Update: Report: Rolta Failed to Serve Indian Army Image Analysis Needs

Update: Rolta’s founder, chairman and chief executive, Kamal K Singh responds to the allegations and details the company focus on homeland security.

- DNA India

--- original post 12/8/11 ---

The Hindu has an in depth report that suggests that confusion in contracts between Rolta, which delivered a custom package of software from Intergraph, Bentley and Oracle for image analysis, and the Indian Army have led to software slowdowns and the need to reinvest to updated licenses. There is also a suggestion that Rolta repackaged Intergraph software without permission.

- The Hindu

York County Maps Cell Towers and other Local Government GIS News

York County, PA feels the locations of 200 cell towers provided by wireless companies are not accurate. So it's ground truthing them for more access E911 locations. The funding is from the wirelss fund and runs about $84,000.

- GovTech

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz introduced an updated version of the county's "My Neighborhood" application Friday, an easily accessible web-based map tool that allows citizens and county employees to access zoning information, property maps and dozens of other features in one online location.

It's an ArcGIS Server SliverLight app which I'm confident my parents would fine challenging to use.

- Baltimore Sun

Raleigh County, WV's GIS is getting more funding so it can grow beyond what was built with state homeland security money.

Toward that goal, Metro Geographic Information System (GIS) landed a $13,281 outlay Tuesday from the Raleigh County Commission, matching a like amount to be put up by the city of Beckley, as the program inches deeper into the 21st century.

The money will push the group to move from individual licenses to an Esri enterprise license.

ESRI, the California-based mapping firm, uses an approach that is nearly standard across the nation, and a key attraction is that it offers the freedom to proceed with unlimited licensing of participants, Kelly said.

- Register-Herald

International GIS Tidbits - 6/6/11

China

To improve its management of online Chinese mapping, the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping announced it might punish 46 websites for operating without a license on Tuesday [May 31].

- Global Times

Indonesia

Bakosurtanal, Indonesia’s coordinating agency for survey and mapping, has just recently signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Ministry of Housing which signals a heightened cooperation between the two agencies on the use of geospatial information for the development of public housing in the country.

- FutureGov

India

Transparent Chennai is a platform for citizen engagement and invites users, both individuals and groups, to create and submit their own data about the Indian city of Chennai. It tries to provide useful, easy to understand information about Chennai that can improve government accountability and empower residents to take action (more in the about page).

It was produced with support from Google.org.

- Rising Voices

China Redoubling Efforts Against Illegal Map Services

Authorities are looking for maps that violate Chinese laws per Xu Deming, Director General of the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM). At the launch ceremony of the National Geographic Information Science and Technology Industrial Park in Beijing he said that inspections would be carried out on all mapping service providers and online maps until August.

Sites, even local authorities, must be licensed and must not disclose state secrets. Those who do not may be closed down is they do not make updates.

Stats:

- SBSB has found 1,058 cases of illegal mapping services, including more than 30 cases relating to foreign organizations and military, since January 2009.

- 3,686 websites out of 41,670 web mapping service websites were found to contain political mistakes, and more than 200 websites were closed.

 - Global Times