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From ArcGIS 9.1 to Version 9.2 A Small Step for ESRI but a
ESRI ArcGIS 9.2 Reviewed
I had that happy feeling of anticipating something big when I received the
package from Redlands, California in the middle of January 2007. It contained the
brand new ArcGIS 9.2 release which I was to review during the next few weeks.
After installing it I took my first look at the desktop and, to my surprise, almost
nothing seemed to have changed. But appearances were deceptive and in fact the
jump from release 9.1 to 9.2 is significant. It is definitely worth looking at!
By Florian Fischer
The new release offers extended geodatabasemanagement, a new file geodatabase format,
advanced archiving and replication options, theconcept of cartographic representations, mas-
sive enhancements in the model builder con-
cept, hundreds of detailed improvements for
better usability and a new web-based process-
ing environment from ArcServer.
Just a Small Step?While not the first to ask this question, I still
wonder why ESRI has announced just a small
step in the version number while shipping a
version of ArcGIS that contains not only hun-
dreds of detailed improvements but also some
major increments that fundamentally change the
way ArcGIS is applied in spatial reasoning. I will
briefly mention some ArcGIS 9.2 improvements
and then proceed to a detailed discussion of
the major innovations. Besides adding to the
already extensive number (200) of shortcuts,
ESRI has equipped ArcGIS 9.2 to print tables,import Microsoft Excel files and enable double
marking within attribute tables to highlight lines
after selecting them. An extended identify tool
and measure tool, the new Go To XY command
and a zoom function that uses the mouse
wheel, simplify work and navigation within big
geodatasets. The full extent can now be defined
by the user which is a very interesting improve-
ment for editing tasks. Coordinates are stored
in a 64-bit double data type that actually leaves
53-bit for coordinates. Hence no restrictions
now exist that require the definition of a spa-
tial domain for coordinates. Nevertheless, spa-
tial domains remain useful to avoid mistakes
while entering coordinates.
ArcGIS 9.2 has a new chart engine and offers
more types of charts and functions to exportthe charts to other software packages.
Furthermore, a live connection between a chart
and the map makes the work with charts more
interactive than before. While bookmarks are
bound to an mxd file, ArcGISs project file, the
MyPlaces function allows one to save book-
marks bound to a user account. MyPlaces can
be exported to a file and it is even possible to
share them via a personal ArcWebService as
everyone can deploy their own ArcWebService.
Terrain, Value Attribute Tables andnetCDFAlong with better usability ArcGIS 9.2 introduces
a terrain data format, a new way to store mas-
sive datasets containing elevation or other sur-
face data in the geodatabase. Until now inte-
grating these huge datasets into GIS and
generating 3D surfaces from them has been dif-
ficult. Terrains let you store very large point-
based datasets in the geodatabase and produce
high quality, accurate surfaces. A terrain is a
multi-resolution, TIN-based surface stored in the
geodatabase and built from measurements
stored as features. The 3D Analyst extension is
required to create terrains. The terrain format
is mainly focused on surface-based analysis as
ArcGIS is not oriented towards the 3D visual-
ization domain further on but on analysis.
Raster data can hold an attribute table in ArcGIS
9.2 utilizing a Value Attribute Table that is sup-
ported by all geoprocessing tools. The toolbox
itself holds eighty more tools with an ArcView
license than ArcGIS 9.1 did. A very interesting
new feature in ArcGIS 9.2 is the support of the
network Common Data Form (netCDF) format
that is widely used for multi-dimensional datain the natural science domain. ArcGIS is able to
map three dimensions concurrently and offers
fast changes within the visualized dimensions.
Tracking Analyst and AnimationsThe Tracking Analyst Extension offers more
options for advanced spatio-temporal analysis,
that is, the prognosis of a spatio-temporal path-
way for collected data. Moreover, live input of
tracking data can be done via a local port with-
out the need of a tracking server. Unfortunately,
interpolation between measured data is still not
applicable. The creation of animations like vir-
tual flights, well known from ESRIs 3D-Analyst
Extension, is now possible in ArcGIS 9.2 for pro-
ducing exportable movies. To conduct a movie
March 20076
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The Go To XY tool and the enhanced Identify tool.
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one can either arrange the order of feature lay-
ers to be shown in each frame or use times-
tamps from the attribute table. After this partial
overview of minor improvements, I will now go
further and talk about the enhancements in
geodata management, the concept of carto-
graphic representation, the extended concept
of the ArcGIS model builder and finally the
ArcGIS Server and its web-based geoprocess-
ing services. For deeper insight into the new
release, I talked to Gnter Doerffel from ESRI
Germany who provided some background infor-
mation.
ArcSDE Personal, Workgroup orEnterprise?In ArcGIS 9.2 one is spoilt for choice among dif-
ferent types of multi-user geodatabase manage-
Database administration using ArcCatalog is easyto handle but also allows for sophisticated geo-
database administration by experienced users.
The two sibling editions of Personal ArcSDE are
called Workgroup and Enterprise and come
with ArcGIS Server only. Workgroup ArcSDE
database servers are licensed to support up to
ten concurrent users, Enterprise ArcSDE technol-
ogy is the traditional ArcSDE technology that can
scale to databases of any size and any number
of users, running on computers of any size and
configuration. In most companies an IT environ-
ment already exists with a unique identifier foreach user to log into the system. This can be
used to authenticate an ArcSDE login, called
operating system authentication (OS authenti-
cation). It is a new and comfortable way of con-
necting to an ArcSDE database that ESRI has
finally integrated.
The New File Geodatabase FormatThe most outstanding enhancement concern-
ing geodata management in ArcGIS 9.2 is the
file geodatabase format (fGDB). It is not only a
new geodatabase file format, but an all-in-one
device suitable for every purpose.
Up to now, apart from unwieldy shapefiles and
full-blown geodatabases, geodata could be
stored in personal geodatabases. ESRI relied
on the Microsoft Database format which has a
couple of restrictions. First of all, it is a
Windows-only format and therefore cannot be
used by application developers using ArcObjects
on a Linux platform. Secondly, its maximum file
size of two gigabytes is problematic for handling
raster data. Technically, raster data is stored out-
side of the Microsoft Database using a refer-
ence in the database that points to the exter-nal data. Moreover, data compression and
encryption, crucial requirements for users, can-
not be fulfilled when using personal geo-
databases. The SDC format (Smart Data
Compression) from ESRI has in fact fully sup-
ported data compression since ArcGIS 9.0, but
compression can be applied to vector data only
and encryption is not available.
ESRI therefore developed the new file-based
geodatabase to overcome all the obstacles
mentioned above. Individual datasets can be
as large as one terabyte and there is no over-
all database size limit. File geodatabases are
also fully supported across platforms, and com-
pression and encryption can be applied to any
type of geodata ArcGIS is able to handle.
ment environments, all based on the familiar
ArcSDE technology. A customer can get the most
appropriate geodatabase management for the
process structures and number of users within
his firm while still being in position to scale up
the geodatabase requirements if necessary. ESRI
thus fills the gap between having a full-blown
ArcSDE and simply having none and relying on
personal geodatabases.
Personal ArcSDE technology is included for free
with ArcGIS Desktop at the ArcEditor and ArcInfo
license levels. It uses the SQL Server 2005
Express Edition, a lightweight database man-
agement system designed specifically for sim-
ple setup and administration and provided forfree by Microsoft. ArcView users can read the
data in ArcSDE geodatabases but cannot create
or edit this data. Personal ArcSDE supports all
the advanced features found in
ArcSDE. It handles up to four con-
current users, one of whom can
edit the data at any time. All
database administration is per-
formed using a new set of dialogs
in ArcCatalog. Consequently, in
small firms anyone can set up a
multi-user ArcSDE geodatabase and
administer it using ArcCatalog;
March 2007Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 7
Review
Big Step for the User Community
The new My Places function in ArcGIS 9.2.
File structure of ArcGISs new file
geodatabase.
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Compression rates of 10:1 and more are possi-
ble, still with very short access times. Even
extended database constructs like the ArcGIS
network dataset can be handled with high per-
formance using the file geodatabase. When you
look at the file system you have a bit of a flash-
back to what you see when examining the morefamiliar shapefile structure. There are many files
indicating spatial indexes, geometric data and
tables, but for all that, the assignment to par-
ticular datasets is slightly blurry.
