geoinformatics 2011 vol05

5/26/2018 geoinformatics 2011 vol05

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Future Development of Check-in Services Is Europe getting INSPIREd?

DMCii and Emergency Response Virtual 3D Urban Design

Magaz ine for Survey ing, Mapping & GIS Profess iona ls July/August

2 011Volume14

5


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Terrago


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Critical User Base andLocation Based Services

In this issue, two articles focus on location based services (lbs). The first is fromFlorian Fischer and is about the future development of check-in services. The secondis my report on the Location Business Summit, which is about lbs in general andmonetizing of lbs in particular. Both articles touch on the successes and failures ofcheck-in services. From a user perspective, a check-in service may not be as inter-esting or as useful as it might be from a commercial perspective. Of course, theres

money to be made with these services and thats where commerce comes in. Froma user perspective, lack of privacy may inhibit you from using such a service, ormaybe there is no direct advantage. Or possibly, its just not very handy to use,and therefore you just don't bother to use it.

But failures aside, check-in services and lbs in general are far from dead. Google'sEd Parsons proved that there really is no 'check-in fatigue' by showing a heat mapof check-in services used worldwide, with Europe, North America and Asia beingareas where check-in services are the most popular. During one of the latest paneldiscussions during the summit, Navteq announced that pedestrian mapping mightpossibly have large market potential, as large as mapping for the automotive indus-try for example. Tourism, shopping and leisure are applications where new marketapproaches can be expected in the coming years.

This may also be a field where augmented reality could be used. Last year I hearda lot of promises made in this field, but I have yet to see anything big happen. Is ittoo early or too late for augmented reality to take off? At the moment, things justarent that clear. What is clear though is that the hype mechanism that surroundedlbs and augmented reality seems to have disappeared, and that the big guys withsmart plans and a solid user base, are in the drivers seat. Also, there is a lot ofmarketing and effort involved in growing a small but fanatical user base into a largeuser base, when it comes to lbs and check-in services. I wonder how things will bein a years time.

Enjoy your reading,

Eric van [email protected]

GeoInformatics is the leading publication for GeospatialProfessionals worldwide. Published in both hardcopy anddigital, GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis andcommentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry. GeoInformatics is published8 times a year.

Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees

[email protected]

Copy EditorFrank [email protected]

EditorsFlorian [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]

Joc [email protected]

Contributing Writers:Florian Fischer, Craig R. Dylan, Joc Triglav,Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk, Beatrice Eiselt,Adina Gillespie, Konrad Saal, Remco Takken.

Columnist:Graham Wallace

Financial DirectorYvonne [email protected]

AdvertisingRuud [email protected]

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C o n t e n t

A r t i c l e s

Checking-out already 6

All In a Years Work 10

Broadband versus GPS 14

Combining GIS and GPS 18

Is Europe getting INSPIREd? 22

International Rescue 28

Virtual 3D Urban Design 34

E v e n t s

Hexagon 2011 36

Location Business Summit 2011 42

B o o k r e v i e w

ArcHydro Groundwater 46

C o l u m n

There is a paradox at the heart of the location-based informatics revolution 48

C a l e n d a r / A d v e r t i s e r s I n d e x 50

At the cover:A view of the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi. Bickhardt Bau is one of themost experienced Formula One firms available, and they completed this

world-class formula one circuit under tough conditions in only one year. Seearticle on page 10.


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22

6

34Since only incomplete records

of the original building

existed, project organizers

decided to capture the existing

features of this old conference

hall and its surroundings using

laser scanning. The acquired

data is now available to archi-tectural consultants for their

designs and for virtual tours.

14

In 2010 we have seen an

immense interest in check-in

functionalities by Facebook,Yelp and other big players in

the social media market. But

why is it a multi-million dollar

business to tell others that I am

here now?

In the USA the battle around

wide area broadband solution

provider LightSquared rages

on. John Deere & Company

gave the first report of interfe-

rence to the FCC (Federal

Communications Commission).

As from 2010, the first results

of the Member States

monitoring and reporting

activities on the implemen-

tation of INSPIRE becameavailable, and it is now

possible to make a first

assessment.

46A few years ago Esri presented us

with the Arc Hydro data model as

a standardized way to store (and

analyze) surface water networks.

Now the time has come to add

groundwater to ArcGIS.

28

DMCii has recently taken overthe day-to-day running of the

International Charter Spaceand Major Disasters.How did this Surrey-basedcompany become the onlynon-space agency in theCharter to hold such a

significant leadership role?

18

TERRAIN is a very young and

fresh cartographic company

from Greece. Fotis Reppas,

Chief Cartographer of terrain,

Cartographic and Publishing

Company talks with editor JocTriglav about company values,

technologies used in the daily

work and its customer base.

10Bickhardt Bau AG is a 1,600-

person German firm based in

Kirchheim that specializes in ro-

adway and racetracks. They

completed a world-class formu-

la one circuit under tough con-

ditions in Abu Dhabi in only

one year.


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When Foursquare started its service in 2009 many experts could hardly make any sense out of it: Aservice that asks registered users to check-in when entering a shop, a bar or a restaurant? You can

get badges and become the mayor of a place if you visit it more often than your friends? Making the

visit to a place into a game might have been unfamiliar to many, but it has since gained acceptance.

In 2010 we have seen an immense interest in check-in functionalities by Facebook, Yelp and other

big players in the social media market. But why is it a multi-million dollar business to tell others that I

am here now?

Foursquare goes outer spaceIt might have been entitled a great click for

mankind when NASA astronaut Douglas H.

Wheelock checked-in at the international

space station ISS by Foursquare. Being a mar-keting gag obviously, as only ISS visitors can

battle for mayoralty, but Foursquare created

several NASA Badges that will attract peo-

ple to visit NASA institutions. If you visit the

Kennedy Space Center or the US Space

Camp you can just take your Smartphone

and check-in via Foursquare to get a badge.

NASA takes this chance and the increased

popularity of Foursquare to gain the attentionof a young audience. If this sounds out of

this world to you, let me do some ground-

truthing and tell you what on earth

Foursquare is all about - and where it will go.

Using the location-based service Foursquare

a user can check-in at a place, meaning to

log-in and tell your friends about your where-

abouts. On the other side you can see where

your friends are, who is visiting the place youare at and what places near you might be of

interest. Foursquare rewards every check-in

with a number of points. You can get certain

rankings and if you have the most check-ins

6July/August 2011

A r t i c l e

Future Development of Check-in Services

Checking-out already?

Foursquare mobile app

By Florian Fischer


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at a place, you areappointed the Four-

square mayor of that

place until another play-

er outruns your achieve-

ment. It is all a game and that

might be the reason why people

started to use it passionately. Meanwhile,

Foursquare has several millions of users

and the main idea of check-in has barely

changed. It has turned out that the playful

character of Foursquare is now a big chance

for local businesses to attract and analyze con-

sumer behavior.

From check-in to turn-overBig business concerns, like the US-based chain

for consumer electronics RadioShack, use

Foursquare to attract customers to their shops.

Every user who checks-in gets a 10% discount

while mayors get a 20% discount. A newbie

discount guarantees an immediate discount of

20% for users who have never checked-in at

RadioShack before. Also the European-wide

restaurant chain Vapiano offers free Italian cof-

fee for its Foursquare mayors. For other busi-nesses the Foursquare badges are a good

alternative. In the skiing area of Ischgl users

need to check-in at several places to receive

the Xperia-Ischgl-Badge. The operators of the

skiing area installed wifi-hotspots at those

places to enable everyone to check-in regard-

less of mobile roaming fees. Every user who

obtains a badge is rewarded a one day test

of a brand new pair of skis for free.

A chance for real-time

geomarketingAccording to marketing specialists half of allpurchases made by Foursquare users might

be induced by these kinds of special offers.

