SpatialSTEM Has Deep Mathematical Roots

Issue Date: January - 2012, Posted On: 2/6/2012 Joseph Berry

Beyond Mapping By Joseph Berry Joseph Berry is a principal in Berry & Associates, consultants in GIS technology. He can be reached via e-mail at jkberry@du.edu. Recently my interest has been captured by a new arena and expression for the contention that "maps are data," spatialSTEM (sSTEM for short), as a means for redirecting education in general and GIS education in particular. I suspect GeoWorld readers have heard of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) and the educational crisis that puts U.S. students well behind many other nations in these quantitatively based disciplines. Although Googling around the globe makes for great homework in cultural geography, it doesn’t advance quantitative proficiency, nor does it stimulate the spatial-reasoning skills needed for problem solving. A lot of folks, ranging from Fareed Zakaria of Time and CNN to Bill Gates to U.S. President Barack Obama, are looking for ways that the United States can recapture its leadership in the quantitative fields. That’s the premise of spatialSTEM: "maps are numbers first, pictures later," and we do mathematical things to mapped data for insight and better understanding of spatial patterns and relationships within decision-making contexts.

Military Satellites: Unlocking the potential

Publish Date: 22 February 2012

Rahul Bhonsle
Director, Sasia Security-Risks.Com
rkbhonsle@gmail.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

<< Satellites used for military purposes can also play a crucial role in surveillance, early warning, intelligence and communications, especially in a country with varied topography like India. The article digs deep into the role of satellites in the Indian environment and the way ahead in this direction >> India’s operational environment is extremely complex. The terrain panorama spreads from the scabrous super-high altitude pinnacles of Siachen to the hot deserts of Rajasthan, and humid tropical jungles of Andaman to the Himalayas in Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. The Tibetan plateau and Karakoram mountains, too, hold a lot of significance for the country. Therefore, the variation in topography poses an intricate military challenge for men and machines alike. Moreover, tactics and operational art required to be applied in these varied areas necessitates considerable flexibility, particularly to exploit force multipliers as satellites in varied scenarios. Of particular importance is the advantage that satellites can provide in dissuasion and deterrence against the backdrop of India’s defensive – offensive strategy. India’s military vista in the near future will extend to the Tibetan plateau and the Indian Ocean on the North South, and the Gulf of Hormuz and the Western Pacific on the East West axis. Continuous satellite coverage within this area would be necessary and may have to be provided for in the years ahead. Satellites can also play a major role in counter insurgency operations spread over the mountainous and hilly patches of ground in Jammu and Kashmir and the North East. Besides, they will also prove invaluable in mapping the uncharted jungles infested by left wing extremists, commonly known as Naxals. Operational exploitation of satellites would necessitate deliberation on three Ts of terrain, tactics and technical parameters; else these will end up as merely “toys for boys” in space. Some issues which can facilitate optimal operational employment are covered herein within the larger facet of military exploitation of space.

Earth Observation Satellite Technology Trends: An eye in the sky

Publish Date: 22 February 2012 Prof. Arup Dasgupta Managing Editor Geospatial World arup@geospatialmedia.net This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it << Satellite industry is witnessing changes like never before. The advancement in technology is creating ample opportunities for this industry, and in the process, setting new trends... >> The technology of earth observation has seen many changes over the past few years with four major trends emerging. The first is the government-funded missions for earth observation, using a variety of sensors on large satellites which address mapping as well as scientific studies. The news, however, is dominated by the second trend consisting of commercial imaging satellites with sub-metre spatial resolution for land applications. The third is a shift away from big multi-sensor satellites towards small singlefunction satellites. The fourth trend is to use small satellites in constellations and swarms. Furthermore, these trends tend to overlap with each other. RapidEye is a commercial constellation of small satellites while Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC) is government owned but operated by DMCii.