Are Maps Objective or Subjective?

Please comment with your opinions regarding our class discussion on the objectivity and subjectivity of maps. Do you feel that maps are primarily and objective tool or is there some amount of subjectivity involved when maps are made? Should maps be entirely objective or does it help/hinder the user interpret the map easier when the mapmaker's subjective perspectives are included in the map? Provide a thoughtful comment to these questions and feel free to respond to others' comments as well. Along with answering these questions, find one map on the web and describe how this map may or may not introduce some subjectivity to the user. Provide the URL address to your map. Your answers will be graded!

 



Impact of Privacy Laws on Geomatics

In the past, the only people who knew where we were at any given time were the people who saw us there and the people we told. This is changing due to geoinformation and it makes some people very uncomfortable. It is only to be expected that this development will result in some fundamental amendments to privacy laws, says Kevin Pomfret, executive director of the Centre for Spatial Law and Policy. He shares his thoughts on changes to privacy regulations and their potential impact on the geospatial community with GIM International.
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Digital Photogrammetric Workstations

For over a century, images taken from above-ground platforms have been major data sources for topographic mapping, creation of base maps and many other uses. For the past decade or more, data has been extracted from the imagery using computer software on what have become known as digital photogrammetric workstations. Some of the tasks can be performed almost fully automatically while others require extensive human involvement. To tie in with the new product survey on digital photogrammetric workstations published on our website, this article discusses the latest status and features.




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Leica ScanStation C10 Homicide Scene Documentation

In addition to the previous post, Leica has some interesting documentation on laser scans and crime/terrorism. Check the link below for a case of foresnic crime scene mapping:

http://www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic/downloads/Leica%20TruStory%20-%20Homicide%20Scene%20Documentation.pdf

Leica also has a main site dedicated to laser scanning and forensic science:

http://www.leica-geosystems.us/forensic/index.html

Murder Mapping With GIS

Homicides are grouped based on number of homicides in an area. Click a group to zoom there:
http://projects.latimes.com/homicide/map/

Bin Laden Hideout from the Sky

On 2nd May 2011 Osama Bin Laden was supposedly killed in Abbottabad, Pakistan. DigitalGlobe provides a satellite image of this area, with the probable compound where the action took place centre on the image. The house is on a plot the shape of an inverted triangle.

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HandHeld Scanner to Keep Planes Combat-Ready

Engineers and machinists at several United States Air Force (USAF) bases are now using NVision\'s HandHeld laser scanner to reverse engineer complex aircraft parts, which are then machined to the highest level of accuracy and installed, maintaining USAF planes in peak working condition. More...

Moment British Arctic Survey team woke up to find a giant ice crack had opened up right underneath their tent

This is the dramatic moment a British team of scientists had a miraculous escape during an Arctic surveying expedition - when a huge ice crack opened - beneath their tents.
The three member Catlin Arctic Survey is at the North Pole doing an annual survey to assess the effects of climate change - and has narrowly avoided calamity.
The team members Ann Daniels, Martin Hartley and Charlie Paton were camping on the ice pan when it started to break up. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1265734/Pictured-Arctic-Survey-team-escape-disaster-ice-cracks-tent.html#ixzz0tI2g82lq

Monitoring & Modeling

An interesting article from GeoWorld...

City of Davenport Uses 3D Visualization to Prepare for Flooding

The city of Davenport, Iowa, has a long history of flooding. In the last 33 years, there have been eight major Mississippi River floods that have affected the city. In the early 1980s, Davenport decided to use passive flood protection instead of building permanent flood walls or levees to protect the downtown area. This passive protection plan consists of temporary earthen levees, sandbag walls, pumps, and a series of gates to close storm sewer pipes. To efficiently and effectively complete these tasks before floodwater reaches downtown, the city has developed a detailed flood plan consisting of written procedures and maps for various flood levels. More...

Accident Investigation

Survey Instruments Help Analyze Crash Site

The first priority after a major accident is of course taking care of passengers and crew of the crashed vehicle, train, vessel or aircraft. But shortly after search-and-rescue operations are completed the question arises as to what happened, how and why. Read More....

2008 Sees Fifth Largest Ozone Hole

The ozone hole over Antarctica, which fluctuates in response to temperature and sunlight, grew to the size of North America in a one-day maximum in September that was the fifth largest on record, since NOAA satellite records began in 1979. NOAA scientists, who have monitored the ozone layer since 1962, have determined that this year's ozone hole has passed its seasonal peak for 2008. more...