Nevertheless ESRI claims high performance of
the file geodatabase in distributed file systems
as well as multi-user access due to the numer-
ous small-sized files. While this also means low
performance in low-performing file systems, the
aspect seems to be important for mapping
applications (e.g. ArcGIS Server) not utilizing a
standard database. ESRI will provide an API to
the file geodatabase for developers to give
them full advantage of the new format. A small
downer is the read-only restriction for com-
pressed geodata and the slight differences
when executing SQL queries. In a nutshell, the
new file geodatabase fulfills many of the numer-
ous user requirements concerning geodata
management using file structures. It will defi-
nitely replace the Microsoft Database format,
and might supersede the shapefile format that
has got a bit long-in-the-tooth, to become the
new de facto standard of file-based geodata
management.
Versioning, Archiving andGeodatabase ReplicationIn ArcGIS 9.2, multi-user editing is possible with-
out versioning. Previously, a geodatabase could
only be edited by multiple users if it had been
versioned. While this presented few problems
for GIS-only databases, it did create difficulties
for organizations that used the same database
for GIS and non-GIS applications. Nevertheless,
non-versioned editing should be handled with
care as one has to ensure that the latest
database transaction is ultimately enforced.
Versioning allows historical records to be kept
by preserving some earlier versions of the geo-
database. This causes a large amount of data
Cartographic Representations Embracing the Entire CartographicWorkflowWithin the cartographic workflow, ArcGIS usual-
ly has to be left at a certain point due to a con-
flict of interests. For a GIS the geometry is con-
sidered sacred while for cartographic products
the intelligible representation of a geometry is
of significance. In certain cases, particular vari-ations of the representation including geomet-
ric insensitivities are necessary to create an
articulative cartographic product. Before, a user
of ArcGIS had to choose between producing
rather plain maps or switching to a cartograph-
ic software like Macromedia Freehand. The
changeover had several disadvantages as it
meant a break within the cartographic work-
flow, the termination of the geodatabase con-
nection for one dataset and the maintenance
of two lingering datasets. In ArcGIS 9.2 the con-
cept of Cartographic Representation solves thisconflict in compliance with geometric integrity
and enables an unbroken workflow to build
sophisticated cartographic products. ArcGIS 9.2
offers rules and overrides to define the carto-
graphic representation of a geometry and its
exceptions to certain features. For each repre-
sentation, the feature classes are extended by
two fields to store the rules and the overrides,
the latter organized as a BLOB to hold all the
different variances. Geometric effects enable the
user to diverge from strict geometric illustra-
tion, e.g. by using smooth curves. All effects
can be added on an additive basis either for a
single layer or as a global effect for all layers.
The effects from different geometry types can
be combined, e.g. line effect on a polygon.
Furthermore, the option of free representation
enables the user to dissolve totally the rela-
tionship between geometry and representation.
That is, all rules for the cartographic represen-
tation are dissolved and the representation
exists as a graphical element only. Conversely,
the geometry can be tied to the representations,
i.e. the geometry changes by changing the car-
tographic representation. In addition to manu-ally adjusting symbol properties like the width
of a line, symbol properties can also be given
as a value of a field in the attribute table of a
feature collection. This alternative is a key func-
tion for automated cartographic representations
and is utilized by the cartographic toolbox to
dramatically extend the potentials of carto-
graphic representations. These tools enable the
user to manipulate symbol properties by calcu-
lating individual geometric properties, e.g. to
align symbols by the orientation of polygon sur-
faces. Considering the potential of combining
all rules, overrides, effects and calculating val-
ues for an appropriate cartographic representa-
tion of individual features, ArcGIS 9.2 seems to
provide infinite possibilities of illustration. To
to be stored. ArcGIS 9.2 offers another method
of maintaining an historical record of ArcSDE
geodatabase data called geodatabase archiving.
Features for archiving can be selected individu-
ally. During archiving, all changes within the
default version of a geodatabase are stored in
an archiving class by a timestamp. The archiv-ing class overlocks the feature class and its rela-
tions. It must be pointed out that archiving is
only applicable on the default class and only
creates a database history, while sometimes the
real history of geometric objects is of impor-
tance.
ArcGIS 9.2 also provides a new utility called
geodatabase replication. It extends the check-
out/check-in model with various other scenar-
ios for replication by supporting one-way and
two-way replication. One-way replication means
checking out one part of the database. This part
can always be updated but only in one direc-
tion. Unlike check-in/check-out, both datasets
have unlimited endurance and only altered fea-
tures are updated. With regard to an update,
in the worst case all altered features are lost in
the part that has been checked out. Two-way
replication enables an update in both directions.Updates can be done online, by email, by a
data-storage medium or by a mobile device. All
features have a global and unique ID to be
identified by ArcGIS. The synchronization of fea-
tures is regulated by different exchange-man-
agement schemata. The particular advantage of
the geodatabase replication utility is the con-
sideration of spatial aspects during an update.
An ordinary database uses updating mecha-
nisms that compare for example BLOBs [binary
large objects] against each other. But ArcGIS can
even have a look into the BLOB and understand
changes in its content. Geodatabase replication
goes far beyond what normal database replica-
tion utilities do, says Gnter Doerffel from
ESRI Germany.
March 2007Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 9
Review
Cartographic representation pipeline.
.. ArcGIS can even have a look
into the BLOB..
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ensure effective workflow, a style manager is
provided to organize the cartographic represen-
tations and make them available once again for
reuse. Moreover, the toolbox enables carto-
graphic generalization by simplifying and aggre-
gating geometries. Generalization creates new
feature classes with a relationship class to the
original geometry.
All representations can be created and edited
with an ArcEditor or ArcInfo license and dis-
played using any license level. Gnter Doerffel
from ESRI Germany remarks: The concept has
much of the concept of annotations that is well
known from former versions of ArcGIS as rule-
based text symbol placement. But it is an enor-
mous advance. The whole domain of carto-
graphic representation in ArcGIS 9.2 is incredibly
powerful! Although it is a very powerful exten-
sion in ArcGIS 9.2 one can question how many
users consider it important enough to integrateinto their workflow. It will take a long time to
become familiar with the technology and to take
full advantage of it. It is attractive only for cus-
tomers who produce cartographic products and
use one set of geodata for several different map
editions. But for once-only map productions,
e.g. in the project-based branches of business,
it will likely be of little interest. Swiss Topo is
already adapting the methods of cartographic
representation for their topographic maps. ESRI
tries to intensively involve its customers while
creating new effects and cartographic tools to
improve performance in the cartographic
domain for the future.
Dynamic Simulation ToolOne of the key goals for geoprocessing at
ArcGIS 9.2 was to extend the existing framework
beyond the bounds of static, cartographic-style
descriptive modelling into the world of dynam-
ic, stochastic, process modelling, notes David
Maguire, director of products at ESRI, in his
weblog. Along with the branching function that
already exists in ArcGIS, the 9.2 release has sev-
eral new capabilities to perform dynamic mod-elling. Iterations enable the model builder to
loop models by an iteration counter, by condi-
tional logic and by values from an input list.
The creation of feedbacks is supported, which
is essential for system dynamic simulations, in
association with the ability to generate random
functions and values. ArcGIS 9.1 only supports
one data layer as input to a tool. ArcGIS 9.2
additionally supports both lists and series of
data values as input. Lists force all downstream
processes to execute once for each value in the
list, whereas series force an entire model exe-
cution once for each input value.
Feature classes and tables can be written to an
in-memory workspace to improve the perfor-
mance of models, especially when writing inter-
mediate data. Gnter Doerffel points out thatthese structural extensions in particular
address users who are either not able to code
or simply dont want to code. The work of these
users is considerably eased by the new poten-
tial of the model builder. Programmers already
had the scripting option to build dynamic mod-
els. An advantage of the new concept is the
ease of producing descriptive documentation
of workflows to be directly incorporated into
reports or illustrations.
