Russian spaceship docks despite engine failure

Allahabad Municipal corporation conducts survey using GIS

The Allahabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has completed the work of the survey of houses through GIS, within the municipal limits of the city. The employees of the tax department of AMC are verifying the houses which are currently added in the new survey and tallying it with the record. 

Sources in the AMC said that there are about 1,90,000 houses in the municipal limits which has been mapped through the GIS system. However, the total number of houses registered with the corporation is about 1,66,000. 

AMC undertook the survey through GIS to ascertain the number of houses which have come up in recent years. The purpose of the survey is to have a comprehensive record of the different types of the houses, the condition of the roads, the number of lanes in the localities and other details. This exercise has been taken to improve the financial condition of AMC.

source

New application offered to maintain oil & gas pipeline GIS data

United States of America, December 22, 2008 -- New Century Software has completed a major software initiative that has merged the functionality of a number of applications into the newly released Facility Manager 2008 software. Facility Manager 2008 allows operators to perform a variety of centerline maintenance functions, including adding new lines, performing pipe reroutes, and merging pipelines, within their pipeline GIS.

One of the most notable achievements for this rollout was the integration of a graphical interface viewed through ArcMap and a tabular interface. Based on an industry standard dual monitor setup, users can apply a number of sorting and filtering options, arrange data in multiple concurrent tables, and visually verify the data in question. 


Source : http://www.newcenturysoftware.com

DMCii, UK, launches free satellite imaging initiative

22/12/2008 UK: Satellite imaging provider DMCii has announced that it will provide free DMC constellation satellite imagery for scientists to support global environmental monitoring projects.

Scientists are invited to compete for the opportunity to use the DMC multi-spectral data in their research projects. Applications will be judged on their contribution to international environmental research by an international panel of scientists chaired by Professor Alan O’Neil from the National Centre for Earth Observation. DMC constellation data will be awarded to 5 UK and 5 Spanish science projects. The provision of data will be coordinated by DMCii in the UK and Spanish company Deimos Imaging in Spain which will soon join the DMC with its new satellite DEIMOS-1.

Dave Hodgson, Managing Director DMCii commented, “We feel that this is a unique and valuable contribution to the science community, and look forward to supporting some deserving scientific research that will contribute to our knowledge of the Earth and our impact on its resources.”

Satellite imaging is a powerful tool for monitoring land use. It offers a valuable “eye in space” for monitoring and recording environmental change on a global basis. DMCii has previously provided free data to the science community, from which scientists have produced excellent results which include monitoring the burning of peatlands in Indonesia.

The DMC constellation of 5 satellites work together to image large areas of the Earth. Because several satellites and their respective owners (Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey, UK) cooperate together, the constellation can image a given geographical location frequently to identify changes or make the most of cloud-free periods. This unique combination makes the constellation highly effective for monitoring land use.


Source : http://www.ballard.co.uk

CRRI’s 'Hawk Eye' on Indian roads

At first sight, one can mistake this vehicle to be an ultra tech robotic remote-controlled vehicle, but it is the country's first 'Hawk Eye' that is surveying almost 50,000 kilometres of country's highways and roads to gauge their quality and see if they are fit for freight movement and travel. The database will be used to create GIS maps of highways in the country. The project is being undertaken by Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) and GIS survey and global positioning system (GPS) will help better navigation across the country. 

Mounted on a jeep, the Hawk Eye's instrumentation system includes a laser profiler along with pavement view cameras to measure road surface, collect and process digital images of pavements and other roadside elements. The vehicle has been used in countries like China, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. Hawk Eye requires high-speed paved roads for operation and is sensitive to rough weather conditions like dust storms and heavy rains. It can gather data while travelling at a speed of 30 to 100 km per hour. 

An advantage Hawk Eye enjoys over other instruments with CRRI is its ability to look at the surface of the road and measure cracking areas. Any area with a crack of above three centimetres is detected by the vehicle's sensors and a preventive measure is suggested by the computers. This helps improve life of highways, which is normally around 20 years in the case of bitumen roads.


Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Ethiopia: Addis Gets New Map Containing Details like Minibus Routes

Ethio-German Urban Governance and Decentralization Program together with the Ethiopian Mapping Agency (EMA) launched a newly produced comprehensive Addis Ababa city map that shows minibus routs.

Briefing journalists, producers of the map said the city map provides a detailed overview of the whole city indicating official street names, major landmarks and selected heritage sites. A unique feature of the new map, according to the producers, is the first Addis Ababa mini bus route map that immensely helps tourists and navigates easily around the city.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Sultan Mohammed, Director General of EMA, indicated the map is a five in one product "The map is a five in one product that contains: the line map of Addis Ababa with a scale of 1:20,000, a satellite image of the central part of Addis Ababa with a scale of 1:6,000, a line map of the surroundings of Addis Ababa with a scale of 1:~1.3 million, a minibus route map and some landmark architectural heritage sites in Addis Ababa," explained Sultan.

"From the outset, we had agreed that the map produced in this cooperative arrangement should be of German quality, as German quality is recognized as the best by almost all in the world," Sultan added.

Prof. Meissner and his team from the University of Applied Science Berlin have been responsible for the cartographic work, while the EMA participated in the project in editing and field verification of the map.

Even though primarily intended for tourists, Director General of Ethiopian Mapping Authority, added the map is also a useful tool for the citizens of Addis Ababa to help them navigate through their fast growing and developing city.

"It is also an important instrument for city officials in their development planning and the promotion of good governance." He said the price would be 50 ETB + VAT.

Dr. Claas Knoop, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, on his part said different sources were used to provide up-dated information for inhabitants and guests of Addis Ababa.

To make the City Map most completed, the ambassador said the new map included the final version of the road network provided by Addis Ababa Roads Authority.

"The NGO Addis Woubet and research by Dr. Omnia Aboukorah and GTZ provided information about interesting architectural heritage sites," the ambassador said, adding CIM Expert Michael Maiwald has ensured the correct street names.


Source : http://allafrica.com

Israel plans launch of nano-satellites as low cost alternative to GPS satellites

Israel plans to launch its first nano-satellite next year to demonstrate its feasibility at a fraction of the cost of standard GPS satellites. The Israel Nanosatellite Association intends to launch the first of two nano-satellites in mid-2009 from India. 

The association said the launches, planned for between July and September, would demonstrate the feasibility of the platforms. "This will be a proof-of-concept for new Israeli satellite technologies," INSA director Raz Tamir said.

Tamir, also manager of the new nano-satellite department of the state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, said the micro-platforms could replace standard satellites in space. He said the satellites, meant to be designed and assembled within a year, could weigh up to 10 kilograms and cheap to produce. 


Source : http://www.worldtribune.com

UAE poised to get its first dedicated eye in the sky

UAE's first remote sensing/Earth Observation satellite, is all set to launch, a senior official said on Sunday. 

"The UAE's first earth observation satellite, developed by South Korea's SatrecI with in-depth participation of UAE engineers from the Emirates Institution for Advanced Science and Technology (EIAST) and is "space ready" and will be launch-ed shortly, Salem Humaid Al Merri, acting project manager of DubaiSat 1 Programme told Gulf News on Sunday.

He was speaking on the sidelines of the Global Space Technology Forum, opened by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. 

Al Merri explained that the satellite was completed last July and is on standby, waiting for launch aboard a Russian rocket through the Moscow-based International Space Company (ISC) Kosmotras, "providing the UAE with its first dedicated eye in the sky." 
Progress
"While DubaiSat-1 awaits its launch into space, its development team is already working on finalising designs for DubaiSat-2, which will be launched within five years and will continue with its plans to create the UAE's first constellation of Satellites with growing UAE's technical participation."

