Geoinformatics 2011 Vol06

Esri UC 2011 Ordnance Survey Ireland
NAVTEQ Destination Maps The Role of the Surveyor

Magazi ne f or Sur veyi ng, Mappi ng & GI S Pr of essi onal s
September
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Mapping (in) the future
Technological progress inuences how people do their daily work. In reverse, doing
that work requires technological changes. Consequently, this interaction yields inter-
esting results. Here, Im referring to the article in this magazine about the role of the
surveyor. Nowadays, the profession of surveyor is much broader than that of only
a data collector in the eld. Data management is also part of his or her task. In a
presentation on mobile data capture, during the Esri User Conference in San Diego,
the head of an organization talked about young employees going into the eld and
asking for different surveying equipment, like mobile devices they use in their daily
lives. And it is todays youth or the surveyors of tomorrow who decide how software
and hardware will be used.
Its a good thing that hardware and software providers recognize this phenomenon
and make use of its potential for designing new products and services. What was
remarkable during the Esri UC was the focus on R&D, raising the bar for the whole
geospatial industry by providing a cloud-based system such as ArcGIS.com, where
desktop functionality can be applied for creating and sharing intelligent maps. As a
response to Google Earth Builder, this sure is impressive.
But theres more in this issue than just that particular geospatial event. With the
Intergeo conference and trade fair coming up, you can read a series of surveying
articles on organizations such as Ordnance Survey Ireland, and others. Here, they
explain their methods of working, and how they incorporate surveying technology
into their daily operations.
As far as mapping goes, this issue features articles on TomTom and NAVTEQ, both
with very different products and services. Whereas the TomTom article is about real-
time trafc data, NAVTEQ has entered the area of pedestrian mapping, a topic that
is still relatively new for a number of reasons. And sticking to the area of mobile
mapping, we are proud to announce a mobile app for accessing this magazine
digitally, so no more typing of URLs and the like. This is also something that will
become outdated, but before that happens; we need some good voice recognition
software. I know that there are companies out there in the surveying world working
on this very topic, how to collect data without typing. I hope to see some of that in
Nuremberg, Germany during the Intergeo event in September. See you there,
Enjoy your reading,
Eric van Rees
evanrees@geoinformatics.com
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
Frank Arts
fartes@geoinformatics.com
Editors
Florian Fischer
fscher@geoinformatics.com
Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk
hlekkerkerk@geoinformatics.com
Remco Takken
rtakken@geoinformatics.com
Joc Triglav
jtriglav@geoinformatics.com
Contributing Writers:
Nick Cohn, Manfred Rhrig, Kent Pea,
Bryn Fosburgh, Otto Dessau, Tim Sutton,
Finnian OCionnaith, Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk,
Amber Chambers, William Carranza,
Juliette van Driel.
Columnist:
Graham Wallace
Financial Director
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nance@cmedia.nl
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Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com September 2011
C o n t e n t
Ar t i c l e s
From the Sensor to the Internet 6
TomTom HD Traffic 10
Decision Support in Plant Production 14
Easy Sharing of Complex Land Data 18
The Role of the Surveyor 20
The Quantum GIS Project 26
Geo-spatial Technologies and Cost Savings 30
Standards Update 34
ERDAS and Swisstopo Products 44
The first international Geo-news App 54
Ostia gets GNSS Coordinate System 56
E v e n t s
Esri User Conference 2011 38
Second Esri Rail Event 60
I n t e r v i e w
NAVTEQ Destination Maps 50
C a l e n d a r / Ad v e r t i s e r s I n d e x 62
At the cover:
This one-meter resolution satellite image of Nrnberg, Germany was
collected on July 12, 2011 by GeoEyes IKONOS satellite. IKONOS
travels 681 km (423 miles) above the Earths surface at a speed of
27,358 km/hour (17,000 miles/hour).
(Mandatory photo credit: GeoEye satellite image)
14
6
44
Swisstopo created a new
infrastructure called
TOPographic Geographic
Information System that would
enable them to create all their
products with a single system
capable of both GIS
management and stereo
photogrammetry.
30
Ordnance Survey Ireland
(OSi) is the national mapping
agency of the Republic of
Ireland. It currently employs
320 staff located at its head
office in Dublin and in six
regional offices.
Waste collection isnt rocket
science, right? But the knowled-
ge of rocket science, or more
precisely the products of space
born intelligence sources such
as GPS and satellite based
mapping, can become a vital
part of waste collection and
help give a competitive edge
in a highly aggressive market.
ISIP, the Information System for
Integrated Plant production, is
a Germany-wide online
decision support system for
agriculture. In this article, you
can read why GIS is an
important step-stone to make
online decision support in
plant production future-proof.
38
The yearly Esri UC in San Diego is
a major GIS event to look forward
to. This years edtion was all about
the upcoming 10.1 release of
ArcGIS, planned for 2012.
The more than 15,000 visitors
were treated with a glimpse on
new features of this new release.
18
Read all about the chosen
solution and how the
organization increased
efciency and productivity
in disseminating vital
land management
information.
20
Trimbles Bryn Fosburgh has a
critical look at the changing
role of the surveyor. Techno -
logical changes have defined
the past, present and future of
the surveying industry and
profession. It is important not
to forget the core survey
knowledge, but also to change
and adopt new skills and
areas of practice.
10
With the introduction of HD
Traffic, TomTom launched a
new traffic service for naviga-
tion device users. Details of
TomToms data collection and
fusion system are outlined in
this article, along with the
different forms of real time traf-
fic information available and a
look at future developments.
Ordnance Survey Ireland (OSi) is the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland. The
countrys entire infrastructure is based on the data OSi provides, including property registration and
valuation. Within Ireland, some organizations that rely on the OSi include local government offices,
transportation departments, utility companies, private engineering and architecture firms and those
with agricultural interests. OSi evolved from the Ordnance Survey Office, which was established in
1824. It currently employs 320 staff located at its head office in Dublin and in six regional offices.
Introduction
OSis fundamental mandate is to maintain and develop Irelands underly-
ing physical infrastructure, including maintaining a national grid and
geodetic and height frameworks, and to create and maintain mapping
and related geographic databases
for the entire country. Its product
offering consists of mapping ser-
vices, producing a comprehensive
range of urban, rural, tourist and
leisure maps at a variety of differ-
ent scales both in digital and in
print, to a customer base spanning
all sectors of society.
During the 1960s and 1970s OSi
carried out a major triangulation of
Ireland using WILD Heerbrugg sur-
veying and geographical measurement technology. In many ways, OSi
were the pioneers in digital photogrammetry, and were the rst wide-
scale adopters of this technology. By 1999, OSi was the largest civilian
digital photogrammetric production facility in the world.
Customer requirements
OSi has continued to stay ahead of
customer requirements, leading the
transformation of mapping from
paper to up-to-date digital data. In
addition, OSi has also driven
requirements for organizations like
the Open Geospatial Consortium
(OGC) and the International
Organization for Standardization
(ISO), as well as the INfrastructure
for Spatial Information in Europe
6
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
Ordnance Survey Irelands Complete Solution
From the Sensor to the
Killarnay national park Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland aircraft
By Colin Bray
(INSPIRE) initiative. In fact, OSi provides the key dataset for INSPIRE and
are the ofcial advisors to the government for all INSPIRE matters.
Colin Bray, Chief Technology Ofcer, Ordnance Survey Ireland com-
ments: OSi saw WILD technology as an industry leader, which com-
bined with high quality local support was fundamental to the successful
development of modern mapping operations. Local support evolved and
in 1988 Survey Instrument Services Ltd (SIS) was appointed as our key
contact for WILD, who were able to provide the level of support and ser-
vice that was needed to meet our advanced level of technical require-
ments.
Technology has developed at a rapid pace, with advancements in pho-
togrammetric and airborne solutions, and the introduction of GNSS, sur-
veying and enterprise systems for managing and delivering massive
amounts of data. Since this time, OSi has relied on Leica Geosystems
and its sister company, ERDAS to complete its workow from the sensor to
the internet.
This end-to-end mapping solution includes Leica GPS1200 and TPS1200
instruments, 17 Leica RTK Network Geodetic GNSS receivers and
Antennae as well as software applications including Leica GNSS Spider
Software running the RTK Network. For airborne mapping activities, OSi
have 45 licenses of LPS, a suite of photogrammetric production tools from
ERDAS, as well as one Leica ADS40 large format digital camera, one Leica
ALS50 airborne laser scanner and two DSW 700 Digital Scanning
Workstations. In addition, OSi have also implemented ERDAS APOLLO to
manage and deliver their massive amounts of geospatial information.
GPS Network Infrastructure
In 1995 OSi established a passive GPS network known as IRENET 95,
a year later in 1996 densication took place and in 2001 the network
became active through 10 stations, with a beta real-time GRS network in
the Dublin area. In 2003 a national beta real-time network was estab-
lished using the CRNET/Geo++ application software suite, which was
upgraded to the Leica Spider system in 2005.
The Active GPS network infrastructure was established to provide a refer-
ence solution and RTK correction service for all internal production. The
primary use for this infrastructure is to provide the necessary one second
data for all airborne operations, with two OSi aircraft operating the
ADS40 and ALS50 camera and LiDAR. The network also provides the
7
Ar t i c l e

Internet
ADS40 in airplane
reference solution for OSis many
eld requirements such as map
updates, photo control for air-tri-
angulation, ground truthing of all
its LiDAR projects and quality
checking national mapping.
Bray comments, Primarily the
eld survey equipment is used for
national map updates. In the
eld, our surveyors use a
ruggedised tablet PC with an
application specically designed
for OSi, this allows the addition
of features to an existing map that
has been extracted directly from our database. These tablet PCs are con-
nected to Leica System 1200 GPS and Total Stations via cable/Bluetooth
to facilitate ground measurements from our Active GPS Network.
The Active GPS Network infrastructure is made available to the commer-
cial survey community through third party providers including Leica
SmartNet Network RTK. SmartNet offers full GNSS (GPS and GLONASS)
coverage for the whole of Ireland. For end users this means a completely
traceable and repeatable network RTK system, using the latest GNSS
technology, which is referenced directly to the OSi national infrastruc-
ture, states Bray.
Photogrammetry & Airborne Applications
OSi introduced photogrammetry to its production operation in the mid
1960s with the imagery being supplied by the Irish Air Corps. OSi have
been capturing its own aerial photography since the 1970s and was
the rst organisation in Ireland to introduce digital photogrammetry with
the purchase of a digital scanner in the early 1990s.
Since the introduction of the ADS40 large format digital camera in 2005,
OSi have been able to provide imagery at 25cm resolution for national
map updates and Ortho rectied imagery of urban areas with a 25cm
resolution. It has also allowed the DSW700 lm scanners to engage in
systematic scanning of the organizations lm archive into a data man-
agement software. The software then provided automated and accessi-
ble long-term storage and management of digital imagery les.
The ALS50 airborne laser scanner is engaged mainly on commercial
activities including ood mapping, height data for orthorectication, peat
quantities and infrastructure
design projects. The photogram-
metry and remote sensing
department primarily uses LPS
with the air triangulation appli-
cation (ORIMA). The data extrac-
tion for map update is PRO600
embedded in LPS. The LiDAR
processing is completed using
Terra Solid products.
Data Management
and Delivery
Prior to implementing ERDAS APOL-
LO, OSi relied on F GeoVault, a
rst generation desktop product
for managing their geospatial
data. With ERDAS APOLLO, OSi
has implemented OGC compli-
ance in their data storage
model, with a Service Oriented
Architecture (SOA) to support
the management and distribu-
tion of information within the
organization. Having an image
serving capability was para -
mount for the OSi, which is one
of the reasons ERDAS APOLLO was
selected. ERDAS APOLLO Pro fes -
sional (the tier of the APOLLO suite
selected by OSi) offers on-the-y
geoprocessing through a pow-
erful implementation of the
OGC Web Processing Service (WPS) specication. The workow is
designed so that end-users are enabled to execute robust and complex
geoprocesses. An end user can run an entire model, such as change
detection, site analysis or elevation change, completely contained within
a single Web Processing Service (WPS).
ERDAS APOLLO met all of OSis requirements, making the transition from
ERDAS GeoVault to ERDAS APOLLO a natural transition. In addition, ERDAS has
plans to incorporate a photogrammetric data model into ERDAS APOLLO,
simplifying their workow from the desktop to the enterprise.
Conclusion
Bray states, For the past thirty years, OSi operated on the basis that we
were a technology organisation. We have remained at the leading edge
of technology in all aspects of operations. OSi introduced digital map-
ping into its workow in the late 1970s and since then we have endeav-
oured to introduce the most advantageous technologies to OSi as they
became available at a practical level. A vision was created then to move
away from plastic and paper materials into a complete digital environ-
ment. Over the years, as developments have taken place, OSi have con-
sistently evaluated these developments and implemented new technolo-
gies where further efciencies and new products were evident.
We see the development of a good relationship being vital to the suc-
cess of any operation. The support of world leading organisations proven
technologies and the dependence of a reliable local partner, such as SIS,
is essential. Such relationships have contributed greatly to OSis success
in the mapping industry.
Colin Bray, Chief Technology
Officer, Ordnance Survey Ireland.
Internet: www.leica-geosystems.co.uk
www.erdas.com
Ar t i c l e
8
September 2011
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State of the Art Data Fusion and Traffic Information
TomTom HD Traffic
With the introduction of HD Traffic, TomTom launched a new traffic service for navigation device users.
Details of TomToms data collection and fusion system are outlined in this article, along with the differ-
ent forms of real time traffic information available and a look at future developments.
Introduction
With increasing trafc congestion causing
delays for motorists, reliable trafc informa-
tion is key for travelers all over the world.
By knowing the actual trafc situation on the
road, users can save time and money by
planning their trips at the best time of the
day or by taking an alternative route.
Drivers can receive trafc information in
many different ways on the internet, on
their radio from a broadcast service, on
signs above or beside the road or in navi-
gation devices.
With the introduction of HD Trafc, TomTom
launched a new
trafc service of for
navigation device
users. And, with the
introduction of En -
terprise Trafc, HD
Flow and HD Route
Times, TomTom is
making this data
available for part-
ners in governmen-
tal and enterprise
markets, as well as
the wireless market.
Details of TomToms
data collection and
fusion system are
outlined in this arti-
cle, along with the different forms of real
time trafc information available and a look
at future developments.
Input Sources
The TomTom real time trafc information sys-
tem relies on anonymous measurements from
different sources and patented data fusion
technology. The most important data sources
are summarized here.
GPS Probes
GPS probe data is collected from person-
al navigation device users who have
opted to share travel time information on
an anonymous basis. These are largely
from connected TomTom navigation
devices (PND), TomTom Business Solutions
devices, TomTom embedded navigation
devices in cars (e.g. Renault) and TomTom
navigation applications on Smartphone
(e.g. iPhone). In some countries addition-
al GPS measurements are collected from
3rd party eet management companies.
Not all TomTom PNDs are connected. The
10
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
Figure 1. CFCD principle using Timing Advance (TA) measurements.
Figure 2. Example of input data source aggregations, with the resultant traffic system congestion
output (HD Traffic) and equivalent TMC output.
By Nick Cohn
connected devices have a modem and
simcard that enables them to share data
with a central server at TomTom using the
GPRS data service from a GSM network.
These devices all subscribe to TomTom
LIVE Services so where relevant to the
country they are operating in, they
receive real time information on trafc,
speed cameras and other services every
two minutes.
