2013 - Geoinformatics

Magazine for Surveying, Mapping & GIS Professionals
4
June
2 0 1 3
Volume 16
Bentley Pointools V8i Esri 2013 Developer Summit
Going for Gold with LiDAR Intergraph Geospatial 2013

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3
GeoInformatics is the leading publication for Geospatial
Professionals worldwide. Published in both hardcopy and
digital, GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis and
commentary with respect to the international surveying,
mapping and GIS industry.
GeoInformatics is published
8 times a year.
Editor-in-chief
Eric van Rees
evanrees@geoinformatics.com
Copy Editor
Elaine Eisma
Editor
Remco Takken
rtakken@geoinformatics.com
Contributing Writers:
Paul Ramsey, David Dubovsky Stephen Wood,
Shay Har-Noy, Monica Pratt, Xavier Torret Requena,
Josep Lluís Sala Sanguino, Carlos López Quintanilla,
Robert Widz, Kevin P. Corbley, Urmi Bhattacharjee,
Rick Tingey, John Timar.
Columnists
James Fee, Matt Sheehan, Bart De Lathouwer.
Finance
finance@cmedia.nl
Marketing & Sales
Ruud Groothuis
rgroothuis@geoinformatics.com
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svanderkolk@geoinformatics.com
ISSN 13870858
© Copyright 2013. GeoInformatics: no material may
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About present and future
LiDAR technology
LiDAR is short for light detection and ranging. This technology has been around
for about twenty years and, what was initially a technology for topographic mapping,
is now used by many different groups of end users and for many different
applications; a number of which will be covered in this issue. I hasten to add that
these stories are really only the tip of the iceberg. There is a huge amount of additional
information from offline and online sources about the technology, as well as
its applications and related organizations. Additionally, there are special LiDAR
publications, forums, corporate user groups and general events, and much more.
Giving a summarized overview of this whole sector in one issue of this magazine
would be impossible.
The popularity of LiDAR (whether relating to mobile, terrestrial or airborne laser
scanning) is also reflected in the popularity of events such as SPAR Europe, SPAR
International and the International LiDAR Mapping Forum, Intergeo, as well as
corporate events such as Optech, Riegl and Hexagon. Last April the SPAR Group
announced the acquisition of both the International and European LiDAR Mapping
Forum, which means that both these European events will be held together from
11th-13th November in Amsterdam (the North American conferences will be separate
events next year at two different locations).
What is worth a mention is how much the interest in LiDAR has broadened substantially
over the last few years. Take for instance the support for LiDAR in the latest
version of Esri’s ArcGIS software, which undoubtedly will result in greater interest
in LiDAR from a mapping community which used to be preoccupied only with
2D. Another example is Bentley’s software tools geared towards the use of point
clouds. For this issue, I had a chat with Bentley’s Faraz Ravi and discussed Bentley’s
Pointools V8i software, which provides preprocessing of point clouds for downstream
distribution. A recently announced strategic agreement with Trimble makes
sense from a LiDAR view point and seems a very good fit when you look at
Bentley’s position in the virtual design world and Trimble’s very strong presence in
the physical world. Time will tell how this collaboration will work out, but it’s definitely
something of great significance to the community.
When looking at airborne laser scanning, the popularity of UAVs has
given a boost to this technology and will probably continue to do so in
the future. The data volumes are huge and, when considering software
and data standards, it’s impossible to ignore facts on how to effectively
transfer, access, manage and exchange LiDAR data. Yes, this means
data standards will have to be established, and the choice between
proprietary and open source software, as well as limitations of current
IT when talking about performance.
But there’s more. The industry is, on the one hand digesting all the
possibilities that current LiDAR technology provides, but on the
other hand asking for a broader education. This is to ensure
that tomorrow’s workforce will know how to merge data from
a broad range of different sensor types and bring these
together through data fusion. This is a whole other side of
the industry which is of a more academic nature and
will show its commercial applications sooner or
later. In addition to this, your contributions on the
topics discussed in this editorial and the rest of the
magazine are very much welcome in the form of
columns, articles, emails and tweets.
Enjoy your reading,
Photography: www.bestpictures.nl
GeoInformatics has a collaboration with
the Council of European Geodetic
Surveyors (CLGE) whereby all individual
members of every national Geodetic
association in Europe will receive the
magazine.
Eric van Rees

On the cover:
Point cloud colored by height, data acquired with RIEGL VZ-400 Terrestrial Laser Scanner. Multiple
target capability of RIEGL V-Line Laser Scanners enables even detection of small branches and inner
tree structures. Source: Riegl.
A r t i c l e s
A Better World with Enhanced Analytics Capabilities 6
Bentley Pointools V8i 10
Open Source Tools 14
Powering Smarter Decisions 18
Going for Gold with LiDAR 22
Ensuring Seismic Safety 26
Preserving Patagonia National Park 32
Geospatial Software’s Open Future 34
Innovative Mapping in India 44
C o l u m n s
Open GIS Means What? 31
Stars Aligned, finally, for CAD/Civil/Geo Convergence? 37
Mobile, Web and Desktop Apps - Collaborative & Complimentary 49
E v e n t
Esri 2013 Developer Summit 42
I n t e r v i e w
New Appointment at Pitney Bowes Software 28
N e w s l e t t e r
CLGE 46
C a l e n d a r / A d v e r t i s e r s I n d e x 50

The commercial geospatial
6
industry has excelled in meeting
customers’ need for the
quick delivery of satellite imagery,
whether for military, environmental
or humanitarian efforts.
The use of these types of techno-
14
logies provides the user with
technological authority, as well
as transforming him or her into
a provider with added value
and a source of innovation and
development.
Bentley Pointools
10
V8i is a new
software product from Bentley
Systems providing preprocessing
of point clouds for downstream
distribution. It was recently
used in a different context
– a heritage project at
Stonehenge in the United
Kingdom.
Today’s organizations require
18
a new generation of geospatial
solutions that
encompass the full life cycle
of capabilities, from sensors
to apps in the field.
22
McElhanney Consulting Services
Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C.,
Canada, has introduced two
new bare-earth mapping services
developed specifically for
the exploration and exploitation
phases of the mining industry.
Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) required
detailed geologic information
of the land around the Diablo
Canyon Power Plant. WSI
conducted an orthophotogra-
26
phy and LiDAR survey of the
area by using the Microsoft
UltraCam Eagle large-format
digital aerial camera and
state-of-the-art LiDAR sensors.
42
Nearly 1,600 members of the
software development community
got a chance to see what’s
under the hood at the Esri
International Developer Summit
(DevSummit), held March
25–28, 2013, in Palm Springs,
California.
Conservacion Patagonia and
32
its partner organization
Round River Conservation
Studies needed to create a
comprehensive map of the
Patagonia National Park.

6
A r t i c l e
The damage of Hurricane Sandy from Oct.
31, 2012 in Seaside Heights, NJ.
T u r n i n g I m a g e s i n t o A n s w e r s
By Stephen Wood and
Shay Har-Noy
The commercial geospatial industry has excelled in meeting customers’ need for
the quick delivery of satellite imagery, whether for military, environmental or
humanitarian efforts. However, the analytics side of the geospatial industry is
growing in importance. DigitalGlobe’s constellation of five satellites can collect
more than 1 billion square kilometers of imagery per year, but the company is
taking it a step further by applying critical thinking and problem solving to turn
its images into answers.
June 2013

7
Excelling in the era of analytics
DigitalGlobe keeps a constant eye on the
world to help customers gain an early
insight into the business, military, environmental
and political changes that impact
people around the world. But moving forward,
it is clear that the insight derived from
imagery will become as important as the
pixels themselves. The insight provided by
imagery, geospatial and all source analysts
can make a significant difference in evacuation
planning, disaster response, recovery,
and rebuilding in regions worldwide.
DigitalGlobe plans to continue enhancing
its analytical capabilities to excel in the
increasingly important era of analytics.
As a result of DigitalGlobe’s recent combination
with GeoEye and its acquisition of
Tomnod, a crowdsourced intelligence pioneer,
DigitalGlobe is now a driving force
in the analytics industry. Equipped with a
more advanced satellite collection system
and some of the world’s best geospatial
production and analysis professionals,
Digital Globe can provide timely insights
and information about critical events worldwide.
Using analytics to support disaster
management
DigitalGlobe has a long history of providing
imagery for disasters and crises across
the globe, ranging from war crimes in
Sudan to the wildfire devastation in
Colorado. Satellite images provide an effective
way to gauge the damage from disasters
through comparisons of before-duringand-after
images that geospatial analysts
can use to provide answers to the right people.
In fact, DigitalGlobe’s FirstLook service,
which monitors disasters and crises worldwide,
leverages its satellite constellation
and ground infrastructure to collect and
deliver up-to-date imagery of an event to
customers in as little as four hours.
Before Hurricane Sandy hit the east coast
last October, DigitalGlobe satellites captured
images of the affected areas,
enabling the employment of change detection
to narrow in on the most damaged
areas. After the storm hit, DigitalGlobe’s
analysts quickly staged the before and after
imagery within hours of collection so rescue
workers and relief personnel could
quickly understand the most affected areas
and how to route first responders and relief
supplies.
High Park Fire, Colorado from June 13, 2012.
This image shows the fire’s west and northwest
extents and areas where beetle kill is evident.
In this image the burnt areas are dark blue and
red is healthy vegetation, smoke from the fire is
mostly white.
June 2013

8
A r t i c l e
DigitalGlobe is driven by its purpose, vision
and values and plans to continue growing
and bringing attention to world issues
through satellite imagery and analysis, helping
first responders on the ground after
major world events.
Tajalei village, Sudan-March 8, 2011: At least 300 buildings at Tajalei village in Sudan’s Abyei region were intentionally destroyed by fire, according
to Satellite Sentinel Project analysis of this DigitalGlobe satellite image, taken March 8 and analyzed by UNITAR/UNOSAT and the Harvard
Humanitarian Initiative, with additional analysis by DigitalGlobe. Roughly two-thirds of those buildings appear to be consistent with civilian residential
structures, known as tukuls.
Adding predictive analytics and crowdsourcing
capabilities
Satellite images can have an incredible
impact in the aftermath of natural disasters
and crises. As satellites get better and better,
mapping accuracy becomes more
important - it’s a central part of what
DigitalGlobe and other industry leaders
have been doing. The data DigitalGlobe
provides is accurate enough for end users
to build maps and projects remotely. This
enables the company to move beyond providing
only raw data to now being able to
deliver insight and analysis that can be integrated
with the imagery. DigitalGlobe has
a constellation of five high-resolution satellites,
a worldwide network of polar and
equatorial remote ground terminals, and billions
of square kilometers of archived, highresolution
imagery. DigitalGlobe analysts
are also capable of examining a crisis situation
and predicting possible outcomes
before and after an event occurs.
Additionally, by acquiring Tomnod, Digital -
Globe can add crowdsourced human analysis
and deliver even more value to customers.
Tomnod has been at the forefront of
innovation in the growing field of crowdsourcing
of earth observation imagery.
Tomnod’s advanced data reliability algorithm,
CrowdRank, ensures that contributions
from the crowd are properly filtered and
weighted to maximize accuracy. By tracking
crowd members’ contributions over time,
CrowdRank is able to rank the individual
members of the crowd by tracking the areas
of agreement and disagreement. This
enables the system to identify inaccurate
and even malicious contributions to truly
leverage the wisdom of the crowd. Digital -
Globe will continue offering Tomnod’s rapid
information capture and validation services
directly to customers. In addition, information
gained by the service will increasingly
act as a key data source for DigitalGlobe’s
analytics team, enabling them to provide
more accurate insight and analysis to customers
faster.
These improvements to DigitalGlobe Ana -
lytics are in support of the company’s vision
of being the indispensable source of information
about our changing planet by 2020.
Seeing a better world with a global
team of experts
DigitalGlobe’s analytics team isn’t only
engaged in times of crisis. Satellite mapping,
imagery and analysis play an important
role in preserving important historical
sites, conserving natural resources and helping
governments in developing countries create
food and water sustainability. Digital -
Globe’s analysts can assist several other
industries beyond government disaster relief,
such as the oil, gas and insurance industry
to determine oil inventory and monitor
insured assets.
Last year, DigitalGlobe delivered high resolution
satellite imagery of significant heritage
sites for the Global Heritage Network,
an early warning monitoring system for
endangered cultural sites. In addition,
DigitalGlobe is currently monitoring 16
glaciers for Extreme Ice Survey and has
been working with the Jane Goodall
Institute for several years, providing satellite
imagery of areas in Tanzania, Uganda and
Congo in order to make effective conservation
decisions.
The new DigitalGlobe analytics team
includes expert analysts from all over the
globe who have experience in disaster management,
predictive analytics and now
crowdsourcing. DigitalGlobe is looking forward
to expanding its value with World -
View-3, which is expected to launch in mid-
2014. The enhanced capabilities of the
WorldView-3 satellite will enable a wider
range of new automated applications in
industries, such as defense, intelligence,
land use, water management, mining, oil
and gas, environmental monitoring, disaster
and humanitarian relief.
Ultimately, DigitalGlobe is equipped to provide
even more answers to customers, helping
them save time, resources and lives.
Every day, the company strives to see a better
world by giving customers the power to
see the Earth clearly and in new ways and
enabling them to make our world a better
place.
Stephen Wood, Vice President of DigitalGlobe Analytics.
Shay Har-Noy, Director of Research and Development at DigitalGlobe.
June 2013

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10
A r t i c l e
By Eric van Rees
Bentley Pointools V8i is a new software product from Bentley Systems providing
preprocessing of point clouds for downstream distribution. It was recently
used in a different context – a heritage project at Stonehenge in the United
Kingdom – that resulted in the discovery of 71 carvings of Bronze Age axes not
previously seen for more than three thousand years.
Bentley Pointools V8i
P o i n t C l o u d s , A p p s , a n d M o r e
An important feature of Bentley Pointools V8i is its ability to layer the data into different, more logical layers, making it much easier to visualize and work with them.
Recently, Bentley Systems an -
nounced a new release of Bentley
Pointools V8i and two new iWare
apps, followed by a new release
of Bentley Descartes in April.
Faraz Ravi, Bentley director, product management
for point-cloud technology,
explains how these product offerings complement
each other and discusses the
Pointools V8i release and its complementary
iWare apps. Also covered are issues with
navigating point clouds and a recent heritage
project at the Stonehenge site in the
United Kingdom.
Bentley Pointools V8i and iWare Apps
Point clouds have become both vital and
pervasive in infrastructure design and man-
June 2013

