Showing posts with label GIS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label GIS. Show all posts

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.

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Remote Sensing

Acquisition of information about a certain phenomenon or an object without making any physical contact with it is called remote sensing. It generally refers to the use of aerial sensor technologies that do detect and also classify objects in the atmosphere, earth surface and also in the oceans through some propagated signals, for example satellites or electromagnetic radiation that is emitted from an aircraft.

Passive Remote Sensing


When passive sensors are used to detect natural radiation that is reflected or emitted by an object or the surrounding area is called passive remote sensing. Sunlight that is reflected by objects or surrounding areas is the most common source of radiation that is measured by the passive sensors. Infrared, photography, charge-coupled devices and radiometers are examples of passive remote sensors.

Active Remote Sensing


Active remote sensing is where some energy is emitted in order to scan objects and areas. The sensor then detects and also measures the radiation that is back-scattered or reflected from the target.

The LiDAR and the RADAR are examples of active remote sensing where the time delay between emission and the return is measured, the location, height, speed and the direction of the object are also established.

Advantages of Remote Sensing


One of the advantages of remote sensing is that it’s possible to collect data in dangerous and inaccessible areas.
There are various applications of remote sensing that includes monitoring deforestation in areas like the Amazon Basin, depth sounding of coastal  and ocean depths, and glacial features in Antarctic and the Arctic regions.

The military use remote sensing in times of war to collect data in dangerous areas. It also replaces slow and costly data collection on the ground and it ensures that objects or areas are not disturbed in the process. Data collected is used to analyze and compare things like pollution, forestry, erosion, land use and weather among other uses.

Monday, October 3, 2011

3D GIS Software: Mapping The Future

3D GIS software has been shown in fancy science fiction movies for the past few years. However, what once was a fragment of our imaginations is already here. Technology has made it possible to utilize it for the advancement of our society. Geographic information systems now give us prized information about areas around us and even the whole world.

What is 3D GIS (Geographic Information Systems)?

GIS Layers
Geographic information system technology has long been used for developing and planning cities, building various infrastructures, strengthening national defense, and many more uses both for public and private companies. Information gotten from these systems offer valuable data to help improve our community and our society today. As early software might display their scans in 2D, 3D nowadays is beginning to be the standard.

Technology has introduced these three-dimensional systems to both public agencies and private companies. Their choice of software typically is influenced by two important things such as budget and usability. Such software may prove to be a bit expensive, but the information is deemed to be very crucial. However, it doesn't stop other agencies to find the best possible deal in sourcing such software to use with their own systems.

Usability has also become quite important. Software which is too complicated can prove to be very confusing especially for those who are not quite trained to use such software. A lot of systems nowadays tend to simplify their software so more people can easily learn to use it and thereby apply it to their own advantage. Simple, yet effective software should be kept in mind.

How can 3D GIS software help us to change the world?

3D GIS
Answers typically given include the valuable information that they can give which is near-perfect just like what you see in real life. Scans of the insides of infrastructures, the whole plan of the city and how you can plan a certain area by taking into consideration the earth's crust is definitely important data.

As an example of its importance, urban planning can never be the same once you've got a 3D model of the city. You get to actually see what is inside, what is in a particular place, what lacks in a particular area and many more. Engineers, city planners, architects and other people can then suggest the best possible solutions to existing problems.

All in all, 3D GIS software can be the start of a great change for us to see our world in a whole different way.