy, land administration and the role of land information within society, and call for high-level political moves towards information sharing. Examples of administrative reforms within Europe are restoration of the primacy of politics, reduction in ministerial tasking to core business, and improving the output of public institutions by distance steering, decentralisation and de-concentration of institutions. Other methods of improving output include quality assurance programmes, special service projects, restoring democracy and reestablishment of... (read more)

2005-07-14 12:00:00

Sentinel-2A in Orbit: An Overview of the Features of the European Sentinel Family

The launch of Sentinel-2A in June 2015 signalled the start of the era of the Sentinel-2 twin constellation. The satellite has been constructed by Airbus Defence and Space for the European Space Agency (ESA). The Sentinels are a new family of missions in progress and a major asset within the European Copernicus programme, which is dedicated to providing a comprehensive picture of the ‘health’ of the Earth. To mark the occasion of the launch, the author provides an overview of the mission, the features of the sensors on board and applications of the images. Although rarely used in common speech,... (read more)

2016-05-02 09:36:51