11
Faraz Ravi
Object animation in Bentley Pointools V8i.
agement use cases. Bentley Systems has
acknowledged this and created a number
of product offerings that facilitate the use of
point cloud files in various ways. A new,
recent offering is Bentley Pointools V8i,
which was released in January 2013 and
is geared towards point-cloud-centric workflows.
The product now includes point-cloud
differencing and clash detection functionality.
This makes differences and clashes easy
to detect and visualize. Commenting on the
release, Ravi says: “Bentley Pointools V8i is
a stand-alone product that offers a very highperformance
environment in which users
perform editing operations, and produce
communication and simulation content from
the point clouds.”
But the most important feature of Bentley
Pointools V8i is the ability to arrange the
data into different, more logical layers, making
it much easier to visualize and work with
them. Says Ravi: “For example, if you have
an oil rig and want to be able to separate
out the different floors, or you have aerial
LiDAR data and you grid that into different
grid cells, this can be done with Bentley
Pointools V8i.”
Released simultaneously with Bentley
Pointools V8i were two iWare apps: Bentley
Pointools View and Bentley Pointools
PODcreater. Bentley Pointools View is meant
for point-cloud data visualization and sharing
and Bentley Pointools PODcreator for
converting laser scans to the POD file format.
Ravi: “The Bentley Pointools POD -
creater app is geared towards the batch
conversion of different file formats into the
POD format. This is for users who don’t necessarily
want to consume a Pointools V8i
license with a conversion process that can
take time when the files are large. To enable
users to do that offline, take advantage of
When asked how this product relates to
Bentley’s existing product offerings that
involve point-cloud use (Bentley Descartes,
ProjectWise Point-cloud Services, and
Bentley Map), Ravi answers that Bentley
Pointools V8i is being used higher up in the
workflow than the other three product offerings,
which are for infrastructure design
workflows. Ravi: “Bentley Pointools V8i is
perhaps slightly closer to collecting and processing
and using point-cloud data, which
can then be used in design workflows in
Bentley Map and Bentley Descartes, and
can be shared through and integrated with
ProjectWise Point-cloud Services. This is possible
as all the applications are using the
POD file format.”
Clash detection
June 2013

12
A r t i c l e
the ability to batch the process, and have a
repeatable process, we offer Bentley
PODcreater.”
POD File Format
Bentley Systems uses the POD file format for
all of its point-cloud offerings, so that these
can be used in different environments. Ravi
points out that the POD file format was
designed for extremely fast access from disk
and is structured in that way.
Since point-cloud files tend to be very large,
the question arises as to how Bentley
Systems achieved such high performance in
rendering point-cloud files. Ravi points out
that this is achieved by focusing on various
bottlenecks in the disk to screen visualization,
in particular file read speed. Ravi: “In
order to be able to load the data quickly,
we have to employ techniques like compression
and structure the data correctly so we
can access the parts that we need when we
need them.”
Thus, many factors influence the user experience.
But there’s also another element to
this issue, which is very important and often
overlooked – user perception. Ravi: “This is
about how the user experiences the performance
and usability of the product. As you
navigate around a point cloud, Bentley
Pointools is maintaining visual density by
“If you have surface normals from the point cloud, you can
apply lighting to that. In Bentley Pointools, you can virtually
move an object around at different angles to the light and
balancing point density and point size while
maintaining a high frame rate to deliver the
fluid experience.”
The Stonehenge Heritage Project
Bentley Pointools’ visualization technology
was recently used for a heritage project at
Stonehenge, one of the world’s oldest built
environments. The technology was used to
visualize and analyze the most detailed
laser scan survey ever conducted of this historic
site.
The laser scan resulted in an enormous data
resource of 850 gigabytes. Preliminary
to help interpret the geometry.”
examination of the meshed models identified
individual tool marks over 5,000 years
old, but it was evident that the data contained
more prehistoric artwork carved onto
the surface of the stones. The research team
decided to visualize the original point-cloud
data and created a workflow using Bentley
Pointools for the preprocessing of point
clouds. The software’s shading function was
instrumental in visualizing the most subtle
features, which resulted in the discovery of
71 carvings of Bronze Age axes not seen
for more than three thousand years.
The project received a lot of press. Ravi
explains that Pointools has a proven track
record in the heritage field: “The Stone -
henge project was quite interesting and
unique because of the level of detail
reached, and the project team specified a
very dense point cloud on those stones. It
was important to use a tool that could work
effortlessly with large amounts of data, and
that’s why Bentley Pointools was selected.”
What the researchers were looking for was
deviation from the surface of the stones,
which would not be visible to the naked eye,
but could possibly be picked up computationally.
The shading tools that they used
would shade across human distance and on
any plane. They were able to pick up patterns
of heathen markings, which would
have been impossible to do using other techniques.
Finally, another shading tool was
used for lighting. Ravi: "If you have surface
normals from the point cloud, you can apply
lighting to that. In Bentley Pointools, you can
virtually move an object around at different
angles to the light and to help interpret the
geometry."
Rock art on stones from the Stonehenge project
For more information, have a look at www.bentley.com/pointools
June 2013

14
A r t i c l e
By Xavier Torret
Requena, Josep Lluís Sala
Sanguino and Carlos
López Quintanilla
This article presents a management model about open source technologies for
the consideration of the government. The use of these types of technologies provides
the user with technological authority, as well as transforming him or her
into a provider with added value and a source of innovation and development.
In addition, in Public Administration, when attempting to implement these types
of tools, a new framework is created whereby new relationships with suppliers,
based on information sharing, is established. The training of the municipal manager
is a key element in implementing this change.
Open Source Tools
A R e a l i t y f o r L o c a l M a n a g e m e n t
3. Freedom to study. The source code is available. How it has been
created can be studied and an understanding of all of its structure
can be obtained.
4. Freedom to Modify. As there is access to the source code, it can be
changed for improvements or customizations, and the new code will
also be free and accessible.
The only restriction imposed by free software is that it cannot be privatized.
Free software will always be free.
There are many examples of free software, from technology for Apache
servers to operating systems such as Linux corporate databases such
as MySQL, Postgre SQL, Desktop programs such as Openoffice, gvSIG,
or Mozilla Firefox, as well as other types of content management technologies
such as Moodle, Drupal or Joomla.
Interface gvSIG Management System of Urban Pavement
Introduction
The objective of this paper is to present public officials with as much
information as possible on open source technologies and the benefits
obtained by opting for this type of technology. This document focuses
on the management of urban services, where a great deal of responsibility
is assigned to the manager, rather than the city, and where the
efficiency and quality of service can be monitored by the public.
Open Source Tools
Open Source Tools are applications whose sources are freely released:
– only software that is free can be freely released, and this is carried
out through licenses that comply with the following four freedoms:
1. Freedom of use. They can be used as many times, as often and for
as long as desired.
2. Freedom of distribution. They can be distributed to as many others
as want to use them and as many copies as desired.
Advantages of using open source tools
These tools are a reality of the present, but more importantly the choice
of the future; an option which will allow us to put effort into what really
matters. In this sense, the software which will manage the information
will not be as relevant as the data generated. Without a doubt, the
data will be the most important.
As these tools are open source and comply with interoperability standards,
they provide us with the independence of the supplier, and thus
we can have a broad professional structure at our disposal which
always offers the best technical service possible.
As they are free sources, they allow for scalable implementation, which
will allow us non-convulsive migration living with proprietary models.
Additionally, we can align the functionalities to the necessary services,
which means that we will have software adapted to our needs.
As there are no license costs, the savings we make will allow us to
change spending into investment, enabling the training of employees
or contracting businesses and local personnel. This approach will provide
new opportunities. Free software provides opportunities.
Finally, we should point out some further ideas to break away from the
myths which have historically been associated with free software.
June 2013

15
- Free software is of poor quality. A program will be good or
bad depending on how it is made. This has nothing to do with whether
this software is then freely released or not.
- Free software is not professional. Free software generates a
business model based on sharing knowledge, innovation and supporting
the development and implementation of the software. This business
model facilitates the proliferation of a business network with added
value and a high degree of professionalism. Although this structure
exists, there is no doubt that it is difficult to measure and quantify. In
any case, a clear example is the gvSIG. Association with its 40 associate
members, doing business around the ecosystem generated by Free
Geographic Information Systems gvSIG.
-With free software I will not get good technical support.
This doubt can be cleared up not only by taking into account the professional
structure discussed in the previous point, but also by simply
signing up to any mailing list and, thereby observing the technological
sovereignty of this software. This is apparent in the number of professionals
within the community, who are using it and, thereby, making it
become the best service imaginable.
- Not everything can be done with free software. This is,
indeed, true and currently there are some applications which cannot
be replaced with the level of demand and usability that may be
required, but this isn’t a reason not to freely use what is available
for use. In this regard, it is important to be aware of our needs and,
above all, to begin to use technology based on our real requirements
and the objectives we want to achieve.
Components of an integrated management system
Urban services are those whose aims are to provide a service for the
public welfare and to serve the community in any public aspect. There
are areas of software application where free technology already has
the same or a better level of development and usability than private technology.
Corporate Databases or technologies which publish maps are
examples of this scenario.
This breakthrough in technology makes us want and even foresee that
this equalization in the short and medium term can be complete in all
modalities. However, in applications areas where further development is
required, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS), it is worth noting
that currently there are free professional tools available which are of
high value and have enormous potential use, as is the case in gvSIG.
Below, a series of concepts are defined which will be used in this paper
and which should be clarified and explained in further detail:
Geographic Information Systems (GIS).
Geographic Information Systems are a highly valued tool for managing
information linked to territory. In this sense, they are being used in
different fields where the analysis of spatial information has had special
importance. These fields include the relationship with the environment,
forestry, socio-economic applications, etc.
In this sense, 80% of the information managed by the local administration
can be georeferenced.
Corporate Databases
A dataset is made of one context and stored systematically for later
use. There are programs called database management systems (DBMS)
to store and subsequently access data quickly and in a structured way.
The main features of these technologies are that they have multiple
users, they can apply SQL statements, allow for simultaneous work,
allow synchronization and backup, and the information is stored in
one format and in a centralized format.
gvSIG Interface of our Network
Publication of maps services
A publication service is a tool to connect GIS to share information with
the community, whether externally or internally. The type of information
which can be shared has to be placed in a relational database. All types
of technology related to the publication of maps can be connected and
integrated to this type of database, for example Web Map Service
(WMS), Web Feature Service (WFS) Web Coverage Service (WCS),
Catalogue Web Systems (CWS) or Web Map Tile Service (WMTS).
Management Systems
With a relational database, we can connect and integrate all kinds of
management technologies such as acquisition systems and data acquisition
(SCADA) systems, content management (CMS), the customer management
systems (ERP and CRM) or the maintenance and management
systems (CMMS).
Introduction to Municipal Management
Before delving into the world of municipal services, it is interesting to
take into account other opportunities provided by GIS that pertain to
Local Government. In this sense we can efficiently manage categories
of information such as those explained below:
Cartography and Map of the city
GIS is useful to access, visualize and consult all kinds of map information
and the map of a city in a simple and ordered fashion, which will
always be georeferenced. We could have, for example Cadastre,
Urban Planning Information, property, goods catalogs, orthophotomaps
of topographic maps, etc.; all in different series and different scales
and several possibly in published map service (WMS or WFS).
Urban Management
It will also be useful for urban management, including discipline, planning,
and licensing. In this sense we can have land use or zoning with
information from each of the zones and, for example, produce statistics
of numeric fields such as area, population, height, etc.
The gvSIG 3D module allows for three-dimensional volumetric management
on the basis of an elevation model. Therefore, we can plan the
city in height, taking into consideration the orography terrain by analyzing
the view shed from different points and thus design the city volumetrically
and scenically.
Inventory activities
Another interesting field to include is the economic activities that occur
in the municipality. For example, there can be a layer with the industrial
activities and another with the commercial activities, each one with
its own data base.
June 2013

16
A r t i c l e
EPA SWMM Interface of our network
This offers the possibility of a global analysis of all of the activities, as
well as a level of compliance with various regulatory aspects which
can store all kinds of information.
In this sense we can provide municipal inspectors with this tool for fieldwork,
which will enable them to instantly analyze and edit information.
Application in Urban Service Management
There is no doubt that we are emerging from an era with a solid investment
in new infrastructures, and that we are entering into another era
where there will be a demand for optimal management of economic
resources in order to maintain them. GIS will allow us to manage assets,
through careful planning and analysis, monitor operations and enable
their interaction with other technologies.
For asset management, we will have to know what we have (inventory
of each of the different elements). Once inventoried, we can plan and
analyze; in this case performing multi-scenario analysis (levels of service,
conservation, regulatory compliance, efficiency) in order to plan
investments in operation and maintenance based on this analysis.
We may also include monitoring operations with query interfaces and
custom forms for this purpose, and finally make a documentary record
of all events and actions that occur to the infrastructure, whether they
interact or not with other technologies.
Below, we can observe in detail how GIS can provide support in each
of the different areas of urban service management.
• Public roadway services
With regard to public roadway services, a Management System of
Urban Pavements can be found in gvSIG. Each of the elements that
comprise this system, such as sidewalks or curbs, can be inventoried in
pieces to later provide the user with a comprehensive and customized
data model. This data model can have tables with characteristics, such
as the dimensions, materials or geometries and also tables to store
information that may evolve over time, such as the state of conservation
or cleanliness, etc.
All of this information will allow us to obtain an overview of the infrastructure
to determine some service indexes of these services. These service
indexes are based on all of the information of the pathologies
gathered in the field, which will apply to evolution models. This makes
planning conservation actions possible, with technical criteria, by optimizing
the economic resources available for this purpose.
Finally, it is also possible to have information on the degree of accessibility
of the routes. This can be obtained by simply incorporating the
necessary information, such as the minimum dimensions or elements
which could limit such access into the data model when performing an
inventory in the field.
• Sewerage and Urban Drainage
As for the infrastructure, our elements’ catalogue will be comprised of
the major entities such as: wells, pipes, scuppers, water supply or singularities,
as well as the elements necessary for mathematical modeling.
Our topological construction will be carried out with the classical
arc-node GIS that will provide us with a series of management facilities,
including being able to use network extensions developed in gvSIG
for any network analysis with this topology.
For this purpose, using the 'connectivity' tool, we can analyze the sections
of network to remain upstream or downstream from a given point
and, in this way, plan various maintenance operations.
Additionally, it would be useful if this infrastructure was connected with
technologies for mathematical calculations of our network. In this specific
case, this will be possible with gvSIG and EPA SWMM, as our
team has specifically developed the INPcom communication extension
that will allow for this.
EPA SWMM is a calculating code developed by the U.S. E.P.A.,. The
first version was released in 1971. One of its main advantages is being
able to calculate up to an unlimited number of sections and to have a
stable and robust code for hydrology, hydraulic or water quality. It
does have a drawback, however, and this is that it does not have a
GIS interface. With the developed extensions we can overcome this
weakness, by combing both programs into a powerful tool for calculating
and analyzing all types of sewerage and urban drainage.
• Drinking Water Supply and non-consumption use
The drinking water service supply can also be integrated into gvSIG,
and as with the sewerage and urban drainage, we can outline our
installation over the topographic base and communicate with EPANET
code a program that is also USEPA, to analyze the networks of drinking
water supply, provided that this exportation is also possible thanks
to the INPcom extension.
Based on Arc-node topology with which we will be working, all of the
analysis potential of the gvSIG network extensions will also be operational
for this service. Obviously the management of a drinking supply
network can incorporate a lot of complicated technical technology
depending on the information that you want to manage with it. It is
important to mention that the tracking of operations can be carried out,
such as communicating customer management software (CMS) with
our database, which will give us access to the full potential of geographical
management of such networks.
Starting is easy
The degree of complexity which can be achieved with this management
system depends on the needs of the service be covered. The fact
that we can carry out a scalable implementation, allows us to propose
the first step, in which we only use a Geographic Information System
(GIS) and to add technologies at a later date, as needs dictate.
In this sense, after a GIS, we can consider implementing a relational
database to connect field elements, publish maps, or connect with
advanced management systems at a later date. We would like to make
it clear that beginning is easy. It can be done at no cost, where the
only investment is in education. Most importantly, we can get you started
and we can do it now.
Xavier Torret Requena, xtorret@tecnicsassociats.com.
Josep Lluís Sala Sanguino, jlsala@tecnicsassociats.com,
TECNICSASSOCIATS, ARQUITECTURA, ENGINYERIA I GIS
Carlos López Quintanilla carlos.lopez@psig.es
June 2013