Thereby the costs of such a campaign are

relatively low and the results are measur-

able. Foursquare offers its own Merchant

Platform, which hosts more than 300,000

companies. The companies can create offers

like Flash Specials, Friends Specials or

Swarm Specials, and analyze their

Foursquare customers. The service allowscompanies to see the number of check-ins,

and the frequency and distribution of visi-

tors over the day by gender and time. A

company with several branches can aggre-

gate the data as well. Altogether, the

Merchant Platform offers basic functionality

for geomarketing in near real-time including

the customer analysis, the advertisement

analysis and the realization of advertising.

Foursquare is expected to expand these ser-

vices for CRM and other marketing services.

However, this is far from a general marketanalysis until it makes use of Foursquare

data only. Companies like SimpleGeo (sim-

plegeo.com) already go one step further by

combining data from several services (e.g.

Gowalla, Loopt, Whrrl, etc.) and provide a

basis for geomarketing analysis and loca-

tion-based services built on that ground-

work. These tools make up the business

model that Foursquare has been searching

for after the first round of hype in 2010.

Decline of average check-insThings couldnt have been any better. In

2010 many other services followed the

check-in idea, amongst them were

Facebook, Yelp, Friendticker and actually

Twitter, which does it as well. So, the phe-

nomenon of check-in has become main-

stream. By the end of 2010 five million

Foursquare users performed two million

check-ins per day. That is impressive but

marks a decline in the average check-ins per

user of 20% compared to early 2010.However, there was a growth in user num-

bers but the users seemed less active, indi-

cating many inactive accounts. It is a pat-

tern that is quite typical for a hype that


A r t i c l e

Foursquare - get badges for check-ins
http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/


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consolidates. Many users started trying outthe new service with enthusiasm and

engagement for a while, but later became

inactive and abandoned their accounts, but

were still included in the statistics. This trend

continues in 2011, meaning that the num-

bers of active users will stagnate in the best

case.

Why do people check-inOf course this does not put Foursquare,

Gowalla and all the other check-in services

out of business but it should makes us think

about the individual meaning of a check-in

and how these services deliver on that mean-

ing. There are four main reasons to check-

in. The gaming aspect is probably the moti-

vational factor to do check-ins. You get a

better status, make a hot deal and collect

points. It makes checking-in a challenge that

can be easily integrated into everyday life

something you can do alongside friends,

and its fun. The encounter aspect is often

advertised by a service of this kind. Finding

nearby friends and meeting them in a bar

might happen from time to time. But Im surethat this is more of an urban myth promoted

by advertisers more than by users. But a

check-in enables users to see where friends

have been and where they frequently are.

This kind of asynchronous co-presence is an

important indicator when searching for

appropriate restaurants and bars.

Next to networking the diary

aspect is an important feature of

a check-in service. It is interesting

for the users themselves to get a

geographical overview of theirwhereabouts. It might be a dimen-

sion of the new trend called self-

tracking that means to track every

single detail of your life to opti-

mize it. On the other hand a geographicaldiary is important to remember new venues

and special features in the city. The most

important aspect for a check-in might be

identity formation. The dissolution of the indi-

vidual in global flows of mobility and com-

munication gives rise to a remarkable renais-

sance of small-scale territorial relationships.

The increasing relevance of spatially-related

identity results in demonstrative consumption

best objectified in cafs, bars and restau-

rants. But it is not enough to just be there

but also make everyone in the interpersonal

networks of communication be aware of it

too. A check-in makes the presentation of one-

self through location perceptible in communi-

cation networks. It communicates the symbol-

ic values connected with the respective

location to the networked audience after all.

Why Yelp and Facebook aremore interesting for a check-inAnd here is the actual problem with

Foursquare. They offer the check-in function-

ality and make a perfect game out of it, with

special offers, badges and mayoralty oppor-tunities. But they lack two additional features

that are offered by local searchers like Yelp

and Qype, and social networks like

Facebook: Interesting content about mean-

ingful places and a really broad audience.

In order to keep a geographical diary and

the presentation of oneself through location,

it might be necessary to find out about

places that are appropriate for this. These

places might be recommended by direct

contact, but user-generated content of local

search media like Yelp, is more comprehen-

sive. The presentation of oneself through

location needs awareness to become oper-

ative. Most of my friends and weak-ties areon Facebook, while only some shape my

audience on Foursquare, even though

Facebook Places offers quite poor function-

ality for a check-in as there are no points,

no badges and no extras. But it has the bet-

ter audience for a check-in and offers better

added value for the presentation of oneself

at the moment. Some might claim that

Foursquare check-ins can be forwarded to

Facebook but why do that if I can check-in

on Facebook directly?

We will still check-inAll in all there are several developments that

might change the check-in landscape in the

future. The big hype about Foursquare con-

solidates, competitors integrate the function-

ality in their services, and the respective

market for advertising and real-time geo-

marketing is starting, surely? That is, the

money to earn for a check-in is getting big-

ger but at the same time people will not

check-in without having extra-services, com-

prehensive city information and a wide-

spread audience. That is the fix Foursquare

is in at the moment. While its competitors

integrate the check-in better and better, it

needs to generate more added value to use

the service, as the hype ebbs away. Because

of that, checking-in will not be out in the future

but quite the opposite. The functionality might

have a brilliant future but maybe without

Foursquare if they dont get a move on.

Florian Fischer, GIS Editor and Research Assistant at the Austrian

Academy of Sciences, Institute for GIScience in Salzburg, Austria. He

has a blog with small essays on the Geographic Information Society,Locative Media, Geobrowsers and the like:

www.ThePointOfInterest.net

Links:

SimpleGeo, https://simplegeo.com

Foursquare, https://foursquare.com

Yelp, www.yelp.com

Qype,www.qype.com

Gowalla, gowalla.com

Friendticker,http://friendticker.com

SimpleGeo Demo at SXSW Interactive 2010,

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpypn-JIPng

Foursquare Merchant Platform,

www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-

Foursquare

A r t i c l e

8July/August 2011

SimpleGeo is combing data from Gowalla, Foursquare, brightkite, Twitter and other services.

Foursquare on Google Trends, showing a decline in user activities
http://www.thepointofinterest.net/https://simplegeo.com/https://foursquare.com/http://www.yelp.com/http://www.qype.com/http://www.qype.com/http://friendticker.com/http://friendticker.com/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpypn-JIPnghttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.howcast.com/videos/439940-How-to-Acquire-Engage-and-Retain-Customers-with-Foursquarehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gpypn-JIPnghttp://friendticker.com/http://www.qype.com/http://www.yelp.com/https://foursquare.com/https://simplegeo.com/http://www.thepointofinterest.net/


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Completing a World-Class Formula One Circuit

All In a Years WorkBickhardt Bau AG is a 1,600-person German firm based in Kirchheim that specializes in roadway andracetracks. They completed a world-class formula one circuit under tough conditions in Abu Dhabi in

only one year. Since its completion, Since then, the Yas Marina Circuit has become the home of the

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, held in November as the last race on the Formula One calendar. This article

explains how high precision and control was achieved in the project.

If you want to build a world-class Formula One race track in chal-

lenging conditions, your first call is likely to be to Bickhardt Bau

AG, a 1,600-person German firm based in Kirchheim that spe-

cializes in roadway and racetracks. Bickhardt Bau is one of the most

experienced Formula One firms available, and is especially notedfor overcoming construction challenges in exotic locations. The

Shanghai International Circuit, for exam-

ple, where Bickhardt designed and staked

the binder and wearing courses, was built

in very swampy conditions and required

approximately 340,000 cubic meters

(444,700 cubic yards) of expanded

polystyrene (EPS) to stabilize top layers.

And Bickhardt also built the Middle Easts

first Formula One track, in Bahrain. Their

work has powerful admirers; the vice-pres-

ident of Mercedes-Benz Motorsport,Norbert Haug, has said of the firms

Hockenheimring in Baden-Wrttemberg,

which bi-annually holds the Formula One

German Grand Prix, I dont know of any

other racetrack that is as even as Hockenheimit was created in

racing speed and is of the very highest quality.

