Geomatics Links

Contents

• Interesting Sites
• Data Sources
• Remote Sensing and GIS Software Suppliers
• Value Added Service Organisations
• Books
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contact Information
• Comments and Suggestions

Interesting Sites

Mapsofindia.com India's # 1 Maps Site, Currently over 4500 Maps, it has a built in Search Engine and Utilities like City Distance Search Engine, National Highways Search Engine and Distance Charts, STD Search, PINCODE Search.

.National Taskforce on IT & Software Development

The hottest topic of discussion in the IT community in India. There are implications for geomatics as it also covers map policy.

C-DAC Home Page

A good site for supercomputing resources in India.

Open GIS Consortium Inc.

This is the web site of the Open GIS Consortium Inc. This organization is working on the development of an Open Geodata Interoperability Specification. A must see for geomatics professionals interested in data structures and systems interoperability.

Centre for Spatial Database Management & Solutions

CSDMS is a not-for-profit organisation involved in promoting and propagating GIS/GPS and Remote Sensing in South Asia. Do visit for some great links to Geomatics industry sources in India.

Would you like to list your web page? Or do you have an interesting link to share? Send an email to the Webmaster with full details. We welcome inputs from Indian and Foreign organisations: Government, private and non-governmental.

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Data Sources

• Maps & other Related Services from SOI
• NRSA Data Centre announces the Availability of IRS 1C/1D PAN Stereo Data
• Directory of Service Providers

Maps & Other Related Services from Survey of India

Survey of India (SOI) is the national survey and mapping organization of our country, under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and is the oldest scientific department of the Government of India. It was set up in 1767.

The main functions of SOI are as under:

• Provision of geodetic frame work of planimetric and height control
• Production of standard topographical map series on scales 1:250,000, 1:50,000 and 1:25,000
• To meet the mapping requirements of the defence forces, para-military forces, administrators, tourists, scientists and planners
• Demarcation of the external boundaries of the Country and inter-state boundaries
• Survey for national developmental projects
• Forest Surveys
• Special surveys for soil conservation, irrigation, hydel projects and mineral exploration
• Generation & publication of tidal, trigonometrical & levelling data etc.
• Controlling & co-ordinating aerial photography for the whole country
• Standardisation of geographical names
• Digital Mapping

Organizational Set-up: SOI is headed by the Surveyor General of India with headquarters at Dehradun. SOI has been divided into 4 zones each headed by an Additional Surveyor General with 11 Regional Circles each headed generally by a Director, as under:

Each topographical Circle consists of three major functional groups consisting of Photogrammetric Units, Field Units and Drawing Offices.

Map printing is carried out at the Map Publication Office, Dehra Dun supported by the three Printing Offices attached to the regional Circles at Calcutta, and Hyderabad and the Directorate of Survey (Air) at New Delhi.

Like the Map Publication Office at Dehra Dun, there are six other specialised offices to

1. meet the training needs,
2. to carry out geodetic activities, and
3. digital mapping.

These are:

1. Survey Training Institute, Hyderabad;
2. Geodetic and Research Branch, Dehra Dun;
3. R&D Directorate, Hyderabad;
4. Modern Cartographic Cell, Dehra Dun; and
5. Digital Mapping Centres at Dehra Dun and Hyderabad.

SOI has a resource of about 7000 technical personnel (including about 1000 Gazetted Officers) for the survey and mapping of an area of 3.29 million sq. km consisting of various terrain types such as mountains, jungles, deserts, large water bodies, coast-line, etc.

Maps for Sale: The following table shows the types of maps, made in English, and in some cases, in other regional languages, at nominal cost, are available for sale from SOI.

Other Services: SOI offers the following types of services in addition to the generation and sale of maps, discussed above. These include

1. Aerial photography in India
2. Providing select extract of geodetic & research data acquired from various surveys;
3. Organising a variety of training courses;
4. Providing Digital Map Products from the National Digital Cartographic Data Base on 1: 250,000 scale; v) Conduct of topographical surveys; and
5. Map printing.

How to Obtain Maps: Maps are available for sale from authorised map sales agents in major cities & towns and can also be obtained from the following office or 14 other SOI offices in different select cities. For supply of maps, actual cost with details of maps is to be sent in advance by Money Order/ Bank Draft to "Officer-in-Charge, Map Record & Issue Office (MPD), Survey of India, Dehra Dun – 248 001.".

Maps, which are classified as restricted, and data requests for geodetic, geophysical, trigonometrical and height data of certain accuracy could be obtained only after getting clearance from the Ministry of Defence.

References:

1. MAPS published by Survey of India, Information Brochure, dated January 1998
2. Jeyavelu, R.K., Director, South South Eastern Circle, SOI, Survey of India and Map Making, from Lecture Notes of Survey Appreciation Seminar, held at Survey Training Institute, SOI, Hyderabad, June 22-26, 1998.

