GIS Tech News (#43)

Robots Probe Underground Pipes

Municipalities and industries such as oil and gas
are gathering new data on old pipelines

For years, engineers and owners of pressurized pipelines have been seeking better ways to monitor the condition of buried pipes. In lieu of exposing pipes for inspection, pipeline owners have used various types of remotely controlled probes, cameras, and other devices to obtain information about underground pipes. The oil and gas industries have largely led the charge, driven by regulations and risks associated with catastrophic failures and explosions.

Recent developments indicate that petroleum industry techniques can be tailored for municipal applications, such as water distribution pipelines. Robotic systems are offering new capabilities in obtaining real-time data, capturing the attention of budget-conscious owners of aging infrastructure systems. The July explosion of a steam pipeline in New York City provided a wake-up call that buried utility pipes cannot be considered out of sight, out of mind. Read more>>

CAD Clinic: Harness Google Earth Tools
in Civil 3D 2008, Part 2

By Mike Choquette

Google's massive database of geospatial data includes street mapping, satellite and aerial photographs, digital terrain model data, and more. This incredible resource is available for browsing through a free utility called Google Earth. Imagery and terrain models accessible through Google Earth can be imported directly into Civil 3D with a minimum of fuss, making for an extremely useful feature set. In the last "CAD Clinic" column, we introduced this topic by describing the data available, as well as the steps required to import those images and terrain models. This month, we conclude our review of using Google Earth and Civil 3D by considering coordinate system issues and by looking at the Publish to Google Earth tool. Read more>>

UPCOMING GIS EVENTS

2007 Topcon Positioning Systems Technology Roadshow
September 11 - November 15, 2007  
Various cities, USA and Canada
In this fifth year of educational seminars and hands-on demonstrations for surveying, GPS, GIS, and machine control operations, representatives will host regional seminars in conjunction with Topcon dealers in more than 100 cities across the United States and Canada . Read more>>

Location Asia 2007
September 13-14, 2007
Kowloon , Hong Kong
Location Asia 2007 is the Annual International Conference and Exhibition in the field of positioning, navigation, and timing technologies. It will serve as a platform where the technology providers, application developers, and users will converge to discuss and deliberate on the potential and usage of these technologies.
Read more>>

Cadalyst's complete list of upcoming events is always available on our Web site. Cadalyst's sister publication, Geospatial Solutions, also offers a full calendar of GIS-related events.