Al Merri said the design concept of DubaiSat-2 is being laid down and strategic partners for its construction are being selected, to make it the top of its class by the time of its planned launch in 2013.

Established by a Dubai Government decree in 2006 to promote the country's move to develop a knowledge-based economy, EIAST continues to be a springboard for promoting sustainable development and enhancing econ-omic growth in the Emirates and beyond by inspiring scientific innovation and fostering technological advancement.

Al Merri said developing a base of UAE scientists and engineers is a crucial first step in becoming a regional and global leader in the fields of advanced science and technology. 

He added that the satellite will contribute in developing infrastructure by providing data that help decision makers in many areas, including planning service projects, rural and urban projects, provision of accurate maps, monitoring of pollution and discovery of oil slicks, crisis management, scientific researches and space sciences. 

Professor Anwar S. Dawood, former EIAST dean of scientific and technological affairs and member of the board of directors, told Gulf News the UAE should have a federal space agency that will host the development of space strategic plan for the country, and coordinate different space activities as related to satellites, communications, earth observation and navigation.

"The UAE is in a position to take a lead in the Gulf and the Middle East in space technology, to fill a huge market demand for a variety of civil and military applications," he said.

Innovation: Technology a priority
The UAE is strongly committed to harnessing the benefits of technology, Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, said on Sunday. 

"Our capital city, Abu Dhabi, is emerging as a major centre for aviation and aerospace innovation and industry. President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan has identified innovation as a fundamental aspect of our national effort. And we have created an economic environment that supports business initiatives and entrepreneurship," the minister said. 

Source : http://www.gulfnews.com/ 

Gujarat, India puts space technology to best use in governance, development says ISRO Chief

India on the moon: Chandrayaan-1 Launch successful

Chandrayaan-1, India’s maiden moon spacecraft, was put into Transfer Orbit around the earth by the Polar Launch Vehicle PSLV-C11 after it blasted off from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

The 1,380 kg Chandrayaan-1, carrying 11 payloads, was released into a Transfer Orbit 18.2 minutes after the PSLV-C11 blasted off.

After a series of procedures over the next two weeks, the spacecraft would reach its desired Lunar orbit and placed at a height of 100 km from the Lunar surface, marking the operational phase of the mission which would put India in the elite lunar club.

Earlier, at the end of the 49-hour countdown, the 44.4 meter tall four-stage PSLV-11 lifted off from the second launch pad into a cloudy sky......

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Ban on commercial use of GPS in Egypt

Technology lovers and modern car owners in Egypt consider themselves unlucky because of a government ban on the usage of Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. 

Telecoms Law 10/2003 outlaws the import of GPS-equipped mobile phones, and retailers found selling them could lead to the confiscation of their entire stock. The same applies to any kind of commercial use of GPS technology, which includes cars equipped with GPS devices.

Mobile phones like the Nokia N95, N82 as well as iPhones and some 3G phones are banned in Egypt, leaving the market deprived of the latest technology and features that are fast becoming standard in the new generation of mobile phones.

GPS helps users navigate to their destination inside cities and in remote areas. It also functions as a guide for places of interest as well as hospitals, police departments and businesses.

source

Wealth map of the world

When you look at the map of the world, what do you see? Probably a cosy agglomeration of nations that is imprinted on your brain – reinforced time and time again from its pride of place on everything from classroom wall to newspaper graphic to in-flight magazines. 

This projection of the Earth – a great mass of Russia across the top, a slightly oversized UK on the edge of Europe, impenetrable China and Mongolia on the right, the expanse of America on the left, with Africa centre-bottom – is an image as strong as the Union Jack, the London Underground logo or the Olympic rings. Except it represents only a basic truth about the world, one that has been with us in essentially the same form since the Flemish cartographer Gerardus Mercator created his Mercator projection in 1569. 

Now, though, three academics – a professor and research assistant from Sheffield and another professor from the University of Michigan – have produced The Atlas of the Real World, a book that at first glance looks like a whole bunch of world maps on acid. 