Yet even while the firm is comfortable with tough conditions in far

flung corners of the world, the Yas Marina Circuit, in Abu Dhabi,was unique. Start with the combination of extraordinarily high tem-

peratures and humidity. Add to it the lack

of local roadway material and you have

a difficult project. But there was an addi-

tional factor to consider: Bickhardt was

asked to complete the construction, from

breaking ground to race-ready track, in

just one year. Could the firm rise to the

challenge? Well of course! says Horst

Walther, Bickhardts survey division man-

ager.

A Bit About Abu DhabiAbu Dhabi is the largest of the seven

United Arab Emirates, comprising about

80 percent of the young (founded in

10July/August 2011

By Craig R. Dylan

A r t i c l e

Racing track

Caterpillar with GPS


11/52

1971) countrys area. About 70 percent of Abu Dhabi is coastal

desert, but since the Emirate controls huge oil reserves its extraordi-

narily well developedthe city of Abu Dhabi boasts a Manhattan-like skyline that includes some of the worlds most spectacular mod-

ern buildings.

Temperatures are extreme, and so is humidity. The year-round aver-

age temperature is 27C (80.6F) and the coastal location pushes

humidity to 80 percent. By comparison, the year-round average in

Las Vegas is just 19C (66.2F) with much lower humidity. For fur-

ther comparison, a typical steam sauna is about 50C (122F) and

100 percent humidity.

Heat this high seriously affects roadway construction. Staking was

done only during relatively cool morning and evening time periods,

and asphalt was only poured at night. During summer months, no

work at all was done from noon to three. It takes time to acclima-

tize, and one has to drink water, water, water. Also, we had to learn

to work slower, says Walther, which is very hard for Germans!

Bickhardt had 25 employees onsite in Abu Dhabi, and the survey

team included survey engineer Markus Bolaender and his assistant

Jrgen Heinemann, supported by Frank Straub, a dedicated staff

member back in Kirchheim. All 25 team members, including Project

Manager Frank Dittrich, were in Abu Dhabi from July 2008 to August

2009, working six days a week. On the seventh day they would

get a good nights rest, and do washing, emailing, etc. says

Walther, who oversaw survey operations from Kirchheim. And they

did take one sightseeing trip into the desert. But mainly, they

worked.

An Extraordinary TrackThe Yas Marina Circuit is

designed by Hermann Tilke,

which is a little like having Arnold

Palmer or Jack Nicklaus design

ones golf course. Tilke is a former

winning racer, and his tracks

hes designed more than 20 from

scratchare known for long

straight sections and tight hairpin

curves, which he believes encour-

ages overtaking. Yas Marina(which is built on an artificial

island) is no exception; it features,

after turn seven, the second-

longest straight on the Formula

One calendar. This section has recorded top speeds of up to 320

kmh (200 mph). Yas Marina is also one of the largest tracks overall,

with a total length of 5.53 km (3.43 miles), 12-15 meter (40-50 feet)track widths, and 20 spectacular turns. Formula One tracks are high-

ly engineered, and Yas Marina incorporates nearly one million tons

of subbase and 200,000 tons of asphalt.

Even on a typical highway, a sudden bump or pothole can be a

shock; in Formula One racing, where speeds well over 290 kmh

(180 mph) are common, theyre a disaster that must be avoided at

all costs. Consequently, tolerances are exceptionally tight. At ground

level, all surfaces had to be within four centimeters (1.5 inches) of

design, says Walther, subbase had to be within three centimeters

(1.2 inches), granular subbase had to be within two centimeters (0.8

inches), and the final surface had to be extraordinarily flatin any

four meters (13.1 feet) of track, no more than two millimeters (0.08

inches) of deviation was permissible.

Yas Marina was a perfect storm of project challenges: remote site

with an extreme climate, very tight tolerances, and an even tighter

construction schedule. But it turned out to be all in a daysor rather,

yearswork for Bickhardt Bau AG.

Good ControlControl was established with very long GPS observations by a

Trimble 5800 GPS Receiver, and the control net was made up of

concrete monuments, spaced 100 meters (328 feet) apart, and set

deep to minimize the effect of high surface temperatures. Spirit lev-

eling was performed to verify andtighten vertical measurements.

The Trimble 5800 was used to

stake ground level, and the

drainage system. Other staking

was done with a Trimble 5600

Total Station, a Trimble SPS730

Universal Total Station (UTS), and

the SPS730 was also used to con-

trol the Trimble GCS900 Grade

Control System that guided earth

movers and graders on the site.

Several strategies were used to

achieve the precision needed,

and for quality control.

Calculations were performed by


A r t i c l e

Yas Marina Circuit

Racetrack September 2009


12/52

experienced staff in Germany, using CARD/1, a proprietary CADsystem developed by the German firm IB&T. Data was emailed to

the site each day. This system worked very well, says Walther.

The entire project was calculated in Germany and the set out data

always got to use on time. The design digital terrain models allowed

excellent control, and formed the basis for all subsequent stakeout

and machine control work. Even last minute changes were adapted

quickly, and a centralized document management system kept all

stakeholders informed of the current project status.

Staking was only done during relatively cool parts of the day, with

constant checks to multiple benchmarks. Walther says the Trimble

GCS900 and SPS730 worked very well together: The SPS730 was

designed to work dynamically with very little delay, and it really per-

formed well. It was very quick and exact with the GCS900, and we

were easily within tolerance on the subbase levelschecking with

the Trimble 5600 confirmed that.

Paving was done with the hot on hot method, which required three

Vgele paving machines to work simultaneously along with six

Hamm steel rollers, all imported (with all other equipment) by a con-

tainer ship assembled in Hamburg. To counter heat, all paving was

done at night, by the light of the largest permanent lighting system

ever created for a sports venue. With all the steel rollers operating,

it looked like a race, jokes Walther. So who gets all the champi-

onship points?Final track layout consisted of 30 cm (11.8 inches) of crushed stone

base, 20 cm (7.9 inches) of granular subbase, eight cm (3.14 inch-

es) of binders, and four cm (1.6 inches) of wearing course. Since

there is little but sand to work with in Abu Dhabi, most of this mate-

rial was imported from the United Kingdom and Malaysia. For exam-

ple, all the gravel used on the track surface is known as Graywacke

Aggregate and came from the Bayston Hill Quarry in Shropshire,

EnglandGraywacke is prized by Formula One drivers and circuit

bosses for the high level of grip it offers. All asphalt was mixed on

site in a batch plant operated by MKW, a Bickhardt subsidiary.

Maximum precision, perfect workmanship, passion, optimum equip-

ment, and the necessary expertise were the solid foundation of thehigh quality we were able to achieve, says Walther. Add to that

the team spirit of all the employees involved, including the 16 locals

who joinedour staff for the duration, and you know why we are

able to do what we do so well.

World-Class PraiseThe Yas Marina Circuit is built on Yas Island, and is the anchor of avery ambitious development. In addition to the racetrack, the island

includes a theme park, water park, marina, residences, hotels and

beaches. The track itself has four grandstand areas, and passes by

the marina and underneath the Yas Marina Hotel. Its only the sec-

ond Formula One Circuit in the Middle East, but is already a very

popular and busy venue.

The Fdration Internationale de lAutomobile (FIA), Formula Ones

governing body, granted final approval to the Yas Marina Circuit

on October 7th, 2009. Bruno Senna completed the first test lap.

Since then, the track has become the home of the Abu Dhabi Grand

Prix, held in November as the last race on the Formula One calen-

dar. In 2009, the event was the first to begin in the daytime and

end at night; to ensure a smooth transition, floodlights were on from

the beginning of the race. In 2010, Sebastian Vettel sealed the driv-

ers championship by winning his second race at Abu Dhabi.

