IMAGINiT Civil Solutions Blog

Geospatial Trivia!

OK, so here’s the question -

Where is the world's largest island-in-a-lake-on-an-island-in-a-lake-on-an-island?

You might think this is a strange question, or even if it makes sense, but there is such a place.  It seems that there are people who spend countless hours scanning maps and online resources looking for the oddities on our planet, and they’ve found this one.

Currently, the geographic winner is a narrow, 1.6 ha island here in Canada’s arctic, situated within Victoria Island (known as Kitlineq to the Inuit).  Victoria Island straddles the boundary between Nunavut and the Northwest Territories.  With an area of 217,291 km², it is the eighth largest island in the world, and the second largest in Canada.  With a population of less than 2,000 people on Victoria Island, it’s unlikely that anybody has ever been to this little, un-named island within Victoria Island, and I’m sure there’s no sign pointing to this tourist attraction.

The little island in question is located at exactly 69.793° N, 108.241° W, and sits in the center of a small lake, within a slightly larger island, which is located inside one of a series of NNW trending finger lakes located about 120 km inland from the southern coast of Victoria Island.

One visitor to the area, though, has been Landsat 8.  On August 21, 2014, the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on Landsat 8 captured this natural-color view of the “sub-sub-sub-island".  The top image in the link shows a close-up view of the unnamed island, while the bottom image shows a wider view of Victoria Island’s lake-littered landscape.

Now, you’re prepared for that next trivia challenge.  Here’s a couple more to keep tucked away: Canada has the world's largest island-in-a-lake (Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron), and world's largest lake-on-an-island (Nettilling Lake on Baffin Island).

Until next time, trivia buffs!

Can UAVs Really Get Viable Data for Design?

UAVs (also known as drones or unmanned aerial vehicles) can offer a fast way to survey a large amount of land or widespread structures. But how do you take that data and make it useable for drawings?

We recently partnered up with Pix4D, who provides a product that does just this. We're excited about what this program can do to help our clients make use of the variety of tools avialable for reality capture.

But just how can this data be used, you may ask?

Pix4D has some great use-case information on it's site, including:

• Study of a new 9-hole track on a golf course
• Inspection of a 104-year-old chimney
• Landfill monitoring

These are just a few of the ways that UAV photogrammetry data can be used. Got questions or are interested? Join us for an overview of Pix4Dmapper on July 17 or contact your IMAGINiT representative. 

InfraWorks Tip: Using JavaScript

If you want to modify an object rule set to create a theme within InfraWorks, you can use JavaScript. During this short video tip, Jeff shows you how you can apply a theme to information pulled from a SQL database.

View the tip in the ProductivityNOW Portal.Registration is required for viewing, but free.

If you have questions on how to use InfraWorks or are wondering if this is the right tool for your team, contact your IMAGINiT representative to find out more.

Civil 3D 2016 New Feature: Crossing Pipe Labels

Did you want to be able to label the invert of crossing pipes in Civil 3D? Now you can.

See the video tip by Jim Musselman on the ProductivityNOW Portal. 

Want to learn more about the 2016 releases? Check out our webcasts starting June 17, 2015. We have sessions focused on how to use the tools for different types of work. 

Autodesk 2016 Tools for Conceptual Design will review the tools and techniques available in the 2016 release for infrastructure conceptual design. June 18, 2015

Autodesk 2016 BIM Tools for Infrastructure Design builds upon the Conceptual Design webcast to show the design and production tools available. June 19, 2015

Autodesk 2016 Reality Capture Tools shows you the software available for point cloud viewing and maniuplation. June 17, 2015

We hope you'll join us.

Civil 3D 2016 New Feature: Section View Direction

You can now change the direction in which a section view displays with Civil 3D 2016. James Musselman shows you how in this new video tech tip on the ProductivityNOW Portal. Registration is required for viewing, but free.

Want to see what else is in the 2016 releases? Check out our upcoming webcasts (starting June 17).

Terrain and Point Cloud Themes in InfraWorks

Jeff recently added a tip to our ProductivityNOW Portal video library showing how to use themes in InfraWorks 2015. This aids in visual analysis done in InfraWorks. 

See how you can integrate ReCap and Civil 3D data inside InfraWorks to create themes and classifications.

Watch the entire tip here.

Interested in learning more? Check out our hands-on InfraWorks Fundamentals class.

Check Out Autodesk 2016 Solutions at Our Upcoming Webcasts

In the middle of June, our experts will showcase how the Autodesk 2016 solutions work for different project processes. We'll show the Autodesk Solutions for Infrastructure Conceptual Design, BIM for Infrastructure and touch on the Reality Capture offerings as well.

Check out the schedule of webcasts and register now. 

Each webcast is one hour in length and free to attend. We look forward to 'seeing' you there.

How Reality Capture Helps Construction Projects

Our own Dan Chapek recently wrote an article for the Grand Valley Construction Association on the four ways reality capture technology can improve construction projects.

Some of these are known - like accuracy from precise as-built documentation - but others may be hidden benefits you're not touting to your clients today. If you're using reality capture - or considering it - check out the article. Be sure that if you're offering reality capture services, you let your clients know about all the benefits they gain by working with you.

Our Reality Capture team works to ensure that those who perform and require reality capture services understand not only the technology, but the way the data will be used throughout the life of a project. Learn more about our reality capture services.