Oil and Gas
The most established market in remote sensing is in the area of natural resources in the exploration of oil, gas, and minerals.
Satellite and airborne Remote Sensing technology aids in the selection and development of oil and gas exploration areas around the World as well as in the areas of oil spill mitigation and remediation. Through geological and geophysical seismic interpretation and use of orthorectified satellite images, it provides insight on the selection of areas to plan 2D or 3D seismic surveys for an exploration drilling program as well as aiding in the process of environmental and operational safety hazards to minimize the HSE risks.
There is currently no other technology that matches or exceeds the capabilities of remote sensing and its necessity in the oil industry. Discovering new sources of petroleum ahead of the competition is one of the key ways to stay successful in the petroleum industry.
A GIS can help you evaluate the potential for oil in promising locations, Exploration often requires analysis of satellite imagery, digital aerial photomosaics, surveys, surface geology studies, subsurface and cross-section interpretations and images, well locations, and existing infrastructure information. A GIS can relate these data elements to the location in question in map form and allow you to overlay, view, and manipulate the data to analyze and understand its potential. GIS technology today allows you to manage the spatial components of these everyday petroleum “business objects,” such as leases, wells, pipelines, environmental concerns, facilities, and retail outlets, in the corporate database and apply appropriate geographic analysis efficiently across the enterprise.
Urban Planning
The increased availability of high-resolution satellite images and aerial photography in support of detailed terrain surface elevation models assists urban planners and municipal managers to create a model and visualize the urban space in three dimensions. 3D visualization models have a variety of applications in geography and urban studies. Accurate cartographic feature extraction, map updating, digital city models and 3D city models in urban areas are essential for many applications, such as military operations, disaster management, mapping of buildings and their heights , simulation of new buildings, updating and keeping cadastral databases current, change detection and virtual reality. While they are generally used to simply visualize the built environment, there are early signs of them being used as 3D interfaces to more sophisticated simulation models. One of the major requirements for urban development is to have the accurate and timely information in geospatial forms that allows generation and use of different maps, GIS data and applications. Information of urban areas that characterizes the Social and economic environment, Physical Environment, services and amenities are critical in planning and development of urban areas. At the same time, the urban area also requires Urban Management a details of town planning or municipal functions – especially, regulation of land uses, building by-laws for management activities in urban planning, taxation and revenue, urban amenities planning, urban infrastructure management etc Every urban area needs GIS – a comprehensive map-based Geographical Information Systems (GIS) that powers urban planning and urban management.
Mining
In today’s complex and competitive environment, GIS offers multiple applications in the mining industry with tools to gather, compile, process, display, analyse, and archive extensive volumes of data. A well designed, implemented, and supported GIS management structure is critical to the success of your mining or exploration operation.
Using GIS in mineral exploration encourages a more efficient use of already existing data which is cost effective. Exploration costs are rising exploration drilling can be expensive and the rate of discovery of large world-class ore bodies is decreasing. However, re-analysis of existing data both modern and historical, through GIS modeling e.g. through 3D modeling, allows for more targeted, cost effective exploration.
Satellite Imagery and aerial photography has proven to be an important tool in assessing mineral exploration tenements, it provides the geologists and field crew location of tracks, roads, fences, habitation, as well as ability to map out crops and regolith systematic and vegetation cover across an area or region.
Forest Management and GIS
Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is an information technology that has been used in public policy-mating for environmental and forest planning and decision-making over the past two decades. GIS integrates hardware, software. and data for capturing managing. analyzing. and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
Forest management has become more complex as there are now multiple objectives to attain. as well as multiple criteria and constraints to address. This makes GIS an important tool in decision-making during policy formulation, planning and management. It can be established to provide crucial information about resources and can make planning and management of resources easier. e.g.. recording and updating resource inventories, harvest estimation and planning. ecosystem management and landscape and habitat planning .
The composition and viability of a forest may be determined using a combination of remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS). GIS uses different levels of geographical information, such as elevation, hydrology, or the location of roads and infrastructure, to create a multi-layered representation of a site. This data is available for large areas, and it can be interpreted to provide information.
Transportation
The application of geographic information systems in transportation dates from the very earliest. GIS is about many things, but one consistent theme in its development has been the economies of scale that derive from integrating a wide range of processing functions around a well-defined data structure representing one or more particular classes of geographic data.
Transportation professionals the world over have discovered and embraced GIS as an important tool in managing, planning, evaluating, and maintaining transportation systems.
Road transport investments over the years have contributed a great deal to shaping urban growth and the forms of settlement. Their importance to the economic development of cities and regions, combined with issues of environment, congestion, and safety, has seen the planning and management of transportation systems high on government agendas worldwide.