The sharing of data is a two-way process,
and in exchange for receiving the LIVE
Services data on the users device,
anonymous GPS traces are sent from
users who have opted to share travel time
information on an anonymous basis to
contribute to the information sources for
the next trafc situation update.
GSM Probes
TomTom also uses cellular probe data as
an input source. By looking at the activity
of cell phones moving near GSM network
antennae, the (anonymous) handset loca-
tion can be matched to the road network
and speed information calculated. Over
80 million GSM probes contribute to the
TomTom real time trafc system in Belgium,
France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands,
Portugal, Switzerland and the UK.
This technology, patented by TomTom, is
a cellular oating car data system
(CFCD) exploiting signal data from the
telecommunication operator network. The
principle of the CFCD is based on
changes of the Timing Advance (TA) mea-
surement values as the handset moves
within the active cell segment. TA is a
measurement in the GSM network which
is important to synchronise phone calls
and is a measure of the distance between
the phone handset and each specic
antenna. The principle behind this is
shown in gure 1.
One of the key issues facing all CFCD
systems is the ltering of those handsets
that are not used while driving in a vehi-
cle to avoid undesired non-trafc speed
measurements (e.g. bus or train passen-
gers or pedestrians). This is particularly
relevant in urban areas where different
modes of transport are most common and
the road network is much denser. In the
TomTom trafc system, enhanced ltering
techniques are applied to separate hand-
sets which are used in these circum-
stances.
Journalistic Data and Road
Sensor Data
Journalistic data provides a very valuable
source of information for drivers, includ-
ing road closures, lane closures and acci-
dents on the road. As there is no speed
attached to a closed lane, TomTom isnt
able to generate this information from its
GPS and GSM probe sources. TomTom
receives this information from 3rd party
suppliers who are actively monitoring the
road network. This incident data informa-
tion is also known as journalistic or
causal information as it describes the
reason for delays rather than the extent,
or effect, of the delays.
Traditional road sensor data is also often
collected in the TomTom real time trafc
system either directly from the operator
of the sensor (government bodies) or
through the 3rd party incident data
aggregator. Where available, this addi-
tional ow data is fused with the probe
ow data to provide the most robust data
set from the available sources.
Fusion Process
TomToms patented data fusion engine cal-
culates reliable aggregate speed informa-
tion for every road stretch where input
sources are available. The system compares
and combines the multiple input sources
using a series of algorithms and condence
levels to determine the most likely output
speed for each road stretch. This is done at
Ar t i c l e
11
Figure 3. TUV tests confirm TomTom data quality is high on Highways, Major Roads and Rural Roads.
the most detailed road segment level possi-
ble, using a ner road segment level than
TMC. Output can be provided at TMC level
or based on open location referencing
(OpenLR).
The fusion process includes these steps:
1. Raw Data Collection: transmitting and
receiving data from each data source
2. Data Alignment: matching the data from
all sources with a common map reference
and time stamp
3. Data Assessment: assessing data quality
by source, age and other characteristics
4. Data Combination: performing classica-
tion, ltering and combination of the data
into a nal, single data stream
The data sources are combined in real time
based on algorithms which continually recal-
culate speeds on every part of the road net-
work. These calculations take into account
the age and reliability of each data obser-
vation by data source. The journalistic data
regarding, for example, road closures, is
directly passed through to the trafc service
feed and displayed on the map of the navi-
gation device. This data bypasses the fusion
process.
In gure 2, a set of time distance diagrams
is plotted showing the granularity and scope
from different sources contributing to the
data fusion process and the resulting output
of the congestion detection process for HD
Trafc. For comparison reasons, the public
TMC messages broadcast in the same area
are plotted as well (lower right).
The x-axis shows a section of the A3 high-
way in Germany, between the junction at
Seligenstdter Dreieck and the junction at
Wiesbadener Kreuz, while the y-axis
shows the time throughout the day (6th
March 2009). The speed is indicated by var-
ious colours, blue for speeds close to stand-
still (0 km/hr) and green for free owing traf-
c. The example shows the existing high
coverage of TomTom trafc data generated
by monitoring probe data, both from GPS
and GSM sources. The calculated conges-
tion measurements are far more accurate
and precise compared to the TMC messages
which are broadcast in the same area.
Quality
TomTom has the unique ability to check the
quality of HD Trafc by comparing it with
ground truth information. The ground truth
data is collected independently of HD Trafc
data sources. TomTom uses this data to con-
rm the accuracy of HD Trafc and when
necessary to adjust the data fusion engine
to improve quality.
External quality testing
Our data is also validated by the German
external independent quality institute TV.
They awarded a certicate to our trafc stat-
ing:
HD Trafc is precise and accurate
HD Trafc covers highways and sec-
ondary roads
Compared to other suppliers of trafc infor-
mation in Germany, HD Trafc is perform-
ing better on both highways and secondary
roads as can be seen in gure 3.
Products
HD Trafc is a consumer product for dynam-
ic routing in navigation devices. The same
real time trafc information is also available
to governments and enterprises through the
following products:
Enterprise Trafc, which provides pre-
cise locations and delays caused by con-
gestion on the road network, allowing
routing programs to provide the fastest
route based on actual current travel
times;
HD Flow, which delivers a real time,
detailed view of trafc speeds on the
entire road network, designed for easy
integration into trafc management sys-
tems or calculating current routing travel
times;
HD Route Times, a turnkey solution
providing highly accurate real time trav-
el and delay times for a specic route
either on a temporary basis or for per-
manent solutions.
Future Developments
The future outlook for HD Trafc is closely
intertwined with developments taking place
in the communications and automotive
industries and with how individuals want to
obtain and use travel (not just trafc) infor-
mation.
In the short term, coverage and quality will
continue to improve as more drivers become
connected TomTom customers and provide
the TomTom community with more anony-
mous, real time GPS measurements.
Developments in location referencing tech-
nology are already allowing HD Trafc to
provide information on much more of the
road network, improving the navigation
experience, extending the potential for traf-
c management systems and providing more
insight into the performance of the complete
road system.
In the medium term, the installation of
TomTom systems by more and more automo-
tive manufacturers will dramatically increase
the amount of real time information avail-
able. In the longer term, HD Trafc will be
shaped by developments in vehicle-to-infras-
tructure and vehicle-to-vehicle communica-
tion, the use of CANbus data as well as mul-
timodal traveler information systems.
Nick Cohn, Senior Business Developer, TomTom.
Ar t i c l e
12
September 2011
Figure 4. Data fusion process.
Together, ERDAS and Intergraph
leverage joint strengths
to drive geospatial innovation
www.intergraph.com www.erdas.com
Remodeling the ISIP Infrastructure
Decision Support in Plant
ISIP, the Information System for Integrated Plant production, is a Germany-wide online decision
support system for agriculture. The system focuses on problem-specific decision support modules for a
range of agronomical and horticultural crops. In this article, you can read why GIS is an important
step-stone to make online decision support in plant production future-proof.
Introduction
ISIP, the Information System for Integrated
Plant production, is a Germany-wide online
decision support system for agriculture. It
has been initiated 10 years ago by the
Federal Extension Services as a common
portal, thus achieving synergies by pooling
existing information. Target groups are farm-
ers as well as advisors. The ofce of ISIP
with currently ve employees is in Bad
Kreuznach, Rhineland-Palatinate.
The system focuses on problem-specic deci-
sion support modules for a range of agro-
nomical and horticultural crops. In ISIP, such
a module does not only comprise a model
for decision support. Due to the fact that a
model is only a simplied representation of
reality, simulation results are supplemented
by monitoring data (if available) and a com-
ment of a regional advisor. For most models
in ISIP weather data is required which is pro-
vided by some 600 weather stations all over
Germany. Hitherto, the simulation results of
the models were shown on static maps by
coloured cloud symbols located at the geo-
graphic position of the station (Figure 1).
This technical solution has become inefcient
due different reasons:
1. The presentation is often confusing
because of too many objects in the map.
2. The users interaction with the maps is lim-
ited.
3. The maps do not have a georeference
and thus are not compliant to any stan-
dards.
Especially the last drawback restricted the
potential of the system: ISIP can neither pro-
vide nor use web services. In a recently com-
pleted project these restrictions were reme-
died.
Issues and Approaches
Georeference
Spatial data infrastructures (SDI) and accord-
ing standards have been built worldwide and
many of them have been established. For ISIP
14
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Manfred Rhrig
Figure 1 : Presentation of simulation results
based on weather stations
Figure 2 : Presentation of simulation results based
on interpolated met data (risk map)
the rst step was to integrate such an SDI and
to provide decision support with a spatial
relation. The hard- and software of the sys-
tem was adapted to be able to show deci-
sion support modules with a spatial reference
on maps and to embed other standard con-
form geo-services as layers. Standard con-
form communication between services is of
high importance to assure a smooth function-
ality in ISIP.
Users have the possibility to interact with the
new Web-GIS with functions like pan and
zoom. The maps are easier to read and inter-
pret due to layers like rivers, cities and streets.
Risk maps
The calculation and presentation of forecast
results in ISIP was previously based on the
weather stations geographical position.
Since the distance between stations can
range up to 60 kilometres, the simulation
result is not necessarily valid for the area in
between. Very often the results can only be
used as an orientation and not as a decision
support. This problem was attended to in a
project of the ZEPP (Central Institution for
Decision Support Systems in Crop Protection),
in which a scientic method to interpolate
weather data was developed. It calculates the
air temperature and the relative humidity for
a 1 x 1 km grid covering all agriculturally
used area in Germany. A performance opti-
mized version of this scientic method was
implemented in ISIP to generate weather data
with a high resolution. The simulation models
running on these data now generate spatial
risk maps (Figure 2) which will improve the
regional prognosis of pests and diseases.
Not only is the regional prognosis more
reliant, also site-specic calculations gain
from spatial weather data. Because each eld
can be linked to a grid cell, the input data
for the models is now as precise as possible.
External geo data
In the geo data domain, a lot of information
is digitally available which is also relevant for
plant production. The problem is that a good
knowledge about these geo information ser-
vices is needed. Farmers rarely have the abili-
ty to use these services without support, so the
potential of these services can often not be uti-
lized. In addition, spatial (base) data cannot
be used as input into simulation models. To
optimize the decision support in ISIP it is there-
fore important to integrate and make full use
of these geo services. External geo data is
preferentially integrated using web services to
assure the data is up to date, making data
management non-redundant. To facilitate the
users orientation on a map, spatial base data,
for instance the Digital Elevation Model
(DEM), is used.
Implementation
The software architecture of ISIP is build on
Java and can be distinguished in three main
tiers: the database, the application and the
presentation. In the database tier, all neces-
sary information primarily weather data
for the model calculations is stored. The
application tier comprises the system kernel,
with prognosis models and other modules,
such as import and export routines or
scheduling functions. And nally the presen-
tation tier, which consists mainly of HTML
pages, to be viewed in a standard web
browser.
These new extensions are incorporated into
the existing system, affecting all three tiers:
The database will be enabled to store spa-
tial data, the application will be enhanced
by the interpolation method and the presen-
tation will be updated by dynamic maps as
well as by the new type web service
(Figure 3)
To realize the spatial data infrastructure in
ISIP several components are required:
1. Spatial data which can be stored in a
database or in the le system (shape,
GML, etc.).
Ar t i c l e
15
September 2011

Production
Figure 3: Open spatial infrastructure in ISIP
Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com
2. A software server providing a geo ser-
vice making the spatial data available to
other applications in a standardized for-
mat.
3. A client web application which commu-
nicates with the geo service.
For ISIP the rst step to georeference the sys-
tem was to remodel the existing database
to a spatial database, so a specic module
called spatial extender was added to the
database. Then the existing database tables
were extended by spatial columns with
data for georeferenced objects like areas
(polygons) or weather stations (points).
With the open source component GeoServer
it is possible to provide maps from these
georeferenced data. GeoServer is a soft-
ware server written in Java that allows users
to share and edit spatial data. Designed for
interoperability, it publishes data from any
major spatial data source using open stan-
dards. The most often used service to pro-
vide maps is the WMS standardized by the
OGC. GeoServer furthermore provides
many other standards like GML, WFS(-T)
and SLD from the OGC which are also used
in current applications in ISIP.
In a browser, WMS from different providers
can be combined as overlays to create the-
matic maps. This is achieved by integrating
the open source web client OpenLayers
which comprises a comprehensive
JavaScript library for displaying maps in
web browsers, with no server-side depen-
dencies. With OpenLayers it is possible to
develop full-size applications with extensive
geo-functionality.
To optimize the performance of the applica-
tion a caching mechanism was integrated.
As most mapping clients render WMS data
every time they are queried, this can result
in unnecessary processing and increased
waiting times. GeoWebCache optimizes this
by saving (caching) map tiles as they are
requested, acting as a proxy between client
and server. As new maps and tiles are
requested, GeoWebCache intercepts these
calls and returns pre-rendered tiles if stored
or calls the server to render new tiles as nec-
essary. Thus, once tiles are stored, the speed
of map rendering increases signicantly,
making for a seamless user interface. In
Figure 4, all software components needed
to deliver risk maps are illustrated.
Discussion
The goal of the concluded project was to
remodel the ISIP infrastructure to a georefer-
enced one. It is a major milestone for the
technical development of the system
because of its many present-day and
prospective advantages.
The next step will be the integration of WFS(-
T) to enable the graphical input of data
based on a map. For example, users will be
enabled to upload their eld geometries to
the system. This data can either be locally
edited by the users farm management infor-
mation system or originate from an Internet
system like FLOrlp: With an id and pass-
word, a user can access the geometries of
his elds online and download them as a
GML le. This le can then be uploaded to
ISIP and used to get specic simulation
results for this eld location. With the users
conformance this data and the correspond-
ing recommendation from ISIP can be saved
to be reused in the future or exported to
other applications or services.
More external geo data services will be pro-
vided and accessible in the future amongst
others, average soil productivity, soil types,
slope angles. These services could provide
input data for simulation models, enabling
a new generation of model approaches.
In conclusion, GIS technology provides a
new quality of decision support in ISIP. This
will lead to a higher user acceptance and
thus strengthen the systems market position.
GIS is an important step-stone to make
online decision support in plant production
future-proof.
Rhrig, Manfred, Sander, Reinhard and Gauer, Axel
ISIP e.V., Rdesheimer Strae 68, 55545 Bad Kreuznach, Germany
roehrig@isip.de, sander@isip.de, gauer@isip.de
Acknowledgement
This project was funded by the German Federal Ministry of Food,
Agriculture and Consumer Protection (BMELV)
via the Federal Institution of Agriculture and Food (BLE)
within the programme to promote innovation.
Ar t i c l e
16
September 2011
Figure 4: Software components to deliver risk maps in ISIP
Copyright 2011 Esri. All rights reserved.
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Online GeoPDF Map Deliverable
Easy Sharing of Complex Land Data
The Wisconsin NRCS and its partners, Wisconsin DATCP and the UW-Madison Soils Department, need-
ed to produce online maps for farmers, ranchers, agronomists, and others working or studying the
land to easily visualize soil properties and nutrient spreading restrictions. Read all about the chosen
solution and how the organization increased efficiency and productivity in disseminating vital land
management information.
T
he Natural Resources Conservation Service
(NRCS), which resides within the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA), is tasked
with helping private landowners maintain
healthy and productive lands. Private land
makes up 70 percent of the United States and
NRCS works with landowners through conser-
vation planning and assistance to benet the
soil, water, air, plants and animals within these
lands.