18
A r t i c l e
By Robert Widz
Today’s organizations require a new generation of geospatial solutions that
encompass the full life cycle of capabilities, from sensors to apps in the field.
Such geospatial solutions are founded on one simple premise, namely connecting
users to the right tools and information they need to make smarter decisions –
whether as a member of the public needing a service or as an engineer reducing
water leakage.
Powering Smarter Decisions
I n t e r g r a p h G e o s p a t i a l 2 0 1 3
This shows a classified LiDAR dataset of a power line corridor with the ground class turned off. We see the planimetric view and 3 profile views,
and we are measuring encroaching vegetation.
Changing the Status Quo
Throughout past decades, incremental evolution
of departmental systems has given rise
to information silos. This unintentional separation
delays or limits the delivery and use
of valuable information. Intergraph’s 2013
Geospatial Portfolio eliminates these information
and processing silos that have existed
between conventional GIS, remote sensing,
and photogrammetry software, and
provides the flexibility demanded of modern
ICT.
The portfolio combines best-in-class, end-use
products for all three disciplines with enterprise
geospatial information management
and flexible delivery across desktop, web,
and mobile. This enables organizations to
simplify and control how data and workflows
are maintained, shared, accessed,
and applied – satisfying the most demanding
and diverse user base.
Embracing a Changing Marketplace
The past decade has seen the predictable,
albeit accelerating, cycle of computing platform
evolution, which has given way to an
explosion of operating systems, networks,
and devices. Unlike its IT peers, GIS solution
providers have been slower to adapt to
marketplace changes. This is a risky strategy
in such a dynamic industry awash with
new and disruptive offerings – the cloud,
new mobile platforms, open source, and
consumer mapping, just to name a few. To
survive an increasingly crowded and commoditized
sector, GIS providers need to
embrace change and develop specialized
capabilities that closely match specific enduse
needs.
To move with the rapidly changing market,
Hexagon AB acquired Intergraph in 2010
at a time when Intergraph was building
more depth to its product offerings – both in
core geospatial capabilities, but also in their
application to specific industry needs, from
asset infrastructure operation to public safety
incident management. The foundation of
Hexagon’s strategy was for it to complete
its own geospatial software offering,
expanding upon the remote sensing and
photogrammetry expertise in its existing
companies, ERDAS and Leica Geosystems.
The overall capabilities of the collected businesses
under Hexagon can now address
complete enterprise workflows previously
only conceivable as large-scale, custom integration
projects. The collaborative effort
between the various Hexagon companies is
focused on increasing automation, effectiveness,
and efficiency. The objective is to cut
the cost and time between detecting change
in the real world and making that information
readily available to decision-makers.
For example, Leica Geosystems has long
been a leader in the machine control field,
automating farm equipment such as tractors
and applicators via guidance and control
systems. By adding Intergraph’s GIS and
data analysis capabilities, the workflow is
expanded, allowing farmers in the field to
June 2013

19
not only collect information, but also perform
in-depth crop yield analysis, transforming
massive amounts of data into useable
information.
The acquisition also transformed Intergraph
internally. Hexagon already owned the leading
remote sensing software provider, ERDAS,
and its integration into Intergraph created a
unique scope of capabilities (spanning GIS,
remote sensing, and photogrammetry). The
new 2013 Geospatial Portfolio represents
the culmination of this work, unifying both
the ERDAS and GeoMedia product families
as a great enterprise solution.
A Changing User Base –
Creating a Modern
Geospatial Experience
Today, user expectations for software
applications change at a
dramatic pace. End-users now
demand simple solutions that
are dynamic and work in any
environment. Simply put, users
expect clever and well-designed
desktop, web, and mobile products.
In addition, a new and young
generation of users is entering
the workforce, bringing change
to mature markets and driving
emerging markets. With
advanced and different expectations
of how software applications
should work and operate,
this new generation has been
moulded by the proliferation of
This shows a Mobile LiDAR dataset in 3D colored by Intensity.
This shows a LiDAR dataset that has been RGB encoded in 2D and 3D.
elegant and highly intuitive “apps.”
When presented with conventional GIS
package designed for niche, specialized
users, this new generation disengages, productivity
suffers, and projects get delayed.
To meet this need, geospatial providers need
to embrace a rebirth, and essentially reinvigorate
systems initially created in the
1990s.
With this in mind, Intergraph has adopted
a modern and fresh approach for its geospatial
portfolio – essentially redefining how
geospatial workflows can be streamlined to
improve productivity, lower training costs,
and increase utilization. The refined, yet simple,
experience makes it faster for users to
both create reliable data and gain greater
insight from multi-source content.
Dynamic GIS in a Dynamic World
Global events are continually shifting. From
natural disaster to economic crisis to international
conflict, organizations need to be nimble
to stay ahead of changes that could result
in severe financial, social, or political
impacts. Geospatial solutions are the fundamental
underpinning for all organizations’
decision-making. Whether it is tracking assets
in the field or gaining full situational awareness
during a hurricane, smart organizations
look to dynamic geospatial tools that can be
leveraged across the entire enterprise.
With this in mind, the Intergraph 2013
Geospatial Portfolio supports critical decision-making
in time-sensitive situations by
providing powerful solutions for creating,
analyzing, and extracting information from
dynamic, multi-source content. The complete
portfolio allows organizations to securely
manage and rapidly deliver geospatial
information products integrated with other
forms of business data – both inside and outside
of the organization.
Recognizing the significance of this in
today’s rapidly transforming world has
resulted in new expectations for information
on-demand, delivered in a context and
application-relevant form to the field, office,
or online. Contemporary geospatial solutions
are designed to meet this expectation
and allow organizations to be more agile
and respond effectively when faced with
change.
June 2013

20
A r t i c l e
The Emergence of “Smart Maps”
With this unified, modern, and dynamic
approach to developing and integrating our
full product portfolio, Intergraph fully supports
the development and use of “smart
maps.”
This next-generation approach to GIS breaks
down all barriers and unleashes the power
of geospatial solutions to anyone, anywhere.
For example, smart maps draw from
the most current sources of information available
to synthesize a multi-dimensional view
of the world. They are also highly accurate,
enabling smarter decisions from high-fidelity
content sources fused together.
The information contained within a smart
map is application and context specific,
enabling it to reflect the needs of a customer’s
unique workflow. As the world
changes, smart maps are actively updated
by combining multi-source content from sensors,
business intelligence, databases, web
services, social media, and multimedia.
Ultimately, we live in a completely mobile
world where smart maps can be taken anywhere
and accessed everywhere.
Successful geospatial solutions need to be
dynamic, easy to use, and accessible across
entire organizations. As the world keeps
changing, so, too, will the right solutions that
enable global organizations to be more
effective in meeting mission requirements,
GeoMedia 2013 introduces the user to a new
ribbon interface styled after other professional
applications like Microsoft Office.
The ability to customize the toolbar makes
it easier for users to define the specific
workflows.
addressing their customers’ needs, and realizing
their business goals.
Intergraph’s aim with the Intergraph 2013
Geospatial Portfolio is to do precisely this,
and the company looks forward to an exciting
time ahead.
Robert Widz, Executive Director, Geospatial for Europe, the Middle
East and Africa at Intergraph SG&I.
Perspective views of the new Semi Global Matching Algorithm output, available in the latest release of ImageStation Automatic Elevations Extended, displayed in ERDAS IMAGINE’s Point Cloud viewer
June 2013

THE FORCE THAT
DRIVES SMARTER
DECISIONS
Welcome to Intergraph Geospatial 2013
WE ARE
UNITED.
Whether it’s by desktop,
server, web,
or
cloud – our integrated geospatial portfolio delivers what you
need, where you need it.
Less hassle.
Complete workflow.
One partner.
WE ARE
MODERN.
Our fresh and intuitive interfaces and
automated technology transform the way you see and share
your data. This world has new challenges.
Combat them with
a smarter design.
WE ARE
DYNAMIC.
Leverage our single integrated, dynamic
environment for spatial modeling.
Our core geospatial tools
enable you to exploit the wealth of information found in data
from any source.
GEOSPATIAL.INTERGRAPH.COM/2013
GRAPH.COM/2013
TEAM GEO-FORCE
INTERGRAPH RAPH GEOSPATIAL 2013
Experience the force that’s driving smarter
decisions at a road show near you.
© 2013 Intergraph Corporation.
All rights reserved. Intergraph is part of
Hexagon. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo
are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation or its subsidiaries in
the
United States
and in other
countries. .

22
A r t i c l e
Going for Gold with LiDAR
M a p p i n g S e r v i c e s f o r t h e M i n i n g I n d u s t r y
Airborne LiDAR is a fast and relatively inexpensive means of gathering topographic
information critical to the success and safety of mining operations.
McElhanney Consulting Services Ltd. of Vancouver, B.C., Canada, has introduced
two new bare-earth mapping services developed specifically for the exploration
and exploitation phases of the mining industry. In the first application,
McElhanney used LiDAR to find surface structures and lineaments that have been
missed by aerial photography and satellite imaging because of dense vegetative
cover. McElhanney, an engineering, mapping and surveying company, verified the
use of LiDAR bare-earth digital elevation models (DEMs) for lineament and fault
identification in a gold mining district of British Columbia.
By Kevin P. Corbley
Surface lineaments are
linear ground features
associated with complex
subsurface geological
structures, inclu -
ding faults, fractures, and other
features such as contacts
between different rock types.
Sometimes just a half meter
wide, lineaments may extend for
hundreds of meters in length.
Due to their large scale, these
features can be difficult to spot
from ground level, and they can
be even harder to see in most
remotely sensed imagery if
obscured by vegetation or loose
sediment.
“Lineaments provide clues to
underground geology and are a
valuable aide to geological mapping
- a crucial part of any gold
exploration or mine engineering
project”, said Azadeh Koohzare,
Ph.D., P.Eng. “Geologists can
interpret the pattern and direction
of these surface features
and, as many gold deposits are associated with geological structures,
use this information when selecting and prioritizing exploration
targets.”
Colour image of Kitimat Arm, British Columbia
High Point Density Required
The key to revealing the hidden surface geology is a powerful multipulse
airborne laser scanner, or LiDAR, explained Koohzare.
June 2013

23
Composite of Kitimat Arm and LiDAR data with shaded relief
McElhanney, which owns three Leica Geosystems LiDAR scanners
and two Leica Geosystems ADS digital cameras, initiated the lineament
mapping project using the Leica ALS60 and is upgrading to
the more powerful 500 kHz ALS70-HP system.
This LiDAR systems provide the minimum 2 points per square-meter
(2 points per 2.4 square yards) density required to generate bareearth
DEMs with the accuracy and resolution sufficient for revealing
the narrow linear surface features. In the British Columbia pilot project,
McElhanney operated the LiDAR at an altitude of 2500-3000
meters above mean sea level to collect the data set. Standard processing
removed the returns associated with vegetation to generate
a bare-earth DEM with 10-cm (4 in) vertical and 30 to 50 cm (12 to
20 in) horizontal accuracy.
“The Leica Geosystems ALS LiDAR operates with a high pulse rate
to ensure the vegetation is penetrated with a point density that is
sufficient to find surface lineaments measuring just 50 centimeters
(20 inches) in width,” said Koohzare. “And the high power of the
unit means the dense point data can be captured at high aircraft
speed, which saves time and money.”
Ground Subsidence
McElhanney devised its idea for ground subsidence monitoring in
Saskatchewan where potash deposits are mined and used for fertilizer.
Potash extraction poses a higher risk of ground subsidence than
many other types of mining because the evaporate deposits are
found in soft rock formations that are structurally less than ideal for
tunneling. As a result, potash mines must be continually monitored
for subsidence or sinking, of ground above and around the excavation
site.
“Subsidence above the mine gives advance warning that personnel
inside may be at risk of a cave-in or collapse,” said Koohzare,
adding that subsidence and uplift can cause problems for up to five
kilometers in any direction from the mine site. In addition to dangers
inside the mine, the ground movement can also sever pipelines, damage
roads, and crack building foundations in the affected region.
Monitoring subsidence around potash mines – and other mineral
extraction projects – is typically carried out using traditional ground
survey techniques, which are expensive and time consuming. Based
on LiDAR operations in hundreds of projects, many involving energy
June 2013

24
A r t i c l e
and mining clients, McElhanney says that
airborne LiDAR is the fastest and most
cost-effective way to monitor ground subsidence.
The 10-cm ((4 in) vertical accuracy of
bare-earth DEMs routinely generated from
the firm’s Leica ALS60 and ALS70 laser
scanners can identify significant shifts in
the ground surface – either up or down –
that may signal dangerous conditions in
the mine. McElhanney recommends collecting
an initial baseline data set above
each mine site and then continuing to collect
new data every year. Once subsidence
is revealed, monitoring flights should be repeated while steps
are taken inside the mine to minimize the danger.
As is the case with the lineament mapping, the high-pulse rate of
the LiDAR sensor is crucial to penetrating the vegetative canopy
around the mine site to get extremely accurate elevation measurements
of the ground surface, or bare earth, according to Kooh zare.
With vegetation removed from LiDAR data, geologists can identify possible gold deposits by viewing the bare-earth surface structures.
The Leica ALS70 is one of the few airborne laser scanners with the
power and multi-pulse capability able to provide the quality of bareearth
DEM required for these mining applications.
Kevin Corbley is president of X-Media and principal of Corbley Communications, a firm that provides business
development and strategic communications services to high-tech organizations worldwide.
(kevin.corbleycommunications).
This article was first published in Leica Reporter 67.

