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5/26/2018 geoinformatics 2011 vol05
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Future Development of Check-in Services Is Europe getting INSPIREd?
DMCii and Emergency Response Virtual 3D Urban Design
Magaz ine for Survey ing, Mapping & GIS Profess iona ls July/August
2 011Volume14
5
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Terrago
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Critical User Base andLocation Based Services
In this issue, two articles focus on location based services (lbs). The first is fromFlorian Fischer and is about the future development of check-in services. The secondis my report on the Location Business Summit, which is about lbs in general andmonetizing of lbs in particular. Both articles touch on the successes and failures ofcheck-in services. From a user perspective, a check-in service may not be as inter-esting or as useful as it might be from a commercial perspective. Of course, theres
money to be made with these services and thats where commerce comes in. Froma user perspective, lack of privacy may inhibit you from using such a service, ormaybe there is no direct advantage. Or possibly, its just not very handy to use,and therefore you just don't bother to use it.
But failures aside, check-in services and lbs in general are far from dead. Google'sEd Parsons proved that there really is no 'check-in fatigue' by showing a heat mapof check-in services used worldwide, with Europe, North America and Asia beingareas where check-in services are the most popular. During one of the latest paneldiscussions during the summit, Navteq announced that pedestrian mapping mightpossibly have large market potential, as large as mapping for the automotive indus-try for example. Tourism, shopping and leisure are applications where new marketapproaches can be expected in the coming years.
This may also be a field where augmented reality could be used. Last year I hearda lot of promises made in this field, but I have yet to see anything big happen. Is ittoo early or too late for augmented reality to take off? At the moment, things justarent that clear. What is clear though is that the hype mechanism that surroundedlbs and augmented reality seems to have disappeared, and that the big guys withsmart plans and a solid user base, are in the drivers seat. Also, there is a lot ofmarketing and effort involved in growing a small but fanatical user base into a largeuser base, when it comes to lbs and check-in services. I wonder how things will bein a years time.
Enjoy your reading,
Eric van [email protected]
GeoInformatics is the leading publication for GeospatialProfessionals worldwide. Published in both hardcopy anddigital, GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis andcommentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry. GeoInformatics is published8 times a year.
Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees
Copy EditorFrank [email protected]
EditorsFlorian [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Contributing Writers:Florian Fischer, Craig R. Dylan, Joc Triglav,Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk, Beatrice Eiselt,Adina Gillespie, Konrad Saal, Remco Takken.
Columnist:Graham Wallace
Financial DirectorYvonne [email protected]
AdvertisingRuud [email protected]
SubscriptionsGeoInformatics is available against a yearlysubscription rate (8 issues) of 89,00.To subscribe, fill in and return the electronic replycard on our website www.geoinformatics.com orcontact the subscription department [email protected]
Webstitewww.geoinformatics.com
Graphic DesignSander van der [email protected]
ISSN 13870858
Copyright 2011. GeoInformatics: no material maybe reproduced without written permission.
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3Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com July/August 2011
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C o n t e n t
A r t i c l e s
Checking-out already 6
All In a Years Work 10
Broadband versus GPS 14
Combining GIS and GPS 18
Is Europe getting INSPIREd? 22
International Rescue 28
Virtual 3D Urban Design 34
E v e n t s
Hexagon 2011 36
Location Business Summit 2011 42
B o o k r e v i e w
ArcHydro Groundwater 46
C o l u m n
There is a paradox at the heart of the location-based informatics revolution 48
C a l e n d a r / A d v e r t i s e r s I n d e x 50
At the cover:A view of the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Bickhardt Bau is one of themost experienced Formula One firms available, and they completed this
world-class formula one circuit under tough conditions in only one year. Seearticle on page 10.
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22
6
34Since only incomplete records
of the original building
existed, project organizers
decided to capture the existing
features of this old conference
hall and its surroundings using
laser scanning. The acquired
data is now available to archi-tectural consultants for their
designs and for virtual tours.
14
In 2010 we have seen an
immense interest in check-in
functionalities by Facebook,Yelp and other big players in
the social media market. But
why is it a multi-million dollar
business to tell others that I am
here now?
In the USA the battle around
wide area broadband solution
provider LightSquared rages
on. John Deere & Company
gave the first report of interfe-
rence to the FCC (Federal
Communications Commission).
As from 2010, the first results
of the Member States
monitoring and reporting
activities on the implemen-
tation of INSPIRE becameavailable, and it is now
possible to make a first
assessment.
46A few years ago Esri presented us
with the Arc Hydro data model as
a standardized way to store (and
analyze) surface water networks.
Now the time has come to add
groundwater to ArcGIS.
28
DMCii has recently taken overthe day-to-day running of the
International Charter Spaceand Major Disasters.How did this Surrey-basedcompany become the onlynon-space agency in theCharter to hold such a
significant leadership role?
18
TERRAIN is a very young and
fresh cartographic company
from Greece. Fotis Reppas,
Chief Cartographer of terrain,
Cartographic and Publishing
Company talks with editor JocTriglav about company values,
technologies used in the daily
work and its customer base.
10Bickhardt Bau AG is a 1,600-
person German firm based in
Kirchheim that specializes in ro-
adway and racetracks. They
completed a world-class formu-
la one circuit under tough con-
ditions in Abu Dhabi in only
one year.
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When Foursquare started its service in 2009 many experts could hardly make any sense out of it: Aservice that asks registered users to check-in when entering a shop, a bar or a restaurant? You can
get badges and become the mayor of a place if you visit it more often than your friends? Making the
visit to a place into a game might have been unfamiliar to many, but it has since gained acceptance.
In 2010 we have seen an immense interest in check-in functionalities by Facebook, Yelp and other
big players in the social media market. But why is it a multi-million dollar business to tell others that I
am here now?
Foursquare goes outer spaceIt might have been entitled a great click for
mankind when NASA astronaut Douglas H.
Wheelock checked-in at the international
space station ISS by Foursquare. Being a mar-keting gag obviously, as only ISS visitors can
battle for mayoralty, but Foursquare created
several NASA Badges that will attract peo-
ple to visit NASA institutions. If you visit the
Kennedy Space Center or the US Space
Camp you can just take your Smartphone
and check-in via Foursquare to get a badge.
NASA takes this chance and the increased
popularity of Foursquare to gain the attentionof a young audience. If this sounds out of
this world to you, let me do some ground-
truthing and tell you what on earth
Foursquare is all about - and where it will go.
Using the location-based service Foursquare
a user can check-in at a place, meaning to
log-in and tell your friends about your where-
abouts. On the other side you can see where
your friends are, who is visiting the place youare at and what places near you might be of
interest. Foursquare rewards every check-in
with a number of points. You can get certain
rankings and if you have the most check-ins
6July/August 2011
A r t i c l e
Future Development of Check-in Services
Checking-out already?
Foursquare mobile app
By Florian Fischer
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at a place, you areappointed the Four-
square mayor of that
place until another play-
er outruns your achieve-
ment. It is all a game and that
might be the reason why people
started to use it passionately. Meanwhile,
Foursquare has several millions of users
and the main idea of check-in has barely
changed. It has turned out that the playful
character of Foursquare is now a big chance
for local businesses to attract and analyze con-
sumer behavior.
From check-in to turn-overBig business concerns, like the US-based chain
for consumer electronics RadioShack, use
Foursquare to attract customers to their shops.
Every user who checks-in gets a 10% discount
while mayors get a 20% discount. A newbie
discount guarantees an immediate discount of
20% for users who have never checked-in at
RadioShack before. Also the European-wide
restaurant chain Vapiano offers free Italian cof-
fee for its Foursquare mayors. For other busi-nesses the Foursquare badges are a good
alternative. In the skiing area of Ischgl users
need to check-in at several places to receive
the Xperia-Ischgl-Badge. The operators of the
skiing area installed wifi-hotspots at those
places to enable everyone to check-in regard-
less of mobile roaming fees. Every user who
obtains a badge is rewarded a one day test
of a brand new pair of skis for free.
