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ISSN 2277 - 3134

NOVEMBER 2012 VOL 03 ISSUE 04

www.geospatialworld.netYOUR GEOSPATIAL INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

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Geospatial World I November 2012

Geospatial WorldGeospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd.(formerly GIS Development Pvt. Ltd.)A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India Tel + 91-120-4612500 Fax +91-120-4612555 / 666

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07 Editorial 08 News

ARTICLES

FDI/India:

Big reforms, bigger money?

Anusuya Datta

GNSS:

In pole position

John Pottle

Interference/Jamming:

Signal barred

Dr Heidi Kuusniemi and Dr Mohammad Zahidul H Bhuiyan

LBS:

Ubiquity is the name of the game

Ashutosh Pande

Intelligent Geospatial Systems:

How far is Hal-Nav?

Stephan Winter

CASE STUDY

US: To be precise

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18

21

31

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Abbas Rajabifard President,GSDI Association

Jack DangermondPresident, Esri

Shailesh Nayak SecretaryMinistry of Earth SciencesGovernment of India

Mark ReichardtPresident and CEOOpen Geospatial Consortium, Inc.

Aida Opoku Mensah Director - ICT DivisionUN Economic Commission for Africa

Josef StroblDirector, Centre for Geoinformatics,University of Salzburg, Austria

Vanessa Lawrence CBDirector General and CEO,Ordnance Survey, UK

Matthew M O'ConnellPresident and CEO GeoEye

Bryn FosburghVice PresidentTrimble

Juergen DoldPresident, Hexagon Geosystems

Preetha PulusaniChief Strategy Officer,Rolta Group

Derek Clarke Chief Director-Survey and Mapping & National Geospatial InformationDepartment of Rural Development & Land Reform, South Africa

Kamal K SinghChairman and CEORolta Group

Greg BentleyCEO, Bentley Systems

Prof Ian DowmanFirst Vice PresidentISPRS

COVER IMAGE COURTESY Astrium Navigation Systems & Applications

DISCLAIMER

Geospatial World does not necessarily subscribe to the views expressed in the publication. All views expressed in this issue are those of the contributors. GeospatialWorld is not responsible for any loss to anyone due to the information provided.

OWNER, PUBLISHER & PRINTER Sanjay Kumar PRINTED AT M. P. Printers B - 220,

Phase-II, Noida - 201 301, Gautam Budh Nagar (UP) INDIA PUBLICATION ADDRESS A - 92,

Sector - 52, Gautam Budh Nagar, Noida, India

CHAIRMAN M P Narayanan

PUBLISHER Sanjay Kumar

PUBLICATIONS TEAMManaging Editor Prof. Arup DasguptaBusiness Editor Bob M. SamborskiEditor - Latin America (Honorary) Tania Maria SausenSr. Associate Editor (Honorary) Dr. Hrishikesh SamantExecutive Editor Bhanu RekhaDeputy Executive Editor Anusuya DattaProduct Manager Shivani LalAssistant Editors Deepali Roy, Vaibhav Arora Sub-Editor Ridhima Kumar

DESIGN TEAMSr. Creative Designer Deepak Kumar

CIRCULATION TEAMCirculation Manager Vijay Kumar Singh

Ad

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Dr Wubbo J Ockels

"Geospatial tech can help create a waste-free society"

44

INTERVIEW

FIRST PERSONFIRST PERSON

Strumming a geospatial tune!Ola Rollen CEO, Hexagon AB

"Most travellers hurry too much...the great thing is to try and travel with the eyes of the spirit wide open, and not too much factual information."

— Lawrence Durrell in Spirit of Place.

s I sit to write this editorial, Hurricane Sandy is in the news. Where is itgoing to make landfall, which are the areas likely to be affected, whereare the shelters? In each of these questions, the dominant word is'where'. Location is the most powerful aspect of geospatial data and the

determination of location is thus a technological challenge. While we havemoved far from the early days of navigation by stars, compass, chronometerand sextant to modern systems like GNSS, the principlesremain essentially the same but the applications have movedbeyond navigation. Indeed, we can now experience the spirit ofremote places through these technologies.

The greatest game changer has been the availability of cheapGNSS receivers which find place in personal devices like cam-eras and cell phones. Personalised location-based serviceshave thus become a booming industry. It has also madegeospatial systems participatory through VGI and neogeographers. Location is now turning intelligent and can beactivated through speech. Adding virtual reality to locationresults in a very interactive identification of points of interest.

At a professional level, GNSS has revolutionised surveying,design and engineering, asset tracking, transportation man-agement, health care, disaster management and defence.Where next? The United States Defense Advanced ResearchProjects Agency (DARPA) has successfully demonstrated thatcars can navigate autonomously at realistic speeds using a raft of technolo-gies including GNSS. Efforts are on to enable sketches and voice messages asinputs to C4ISR systems to describe battlefield situations and identify targetlocations. Car navigation systems do provide voice instructions. Imagine a sit-uation where the driver can command the device through simple sentenceslike "navigate to the nearest gas station". As Ashutosh Pande comments, loca-tion must become pervasive and, I might add, persistent.

However, there are challenges. The portion of the spectrum carrying the GNSSsignals is crowded with other satellite and terrestrial services. The biggestenemy to the GNSS is the crowding and resultant degradation of service. Whilethere are stringent specifications on spectrum use, rogue elements or acci-dental spill-over can be damaging. As applications grow, the need to regulatethe spectrum usage becomes more and more important. However, regulationof the usage of technology is another matter.

7Geospatial World I November 2012

Prof. Arup Dasgupta

Managing [email protected]

A

Location: Intelligence inside

EditorSpeak

Creating your own map from maps published by other users is just one of many ways to take advantage of the rich collection of data and resourcesArcGISSM Online makes available to you.

Welcome to the new frontier in geographic information systems.

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Copyright © 2012 Esri. All rights reserved.

G55098_GeoSpatialWorld_Sept2012.indd 1G d 1 8/17/12 2:04 PM8 PM


NIGERIA

Online LIS soon

The Lagos State GIS and mappingsystem will go online before the endof 2012 to speed up land documenta-tion. The present land documentationsystem is slow due to physical sub-mission and retrieval of land infor-mation for processing land titles,particularly the certificate of occu-pancy (CofO). The base station isready and will become operationalonce some issues are resolved. TheSurveyor General of Lagos State,Joseph Olorunjuwon Ajenla, said hismission was to integrate data fromthe land registry, land informationsystems and GIS to have a robustland registry.

SOUTH AFRICA

New EO satellite soon

In a bid to contribute to the AfricanResource and Environmental Man-

agement Satellite Constellation(ARMC), the country is planning todevelop a 250-400 kg earth observa-tion (EO) satellite, announced the

Department of Science and Technol-ogy (DST). The proposed new satellitewill operate from a low earth orbitand have a planned lifespan of sevenyears. The satellite is expected toserve the environmental decisionmaking needs of the South Africangovernment.

Media to promote geospatial technology

The United Nations Economic Com-mission for Africa (UNECA) hasestablished a forum aimed atenhancing the capacity of the mediain the promotion, advocacy andawareness-creation of GIS in theAfrican continent. The UNECA evenorganised training for a select group

of media professionals from thewestern, eastern and southern Africato educate them on the use ofgeospatial information in the news-room. The media professionalspledged to promote the creation ofNational Geospatial Science Journal-ists Association in their respectivecountries.

SWAZILAND

WHO's GIS-based aidfor tuberculosisThe World Health Organization (WHO)has handed over a GIS-based patientmapping equipment to the NationalTB Unit at an event held at theNational TB Hospital in Manzini. Dr Owen Kaluwa from the WHO saidpatient support remained one of themost critical elements of the care forall tuberculosis patients given thelengthy duration of treatment in thisdisease, mainly in the case of multi-drug resistant cases (MDX). "Trackinglost patients for follow-ups and re-engaging them could potentially savemany lives and curb transmission ofTB," he added. The equipment hand-ed over includes 4 units of computersand 10 units of the GIS equipment.

NEWS

8

GHANA

Geospatially enabled Africa envisaged Organised for the first time in Ghana, the 7th Africa Geospatial Forum, sawexperts deliberating on various issues that plague Africa and how GIS technolo-gy can be used to tackle those challenges. The experts felt that while there isenough know-how in the region to implement geospatial technology, the needis to unite the disjointed efforts and work towards a common cause for theoverall benefit of the region. The conference was jointly organised by GeospatialMedia and Communications and the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources.

Image courtesy: NASA

CHINA

Tougher penalties onillegal mappingForeigners carrying out illegal sur-veys, mapping without permission ormarking the location of key facilitieswithout authorisation, will facetougher penalties amid measures toenhance security of strategic areas.Tackling these activities and the req-uisite punishment is under discus-sion as authorities draft amendmentsto the National Surveying and Map-ping Law. The draft will considercriminal liability in cases where ille-gal surveys were carried out andendangered Chinese citizens. Almost40 illegal surveying and mappingcases were detected between 2006and 2011.

ITU to resolvenavigation dispute

China and Europe have agreed totake their dispute over satellite navi-gation frequencies to the Internation-al Telecommunication Union (ITU) bythe end of this year, a senior Euro-pean Commission official has said.China and the European Union (EU)have signed a joint statement onspace technology cooperation thatindicates they will try to work out a long-standing dispute over the over-lay of an encrypted Beidou signalplanned for government/military useon the same frequency as Galileo'sproposed public-regulated service(PRS).

USD 18-mn govt aidfor Spacesat

China Spacesat Corporation Limited,the nation's key developer of smallsatellites, said it would receive CNY 116 million (USD 18.3 million) ingovernment financial support. Thefund will help increase the company'sresearch and development capabili-ties in satellite applications and boost its competitiveness and profitability. Four projects, run by thecompany or its subsidiaries, havebeen declared as support targets of a national fund developed to fosterthe country's strategic emergingindustries.

More accuratenavigation system

China is building a highly accuratenavigation system, Xihe. The NationalRemote Sensing Centre of China saidXihe had been successfully tested topinpoint positions within 0.1 metre inoutdoor and 3 metre in indoor areas.The system is based on a technologyknown as CRP, or cooperative real-time precise positioning, which isdesigned to enhance the accuracy ofnavigation satellite systems.

INDIA

'ISRO maps moreaccurate than Google'ISRO maps and data are much moreup to date and have higher resolutionthan Google maps, S Sudhakar,Director, North East Space Applica-tion Centre (NESAC) said at a work-shop on space-based informationsupport for decentralised planning.

Allaying fears prevailing among government officials regarding use of ISRO maps and data, Sudhakarpointed out that only certified mapswere released to the public domainwith accuracy and proper scrutiny.The workshop called for utilisation ofvital data and maps made availableby ISRO through state-level remotesensing centres for decentralisedplanning at state, district and blocklevels.


Nominations invitedfor young scientistsIn order to encourage young scientists, Rachapudi KamakshiMemorial Trust has institutedRachapudi Kamakshi Memorialgold medal for 'Young GeospatialScientist'. The award will be pre-sented during the India GeospatialForum, which will be held in Janu-ary 2013 at Hyderabad. Nomina-

tions are invited from scientists,engaged in research work in anyof the areas related to GIS andtechnology, who is not more than35 years of age, as on December31, 2012. The last date for receiptof the nominations is December31, 2012. Those interested can mail their nominations to Dr Hrishikesh P Samant [email protected].

Previous winner receiving the award

9

Tracking trains in realtime via Rail Radar

The Indian Railways has launchedonline application RailRadar,http://railradar.trainenquiry.com,where one can find the exact geo-

graphical location of about 6,500trains on a Google Map on a real-time basis. Trains running on timeare displayed in blue while those run-ning late are shown in red. Clickingon a train shows the status of thetrain and also the route.

LiDAR to aid roadmaintenance

In an attempt to modernise its landsurveying, the road department of theBrihanmumbai Municipal Corpora-tion (BMC) of Mumbai city is planningto adopt the light detection and rang-

ing (LiDAR) technology for a moreaccurate mapping of the land surfacearea. Using this technology, civic offi-cials and elected representatives willbe able to determine where roadrepairs and constructions are neces-sary and identify the nature of struc-tures, such as encroachments, thatmay be causing bottlenecks.

GLONASS centre setup in Mumbai

The first demonstration centre of theRussian company GLONASS Naviga-tion and Information Systems (NISGLONASS) has opened in Mumbai.The establishment of the centre con-firms the company's plans of launch-ing production and developing soft-ware for the Indian market. "If ourbusiness is successful, we mightopen another two new full-fledgedcentres in India's key regions andsmall centres at the offices of ourregional partners," said VladimirFinov, Director, India-GLONASS programme.

Telecom major to useGLONASS services

Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited(BSNL) is expected to sign a memo-

randum of understanding with Sis-tema. The Russian major will offersatellite navigation services to BSNL via Russia's GLONASS. BSNLmay initially start a pilot project totest the service before going commercial. BSNL will be able tooffer free customer services likeemergency services, transport moni-toring, city bus fleet managementand accident response systemthrough GLONASS.

'BIM integral to Delhi's ATC tower'

London-based architectural firmHOK is heavily relying on buildinginformation modelling (BIM) todesign an air traffic control (ATC)tower at the Indira Gandhi Interna-tional Airport (IGAI) in Delhi. "BIMallows an architect to create a digitalmodel of their designs, givingunprecedented insight into how abuilding will work long before it'seven built. It improves our ability tostress test our designs and under-take much more detailed andadvanced feasibility testing," saidproject lead, Anthony Leslie. Con-struction is currently under way andthe new ATC tower will be operationalby 2014.


