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11th GSDI Conference Spot Image International Conference 2009
Intergraph and Smart Grids MapInfo Professional v10.0
M a g a z i n e f o r S u r v e y i n g , M a p p i n g & G I S P r o f e s s i o n a l sJuly/Aug 2009
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With ArcGIS, you can create applications that meet todays high expectations for Web mapping. By making
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www.esrifrance.frF.Y.R.O.M.www.gisdata.hr
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Georgiawww.geographic.ge
Greece and Cypruswww.marathondata.gr
Austria
www.synergis.co.atBelgium and Luxembourgwww.esribelux.com
Bosnia and Herzegovinawww.gisdata.hr
Bulgariawww.esribulgaria.com
Croatiawww.gisdata.hr
Hungary
www.esrihu.huIcelandwww.samsyn.is
Israelwww.systematics.co.il
Italywww.esriitalia.it
Maltawww.geosys.com.mt
Moldova
www.trimetrica.comThe Netherlandswww.esrinl.com
Norwaywww.geodata.no
Polandwww.esripolska.com.pl
Portugalwww.esri-portugal.pt
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www.esriro.roRussiawww.dataplus.ru
Slovak Republicwww.arcgeo.sk
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Where is my SDI?
For a long time, an SDI appeared to me a phenomenon as, lets say, a 78 RPM record by
The Beatles: its something that everyone is talking about, but no one has ever actually seen,
or heard for that matter. Of course, this comparison is quite far-fetched, but my skepticism
was unyielding every time I heard people speak about the creation of nationwide SDIs or
huge programs like INSPIRE. To me, it seemed that such long-term projects always take more
time (and money) than one thinks. And because there is a political link between INSPIRE
and the EU, its easy to place INSPIRE under widespread EU skepticism.
So I was quite curious when I read that at the 11th Global Spatial Data Infrastructures (GSDI)
Conference ( held last June in Rotterdam, the Netherlands) the industry would meet withscientists and the public sector to discuss matters on SDIs, INSPIRE and so on. What were
the lessons to be learned from each other? Are people from different fields speaking the
same language or reinventing each others wheels without knowing it?
On the exposition floor I heard some grumbling comments from various captains of industry
that it was time to act and stop talking. I also heard of interesting new user platforms by
which government agencies can benefit greatly, if they are willing to listen to these user
communities. There are lessons to be learned from the user communities and companies
who make money out of the donation of volunteered geographical information. As is often
the case, governments are slow to respond in comparison to the market. But its actually a
good thing that politicians take notice of public initiatives and start to ask themselves how
can we jump on the bandwagon?
In the end, as in the title of one Beatles song, Here, There and Everywhere, the GSDIConference proved to be quite inspiring on this point.
Enjoy your reading,
Eric van Rees
July/August 20093
GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis andcommentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry.
PublisherRuud [email protected]
Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees
EditorsFrank [email protected] [email protected] van [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
ColumnistsJames FeeJohn Trinder
Contributing WritersGordon PetrieFlorian FischerTom ProbertMenno-Jan KraakJan SukupPatrik MeixnerKarel SukupHuibert-Jan LekkerkerkCarmela BurnsNelson de Jesus ParadaUlfh Walter PalmeJason San SouciPhilip ChengRemco Takken
Account Manager
Wilfred [email protected]
SubscriptionsGeoInformatics is available against a yearlysubscription rate (8 issues) of 89,00.To subscribe, fill in and return the electronic replycard on our website or contactJanneke Bijleveld [email protected]
Advertising/ReprintsAll enquiries should be submitted toRuud Groothuis [email protected]
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Pitney Bowes Business Insights MapInfoProfessional 10 v10.0This month, Pitney Bowes Business Insight launched MapInfo
Professional v10.0, the latest version of the companys flagship applica-
tion for business mapping and analysis. Designed in direct response to
valued feedback from the worldwide MapInfo Professional customer
base, this latest, landmark upgrade offers unprecedented new capabili-
ties and equips organisations to make better, faster and more insightful
business decisions.
C o n t e n t
July/August 2009
ArticlesRethinking the Geo-information
Economy with Neogeography
Donate your Geo Data! 12
Covering Large Areas in Short Time
A High Resolution Orthomosaic in Brazil 22
Retooling for the Digital Data Revolution
Geospatial and GIS Technologies 28
Using PixoView Technology
Testing Measurement Accuracy in ObliquePhotography 36
Under the Sea
Ocean Depths 48
Product Reviews
The Power of TenPitney Bowes Business Insights MapInfoProfessional 10 v10.0 16
Map Reading and Map Analysis
ESRI Book on Map Use 20
Useful Information for Everyday Geodetic Life
Datums and Map Projections Book 27
Forensics versus Research
Geoforensics 44
InterviewsAn Interview with Ken Spratlin
Trimbles New GeoSpatial Division 6
Achieving a More Reliable Delivery
for Growing Energy Needs
Smart Grids around the World 50
ColumnGeospatial Portals Keys to Success 34By James Fee
Machine Learning as a Tool for ImageAnalysis and Information Extraction 46By John Trinder
Page 16
ESRI Book on Map UseMenno-Jan Kraak reviews the sixth edition of the book Map use: readingand analysis, published by ESRI Press. The book is meant as a compre-
hensive, philosophical, and practical treatment of map appreciation.
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Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com5
July/August 2009
On the Cover:
Pleiades image of Cannes. Photo credit: Cnes/distribution Spot Image. See
article on the Spot Image International Conference 2009 on page 42.
Global Spatial Data InfrastructureConference 2009The eleventh edition of the annual Global Spatial Data Infrastructure (GSDI)conference was held in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, from June 15 to 19. At
this conference the GSDI Association, an inclusive body of organizations,
agencies, firms, and individuals from around the world, promotes interna-
tional co-operation and collaboration in support of local, national and
international spatial data infrastructure developments.
Smart Grids around the WorldSmart grid is gaining traction throughout the world as a means to con-
serve resources, lessen pollution and increase the security and resiliency
of power grids states Tony DiMarco, Intergraph Director of Global Utilities
and Communications. For a number of years, Intergraph has been active in
the field of smart grids. But what exactly is it that smart grids do, and
what is their link with geospatial technology? Read all about it.
Page 50
EventsPublic Sector meets Science and Industry
Global Spatial Data Infrastructure Conference 2009 32
New Partnerships, Satellites, Products and Strategies
Spot Image International Conference 2009 42
Calendar 54
Advertisers Index 54
Page 32
Page 42
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An Interview with Ken Spratlin
Since 2007, Trimble has acquired four companies INPHO, Geo-3D, Rollei
Metric and TopoSys which now form the companys GeoSpatial Division. Ken
Spratlin who is the general manager of this new division is asked about the
strategy that lay behind these recent acquisitions and the paths that he sees
this newly formed division following in the future.
By Gordon Petrie
IntroductionKen Spratlin received his education at two of the U.S.s most prestigious technological univer-
sities Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), obtaining his Masters degree at the latter in 1987. He was employed first
as an engineer and then as a section chief at Draper Laboratory, which originally was part of
MIT and is famous for its research and developments in navigation, guidance and advanced
control systems, including integrated GPS/INS systems. After which, he joined Trimble, where
he has held a number of senior managerial positions. These include serving as general man-
ager of the companys Military & Advanced Systems Division where he patented several
new developments in GPS technology. He then served as Chief Operating Officer of Nikon-
Trimble, a joint venture of the two companies within the field of surveying instrumentation.
