Keep the information flowing
by Clare van Zwieten, EE Publishers
The Protection of Information Bill has got a lot of people from all sectors of society up in arms. Concerns about the Protection of Information Bill in turn lead to questions about the impact this bill, if enacted, is likely to have on South Africa's Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) which is struggling to get established... ( more) |
Multibeam echosounders: trends in the hydrographic industry by John Fraser and Rich Lear, RESON
The decreasing quantity of experienced multibeam users juxtaposed with the increasing demand for qualitative and quantitative multi-layered (i.e. bathymetry and backscatter information of seabed topography and seabed material) multibeam sonar data results in growing demand for a comprehensive and efficient system for acoustic sonar mapping... ( more) |
Littoral water survey and security
by Claude Cazaoulou, ECA
More than 90% of international commercial exchange and 70% of annual world oil consumption are transported by sea. Millions of people live in the coastal areas and the marine environment represents for them a major source of life. The financial stability and well-being of many countries depend on the sea and the marine environment in general... ( more) |
Spatial development planning at Rhodes University
by Ben Cobbing, Martin Bekker and Mark Hazel, CSS
GIS is the perfect tool for spatial modeling in a feature-dense area such as an academic campus. There are multiple relationships between features that have an impact upon how a campus operates, from walking distances between lecture theatres, green space management and facilities management for parking as examples. By knowing what is where, it is possible to understand the spatial relationships within a campus and plan accordingly... (more) |
Application of hydrographic data in ship squat analysis
by A H�rting and J Reinking, University of Applied Sciences This article discusses the possibility of predicting squat and under-keel-clearance in confined navigation channels with tidal influence. It presents a case study with a container vessel on the river Elbe and also refers to other experiments. It is shown how hydrographic data, i.e. bottom profile, tide gauge readings and current measurements, enter the analysis and affect the interpretation of results... (more) |
SPOT Building Count supports informed decisions
by Nale Mudau, ESI-GIS
SPOT Building Count (SBC), also known as the Eskom Dwelling layer, is a product derived from the SPOT 5 2,5 m national mosaic acquired through the South African governmental multi-user agreement with SpotImage. The base layer of SBC was created using 2006 imagery and existing aerial photography. The mapping is currently done through image interpretation and manual digitisation of the structures... (more) |
Scientists map large, underwater hydrocarbon plume
Information from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Scientists at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) detected and characterised a plume of hydrocarbons that is at least 35 km long and more than 914 m below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, a residue of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. The work presents a forensic snapshot of the plume characteristics in June... (more) |
Real-time monitoring of the transmission system
by H F Vosloo, A Momberg, I T Josephine, Eskom and P E Frost, CSIR Fires under transmission lines of the Eskom Transmission system account for about 20% of all line faults. The management of this source of line faults requires the asset manager to not only monitor fires in real-time and convey this information to field staff,but also to take cognisance of trends and map the history of fires and burn scar areas on an ongoing basis... (more) |