Search

Cross-calibration of the Earth’s remote sensing payload is an addition to the traditionally used flight calibration. It consists of homogeneous terrain regions` image acquiring with a calibrated and reference apparatus and comparing the measured values of the spectral radiance. When selecting references for cross-calibration, the main requirements are the proximity of the spatial resolution and spectral channels of the satellite payload, as well as the observation conditions. Remote sensing spacecrafts Sentinel-2A / 2B and Landsat 8 were selected asreferences. An algorithm was developed to search for intersections of Earth remote sensing satellites ground tracks, which enables finding the parts of the Earth’s surface observed from satellites involved in calibration at a time difference not exceeding 30 minutes. Prediction of satellite paths is carried out using the analytical propagation model SGP4, and two-line element sets of orbital parameters (TLE) taken from open sources. Using the obtained intersection points of propagated ground tracks, the Kanopus-V grouping survey was planned and the corresponding materials by foreign systems were obtained. Basing on them, spectral radiance values obtained by calibrating satellites were compared showing the result of less than 10 % discrepancy.

The purpose of this paper is to present opportunities and technical features of the developed software for study of prospective Interstate Power Grid (ISPG) expansion in Northeast Asia. The mathematical model for optimization of power systems expansion and operating modes, which is the main part of the computing & geo-information system (CIS), is used. In this model, a linear optimization method is used to find optimal installed capacities by generation type mix; optimal electric ties transfer capabilities and operating modes for each electric power system in the ISPG. Annualized costs of the ISPG expansion as a whole are the value of the objective function. The obtained results of the model in tabular, graphic and cartographic forms are presented. Examples of the CIS usage for study of different scenarios of ISPG expansion in the Northeast Asia are shown.

Geo-information science has attempted to estimate the actual soil loss and its correlative interpretation with land use and cover types in an agricultural land, Sambhunath Municipality. Among several empirical and physically based soil erosion models, Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) are widely used and employed to estimate soil loss based on rainfall, topographic contour, and soil map. The soil erosion ranges values are found from 0 to 2635 t ha-1 yr-1 in terms of soil loss per year in the municipality. Soil erosion rates are found highly correlated with the increasing exposure of land surface in Chure range mostly on forest area. Agriculture lands spatially concentrated in 51.70% of the Municipality extent, is contributing significantly as of 16293 t ha-1 yr-1 of the total potential soil loss from fertile cropland. Based on severity of soil loss, cultivation agriculture areas are priority for reducing soil loss for optimum agriculture management practices in land use planning.

The monitoring, analysis and prediction of epidemic spread in the region require the construction of mathematical model, big data processing and visualization because the amount of population and the size of the region could be huge. One of the important steps is refinement of mathematical model, i.e. determination of initial data and coefficients of system of differential equations of epidemiologic processes using additional information. We analyze numerical method for solving inverse problem of epidemiology based on genetic algorithm and traditional optimization approach. Our algorithms are applied to analysis and prediction of epidemic situation in regions of Russian Federation, Republic of Kazakhstan and People’s Republic of China. Due to a great amount of data we use a special software ”Digital Earth” for visualization of epidemic.

The present research attempts to study detail morphometric analysis of Harrir and Shaqlawa watersheds in the northeastern part of Erbil city, north of Iraq. The areas of the watersheds are 350 Km² and 223 Km² for Harrir and Shaqlawa, respectively. To achieve the aims of this study, the ALOS PALSAR Digital Elevation Model data, and Geo-information (Remote sensing and GIS) techniques were used for determining and analyzing morphometric parameters in terms linear, aerial and relief aspects. Several tools in ArcGIS 10.4 software were utilized for preparing and producing maps, analyzing and assessing various characteristics of the parameters. The main results show that there is a strong inverse relationship between stream order, number and length of the stream in the watersheds of the study area by R² values (R² = 0.78 and 0.81 of Harrir watershed and R² = 0.8 and 0.79 for Shaqlawa watershed, respectively). The watersheds are elongated in shape with dendritic, sub dendritic to parallel drainage patterns. Moreover, detail morphometric analysis shows that the watersheds have a low runoff, low permeable material, and moderate slope. The structural geology and climatic parameters of the study area have influenced the landform development and stream behavior in the watersheds. Hence, the present study is useful and essential for watershed management and planning rainfall harvesting.