'GAGAN can cut fuel cost by 20 pc' The Airports Authority of India (AAI) will launch GPS-aided GEO-Aug-

mented Navigation System (GAGAN) in July 2013. S Sundara Raman,Executive Director (Communication, Navigation & Surveillance), AAI, said “airlines can save 20 per cent on their fuel costs," with the launch. A senior SpiceJet technical official said airlines don't take a straight linebetween two destinations. "After GAGAN, we will have what is called'freedom flights', leading to reduced fuel burn by 18-20 per cent," heexplained. GAGAN will also help the AAI by increasing its revenues fromair-navigation services by 2015.

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JAPAN

EO satellite for marine surveillanceThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is scheduled to launch ALOS-2, anadvanced land observation satellite, in 2013. The high-resolution imaging satellite willmonitor ship movement near the disputed Senkaku Islands and Takeshima islets. ALOS-2 is equipped with high-performance radar with a resolution of 1-3 metres. Theradar can monitor a 2,320-kilometre-wide surface area. The satellite was designed formissions that required radar imagery to map territory and to monitor disaster areas.ALOS-2 can capture day and night images and see through clouds.


Monitoring illegalmining via satellite

Tamil Nadu is all set to go hi-tech tocurb encroachments with its miningtenement registry through GIS andsatellite images. A comprehensivedatabase of mining tenements inmineral bearing areas in various dis-tricts will be prepared. The registrywill also provide satellite images ofcities and villages with survey num-bers along with details of miningleases.

PAKISTAN

Japanese aided GIScentre inauguratedLaw Minister Arshad Abdullah inau-gurated the first GIS laboratory fordigitisation of land records in KhyberPakhtunkhwa. The facility to comput-erise the land record was completedas a pilot project with the assistancefrom the UN agency, the UN-Habitat,under the Pakistan SettlementsFlood Recovery Project for whichfunds of PKR 9.5 million were provid-ed by the government of Japan. Thisis the first time that land records willbe computerised and replaced bysatellite images and maps for ensur-

ing transparency and accountabilityof land record keeping in Pakistan.

KAZAKHSTAN

Oil firm tracks workersusing RFIDAgip Kazakhstan North CaspianOperating Company (Agip KCO) isdeploying radio frequency identifica-tion (RFID) technology to track thelocation of its personnel throughoutthe facility. The system is provided byBritish offshore tracking solutionscompany S3 ID. The system, whichuses real-time location system(RTLS) hardware, is expected to golive during the first quarter of 2013.Through RFID, Agip KCO will be ableto quickly locate personnel during anemergency, as well as ensure that allstaff members leave the hazardousarea safely.

PHILIPPINES

Mobile app for real-time flood alerts The Philippine government haslaunched a mobile phone applicationwhich can provide real-time informa-

tion on rainfall and flooding to thegeneral public. The Nationwide Oper-ational Assessment of Hazards,which aims to provide informationabout bad weather to mitigate disas-ters launched its website in July.Now, a free mobile phone applicationhas been added.

THAILAND

Initiative to strengthenspace technologyAsia Pacific countries have launcheda five-year campaign aimed at pro-moting greater use of space technol-ogy and GIS for improved disasterrisk reduction and management aswell as to minimise the environmen-tal costs of economic growth in theregion. The Asia-Pacific Years ofAction for Applications of SpaceTechnology and the GIS for DisasterRisk Reduction and SustainableDevelopment 2012-2017 was pro-claimed by Asia-Pacific countriesmeeting at the 68th annual session ofthe United Nations Economic andSocial Commission for Asia and thePacific (ESCAP). The Asia-PacificYears of Action aims to increase rele-vant activities at the national, sub-regional and regional levels.

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FRANCE

Insurers look to EO forflood monitoring In an innovative business approach, aconsortium of insurers and reinsur-ers, including Swiss Re, Munich Re,Allianz, Willis and Guy Carpenter, hasteamed up with Zurich-based PERILSto assess real-time flood extentbased on data from a constellation ofsix European and Canadian remotesensing satellites. During the next 12months, the inundation area of sig-nificant floods will be delivered to aweb-based platform hosted by PER-ILS for the business partners.

This trial is part of ESA's activitiesto develop the industrial use of earthobservation-based services to stimu-late growth within the European serv-ice sector.

Two more Galileosatellites launched

The third and fourth satellites of theGalileo global navigation satellitesystem were lofted into orbit fromEurope's Spaceport in FrenchGuiana. They join the first pair ofsatellites launched a year ago tocomplete the validation phase of theGalileo programme. These satelliteswere built by a consortium led byAstrium as prime contractor, withThales Alenia Space in charge ofassembly, integration and testing.With four identical satellites now inorbit, ESA will be able to demon-strate the performance of the Galileopositioning system fully before the

deployment of the remaining opera-tional satellites.

UK

New technique to upGNSS accuracyResearchers at the NottinghamGeospatial Institute (NGI) have devel-oped a new technique that improvesGNSS positioning accuracy under theadverse tracking circumstances thatarise during ionospheric disruptions.The technique improves position esti-mates without using external modelsto predict the distorting scintillationeffects.

The technique uses informationthat can be extracted from any GNSSreceiver in real-time as it 'senses'the effects of the ionosphere. Thisinformation can then be applied tocounter ionospheric disturbancesthat currently limit the accuracyattainable by the PPPtechnology.

'LBS revenues set to cross USD 4 bn in 2012'Analysts at ABI Research have pre-dicted that location-based service(LBS) revenues are on course tobreak USD 4-billion mark in 2012.The GPS-enabled health and fitnessmarket continues to grow stronglywith application downloads expectedto break the 100-million mark in2012. Revenues currently remain lowas companies move to a 'freemium'model to build presence, but it is asector that has huge potential, withfitness device partnerships expectedin 2013.

Companies recognisevalue of big data:SurveyAlmost two-thirds (63 per cent) of theUK and Ireland (UKI) businessesrecognise the competitive advantageassociated with big data, a reportreleased by IBM and the Saïd Schoolof Business at the University ofOxford has found. This marks a sig-nificant increase with just over a third

Geospatial World I November 2012 13

Harpoon to pull outold satellites Engineers at Astrium UK aredeveloping a system to harpoonredundant satellites and pullthem out of the sky. The harpoonwill be fired at the satellite fromclose range, a propulsion packtethered to the projectile will thenpull the junk downwards, to burnup in the atmosphere. "Space hasbecome a critical part of ourinfrastructure - from weather

forecasting and earth observa-tion, to GPS and telecommunica-tions," said the harpoon's design-er, Dr Jaime Reed from AstriumUK. “Space junk poses a realthreat to these vital services if wedo nothing about it so it is veryimportant that we develop cap-ture technologies to remove someof this material," he added.

Image courtesy: BBC

14 Geospatial World I November 2012

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(34 per cent) recognising its valueback in 2010. However, despite thisincreased appreciation, there are stillkey areas where UKI companies arefailing to exploit the potential of bigdata.

OS promotes licensedmap data

Ordnance Survey (OS) has urged landand property professionals to uselicensed maps in order to maintaintheir professional reputation. Theagency said it was important fororganisations to have the appropriatelicence to effectively use mappingdata. The use of older, unlicenseddata, not only has legal and costimplications, but also risks damagingprofessional reputations, which mayhave taken many years to build.

ITALY

Astrium to providevideo from geo orbitAfter five years’ of efforts, AstriumSatellites is finally close to manufac-turing a geostationary-orbiting earthobservation satellite, HRGeo, offeringpersistent 3-metre resolution video

for military and civil security cus-tomers. Military officials have saidthey are willing to sacrifice someimage quality in exchange for persist-ent video coverage of a given targetarea. The HRGeo satellite will operateat an altitude of 36,000 km over theequator, maintaining a fixed positionover a given point on earth. Built for a10-year service life, HRGeo will be10.3-metre high at launch and weigh8,840 kg, providing a 100-km-wideimage swath.

SPAIN

First orbital debris testradar deployed A new radar designed to test meth-ods for finding orbital debris that canbe hazardous to space navigation hasbeen installed in the country. Theradar will be used to develop futuredebris warning services, helpingboost safety for European satelliteoperators. The radar was installednear Santorcaz, about 30 km fromMadrid.

The first series of acceptance andvalidation tests are scheduled tobegin in mid-November. ESA's SpaceSituational Awareness (SSA) pro-

gramme office and Spain's IndraEspacio S.A. signed a EUR 4.7-millioncontract to build the radar in 2010.

CYPRUS

Galileo ground stationto come up soonThe Republic of Cyprus and the Euro-pean Union (EU) signed an agree-ment on setting up a Galileo groundstation in Cyprus. The ground stationwill be one of the three medium earthorbit local user terminals (MEOLUT)network. It will relay distress signalsreceived by the Galileo satellites torescue teams throughout the EU. The Galileo Search and Rescue (SAR)service will be one of five services tobe provided by the European globalnavigation satellite system.

GERMANY

Irish firm to lead ESA project Ireland's TechWorks Marine will lead a European Space Agency (ESA) projecton utilising satellite data for monitoring the quality of coastal water. The IrishMinistry for Research and Innovation is supporting this initiative. The projectwill combine satellite observations with data from ocean buoys to deliver time-ly, high-quality information for water and waste management operators. Theinitiative aims to improve water quality in Ireland.

Image courtesy: ESA


AUSTRALIA

Bathymetrical survey forsafe vessel transit Computer Aided Resource Informa-tion System (CARIS) has completed asuccessful project for the provision ofa bathymetrical database system forthe Port of Melbourne Corporation(PoMC). PoMC conducts regular

bathymetric surveys as part of itsstatutory obligation to provide safeand effective transit of vesselsthrough Port Waters. The projectinvolved the integration of CARISBathy DataBASE and the EngineeringAnalysis Module into existing PoMCworkflows.

Soils-to-satellites tool tohelp researchers

Australian National Data Service(ANDS) has granted funds to cyberin-frastructure professionals from theAustralian Government's NationalCollaboration Research Infrastruc-ture Strategy programme (NCRIS) tobuild a soils-to-satellites online tool.The tool will enable researchers toexplore and display relationships

between disconnected data sets inways not previously experienced. Forexample, they will be able to display'layers' of Australian environmentaldata such as elevation, temperatureor soil type and then 'drill down' tocompare vegetation and genomicsdata across those layers and to per-form subsequent analyses across thecombined datasets.

New flood guide forAustralia

An agreement has been signedbetween Geoscience Australia andEngineers Australia to complete arevision of the Australian Rainfall andRunoff guide. The agreement formspart of a four-year programme toincrease the quality, consistency andaccessibility of flood risk informationin response to the Natural DisasterInsurance Review. The guide formedpart of a suite of products, includingmaps of historic floods derived fromsatellite imagery and a national floodportal providing a single point ofaccess to flood studies, to be devel-oped by Geoscience Australia. “Thenew guide will enable engineers todevelop more accurate and detailedflood studies. This will enable themto consider the potential impact ofclimate-induced changes to rainfalland river flow patterns,” said MartinFerguson, Minister, Resources andEnergy.

Landgate, DEC toconsolidate data

Landgate partnered with the Depart-ment of Environment and Conserva-tion (DEC) to provide a more currentand comprehensive topographicrecord of Western Australia. The twoagencies will combine resources and

consolidate information from their separate data sets into onedatabase, to provide a single sourceof topographic data for the state. The project is expected to reducecosts, duplication, inconsistenciesand time spent on maintenance. Lesley Arnold, Landgate Manager,said the collaboration would result in a richer record of Western Australia’s roads, water courses,infrastructure and terrain.

Supercomputer toprocess satellite data A new supercomputer operatedby the National Computing Infra-structure (NCI) will be used toprovide scientists with a greaterunderstanding of changes in Aus-tralia's landscape over the pasttwo decades. The 1.2 petaflopFujitsu supercomputer will be

used to process large volumes ofremotely sensed data collected bythe European Space Agency Syn-thetic Aperture Radar (SAR)satellites over the past 20 years.The analysis will contribute alsoto the development of a dynamicgeodetic coordinate system forAustralia and support applica-tions which require high qualitypositioning information such asmapping, construction, precisionagriculture and earth sciences.

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BUSINESS

'EO sales to reach USD 3 bn by 2021'The market for commercial earthobservation (EO) data slowed signifi-cantly in 2011 with a growth of only 6per cent to USD 1.4 billion, followingfive years of strong growth of over 20per cent from 2006 to 2010. The pri-mary factor behind this slow growthwas the stabilisation in US defencedata procurement following theawards of the Enhanced View con-tracts by the NGA to DigitalGlobe andGeoEye, the latest research report byEuroconsult has revealed.

However, commercial data mar-kets in South-East Asia, Latin Ameri-ca, Russia and CIS are all experienc-ing high growth rates. With thesedrivers supporting the industry, com-mercial data sales are forecasted toreach USD 3.9 billion by 2021.

Esri acquires GeoloqiEsri has announced acquisition ofGeoloqi, a platform for next-genera-tion location-based services, to form

the Esri R&D Center, Portland. Thefirst product offering will be ageocoding enhancement to theGeoloqi API that gives three newcapabilities to developers: the abilityto create triggers based on physicaladdresses rather than map coordi-nates, reverse geocoding and a Map-Kit alternative for iOS developersbased on Esri maps.