Following which, he became Trimbles director for new market development, during which
time Trimble acquired the four companies (INPHO, Geo-3D, RolleiMetric and TopoSys) that
form the basis of its new GeoSpatial Division. Now Ken Spratlin has been appointed as the
general manager of the GeoSpatial Division, charged with the responsibilities of ensuring that
it becomes a leader in the area of geospatial imaging and a commercial success.
GP Please could you outline the think-
ing that lay behind Trimbles acquisition
of the four companies and the formation
of the GeoSpatial Division? How does the
new GeoSpatial Division fit into Trimbles
overall (global) business strategy?
- Trimble focuses on four major market
segments: Engineering and Construction;
Precision Agriculture; Mobile Resource Mana -
gement (fleet management and mobile work-
ers); and Advanced Devices (GNSS chipsets,boards, and technology licensing). We see a sig-
nificant opportunity to apply geospatial imag-
ing to the first three of these markets, where
the use of imagery is largely under-penetrated
at the present time. The two most significant
hurdles to its adoption today are: (1) cost of
the systems or data, and (2) the age of the
information, since typically it can take months
from initiating data collection to the delivery of
the information. Trimble intends to address
both of these hurdles with purpose-built sys-
tems for these markets.
Trimble expects the convergence of the land
survey, mapping and GIS, and aerial mapping
segments to accelerate, and is one of the
drivers of this trend. Imaging, largely a tool for
the aerial mapping segment in the past, is
increasingly a part of land survey and GIS solu-
tions today. With this in mind, Trimbles
Connected Site solutions foster this conver-
gence now and offer a vision for the future.
The Connected Site creates seamless working
relationships among Trimble products, tech-
nologies, services and their end users. It
enables, for example, surveyors to choose froma broad range of options, including surveying
techniques, communications channels and facil-
itating services such as GNSS infrastructure,
within a single fully-integrated and interopera-
ble solution. Surveyors benefit from data com-
patibility and transfer with field and office soft-
ware; increased flexibility in using the best tools
and techniques for the job; the adaptation of
specialized technologies to fit the ideal survey
workflow; and localized solutions to address
specific market needs globally.
For example, the Trimble VX Spatial Station
combines optical, scanning and metric camera
capabilities to measure objects in 3D and pro-
duce 2D and 3D data sets for spatial imaging
and traditional surveying projects. With recent
6
Interview
July/August 2009
Fig. 1 Ken Spratlin, the general manager of Trimbles GeoSpatial Division, on the left,
and Eric McCuaig of 3D-Geo on the right at the Intergeo trade fair held in Bremen.
Trimbles New GeoSpatial Division
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advances in the geospatial information
industry, more opportunities for spatial imaging data are being identified
for transportation and civil engineering, utilities and communications, nat-ural resources management and government. Many applications use air-
borne information, but can also benefit from ground-based positioning
and imaging.
Trimble has participated in the aerial mapping segment since the mid-
1980s, providing GPS receivers to georeference aerial imagery. In 2003,
Trimble acquired Applanix, extending our georeferencing capability with
GPS/INS systems, and later the Applanix Digital Sensor System (DSS). The
acquisition of these four new companies represents a significant expan-
sion of Trimbles commitment to the mobile mapping segment, and a nat-
ural progression of our strategy, given our intent to continue driving the
convergence of the three segments that I mentioned previously.
GP Please explain to readers how the new GeoSpatial Division
is being organised and structured internally.
(i) Where is the head office of the Division located and who do
you report to as the general manager of the GeoSpatial
Division?
(ii) Who are the persons that are responsible for the day-to-day
running of the four formerly independent companies that now
make up the Division?
- Trimbles organizational philosophy is centered on the concept of the
division. The functions relating to business strategy, market planning,
product development, sales, and financial management are all functions
typically embedded within the division. This philosophy is applied as wellto the recently formed GeoSpatial Division.
Internally, the divisions are then organized into six sectors, with the sev-
enth sector being the companys corporate strategy and business develop-
ment function. These sectors are managed by vice presidents, and report
to the CEO. Multiple divisions and sectors address the four major markets.
Mark Harrington, Sector Vice President, manages the sector comprised of
the following divisions: Agriculture; Mapping and GIS; GeoSpatial; Mobile
Computing; Applanix; Infrastructure; Advanced Public Safety / Visual
Statement; Power, Process and Plant; and Trimble Outdoors. I am located
in the Trimble Rockies office located in Westminster, Colorado, near Denver,
and report directly to Mark.
The internal organization of the GeoSpatial Division actually changed in
mid-May to integrate and leverage our full capabilities. When we acquired
INPHO and then Geo-3D, we left these entities largely to operate as-is while
we focused on completing the other acquisitions. With the completion of
the RolleiMetric and TopoSys acquisitions in the fall of 2008, we began to
plan for the GeoSpatial Division to function as an integrated entity. As of
mid-May, GeoSpatial is now organized internally by function marketing,
engineering, operations, sales, and customer support. The transformation
is not yet complete, but the direction is clear.
GP INPHO was the first of the companies (acquired in February2007) that now make up the GeoSpatial Division. It is already
well known for its digital photogrammetric and terrain modelling
software products and is the only one of the four acquisitions
that does not develop and sell hardware systems and solutions.
(i) How do INPHOs software products fit into Trimbles spatial
imaging initiative and in which direction(s) can we expect them
to develop in the future?
(ii) Will INPHO continue to offer the Summit Evolution DPW
which it sources from DAT/EM in Alaska?
- INPHO has earned an excellent reputation internationally for devel-
oping highly accurate and precise aerial photogrammetry solutions, work-
ing closely with users to continually improve their solutions and provide
training and technical support. Early in their company history, they also
developed solutions for close range (terrestrial) photogrammetry. So INPHO
was the obvious foundation for the GeoSpatial Division. We plan to con-
tinue to develop the aerial photogrammetry and LIDAR software products
(Fig. 2), and will also leverage their capabilities into other applications for
geospatial imaging in our markets.
INPHO and DAT/EM have enjoyed an excellent, long-term and complemen-
tary relationship. Trimble and DAT/EM have continued that relationship,
and actually converted what was formerly a handshake into a formal
relationship. So, yes, we will continue to offer the Summit Evolution DPW
(Fig. 3).
GP In January 2008, Geo-3D was acquired by Trimble. The com-
pany is known as the developer and supplier of its series of Trident-
3D (road) and Atlas-3D (rail) mobile mapping systems and of its
complementary Cyclop-3D aerial mapping system. However, in the
past, Geo-3D has also acted as a service provider supplying
geospatial data to clients via mapping contracts.
(i) Will it continue to operate in this latter role when it is in dan-
ger of competing with its own customers who have bought one or
more of its systems?
(ii) Can we expect Geo-3D to expand its product offerings in the
mobile mapping sector for road asset inventories and 3D urban
mapping since these appear to be application areas with an
obvious future growth potential?
At the time of its acquisition, Geo-3D was predominantly supplying
products and solutions to its customers. The service portion of the busi-
Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com
Interview
7July/August 2009
Fig. 2 (a) Flow diagram show-
ing the steps in processing air-
borne lidar data using the
SCOP++ and DTMaster software
packages that have been devel-
oped by INPHO in partnership
with the Institute of Photo-
grammetry at the Technical
University of Vienna.
(b) A perspective image of the
Olympus Mons volcano on
Mars based on Mars Orbiter
Laser Altimeter (MOLA) eleva-
tion data acquired by the NASA
Mars Global Surveyor mission
and HRSC image data from the
ESA Mars Express mission
using the SCOP++ package.