The Wisconsin ofce of NRCS recently faced the
challenge of producing an online map deliver-
able that could enable farmers, ranchers,
agronomists and others working or studying the
land to easily see soil properties and nutrient
spreading restrictions. In partnership with the
Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and
Consumer Protection (DATCP) and the University
of Wisconsin Madison Soils Department,
NRCS sought the technology that could bring
diverse data together in an easily understandable, interactive format.
From Static to Dynamic Maps
In 1991, NRCS released its 590 standard, which manages the
amount, source, placement, form, and timing of the application of
nutrients and soil amendments, such as manure and fertilizer whose
runoff can adversely impact the environment. This standard is based
on ofcial USDA data, including soil properties such as surface texture
and permeability, as well as elevation, slope and hydrographic buffer
data.
To disseminate information for complying with the 590 standard, NRCS
utilized its website to provide static NRCS base maps for viewing. Over
time, however, the simplistic structure of the base maps made it increas-
ingly difcult to incorporate the nutrient spreading restrictions data into
the maps that the user community needed. In addition, consideration
had to be given to the end users of the maps, who may not have the
imagery analysis expertise needed to fully benet from the information
displayed.
There was a large amount of data and that data needed to be pushed
to consumers in a way they could manipulate according to their own
concerns and level of expertise. Thats when they turned to TerraGo
GeoPDF technology.
Making Data Accessible
TerraGo geospatial collaboration software and GeoPDF maps and
imagery are among the most widely adopted solutions to produce,
access, update and share geospatial informa-
tion with anyone, anywhere. With TerraGo
GeoPDF maps, NRCS is able to streamline the
presentation of a variety of land data.
NRCS produces these GeoPDF maps using
TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS. An Esri user,
NRCS utilizes the complementary TerraGo soft-
ware solution to extend the reach of its geospa-
tial assets. With TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS,
NRCS can aggregate and disseminate a large
amount of soils data, including orthophotogra-
phy, DNR 24K hydrography, buffer layers, raw
data normalization, and more within a fully
interactive website incorporating GeoPDF maps
and imagery.
NRCS customers do not have to be GIS experts
and need only to download the free TerraGo
Toolbar to interact with the GeoPDF maps in
multiple ways: turn layers on and off, measure
length, distance, area, bearing and azimuth,
view continuous, multi-coordinate display, integrate with GPS for real-
time location and combine with external data sources such as WMS.
The New Online Mapping System: A Treasure
Trove of Highly Useful, Interactive Maps
Since 2008, when it began using TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS, NRCS
has produced and shared more than 100,000 GeoPDF maps with its
customer base a community that touches the online mapping system
more than 3,000 times per month during peak season. Streamlined
production processes and more easily accessible and useful outputs
have beneted both NRCS and its customers with increased efciency
and productivity in disseminating vital land management information.
This win-win experience has been so successful that partnering efforts
are continued with DATCP to create additional online mapping services
for our user community. This is just the beginning of what has been
done with GeoPDF maps. For example, NRCS is considering imple-
menting a TerraGo server instance as part of Web Soil Survey to offer
a GeoPDF map export online from ofcial soils data. This would facili-
tate the idea of a print-on-demand environment.
Kent Pea, GIS Coordinator/National Soil Survey Geographic database (SSURGO) Coordinator
United States Department of Agriculture - Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS).
Internet: www.terragotech.com
The online mapping system referenced in this case study is located at
http://mmas-mapping.soils.wisc.edu.
18
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Kent Pea
Example of map with markups
Prod_GEO611_Prod GEO66 31-08-2011 09:42 Pagina 19
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
The Role of the Surveyor
The role of the surveyor has changed significantly over time, and will continue to do so. In this article,
Trimbles Bryn Fosburgh has a critical look at the changing role of the surveyor. Technological changes
have defined the past, present and future of the surveying industry and profession. It is important not
to forget the core survey knowledge, but also to change and adopt new skills and areas of practice.
Introduction
Over the past 50 years, advances in technology have increased the
efciency of the surveying profession, particularly in measurement
and data collection. Technical improvements have provided mea-
surement and positional accuracies that were impossible earlier. In
addition, these advances have enabled non-surveyors to make mea-
surements with survey accuracy for a multitude of applications rang-
ing from Geographic Information System (GIS) database develop-
ment to machine control. However, the new technologiescoupled
with the decreasing population of professional surveyors world-
widemandate that the surveyors role must and will change to man-
aging, interpreting, analyzing and portraying geomatics data. The
surveyor must guide geospatial data consumers in a variety of relat-
ed disciplines on how data is collected and used while maintaining
a high level of data integrity. As we move into the next few decades,
we cannot forget our core survey knowledge, nor forget to change
and adopt new skills and areas of practice. In addition, we must
consider how academia, industry and manufacturers can work
together to prepare the surveyors and geomatics professionals of
tomorrow.
The surveyors roots
From restoring the boundaries between elds in the Nile River valley
during the time of the Pharaohs to supporting the work of the Roman
engineers that built the Appian Way, surveyors were a fundamental
part of early cultures. Surveyors have fullled needs to demarcate
property boundaries, conduct reconnaissance and make maps for
planning. They have planned, monitored and archived the details of
20
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
Tablet use in city
By Bryn Fosburgh
construction projects, and provide a host of other services and prod-
ucts that involve measuring and depicting the earths surface with
the natural, built and planned environments. As civilizations and
society evolved, higher standards of living demanded more from the
professionals that served them. Over the years, surveyors kept up
with the increased demands for broader knowledge and higher accu-
racy, and became part of a more skilled and knowledgeable work-
force now known as design professions. Today, the advances of
technologies including computing, communications and geospatial
data mapping have made geographic information more accessible.
As a result, the needs of society have placed increased demand and
importance on accurate, timely and user-friendly geospatial informa-
tion.
Development of surveying science and technology
Surveying developed in much the same way as engineering grew.
Early engineers primarily supported military needs; so did survey-
ors. Armies needed maps and other data to build walls, forts, bridges
and bases for war. Once rulers realized the benets of keeping the
populace happy, engineers were involved in designing and build-
ing infrastructure such as roads, bridges and community buildings.
Surveyors were needed to provide the geo-data to support this new
civilian activity. Following in the footsteps of the Egyptian rope-
stretchers, surveyors continued to be the only professionals to call
when property boundaries were to be dened or re-located.
Early surveying technology was quite rudimentary. Wood, string and
small cast or hand-beaten parts were the stuff of the surveyors instru-
mentation. Though crude by todays standards, they were surprising-
ly quite accurate. For example, consider the Great Pyramids of
Egypt, where surveyors displayed remarkable accuracy in squaring
and leveling the bases, orienting the sides to cardinal directions and
maintaining the accuracy of the side slopes. Only when ironwork-
ing became a ne art did metals begin to
dominate the surveyors technology, prob-
ably beginning with precision measuring
rods. Later on, iron, steel, bronze and
brass became commonplace in compass
needles, boxes and circles and in the links
of chains; these remained the dominant
instrument technologies through the 19th
and early 20th century. The steel band or
tape was introduced late in the 19th cen-
tury, eventually supplanting the chain. The
telescope, invented in the early part of the
17th century (glass had to be invented
rst), took more than a century to appear
in surveying instruments. Throughout this development, surveyors
hand recorded their data in books. Computations, often deeply
detailed and complex, were done by hand using books of tables
and simple drafting equipment.
In the 1920s, metal circles in transits began to give way to circles
made of glass. It was an important step that improved accuracy and
made instruments less sensitive to atmospheric variations. In the
1950s, the invention of electronic distance measurement (EDM)
greatly reduced the time and difculty of measuring long distances.
The integration of electronics into theodolites led to the tacheometer,
which combined electronic systems to measure directions and dis-
tances into a single instrument, now universally known as a total sta-
tion. While the process of making and recording measurements was
a signicant focus of the surveyors training, experience and time, it
was only the early stage of a larger cycle. Once the data was col-
lected, it was validated and transformed so that information could
be generated and transmitted to various users in the form of maps,
tables and databases.
The surveyors last half century: technological basis
for paradigm changes
Surveying technologies and processes have evolved slowly through
time. But in the last half century, it hasnt all been evolution. Theres
been revolution, too, led by the EDM. No longer did surveyors have
to painstakingly use a measuring tool to directly or indirectly mea-
sure slope and horizontal distances. Now, using technology that har-
nessed light, distances could be measured in practically the blink of
an eye. The next major evolution was in the total station, especially
with onboard functions to reduce slope distances and azimuths to
coordinates, improved the speed with which eldwork could be
done. But it was the electronic data collector or eld book that fueled
the most signicant changes. Instant aneous, virtually error-free log-
ging of eld data with data quality check-
ing was accompanied by coordinate
geometry (COGO) functions. Com pu -
tations could be executed in the eld, per-
mitting the surveyor to complete jobs in a
single visit. The electronic data collector
eliminated the need to return to the ofce
to process the data, or to have multiple
eld data collection sessions interwoven
with ofce time to verify that each visits
data was correct and complete.
The global positioning system (GPS) was
the next revolutionary step. This step took
Ar t i c l e
21
Latest News? Visit www.geoinfor-
September 2011
Surface updates

3D viewer with building
a few years to complete, begin-
ning in the early days of static
baseline measurements. But it was
a giant advance, for it moved sur-
veyors into real-time positioning
with real-time kinematic (RTK)
GPS technology. Today, RTK is
made even more convenient and
cost-effective through real-time
networks (RTN). RTN makes data
collection easier by eliminating
the need for a base station and
providing improved speed and
accuracy. A similar change was
occurring with total station tech-
nology, which underwent several
changes. The most notable were
reectorless EDM and robotic
functionality. Like RTK, robotic
total stations allow one-person
teams to complete tasks that for-
merly required multiple people.
Each of these technologies
EDM, electronic data collection
and computation, robotic total sta-
tions and GPSchanged the
paradigms related to surveying
eldwork. But the changing role
of the surveyor was barely evi-
dent until the advent of machine
control.
The changing role of the surveyor
The active control of machines is common for construction, and is
used for other applications such as mining and agriculture. Machine
control is usually achieved with RTK GPS, though other technologies
may also be used. The concept required a radical change in the sur-
veyors role in construction projects, from initial investigations to the
as-built as well as in the maintenance and rehab stages. Construction
machines, such as dozers, graders, excavators and even pavers,
have become massive position sensors. The surveyors previous role
consisted of setting grade and alignment stakes to provide guidance
for the heavy equipment operators. With machine control, the func-
tion of the surveyor radically changed.
Now, the surveyors value lies in supporting construction through
planning processes used by construction organizations. The survey-
ors role includes communication with various stakeholders including
engineers, architects, planners, local government, landowners, utili-
ty service providers and others, sometimes well in advance of break-
ing ground. The surveyors new function has transformed to geo-
data manager, creating or verifying the digital terrain and design
models that are placed in the machine. The surveyors activities also
include monitoring progress, eld checking the work as it occurs,
updating changes to the model as a result of inevitable design revi-
sions, and ensuring the creation of complete and accurate as-built
documents to serve the project life-cycle. Though not grasped by all,
these activities represent the modern surveyors principal role in con-
struction. However, the surveyor may play other roles in construc-
tion. These activities include setting up calibration systems and pro-
cesses to ensure that machines accurately create the desired design;
managing on-site communications to ensure that all machines are
using the correct version of the
terrain and design models; moni-
toring each individual machines
performance; and providing
input into the projects building
information model (BIM).
GIS technology
Another key technology is GIS.
This is not mere mapping. Nor
is it simply providing survey data
to the GIS professional to
become part of an accurate and
appropriate base map. Rather,
GIS for surveyors means being
an active part of the broad spec-
trum of GIS activities. This should
be a natural t for any surveyor
who understands that the future
requires them to be a geospatial
data professional. These activi-
ties include creating, populating
and maintaining a GIS, and
using it as a tool to manage the
natural and built environment as
well as the cadastre. The survey-
ors activities in GIS data collec-
tion are not just measurements.
Surveyors also collect and man-
age attributes about the elements
they geo-locate, using sensors and data collection technologies that
extend beyond the normal surveying instrumentation. The GIS is a
live, dynamic management tool that uses data from a host of sources,
but with spatial attributes. In the face of abundant opportunities,
many surveyors are still standing on the fringes. Instead of wonder-
ing what their role is, surveyors could actively be exploring and
shaping GIS through direct experience working with it.
The surveyors future: broadening scope
There is no question that advancements in technologyboth evolu-
tionary and revolutionaryhave affected the way surveyors collect
and analyze their data in the eld. Recent new technologies includ-
ing the digital level, laser and airborne scanning, digital pho-
togrammetry and remote sensing have added to the mix. These tech-
nologies have enabled the collection of more complete data,
speedier eld campaigns and nearly instantaneous data analysis.
Software solutions are constantly being improved to furnish more
solutions to niche applications. These systemsfocused on acquir-
ing and managing position dataare supplemented by an array of
adjacent technologies. For example, surveying systems can be cou-
pled with mobile phone and Internet access, cloud computing and
Web-based geo-databases. This combination adds a range of prod-
ucts to the surveyors information set, including control data and
information, visible, infrared and multi-spectrum imaging products of
the earth, obliquely-sensed aerial data, cadastral information and
regional mapping products. As a result, the surveyor (now the geo-
data manager) can combine information and techniques to meet the
needs of the entire project, or a tiny part of it.
Surveying technologies have become so user-friendly that many non-
surveyors who formerly relied on surveyors are now able to use those
technologies to get basic information themselves. It may seem they
Ar t i c l e
22
September 2011
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have bypassed the surveyor. However, even in these situations, the
surveyors role has not been eliminated. When lacking the survey-
ors training in theory and mathematics, it is hard to spot errors and
mistakes that cause aws in the information. This need presents an
opportunity for the surveyor to provide services that enable best
practices in data collection and quality assurance. While data col-
lection has become much easier supercially, below the surface it is
much more complicated than before. For example, it is easy to visu-
alize and understand a steel tape, compass or transit. They are much
closer to the commonplace tools non-surveyors use. By contrast, it is
harder to gain the surveyors understanding of the potential errors
with GPS. Multipath, the effects of the ionosphere, even the princi-
ples of redundancy and quality assurance that surveyors use with all
their technology is something the untrained user of surveying instru-
mentation will never completely grasp.
Not all non-surveyors will engage in their own data collection oper-
ations merely to save cost. Engineers and natural scientists, who
need to collect their own monitoring or verication data, often work
with surveying instrumentation. Experts in disciplines such as account-
ing, risk management and facilities management may have an inter-
est in survey data as well.
GIS Technology
GIS has matured in terms of technology and uptake by planners,
scientists, construction professionals, engineers and facility man-
agers, among others. It will prove to be an opportunity for the sur-
veyor in the future, provided that the surveyor takes the rst step.
The properly prepared surveyor can offer expertise in several areas,
including provision of backdrop data from orthophotos to DTMs,
data collection for populating and updating the GIS, quality assur-
ance and data management and analysis. The ability to plan with a
GIS and to use it to understand ongoing processes is a huge oppor-
tunity for a geo-data manager. Extracting new information and
knowledge from already-existing datasets is a core role that survey-
ors can provide to those who manage the land and whats on it.
And as the data users insist on speedier data collection and genera-
tion of useful information, it becomes imperative to be prepared with
analysis tools for managing, verifying and interpreting this vast vol-
ume of data.