Throughout its inaugural seasons, the circuit has won praise from

drivers. Every corner is unique, says Nico Rosberg, and two-time

world champion Fernando Alonso says that Abu Dhabi is, enjoy-

able, because there is always something to do. Notably, there have

been no complaints of unevenness in the track.

The complete surveying on this project was made possible by the

intelligent fusion of modern components like GPS, total stations, andmachine control, said Walther. This allowed a single survey to

manage the site very effectively and comply with all tolerances.

Civilizations are sometimes defined by their sports venues, just as

Rome was defined by its Coliseum. In the Yas Marina Circuit, Abu

Dhabi has created an excellent emblem of the state it has become:

modern, powerful, extremely fast, and able to import the resources

it needs. And thanks to the survey team of Bickhardt Bau AG, very

precise.

Craig Dylan is a freelancer with a land surveying background

who specializes in writing for the AEC industry.

Thanks to Stephanie Kirtland.

A r t i c l e

12July/August 2011

Who is the fastest paver? Race track asphalt pouring


13/52


14/52

GNSS Update

Broadband versus GPSIn the USA the battle around wide area broadband solution provider LightSquared rages on.Lightsquared operates in a frequency band that is overlapping the GPS L1 band and is causing

interference to that frequency band. In total, over 40,000 ground stations are planned all over the

country and the high precision industry in particular could suffer the consequences. John Deere &

Company gave the first report of interference to the FCC (Federal Communications Commission).

J

ohn Deere reported substantial interference with their StarFire correc-

tion system as far away as 35 kilometers from a transmitter. It also

reported that it has not found a solution to the problem as of yet.

Testing by the US military confirmed the results from John Deere. From

the tests, it was also concluded that high precision receivers suffer more

from the interference than consumer grade receivers due to wideband

filters for Glonass and precision code reception. LightSquared were

accused of producing too optimistic results from their tests near Las Vegas,

because the transmitters used were broadcasting roughly half the power

defined in the companys business.

Other news from the GPS front included the definitive switching off of

SV 49 on May 6. The satellite, which carries the L5 test payload, was

causing multi-path problems satellite side. No further information was

given but it is widely assumed that the satellite will function as a spare

satellite. The big question is how the second Block IIF satellite, scheduledfor launch in July, will now fare.

GalileoThe first two Galileo

operational satellites

are expected to be

launched into space on October 20 of this year. This should lead to

initial operational capability in 2014 / 2015 with a full constella-

tion now predicted for 2019. The initial capability is now said to

have 18 satellites and three initial services, but not enough for 24

hour per day worldwide coverage. The launch will be the first Galileo

/ Soyuz launch from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.

Meanwhile the payload package for the next satellites has passed

the Preliminary Design Review. The payload packages are built main-

ly by SSTL, the builder of the GIOVE-A satellite still functioning in

orbit after 64 months of operation. The first package is expected for

late 2011 with another 13 to follow at 6-week intervals under the

current contract.

GIOVE-B, the second of the In Orbit Validation satellites has now

been operational for three years, nine months longer than expected.

All this time the atomic clock installed, a passive hydrogen maser

clock, has remained at the required level of accuracy. This type ofclock is, until the launch of the new satellites in October, still the

most precise clock ever brought into orbit with an accuracy of one

second per three million years. For comparison: the Rubidium clocks

used in GIOVE-A have an accuracy of three seconds per million

years. The operational satell ites will carry two clocks of each type

for back-up purposes.

Galileo is more than just the satellites in space. On May 20, the

most Northern Galileo ground station was inaugurated at Svalbard,

Spitsbergen (78N) less than a 1000 kilometers South of the North

Pole. It is a very remote place with more polar bears living there

than humans.

GlonassThe K1 Glonass satellite launched in February began operational life

on April 7. Various sources report the reception of the new Glonass L3

14July/August 2011

A r t i c l e

By Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk

Effect of LightSquared on GPS receivers (source: John Deere & Company)

Opening of the ground station at Svalbard, Spitsbergen (source: www.esa.int)

Artist impression of the first

two Galileo satellites

(source: www.esa.int)
http://www.esa.int/http://www.esa.int/http://www.esa.int/http://www.esa.int/


15/52

CDMA signal. Transmitted at 1202.025 MHz, this signal should pro-

vide easier interoperability with GPS receivers. The signal is, accord-

ing to Javad, quite similar to GPS data. With the addition of these satel-lites, the total number of Glonass satellites that are operational is now

23, just one shy of full operational capability.

In the same timeframe, information on Glonass status has also been

greatly improved. The previously mainly Russian site (www.glonass-cen-

ter.ru) now hosts a number of pages in English that allow a quick

overview of the number of visible satellites and DOP values for the

Glonass constellation. From this information, it can be seen that Glonass

coverage for most of the world (with the exception of the equator) is

now around 100%.

Beidou / CompassOn April 10, the third Beidou inclined geosynchronous orbit (IGO)

satellite was launched bringing China yet again a step closer to full

operational capability over their country.

Javad has tracked both signals from Galileo, Compass, Glonass and

GPS and has noted that the monitored Compass signals have a much

higher signal strength than the corresponding signals from either GPS

or Galileo. The tracked signals are those presumably from the Open

Service, although with no Inter face Control Document released this is

still unconfirmed.

Augmentation Systems

GAGANIndias GAGAN had a major boost in May with the launch of the GSAT-

8 geosynchronous satellite on May 21 from Kourou using an Ariane 5

rocket. The satellite is initially positioned at 47 degrees East but should

drift to its final position at 55 degrees East putting it West of India. The

satellite is expected to be ready for transmission in July. Whether this

also includes the GAGAN satellite-based augmentation (SBAS) pay-

load is not sure. The GPS Aided Geo Augmented Navigation (aka

GAGAN or sky in Hindi) has been long awaited and is the first non-

commercial SBAS in the Indian Ocean.

Egnos

The European Geostationary Overlay Service (EGNOS), which wasdeclared operational for aviation in March this year, has now seen its

first practical use. Pau Pyrnes in Southern France is now Europes

first airport to use the signal for guiding aircraft during landing. By

2020, all of Frances 100 airports should be Egnos capable. The first

Egnos-equipped aircraft are believed to be the Beluga airplanes used

to transport Airbus parts between the various factories and assembly

locations. Currently Airbus uses Pau for training. Further aircraft thatwill be equipped with Egnos are the A-350 range from Airbus.

WAAS

The WAAS satellite with PRN 135, which was switched off after drift-

ing, has now resumed normal operations. The satellite is being moved

to its final destination at 133W and is fully operational. The satellite

covers most of Alaska, which did not have any SBAS coverage while

the satellite was switched off. It seems that the failure was due to a mal-

function in the software following a loss of control from the ground.

After some time the satellite was brought back into contact and could

be restarted. New software has been uploaded to prevent this happen-

ing again.

SDCM

The Russian counterpart to Egnos, WAAS and GAGAN, is called the

System for Differential Correction and Monitoring (SDCM).The first satel-

lite to carry a payload for transmitting this signal is currently under con-

struction, with the satellite launch planned for the second half of 2011.

Acquisition timeTrimble, one of the major companies selling professional GPS equip-

ment is on a shopping spree. Over the last few months they have

acquired OmniStar from Fugro as far as the land-based side of opera-

tions are concerned (Fugros marine operations remain unaffected). For

the next few years, Fugro will continue to operate the network.

Just a month after all this activity, Trimble announced that they had

bought Ashtech (formerly Magellan Professional, Thales Navigation,

DSNP and Sercel) and its affiliates. This effectively merges two major

OEM developers for the professional market. The products are expect-

ed to be marketed under the Spectra Precision brand. The results of

Ashtech sales will fall within Trimbles Engineering and Construction

segment.

Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk [email protected]

is a freelance writer and trainer in the fields of

positioning and hydrography.

