The Schneider Corporation, providers of creative engineering solutions for land, infrastructure and facilities projects that help increase revenue, lower costs and mitigate risk, announced that Michael S. Miller has joined its Charlotte, N.C. office as director of land surveying. Schneider's Charlotte office services more than 170 clients in North Carolina and the mid-east region, including Carmel Contractors, City of Charlotte, Crosland, DR Horton Homes, Duke Energy and Shiel Sexton.
Schneider's work in the Charlotte office focuses on environmental, energy
and infrastructure projects.

Miller is an experienced land surveyor. He has been involved in many well-known projects throughout the region, including site work construction staking for Concord Mills Mall, design survey for multiple projects at University of North Carolina-Charlotte, and design survey and construction survey for Piedmont Town Center and associated road improvements.

"Mike's projects speak for themselves. He is a respected professional and will make a great addition to our Charlotte office," said Scott Lawson, vice president of survey at The Schneider Corporation.

Miller joined Schneider from ESP Associates, Fort Mill, S.C., where he managed a staff of survey crews and technicians. As the department manager, he also was responsible for proposal generation, invoicing and managing project reports. He also spent several years as a professional land surveyor at Lucas Forman, Charlotte, N.C.

Miller serves as the vice president of the Mecklenburg Surveyors Association. He earned his bachelor's degree in commercial design from Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C.

Contact Information:

The Schneider Corporation
http://www.schneidercorp.com

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a
constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced
today that they have penned a contract with the United States
Geological Survey (USGS) to image a substantial portion of the state of
Colorado.

“USGS will be replicating a study that was done in 2008 to better
understand how climate changes are impacting the conifer forest
conditions in Colorado, and we are excited that our higher resolution
imagery and unique Red Edge band have been chosen, which should give
them improved results,” commented Joerg Widmer, Sales Team Member of
RapidEye.

The contract stipulates that over 130,000 km² (about 50,200 mi²)
of imagery collected from June through August 2009 over the state of
Colorado will be delivered to the USGS this month. The imagery will be
used to support the 2009 Colorado Forest Heath Assessment project,
which is being led by the USGS and the Rocky Mountain Geographic
Science Center (RMGSC). Additionally, the contract is open for the same
time frame in 2010.

RapidEye's remote sensing based solutions for the forest industry
range from supporting carbon credit trading to customized alert
services. Drawing on the experience of their forestry experts, RapidEye
has developed a series of products and services specifically designed
to meet the information requirements of individual foresters, private
and governmental forest managers, and international institutions.

Contact Information:

RapidEye
http://www.rapideye.de/home/solutions/forestry/index.html

Contact Information:

VGI Solutions
http://www.onpoz.com
Denis Parrot, President
514-495-6500
dparrot@vgisolutions.com

Dedicated to GIS development and promotion for a long time, SuperGeo has been holding GIS training courses. This week, SuperGeo will have several special GIS courses, including Biodiversity GIS and Tourism GIS, in Taiwan.
 
Biodiversity GIS Training Course
The first series is Biodiversity GIS Course. The special geographic environment and climate result in abundant biodiversity in Taiwan. However, economic development and global warming have influenced and decreased the biodiversity. Taiwan Government is thus planning land recovery and has authorized SuperGeo to hold Biodiversity GIS training courses in Taiwan. The courses are from November 16 to 23, held in 4 parts in Taiwan.
 
Tourism GIS Training Course
In order to promote recreational agriculture and in-depth travel, Taiwan Agricultural Research Institute has authorized SuperGeo to build a tourist website, called Travel Beam. The platform not only provides rich information for tourists, but also assists shop owners in uploading business data for visitors. During November 24 to 30, SuperGeo will hold a series of training courses, to educate these users in utilizing the platform. The course will also be beneficial to tourism development in Taiwan.
 
For more information, please contact staff@supergeotek.com 

Contact Information:

SuperGeo Technologies
http://www.supergeotek.com/
Sarah Liu
886-2-25467700
sarahliu@supergeotek.com

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that ENVI 4.7, the latest release of ENVI software from ITT Visual Information Solutions, now supports RapidEye levels 1B and 3A data products. ENVI 4.7 allows RapidEye consumers to easily access, process and analyze, and share information from RapidEye imagery.