Except, you could argue, that these warped representations come closer to the truth about our planet than the originals on which they’re based. 

Daniel Dorling, professor of human geography at the University of Sheffield, Mark Newman, assistant professor of physics and complex systems at the University of Michigan, and Anna Barford, research associate at Sheffield, have created the website www.worldmapper.org, on which the book is based, which bends and twists our continents according to statistics such as the number of elderly, international immigrants, grocery imports and even ¬demonstrations against the war in Iraq. 

“Because we’re confident people, we think we know what we’re seeing; you see a map and you think you understand it,” says Professor Dorling, 40. “But if you take a normal map of Britain and colour it by how popular the Labour Party is in each area, you wouldn’t be able to tell whether it was going to win the next election. Although you might know Britain very well, you don’t know it well enough to know the areas with high population density.” 

It was to overcome these problems that Dorling and his colleagues set about creating cartograms that offer up an image of a new world order in which the distribution of the planet’s rich and poor, drinking water, weapons and trade can be seen at a glance. 

He and the www.worldmapper.org team who published The Atlas of the Real World identified regions – but not exact continents – from Western Europe to Japan to South Asia to northern Africa and colour-coded them, with the nations within them given different shades of that colour. Then, using statistics, principally from the United Nations but also other bodies including the World Bank, the CIA and the World Health Organisation, they manipulated the images so that regions expanded and contracted in relation to each other.

So when figures on net immigration, for example, are inputted to the worldmapper model, the USA and the UK become huge and bloated, while Africa and China almost disappear. Conversely, on a map of absolute poverty, Europe is all but invisible while Asia expands massively. 

The book contains 366 cartograms – the last one, almost charmingly, illustrating invertebrates at risk – that not only show us what we’d expect in the divisions in wealth, but also ignite surprising flares of unexpected social phenomena. 

So the map depicting decline in wealth, for example, showing the decline in GDP from 1975 to 2002 adjusted for local purchasing power, has the US, Western Europe and Japan all but invisible, but a hugely inflated Eastern Europe. 

While we might think that the end of Communism brought about huge increases in some ex-Soviet satellite nations, countries such as the Ukraine, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Poland actually lead the way in the largest declines in wealth. (China, surprisingly, hasn’t been affected in the same way.) 

These images then allow us to draw what might otherwise be hidden conclusions about the world in which we live. A refugee map, for example, won’t, as you’d expect, display a greatly enlarged West. “Most refugees go over national rather than international borders,” explains Dorling. “The implication is that the burden on Africans to look after refugees is as great as it is for us.” An obvious contemporary example would be Zimbabweans in South Africa. The maps have applications in advocacy, too. A map showing how many votes nations get in the International Monetary Fund was used by African countries who wanted greater representation. 

Interestingly, when you zoom in on an area, it reverts to how it would look on a regular map, with its normal place on lines of latitude and longitude.

It is only as you pull out that those lines distort and the reader is given this vision of the world. 

“Although land mass is important, people are probably more important than area,” says Dorling. “In a map by population, a sixth of the world would be Chinese. You could have a world atlas where the Sahara just wouldn’t appear.” 

Source 

LHC Computing Grid Can Teach the Internet a thing or two

Before the year is out, the LHC is projected to begin pumping out a tsunami of raw data equivalent to one DVD (five gigabytes) every five seconds. Its annual output of 15 petabytes (15 million gigabytes) will soon dwarf that of any other scientific experiment in history.

The challenge is making that data accessible to a scientist anywhere in the world at the execution of a few commands on her laptop. The solution is a global computer network called the LHC Computing Grid, and with any luck, it may be giving us a glimpse of the Internet of the future.