26
A r t i c l e
By PG&E Geosciences
and WSI
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) required detailed geologic information
of the land around the Diablo Canyon Power Plant. WSI conducted an orthophotography
and LiDAR survey of the area by using the Microsoft UltraCam Eagle
large-format digital aerial camera and state-of-the-art LiDAR sensors. The
high-resolution imagery, fused with high point density LiDAR data, highlights
the complex terrain and will ultimately make a difference for PG&E scientists
who analyze the land for regulatory reporting.
Ensuring Seismic Safety
Detailed Geologic Information
A Global Focus on Earthquakes and
Utilities
In the wake of the devastating Fukushima
nuclear power plant incident that occurred
in Japan in 2011, utility companies are
more sensitive than ever to the potential
impact of seismic activity on power plants.
Companies that own power plants in active
seismic zones take particular care to ensure
that their facilities are resilient to natural
hazards, and regulatory bodies require
proof of seismic safety.
That’s certainly true for the Diablo Canyon
Power Plant (DCPP), located on the
California coast and owned by Pacific Gas
and Electric Company (PG&E). In 2010,
PG&E began advanced seismic testing at
Diablo Canyon to verify that it continues to
meet the safety requirements necessary for
operating the two units at DCPP. To map the
approximately 380,000 acres, PG&E relied
on its long-term relationship with Watershed
Sciences (WSI), which uses state-of-the-art
technology to provide remote sensing and
analysis with a focus on aerial imagery and
high-resolution LiDAR data.
The Right Tools for the Job
The PG&E geosciences group worked with
WSI on a three-phased, detailed study of the
Diablo Canyon area. The first two phases
involved seismic surveys of portions of the
area in 2010 and 2011. In 2013, PG&E and
WSI launched the third phase, an in-depth
survey focused on the San Simeon and
A map of the San Simeon and Cambia fault areas.
Cambria fault regions within the Diablo
Canyon area (Figure 1). For that phase, WSI
designed the project to take advantage of
high point density and high-resolution
imagery by using the latest sensors commercially
available.
WSI used the Microsoft UltraCam Eagle 260-
megapixel large-format digital aerial camera
to capture the considerable amount of photographic
data it needed. The system is gyrostabilized
and simultaneously collects
panchromatic and multispectral (RGB, NIR)
imagery. Combining raw image data from
the panchromatic lens with the multispectral
image data yields crisp 4-band orthoimagery
with 3-inch pixel resolution (Figure 2).
Although it used multiple medium-format digital
cameras in the past, WSI appreciated the
efficiencies that came with the large-format
camera. “The larger UltraCam Eagle footprint
meant that we could make fewer
flights, which equates to less time in the air
and less fuel,” says Susan Jackson, Chief
Marketing Officer at WSI. “Plus, because
we could take fewer pictures, we didn’t
have to stitch together as many images
back at the lab, so there was less data
management involved. All that saved us
time and reduced costs for both WSI and
PG&E.”
Blending Technologies for Greatest
Clarity
The next step involved fusing the orthoimagery
with LiDAR data (Figure 3). WSI
acquired the LiDAR data at an overall point
cloud resolution of greater than 15 pulses per
square meter (ppsm), rather than the 8 ppsm
it had used in previous surveys of the area.
The horizontal accuracy of the UltraCam
Eagle was 21 cm, and the LiDAR absolute
accuracy was 3 cm.
The combination of the 3-inch orthophotos and
15-ppsm LiDAR data illuminates subtle geologic
and geomorphic features that might not
be visible with lower-density data. This
enables geologists to find small fault splays
and lesser known areas of movement. Higher
data density also reveals other seismically
induced features, such as landslides, which
can affect dams, pipelines, and other infrastructure,
creating safety concerns that extend
beyond the power plant.
June 2013

27
“Upgrading the pulse density and
using a large-format camera like the
UltraCam Eagle resulted in unparalleled
image quality and spectacular
photo clarity,” says Jackson.
“Anything less than this high-quality
imagery wouldn’t have sufficed.
Using it, PG&E can examine all
potentially affected infrastructure
within the region and base its decisions
on extremely accurate, defensible
data.”
For optimal mapping of the intertidal
zones of the San Simeon and
Cambria fault regions, WSI acquired
LiDAR data of the coastline during maximum
seasonal low tides. Sensitive to environmental
impacts, WSI operated all aircraft and
equipment in accordance with the regulations
of the Monterey Bay National Marine
Sanctuary. Because flights below 1,000 feet
above ground level violate regulations from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA), WSI aircraft
remained at 2,000 feet while within the
sanctuary.
Making Seismic Data Accessible
Working with regulatory agencies to make
survey data available in the public domain
is also a key focus for PG&E. Therefore, WSI
worked with PG&E to deliver full-resolution
A 3-inch pixel resolution orthophoto (from the UltraCam Eagle) of Morro Rock
(Morro Bay, CA) and adjacent jetty.
LiDAR points and bare-earth and highest-hit
rasters of the Diablo Canyon Power Plant
study areas to OpenTopography, a datahosting
service supported by the National
Science Foundation. OpenTopography provides
community access to high-resolution
topographic data; this is the first time that it
has hosted orthoimagery on its site. It is also
a first for PG&E facility data to be hosted.
WSI has other high-density LiDAR data hosted
on the site, but the Diablo Canyon Power
Plant data is now the highest-point density
LiDAR data hosted (see URL underneath the
article).
Continued Analysis for Future Peace of Mind
The survey data will help PG&E further
define the level of seismic activity that
earthquake faults in the area are
capable of producing. The company
is finishing its evaluation of the
onshore survey data and the lowenergy
offshore survey data for a
comprehensive understanding of the
entire area. It also plans to install
seismometers to detect seismic activity
on the ocean floor.
About PG&E Geosciences www.pge.com: PG&E employs a
seismic department staffed with experts who continually
study earthquake faults in the region of the power plant
and global seismic events as part of the plant’s comprehensive
safety program. PG&E remains focused on ensuring
that Diablo Canyon continues, and improves upon, its strong
record of safe operations. This includes making the facility resilient to
natural hazards, such as earthquakes and tsunamis.
About WSI www.wsidata.com: WSI brings a wealth of collective industry
experience working with utilities and in the integration of imagery
and LiDAR with other technologies. WSI specializes in applied airborne
remote sensing and analysis, including LiDAR, orthophotography,
ground surveying, feature extraction/analysis, high-definition videography,
planimetric mapping, multispectral and hyperspectral imagery,
thermal infrared imagery, software development, and various assessment
and visualization tools.
For more information, have a look at:
http://opentopo.sdsc.edu/gridsphere/gridsphere?cid=geonlidarframeportlet&gs_action=lidarDataset&opentopoID=OTLAS.032013.2
6910.2.
A shaded digital elevation model (DEM)
superimposed on an orthoimage that
illustrates the San Simeon Fault within
the project area.
June 2013

28
I n t e r v i e w
By Eric van Rees
The changing nature of retail, a new partnership with Autodesk and how location
is being adopted by new markets, thus providing new business opportunities
for Pitney Bowes Software. Newly appointed Director & GM Location
Intelligence EMEA James Brayshaw explains all.
New Appointment at Pitney Bowes Software
P r o v i d i n g L o c a t i o n - e n a b l e d S o l u t i o n s
Population density map of Reading in the U.K. Created in MapInfo Professional v11.5
Introduction
James Brayshaw has recently been appointed
to lead Pitney Bowes Software’s GIS and
Location Intelligence (LI) business in EMEA
to meet the growing demand for location
software and data solutions. Having nearly
30 years of experience in this field, most
recently as the main board Director of
Ordnance Survey, he is able to put the
recent changes in the geospatial area into
context and to predict where the future is
headed. Also, the announced strategic
alliance between Autodesk and Pitney
Bowes Software is discussed, as well as the
interesting market areas where Pitney Bowes
has a strong presence such as retail and
insurance.
James Brayshaw
Pitney Bowes Software provides desktop
products, enterprise solutions, software
tools, as well as services and data and is
known for its use in retail, insurance and
commercial businesses. Its user base is also
very strong in telecom and public sector,
and particularly in local government within
the highways area. At the same time, Pitney
Bowes Software’s customers also work very
extensively with business partners around
the globe in areas such as health, banking
and specialist markets such as mining and
natural resources.
“With the MapInfo brand and MapInfo
Professional software we have very strong,
well-respected software suite of desktop and
server applications, but we also have a
June 2013

29
Site analysis example in Dubai, incorporating driving regions, street data and business data
whole range of additional software tools,
platforms and services that reach out into
the broader marketplace in terms of enterprise
GIS. On top of that, we have an enterprise
platform that embeds location intelligence
within customer solutions, which is
increasingly where location intelligence
enabled services are heading”, says
Brayshaw.
Location-enabled solutions
Brayshaw’s role will be to provide some
strong market insight into the capabilities
and uses for Location Intelligence and GIS
solutions, as well as his thoughts on what,
in his experience and observation, could be
the upcoming trends in this space.
Brayshaw: “we’re now seeing a shift in the
market to location-enabled solutions in the
non-core GIS market, areas that wouldn’t
think of GIS but are interested in what location
and intelligence can provide to add
value to the business’s bottom line. It is not
just about maps. That to me is really where
the market is shifting to and where the
growth is going to come from. This is why
my role is about location intelligence in the
wider context, not just geographic information
and GIS. Most leading technology companies
are getting excited by the power of
location.”
He continues: “increasingly, a lot of our
major clients are using our technology and
solutions to support their customers on mission-critical
communications and to provide
insight into their customers’ behaviours and
buying patterns. This is what everyone
wants to know and why it is about how their
data and our software can provide real business
intelligence. Our business brings location
to this marketplace which is where we
are unique as we span across customer communications
management, analytics and
location intelligence.”
Facebook is one of these new breed of
clients. Brayshaw: “they are using our technology
primarily for geocoding and
reversed geocoding and other location intelligence
applications and data for integration
into their applications and services. It’s
all about location-enabling data which is
increasingly happening in the server end at
the enterprise, rather than from a traditional
GIS point of view.”
Retail and Insurance
Retail is an important market for Pitney
Bowes, since location has always been
important for site selection. But today, retailing
is more about customers than it is about
site selection, says Brayshaw. Brayshaw
says retail is about how organizations fulfill
a retail function, and that organizations
have started to recognize that the power of
location is not just about a physical building:
“every organization that has a wide
customer base and is selling products and
services in a traditional retailing way is looking
at better ways of understanding who’s
buying what, why and where and how to
improve their bottom line. The use of our
location enabled solutions with customer
data is really where the power comes.”
It is about the intelligence that one gains
from location that provides a different perspective:
“Analysing my customers behavior
with a location perspective, paints a different
picture and can answer very different
questions. In insurance for example, location
intelligence is used to drive better business
and to understand the risks from a global
perspective down to a local level.
Many leading organisations are looking at
location to provide them with that bottomline
advantage, cost savings and other efficiencies.
Retail, insurance, banking and telecoms
are definitely moving in that way to
tailor and personalise their customer offerings
more effectively. The key is to understand
how better to interact with your customers.”
Autodesk
Last year Pitney Bowes Software and
Autodesk announced a strategic alliance.
This will serve as a framework for both companies
to provide resources, services and
solutions to help infrastructure owners and
architecture, engineering and construction
(AEC) organizations make more informed
decisions. This will drive greater efficiencies
across the plan, design, build, manage lifecycle
of infrastructure. From a user’s perspective
this partnership enables the coordination
of the existing applications and the
integration of data from both companies.
Having been involved in civil engineering
and in the Autodesk world since 1986,
Brayshaw is excited to come back to this
relationship. He sees great opportunities for
both companies in bringing together the
spatial context that infrastructural projects
need through the different phases of the
management lifecycle: “bringing together
June 2013

30
Interview
The MapInfo GIS suite includes desktop GIS, web mapping and spatial data management capabilities
Autodesk and MapInfo technology, will
seamlessly provide a single source of information
across the management lifecycle.”
For instance, GIS capabilities come in
handy when doing spatial querying, demographic
analysis or optimization of routes
and placing a project in a mapping context
as a part of the planning process of an
infrastructural project. When this becomes
a real project, Autodesk’s BIM enabled IDS
solutions are the preferred choice to provide
the information flows through the project lifecycle.
Brayshaw: “before I joined Pitney Bowes
Software, I’d been doing some work for the
BIM UK taskforce around data flows, processes
and data management. Effectively,
what this alliance does is bring BIM and
geographic information together to provide
the context of the project right from planning,
through the construction phase and
then more importantly into the asset-management
phase. Imagine you have one set
of data that Autodesk’s 3D Design technology
and our MapInfo Suite can talk to. No
more headaches of data conversion. That’s
where core benefits are going to come.”
For more information, have a look at www.pb.com
June 2013

31
Open GIS Means What?
C o l u m n
If you want to argue about something over beers or on Twitter,
“Open GIS” is a great subject to pick.
When someone uses the word
open to describe something in
the GIS world people
inevitably argue on its applicability.
Here in the United
States, generally government data is open (public
domain) but you still see local governments selling
data to “recoup development costs”. There is a
whole organization (OGC) devoted to making
data sharing open, yet most GIS software either
supports the standards poorly or most likely not at
all. There are open source GIS projects that give
technologists freedom to develop applications their
way, yet most are unapproachable to average
users. Even the largest GIS software company has
embraced open as a way to describe using their
products but most users disagree with Esri’s definition
of open. If you want to argue about something
over beers or on Twitter, “Open GIS” is a great
subject to pick. When I think “open” in relationship
to GIS I break it up into 3 areas; open data,
open standards and open technology.
use when it’s shelf life should have expired years
ago. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
was founded to address these concerns. I’m going
to say besides WMS, I can’t think of any standard
that they’ve created that I’ve seen people use. The
OGC is littered with 3 letter acronyms that are
implemented in one place or another, but most are
not across platforms. Even when companies say
they support WMS/WFS/etc., it is usually so poorly
that you can’t leverage it in production applications.
I think it has come to the point where GIS
professional just expect new OGC standards to
fail and in turn it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy
of defeat. I see some hope though in the web
mapping world. GeoJSON and the newer extension,
TopoJSON have given web developers community
standards to develop web map applications
across platforms and browsers. I think there
is a ton of innovation happening in this space and
the compact TopoJSON format might be usable in
areas outside the browser (especially since it is
topology aware).
James blogs about geospatial technology
at his blog http://spatiallyadjusted.com
and has a weekly video hangout
http://spatiallyadjusted.com/video
where he talks about what it means to be
a cutting edge GIS professional. He is
owner of Spatially Adjusted, LLC
http://www.spatiallyadjusted.com/consulting,
a GIS consulting company that
helps organizations get better value out of
the geospatial data and applications.
As I mentioned earlier the United States has a history
of public domain government data. We’re all
familiar with the TIGER data project, which gives
somewhat detailed mapping of the USA freely
without any limitations. There are other examples
but I think this is a great way to show what I think
is a truly open dataset. One of the biggest datasets
to ever appear in the history of the world is the
OpenStreetMap (OSM) project. Given that the
word open is in the project title, clearly it is an
open dataset. It has some restrictions on sharing
compared to true public domain datasets. See how
quickly open gets dirty? OSM is in my mind an
open datasets, but I know people who view it as
a closed repository and wish it was all public
domain. Compare that license with the Natural
Earth Data project’s public domain data to see the
difference. I don’t like to get too twisted around
with data licenses because for most of my professional
GIS life I had to deal with close, proprietary
datasets so the freedom provided by “share alike”
licensing is so open to me.
Lastly the one area in GIS that I use “open” is for
software. Projects such as QGIS, PostGIS, and
GDAL/OGR are well known to all GIS users. Each
one is licensed so that you can take the code and
have the freedom to use it the way you wish. That
said, it is not just applications that are open. The
Leaflet mapping library and Data-Driven
Documents (D3) are great visualization tools that
are completely open to users. I don’t need to go
over the reasons why open source software benefits
the user, but it’s a big difference between proprietary
projects such as ArcGIS, Oracle or
Google Maps. I’ve transitioned my professional
life from using closed source applications for my
clients and customers to one of open source projects
that not only give us the freedom to implement
them to best solve problems but also give
them the ability to extend it further into their workflows
without fear of getting into a licensing nightmare
down the road. That’s the key to open GIS
software for me, freedom to innovate without limitations.
That’s liberating!
Now sharing spatial data is still something that I
think we as a community have failed. The
Shapefile and its archaic DBF database format is
the standard that we’ve all agreed upon and still
So that’s my open thoughts on open GIS. I encourage
you to let me know on twitter (@cageyjames)
how you feel about these points.
Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com