The new capability introduced in ENVI 4.7 provides ENVI users with RapidEye satellite sensor support, the ability to orthorectify RapidEye data using RPCs, and extract DEMs from its stereo pairs. In addition to the support available in ENVI, ENVI's add-on Atmospheric Correction Module now also allows users to correct RapidEye imagery for atmospheric interference.

“Delivering support for the latest imagery and data types, like RapidEye, is our longstanding commitment to ENVI users,” said Beau Legeer, Product Marketing Director for ITT Visual Information Solutions. “We are pleased to advance ENVI’s capabilities to include support for this new, multi-spectral imagery data source.”  

“We are excited about this new version of ENVI that supports both levels of RapidEye image products and allows the user to exploit the full potential of RapidEye images through orthorectification, DEM extraction and atmospheric correction,” said Frederik Jung-Rothenhaeusler, Product Development Manager for RapidEye.

For more information about ENVI 4.7 visit http://www.ittvis.com/ProductServices/ENVI/LatestRelease.aspx.

Contact Information:

RapidEye
http://www.rapideye.de

Merrick has announced the release of Version 6.0 of its proprietary software designed to view and manage geospatial mapping light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data as outlined in the attached release.  This upgrade provides many new enhancements to the technical software and will be demonstrated for the first time next week at the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing/Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) conference to be held in San Antonio, Texas.  If you’re attending the conference, please stop by Merrick’s exhibit for a demonstration of this new version.

Contact Information:

Merrick
http://www.merrick.com/

Topcon Precision Agriculture (TPA) announces the development of
CropSpec, a real-time integrated plant nutrient monitoring and
application system for agricultural equipment.

CropSpec is currently available for delivery to the global agriculture
market in limited numbers with mass market introduction in early 2010.
TPA is a business unit of Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS).

Working with Topcon’s core competency in optics and in cooperation with
Yara International (the world leading manufacturer of nitrogen-based
fertilizers), Topcon engineers designed CropSpec as a powerful crop
canopy sensor. The Topcon system utilizes a two-sensor system (left and
right side of the cabin) that allows a farm operator to monitor plant
conditions and apply fertilizer and other inputs only as needed.

“This system will help revolutionize and simplify variable rate
applications,” said Michael Gomes, director of agriculture business
development. CropSpec sensors measure spectral reflectance using light
from pulsing laser diodes focused on the plants. The reading can be
correlated to measure chlorophyll content, which is closely linked to
nitrogen in the plants. Scanning the crop creates a map to indicate
relative canopy vigour.

The information can then be analyzed to determine crop areas that need
treatment, construct prescription maps for later application, or
immediately provide variable rate application enabling variable rate
application in real time.

CropSpec, Gomes said, “allows farmers to perform real-time analysis of
crop needs and meet those deficiencies immediately as they are traveling
through the field. In other words, variable rate fertilizer applications
are performed at the same time actual nitrogen readings are taken, based
upon crop need.”

Used with Topcon’s X20 console (System 200), CropSpec links to Topcon’s
Maplink program, the industry’s leading variable rate control (VRC)
program for liquid sprayers or granular spreaders. The sensors measure
nitrogen levels and Topcon’s X20 controller executes that prescription
immediately, controlling the output of fertilizer in one pass.

“This provides the benefits of variable rate application,” Gomes said,
“in a simple one-step process, reducing the complications typically
associated with VR and can reduce both cost and waste associated with
blanket fertilizer application.

“The return on investment of CropSpec is extraordinary,” Gomes said. “It
is possible to pay for the technology in a single growing season from
the savings in fertilizer costs, coupled with the benefits of providing
the correct amounts of fertilizer where it is needed most.

“The sensing method is non-contacting, non-destructive, and provides
consistent and repeatable readings, enabling the comparison of data from
week to week or year to year,” he said.