Once the LHC reaches full capacity sometime next year, it will be churning out snapshots of particle collisions by the hundreds every second, captured in four subterranean detectors standing from one and a half to eight stories tall.* It is the grid's job to find the extremely rare events—a bit of missing energy here, a pattern of particles there—that could solve lingering mysteries such as the origin of mass or the nature of dark matter.

A generation earlier, research fellow Tim Berners-Lee of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) set out to create a global "pool of information" to meet a similar challenge. Then, as now, hundreds of collaborators across the planet were all trying to stay on top of rapidly evolving data from CERN experiments. Berners-Lee's solution became the World Wide Web.

But the fire hose of data that is the LHC requires special treatment. "If I look at the LHC and what it's doing for the future," said David Bader, executive director of high performance computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology, "the one thing that the Web hasn't been able to do is manage a phenomenal wealth of data."
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CERN unveils computer grid linking 7,000 scientists

SatGuide launches 'Citizen Mapper’ in India

India - SatNav Technologies, a Hyderabad based IT Products Company; the pioneers of GPS Technology in India, today announced the launch of 'Citizen Mapper' – a GPS Enthusiast centric initiative aimed at rewarding the users for suggesting additional Points of Interest (POI’s) and also sharing updates on what changes occur in their city. POI’s are important landmarks such as Hospitals, ATM centers, Malls, Theaters which help in navigating easily to the end destination.

Users can visit www.roadsofindia.com and seek information on routes by filling the From and To fields. The website will then provide the route from the present location to the end destination. 

This route will have several Points of Interest. In case, the user notices or knows that some additional POI’s can be added to the route to make it easier to navigate, the user can send the input in the form of a mail to customerfeedback@satnavtech.com. Other customers who already have SatGuide software on their Phones, Computers or Navigation devices can just send the feedback whenever they have anything to share. For example a new building that has come up, some new one ways that have been announced, a road that has been recently closed, etc. 

The feedback ensures that the user automatically gets registered on SatNav’s website and company then rewards the user by crediting Rs. 5 into that account, for every POI that gets incorporated in the map. Users can accumulate the rewards in units of Rs.5 and can then exchange the accumulated amount for various SatGuide products. This amount can also be transferred to family or friends who wish to purchase SatGuide products.

Another attractive package under the Citizen Mapper scheme is that once a user gets to 50 credits, he can also avail a free upgrade of SatGuide with maps for his PND, PDA, Phone, Laptop or Desktop. If he does not have the navigation software the upgrade will be available along with the next purchase, a value of over Rs 2000. 

Commenting on this, Mr. Amit Prasad, CEO and Founder MD of SatNav Technologies said, “Our pioneering effort in GPS has enabled us to provide the maximum number of POI’s giving the user greater detail for reaching the required destination easily. With this win-win scheme we have introduced, not only will we be rewarding the users for their inputs but also make our maps the most robust in the industry with regular updates. 

Additional POI’s and vicinity information coming directly from the users will ensure that our products become more relevant to every individual.” 

Source : http://www.satnavtechnologies.com/

World's Biggest Atlas

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China’s “spacewalker” heads backs to earth today

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Hi-tech PCR with geospatial techniques in New Delhi

Six days after Delhi was shaken by serial blasts and saw subsequent calls for modernisation of police force to combat terrorism, the hi-tech Central Police Control Room (CPCR) will be inaugurated on Friday at the Delhi Police headquarters at ITO. 

With over 500 PCR vans fitted with the latest Global Positioning System (GPS) and Geographic Information System (GIS) and an online city map installed in the CPCR to track the movement of these vehicles, senior cops are expecting that their fight against terrorism and the overall policing standard will get a major boost. 

Commissioner of Police Y S Dadwal said: "The new system would help us in achieving the maximum possible efficiency in attending to distress calls and will augment our capacity for better response to the citizens of Delhi. The project was in the pipeline for the past three years." 

The number of emergency phone lines — 100 — has also been doubled from 30 to 60 and this would enable people to report terrorist and criminal incidents without hindrance. 