GeoEye delivers Web hosting service

GeoEye has announced the deliveryof new capabilities to the NationalGeospatial-Intelligence Agency(NGA). GeoEye's EnhancedView WebHosting Service (WHS) is now con-nected to additional government net-works. This new capability will pro-vide soldiers and intelligence ana-lysts around the world easy access tounclassified, high-resolution earthimagery through classified andunclassified US government net-works. The EnhancedView WHS provides users with online access to GeoEye and third-party earthimagery processed into highly precisefoundation geospatial intelligenceand base maps. New imagery will bedisseminated to users through intu-itive Web map interfaces.

APPLICATIONS

Video game to createreal combat scenario Earthling Technology is developing anew video game, Geoception, whichaims to leverage the technology ofGoogle Earth to offer players thelargest explorable map in video gamehistory. Geoception allows players tocommand and control UAVs and

other combat drones in a realisticmanner, anywhere in the world. Tactical scenarios and missions canbe dynamically generated at anylocation on the globe, providing challenging targets such as armedpersonnel, moving vehicles androoftop sentry guns.

Wearable sensor system to map disasterResearchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) havedeveloped a wearable sensor system that automatically creates a digitalmap of the environment through which the wearer is moving. The prototypesystem is envisioned as a tool to help emergency responders coordinatedisaster response. In experiments conducted on the MIT campus, a gradu-ate student wearing the sensor system wandered the halls and the sensorswirelessly relayed data to a laptop in a distant conference room. Observerswere able to track the student's progress on a map that sprang into beingas he moved.


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MISCELLANEOUS

Foundation to mapglobal waste sitesThe Clinton Global Initiative haslaunched the Foundation for Sustain-able Waste Resources with Esri andD-Waste to address health and envi-ronmental problems caused by bil-lions of tonnes of waste producedworldwide. The Foundation's first ini-tiative will be to partner with organi-sations, companies and NGOs to cre-ate a global map of waste manage-ment systems. The map will be cre-ated by developing a platform usingIT, GIS and mobile applications.

US Army to establishdata storage standard

The US Army, in collaboration withthe National Geospatial-Intelligence

Agency and US Marine Corps USMC),is working to establish the Ground-Warfighter Geospatial Data Model(GGDM) as the ground-warfighterNational System for Geospatial-Intel-ligence standard. GGDM will serve asone of the core components of theArmy Geospatial Enterprise. The pur-pose of the effort is to reducestovepipes, lower costs, simplifyacquisition and accelerate transitionof technology as part of a standardand shareable geospatial foundation.

ARGENTINA

Ground deformation in Andes revealed Satellites have detected grounddeformation under-way above amajor subterranean magma body inthe central Andes Mountains. In a

study published in Science, scientistsused radar data from the ERS andEnvisat missions to study an unusualuplift near the Uturuncu volcano,which had been dormant for 270,000years. The satellites show that theground in this area has been rising byabout 10 mm per year over the past20 years. The surrounding area, how-ever, is sinking at a slower rate ofabout 2 mm per year.

Geospatial World I October 2012 17

Image Coutesy: ESA

FDI / INDIA

Stevenson, whose masterpiece The Treasure Islandopened the first secrets of maps for us, couldn'thave been more relevant today. As governments

and businesses across the world take to geospatial tech-nology to unlock the secret to many a mystery, a host ofgeospatial companies are excited about fresh businessprospects the economic reforms in India could unfold forthem. This has come after the Indian government finallybit the bullet and opened up foreign direct investment insectors such as retail, pension and insurance, and air-lines after years of contemplation and ambivalence.

"We are already in talks with a major US retailer foridentifying locations and planing logistics," says RajeshMathur, Vice Chairman, Esri India. Big retailers such asTesco, Wal-Mart, Carrefour extensively use GIS for identi-fying locations, business analytics, building up inventoryetc. "And multinational firms always bring with them thebest practices. Given that, it's obvious that we will see alot of activity in the geospatial space," adds Mathur.

Reaping retail shopping

India has emerged as the fifth-most favorable destinationfor global retailers, says A T Kearney's Retail Develop-ment Index 2012. The USD 450-billion retail market inIndia is currently controlled by tiny mom-and-pop stores,with organised retail comprising only 10 per cent butexpanding at 20 per cent. With increasing disposableincomes and a middle class of close to 300 million grow-

ing at 2 per cent a year, expansion of shopping centresand malls, the sector is likely to grow to about USD

900 billion by 2014, projects PwC. So far, 100 per cent FDI was allowed only in

wholesale ventures. The recent change allows 100per cent FDI in single-brand and up to 49 per centin multi-brand retail, subject to sourcing restric-tions and a mandatory investment clause of at least50 per cent in backend infrastructure.

To keep up, Indian retail firms must optimisebusinesses against new competition, while foreignplayers, already familiar with cutting-edge technolo-gies, need to strategise to capture the complex Indianmarket. MapmyIndia Director Rohan Verma says inthis fast-changing scenario, the first thing mostretailers will look for "is ways to sell efficiently,which will help reduce the cost to consumers andimprove earnings of the farmer and vendors".

"So if this is a signal for a boom in retail, and


Big reforms, bigger money?

"I am told there are people who do not care for maps, andI find it hard to believe."

— Robert Louis Stevenson, The Art of Writing

The Indian government’s recent reforms spree to kickstart a stagnant economy could

open new vistas for geospatial industry in the country

the allied FMCG sector, we see a big boom coming forthe geospatial sector [too]." says Verma.

A critical aspect for a retailer is location. Other thanplain GIS maps, a solutions provider adds layers of demo-graphic data — population density, incomes and con-sumer buying pattern. Traffic generators like the kind ofmarket areas or shopping malls in an area, petrol pumps,ATMs, restaurants help them decide on the viability of aplace. There is also information about the supply-chainmanagement — location of vendors and their supplyareas, warehouses, logistics cost from the farmers towarehouses to retail outlets — that GIS solution providershelp retailers with. For logistics, they need vehicle track-ing, fleet management, GPS hardware and GIS mapping.

Dr. Aniruddha Roy, Vice President, Strategic BusinessGroup (GIS) at Navayuga Spatial Technologies, sees a hugemarket potential here. "Business analytics is for themobile players when we talk about retail. Companies deal-ing in GIS and spatial solutions will be the ones to gain...also, Web and service-based players." But he is not toooptimistic about the growth pace. "It will still be slow, veryslow for retail... most of the work has already been done,"says Roy, implying FDI proposals had been in the pipelinefor some time and foreign retailers surely did not wait forthe last moment to start homework. "Data is being sentand solutions are being created out there [abroad]."

Mathur, on the other hand, feels there's enough roomfor geospatial companies in India to reap the benefits."Large companies demand fast solutions. It's a part oftheir workflow. They need it, so we will do it."

Of opportunities and mixed signals

The mandatory 50 per cent investment clause in backendinfrastructure is expected to boost back-end supply-chain capex, says Crisil Research, which projects that FDIin retail has the potential to attract USD 2.5-3-billion

investments over the next five years. A large chunk of thisinvestment is expected in the food and grocery vertical.

Here too, geospatial players smell new vistas. A largenumber of multi-brand retail chains mean FMCG compa-nies need to put businesses on the smart track. "Essen-tially, FMCG sales are driven through retailers — large andsmall," says Verma. "FMCGs would have to supply to alarge number of outlets, and that's where we can providedistribution logistics and sales and marketing solutions."

Already, Indian businesses in retail and FMCG areinvesting in geospatial technology and solutions as theyhave realised its potential to optimise businesses. Vermasays his business has seen significant growth in the lasttwo to three years. On FDI, however, geospatial playersare cautious about the "mixed signals" and await foreignplayers to firm up their India plans before counting chick-ens. "The government wants to relax it, the states havethe option to adopt it, and the Opposition is totally againstit. So, isn't it too early to say whether the signal is strong-ly towards FDI in retail?" asks Verma. "There has been noannouncement so far as foreign retailers are still in talks.Only when the signals are clear can we talk," says theofficial of a geospatial company requesting anonymity.

Insurance a risky bet

The geospatial sector is more guarded over the reformsin insurance. The USD 41-billion insurance industry inIndia is full of potential but hit by regulatory hurdles, asharp dip in GDP growth and uncertain market condi-


“We are already in talks with a majorUS retailer for identifying locationsand planing logistics... Largecompanies demand fast solutions.They need it, so we will do it.”

Rajesh MathurVice Chairman, Esri India

51% in FDI in multi-brand and 100% in single-brand retail

30% sourcing from SMEs and 50% investment in backend must

States to have the final say on whether to allow foreign chains

Foreign aiirlines can acquire up to 49% in domestic airliners

Earlier, FDI up to 49% by non-airline companies was allowed

FDI cap in insurance to be raised to 49% from present 26%Changes in insurance subject to Parliament nod

CHANGES IN FDI NORMS

tions. Even though current norms allow FDI up to 26 percent, several foreign players have quit India. The hike inFDI cap is subject to parliamentary nod, not an easy taskgiven that the ruling coalition is in a minority.

It is in this chaos geospatial players are looking foropportunity. "With our enablement, the insurance industrywill become more organised and scientific, in terms ofreaching out to consumers at the front end and risk andresource management at the backend," says Verma. Andhe may not be wrong given that the market is still at anascent stage of evolution. The ratio of lifeinsurance premium to GDP in India isabout 4 per cent, much lower than thedeveloped market levels of 6 to 9 per cent.In urban areas, penetration is only about65 per cent while rural penetration in thebanked segment is 40 per cent and mar-ginal in unbanked segments. E&Y listsdiverse distribution strategies, focus onfinancial inclusion and consumer needsand preferences as the most crucial areasfor insurance companies. This is wherethe geospatial industry can step in. Customised GIS anddemographic data for consumer indexing and riskassessment by aggregating a variety of geospatial datacan address these issues.

Getting them off the ground

The debt-ridden domestic airlines industry is a differentball game. Much of what it has to do with geospatialtechnology is government-controlled in India, with littlespace in fleet management and route planning for air-

lines, and airport management for private operators.Foreign airlines can now pick up to 49 per cent stake in

Indian carriers, a move that is expected to inject much-needed cash flow into the aviation sector. Though globalcarriers are non-committal, experts say those with deeppockets will eventually enter India. Even amid this gloom,the Centre of Asia Pacific Aviation has projected 8 to 10 percent traffic growth for 2012-13 for the India market. Morethe merrier for the geospatial sector, which thinks the avi-ation story is promising in the medium to long term. It ishoping that fresh investments in aviation technology willimprove flight operations, ground handling and safetystandards. Besides high taxes and capital cost, the aviationsector is plagued by high airport charges, congestion atairports and lack of airport infrastructure at smaller cities,issues that can be dealt with GIS and GPS solutions.

The geospatial industry is betting that with the rise inthe number of aircraft, the number and size of airportswill also go up. "Airlines and airports are aligned, just

like FMCG and retail. They need similaryet different solutions," says Verma. Air-ports require slightly different solutions,like 3D indoor mapping, fleet, vehicle andasset monitoring. A return-on-investmentstudy at the Los Angeles International Air-port demonstrates that after an initialinvestment in establishing a GIS, therewas an annual return of over 400 per cent.There is also, as Mathur says, scope inroute planning, new hubs and "spoke-and-wheel kind of an architecture".

The silver lining

"When big companies need quick solutions, they will pumpin big money," says Mathur. Indeed, big money could alsolead to more innovation, fresh products and solutions thatthe Indian geospatial industry is yet to try its hands on butclaims it is capable of. Geospatial is an enabling industrythat helps businesses become more productive and cost-effective with seamless processes. The more other busi-nesses grow, there will be a follow-on effect onto the B2Bside of geospatial industry. But for now, it’s a chicken-and-egg situation — the ‘big money’ it expects will come only ifthe reforms translate to tangible reality.

Anusuya Datta, Deputy Executive [email protected]

A return-on-investmentstudy at the Los

Angeles Airport showsthat after an initial

investment ineestablishing a GIS, the

system delivered anannual return in excess

of 400 per cent.


“With our enablement, theinsurance industry will becomemore scientific — reaching out toconsumeers at the front end and riskmanagement at the backend.”

Rohan VermaDirector, MapmyIndia


GNSS

In Pole

Position

21

Last month saw the 55thanniversary of the Sputnik-1launch, a pivotal moment in

the genesis of GNSS and the spacerace. The scientists’ decision to lis-ten out for its signals was, in effect,the GNSS universe’s equivalent ofthe Big Bang; it set GNSS technologyin motion and its reach hasn’tstopped expanding since.

The world’s first global navigationsatellite system was TRANSIT,designed and built for the US Navy —launched in 1959 and declared fullyoperational five years later. By thetime TRANSIT reached retirement,almost 30 years later, the expansionof the GNSS universe was wellunderway. Its now-silent satellites

shared the skies with GLONASS,Russia's GNSS, and its own succes-sor, GPS.

GNSS APPLICATIONS

ACCELERATE

While GPS's civilian signal had beenavailable for many years, it had alsobeen subject to 'selective availabili-ty', a function that intentionally intro-duced time errors, reducing accura-cy in the interest of preservingnational security. While methodsexisted (such as differential GPS) tomitigate its effects, 'selective avail-ability' generally cut accuracy fromabout 10 or 20 metre to almost 100metre. Crucially, for popular adop-tion in road transport applications,

that's the difference between beingon the 34th Street and 35th Street inNew York City!