A chance for real-time
geomarketingAccording to marketing specialists half of allpurchases made by Foursquare users might
be induced by these kinds of special offers.
Thereby the costs of such a campaign are
relatively low and the results are measur-
able. Foursquare offers its own Merchant
Platform, which hosts more than 300,000
companies. The companies can create offers
like Flash Specials, Friends Specials or
Swarm Specials, and analyze their
Foursquare customers. The service allowscompanies to see the number of check-ins,
and the frequency and distribution of visi-
tors over the day by gender and time. A
company with several branches can aggre-
gate the data as well. Altogether, the
Merchant Platform offers basic functionality
for geomarketing in near real-time including
the customer analysis, the advertisement
analysis and the realization of advertising.
Foursquare is expected to expand these ser-
vices for CRM and other marketing services.
However, this is far from a general marketanalysis until it makes use of Foursquare
data only. Companies like SimpleGeo (sim-
plegeo.com) already go one step further by
combining data from several services (e.g.
Gowalla, Loopt, Whrrl, etc.) and provide a
basis for geomarketing analysis and loca-
tion-based services built on that ground-
work. These tools make up the business
model that Foursquare has been searching
for after the first round of hype in 2010.
Decline of average check-insThings couldnt have been any better. In
2010 many other services followed the
check-in idea, amongst them were
Facebook, Yelp, Friendticker and actually
Twitter, which does it as well. So, the phe-
nomenon of check-in has become main-
stream. By the end of 2010 five million
Foursquare users performed two million
check-ins per day. That is impressive but
marks a decline in the average check-ins per
user of 20% compared to early 2010.However, there was a growth in user num-
bers but the users seemed less active, indi-
cating many inactive accounts. It is a pat-
tern that is quite typical for a hype that
7Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com July/August 2011
A r t i c l e
Foursquare - get badges for check-ins
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consolidates. Many users started trying outthe new service with enthusiasm and
engagement for a while, but later became
inactive and abandoned their accounts, but
were still included in the statistics. This trend
continues in 2011, meaning that the num-
bers of active users will stagnate in the best
case.
Why do people check-inOf course this does not put Foursquare,
Gowalla and all the other check-in services
out of business but it should makes us think
about the individual meaning of a check-in
and how these services deliver on that mean-
ing. There are four main reasons to check-
in. The gaming aspect is probably the moti-
vational factor to do check-ins. You get a
better status, make a hot deal and collect
points. It makes checking-in a challenge that
can be easily integrated into everyday life
something you can do alongside friends,
and its fun. The encounter aspect is often
advertised by a service of this kind. Finding
nearby friends and meeting them in a bar
might happen from time to time. But Im surethat this is more of an urban myth promoted
by advertisers more than by users. But a
check-in enables users to see where friends
have been and where they frequently are.
This kind of asynchronous co-presence is an
important indicator when searching for
appropriate restaurants and bars.
Next to networking the diary
aspect is an important feature of
a check-in service. It is interesting
for the users themselves to get a
geographical overview of theirwhereabouts. It might be a dimen-
sion of the new trend called self-
tracking that means to track every
single detail of your life to opti-
mize it. On the other hand a geographicaldiary is important to remember new venues
and special features in the city. The most
important aspect for a check-in might be
identity formation. The dissolution of the indi-
vidual in global flows of mobility and com-
munication gives rise to a remarkable renais-
sance of small-scale territorial relationships.
The increasing relevance of spatially-related
identity results in demonstrative consumption
best objectified in cafs, bars and restau-
rants. But it is not enough to just be there
but also make everyone in the interpersonal
networks of communication be aware of it
too. A check-in makes the presentation of one-
self through location perceptible in communi-
cation networks. It communicates the symbol-
ic values connected with the respective
location to the networked audience after all.
Why Yelp and Facebook aremore interesting for a check-inAnd here is the actual problem with
Foursquare. They offer the check-in function-
ality and make a perfect game out of it, with
special offers, badges and mayoralty oppor-tunities. But they lack two additional features
that are offered by local searchers like Yelp
and Qype, and social networks like
Facebook: Interesting content about mean-
ingful places and a really broad audience.
In order to keep a geographical diary and
the presentation of oneself through location,
it might be necessary to find out about
places that are appropriate for this. These
places might be recommended by direct
contact, but user-generated content of local
search media like Yelp, is more comprehen-
sive. The presentation of oneself through
location needs awareness to become oper-
ative. Most of my friends and weak-ties areon Facebook, while only some shape my
audience on Foursquare, even though
Facebook Places offers quite poor function-
ality for a check-in as there are no points,
no badges and no extras. But it has the bet-
ter audience for a check-in and offers better
added value for the presentation of oneself
at the moment. Some might claim that
Foursquare check-ins can be forwarded to
Facebook but why do that if I can check-in
on Facebook directly?
We will still check-inAll in all there are several developments that
might change the check-in landscape in the
future. The big hype about Foursquare con-
solidates, competitors integrate the function-
ality in their services, and the respective
market for advertising and real-time geo-
marketing is starting, surely? That is, the
money to earn for a check-in is getting big-
ger but at the same time people will not
check-in without having extra-services, com-
prehensive city information and a wide-
spread audience. That is the fix Foursquare
is in at the moment. While its competitors
integrate the check-in better and better, it
needs to generate more added value to use
the service, as the hype ebbs away. Because
of that, checking-in will not be out in the future
but quite the opposite. The functionality might
have a brilliant future but maybe without
Foursquare if they dont get a move on.
Florian Fischer, GIS Editor and Research Assistant at the Austrian
Academy of Sciences, Institute for GIScience in Salzburg, Austria. He
has a blog with small essays on the Geographic Information Society,Locative Media, Geobrowsers and the like:
www.ThePointOfInterest.net
Links:
SimpleGeo, https://simplegeo.com
Foursquare, https://foursquare.com
Yelp, www.yelp.com
Qype,www.qype.com
Gowalla, gowalla.com
Friendticker,http://friendticker.com
SimpleGeo Demo at SXSW Interactive 2010,
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpypn-JIPng
Foursquare Merchant Platform,
www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-
Foursquare
A r t i c l e
8July/August 2011
SimpleGeo is combing data from Gowalla, Foursquare, brightkite, Twitter and other services.
Foursquare on Google Trends, showing a decline in user activities
http://www.thepointofinterest.net/https://simplegeo.com/https://foursquare.com/http://www.yelp.com/http://www.qype.com/http://www.qype.com/http://friendticker.com/http://friendticker.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpypn-JIPnghttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpypn-JIPnghttp://friendticker.com/http://www.qype.com/http://www.yelp.com/https://foursquare.com/https://simplegeo.com/http://www.thepointofinterest.net/ -
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Completing a World-Class Formula One Circuit
All In a Years WorkBickhardt Bau AG is a 1,600-person German firm based in Kirchheim that specializes in roadway andracetracks. They completed a world-class formula one circuit under tough conditions in Abu Dhabi in
only one year. Since its completion, Since then, the Yas Marina Circuit has become the home of the
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, held in November as the last race on the Formula One calendar. This article
explains how high precision and control was achieved in the project.
If you want to build a world-class Formula One race track in chal-
lenging conditions, your first call is likely to be to Bickhardt Bau
AG, a 1,600-person German firm based in Kirchheim that spe-
cializes in roadway and racetracks. Bickhardt Bau is one of the most
experienced Formula One firms available, and is especially notedfor overcoming construction challenges in exotic locations. The
Shanghai International Circuit, for exam-
ple, where Bickhardt designed and staked
the binder and wearing courses, was built
in very swampy conditions and required
approximately 340,000 cubic meters
(444,700 cubic yards) of expanded
polystyrene (EPS) to stabilize top layers.