(Source: Institute of Photo-
grammetry, Technical
University of Vienna)
[a] [b]
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ness was and remains a very small portion of the business, operated in
the province of Quebec, Canada. This service business has functioned as
a test track for the development of the products and solutions busi-
ness. Trimble predominately provides products, solutions, and services-
for-service-companies to its customers. We are committed to this role, and
will operate the GeoSpatial Division similarly.Of the four acquired companies, Geo-3D has progressed the furthest
toward addressing a specific vertical market that being the transporta-
tion segment with converged roadway asset management and pave-
ment management solutions (Fig. 4). Our focus is to see these converged
systems achieve high market penetration, and continue to automate the
detection and recognition of more types of assets.
GP Trimble acquired RolleiMetric from Rollei GmbH in September
2008. This appears to have resulted in a quite dif ferent situation
to that of the other acquisitions in that Rollei continues to oper-
ate as a separate brand in the consumer camera market and
remains quite independent from Trimble.
(i) Is this the reason for the change of title of the RolleiMetric
operation to be the Metric Imaging Department of Trimble
Holdings GmbH that now appears on its Web site?
(ii) Does this mean that the RolleiMetric name will now disappear?
Yes, that is correct for both questions. Trimble acquired the metric
imaging business (technology and product lines) of Rollei and employed
all the metric imaging staff. The metric imaging business operated under
the name RolleiMetric. The Rollei business for professional medium for-
mat and consumer cameras continues under the Rollei brand. Trimble
acquired the right to use the RolleiMetric brand name for a transition peri-
od, but immediately began re-branding the RolleiMetric products under
the Trimble brand (Fig. 5). We will refer to the RolleiMetric brand name insome of our communications during the transition period to highlight the
strong technical history of what is now the Metric Imaging Department
within the GeoSpatial Division.
GP The current RolleiMetric line of AIC modular digital map-
ping cameras which is available in single, dual, triple and
quadruple configurations would appear to be one of the
strongest assets of the new GeoSpatial Division with consider-
able potential for commercial sales. Can we expect to see fur-
ther development of this particular product line for example,
resulting in a really large-format digital aerial frame camera?
We will proceed in the opposite direction; toward the development of
smaller cameras that are purpose built for high-precision work on engi-
neering scale projects with rapid turnaround of information to allow rapid
decision making (Fig. 6). The large-format camera market exhibits smaller
growth, inhibited by the very high cost of these cameras. And there are
already three competitors chasing this slower growth, high-cost camera
segment. As you observe, the RolleiMetric product line, and the staff that
developed it, are a very strong asset to Trimble one that we pursued to
increase our depth in metric imaging to apply towards our strategy.
GP With regard to TopoSys, which was also acquired in
September 2008, it seems that a similar situation has arisen to
that of RolleiMetric in that the TopoSys companys main productis now being offered by Trimble as the Trimble Harrier Corridor
Mapping System.
(i) Does this mean that the TopoSys name will also disappear?
(ii) Will the TopoSys Falcon line of airborne laser systems
which were of great technical interest, but were not a commer-
cial success now be dropped from the Divisions product line?
Trimbles brand is recognized worldwide, especially in the markets
that the GeoSpatial Division will focus on, so we will operate under the
Trimble brand. Your observation regarding the Falcon II product is correct,
with the underlying LIDAR technology being well over 10 years old, and
the product itself being about 10 years old. The Falcon II product has beendiscontinued since several of its subsystems were no longer in production
due to their use of now obsolete components. But the technology, exper-
tise, and know-how developed with the Falcon II are now part of our DNA.
Going forward, we will focus on the Harrier systems (Fig. 7), which are
seeing increasing adoption in the market.
GP To most outside observers, it does seem quite remarkable
that the Applanix company, (which Trimble acquired in 2003),
does not form part of the new GeoSpatial Division. On the one
hand, the Applanix GPS/INS products have often formed integral
parts of the airborne and terrestrial mapping systems offered by
Geo-3D, Rollei Metric and TopoSys. On the other hand, Applanix
also offers products that compete directly with those being
offered by these three companies that form part of the GeoSpatial
Division. Examples of this competition are (a) the Applanix DSS
cameras that compete directly with the RolleiMetric AIC airborne
digital cameras; (b) the Applanix LandMark vehicle-based mobile
mapping system that competes with the similar Geo-3D Trident-3D
system; and (c) the Applanix airborne systems that couple the
DSS camera and the POS AV GPS/IMU unit with a Riegl laser
scanner (e.g. as supplied to Limitless LLC) and compete with the
Trimble/TopoSys Harrier system with similar components.
Please could you explain this situation of Applanix not forming
part of the GeoSpatial Division and outline how these actual and
potential overlaps and competitions between products are beingresolved and managed within Trimble.
Interview
July/August 2009
Fig. 3 The Summit Evolution Digital Photogrammetric Workstation (DPW) that
is used for feature data collection employing 3D stereo-viewing techniques.
Fig. 4 The Trimble Road Asset Inventory System is based on the Geo-3D Trident
mobile mapping system.
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Referring back to my earlier description of Trimbles organizational
philosophy, Applanix operates as one of our divisions within Trimble with
a defined focus on integrated GNSS/INS systems for mobile mapping, as
well as solutions for the rapid response market. We work together closely,
on a daily basis, to supply the underlying technology for both divisions
for use in our respective areas of focus, as well as to ensure that we make
the right solutions available to meet each customers needs.
With regard to perceived or actual overlap in products, I would offer sev-
eral observations. First remember that the motivation for these acquisi-
tions was to increase the depth of our technical and market capability for
what is a quite challenging and long-term commitment to solve complex
problems in geospatial imaging. So in that respect the people aspect
there is no overlap.
Second, with regard to the Trimble Aerial Camera (RolleiMetric AIC) and
the Applanix DSS, the overlap is largely perception but a perception that
does indeed exist in the marketplace. We investigated this exhaustively
during the RolleiMetric acquisition. What we found was initially surprising
but not unexpected upon further reflection. The Aerial Camera is a cam-
era, while the DSS is a camera system (comprised of camera, GNSS/INS,
flight management system, etc.). While we found that potential customers
contacted both Applanix and RolleiMetric when first considering the pur-
chase of an aerial digital camera, these customers rapidly self-selected
into two groups (1) those that wanted a camera to perhaps integrate
into an existing LIDAR system or to replace a film camera in an aircraft
that was already equipped with a flight management system, and (2) those
that needed a turn-key imaging or imaging/LIDAR system. So we found
that, in reality, perhaps only 10 percent of the time, were Applanix and
RolleiMetric still competing when the customer was ready to make a pur-chase decision. With both products now within Trimble, we can meet the
needs of both types of customers.
Today, we have a compelling airborne product portfolio from cameras
(Trimble Aerial Camera) to camera systems (Applanix DSS) to integrated
imaging/LIDAR systems (Trimble Harrier). In the future, we plan to expand
this portfolio with more configurations to provide customers with greater
choices and purpose-built systems to focus on their specific applications.
GP You mentioned earlier in the interview the convergence of
the land survey, mapping and GIS, and aerial mapping segments.
What is Trimbles perspective on these industries over the next
five to ten years?
