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A global positioning system challenge hosted by the corporate geo-informatics
unit of Johannesburg gave many City employees their first ever exposure to such
technology.
Checking the devices: director of GIS, Marcell Hattingh, Peter van Jaarsveld from GIMS, Lesley Adams from GIS, and Maryna Strydom from City Parks (Photo: Enoch Lehung, City of Johannesburg)
W
ITH constant changes in technology, new is often old before the power switch
is turned on. That is why the corporate geo-informatics unit of Johannesburg
takes every opportunity to bring the latest technology to City officials and
residents.
The annual international geographic information systems (GIS) day, on 15
November, provided just such an opportunity to the team from corporate
geo-informatics. Held at the Johannesburg Zoo, delegates were given an overview
of global positioning systems (GPS), as well as case studies of their use by
City Parks and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA).
"We live in a fast paced world, restricted only by our minds," director
for corporate geo-informatics, Marcelle Hattingh reminded everyone at the
opening of the day's events.
Hattingh expressed the hope that more and more, this kind of technology will be
employed by the City to keep up maintenance and log service breakdowns.
Where am I?
The theme for this year's event was on "GPS -
lost or found", and the event looked at how geo spatial technology can be used
within the geographical information system (GIS) environment.
The highlight of the day was the GPS challenge in which City departments,
regions and entities pitted their newly-acquired GPS skills against each other,
competing to find various locations in the zoo.
And it turned out to be quite a challenge, with teams needing to grasp
the quirks of the GPS handheld receiver device, the intricacies of the menu and,
most importantly, staying out of the animal enclosures, no matter what the GPS
told them.
"But it says the arrival point is over there [pointing to the middle of
the giraffe pen]." Two Region G employees seriously contemplated entering the
enclosure but wisely decided against it. Instead, they put their heads together
and frowned at the GPS device. Other participants looked similarly puzzled.
The GPS may have had the upper hand for the day but most of the
participants were excited about the technology and hoped to gain more exposure.
To use a GPS at least four good satellite signals out of the
constellation of 31 active GPS satellites orbiting the earth are needed. The
orbits are arranged so that at least six satellites are always within line of
sight from almost anywhere on the earth's surface.
The three most common satellite systems available are: GPS (American),
the only fully functional system at present; Galileo (European), to be
operational by 2010; and Glonass (Russian), currently under restoration. GPS is
one of the oldest systems and managed by the United States Air Force. The main
support centre is in Colorado.
The GPS satellites are synchronised to within one micro-second of each
other through atomic clocks, allowing precise time referencing which can assist
with a number of applications such as studying earthquakes and synchronising
telecommunications networks.
GPS is often referred to as back-pocket insurance, because it can show
you exact location, time, duration and speed at any given point.
"It is no longer recreational, it is a safety tool," said Kevin Bolton, a
GPS specialist.
Accuracy of GPS systems may vary, from one centimetre to 10 metres.
Positioning errors occur because of ionospheric and atmospheric delays, as well
as structures around it such as high buildings and tree canopies.
GPS in the City
City Parks and JRA are, to date, the only two
Johannesburg entities that use GPS in the management of specific projects and
daily operations.
Tracking through the zoo using satellite technology
City Parks recently acquired four Trimble Geo XT GPS's with a 1m location
data accuracy to assist with the management of its parks.
Maryna Strydom, environmental GIS specialist for City Parks, said getting
the GPSs about four months ago it has made their processes much easier. "The GPS
allows for more spatially orientated information," she said.
Because information is digital, maintenance documents no longer need to
be written, less paper is used and reports take less time. Instead, reports are
in map and spreadsheet format. City Parks can now create maintenance schedules
on the GPS, plotting tree trimming and grass cutting, and with a GPS assisted
facilities and assets inventory, building maintenance and control can be better
managed. What's more the system can also connect to digital cameras to allow for
high resolution download of pictures.
Strydom said it is imperative to do research before buying a product best
suited to the needs of the company, and that much can be learned from the City
Parks experience. For City Parks users, hardware needed to be robust, while the
software needed to be exceptionally user-friendly as many of the users often had
no computer and technology experience, she pointed out.
JRA used GPS to do a complete road maintenance check in 2003, covering
1647km² and 11 000km of roads.
Previously, roads maintenance inspections were done by means of data
capture cards, which were subject to human error and lack of information.
"Discrepancies between data and the field user were noted," said Ron Neeleman of
the JRA.
The GPS ensured data integrity and the project saved the JRA in excess of
R30 000. Klaus Schaffrath, asset manager for JRA said it had the additional
benefit of tracking employee activity and productivity.
However, there was still resistance to the technology from employees, and
the capital outlay needed for such equipment sometimes put management off, said
Schaffrath. The hardware, software and antennas needed for the City Parks
set-up, cost approximately R200 000.
Loving geography
Visual information in the form of maps,
overlaid with detailed data, is the defining concept of GIS. It can be used in
an unlimited number of ways, from tracking crime to managing emergency
situations.
"In the City, corporate geo-informatics is also closely involved with Project Phakama, the City's single billing system.
The unit is in the process of building a land information system (LIS)
which will link up to the SAP system (billing information) to enable an
integrated approach to land use and property information. Once completed, the
system will bring together data from several City sources, including GIS,
valuations, revenue and customer relations. The linked maps, property
information and billing information will give the user more detail than ever
before.
The integrated billing and information system should be in place by
December 2008.
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