8.9 Magnitude Earthquake Off Coast of Japan

An 8.9 magnitude earth earthquake has struck off the coast of northern Japan. The earthquake has generated a 10 m high tsunami that is reportedly extending a kilometer inland in some locations. Japan sits atop one of the most active earthquake zones on the planet and this region has continually experienced earthquake activity.
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China Information Technology Has Banner Year, Led by GIS Sales

China Information Technology, Inc.has reported a banner year with a 62% increase in revenue and a 39% increase in profit, largely led by an increase of 43% in its GIS segment. The company specializes in geographic information systems (GIS), digital public security technology (DPST) and digital hospital information systems (DHIS), with the goal of being the largest GIS software provider in China.
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Earth Observation Aids Coastal Zone Management

Coastal zone management is an area of increasing interest, with competing ecological, environmental and social values as well as vulnerability to our changing world. The complexity of managing the coastal zone must take into account a broad range of often conflicting interests. The use of earth observation  improves the ability to monitor and forecast for such variables as sea level rise, water quality, ecosystem health, and productivity.
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A recently released report in London suggested this past week that society has become too dependent on GPS - the technology that allows us to navigate and perform positioning guidance through the use of satellites. I seriously wonder whether we have become too dependent on the technology. In fact, one might reasonably argue that society benefits from the satellite-based technology to such an extent that it transforms society and raises quality of life.
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IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite Helps Generate Terrain Maps of Rugged Western China

The State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) in the People’s Republic of China is using ERDAS IMAGINE StereoSAR DEM and IMAGINE SAR Interferometry for a surveying and mapping project in western China. The project is being conducted by five of the provincial branches of the SBSM, and involves surveying 200,000 square kilometers of land within the Hengduan Mountains.
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SmartPlant Enterprise is an integrated solutions suite that provides full design, construction, materials management and Capital Project Lifecycle Management (cPLM) capabilities needed for the creation, safe operation and maintenance of large-scale process, power, marine and offshore facilities. SmartPlant 3D effectively enables optimized design, increasing productivity and shortening project schedules.
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Satellite pictures showing the extent of Libya’s refugee problem have emerged. The GeoEye-1images reveal a mass of people at the Ras Ajdir crossing at Libya’s border with Tunisia. But they only indicate scale, not detail. The satellite pictures taken on Thursday show the mass of people just to the west of the Libyan/Tunisian border.
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Vexcel Imaging Receives ISO 9001:2008 Certificate

Certification for 9001:2008 standards is granted only after a thorough audit of a company’s management system by an independent external body, such as SystemCERT. Industry-experienced auditors verify that processes conform to the requirements specified by the International Organization for Standards (ISO), based in Geneva, Switzerland.
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Esri Recognizes Seven Longtime Partners

At a special session, he lauded these organizations and their dedication to Esri and its geographic information system (GIS) technology. "Our partners are key to the continued evolution and adoption of GIS," said Dangermond. "Esri values their innovation, dedication, and commitment to our users, and we want to recognize their important work over the past 20-plus years. We want to thank for their contributions to Esri's success."
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SuperGeo Spin off EMCT for Environmental Consulting Services

The newly established company, Environmental Management Consultant Technologies Inc. (EMCT), used to be a project team focusing on the consulting services in the fields of environment, public health, agriculture, etc. The main clients are government sectors and private firms, such as the Department of Health, Endemic Species Research Institute, and Environmental Protection Bureau.
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Time for Mekong Delta to Redefine Priorities

Professor Vo Tong Xuan, a rice scientist, said agriculture and aquaculture were fundamentally important for the delta's development, and any strategy excluding them would result in ruin for the region. Xuan also said that fully exploiting the region's agricultural and aquaculture potential required the rezoning of cultivation areas.
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Foster + Partners - Masterplan for West Kowloon Cultural District, Hong Kong

The announcement was made today by Henry Tang, Hong Kong’s chief secretary and chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, following the results of the international competition including a year-long public consultation. The project is considered to be the largest cultural initiative in the world today.
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Australian Navy Maps PNG Seabed

The Australian Navy is mapping the seafloor around what will become one of Papua New Guinea's most important ports. The bay will soon house an export facility as part of PNG's biggest ever resource development, a $16 billion liquefied natural gas project.

Trimble TSC3 Controller - Construction Operations Easier

With built-in GPS, 3G, Wi-Fi and a 5 megapixel digital camera, construction professionals can stay connected and be equipped with accurate positioning, digital design information and the ability to locate, measure and record information anywhere on the construction site with just one device.

Russia to Track GLONASS from Australia

Russia and Australia will sign an agreement on the establishment of monitoring stations for the Russian GLONASS navigation system around the Australian city of Brisbane, an official with the Russian space agency said. 

Sanborn - SimActive’s Photogrammetry Software

SimActive Inc. is pleased to announce that Sanborn has selected Correlator3D as its new platform of choice. With immense data volumes traversing complex production workflows, Sanborn required a new photogrammetry suite for handling projects efficiently.

SuperNetObjects 3 Supports Road Hierarchy

The operation and the objects this brand-new SuperNetObjects 3 provides greatly surpass its previous version, SuperNetObjects 2. What is more, SuperNetObjects 3 supports road hierarchy data and operation. This new function enables users to find the solution meeting the actual needs to improve the work efficiency.

 Christchurch Quake Mapped from Space

The Magnitude 6.3 tremor killed more than 160 people and shattered a city already reeling from a previous seismic event in September. Data from the Japanese Alos spacecraft has been used to map the way the ground deformed during the most recent quake. It shows clearly that the focus of the tremor was right under the city's south-eastern suburbs. 

Bentley Advances Sustainable Licensing Through Portfolio Balancing

Bentley Systems, Incorporate introduced, during its first Annual Corporate Update conference call, an innovative new “sustainable licensing” business model based on annual Portfolio Balancing. With this industry milestone, users no longer need to settle for software investments that depreciate in value due to changing technology, project mix, or operations needs.

Spirent Explains How to Model Your GNSS Antenna

Capturing as much as possible of the wanted signals from space and rejecting everything else is the goal for any aspiring GNSS antenna, but it's a tough goal to attain. GNSS signals are extremely weak when they reach the earth's surface and collecting them and passing them unperturbed into the receiver requires good practice.

India Kotak Mahindra - $300 Million Infrastructure Fund

Kotak Mahindra said its funds will invest mainly in power generation and transmission, roads, ports, airports and other infrastructure projects including water treatment and supply, waste management, gas transmission, and also in infrastructure holding companies.