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Reporter: R. Nandakumar, SPDD, SIPG, SIIPA, Space Applications Centre(ISRO), Ahmedabad-380 053

NRSA Data Centre announces the Availability of IRS 1C/1D PAN Stereo Data

NRSA Data Centre (NDC) provides stereo data from Panchromatic (PAN) camera (6 m spatial resolution) on-board IRS-1C and IRS-1D satellites. This data can be used for creating Digital Elevation Models and orthoimages, which will be useful for all applications requiring topographic information. Test studies have revealed that the height accuracy that can be achieved is 10 - 20 m. Stereo data are collected based on user-specific needs, as the PAN camera has to be tilted by programming to view the user’s area of interest. Hence user should contact 2 weeks before the period of acquisition with the following information:

• Area of Interest (longitude and latitude)
• Period of Interest
• B/H ratio (normally a B/H ratio of > 0.5 ensured)

Stereo data products are supplied as 23 km x 23 km subscenes, on digital media ( 8 mm Exabyte tapes or CD-ROMs). Using the DEM extracted from IRS PAN stereo pairs it is now possible to supply geocoded orthophotos to users, corresponding to 7 ½’ x 7 ½’ SOI mapsheets (1 : 25, 000 scale). For details please contact : The Head, NDC, National Remote Sensing Agency, Balanagar, Hyderabad-500 037.

Value Added Service Organisations

Digital Map Products for India

I have include this site as it represents a very interesting and pioneering effort by an Indian entrepreneur in the field of geomatics.

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Name and Addresses of Some Remote Sensing and GIS Software Suppliers

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Source: Dubey, R.P., et al., Souvenir, CARG-99

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Books

(Source : Arc User, January-March 1999)

Algorithmic Foundations of Geographic Information System

edited by Marc van Kreveld

This text brings together two lines of research and development that will significantly impact spatial information processing - GIS and geometric computation. The authors provide a unique survey ranging from the history and basic characteristics of geometric algorithms and spatial data structures to current issues of precision and the robustness of geometric computing. Springer Verlag. 1997. 287 pp. Item 79448. $43.00

DIGEST: A primer for the International GIS Standard

by Kelly Chan and John Lyon

DIGEST is the Digital Geographic Information Exchange Standard for interoperability and compatibility among national and multinational systems and users. It is a standard based on the vector product format (VPF), used by NATO and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency of the United States for capturing geographical data. Finally, there is an aid available to GIS users and developers working with DIGEST. This book was developed from a series of lectures given by Kelly Chan, recognised as the architect of this standard. It is designed to allow the user to finally make practical use of this difficult material and write specific programs tailored to particular needs. The book features a sample VPF that offers a complete introduction to all major elements of a database, provides a complete aid to navigation for accessing a database, and introduces a data quality library. CRC Press. 1998, 200 pp. $50.00.

Error Propagation in Environmental Modelling with GIS

by Gerard Heuvelink

GIS users know that the accuracy of GIS results cannot be naively based on the quality of graphical output. Data is collected, measured, classified, generalized, interpreted, and estimated. Each step in the process provides an opportunity for the introduction of error. GIS professionals need to understand how these originate so they can build more accurate systems. The author has studied these problems for more than a decade. This book provides an account of the development, application, and implementation of error propagation techniques for use in environmental modelling with GIS. Taylor & Francis, 1997, 127 pp, $45.00.

Geographic Information Research: Bridging the Atlantic

by Max Craglia and Helen Couclelis

Filled with cutting-edge research thinking from Europe and the United States, this new book contains selected and peer-reviewed papers from the European Science Foundation (ESF) and the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) that were presented at the first International Summer Institute in Geographic Information, held at the University of Southern Maine in 1995. Taylor & Francis, 1997, 256 pp, $75.00.

GIS and Site Design: New Tools for Design Professionals

by Karen Hanna and R. Brian Culpepper

The use of GIS is redefining how landscape architects and planners work. Despite all the potential benefits of GIS, professionals in this field can find this technology intimidating. This book is the only guide to GIS written expressly for landscape architects. Illustrated with over 200 screen shots and 50 maps, the book is a painless introduction to GIS for landscape architects. A CD-ROM with a library of all the GIS data from the book is included. John Wiley & Sons, 1998. 223-pp, $45.00.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Satellite Imagery FAQ

GIS Frequently Asked Questions and General Info List Index

The Soft Earth

The Virtual Earth

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Contact Information

Organisations without web pages can be accomodated here. Send an email to the Webmaster with full details. We welcome inputs from Indian and Foreign organisations: Government, private and non-governmental.

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Comments and Suggestions

Please send me mail telling me what you think about this site and how we might improve it.

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Last revised: October 31, 2000.