A r t i c l e


Glonass coverage (DOP 5) for June 12 (source: www.glonass-center.ru)

Dassault Falcon test aircraft equipped with Egnos

(source: www.esa.int)
http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/mailto:[email protected]://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.glonass-center.ru/http://www.esa.int/http://www.geoinformatics.com/mailto:[email protected]://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-cen-ter.ru/http://www.glonass-center.ru/http://www.esa.int/


16/52

Host

DVW e.V. German Society for Geodesy,

Geoinformation and Land Management

www.dvw.de

Conference organiser

DVW GmbH

Egbertstrae 46, 40489 Dsseldorf

DGfK e.V.Deutsche Gesellschaft fr

Kartographie | www.dgfk.net

Trade fair organiser

HINTE Messe- und Ausstellungs-GmbH

Bannwaldallee 60, 76185 Karlsruhe

Fon: +49 721 93133-0

[email protected]

www.intergeo.de

with59thGe

rman

Cartographic

Conference

September

2729,201

1

Knowledge and Action

for Planet Earth

Nuremberg,September 27th to29th,2011

epte

ith59

artograph

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erence

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an

www


DVW e.V

Host

Kartographie | www

DGfK e.V


DVW GmbH


.de.dvwwww


,German Society for Geodesy.DVW e.V

Host

.dgfk.netKartographie | www

Deutsche Gesellschaft fr.DGfK e.V


DVW GmbH


[email protected]

Fon: +49 721 93133-0

Bannwaldallee 60, 76185 Karlsruhe

Ausstellungs-GmbHHINTE Messe- und

rade fair organiserT
http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dgfk.net/mailto:[email protected]://www.intergeo.de/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dgfk.net/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dvw.de/http://www.dgfk.net/http://www.dgfk.net/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://www.dgfk.net/http://www.intergeo.de/http://www.dvw.de/


17/52


18/52

Introducing a Greek Cartographic Company

Combining GIS and GPSTERRAIN is a very young and fresh cartographic and publishing company in Greece. Fotis Reppas, Chief

Cartographer of TERRAIN, talks with editor Joc Triglav about company values, the technologies used in

its daily work, its customer base, its products and the challenges that arise when mapping the coast-

line.

IntroductionTERRAIN was founded in 2008 by

Stephanos Psimenos, the former

owner of Road Editions, a carto-graphic company in Greece.

Stephanos brought together his expe-

rience in field surveys and his love of

good maps, and paired them both with

the sound knowledge of the latest carto-

graphic technologies (GIS & GPS) provided

by his team of GIS analysts. TERRAINs team

consists of certified GIS analysts who have

received special education in field data col-

lection. Reppas: We have introduced new

cartographic standards by recording virtually

everything in the field. We want our maps to

be an experience for the user, not just a piece

of paper, though we do

not print on

paper we use

Polyart. He states that it is

extremely rewarding getting feedback

from people who used the companys maps

in their travels and had a really good time.

From the very beginning TERRAIN focused

on three basic principles that covered a

gap in Greek cartography, namely preci-

sion, user friendliness and a high level ofinformation.

Meeting clientexpectations

When asked

how TERRAIN dif-fers from other

cartographic com-

panies on the Greek mar-

ket, Reppas answers that

everyone at TERRAIN is a map

user first and then a map

maker: It is impossible to cre-

ate a good map if you have

never used one. At TERRAIN we

think like hikers, bikers, climbers,

divers, canyoneers and week-

enders as well, because we are all

of the above. So, our maps perfect-

ly meet the expectations of these

demanding groups.

Another funda-

mental con-

cept of TER-

RAIN is

sweep-

ing fieldwork. TER -

RAIN bases its quality

on extensive and exhaust-ing (for men and machines)

field research: We go to our

working area and scan all the details that

should be on our map, what we call a 100%

field survey. Thats the only way to know if

a dirt road is passable or too rough, or if a

footpath is clear and suitable for family

walking or not. We often say to our cus-

tomers that no matter where they may want

to go, we have been there before them. We

identify with the users of our maps, and we

strive to make our maps the best and themost convenient to use.

Data collecting and technologiesusedThe software that TERRAIN uses in its work

comes from Esri. ArcPad has been installedin the companys Ashtech GPS receivers,

and ArcInfo is used in the desktops back in

the office. Reppas: These two software pro-

grams cover our needs successfully. TERRAIN,

from day one, has established strict proto-

cols for our work. These include manuals

with detailed instructions about how we

work, whether out in the field or in the office.

It is absolutely vital for us all to keep to these

protocols so as to ensure consistency in the

end product. Since there are several differ-

ent people involved in each project, it is

essential that everyone speak the same lan-

guage so as to understand each other per-

fectly, and this is achieved by strictly follow-

ing the companys manual. For field work

during the first three years (2008 to 2010)

they used MobileMapper CX, the best GPS

device available at the time.

July/August 2011

I n t e r v i e w

By Joc Triglav

Field work

Corfu coastal mapping

18


19/52

Reppas: Now we use the new Mobile -

Mapper 100, a GNSS device that meets or

exceeds our demands. It gives us sub-meter

accuracy (one meter accuracy is enough forour scales) in real-time mapping and with

better reception than the previous model

thanks to the embedded GPS+GLONASS

capabilities. The most important thing is that

what you see on our maps isnt just checked

by TERRAIN, it is recorded by TERRAIN.

When a cartographer sees a chapel, he gets

off his bike, goes to the front door and sets

a Point feature. Then he opens the door of

the chapel, goes inside and writes down

which saint this chapel is dedicated to. Now

imagine this multiplied by hundreds of

chapels, springs, caves etc. This is how all

data is recorded: by virtually "touching" it.

More field workTERRAINs field workers actually go every-

where. This requires a lot of time and a con-

siderable amount of money, but according

to Reppas there is no other way to produce

100% reliable results: To collect our data,

we go everywhere as a team of two to nine

cartographers with our off-road vehicles

(4x4 or off-road motorcycles) specially mod-

ified with GPS mounts for our Mobile-Mapper 100, and drive all day long (dawn

to dusk) recording every feature we find on

the way. When it comes to footpaths, we

walk them. All the data is collected in 1:1

scale. Some time ago we published our first

general map of the Peloponnese in

1:200,000, and soon Western Crete in

1:100,000 will be published as well.

These maps require experience and good

judgment to know what information is essen-

tial and has to be shown. A map is anabstract of reality and the less space you

have, the more meticulous and careful you

have to be with your choices. TERRAIN has a

very big list of the attributes and sub-cate-

gories they record. Reppas: For the line fea-

tures we have about 15 types and for the

point features over 90. Sometimes a cartog-

rapher may come up against something new

or something special that exists only in the

area where he works. Every place has its

own particularities. We always record

everything, even if there is no pre-arranged

category for something: ArcPad is very flex-

ible. Back in the office, we decide if a spe-

cial or unique feature should go into the

map.

Cartographic work at the coast

and on islandsAsked how the measurement procedure is

done on the numerous islands and their

coasts, Reppas answers that the company

executes cartographic fieldwork on islands

the same way as in any other land area.

Reppas: The extra issue here is the coast-

line, which was another challenge for car-

tographers. TERRAIN was the first cartograph-

ic company to record every mile of the

coastline of Greek islands, using a specially

modified inflatable boat named Glaros,

which means seagull in Greek. Over the last three years the crew of Glaros

circumnavigated more than 50 Greek

islands and all the small islets around them,

and recorded in detail all the beaches, even

the smallest ones, with their special features:

whether they are sandy or pebbly, if there

are trees that give natural shade, fresh water

or any other facilities such as beach bars,

dive centers, sea sports et cetera. Informa-

tion on the sea bottom in front of the beach

is also recorded, whether it is sandy or rocky

-- useful information for someone who

intends to drop anchor and spend the night.

In addition to the fact that TERRAIN maps are

printed on waterproof Polyart "paper", so

one can drop them in the sea or even use

them underwater without destroying them,

the companys maps are ideal for those who

sail around the Greek islands, statesReppas.

