Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Digital Mapping: New Age Mapping Techniques


The collection of data and compiling it into a virtual image is called digital mapping or cartography. Maps which give accurate representations of some particular areas are produced through this process. It gives major details of roads networks and other interest points. Distance from a certain point to another is calculated through this technology.

Digital Mapping in the Digital Age

A variety of computer applications use this technology e.g. Google Earth. The maps are used in GPS satellite network which is used in the automotive navigation systems.

A terrestrial GPS receiver obtains the coordinates, position and atomic time from at least twenty four GPS satellites that do orbit the earth.  They interact together to provide digital mapping and programming.  The information provided has points of origin and the destination points needed in order to calculate the distance.

A map is later created from the analysis of the information. These maps give the easiest and the most efficient way to pass to reach a certain destination. The GPS coordinates (latitudinal and longitudinal exact points) are provided by the GPS receiver. The outputs of the coordinates approximately range between 10 to 20 meters of the actual location.  The beginning point that is entered via the coordinates and the ending point i.e. coordinates or the address input by the user, are later entered into the digital map. The route is represented by the map output in terms of real-time visual representation. Moving along this path that is provided helps the driver to move to the designated route. In case the driver drifts to the wrong route the navigation system recalculates a route to the destination location by use of the current coordinates.

Digital maps mostly rely on large amount of data that is collected over a certain period of time. These maps are mostly used in GPS navigation systems, scientific applications and also in computer applications.

Monday, January 30, 2012

The Advantages of Digital Orthophotography

You might have already heard of digital orthophotography. Well, its increasing popularity can be rooted from the growth in demand of the Geographic Information System (GIS) technology. Basically, what digital orthophotography has already done is that, it has provided a precise method in constructing a GIS database. Today, many people are seeking for the complete digital orthophotography services. Yet, it is a better idea if the person who wants to order the said service to have a better understanding of orthophotography. One has to ask: “Is digital orthophotography significant?”

Advantages of Digital Orthophotography

There are a lot of advantages in using an orthophotography. One is, when compared to the conventional line mapping, it is a more cost-effective mapping tool. This technique has already proven itself to inexpensively form an excellent base for GIS. It is also good to note that, the speed of the technique is amazingly high, making the map production quick as well. Also, features on the image are correctly measured, making it the favorite technique of many.

When using the technique, you can have options in storing the image created: either in digital or analog form. This, of course, depends on the preference of the person doing the technique.

Another wonderful feature of digital orthophotography is that, it has no image generalization. This means that, it does not contain a generalization of the cartographer which, in the case of the conventional vector map, is usually not complete. With the digital orthophotography, anyone who views the map can able to depict what is on the image clearly.

When it comes to reliability, the orthophotos have it. In fact, they are already used by a lot of people who want to map areas which are not accessible. Thus, these has made assessing any kind of change in a certain area possible.

Again, the digital orthophotography has proven itself to be vital in many ways. With its existence, it has made mapping more exciting, reliable and useful as well.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Uses of High Resolution Aerial Photography


There are already a lot of uses for high resolution aerial photography these days. First of all, in making digital maps and 3d maps, this has been commonly used already. With the help of the process, there is an accurate location of areas, streets and all other establishments that should be placed in the map down to the very details. In the past, trusting how they are viewed from land will not necessarily give an accurate image. It will not also put everything in the right order. However, with high resolution aerial photography, everything can now be viewed at in the right way.

The application of high resolution aerial photography has now gone so extensive. It is used not only for mapping but for different governmental use as well. It has also been used for Science. Taking shots of images from space has also made use of high resolution aerial photography. This allowed them to take clearer images and more accurate photos. It has also been used for construction and engineering. The actual process might be quite costly and could take time. However, the camera being used here works in such a way that it will capture a series of images from where it stands and allows different angles and views to be taken right away. Thus, those who deal with it do not have a hard time.

High Resolution Aerial Photography

The camera used here is also very expensive as it is a product of the latest technology. Yet, with how it works and the accuracy it provides, it nevertheless became very common a technology already. This field might be a bit young and novel for now. However, it continues to improve. Sooner or later, it might expand its applications and it will be appreciated even more. Indeed, photography has gone very far.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

The Benefits of Using San Diego GIS


It is undeniable that San Diego is one of the leading cities all over the country. It is also one of the most organized cities. However, back then, San Diego was not always what it is like now. There are also a lot of problems being experienced from time to time. This is basically in line with management of different departments of the government. Say for instance there are problems on the street.

One department will respond to it by making the street and in another time, the street will be broken since another department will be there to dig up cables. This would only accumulate more costs for the government and of course, lesser efficiency.

This paved the way for the use of the San Diego GIS to be started. GIS stands for Geographic Information System. This is like a digital map where all information about the streets is placed.

Say for instance there will be people calling for assistance with a broken streetlight. Before the call center employee would actually dispatch a person to fix the problem, the GIS will be checked first. This states the actual location of the streetlight and all other necessary details. When it has been confirmed that there really is a problem, they will then send people to work things out. By then, there will be no miscommunication and problems on people driving their way to the streets just to find out that there is no problem.

The use of GIS in San Diego today has expanded to a large size and even the public has now made use of the system in so many different ways. Indeed, running a huge city might be difficult. However, making use of a system that will make everything fall into place will definitely do wonders. It might not have been taken positively at first, but now it has strongly affected the entire city.