PositionIT e-News

GIS, GPS, surveying and spatial applications in Southern Africa

Issue 76, June 2016

Earth observations for the Africa we want

by Philemon Mjwara, Dep. of Science and Technology and GEO Co-Chair

We are witnessing a data revolution. Earth observation satellite images, remote sensing data, measurements from ocean, land and atmospheric stations and all other... (more)

Implications of the Geomatics Profession Act - an opinion

by Yvonne Steenkamp, GT0667 & PGPT0109

We must begin by examining what a profession is defined as; a profession is a vocation that is particular to a group of people that have acquired specialised training both academic and... (more)

Reflections on a forty-one-year GIS career

by Pierre Potgieter, EE Publishers, in conversation with Adri de la Rey

Adri de la Rey has had a 41-year career that started in land surveying and meandered into GIS - a field in which he has become well-known and highly regarded. His work is... (more)

Banking and the Internet of Things

by Christelle Toureille, Gemalto

Discussions around the Internet of Things (IoT) are widespread in the technology industry right now, with many analysts suggesting that we are entering the second digital revolution... (more)

Construction monitoring for accurate budgeting
Information from Topcon

A North Carolina contractor has used new technology to monitor the productivity of haul trucks working on the reconstruction of a rural Virginia dam in the US. This article looks at some of the benefits of the tracking and reporting system. When North Carolina... (more)

High-precision mobile surveying of road surfaces and assets
Information from Siteco

Mobile mapping surveys can be a highly accurate technique to survey road assets, as this article shows when Siteco surveyed a 15 km stretch of motorway to verify the quality of the data from its mobile mapping system. Amberg Technologies, an... (more)

Replacement of the stator in a hydroelectric plant turbine
Information from Hexagon Manufacturing Intelligence

This article explains how laser scanning measurements were used in a precision-critical operation replacement of the stator in a hydroelectric plant turbine. The use of laser scanning enabled a new replacement procedure which also has economic benefits... (more)

Monitoring bush encroachment using remote sensing
by Teboho Makhubu, Duvha Spatial Solutions

This article reports on the status of vegetation cover and its growth over the past 20 years in the Kloofendal Nature Reserve which is slowly becoming degraded by bush encroachment. The study aimed to provide information about the spatial distribution of bush... (more)

Comparing geospatial technology-related programmes
by P Hodza, University of Wyoming; G Schaab, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences; S Coetzee, F van der Merwe, University of Pretoria; and B Vogt, University of Colorado

Today, graduates seek employment in a global marketplace, regardless of the country in which they studied. Comparing academic programmes helps students, academics and employers to make informed decisions about study options, programme... (more)

HIV hotspot mapping: an evidence-informed HIV response
by Petro Rousseau, Keep it Simple

One of the biggest global public health threats known to humanity is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) epidemic. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimated that there were 36,9-million people living with HIV globally in March... (more)

Vehicle undercarriage scanning for use in crash reconstruction
Information from Faro

The use of the Faro laser scanners has proliferated throughout many industries and disciplines, including vehicle crash reconstruction. The Focus scanners are used by law enforcement and those in the private industry to document vehicle crash sites and vehicle... (more)

Combining technologies for better assessing slope stability
by Ian du Toit, Optron

One of the areas of great technological advancement in recent years has been in the deformation monitoring field with related software. There is currently a range of sensors available for monitoring various aspects of slope stability for mines, but the data from... (more)

Geospatial round-up
by Clare van Zwieten, EE Publishers