When US President Bill Clintondeactivated 'selective availability' onMay 1 2000, the move's intention (asstated in the White House's own factsheet), was to: "…accelerate [GPS's]acceptance and use by businesses,governments, and private individualsin the US and around the world thatwill enjoy increases in productivity,efficiency, safety, scientific knowl-edge and quality of life."

Over the last 10 years, and large-ly due to this decision, civil and com-mercial applications of GNSS posi-tioning have indeed proliferated — aswell as the systems delivering them.

Less than 50 years ago, the concept of satellite

positioning didn't exist. Today, global navigation

satellite systems have become inextricably

intertwined with national security and infrastructure,

international relations and our daily lives. Here’s a

look at the route that got us here, and some of the

obstacles and solutions on the road ahead,

including the huge potential of integrating GNSS

with other technologies — both old and new.

GNSS TODAY

As we travel further into the age ofGNSS and as satellite positioningfinds applications in an increasingrange of sectors and industries, weare constantly learning — not only tomake better use of the technologyitself, but to deploy it alongside andintegrate it with other technologies,to meet newer challenges. To seehow, let's examine current develop-ments in several key industries.

AutomotiveThe road vehicle is still, for manyGNSS users, the natural home ofsatellite positioning. But today'schallenges are quite different fromthose we were looking to solve at theturn of the century. Having answeredthe problem of how we get to wherewe're going, we are looking to GNSSto help us answer another problem,one that's arguably even more cru-cial — how we get all of us theresafely and sustainably. In the interestof sustainability, increasing demandfor road use can no longer be coun-tered with the construction of more,or wider, highways. (And, given thecurrent global economic situation, itis not, in many instances, an attrac-tive option financially.)

Simply increasing the physicalsize of our infrastructure would alsodo little to enhance safety. Accordingto the World Health Organization'sGlobal Status Report for Road Safety2009, approximately 1.3 million peo-ple die each year on the world'sroads, with (as more developingcountries take to cars) road deathsestimated to be the fifth biggestcause of casualty by 2030.

Solutions

GNSS positioning, when combinedwith other technologies, both old andnew, has the potential not only tomeet these challenges, but also tochange our whole experience of roadtravel. With increased wireless radioconnectivity — either between cars, or between cars and smartinfrastructure — there is the possibility of intelligent speed controland information about traffic condi-tions or hazards ahead being trans-mitted to in-car displays, enhancingjourney efficiency while improvingsafety.

Roughly 90 per cent of the acci-dents are caused by human error,however, and it is easy to see whysome believe enhanced in-car warn-ings and automated security features

will ultimately prove insufficient —that the real solution is to removethe capacity for human error alto-gether. With an array of sensors from laser distancing to radar, weare already seeing the first self-driv-ing cars on our roads. Smarter cars offer not only the opportunity to make more efficient use of existing infrastructure, but also help us to plan acceleration basedon the road ahead, reduce the needfor braking (eg. at traffic signals),slipstream to save fuel. The realisa-tion of ever more automated drivingwill, of course, depend on establish-ment and adoption of widespreadstandards, as well as the reliabilityand security of the systems they govern.

RailwaysA train cabin may not be the firstplace where one would expect aGNSS receiver, but the potential ben-efits of incorporating GNSS technol-ogy into rolling stock are wide-rang-ing — from reduced infrastructurecosts and more efficient operation, toenhanced passenger information and safety.

Potential railway-based applica-tions of GNSS include positive train


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Key GNSS application areas...

Automotive Civil aviation Indoor positioning


control and in-cab signaling, auto-matic door operation, on-train moni-toring and recording, train and infra-structure protection and better infor-mation for rail users.

Then why GNSS is not there in allour trains? The key obstacle to bring-ing the benefits of GNSS to railwayshas always been the difficulty ofguaranteeing positioning integrity(the reliability of the fix) and accura-cy. This guarantee is clearly vital inapplications where safety of life is atstake and the railway landscape, withits bridges, tunnels and cuttings, isparticularly challenging for GNSSreceivers, which need a clear line ofsight to at least four satellites toestablish a full positional fix.

Solutions

As we move further into the age ofmultiple GNSS, however, the powerof this obstacle is diminishing. Multi-GNSS receivers (which can processsignals from more than one GNSS),naturally have access to more satel-lites, more of the time — meaningenhanced accuracy and availability,even in a railway's often demandingenvironment.

The full promise of multi-GNSSseems likely to be realised through

its combination with other technolo-gies. Many of the world's railways arealready moving away from tracksideinfrastructure toonboard, in-cab,signalling. TheEuropean RailTraffic Manage-ment System (aninitiative to pro-mote interoper-ability and safetyacross the EU), for example, relies onradio beacons inserted in the tracksat regular intervals, which relayinformation regarding the trackahead. By augmenting such a systemwith GNSS, there is the potential toreduce costs and increase reliability— as well as add some of the servic-es outlined above.

Civil aviationGNSS uptake in civil aviation is slow-er than one might expect — andagain, one of the primary reasons isthat lives are at stake and regulationis strong. Applications in other indus-tries can take advantage of any GNSSsignals available. To minimise therisk of interference, aviation applica-tions must use signals transmittedon specific safety-of-life aeronautical

radio navigation service (ARNS)bands. With the expansion of theworld's GNSS over the next few

years, such sig-nals are set tobecome morenumerous andreliable.

GPS modernisation

The ongoingmodernisation of

GPS constellation, for example,includes the addition a new ARNSband signal L5. The US Governmenthas stated L5 is to be, “reservedexclusively for aviation safety services… and features higher power, greaterbandwidth, and an advanced signaldesign.” Greater availability and qual-ity of aviation-grade signals can onlyhelp GNSS to take flight in civil avia-tion, removing one of the principalbarriers to adoption. GNSS uptake innon-regulated industries, where sig-nal integrity isn't necessarily a mat-ter of life and death, is currentlyproving much swifter.

MiningOne such industry is mining. Compa-nies are already taking advantage oftheir relative regulatory freedom tocreate and operate fleets of self-driv-ing, wirelessly connected trucks, aswell as adding GNSS-aided automa-tion to other key processes.

GNSS in action

At one of Vale's opencast mines inthe Amazon Rainforest, GNSS technology is not only employed toprevent the Brazilian company'smachines colliding with each otherand with material stockpile, but to

Mining Railways

As we travel further intothe age of GNSS, we are

constantly learning to deployit alongside and iintegrate itwith other technologies, to

meet newer challenges.


coordinate the movement of a mobileconveyor system, that crawls along-side the mining operation.

Indoor positioningAs we have taken the ability to knowwhere we are, wherever we are, toour hearts, we have become increas-ingly reluctant to accept the idea thatthis ability has limits. Even multi-GNSS, as noted above, has limits —need for line of sight to the satellites.From in-store, in-museum or in-air-port navigation to location-basedmarketing, new social and commer-cial location-aware applicationsdemand accurate positioning incities, indoors, and even under-ground. In this area, even more sothan on our railways and roads, inte-gration of GNSS with other technolo-gies is providing many of the mostcompelling solutions.

Hybrid positioning

With smartphone adoption ratefaster than any other consumer

technology in history, there has beenno lack of will to solve the indoorpositioning challenge — and nodearth of solutions. The most prom-ising include combining GNSS withWi-Fi positioning (in which the loca-tion-aware device checks the land-scape of the local Wi-Fi hotspotsobserved against a hotspot database)and augmenting GNSS with datafrom the inertial sensors commonlyincluded in smartphones.

A smartphone's accelerometersand other sensors naturally continueto function when GNSS signals arelost; by combining the last GNSS-verified location with the informationfrom these sensors, positioningaccuracy and availability can beenhanced. The future of indoor posi-tioning has a strong foundation: therecently formed 'indoor positioningalliance' In-Location. It is a group of22 technology companies includingNokia, Sony and Samsung and hasstated its commitment to collaborateon piloting new indoor positioning

services, as well as promoting openinterfaces and a standards-basedapproach.

CONCLUSION

Integration of GNSS with Wi-Fi, inertial sensors and other technolo-gies is helping us to further extendits possibilities – and vice versa.

GNSS and its augmentations,however, also have the potential tosupport integration on a larger scale,to coordinate efficient, multi-modaljourneys for goods and people. Lessthan 45 years from now it could behelping us find the fastest route from our house, across town in thesafety of a self-driving car, straightthrough the labyrinthine train station, and onto a faster, morepunctual train.

As the applications of GNSSexpand, new challenges and obsta-cles will need to be dealt with.Ensuring positioning integrity andmitigating signal interference(whether natural or unnatural, accidental or malicious) will beessential for any application or service on which people rely. Today,there are very few quality standardsfor positioning integrity and receiverperformance, a situation which willhave to change as GNSS makesgreater inroads into our lives and isrelied upon by more of us, for moreimportant things, every year.

But one thing is certain. The evo-lution of satellite positioning, and itsapplications, shows no signs of stop-ping. The next few years are set toprove very exciting indeed.

John PottleMarketing DirectorSpirent Positioning [email protected]

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A test engineer assesses the performance of a GPS receiver using an RF constellation simulator

In the last 20 years or so, theface of the mid- to large-scalefarming operations has under-

gone a dramatic change. From theuse of satellite imagery to enhanceirrigation efforts, the use of com-puter technology to know the pre-cise egg production of each layinghen, to truly robotic dairy cowmilking systems, change hasbecome the rule rather than theexception. As operating budgetstighten and costs for fuel, seed,fertiliser and chemicals rise, farm-ers continue to look for ways toincrease efficiencies, cut expensesand strengthen their bottom line.

For North Carolina-based DMGFarms, equipping each of its twotractors with a precision agriculturesystem from Topcon Positioning Sys-tems was a bold step toward accom-plishing all that and more. Today, thecompany reports far better efficien-cies in its crop planting and fertilis-ing, has opened up that planting

process to workers who might nototherwise have had the opportunityand believe it will have be a muchbetter operation.

TECH INNOVATIONS

When the Gardner family of DMGFarms made its initial foray intofarming nearly a century ago, anadvance in technology meant using asteel plough rather than a woodenone. And, according to Clay Gardner,great-grandson of the company'sfounder, mules were the powerbehind those farm implements.

"We have realised that technolo-gy drives improvements in this busi-ness, so we've been following theadvances made in various areas,"says Gardner. He says the family hadalready become interested in preci-sion agriculture, a GPS-basedapproach to crop planting, cultivationand maintenance. They knew whathad once been little more than anautomation of the steering system

was now a full-fledged sophisticatedtechnique to include control overseeding and spraying, the ability tomap and log data, and more.

Clay Gardner and his father Davidfarm 400 acres of their own land and1,400 acres they have leased fromlocal residents. In addition to thevarious types of sod, the companyplants sweet potatoes, tobacco andsoybeans, which is traditionally doneusing a row marker extended off theside of the tractor to delineate andmaintain equal spacing betweenrows. Gardner calls this technique"running rows". With the addition ofthe agriculture control system, nothaving to continually watch thosemarkers — and suffer the accompa-nying fatigue — was just one imme-diate benefit DMG enjoyed.

"Now, we just establish an 'A'and 'B' point and the system con-nects those two points and drives themachine, resulting in the straightestline imaginable," says Gardner. "But,

Precision agriculture helps US farm to streamline sowing and fertilising

To be precise

Embracing technology — including the use of GPS-based systems — has

helped farmers keep operating costs downand better utilise their workforce.


CASE STUDY / US

Case Study

while that comfort level is nice, oneof the biggest things for us is theability to have different employeesrunning rows for us. Years ago, whenthere were more farms, there usedto be a lot more workers availablewith the skill to operate equipment."

"Today, it's basically 'what youget is what you train' and this systemmakes it unbelievably easy to trainpeople. They don't really have tounderstand how to run a row — thesystem does that for them. If theyhappen to lean one way or take theireye off the row for a second, there isno harm done. And having more people to run rows frees me up.”

STRAIGHT RUN

Maintaining a straight row for thefarmer is about more than just aes-thetics. Straight rows make the mostefficient use of the land available forplanting. Being able to maintain astraight line or equal spacingbetween rows also eliminates anumber of potential problems.

"Just as they are everywhere,

costs associated with running afarming operation like ours are goingup," says Gardner. "Fertiliser, seed,insecticide, herbicide — they are allgetting more expensive, so we needto make the most efficient use ofthem. We don't use a broadcastspreader of any kind. Instead, everything we apply is done usingrow units — a series of individualcomponents with bins to hold anddispense seed, fertiliser etc.attached to the rear of the tractor.These help in the actual delivery ofthe product into the soil, but if therows aren't straight and get closer orwiden, product is wasted. Precisionagriculture, by maintaining straight,evenly spaced rows throughout theplanting or application, eliminatesthat issue."

The Gardners were recentlyplanting tobacco in a field that hadcurved rather than straight rows, achallenge using a traditional rowmarker. If the rows are not curvedjust right, there is a chance of watercollection which ultimately damages

the plants. Further, Gardners notonly plant the tobacco but also culti-vate the crop, which presents anadditional challenge for the tractoroperator. "If I have a man on themachine and he gets too close toanother row, he can take out thatrow which is costly to us. All that —the contour issues, the risk of acci-dentally removing plants, the over-or under-application — has beeneliminated. We did this year's entiretobacco crop using precision agricul-ture, the rows are just outstandingand cultivation will be a breeze."

The system to which DMG com-mitted, while providing an autosteer-ing function, offers a host of addi-tional benefits which Gardner sayshe has already tapped. These includea comprehensive control for applica-tion and rate, including an auto-cov-erage feature to eliminate the risk ofoverlapping or gaps in coverage; anenhanced data management capa-bility which allows them to recorddata from multiple fields and tasksfor different farms, then createdetailed reports and multi-yearanalyses.