Polyart is expensive, twenty times more

expensive than plain paper. Whenasked

why the company chose to use this materi-

al, Reppas points out that a map is a valu-

able tool and they wanted the ultimate out-

come: the best maps on the best material.

Reppas: Polyart is a revolution in printed

maps. It isnt just a water-resistant paper, it

is 100% waterproof. Another advantage is

its tear resistance. The map might deform

under pressure but it wouldnt be torn. Wefind these characteristics as important as our

standards for collecting data, and the com-

bination results in a product that will never

let you down.

I n t e r v i e w


Mt. Parnitha map


20/52

Satellite and aerial imagesWhen asked to what extent and for which pur-

poses satellite and aerial images are used by

the company, Reppas answers that satellite

imagery is used mostly for aesthetic purposes.

Sometimes recordings from the field need some

refining to follow the smooth curves of the

road, and this is where satellite or aerial

images help to achieve the best possible result.Reppas: No matter how good a cartographer

may be at interpreting images, satellites always

give just part of the information. It is extremely

difficult for an analyst to make out the type of

road, for instance dirt or asphalt, or if a par-

ticular road is passable or not. And speaking

of footpaths, I have used maps in the past

where I have seen serious mistakes such as a

creek digitized as a footpath or as a road!

Another issue is when the road continues

under foliage: I know that GPS devices can

have some problems, too, but the fact that thecartographer is on the spot and sees with his

own eyes what the site is like gives us the

unique advantage of accurate information.

Map scales and e-shopSpeaking of map scales, TERRAIN has chosen

not to be constrained by the scales but by the

available space on its maps. Reppas: We try

to depict as much area of interest as fits in a

paper size of 100 x 70 cm. Thus, since

Greece has various sizes of islands, the scales

of our island maps vary between 1:15,000

and 1:75,000. All our mountain maps are in

the scale of 1:25,000, which is a typical scale

for hiking maps.

Recently the first titles in two new map series

were presented: regional maps of mainland

Greece in the scale of 1:200,000, and area

maps in the scale of 1:100,000. During the

past three years, under the direction of

Stephanos Psimenos, the company has estab-

lished a sales network of more than 400 sell-

ing points. Stephanos visited these outlets in per-

son and explained in detail how the maps werecreated and their high standards as well.

Travelers in Greece can now find TERRAIN maps

on sale in all the Greek islands (in tourist shops,

bookshops, foreign press shops, supermarkets

etc.). There is also a well-designed e-shop

where you can order maps online and have

them mailed to your home, with delivery within

a few days.

Natural area covered with mapsTo date, the company has mapped 45 islands,

two mountains and two larger areas, namelythe Peloponnese and Crete. They started with

the islands, which are popular destinations with

plenty of attractions for everyone. Maps for

places no one had published anything on

before, like the island of Symi, were issued. The

two mountains, Mt. Parnitha, which is near

Athens, and Mt. Pelio are very popular and

beautiful as well.

This year TERRAIN launched a new series of small-

er maps 50 x 70 cm, on plain paper, with the

same accuracy as the big maps but with less

information (because of the new scale), and less

than half the price of the Polyart maps. These

maps are suitable for those who do not want to

explore every corner of the island they are visit-

ing and are satisfied with the basic information.

Reppas: We believe that everyone has the right

to a good map and thats why we named this

series Maps For All! Our publishing schedule

is to finish the project that covers the mainland

of Greece and the Ionian islands. Our goals are

dictated by special circumstances and by peo-

ples needs. We are moving forward with steady

steps and we believe that people have learnedhow to distinguish a good map: they ask for it

and they prefer it to a poor-quality map. People

now understand that a good map is an essen-

tial tool for helping them get the most out of their

visit to a particular area.

The companys products and services cover a

wide range of clients and applications, states

Reppas. In addition to our printed maps we

offer our services to anyone who wants to high-

light a specific area or create a custom-made

thematic map, like maps for travel guides, hotels,car rental agencies and other private compa-

nies. We also undertake footpath maintenance

and signposting on behalf of public and private

organizations. At TERRAIN, we have the know-

how, the experience and the willpower to cre-

ate any cartographic product from scratch.

More info about TERRAIN visit www.terrainmaps.gr

JGC Company -Ashtech Dealer in Greece : www.JGC.gr

More info about the Ashtech: www.ashtech.com

Thanks to Claire Geffroy, Ashtech Senior MarCom Manager.

I n t e r v i e w

20July/August 2011
http://www.terrainmaps.gr/http://www.jgc.gr/http://www.ashtech.com/http://www.ashtech.com/http://www.jgc.gr/http://www.terrainmaps.gr/


21/52

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22/52

A First Assessment

Is Europe getting INSPIREd?The INSPIRE Directive went into force in May 2007. While some derived legislation is still under devel-opment, the basic building blocks of the INSPIRE infrastructure are taking shape. Member States and

the European Commission have been working hard over the last year: groups of experts from the

Member States coordinated by the Commission have prepared the technical basis for the derived legis-

lation and Member States have taken measures to implement INSPIRE at their level. As from 2010, the

first results of the Member States monitoring and reporting activities on the implementation of INSPIRE

became available, and it is now possible to make a first assessment.

IntroductionThe INSPIRE Directive (Directive

2007/2/EC) establishes an

INfrastructure for SPatial InfoRmation

in Europe in order to improve the

sharing of spatial information

between public administrations for

policies related to the environment,

and to facilitate public access to this

information across Europe. While the

Directive sets out the framework of

this infrastructure, it is the derived legislation that defines how this

infrastructure has to be implemented in practice, addressing meta-

data, the harmonisation of spatial data sets and services, and the

network services infrastructure. Furthermore, it covers harmonised

access to data and services of the Member States for the Community

institutions and bodies. This derived legislation has already been

developed to a great extent: currently only a part of the legislation

referring to the harmonisation of spatial data sets and services and

to the required network infrastructure is still under development.

As from 2010 Member States have to submit yearly the results of

the monitoring of their legal obligations through quantitative indi-

cators, while a qualitative report on the implementation of INSPIRE

has to be provided every three years. In order to get a more com-prehensive picture, beyond these legal requirements, and to assess

the overall progress of National Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI)

the "INSPIRE and NSDI: State of Play" study was launched by the

European Commission Eurostat. The study evaluates the develop-

ment of the NSDI in 34 countries: 27 European Union Member

States, candidate countries (TR, MK,

HR, IS), and EFTA countries (NO,

CH, LI, IS). The study is based on

different sources of information: a

desktop study, a specific survey

focusing on organisational aspects

and the first results from officialINSPIRE Monitoring mentioned

above. Direct visits to three coun-

tries complete the overall analysis.

The results are summarised in a

report that also includes compara-

tive tables illustrating the progress

from 2007 onwards. The study pre-

sented here is therefore based on the

situation at the beginning of 2010,

unless stated differently.

The analysis is divided according

to the components of a Spatial Data

Infrastructure (SDI) in technical

(data, metadata, services) and non-

technical aspects (organisational, legal issues and funding).

Legal aspects and fundingWith INSPIRE being a European Directive, its provisions have to be

transposed into Member State legislation. By the end of May 2011

all Member States but one had completed their transposition. As

reported by Member States, the topics that created the most difficul-

ties during the transposition concerned mainly the establishment of

coordination structures of relevant stakeholders in the country and

the measures for sharing spatial data sets and services among the

public administrations. Some countries not belonging to the EU are

also implementing INSPIRE or equivalent legislation on a voluntary

basis. In fact several of these countries have been and are still active-

ly involved in the INSPIRE process with the presence of experts inthe technical working groups.

Besides the legal requirements, strategic initiatives, such as a vision

for a GI strategy, the definition of implementation plans and funding

policies are all necessary to support long-term developments in the

countries. For example, the place-

ment of the NSDI within the overall

context of a national information

strategy, the identification of the arte-

facts of the spatial data infrastructure,

the responsibilities, the task alloca-

tions, the key milestones, and a prop-er timeframe are seen as necessary.

