When Virtual is for Real

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R.N.I No - UPENG/2010/34153; Registration no: UP/GBD-136/2017-19

Publication: 10th of every month I Posting: 15th / 20th of every month

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 » VOLUME 11 » ISSUE 09 | ISSN 2277–3134

WHEN VIRTUAL

IS FOR REAL

GEOSPATIAL INFRASTRUCTURE LIES AT THE CORE OF DIGITAL TWINS, WHICH CAN HELP US MAKE OUR SOCIETIES, ECONOMIES, BUSINESSES, AND ENVIRONMENT BETTER

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RIEGL Software RiPANO explore your project and extract plots on your web-browser • web-based RIEGL software for CAD connectivity and quick and easy visualization of scan data • pull plan basics (floor plan, elevation plan, any orthogonal view) directly from the laser scan data • simple dxf-export for further processing in CAD programs

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SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2021 VOLUME: 11, ISSUE: 09

CONTENTS

Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Kumar Managing Editor Prof. Arup Dasgupta Executive Editor Vivek Mukherji

COVER STORY / 18

Contributing Editor Geospatial Infrastructure John Kedar

A SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP SUPPORTING SUSTAINABILITY TECH TRENDS

08 / The Real and Virtual Worlds EXPERT OPINION

26 / B uilding a System-of-systems Bart Brink, Global Program Director, Digital Twin, Royal HaskoningDHV

Contributing Editor Global Defense and Security Keith J. Masback Consulting Editor Spatial Analytics and Location Intelligence Nicholas Duggan INTERVIEW

14 / A nthony Tuffour

Director, Global Lead GIS and Digital Twins, BuroHappold Engineering

28 / G .V. Sreeramam

CEO, NeoGeoinfo Technologies Pvt. Ltd.

POLICY MATTERS

33 / V irtual Models for

Real Development

30 / A lison Rose

Chief of Place, Space and Communities Division, Geoscience Australia

30 / M elissa Harris

Chief Executive, Land Use Victoria

SPECIAL FEATURE

40 / T ech to Power Circular Economy CASE STUDY

46 / T aking Airborne LiDAR Surveying to Next Level

REGULAR FEATURES

04 / Editorial 06 / Product Watch

Consulting Editor Nishi Malhotra

38 / D r. Rudiger Ahrend

Head, Economic Analysis, Data & Statistics, OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Region and Cities

48 / J orge Valero

Director, Data and Digital Transformation, AEDAS Homes, Spain

Associate Editor Policy & Public Affairs Avneep Dhingra Sr. Assistant Editor Defense & Intelligence Meenal Dhande Assistant Editor Bhavna Sharma Chief Sub Editor Nibedita Mohanta Sr. Sub Editor Snehil Manohar Singh Chief Designer Subhash Kumar Visualizer Pradeep Chauhan Disclaimer

Geospatial World does not necessarily subscribe to the views expressed in the publication. All views expressed in this issue are those of the contributors. Geospatial World is not responsible for any loss to anyone due to the information provided.

Owner, Publisher & Printer: Sanjay Kumar Printed at Virtika Offset Printers, G-14 Sector 3, Noida - 201 301, G.B. Nagar (UP) India Publication Address A - 92, Sector - 52, Noida - 201 301 India.

Geospatial World: The edition contains 52 pages including cover.

Geospatial Media and Communications Pvt. Ltd. A - 145, Sector - 63, Noida, India Tel + 91-120-4612500, Fax +91-120-4612555/666 Price: INR 150/US$15