ArcGIS ServerAdding a few lines about ArcGIS Server is defi-nitely a must in a review about the ArcGIS 9.2
release. Web-based GIS functionality is expand-
ed greatly and allows users to run models and
workflows on the server. Everything that can be
done with ArcGIS Desktop can now be done
server-based as well with ArcGIS Server. There
are many reasons to work server-based. First of
all, when using server-based processing, a desk-
top client is not occupied while processing.
Therefore a shift in workload from ArcGIS clients
to ArcGIS Server is possible. For enterprises with
many clients, this means a high investment inclients can be replaced by a low investment in
a server upgrade. Moreover, even an ArcView
licensed desktop can use server-based functions
delivered by ArcGIS Server. ArcGIS Server 9.2
introduces an out-of-the box web-based editing
functionality to serve Map Services, OGC WMS,
KML, Mobile ADF and many more. As well, web-
service standards like SOAP and UDDI are sup-
ported to enable every developer to connect to
ArcGIS Server. Web services are the future, and
this future already started with ArcGIS says
Gnter Doerffel. He notes that the service infras-tructure market will experience enormous devel-
opment. Not only viewing will be significant, but
server-based geoprocessing will also be in
demand in the future. It will be important to pro-
vide appropriate services to serve this demand.
And it does not matter whether it concerns a
web-gis application or any web application call-
ing a spatial query. ArcGIS Server covers differ-
ent application scenarios through three different
releases called Basic, Standard and Advanced.
The Standard release is somewhat equivalent
to the former ArcIMS release. Every release is
available in two stages of extension, one for
Workgroup SDE and one for Enterprise SDE.
ConclusionIn the ArcGIS 9.2 release, enhancements due to
user-driven demand play an important role. ESRI
offers many opportunities for users to give input
and feedback on their software. To make a long
story short, you do not have to go to Redlands
personally and tell Jack Dangermond what you
would like to have in a new release of ArcGIS.
The present release offers many new features
that will help a large number of users improvethe management of their spatial data. All in all,
ArcGIS 9.2 offers so many and such compre-
hensive improvements that this article could
feature only some highlights. It will probably
take quite a while to become ArcGIS 9.2 liter-
ate, but my recommendation is that meeting
this challenge is worth the time.
Florian Fischer ([email protected]) is
a contributing editor of GIS-Magazine. For further
information on this subject: ESRI Whats New in
ArcGIS 9.2: www.esri.com/software/arcgis/about/
whats-new.html; David Maguires weblog
GIS Matters: http://gismatters.blogspot.com/.
Also look at the movie section of
www.geoinformatics.com.
March 200710
Review
In the original streets and buildings are accurately
positioned
ArcGIS is able to detect a conflict in the
cartographic representation
Generalization: The illustration shows how
buildings are aggregated and aligned on the street
course. Concurrently the street course has been
simplified by ArcGIS 9.2
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Ordnance Surveys Research Labs
Shap ing a Future for Geograph ic I
Geographic information (GI) is used more widely than ever before. Ordnance
Surveys Research Labs uses foresight, a process spanning from scenario
planning to ongoing user research, to ensure Great Britains national mapping
agencys innovation, creativity, design, prototyping and imagination continue to
meet the challenges the future poses. The key is to understand what
opportunities this presents for Ordnance Survey (OS), its partners and
how this data will be captured, managed, traded and used.
By Chris Parker
Terra FutureOngoing projects range from improving
Ordnance Surveys data capture and modelling
processes to developing future products andservices. An important element is research
into how GI may one day be understood,
exchanged and integrated by both humans
and machines.To this end, collaboration with
partners and academia is paramount. This
joined-up approach, celebrated with thought
leaders from business, government and
academia at Ordnance Surveys annual
research event, Terra future, maintains
Ordnance Surveys reputation in rapidly
advancing technologies.
This years event focused on data integration,
with industry speakers sharing their insight
into the impact of such trends on information
businesses and expressing their views on new
and evolving technologies, societal change
and consumer demands. Keynote
speaker Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inven-
tor of the World Wide Web, explored
how the semantic web, an automat-ed extension of the web using
machine-readable information to
share and reuse data, has the poten-
tial to boost its reach and function-
ality: Everything can be given a uni-
form resource identifier (URI), which
describes concepts as well as
objects. Translating your data into
Resource Description Framework (RDF)
language means you can explain what
it does, make it available and connect it
to others.
Machine UnderstandableThe semantic web wont necessarily require a
change in how data is collected or used. It is
more a question of making it available in areusable, machine-understandable format.
Semantic web technology research is firmly
on the radar for Ordnance Surveys Research
Labs. This is concerned with improving com-
puters understanding of what humans mean
by terms such as buildings, roads and
rivers. It is developing ways for computers
to make sense of this data, making it more
meaningful than a series of points, lines and
polygons to create the potential to semi-auto-
mate processes such as the joining up of
datasets.An ongoing project is development of a topo-
graphic ontology to help understand the
meaning of real-world objects and how this
relates to OS data to develop a more com-
plete representation. This includes the devel-
opment of algorithms and methods for
authoring, merging or adapting ontologies
and datasets. Senior research scientist
Catherine Dolbear explains: Through the
authoring of ontologies, we have developed
a more complete understanding of our data
and the geographic domain it represents. This
has led to the suggestion of improvements to
modelling Ordnance Surveys knowledge and
recommended improvements to our spatial
database specification, such as hierarchy
accuracy and choice of semantic labels.
A speaker who captured the imagination of
Terra future delegates was Robin Mannings,
Research Foresight Manager in BTs Research
March 200712
Art ic le
Computer-based experiments to understand how people match a scene to a map.
Map Snapper: merging the
benefits of the paper map with
the power of the web.
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and Venturing Department. He emphasisedthe importance of convergence and the impact
of a rise in disruptive technologies:
Convergence between ubiquitous computing,
positioning technologies and geographic
information is creating an opportunity explo-
sion. Sensors and intelligence everywhere are
going to make changes, with location data at
its core. Ubiquitous computing is a potential
disruptive technology and, like the web, may
change the established order.
Mannings also explained how 4-D can add a
temporal dimension to 3-D spatial data,superimposing dynamic information and
ensuring data is routed to the right display,
person or object at the right time. Mannings
The word location is evolving into position-
ing, with sensor technology knowing orienta-
tion and direction.
March 2007Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 13
Art ic le
n format ion
A cognitive research pro-
ject eye-tracking gaze
trails to reveal how a
photogrammetrist looks
for changes in the land-
scape.
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Real-world MapsOrdnance Surveys spatio-temporal research is
investigating the delivery of real-time informa-
tion to create a map of the world reflecting fac-
tors such as environmental conditions, traffic
situations and roadworks. By integrating third-
party, real-time information with the digital map
data OS already maintains, the system will
enable examination of the current condition offeatures rather than accurate to the time of the
last survey. Research scientist Tony Joyce
explains: Applications such as traffic manage-
ment, vehicle routing, location-based services
and environmental monitoring depend on real-
time data collected by sensors and other equip-
ment. Spatio-temporal research examines how
this dynamic information can be combined with
a static base of geographic data to create real-
time maps. Collaboration with data collectors
and other government departments is expect-
ed to establish a practical means of deliveringa service that supplies electronic maps that are
updated electronically.
In the Human BodyMannings predicted the next major
computing platform to be the
human body. Computers on and
within our bodies will be linked to
a digital bubble, which even today
can follow us about. Conventional
computing will become increasingly
ambient computing, where comput-
ers and computing is everywhere
but largely invisible and automatic,
making us more effective human
beings.
Research Labs is working on a num-
ber of projects which tie into
Mannings projections. Map Snapper
builds on the power of the web,
merging this with the paper map to
lock a depth of information into the
printed sheet. This has seen the
development of a system capable of
identifying a location from a photo-graph taken of a map by a standard
camera phone. This returns an electronic image
to the users mobile phone overlaid with points
of interest such as hotels, pubs and bus stops
which have associated information users can
interrogate to learn opening times, service avail-
ability, and so on.
