Change and the GIS World

摘要

So what have been the recent big happenings in the world of geographic information systems and science? A fair case can be made for the coming of age of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Civilian lineal descendants of military drones now range from devices measuring just a few centimetres across that take photos or videos, to fully functional mini-aircraft or helicopters for collecting survey-accuracy Lidar. These have proved capable of flying through volcanic ash to measure particle sizes, track wild animals and map large areas, sometimes autonomously.