Rally monitoring equipment for timing, route and safety tracking

Most of you have seen rally cars racing at high speed on country roads with clouds of dust, through forests, rivers and across deserts.  Ever wonder how the timing, route monitoring and safety tracking are done?… (more)

GNSS and InSAR technology applied to the hydrological cycle

Modern space-geodetic methods of high precision and accuracy were developed because of the benefits that they could bring to geophysics, and now have broad application to almost all branches of geophysics. Geodetic measurement systems involving GNSS and/or InSAR methods are particularly valuable to scientific investigations of the water resources… (more)

The best GNSS application innovations of 2009

This year’s European satellite Navigation Competition saw eight special topic prizes and 17 regional honours awarded along with a €20 000 grand prize. The grand prize winner of the 2009 European Satellite Navigation Competition, Osmógrafo, combines satellite positioning with wind measurement and rescue dogs’ sense of smell in order to better determine which areas have already been covered by search teams… (more)

A new way to 3D scan

Do you need to create dense 3D point clouds and detailed surface models of physical objects, and do you want to do it in a cost-effective and efficient manner? A new class of 3D scanning technologies, called photo-based scanning, may be the solution you are looking for… (more)

Spatial optimisation of the SA Social Security Agency service offices

The South African Social Security Agency (SASSA) strives to provide an optimal service of social benefits and welfare grants to the population of South Africa. One of the areas identified by SASSA for improvement relates to public accessibility to its service office locations and the services rendered at these points… (more)

Using GIS in biodiversity conservation across South Africa

The South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) believes that biodiversity information must be made readily accessible if informed land-use decisions are to be made. SANBI promotes easy and open access to biodiversity information. Through its Biodiversity GIS website it provides free access to biodiversity plans, maps and tools to support research, planning and decision-making… (more)

GIS in contaminated site investigations and remediation planning

The use of environmental geographical/geospatial information systems (GIS) is fast gaining momentum in South Africa. One of the useful applications of this tool is in combining multiple lines of evidence in the decision-making process on the outcome of site investigations. As legislation becomes increasingly stringent regarding responsibilities for contaminated site assessments and remediation… (more)

Monitoring surface displacement in three dimensions

After several unseasonably heavy rainstorms, a 105 hectare landslide occurred at Trapper Coal Mine in northwest Colorado.  In some areas, the slide displaced ground more than 122 m. Several mineable coal seams are located beneath the slide zone. If the slide were to reactivate, by natural catalysts and/or mining activity, loss of life and equipment would be devastating… (more)