Drilling into Rich DataResearch scientist Layla Gordon explains the
benefits of this convergence of traditional and
progressive technology: Map Snapper marries
up the paper map with the world of location-
based services and the vast amount of infor-
mation on the web. Map Snapper could make
the paper map more flexible in a time of access-
ing information on the fly, delivering detail
about where you want to go to as well as where
you are right now, drilling into rich data on both
as you go. Another project, Zapper, is offering
a way to dramatically enhance location-based
services (LBS) by allowing the user to query a
specific feature in the landscape simply by
pointing a hand-held device at it. GI technolo-
gist Chris Phillips explains: A risk surveyor foran insurance company could zap a house and
see his companys information on that proper-
ty; a tourist could zap a restaurant to see
reviews. Zapper picks out a specific feature in
the users surroundings through the incorpora-
tion of an electronic compass with the users
GPS-enabled phone or PDA. This adds a direc-
tional component to LBS search parameters. It
works against a backdrop of OS MasterMap,
which comprises over 450 million geographic
features contained within discrete polygons. By
processing the users positional information(their location and direction they point the
device) within OS MasterMap, Zapper deter-
mines the feature, and associated information,
by the polygon representing it.
Consumer and User TrendsCrucial considerations for foresight management
are consumer and user trends. User Needs
Research ensures Research Labs work remains
real and relevant in a world of rapidly-changing
technologies, attitudes and needs. This is build-
ing a knowledge base and conducting associ-
ated analyses of information needs to help
develop richer, usable, fit-for-purpose GI for the
future. Subsequent analysis will help inform the
development of richer, usable GI, for example
helping to define which real-world objects and
attributes need to be captured and modelled
in a database and identify the terms people use
for these objects.
Database is CrucialA substantial core of Research Labs operation
is geared to fine-tuning and evolving existing
processes. The maintenance of the National
Geographic Database (NGD), the central
database where data is maintained and from
which its product portfolio is derived is crucial.
Essential to its upkeep is the receipt and reflec-
tion of information on where change hasoccurred on the ground. This could be anything
from an extension to a building, to a forest
plantation. This information has traditionally
been obtained from field surveyors and exter-
nal sources such as local authorities. The recent
acquisition of a digital mapping camera (DMC)
has delivered the possibility of extracting more
information from an image than possible using
traditional scanned film images. Its infrared
band may help detect vegetation and deliver
an enhanced response in darker areas. Research
Labs is developing methods to automaticallydetect changes between information held in the
NGD and that present in one or more images
to deliver efficiency savings.
12-bit ResolutionAnother project looking to exploit the
benefits of the DMC focuses on its
multispectral capacity. The camera
actually consists of eight syn-
chronously operating digital cameras,
four panchromatic and four multi-
spectral, together building a single
virtual camera delivering five bands
of data; panchromatic, red, green,
blue, infra-red. This is the first time
Ordnance Survey has captured data
in the NIR spectral region and to 12-
bit resolution, with a key benefit of
improved discrimination between
features. Research Labs is assessing
whether this new data could be sig-
nificant for feature extraction and
data capture and if this would enable
processes including the capture of
wooded areas, the determination ofconiferous and non-coniferous areas
and the sparseness of vegetation, classify areas
of asphalt, as distinct from buildings with flat
roofs covered with bitumen, metal constructions
such as conveyors and gantries and moving and
stationary vehicles. Tests particularly highlighted
the potential for employing the infrared chan-
nel. The accuracy obtained separating conifer-
ous trees versus non-coniferous trees, versus
rough grassland without the band was 42.7%
whereas after introducing infrared, the classifier
obtained accuracies of 96.8%.
Boosting Existing ProcessesBoosting efficiency of data capture from aerial
imagery itself is also a priority. Currently
March 200714
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Research with 3-D data has revealed the benefits for Ordnance Surveys existing,
and future data capture processes.
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Ordnance Survey uses three distinct and sepa-
rate flowlines to capture OS MasterMap
Topography and Imagery Layers as well as Land-
Form Profile Plus. The Integrated Photo-
grammetric Flowline (IPF) plans to bring togeth-
er all data created as a result of the three
individual processes at each stage of the work-
flow to inform subsequent data creation. Some
of these can be considered as automated orsemi-automated, and rely on the current state of
the available technology. Others are largely
manual but their worth in adding value to sub-
sequent processes means that overall efficien-
cy is increased. Effectively, the IPF could dimin-
ish the requirement to recapture the same data
to create the product, saving time and reduc-
ing the number of stages in each process.
Further research into fine-tuning data collection
involves Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR).
This remote sensing technique uses a laser to
collect elevation data. A pulse of laser light isgenerated and emitted and the time it takes for
this pulse to hit the surface of the Earth and
return to the sensor is recorded. The position
of the sensor is also measured and recorded
using GPS and IMU (inertial measurement unit).
The GPS records the 3-D position of the sen-
to determine which represent terrain and which
represent buildings. The terrain can then be
modelled with a typical z (height) accuracy of
sor, while the INS records the orienta-
tion of the sensor. Given the position
of the sensor, it is possible to calcu-
late the distance the pulse of light has
travelled, giving the height of the sur-
face of the earth. Research Labs has
conducted a number of projects to
determine how appropriate LiDAR
could be for topographic mapping.Work so far has quantified the costs
of data capture and processing and
produced terrain surface and building
models for a small study site. In the
next stage, the study site will be
enlarged and laser data flown to match
Ordnance Surveys specific require-
ments.
Data Collection EfficienciesIt is also investigating longer-term pos-
sibilities, including near automaticextraction of objects from laser scan-
ning point clouds; laser scanning from
different platforms and the use of laser
data to detect change. Research scientist Sarah
Smith-Voysey explains: In collecting data we
need to be able to classify each of the points
March 2007Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 15
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Generalisation has demonstrated the automatic derivation of a vec-
tor dataset from Ordnance Surveys spatial database similar to the
style of its 1:50 000-scale OS Landranger Map.
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15-20 cm, and the building points used to gen-
erate a building model. For many 3-D applica-
tions the accurate modelling of the building roof
is also very important, affecting the way rain-
water flows off buildings, the amount of noise in
an urban area and the visibility of buildings.Laser scanning offers a rapid technique for
data collection and associated efficiencies, but
its true strength lies not in these individual char-
acteristics but in our ability to combine laser
data with imagery and our existing vector
datasets. This will enable us to fully exploit the
benefits of this capture technique and gener-
ate higher specification products for an increas-
ingly demanding market.
True NatureA complementary programme is looking into
the capture and delivery of 3-D data. Many
models are created by simply extruding the
ground plan of a building upwards using a sin-
gle height. But these do not necessarily convey
the true nature and are sometimes referred to
as 2.5-D. Research Labs is looking into the cap-
ture and use of more sophisticated 3-D models
that can be easily maintained and are compati-
ble with its terrain models and OS MasterMap
products. This will ensure not only the contin-
ued provision of high-end products, but that
simpler models can be derived from these,
while maintaining compatibility across the prod-uct range. Research into fine-tuning data cap-
ture is complemented by a programme looking
to reuse this information. Following the com-
pletion of a detailed vector spatial database, the
creation of a single maintained source of data
for all Ordnance Surveys product data will
improve the efficiency of its data capture sys-
tem and support the production of current and
future products. This involves the capture of
information once, and using it to derive prod-
ucts at different scales to also promote greater
consistency between them.
Automation is KeyAutomating the transformation of source data
for use at different scales, generalisation, would
increase the efficiency of Ordnance Surveys pro-
duction systems and tune the process to cre-
ate new types of products more rapidly and cost
effectively. Generalisation is being trialled on
paper map products to demonstrate how a vec-
tor dataset can be automatically derived fromthe spatial database. The research has concen-
trated on developing the means to automati-
cally generalise buildings, dual carriageways,
woodland, hydrology, contour depiction and
road displacement.
Senior research scientist Nico Regnauld
describes some considerations still to be
addressed: The task has been challenging, as
the data still describes a cartographic view of
the world rather than a geographic one. The
process has to generate a representation of a
set of geographic phenomena (road network,
hydrology network, residential areas, wooded
areas etc), rarely represented explicitly in our
database, therefore needing to be deduced
from the features that represent them. This
requires the development of a number of spatial
analysis tools to identify and analyse thembefore generalisation algorithms can be
designed to represent them at the correct
scale.