The 12-inch screen itself was ahuge selling point. "With the newsystem, we are able to essentiallycustomise the display to meet ourspecific needs. We have the option ofseeing the operation in a number ofdifferent views; we can easily moni-tor all the critical elements of theoperation such as rates and fieldcoverage; and it is all icon-driven sothe learning curve for both me andmy employees is minimal. Perhapsthe best feature is also the mostbasic: the display's resolution is soclear and sharp that it is easy to read— even in the brightest sunlight.That's unbelievable luxury."


Case Study

On the 12-inch screen of the system, the farmer can easily monitor all the critical elements of the operation such as rates and field coverage

Surveyors today utilize GNSS, optical measurements and comprehhensive dde ksktop sofftware to prov dide accurate iininffoformrm tatatiioionn ananddd seservrviiciceses ffforor ttthheheiirir cclililienenttsts. BByBy iii tntntegegraratititingng multiple technologies for positioning, visualization and dadatata mmananagagememenentt, TTririmbmblele hhasas ssetet tthehe sstatandndarardd foforr inintetegrgratatioionn bebetwtweeeenn fifieleldd anandd ofoffificece.

The new Trimble R10 GNSS system delivers major ad-vancements in GNSS techhn lology andd pe frformance, whhille TTrTriimimblblblee VIVIVISISISIONONON pproro ivividdedess iinincrcreaeaseseddd flflfl exexibibibilililititityy, ss fafaf tetetyy ananddd productivity. In the offi ce, Trimble Business Center soft-wawarere bblelendndss poposisititiononiningg anandd imimagagee dadatata fforor aananalylysisiss anandd dedeliliveveryry ttoo dodownwnststrereamam cclilienentsts aandnd sstatakekehoholdldererss.

Trimble R10—A New Level of Productivity and Confi dence in GNSS SurveyingGNSS has earned widespread acceptance among surveyors and other geospatial professionals. And despite the sim-ple appearance of a survey-grade GNSS receiver, GNSS surveying systems conduct simultaneous, tightly coordinated functions including satellite tracking, terrestrial communications and complex calculations. By improving any of these components, manufacturers can provide incremental gains in performance. But large-scale advances can come only by adding innovation and new performance into all aspects of a system. Trimble is doing just that.

The new Trimble® R10 GNSS system introduces new technology and workfl ow advances across the entire GNSS sur-veying process. The result? Surveyors will work with a new level of productivity, confi dence and reliability that extends far beyond comprehensive GNSS support.

Advanced Satellite Tracking and ProcessingSatellite technology is evolving and expanding. New frequencies and signals are in place, and entire new constellations of positioning satellites are emerging. To help surveyors realize maximum benefi t from the new satellites, the Trimble R10 can utilize available signals from existing and currently planned GNSS constellations and augmentation systems.

Equipped with Trimble 360 receiver technology, the Trimble R10 off ers 440 individual GNSS channels capable of track-ing signals from existing and planned GNSS constellations including GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, Compass and QZSS. The receiver can also utilize augmentation systems including WAAS, EGNOS, MSAS and GAGAN. To manage and process the GNSS data, the Trimble R10 uses two Trimble Maxwell™ 6 GNSS chips and powerful, energy-effi cient processors.

Trimble Integrated Systems Deliver Precision and Productivity

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It’s all integrated into a compact, lightweight receiver that provides the highest-level performance for RTK and post-processed surveying.

The Trimble R10 also introduces a new technique for GNSS com-putations that provides reduced convergence times and instanta-neous point measurements. Rather than focusing on the conven-tional “fi xed versus fl oat” approach, the new Trimble HD-GNSS core processing engine provides precision-based measurements that enable users to focus on the precision of the position itself. The sys-tem continuously delivers the best possible positions, together with estimates of precision and increased reliability in diffi cult GNSS ar-eas. RTK initialization commonly requires only a few seconds.

In the offi ce, Trimble HD-GNSS is incorporated into Trimble Business Center software for processing and analysis of GNSS measurements. The desktop system makes it easy to utilize precise ephemeris data and to access GNSS control station data from networks around the world.

GNSS in Diffi cult ConditionsFor surveyors working in challenging areas, periods of radio outage sometimes render the primary stream of RTK correction data un-available to support conventional single-base or Trimble VRS™ (Virtual Reference Station) network RTK. To help overcome these challenges, the Trimble R10 includes support for Trimble xFill™ technology.

Based on Trimble RTX positioning technology, Trimble xFill uses L-band satellite transmissions to provide centimeter-level posi-tioning during times of interrupted RTK correction streams. Not only does Trimble xFill enable survey-level point measurements to continue for short periods, it may also enable brief excursions into areas masked from reference radio signals but still visible to the GNSS constellations. As a result, surveyors experience less down-time on the job.

Bypass the BubbleFor the surveyor in the fi eld, the simple task of plumbing the re-ceiver pole can be time-consuming and a potential source of error. To solve this, the Trimble R10 has replaced the level vial or pole bubble with high-precision electronic tilt sensors. Using Trimble SurePoint™ technology adapted from Trimble S-Series total sta-tions, the Trimble R10 continuously measures the tilt of the pole. In Trimble Access™ fi eld software, the eBubble display indicates if the pole is within tilt tolerance needed to measure a point. When the pole is suffi ciently plumb, the system can even automatically initiate measurement and record the point.

To provide additional confidence, the pole tilt measurements are stored with each measured point. Back in the office, Trimble Busi-ness Center can access Trimble SurePoint data for analysis and quality control.

Integrating the Advances—The Benefi ts of the System ApproachWorking with Trimble Access fi eld software and Trimble Business Center in the offi ce, the Trimble R10 is at the core of a GNSS surveying system that delivers new levels of performance and productivity.

• Trimble 360 provides improved tracking and use of available satellites to deliver the best possible data.

• Trimble xFill lets you continue RTK work even if communications are briefl y blocked, increasing productivity and reducing rework.

• Trimble HD-GNSS delivers faster initialization and continuous display of reliable precision estimates, and provides full information on the precision of the observations.

• Trimble SurePoint speeds data collection in the fi eld and provides new levels of confi dence and traceability.

• Built-in communications options include internal UHF radios to transmit or receive RTK corrections as well as integrated cellular modems, WiFi and Bluetooth communications. capable of running simultaneously.

Trimble VISION —A New View of SurveyingOne of the best views of a project comes from the perspective of the surveyor’s total station. But the people who can benefi t from the instrument’s view—offi ce technicians and even the surveyor at the prism pole—can’t see what the instrument sees. That’s all changing, thanks to pioneering technology from Trimble.

Trimble VISION™ technology integrates advanced hardware and software to bring digital imaging to the survey workfl ow and dataset. Trimble VISION provides increased safety, fl exibility and productivity in the fi eld. In the offi ce, Trimble VISION improves quality control and depth of information while providing the ability to measure additional survey points.

See What the Instrument SeesTrimble VISION integrates a digital camera into the Trimble S-series total stations and Trimble VX™ spatial sta-tion to produce images of the scene as viewed through the instrument telescope. Using live video and remote control, Trimble VISION brings the instrument’s view to the fi eld controller.

Rather than looking through the telescope, the operator can use Trimble VISION to aim the instrument at the desired survey targets. High-quality video, on-screen crosshairs and digital zoom make it easy to identify and precisely point to the desired location. With a simple tap on the video display, the instrument turns to the select-ed point and uses Trimble Direct Refl ex (DR) technology to automatically measure and store the point’s location.

Because the operator can see exactly what the instrument sees, it’s simple to switch from robotic to DR mode to capture points in inaccessible or diffi -cult locations. Surveyors also take ad-vantage of Trimble VISION to operate the instrument by remote control.

In areas of hazardous conditions or re-stricted access, Trimble VISION makes it possible to collect survey points quickly and safely while maintaining the needed precision. The system is rapidly fi nding a home in plant and architectural surveys, transportation, engineering projects and cadastral applications.

Trimble VISION goes beyond measur-ing points. In the fi eld, the location of measured or design points can be dis-played on the Trimble VISION image. The surveyor can easily check that needed points have been collected and determine the location of points to be staked in the fi eld.

Calibrated for AccuracyIn each Trimble VISION instrument, the calibrated digital camera maximizes

quality by optimizing fi eld-of-view, ex-posure, depth of fi eld, resolution and image fi le size. Because the camera is physically built into the telescope, Trimble VISION can precisely match measured survey points with images from the camera. As a result, the fi eld surveyor is confi dent that the point in the image is the same point that is measured and stored.

The calibrated camera also opens an en-tirely new door for increased productiv-ity. Survey fi eld crews can collect multi-ple images that are tied together based on the instrument location and orienta-tion. In the offi ce, technicians can use photogrammetry functions in Trimble Business Center software to measure additional 3D points. The image quality and precise positioning greatly simplify the photogrammetric process.

Trimble’s new, simple photogram-metric approach creates opportuni-ties in projects that require dense data of diffi cult–to-measure objects. Applications include power lines and communications towers, architectural projects and engineering or construc-

tion asbuilt surveys. By combining refl ectorless measurement and pho-togrammetry, surveyors can capture detailed information quickly, safely and without costly revisits.

The View from the FieldSurveyors can use Trimble VISION to document site conditions and data capture. High-quality digital im-ages can be automatically attached to measured points. Field crews can use Trimble VISION to automatically collect panoramic views of sites and objects. In the offi ce, Trimble Business Center processes the multiple images into a single panorama, correcting for exposure and parallax to create a single, seamless image.

Surveyors can combine visual infor-mation with fi eld measurements and design data to produce comprehen-sive, detailed data on project con-ditions and features. By integrating survey and design information with real-time images, Trimble VISION lets surveyors verify that they have collect-ed all the needed data before leaving the job site.

A Clear View of the FutureTrimble VISION is quickly improving the effi ciency of sur-veying activities in the fi eld and offi ce. By increasing the quality and quantity of survey information, Trimble VISION helps surveyors deliver added value to their clients.

• Speed—Fast measurement to prisms or refl ectorless targets. Remote control of the instrument and overlay of fi eld data onto jobsite images.

• Productivity—Measure points in the fi eld and offi ce using Trimble VISION. Avoid rework and return visits to collect missing data.

• Accuracy—Collect complete data in a single visit, and communicate detailed site conditions with the offi ce and project stakeholders.


INTERFERENCE / JAMMING

31

Modern society is highly reliant on Global Naviga-tion Satellite Systems (GNSS). In addition to theobvious usage in positioning and navigation,

more and more applications are relying on robust timingreference from GNSS. Though it provides accurate andglobal position, velocity and time, just like anyother radio frequency (RF) signal, thetechnology is highly vulnerable toa range of interferencethreats. GNSS is particu-larly prone to unintend-ed and maliciousinterference due toextremely low sig-nal at the userreceiver endafter travellingfrom the satellitetransmitter tothe user receiverantenna on theearth. Thereceived mini-mum power of -157 dBW is expectedboth for GPS (GlobalPositioning System) L1Cand Galileo E1 open servicesignals, considering both data and pilot channels.

The Volpe report by the Department of Transportationin the United States from 2001 (Volpe, 2001) and the RoyalAcademy of Engineering report of 2011 from the UnitedKingdom (Royal Academy, 2011) describe the wide varietyof threats ranging from interruptions in satellite-basedservices in some regions due to solar storms to theintentional jamming risks from localised to more exten-

sive denials in GNSS availability. The interference sourcesthreatening reliable GNSS operation could be divided intounintentional and deliberate risks.

Unintentional interferences include natural phenome-na such as increased levels of ionospheric disturbance

and solar flares as well as man-made phenom-ena such as inherent errors in the

satellites or transmitted sig-nals, and unwanted radio fre-

quency transmissions dueto television, microwave

communication trafficor radar signals. The

pressure on theshared use offinite radio spec-trum compromis-es the satellitenavigation sig-nals. Moreover,ionospheric scin-tillation affectsGNSS receivers,

causing losses oflock, navigation data bit

errors, cycle slips, anddegradation in the accuracy

and availability of the measure-ments. Intentional GNSS interference sources includejamming, meaconing, and spoofing. Of late, a seriousconcern has been the increase in the number of illegaljammer devices on the civilian front.

Intentional interference

Jammers are also termed personal privacy devices(PPDs) and they are intended to prevent people and vehi-

GNSS is prone to threats, both unintentional and deliberate, due to extremely low signal at theuser end. Frequent checks, countermeasures and upgrade in satellite systems could improve

positioning accuracy and reliability

SIGNAL BARRED


cles from being tracked within a limited area. Jammersmay cause severe damage if their signals are not proper-ly detected and the effects mitigated in user receivers.Meaconing is a form of intentional interference, includinginterception and re-broadcast of navigation signals.Deliberate deception in the form of spoofing signals onthe other hand is a more complex form of interference,deceiving a GNSS receiver to another location by broad-casting a modified and slightly more powerful signal thanthat received from the GNSS satellites.

At present, GNSS is used in a wide range of everydaybusinesses, such as tracking of valuable cargoes, taggedoffenders or vehicles, measuring the distance travelledetc. Unfortunately, these innovations give criminals anincentive to interfere with GNSS services. Intentionalinterference occurs when a user is deprived of GNSSservices deliberately and maliciously. Jamming of GNSSsignals can be achieved quite easily using relatively low-cost equipment, for example an inexpensive in-car jam-mer shown in Fig. 1.