And Bickhardt also built the Middle Easts
first Formula One track, in Bahrain. Their
work has powerful admirers; the vice-pres-
ident of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport,Norbert Haug, has said of the firms
Hockenheimring in Baden-Wrttemberg,
which bi-annually holds the Formula One
German Grand Prix, I dont know of any
other racetrack that is as even as Hockenheimit was created in
racing speed and is of the very highest quality.
Yet even while the firm is comfortable with tough conditions in far
flung corners of the world, the Yas Marina Circuit, in Abu Dhabi,was unique. Start with the combination of extraordinarily high tem-
peratures and humidity. Add to it the lack
of local roadway material and you have
a difficult project. But there was an addi-
tional factor to consider: Bickhardt was
asked to complete the construction, from
breaking ground to race-ready track, in
just one year. Could the firm rise to the
challenge? Well of course! says Horst
Walther, Bickhardts survey division man-
ager.
A Bit About Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi is the largest of the seven
United Arab Emirates, comprising about
80 percent of the young (founded in
10July/August 2011
By Craig R. Dylan
A r t i c l e
Racing track
Caterpillar with GPS
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1971) countrys area. About 70 percent of Abu Dhabi is coastal
desert, but since the Emirate controls huge oil reserves its extraordi-
narily well developedthe city of Abu Dhabi boasts a Manhattan-like skyline that includes some of the worlds most spectacular mod-
ern buildings.
Temperatures are extreme, and so is humidity. The year-round aver-
age temperature is 27C (80.6F) and the coastal location pushes
humidity to 80 percent. By comparison, the year-round average in
Las Vegas is just 19C (66.2F) with much lower humidity. For fur-
ther comparison, a typical steam sauna is about 50C (122F) and
100 percent humidity.
Heat this high seriously affects roadway construction. Staking was
done only during relatively cool morning and evening time periods,
and asphalt was only poured at night. During summer months, no
work at all was done from noon to three. It takes time to acclima-
tize, and one has to drink water, water, water. Also, we had to learn
to work slower, says Walther, which is very hard for Germans!
Bickhardt had 25 employees onsite in Abu Dhabi, and the survey
team included survey engineer Markus Bolaender and his assistant
Jrgen Heinemann, supported by Frank Straub, a dedicated staff
member back in Kirchheim. All 25 team members, including Project
Manager Frank Dittrich, were in Abu Dhabi from July 2008 to August
2009, working six days a week. On the seventh day they would
get a good nights rest, and do washing, emailing, etc. says
Walther, who oversaw survey operations from Kirchheim. And they
did take one sightseeing trip into the desert. But mainly, they
worked.
An Extraordinary TrackThe Yas Marina Circuit is
designed by Hermann Tilke,
which is a little like having Arnold
Palmer or Jack Nicklaus design
ones golf course. Tilke is a former
winning racer, and his tracks
hes designed more than 20 from
scratchare known for long
straight sections and tight hairpin
curves, which he believes encour-
ages overtaking. Yas Marina(which is built on an artificial
island) is no exception; it features,
after turn seven, the second-
longest straight on the Formula
One calendar. This section has recorded top speeds of up to 320
kmh (200 mph). Yas Marina is also one of the largest tracks overall,
with a total length of 5.53 km (3.43 miles), 12-15 meter (40-50 feet)track widths, and 20 spectacular turns. Formula One tracks are high-
ly engineered, and Yas Marina incorporates nearly one million tons
of subbase and 200,000 tons of asphalt.
Even on a typical highway, a sudden bump or pothole can be a
shock; in Formula One racing, where speeds well over 290 kmh
(180 mph) are common, theyre a disaster that must be avoided at
all costs. Consequently, tolerances are exceptionally tight. At ground
level, all surfaces had to be within four centimeters (1.5 inches) of
design, says Walther, subbase had to be within three centimeters
(1.2 inches), granular subbase had to be within two centimeters (0.8
inches), and the final surface had to be extraordinarily flatin any
four meters (13.1 feet) of track, no more than two millimeters (0.08
inches) of deviation was permissible.
Yas Marina was a perfect storm of project challenges: remote site
with an extreme climate, very tight tolerances, and an even tighter
construction schedule. But it turned out to be all in a daysor rather,
yearswork for Bickhardt Bau AG.
Good ControlControl was established with very long GPS observations by a
Trimble 5800 GPS Receiver, and the control net was made up of
concrete monuments, spaced 100 meters (328 feet) apart, and set
deep to minimize the effect of high surface temperatures. Spirit lev-
eling was performed to verify andtighten vertical measurements.
The Trimble 5800 was used to
stake ground level, and the
drainage system. Other staking
was done with a Trimble 5600
Total Station, a Trimble SPS730
Universal Total Station (UTS), and
the SPS730 was also used to con-
trol the Trimble GCS900 Grade
Control System that guided earth
movers and graders on the site.
Several strategies were used to
achieve the precision needed,
and for quality control.
Calculations were performed by
11Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com July/August 2011
A r t i c l e
Yas Marina Circuit
Racetrack September 2009
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experienced staff in Germany, using CARD/1, a proprietary CADsystem developed by the German firm IB&T. Data was emailed to
the site each day. This system worked very well, says Walther.
The entire project was calculated in Germany and the set out data
always got to use on time. The design digital terrain models allowed
excellent control, and formed the basis for all subsequent stakeout
and machine control work. Even last minute changes were adapted
quickly, and a centralized document management system kept all
stakeholders informed of the current project status.
Staking was only done during relatively cool parts of the day, with
constant checks to multiple benchmarks. Walther says the Trimble
GCS900 and SPS730 worked very well together: The SPS730 was
designed to work dynamically with very little delay, and it really per-
formed well. It was very quick and exact with the GCS900, and we
were easily within tolerance on the subbase levelschecking with
the Trimble 5600 confirmed that.
Paving was done with the hot on hot method, which required three
Vgele paving machines to work simultaneously along with six
Hamm steel rollers, all imported (with all other equipment) by a con-
tainer ship assembled in Hamburg. To counter heat, all paving was
done at night, by the light of the largest permanent lighting system
ever created for a sports venue. With all the steel rollers operating,
it looked like a race, jokes Walther. So who gets all the champi-
onship points?Final track layout consisted of 30 cm (11.8 inches) of crushed stone
base, 20 cm (7.9 inches) of granular subbase, eight cm (3.14 inch-
es) of binders, and four cm (1.6 inches) of wearing course. Since
there is little but sand to work with in Abu Dhabi, most of this mate-
rial was imported from the United Kingdom and Malaysia. For exam-
ple, all the gravel used on the track surface is known as Graywacke
Aggregate and came from the Bayston Hill Quarry in Shropshire,
EnglandGraywacke is prized by Formula One drivers and circuit
bosses for the high level of grip it offers. All asphalt was mixed on
site in a batch plant operated by MKW, a Bickhardt subsidiary.
Maximum precision, perfect workmanship, passion, optimum equip-
ment, and the necessary expertise were the solid foundation of thehigh quality we were able to achieve, says Walther. Add to that
the team spirit of all the employees involved, including the 16 locals
who joinedour staff for the duration, and you know why we are
able to do what we do so well.
World-Class PraiseThe Yas Marina Circuit is built on Yas Island, and is the anchor of avery ambitious development. In addition to the racetrack, the island
includes a theme park, water park, marina, residences, hotels and
beaches. The track itself has four grandstand areas, and passes by
the marina and underneath the Yas Marina Hotel. Its only the sec-
ond Formula One Circuit in the Middle East, but is already a very
popular and busy venue.
The Fdration Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), Formula Ones
governing body, granted final approval to the Yas Marina Circuit
on October 7th, 2009. Bruno Senna completed the first test lap.
Since then, the track has become the home of the Abu Dhabi Grand
Prix, held in November as the last race on the Formula One calen-
dar. In 2009, the event was the first to begin in the daytime and
end at night; to ensure a smooth transition, floodlights were on from
the beginning of the race. In 2010, Sebastian Vettel sealed the driv-
ers championship by winning his second race at Abu Dhabi.