However, with efficiency gains of 15 to 30%
using the research prototype alone, a well re-
engineered system could push these gains
much further. Work into Fuzziness and
Uncertainty (F&U) is investigating how to clas-
sify and model geographic entities that are
inherently blurred. The benefit of working with
this information is that it leads to a represen-
tation of the real world relevant from a wider
range of user perspectives. This flexibility will
enable the tailoring of far greater numbers of
applications to meet specific user needs. There
are two significant types of F&U that affect GI.
The first is uncertainty surrounding the bound-
aries of physical features, for example the pre-
cise extent of common land. The second is fuzzy
classification, recognising the discrepancy of
labelling certain physical features such as
mountains and hills. Research Labs is develop-
ing a method of how to include the difference
of opinions people have of geographic features.
The investigation could result in major changein the way GIS software packages handle GI.
Fuzzy data is not suited to being stored as the
crisp thematic layers of todays systems. Nor
will it be captured by traditional means. A new
data capture technique might be required to
account for the uncertain aspect of GI.
Airborne RobotsOS Research Labs is also investigating the use
of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) in data cap-
ture. Optimising the use of airborne robots in
aerial survey may enable extremely usefulreconnaissance functions. Their effective use,
however, must go beyond simply programming
a series of waypoints for UAV navigation. An
aspect that must be explored is autonomous
target acquisition and investigation, which will
preserve their limited on-board fuel, battery,
memory and processor resources.
Research Labs is developing a system with two
levels of control. The first is waypoint follow-
ing, where the UAV follows a path marked by
GPS or other coordinates. The second is
salience, achieved by using a perception-action
loop. This is based around intelligent reactions
the software performs during the process of
image capture through to vehicle actuation, and
is rooted in artificial intelligence techniques,
which mimic human vision systems.
An experiment to test the system established
four waypoints across a virtual landscape. As
the UAV progressed, it deviated from its path
as the artificial intelligence-based neural net-
work responded to features seen through the
cameras. This enabled the UAV to track along
hedges or track-ways, collecting more data than
would otherwise have been obtained withoutsalience in operation. Foresight and user-centred
thinking are central to ensuring the delivery of
accurate and informed products and services,
and underpins the activity of Ordnance Surveys
Research Labs. By developing perspectives on
the ways in which the future may develop,
Research Labs is fine-tuning the delivery of
existing processes while safeguarding their
development and Ordnance Surveys position
in the progressive world of GI and the increasing
number of industries its influence touches.
Chris Parker ([email protected])
is Ordnance Survey Research Manager.
Further information is available at
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/research.
March 200716
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Unmanned Aerial Vehicles scaled new heights for reconnaissance functions in a series of control tests.
.. the data still descibes a carto-
graphic view of the world rather
that a geographic one.
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The Benefits of Working Together to Share Data
CAD and GIS Different as Oil and W
It has been said that CAD and GIS are as different as oil and water. It means
being asked for a totally current map of the local area when you are busy and
knowing that this simple-sounding and perfectly reasonable task could take
hours or even days of your time as you will need to sift through a backlog of
updates on new infrastructure such as buildings and roads.
By Dominic Jukes
The CAD department may well have theinformation, but you will have to convert this
data from one format to another and may
even need to do some customised program-
ming. Most likely the GIS team is in one room,
the CAD team in another. Its both literal and
metaphorical. Even if you do work in the sameoffice, it is as if theres the Berlin Wall between
you.
Destined to Meet
How did this happen? The emergence of CAD
in the early 1980s revolutionised design,
replacing pens, paper, slide rules and draw-
ing boards with the computer. This progressed
further when applications moved from main-
frame computers to the desktop. Today every-
body connected with design uses CAD and
most infrastructure asset information begins
life as a CAD drawing. The first GIS software
applications hit the market around the same
time. These offered powerful spatial manipu-
lation and mapping tools making it faster and
easier to perform spatial analyses and render
maps containing several types of spatial infor-
mation. For years, software vendors have
worked to blend GIS and CAD but organisa-
tions have resorted to investing in both sys-
tems. Consequently, each group has estab-
lished different workflows, standards anddata, even though this data is similar. GIS is
still a niche subject with sophisticated soft-
ware and highly-qualified experts. As a result,
it has become a closed shop to engineers.
But, on the other hand, CAD users believe the
GIS department lacks the precision needed by
engineers and when they need information
for the GIS experts, it always seems a com-
plex, drawn-out process.
A Wall BetweenTheres also still a wall between the technolo-
gies they use. The development in CAD sys-
tems has been dramatic. Engineers have intel-
ligent, powerful graphical tools at their
fingertips. In the opposite camp, GIS has
become robust and refined too. Users cantake advantage of powerful spatial databases,
perform complex spatial analysis and
generate compelling, intelligent maps. But
suppose a civil engineer needs spatial infor-
mation before they begin designing a bridge.
The engineer asks the GIS department for
data which is then compiled, converted and
perhaps digitised, a convoluted process that
can easily introduce mistakes. The data also
loses valuable precision. Are GIS and CAD
experts forever destined to wave at each other
across the great divide?
Can this Happen?The key is to develop software that bridges
the disciplines without asking either of them
to give up the tools they have been using.
GIS and mapping functionality must be
brought into the precision data capture and
creation tools in a CAD environment. And GIS
must be able to access and work with object-
based design information stored in CAD files
such as DGN and DWG, without losing preci-
sion through data conversion. Some software
vendors are helping drive this move by mak-
ing it easier to work seamlessly with CAD and
GIS data together in a single application or
share the same data across applications.
Autodesk Map 3D is an example. The software
is an extension to AutoCAD which enables you
to directly access spatial databases such as
Oracle Spatial and ArcSDE, plus GIS data, and
work with them in a hybrid CAD and GIS envi-
ronment. This enables organisations to
improve data accuracy and streamline work-
flow. Integrating the two means you can work
with high precision data in a map-based envi-ronment. For example, you can search seam-
lessly for a parcel and also pinpoint the pre-
cise location of utility connections and access
detailed design information related to struc-
tures on the property. These benefits are clear
when dealing with Ordnance Survey back-
ground mapping. Unlike OS Landline,
MasterMap is not so CAD-friendly because of
its large volumes of data. The most efficient
way of storing MasterMap data is within a
central repository, for example, on a spatial
database. Autodesk Map 3D enables users to
access the data directly regardless of whether
it is held in an Oracle database, a Shp file or
ESRI ArcSDE. When Map 3D is connected to
a central store of MasterMap data, accurate
March 200718
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Saint Helena, Raster based surfaces can be edited using thematic mapping and hill-shading.
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mapping is available across an entire enter-
prise whether they are CAD or GIS users or
both. These applications bring together CAD
design and the GIS data stored in many lead-
ing formats such as ESRI, Intergraph, MapInfo,
MySQL and Oracle Spatial. Further, Autodesk
has recently provided the code for many of
its FDO providers as open source and free for
anyone to download (see at the bottom of
this article).
Broken down Barrier
So once this great barrier between disciplines
has been broken down, what benefits can an
organisation expect? First, a streamlined work-
flow. Users can create and edit using CAD and
store the information in a central database for
other departments or applications including
GIS to access. Projects can be completedfaster when an engineer can easily pre-popu-
late a new design with current base map data,
such as property lines, curb information and
other associated data, from a central GIS. GIS
specialists can use the powerful precision edi-
tor tools from a CAD system to more easily
edit and maintain GIS data. The two disci-
plines are now recognising the benefits of
working together to share data, processes and
personnel. Its not unusual for a large engi-
neering department to have over 50 engi-
neers, but only two or three GIS profession-
als. Because there are not so many trained
GIS professionals, they are sometimes under
pressure to keep up with the constant stream
of work. Combining CAD and GIS will open
sion CAD providing the ability to include accu-
rate measurements and scale. In fact, the two
environments are integrated so seamlessly
that users dont see the information as two
different entities. The database also manages
associated documents, CAD drawings such as
cross sections can be included. Altogether the
system holds around 70,000 CAD documents.
One advantage is that UU can more easily
identify risk areas and so prioritise budget.