Spread spectrum signals such as those of GPS andthe upcoming European Galileo are most vulnerable to abroadband jammer, taking out all the civilian GNSS sig-nals. The Russian frequency division system GLONASScan still give positioning service if the jammer is narrowenough to take out only one or two satellites' signals.Recorded incidents of deliberate jamming have mostlybeen observed by US and European military authorities,but on the civilian side, the maritime and aviation worldremain vastly vulnerable to jamming.

Countermeasures for jamming are available in the

form of expensive directional antennas and interferencesuppression units, but there is a great need to developlow-cost, effective civilian vulnerability alleviationapproaches. Spoofing is more difficult to achieve thanjamming, as it is necessary to simulate the signals inorder to make the receiver lock on to false signals, tocause a functional deception scenario. Furthermore, theconsequences of spoofing are far more serious thanthose of jamming. If the false signals are indistinguish-able from the real ones and give a position close enough

Figure 1: An inexpensive in-car jammer in research use at the Finnish Geodetic Institute

The power spectrum (above) and the frequency with respect to time (below) for a low-cost in-car jammer

to be believable, the user may not be aware of the decep-tion and possibly lead to life-threatening danger. Anauthentication service via encryption/decryption is con-sidered an effective countermeasure to spoofing.

Consequences of interference to navi-gation applications may range from acomplete loss of signal, false positioninformation or intermittent loss to degra-dation of accuracy. GNSS signals of cur-rent and future generation are affected indifferent ways depending on the specifictype of interference (for example, continu-ous wave (CW), narrow band (NB), or wideband (WB) interference). Strategies formitigating the GNSS vulnerabilities werecategorised and the following schemeswere distinguished: individual interference awareness,global GNSS disruption awareness, legislative counter-measures, backup systems and electronic crosschecks,and authenticable signals in modernised systems.

Countermeasures

Knowing you are under interference and reporting it iscrucial on an individual receiver basis. Some basic signal

checks (such as monitoring the signal's carrier-to-noise-density ratio, C/N0) and navigation solution hypothesistesting (such as receiver autonomous integrity monitor-ing) can detect, diagnose, and characterise an interfer-ence situation, including potential jamming and spoofingattacks.

In order to make an effort to mitigate the effects ofinterference, from intentional or unintentional sources,reliable interference detection must be conducted. In thepresence of interference, whether it is unintentional ordeliberate, one of the following scenarios will unavoidablyoccur — loss of accuracy resulting in noisy position solu-tion, severely erroneous position information with signifi-cant "jumps" in the position solution, total loss of signalresulting in no-position solution, or appearance of haz-ardous misleading information.

Current satellite navigation systems are evolving —the modernised US GPS and the Russian GLONASS willmake new signals available with further utility comingfrom the expected deployment of the European Galileoand the Chinese Compass systems. Modernised GNSSsignals will generally consist of a pilot channel and a datachannel. The pilot channel is a spread spectrum-modu-lated signal but does not have a low rate data modulatedonto it such as the current civilian GPS C/A (coarse/acquisition) civilian signal. This allows for continued suc-

cessful operation at lower signal-to-noiseratios, either due to attenuation in urbanenvironments or jamming. Above all, theadvent of multiple GNSS constellationsand signals from each satellite on multi-ple frequencies provides more measure-ments to the GNSS user, and hencebrings newer opportunities for receiversto cope better in challenging GNSS interference environments by offeringimproved positioning accuracy and reliability.

Dr. Heidi KuusniemiResearch Manager, Department of Navigation and Positioning

Finnish Geodetic Institute

[email protected]

Dr. Mohammad Zahidul H. BhuiyanSenior Research Scientist, Department of Navigation and Positioning

Finnish Geodetic Institute

[email protected]


Improved positioningaccuracy and reliability

with multiple GNSSconstellations bringsnewer opportuunitiesfor receivers to copebetter in challenging

GNSS interferenceenvironments

Countermeasures to GNSS threats

> System-level countermeasures

• Multi-GNSS utilisation

• Signal authentication and encryption/decryption

> Antenna based countermeasures

• Adaptive beam-forming

• Controlled radiation pattern antenna

> Receiver based countermeasures

• Time domain techniques

• Frequency domain techniques

• Transformed domain techniques

• Switching frequencies in a multi-GNSS case

• Integrating GNSS with Inertial Navigation System (INS)

> Application-level countermeasures

• Backup solutions

- Terrestrial backup systems

• Comparison schemes to the predicted course of navigation


LOCATION-BASED SERVICES

Location, as a reference, hasalways been with us. Alongwith time, it forms the contin-

uum that we always use. While wehave made significant progress inobserving and providing a scientificreference to time, we have unfortu-nately not made the same advance-ments with location. From having dayand night as the reference of time,we now have time in every gadgetthat we carry. Through the watch,time has evolved as a separate iden-tity -- even though there is technolo-gy involved behind the depiction of

time through a watch, one neverthinks of the technology.

For location though, while majorstrides have been made in the pasttwo decades, we are far from havinga seamless scientific approach of itsdepiction. Our usage of location isstill predominately landmark-based,just as our reference for time wassunlight-based 500 years ago. And,whenever we go beyond landmarkreferences, we immediately turn ourfocus onto the technology behindlocation. We still think "this locationinformation is coming from GNSS"!

Our approach to location has not yetreached a stage where it is so all-pervasive that we don't even thinkabout it; it is just there.

Ubiquitous location

It is to this stage of ubiquity of loca-tion that we need to move. The gran-ularity of time has improved from thesunlight being a reference to captur-ing time in milliseconds. The higherthe precision we achieve in time, thehigher is the granularity. This hasimmensely increased the applica-tions developed to take advantage of

Ubiquity is the name

of the game

When we think of time, we do not think of the technology behind it, or its ubiquity, then why so with location? Reaching this stage of ubiquity will enable

location-based applications with wide societal benefits.

the new capabilities. Do we ever read articles on “time based services"? The same should happen with location.

Today, ‘location’ is confined tooutdoors. But gradually, locationtechnology will move indoors. Once‘outdoor’ and ‘indoor’ merge seam-lessly, we will not be even talkingabout 'location-based' services — wewill see 'location-enabled' services,where location acts as an enabler toexisting services. One can take anyservice they are offering and addlocation to it for an enhanced andenriching experience.

Location technology also needsto graduate from the transitoryapplications we see today, like track-ing employees, tracking vehicles, orfinding a friend's whereabouts onsocial networking sites, to influenc-ing societal behaviour at large andmaking a positive contribution tosociety. This is where the real impactand real applications of locationenablement lie.

The enabling factors

Let us consider the 2008 terroristattacks in Mumbai, India. Through

their surveys, the terrorists had acomplete blueprint of the hotel theyattacked and were holed in. Havingthe ability to locate individualsindoors, both friend and foe, canenable real-timeinformed deci-sion-making bysecurity officials.

Locationenablement canhelp addresspublic safety too.Citizens, espe-cially women,often find themselves in environmentwhere they do not feel very safe. Ifinstruments, like the mobile phone,are location enabled, then just onecall can make all the difference.Location enablement can thereforecontribute to citizen empowermentand citizen safety. Recently, Russiaannounced an initiative called ERA-GLONASS (ERA: emergency roadsideassistance). It stipulates that by2016, every vehicle in Russia willhave a GLONASS tracking device.Any vehicle's registration and annualrenewal will be subject to the track-ing device installation. The larger

purpose of thisis public safety.The trackingdevice willenable peoplein the controlroom to receivean alert in caseof an accident,locate the site,monitor the sit-uation, under-stand theseverity, andaccordingly

decide how to respond to the inci-dent — whether to send police or anair ambulance.

Another instance is the use oflocation technology in health care.

There are numer-ous activitiesglobally for collec-tion of health-related and cen-sus data. Thegranularity of thisdata varies. It isusually at blocklevel or district

level. It needs to be collected at theneighbourhood level. Health prob-lems are often due to the environ-ment in a particular area. Addinglocation to health statistics can helpnarrow the region of interest, allow-ing for deeper analysis which leadsto identification of the root cause.

Another usage of location, pri-marily indoor location, is providingcare for the elderly. People who liveaway from their elderly parents areconcerned about their safety andwell-being. Integrating location tech-nology with a different kind of sen-sors can enable tracking activities ofindividuals, like waking up, sitting,walking and provide a fair idea onthe physical wellbeing of a person.Also any unfortunate incident, like afall, one can be immediately alertedalong with the location of the personconcerned. This empowers us totake the required action in case ofany accident.

Location technology can maketremendous contribution to agrariancountries like India. Data on key indi-cators is already being captured —rainfall, soil contamination, plantdiseases in the field etc. These are,


Location technology will gradually move indoors

Do we ever read articles on“time-based services”? Thesame should happen withlocation. One can takke anyservice and add location to

it for an enhanced andenriching experience.

however, currently not location-enabled. For instance, often a pictureof a diseased crop is taken and sentfor analysis. But, adding location(and time) to it enables richer analy-sis. If it is found that the disease isprogressing in a particular direction,then the farmers with farms down-wind can be forewarned so that theycan take preventive measures. Thereare applications today where onetakes a picture and uploads it onsocial media that allows one to geot-ag it. We need to replicate this abilityfor societal benefits also.

At another level, location enable-ment can play a tremendous role indocument management. Both thegovernment and the private sectorpossess sensitive documents thatoften end up getting pulled out ofcomputers and shared in unautho-rised ways. What if these documentscan be 'location locked'? Location-locking these documents and ensur-ing they open only at pre-designatedlocation/s, even by the personsauthorised to open it, brings anotherlevel of security. Another aspect ofdocument management is file man-agement in countries where govern-ment offices have not completelygone the e-way. Tracing physicalfiles, very often becomes a humon-gous task, severely affecting efficien-cies in state departments. Here, the

use of passive 'indoor location' technology can make a difference.

Document management andtracing also has relevance in theacademic sector in countries likeIndia where paper and pen examina-tions are the norm. Examinationpapers are often leaked by a handfulof people trying to make a fast buck.This frequently results in cancella-tion of papers, jeopardising thecareers of scores of students. Byintegrating wide area location tech-nology with proximity positioning,question papers and answer sheetscan be uniquely tracked.

Tech integration

Over the last decade, signals fromGNSS satellites have been enhancedand accuracy of positioning has beenimproved. The completion of theGLONASS satellite system and theuse of multi-system receivers havesignificantly improved availability oflocation in outdoor environments.The next step should be augmenta-tion of satellite-based GNSS systemswith terrestrial as well as inertialsystems. It is this combination thatwill deliver accurate location insidebuildings, thereby enabling in-build-

ing applications and deeper position-ing. The technologies in the terres-trial systems will not only use theexisting infrastructure, including cellular towers and broadcast tow-ers, but solution providers will alsodeploy proprietary networks to pro-vide deeper in-building positioning.Another interesting aspect is that in-building space is three-dimensionaland value is derived when Z-axisaccuracy is achieved. The inertialand terrestrial systems will addressthe Z-axis. Devices enabled withpressure sensors that can tell users which floor of a multi-storeybuilding they are on will augmentthis solution.

Soon, we will see that GNSS systems will guide a user to the front door; from there the inertialsystems will take over for indoornavigation. It is not long before westart having this experience withouthaving to think about the underlyingtechnology. That will be the day whenlocation will be ubiquitous and all-pervasive.

Ashutosh PandeChairperson, LBS CommitteeAssociation of Geospatial Industries India


Geotagging can offer tremendous benefits to agrarian countries

Augmentation of satellite-based GNSS systems with

terrestrial as well asinertial systems will

deeliver accurate locationinside buildings, enabling

in-building applicationsand deeper positioning

SOURCE(1) GEOSPATIAL WORLD MAGAZINE, (2) TECHNAVIO, (3) DARATECH, (4) EUROCONSULT, (5) BCC RESEARCH, (6) MARKETSANDMARKETS

A D V E R T O R I A L

Geospatial Industry shall be $100 billion by 2015(1)

Join us to explore the value proposition of geospatial technologies

ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS

1 3 - 1 6 M A Y, 2 0 1 3

BEURS-WORLD TRADE CENTER

T H E M E : M O N E T I S I N G G E O S P A T I A L V A L U E A N D P R A C T I C E S

Revenues from airborne products is estimated to grow to $3.1 billion by 2017 at a CAGR of 5.5%(5)$3.1 BILLION

Global Remote Sensing technologies market expected to reach $12.4 billion by 2017 at CAGR of 6.4%(5)$12.4 BILLION

Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, USA saved approximately $800,000 annually in research time alone and reduced plotting time by 40%

$800,000

Total GPS market is expected to reach $26.67 billion by 2016 at a CAGR of 23.7% from 2011 to 2016(6)$12.4 BILLION

Commercial Earth Observation data market is expected to reach $4 billion by 2020(4)$4 BILLION

British Telecom saved £23 million over fi ve years as the result of a LI solution

£23 MILLION

King County Municipality, USA saved approximately $775 million in net benefi t over the 18 year period

$775 MILLION

Global GIS market to grow at a CAGR of 9.2% over the period 2011-2015 to reach $10.6 billion(2)$10.6 BILLION

Iberdrola Ingeniería y Construcción, Spain can now design substations 30% faster than before

30% FASTER

Worldwide growth of geospatial applications in the public sector has been growing at a CAGR of 7.2% for past 8 years(3)CAGR OF 7.2%

Business Enterprise Defence Exploration and MiningGovernance Utilities Disaster & Emergency Management

Infrastructure Energy Environment & ForestryConstruction & Engineering Land Administration

Academic Institute Location & NavigationHardware Suppliers Government Users Service Providers

Surveying & Mapping Data ProvidersSoftware developers Solution Providers

3%5%

7%

8%

9%

9%

9%11%

11%

13%

15%

2%4%

6%

9%

11%

14%

17%

18%

19%

END-USER PARTICIPATION

PROFILE

INDUSTRY PARTICIPATION

PROFILE

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

INFRASTRUCTURE

INDUSTRIALISATION

TOO

L

UTI

LITY

CO

MM

OD

ITY

MONETISATION PROCESS

Monetisation has become a

part and parcel of everyday

discussions wherein several

governments are talking about

ways in which they can monetise their

debt and companies are finding ways

to monetise their products and services

more effectively and efficiently. Not only

them, but individuals too are seeking ways

to monetise their assets into some form of

value and earnings. Nothing quite like the

current economic crisis has happened

before, with financial systems failing in

tandem the world over. In order to survive

and thrive within the given economic

scenario one must ensure optimisation of

value and returns-on-investment.