Throughout its inaugural seasons, the circuit has won praise from
drivers. Every corner is unique, says Nico Rosberg, and two-time
world champion Fernando Alonso says that Abu Dhabi is, enjoy-
able, because there is always something to do. Notably, there have
been no complaints of unevenness in the track.
The complete surveying on this project was made possible by the
intelligent fusion of modern components like GPS, total stations, andmachine control, said Walther. This allowed a single survey to
manage the site very effectively and comply with all tolerances.
Civilizations are sometimes defined by their sports venues, just as
Rome was defined by its Coliseum. In the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu
Dhabi has created an excellent emblem of the state it has become:
modern, powerful, extremely fast, and able to import the resources
it needs. And thanks to the survey team of Bickhardt Bau AG, very
precise.
Craig Dylan is a freelancer with a land surveying background
who specializes in writing for the AEC industry.
Thanks to Stephanie Kirtland.
A r t i c l e
12July/August 2011
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GNSS Update
Broadband versus GPSIn the USA the battle around wide area broadband solution provider LightSquared rages on.Lightsquared operates in a frequency band that is overlapping the GPS L1 band and is causing
interference to that frequency band. In total, over 40,000 ground stations are planned all over the
country and the high precision industry in particular could suffer the consequences. John Deere &
Company gave the first report of interference to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).
J
ohn Deere reported substantial interference with their StarFire correc-
tion system as far away as 35 kilometers from a transmitter. It also
reported that it has not found a solution to the problem as of yet.
Testing by the US military confirmed the results from John Deere. From
the tests, it was also concluded that high precision receivers suffer more
from the interference than consumer grade receivers due to wideband
filters for Glonass and precision code reception. LightSquared were
accused of producing too optimistic results from their tests near Las Vegas,
because the transmitters used were broadcasting roughly half the power
defined in the companys business.
Other news from the GPS front included the definitive switching off of
SV 49 on May 6. The satellite, which carries the L5 test payload, was
causing multi-path problems satellite side. No further information was
given but it is widely assumed that the satellite will function as a spare
satellite. The big question is how the second Block IIF satellite, scheduledfor launch in July, will now fare.
GalileoThe first two Galileo
operational satellites
are expected to be
launched into space on October 20 of this year. This should lead to
initial operational capability in 2014 / 2015 with a full constella-
tion now predicted for 2019. The initial capability is now said to
have 18 satellites and three initial services, but not enough for 24
hour per day worldwide coverage. The launch will be the first Galileo
/ Soyuz launch from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
Meanwhile the payload package for the next satellites has passed
the Preliminary Design Review. The payload packages are built main-
ly by SSTL, the builder of the GIOVE-A satellite still functioning in
orbit after 64 months of operation. The first package is expected for
late 2011 with another 13 to follow at 6-week intervals under the
current contract.
GIOVE-B, the second of the In Orbit Validation satellites has now
been operational for three years, nine months longer than expected.
All this time the atomic clock installed, a passive hydrogen maser
clock, has remained at the required level of accuracy. This type ofclock is, until the launch of the new satellites in October, still the
most precise clock ever brought into orbit with an accuracy of one
second per three million years. For comparison: the Rubidium clocks
used in GIOVE-A have an accuracy of three seconds per million
years. The operational satell ites will carry two clocks of each type
for back-up purposes.
Galileo is more than just the satellites in space. On May 20, the
most Northern Galileo ground station was inaugurated at Svalbard,
Spitsbergen (78N) less than a 1000 kilometers South of the North
Pole. It is a very remote place with more polar bears living there
than humans.
GlonassThe K1 Glonass satellite launched in February began operational life
on April 7. Various sources report the reception of the new Glonass L3
14July/August 2011
A r t i c l e
By Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk
Effect of LightSquared on GPS receivers (source: John Deere & Company)
Opening of the ground station at Svalbard, Spitsbergen (source: www.esa.int)
Artist impression of the first
two Galileo satellites
(source: www.esa.int)
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CDMA signal. Transmitted at 1202.025 MHz, this signal should pro-
vide easier interoperability with GPS receivers. The signal is, accord-
ing to Javad, quite similar to GPS data. With the addition of these satel-lites, the total number of Glonass satellites that are operational is now
23, just one shy of full operational capability.
In the same timeframe, information on Glonass status has also been
greatly improved. The previously mainly Russian site (www.glonass-cen-
ter.ru) now hosts a number of pages in English that allow a quick
overview of the number of visible satellites and DOP values for the
Glonass constellation. From this information, it can be seen that Glonass
coverage for most of the world (with the exception of the equator) is
now around 100%.
Beidou / CompassOn April 10, the third Beidou inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGO)
satellite was launched bringing China yet again a step closer to full
operational capability over their country.
Javad has tracked both signals from Galileo, Compass, Glonass and
GPS and has noted that the monitored Compass signals have a much
higher signal strength than the corresponding signals from either GPS
or Galileo. The tracked signals are those presumably from the Open
Service, although with no Inter face Control Document released this is
still unconfirmed.
Augmentation Systems
GAGANIndias GAGAN had a major boost in May with the launch of the GSAT-
8 geosynchronous satellite on May 21 from Kourou using an Ariane 5
rocket. The satellite is initially positioned at 47 degrees East but should
drift to its final position at 55 degrees East putting it West of India. The
satellite is expected to be ready for transmission in July. Whether this
also includes the GAGAN satellite-based augmentation (SBAS) pay-
load is not sure. The GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (aka
GAGAN or sky in Hindi) has been long awaited and is the first non-
commercial SBAS in the Indian Ocean.
Egnos
The European Geostationary Overlay Service (EGNOS), which wasdeclared operational for aviation in March this year, has now seen its
first practical use. Pau Pyrnes in Southern France is now Europes
first airport to use the signal for guiding aircraft during landing. By
2020, all of Frances 100 airports should be Egnos capable. The first
Egnos-equipped aircraft are believed to be the Beluga airplanes used
to transport Airbus parts between the various factories and assembly
locations. Currently Airbus uses Pau for training. Further aircraft thatwill be equipped with Egnos are the A-350 range from Airbus.
WAAS
The WAAS satellite with PRN 135, which was switched off after drift-
ing, has now resumed normal operations. The satellite is being moved
to its final destination at 133W and is fully operational. The satellite
covers most of Alaska, which did not have any SBAS coverage while
the satellite was switched off. It seems that the failure was due to a mal-
function in the software following a loss of control from the ground.
After some time the satellite was brought back into contact and could
be restarted. New software has been uploaded to prevent this happen-
ing again.
SDCM
The Russian counterpart to Egnos, WAAS and GAGAN, is called the
System for Differential Correction and Monitoring (SDCM).The first satel-
lite to carry a payload for transmitting this signal is currently under con-
struction, with the satellite launch planned for the second half of 2011.
Acquisition timeTrimble, one of the major companies selling professional GPS equip-
ment is on a shopping spree. Over the last few months they have
acquired OmniStar from Fugro as far as the land-based side of opera-
tions are concerned (Fugros marine operations remain unaffected). For
the next few years, Fugro will continue to operate the network.
Just a month after all this activity, Trimble announced that they had
bought Ashtech (formerly Magellan Professional, Thales Navigation,
DSNP and Sercel) and its affiliates. This effectively merges two major
OEM developers for the professional market. The products are expect-
ed to be marketed under the Spectra Precision brand. The results of
Ashtech sales will fall within Trimbles Engineering and Construction
segment.
Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk [email protected]
is a freelance writer and trainer in the fields of
positioning and hydrography.