For example, using a 3D CAD model, com-
bined with rainfall data and OS MasterMap
information on ground types it can calculate
how quickly rain will seep through the ground
and identify risk areas for flooding on the
sewage network.
Centralised Model
This centralised repository model maximisesthe investment in technology as there is no loss
of valuable information when data translates
from one format to another. Using native data
means it retains integrity. As a result, theres
no need to search for the most current infor-
mation and decisions can be made safe in the
knowledge that the best information has been
available. So, now the technology to work with-
in a single environment is available, theres no
reason why either group of professionals
should hide behind their own high wall.
Dominic Jukes ([email protected]) channel sales
executive, GIS Infrastructure Solutions, Autodesk.
Download available at www.oseo.org.
doors for GIS experts who can support the
expanding role of spatial information. It will
also take away the need to retrain both dis-
ciplines to use the others technology. GIS
teams can use the pool of CAD-trained engi-
neers to help maintain data and provide a
detailed understanding of specific workflows
and data relationships. Similarly, CAD depart-
ments can leverage GIS databases to store
and share valuable infrastructure information.
Cant See the Join
Utilities are among the organisations well-
placed to benefit from these developments.
The roll-out of United Utilities (UU) electricity
GIS programme is now finished, completing a
five year strategy to implement GIS across all
areas of the business. This system is helping
the organisation meet its regulatory targetsand pass on practical benefits such as a faster
and more efficient service to the customer.
Now the entire lifecycle of both water and
electricity assets is managed by geospatial
solutions from Autodesk, based on a central
Oracle database. These geospatial solutions
and their object knowledge base ensure that
data is captured productively and to a con-
sistent quality. Workflows lead operators
through the data maintenance processes and
ensure standards are followed. Any user in
the business is able to see live and up-to-
date views of UUs assets via an Autodesk
MapGuide browser which connects directly to
the Oracle asset repository. As a result, data
can be created and maintained in high-preci-
March 2007Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 19
Art ic le
ater?
ParcelMap, create, edit and maintain CAD and GIS data using CAD editing tools. Coloured polygons show land use for the city of Redding, California.
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Dr. Chryssy A. Potsiou is a lecturer in the School of
Rural and Surveying Engineering at the National
Technical University of Athens, Greece. She is also amember of the Bureau of the UN/ECE Working
Party on Land Administrati on, and the chair
of Commission 3 of FIG (International Federation
of Surveyors). She can be reached at:
Informal Development:It Can Be an Asset
Informal, unplanned, illegal or random urban development is an issue of major
importance in a large number of countries worldwide. There is no clear, common
definition of what an informal settlement is. The most important factors for
characterizing an area as such are: land tenure, quality and size of construction,
access to services, and land-use zoning.
The common reasons for informal settlements,
whether in regions of Europe, Africa, Central
and South America, or Asia, are: insufficient
planning or unrealistic zoning regulations;
inconsistent and complex legislation; unnec-essary bureaucracy for land development and
permitting; marginalization, poverty and lack
of financing mechanisms for affordable hous-
ing; illegal subdivision and construction on
agricultural lands; political reluctance to con-
front the situation; and lack of important spa-
tial information.
Land values in fringe agricultural areas out-
side the formal urban plan, where informal
construction is usually located, are lower and
more affordable to those earning less than
the average household income. Squatting on
state land is a less common phenomenon
today. However, construction costs in such
areas may grow even higher than normal and
in most cases are inconsistent with construc-
tion quality, due to the risk of illegality andprosecution to the constructor. Despite that,
the majority of informal construction in many
places today is of a good, permanent type,
and can be characterized as affordable hous-
ing rather than slums. In some regions these
are single-family houses, while in others they
may even be as extensive as 10-story multi-
family buildings! In addition to the risks of
high penalties, demolition of buildings or
even imprisonment of the owner, such con-
structions are usually, due to legislation,
unable to receive infrastructure services from
the state. Most importantly, they cannot be
legally transferred or mortgaged.
The old-fashioned theory, which viewed infor-
mal settlements as threats to public safety
and health requiring demolition, seems to
have been gradually replaced by a commonrecognition that informal housing is a valu-
able capital asset which should find its way
to the real property market. Exceptions are
constructions leading to general environmen-
tal burdening, e.g., building on public land,
river routes, floodplains, coastal zones,
archaeological sites, forests, and high-risk or
radioactive waste areas. Today much informal
development is following quite acceptable
standards. Informal-sector housing has
become practically a component of housing
supply or an alternative, within a free market
economy, to the lack of state affordable-hous-
ing policies, a theory that in the past was qui-
etly supported by some governments but is
now acquiring growing recognition.
Still, informal constructions cause corruption
and loss of state revenue (taxation, building
permit and transaction fees, etc.), while mid-
dle or low-income owners are forced to make
financially bad investments. Informal building
owners are also considered second class
citizens who, through their activity, may cause
significant problems in the future such aswater pollution, soil erosion and traffic con-
gestion, while also demanding public services,
schools, clinics, and safety in these areas.
Informal development appears also within for-
mal urban areas, even in developed countries
with no earlier experience. For example, cen-
tral sections, neglected and deteriorated from
lack of maintenance, usually attract poor fam-
ilies, providing very insecure tenure and lim-
ited housing investment. In order to support
employment and entrepreneurship in urban
areas with a high level of decay in terms of
housing and social indicators, there is often
illegal conversion of old houses from
Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com March 2007 21
...threats to public safety and
health requering demolition...
Column
residential to commercial use (restaurants,
entertainment, etc.) without recognition of
safety standards. Informal development
appears in attractive vacation areas, too, due
to the rapid increase of land demand by inter-
national market participants.
The steps needed to improve and control the
situation seem to be:
reduction of unrealistic and complex land-
use regulations and subdivision standards
to increase land supply and decrease land
values, and to expedite the developmentpermitting process, while making devel-
opment control possible
legalization of existing informal develop-
ments, where feasible, to support the real
estate market and the national economy
application of suitable controls. The
promising tools of today are: low-cost
technology such as satellite imagery and
automated photogrammetric procedures
for spatial data collection, spatial data
infrastructures and modern land adminis-
tration systems to support land market
assessment, efficient urban planning, e-
governance, transparency, and sustainable
development
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A Dangerous Job in the Wild West
Surveyor Stars Shine Brightly
You wouldnt believe in how many Hollywood style movies and scenes the
surveyors, their instruments and measurements play their roles! Our colleague
surveyor from Australia makes this a little easier for you, collecting and
classifying information on such movies with his great care and enthusiasm.
On the following pages just glimpses of this interesting world of movies
are presented. You are of course invited to also make a step further that is
to enjoy in watching these movies.
by John F. Brock
The Duke Was a SurveyorSince my first screening of The Duke Was a
Surveyor And So Was God! at the XXI FIG
Congress at Brighton in the UK on July 1998 I
have collected another 39 Hollywood style
movies bearing some sort of reference to sur-
veying in one way or another. This makes an
impressive complement of just on 60 such
cinematic spectaculars not to mention a few
more TV shows and advertisements along the
way. However for this article I shall concen-
trate on those movies in which surveying is
the main theme or that the surveyor is the star
of the production. In my own original refer-
ence system which I have devised for the
identification of survey content in movies this
would refer to two categories: maintheme of movie is surveying related or built
around the main star/s as surveyors, and
star or one of the main characters are
surveyors or do survey work.