Over the last 20 years, Africa has witnessed a slow but steady advancement in space-based technologies as they are increasingly recognized as an essential tool for decision-making that can leapfrog African development. A critical review on the outcome of a survey questionnaire focused on African private sector industries and universities, services and education/training in EO and Geo-Information Sciences, combined with literature review, and personal contacts reveal optimism for success in four sectors. These include the public sector (Government ministries and departments); Academic institutions (universities/colleges/national or regional centers); and space agencies and private sector companies. These sectors are intertwined and fundamental for creating an enabling environment for solutions to a broad spectrum of pressing priorities: job creation, poverty alleviation, and sustainable resource management. The result shows that there is an uptake in the number of institutions and market segments created. To date, there are more than 90 academic institutions and over 53 national space agencies in 28 countries. Within the 53 national space agencies, 11 African countries have already launched a total of 36 satellites into orbit, and additional five are expected by the first quarter of 2021; another five by 2025; thus, amounting to 46 satellites not foreseen ten years ago. In addition, there are now ten receiving and tracking stations in six African countries and 17 scientific National Associations or Societies with specialized expertise in Geo-Information technologies. The updated survey on the private sector in 2019 ascertained that around 4110 people are working in 130 of the 229 EO and Geo-Information Science companies identified in Africa. Ongoing investigations reiterate that companies dealing with space-based datasets and Geo-Information Sciences together with the private spin-off companies today absorb more than 15,000 people and the assumption is that this number is going to exceed 100,000 by the year 2025.

The article sets out the goals and objectives of the City Program “My District”, which provides for a significant improvement in the quality of life of citizens and the formation of equal development conditions for all districts of the city, taking into account the suggestions and wishes of local residents. The program is a flexible individual plan for each district, the implementation of which will ensure equal opportunities to receive quality health services, education and social services, leisure activities and a healthy lifestyle. To implement the tasks set, targeted, systematic information and analytical activities are necessary. Successful coordination of the implementation of improvement programs and operative solution of problems at all stages are possible only if the information base is prepared for making optimal management decisions. The use of modern information technologies, including geo-information technologies, makes it possible to ensure high quality of analytical and presentation materials created. The methodology for organization of work on the preparation of cartographic materials using geo-information technologies is shown: MapInfo software for processing and storing geographical information, GeoServer mapping software for publishing and managing geo-data in order to optimize the time spent, “Geo-bookmarks” utilities for automating the publication of cartographic and attribute information. Keywords: urban environment development, “My District” program, comfortable environment, landscaping, cartography, database, geo-information system, MapInfo, GeoServer, information-analytical materials.

After the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP), much of the wild and edible mushrooms and plants in the surrounding areas were contaminated with radiocesium (137Cs). To elucidate their concentration characteristics, we analyzed 137Cs radioactivity data in edible forest products brought in for food inspection by the residents of Kawauchi Village, 12–30 km away from the FDNPP, from 2012 to 2019. A Bayesian model to estimate 137Cs concentration was constructed. Parameters of the normalized concentration of species (NCsp) for mushrooms were similar to those of the same species obtained in a previous study. Although NCsp values were highly varied among species, mycorrhizal mushrooms tended to have high NCsp values, followed by saprotrophic mushrooms, and wild edible plants values were low. Also, half of mycorrhizal mushroom species (8 of 16) showed an increasing trend in concentration with time; however, saprotrophic mushrooms and wild plants generally demonstrated a decreasing trend (22 of 24). The model considering the sub-village location information decreased the error of individual samples by 40% compared to the model not considering any location information, indicating that the detailed geo-information improved estimation accuracy. Our results indicate that the radioactivity data from samples collected by local residents can be used to accurately assess internal exposure to radiation due to self-consumption of contaminated wild mushrooms and plants.