CropSpec enables farm operators to work day or night with an “ease and
versatility unmatched by any other technology,” Gomes said. The compact
system mounts on the tractor roof out of harm’s way, eliminating the
need for a boom-mounted sensor, reducing the potential for sensor damage
as the machine is operating within the field.

CropSpec features two basic operation modes: a read/record mode and a
fully automatic mode giving the operator a number of choices about how
the variable rate application is determined from the sensor readings.
Other features of the CropSpec system include a greater sensor to crop
distance (2-4 meters) and a larger sensing footprint that covers more
crop area per pass. Rather than viewing the crop from directly overhead,
CropSpec’s oblique sensor view, in combination with the large footprint
enables more stable measurements in row crops at earlier growth stages.

CropSpec is coming to market after an extensive 18-month product
qualification and competitor comparison testing. This global testing
program consisted of systems being tested in the world markets by
recognized industry leaders and scientists and at the Topcon
agricultural test sites in Livermore, California; Concordia, Italy; and
Adelaide, Australia.

TPA is the only precision agriculture manufacturer using its own test
facilities that allow not only controlled and repeatable testing, but
also hardware and software tests and validations on various tractors
models and implements.

“Topcon can run these qualification tests 24 hours a day on three
different continents at the same time,” Gomes said.

Topcon continues to “push the boundaries of agriculture technology and
is continuing to produce high-accuracy equipment to assist the farmer
with crop management to maximize farm profits,” he said.

Contact Information:

Topcon
http://www.topconpa.com

LizardTech, a division of Celartem Inc. and a provider of software solutions for
managing and distributing geospatial content, announced the integration
of its MrSID Generation 4 (MG4) SDK into Global Mapper version 11.01.

Until recently, Global Mapper’s customers were not able to load point
cloud datasets that were compressed to MrSID Generation 4 using
LiDAR Compressor into Global Mapper. However, with the addition of support
for MG4 in Global Mapper version 11.01 users can load point cloud
datasets compressed to MrSID Generation 4 for use in volumetric
analysis, contour generation, and visualization.

“Adding MG4 integration to the latest version of Global Mapper is just
another step to ensure that our customers have as many mapping tools
possible at their fingertips,” said Mike Childs, Global Mapper Software
LLC. “Based on user feedback, we believe this integration with
LizardTech will bring added value to our customers.”

“LizardTech’s goal is to give customers tools for using their point
cloud data compressed with LiDAR Compressor in the applications they use
every day,” said Jon Skiffington, LizardTech’s director of marketing.
“Many of our customers use Global Mapper, but were not able to use it
with MrSID files created in LiDAR Compressor. Now our customers can
easily load point cloud datasets compressed to MrSID Generation 4 into
Global Mapper.”

Contact Information:

LizardTech
http://www.lizardtech.com

LizardTech, a division of Celartem Inc. and a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, announced the integration of its MrSID Generation 4  Decode SDK (MG4 DSDK) into Merrick & Company’s MARS® (Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing) software application.

With the integration of LizardTech’s MG4 Decode SDK, MARS® users will be able
to efficiently load MrSID files into the application for data visualization purposes. Clients utilizing LizardTech’s LiDAR Compressor can convert their LAS point cloud data into compressed MrSID files, which can then be loaded into MARS for visualizing and managing LiDAR terrain datasets. MARS is a robust,  production-grade Windows application designed to manage, visualize, process and analyze LiDAR data.

“MrSID has been a leading technology for raster imagery,” said Bill Emison, MARS® product manager. “Now that we’ve integrated MrSID support for LiDAR, we’re excited to give our customers tools for viewing compressed point cloud data.”

 “LizardTech’s product development efforts with LiDAR Compressor have been focused around product integration from the very beginning to ensure that our customers can use our product in as many other applications as possible,” said Jon Skiffington, LizardTech’s director of marketing. “This is an integration that our customers have been waiting for so we’re pleased to announce that now our customers can easily load point cloud datasets compressed to MrSID Generation 4 into MARS.”