Trimbles focus is to provide robust and ubiquitous information solu-
tions that meet the needs of our defined market segments. As I mentioned
before, over the next 5-10 years, we see traditional industry boundaries
blurring between land survey, mapping and GIS, and aerial mapping. The
field and the office are overlapping as data processing and engineering
expertise move closer to projects. Surveyors are adding data management
abilities to their skills portfolio. Engineering and spatial data are being
tracked with project timeline and accounting data. Survey instruments are
combining GNSS, optical and imaging capabilities. And construction machin-
ery is utilizing GNSS and lasers to enable 3D machine control that puts
design surfaces, grades and alignments in the cab, allowing automatic,
accurate real-time positioning for earth-moving operations. Put simply,
everything is convergingconnecting. Trimbles Connected Site solutions
foster this convergence now and offer a vision for the future, to ultimately
improve productivity and transform the way in which work is done.
Gordon Petrie is Emeritus Professor of Topographic Science in the Dept. of
Geographical & Earth Sciences of the University of Glasgow, Scotland, U.K. E-
mail - [email protected]
Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com
Interview
July/August 2009
Fig. 5 The Trimble Aerial
Camera, formerly sold as the
RolleiMetric AIC
(Aerial Industrial Camera).
Fig. 6 A Nikon D3 small-format
digital frame camera that has been
calibrated for photogrammetric
applications by Trimbles Metric
Imaging Department. The camera
can be connected via a suitable
adapter to an appropriate GPS
receiver to allow it to acquire geo-coded images.
Fig. 7 (a) The Trimble Harrier Corridor Mapping System which comprises a
full waveform airborne laser scanning system; an Applanix POS-AV position and
orientation system; and an optional imaging system.
(b) A pseudo-coloured image of an open-cast mine located near Havelsee, in
Brandenburg, Germany, produced from data acquired by a Trimble Harrier
Corridor Mapping System.
[a]
[b]
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Rethinking the Geo-information Economy with Neogeography
All of Austria on OpenStreetMap. This was breaking news in January 2009
when it became public knowledge that the Viennese publishing house
Compass.at would provide geo data from its portal Plan.at to OpenStreetMap
(OSM), which covers all of Austria. Florian Fischer met with Hermann Futter, the
CEO of Compass.at, in Vienna to get the whole story.
By Florian Fischer
The publishing house Compass.at is provid-ing data from its website Plan.at for importa-
tion to OpenStreetMap. The announcement in
January 2009 was brief and did not get the
broad media attention that was expected,
even though this step by Compass.at might
be the first sign of a change in the Austrian
geo-information market. Since then the com-
munity has been working on the integration
of the geo data.
Geo-data Provider OvernightCompass has been publishing business infor-mation for more than 140 years. They were
among the first 500 companies worldwide that
ran their own web servers to publish their data.
In 1997 they started a service called Plan.at
which, as Futter says, became the new econo-
my hangout. All business data from Compass
was mapped on Plan.at using geographic data
from one of the numerous private sector geo
data providers of the time. Before the duopoly
of Navteq and TeleAtlas emerged, there were
some other geo data companies as well,
explains Futter. To shorten the story a bit,
Plan.at reached the break-even point just before
the crash of the new economy, their geo data
provider went bankrupt, and Compass bought
all the data and became a geo data provider
overnight. It was mainly basic geo data, Futter
says, and we continued to work on the data
to maintain and extend it.
Becoming a private sector mapping agency
overnight, they were somewhat free from the
mental constraints of those who were deep in
the business of private and public mapping
agencies, and they had a vision. At that timewe had the idea to launch a geo data commu-
nity together with other surveying companies
to collaboratively stream our data to a common
pool. Our aim then was to be independent from
the big players, at least concerning the cover-
age of Austria. Compass encountered problems
similar to those of the predecessor of
Wikipedia. Their requirements for the validity of
the data were simply too high and too strong.
"The idea of OSM has been much more elabo-
rated than ours," Futter admits, "but when we
saw what OSM is, it was clear for us to con-
tribute our geo data". Compass.at will sooner
or later make a total change from using their
own geo-data to the usage of OSM data for
their product Plan.at.
12
Art ic le
July/August 2009
Hermann Futter, CEO of the publishing house Compass.at in Vienna
Donate your Geo-data!
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OSM might become a StrongCompetitorFutter believes that as a small entrepreneur
I dont have a chance against the OSM com-
munity. Thus Compass is joining the commu-
nity rather than becoming its opponent. And
OSM could become a big competitor of
Navteq and TeleAtlas. They are in competition
especially for tourist, city and business infor-
mation systems because OSM is reliable
enough for these domains. However in other
domains the requirements are higher and
OSM cannot give a legal guarantee for the
validity of its data, e.g. the automotive sec-
tor where data is tied to vehicle safety. The
public mapping agencies are still skeptical
about OSM. They claim that crowd-sourced
data or volunteered geographic information
(VGI) does not have the same quality as their
products, but they are overlooking an impor-
tant fact. While public mapping agencies need
highly accurate geo data for their administra-tive tasks, no one needs such accurate data
to build a branch finder or a tourist informa-
tion system. Furthermore it is not their task
to create products but only to create a basis
for economic activities. Thats why we are in
competition with the city administration of
Vienna (Magistrat Wien) soonest. The City of
Vienna offers a public viewer for geo data sim-
ilar to Plan.at. The database for this applica-
tion is derived from the public mapping agen-
cy. Thus it is highly detailed and accurate.
Hermann Futter thinks the City of Vienna
hence competes with private companies. This
is not good for the economy and is not their
task. Additionally, their data is practically inac-
cessible because of the high price.
Compass will still have a mapping team to be
effective with regard to corrections. Some
Compass customers need to have corrections
done immediately or have special require-
ments for detail information. These require-
ments can clearly not be put to the OSM com-
munity but have to be done by the Compass
mapping team. With OSM I can get more
accurate data. Data which may not cover
everything but which is flexible. He consid-
ers the possibility of using individual carto-
graphic representations for the OSM data.
This is an advantage not to be underestimat-
ed as cartographic representation on OSM's
front-end differs widely from Austrian stan-
dards, e.g. highways in OSM are blue while
they are yellow in Austria. As it is data and
not just images from a map service like
Google Maps or Bing Maps, various carto-
graphic representations for arbitrary purposes
can be adopted by Compass.
Hence this seems like a win-win situation.Compass takes some traffic from the OSM
servers and thus might become a popular
entry point for OSM in Austria. This might
bring Compass an increasing number of clicks
to gain some profits.
How to create Value with Plan.atAccording to Futter, Plan.at has approximate-
ly 40,000 unique users at the moment. With
an ever increasing number, new ways of
adding value are possible as selling the data
is kicked out of the value-added chain when
using OSM data. The big difference between
OSM and other commercial data providers like
Google Maps is that OSM data and the carto-
graphic representations can be used under
OSM Data Import Not withoutHassleCompass donated all its geo data, worth an
estimated half million Euro, to the
OpenStreetMap Community. The data was given
with the obligation that the community mem-
bers would incorporate it into the OSM
database. But thats fairly easy and has been
a fast process because there is a coordinate
system and you can just take the different lay-
ers into the database, remarks Futter. However
fast the integration was, the OSM community
encountered some early problems with posi-
tional accuracy. It seemed that data from
Compass was less accurate than was thought
and partly outdated in comparison to current
OSM data. Some community members even
refused to input data in their area. They
believe that their GPS mapping is of better qual-
ity than the data from Compass.
A Win-win Situation for Compass andOSMAs well, OSM has some pitfalls that have to
be covered by Compass. In the view of
Hermann Futter, OSM has some performance
problems with their servers at the moment.