A r t i c l e
15Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com July/August 2011
Glonass coverage (DOP 5) for June 12 (source: www.glonass-center.ru)
Dassault Falcon test aircraft equipped with Egnos
(source: www.esa.int)
http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/mailto:[email protected]://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.glonass-center.ru/http://www.esa.int/http://www.geoinformatics.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-center.ru/http://www.esa.int/ -
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Host
DVW e.V. German Society for Geodesy,
Geoinformation and Land Management
www.dvw.de
Conference organiser
DVW GmbH
Egbertstrae 46, 40489 Dsseldorf
DGfK e.V.Deutsche Gesellschaft fr
Kartographie | www.dgfk.net
Trade fair organiser
HINTE Messe- und Ausstellungs-GmbH
Bannwaldallee 60, 76185 Karlsruhe
Fon: +49 721 93133-0
www.intergeo.de
with59thGe
rman
Cartographic
Conference
September
2729,201
1
Knowledge and Action
for Planet Earth
Nuremberg,September 27th to29th,2011
epte
ith59
artograph
c7
erence
1
29,201
an
www
Geoinformation and Land Management
DVW e.V
Host
Kartographie | www
DGfK e.V
Egbertstrae 46, 40489 Dsseldorf
DVW GmbH
Conference organiser
.de.dvwwww
Geoinformation and Land Management
,German Society for Geodesy.DVW e.V
Host
.dgfk.netKartographie | www
Deutsche Gesellschaft fr.DGfK e.V
Egbertstrae 46, 40489 Dsseldorf
DVW GmbH
Conference organiser
Fon: +49 721 93133-0
Bannwaldallee 60, 76185 Karlsruhe
Ausstellungs-GmbHHINTE Messe- und
rade fair organiserT
http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dgfk.net/mailto:[email protected]://www.intergeo.de/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dgfk.net/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dgfk.net/http://www.dgfk.net/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.dgfk.net/http://www.intergeo.de/http://www.dvw.de/ -
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Introducing a Greek Cartographic Company
Combining GIS and GPSTERRAIN is a very young and fresh cartographic and publishing company in Greece. Fotis Reppas, Chief
Cartographer of TERRAIN, talks with editor Joc Triglav about company values, the technologies used in
its daily work, its customer base, its products and the challenges that arise when mapping the coast-
line.
IntroductionTERRAIN was founded in 2008 by
Stephanos Psimenos, the former
owner of Road Editions, a carto-graphic company in Greece.
Stephanos brought together his expe-
rience in field surveys and his love of
good maps, and paired them both with
the sound knowledge of the latest carto-
graphic technologies (GIS & GPS) provided
by his team of GIS analysts. TERRAINs team
consists of certified GIS analysts who have
received special education in field data col-
lection. Reppas: We have introduced new
cartographic standards by recording virtually
everything in the field. We want our maps to
be an experience for the user, not just a piece
of paper, though we do
not print on
paper we use
Polyart. He states that it is
extremely rewarding getting feedback
from people who used the companys maps
in their travels and had a really good time.
From the very beginning TERRAIN focused
on three basic principles that covered a
gap in Greek cartography, namely preci-
sion, user friendliness and a high level ofinformation.
Meeting clientexpectations
When asked
how TERRAIN dif-fers from other
cartographic com-
panies on the Greek mar-
ket, Reppas answers that
everyone at TERRAIN is a map
user first and then a map
maker: It is impossible to cre-
ate a good map if you have
never used one. At TERRAIN we
think like hikers, bikers, climbers,
divers, canyoneers and week-
enders as well, because we are all
of the above. So, our maps perfect-
ly meet the expectations of these
demanding groups.
Another funda-
mental con-
cept of TER-
RAIN is
sweep-
ing fieldwork. TER -
RAIN bases its quality
on extensive and exhaust-ing (for men and machines)
field research: We go to our
working area and scan all the details that
should be on our map, what we call a 100%
field survey. Thats the only way to know if
a dirt road is passable or too rough, or if a
footpath is clear and suitable for family
walking or not. We often say to our cus-
tomers that no matter where they may want
to go, we have been there before them. We
identify with the users of our maps, and we
strive to make our maps the best and themost convenient to use.
Data collecting and technologiesusedThe software that TERRAIN uses in its work
comes from Esri. ArcPad has been installedin the companys Ashtech GPS receivers,
and ArcInfo is used in the desktops back in
the office. Reppas: These two software pro-
grams cover our needs successfully. TERRAIN,
from day one, has established strict proto-
cols for our work. These include manuals
with detailed instructions about how we
work, whether out in the field or in the office.
It is absolutely vital for us all to keep to these
protocols so as to ensure consistency in the
end product. Since there are several differ-
ent people involved in each project, it is
essential that everyone speak the same lan-
guage so as to understand each other per-
fectly, and this is achieved by strictly follow-
ing the companys manual. For field work
during the first three years (2008 to 2010)
they used MobileMapper CX, the best GPS
device available at the time.
July/August 2011
I n t e r v i e w
By Joc Triglav
Field work
Corfu coastal mapping
18
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Reppas: Now we use the new Mobile -
Mapper 100, a GNSS device that meets or
exceeds our demands. It gives us sub-meter
accuracy (one meter accuracy is enough forour scales) in real-time mapping and with
better reception than the previous model
thanks to the embedded GPS+GLONASS
capabilities. The most important thing is that
what you see on our maps isnt just checked
by TERRAIN, it is recorded by TERRAIN.
When a cartographer sees a chapel, he gets
off his bike, goes to the front door and sets
a Point feature. Then he opens the door of
the chapel, goes inside and writes down
which saint this chapel is dedicated to. Now
imagine this multiplied by hundreds of
chapels, springs, caves etc. This is how all
data is recorded: by virtually "touching" it.
More field workTERRAINs field workers actually go every-
where. This requires a lot of time and a con-
siderable amount of money, but according
to Reppas there is no other way to produce
100% reliable results: To collect our data,
we go everywhere as a team of two to nine
cartographers with our off-road vehicles
(4x4 or off-road motorcycles) specially mod-
ified with GPS mounts for our Mobile-Mapper 100, and drive all day long (dawn
to dusk) recording every feature we find on
the way. When it comes to footpaths, we
walk them. All the data is collected in 1:1
scale. Some time ago we published our first
general map of the Peloponnese in
1:200,000, and soon Western Crete in
1:100,000 will be published as well.
These maps require experience and good
judgment to know what information is essen-
tial and has to be shown. A map is anabstract of reality and the less space you
have, the more meticulous and careful you
have to be with your choices. TERRAIN has a
very big list of the attributes and sub-cate-
gories they record. Reppas: For the line fea-
tures we have about 15 types and for the
point features over 90. Sometimes a cartog-
rapher may come up against something new
or something special that exists only in the
area where he works. Every place has its
own particularities. We always record
everything, even if there is no pre-arranged
category for something: ArcPad is very flex-
ible. Back in the office, we decide if a spe-
cial or unique feature should go into the
map.
Cartographic work at the coast
and on islandsAsked how the measurement procedure is
done on the numerous islands and their
coasts, Reppas answers that the company
executes cartographic fieldwork on islands
the same way as in any other land area.
Reppas: The extra issue here is the coast-
line, which was another challenge for car-
tographers. TERRAIN was the first cartograph-
ic company to record every mile of the
coastline of Greek islands, using a specially
modified inflatable boat named Glaros,
which means seagull in Greek. Over the last three years the crew of Glaros
circumnavigated more than 50 Greek
islands and all the small islets around them,
and recorded in detail all the beaches, even
the smallest ones, with their special features:
whether they are sandy or pebbly, if there
are trees that give natural shade, fresh water
or any other facilities such as beach bars,
dive centers, sea sports et cetera. Informa-
tion on the sea bottom in front of the beach
is also recorded, whether it is sandy or rocky
-- useful information for someone who
intends to drop anchor and spend the night.
In addition to the fact that TERRAIN maps are
printed on waterproof Polyart "paper", so
one can drop them in the sea or even use
them underwater without destroying them,
the companys maps are ideal for those who
sail around the Greek islands, statesReppas.