Since almost half a decade, geospatial

has evolved from science to technology

to an infrastructure into a fully fledged

industry. Geospatial technologies have

contributed to the world economy by

empowering industries to make better

decisions based on smart and intelligent

geographic information. It is a widely

recognised fact that almost 80% of

information has a location orientation

and good understanding of the same

has made decision making faster, surer

and more effective for executives in both

government and private sector enterprises.

MAIN CONFERENCE PROGRAMMEPLENARY SESSIONS

SYMPOSIA

• Defence and Intelligence• Agriculture• City Management (Partner: V-ICT-OR)

• Monetising Geospatial Value for Land Administration (Partner: Cadastre, Land Registry and Mapping Agency, the Netherlands)

• Construction and Infrastructure• Mining and Exploration• Earth Observation System for

Economic Development (Partners: ISPRS, EARSeL, EARSC and GEO)

PROGRAMME

THEME

LAYOUT

The vulnerability and precarious

position of current global economic

status can well be addressed by

exploiting the value and utility of

geospatial to the maximum by both

governments and industries. With the

theme Monetising Geospatial Value and

Practices, Geospatial World Forum will

focus on assessment and enhancement

of the value of geospatial information.

Prospects and challenges associated with

geospatial industry vis-à-vis monetisation

of geospatial value and practices shall

be discussed and deliberated between

and amongst high level stakeholders

of geospatial industry and its user

communities.

SEMINARS

• Water Utility

• Smart Grid

• Societal Impacts and Benefi ts of Improved Environmental and Geospatial Information(Partner: iEEE Committee on Earth Observation)

• Crisis Management using 3D (Partner: TU Delft)

• GI Policy

DIALOGUE SESSION

• Leveraging SMEs’ strength for INSPIRE (Partner: JRC, European Commission)

TECHNOLOGY SESSIONS

• Airborne Sensors• UAV

Key statistics on GWF 2013

1500 DELEGATES

700 ORGANISATIONS

400 PRESENTATIONS

80 COUNTRIES

40 THEMATIC SESSIONS

2000 SQ MTRSEXHIBITION SPACE

Exhibition @ GWF 2013 will offer a great platform to geospatial technology providers

and user organisations from across the globe to showcase their latest products and

services. It will enable businesses to interact face-to-face with key clients and brand

new customers that can fructify into long term business relationships.

GET FELICITATED Geospatial World – The Premier Geospatial Industry Magazine has been encouraging

and recognising excellence in the various projects, innovations and policies that

have helped shape the future of the geospatial industry. Geospatial World Awards

were introduced to promote and recognize such excellence thus bringing out and

highlighting the best practices and innovations in the global geospatial industry.

Nominations for these awards are encouraged from all geospatial and allied projects for the following categories:Geospatial World Excellence Awards | Geospatial World Innovation Awards | Geospatial World Policy Awards

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• LiDAR• GNSS• Cloud & Grid Computing

SESSIONS

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PRE-CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

DIALOGUE FORUMS*

• Monetising Geospatial Value and Practices

for Business Enterprises

• Monetising Geospatial Value and Practices

for National Developmental Goals

* Exclusive Sessions. For more information contact [email protected]

What is the scope for various renewable forms ofenergy like hydropower, wind, tidal etc?

We need to be more intelligent in dealing with our envi-ronment. Use of fossil fuels should be stopped immedi-ately because it harms the environment. We should alsolearn to use local environmental characteristics. Forinstance, if you live in Norway, use hydropower becauseit is easy to use. And if you live in Spain, where it is rela-tively easy to use solar power, you should use that. Peo-ple use biofuel in many areas because they have a lot oftrees, but biological processes from an energy point ofview are not the most efficient. Look at the island of Aru-ba, which has been strongly promoting sustainability. It isblessed with constant wind so they have installed windturbines, which generates close to 60 per cent of thetotal power in Aruba.

A big change will be much more autonomy on a small-er scale. There might be a point where urbanisationcomes to a stop, and that would be a happy future as themore we are connected to nature, the richer we are from asustainability point of view.

There is a concept called cubic mile of oil. When dif-ferent forms of energies were compared accordding tothis concept, oil was found to be cheapest in terms ofper unit cost. What is your take?

A major problem with calculations of cost is what youtake into account. Once a research student decided tocalculate the cost of a gallon of fuel in the US. Variouscosts such as subsidies to research were added and the

final cost came out at over USD 10 per gallon — muchmore than the market price. So, it is a question of whatyou take into account. In case of nuclear power, you can'tcalculate the consequences of nuclear waste becausenuclear energy has unknown cost and you cannot com-pare it with anything that has a known cost. On the otherhand, market price is a completely different issue, whichdepends on regulations, circumstances, taxes etc. If wetake into account the integrated cost for the society, weare already beyond the point where sustainable andrenewable energy is cheaper than the rest. In 2010, theWorld Health Forum estimated that governments had tospend USD 150 billion that year as a result of climaticchange, which was roughly the same as the profits madeby energy companies that year.

So, if you look at the total economy of the earth, it isgoing backwards, which is not normally how the economyworks. The sun does not cost anything, but how youtransfer that energy into watt is a different issue. Thesame holds true for oil, which is of no use until you havean engine to convert it into energy. So, the engine cost is apart of the total cost. In the Netherlands, one litre ofgasoline costs EUR 1.8. The amount of mechanical ener-

INTERVIEW


“

The first Dutchman in space and a former astronaut of the European Space Agency, Dr Wubbo J Ockels iss a scientist and a

professor at the Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands. But whether att the university or in own projects like

Superbus and green yacht Ecolution, he is constantly lookinng for innovative ways to utilise natural resources in everyday life.

An untiring proponent of ‘Happyy Energy’, Dr Ockels is currently involved in producing energy from a ‘laddermill’ — a windmill

consiisting of a “ladder” of kites. It’s not difficult to chat up Dr Ockels on the topic close to his hearrt — sustainable energy.

Geospatial tech can help

create a waste-free society

”

We have to get an insight on theweakness of the large-scale thingsand the strengths of diversity.We have to put regulations on them

“

”

gy produced by one litre of gasoline is 1.5 kilowatt hours.Thus, the cost of 1 KWh comes out to be more than EUR1, five times more than driving an electric car powered bysolar energy.

We have to develop a society free of waste. The bestway to do this is to pay only for services while the ownership remains with the resources. This is wheregeospatial technology is extremely essential as it can helpus to know the exact location of a resource so we caneffectively harness it.

You once said the Chinese will save the world. ButChina is also one of the biggest users of coal.

To say that China is one of the biggest users of coalmeans that the entire world is using coal, because itcomprises one-fifth of the world’s population. I meantChina was planning long term. It already has plans inplace to take the coal away. I wanted to assert that theWest’s thinking was lacking on long-term responsibility.Although a very strong statement to make, it was madeto emphasise two elements — the Chinese make oursolar panels and they are a good example of long-termplanning. India also has the same planning while Europehas started to do that recently.

You have been to space and that expends a hugeamount of energy.

Going into space consumes around 3,000 tonnes of fuel.So, we can make use of either hydrogen or oxygenbecause the space shuttle's main engines operate on amixture of these gases. However, only the first two min-utes of space travel result in pollution with the release ofsolid rocket crystals, after which the exhaust is water.But, water does not belong to the higher levels of theatmosphere, so you do influence the atmosphere with aspace shuttle. Yet, it's not bad as long as there is a limitto it. The atmosphere can sustain 10 shuttle flights ayear; a hundred flights may be a problem. So, our cur-rent space transportation is certainly not sustainable. Wemay have sustainable forms in future such as space ele-vators, but it is still some time away.

Huge dams have a negative impact on the environ-ment. Although it has been recognised that we canminimise the impact with several small dams instead,the idea has not yet taken off. What do you thinkk isthe reason?

A major reason for that is the feedback mechanism,where a person earning more money has more power.This way, very few people earn huge money and have lotsof power. You should have some fundamental regulationson limiting the size of an endeavour. But most of the timethe risk is for the society and the profit is for just a few. Itis a wrong thing from a sustainable society point of view.A system with small lakes is much better for the people.A big lake may result in cheaper energy but the riskassociated is also high.

However, things are going exactly inthe opposite direction. We seemergers and acquisitions hap-peening all over. Even thegeospatial industry is on ahuge M&A spree.

That is why we need to decidequickly. We have to get an insighton the weakness of the large-scale things and the strengths ofdiversity. We have to put regula-tions on them. We know use of fos-sil fuel is wrong and we cannotcontinue this way. The same holdstrue for the large-scale exerciseof buying out all small compa-nies. These larger organisationshave large governing power butthere is nobody to control it,which does not go well withthe fundamentals of democra-cy. The need is to createawareness and educate thedecision-makers about theproblems and challengesfacing our society. If thebigger companiesrealise theirresponsibilitytowards thesociety, thenwe can certainlylook towards abrighter, happier andsustainable future.


Dr Wubbo Johannes OckelsProfessor of Aerospace for Sustainable

Engineering and TechnologyDelft University of Technology

The Netherlands

INTELLIGENT GEOSPATIAL SYSTEMS

HAL, the artificial intelligence that controls thespacecraft and interacts with the astronauts indirector Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space

Odyssey, was capable of remarkable introspection: "Iknow I've made some very poor decisions recently, but Ican give you my complete assurance that my work will beback to normal. I've still got the greatest enthusiasm andconfidence in the mission. And I want to help you." Thatwas way back in 1968.

Earlier in 1950, when mathematician and computerscientist Alan Turing asked "can machines think", heenvisioned a machine that, by its communication skills,cannot be distinguished from a person. (Fig. 1.)

So, how far have we got with intelligent systems,beyond some marketing hype? Is there any agreement onsome measurable criteria to what extent, or whether atall, a system can be called intelligent? And what, in par-ticular, is an intelligent geospatial system?

HAL is a wonderful example of humanoid communi-cation skills, including learning mechanisms as reflectedin the ability for introspection above. We are nearing 2012end now, and yet the best we can say on this is artificialintelligence has had a rather chequered history of suc-cesses up to now. It works in rather narrow areas, such

that we "now have machines that have trumped humanperformance in such domains as chess, trivia games, fly-ing, driving, financial trading, face, speech, handwritingrecognition…" Some of these narrow areas either arewithin the geospatial domain, such as flying or driving(positioning, motion planning), or have applications in thegeospatial domain, such as speech recognition (human-computer interaction about places, times, or directions).

HAL-like navigation system

To review the current abilities of geospatial systems, letus imagine a HAL-like navigation system, HAL-NAV. Itsrole would be solely to give advice to the traveller; thus, itwould be able to have any conversation in this context.Such an idea is very similar to the restricted Turing test,an award advertised annually by Loebner "to find theworld's best conversational computer programme". Forany chance of success, let us keep HAL-NAV narrowlyfocused: the communication between a driver and a car,or a passenger and a tram would not be about life or love,but restricted to wayfinding, and perhaps the weather,traffic, meetings, or the shopping list.

Research in human cognitive capabilities and linguis-tic behaviour inform the design of formal models to


In the movie, 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL, theartificial intelligence that controlled the spacecraft,was shut down after it decided to act on its own.

Sixty years since Alan Turing asked ‘can machines think?’ artificial intelligence has taken giant leaps. There are some ‘if’ factors though, which pose fundamental

problems in the way for intelligent geospatial systems.

How far is HAL-NAV?How far is HAL-NAV?

reflect these capabilities and behaviours in a computer.However, the Turing test only relies on behaviour; it doesnot require a computer to internally function like ahuman being and accordingly, the formal models do notaim to explain the functioning of the mind.

The challenges

Nevertheless, a whole range of challenges have to besolved in order to build HAL-NAV, among them under-standing verbal or graphical human place descriptions,context and relevance, embodied experience of environ-ments, especially salience, modelling the notions ofplace and modelling user-centred time geography andpersonal preferences or knowledge of an environment.

