How is Guangzhou-based South Group Dealing with the Coronavirus Crisis?

The coronavirus outbreak is affecting millions of people across the globe. It is also having an increasing impact on the geospatial industry. In this Q&A, we zoom in on the situation in China. What are the implications for a leading manufacturer of geospatial surveying solutions such as South? We touched base and spoke to Jackie Cheung, senior product manager at the Guangzhou-based company. What is your business continuity plan to overcome the challenges of coronavirus? As the virus currently prevents us from gathering in big numbers and travelling as before, it is affecting routine business communication. Therefore, we need to keep the... (read more)

2020-04-08 01:34:49

How the New EU Directive Will Change the Geospatial Data Market

Authoritative Data in the Spotlight

The European Union (EU) is adding a new dimension to the digital data-distribution policies of mapping agencies, cadastres and land registries. In two years’ time, a new EU directive will make it compulsory to provide open and free access to the most crucial, publicly funded geospatial and Earth observation data for use and re-use. EuroGeographics and EuroSDR, the two most renowned pan-European organizations in these matters, have reacted positively, assuming there will be sufficient national funding. After all, both society and the geomatics sector stand to benefit from increased use of ‘authoritative’ geospatial data. Published by the EU last summer,... (read more)

2020-04-07 03:35:25

Ask the Specialist: Optimizing BVLOS

What will be the impact of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) on the application of drones in the geospatial surveying profession? At 'GIM International', we received this question from one of our readers and forwarded it to Pierre-Alain Marchand, who is employed as R&D regulatory compliance manager at senseFly. The Switzerland-based company is the manufacturer of the renowned eBee and eBee X, UAVs that are commonly used by geospatial surveyors. BVLOS operations have progressed in leaps and bounds in recent years, thanks to ongoing trials, demos and data collection that have been key in facilitating progress. As an industry, we’re constantly... (read more)

2020-04-01 04:01:52

Grow Your Knowledge: GNSS & Positioning

We regularly keep you informed about the latest developments in the field of mapping and surveying through our articles in 'GIM International', and we have recently expanded this with a new e-learning tool: Academy4Geo. The Academy4Geo course material is developed by our professional crew based on our valuable content. It is an effective and interactive way to enrich your geospatial knowledge. Why not give it a try with our first module on GNSS & Positioning? Good luck! Click here to start the module! (read more)

2020-04-01 04:48:57

Pix4D Unveils New Generation of Photogrammetry and UAV Mapping Tools

Switzerland-based photogrammetry leader Pix4D has released its next-generation software suite addressing the modern-day geospatial professional challenges. Developed in close collaboration with customers and partners, Pix4Dsurvey, Pix4Dmatic, Pix4Dinspect and Pix4Dscan will contribute to revolutionizing the way professional customers operate and deliver their services, the company states. Digital photogrammetry is an essential part of every modern surveyor's toolkit and has contributed to launching hundreds of new drone mapping businesses around the world. Pix4Dsurvey and Pix4Dmatic represent the next step in photogrammetry, addressing major challenges in the geospatial industry. New possibilities for photogrammetry point clouds Pix4Dsurvey is bridging the gap between digital photogrammetry... (read more)

2020-04-01 11:28:16

5 Questions to Philippe Simard, President of SimActive

SimActive has recently added Lidar to its point cloud processing solution and launched a new training programme for unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV or 'drone') mapping. 'GIM International' touched base with Philippe Simard, president of the Canada-based company to find out more. Besides Lidar and UAV mapping, this Q&A also zooms in on artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning and envisions the advances in photogrammetry we may expect in the coming years. We also took the opportunity to ask him how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting business. How is the coronavirus outbreak impacting your business? The entire SimActive team is working from... (read more)

2020-03-26 08:46:49

How Is FIG Dealing with the Coronavirus Crisis?

Q&A with Rudolf Staiger

What impact is the coronavirus pandemic having on the geospatial industry worldwide? We asked the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG) how it is coping with the crisis. President Rudolf Staiger shares his vision on the current situation, zooms in on the cancellation of the FIG Working Week and concludes with an optimistic message for the mapping and surveying sector. What is your business continuity plan to overcome the coronavirus challenges? As president of the International Federation of Surveyors (FIG), I can only answer on two different levels: The first one is the view of our members. One of the strengths of FIG... (read more)

2020-03-25 08:02:48

Fugro's CEO: “Working for a Safer and More Sustainable World”

Interview with Mark Heine

Mark Heine is chairman of the board and CEO of Fugro, with the headquarters in the Netherlands. Fugro is the leading and largest specialised survey company in the world, serving the full lifecycle of assets, and calls itself a Geo-data specialist. For the avid mountaineer Heine, challenges are never too high to take on, not even heading up a multinational in transition, from a company largely dependent on the oil and gas industry to one that wants to co-create a sustainable and liveable world. We talked to Mark Heine about leadership style, strategies for finding new employees, and Seabed 2030. About this ambitious project, Heine says ‘Commercial companies need to work together with NGOs and academia to make this happen.’ Mark Heine is chairman of the board and CEO of Fugro, which is headquartered in the Netherlands. Fugro is among the leading and largest specialized survey companies in the world, serving the full lifecycle of assets, and describes itself as a geodata specialist. For the avid mountaineer Heine, no challenge is too great to take on, not even heading up a multinational in transition from a company largely dependent on the oil and gas industry to one that wants to co-create a sustainable and liveable world. We talked to Mark Heine about leadership styles, strategies for finding new employees, and... (read more)

2020-03-19 02:28:42

What Are the Main Issues to Consider before Using UAVs for Land Administration Projects?

Ask the Specialist

For our ‘Ask the Specialist’ features, we invite readers to send us their burning questions about geospatial surveying. We pass the questions on to relevant industry experts who provide comprehensive and detailed answers to point geospatial professionals in the right direction. This time, one of our readers asked about the key considerations before using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for land administration projects. Rohan Bennett and Mila Koeva share their advice. The almost ubiquitous UAV has been a key technology inspiring new thinking and disrupting land administration practice over the last decade. The flexibility and affordability of UAVs make them an... (read more)

2020-03-19 12:30:59

MakeItAccurate: A Revolutionary Global GNSS/INS Correction Service

Enterprise operations adopting geospatial technology require high accuracy in their digital twins to make them a viable alternative to the real world for measurement and inspection. The challenge is to achieve accuracy with one simple, repeatable, scalable workflow across global assets at massive scale. MakeItAccurate makes very high accuracy simple, accessible and reliable, anywhere. According to the developers, this is an industry game-changer. The need for high accuracy positioning has traditionally been the realm of surveyors and engineers. It’s what makes geospatial data valuable. New technology, such as drones, are now bringing geospatial to a broader range of sectors such as insurance,... (read more)

2020-03-19 10:41:59