Hello, and welcome to this Asia-Pacific themed GeoSpatial Stream. I’m your host, Todd Danielson, and today’s Lead Sponsor is the V1 Media Webcast Series.
Today’s Top Story looks at Asian geospatial satellites, which seem to be launching on a rapidly increasing scale.
The most recent launch is from the Indian Space Research Organisation, which launched five satellites on July 10, 2015. Here’s a video clip that won’t butcher the Indian names:
China launched the Gaofen 8 satellite on June 26, 2015, from the Taiyuan space center in northern China. The high-resolution, optical Earth-observation satellite is part of the Gaofen family, which makes up the civilian China High-resolution Earth Observation System.
And Japan’s Himawari-8 weather satellite, which was launched on Oct. 7, 2014, began operations on July 7, 2015. The satellite is in a geostationary orbit 22,000 miles from Earth, allowing for a full global view at twice the resolution of similar weather satellites.
That was today’s Top Story. I’ll be back with more news after this message from V1 Media’s Webcast Series.
V1 Media, Informed Infrastructure and Bentley Systems are presenting a free and accredited Webcast called “Lessons from the Earthquake Zone,” which will be held Wednesday, July 29, at 2 pm Eastern.
The main speaker will be Dr. Kit Miyamoto, CEO of Miyamoto International and a California Seismic Safety Commissioner, who will share lessons learned from his personal experience on the ground in the immediate aftermath of major seismic events, such as the devastating earthquake in Nepal. Attendees will learn how countries reduce earthquake disaster risk to achieve maximum resiliency as well as how different nations overcome the challenges of disaster reconstruction.
Laser-scanning technology helped uncover hidden ruins of 600-year-old Takatori Castle, one of the largest mountaintop castles in Japan.
Researchers at the Archaeological Institute of Kashihara worked with aerial study firm Asia Air Survey Co. to scan and measure a five-square-kilometer area. Based on gathered data, they then created a 3-D map of the castle and surrounding areas that shows geological features in various shades of red, depending on elevation.
In another laser-scanning project, seven international scientists built a 3D model of the Gomantong Caves in East Malaysia. Using FARO technology, the team recorded 270 overlapping scans in the cave system that will be used as the basis for future geologic and biologic research.
And here’s a video from Bloomberg about how Indonesia is using drones to catch tax cheats:
In industry headlines, MDA was awarded three contracts from the Malaysian Remote Sensing Agency to install a RADARSAT-2 ground station, supply RADARSAT-2 information and provide appropriate training.
And Google is in discussion with the government of India to include 3D imagery of its major cities in Google Earth, joining the United States, United Kingdom, China and many other countries that have already given permission.
And now for today’s Final Thought. I love reporting on natural and cultural digital preservation through scanning. It’s a great way to understand some of the world’s true treasures, and the examples I see use technology to record existing conditions in the hopes of better preserving or improving these places.
Of course, these digital models are no replacement for the real thing, and I’ll be devastated if governments start taking digital scans to help justify the destruction of something “old” or unwanted. “Look, we took a scan that will last forever, now we’re going to blow it up.” But I have yet to see that, so keep on with the digital preservation.
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I’m Todd Danielson, and this … was your GeoSpatial Stream.