The GIS-EEDB (the Expert Earthquake Database) and GIS-ENDDB (the Earth’s Natural Disasters DataBase) geoinformation systems implement methods for spatial-temporal analysis of both classical and new characteristics of the seismogeodynamic process. One of the new characteristics is a normalized creepex parameter that can be used in the statistical approach to studying of seismicity to assess a relative contribution of “soft” (creep) and “hard” (explosion) movements to the overall process of focal radiation. In this paper, the following modifications of the creepex parameter are proposed and compared: 1) Cr0 Cr0_world and CrN CrN world as the result of reducing the parameters Cr0 and CrN of each event to the world average values of the creepex, obtained from the polynomial dependence of Cri_world (i = 0, N) on MS_world where Cri_world are calculated based on the world average estimates of Ms_world and mb_world at uniform intervals of the seismic moment (NEIC catalog), 2) Cr_bji as the result of reducing CrN of each event to CrN_bji i.e. to the average for the studied in this work BJI catalog creepex values obtained from the polygonal trend CrN (MS) of all the catalog events. The advantage of using the creepex parameter, reduced to the trend of averaging the magnitudes of the catalog in question, is revealed, since the smallest linear dependence of the creepex on the magnitude is achieved (in comparison with the classical and normalized creepex) and the symmetry in the maximum amplitude of the deviation of the parameter relative to zero is preserved. Examples of the application of the compared parameters in specific seismic-geodynamic studies of aftershock processes of the Molucca and Simushir earthquakes also demonstrate the advantage of the parameter Cr_bji n the observed correspondence of the variations of the latter to the known physical processes in the focal zone of the Kashmir event, studied by the seismic-geodynamic methods of the GIS-EEDB geographical information system.

Natural-industrial complexes development is dictated by need of production and natural potentials comparison due to changes in environmental legislation. Functional model of simulation modeling natural-industrial complex with base and bank of excess information in single structure of geo-information system is proposed. Modern concept of environmental regulation on sector wide level has been applied. Algorithm for simulation modeling based on geo-information simulating system to achieve target state and stability of all elements in natural-industrial complex with identified functional relations is developed. Integrated indicators of production environmental capacity and ecological technical intensity of territory are harmonized. Various scenarios of simulation modeling are considered in accordance with management structure of territorial natural production complex, provided that ecological and technological models are interconnected within single functional model. As criteria, regional and national norms and standards are applied. Each nature user receives, in accordance with modeling results, certain share of accumulating capacity and corresponding quota. Main stages of geo-information model creation for natural-industrial complex management are determined. Principal functional model on geo-informational basis and management structure of territorial-natural-industrial complex are built. Considered methodology allows to apply modern geo-information technologies both to create databases for all subjects of natural production complex under consideration, and to justify model and parameters of its management with definition of individual allowable load quotas.

A review of the work of the VII All-Russian Conference (with international participation) “Aerospace methods and geo-information technologies in forest science, forestry and ecology” is presented. Conference events included: reports on the contribution of Academician A.S. Isaev in the development of remote sensing in forest science; plenary session; work of 2 thematic sections and poster session. The conference reviewed reports on the assessment of the current state of scientific and technical methods in the field of forest science and forestry, the use of new original approaches and technologies for the integrated analysis of satellite data and ground survey materials. Much attention in the conference reports was devoted to the development of projects based on web applications, information and analytical systems, automated services for monitoring changes in forest vegetation. The results of prospective studies on the processing methods and the use of satellite images of ultra-high spatial resolution, detailed aerial photographs from unmanned aerial vehicles are presented. The conference was attended by more than eighty forest science experts from Austria, Belarus, Vietnam and 31 regions of Russia.

The advantages of the basin approach in the study of regional water use are justified in the article, water management areas according to the water management division of the Russian Federation were used as territorial units of the study. A universal methodic for the integrated assessment of the region’s water management activities was developed, based on geo/information technology. Stages of the study are described, including water management of the area, ranking based on the total anthropogenic load on water bodies and river basins, zoning of the territory to optimize the target use of water resources. The GIS of water use of the Lake Baikal basin is developed on the basis of governmental statistics, mass media examples of organization of water management data, as well as the results of automated mapping of water bodies. The results of water management regionalization are presented and spatial regularities of water use organization in the investigated territory are revealed. The ranking of river basins and water bodies according to the degree of anthropogenic load has been carried out, ecological problems of the region have been identified and their spatial localization has been fixed, the exact locations of pollution sources and their influence on water management have been established. Zoning of the territory under study for targeted use of water resources was proposed, five unique zones were identified, differentiated according to the special conditions for the formation of water resources and the specific use of water bodies, as well as the nature and intensity of the current and forecasted water use. A set of measures to optimize water use within the zones of targeted use of water resources is proposed.