September-October 2021 | www.gwprime.geospatialworld.net | 3

EDITORIAL

Geospatial is Integral to Digital Information Infrastructure

T

he word ‘infrastructure’ infrastructure separately because conjures up images of the two have a symbiotic relationbig buildings, bridges, ship. While CAD, BIM and geospahighways, bus stations, tial technologies come together to airports, and railway stations. create digital models of physical All these are interrelated. For infrastructure, they also depend example, a multi-storey mall on the Cloud and communicaaccessed by a simple single lane tions technologies for data access road can lead to huge traffic snarls and delivery. and can be termed as a failure of infrastructure. But what kind of Physical models have been failure? Did the mall designers used extensively by architects consider the access infrastructure? but digital models, called digital Did they estimate the possible twins, are far more versatile as footfall and the resultant traffic? If they enable planning, monitoring the mall housed high-end stores, and modifications as the work then did they consider the kind of progresses. Spatial conflicts and transport vehicles that would need interference with the as-built Prof. Arup Dasgupta a parking space? Or did the municconstruction and the surroundarup@geospatialworld.net ipal authorities check the location ings can be detected at an early and its access and failed to widen stage and work arounds initithe road to a two-lane access, or maybe even deny ated before committing labor and materials to permission to the mall developers? the actual construction. This consumes limited resources and leads to a greater economy of effort.

Each of these failures have a common thread running through them — lack of information.

As the world moves from a regime of profligacy Indeed, a well-planned city infrastructure is to a regime of sustainability, there is a need to based on comprehensive and timely information optimize resource utilization and move beyond to collection, storage, availability, accessibility, resources reuse. A very common example is the reuse of wastewater for non-potable use. Space and flow. This is what is otherwise termed as exploration is supported by many advanced techan ‘information infrastructure’. In the analogue nologies which recycle waste for reuse by astrodomain, these were paper maps, tables, and text. nauts. Sustainability has to move in this direction Digital technologies further enabled information infrastructure through computers, databases, and because the pressure of a growing population is impacting two limited resources — land and water. text processing. The digital information infrastructure encompasses every technology from the The ultimate goal of geospatial infrastructure and digital twinning is to provide information to help Cloud to a cellphone and impacts every aspect of reach a situation where a perfect circular economy human activity. will produce minimum waste by repairing, recycling and reusing resources. This will need Position and time are two important elements maximum synergy between many technologies. in such an information infrastructure. These are Geospatial infrastructure needs to be aligned to provided by geospatial and PNT technologies, be able to support these efforts initially on earth which are themselves digital. Thus, they form an but later, as humankind begins to commercially important part of the digital information infrastructure. However, it would be wrong to consider exploit other celestial bodies, the Moon and Mars and beyond. geospatial infrastructure and digital information 4 | www.gwprime.geospatialworld.net | September-October 2021

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PRODUCT WATCH

Ultra-slim M-Code GPS Receiver to Counter Spoofing BAE Systems has revealed its ultrasmall MicroGRAM-M GPS receiver compatible with next-generation M-Code military GPS signals that are resistant to jamming and spoofing. About the size of a postage stamp, MicroGRAM-M is claimed to be the world’s smallest, lightest, and most power-efficient M-Code embedded GPS receiver. It provides assured positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) for size-constrained and other micro-applications. It also boasts of having the industry’s lowest power consumption for an M-Code device. At 1.0 X 1.25 X 0.275, MicroGRAM-M has the same physical dimensions as its predecessor, enabling quick upgradability to M-Code and reduced system integration costs. At its core is a tamper-proof M-Code Common GPS Module that encapsulates classif ied data and signal processing.

Small and Smart

• Advanced correlator engine • Next-generation modernized security architecture • Unclassified-when-keyed operation • Operations in a mixed Y-Code and M-Code constellation

Radiometric Thermal Zoom Drone Payload Unveiled Teledyne FLIR has unveiled its FLIR Vue TZ20-R high resolution, thermal-zoom payload, which is purpose-built for drone pilots flying the DJI V2 Matrice 200 Series and Matrice 300 airframes. It includes radiometry to measure the temperature of every pixel in the scene. Featuring two 640x512 resolution FLIR Boson thermal camera modules, with one providing a narrow-field-of-view (18 degrees) and the other a wide-field-ofview (95 degrees), the Vue TZ20-R provides even greater situational awareness, accuracy, and context by offering more pixels on target

Benefits to Users

• Cover vast areas in less time • See targets in detail and silence • Ready to fly

with the corresponding temperature data. It offers simplified operation and payload connection via the Skyport V2.0 gimbal

on the DJI Matrice 300 or V2 Matrice 200 series. The Vue TZ20-R enables expanded search-area S&R missions, law enforcement surveillance in silence, and detailed industrial inspections from a safe stand-off distance.