Mainly due to ever-increasing traffic, the OSM
foundation cannot comply with the upgrade
of their server performance. Thus Compass
will become a kind of mirror of the OSM data
and import OSM data at regular frequencies
for three reasons. First, to release the OSM
servers and fetch some traffic. Second, to
extend the OSM data with commercial data
that can be sold to customers. And third, to
provide a front-end for OSM appropriated to
Austrian standards and users.
Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com
Art i c le
13July/August 2009
The frontend of Plan.at
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the Creative Commons License cc-by-sa. That
is, private persons and companies can use
OSMs data free of license fees as long as
there is a reference to the source. As a mat-
ter of course the data cannot be sold because
everyone can get it for free. Thus added-value
has to be created in another way. Web por-
tals must distinguish themselves, is Hermann
Futters answer. Plan.at for example offers
tools for measuring areas and distances which
are not offered by other portals. Compass
adds value in two ways. They produce appli-
cations and services for companies and they
try out some advertising business models. For
example, a layer for certain branded location
stations might be implemented if a company
becomes an advertising partner.
Signs for a Change of Face forMapping Agencies?In addition to Compass.at, other private and
even public mapping agencies have donated
their geo data to the OSM community. Thecompany Automotive Navigation Data (AND),
a leading provider of location, routing, map-
ping and address management donated its
street level data of the entire Netherlands and
the major road networks of China and India
to the OpenStreetMap community. The
Bavarian state mapping agency provided aeri-
al photos with a resolution of 2 m to the OSM
community. Unlike AND and Compass.at, the
images were not integrated into the OSM
database. The communitys active mappers
could use them to digitize and derive geo
data for the OSM database. The project has
ended and is considered a full success. Now
the Bavarian state mapping agency wants to
convince mapping agencies from the other
German Bundeslnder to also provide aerial
photos to the OSM community. Hence it
seems that a change of face is slowly coming
even to the public mapping agencies.
The Advent of a Change in theGeoinformation EconomyThe deployment of open and crowd-sourced
geo data in the geo-information economy
means a radical change in the value-added
chains. The sale of geo data has dropped out
of the chain. Geo data on a cost-free basis
will boost the creation of applications, the
refining of data and services based on geo-
communication. These are where the biggest
profits can be gained in the whole value-
added chain. The collection, maintenance and
publishing of basic geo data then is the task
of a network of private mapping agencies and
an active community of mappers, such as
those you can find in the OpenStreetMap pro-
ject. Actually this work belongs to the public
mapping agencies originally, so they shouldbe aware not to stand out in this process. The
value-added chain will probably focus on
areas similar to the OpenSource community.
Profits are made with the distribution of soft-
ware packages, the creation of applications
based on open-source software. The distribu-
tion of customized geo information products
and applications might be an option, or appli-
ance offers, such as different front-ends for
OSM. Last but not least, a very interesting
domain will be the mediators who will keep
the communities active and offer consultant
services on using and communicating with
geo information. This means a radical chance
in the geo information economy and in
Hermann Futters view it could even sweep
away other map applications and geo data
providers like Google Maps, Bing Maps,
Navteq and TeleAtlas.
But amid all this enthusiasm for volunteered
geographic information and crowd-sourcing,
the issue of stability is not often mentioned.
Finally, you never know what the community
will do. Certainly there will always be some-
one to do the mapping and the refining of
data. That is the way of life in the digital gen-
eration. But you never know what direction
the community will take. Actually this is one
more reason for todays mapping agencies to
get into neogeography and actively take part
in the future of the geo-information economy.
Compass.at shows the way to go.
Florian [email protected] is
contributing editor of GeoInformatics.
14
Art ic le
July/August 2009
The frontend of OpenStreetMap
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The Power of Ten
Pitney Bowes Business InsightsMapInfo Professional 10 v10.0
This month, Pitney Bowes Business Insight launched MapInfo Professional v10.0, the latest version of the companys
flagship application for business mapping and analysis. Designed in direct response to valued feedback from the
worldwide MapInfo Professional customer base, this latest, landmark upgrade offers unprecedented new
capabilities and equips organisations to make better, faster and more insightful business decisions.
By Tom Probert
Over half a million users across public andcommercial sector organisations use MapInfo
Professional to help them easily visualise and
harness the critical relationship between data
and geography to make better business deci-
sions.MapInfo Professional v10.0 is the latest
release of this popular product and Pitney
Bowes Business Insight has worked in close
consultation with over 400 customers to
ensure that this upgrade reflects the evolving
needs of users. The end result delivers sub-
stantial improvements at all levels, but in par-
ticular in three key areas: usability, data
access and cartographic output. These devel-
opments combine to deliver a marked
increase in productivity for existing users and
a faster learning time for new users.
With an eye firmly on improved ergonomics,
MapInfo Professional v10.0 has been devel-
oped to deliver increased productivity and sig-
nificant cost savings for local authorities, con-
sultancies and related agencies across virtu-
ally all operational and project areas. The
redesigned interface means that users will get
more done in less time; time savings can be
measured in speed of fulfilment or simply in
mouse clicks.Sharing output and access to data feature
heavily in the list of productivity benefits.
The new Layered PDF output provides an
instantly accessible and very flexible way of
sharing output with all the members of an
extended project team, including (and espe-
cially) those who are not users of a mapping
or GIS system.
Support for PostGIS, a freely available Open
Source database system, is a new cost-effec-
tive option for central data storage in MapInfo
Professional v10.0. This ability to access data
where it lives, without the requirement for
translation and maintenance of multiple ver-
sions of data, is an important factor in the
productivity of all large scale projects. In
addition to the newly added support for
PostGIS, Version 10 builds on MapInfo
Professionals already impressive data accesscapabilities with native support for SQL Server
2008 spatial data and others.
Since this is version 10.0, Pitney Bowes
Business Insight has drawn up a Top Ten list
of the new capabilities and enhancements to
help quickly identify the added advantages
and business benefits which MapInfo
Professional v10.0 brings into play:
1. An Improved Layer Control systemMapInfo Professional v10.0s redesigned Layer
Control system makes users far more produc-
tive compared to previous releases of the
software. Common operations take fewer
clicks and the instant feedback it provides
helps new users to learn more quickly.
A major benefit of the new system is that the
Layer Control operates as a floating, docked
or slide out window, meaning the user can
interact with it and see updates to the map
immediately. This makes it more intuitive.
For example, a new user in a local authority
experimenting with the zoom layering capa-
bilities will see the impact on the map imme-
diately.A town planner or engineer viewing three dif-
ferent map windows of the same area can
also work more easily in MapInfo Professional
v10.0. For example, the user has one map
window containing aerial photography, a sec-
ond containing the government supplied main
mapping source and a third containing the
local authority parcel boundaries. Copying a
layer from one of the map windows to anoth-
er is as easy as dragging and dropping.
Changing the same layer in all three windows
can also be done in one operation instead of
three separate efforts.
In addition, the new preview button intro-
duced in the Layer Settings dialog boxes
allows for multiple previews to be viewed
16
Review
July/August 2009
UK Post Codes by Population Density- MapInfo Professional v10.0 makes it even easier for organisations to
harness the relationship between data and geography to make better business decisions
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without the need for moving into and out of
the Layer Control option.
Thus, a site location analyst preparing a
report to be presented at a public hearing can
easily experiment with different colours and
styles in order to create the best looking map
possible.
MapInfo Professional users tend to have a
large number of layers in their map window,and now they can work with these multiple
map layers at the same time. In some cases,
there may be multiple layers stored as differ-
ent sets of data, but that should appear on
the map as the same style. For example, a
crime analyst might have a number of differ-
ent layers of crime information. The layers
might represent sets of data from different
time periods or different types of incidents.