32
A r t i c l e
Patagonia National Park
By Rick Tingey and
John Timar
Conservacion Patagonia and its partner organization Round River Conservation
Studies needed to create a comprehensive map of the Patagonia National Park,
a 650,000-acre expanse of mountains, grasslands, forests, wetlands, rivers and
alpine lakes located in Chile’s Aysen Region. With numerous independent
scientific researchers uncovering new information about the landscape, the organizations
needed a shareable system for recording data about the region in a
geospatial context. They turned to a geospatial collaboration software solution
which finally yielded a rich and detailed information base that any collaborator
and view and edit.
Preserving Patagonia National Park
U s i n g G e o s p a t i a l C o l l a b o r a t i o n S o l u t i o n s
With a commitment to the
wild future of Patagonia,
a region located at the
southern end of South
America, Conservacion
Patagonica is an organization that works to
create national parks that save and restore
wildlands and wildlife, inspire care for the natural
world, and generate healthy economic
opportunities for local communities.
Created by Conservacion Patagonica, the
future Patagonia National Park is a 650,000-
acre expanse of mountains, grasslands,
forests, wetlands, rivers and alpine lakes located
in Chile’s Aysen Region. When
Conservacion Patagonica began the
Patagonia National Park project, it set off into
uncharted territory to create comprehensive
and functional maps of the landscape.
Through its partner organization Round River
Conservation Studies, which provides student
study abroad programs and extensive field
research and community planning, the organizations
needed to generate baseline mapping
data about wildlife and plants in
Patagonia National Park. The organization
found that while government survey maps provided
an accurate rendering of the terrain,
they did not offer collaboration and data customization
capabilities. In addition, Web map
services could only provide so much in a
region where Internet connectivity is scarce.
Collaboration and information sharing
With numerous independent scientific
researchers uncovering new information about
the landscape, the project required a shared
and shareable system for recording place
data. As such, Round River Conser vation
Studies set out to create a platform that encouraged
and supported collaboration and information-sharing
among the various people
working on the ground in the park: the wildlife
recovery team, independent scientists, the trail
building team, historians and archeologists
and others.
Round River Conservation Studies needed the
right geospatial collaboration solution to help
create a central repository for all work that is
being done in the region, and that could be
shared with the larger scientific community
and beyond. More importantly, the solution
needed to be easy to manage, update and
ultimately, enable everyone on the team share
this data.
The organization turned to TerraGo’s geospatial
collaboration software for creating cus-
June 2013

33
RIEGL
LMS-Q780
The RIEGL LMS-Q780 airborne laser scanner
offers great versatility, accuracy, and data
quality. The scanner enables you to
successfully deliver your projects with
industry leading efficiency.
Students with iPad
tomizable GeoPDF maps that allowed users to create their own custom
spatially referenced data (map layers) in the form of point, line, or polygon
features and that could be added to the map using simple drawing
tools within the software. These could then attribute the geo-located data
layers with descriptive information about plant, wildlife and other features.
Grassland survey
Using GeoPDF maps and imagery produced by TerraGo Publisher, a
team of Round River students conducted a grassland survey in the park
during the summer of 2012. Over the course of the semester, they identified
and catalogued the composition of grass species at nearly one
hundred sites, along a gradient from east to west across the Chacabuco
Valley, which is part of the park.
These study site locations were recorded as waypoints in a GPS, and
easily added to the GeoPDF files for collaboration and sharing. The students
then added photos, text, and other media directly to these map
locations, which helped to build a rich and detailed information base
that any collaborator can view and edit. Round River Conservation
Studies then shared these custom map layers with other interested parties.
The use of TerraGo’s collaboration solutions is playing a key role for
both organizations’ staff and independent scientists who come regularly
to study the region’s ecosystems. Prior to using TerraGo, there was no
central repository for updating and managing all geospatial data regarding
the park.
As this is a major project, Round River Conservation Studies needed to
use the right tools for sharing with the scientific community at large the
lessons they’re are learning about what is being protected in this delicate
ecosystem. Moving forward, they want anyone to easily, no matter
where they are in the park, make notes on the GeoPDF and share them
instantly with other scientists and collaborators. This solution will be used
for tracking and monitoring very rare species like the Austral Vizcacha,
a large, endangered rodent that only lives in the Patagonia region.
Leading Technology
in Airborne Scanning
The RIEGL LMS-Q780, with up to 10 simultaneous pulses in the air, results
in the best point spacing on the ground. This eliminates the need
of terrain following while retaining a high effective rate. Industry
leading digital signal processing, combined with the comprehensive
RIEGL software suite, delivers best in class results.
Wide Effective
Swath Width
Matrix
Scan Pattern
The RIEGL LMS-Q780, operated at up to
10,000 feet above ground with its full FOV of
60 degrees, provides both a wide effective
swath width and a narrow point spacing
simultaneously.
The RIEGL LMS-Q780 delivers straight parallel
scan lines and more equally spaced laser
footprints on the ground. Even small objects
can be detected by the high-resolution
matrix scan pattern.
RIEGL
FOV
60°
One Versatile LIDAR Sensor
The RIEGL LMS-Q780 is the versatile airborne
LIDAR sensor for all projects: from corridor to
wide-area, and large-scale national mapping.
RIEGL delivers unrivaled efficiency at low
operating costs.
Others
colored point cloud
Rick Tingey, Conservation Geographer at
Round River Conservation Studies
John Timar, Vice President, Worldwide Sales at TerraGo
For more information on Conservacion Patagonica visit:
www.conservacionpatagonica.org
For more information on Round River Conservation Studies: www.roundriver.org
www.riegl.com
RIEGL LMS GmbH, Austria RIEGL USA Inc. RIEGL Japan Ltd.

34
A r t i c l e
By Paul Ramsey and
David Dubovsky
Although modern open source geospatial software is known to have a lot of
advantages over proprietary, closed source systems, often enterprises find
themselves asking from whom and where they will get support. The emergence
of companies offering enterprise class, commercial support, combined with open
source growth outpacing closed, has enterprises everywhere replacing legacy
software with modern web-based solutions. OpenGeo, and their flagship
product, OpenGeo Suite, has become the choice for those looking for a
comprehensive spatial data platform for the web.
Geospatial Software’s Open Future
O p e n G e o S u i t e 3 . 0
The technology TriMet used— the OpenGeo Suite —packages several
open source projects into a modular enterprise spatial IT solution:
TriMet
In 2007, Portland TriMet was facing a technology conundrum:
though they served a technology-savvy metropolitan population,
which was rapidly adopting transit use, their trip-planning system
presented an old fashioned user interface, backed by proprietary
technology which was difficult to customize and expensive
to scale. To drive and support transit ridership they needed a
quick, easy-to-use trip-planning system that both looked modern to
their users and was built with a modern design, anticipating growth
and adaptation.
TriMet utilized the commercial open source OpenGeo Suite when
building their new public facing maps, including those used in the
online schedules and trip planner. Additionally, TriMet has adopted
open source and open data as central tenets of their systems philosophy:
the data behind those web maps is now all open; and the trip
planning algorithms themselves come from an open source algorithm
which TriMet co-funded.
The reasons TriMet went open source are simple: open source provides
the flexibility to adapt systems to new requirements; open
source provides the scalability necessary to support public facing
web sites; and finally, open source provides the velocity of development
to keep up with the leading edge of technology.
• PostGIS, a spatial database extension for the PostgreSQL database
• GeoServer, a geospatial server capable of connecting to a variety
of data back-ends (e.g., Oracle Spatial, Microsoft SQL Server,
Esri ArcSDE) and publish as OGC services (e.g., WMS, WFS,
WCS, WPS)
• GeoWebCache, a robust caching engine to improve the speed
and performance of serving map tiles
• OpenLayers, a JavaScript library for displaying map data in web
browsers
• GeoExt, a JavaScript library for creating rich map applications in
web browsers
The flexibility of the Suite comes from the ability to incrementally
integrate with existing infrastructures, as TriMet integrated the Suite
with their systems:
• First by bringing in GeoServer to render maps from existing data
formats and database.
• Then building a web interface with OpenLayers/GeoExt, to provide
public web applications for trip planning and map viewing.
• And finally moving the data persistence layer to the
PostGIS/PostgreSQL database.
Unlike many technology platforms, the OpenGeo Suite doesn’t
require organizations to completely re-architect their back-office data
management to start building new applications, and that flexibility
has suited TriMet, and many others.
OpenGeo Suite 3.0
OpenGeo recently released version 3.0 of the Suite, building on the
existing web services, web application toolkit and spatial database,
updating the capabilities of the core components and adding new
features:
June 2013

35
USGS
pipelines much cross flow lines either above or below the line; and
so on.
OpenGeo stack diagram
• OGC Web Processing Service (WPS) provides a standard for
inputs and outputs (requests and responses) for geospatial processing
services such as polygon overlays, buffers, or custom processes.
• Rendering transformations make processing operations easier
in browser-based visualizations by enabling just-in-time use of
any WPS process as part of any layer’s style.
• Server-side scripting in Python and JavaScript allows users to
easily deploy their own server-side processes using concise and
straightforward APIs.
• PostGIS 2.0 brings vector and raster analysis into the database.
• GeoServer security now supports user groups as well as a number
of new authentication mechanisms including LDAP, digest and
X.509 certificate authentication.
• OGC Web Feature Service 2.0 (WFS) adds some interesting new
capabilities, including paging, stored queries, and extended operators.
While improved security support and WFS services will be welcome
news for administrators, the feature that will find most use in complex
applications is server-side processing via the “Web Processing
Service”.
What’s the big deal about Web Processing Service (WPS)?
WPS allows any calculation to be exposed via a web services interface.
The classic trivial example of a WPS is a service that takes in
a simple point, line or polygon and returns a buffered version of the
input. Buffering can be handy, but the really exciting processes are
ones that make use of rich back-end data stores.
For example, the US Geological Survey manages a rich database
of hydrological data; the National Hydrologic Database (NHD).
NHD data is useful because it conforms to a large number of strict
structure rules about how features can interact: flow obstruction
points must be on flow lines; flow lines much join up end-to-end;
Editing the NHD requires a special desktop environment loaded with
all the structural rules in place. Every potential change is checked
against the rules after editing and before the data is pushed to the
central database. This workflow sharply limits the number of people
who can edit NHD; if more people could edit, with simpler tools, it
would be easier to spread out the load of maintaining this useful
data.
What if you could edit the NHD over the web, while still maintaining
the structural rules?
Using WPS, the USGS built a demonstration application that does
exactly that. Each rule set is codified in a WPS script running in
GeoServer. When an edit is completed, the rule sets for the changed
features are run on the server, checking the new web feature against
the data in the back-end database. If it passes, it is committed. If it
does not, the user has the option of fixing it, or for easy cases (snapping,
vertical displacements) having the system auto-fix it for them.
With the web editing system, more users are able to work on data
management, with lower licensing overhead. And by utilizing the
auto-fixing facility, each user can get more productive work done.
We can find another interesting implementation of WPS within the
GLOBE project. For over a decade, students at schools around the
world have been taking meteorological observations and entering
them into the GLOBE database. As a result GLOBE also has a rich
database, not of hydrology, but of weather observations. The
GLOBE system is supposed to turn those point-by-point observations
into a compelling visual representation of weather data.
Rather that writing a custom piece of software to produce color
ramps from raw data, the GLOBE project chose to add incremental
capabilities to GeoServer via the WPS system. The GLOBE
database had points with measurements (temperature, air pressure,
etc). To get to a colorful output, the system needed to:
• Convert the irregular point data into a regular grid via interpolation.
• Convert the regular grid of values into a colorful image via a color
ramp.
• Convert the regular grid of values into a contour map via contouring.
June 2013

36
A r t i c l e
WPS, server-side scripting and the others available in
OpenGeo Suite 3.0 enable you to break free of the
traditional notion that spatial data must be routed
through a specialized GIS workflow
GLOBE system
By chaining the interpolation process to the color ramp process, or
the interpolation process to the contouring process, the GLOBE could
generate attractive outputs that were calculated in real time, so a
contour map for the world or any smaller region could be generated
for any day that the GLOBE system had data (over a decade’s
worth!).
Because the GLOBE solution was WPS chaining inside GeoServer it
could take advantage of existing facilities to:
• Read the data out of the database-agnostic backend.
• Convert the value grid into a color grid with existing styling mechanisms.
• Convert the grid into contours with an existing contouring WPS.
So the only net new code required was the interpolation WPS. This
code would read data from any GeoServer data source (files,
databases, remote WFS services) and build an interpolated grid
using the Barnes interpolation scheme. The results are both attractive
and impressively fast. In addition to the interpolation process,
the OpenGeo Suite 3.0 ships with a WPS for heat map generation.
It works the same way as the interpolation WPS, reading from any
data source, and building a value grid that can then be arbitrarily
colored using the standard GeoServer styling system.
The GLOBE example shows the power of chaining processes together,
particularly as the library of available processes grows over time.
For upcoming releases of the OpenGeo Suite, additional user interfaces
to chain processes visually, as well as clustering capabilities,
will be added. This ensures that high loads will be easily distributed
between multiple back-end servers.
General adoption of open source geospatial and in
particular the OpenGeo Suite is being driven by organizations
like TriMet, USGS and GLOBE, which require
a stable, enterprise ready platform on which to build
innovative applications. The transparency of the open
source code base and the speed with which fixes and
changes can be added, allow organizations building
new systems to get beyond the usual routine of working
around limitations and waiting for upcoming
releases.
For the organizations who are wondering, “where will we get support
for this software?” and “who is going to fix my bugs?” we also
have a ready answer: OpenGeo. Commercial open source providers
fill in the gaps between the raw code available from the open source
community and the enterprise needs of customers. Until recently, a
closed source provider has dominated geospatial web services, but
increasingly open source alternatives have been closing the gap.
Companies like RedHat and OpenGeo provide an enterprise face
and offer a reliable partner to work with on issues from feature development
to security enhancements. This cuts software development
costs and gives customers a chance to share and optimize resources
by working with an expert to steer the software development
roadmap. The OpenGeo Suite 3.0 provides enterprises with superior
value in delivering geospatial web services, whilst simultaneously
increasing the reach and functionality of enterprise systems and controlling
costs.
Paul Ramsey, GeoSpatial Architect, OpenGeo
David Dubovsky, Marketing Manager, OpenGeo
URLs
http://trimet.org/ - Portland TriMet’s website
http://opengeo.org/products/suite/ - The OpenGeo Suite
http://blog.opengeo.org/2012/10/03/opengeo-suite-3-0-released/ - OpenGeo Suite 3.0 details
http://opengeo.org/publications/commercialopensource/ - Commercial Open Source Whitepaper
All of these processes occur on the server, which in effect, designates
the server as the place where new processes are defined.
Although this is not a new idea, this is a major deviation from the
status quo. Additionally, the combination of WPS and server-side
scripting allows developers to create processes that perform complex
analysis (like those previously mentioned) or any other processes
a developer may write. All this is possible using familiar scripting
languages like Python and JavaScript. Together these features enable
IT professionals to build web applications that can run spatial processes
against data in real time, from anywhere, using straightforward
web development practices. This is especially exciting for those
who recognize that spatial data has become just one aspect of the
increasingly complex information technology ecosystem. Tools like
June 2013