However, there are few such plans

(e.g. DE, UK, NL) and it seems that

many countries are implementing

22July/August 2011

A r t i c l e

By Beatrice Eiselt

Figure 1: Existence of strategic documents and implementation plans (30 countries)

Figure 2: Levels of public authorities involved in INSPIRE implementation (30 countries)


23/52

INSPIRE Directive without specific guidance (Figure 1).

A clear funding policy for the NSDI is also still missing in many coun-

tries. This might partly be because the "INSPIRE" activities are part

of the regular activities of an institution and therefore not covered

by a specific INSPIRE or NSDI budget line. Sometimes specific pro-

ject funding covers some of the tasks, mainly coordination activities

and monitoring and reporting activities. There is no Community bud-

get directly associated with the INSPIRE Directive, that is no budget

directly allocated for supporting INSPIRE implementation in Member

States. However, several EU programmes (e.g. Interreg, FP7, e-

Content- ICT PSP) are providing important contributions and might

be further exploited in the future. As an example, several EU-funded

projects currently support the development of harmonised data sets.

Funding opportunities can be found on the INSPIRE Forum web site

in the "Funding opportunities and funded projects" group.

Organisational aspectsThe INSPIRE Directive explicitly requires Member States to define a

structure for coordinating across the different levels of government,

the contributions of all those with an interest in their infrastructurefor spatial information. This coordination structure may take different

forms depending on the specific governmental structure within each

Member State (e.g. a federal state will probably have different stake-

holders compared to a more centralised country).

The organisational structures in the countries have shown a clear

shift over the last few years, from National Mapping Agencies

(NMAs), that is data producers, towards Environmental Ministries or

Agencies, to data users. While the NMAs often keep the role of the

main executive body, users are more and more involved in the pro-

cess. Countries are putting huge efforts into the creation of function-

al coordination structures, however not all the countries have suchdetailed structures yet in place (Figure 2). This is especially true in

view of the development of implementing rules for harmonised data

sets falling under the spatial data themes listed in Annex III of the

INSPIRE Directive, which covers a very broad field of mainly envi-

ronmentally-related topics. The involvement of all relevant stakehold-

ers is important in order to get all the user requirements duly taken

into account. The involvement of local governments seems to be par-

ticularly difficult and for the time being they are not very visible.

However, their role is gaining more and more importance. This is

certainly true for France, and to a certain extent for Spain, Italy and

Denmark.

Denmark is a good example for involving the local level through

FOTdanmark, an association between the Danish State (Danish

National Survey and Cadastre) and the municipalities. It has a

goal to establish unified public topographic maps as well as to

provide related, spatially enabled applications for citizens and

private companies. In July 2009, 88 municipalities out of 98 were

members of FOTdanmark.

As INSPIRE and NSDIs have moved from an unofficial to an official

status, the role of the GI associations (e.g. AGI in UK) has changed.

They are still in a third of the countries but are less involved as the

driving coordinator, and more in a facilitating and supporting role.Furthermore, the involvement of universities, third parties and other

stakeholders is limited. Countries where these stakeholders are

involved are for example: Switzerland, the Czech Republic and

Spain. Even if the stakeholders not all equal partners, a broad stake-

holder involvement is certainly important to grasp different require-

ments and needs.

Data and service sharingAn important activity of a coordinative-legal nature is the develop-

ment of sharing arrangements through harmonised licences, in order

to improve access to data and services, and to facilitate its use. The

value lies in the fact that a good licence clearly spells out rights andobligations and avoids situations where the user does not really

know what is allowed regarding the use of the data. Harmonisation

is important in order to facilitate the combined use of different data

sets. When combining data sets from different sources it is impor-

A r t i c l e


Figure 3: Existence of

metadata for spatial data

sets and services


24/52

tant to determine use conditions for the combined product. If licences

express the same concepts in different ways, it can be very difficult

to assess their similarity. Moreover, if each licence specifies different

use conditions and different restrictions, then the combined use of

data coming from different sources will be difficult. This is because

all the conditions and restrictions of each data set contained in the

combined results will have to be respected. This problem could be

avoided or reduced if a limited number of use conditions are speci-

fied.

Licensing is a field where efforts in harmonising the national

approaches are ongoing and concrete results are starting to emerge.

In order to promote access to spatial data, many countries set up

standard agreements/licenses for the different groups of stakehold-

ers. Currently, 15 countries have a harmonised framework for pub-

lic administration access and use (e.g. NL, DK, NO), 6 countries

have developed standard licences for personal use and 7 for com-

mercial use. In other words sharing policies are just emerging but

developments continue quickly. Of particular interest for use at the

European level are the initiatives that approach this topic across

Member States. Examples of good practices for data and service

sharing can also be found in the "INSPIRE Good practice for dataand service sharing document" available on the INSPIRE Website.

Since January 2011, the French mapping agency IGN has been

distributing its large scale reference data RGE, asking only that

its reproduction and distribution costs be covered if the data is

used strictly for public tasks without commercial interests.

Some issues related to access restrictions and confidentiality, have

become apparent and will have to be investigated further. On the

one hand some basic data sets have access restrictions (e.g.

bathymetry in some of the Nordic countries) and it is important to

better understand the reasons for these restrictions. On the otherhand issues on privacy have been raised with an increased aware-

ness that the combination of multiple datasets, each on its own

respecting the privacy protection rules, might lead to the disclosure

of confidential information.

MetadataMetadata are an essential component of

an SDI because they are the primary tool

for discovering spatial resources. Imple-

mentation rules for metadata were the

first derived legislation to be published.

Metadata is a rapidly progressing

domain even if it is happening less quick-ly than expected, given the legal obliga-

tion to create INSPIRE-conformant meta-

data for Annex I and II data sets by

December 2010. At the end of 2009

more than one third of the countries that

provided the indicators had metadata for

less than 50% of their data sets and ser-

vices (Figure 3), and when it came to con-

formant metadata, only three countries

where above or equal to the 50% mark

(Figure 4). For Annex I data sets the situ-

ation is a little bit better, five countriesscore 50% or more.

Also concerning the availability of meta-

data through discovery services, it is clear that some improvements

are still needed: in just seven countries more then 50% of the datasets

and services have metadata and can be found through at least one

discovery service (Figure 5).

Spatial data setsIn order to combine data sets from different sources, for example from

different data providers from the same or different countries, interoper-

able data are necessary. The INSPIRE Directive lists 34 spatial data

themes, divided into three annexes, for which harmonised data speci-

fications have to be developed. The first annex covers mainly basic

reference data, such as administrative units, transport or hydrography.

The remaining annexes cover mainly environmentally-related topics.

Activities on harmonising available data sets falling under Annex I

are just starting as the relevant implementing rules were only pub-

lished in December 2010. An important topic for Member States is

now the strategy to be used for this harmonisation. Several activities

focusing on interoperability and harmonisation of spatial data sets

are supported through EU projects, e.g. OneGeology, GIS4EU,

Humboldt, ESDIN, and Nature-SDIplus. Several of these projects

have already contributed to the development of data specifications.

Network servicesINSPIRE is based on networks of services that allow improved access

to geographic information. These services build the technological

backbone of the infrastructure and allow users to discover what is

available, to view, possibly download, and even transform.

The current assessment is based on a partial view of the services as

several countries did not provide information on the availability of

services. This may be an indication that the situation is evolving

rapidly and that it was not possible to provide a stable picture.

View services in particular are now developing very quickly, andactually some countries are thinking to better bundle their view ser-

vices in order to avoid an excessive scattering of resources.

Download services are also starting to emerge and discovery ser-

vices are becoming more available with 21 out of the 34 countries

A r t i c l e

24July/August 2011

Figure 4: Existence of conformant data for spatial data sets and services


25/52

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having at least some discovery services in place. However, as

already mentioned, when looking at the amount of metadata avail-

able through discovery services, the picture is less optimistic.