The adverse environmental effects of road transport include air pollution, pollution of natural drainage systems, noise disturbance, and extensive energy consumption. It appears likely that environmental conditions will worsen in most urban areas in the immediate future with increases in both the number of motor vehicles and the mean distance traveled by each vehicle. There are considerable advantages in incorporating environmental modeling directly into the transport planning processes to enable the assessment of the environmental effects of different transport proposals and scenarios simultaneously with the assessment of their traffic effects.
GIS for Agriculture
With increasing population pressure throughout the world and the need for increased agricultural production there is a definite need for improved management of the world’s agricultural resources. To make this happen it is first necessary to obtain reliable data on not only the types, but also the quality, quantity and location of these resources. Satellite or Aerial Remote Sensing (RS) technology has been and always will continue to be a very important factor in the improvement of the present systems of acquiring and generating agricultural and resources data.
Agriculture surveys are presently conducted throughout the world in order to gather information and statistics on crops, rangeland, livestock and other related agricultural resources. This information of data is most important for the implementation of effective management decisions. Agricultural survey is needed for planning and allocation of the limited resources to different sectors of the economy.
As technology becomes more powerful and less expensive, GIS will expand into more businesses, homes, and schools. It is an excellent tool of visualization and analysis that serves to inform and educate. Balancing the inputs and outputs on a farm is fundamental to its success and profitability. The ability of GIS to analyze and visualize agricultural environments and workflows has proved to be very beneficial to those involved in the farming industry. From mobile GIS in the field to the scientific analysis of production data at the farm manager’s office, GIS is playing an increasing role in agriculture production throughout the world by helping farmers increase production, reduce costs, and manage their land more efficiently While natural inputs in farming cannot be controlled, they can be better understood and managed with GIS applications such as crop yield estimates, soil amendment analyses, and erosion identification and remediation.
Environmental management system
Remote sensing imagery from satellite sensors and aerial photography can play an important role in environmental impact studies. Remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) have greatly expanded opportunities for data integration and analysis, modeling, and map production. As populations grow, as countries boost their economies, as landscapes change, governments have increasingly relied on up-to-date satellite imagery and other geospatial data for applications such as environmental planning, land registration, disaster response, public health, agricultural biodiversity conservation and forestry.
There is a growing interest in the application of remote sensing technologies to protect the global environment. An Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is an assessment of environmental health impact to humans, risk to ecological health, and changes to natural habitats. The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision-makers consider environmental impacts before deciding whether to proceed with new projects.
Environmental policy and administration have always required information as their cornerstone. Early information systems relied on physical storage of data and manual processing. With the advent of the computer, most of these data and procedures have been automated during the past two decades. As a result, environmental information processing has increasingly become more quantitative. Systems analysis techniques developed links between descriptive data of the landscape to the mix of management actions which maximizes a set of objectives. This mathematical approach to environmental management has been both stimulated and facilitated by modern information systems technology. The digital nature of mapped data in these systems provides a wealth of new analysis operations and an unprecedented ability to spatially model complex environmental issues.
Architecture
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is a process that improves how architects and engineers design and construct buildings. With BIM authoring tools, architects can create a digital 3D model of the building, allowing them to see a representation of what it will look like and how it will operate.
By itself, BIM allows architects to push the boundaries of structural design through collaboration with structural engineers and simulated testing. The ability to build designs on topographical maps and check designs as they go makes it possible to experiment with new methods of construction.
Architects and engineers use BIM to evaluate design options and automatically generate accurate 2D drawings from the 3D model. BIM helps transfer information quickly between different design disciplines, and, thus, BIM use enhances their collaboration.
Engineering
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is an intelligent, 3D model-based process that helps MEP professionals design, detail, document, and fabricate building systems more efficiently. With BIM, project teams improve collaboration, share data, and speed up project delivery from design to construction.
BIM is a process that is fundamentally changing the role of computation in structural engineering by establishing a unified database of the entire building to be used for all levels of building structures from design to construction and beyond.
Engineers use BIM to determine structural loads or the requirements for the design. Features of BIM-like automated assembly and digital production are used by engineers to process manufacturing information and coordinate the sequence of different systems with fabricators and subcontractors.
Construction
The construction industry is quickly moving towards a more BIM-focused approach, with more and more professionals starting to understand the benefits of this technology. So, adopting BIM and using an intuitive platform, like bimspot, can contribute to greater success.
Better planning with more detailed insights allows contractors to deliver higher quality. Due to architects being able to visualise the building earlier on also puts greater emphasis on the appearance of the building. As such, BIM produces higher quality built assets.
Architecture firms and contractors that understand the value of BIM may be able to offer you more in terms of project efficiency and build quality. For example, one of the most significant challenges that clients face when they embark on a project is predicting the time and resources a project will require. While it’s impossible to forecast precisely how much a project will cost or how long it will take to complete, BIM can take some of the mystery out of a project’s total cost and construction timeline.