Polyart is expensive, twenty times more
expensive than plain paper. Whenasked
why the company chose to use this materi-
al, Reppas points out that a map is a valu-
able tool and they wanted the ultimate out-
come: the best maps on the best material.
Reppas: Polyart is a revolution in printed
maps. It isnt just a water-resistant paper, it
is 100% waterproof. Another advantage is
its tear resistance. The map might deform
under pressure but it wouldnt be torn. Wefind these characteristics as important as our
standards for collecting data, and the com-
bination results in a product that will never
let you down.
I n t e r v i e w
19Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com July/August 2011
Mt. Parnitha map
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Satellite and aerial imagesWhen asked to what extent and for which pur-
poses satellite and aerial images are used by
the company, Reppas answers that satellite
imagery is used mostly for aesthetic purposes.
Sometimes recordings from the field need some
refining to follow the smooth curves of the
road, and this is where satellite or aerial
images help to achieve the best possible result.Reppas: No matter how good a cartographer
may be at interpreting images, satellites always
give just part of the information. It is extremely
difficult for an analyst to make out the type of
road, for instance dirt or asphalt, or if a par-
ticular road is passable or not. And speaking
of footpaths, I have used maps in the past
where I have seen serious mistakes such as a
creek digitized as a footpath or as a road!
Another issue is when the road continues
under foliage: I know that GPS devices can
have some problems, too, but the fact that thecartographer is on the spot and sees with his
own eyes what the site is like gives us the
unique advantage of accurate information.
Map scales and e-shopSpeaking of map scales, TERRAIN has chosen
not to be constrained by the scales but by the
available space on its maps. Reppas: We try
to depict as much area of interest as fits in a
paper size of 100 x 70 cm. Thus, since
Greece has various sizes of islands, the scales
of our island maps vary between 1:15,000
and 1:75,000. All our mountain maps are in
the scale of 1:25,000, which is a typical scale
for hiking maps.
Recently the first titles in two new map series
were presented: regional maps of mainland
Greece in the scale of 1:200,000, and area
maps in the scale of 1:100,000. During the
past three years, under the direction of
Stephanos Psimenos, the company has estab-
lished a sales network of more than 400 sell-
ing points. Stephanos visited these outlets in per-
son and explained in detail how the maps werecreated and their high standards as well.
Travelers in Greece can now find TERRAIN maps
on sale in all the Greek islands (in tourist shops,
bookshops, foreign press shops, supermarkets
etc.). There is also a well-designed e-shop
where you can order maps online and have
them mailed to your home, with delivery within
a few days.
Natural area covered with mapsTo date, the company has mapped 45 islands,
two mountains and two larger areas, namelythe Peloponnese and Crete. They started with
the islands, which are popular destinations with
plenty of attractions for everyone. Maps for
places no one had published anything on
before, like the island of Symi, were issued. The
two mountains, Mt. Parnitha, which is near
Athens, and Mt. Pelio are very popular and
beautiful as well.
This year TERRAIN launched a new series of small-
er maps 50 x 70 cm, on plain paper, with the
same accuracy as the big maps but with less
information (because of the new scale), and less
than half the price of the Polyart maps. These
maps are suitable for those who do not want to
explore every corner of the island they are visit-
ing and are satisfied with the basic information.
Reppas: We believe that everyone has the right
to a good map and thats why we named this
series Maps For All! Our publishing schedule
is to finish the project that covers the mainland
of Greece and the Ionian islands. Our goals are
dictated by special circumstances and by peo-
ples needs. We are moving forward with steady
steps and we believe that people have learnedhow to distinguish a good map: they ask for it
and they prefer it to a poor-quality map. People
now understand that a good map is an essen-
tial tool for helping them get the most out of their
visit to a particular area.
The companys products and services cover a
wide range of clients and applications, states
Reppas. In addition to our printed maps we
offer our services to anyone who wants to high-
light a specific area or create a custom-made
thematic map, like maps for travel guides, hotels,car rental agencies and other private compa-
nies. We also undertake footpath maintenance
and signposting on behalf of public and private
organizations. At TERRAIN, we have the know-
how, the experience and the willpower to cre-
ate any cartographic product from scratch.
More info about TERRAIN visit www.terrainmaps.gr
JGC Company -Ashtech Dealer in Greece : www.JGC.gr
More info about the Ashtech: www.ashtech.com
Thanks to Claire Geffroy, Ashtech Senior MarCom Manager.
I n t e r v i e w
20July/August 2011
http://www.terrainmaps.gr/http://www.jgc.gr/http://www.ashtech.com/http://www.ashtech.com/http://www.jgc.gr/http://www.terrainmaps.gr/ -
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HIGH SPEED TRACKING
grafit-werbeagentur.de
www.topcon.eu
The quickest and mostaccurate Robotic Total Stationon the market
http://www.topcon.eu/http://www.topcon.eu/ -
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A First Assessment
Is Europe getting INSPIREd?The INSPIRE Directive went into force in May 2007. While some derived legislation is still under devel-opment, the basic building blocks of the INSPIRE infrastructure are taking shape. Member States and
the European Commission have been working hard over the last year: groups of experts from the
Member States coordinated by the Commission have prepared the technical basis for the derived legis-
lation and Member States have taken measures to implement INSPIRE at their level. As from 2010, the
first results of the Member States monitoring and reporting activities on the implementation of INSPIRE
became available, and it is now possible to make a first assessment.
IntroductionThe INSPIRE Directive (Directive
2007/2/EC) establishes an
INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation
in Europe in order to improve the
sharing of spatial information
between public administrations for
policies related to the environment,
and to facilitate public access to this
information across Europe. While the
Directive sets out the framework of
this infrastructure, it is the derived legislation that defines how this
infrastructure has to be implemented in practice, addressing meta-
data, the harmonisation of spatial data sets and services, and the
network services infrastructure. Furthermore, it covers harmonised
access to data and services of the Member States for the Community
institutions and bodies. This derived legislation has already been
developed to a great extent: currently only a part of the legislation
referring to the harmonisation of spatial data sets and services and
to the required network infrastructure is still under development.
As from 2010 Member States have to submit yearly the results of
the monitoring of their legal obligations through quantitative indi-
cators, while a qualitative report on the implementation of INSPIRE
has to be provided every three years. In order to get a more com-prehensive picture, beyond these legal requirements, and to assess
the overall progress of National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI)
the "INSPIRE and NSDI: State of Play" study was launched by the
European Commission Eurostat. The study evaluates the develop-
ment of the NSDI in 34 countries: 27 European Union Member
States, candidate countries (TR, MK,
HR, IS), and EFTA countries (NO,
CH, LI, IS). The study is based on
different sources of information: a
desktop study, a specific survey
focusing on organisational aspects
and the first results from officialINSPIRE Monitoring mentioned
above. Direct visits to three coun-
tries complete the overall analysis.
The results are summarised in a
report that also includes compara-
tive tables illustrating the progress
from 2007 onwards. The study pre-
sented here is therefore based on the
situation at the beginning of 2010,
unless stated differently.
The analysis is divided according
to the components of a Spatial Data
Infrastructure (SDI) in technical
(data, metadata, services) and non-
technical aspects (organisational, legal issues and funding).
Legal aspects and fundingWith INSPIRE being a European Directive, its provisions have to be
transposed into Member State legislation. By the end of May 2011
all Member States but one had completed their transposition. As
reported by Member States, the topics that created the most difficul-
ties during the transposition concerned mainly the establishment of
coordination structures of relevant stakeholders in the country and
the measures for sharing spatial data sets and services among the
public administrations. Some countries not belonging to the EU are
also implementing INSPIRE or equivalent legislation on a voluntary
basis. In fact several of these countries have been and are still active-
ly involved in the INSPIRE process with the presence of experts inthe technical working groups.
