Surveying, Mapping and GIS

Science Daily is reporting on several interesting mapping applications going on to survey Antarctica. The first, called the Mosaic of Antarctica, uses the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer aboard NASA's Terra and Aqua satellites. It reveals subtle surface trends, due to ice movements. Scientists involved in the project have further combined the Mosaic data with data from Canada's RADARSAT, which provides some topographic information and can also reveal features hidden beneath the snow.



The second mapping project will involve processing 65 million points surveyed by the Geoscience Laser Altimeter System aboard NASA's Ice, Cloud and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat), which will provide higher-resolution topography than the Radar methods, due to its narrower beam.