FR/IGNE
type: Concept
definition: MAPPING FROM SPACE AT IGN IGN (French National Geographical Institute) was involved in remote sensing from the very beginning of this discipline. It acquired its first image processing system in 1977 and has developped algorithms and software ever since. IGN space related activities were initially focused on the thematic and geometric processing of the LANDSAT images, but were redirected towards cartographic applications upon the launch of the first SPOT satellite in 1986. IGN has, ever since, made use of SPOT imagery in particular, for its suitability to cartography with its high resolution (10 or 20 meters) and its stereoscopic capability. IGN ESPACE can process and geometrically correct images from a wide variety of earth observation sensors, among them SPOT, LANDSAT and ERS. IGN ESPACE was set up in Toulouse (France) in 1986 to meet mapping from space technical production requirement on an industrial scale. IGN ESPACE experienced rapid and continuous growth and developped a wide range of products. a) The spacemap is the product which has had the biggest success so far. It is composed of an orthoimage underlay (geocoded through space triangulation techniques) onto which additional information such as toponyms, contours, cartographic and geographic coordinates and communication networks is overlaid. The spacemap is ideally suited for meeting the demand of urgent mapping or projects. It can be produced very quickly and cheaply to cover sometimes inaccessible areas. It is particularly adapted to large uninhabited areas and regions with sparse existing cartographic information. Consequently, whether it is to monitor the periodic shifts of the Bangladesh rivers or to provide the Department of Defense with cartographic covers of isolated areas, spacemaps are a natural choice. As with conventional maps, they can be used to locate and position objects on the Earth surface. They do not, however, have any key, and conventional map symbols are replaced with image pixels. Sp…
in scheme: providers

FRANCE
type: Concept