A key challenge for the surveyor, even with well-developed technol-
ogy to assist, will be in communicating the information to the users.
Surveyors can present information using a variety of
media including static and dynamic visualizations. In
addition to three-dimensional representations, data
displays can incorporate other dimensions such as
cost, protability, schedule and levels of project risk.
BIM
Building information modeling (BIM) is an ongoing
area of development, and the surveyors contributions
will be critical in the future. Engineers, architects, facil-
ity managers and construction organizations are quick-
ly embracing BIM. It enables more efcient manage-
ment of the building life cycle from planning through
facility maintenance, repair and rehabilitation. While
many stakeholders contribute data to a BIM, survey-
ors will collect most of the location-specic informa-
tion. Thus, management of the BIM geo-data is an
opportunity for surveyors to collaborate and expand
their role in the construction process as design profes-
sionals and peers. This type of participation requires the surveyor to
see the project from the viewpoint of the construction or facilities
managers, and to gain new levels of expertise in the other BIM
knowledge areas.
Geo-data managers of the future
It seems to be a paradox. Surveying sub-specialties will proliferate
and narrow, producing highly focused skills and activities. At the
same time, in order to be an essential part of the building process,
the surveyor of the future must demonstrate a much broader set of
multi-disciplinary skills. Its not an unreasonable undertaking. For
example, consider a surgeon who specializes in a few cancers. The
surgeon is a specialist, and still understands enough about general
medicine to be able to communicate ably and knowledgably with
colleagues who are other medical specialists. The surveyor must also
be multi-disciplinary in the sense that skills will be required to navi-
gate various cultural and technical barriers. The technical skills must
be accompanied by skills to communicate across different knowl-
edge areas, disciplines and customary local processes.
The world of todays surveyor will evolve from data collection into
geo-data management and information and knowledge extraction.
Such a change does not diminish the surveyors role. Rather it is an
expansion, in which the data collection phase is the foundation for
the broader set of skills and services. Such a change requires a mind-
set change of tomorrows surveyor to be a true professional, provid-
ing analytical tools and results for clients who require increasingly
complex location-based information.
Understanding and embracing these changes is not enough.
Individual surveyors, and the societies they belong to, must collabo-
rate with academia, government and industry to achieve common
goals and benets. Together, they need to reinforce the proposition
that surveyors are the geo-data managers of the futureand that
tomorrows professionals are prepared for the challenge through
education, training and professional development.
Bryn Fosburgh is vice president and executive committee member at Trimble. Since joining Trimble in 1994,
his responsibilities have included a number of divisions, corporate functions and geographical regions.
Prior to Trimble, Fosburgh was a civil engineer with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation responsible
for coordinating the planning, data acquisition, and data analysis for statewide GPS surveying projects
in support of transportation improvement projects.
Ar t i c l e
24
September 2011
Surveying in city
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FOSS GIS meets Biodiversity
The Quantum GIS Project
The Quantum GIS Project, also referred to as QGIS, is an example of open source software. The
desktop software component of QGIS surely falls under the umbrella of a sturdy effort to democratise
technology the 1.6 release of the software had around 190 000 downloads and is intensively used
around the world. In this article, a project in Tanzania is described, where Free and Open Source GIS
Software is being leveraged to great effect.
O
nce the exclusive domain of highly
trained experts with access to spe-
cialised, expensive and proprietary
software, running on high-end hardware,
the GIS landscape has been undergoing
rapid changes over the last decade. Large
proprietary GIS software vendors missed the
boat when it came to popularising their tech-
nology to the point of ubiquity. It took the
introduction of software such as Google
Earth to really advance the notion of work-
ing with geospatial data as an everyday
activity for the average computer user.
Between the eye-candy of Google Earth and
the punitive costs of proprietary GIS soft-
ware vendors offerings lies a deep chasm
that groups of Free and Open Source
(FOSS) innovators are scrambling to ll.
These innovators are seeking to ll the void
by building Free software that covers the full
gamut of components that comprise a mod-
ern day GIS infrastructure: desktop applica-
tion, geospatial database, and OGC ser-
vices engine. The impetus for creating this
huge body of Free intellectual property
varies from developer to developer, but for
many a large part of their motivation is the
desire to democratise access to geospatial
technologies.
Quantum GIS
One of the leaders in this effort is the
Quantum GIS project colloquially referred
to as QGIS. QGIS is a user friendly FOSS
GIS that runs on Linux, Unix, Mac OSX, and
Windows. It is licensed under the GNU
General Public License (GPL) and supports
numerous data formats and spatial func-
tions. The latest release is QGIS 1.7 from
June 2011.
The desktop software component of QGIS
surely falls under the umbrella of a sturdy
effort to democratise technology the 1.6
release of the software had around 190
000 downloads and is intensively used
around the world.
QGIS is a member project of the Open
Source Geospatial Foundation. The OSGeo
and its local chapters are not-for-prot orga-
26
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Otto Dessau and Tim Sutton
Figure 1: Quantum GIS Training in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
nizations with the mission to support and
promote the collaborative development of
open geospatial technologies and data.
There is a German-speaking chapter : FOS-
SGIS e.V. There are local chapters in Africa
and there is an Africa-wide mailing list.
Rather than introducing the latest features of
the current QGIS 1.7 release, in this article,
we will look at just one project in Tanzania,
where Free and Open Source GIS Software
is being leveraged to great effect.
GBIF and TANBIF
In the biodiversity informatics world, infor-
mation technology is applied to manage,
curate and analyse biodiversity data.
Typically these data comprise digitised
records from private collections, herbaria,
zoological collections, eld surveys and so
on. There is an intrinsic spatial element to
this data as biodiversity informatics
revolves around three key elements:
1. What was observed (taxonimic resolu-
tion)?
2. When was it observed (temporal resolu-
tion)?
3. Where was it observed (spatial resolu-
tion)?
Understandably, GIS plays a key role in
managing such data. Spearheaded by the
Global Biodiversity Information Facility,
there has been a massive global effort over
the past decade to collate, clean and pub-
lish this biodiversity data. This effort is driv-
en by the tacit understanding that if we are
to protect species in peril, we need to know
where they are. GBIFs strategy has been to
enlist grass root support for their program
by engaging with countries around the
world. Each country participating in the pro-
ject establishes a local node which aggre-
gates and publishes data nationally via a
portal. The nodes are completely self man-
aged and exercise ultimate control over
which data are published through their por-
tals. The GBIF project periodically harvests
data from these portals and makes them
available as an aggregate dataset contain-
ing many millions of biodiversity records.
One such national node is the Tanzania
Biodiversity Information Facility.
FOSS GIS meets Biodiversity
With seed funding from the GBIF project,
and backing from the Tanzanian govern-
ment under the Commission for Science and
Technology (COSTECH), TanBIF is a great
example of how FOSS GIS software is being
leveraged by the GBIF project and its local
nodes to effect a far reaching global impact
in our understanding and preservation of
biodiversity. FOSSGIS is an obvious choice
for organisations in developing nations to
build out a geospatial infrastructure. The
software can be exibly deployed far and
wide with participating institutions having
an equal opportunity to make use of it
regardless of budget. Since they are Open
Source, projects such as QGIS can also be
extended and customised based on organi-
sational requirements.
This was exactly the approach taken by
TanBIF (with funding from GBIF) Linniti
Consulting CC. was contracted to enhance
QGIS in order to facilitate the use of the soft-
ware as a Biodiversity Informatics work-
bench. These customisations comprised of:
Integration of openModeller ecological
niche modelling software into QGIS via
a C++ plugin.
Creation of a raster calculator tool (for
adding rasters together and so on)
Creation of a Darwin Core XML vector
data provider (Darwin Core is the stan-
dard data interchange format for biodi-
versity collection info).
In addition to the actual development work,
we also conducted several training courses
in order to enable participants to understand
the concepts of GIS and ecological niche
modelling.
Multiplier Effect
In keeping with the spirit of FOSS, and with
the agreement of the project sponsors, all
the work that was sponsored by this project
was donated back to QGIS and
openModeller. In the case of QGIS, the
raster calculator tool is now a core feature
of the software. In the case of openModeller,
the plugin developed, that allows
openModeller experiments to be carried out
from within QGIS, is now part of the
openModeller source tree.
One of the great things about carrying out
a project such as this, is the mutiplier effect.
Lets consider for a moment if we had used
proprietary software as the basis for this pro-
ject instead of FOSS. No doubt at a techni-
cal level, similar results could have been
achieved. However the provision of the tools
to end users would require that each user
be in possession of a valid software licens-
es of proprietary software vendors. In a
country such as Tanzania, the purchase of
such a license represents a massive invest-
ment to any institution, and to private citi-
zens it is beyond consideration. In such an
environment, building any tool designed for
broad circulation would simply not work.
Basing this project on FOSS allows any such
initiative to have far reaching penetration.
Through the training courses for this project
we trained over 60 individuals in the use of
GIS. Each attendee left the course with new
skills and a copy of the software that they
Ar t i c l e
27
can copy freely amongst their friends and
colleagues. Better still, two of the attendees
who attended the rst training course have
built up their skills to the point that they are
now able to start training other users. Many
of the course attendees were university lec-
turers and there is a good possibility that
they will pass on the knowledge they have
gained to their students.
One could reasonably expect that within a
few years, the number of GIS practitioners
that arise from this project could number in
the hundreds.
Conclusion
Although the software itself is without cost,
funding was provided by GBIF to the TanBIF
project to cover the costs of training users
and the development work required to
implement the customisations they needed.
This is typical of the FOSS business model
a model where third parties create a nan-
cial ecosystem around Free Software by pro-
viding services. We are always careful to
separate the concepts of free software (with
a small f where the software is available
at no charge) and Free Software (with a cap-
ital F where users of the software are free
to examine, modify and redistribute the soft-
ware code). No software is truly free (small
f) since it requires hardware on which to
run, peoples time to create the software and
resources in order to publish the software
and provide a community of support around
it. It is a happy coincidence that in most
cases Free Software is also free of cost to
end users.
The FOSS model allows organisations, gov-
ernments and businesses to reap big
rewards for a small investment and has a
massive multiplier effect within the commu-
nities where that investment is made. This
fact applies world-wide and concentrates
neither on one region or group of users nor
is it simply dependent on their economic sit-
uation. In Europe, for example, over the last
10 years, there have been a steadily grow-
ing number of users and developers from all
disciplines who know and appreciate the
benets of FOSS.
With projects such as this in Tanzania and
many similar efforts around the world, QGIS
is certainly riding the multiplier effect wave.
The authors of this article are QGIS Project Steering Committee
Members
Tim Sutton tim@linfiniti.com runs a consultancy business in
Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa where he provides support,
training, customisation and hosting services for Quantum GIS and
other FOSS.
Otto Dassau dassau@gbd-consult.de runs a consultancy business in
Hannover, Germany and provides commercial services around FOSS
GIS with a focus on GRASS and Quantum GIS.
For more information have a look at the following websites:
Quantum GIS project: http://qgis.org
OpenModeller: http://openmodeller.sf.net
Tanzania Biodiversity Information Facility: http://tanbif.org.tz
Global Biodiversity Information Facility: http://gbif.org
Open Source Geospatial Foundation: www.osgeo.org
German OSGeo Local Chapter - FOSSGIS e.V.:
www.fossgis.de
GNU General Public License (GPL):
www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html
Linfiniti Consulting CC, Swellendam, Western Cape, South Africa:
http://linfiniti.com
Geoinformatik Bro Dassau, Hannover, Germany:
www.gbd-consult.de
Ar t i c l e
28
September 2011
Figure 2: Present day predicted potential Tanzanian distribution for Chameleo tempeli created using the openModeller Desktop plugin for Quantum GIS. The model algorithm used was environmental distance
and the environmental variables used were average annual precipitation, annual minimum and maximum rainfall.
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30
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
Optimizing Waste Management
Geo-spatial Technologies and
Waste collection isnt rocket science, right? But the knowledge of rocket science, or more precisely the
products of space born intelligence sources such as GPS and satellite based mapping, can become a
vital part of waste collection and help give a competitive edge in a highly aggressive market.
W
aste collection operations, whether
commercial or domestic, waste or
recycling, are expensive. Collec -
tion trucks acquisition and maintenance, col-
lection personnel, waste processing and the
ever reducing prot margin caused by a uc-
tuating recycling market and aggressive com-
petitors means that any small advantage that
can be gained in optimising processes can
result in a signicant expansion of business.
Geospatial technologies, particularly GIS, can
play an effective and exible asset for any
waste operator. It is of greatest advantage
when applied to asset organisation and
resource planning by providing management
with the information necessary to determine
how best to apply resources to maximum effect
and at as low a cost as possible. This article
will examine the manner in which geospatial
technology and data can be implemented into
waste collection companies, and how imple-
mentation can be achieved for those with both
large and small investment budgets.
Data generation
Before any data application has begun, it is rst
necessary to determine which departments with-
in a collection organisation require information
and what information would be most useful to
them. Management and operational planning
departments generally require the amount and
positions of their customer base and the quanti-
ty of collection resources available to them to
service these locations. Collection crews have
need of a list or map, either digitally or hard-
copy, showing customer locations and possibly
the sequence in which such customers should
be collected. Customer service staff may need
a low impact database to deal with customer
issues and access to eet tracking and real-world
collection progress. If waste collections take
place on behalf of local government by a
private waste contractor, the ability to share
geospatial information between the two
organisations may also be a requirement.
By Finnian OCionnaith
31
Data categories for waste collection can be dived into two broad
groups
Base data: Information used to ensure that waste collections can
take place prior to any bin being lifted. Examples included cus-
tomer locations, customer databases, background mapping, posi-
tion of waste assets such as material recycling facilities and truck
yards, street networks etc.
Operational data: information recorded by a collection eet as
to their daily operations such as GPS track les and positions of
bins actually collected, customer participation level in services
offered, location of missed sites, street access issues etc.
Both data groups are mutually supportive and both play a key role in
the successful management of waste collection. By comparing base
data products i.e. what was planned to happen, against operational
data sets i.e. what actually happened, collection managers can easily
identify where the initial plan or application of such a plan may have
deviated or not have been optimal.
The level of geospatial data obtained for such operations is entirely
dependent on the budget a company is willing to invest in such a
resource. For regional or local government undertaking collection ser-
vices there may already exist a plethora of data sets, specialised pro-
grammes and technical staff available to assist them. For private com-
mercial companies however, the situation may be radically different.
In optimal circumstances a signicant nancial investment from a waste
management company can result in the rapid development of geospa-
tial capabilities. Background mapping and residential and commercial
property data-sets from ofcial national mapping agencies are often
the foundation of a companys geospatial infrastructure. Off-the-shelf
logistical software packages can also be integrated directly into a com-
panys collection operations if a suitable customer address database is
already available. Additionally, onboard GPS tracking systems for a
collection eet can record the position of a collection truck in real time,
record the number and location of bin lifts and, if the customers bin
has a registered RFID chip, the system can identify if the customer has
paid for their service and deduct the cost of the lift.
However, given the thin prot margins and the need to stay nancial-
ly competitive; cheaper, even free, solutions can be applied. Free
Web Map Services (WMS) such as Bing maps and Google maps,
offer digital background and hybrid satellite and aerial photography
in a exible manner that can be used either over the internet or inte-
grated into dedicated GIS software. With the growth of a geographi-
cally-literal customer base an additional advantage to WMS is the
ease at which it can be implemented into a companys web page
allowing customers to see information on their local waste collection
services or, for example, during a disruption to collection, where

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rescheduled bin collections will take place.