The article considers the Geotechnical Geo-Information System (GGIS) of Astana, Kazakhstan. The GGIS was developed by methods of geoinformatics applied to engineering survey and geotechnical monitoring technologies. A special database program and set of geotechnical zoning maps were created for differentiation by ground bases type, showing the quaternary sediments and bedrock soils distribution, allowing for more efficient field investigations and engineering geological surveys, thus optimizing the length of piles foundations. The GGIS enables engineers to better justify the selection of particular designs, and significantly reduces the time and costs of field investigations and foundation design and construction.

The project “Geo-information Services for Landslides in the Alps (eo4alps-landslide)” has the main objective of exploiting the potential of new satellite data coupled to advanced modelling for gravitational hazards assessment in the Alpine region. The two-year project starts in early 2021 and consists of a broad consortium of universities, geological consultancies, ICT companies and geological services. More than 20 authorities and other stakeholders responsible for landslide disaster risk management are actively involved in all project phases. “eo4alps-landslide” aims at ensuring that satellite-based Earth Observation (EO) products are increasingly and more efficiently used in practice for science and operational DRM procedures. “eo4alps-landslide” produces harmonised and advanced landslide inventories and susceptibility/hazard maps for the Alps based on InSAR and optical ground motion services and landslide-specific models embedded in the Geohazards Exploitation Platform (GEP). These EO-based services and products can be complemented by local datasets and terrain data from the end users directly in GEP. Planned products of “eo4alps-landslide” includes 1) automatic landslide detection using satellite optical and InSAR-based services, 2) harmonised and advanced landslide catalogues resulting from the satellite based detection and local inventories, 3) susceptibility/hazard maps consisting of possible landslide source areas and landslide type-specific runout modelling. Further fields of application and products will be adapted to the needs of end users. The methods will be generic in order to be used at several spatial scales from Tier 1 (region) to Tier 2 (municipality) and Tier 3 (local slope). Furthermore, the products of “eo4alps-landslide” will be compatible with products and services of other “eo4alps” initiatives, as well as with the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS).

Regional land use monitoring at high spatial, temporal, and thematic resolution is an important expectation of Walloon stakeholders. Over the last decade, increased data-processing capacities and the annual acquisition of remotely sensed data have resulted in the production of a large amount of relevant geodata. The INSPIRE directive and its obligations for 2020 serve as a path for the development of a new user-driven and open-source hierarchical land use classification system mapping scheme, as presented in this paper. The process includes intensive user consultation, the development of an entire automatic processing chain, and efforts to address challenges such as big data handling, the variability of input data properties, and reproducibility. The thematically detailed land use map, with its 69 classes, is already widely used by Walloon stakeholders, and new demands for updating have already emerged. Based on a European classification system that is compulsory for all member states, INSPIRE-compliant land use maps will make it possible to carry out cross-border studies and compare spatial planning strategies between states., info:eu-repo/semantics/published

As technological innovation and advancement is sweeping across the world, transforming economies, countries, and societies, Earth observation (EO) and geo-information technologies (GIT) have come closer to the public realm and become exceedingly an all-encompassing part in the daily lives of people, with more uses and users. These technologies today are not just “research and visualization tools”, but they touch upon all aspects of people’s lives, bringing in advantages as well as challenges for different groups of people.

Sustainable safe functioning of electric power networks ensures uninterrupted supply of electricity to consumers within the limits of acceptable (standardized) indicators of its quality. Meteorological factors influence the process of power transmission through power lines. The impact of hydrometeorological phenomena and processes is associated with losses in energy transmission, short-term and long-term power supply disruptions, and direct damage to infrastructure facilities. Due to the need to predict weather conditions and timely response, this study proposes a general approach to the synthesis of the power supply management system and the geo information system. Managing the process of uninterrupted electric power supply requires the formation of processes with predefined properties. The concept of management based on synthesis fulfills these requirements. The use of a geo information system eliminates interruptions in the supply of electricity to consumers. It is shown that the basis for controlling the process of required power supply is a person’s decision.

