Using GIS In Space Exploration

Posted byJonathan MickelsonPosted inUncategorizedTags:, ,

Non-Terrestrial GIS? Who would have thought?

As you may recall from some of my previous posts, I’m hoping to transition from my current career, which in Database & Software Programming for the television entertainment industry, to working in and supporting the space sciences. My ideal job would be working on programs that improve our understanding of the solar system. Geospatial Information Systems intrigues me partially because of how GIS tools and concepts can be applied to extraplanetary bodies.

This article presents a brief discussion of a few areas where GIS is used in space exploration (Atweel, 2016). The article’s premise is to raise awareness of this unique application of GIS skills to existing GIS professionals who may not have known this. The article introduces the reader to a GIS tool, called JMARS, created by the Mars Space Flight Facility at Arizona State University. 

This tool is interesting because it is a custom-built GIS tool that addresses the unique challenge of mapping another planet, like Mars. The Mars Spaceflight Center needed this tool while working in concert with NASA/JPL to use satellite remote imagery to select future landing sites for Mars exploration rovers and eventual human explorers (ASU, 2020). It was surprising that they needed to build a custom tool when GIS tools such as ArcMap or its equivalent (at the time) from ESRI and others likely existed. It is possible that, at that time, the GIS tools were ill-suited to handling non-terrestrial data, coordinate systems, or something else.

This revelation led me to look into the feature set of ArcGIS and ArcMap in more detail. I have found that today these programs include a robust set of Coordinate Systems under a folder called “Solar System” to handle a large number of non-terrestrial Coordinate systems using their own Geoids (Image 1). 

SolarSystemCoordinateSystems.jpg

Image 1: ArcMap Solar System Coordinate Systems

The idea of different geoids is interesting because as smaller planetary begin to deviate from the typical ellipsoid shapes into very complex, oblong, irregular, or a “spinning-top” with a pronounced equatorial ridge. Some of these shapes may even dictate using a different non-ellipsoidal mathematical shape as a reference for their equivalent to “latitude and longitude.”

I feel more knowledgeable about what this all means now that I’ve experienced this course, which spent a fair amount of time teaching us about coordinate systems, spatial errors, and GIS analysis. I think it would be fascinating to georeference new imagery of a planetary surface that no human has ever seen, building maps that would be useful to future robotic and human explorers.

I think this article did a decent job of introducing the concept of GIS on non-terrestrial bodies, but it lacked detail regarding the “how and why” these tools are needed or how they are used. This is an area I’d like to do more research on and possibly try my hand working with. Some of our spatial analysis assignments, ie. locating sites that meet multiple criteria, could prove interesting to apply to other worlds. Instead of how many feet to the nearest bike path and grocery store, it might reference proximity to various geological features, bluffs, and a level landing surface. 

References

Altaweel, M. (2016, December 19). Using GIS in Space Exploration. Retrieved from https://www.gislounge.com/using-gis-space-exploration/ (Links to an external site.)

ASU. (2020). Welcome to the JMARS website. Retrieved December 9, 2020, from https://jmars.asu.edu/

Published by Jonathan Mickelson

Jonathan Mickelson has worked for over 20 years as the CTO of a software company he co-founded in the '90s. Jonathan put his degree on hold to start the business and learned much in the process. He is excited to learn even more principles of leadership while finishing his degree in Leadership Studies. Jonathan is a proud husband and father to a loving family, whose support will help him balance work, family, and study. He enjoys helping his wife, an elementary school teacher, playing and raising his two sons, aged 9 and 12, and studying astronomy and spaceflight in his free time. While Jonathan's leadership focus has been primarily on his own company, he has always been passionate about helping others. He is the Secretary and board member of an HOA and sits also sits on a Re-Formation Committee for a troubled neighborhood church. His proudest moment is when his leadership refocused his company on new revenue streams, allowing the company to survive the '08 downturn without downsizing. His most pronounced leadership quality is listening to other points of view and drawing others into the process of seeking solutions.

Leave a comment