Free downloadable Web Feature Services
(WFS) such as polyline street networks or resi-
dential location points with associated
attribute data, allow end users to query data,
create new features and to edit exiting fea-
tures to their own specications and require-
ments.
While initially being more time intensive, cus-
tomer location and address data-sets can be
produced in-house with the aid of low cost
hand held GPS kits and a collections database
produced either in GIS software or created
and imported from a more standard ofce pro-
gramme such as Microsoft Excel. This GIS
information can also provide the basis of a
CRM system and be used to export digital
mapping to onboard collection truck comput-
ers or to produce hardcopy paper maps with
customer lists from a centralised database. It
is imperative that such in-house databases
have a logical and regular data revision cycle
if it is to remain as up-to-date as possible.
If dedicated GIS software is beyond the bud-
get of a collection company, or if the number
of GIS licences must be kept to an absolute min-
imum, programmes such as Google Earth can
be used as a suitable, light-weight GIS interface
available both on desktop or mobile devices
like smart phones. By converting a standard
ESRI shapele into .KML format, which can be
opened in Google Earth, the user is presented
with an interface in which addresses for any
point in the world can be identied and where
GIS data such as truck locations or bin collec-
tion points can be presented but not manipulat-
ed or edited. An additional advantage to the
Google Earth/GIS combination is low level of
end-user technical knowledge that is required
to operate such a system.
Regardless of the expense of initiating the sys-
tem, it is important that a logical database
plan be followed to avoid data fragmentation
caused by multiple users. Sales teams, cus-
tomer service centres, GIS personnel and pro-
ject managers all need to have access to spa-
tial data however over manipulation of a
single dataset by too many users may result
in data degradation. A series of access proto-
cols that limit some sections of a master
database to specic departments or person-
nel ensures data integrity and helps secure
commercially sensitive data. Additionally a
rational metadata protocol, input data quality
control and database maintenance must be
applied from the outset of any waste collec-
tion GIS enterprise. A viewpoint of garbage
in, garbage out may work for waste collec-
tion, but it must be avoided at all costs when
applied to GIS operations.
Continual Improvement
Aside from management of logistical capa-
bilities, geospatial data can be highly exi-
ble for improvement of collection operations
and overall company performance.
Like most logistical operations involving a
eet of vehicles, real-time monitoring via GPS
can be of immense benet. Waste collection,
particularity for commercial customers, often
involves a time window in which the com-
mercial site can be visited by collection vehi-
cles. The ability of logistic supervisors to con-
rm that collection routes are operating within
their allotted windows can go a long way in
ensuring customer retention through good ser-
vice provision. Additionally, the knowledge
that collection vehicles are actually working
and that crews are not taking advantage of
no supervisor being physically present again
helps promote service efciency.
Gathering data on collection operations can
be very useful for collection eet monitoring
and customer service support, however it is
most benecial when it is adapted to market-
ing. Using empirical geographical datasets
built up over a long period, such a bin pre-
sentation rates or levels of customer partici-
pation in waste services, waste collection
companies can realign their operations to
suit customer demand. Such data analysis
can also be of great use for the deployment
of sales teams or marketing promotions and
for assessments of the operational success,
or lack of, in a given area.
Compilation of tracking and marketing data
can further lead to wide operational improve-
ments. In order to remain as adaptive and
competitive as possible, waste collection
routes must be set up to allow periodic ratio-
nalisation initiatives. The addition or reduc-
tion of customer numbers or collection assets
means that route redesign is necessary to
allow a company to operate at maximum
nancial and operation efciency. GIS can
play a vital role in any route redevelopment
project by being able to combine various
tabular, geographic and past operational
statistical datasets, produce highly person-
alised redeveloped routes and examine a
vast variety of alternatives from which the
most suitable can be chosen. Newly redevel-
oped routes can also be affectively moni-
tored through GIS to see if results met expec-
tation.
Such expansive and long term data monitor-
ing and assemblage processes through GIS
can be of unequalled value if collection ser-
vices are badly disrupted due to inclement
weather conditions. By being able to present
historically driven routes, including recorded
bin collections and roads travelled, supervi-
sors, during a severe weather event, can deter-
mine not only what customers were able to be
serviced, but more importantly which cus-
tomers were missed. It is then possible to set
up a system where by missed customers can
be rescheduled according to the priority of
their need and a coherent and logical disas-
ter management plan can be implemented on
a company-wide basis.
Summary
The level, cost and technological sophistica-
tion in which geospatial data can be applied
by waste collection companies is varied and
highly exible. The multiple methods of data
analysis and their ability to compare and pro-
cess large amounts of spatial and statistical
datasets gives waste collection managers a
level of operational insight previously unavail-
able. The level of competition found within the
waste collection industry requires that com-
mercial gains can be made by technological
investment with geospatial technology being
no exception. Whether simply being conned
to a handheld GPS kit place on the dashboard
of a single collection truck or a real-time mon-
itoring system integrated into numerous com-
pany departments and producing large
amounts of collection data daily, geospatial
technology can play an important role in oper-
ational success, customer retention, efcient
use of resources and most importantly costs
savings.
Finnian OCionnaith, GIS Projects Manager at
Greyhound Recycling & Recovery
Ar t i c l e
32
September 2011
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I NTERGEO 2011
Sensors and Services
Standards Update
When working as a GI specialist, we use, without consciously knowing it a few dozen standards all
the time. Now a good standard is supposed to be one that works without the user realizing he/she is
using it at all. Think about the power outlet and plug at home. You just assume that any piece of
equipment you buy comes with a power cord that will fit into that outlet. It is not until you travel
abroad that you start realizing that there may be more standards around.
I
n the world of GI standards things are just
the same, we use standards all the time
without realizing it. There are however, a
number of people involved in creating,
maintaining and revising those same stan-
dards. Standards development is carried out
on quite a few different levels. Perhaps the
most important organization types involved
in these are:
International standards bodies
Manufacturers of software/hardware
(e.g. Esri)
Government and special interest bodies
(e.g. Inspire, IHO, DGWIG)
Looking at international standards for the
geographic community, there are three
major organizations at work. These are:
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC); a
consortium between various large soft-
ware vendors and users.
International standardization organiza-
tion (ISO)
European standardization organization
(CEN)
Many geographic-oriented standards have
primarily been developed by the OGC and
from there, through the ISO, adopted as an
international standard. Such a standard can
then be adopted by the CEN or national
standards body (NSB). But a standard can
also be developed by an NSB and from
there, through either CEN or ISO, be adopt-
ed as a European international standard.
Type of standards
So when is a standard a standard? When
looking at the websites of organizations
involved in standardization one can become
quite overwhelmed by the various types of
documents encountered:
Standard or specication. Captured con-
sensus after the entire process of consulta-
tion has been resolved. Contents are bind-
ing when implemented. In GI, subtypes that
can be found are:
34
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk
o Abstract specication (AS). A document
containing a technology-independent speci-
cation for a programming interface.
o Implementation specication (IS).
Contains a technology-dependent specica-
tion. It is assumed that two software engi-
neers working independently will realize an
interoperable solution when following the
same IS.
Technical Specication (TS). Similar to a
standard but differing in that no consen-
sus has been reached because there is
e.g. an alternative specication avail-
able. Is deemed worthwhile enough to
be published along with other standards.
Best practice (BP), recommendation
paper or guideline. Describes the best
way to implement a standard or related
technology which is an ofcial recom-
mendation but non-binding.
Discussion paper (DP), white paper and
engineering reports (ER). Documents cap-
turing a current discussion, viewpoint or
outcome of an experiment but not being
an ofcial position of the organization.
New standards
In the standardization community, an often-
heard phrase is standards are so nice
because there are so many to choose from.
Though not entirely untrue there are forces
at work to minimize the number of available
standards. That said there are new stan-
dards emerging all the time. Over the past
several months, the following standards
have emerged from ISO, CEN or the OGC:
ISO19142: Web Feature Service
ISO19146: Cross-domain vocabularies
OGC XML encoding for Observations
and Measurements
OGC SWE Common
OGC netCDF standard
ISO 1942 - Web Feature Service
Web Feature Service (WFS) has been
around for quite a few years now. In April,
the former OGC implementation specica-
tion was adopted by ISO Technical
Committee (TC) 211, as well as CEN TC
287, as both a European and international
standard. With software that supports the
full WFS implementation, users can query,
transfer and edit geographic objects stored
on a central server without having to manu-
ally download the dataset to their own com-
puter.
ISO 19146: Cross-domain
vocabularies
A common issue at the moment is that dif-
ferent communities (domains) use different
terms for the same thing. This is problematic
when developing software as the two com-
munities may be unaware of this. Even if
they are aware of this, in data exchange it
is hard to determine the similarities. For this
purpose, so-called cross-domain vocabular-
ies can be used that relate terms from differ-
ent domains to each other. Although not
specically a GI problem, this standard
describes how to create such a vocabulary.
XML Encoding for O&M
Observations and Measurements (O&M)
has been around for a while. The second
version of this (former) OGC standard has
been recently adopted by ISO as ISO stan-
dard 19156. As ISO 19156 still needs to
be formally published it is absent from the
list above. The abstract O&M specication
is designed to dene a semantic metadata
model for exchanging (as the title says)
observations and measurements data.
The standard itself cannot be used for this
however, it needs to be implemented and
extended for specic purposes. An example
is WaterML, which is currently under devel-
opment by OGC for dening hydrological
model output.
For the physical implementation, the stan-
dard needs to be translated (encoded) into
some technical format. This encoding is not
done by ISO, but by agreement between
ISO and the OGC and is done by the OGC.
The encoding for O&M in XML was pub-
lished in April this year and is now avail-
able from OGCs schema resource site.
SWE Common
Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) is a stan-
dardization programme from the OGC that
contains a number of standards including
amongst others the Sensor Observation
Service (SOS) and O&M. The SWE
Common standard is more basic than the
other SWE standards and is created as a
base for the other standards. The standard
consists of both an abstract specication
describing the model as well as an XML
implementation of the standard.
netCDF
The Network Common Data Form (netCDF),
originally developed by the Earth science
community, is widely used for storing not
only geological/geophysical data but also
atmospheric and oceanographic data. The
standard was originally developed by the
Unidata Program Center of the University
Corporation for Atmospheric Research
(UCAR). The standard is what is called a
self-documenting standard (e.g. XML is
another self-documenting standard). The
standard is particularly useful when transfer-
ring large datasets as it supports a binary
encoding.
At the moment there is no particular seman-
tic model associated with netCDF (in con-
trast to O&M). The semantics used are
described within the format. A common con-
vention used in this is the Climate and
Forecast metadata conventions (CF).
Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk hlekkerkerk@geoinformatics.com is process
manager standards as well as freelance writer and trainer.
For more information: www.opengeospatial.org
and www.isotc211.org
Ar t i c l e
35
Host
DVW e.V. German Society for Geodesy,
Geoinformation and Land Management
www.dvw.de
Conference organiser
DVW GmbH
Egbertstrae 46, 40489 Dsseldorf
DGfK e.V. Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
Kartographie | www.dgfk.net
Trade fair organiser
HINTE Messe- und Ausstellungs-GmbH
Bannwaldallee 60, 76185 Karlsruhe
Fon: +49 721 93133-0
info@hinte-messe.de
www.intergeo.de
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Knowledge and Action
for Planet Earth
Nuremberg, September 27
th
to 29
th
, 2011

S
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DVW e.V
Host

Kartographie | www
DGfK e.V
DVW GmbH
.de .dvw www
, German Society for Geodesy . DVW e.V
Host

.dgfk.net Kartographie | www
Deutsche Gesellschaft fr . DGfK e.V
DVW GmbH

info@hinte-messe.de
Fon: +49 721 93133-0
Bannwaldallee 60, 76185 Karlsruhe
Ausstellungs-GmbH HINTE Messe- und
rade fair organiser T

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Extending the ArcGIS System
Esri User Conference 2011
The yearly Esri UC in San Diego is a major GIS event to look forward to. This years edtion was all
about the upcoming 10.1 release of ArcGIS, planned for 2012. The more than 15,000 visitors were
treated with a glimpse on new features of this new release. Great plans too for Esris cloud system
ArcGIS Online, where everything Esri has been doing for years comes together.
Introduction
With over 15,000 visitors, the Esri User
Conference in San Diego one of the major
events in the geospatial industry. With one
week full of keynote presentations, exhibits,
an academic GIS program fair, user group
meetings, a Map Gallery, several Award
ceremonies, social events and much more,
there is simply too much going on to cover
all of it. However, it is a tradition that all big
news gets out on Mondays plenary session,
delivered by Esri president Jack
Dangermond, with a little help from several
people from the Esri staff. This plenary ses-
sion gives you a good overview of whats
going on within Esri and the geospatial
industry as a whole, since Esri has invested
a lot in R&D, which was evident in this
years plenary. Highlights of this years edi-
tion were ArcGIS Online, a new major
release coming up (ArcGIS 10.1, planned
for 2012), GIS on mobile phones, imagery,
LiDAR tools and much more.
Plenary Session
Of course, every Esri UC starts with meet-
ing new people in the audience, since the
event is an opportunity to build new rela-
tionships. After this introduction, Danger -
mond explained what GIS is used for nowa-
days, which is a whole lot more than just
mapping. Engaging citizens and crowd
sourcing is an interesting new application
eld in which GIS is used. A relatively new
eld, but becoming more and more com-
mon, since citizens as sensors have the
power to make the government do their
work better, according to Dangermond.
SAG Awards
Special Achievement in GIS Awards (SAG)
were handed to over 140 organizations all
over the world, who use GIS to improve the
world. The Esri Enterprise GIS award was
handed to the Singapore Collaborative
Geospatial Collaborative Environment, an
enterprise system of global stature, chosen
because GIS has been brought into almost
38
September 2011
E v e n t
By Eric van Rees
An impression of the Esri booth at the exhibition
government operation and made it transpar-
ent. The second award of the morning is the
Presidents Award, selected by Dangermond
himself. It went to the government of Russia,
specically, the federal service for state reg-
istration, cadastre and mapping. They were
chosen for this award since they built a
national cadastral system for Russia in 18
months and put in on the open web.
ArcGIS 10.1
Then, on the technology: ArcGIS 10.1 is
scheduled for the rst quarter of 2012, is
introducing a lot of new capabilities, with a
few gamechangers. Beta was not yet
released around the conference (so no
demos), but at the time of writing has been
released. Basemap and content information
are key issues for 10.1. For instance,
Landsat imagery of the last 40 years will be
made available (more on this below), and
also new basemap for the ocean has been
added, and a topographic map for the
world is being built, among others.
New tools for 10.1 for geographic science,
tools to predict or describe things, like are
space-time clustering or group analysis.
Statistical tools that allow multi-scale auto-
correlation, or exploratory regression, which
takes one variable which allows users to
explore multiple other variable relationships
to it, like disease, crime, or soil erosion.
Geodetic buffering is a new tool that users
have been asking for years and will be
included too.
Dynamic legends and editing workows are
advancements in mapping in 10.1. This
means that if you scale a map, the legend
will change accordingly. Another advance-
ment is feature-added tracking, which means
that if someone edits a feature, his or her
name is remembered, so a kind of feature-
level metadata. A suite of generalization
tools has been announced, like rule based
generalization, so that lines and geographi-
cal areas can be generalized better. Other
advancements are better labeling and tem-
poral support. Improving database manage-
ment: users have asked for direct SQL
access to all the popular databases. Not
only for tabular data, but also for spatial
data.