The most important causes of forest fire are due to human’s activities both intentionally and unknowingly. These are the human behaviors in land use at the edge to forest or buffer area. Due to this reason, land use within the buffer area, which caused forest fire in Kanchanaburi, is being studied using Geo-informatics in order to explore and analyze the way of utilizing the buffer area, which caused forest fire. Satellite imagery is used to classify the land use. By creating buffer at the edge of forest can classify the ways of land use, which possibly cause forest fire. Moreover, the study of previous statistics and caused of forest fire is to find which land use are possible to cause forest fire. From the study, the highest cause forest fire is searching of forest products and the lowest cause forest fire is hunting. Over 82% of the forest fire caused by searching of forest product and unknown caused. There is a likelihood of forest fire, which caused by forest product searching to be increased during 2015–2017. Moreover, the study of the way of utilizing land around buffer area within 1 km from the edge of forest found that more than 60% of forest fire found in the area of deciduous forest, while 20% found in agricultural area. This research can show the relationship between land use and causes of forest fire.

At present, high-speed amphibious vehicles are undoubtedly a new mode of transport. The problems of geoinformation and navigation support for high-speed amphibious vehicles, becoming one of the most promising types of transport, are considered. It is shown that modern high-speed amphibious vehicles present increased requirements to geospatial and navigational data, which the existing cartographic-geodetic and navigation-hydrographic support system cannot provide. The essential difference between high-speed amphibious vehicles and traditional modes of transport is their ability to move in different natural environments. That is why in the process of using this type of transport in the management of traffic, it is necessary to simultaneously use cartographic, geodetic, hydrographic, navigational and other data on several natural environments to ensure transport security. In addition, with the movement of high-speed amphibious vehicles, the requirements for the relevance of these data are increased. The ways of solving the problems of geoinformation and navigation support for high-speed amphibious vehicles are proposed.

This paper measures the cultural consumption patterns of expatriates in Shanghai by applying a geo-information approach to data derived from social media. In order to reveal the geographical characteristics, the paper zooms in on the level of city districts and presents a typology based on the degree of spatial and functional aggregation of cultural venues. Three major contextual parameters underlying the typology are discerned: the geographies of the Shanghai space-economy, the imprint of Shanghai’s spatio-political strategies, and the overall policy approach toward this community. We discuss how this study can be used as the starting point for further comparative studies on cultural patterns of expatriates in other geographical contexts.

Study of the tsunami wave propagation in the coastal zone is an important practical task in the field of oceanology. Although tsunami in the Black Sea is a rare phenomenon, however, the level of seismic activity in the region does not permit to exclude generation of strong tsunami waves due to the underwater earthquakes. The computation experiments make it possible to analyze the features of the tsunami type wave transformation and to determine the sea level changes in the coastal zone. The geo-information system is shown to be is applied to visualize the tsunami type long wave propagation modeling results in the Black Sea coastal area. Within the framework of the nonlinear long wave theory, the Propagation of Surface Long Tsunami Type Waves in the Black Sea Coastal Zone software model is developed. It is integrated into the Black Sea geo-information system. The software module providing data exchange between the geo-information system and the model is developed. It permits to analyze the wave field transformation features and to quantify the wave amplitude characteristics when they propagate towards different sections of the Black Sea coast. The results of the software module operation are represented based on the example of the Feodosiya Gulf. The instantaneous fields of sea level displacements in the gulf and the horizontal velocity fields are constructed. The values of the sea level maximum elevation and sink in the basin are calculated. The mareograms in the specified zones which allow the assessment of tsunami risk for the Feodosiya Gulf coast are also constructed.

The reduced cost of cameras and the complex scenes make it possible and necessary to replace the monocular camera with camera array under certain situations. In this paper, we first provide a review on the existing camera arrays and sort them according to the array arrangement, and then give an overview of the imaging properties that are benefited from the camera array including dynamic range, resolution, seeing through occlusions and depth estimation. At last, a novel camera array-based airborne optical system is proposed to meet the intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) requirements for large field of view (FOV), high dynamic range and resolution, multi-view and multiple dimensions imaging. For the sake of onboard application of this system in practice, some key technologies are highlighted that need to be developed in the future research, such as the self-calibration and the synthetic aperture imaging by camera arrays on mobile platforms.

Information resources, spatial or non-spatial are used widely and wisely to improve the organization's operation in today's competitive environment. With the advancement of information and communication technology, information sharing is made feasible and practiced within various entities. However, information sharing can be complex. There are various factors that influence cross-boundary information sharing because each organization operates within complex information, organizational and national context. There can be differences in technology, knowledge, culture, politics, geography, resources, relationships and intentions. This paper highlights on the different factors that can influence the information sharing in different perspectives.Nepalese Journal on Geoinformatics -13, 2014, Page: 7-13