If a user needs to turn labels off or on for all
of the layers at once or change the label font
for all of them at once, this can be done in asingle operation in MapInfo Professional
v10.0. The layers could even be in different
map windows.
Grouped layer support is a further addition to
MapInfo Professional v10.0s improved Layer
Control system. A Grouped Layer is simply a
number of individual map layers that are com-
bined and represented as a single virtual layer
in the Layer Control system. This allows for
a cleaner, easier to read list of layers and
allows a whole group to be operated on at
once when turning the layer display on and
off.
The display styles of the individual layers in
the group can also still be independently con-
trolled.
As an example, this can be useful for a retail
site location analyst who might have a num-
ber of different levels of geography or tables
of different demographic variables available
for geodemographic analysis. These can all
be organised into one or a number of grouped
layers to make the whole list of layers easier
to use and manage.
2. New Toolbar SystemMapInfo Professional v10.0 offers a new tool-
bar system. The icons have been redesigned
to make them easy to distinguish and have a
more modern look. The changes are more
than just superficial; the tool bars can now
be docked anywhere on the screen and the
icons are easier to learn as they appear next
to their associated menu command.
3. New Live Scale BarsMapInfo Professional v10.0 offers a new live,
automatically updating scale bar facility. This
improves map presentation and readability.
The new scale bar adapts its values as the
view of the map changes.
PostGIS. The support has been implemented
in a manner consistent with how earlier ver-
sions of MapInfo Professional already interact
with other database systems.
6. Full (native) Support for MicrosoftSQL Server 2008 Spatial DataMapInfo Professional v10.0 offers direct con-
nectivity with the ability to read, write and
edit spatial data from an SQL 2008 database
system. MapInfo Professional version 9.5
offered read only support to SQL Server 2008
spatial data last year. However, this year the
support has been extended to uploading and
editing data as well. As with PostGIS, MapInfo
Professional v10.0 works directly with the
database and no costly middleware is
required.
7. Support for the latest MicrosoftExcel and Access Data FormatsMapInfo Professional v10.0 offers direct access
to the latest Excel (.XLSX) and Access(.ACCDB) data formats. This makes the shar-
ing and gathering of geospatial data much
simpler and can save organisations significant
amounts of time through no longer needing
to convert data from one format to another.
8. Handy Tool for making SpatialArea CalculationsMapInfo Professional has long had the ability
to allow a user to calculate values across dif-
ferent sets of spatial data. For example, to
determine what the percentage is of wetlands
area across a set of boundaries such as coun-
ties. Version 10.0 offers a tool that simplifies
this process by offering a focused user inter-
face.
This is a comprehensive capability offering
multiple styles of scale bars and user control
over the style and display.
4. Create Layered PDF OutputMapInfo Professional v10.0 ships with a high
quality Layered PDF driver. Layered PDFs offer
flexibility in viewing the resulting map, as the
map reader can control the level of detail that
is offered. The capability works with both
plain map windows and with MapInfo
Professionals Layout window. This new func-
tionality places control of the viewing of com-
plex, multi-layered maps directly into the
hands of the user and delivers enhanced lev-
els of viewing customisation and flexibility.
For map development, this delivers significant
time and cost-savings as it eliminates the
need for additional maps to be produced
when all that is required is a change in lay-
ers.
5. Support for PostgreSQL andPostGIS Database SystemsFor those unfamiliar with PostgreSQL, it is an
open source database system. PostGIS is a
spatial add-on developed for PostgreSQL.
MapInfo Professional v10.0 directly supports
PostGIS databases with no middleware
required. Pitney Bowes Business Insights
support for PostGIS benefits from more than
twenty years of experience in working with
spatial database systems. MapInfo Profes-
sional users that are familiar with how the
software works with other spatial databases
such as Oracle Spatial or with Pitney Bowes
Business Insights own SpatialWare technolo-
gy will be very familiar and comfortable with
MapInfo Professional v10.0s support for
Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com
Review
17July/August 2009
UK Crime Data- MapInfo Professional v10.0 enables crime analysts to manipulate data related to different
types of incidents in a single operation. This makes the process of identifying important patterns and trends
even easier and can help the police in locating criminals before they go on to reoffend.
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9. UTF-8 support in DBF FilesMapInfo Professional v10.0 offers support for
dbf files making use of UTF-8 encoding.
10. Improvements to Installationand DocumentationIn MapInfo Professional v10.0, all of the con-
figuration and installation information has
been consolidated into a single document.The installation of the MapCAD TOOLS (the
comprehensive CAD-like editing capabilities
introduced last year) has been integrated.
Previously, there had been separate manuals
for the license server, workgroup installation
and others. In addition, EasyLoader v10.0 is
shipping with MapInfo Professional v10.0 this
year, avoiding a separate download and
install process.
Conclusion
MapInfo Professional owes much of its ongo-ing success to the valuable feedback it
receives from its worldwide customer base.
Pitney Bowes Business Insights Product
Management and Development teams under-
stand it would be impossible to redesign the
product on their own as there are simply too
many different types of users, data sources,
options, possibilities and use cases.
Therefore, through the companys annual user
conference, beta testing programmes and
ongoing contact with the customers that actu-
ally use the product on a day-to-day basis,
Pitney Bowes Business Insight is constantly
looking to improve MapInfo Professional by
gathering, evaluating and implementing this
information from existing users. MapInfo
Professional v10.0 is the end result of thisintensive ongoing process and reflects the
evolving needs of users who can now achieve
significant time and cost-savings by harness-
ing the critical relationship between data and
geography to make even better, faster and
more insightful business decisions.
Tom Probert is Desktop Product Manager, EMEA at
Pitney Bowes Business Insight. For more informa-
tion, please visit www.pbbusinessinsight.com or
www.pb.com
18
Review
July/August 2009
New Layer Control System
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Map Reading and Map Analysis
ESRI Book on Map Use
The sixth edition of the book Map Use: Reading and Analysis is meant as a
comprehensive, philosophical, and practical treatment of map appreciation.
Menno-Jan Kraak discusses its contents and compares this new publication with
the classic first edition from 1978.
By Menno-Jan Kraak
It is common knowledge among cartographers
that when you put four of them in a car it willnever reach its destination. Using maps is quite
different from making maps. A lot has been writ-
ten about map design and production and far
less on the actual use of maps. The book Map
use: reading and analysis is one of those that
treats use and it is a classic. As a student I used
the first edition from 1978, then authored by
Philip Muehrcke. Opening the current 6th edi-
tion is a pleasant surprise. A full color book with
well designed illustrations. The earlier editions
were issued by a small private publisher, the
6th edition has been published by ESRI Press.
It is obvious this publisher loves books and
maps. It is also a guarantee for the authors that
the book gets exposure in the right environ-
ment. Another reason for the quality of the illus-
trations is related to the fact that Kimberling
and Buckley (now an ESRI employee) have longexperience at Oregon State University and have
been involved with the Atlas of Oregon. Many
map samples are devoted to Oregon. A disad-
vantage of this, despite the quality, is the bias
towards North American cartography.
The authors position their book as a bridge
between academic indoor map use and military
way finding. As they state: this book offers its
readers a comprehensive, philosophical, and
practical treatment of map appreciation. They
intend to reach that objective by what they
define as a fluid definition of a map: a graphi-
cal representation of the environment that
shows relations between geographic features,
a definition that originated in Robinson and
Petcheniks The Nature of Maps from 1976. In
addition they make a distinction between the
tangible map and a users mental or cognitivemap, and when appropriate discuss commer-
cial products.