New image and exploitation tools
New image integration and exploitation
tools are announced for 10.1 with very fast
and dynamic mosaiicing. This means view-
ing large amounts of imagery without pre-
processing them. Also added are automatic
enhancements, so when images are loaded
its parameters are read and adjusted as a
good looking image on the screen. 3D mea-
surement, video integration are two other
imagery tools. Large support for LiDAR is
announced, so that dynamic viewing of LAS
les can be done. For this, the same Esri
technology as with dynamic imagery is used
and integrated so that dynamic on-the-y
viewing of LAS les as rasters, TINs and as
point clouds. Also, tools for visualization
and analytics have been enhanced.
3D and ArcGIS Runtime
For planning and urban design, landscape
planning, expanding the 3D platform with
10.1 means added performance for 3D, 3D
geometric buffering, shade analysis and 3D
editing. A Swiss company called Procedural
who does content creation, has been
acquired by Esri. The idea behind is to make
visualization and content creation part of
GIS. To make this content, a standalone
product should be used, but over time will
be integrated into the Esri platform.
A new piece of software is ArcGIS Runtime,
a light-piece platform for developers like
MapObjects which will have an impact for
the whole GIS community. It is for Windows
as well as Linux and supports native 64-bit
and 32-bit emulation mode.
ArcGIS Server
Esri has enhanced the architecture of ArcGIS
Server and is resting in the full 64-bit envi-
ronment which means that its cloud-ready
and highly scalable. For the rst time the
Linux operating environment is supported
well. New OGC-standards that are support-
E v e n t
39
Closing Session
ed are the tile and proccessing standards.
In terms of web services, 10.1 promises dra-
matically improved support for Sharepoint.
This means that Sharepoint users can now
easily make a map in Sharepoint.
A new program called ArcGIS for Home Use
offers ArcGIS Desktop and extensions for
home use for 100$ per year, meant for per-
sonal non-commercial use.
ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is Esris cloud system. This
summer and fall the system will be shifted to
a full GIS in the cloud environment. It will be
an open platform for mapping and geo-
graphic information in the cloud. Everything
is tied together with intelligent web maps,
that are described as a new medium where
multiple services are integrated together and
shared. Bernie Szukalski demoed ArcGIS
Online. Since its launch, one year ago at the
Esri UC, it has become an integral part of
the ArcGIS system. ArcGIS.com is the web
gateway to that system. Spreadsheets can be
dragged and dropped into a map and visu-
alized, but also analytical tools can be used.
A Twitter template can be used for visualiza-
tion of Tweets in a geopgraphical area, sort-
ed by topic. Making a presentation with
maps is also possible, with direct access to
the data of the intelligent maps. Impressive
are the analysis tool that can be done live,
like a dashboards for visual analysis.
This fall, online hosting will be made possi-
ble with ArcGIS Online: data can be
uploaded and hosted. Also new is making
it a system on premise with the aid of tem-
plates, so the system can be tted for how
an organization wants it to be. A combina-
tion of different avors is also possible. Next
spring, with the release of 10.1, these envi-
ronments will be integrated with it. Its clear
that Esri made a big step forward with
ArcGIS Online, as a reply to Google Earth
Builder.
Imagery Session
Imagery is the new face of GIS declared
Lawrie Jordan in his keynote during the
Imager@UC session, opening the rst day
of sessions of the rest of the week. For some
years, this message has been spread by
Jordan, but now seems the time has come
where this has become a reality. This has
mainly to do with recent initiatives together
with imagery partners, such as the addition
of global Landsat imagery from 1975 to
2005 for ArcGIS Online. By seeding the
market with content as Jordan puts it, users
have access to more volumes of data from
different varieties, accuracy is higher than it
used to be and the revisit cycle is shorter,
leading to more data and so on. ArcGIS
Online provides free imagery and services,
whereas ArcGIS.com is for imagery
enhancements.
Jordan spoke about a great deal about the
partners in the imagery market, who pro-
vide domain expertise, advanced technolo-
gy and who extend the imagery platform as
a whole. Although not mentioned into detail,
these partners where present at the exhibi-
tion oor that started the same day and
demo-ed imagery software, as well as giv-
ing presentations later on during the week.
The cloud seems to offer an excellent plat-
form to access, use and share imagery and
Esri promotes its use heavily. Ease of use is
important, tools need to be quick and sim-
ple to use, and Esri has also picked up on
that when designing imagery tools. As for
imagery services, theres an imagery com-
munity called ArcGIS for imagery, a
resource center (ArcGIS.com), hosted
imagery services and imagery templates are
offered.
Three short presentations about the use of
imagery in different ways concluded this ses-
sion. Einar Bjorgo, senior specialist at
UNOSAT, spoke about the use of imagery
in disaster response and humanitarian aid,
making clear that the use of imagery has
become an essential part of the entire pro-
cess, also helped by the spread of geo-
graphical knowledge by Google Earth.
Where in the past the location of refugee
40
September 2011
E v e n t
Product demos by Esri
camps with GPS coordinates in African
countries was not common, this today is
unthinkable. Bjorgos last slide showed a
satellite image of a line of voters outdoors,
waiting in the burning sun to vote. It showed
in one glimpse how technology can be used
to make a change in political transitional.
A completely different take on imagery was
offered by PCI Geomatics, who helped Esri
to move up and prepare the Landsat
imagery mentioned above into the cloud.
The presentation was very much about hard-
ware congurations, but offered a great
insight how to do these things right. The ulti-
mate presentation about the use of imagery
on mobile devices raised some eyebrows,
where evidence was given that partners are
also competitors, when LizardTech were
openly favored over Esris ArcPad when it
comes to image processing by the client.
From an organizational perspective, it was
a good move from Esri to integrate the
imagery activities and events more promi-
nently into the conference. This decision
immediately showed off, since the opening
session was well-visited.
3D Virtual Cities
The demo of Virtual Cities by Esris Gert van
Maren was repeated during session on 3D
Virtual Cities. When ArcGIS 10 was
released, there was a lot of talk on 3D, visu-
alization and analysis, but this seems to
have died down a bit. Is this because of the
lack of standardization in 3D le formats,
are users not interested in it or is it so hard
to send them over the internet, in other
words, are users waiting for the cloud to
make this thing work better? Anyway, the
session hosted by Gert van Maren brought
some good points for 3D fanatics.
His own demo of building virtual cities in
ArcGIS was interesting, in that it seems very
easy to make and edit a 3D model. This is
bit confusing at rst, when you think of a
model as a representation of reality, there-
fore copying reality as much as possible in
a model. But this is not the idea here, virtu-
al cities are not yet reality, but could be used
for planning purposes, functioning as a way
of modeling what could-be. And yes, 3D
city models look great.
Something really new was the acquisition of
a company called Procedural, who have a
software program called CityEngine which
is used for 3D modeling and designing.
ArcGIS users can use it for easy 3D content
creation and design from their GIS data. The
following presentation of FMEs Dale Lutz on
data interoperability showed that making
things work in 3D may need some data
translation, since non-Esri 3D software uses
native data formats that may not work with-
out an FME-plugin (called ArcGIS data inter-
operability extension).
Closing Session
Wrapping up the conference, there was a
one and half hour closing session where
Jack Dangermond and staff were present to
answer questions from visitors and evaluate
the event itself. A large number of the ques-
tions addressed technological issues, such
as possible future Mac support, a 64 bit
desktop release (to be released after the next
10.1 release) and the price of ArcGIS
Online subscriptions. Although there are no
prices mentioned yet, Esri promises fair pric-
ing and they are reviewing the lessons
learned from business partners who have
more experience in this eld, such as
Salesforce.com.
The version number of the release after the
next release (10.1) is already making peo-
ple nervous, since using a major release
number (such as ArcGIS 11) will cause IT
problems. At this point its not clear whether
it will be 10.2 or 11.
Jack Dangermond announced that the
crowd sourcing availabilities of the latest
ArcGIS version have not been used a lot.
Maybe that explains why there were hardly
any sessions on this topic to be found dur-
ing the conference. He briey mentioned the
release of the ArcGIS Editor for Open Street
Map (released last year), but no further talk
on this followed, mainly because of time
matters.
An audience member asked Jack how bud-
gets for GIS can be secured for the long term
in organizations that use GIS, in order to
keep GIS staff at work and continue pro-
jects. With less budgets, GIS divisions have
hard times. The questions was followed by
an inspiring and long reply from Jack, stress-
ing that it is not important to get the check,
but the get the management into what you
are doing, giving the example of the city of
Boston where GIS is used for citizen engage-
ment and therefore saving a lot of money.
Moving data into templates and the role of
business partners in building templates was
explained into detail. Not everyone is
aware of what a template exactly is and
does, so some explanation was more than
welcome. This was kind of an introduction
to ArcGIS Online and Esris imagery strate-
gy, discussed earlier in this article. The com-
pany will host imagery services and has
been working with GeoEye on getting huge
volumes of Landsat data into ArcGIS Online.
On a funny note, the conference ended by
Jack Dangermond explaining how to defend
yourself when attacked by a gorilla in
Rwanda, which actually happened for real.
Now at which other geospatial conferences
do you learn things like that?
Main conference web site:
www.esri.com/events/user-conference/index.html
E v e n t
42
September 2011
Exhibition space
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Integrating GIS & Photogrammetry
and Swisstopo Products
The Swiss Federal Office of Topography is the national mapping agency of Switzerland, responsible
for assembling and archiving the nations geospatial data and information and overseeing cadastral
surveying throughout the country. A few years ago, swisstopo resolved to shorten their multiple-year
map production cycle and incorporate new offerings into their workflow. To attain this goal,
swisstopo created a new infrastructure called TOPographic Geographic Information System (TOPGIS)
that would enable them to create all their products with a single system capable of both GIS manage-
ment and stereo photogrammetry.
T
he Swiss Federal Ofce of Topography
(commonly referred to as swisstopo)
is the national mapping agency of
Switzerland, responsible for assembling and
archiving the nations geospatial data and
information and overseeing cadastral sur-
veying throughout the country. Swisstopo
offers a wide variety of geospatial products
to customers, including the national map
series, elevation and landscape models,
satellite images and orthophotos. The port-
folio provides products suitable for a broad
range of purposes - from planning a hike or
skiing trip through the beautiful Alps to plan-
ning national transportation networks. Due
to the exceptional quality and accuracy of
swisstopo products, they have garnered a
worldwide reputation of excellence.
Perhaps part of swisstopos ability to achieve
and maintain such a sterling reputation stems
from their relentless efforts to ensure the timeli-
ness and accuracy of their offerings. For
geospatial products to provide maximum ben-
et, they need to reect the rapid change that
occurs on the planet and leverage the latest
advances in remote sensing and image pro-
cessing technology. A few years ago, swis-
stopo resolved to shorten their multiple-year
map production cycle and incorporate new
offerings into their workow. To initiate the
improvement process, they identied the bot-
tlenecks in their mapping methodology and
proposed a solution to streamline their work-
ow.
Originally, the swisstopo production process
consisted of multiple detached workows.
Some of the products in the portfolio, includ-
ing major offerings, were being generated
and maintained separately using disconnect-
ed systems and software applications.
Personnel were assigned to each product, and
since reassignment involved additional train-
ing and an initial learning curve, it was dif-
cult to switch people to different products to
accommodate deadlines and production
needs.
Integrating GIS &
Photogrammetry
Ideally, swisstopo sought a single system inter-
face for creating all the products in their port-
folio, reducing the training requirement and
enabling the assignment of different products
to existing employees as needed. Such a sys-
tem needed to provide the benets of a pow-
erful GIS and a photogrammetry package.
These capabilities would need to be merged
seamlessly so that both utilities were available
to operators and wouldnt require them to
switch interfaces.
In addition to using disparate systems to gen-
erate products, swisstopo was also using dif-
ferent data sources consisting of a combina-
tion of analog, vector and raster data. This
data redundancy meant that updates had to
be performed in several places, constituting a
heavy demand on time and resources and
increasing the potential for human error. In
some cases, products were based on other
products. For example, the basic digital land-
scape model produced by swisstopo was
based on the 1;25,000 scale map in the
national map series and couldnt be updated
until that map was complete. In turn, every
product dependent on that digital landscape
44
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Amber Chambers
FeatureAssist for ArcGIS provides multiple predefined templates to facilitate collection of common roof shapes.
model lagged even further behind. This
caused multiple-year map production cycles
for some products.
Swisstopo needed to consolidate the master
data sources, enabling simultaneous up dates
of swisstopos products. Further more, swis-
stopo was anticipating a change from the
Leica RC30 airborne frame camera to the
newer Leica ADS40 airborne digital sensor.
They wanted to be able to take full advantage
of the improvements in the raw data quality
afforded by the hardware upgrade.
Increased Accuracy with a New
Product
Swisstopo also hoped to make improvements
in the accuracy of their products, which was
between three and eight meters at the time.
Typically, feature data was initially captured
with x-, y-, and z-coordinates, but the z-coor-
dinate was discarded during subsequent data
updates. To increase accuracy, swisstopo
wanted to incorporate stereo photogramme-
try into their workow. Stereo feature collec-
tion is the most accurate way to collect and
update feature data, enabling capture and
retention of all three coordinates throughout
the workow. In addition to the increased posi-
tional accuracy, stereo collection makes it
quicker and easier to distinguish the exact out-
line of features. For example, when collecting
vector layers of roads from orthophotos, a
bridge or overpass overlying a road can look
very similar to an intersection. Additionally,
certain features, such as tall buildings, obscure
their own footprints and those of surrounding
features and require operators to perform
some estimation during feature collection.
To remedy the shortcomings of the previous
system, swisstopo decided to create a new
infrastructure called TOPographic Geo gra phic
Information System (TOPGIS) to manage their
workow.
As swisstopo considered software applica-
tions to form the core of TOPGIS, the one over-
riding requirement was that there should be
only one application used to create all prod-
ucts in the portfolio. The appropriate tool for
such a large task would need to competently
handle GIS management and photogramme-
try, but there was not a product from a single
vendor that comprehensively fused those com-
petencies.
Swisstopo had already formed a relationship
with ERDAS and Esri Schweiz AG, Esris partner
in Switzerland. Esri Schweiz and ERDAS part-
nered to offer ArcGIS desktop and server prod-
ucts for collecting data in 2.5D (monoplotting),
managing the GIS, and storing the geospatial
data within a geodatabase, and a suite of
products from ERDAS for providing the stereo
visualization and stereo feature collection
capability.
Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS, a component of the
ERDAS Extensions for ArcGIS, enhances ArcGIS
with stereo visualization capability that allows
users to view stereo image pairs inside their
ArcGIS environment and use ArcGIS own edit-
ing tools to collect features, giving each vertex
an x-, y- and z-coordinate. After establishing
the tools to use for the creation of the national
landscape model, swisstopo shifted focus to
terrain editing.
