Chinese 100-Megapixel Camera Can Snap Ultra-High-Resolution Images

The Chinese-developed IOE3-Kanban camera features a 100-megapixel charge-coupled device (CCD) chip capable of producing 10,240 x 10,240 pixel images. The light and compact camera should greatly boost success in the fields of disaster monitoring, aerial mapping and intelligent transportation systems where ultra-high-resolution imaging is key.

Developed by the Institute of Optics and Electronics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences over a period of two years, the IOE3-Kanban camera is remarkably compact: just 19.3 cm (7.72 inches) in width.




The filmless CCD chip is also exceptionally tolerant of temperature extremes, having an ideal operating range between minus 20 degrees centigrade to 55 degrees centigrade (-4 to 131 degrees F). Though it may look rather plain, the camera packs a host of advanced features that allow operators to take full advantage of its formidable imaging power.

Advanced optical systems, camera control systems and high-capacity data recording systems have all helped contribute to the success of a recent real-world trial conducted by the IOE as part of a national aerial remote-sensing system.

A statement released by the Chinese Academy of Sciences celebrated the IOE3-Kanban as “currently China's highest pixel camera” and extolled the device's “high sensitivity and high dynamic range (HDR) features.”

The successful development of the IOE3-Kanban 100-megapixel camera comes on the heels of the IOE's previous triumph, having developed an 81-megapixel camera during China's 10th Five Year Plan period between 2001 and 2005.

DMMC outlines ambitious commodity trading plans

The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMMC) is determined to transform the emirate into a global trading hub and it is doing a pretty good job so far.

In the past four years, the organisation has attracted more than 4,000 new companies to the free zone and nine out of ten of these did not have a presence in the sheikhdom before.

Some 200 firms are laying roots in the city every month and the DMMC is hoping to build on these figures in the near future.

Around 7,000 businesses now operate out of the Dubai free zone, so the body is well on the way towards achieving its target of having 7,200 enterprises conducting their affairs from Dubai by the end of 2013.

The DMMC revealed earlier this week (July 2nd) that it plans to enhance the emirate's status as a corporate hub even further by building the world's largest commercial tower.

It will form part of the 107,000-sq-m Business Park and will act as a beacon to the world's biggest and most successful companies, as well as smaller start-up enterprises from across the UAE.

Executive chairman of DMMC Ahmed Bin Sulayem said: "The world's tallest commercial tower and the DMCC Business Park are the next natural steps to ensure we continue to welcome companies to the free zone as demand grows - particularly large regional corporations and multi-nationals - in the near future.

"The initiative is designed to further strengthen Dubai's position as the global hub for commodities trade and enterprise."

A study conducted by the Department of Economic Development in May showed that business confidence is sky-high in Dubai.

Around 91 per cent of the businesses that took part in the survey said they fully expected their profits to increase in the second quarter of 2013 and the outlook for the rest of the year is bright.

Encouragingly, nearly one in four corporations revealed they were in a position to recruit more workers in the coming months.

Courtesy: The First Group

Investors still favour Dubai over Abu Dhabi

Investors from all over the world still seem to favour Dubai over Abu Dhabi when looking for new assets to add to their Middle Eastern portfolios.

A number of recent studies have shown that Dubai is still the most popular real estate hub in the UAE, the latest of which was conducted by the National Bank of Abu Dhabi.

The research showed the average listed property sold in Dubai in the first half of 2013 was valued at AED 1,099 (£196) per square foot, the Global Times reports. This was a 34.6 per cent improvement when compared with June 2012.

While prices in Abu Dhabi were higher - AED 1,123 per square foot - the rate of growth was measured at 22.2 per cent year-on-year, which suggests Dubai's real estate market is expanding at a much faster pace.

According to the bank's report, Dubai continues to benefit from being the corporate capital of the UAE, with wealthy investors keen to snap up buildings that can then be rented out to high-powered businesspeople. The emirate is also attracting more and more leisure visitors on an annual basis - great news for hotel, apartment and villa owners.

The study showed that landlords were able to raise their rents again in June 2013, as the average asking price went up by 6.75 per cent year-on-year.

Farouk Soussa, the chief economist in the Middle East for Citigroup, recently told the National that Dubai's population is growing at a quicker rate than Abu Dhabi's and this will inevitably have an impact on the property sector.

"Going forward we expect further increases in rent in Dubai as we forecast house prices to rise by 35 per cent this year and rents to be not far off it," he was quoted as saying.

The First Group has an extensive range of upmarket properties in some of the most exclusive areas of Dubai, including the luxurious Dubai Marina, which is arguably the most sought after address in the UAE at the moment.