The emergence of cloud computing in government is reducing geospatial data costs and improving user access. By James S. Blundell, Mike West, Betty Davlin, and Brandon Johnson, Geospatial Products and Solutions, Overwatch Systems (www.overwatch.com), Sterling, Va. Â ...
ISS Unveils New Window to the World
NASA’s Window Observational Research Facility enables spectacular views from the International Space Station.    By Mario Runco, Susan Runco, William L. Stefanov, and Brion Au, NASA Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas. Like a human who just went through...
Streamlining Land Cover Classification
Combining multispectral aerial imagery with automated processing shows promise while revealing challenges. By Anna Gibson, University College of London Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering (www.cege.ucl.ac.uk), London. Ordnance Survey, the...
Operational 3-D Creates Combat-Ready Results
By Heidi Hainsey, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (www.usace.army.mil), Alexandria, Va. Imagine being thrown into a region of the world that’s completely foreign—no recognizable sights or sounds. Also include extreme weather. Now add a hostile force intent on...
Journey on the Waveform
A step-by-step description of a mobile mapping project reveals the tricks of the trade. By Joshua France, Riegl USA (www.rieglusa.com), Orlando, Fla., and Craig Glennie, University of Houston (www.uh.edu), Texas. The following project was motivated by a highway...
GIS/Remote Sensing Integration
User Expectations Drive New Applications  By James S. Blundell, vice president, Geospatial Products and Solutions, Overwatch Systems (www.overwatch.com), Sterling, Va. Combining the strengths of best-in-breed geographic information system (GIS) and image...
Civil UAS Market Still at Grassroots Level
By Jeff Specht, publisher, Earth Imaging Journal (www.eijournal.com), Greeley, Colo. The market for unmanned aircraft systems (UASs) outside of the military is extremely small at the moment, but one of considerable industry interest. The long-term issue is whether the...
UAV Market Set for 10 Years of Growth
By Steve Zaloga and David Rockwell, Teal Group Corp. (www.tealgroup.com), Fairfax, Va. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) make up the aerospace industry’s most dynamic growth sector. UAV spending is on pace to double during the next decade from current worldwide...
Unmanned aircraft systems are DoD’s deadly darlings, but how soon will friendly ones penetrate the civil market?
By Jeff Specht, Publisher, Earth Imaging Journal The mere words "Predator armed with Hellfire missiles" are enough to strike fear in the heart of any terrorist seeking refuge in the Afghanistan or Pakistan countryside. Stealthy and surgically precise, the Predator...
Stay in Control!
Accurate and precise ground control is essential to successful mapping projects. By Jeff Specht, publisher, Earth Imaging Journal (https://eijournal.com/), Greeley, Colo. Imagine you’re about to spend $2,000 on a new Armani wool suit. Wouldn’t you expect an...