Swisstopo was familiar with LPS, ERDAS suite
of photogrammetric production tools, and its
popular add-on, Terrain Editor. While swis-
stopo liked the functionality and accuracy of
Terrain Editor, they remained determined to
create a unied system that would allow a
seamless workow not hindered by boundaries
between software applications. ERDAS launched
ERDAS Terrain Editor for ArcGIS. An extension
to Stereo Analyst, ERDAS Terrain Editor for
ArcGIS enables the update of a DTM stored
as a geodatabase terrain by displaying it as
points and breaklines with triangle and con-
tour display. As the terrain is edited, ERDAS
Terrain Editor for ArcGIS dynamically updates
contours in the stereo window to make it easi-
er for the operator to visualize and interpret
the terrain. Terrain Editor was also designed
with a complete set of point, breakline and
area tools for modifying the terrain, including
a tool for autocorrelating new points to partici-
pate in the terrain layer.
Within the new infrastructure, there would be
two master sources of data from which the var-
ious swisstopo products would be derived. The
Topographic Landscape Model (TLM) is a 3-
dimensional GIS with an accuracy of one
meter or better for the x, y, and z coordinates.
It serves as the data source for GIS dataset
products and the national map series. The
DTM-TLM is a digital terrain model created pri-
marily from LiDAR data. Both the TLM and the
DTM-TLM are designed to be consistent with
each other and are updated photogrammetri-
cally using Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS, ERDAS
Terrain editor for ArcGIS, and Leica ADS cam-
era data. TOPGIS has also been designed so
that fresh data from cooperating cities and
cantons throughout Switzerland can be easily
uploaded into it.
Ar t i c l e
45
Integrating GIS & Photogrammetry
and Swisstopo Products
Stereo Analyst allows for the collection of features in X, Y and Z.
Leveraging the Power of Stereo
Swisstopo has seen signicant improvements
since the implementation of the solution. First
of all, swisstopo was able to more than dou-
ble its production speed from aerial photo ight
to data delivery as a result of using the inte-
grated interface for all the production tasks.
This increase in speed enabled them to supply
data products to customers faster than before.
The time between the data collection and the
completion of the map products is now only
about nine months. Previously, it was approxi-
mately two years. Before the solution was
implemented, the data would have been
between one and three years old. After imple-
menting the Esri/ERDAS solution, the data is
about a year old, at most.
Swisstopo considers the most important advan-
tage of the new system to be the increased
level of detail they are now able to provide to
customers. Before implementing Stereo Analyst
for ArcGIS, the data was usually 1:25,000
map scale. Currently, it ranges between
1:5000 and 1:10000 map scale. By adding
the ERDAS Extensions, swisstopo opened up the
ability for its operators to collect, maintain and
use the 3D components of imagery, which they
had previously discarded due to their inability
to use it effectively. Stereo Analysts stereo visu-
alization capabilities enable operators to see
the imagery just as they would see the scene
in person - in 3 dimensions - so they can man-
ually pick out the boundaries of features easi-
ly, quickly, and accurately. Viewing imagery
in 3D also eliminates the estimation of feature
boundaries when working with taller objects.
When viewing buildings in orthophotos, tall
objects will often appear to lean if not directly
under the camera, blocking surrounding
objects. In stereo, the operators will see these
tall objects standing straight up, providing a
clear view of everything below.
In addition to the enhanced visual acuity pro-
vided, Stereo Analyst offers simple, efcient
tools such as the oating cursor, which shows
the elevation of a point in the area of interest.
This is effective when outlining features where
the boundaries are still somewhat difcult to
detect visually, such as buildings that are sur-
rounded by parking pads or lots. It also makes
it easier to differentiate between roads that
intersect in the same plane, and roads that
intersect by passing over each other, such as
overpasses and bridges.
Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS and ERDAS Terrain
Editor for ArcGIS also allow swisstopo to store
more data than possible with their previous
workow, enabling them to provide feature lay-
ers that are more realistic and informative
instead of at. As points are collected in the
stereo viewer, Stereo Analyst records the z
value along with the x and y values, so that
object heights and the slopes of features and
terrain can be calculated.
ERDAS also created FeatureAssist for ArcGIS for
the swisstopo TOPGIS project. Fea tureAssist is
another extension for Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS
that enables the collection of roof structures in
Esris multipatch format. Using templates,
FeatureAssist for ArcGIS can quickly collect
these features, handling varying degrees of
complexity. In addition to the templates,
Feature Assist provides manual construction
and editing tools for the creation or modica-
tion of any roof shape. Roofs can be extend-
ed to the ground or to an existing terrain.
Because the multipatch format can store infor-
mation such as a texture image, color, trans-
parency and lighting, this information can be
used to create realistic-looking 3D models.
Swisstopo is currently working to collect 3D
building models for the entire country.
Beginning this year, they will be producing 3D
building models for all of Switzerland using
the roof structures. The goal is to have highly
accurate models suitable for use in various mil-
Ar t i c l e
46
September 2011
Stereo Analyst enables users to launch a multiview window in which to load an alternate stereo pair, orthorectified image, or calibrated image
to use as an alternate collection source.
ERDAS Terrain Editor for ArcGIS supports the editing of the Esri Geodatabase Terrain format.
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itary and commercial applications such as line-
of-sight analyses of noise pollution and trans-
mission of electromagnetic waves.
Now that swisstopo has laid the new founda-
tion for its production mapping process pair-
ing Esri ArcGIS and ERDAS Extensions for
ArcGIS, they are working faster and more
accurately than ever. With a single interface
that allows them to perform all their tasks and
a new ability to collect features in stereo, swis-
stopo is well-positioned
to improve and expand
their offerings to better meet the needs of their
consumers and continue to enjoy their reputa-
tion of excellence for years to come.
Amber Chambers amber.chambers@erdas.com is Technical Marketing
Specialist at ERDAS and has a background in software engineering and
business administration. For more information, have a look at
www.erdas.com.
Ar t i c l e
48
September 2011
ERDAS Terrain Editor for ArcGIS enables users to define an area, run autocorrelation, and merge the points into the existing terrain.

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Please visit us at INTERGEO, Halle 7, stand B74
Mapping Interior Spaces
NAVTEQ Destination Maps
Its nice that we have the outside world mapped and available to mobile devices, but what about
interior spaces? This year, NAVTEQ entered the area of indoor mapping, by providing maps of
complex interior spaces such as shopping malls, and in the future public spaces such as transport hubs,
conference and sport venues on mobile devices. Frank Pauli, vice president of NAVTEQs Map and Content
Products division within EMEA, explains all about this new mapping product, its use, market potential
and integration with other NAVTEQ products.
I
ndoor mapping is a topic that is discussed
a lot during location based events and in
the mobile industry. For the geospatial
industry, the focus lies more on providing
high-quality maps of indoor spaces, for the
mobile industry, the commercial aspect is
more important than quality maps.
Combined, the two can yield interesting
results. It has been silent in the area of
indoor mapping products, due to technolog-
ical challenges, among others, but this year
NAVTEQ introduced such as product under
the name of NAVTEQ Destination Maps.
Areas Mapped
The product was introduced in March 2011
in the US and covered more than 200 of the
largest shopping centers in the US (e.g.,
average of over 750,000 square feet) with
expansion plans for more shopping centers
and other types of destinations throughout
North America, Europe and Asia Pacic.
Frank Pauli: As a company we generally
always create a global spec for every prod-
uct we create, in order to support customers
worldwide so that same specication in the
US can be used in Europe as well. In Europe
we will also cover shopping malls.
Also of interest for Europe are public trans-
port hubs, which mean railway stations in
markets like UK and Germany, airports, con-
ference and sports venues.
Points of Interest
Mapping is one thing, but it becomes more
interesting when Points of Interest (POI) are
mapped and shown, providing information
for specic customers needs. What exactly
is being mapped with NAVTEQ Destination
Maps?
Pauli: Basically, we want to make a map
as detailed as possible from the venue. So
that depends a bit from venue to venue. We
cover all the walkable areas, allowing cus-
tomers to build orientation, search, routing
and guiding applications, so if I know Im
here and I want to go to another store with-
in the area, I can make a route to get there.
The intent is to cover not all the POI, so pri-
marily commercial locations such as shops
and restaurants. Also, by making the POI
database search-able by adding meta-tag
kind of information of the different locations,
users can do a search. Pauli: Within POI
we want to cater to some specic POI chal-
lenges, so you could have one location
where you have multiple stores which we
want to make sure are all represented, and
then we want to cater for multiple levels with-
in the venue.
50
September 2011
I n t e r v i e w
By Eric van Rees
I n t e r v i e w
51
Mapping Interior Spaces
NAVTEQ Destination Maps
Frank Pauli
NAVTEQ Destination Maps and
advertising
NAVTEQ Destination Maps also allows for
seamless integration with other NAVTEQ prod-
ucts and services; for instance, dynamic POI
content - such as Movie and Event Listings -
can keep users abreast of entertainment
options within and near each venue.
Additionally, NAVTEQ LocationPoint Adver -
tising can deliver location-aware mobile ads
and special offers to users as they shop,
while helping publishers to monetize high-
value content.
Pauli explains how NAVTEQ Destination
Maps and advertising come together: The
consumer can be provided maps of interiors
or attractions, like malls, and then get instant
access to ads, coupons and incentives to
shops in those malls. Its a seamless experi-
ence and because its inherently relevant to
the user, its more valuable to consumers and
advertisers alike.
Data Collection
Data for indoor spaces is gathered by users
as well as other parties, such as venue own-
ers: We take existing data, we integrate it
and we normalize and publish it for all the
different venues we want to cover.
Commercial owners of the venues, who typi-
cally have maps of their venues in different
formats and to which we want to have access
and then convert it into our mapping for-
mats.
Use of space is not a static issue, but a
dynamic one. Shops change of ownership of
go out of business. Will NAVTEQ Destination
Maps be updated regularly?
Pauli: We are interested with these venue
owners to update the data, and next to that,
getting consumer feedback.
To keep the NAVTEQ Destination Maps data
up-to-date we use multiple sources along with
our own proprietary information, painstaking-
ly collected to our rigorous standards, and
we maintain this data with innovative pro-
cesses and tools. There is a community based
online tool, called NAVTEQ Map Reporter, that
allows consumers to share their suggested
changes to the NAVTEQ Map with us and that
will also apply to these indoor maps. It is a
valued component for keeping the NAVTEQ
map fresh and consistent with the real world.
Today, NAVTEQ makes more than 2 million
changes a day. Customer update cycles can
vary which can impact how quickly those
updates get into the hands of consumers. We
anticipate updates will become more frequent
as the number of connected, location-enabled
devices enters the market.
Data capture in the eld happens by having
people going to the mapping locations and
having them locally adding intelligence, for
example walkways or virtual connections .
As long as NAVTEQ has been building maps,
the company has been employing people
who walk and drive collect map data with
multiple generations of technology. Most
recently, weve advanced these capabilities
with the launch of the next generation of map-
ping collection technology, called NAVTEQ
True. Through a combination of LiDAR,
panoramic and high resolution cameras, GPS
and IMU positioning all of the data collected
is geo-referenced making it possible to super-
impose both imagery and 3D digital data
points together to create a more highly
detailed digital representation of the world.
Pauli: In terms of building the walk maps,
we have people on the streets with PDAs that
collect the data and we are evaluating the
use of LIDAR for building pedestrian maps.
So from an R&D perspective, were investi-
gating that extended use of this technology.
Expectations for the Future
The company recognized the need for
indoor maps: research by NAVTEQ showed
that 74% of US customers are likely to use
indoor mapping services outside of their
own area, and roughly 40% will do so when
local. In a presentation during the Location
Business Summit, Pauli stated that the busi-
ness opportunities of pedestrian mapping
are as large as the ones in the automotive
industry. He explains this statement with the
following: Its primarily the numbers which
makes us think that. If you look at the num-
ber of people who walk and commute, that
number is equally large as compared to the
number of people who drive. And then,
walk and commute can obviously be in a
number of different use cases, so you have
people who go every day from their home
to the ofce where you can help them in
terms of update the timetables of public
transport and such. Finally, you have peo-
ple who go to a different location everyday
because of their work, for example people
who are in sales, and then you have the
tourism market where people visit locations
that they dont necessarily know but that they
like to know about once they visit them. If
you look at those three markets together, you
talk about three very large markets, so thats
why we believe the opportunity is size-able
as far we invested in walk maps after we
have focused on drive maps for a long
time.
Internet: www.navteq.com
CAN YOU HELP US
DESIGN A BETTER
ENERGY FUTURE?
Finding and mapping new petroleum reservoirs is crucial to help meet the
worlds growing demand for energy.
Were therefore looking to recruit 5 Geomatics professionals to join the
Geomatics group in Rijswijk to complement the 300-strong global Geomatics
skill pool. The Geomatics group in Rijswijk makes a critical contribution to
Shells global upstream business, in support of many of Shells high priority
projects across the entire upstream lifecycle.
3x Geo Information Analysts
You will provide geo information management, analysis and mapping to a wide global portfolio
of projects. You will be instrumental in helping Shell exert leverage from its Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) and Geo-Information resources. We are seeking a geoscientist with a
degree in Geomatics, Geodesy, Geography, GIS or Remote Sensing and relevant experience in
providing geo-information and GIS support.
1x Geo Information Consultant
You will offer leadership, expert technical advice and practical skills in all aspects of
Geo-Information Management in Shell to exploration new ventures, eld development,
environmental assessments, biofuels development, operational activities plus implementing
and driving Geo-database models and Geo-Information standards. We are seeking a
geoscientist with a Masters or PhD level degree in Geomatics, Geodesy, Geography, GIS,
or remote sensing with extensive relevant experience.
1x Remote Sensing Consultant
You will offer leadership, expert technical advice and practical skills in all aspects of remote
sensing, providing advice and services to a diverse global portfolio of projects. You will
be responsible for managing Shells relationship and contracts with remote sensing service
providers and satellite operators. We are seeking a geoscientist with a MSC or PhD in remote
sensing with extensive relevant experience.
If you want to work with a group of creative, ambitious and innovative professionals then you
should consider Shell. We will provide you with the resources to put your ideas into action, with
opportunities to advance your career. Apply now at shell.com/careers.
The closing date for applications is 23rd of September 2011.
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
Shell is an equal opportunity employer
This job is not offered on expatriate terms. A competitive remuneration package based on the
prevailing conditions, policies and legislation in the Netherlands will be offered for this position.
CAN YOU HELP US
DESIGN A BETTER
ENERGY FUTURE?
Finding and mapping new petroleum reservoirs is crucial to help meet the
worlds growing demand for energy.
Were therefore looking to recruit 5 Geomatics professionals to join the
Geomatics group in Rijswijk to complement the 300-strong global Geomatics
skill pool. The Geomatics group in Rijswijk makes a critical contribution to
Shells global upstream business, in support of many of Shells high priority
projects across the entire upstream lifecycle.
3x Geo Information Analysts
You will provide geo information management, analysis and mapping to a wide global portfolio
of projects. You will be instrumental in helping Shell exert leverage from its Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) and Geo-Information resources. We are seeking a geoscientist with a
degree in Geomatics, Geodesy, Geography, GIS or Remote Sensing and relevant experience in
providing geo-information and GIS support.
1x Geo Information Consultant
You will offer leadership, expert technical advice and practical skills in all aspects of
Geo-Information Management in Shell to exploration new ventures, eld development,
environmental assessments, biofuels development, operational activities plus implementing
and driving Geo-database models and Geo-Information standards. We are seeking a
geoscientist with a Masters or PhD level degree in Geomatics, Geodesy, Geography, GIS,
or remote sensing with extensive relevant experience.