Pegasus Rocket Launches Satellite to Predict Communication Outages

An experimental Air Force satellite designed to monitor the Earth's ionosphere and foresee impending communication disruptions was successfully deployed into space Wednesday by an Orbital Sciences air-launched Pegasus rocket. more...

US Air Force Bird Avoidance Model (BAM)

United States Bird Avoidance Model (USBAM) program objective was to develop a predictive bird avoidance model using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology as a key tool for analysis and correlation of bird habitat, migration, and breeding characteristics, combined with key environmental, and man-made geospatial data. The United States Air Force has developed a predictive Bird Avoidance Model (BAM) using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology as a key tool for analysis and correlation of bird habitat, migration, and breeding characteristics, combined with key environmental, and man-made geospatial data. More...

China's satellite navigation plans threaten Galileo

China's decision to expand the functionality of its satellite navigation network could undermine the economics of Europe's nascent Galileo system, according to sources close to the project.
Until now, experts believed that China's "Beidou" navigation system – a 35-satellite constellation – would only be used by its armed forces. This explained China's decision to invest €200 million in Europe's €2.5 billion Galileo programme.
But things appear to have changed in Beijing. On 2 November, the country's official news agency Xinhua reported that Beidou would, from 2008, begin providing an "open" level of service, with 10-metre accuracy, in addition to its "authorised", encrypted military service. more...

Survey Gone Bad

A couple has been told that their dream home is literally too close for comfort to the neighbours.
Trish Hennan and Grant Stewart hired Cardel Homes to design and build their dream home in McKenzie Towne. The couple was just 12 hours away from moving in when Cardel phoned to say a mistake had been made.
The home was built 61 cm (2’) too close to the neighbours. More...

U.S. RELEASES PLAN FOR NATIONAL LAND IMAGING PROGRAM

WASHINGTON--The Bush Administration today announced the release of a plan for a U.S. National Land Imaging Program. The plan will serve as the framework for continuing the collection of moderate resolution multispectral remote sensing data for the globe. The new Program would be established at the Department of the Interior and would provide focused leadership and management for the nation’s land imaging efforts. More...

Google Earth Introduces Sky

Google (CA, USA) has launched Sky, a new feature that enables users of Google Earth to view the sky as seen from planet Earth.
With Sky, users can now float through the skies via Google Earth. This tool enables all Earth users to view and navigate through 100 million individual stars and 200 million galaxies. High resolution imagery and informative overlays create a playground for visualising and learning about space. More...

Photo Mapping Aids Poppy Eradication

With the stakes continuing to grow, the U.S. government and its allies constantly seek more-efficient methods to curb the trafficking of illicit drugs from Afghanistan and other nations. Working closely with an international contingent in Afghanistan, UXB International has played a major role in developing and implementing procedures for finding and destroying the poppy fields that produce much of the world’s opium and heroin supply. More...

In Review: The DC50 by Precision Solutions LLC

After the HP48 was discontinued, the search was on for its successor. Excitement about the introduction of the HP49G+ was short-lived, as it was plagued with reports of poor quality keyboards in early production models. This, together with the lack of a serial port, seemed to all but end its potential as a data collector. Then a new company, Precision Surveying Solutions LLC of Provo, Utah, introduced the DC49, creatively working around the limitations of the HP49G+. The HP49G+ never became a production data collector because of the release of its successor, the HP50g. Precision postponed the release of the DC49 knowing that the HP50g was on the horizon, and released the DC50 at the same time HP officially announced the HP50g. Read more...

TerraSAR-X

Orbiting the Earth at an altitude of approximately 514 kilometres, the satellite will use a radar beam to scan the planet's surface -- regardless of weather conditions, cloud cover or daylight -- and deliver fast and reliable data for a wide range of applications, producing a completely new range of options for commercial, public and scientific users. TerraSAR-X is the first national remote sensing satellite to be realised within the scope of a Public Private Partnership (PPP).

Design for GPS-Galileo Common Civil Signal

On 26 July 2007 the United States and the European Union announced their agreement to jointly adopt and provide an improved design for their respective Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals. These signals will be implemented on the Galileo Open Service and the GPS IIIA new civil signal. Read more...

Easily Pocketed GPS

Hansel and Gretel may have had bread crumbs, but this is the 21st century — there’s no reason to resort to baked goods to keep track of your path through the woods. The Trackstick II is a tiny G.P.S. tracker that can record your wanderings for weeks at a time. Read more...