Devised by HCL Technologies, the system will function on a call centre module. 

"Earlier, when someone used to call 100, it was first noted down and then fed into computer after which the information was sent to the PCR to move to the spot. In the new set-up, the call receiver would pass on information about any distress call to the despatch wireless operator, who would locate the PCR van closest to the place of occurrence on the digital map and direct it to attend to the call. It will improve the response time by 10 minutes to 

30 minutes," said a senior police officer. The wireless uplink for data transfer between a PCR van and CPCR will be facilitated by a GPS receiver, a Mobile Data Terminal and a General Pocket Radio Service (GPRS) or Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) modem installed in the van. 

The technology would enable data storage, starting from receipt of distress calls to filing of the report by the PCR operator, thus making the entire exercise paperless and requiring lesser manpower. 

The screen reflecting the "real-time" position of a PCR van, even when it would be on the move, will also have updated information on the calls being attended to by each of the vehicles. The system would have an in-built mechanism to record distress calls and also the interaction among the receiver, dispatcher and operator for any future reference. It will also help in efficient management of the PCR vans as well as other police vehicles, curbing down their misuse as the man sitting in the CPCR will keep a track of the vehicles. 

"It will also be equipped with a system that will leave a message for the policemen if they are found busy," an officer said. There are 100 lines of MTNL which will be used for this purpose and in case some of the lines are not working, the system will not be paralysed as a backup plan from some private service provider will be present to support the system.The Delhi Police also plans to install GPS and GIS system in the official vehicles of SHOs, ACPs and DCPs. 

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/

Reliance Industries starts crude production at KG-D6 block

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Iran launch of Omid successful

 

Iran announced Sunday that it launched a satellite into space earlier in the day, the country's first domestically made.

The satellite, Omid (hope), was launched Sunday by using Safir (ambassador) satellite-carrier rocket, the armed forces said in a statement, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

The Omid Satellite which was successfully fired on the birth anniversary of the last Imam (prophet) of Shiites, Hazrat Mahdi (who is believed to reappear at the end of the world) illustrated the auspicious name of the Imam in the space, IRNA said. 

According to Iran's English-language Press TV satellite channel, the domestically manufactured Omid Satellite will pass over the country six times a day.

The launch of Safir rocket aimed to test remote sensing, satellite telemetry, and geographic information system (GIS) technology as well as remote and ground station data processing, Press TV said.

Another news agency Fars quoted government spokesman Gholam- Hossein Elham as saying that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at the launch of the communications satellite from Iran's space station.

In February, Iran said it has prepared for the satellite launch by sending a probe into space of a rocket on the mission.

Ahmadinejad announced in his press interview in Istanbul Friday that Iran would in near future launch its first domestic satellite to the space.

Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear ambitions, has pursued a space program for several years, according to media reports. 

Source : http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/

ISRO to forecast crop behavior

ndia - Farmers can heave a sigh of relief as a forecast system will keep a tab on crop behaviour and, in case of failure, issue a warning before the beginning of the agriculture season. 

The Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics has tied up with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for the project to forecast crop condition and drought-like situations with the help of satellite images. The project started last week. 

Satellite images of the ground where the crops are harvested will be matched, analysed and calculated with the data provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and a conclusion will be arrived at. Initially, the project will be carried out in Karnataka on a pilot basis. Later, it will be implemented in other major agricultural states like Maharashtra. 

A three-member team of the Gokhale institute, headed by Rajas Parchure, joint director of the institute, will be part of the project. Works such as data analysis, forecasting and methodology will be done by the Gokhale institute team. 

“We will mainly receive three types of data — yield, satellite images and data from the IMD. This will be done for Rabi and kharif crops. The satellite images of the crop, right from harvesting to its final outcome, will be taken at various phases. These images will be compared with the rainfall data provided by the IMD and the yield of that particular crop from that particular field from where the image has been captured,” Parchure told TOI. 

Source : http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com