37
Stars Aligned, finally, for
CAD/Civil/Geo Convergence?
C o l u m n
As the Architecture/Engineering/Construction (AEC) community, and also
owners and managers of buildings, find new ways to use information technology,
the lack of interoperability among systems becomes increasingly
burdensome.
Bart De Lathouwer, Director,
Interoperability Programs, Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
In March, the Open Geospatial Consortium
(OGC) Land Development Domain Working
Group in partnership with buildingSMART
International hosted the inaugural Civil &
Land Development Summit 2013 as part of
the OGC Technical and Planning Committee meeting
in Abu Dhabi. Representatives from building -
SMART International, Geonovum, Oranjewould
(representing Dutch engineering & construction
companies), Esri, ViaNova, Autodesk, iScope
(FP7 research project), Cyclomedia and OGC
spoke on a variety of topics.
Representatives from buildingSMART International
(bSI) spoke about OpenINFRA, a fast track initiative
to develop bSI/BIM compatible standards for
Infrastructure and Civil Works. The openINFRA
steering group under chair Christophe Castaing
has been laying the groundwork for expanding
the scope of bSI standards beyond buildings.
OpenINFRA was started by several large infrastructure
design, management and construction
companies, especially in France, following on
from the IFC Bridge project.
budgeted over five years. The goal is to eventually
have all UK government projects, including
infrastructure and civil works, be designed, procured
and managed as integrated BIM projects,
starting in 2016 with high priority projects.
In recognition of the amount of work to be accomplished,
bSI has renewed and strengthened its
memorandum of understanding with OGC. OGC
and bSI are committed to coordinate and collaborate,
to avoid duplication of effort and to develop
interoperability between bSI and OGC standards
in overlapping areas. The goal is to have
transparent interoperability from the user perspective.
Additionally, the new version of IFC has been
released. IFC4 is significant in that it has for the
first time a native as well as a simple ifcXML full
equivalent. The important point is that this will
enable, with some caveats, IFC in-flow data compatibility
with new ifcXML-based software for
infrastructure. Esri has expressed plans to enable
input from IFCBIM to Esri tools.
There are growing demands from several governments
for integrated BIM that includes Infra -
structure design, procurement and operation. The
government groundswell is spearheaded by the
UK government, but governments in France,
Germany, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands and
several others also have similar bSI/BIM for
Infrastructure initiatives. The UK government is
eager to help fund international standards and
has officially invited high-level government officials
from several countries for a meeting in
London, in order to help bSI grow further support
and coordinate the work.
The UK government's BIM initiative has high-level
cabinet support and funding of 50 million pounds
The bSI Infrastructure work is being organized as
a virtual Room, where several, or hopefully, many
projects will simultaneously work on aspects of
Infrastructure work. There will be small projects,
such as standards for snapping building footprints
into coordinates, and larger projects needed to
define processes of design and alignments of
roads, railways, waterways; linear construction,
geotechnical, GIS and system related aspects such
as environmental, traffic, control electronics etc.
One concrete action agreed at the meeting is for
the OGC Land Development Standards Working
Group to work with OpenINFRA to create a joint
use case repository to inform LandXML evolution
and civil engineering standards in general.
Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com

38
R e v i e w
By Eric van Rees
Esri Press recently published an updated version of the second part of its GIS
Tutorial series, offering exercises and data for the latest version of its ArcGIS
software.
U p d a t e d E s r i G I S T u t o r i a l
Spatial Analysis Workbook for ArcGIS 10.1
Contents and target audience
This book was published early 2013 and
has been updated for ArcGIS 10.1, which
is the latest version of this software. It offers
nine tutorials or hands-on exercises for performing
spatial analysis, and comes with a
DVD that includes data and a 180-day trial
of ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop Advanced software.
The book’s key objective is to assist
the reader in developing their knowledge
of the analysis tools of ArcGIS and teaching
them how to design the right sequences to
bring the big picture into view. The tutorials
focus on data representation and equip
readers with the skills to build ‘big picture’
maps. As stated in the preface of this book,
the user won’t create new data, but will create
new files based on existing data.
The contents can roughly be divided into
two categories: tutorials 1-6 correspond
with another Esri publication, called ‘The
Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 1’, and
tutorials 7-9 correspond with the second
volume. It is recommended that the user of
this book reads the corresponding chapters
of these two volumes before each tutorial.
Some of the tutorials require the ArcGIS
10.1 Spatial Analyst for Desktop extension,
which accompanies the book.
Title: GIS Tutorial 2: Spatial Analysis Workbook for ArcGIS 10.1
Author: David W. Allen
Publisher: Esri Press
Language: English
Number of pages: 344
ISBN: 9781589483378
The book starts off with relatively easy instructions, but the tasks gradually
become more complex and involve multiple steps in order to obtain
the final results for analysis. The first four chapters are more about map
visualization than complex spatial analysis, but from then on things get
more interesting: creating buffers, performing distance analysis, measuring
geographic distribution, and finally, analyzing patterns and identifying
clusters through statistical analysis tools.
In each tutorial, the reader has to fulfill a task that requires a number of
steps for analysis. These are shown step-by-step, through helpful screenshots
of the final results. In addition, there are tasks which support independent
skill demonstration, as well as study questions and review sections
after the exercises. At the end of the book there are a number of
extra independent projects which combine the analysis functions described
in the previous chapters.
This publication is geared towards a more advanced readership than
the first part of this series (‘GIS Tutorial 1:
Basic Workbook) and requires use of
ArcGIS and ArcGIS extensions, knowledge
of ArcMap and ArcCatalog, as well as thirdparty
tools and scripts.
Verdict
For a hands-on do-it-yourself course in performing
GIS analysis with ArcGIS 10.1, or
as material for a face-to-face course in a classroom,
this book is an excellent choice. It
has everything you could possibly need: you
get the data, the software and helpful tutorials
all in one package. The book is wellwritten,
the layout is very good, the imagery
is helpful in working your way through
the exercises and the review sections are
useful. You don’t get the answers to the extra
tasks, but this isn’t a major issue.
Although the book has information on the
theoretical background of the analysis functions
which are covered, this is not the key
objective of the book. This becomes a problem
in the last few chapters, which cover
complex mathematical methods used in statistics,
for instance when it comes to interpreting
results after applying a certain function.
The Help function of ArcGIS provides a lot
of information on spatial analysis, as does
the online Esri Resource Center, so there’s no need to pay for an additional
publication offering this information.
Since the book does cover a lot of ground, it can be a good thing to
read through the whole tutorial again after finishing it to get ‘the big picture’
and distinguish between multiple analysis functions which may seem
very similar, but should be used under specific circumstances and for
specific purposes only. This is important, because if you’re not aware of
what you’re doing, you might end up drawing the wrong conclusions
from your dataset. What is a plus about this book is that the data provided
on the DVD is ready for use, which is good for a learning environment.
It’s important to remember, however, that the real world situation
might be a bit more complex than shown in the book.
For more information, have a look at: esripress.esri.com.
June 2013

40
R e v i e w
By Eric van Rees
A new edition of Esri’s guide to map projections has been published by Esri Press,
providing a practical working manual for lining up data in ArcGIS and a basic
introduction to working with coordinate systems and map projections.
Lining Up Data in ArcGIS
S e c o n d E d i t i o n f o r A r c G I S 1 0 . 1
with coordinate systems. It presents practical
techniques to help readers identify data
projections, create custom projections to
align data, and resolve common issues. This
most recent, second edition of the book is
compatible with ArcGIS 10.1 and includes
new sections on using CAD data and the
appropriate use of the web Mercator projections.
Title: Lining Up Data in ArcGIS: A Guide to Map Projections
Author: Margaret M. Maher
Publisher: Esri Press
Language: English
Number of pages: 200
ISBN: 978-1589483422
About the book
Last February, Esri published the second edition
of ‘Lining Up Data in ArcGIS: A Guide
to Map Projections’, written by Margaret M.
Mahee; a veteran member of Esri's support
services team. The book is a troubleshooting
reference for any GIS user who works
Contents
The book has 200 pages, divided into ten
chapters, which tackle the problems and
questions ‘most heard ‘over the last few
years in phone calls and emails to Esri
Support Services’. These include lining up
data in a map projection in ArcMap and the
application for making maps and analyzing
data within ArcGIS for Desktop. When new
data is received from sources outside one’s
organization or department, problems often
occur, which explains the need for this book.
The book also covers the basics about working
with coordinate systems and map projections
and is written for users of ArcGIS
working with vector data. As the basic principles
also apply for working with raster
image formats, it is useful for these users too.
The book is meant to be a practical working
manual. For the most part, the book is
arranged so that each chapter addresses a
specific question or problem and provides
a solution for that issue. Each chapter is part
of the whole, but also stands alone, addressing
specific issues related to working with
coordinate systems. The book includes three
appendices, which contain references to a
number of Knowledge Base articles from the
Esri Support Center and to default installa-
June 2013

41
tion locations and profile paths: necessary
if you want to copy projection files installed
on your computer.
Topics discussed in the book include: how
to resolve alignment issues reflected in common
error messages and warnings, how
(and when) to perform geographic transformations
and which transformation to use,
how to decide which map projection to use,
what do the parameters in a projection file
mean and what do they do, how to add x,y
data to a map and much more.
Verdict
As the author writes in the introduction of
the book, understanding coordinate systems
is a challenge. A practical guide like this is,
therefore, indispensable. The decision to
write a practical working manual which isn’t
overly lengthy was a very wise one, since
there are already many theoretical sources
available, which tackle the mathematical
theories behind map projections. Although
this is not a theoretical book, of course there
is theoretical information available, but it’s
not the chief focus of the book.
One could criticize the decision to repeat
certain information provided in some chapters,
but I didn’t find this distracting, since it
allows you to read the parts of the book you
need most in order to complete your work
or solve a specific problem. This is not a
book you probably will read from cover to
cover, but will use as a reference guide or
as a gateway, leading you to other sources.
Anything more detailed would be information
overload.
What makes this publication so valuable, is
the amount of experience reflected on every
page of the book – the author undoubtedly
has years of experience in solving problems
about coordinate systems in ArcGIS. This
book is clearly written by an expert and written
and presented in an accessible way. As
with all Esri books, there are many large
illustrations, which clarify text examples.
What is worth mentioning, however, is the
amount of information on aligning CAD
data, which is not an easy task, according
to the author.
The downside of this book is that the examples
of coordinate systems and illustrations
of sample data are taken from the United
States. Given the scope of this book, this
choice is understandable, but a missed
opportunity in some way. Apart from this
criticism, I found this a very informative and
practical book to read, with tons of information,
which should prove useful to every person
working with coordinate systems in
ArcGIS.
For more information, have a look at: http://esripress.esri.com
June 2013

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E v e n t
By Monica Pratt
Nearly 1,600 members of the software development community got a chance to
see what’s under the hood at the Esri International Developer Summit
(DevSummit), held March 25–28, 2013, in Palm Springs, California. The attendees,
more than a third of whom came from outside the United States, were
made privy to Esri’s immediate and long-term software development strategies.
Esri 2013 Developer Summit
L i v e b y t h e C o d e
Esri shared its software development strategies with nearly 1,600 members of the software development community at the 2013
Esri International Developer Summit.
The focus of the event, now in its eighth
year, was tech, coding, and the people
who live for both. Attendees
learned about the latest developments,
competed in hackathons, and played
hard during four busy days. Mainstream developers
and those who primarily work on GIS
development came in nearly equal numbers:
approximately 600 for each group. The balance
of the attendees was made up of academics,
managers, and business owners. For
those actively writing code, JavaScript was the
most popular language.
Whatever their day job or favorite programming
language, the DevSummit gave attendees
the opportunity to build community. Esri sees
tremendous value in building relationships
between its developers and the larger developer
community. As Esri president Jack Danger -
mond noted, “You are the people who can think
through what is needed and wanted.”
Interacting with the more than 300 members of
Esri’s development staff in attendance continues
to be one of the event’s main attractions.
Dangermond described the company’s new
generation of development tools as “transformational.”
ArcGIS has become a platform that
integrates across mobile, web, cloud, server,
and desktop to “take geography and geographic
understanding everywhere.”
Big Data, Real Time
The ability to handle the flood of sensor data
in real time was one of the major announcements
made at the DevSummit. “There probably
are more sensors in this room than there
are people. As a developer, leveraging these
sensors in your applications can provide
tremendous value to your end users,” said
Adam Mollenkopf, product lead for ArcGIS
GeoEvent Processor for Server during the
Plenary Session.
Available with the ArcGIS 10.2 release, this
extension lets ArcGIS for Server ingest realtime
data. It can handle feeds from a variety
of data sources, from Twitter to Sierra Wireless
devices, and work with Hadoop and Mongrel
DD. Continuous processing and analysis are
performed on events as they are received. The
stream processing logic can filter streams
based on event attributes or the current location
of sensors inside or outside an area of
interest. Output can be integrated with operations
dashboards or custom apps created with
any ArcGIS API or ArcGIS Runtime to use realtime
data for more immediate response. The
popularity of Mollenkopf’s presentation and
other sessions on GeoEvent Processor was predictable
and overwhelming.
During the plenary, Esri technology evangelist
Mansour Raad introduced GIS Tools for
Hadoop, another Esri technology for dealing
with “volume, velocity, and variety of the
data.” With these tools, big data can be spatially
analyzed, visualized, and interactively
queried.
Disconnected but Productive
Disconnected mode for web maps on mobile
devices was another much-requested and
anticipated capability, which will be available
at ArcGIS 10.2, and was demonstrated during
the Plenary Session. Project engineer lead
Will Crick accessed a map authored in the
cloud on a modest smartphone. After putting
the phone in airplane mode, he queried and
edited data, performed reverse geocoding,
and did some routing—all with the airplane
icon prominently displayed on-screen.
He could do this because data and functionality
were downloaded to the device as a geodatabase
implemented using SQLite. In addition,
if connectivity becomes available, the
device can be synchronized with the cloud.
“We’re going to release this across all the runtime
SDKs at 10.2, and when we do that, we
believe we’re going to be the first mapping
API that has this offline capability,” said Crick.
June 2013