Contact Information:

LizardTech
http://www.lizardtech.com

Intermap Technologies, a leading worldwide 3D digital mapping company,
today announced at the ASPRS / MAPPS 2009 Specialty Conference that
high-resolution digital elevation models and images for the entire
states of Louisiana, Maine, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island,
South Dakota, and Texas are commercially available. Collected as part of
Intermap’s NEXTMap USA nationwide mapping program, scheduled for
completion by June 30, 2010, these datasets join other complete
statewide coverage of Arizona, California, Florida, and Mississippi,
along with partial state coverage areas – all of which are immediately
available for purchase and include approximately 80% of the U.S.

“The availability of this data signals a fundamental shift for any
organization needing access to reliable 3D mapping data,” said Kevin
Thomas, Intermap's vice president of marketing. “Gone are the days of
having to accept the inaccuracies of SRTM or USGS data because it’s the
only data that’s available, or paying exorbitant prices for inconsistent
LiDAR data. NEXTMap’s wide area coverage and accuracy now sets the new
standard for geospatial base maps across the U.S. and Europe.”

Data collected as part of Intermap’s combined NEXTMap USA and Europe
programs – border-to-border data for all of Western Europe is already on
the shelf – continues to enable a wide variety of geospatial
applications and prototyping endeavors for government and enterprise
entities worldwide. Applications include, but are not limited to, route
and site selection, cell tower placement, microwave link planning,
transportation safety and fuel efficiency, water resource management,
engineering planning, and 3D visualization.

Intermap’s NEXTMap database includes digital surface models
(DSMs) that include cultural features such as vegetation, buildings, and
roads; digital terrain models (DTMs) with all cultural features
digitally removed; and orthorectified radar images (ORIs) that
accentuate topographic features – all with a vertical accuracy of 1
meter or better. The Company has also created value-added products such
as contours, 3D road centerline geometries, and other high-resolution
geospatial products as part of the program. NEXTMap data is currently
available through the Company’s direct sales team, online via
www.TerrainOnDemand.com, or through Intermap’s worldwide partner network.

Contact Information:

Intermap
http://www.Intermap.com

Space Imaging Middle East (SIME), along with European Space Imaging (EUSI) and DigitalGlobe, Inc., are pleased to announce the preview of the WorldView Global Alliance at the Dubai Air Show, November 15-19, 2009.  The WorldView Global Alliance brings together the global strength of DigitalGlobe, Inc., with the regional expertise of Space Imaging Middle East and European Space Imaging to provide customers with rapid collection, exceptional product offerings and customer service to meet all their world imagery needs.   
 
“SIME and EUSI continue to lead the Middle East and European geospatial markets, bringing the latest technologies and highest service level. We were the first in both regions to provide direct downlink services for sub-meter resolution satellite imagery” said Mohammed El-Kadi, Managing Director of EUSI and SIME. “Through this Alliance, we will once again be the first in our markets, offering commercial 8-band multispectral products from WorldView-2.  We expect to begin priority tasking of DigitalGlobe’s WorldView satellites in Europe in the first quarter of 2010, through EUSI’s WorldView ground station in Munich. 

Later this year, we expect to expand our capabilities to offer priority tasking of the WorldView satellites in the Middle East.”   
 
Through the Alliance, customers will have access to imagery from the industry-leading DigitalGlobe constellation of satellites, including the recently launched WorldView-2 satellite and DigitalGlobe’s leading ImageLibrary, with over 815 million square kilometers of high-resolution imagery. The Alliance will deliver a full suite of online and offline products and services, with high levels of local customer support.
 
“We are excited about our alliance with SIME and EUSI,” said Jill Smith, chairman and CEO, of DigitalGlobe, Inc.  “The leadership position and regional expertise of both SIME and EUSI in the world imagery market, combined with our global resources, including our advanced satellite constellation, leading global coverage and geospatial cloud computing infrastructure will provide our customers with new solutions to meet their expanding requirements.”
 