Despite an overall deployment of services still needing to be com-

pleted, developments are ongoing and national geoportals are

receiving growing interest. Even if national portals are not an

INSPIRE obligation 18 countries have one or at least a proto-

type.

Spain is implementing one of the most developed service infras-

tructures. IDEE, the Spanish National Spatial Infrastructure covers

7 Ministries, 16 Regions and 400 municipalities and offers 833

WMS services, 205 WFS services, 18 WCS and 9 CSW.

The French Geoportal (www.geoportail.fr) provides access to ref-

erence data produced by IGN France (National Geographic

Institute) and other producers. The public can access a large num-

ber of data sets online, while direct access to the view services

through direct calls to their URLs makes it possible to embed them

in other web and desktop applications. Access is granted based

on an open source license. Open and conformant tools support-

ing the work of the data producers, such as a template with anISO 19115 XM export facility and a Wiki dedicated to "How to

fill metadata fields", are also made available.

The Lithuanian Geographic Information Infrastructure connects

major public sector information sources through a single internet

portal (www.geoportal.lt). The system has been designed as a

national, open and shared spatial data infrastructure giving access

to products and related services.

As of May 9th, 2011, discovery and view services had to be avail-

able with initial operating capabilities in the EU Member States. In

addition, activities were started aimed at testing connectionsbetween the Member State Services and the European Geoportal.

Through these activities the European Geoportal Member State net-

work services will gain wide visibility, stimulating the use of the infras-

tructure and further developments.

An SDI can only work if a certain quality

level is achieved and the different techni-

cal components conform to the stan-

dards. Conformance testing is a chal-

lenge that is coming up for all the

countries and actually does not only con-

cern network services but also metadata

and spatial data sets. It will be worth-

while to bundle the efforts of MemberStates in this field and foster the

exchange of information. Germany is an

interesting case for the provision of tools

developed centrally in support of the

implementation of INSPIRE by the differ-

ent participants concerned. Conformance

testing tools have been made available

to its data providers for verifying the con-

formity of data sets, metadata and ser-

vices with the respective implementing

rules; the results of the validation are

used to feed the INSPIRE monitoring obli-gations. The Netherlands is working

along the same lines. A national valida-

tion service tests digital plans at four levels: GML data encoding

according to schemas and business rules of the standards, interop-

erability of the geometry with respect to national specifications, file

names, and digital signature ensuring the integrity and complete-

ness of the plan.

ConclusionsThe framework set out by INSPIRE Directive has allowed each coun-

try to start implementing a national infrastructure taking into account

its specificities while creating a European interoperable system.

The strengths and weaknesses of the currently available components

of the infrastructure have been pointed out in this article. The first

opportunity to measure the progress in a quantitative way will be

provided by the new monitoring information from Member States

referring to the year 2010. If some of the weaknesses persist, coor-

dinative and supportive activities at EU level, such as platforms for

exchange of information or documenting good practices, might need

to be strengthened.

Overall, clear progress is becoming evident and many elements of

the infrastructure are taking shape. While the last implementing rules

are currently under development, the network services infrastructurehas really started to emerge. With more and more metadata avail-

able and related discovery and view ser vices accessible through

national geoportals, an important first step for the improvement of

spatial data and service sharing across Europe has already been

achieved.

Beatrice Eiselt, [email protected], works at Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Union.

Eurostat, together with two other Commission services - Directorate-General for the Environment and the

Joint Research Centre - are responsible for the development of the INSPIRE initiative.

Figures 1 5:

Vandenbroucke, D., Billiouris, D., Crompvoets, J. and Janssen, K. (2006). Spatial Data Infrastructures in

Europe. D4.1 - Summary report regarding the results of the European Assessment of 34 NSDI (2010) , of astudy commissioned by the European Commission, Eurostat within the framework of the INSPIRE initiative.

http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4[accessed June 2010], pp72 + 34 annexed

country reports.

An annotated version of this article can be found atwww.geoinformatics.com.

A r t i c l e

26July/August 2011

Figure 5: Discoverable metadata for spatial data sets and services
http://www.geoportail.fr/http://www.geoportal.lt/mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://inspire.jrc.ec.europa.eu/index.cfm/pageid/6/list/4mailto:[email protected]://www.geoportal.lt/http://www.geoportail.fr/


27/52

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DMCii and Emergency Response

International RescueDMCii has recently taken over the day-to-day running of the International Charter Space and MajorDisasters, a global agreement to acquire satellite images of disaster zones for emergency response.

How did this Surrey-based company become the only non-space agency in the Charter to hold such a

significant leadership role?

There are certain closely guarded phone

numbers that, once called, put events in

motion. So it goes with the International

Charter Space and Major Disasters.

When a major catastrophe occurs upwards

of once per fortnight is the current average

the phone call is made and requests swiftly put

through to many of the worlds Earth observa-

tion (EO) satellites to target the affected region,

providing rapid access to space-based images

to help guide response efforts and save lives.

Now into its second decade of life, The

Charter was born out of disaster. When

Hurricane Mitch claimed thousands of lives

while tearing through Central America in

October 1998, the European Space Agency

(ESA) and French space agency CNES rushed

to get accurate damage maps into the hands

of emergency response teams.

The experience inspired the two agencies to

formalise their future cooperation. The result-

ing Charter entered force in October 2000,

when ESA and CNES were joined by theCanadian Space Agency (CSA). The

Charters first activation occurred the follow-

ing month, in response to landslides in

Slovenia.

More than 300 activations later, today the

Charter has 10 members with 3 new agencies

in the process of completing the integration

process, and has becomean established part

of the disaster response landscape. This year

is already proving busy, with a total of 11

Charter activations so far, triggered by a wide

variety of disasters including wildfires in

Mexico, flooding in Australia, Brazil and

Namibia, landslides in Turkey, earthquakes in

Pakistan and New Zealand and the earth-

quake and tsunami in Japan.

Taking chargeThe Charter is managed on a rotating basis,

with each member agency taking charge for

six months at a time. In May 2011 its day-to-day running passed from the US Geological

Survey in Sioux Falls, USA to a leafy business

park on the edge of Guildford, UK.

This is the headquarters of remote sensing ser-

vice provider DMC International Imaging

(DMCii), the sole private company to partici-

pate in managing the Charter. DMCii owes

this distinction to the unique public-private

basis of the UKs Charter membership.

The Charter is open to all space agencies with

space assets able to contribute satellite

images. So in November 2005 DMCii and

the UK Space Agency (UKSA) teamed up to

join as partners, each one possessing what

the other lacks: while UKSA enjoys national

space agency status, it has no EO satellites of

its own, but DMCii brings with it the control

of the Disaster Monitoring Constellation

(DMC), a currently five-strong commercial

satellite constellation.

DMCii additionally holds a place on the

Charters Executive Secretariat, which imple-

ments the day-to-day Charter process. The

UKSA, meanwhile, supports the DMCiis

28July/August 2011

A r t i c l e

By Adina Gillespie

Colombia flooding UK-DMC2 Image (C) DMCii, 2011. All rights reserved.

Sendai Oil Refinery Fire Japan high-res UK-DMC2 Image (C) DMCii, 2011. All rights reserved.


29/52

Charter work as well as occupying its own

seat on the Charter Board, which performs an

oversight role and considers ways to improve

Charter performance in future.

Along with putting the DMC at the disposal

of the Charter, DMCii also contributes a regu-

lar rota of Emergency On-call Officers (ECOs).

ECOs from the different member agencies are

at the heart of Charter activities, standing

ready for action 24 hours a day for seven day

duty periods.

Once a call requesting an activation is made

by an Authorised User, on-duty operators

pass the information to an ECO who analy-

ses the request and the scope of the disaster,

identifies useful satellites and then makes

imaging requests to their operators. Once this

tasking process is complete, the ECO

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