Next-generation GNSS Receiver Trimble’s most recent launch, the DA2 GNSS receiver for its Catalyst positioning service, is a second-generation receiver and antenna that now includes the Trimble ProPoint GNSS engine for enhanced performance. The Bluetooth-enabled DA2 adds iOS support to the Catalyst service, greatly increasing the range of devices, workflows and apps that can be used with the Catalyst solution. Its ProPoint technology reduces convergence times and improves positioning accuracy when operating near trees and buildings.

Trimble Catalyst is a subscription-based GNSS positioning service for location-enabled field applications. The service is available in accuracy-based packages from centimeter to sub-meter level for a wide range of mapping and mobile Geographic Information System (GIS) data collection projects. A broad range of GIS field applications is continued to be supported by Catalyst, including the Trimble TerraFlex software for form-based GIS data collection.

6 | www.gwprime.geospatialworld.net | September-October 2021

Key Features

• Enhanced performance over previous generation • iOS support now available • Improved positioning accuracy • Support for Trimble TerraFlex

Compact Drone Sets Up New Communication Standards

Laser Scanning Sensors Come With Autonomous Features

Parrot has launched ANAFI Ai, which is the first and only off-the-shelf drone to connect to Verizon’s 4G LTE network. ANAFI Ai is a compact professional drone, built for work, setting a new communications standard, open to developers, with a full open source app, autonomous one click photogrammetry and new levels of cybersecurity. In addition to its Verizon 4G LTE connectivity, it features a uniquely designed omni-directional obstacle avoidance system, 48 MP imaging accuracy, 4K 60fps smooth video, and up to 32 minutes of flight time in an airframe that weighs less than two pounds. Parrot ANAFI Ai’s embedded Secure Element secures the 4G LTE link between the drone and the user’s device. Users can activate 4G LTE connectivity in just a few taps exclusively in the Skyward InFlight mobile app. The ANAFI Ai 4G module supports more than 28 frequency bands, covering Captures Every Detail more than 98% • Compact of the frequen• Resistant in extreme situations cies deployed • Assisted flying around the world.

Leica BLK ARC and the Leica BLK2FLY, by Hexagon AB, extends the iconic and award-winning BLK series known for speed, portability, and mobility with fully autonomous mobile reality capture. The Leica BLK ARC is a laser scanning sensor purposely built to improve the autonomous navigation of robots and other carrier platforms to deliver fully autonomous mobile laser scanning. Combining its speed, accuracy, and versatility with robotics, the BLK ARC addresses the growing demand for autonomous solutions that can safely and repeatedly capture accurate 3D point clouds and panoramic images of changing environments with minimal user intervention. The Leica BLK2FLY is the world’s first fully integrated, autonomous flying laser scanning sensor. With a few simple taps on a tablet, users can quickly and easily scan structures and environments accurately and entirely from the air. The BLK ARC and BLK2FLY connect directly to Hexagon’s cloud-based visualisation platform, HxDR, where immediate data upload from the field, AI-enabled cloud processing and storage of the captured data enables instant delivery of a purposebuilt smart digital reality to anyone who needs it.

Fully Integrated

• Improve autonomous navigation of robots • Safely capture 3D point clouds, panoramic images

Innovative LiDAR System for Small Drones RedTail LiDAR Systems has launched RTL-450. This has been designed specifically for UAV LiDAR applications. Its LiDAR sensor incorporates a lightweight MEMS mirror and a precision navigation system to generate accurate data for the most demanding of aerial surveying missions. The high-resolution, three-dimensional point clouds created by the RTL-450 provide operators an unsurpassed ability to conduct advanced analytics of geographic and manmade features on the

earth’s surface. The RTL-450 is designed and assembled in the US and incorporates patented LiDAR sensor technology to achieve superior performance. The RTL-450 has been integrated onto the FLIR SkyRaider, Freefly Alta-8, 4D-X6, DJI Matrice 300 and DJI Matrice 600. The simple and easy to use software interface is coupled with a comprehensive online training curriculum. The system operates in a raster scan mode for surveillance missions and a side-to-side line scan mode for area mapping.

Easy to Use

• High point density • Accuracy and precision • High-resolution point clouds

September-October 2021 | www.gwprime.geospatialworld.net | 7

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