OSU to Host Mapping Symposium

OHIO STATE TO HOST MOBILE MAPPING SYMPOSIUM

     COLUMBUS -- The Center for Mapping and Department of 
Geodetic Science and Surveying at The Ohio State University will 
host the first-ever symposium on mobile mapping May 24-26.

     The conference will be at the Hyatt on Capitol Square in 
downtown Columbus and will feature technology created by 
scientists around the world.

     Mobile mapping is a technique used to gather geographical 
information, such as natural landmarks and the location of roads, 
from a moving vehicle.  The technology has been around for 
decades, but recent advances in computers and satellites have 
made mobile mapping easier, cheaper and more accurate, said John 
Bossler, director of the Center for Mapping.

     The center at Ohio State has worked with state and national 
governments on several projects to develop mobile mapping 
technologies to computerize road maps, design systems to be used 
in land development, and in other areas.

     "Contemporary systems are much more sophisticated, and 
typically include video cameras that record features of interest, 
and sensors that pinpoint the location of the vehicle by picking 
up signals from the Global Positioning System constellation of 
satellites," Bossler said.

     The Global Position System (GPS) is a network of 24 
satellites that feed signals to ground-based receivers that 
scientists use to calculate precise time, velocity and location 
of objects on Earth.

     Many of the lectures in the symposium will focus on the 
integration of GPS and other sensors in mobile mapping systems.

     In addition to topical lectures by researchers, the 
symposium will include plenary lectures by four top scientists in 
the field.  Speakers will be Takeo Kanade, director of the 
Robotics Institute and professor at Carnegie Mellon University; 
Klaus-Peter Schwarz, head of the Department of Geomatics 
Engineering at the University of Calgary; Stacy Sauer, an 
engineer for special projects at Burlington Northern Railroad; 
and George May, director of the Space Remote Sensing Center and 
vice president of the Institute for Technology Development in 
Stennis Flight Center, Miss.

     Ohio State President E. Gordon Gee will also deliver an 
address at the symposium.

     "Until five years ago, activity in the mobile mapping field 
was minimal and sporadic," Bossler said.  "But over the past 
two years, interest has increased and we felt it was a good time 
to host a symposium for people who have a stake in this 
technology."

     Demonstrations of the GPSVan, a unique on-board mobile 
mapping system designed by the Center for Mapping, will be held 
throughout the symposium as part of an exhibition of technology 
developed by several organizations and businesses.

     The event is co-sponsored by the American Society for 
Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, the International Federation 
of Surveyors, NASA's Office of Space Access and Technology and 
Spacecraft Systems Division, and the International Society for 
Optical Engineering.
                             #
Contact: Kathleen Wallace (614) 292-4897
Written by: Kelli Whitlock (614) 292-9475


[Submitted by: Von Reid-Vargas (ereid@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu)
               
Fri, 19 May 1995 09:32:33 -0400]
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