More information on the WorldView Global Alliance may be founDubai Air Show or at www.worldviewglobalalliance.com

Contact Information:

WorldView Global Alliance
http://www.worldviewglobalalliance.com/

Optech Incorporated, the world’s leading manufacturer of advanced lidar survey instruments, is pleased to announce the Pegasus — a new member of the Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper (ALTM) product family. Designed as a technology platform that fully exploits application niches, Pegasus is positioned to take lidar mapping to the next level.

“We are very excited to offer to the professional surveying community a new airborne lidar technology”, said Don Carswell, President of Optech. “The industry looks to Optech as a pioneer in lidar technology to develop new mapping sensor capabilities. The ALTM Pegasus embodies this innovation heritage with a unique platform architecture and unprecedented data collection capability.”

Pegasus represents a new paradigm in lidar mapping and imaging technology. Unique features integral to the sensor design enable the highest quality data sets available to the end-user. Coupled with the highest sampling rate in the industry, a multiple look-angle approach to data collection, an impressive operational envelope, and fully embedded digital camera solutions ranging from 5 to 60 Megapixels, ALTM Pegasus truly is in a class of its own.

Optech will have an ALTM Pegasus HD400 active imaging system in our aircraft at the ASPRS/MAPPS Fall Conference in San Antonio,Texas, on Nov 16-19, 2009. Please arrange for a privileged showing of the system and learn more about its capabilities. Contact Sumona Datta at 1-416-618-2575 or 1-905-660-0808, by email at sumonad@optech.ca, or visit the Optech booth.

Contact Information:

Optech
http://www.optech.ca

ADC WorldMap , a leader in providing comprehensive, current, and seamless geographic digital data for the whole earth, is pleased to announce the release of ADC WorldMap Digital Atlas Version 5.3.  Along with providing up to date country and level one administrative boundaries for the entire world, the release features the addition of an ocean bathymetry layer, improved contours, more cities with population data, and increased US road coverage.  The new product also includes UTM zones and ISO country and administrative codes.

“The changes and updates included in version 5.3 were all customer-driven”, said Jim Reid, President, ADC WorldMap.  “For instance, we have seen a growing interest in world-wide contour data.  Customers will find improved and consistent contours which were created from SRTM data (Shuttle Radar Terrain Model).  The addition of UTM zones and ISO codes were also initiated through customer feedback.”

“Our goal is to provide our customers with a world-wide product that combines data integrity and an economical price”, Reid commented.  “With the release of ADC WorldMap Digital Atlas v5.3 we are able to continue to meet the needs of our customer’s applications and budgets by delivering a comprehensive world-wide digital atlas product with not only the essential map features, but also many unique details.”

ADC WorldMap Digital Atlas has proven to be a crucial tool for leaders in a variety of industries including education, tourism, government, military, Internet-based, fleet management and transportation, communication, and various business sectors.  Thirty distinct layers including world-wide administrative boundaries, roads, cities, airports, railroads, contours, and more, make ADC WorldMap Digital Atlas v5.3 an excellent choice for a wide variety of applications requiring 1:1,000,000 scale vector maps.  The data is made available in ESRI, MapInfo, and Oracle formats.  Customized products and flexible licensing options exist.

Contact Information:

ADC WorldMap
http://www.adcworldmap.com

The use of a 3D Laser scanner to survey can quickly result in a cloud of more than one million points; none of which contain any intelligence or reference information on the their topology or  what they are supposed to be representing.


PointCloud and PointCloud Pro from kubit allow the display and processing of point clouds directly inside AutoCAD.  Every single point of a 3D cloud can be accessed (OSNAP) and thus be used in combination with all traditional AutoCAD commands. Furthermore, PointCloud provides numerous tools for an efficient analysis of 3D laser scan data.

Coordinate systems, polylines, planes and cylinders can easily be fitted to point cloud sections. Planes can be fitted and intersected to quickly derive the edges of houses or curbs. Corners can also be precisely determined using the intersection point of three planes. Full pipe-runs and routing lines can easily be fitted for pipe design programs.

The results of such post-processing techniques can vary between 2D plans or 3D models.

The latest release of PointCloud Pro 5 extends AutoCAD by adding a photogrammetric, multiple image analysis. Three-dimensional objects can now be modelled using digital photos instead of scanned point clouds.

