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Protecting the mine surveying profession
by Alex Bals, IMSSA
 Over the years the Geomatics Profession Bill, 2005, has assumed various forms but was left largely unaltered despite opposition from the geomatics professions it seeks to regulate. Our premise is that the Dept of Rural Development and Land Reform (DRDLR) has pursued the transformation of the profession of the land surveying profession without considering the other geomatics professions... ( more)
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Target date for Medupi power shifts to 2014by Chris Yelland, investigative editor, EE Publishers
 During a site visit on 11 April 2013, Public Enterprises Minister Gigaba advised Eskom, Alstom and Hitachi executives that first power from Medupi by no later than Dec 2013 was absolutely critical, that no further delays would be tolerated, and that "heads would roll" if any such delays occurred. Three months later, Eskom advised that the due date of end December 2013 would not be met... (more) |
PositionIT Inbox - Practicing the full monty This month's winning letter
This month's winning letter focuses on the issue of land surveyors not exploiting their full potential...(more) |
Emerging geospatial tools for the electrical grid
by Paul Wilson, Subvertical, and Gareth Nicholls, Avanade
Since the genesis of widespread electricity distribution in the 1880s, there has always been a need for geospatial information to help manage the grid. The electrical system is inherently spatial in nature, rooted in the geography of the service territory... ( more) |
UAVs and terrestrial surveys in mining applications
by Robert McClure, RA McClure
The use of UAVs and off-the-shelf video and photogrammic imaging technology are becoming more common in the mining industry for surveying. Mine mapping, stockpile volumes, blast planning and quantification are areas where these technologies bring an added level of safety and performance... (more) |
Secret streets of Britain's lost Atlantis revealedInformation from the National Oceanography Centre and the Dunwich Project
Deep-sea oceanographers have been engaged in the most detailed analysis of the archaeological remains of the lost medieval town of Dunwich, dubbed "Britain's Atlantis"... (more) |
Investigating changes in land cover patterns in the Richards Bay area
by Quintin Haywood, University of Johannesburg
Land can be described as one of the most basic and undervalued resources available to humans. It provides the means for the production of nutrition, living space, and energy. With over 7-billion humans on earth it becomes clear why it is important to study land cover change and all of its uses... ( more) |
National Mosaic of South Africa for 2012Information from SANSA
The SPOT 5 National Mosaic for 2012 has been released by the South African National Space Agency (SANSA) to key stakeholders in government departments and private industry for use in addressing national requirements... (more) |
Constructing a race track with speed and precision
Information from VI Instruments
In the green heart of Germany a new test and presentation track will soon offer all fans and professionals a lot of fun with their cars. The asphalt track and off-road area were built at a brisk pace and with high precision... (more) |
Hyperspectral remote sensing for environmental monitoring
by Bradly Thornton and Alice McClure, Digby Wells Environmental; and Alex Fortescue, Southern Mapping
When a hyperspectral remote sensing pilot project was carried out on a portion of Xstrata Coal's operations near Emalahleni in 2011, the technology was also used for an environmental application in coal mining by Digby Wells Environmental and Southern Mapping (in partnership with SpecTIR)... (more) |
Backpack-sized mini-mapper captures intel in tight spotsInformation from Johns Hopkins University
Engineers at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) have developed a portable mapping system - carried in a backpack - that can be used to automatically create annotated physical maps of locations where GPS is not available, such as in underground areas and on ships... (more) |
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