Surveyors in the Wild WestThe Fighting Kentuckian (1949, MS) starring
The Duke John Wayne himself was also
directed by him and co-starred the big man
Oliver Hardy of Laurel and Hardy fame. It is a
quite entertaining western, where the bad guy
played by Philip Dorn sets out to steal landoriginally settled and staked out by French
settlers, by pulling out or relocating the survey
marks and then killing the town surveyor to
prevent detection. Our hero Captain William
Breen of the Kentucky Long Rifles played by
The Duke accepts the offer of the glamorous
widow of the murdered surveyor to pose as
the new Town Surveyor using the equip-
ment of her husband in an attempt to get to
the bottom of the scam set up by the crooks
to dispossess the French settlers. In one mem-
orable scene of the movie The Duke and
the big man are discussing the capacity of
each of them to successfully portray them-
selves as surveyors and Hardy points to the
transit (theodolite) set up in the middle of the
log cabin in which they are residing. He then
says: We dont know enough about those
things to fool anybody! to which Breen firm-
ly replies: Well. Sure we do! Youve seen Army
surveyors at work you grab that pole (staff)
and go out that way and Ill stand behind this
thing and wave at you! (gesturing with two
hands in a forward motion over his head) to
which Hardy retorts: Why dont you grab thatpole and go out that way and Ill wave at
you! Breen thinks a short while before say-
ing: Its pretty silly - isnt it? to which he
March 200722
Art ic le
Sarah Polley and Wes Bentley
in The Claim (2000).
James Mason in Journey To The Centre of the Earth
(1959).
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responds: Yep! There are many other refer-
ences to boundary markers and surveyors
throughout the production, but another part
which I found rather catchy, was when Wayneholds up a survey stake he finds laying on
the ground to show Hardy what he had found,
only to have it shot from his hand by an
unidentified gunman! Yep! Surveying sure is
a dangerous job in the wild Wild West!
Just to demonstrate how perilous surveys
were in Hollywood western epics, we have
two such examples in Denver and Rio
Grande (1952, MS) and Western Union
(1941, MS). In the first cowdy we have
Edmund OBrien (Jim Vesser) playing one
tough guy surveyor for the Denver and Rio
Grande Railway Company, laying out the path
for their railway lines. Sterling Hayden and
Don Haggerty (Bob Nelson) play the two sur-
veyors for the Carson City and San Juan
Railway Company. They are surveying along
the same route for their trains, which is clear-
ly only suitable enough for one of the rail
lines to be laid. When the three men confront
each other, somewhere along the survey tra-
verses there is a tense verbal altercation,
where OBrien threatens to throw Haydens
survey stakes into the river, which provokesa fist fight between Nelson and OBrien and
ultimately Nelson is shot dead by Hayden, but
the blame for the killing is falsely transferred
However the local doctor, who is obsessed
with the beautiful damsel in distress, takes
exception to the scornful attitude of the sur-
veyor towards his princess, so sets about
planting a rock pick into the back of his rivals
neck then shoves the body and all of the sci-
entific equipment down a steaming fissure.
Now, not all that far away we have one of
Josef Mengeles SS henchmen throw the dam-
monitoring surveyor from the top of the dam
to a gory end at the bottom of the 300 metre
drop in The Boys From Brazil (1975,SS)
which stars Gregory Peck.
The Heritage of the Desert (1932, MS) is a
great western starring Randolph Scott, where
he plays the boundary surveyor employed by
onto OBrien. Western Union
was set around the survey to lay
out the path for the telegraph
line through Indian land. Dean
Jagger and Robert Young are the
two land surveyors employed by
the company to carry out this
task with Randolph Scott acting
as their security patrol. Onescene shows drunken Indians
being allowed to search through
the wagon train of the telegraph
surveyors for trinkets to seize.
When the leader of the band
wants to souvenir the surveyors
transit, Scott wrestles it from his
grasp and then attempts to ward
off the subsequent knife attack with the
instrument itself. However Young shoots the
Indian before he has a chance to damage the
vital piece of gear for the work in which theywere engaged, which prompts Scott to knock
him down for his extreme action. The camera
pans around to show Chill Wills dead at the
top of the telegraph pole with an arrow in his
chest! You better believe that Wild West sur-
veying sure is hazardous!
Deadly DangerousNow there are a couple of rather obscure
world movies (some with subtitles) in which
the surveyor character meets his fate in very
grisly fashion. In the love-spurned drama
Mararia (1998, SS) set on the Canary
Islands, the geological surveyor played by
British actor Iain Glen performs more than his
contract services, when he courts the island
beauty Maria before getting her pregnant.
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Art ic le
Hugh Grant and Ian McNiece in The Englishman Who Went Up a
Hill But Came Down a Mountain (1995).
"The Duke" - John Wayne in The Fighting
Kentuckian (1949).
Val Kilmer in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996).
Brad Pitt in Seven Years in Tibet (1997).
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one of the land barons of the sheep country
to confirm the delineation of his ownership
to thwart the bad-guy-dressed-in-black claim
jumper from staking a dubious claim over the
estate. On the way to meet his engager Scott
has his two horses shot from under him by
the bad mans henchmen only to be rescued
from dehydration by the very glamorous
female lead, portrayed by Sally Blane. In one
classic scene Scott wrestles a steer around
the pen without losing his hat! Jumping to his
feet he begins to discuss his planned move-
ments with the land owner at which time he
finally removes his hat to reveal that he was
carrying the boundary survey plan under his
hat all the time! Gun battles, bar room brawls
and the ultimate ride off into the sunset with
the fair damsel make this worth watching
especially for the superstar surveyor Scott.
Ties with HistoryComing forward a few more years to 1940, we
see one of Cary Grants first starring roles as
the land surveyor Matt Howard, who is a per-
sonal friend of none other than the future US
President Thomas Jefferson, another memo-
rable surveyor of the States. In The Howards
of Virginia (MS) Grant uses a circumferentor
during a survey of an estate in Albermarle
County, owned by the character played by
Cedric Hardwick. Obviously utilizing this
opportunity to impress the daughter of the
landholder he boasts that he will be lettingher father know that he actually owns more
land than he had originally thought. Pushing
even further forward to 1955, we emulate the
feats of Lewis and Clark on their epic quest
for the North-West Passage through North
America in Far Horizons (MS). During this
movie there are many improbable caricatures
and scenes. For example, who would script
someone like Donna Reed to fill the role of
the Indian guide Sacagawea and who indeed
would shoot footage of plane table surveying
on the moving boat but celestial observationswith a sextant on the land? Fred MacMurray
and Charlton Heston are cast as the two leg-
endary explorers in this colourful, if not
authentic representation of true history.
Just the Land SurveyorIn a movie called The Castle (1968, MS)
there is absolutely no similarities to the high-
ly entertaining Australian production of the
same from 1997. In fact this black Kafka satire
on the bureaucracy, set in some late nine-
teenth century Baltic village, is one of the
most excruciatingly painful and lengthy
wastes of celluloid that I have ever had the
misfortune to endure. Having said all of that
there is only one redeeming feature of this
tiresome monotedia being the character
played by Maximilian Schell, who has been
sent from a far off authority to survey the
boundaries of the village. His first assignment
is to make contact with the representatives
of the Castle, but the whole movie revolves
around his futile effort to do this because in
the end he is shown running after a horse-
drawn carriage, which has departed throughthe gates of the Castle. He is despised by the
local villagers, told by the Mayor that his ser-
vices are not required, refuses the job as jan-
itor of the local school much to the chagrin
of the headmaster and is left in no doubt
exactly what the lady teacher and students
think of him. He is referred to as The Land
Surveyor at least sixty times throughout the
3 hour ordeal, usually in a very dismissive and
derisive fashion. In one scene with a very
rotund bureaucrat, who he wakes from a rest-
ful slumber at 4 oclock in the afternoon, the
regard for this expert is proved conclusively.
The big man introduces himself as Bergin
but before our man can get his own name out
the big fellow cuts him off by saying:
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Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments (1956).
Cary Grant in The Howards of Virginia (1940).
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It doesnt matter! Youre just the land survey-
or! Well, I never!
Surveying in the NorthIf ever you want to view a movie, which
makes a statement about the world with its
progress and prejudice along with casting sur-
veyors as the lead roles, then I have two
absolute beauties for you. Dersu Uzala(1975, MS) won the Academy award for the
best foreign film for the legendary Japanese
producer Akira Kurosawa for very good rea-
son. Russian army surveyor Vladimir Arseniev
and his survey party set about their task of
making a topographical survey of the Ussuri
River region of Eastern Siberia in a very harsh
climate. Along their exploration in the remote
jungle area they meet up with a Goldi bush-
man named Dersu Uzala, who had never seen
the city. Dersu lends his bush craft to guiding
them through the unforgiving and treacher-ous terrain, at one time saving both the sur-
veyor and himself from a snap blizzard at forty
degrees below zero by cannily, using the sur-
veying tripod with instrument atop as the
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Art ic le
Patrick Bergin in Map of the Human Heart (1993).