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Designing Great Products
Beyond sharing the new capabilities of Esri
software that will be incorporated in imminent
ArcGIS releases, summit presentations focused
on software design that promotes productive
and pleasant user experiences. Interface and
design in general were also the topic of summit
keynote speaker Jared M. Spool. The
founder of the world’s largest usability
research organization, User Interface
Engineering, Spool has spent a lifetime trying
to figure out what makes great designs. He
observed that “the best products are made up
of decisions, lots of decisions,” but his challenge
has been figuring out how design decisions
are made.
Using numerous examples drawn from web
design, Spool showed how designs fall into
one of five styles: unintended, self-design,
genius, activity-focused, and experiencefocused.
Over decades of studying how successful
companies design, Spool has found
that activity-focused and experience-focused
design—neither is based on rules or dogma—
yield far superior results. In design work,
“exception cases far outnumber normal cases.
So you’re always designing for exceptions,”
he said. “You’re always designing for constraints.
You’re always designing for trade-offs.
So this is key.”
Keynote speaker Jared Spool, founder of the world’s largest usability
research organization, discussed how design decisions are made.
The Elegant and Evaporating Interface
In a subsequent presentation, Amber Case,
former CEO of the recently acquired Geoloqi
and now head of the Esri R&D Center in
Portland, Oregon, approached interface
design from another angle. A cyborg anthropologist,
she is deeply interested in the interaction
of humans and computers. She took the
plenary stage to discuss the intersection of
location and the future of interface development.
Case noted that tools have moved from being
extensions of our physical selves (for example,
a knife being a better version of a tooth)
to extensions of our mental selves. However,
unlike physical tools that retain the same size
and function, mental tools are much less constrained
and are changing form and function
rapidly.
For some applications, with the addition of
location, buttons disappear entirely and the
user becomes the button. Interaction with these
applications is less intrusive because the user’s
location is the input that causes certain actions
based on the locational context that anticipates
the user’s needs and wants.
In closing, Case urged developers to use location.
“I’d encourage all of you to think a little
bit wider—how you can solve real-world problems
by adding locations and how you can
actually bring more of what was formally stuck
on the web as static content to life [by] assigning
location to it and delivering it to where it
actually is, where people actually are.”
Learning, Working, Playing
This year’s DevSummit featured additional,
shorter, and more focused technical sessions
that described how to work most effectively
with Esri development tools in incorporating
location into applications. Even shorter and
less formal tech-transfer events occupied the
late afternoon and evening hours. Speed
geeking, introduced last year, was a roundrobin
of five-minute sessions presented on the
first evening by Esri staff on aspects of the technology
to constantly changing groups of 8–10
attendees. At Lightning Talks, attendees got
quick bites of knowledge on a range of topics.
Mingling poolside with Esri developers at
the Meet the Team event, attendees chatted
In addition to killer dodgeball, Dev Summit attendees could
play a giant game of Jenga.
with team members about technology interests
in a relaxed setting.
Developers also had opportunities to highlight
their accomplishments and skills. User presentations,
voted on by the community, were interspersed
with tech sessions throughout the summit.
Developers could also show off their
coding prowess by participating in two
hackathons associated with the summit.
On March 24 at 1:00 p.m., the clock began
ticking for teams participating in the Esri
DevSummit Hackathon. Gathered in one of
the large meeting rooms on-site, teams used
the new ArcGIS for Developers website; Esri
web and/or mobile APIs; and data from
Riverside County, California, to come up with
innovative, location-based projects during the
24-hour contest. With dinner and snacks provided,
contestants toiled through the night.
Entries were judged on creative use of technology,
user experience, and potential for
real-world application.
The Animal Spotter App—developed by
Christopher Moravec, Mara Stoica, and Ryan
Colburn—won first place and a set of
DevSummit passes. Michael van der Veeken
and Paul Kaiser won second place, and
Christoph Sporri, Andry Joos, and Michael
Faulcon earned third place.
For the other hackathon, the100 Lines or Less
ArcGIS JavaScript Code Challenge (ArcGIS.js

44
A r t i c l e
By Urmi Bhattacharjee
SECON, a GIS driven multidiscipline engineering company, developed a mapping
system that was used for rapid generation of accurate base maps with a DTM
for planning and designing irrigation projects in India.
Innovative Mapping in India
U s i n g T e c h n o l o g i c a l A d v a n c e s i n G e o m a t i c s
Digital Terrain Model derived from HRSI
Introduction
With a population of 1.2 billion people and the vagaries of monsoon,
India needs to develop its water resources to meet the growing
demand for food production and security. The use of technological
advances in geomatics for rapid generation of accurate base
maps with Digital Terrain Model (DTM), to plan and design irrigation
projects, is imperative.
SECON is an Indian, GIS driven multidiscipline engineering company,
who developed its own unique system to provide appropriate
ground control, DTM and ortho from stereo high resolution satellite
images (HRSI), thereby saving substantial ground input. This will
serve as a forerunner for the development of further Water Resource
projects.
The map, which was generated using this system, was invaluable
for demarcating catchment area, locations of interventions, sizing of
storages, planning, design of a canal distribution network, structures
and evaluation of Land Use/Land Classification.
A base map for 16,000 sq.km was prepared within 18 months. An
extensive PILOT test was carried out to confirm the accuracy and
suitability of the method of hybrid combination of Ground and 3D
(HRSI). The results were found to be satisfactory as a cost and time
effective solution. The accuracy derived from this method is a benchmark
even for the satellite image provider.
SECON’s hybrid method combining High Resolution 3D Stereo
Satellite Imagery (HRSI), in the planning and design of 10
Watersheds for the Narmada River in Madhya Pradesh India, for
Base Maps on 1:2500, 4000, 10000 scales, proved successful.
Longitudinal and cross sections were also developed for optimizing
canal corridors and a distribution network.
This method is more cost effective and faster compared to purely
Aerial or Ground method in developing countries, where the economics,
logistics and security issues for aerial photography/ LiDAR
are the main constraints.
The project, after completion, will provide water for millions of people
and irrigate an area of around 2200 sq. km of fertile land. The
base maps prepared by SECON will also be used for the rehabilitation
and resettlement of affected people in this project area.
Study Area
The Study area encompasses the 10 Watersheds (sub basins) of the
Narmada River in the state of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is the fifth
largest river in the Indian subcontinent. It is one of the few rivers in
June 2013

45
India that flows from West to East. It flows through the states of
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and in Gujarat. The Narmada Valley
Development Authority (NVDA) is the Government Agency responsible
for the management of the Narmada River and its River Basin.
The total length of the river from the head to the outfall into the sea
is 1312 km.
Objective
The study was carried out with the following objectives:
• Mapping the area for an extent of 16000 Sq Km.
• Contour map preparation to obtain the contours of 0.50 m intervals
so as to plan the medium and minor projects (Micro Water
Sheds) in the 10 sub basins/Water Sheds.
• Geo referencing
• Establishing Ground Control Points.
• Digitizing and Editing
• DEM generation.
• Ground Truth validation
• Base Map preparation.
• Screening of the projects.
• Identifying and locating the projects (Location of Dam sites)
• Water Availability Studies, Water Balance, Basin Plan
• Assess Submergence and Command Area for 1300 Sq Km of
Cultivable Command Area.
• Size of storage
• Planning and Design of Canal Network and associated structures
• Classification of Land use/Land cover
Data Use
The different types of data used for the project purpose;
• 0.50 m High resolution, Stereo Satellite Imagery
• Topographical Maps.
• Ground data obtained from field survey.
Methodology - Case Study
The basic requirement for Engineering Design, for a project of such
magnitude, which must include Water Shed Management, Flood
Control Studies and Rain Water harvesting, is the generation of an
accurate Base Map. This must have extensive mapping and contours
providing the details of 3D Terrain configuration, catchment area,
Forest cover, Land use, Utilities, places of inhabitation etc, of sub
Basin area.
By the conventional ground survey method, the volume of work to be
executed was estimated to require about 100 land surveyors working
for 8 to 10 years in undulating and forested terrain on each of
the Sub Basins.
There are restrictions and limitations on successfully and rapidly executing
Aerial Surveys in India because of security clearance, customs
delay, and weather conditions. The High Resolution Stereo Satellite
Image (HRSI) Mapping Method combined with ground control and
validation was chosen as the fastest and most cost effective technique
possible. The option of extracting 3D ground features from HRSI using
a combination of suitable software, along with photogrammetric software,
was implemented. The stability, speed and the user friendly
interface of the software helped to extract the required information
accurately from the large Stereo pair Images; each over 2 GB in size.
In order to compile data from stereo HRSI, Differential Global
Positioning System (DGPS) control was established. It was post pointed
and processed to achieve the desired accuracy. Topographic compilation
was performed and an automatic DTM was created. The
Map compiled from Stereo HRSI Photogrammetry
DTM was edited to eliminate any spikes or error points. Orthorectified
images were generated. Planimetric details were digitized from
Orthorectified imagery by on-screen digitization. Contours were generated
from the DTM after generation of Triangulated Irregular
Network (TIN). All data was merged to create a map on the desired
scale with contours at 0.50 m intervals. CAD editing was carried out
to create a map as per Cartographic Standards. Suitable software
was used as a drafting tool during Photogrammetry compilation and
CAD editing.
The output produced by using modern methods was used for further
planning for the design of medium and minor projects in the 10 sub
basins. This combination of Ground Survey and Planimetric Topo -
ºgraphic compilation in Photogrammetry work station using HRSI has
helped the project authority to complete the desired tasks in a shorter
time period than that required by conventional Ground Survey alone.
Macro level mapping can be developed using Stereo HRSI followed
with LiDAR mapping for micro level and more detailed and higher
accuracy. Maps are utilized to support Flood Insurance and Flood
plain management activities. The maps can also be used for a variety
of applications including disaster preparation, response, recovery,
risk assessment and diverse mitigation measures.
Conclusion
Modern technology using Stereo High Resolution Satellite Images
was very helpful in this project. Remote Sensing and GIS proved to
be very comprehensive in the study of large areas like Watershed,
Flood plain studies and Rain Water Harvesting, where integrated
and simultaneous activities have to be executed. Water preservation
will remain incomplete if preventive measures are not undertaken. It
is predicted that water scarcity is imminent in the future and this
could also lead to conflicts and social unrest.
It would be advisable, therefore, to explore Remote Sensing and
GIS techniques and implement them appropriately. Merging conventional
methods with modern techniques can be used for all Water
Resource projects without compromising on the desired quality. This
method is more cost effective and faster compared to purely Aerial
or Ground method in developing countries, where the economics,
logistics and security issues for Aerial Photography/LiDAR are the
main constraints.
Urmi Bhattacharjee, Manager - Business Development,
SECON Private Limited
Internet: www.secon.in
June 2013

46
C L G E n e w s l e t t e r
Francis Gäbele
For a second consecutive year, the Council of European Geodetic Surveyors decided
to organize the Day of the European Surveyor and GeoInformation in cooperation
with sister organisations, such as EuroGeographics. The celebration took
place on the 22nd March 2013 in Budapest, Hungary, during the first CLGE
General Assembly of the year. Moreover, many other festivities were held
throughout the European capitals by CLGE member organizations, from the 16th
to the 24th March 2013.
U n d e r t h e a u s p i c e s o f G a l i l e o G a l i l e i
The Day of the European Surveyor and
GeoInformation 2013
André Flahaut, President of the Belgian House of Representatives (© Quentin Van der Vennet,
www.quentinvdv.com)
FIG Vice President Rudolf Staiger during his opening address at the European Space Expo in Budapest
(© Mark Wijngaarde)
On the 18th March 2013, a reception was organized in
Europe’s capital, Brussels, in the House of the European
Surveyor and GeoInformation, in the presence of distinguished
guests. These included the President of the
Belgian House of Representatives, Minister of State,
André Flahaut, the President of the European Economic and Social
Committee, Henri Malosse and the President of EuroGeographics,
Ingrid Vanden Berghe.
On the 22nd March 2013, CLGE solemnly announced who would be
the European Surveyor of the Year and would hold this honoured position
until the next celebration in March 2014.
This time, Galileo Galilei (we use the Italian spelling on purpose) was
declared European Surveyor of the year 2013. He follows Mercator,
European Surveyor in 2012, honoured during the first Day of the
European Surveyor and Geo-Information by CLGE, in the presence of
Cheehai Teo, FIG President.
On the 21st March, on the eve of Surveyors’ Day, the poster of Galileo
Galilei was unveiled to the general public. This took place in the
European Space Expo, organized in the Hungarian capital, in a joint
effort by the European GNSS Agency (GSA), CLGE and the local
Hungarian branch of Surveyors’ Associations.
Rudolf Staiger, FIG vice-president, represented his organisation, together
with John Hohol, president of the FIG Foundation. The latter also
represented the National Society of Professional Surveyors from the
USA (NSPS). The FIG Young Surveyors’ Network sent its secretary and
incoming chair, Eva-Maria Unger, from Austria. The aim of this network
is to establish a European Branch that will integrate with CLGE.
CLGE, joined by NSPS, have decided to promote the creation of a
worldwide Surveyors’ Day.
This was confirmed in the Budapest Declaration, signed by John Hohol
for NSPS, Gyorgy Domokos, delegate to CLGE for the Hungarian
Umbrella Organisation and Jean-Yves Pirlot, CLGE president, who took
this initiative.
June 2013

47
Enrico Rispoli, Italian CLGE delegate and Secretary General of the
Consiglio Nationale di Geometri e Geometri Laureati, had prepared a
passage reminding us of the life and work of our illustrious predecessor,
Galileo Galilei. We would like to thank him and Maria Grazia
Scorza for this work, as well as Muiris de Buitléir and Judith & Maurice
Barbieri for their proof reading. The text is available on our website
www.clge.eu.
A film produced by Enrico Rispoli is also available. It can be obtained
by simply addressing a request to our secretary general,
Michelle.Camilleri@clge.eu.
All of this has been made possible due to the support of our partners
and sponsors. CLGE wants to thank them sincerely. A special mention
is due to Omar Pierre Soubra from Trimble who has committed his company,
as primary sponsor, for these European events. Additionally, we
would like to thank Steven Berglund, President and CEO of TRIMBLE
and the rest of the entire company.
We would also like to express our gratitude to Marie Ménard and
Reinhard Blasi, from the European GNSS Agency GSA, and our
Hungarian delegate Gyorgy Domokos, as well their respective teams.
They did some excellent work in the preparation of the European Space
Expo and our General Assembly. Our gratitude also goes to all the
CLGE delegates who have celebrated this Day in their own way.
W i t h d e e p r e g r e t , w e m u s t s a y o u r g o o d b y e s t o
t h e h o n o r a r y m e m b e r o f C L G E a n d B D V I
Dipl.-Ing. Klaus-Dieter Rürup
Öffentlich bestellter Vermes sungs in gen ieur
(Publicly Appointed Surve yor, Germany)
2 nd April 1947 – 11 th March 2013
In Klaus Rürup we lose a man who was able to
move things along in professional politics, as well
as on a personal level. He had his own individual
way of doing things and we shall always remember
his concern for people, his open mind and his
kindness.
His influence will continue to be felt, due to how he
conducted himself in the associations with which he
was connected and how he worked for the profession.
Also the strides he made for the benefit of
human relations, in his home country, as well as in
Europe and the rest of the world.
Klaus Rürup during the CLGE
General Assembly in Porto,
September 2005 (© Jyp)
Klaus Rürup has always been part of public life. His attachment to those
around him led him into many voluntary positions, where he was always
sensitive to and ready to act for, and with, his peers.
From the beginning he was not limited by the restrictions of his day job. He
was not afraid of working for noble causes and not just within the German
BDVI. Klaus Rürup did far more than talking; he was a man of action and
committed himself in the interest of the younger generation, to the technological
development of the profession and for the vast community of surveyors.
John Hohol, Gyorgy Domokos and Jean-Yves Pirlot signing the Budapest Declaration (© MW)
The Budapest Declaration
The honourable and historic profession of surveying has been in
existence since the beginning of civilisation. Surveying is recognised
as the world’s oldest legal profession.
From the rope stretchers of ancient Egypt through to modern society,
the surveyor has been an essential foundation in civilisation’s development.
They are qualified and ready to take on the same responsibilities
in the future.
Whether on land, in water or space, surveyors are always at the
forefront.
In recognition of the essential role surveyors play in all aspects of
today’s world and to honour and publicise the surveying profession
and the important work done by surveyors we hereby declare:
22 March 2013 as SURVEYOR’S DAY
Moreover, we ask the international Surveyors Federation, FIG, to
consider the creation of a common worldwide Surveyors’ Day.
He was not only active in the interest of private surveyors: his membership
in the umbrella organisations DVW and CLGE allowed him to engage with
and work for, the profession as a whole. For him, the important factor was
the surveyor, regardless of his or her status as employee, civil servant or private
surveyor.
In 1998 he became vice-president of the CLGE and vice- chair of FIG
Commission 1. Some years later, in 2001, he was appointed president of
CLGE , where he obtained impressive results, such as the “Accord
Multilateral”, which he achieved in cooperation with Geometer Europas,
signed by professional associations from 15 countries.
The well-known Market Report was published under his patronage. Important
European meetings were marked by his signature. With his negotiation skills
and linguistic abilities he united people. Collegiality, friendship and kindness
were his “weapons”. Since his departure younger generations have
come forward to take over the tasks he performed in his inimitable way.
We will honour him with sincerity and great respect and would like it to be
known that we will certainly never forget him.
In silent remembrance,
Jean-Yves Pirlot Michael Zurhorst Rudolf Wehmeyer
CLGE President BDVI President BDVI Nordrhein Westfalen, Chair
April/May 2013