GPS and Land PartitioningThe book is split into two major parts, one on
map reading and one on map analysis. Each
chapter is introduced by a short text that puts
the content of the chapter into perspective. A
reference list ends each chapter. The content of
the chapters is well illustrated and explained in
detail. It makes the book useful for college stu-
dents, but its depth also makes it useful forthose seriously interested in a practical topic
such as the use of GPS and maps. Both sec-
tions are preceded by an introduction that
explains the basics of the map. Here, next to
mental maps they use the term cartographic
maps, a term which I find a bit strange, since I
would argue that any map is cartographic. In
this section I found one of the cartoons that
characterized the earlier editions. It shows how
a childs mental map might work (see image
page 21). The introduction is also an advertise-
ment for maps giving four major arguments why
maps are popular: they are convenient to use,
they simplify our surroundings, they are credi-
ble, and they have a strong visual impact. These
seem to be good arguments, but happily the
authors also discuss the other side of the coin.
For instance, the credibility argument is not
always right, and the map reader should be on
the alert for distortions, errors and omissions,
which might happen by accident or even on
purpose.
The map reading section is split into 10 chap-
ters, each discussing an aspect of the map as
a whole. Here the book has the most overlapwith common cartographic textbooks. Chapter
1 describes the earth and geographic coordi-
nates. The notions of ellipsoid, geoid and
graticule are well explained and illustrated.
Chapter 2 deals with the notion of scale. In
chapter 3 the need for and effects of map pro-
jections are treated by dealing with their prop-
erties. Several common projections are dis-
cussed in more detail. Examples of planar
projections are the orthographic projection (the
Google Earth view) and the gnomonic projec-
tion. Examples of cylindrical projections are
Mercator and the Transverse Mercator, and as
an example of the conic projection the Lambert
conformal projection is given. This one is often
applied on North American maps. The
20
Review
July/August 2009
Title: Map Use: Reading and Analysis
Authors: Kimberling, A.J., Buckley, A.R.
Muehrcke, P.C. & Muehrcke, J.O.
Publisher: ESRI Press Academic
Price: 75,
ISBN: 9781589481909
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Mollweide and Robinson projections are sam-
ples of global projections.
Chapter 4 elaborates on the many possible
coordinate systems one might find on a map.
This chapter is very much North American ori-
ented, with lots of attention to the state coor-
dinate systems. But also the UTM system is
explained and some European systems are
treated briefly. After reading this chapter onecan really use the maps as such. Land parti-
tioning is the subject of chapter 5. It deals with
the shape of land parcels in North America and
explains the history behind the different shapes,
often due to the habits of former colonial pow-
ers. In chapter 6 the visualization of the earths
terrain is discussed. All aspects of relief portray-
al are treated including relative and absolute
heights and depths, relief shading, raised relief
models, block diagrams etc. Aspects of digital
terrain models and fly-throughs are not forgot-
ten. Thematic maps are dealt with in chapter 7(qualitative maps) and chapter 8 (quantitative
maps). Both chapters are, again, lavishly illus-
trated with many map examples and both fol-
low a similar structure, dealing the principles
of single themes, multivariate themes, change
maps, and dynamic change maps. Any map
type one can think of is described. Image maps
are the topic of chapter 9. The basics of pho-
togrammetry and remote sensing are explained
and many samples are shown. The image maps
themselves, for example imagery plus carto-
graphic symbology, is limited to the last pages
of the chapter. Google Earth / Virtual Earth, the
environment that many readers will be familiar
with, gets only one paragraph. Map accuracy
and uncertainty are treated in chapter 10.
Generalization takes up a major part of the
chapter. Other topics are the sources of errors
and options for how to communicate these.
A Cautionary TaleThe map analysis section focuses on the prac-
tical use of maps. As the authors inform the
reader: here our goal is to analyze and describe
the spatial structure of - and relationshipsamong - features on the map. The analysis can
be visual and quantitative. The first approach
might result in different answers depending on
the map reader. The second approach is objec-
tive, and should always lead to the same
answer. However, errors might still occur. The
authors claim rightfully that the beauty of map
analysis is that you can get more out of the
map then was put into it. This is obvious when
looking at a simple contour map where a
climber might see barriers in his/her path, and
a geologist might see fault lines, while the car-
tography has just expressed heights. The map
analysis part has eight chapters. Chapter 11
describes how to determine distances and
chapter 12 does the same for direction. Both
neighbor for points, several connectivity mea-
sures for lines and diversity measures for area
features are discussed, and, I have to repeat
again, are well illustrated. Chapter 18 compares
different patterns determining the degree of
spatial association. Both visual and qualitative
methods are described for point, line and area
features. Movement and diffusion patterns are
discussed separately. The chapter ends with
what the authors call a cautionary tale. Snows
1855 cholera map of London is demystified. The
map was not the starting point of Snows anal-
ysis, but his knowledge about health was. The
message the author wants to give the reader
is that maps might show patterns that should
only get a meaning if it can be supported by a
solid theory or hypothesis. Spatial patterns
might not seem to be what they look like.
The book ends with an appendix on digital car-
tographic data, a list of abbreviations and
acronyms related to navigation and GPS and
some conversion tables. A 40 page glossary and
an index conclude the book.
VerdictThe book does live up to its promises. It is
practical and supported by the necessary theo-
ry. For me the analysis part was most exciting
and the book can be recommended to every-
one who would like to start using a map. I look
forward to the authors next book, since they
promised something related to the third word
in the subtitle of the earlier edition which they
deliberately dropped with this edition: interpre-
tation.
Menno-Jan [email protected] is head of ITCs
Geo-Information Processing Department.
He is a member of the editorial board of several
international journals in the field of
Cartography and GIS.
physical and functional distances (like travel
time) are discussed based on several measure-
ment techniques using different instruments.
Directions exist in many flavors. Here geograph-
ic direction (towards the geographic north pole)
and magnetic directions (towards the magnetic
north pole) are described. For the last type of
measurements examples of both digital and tra-
ditional compasses are given. Practical exam-
ples for large and small scale maps are elabo-
rated.
Position finding and routing are the topics of
chapter 13. The where am I? question is illus-
trated by several examples with the map and
compass. Navigation for land, sea and air using
more advanced technology is also part of the
chapter. GPS is dealt with in chapter 14. After a
brief description of the technology behind GPS,
its operation and use is explained. GPS accura-
cy get special attention. This is needed because
people will often be surprised that GPS data is
not necessarily the most accurate data. The
operation of handheld systems also gets spe-
cial attention, and the authors do not forget to
tell about their limitations as well. They stressyou will still need a compass and map, and not
only for when your batteries die. In chapter 15
methods to measure shapes, areas and vol-
umes are discussed. Many methods are illus-
trated with maps and examples of calculations.
Surface analysis is found in chapter 16.
Questions about how to derive information on
slope, gradient, aspect illumination, curves, pro-
files and cross sections as well as visibility anal-
ysis are answered. The more complex analysis
of spatial patterns follows in chapter 17, while
18 concentrates on spatial associations among
patterns. Chapter 17 deals with feature count-
ing and spatial arrangements for point, line and
area objects. Several methods used, like
Morans I autocorrelation, and the k-nearest
Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com
Review
21July/August 2009
A childs mental map
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8/12/2019 geoinformatics 2009 vol05
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Covering Large Areas in Short Time
A high resolution orthomosaic was generated for the 800 km2 area of the County of Campinas, Brazil, derived from Ikonos
satellite imagery, a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) generated from WorldView-1 satellite imagery, and an implemented
geodetic network of 19 points. The final orthomosaic was generated both in normal color and in false color infrared in
order to broaden the possible applications to environmental issues. This result represents a very interesting solution to
cover large areas in short time and with a lower cost than traditional aerophotogrammetric methods, thus with basically
the same quality, allowing for a better assertive planning and sustainable development of the territory.