1x Remote Sensing Consultant
You will offer leadership, expert technical advice and practical skills in all aspects of remote
sensing, providing advice and services to a diverse global portfolio of projects. You will
be responsible for managing Shells relationship and contracts with remote sensing service
providers and satellite operators. We are seeking a geoscientist with a MSC or PhD in remote
sensing with extensive relevant experience.
If you want to work with a group of creative, ambitious and innovative professionals then you
should consider Shell. We will provide you with the resources to put your ideas into action, with
opportunities to advance your career. Apply now at shell.com/careers.
The closing date for applications is 23rd of September 2011.
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION.
Shell is an equal opportunity employer
This job is not offered on expatriate terms. A competitive remuneration package based on the
prevailing conditions, policies and legislation in the Netherlands will be offered for this position.
GeoInformatics iPhone App
The first international Geo-news App
GeoInformatics is the first international magazine published for the GEO-IT sector to launch an iPhone
app. CMedia BV, the magazines publisher, is setting the trend as the first in a wave of publishers to
globally spread GEO-news effectively using apps.
E
ric van Rees, editor-in-chief Geo Infor -
matics says: we are delighted to achieve
another rst-to-market product; to be one
of the rst publishers globally to launch a GEO-
dedicated news app is a demonstration of the
innovation that is continually being delivered
by the GeoInformatics team.
The new GeoInformatics iPhone application
allows users to enjoy the latest news on their
iPhone or iPod Touch wherever they are. Users
can quickly view news headlines, articles and
pictures and send them to friends and col-
leagues. The iPhone application from Geo -
Informatics contains the latest Geo-news updat-
ed throughout the day. The application
downloads and syncs the most recent news sto-
ries directly to the users iPhone. It is compati-
ble with the iPhone, iPhone 3G and iPod Touch.
This iPhone application is the rst in a number
of iPhone and smartphone applications that will
be launched by GeoInformatics.
"Bringing in the rst international news appli-
cation for the iPhone is a breakthrough for the
market and means that users can now access
a wide range of news services they can inter-
act with, personalize and send around the
mobile web. Delivering this service builds on
the strong history of leadership and innovation
from GeoInformatics said Eric van Rees.
GeoInformatics is recognized as the premiere
international magazine for GEO-IT Pro fes sio -
nals.
For information on GeoInformatics, visit
http://www.geoinformatics.com
54
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Ruud Groothuis
VantageRadio_Illustration-Ad_PC-018_A4.indd 1 8/9/11 2:55 PM
Surveying Project at Archeological Site
Ostia gets GNSS
Coordinate System
A recent project in the ancient harbor of Ostia, a major Roman archaeological site, will include check-
ing and developing the existing network of control points and extending the network further into the
archaeological area, among others.
Project Location
The ancient harbor of Ostia, a major Roman
archeological site, has been chosen by the
Superintendent of the Archeological Heritage
of Rome to receive a complete verication of
all its former control points and a new GNSS-
based coordinate system. The update, which
began this past March using the Ashtech
ProMark 500 GNSS receiver, will aid efforts
to manage and plan future archeological stud-
ies at the site, noted for its preserved ancient
buildings, beautiful frescos and mosaics.
Ostia was founded in 620 BCE as a mili-
tary base to control the mouth of the Tiber
river. Beginning in the 2nd century BCE, as
56
September 2011
Ar t i c l e
By Robert Wick
Rome gained supremacy throughout the Mediterranean, the port
grew to become the main emporium of Rome with many signicant
public and private buildings. Now located 4 kilometers (2.5 miles)
inland from the shoreline, the 10 square kilometer (6.2 square mile)
site is believed to remain rich in yet-to-be-discovered history.
Surveying Work
TheProMark 500 receiver will be used to check and develop the
existing network of control points and to extend the network further
into the archaeological area. In addition, all points are being geo-
referenced to the IGM ETRF 2000s Reference Coordinate System.
The project will also be included in a technical and scientic study
about new survey techniques and technologies for the preservation
of archaeological heritage to be presented to an upcoming congress
of Italian universities and archaeological institutes. The project is
lead by team manager Marco Sangiorgio, cartographer director
coordinator, together with architects, Fabio Pandol, Stefano Stani
and Aldo Marano.
Giorgio Viaggi and Luigino De Santis of Guido Veronesi S.a.s., a
software developer and Ashtech dealer in Italy, assisted in develop-
ing the hardware and software solution, RTK survey techniques and
data workow procedures for the project.
William Carranza, EMEA Regional Manager, Ashtech Spectra Precision
For more information visit: www.veronesi.org.
Ar t i c l e
57
September 2011
Image courtesy of FM-International Oy FINNMAP
A major two-day technical conference with supporting exhibition
Salzburg Congress
29- 30 Nov 2011
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GIS for the Rail Sector
Second Esri Rai l Event
The Second Esri Rail Summit was held this past July in Paris. Here, different aspects of GIS for the rail
sector were presented by participants from 16 different European countries, as well as contributors
from the US, Russia, Kenya and Israel.
Geoinformation provision in
France, Denmark and Bulgaria
France is working on one specic data model
and database that offers views for different
working elds (maintenance, operation, plan-
ning of time schedules and more). In this model,
not only the geographical locations of objects
are saved, but also the interrelation between
the different objects (topology). This enables a
geographic and schematic presentation of
objects at different aggregated levels. Thierry
de Vallois of the RFF (Rseau Ferr de France)
indicated that efciency can be achieved in the
areas of maintenance and planning.
At Banedanmark, a GIS and geoinformation
provision has been strategically positioned with-
in the companys information provision, in addi-
tion to its ERP system, SAP and the systems for
operation (time schedule, planning, and so on).
Preben Larssen explained that these three
databases are linked with the aid of an SOA
and ESB. Construction, maintenance projects,
planning of the schedules and the nancial
planning process are all supported with this
information. The challenges for Denmark in the
near future are registration of underground
infrastructure, information on sound and 3D
modeling.
Bulgaria found itself in the GIS Stone Age until
two years ago. However, in just18 months, a
complete geoinformation provision was creat-
ed. Acquisition of basic data occurs through
topographic maps based on ortho photos and
cadastral data (INSPIRE-conformed guidelines),
applications for data management and a GIS
viewer.
Applications of schematic net-
works and real-time information
A presentation from The Netherlands illustrat-
ed how to apply the power of GIS in schemat-
ic networks. In the railway sector, schematic
networks are used by rail trafc control ser-
vices. The advantage of using schematics is
that tasks involving magnifying, contracting
and simplifying can be easily undertaken.
There are many overlaps in terms of function-
ality. A user of a schematic network may not
have the need for complete GIS functionality
such as map navigation (zooming and pan-
ning), identication and network analysis
tools. But by linking and providing access to
schematic and geographic networks with GIS,
the railway sector is given a huge amount of
information for a more efcient and effective
planning process, particularly for scheduling
and maintenance operations.
In Finland, a system that delivers real-time
positioning of trains was developed because
of the harsh winter conditions (between eight
and fty centimeters of snow, a maximum
temperature of minus fteen degrees Celsius
for three months and huge amounts of melt-
ing water in spring). This was done to pro-
vide the public with up-to-date information
on the current position of the trains. Jarmo
Suaranta and Jalmari Talola illustrated the
power of using different software compo-
nents in this application. A tracking server is
used for processing large amounts of GPS
data, an Oracle database for the schedule
and ArcGIS Server for the maps. Everything
is presented in a Flex viewer. The next step
is an app for the mobile platform. The Finnish
train schedule can be accessed through
http://188.117.35.14/vrviewer/.html.
Trimble, Nice and LiDAR
Ron Bisio from Trimble showed how eld data
acquisition is featured in the entire life cycle
of the railway network: feasibility studies,
design, construction and maintenance. In
Italy, GIS and positioning data are used for
example, for monitoring the movement of
slopes along rail corridors and the issuing of
timely alerts. In France, they are used in the
selective application of pesticides along rail
lines to combat weed growth, and for tunnel
construction between Perpignan and Figueres
in the placement of rails with millimeter accu-
racy.
Nice systems showed how large quantities of
data from video cameras can be processed
and used as a basis for decision making
when taking action if suspicious activities on
a rail platform occur, or in the theft of copper
from storage areas, or in dangerous situa-
tions at railway crossings. With LiDAR tech-
nology, it is possible to capture data of the
surroundings by aircraft, helicopter or with a
rail-mounted vehicle. The big advantage of
rail is that data can be acquired inside tun-
nels and under the roofs of station platforms.
Esris Terry Bills stated that geoinformation is
used by many railway managers for more
efcient and effective asset management. This
is absolutely necessary because railway net-
works are being used more intensively for per-
sonnel and freight transportation and theres
less available space for maintenance. The
next step is to use the power of GIS in the
operation of the network, such as linking the
geographic and schematic worlds.
Juliette van Driel is Business Information Analyst at ProRail.
60
September 2011
E v e n t
By Juliette van Driel
September
07-09 September Esri Health GIS Conference
Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Internet: www.esri.com/healthgis
08 September Webinar: Amberg Technologies
innovative positioning method for the FARO
Focus3D
Internet: www.faro.com/content.aspx?ct=uk&content=
news&item=4118
12-14 September GIS in Public Transportation
Conference
St. Petersburg, FL, U.S.A.
E-mail: wnelson@urisa.org
Internet: www.urisa.org
12-16 September FOSS4G 2011
Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Internet: http://2011.foss4g.org
13-15 September Remote Sensing and
Photogrammetry Society Annual Conference
Earth Observation in a Changing World
Bournemouth University, Bournemouth , U.K.
Internet: www.rspsoc2011.org
14-16 September 3rd Croatian NSDI and INSPIRE
Day - 7th Conference Cartography and
Geoinformation
Split, Croatia
E-mail: mlapaine@geof.hr
Internet: www.kartograja.hr/index.php?id=121&lan-
guage=en
19-20 September International NSDI Conference
Impact of the NSDI in society, Challenges for
establishment
Skopje, Macedonia
E-mail: nsdi2011@katastar.gov.mk
Internet: www.katastar.gov.mk/nsdi2011
19-22 September SPIE Remote Sensing
Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Internet: www.spie.org/rs11
19-22 September SPIE Security + Defence
Clarion Congress Hotel Prague, Prague, Czech Republic
Internet: www.spie.org/sd11
19-23 September ION GNSS 2011
Portland, OR, U.S.A.
Internet: www.ion.org/meetings/#gnss
19-22 September 11th International Scientic and
Technical Conference From imagery to map:
digital photogrammetric technologies
Tossa de Mar, Spain
Internet: www.racurs.ru/Spain2011/en
21-23 September 4th International Urban Design
Conference
Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa, Queensland,
Australia
E-mail: conference@urbandesignaustralia.com.au
Internet: www.urbandesignaustralia.com.au
27-29 September International Symposium and
Exhibition on Geoinformation 2011 (ISG2011) &
ISPRS Commission II/5 and II/7
Shah Alam, Malaysia
E-mail: papers2011@isg.org.my
Internet: www.isg.org.my/2011.html
27-29 September Intergeo 2011
Nuremberg, Germany
Internet: www.intergeo.de
28-29 September GDI APAC: Geospatial Defence &
Intelligence APAC
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
E-mail: enquiry@iqpc.com.sg
Internet: www.geospatialdefenceasia.com/
Event.aspx?id=456688&MAC=DL
28-30 September UDMS 2011 28th Urban Data
Management Symposium
Delft, The Netherlands
E-mail: e.fendel@tudelft.nl
Internet: www.udms.net
29-30 September Ohio GIS Conference
Hyatt Regency, Columbus Convention Center, Columbus,
OH, U.S.A.
E-mail: gis.support@das.ohio.gov
Internet: http://ogrip.oit.ohio.gov/Events/
OhioGISConference.asp
October
05-07 October PIA11 - Photogrammetric Image
Analysis
Munich, Germany
E-mail: pia11@bv.tum.de
05-07 October Geomatics Atlantic 2011
Sheraton Newfoundland Hotel, St. Johns, Canada
Internet: www.GeomaticsAtlantic.com
13 October Plan4all Final Conference
Brussels, Belgium
E-mail: mildorf@plan4all.eu
Internet: www.plan4all.eu
16-20 October SilviLaser 2011
University of Tasmania, Hobart, Australia
E-mail: info@cdesign.com.au
Internet: www.silvilaser2011.com
17-19 October Asia Geospatial Forum Geospatial
Convergence-Paradigm for Future
Hotel Mulia Senayan, Jakarta, Indonesia
E-mail: info@asiageospatialforum.org
Internet: www.asiageospatialforum.org
18-19 October LocNav USA 2011
Crowne Paza, San Jose, U.S.A.
Internet: www.thewherbusiness.com/locnavusa2011
20-21 October 8th International Workshop of the
EARSeL Special Interest Group (SIG) on Forest
Fires
Stresa, Italy
Internet: http://forest.jrc.ec.europa.eu/earsel
26-28 October 2011 Esri European User
Conference EFEMA
Feria de Madrid, Spain
Internet: www.esri.com
November
01-03 November Aquaterra, International Water
Week Conference
RAI Convention Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Internet: www.aquaterraconference.com
01-04 November GIS-Pro 2011: URISAs 49th
Annual Conference for GIS Professionals
Indianapolis, IN, U.S.A.
E-mail: wnelson@urisa.org
Internet: www.urisa.org
02-03 November 3th Annual Blue Marble User
Conference
Denver, CO, U.S.A.
E-mail: bmuc@bluemarblegeographics.com
Internet: www.bluemarblegeo.com/products/user_confer-
ence.php
08-09 November Be Inspired: Thought Leadership
in Infrastructure event
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
E-mail: beinspired@bentley.com
Internet: www.bentley.com/BeInspired
08-09 November SPAR Europe/Plant-Tech 2011
World Forum, The Hague, The Netherlands
Internet: www.SPARPointGroup.com/Europe
08-11 November Intelligent Cities Expo
Hamburg, Germany
E-mail: info@intelligentcitiesexpo.com
Internet: www.intelligentcitiesexpo.com
14-17 November ASPRS 2011 Fall Pecora
Conference
Hilton Hotel, Herndon, WV, U.S.A.
Internet: www.asprs.org
Please feel free to e-mail your calendar notices to:calendar@geoinformatics.com
C a l e n d a r 2011 / Ad v e r t i s e r s I n d e x
Astrium Services www.astrium-geo.com 41
CycloMedia www.cyclomedia.com 25
ELMF www.lidarmap.org 58
ERDAS www.erdas.com 13
Esri www.esri.com 17
FOIF www.foif.com.cn 53
GeoMax www.geomax-positioning.com 59
Global Geo Supplies www.softmouse3D.com 9
INTERGEO www.intergeo.de 36
Leica Geosystems www.leica-geosystems.com 29
Microsoft UltraCam www.iFlyUltraCam.com 37
NovAtel www.novatel.com 47
Optech Inc. www.optech.ca 23
Orbit Geospatial Technologies www.orbitgis.com 19
Pacic Crest www.paciccrest.com/adl 55
RACURS www.racurs.ru 54
RIEGL www.riegl.com 31
SHELL www.shell.com/careers 52
Sokkia www.sokkia.net 33
SPAR Europe www.sparpointgroup.com 58
Spectra Precision www.spectraprecision.com 43
Stonex www.stonexeurope.com 49
SuperMap www.supermap.com 61
Surveyors Express www.gpsgeo.com 48
TerraGo Technologies www.terragotech.com 2
Topcon Europe BV www.topcon.eu 63
VISIONMAP www.visionmap.com 64
Advertisers Index
62
September 2011
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