Besides the legal requirements, strategic initiatives, such as a vision
for a GI strategy, the definition of implementation plans and funding
policies are all necessary to support long-term developments in the
countries. For example, the place-
ment of the NSDI within the overall
context of a national information
strategy, the identification of the arte-
facts of the spatial data infrastructure,
the responsibilities, the task alloca-
tions, the key milestones, and a prop-er timeframe are seen as necessary.
However, there are few such plans
(e.g. DE, UK, NL) and it seems that
many countries are implementing
22July/August 2011
A r t i c l e
By Beatrice Eiselt
Figure 1: Existence of strategic documents and implementation plans (30 countries)
Figure 2: Levels of public authorities involved in INSPIRE implementation (30 countries)
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INSPIRE Directive without specific guidance (Figure 1).
A clear funding policy for the NSDI is also still missing in many coun-
tries. This might partly be because the "INSPIRE" activities are part
of the regular activities of an institution and therefore not covered
by a specific INSPIRE or NSDI budget line. Sometimes specific pro-
ject funding covers some of the tasks, mainly coordination activities
and monitoring and reporting activities. There is no Community bud-
get directly associated with the INSPIRE Directive, that is no budget
directly allocated for supporting INSPIRE implementation in Member
States. However, several EU programmes (e.g. Interreg, FP7, e-
Content- ICT PSP) are providing important contributions and might
be further exploited in the future. As an example, several EU-funded
projects currently support the development of harmonised data sets.
Funding opportunities can be found on the INSPIRE Forum web site
in the "Funding opportunities and funded projects" group.
Organisational aspectsThe INSPIRE Directive explicitly requires Member States to define a
structure for coordinating across the different levels of government,
the contributions of all those with an interest in their infrastructurefor spatial information. This coordination structure may take different
forms depending on the specific governmental structure within each
Member State (e.g. a federal state will probably have different stake-
holders compared to a more centralised country).
The organisational structures in the countries have shown a clear
shift over the last few years, from National Mapping Agencies
(NMAs), that is data producers, towards Environmental Ministries or
Agencies, to data users. While the NMAs often keep the role of the
main executive body, users are more and more involved in the pro-
cess. Countries are putting huge efforts into the creation of function-
al coordination structures, however not all the countries have suchdetailed structures yet in place (Figure 2). This is especially true in
view of the development of implementing rules for harmonised data
sets falling under the spatial data themes listed in Annex III of the
INSPIRE Directive, which covers a very broad field of mainly envi-
ronmentally-related topics. The involvement of all relevant stakehold-
ers is important in order to get all the user requirements duly taken
into account. The involvement of local governments seems to be par-
ticularly difficult and for the time being they are not very visible.
However, their role is gaining more and more importance. This is
certainly true for France, and to a certain extent for Spain, Italy and
Denmark.
Denmark is a good example for involving the local level through
FOTdanmark, an association between the Danish State (Danish
National Survey and Cadastre) and the municipalities. It has a
goal to establish unified public topographic maps as well as to
provide related, spatially enabled applications for citizens and
private companies. In July 2009, 88 municipalities out of 98 were
members of FOTdanmark.
As INSPIRE and NSDIs have moved from an unofficial to an official
status, the role of the GI associations (e.g. AGI in UK) has changed.
They are still in a third of the countries but are less involved as the
driving coordinator, and more in a facilitating and supporting role.Furthermore, the involvement of universities, third parties and other
stakeholders is limited. Countries where these stakeholders are
involved are for example: Switzerland, the Czech Republic and
Spain. Even if the stakeholders not all equal partners, a broad stake-
holder involvement is certainly important to grasp different require-
ments and needs.
Data and service sharingAn important activity of a coordinative-legal nature is the develop-
ment of sharing arrangements through harmonised licences, in order
to improve access to data and services, and to facilitate its use. The
value lies in the fact that a good licence clearly spells out rights andobligations and avoids situations where the user does not really
know what is allowed regarding the use of the data. Harmonisation
is important in order to facilitate the combined use of different data
sets. When combining data sets from different sources it is impor-
A r t i c l e
23Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com July/August 2011
Figure 3: Existence of
metadata for spatial data
sets and services
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tant to determine use conditions for the combined product. If licences
express the same concepts in different ways, it can be very difficult
to assess their similarity. Moreover, if each licence specifies different
use conditions and different restrictions, then the combined use of
data coming from different sources will be difficult. This is because
all the conditions and restrictions of each data set contained in the
combined results will have to be respected. This problem could be
avoided or reduced if a limited number of use conditions are speci-
fied.
Licensing is a field where efforts in harmonising the national
approaches are ongoing and concrete results are starting to emerge.
In order to promote access to spatial data, many countries set up
standard agreements/licenses for the different groups of stakehold-
ers. Currently, 15 countries have a harmonised framework for pub-
lic administration access and use (e.g. NL, DK, NO), 6 countries
have developed standard licences for personal use and 7 for com-
mercial use. In other words sharing policies are just emerging but
developments continue quickly. Of particular interest for use at the
European level are the initiatives that approach this topic across
Member States. Examples of good practices for data and service
sharing can also be found in the "INSPIRE Good practice for dataand service sharing document" available on the INSPIRE Website.
Since January 2011, the French mapping agency IGN has been
distributing its large scale reference data RGE, asking only that
its reproduction and distribution costs be covered if the data is
used strictly for public tasks without commercial interests.
Some issues related to access restrictions and confidentiality, have
become apparent and will have to be investigated further. On the
one hand some basic data sets have access restrictions (e.g.
bathymetry in some of the Nordic countries) and it is important to
better understand the reasons for these restrictions. On the otherhand issues on privacy have been raised with an increased aware-
ness that the combination of multiple datasets, each on its own
respecting the privacy protection rules, might lead to the disclosure
of confidential information.
MetadataMetadata are an essential component of
an SDI because they are the primary tool
for discovering spatial resources. Imple-
mentation rules for metadata were the
first derived legislation to be published.
Metadata is a rapidly progressing
domain even if it is happening less quick-ly than expected, given the legal obliga-
tion to create INSPIRE-conformant meta-
data for Annex I and II data sets by
December 2010. At the end of 2009
more than one third of the countries that
provided the indicators had metadata for
less than 50% of their data sets and ser-
vices (Figure 3), and when it came to con-
formant metadata, only three countries
where above or equal to the 50% mark
(Figure 4). For Annex I data sets the situ-
ation is a little bit better, five countriesscore 50% or more.
Also concerning the availability of meta-
data through discovery services, it is clear that some improvements
are still needed: in just seven countries more then 50% of the datasets
and services have metadata and can be found through at least one
discovery service (Figure 5).
Spatial data setsIn order to combine data sets from different sources, for example from
different data providers from the same or different countries, interoper-
able data are necessary. The INSPIRE Directive lists 34 spatial data
themes, divided into three annexes, for which harmonised data speci-
fications have to be developed. The first annex covers mainly basic
reference data, such as administrative units, transport or hydrography.
The remaining annexes cover mainly environmentally-related topics.
Activities on harmonising available data sets falling under Annex I
are just starting as the relevant implementing rules were only pub-
lished in December 2010. An important topic for Member States is
now the strategy to be used for this harmonisation. Several activities
focusing on interoperability and harmonisation of spatial data sets
are supported through EU projects, e.g. OneGeology, GIS4EU,
Humboldt, ESDIN, and Nature-SDIplus. Several of these projects
have already contributed to the development of data specifications.
Network servicesINSPIRE is based on networks of services that allow improved access
to geographic information. These services build the technological
backbone of the infrastructure and allow users to discover what is
available, to view, possibly download, and even transform.
The current assessment is based on a partial view of the services as
several countries did not provide information on the availability of
services. This may be an indication that the situation is evolving
rapidly and that it was not possible to provide a stable picture.
View services in particular are now developing very quickly, andactually some countries are thinking to better bundle their view ser-
vices in order to avoid an excessive scattering of resources.