By Nelson de Jesus Parada, Ulfh Walter Palme, Jason San Souci and Philip Cheng
1. IntroductionIn Brazil, outdated territorial and cartographic
data are unfortunately still very common and
the planning activities in a fast-paced urban
expansion environment represent a rough
challenge to urban planners and managers,
especially in day-to-day activities. This is also
the case for the County of Campinas, where
in recent years the population growth has sur-
passed 1 million inhabitants and is still grow-
ing. Also, the Metropolitan Area of Campinas,
including 19 other counties, is under great
pressure. These boundary conditions make
updated cartography and territorial monitor-
ing a constant necessity, because of aggres-
sive planning and management schedules.
In order to deliver to SANASA the Water
Supply and Sanitation Company of the County
of Campinas - and to the GIS County of
Campinas Administration Project, an updated
Cartography and Technical Cooperation
Agreement was signed between SANASA and
FUNCATE to generate a new orthomosaic of
the County of Campinas derived from high res-
22
Art ic le
July/August 2009
Figure 1 VRT-29 on Ikonos imagery.
A High Resolution
Orthomosaic in Brazil
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olution satellite imagery. The decision of using
high resolution satellite imagery instead of
conventional aerophotogrammetry was due to
the short time of approximately 1 year to gen-
erate the new cartography and budget limita-
tions.
In partnership with FUNCATE and UWPE, NCDC
Imaging was awarded the contract to acquire
and process high-resolution satellite imagery
to a final scale of 1:2000 NMAS. NCDC is a
Native American-owned small business in
Colorado Springs that specializes in remote
sensing and GIS applications using high res-
olution imagery, such as mapping and imag-
Brazilian Geodesy standards. The first step
in order to ensure the possibility of deliver-
ing a final orthomosaic compatible with the
scale of 1:2.000 in Brazilian error and accu-
racy standards was the implementation of a
network of geodetic points ground truth -
using well known GPS procedures in accor-
dance to the Brazilian specifications set by
the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia eEstatstica (IBGE). A total set of 35 geodetic
points were provided by MDATA Engenharia
S/S Ltda. From this set, 19 inside the
County of Campinas - were used for the gen-
eration of the orthomosaic. The survey deliv-
ered the geodetic points in SIRGAS 2000, as
this is the new official system that Brazil has
adopted in recent years.
A high resolu-
tion Digital Terrain Model (DTM) derived
from World View-1 stereo imagery - collect-
ed in two strips during mid 2008 over the800 km2 of the County of Campinas. The
DTM was derived using the well known
and validated Rational Polynomial
Coefficients (RPC) method.
High resolution color imagery from the
Ikonos satellite collected in mid 2008 over
the 800 km2 of the County of Campinas,
both in normal color and false color
infrared.
PCI Geomatics software was
used for the project to generate the DTM
and orthomosaic imagery.
3. ResultsFigure 1 presents the location for VRT-29.
Figure 2 a fragment of the DTM over the
Viracopos International Airport and correspon-
ing services, land cover classification, natural
resource management, sustainability planning
and economic development. NCDC has deliv-
ered projects to clients including USGS, US
Army Corps of Engineers, US Forest Service,
Pacific Gas & Electric, Cities of Denver, Seattle,
Providence, Sacramento, Albuquerque, and
Dallas to name a few.
2. MethodThe generation of the Orthomosaic was
accomplished using:
A specific geodetic network with
19 well distributed points in accordance to
Art i c le
23
July/August 2009
Figure 2 Fragment of the DTM over the Viracopos International Airport (left)
and correspondent WV-1 image (right).
Figure 3 3D fragment of the DTM with contour lines.
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dent WV-1 image, and Figure 3 a 3D fragment of the DTM with con-
tour lines.
General results obtained for the DTM with no ground control at all
and verified with 37 independent geodetic points resulted in a root
means square (rms) error of 1.0m and final vertical accuracy of 1.7m.
A well distributed subset of 23 points resulted in a rms error of 0.6m
and final vertical accuracy of 1.0m. Contour lines were derived with a
resolution of 1.6m.
A WV-1 orthomosaic was generated as an intermediate product to thefinal orthomosaic. The final orthomosaic, with the imagery already
pansharpened, was then generated using AutoSync, an ERDAS prod-
uct, collecting hundreds of tie points.
Figure 4 presents the general overview of the final orthomosaic in nor-
mal color and Figure 5 in false color infrared. Since the final archive
size is of the order of 15 GB the final delivery was also in tiles accord-
ing to Brazilian Cartography standards. The tiling grid is presented in
Figure 6. The final orthomosaic for the County of Campinas presents a
high image quality with excellent contrast, as in Figure 7 normal
color and Figure 8 False color infrared.
In order to perform the error and accuracy check a set of 80 indepen-
dent geodetic points was used. The points are from the official Countyof Campinas Geodetic Network (PMC) and were implemented by well
known specialized companies.
Figure 10 presents the distribution of the geodetic points in the County.
The points are mostly concentrated in and around the urban areas.
This fact does not interfere in the objectives and results since the
desired accuracy must be high in the urban areas and is not required
in the rural parts of the county where the required result should be
close to the scale of 1:5.000.
Final analysis for the rms errors and accuracy was performed compar-
ing the coordinates of the 80 points set and the generated Ikonos
orthomosaic in WGS 84 and using the Remote View software environ-
ment. Remote View is well known to have an excellent Graphic User
Interface (GUI) and not blur the image; and in this work, since the
error and accuracy checks are very close to the resolution of the
imagery ( 1 pixel), this was a key issue. Although the Brazilian regula-
tions state that in practical means WGS 84 is to be equal to SIR-
GAS 2000, it was observed that at this very high resolution level, con-
versions to and from different software platforms can introduce bias
of the order of 0.5 to 1.0m. Therefore, the analysis was performed
exploring the Remote View tools at a maximum and allowed for a
grouping of the 80 points in 2 categories, i.e. 0.6m rms or lower (Figure
14), and between 0.6m and 1m.
4. Conclusions
The County of Campinas now has an updated high quality ortho-mosaic and also a very precise DTM. The final product compati-
ble with the 1:2,000 NMAS scale has proven to be perfectly ade-
quate to the objectives and necessities of the GIS Campinas Project.
This GIS is responsible for integrating the new generated cartogra-
phy to the technical territorial & environmental cadastre of the
County and to the databases and applications of all the organiza-
tions and secretaries of the County administration.
Besides generating a new territorial reference, the future yearly
updating process and monitoring operations will be strongly facili-
tated and fostered, and possibly at an even faster pace. It is very
important to clarify that the urban expansion process in the area is
very fast and most times the velocity of the urban expansion is
higher than the pace the county managers can see the territory
and interfere; in other words: the urban expansion process has
more velocity than control, and this is extremely undesirable since
it does not allow, among others, to allow for assertive planning
24
Art ic le
July/August 2009
Figure 4 General overview of the Campinas County Orthomosaic in
normal color.
Figure 5 General overview of the Campinas County Orthomosaic in
false color infrared.
Figure 6 Tiling of the Camp