Let us focus on a few of these challenges. Consider arequest a traveller might pose to HAL-NAV: "Can you tellme the way to the airport?" Surely, people will not havedifficulties to answer this question — it is easily under-

stood and applied by the traveller. In some respects, it is not too difficult a question for

HAL-NAV either. HAL-NAV will be superior to humans incomputing routes: compute faster, process more dataand produce more accurate results. HAL-NAV can guar-antee to compute the quickest route and perhaps eveninclude data about current or past traffic in this computa-tion. It can also compute the cheapest route, and thesimplest route. Now, here is the first challenge for HAL-NAV: which one of these does the user want? The answerleads to a territory still not well understood in artificialintelligence research: context dependency of optimalstates. The regular commuter may simply want an

update based on the current traffic situation, the busi-ness traveller wants to be guided to the simplest route tothe rental car return at the airport and the backpacktourist wants to know how to reach the airport via thecheapest way such as public transport or by ride sharing.Translating these issues to current commercial naviga-tion systems, challenges take the form of dealing withuser preferences, integrating multiple modes, thusaccessing distributed, sometimes decentralised datasources and in doing so, maintaining privacy.

Next to the challenge of understanding and dealingwith context, HAL-NAV has to correctly interpret the des-tination description "to the airport". But the way peopledescribe their places or their travel destinations are infi-nitely rich. So, while HAL-NAV would have the transport


The Turing test is a test of amachine's ability to exhibit intelli-gent behaviour equivalent to orindistinguishable from that of anactual human being. The test wasintroduced by Alan Turing in his 1950paper "Computing Machinery andIntelligence," which opens with thewords: "I propose to consider thequestion, 'Can machines think?'"

The test involves three participants in isolated rooms —a computer (which is being tested), a human, and ahuman judge. If the judge cannot reliably tell themachine from the human, the machine is said to havepassed the test. The test does not check the ability togive the correct answer; it checks how closely theanswer resembles typical human answers.

THE TURING TEST

Figure 1

network data readily available, it may still feel challengedby place references. Gazetteered place names, businessdirectories and points of interest are a starting point, butthis data does not cover the vernacular (non-gazetteered)names, vanity addressing, extent of places and indetermi-nacy of some places, ambiguity of place names, and theinterpretation of qualitative relationships between places.

In addition to the challenges of understanding theusers' request, HAL-NAV is also challenged by respond-ing to the user in a way that is easily understood and easyto follow. For example, a person may respond to theabove question like: "Okay, go down this street [pointing],at the traffic lights down there turn right, then drive six,seven blocks until you reach City Gate, a building charac-teristic for its shape, where you turn left on the highway.Follow the highway to the airport."

How is HAL-NAV different?

Why is this description a good one for the traveller andtough for HAL-NAV to replicate?

For the traveller, the description conforms to Grice'sconversational maxims, especially to the maxims of rele-vance and of quantity ("make your contribution as inform-ative as required," and "don't make your contributionmore informative than is required"). It also applies someother remarkable principles. For example, it mixes con-versational modes between pointing and spoken wordand relates to vista space, engaging with the user in anembodied manner. It also lowers the focus on numeralsby deliberate use of uncertainty — still giving a rough ideaof distance, but not stretching numerical cognition andshort-term memory — and resolves uncertainty by alandmark instead (thus adding even some redundancy forthe comfort of the user). Finally, it chunks all furtherinstructions along the highway into one, relying on"knowledge in the world" — the signage to the airport —thus avoiding redundancy in the triangle between thetraveller, the environment and the speaker.

The problem for HAL-NAV is machines lack under-standing for landmarks. From a cognitive perspective,landmarks are the elements structuring mental spatialrepresentations. They are closely related to the embodiedexperience of environments. Some of them are personal("the place where we met"), others are shared ("the redbuilding"). To be a landmark, a geographic feature muststand out from its neighbourhood by some sensible prop-erties, and this will always depend on the focus of theperson. These observations about landmarks mean onecan only formulate relative classification schemes forlandmarks, and these schemes will need to explore richdata resources and act with context awareness.

The simple question of a wayfinder has alreadybrought up a few interesting challenges for intelligentgeospatial systems just in the area of navigation services.There are more challenges and more geospatial systems,of course. Perhaps it is time to suggest a 'grand chal-lenge' for the research community: a restricted Turingtest similar to the Loebner Prize, here on intelligent navigation services. Has a HAL-NAV become possible?

Stephan WinterAssociate Professor & Discipline LeaderDepartment of Infrastructure Engineering, The University of [email protected]


One of the fathers of artificial intelligence, John McCarthy, explained this term in 2007

What is artificial intelligence?

It is the science and engineering of making intelligentmachines, especially intelligent computer programmes.It is related to the similar task of using computers tounderstand human intelligence, but AI does not have toconfine itself to methods that are biologically observable.

Yes, but what is intelligence?

Intelligence is the computational part of the ability toachieve goals in the world. Varying kinds and degrees ofintelligence occur in people, many animals and somemachines.

Isn't there a solid definition oof intelligence that doesn'tdepend on relating it to human intelligence?

Not yet. The problem is that we cannot yet characterisein general what kinds of computational procedures wewant to call intelligent. We understand some of themechanisms of intelligence and not others.

Source: http://www-formal.stanford.edu/jmc/whatisai/whatisai.html

WHAT IS AI?

While HAL-NAV would have transportnetwork data ready, it may feel

challenged by place references.. It alsolacks an understanding for landmarks

Trimble® ®

50

FIRST PERSON

Strumming a

geospatial tune!

Strumming a

geospatial tune!


I have always felt

that the best way

to teach someone

to swim is to

throw the person

in the water, and

in the early days

of my career,

that's exactly

what I did to

myself.

Ola RollenCEO, Hexagon AB

FFii rr

ss ttpp

eerr ss

oonn


Iwas born in Sweden and grew up in the capital city of Stockholm. Very early on, I wanted to be amusician and I played in a rock band for five years.

We got a record contract, but after the band fell apart, I decided not to pursue music. I then became a ski instructor in the French Alps, or, rather, I wasdumped there since the company I worked for wentbankrupt. I didn't speak much French, and I did notknow how to get by in life. I did not have any income,but I managed to survive for more than a season. Ieventually learnt some French and could communicatewith people.

These two experiences — music and skiing — taughtme not to be shy. Standing on stage and playing tothousands of people helped me later in life to articu-late and communicate to the audience in large confer-ences. I did not know it then, but I have used theseskills effectively in my professional career.

Eventually, I realised I needed to do something with mylife and I started studying law to become a solicitor.During a coffee break in the university, I saw a fewpeople having fun while studying, and I realised theywere studying finance. Soon after, I switched to financeand economics. As I started learning about business, Ifound it fascinating. When I graduated in 1989, every-one wanted to become a banker. So, I went for a jobinterview at one of the prominent banks in Scandi-navia. They asked me, "Ola, how are you going to makea gazillion dollars for this bank?"

ENTERPRISING GENES

My family has always been entrepreneurial. My fatherowned a small company, and I know the value of adeliverable to a customer. I did not see the bankingbusiness doing that. It is all about greed and makingmoney without much contribution. So, during the inter-view I said, "No, I am not going to make a lot of money.As a matter of fact, I don't want to work for you at all."I then joined a pulp and paper company as a traineeand later joined a steel company.

My first brush with technology was in 1999, when Ijoined Sandvik as the CEO of its material technologydivision. Sandvik is alarge Swedish engineer-ing company. A headhunter then called andsaid, "You should meetthe principle shareholderof a small companycalled Hexagon." I said,"No, I have just joinedthis big company and it isgreat for my career. Whywould I want to move to asmaller company?"

I eventually met with the owner of this obscure compa-ny called Hexagon and he sat me down in his office inStockholm and said, "Well, I bought this company andit is a disaster. And I don't think you can screw it up

further. Do you want to have a go atit? You can do whatever you want." Iwas crazy enough to say, "Yeah, I willhave a go at it." That was towards theend of 1999, and I joined the companyin early 2000.

At that point in time, Hexagon wasactive in more than 25 industries. Wehad day-care centres, we manufac-tured hydraulics and mobile phoneantennas, we imported tuna fish andmany other things, but nothing was asuccess. After a while, I started hav-

In 1999, I met theowner of an obscure

company calledHexagon who toldme, “I bought thiscompany aand it’s a

disaster. Do youwant to have a go at

it?” I was crazyenough to say yes.

ing doubts about my decision of joining Hexagon, leavinga prospective career at Sandvik. Without giving up, I satdown during the summer of 2000 and told myself that Ineeded to do something extraordinary. Then, I remem-bered I had looked at a company called Brown & Sharpein 1998. It was based in North America and was up forsale in 2000. By the end of that year, we decided toacquire Brown & Sharpe Manufacturing Company andrebranded it Hexagon Metrology. That was the corner-stone for a new business we created for Hexagon.Between 2000-01 and 2011-12, we disposed of all thebusinesses Hexagon had acquired earlier and created aglobal leader in design, measurement and visualisationtechnologies.

IT'S ALL ABOUT MEASURING!

Hexagon Metrology is all about measuring tiny things.How different is measuring the distance between twocogs in a cog wheel and measuring the distancebetween two peaks in a mountain range? We learnt thatthough the scales are different, both are guided by thesame basic mathematical algorithm. As we grew into anengineering company servicing automobile and aero-space manufacturers, westarted looking at survey-ing, geodesy, geomaticsand so forth. We realisedwe had competence in thatarea too. As a matter offact, there are synergiesbetween the two. So, by2005, we acquired LeicaGeosystems, and by 2007,we realised we neededGPS as well. LeicaGeosystems was dependent on a Canadian companycalled NovAtel. We had to buy NovAtel, otherwise theycould have ended up as a competitor. So, we addedNovAtel to the portfolio and continued to grow.

By 2008-09, we started to realise that we needed toserve our customers better and needed to protect ourbusiness from low-cost competition. We also realisedthat all the measurements ended up in other productslike GIS systems, CAD models, etc. So, we asked, "Whatif we were to integrate into the software space?" That'swhen we started looking at suitable companies andrealised that Intergraph was a good bet, as they couldprovide us a platform in the GIS space, and they couldalso help us in the mechanical engineering world withtheir Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) products. So, inthe summer of 2010, we acquired Intergraph.

HARDWARE, SOFTWARE OR SOLUTIONS?

It is a very logical business decision. We saw an opportu-nity in creating something different in this industry. Untilthe late 1990s and early 2000s, the world was very hard-ware-centric. Let us use computers as an analogy. IBMtold a young Bill Gates it saw no value in an operatingsystem. But soon, software took over and suddenlyMicrosoft and SAP giants dominated the industry.


Apple showed us thatboth hardware and

software were equallyimportant. What

would a mobile phonebe without hardware?What do you do with a

nice piece of hard-ware if you don't haveapps and good sofft-

ware solutions?


But Apple showed us that both hardware and softwareare equally important. What would a mobile phone bewithout hardware? What do you do with a nice piece ofhardware if you don't have apps and good software solu-tions? When you wish to sell solutions, you need both.That's the direction geospatial industry is movingtoward. We need to develop apps because all customersare not alike. One size doesn't fit all. They want to feelthat they are special, and we develop systems for them.Maybe one can use the same hardware in different sys-tems, but the software solutions should be altered sothey fit the target customer. That is a big change for this

industry. We have lot of ideas and we will continue to dodisruptive things.

In the geospatial space, there are sensor companies andthere are mapping companies, and they collaborate viainterfaces. But, if an environment is horizontal and oneturns it vertical, it presents a very different picture. Wewant to create vertical solutions for specific industrieswhere the customer can have an entire workflow solu-tion, and not just one detail or a solution that createsboundaries between various technologies. A simplifiedworkflow for a specific industry is our target.

One needs to have a vision, but that vision should not bejust about technology. It has to be linked to the businessprospect, and we are very pragmatic about that. If wedevelop something that costs millions of dollars, some-body has to pay for it. Therefore, you need a target andthe target should not be defined as technology, it shouldbe defined as a purpose. Someone would want to use it.And I think that is the difference Hexagon is bringing tomost of the industries it is engaged with right now.

I met my would-be wife when both of

us were very young, and we have

been very happy since. I think it is

great advantage if you meet someone

at a young age as you share a lot in

common. It is a very strong relation-

ship and I can discuss anything and

everything with her and be myself. I

feel sorry for people who do not have

that kind of bond with another indi-

vidual.

We have three kids together. We have

a 21-year-old daughter who wants to

be a journalist and is studying in Lon-

don. We have a 19-year old son, now

a student at Wharton Business

School in Philadelphia, USA. At one

point, my wife said, "It's either a kid

or a dog." We opted for a child, now

eight years old and quite younger

than his siblings, but we have a dog

as well! When we first moved to Eng-

land, there was a rumour going

around that my kids' dad worked for

the Pentagon. This

was during the days

when the second Iraqi

war broke out. I was

feeling a bit like

James Bond when I

heard that because

everyone at their

school was pointing at

me and saying, "He

works for the Penta-

gon! He is a secret

agent." And then my kid said, "No, it

is not the Pentagon. It is Hexagon." I

was a superstar for a while, but that

was short-lived!

MUSIC FIRST?

I continue to sing and play guitar,

albeit at home, because it is fun

and takes quite different skills

from those used in business and

intellectual

pursuits. It is more

of an emotion.

But I like business as

much as I like music.

Business is fun too.

Also, it is measurable.

You can gauge if you

are developing or if

you are falling. So,

there is a competitive

element as well. What's also good

about business is that it forces you to

meet new people. You get to travel

around the world, meet interesting

and exciting people, and that is very

important in life. It is the human con-

nection that matters.

MARRIAGE, KIDS AND MORE

When we firstmoved to England,

kids at mychildren’s schoolthought I workedfor the Pentagon.I felt like JamesBond for some

time.

At the groundbreaking ceremony of Intergraph headquarters inHuntsville, Alabama, along with senior Intergraph executives.

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