Download services are also starting to emerge and discovery ser-
vices are becoming more available with 21 out of the 34 countries
A r t i c l e
24July/August 2011
Figure 4: Existence of conformant data for spatial data sets and services
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having at least some discovery services in place. However, as
already mentioned, when looking at the amount of metadata avail-
able through discovery services, the picture is less optimistic.
Despite an overall deployment of services still needing to be com-
pleted, developments are ongoing and national geoportals are
receiving growing interest. Even if national portals are not an
INSPIRE obligation 18 countries have one or at least a proto-
type.
Spain is implementing one of the most developed service infras-
tructures. IDEE, the Spanish National Spatial Infrastructure covers
7 Ministries, 16 Regions and 400 municipalities and offers 833
WMS services, 205 WFS services, 18 WCS and 9 CSW.
The French Geoportal (www.geoportail.fr) provides access to ref-
erence data produced by IGN France (National Geographic
Institute) and other producers. The public can access a large num-
ber of data sets online, while direct access to the view services
through direct calls to their URLs makes it possible to embed them
in other web and desktop applications. Access is granted based
on an open source license. Open and conformant tools support-
ing the work of the data producers, such as a template with anISO 19115 XM export facility and a Wiki dedicated to "How to
fill metadata fields", are also made available.
The Lithuanian Geographic Information Infrastructure connects
major public sector information sources through a single internet
portal (www.geoportal.lt). The system has been designed as a
national, open and shared spatial data infrastructure giving access
to products and related services.
As of May 9th, 2011, discovery and view services had to be avail-
able with initial operating capabilities in the EU Member States. In
addition, activities were started aimed at testing connectionsbetween the Member State Services and the European Geoportal.
Through these activities the European Geoportal Member State net-
work services will gain wide visibility, stimulating the use of the infras-
tructure and further developments.
An SDI can only work if a certain quality
level is achieved and the different techni-
cal components conform to the stan-
dards. Conformance testing is a chal-
lenge that is coming up for all the
countries and actually does not only con-
cern network services but also metadata
and spatial data sets. It will be worth-
while to bundle the efforts of MemberStates in this field and foster the
exchange of information. Germany is an
interesting case for the provision of tools
developed centrally in support of the
implementation of INSPIRE by the differ-
ent participants concerned. Conformance
testing tools have been made available
to its data providers for verifying the con-
formity of data sets, metadata and ser-
vices with the respective implementing
rules; the results of the validation are
used to feed the INSPIRE monitoring obli-gations. The Netherlands is working
along the same lines. A national valida-
tion service tests digital plans at four levels: GML data encoding
according to schemas and business rules of the standards, interop-
erability of the geometry with respect to national specifications, file
names, and digital signature ensuring the integrity and complete-
ness of the plan.
ConclusionsThe framework set out by INSPIRE Directive has allowed each coun-
try to start implementing a national infrastructure taking into account
its specificities while creating a European interoperable system.
The strengths and weaknesses of the currently available components
of the infrastructure have been pointed out in this article. The first
opportunity to measure the progress in a quantitative way will be
provided by the new monitoring information from Member States
referring to the year 2010. If some of the weaknesses persist, coor-
dinative and supportive activities at EU level, such as platforms for
exchange of information or documenting good practices, might need
to be strengthened.
Overall, clear progress is becoming evident and many elements of
the infrastructure are taking shape. While the last implementing rules
are currently under development, the network services infrastructurehas really started to emerge. With more and more metadata avail-
able and related discovery and view ser vices accessible through
national geoportals, an important first step for the improvement of
spatial data and service sharing across Europe has already been
achieved.
Beatrice Eiselt, [email protected], works at Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union.
Eurostat, together with two other Commission services - Directorate-General for the Environment and the
Joint Research Centre - are responsible for the development of the INSPIRE initiative.
Figures 1 5:
Vandenbroucke, D., Billiouris, D., Crompvoets, J. and Janssen, K. (2006). Spatial Data Infrastructures in
Europe. D4.1 - Summary report regarding the results of the European Assessment of 34 NSDI (2010) , of astudy commissioned by the European Commission, Eurostat within the framework of the INSPIRE initiative.
http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4[accessed June 2010], pp72 + 34 annexed
country reports.
An annotated version of this article can be found atwww.geoinformatics.com.
A r t i c l e
26July/August 2011
Figure 5: Discoverable metadata for spatial data sets and services
http://www.geoportail.fr/http://www.geoportal.lt/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4mailto:[email protected]://www.geoportal.lt/http://www.geoportail.fr/ -
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DMCii and Emergency Response
International RescueDMCii has recently taken over the day-to-day running of the International Charter Space and MajorDisasters, a global agreement to acquire satellite images of disaster zones for emergency response.
How did this Surrey-based company become the only non-space agency in the Charter to hold such a
significant leadership role?
There are certain closely guarded phone
numbers that, once called, put events in
motion. So it goes with the International
Charter Space and Major Disasters.
When a major catastrophe occurs upwards
of once per fortnight is the current average
the phone call is made and requests swiftly put
through to many of the worlds Earth observa-
tion (EO) satellites to target the affected region,
providing rapid access to space-based images
to help guide response efforts and save lives.
Now into its second decade of life, The
Charter was born out of disaster. When
Hurricane Mitch claimed thousands of lives
while tearing through Central America in
October 1998, the European Space Agency
(ESA) and French space agency CNES rushed
to get accurate damage maps into the hands
of emergency response teams.
The experience inspired the two agencies to
formalise their future cooperation. The result-
ing Charter entered force in October 2000,
when ESA and CNES were joined by theCanadian Space Agency (CSA). The
Charters first activation occurred the follow-
ing month, in response to landslides in
Slovenia.
More than 300 activations later, today the
Charter has 10 members with 3 new agencies
in the process of completing the integration
process, and has becomean established part
of the disaster response landscape. This year
is already proving busy, with a total of 11
Charter activations so far, triggered by a wide
variety of disasters including wildfires in
Mexico, flooding in Australia, Brazil and
Namibia, landslides in Turkey, earthquakes in
Pakistan and New Zealand and the earth-
quake and tsunami in Japan.
Taking chargeThe Charter is managed on a rotating basis,
with each member agency taking charge for
six months at a time. In May 2011 its day-to-day running passed from the US Geological
Survey in Sioux Falls, USA to a leafy business
park on the edge of Guildford, UK.
This is the headquarters of remote sensing ser-
vice provider DMC International Imaging
(DMCii), the sole private company to partici-
pate in managing the Charter. DMCii owes
this distinction to the unique public-private
basis of the UKs Charter membership.
The Charter is open to all space agencies with
space assets able to contribute satellite
images. So in November 2005 DMCii and
the UK Space Agency (UKSA) teamed up to
join as partners, each one possessing what
the other lacks: while UKSA enjoys national
space agency status, it has no EO satellites of
its own, but DMCii brings with it the control
of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation
(DMC), a currently five-strong commercial
satellite constellation.
DMCii additionally holds a place on the
Charters Executive Secretariat, which imple-
ments the day-to-day Charter process. The
UKSA, meanwhile, supports the DMCiis
28July/August 2011
A r t i c l e
By Adina Gillespie
Colombia flooding UK-DMC2 Image (C) DMCii, 2011. All rights reserved.
Sendai Oil Refinery Fire Japan high-res UK-DMC2 Image (C) DMCii, 2011. All rights reserved.
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Charter work as well as occupying its own
seat on the Charter Board, which performs an
oversight role and considers ways to improve
Charter performance in future.
Along with putting the DMC at the disposal
of the Charter, DMCii also contributes a regu-
lar rota of Emergency On-call Officers (ECOs).
ECOs from the different member agencies are
at the heart of Charter activities, standing
ready for action 24 hours a day for seven day
duty periods.
Once a call requesting an activation is made
by an Authorised User, on-duty operators
pass the information to an ECO who analy-
ses the request and the scope of the disaster,
identifies useful satellites and then makes
imaging requests to their operators. Once this
tasking process is complete, the ECO