48
C L G E n e w s l e t t e r
The CLGE Students’ Contest 2013
As every year, CLGE organizes a European Students’ Contest for bachelor and master students in three
categories. The slightly adapted regulations are available on the homepage of www.clge.eu. Papers must
be submitted before 5th August 2013!
European students can take part in two categories:
• Geodesy and Topography (supported
by Trimble);
• GIS, Mapping and Cadastre (supported
by ESRI).
The third category is open to European students,
but also to young surveyors (aged up
to 35 years). Papers in this category should
propose new approaches addressing the
question of How to attract young people to
the profession and young surveyors to professional
associations (self-supported). If possible,
the winner of this Prize will be asked to
implement his or her project.
Papers must be submitted before the 5th of
August 2013 to contest@clge.eu.
The winners in each of the three categories
will receive a diploma and €1000, - prize
money. It is probable that the sponsors will
invite the winners to a special event.
Eva Maria Unger, Austrian Secretary and future chair of the FIG
Young Surveyors Network, during the Budapest CLGE GA. She is
eager to cooperate with CLGE and to develop a European Branch of
the Network. She welcomes the opening of the third category to
young surveyors (© MW)
All the nominated papers will be published
on the CLGE website (the 2012 papers are
still visible).
The award ceremony will be organized
during INTERGEO in Essen, Germany, in
October 2013, for the two first categories.
The awarding of the third prize is planned
during the first FIG Young Surveyors Meeting
– European Branch, in Portugal, in September
2013.
All submissions will receive an acknowledgement.
If you haven’t received an acknowledgment
of receipt after 5 days, please send
again!
Currently, PhD students are not allowed to use
their PhD theses when applying for categories
1 and 2. We are working on another
prize for this.
Posters Galileo Galilei
Those who want to get this poster in
a ± A0 format can obtain it on request
at poster2013@clge.eu for the price
of €80,– shipment within Europe
included. This may become a collectors’
item.
The 2012 poster can be added to this
shipment, in which case the total price
becomes €150,–.
Please do not forget to mention your
surname, first name, snail-mail
address + poster 2013 (and if need
be 2012).
Conclude your order by confirming
that you will pay the invoice by money
transfer on receipt of invoice.
Design of Both Posters: Arianne Weyrich
June 2013

49
Mobile, Web and Desktop Apps -
Collaborative & Complimentary
C o l u m n
Columnist Matt Sheehan discusses a collaborative, complimentary system
for web, mobile, desktop and complimentary apps.
Remember the dot com boom in the 90’s,
when the Internet went from being a tool
only known to academics to ubiquity. We
all began feverishly buying computers,
and installing Web browsers to access
network based applications. The world of GIS was
then a world filled with desktop nerds working with
ArcInfo, ArcMap and the like. With Esri getting wind
of this new shift to networked computing the IMS
products were released; we remember fondly
MapObjects IMS and ArcIMS. Using the Internet
we began to be able to build networked GIS apps
which allowed developers to share with everybody
interactive maps.
Exciting times indeed. But for those developing
Internet GIS apps there were two major frustrations:
1) Geo-data was hard to find; in particular base
maps.
2) There were no good API’s or tools for developers
to use. Many older developers remember well building
Internet GIS applications from scratch in Flash;
cool output which took an age to build. For those
unfamiliar with API’s, these are the building blocks
for developing applications, they make the process
easier. In the same way as constructing a car is the
process of combining pre-built components; wheels,
engine etc., this is the same process developers walk
through to build an application. Imagine how long
and painful car making would be if you had to build
every component - wheel, engine - from scratch!
Then along came Google. Gobs of data and API’s
galore. Suddenly the world changed; slippy maps,
easy to find data and no more reinventing the wheel
when it came to coding. It was a joyous time. But
for those of us in the GIS world, we were between
a rock and a hard place; Google Maps was not
GIS. Esri were shocked into action. The mid 2000’s
was Google catch up time. Then came the cloud
and mobile.
The cloud provided server based services hosted by
third party organizations. What does that mean in
English? That organisations no longer need to host,
maintain and configure services and servers in house.
No set up, no load balancing and 24x7 access to
data and apps. And mobile; access to this data and
these apps from anywhere at any time. No longer
were we limited to office or home based computing.
Together mobile and the cloud have set the stage for
a new paradigm, as impactful as the Internet.
The Cloud and ArcGIS Online
So now we can interact with data in 3 ways; via
home and office PC’s using the Web and desktop
applications respectively, and from mobile devices.
For GIS this means different tools for different uses.
Before we delve deeper here, let’s step back and
discuss again the cloud. For those using Esri software,
it is now possible to have ArcGIS Server hosted
and maintained by the third part organisations
in the cloud; all that is required is a license and
monthly hosting fee. But, an organisation still needs
experts familiar with ArcGIS Server to publish data.
Now suppose this process was made simpler.
Suppose publishing geo-data needed no special
skills; imagine data being published in ArcGIS
Server without the need to directly interact with
Server. Welcome ArcGIS Online.
Web, Mobile and Desktop and
Complimentary Apps
Using ArcGIS Online as the central platform, for
storage and access to data, let’s look at collaboration
using mobile, Web and desktop applications.
Imagine a team of field workers. They each have
iPads with an installed mobile ArcGIS Online editing
app. Their task is to collect point data based on
current location, to edit the attributes of each point
and add an image attachment to the new point feature.
When done, each new point feature is uploaded
and stored in a (hosted feature) service in ArcGIS
Online. Next an office based GIS analyst, through
ArcMap 10.1, now has access directly to this new
data. She can perform analysis on this and other
organisational data. Finally, an executive loads a
Web application in his browser. He is presented
with a dashboard, which allows him to view this
data, search and query based on specific criteria,
and visualize the data in map, or chart form to better
see patterns and help with decision making. This
is truly a collaborative, complimentary system. One
day in the not too distant future we will wonder how
we ever used GIS in the isolated vertical way we
use it today.
Matt Sheehan is Principal and Senior
Developer at WebmapSolutions.
The company build location focused
mobile applications for GIS, mapping
and location based services (LBS).
Matt can be reached at
matt@webmapsolutions.com.
Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com

50
C a l e n d a r 2 0 1 3 / A d v e r t i s e r s I n d e x
May
28 May FME World Tour 2013
Hong Kong
Internet: www.gis.com.my/fme2013.php
28 May FME World Tour 2013
Brussels, Belgium
E-mail: kristin@gim.be
Internet: www.gim.be
29-31 May UDMS 2013, 29TH Urban Data
Management Symposium
University College London, London, U.K.
E-mail: info@udms.net
Internet: www.udms.net
30 May FME World Tour 2013
Malmö, Sweden
E-mail: mikael.mansson@sweco.se
Internet: www.fmedagarna.se
June
03 June UAVveek 2013
Siegen, Germany
E-mail: info@hauspatmos.de
Internet: www.microdrones.com/UAVveek/civil/index.
php?goback=%2Egde_2938051_member_212842569
06-07 June 4th EARSeL Workshop on Natural and
Cultural Heritage
Matera, Italy
Internet: www.earsel.org/SIG/NCH/4thworkshop/index.php
06-07 June 6th EARSeL Workshop on Remote
Sensing of the Coastal Zone
Matera, Italy
Internet: www.earsel.org/SIG/CZ/6th-w orkshop/
index.php
08-09 June State of the Map US
Mission Bay Conference Center, San Francisco, CA,
U.S.A.
Internet: http://stateofthemap.us
10 June OpenStreetMap Professional Large Users
Summit
Marriott Union Square, San Francisco, CA, U.S.A.
Internet: http://osm.co
11 June FME World Tour 2013
Vienna, Austria
Internet: www.axmann.at/fme_world_tour_2013.en.
114.htm
11 June FME World Tour 2013
Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Internet: http://inovacaogis.com.br/index.php?option=
com_content&view=article&id=170&Itemid=366&lang=pt
18-20 June MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica
2013
São Paulo, Brasil
Internet: http://mundogeoconnect.com
21-22 June 3rd WhereCamp Berlin 2013, Geo-
”Unconference”
Beuth University, Berlin, Germany
Internet: www.wherecamp.de
23-27 June INSPIRE Conference 2013
Florence, Italy
Internet: http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/events/conferences/inspire_2013
25-26 June MapInfo Professional Foundation Level
Training Course
CDR Group, Hope, Derbyshire, U.K.
E-mail: sales@cdrgroup.co.uk
Internet: www.cdrgroup.co.uk/train_mi2info.htm
25-27 June ILSC 2013, 3rd Imaging and Lidar
Solutions Conference
Holiday Inn Toronto Yorkdale, Toronto, Canada
Internet: www.optech.com/ilsc2013
2 5-27 June RIEGL International Airborne, Mobile,
Terrestrial, and Industrial User Conference 2013
Marriott, Vienna, Austria
E-mail: userconference2013@rieglusa.com
Internet: www.riegl.com
03-06 June Hexagon 2013 (ERDAS, Intergraph,
Leica, Metrology)
Las Vegas, NV, U.S.A.
Internet: http://2012.hexagonconference.com
03-06 June 33rd EARSeL Symposium “Towards
Horizon 2020: Earth Observation and Social
Perspectives”
Matera, Italy
Internet: www.earsel.org/symposia/2013-symposium-
Matera or www.earsel.org/welcome.html
03-07 June 11th Vespucci Institute “Ontologies
and models for integrated assessments of multiple-scale
processes”
Fiesole, Italy
E-mail: info@vespucci.org
Internet: www.vespucci.org
04 June 4th EARSeL Workshop on Remote Sensing
in Education and Training
Matera, Italy
Internet: www.earsel.org/SIG/ET/4th-workshop/index.php
04 June FME World Tour 2013
Barcelona, Spain
E-mail: fme@conterra.de
Internet: www.fme-wt.es
04 June FME World Tour 2013
Sao Paolo, Brazil
Internet: http://inovacaogis.com.br/index.php?option=
com_content&view=article&id=170&Itemid=366&lang=pt
06 June FME World Tour 2013
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Internet: http://inovacaogis.com.br/index.php?option=
com_content&view=article&id=170&Itemid=366&lang=pt
06 June FME World Tour 2013
Madrid, Spain
E-mail: fme@conterra.de
Internet: www.fme-wt.es
11-12 June MapInfo Professional Advanced Level
Training Course
CDR Group, Hope, Derbyshire, U.K.
E-mail: sales@cdrgroup.co.uk
Internet: www.cdrgroup.co.uk/train_mi3info.htm
12-13 June Geointelligence India 2013
New Delhi, India
E-mail: info@geointelligenceindia.org
Internet: http://geointelligenceindia.org
12-14 June FOSSGIS 2013
Gelände der HSR Hochschule für Technik, Rapperswil,
Switzerland
Internet: www.fossgis.de/konferenz/2013
13 June FME World Tour 2013
Brasilia, Brazil
Internet: http://inovacaogis.com.br/index.php?option=
com_content&view=article&id=170&Itemid=366&lang=pt
13-14 June FARO 3D Documentation User Meeting
2013
Strasbourg Convention and Conference Centre,
Strasbourg, France
E-mail: Stefanie.Meier@faroeurope.com
Internet: http://user-meeting.faro.com
16-22 June 13th International Multidisciplinary
Scientific GeoConference & EXPO SGEM2013
Albena Resort & SPA, Bulgaria
E-mail: sgem@sgem.org
Internet: www.sgem.org
17 June FMEdays 2013
Berlin, Germany
E-mail: fme@conterra.de
Internet: www.fmedays.de/index_en.shtm
17-21 June FMEdays 2013
ABION Hotel, Berlin, Germany
E-mail: fme@conterra.de
Internet: www.fme-days.com
July
02-05 July GI_Forum 2013
Salzburg, Austria
Internet: www.gi-forum.org
07-11 July The 9th European Conference on
Precision Agriculture
Lleida, Catalonia, Spain
Internet: www.ecpa2013.udl.cat/registration_acomodation.html
08-12 July Esri International User Conference
San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, U.S.A.
Internet: www.esri.com/events
23-24 July MapInfo Professional Foundation Level
Training Course
CDR Group, Hope, Derbyshire, U.K.
E-mail: sales@cdrgroup.co.uk
Internet: www.cdrgroup.co.uk/train_mi2info.htm
August
13-14 August MapInfo Professional Foundation
Level Training Course
CDR Group, Hope, Derbyshire, U.K.
E-mail: sales@cdrgroup.co.uk
Internet: www.cdrgroup.co.uk/train_mi2info.htm
25-29 August SPIE Optics + Photonics 2013
San Diego Convention Center, San Diego, CA, U.S.A.
Internet: http://spie.org/optics-photonics.xml?WT.mc_ -
id=RCal-OPW
25-30 August 26th International Cartographic
Conference
Dresden, Germany
E-mail: manfred.buchroithner@tu-dresden.de
Internet: www.icc2013.org
Please feel free to e-mail your calendar notices to: calendar@geoinformatics.com
Advertisers Index
DATEM Systems www.datem.com 24
ERDAS www.erdas.com 21
Esri www.esri.com 51
European Space Imaging www.euspaceimaging.com 2
Global Geo Supplies www.soft-mouse-3D.com 13
GSDI Afrika www.gsdi.org 41
Intergeo www.intergeo.de 39
Leica Geosystems www.leica-geosystems.com 52
Microsoft UltraCam www.UltraCamOsprey.com 25
Optech www.optech.com 9
Racurs www.racurs.ru/France2013 30
Riegl www.riegllidar.com 33
Topcon www.topcon.eu 17
June 2013

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