With all the uses that have been discovered for GIS, humanitarian demining is one that has not gotten a lot of attention. Land mines and unexploded remnants of war are embedded in the soil and structures of one-third of the world’s developing countries. These abandoned time bombs affect innocent people long after the war has ended, making so many areas uninhabitable.
Archive for the ‘satellite imagery’ Category
GISCafe Special Report Questionnaire: Drones for GIS Mapping
Friday, September 6th, 2019The FAA estimates that there will be nearly half a million registered commercial use drones in the U.S. by 2022 (FAA 2018 – 2038 Aerospace Forecast).
Drones, or UAVs or UAS, are being used in the GIS industry for such purposes as military surveillance, real estate, searching for hurricane activity, search and rescue missions, public health and safety, agriculture and in construction and countless other industries. In some cases, drones can provide greater resolution than satellite imagery. Their size and affordability makes them a valuable choice for scientists, power companies, surveyors, military actions and civilians and many others. They are also environmentally friendly and provide a low-cost option for gathering valuable data that can then be fed into a GIS.
Since drones can autonomously collect a vast range of data they are appealing to many use cases. Besides, they are light-weight and high performance. Satellite imagery has provided remote sensing data for mapping, but can often display low fidelity or limited visibility from cloud cover. High precision and accuracy can be achieved with aerial imagery, with planes equipped with high tech remote sensors. Photogrammetry, which makes use of overlapping photos to identify exact measurements between objects, is a useful way of gathering accurate models.
Mapping Infectious Disease with Esri Workflows
Friday, June 21st, 2019This week, GISCafe Voice spoke with Este Geraghty, MD, MS, MPH, GISP, Chief Medical Officer & Health Solutions Director, Esri. Formerly the Deputy Director of the Center for Health Statistics and Informatics with the California Department of Public Health, Dr. Geraghty led the state vital records and public health informatics programs. There she engaged in statewide initiatives in meaningful use, health information exchange, open data and interoperability.
GEOINT Symposium 2019 Keynote from NGA Director Vice Adm. Robert Sharp
Thursday, June 6th, 2019At the GEOINT Symposium 2019 held in San Antonio, Texas, NGA Director Vice Adm. Robert Sharp gave a keynote in which he brought to the audience’s attention new leadership roles including his own as the seventh NGA director.
Airbus Defence and Space and Orbital Insight Expand Partnership Agreement to create Earth Monitor
Thursday, May 30th, 2019In an interview with Arnaud de Saint Vincent, Analytics Strategy – Digital Services Intelligence Communications, Intelligence, Security of the Defence and Space intelligence branch of Airbus, he spoke about one of their digital services, Earth Monitor, under the umbrella of their OneAtlas platform. Airbus Defence and Space and Orbital Insight have expanded upon their partnership agreement to create Earth Monitor, a powerful change analysis and insights service which provides situational awareness over archived or newly tasked areas of interest.
Notre Dame Cathedral Viewed From Space and 3D Scans – Before and After
Thursday, May 2nd, 2019The Notre Dame Cathedral has been well-documented both before and after a devastating fire destroyed its spire and roof on Monday, April 15, 2019. What we have going forward is extensive documentation in the forms of satellite imagery, aerial imagery, as well as 3D laser scans to help in the reconstruction of the Gothic cathedral.
Satellite Technology Used by UK Space Agency’s Forests 2020 Project to Monitor Tropical African Forests and Cocoa Industry
Thursday, April 25th, 2019Supply chains in Africa have caused deforestation by illegal cocoa farming, damaging protected rainforests and creating damage to the very viable cocoa industry. Using satellite derived information from the UK Space Agency’s Forests 2020 Project, led by Ecometrica, the Ghana Forestry Commission has been supported in the development of a landscape-level map that separates cocoa from forestry, which is critical to measure how cocoa is driving deforestation. According to company materials, African Governments and the world’s cocoa companies look to UK Space Agency’s International Partnership Programme’s Forests 2020 to provide reliable and accurate maps that map forest cover change and differentiate cocoa farms from natural forests.