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Art ic le
frame for a hastily constructed grass mini-yurt.
The tragic transition from bush jungle life to
the cement city jungle gives a stark portrayalof the dark side of progress forced upon
those, who would be better left alone. The
French-Canadian Map of the Human Heart
(1993, MS) is a moving story of the bond,
which materializes between a cartographer
(Patrick Bergin) mapping the Arctic in the
1930s and a young Eskimo boy (Robert
Joamie) and the effects of human prejudices
upon their lives. There is quite a humorous
scene of the young boys first encounter with
surveying instrumentation in the icy environ-
ment, which he calls home.
The Englishman That Went Up a HillBut Came Down a MountainWithout question my personal favourite in the
surveying movie genre has got to be the true
story The Englishman That Went Up a Hill
But Came Down a Mountain (1996, MS), star-
ring Hugh Grant and Ian McNiece, who play
the two surveyors sent to confirm the height
of the tallest hill in Wales in 1917. When the
townsfolk hear the devastating news that thesurveyors have determined that their moun-
tain is 16 feet shorter than what is required
by the Home Office to classify it as such, they
stop at nothing to keep the two men in town
until they have built up the height of their hill
to the necessary level. Despite torrential rain-
storms and the impatience of the two govern-
ment officials they succeed in building up
their mountain and also getting the survey-
ors to re-measure the height. Along the way
Hugh manages to win the affections of the
most glamorous lead-lady played by Tara
Fitzgerald to complete a warmly memorable
tale.
Many More MoviesNow if you think that there could not possi-
bly be any more movies, which have surveyors
as the hero characters, please remember that
I have told you about the ones in which the
story plot as well as the main roles are built
around surveying. Please do not forget about
the other great actors who have been survey-ors in movies such as Charles Bronson in
Death Wish (1974, SS), Val Kilmer in The
Ghost and the Darkness (1996, SS), Brad Pitt
in Seven Years In Tibet (1997, SS), James
Mason in Journey to the Centre of the Earth
(1959, SS), Gene Raymond with Clark Gable
in Red Dust (1932, SS), Edmond OBrien
with Alan Ladd and Virginia Mayo as his assis-
tants in The Big Land (1957, SS), Nigel
Stock in The Great Escape (1963, SS),
Harrison Ford in Raiders of the Lost Ark
(1981, SS), Randolph Scott (again) in Carson
City (1952, SS), Charlton Heston as Moses in
The Ten Commandments (1956, SS), Wes
Bentley in The Claim (2000, SS) or Pierce
Brosnan as James Bond 007 telling Electra in
The World Is Not Enough (1999) that he had
always wanted to see the survey marks to
which she was about to ski to down precari-
ous slopes! You may like to look up my last
two papers on the net in the ACSM 2006
Conference Sessions Papers archives
(www.acsm.net/sessions06/Brock4241.pdf,
www.acsm.net/sessions06/Brock4242.pdf)
which list up to 101 Hollywood style movies,not all of which I have been able to procure
as of 2006. However, I am still trying and I
suggest you do the same too.
Happy viewing!!
John F. Brock ([email protected]) is a
professional surveyor at H. Ramsay and Co. Pty.
Limited, New South Wales, Australia. He is awarded
for his contributions to history of surveying and for
his excellence in surveying.
Robert Young in Western Union (1941). Charles Bronson in Death Wish (1974).
Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981).
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Now a Major Photogrammetric Systems Supplier
A Visit to Racurs
Since the break-up of the Soviet Union and the end of its communist regime,
gradually a substantial commercial sector in surveying, mapping and remote
sensing has been built up inside Russia serving government agencies and both
privately-owned and state-owned industrial and commercial enterprises.
Besides this development within the country, some of the companies involved in
the mapping sector either as system suppliers or service providers have also
entered foreign markets, both within the former communist bloc countries and
also further afield. One of the most prominent of these is the Racurs company -
which is both a system supplier and a service provider. The opportunity to
visit this company's main facility located in the north-eastern part ofCentral Moscow and to see and hear about its various products and
activities was presented to my wife and I during the recent conference
on Laser Scanning & Digital Aerial Photography held in Moscow.
It proved to be a most interesting and informative visit.
By Gordon Petrie
IntroductionThe Racurs company was formed in 1993 with a
group of four employees led by Dr. Victor Adrov,
formerly a mathematician employed at the
Russian Academy of Sciences. They first devel-
oped a set of tools for the digital processing of
individual stereo-pairs of aerial photographs. This
rapidly evolved into the PHOTOMOD software
suite, the first licence of which was sold to a
Russian agency in 1995. Since then, the software
has been developed in a systematic manner into
a full blown digital photogrammetric system
(Fig. 1). The software can now handle digitalimagery exposed either by frame cameras or by
pushbroom line scanners, irrespective of whether
the imagery has been acquired from airborne or
spaceborne platforms. Besides its main activities
as a software developer and supplier of systems
to the photogrammetric and remote sensing
communities, the Racurs company has also
entered other fields related to these communi-
ties. In particular, over the last four years, it has
offered a photogrammetric production service to
both Russian and foreign customers.
Furthermore, the company is now offering to its
customers, various digital mapping and GIS soft-
ware products that have been developed by
other Russian software companies. Finally, over
the last two years, Racurs has started to dis-
tribute certain types of spaceborne imagery, e.g.
those acquired by the SPOT-2, -4 & -5 satellites.
PHOTOMODThe software has, from its beginning, been
designed to run solely on PCs under the
Windows operating system. The user interface
is available in one of two languages - Russian
and English. PHOTOMOD is a modular systemcomprising a core module together with numer-
ous additional modules (Fig. 2). These allow
DPWs to be configured individually to satisfy
the specific requirements of each customer.
(a) Core ModuleThe core module is called Montage Desktop and
carries out the management and organisation
of all the operations and projects being carried
out on the PHOTOMOD system. This includes
the management of the input of the digital
image data, whether it comes from a
photogrammetric film scanner or from a digital
frame camera or pushbroom line scanner. Also
feeding into the core is the image data from
desktop (DTP) scanners, which first passes
March 200728
Art ic le
Fig. 1- A PHOTOMOD system showing the main hardware components - with the wireless glasses,keyboard, 3D mouse and standard mouse in the foreground; and the display monitor and
computer in the middle - with a display board acting as the background.
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through aScanCorrectmodule. As the title sug-
gests, this module calibrates and corrects the
distortions that are inevitably present in the
scanned raster image data generated by these
low-cost devices. The core module is also used
to build up the database associated with each
project and displays the DEMs, contour lines,
vector line features and other objects generat-
ed by the system and does this on a block wide
basis.
(b) Orientation & TriangulationThe next group of modules are concerned (I)
with the selection and measurement of the
so-called Solver modules. There are two alter-
native modules depending on the type of
imagery - frame or linescan - that has to be
processed. The Solver-A module carries out
the absolute orientation of individual stereo-
pairs and the strip or block adjustment of
frame images, in each case fitting them to the
available ground control points (GCPs). The
alternative is the Solver-S module whichcarries out the equivalent operations for the
linescan images acquired by airborne or
spaceborne pushbroom line scanners.
(c) Data Generation & OutputModulesThe final group of modules that form part of
the PHOTOMOD system carry out the various
photogrammetric operations needed to
generate the various standard products
(terrain models, vector line maps,
orthoimages) that can be derived from theimagery.
(I) The DTM module allows the creation of an
elevation model either through manual
measurement or automatically using image
correlation techniques based on various alter-
native strategies. The module can then carry
out the formation of the final DTM using TIN
techniques in conjunction with measured
break lines and can create contour lines from
the elevation data. The editing and correction
of the DTM data and the contour lines can
also be carried out using the routines
contained in this module (Fig. 3).
(II) TheStereoDrawmodule allows 3D feature
extraction from stereo-pairs. The floating
measuring mark can be kept in contact with
the ground in the stereo-model automatically
through image matching as well as manually
by the operator. Again the module includes a
fu