Oriented images can be generated directly within PointCloud and then drawn on to get an image plan. Lines drawn on a two dimensional photograph are  simultaneously displayed inside the 3D point cloud at the correct geometric position.

PointCloud license holders may deliver fully functional cloud files free of charge with the FreeEdition version of PointCloud. Thus, service providers can hand their measured point cloud data to their customers for further processing in AutoCAD without the customers having to purchase a licence of PointCloud.

Versions 5 of PointCloud and PointCloud Pro support AutoCAD 2007-2010 and all vertical applications (e.g. Architecture, Civil 3D). They run on both 32-bit and 64-bit operating systems. Prospects may try the software free of charge.  

Further information on PointCloud 5 and PointCloud Pro 5 as well as case studies can be found on the homepage www.kubit-software.com or www.kubitusa.com.

Contact Information:

Kubit
http://www.kubitusa.com

Topcon has received an order for 90 GPS receivers from the Geographical Survey Institute (GSI), an affiliate of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT). This is in addition to the 360 receivers ordered in July.

Topcon will provide a total of 450 receivers for the GPS Earth Observation Network System (GEONET) operated by the GSI. It is expected the new systems, including additional 90 receivers, will be in operation by the end of March 2010.

In 1992, GSI initiated the introduction of Global Positioning System (GPS) Continuously Operating Reference Station (CORS) known as GEONET. As of November 2009, over 1,200 stations nationwide are in place providing precise positioning data to the public.

“With this addition of 90 new receivers, more than 35 percent of the GEONET stations will implement Topcon NET-G3 series receivers,” said Takashi Eto, senior manager of Topcon Corporation’s Global Business Planning Group and Asia & Middle East Marketing Group.

Topcon will also provide GPS observation/control software as well as a database management system exclusively designed for the GEONET.

“The NET-G3 has an ability to track currently planned L2C and L5 GPS signals. Upgrading the GEONET system with our technology and expertise will certainly benefit the users as soon as the new GPS signals will become available,” Eto said.

Contact Information:

Topcon
http://www.topconpositioning.com

DeLorme, the innovation leader in mapping, geographic data, GIS, and GPS technology, today announced the release of XMap 7. This latest edition includes XMap Forms, a versatile new form-based GIS data collection and editing feature,
with automatic two-way data synchronization between administrators and field personnel.

XMap is a three-tiered GIS and GPS platform that addresses key functional levels within an organization’s GIS infrastructure. XMap 7 GIS Enterprise was developed for GIS and IT administrators; XMap 7 GIS Editor offers easy-to-use standalone GIS management and analysis tools, and XMap 7 Professional provides mobile
field forces with versatile data viewing and, with an optional XMap Forms license, data collection capabilities.

XMap Forms is an add-on module that enables efficient field GIS data editing and collection in any of the three XMap tiers and on an Earthmate® PN-Series GPS receiver. One copy of XMap 7 GIS Enterprise and the appropriate XMap Forms license is required to create an XMap Form and to transfer the form to other XMap
users through network database synchronization.

“Economical data collection and sharing are integral to successful GIS management,” said Geoffrey Ives, Director of Professional Sales at DeLorme. “XMap 7 significantly enhances those capabilities for our users, with customizable forms and effortless data synchronization.”

XMap Forms provide user-friendly, HTML-based access to your GIS layers for editing or adding new data and include an API toolkit for building custom forms. Two-way remote synchronization ensures that field data is efficiently integrated into corporate GIS databases.

All three of the XMap 7 tiers now provide direct transfer of GIS layers and XMap Forms to a DeLorme Earthmate PN-Series handheld GPS receiver. On the device, drop-down lists, check boxes, and simple text entry can be used to populate the attribute table for new or updated GIS records.

A Wealth of Additional New Features and Capabilities

XMap 7 also offers the following upgrades:

• Advanced document embedding and editing
• Polygon edge-matching tool
• Support for GPX files on the PN-Series GPS receiver
• KML support - export GIS layers in KML format for display in Google Earth or Google Maps
• Support for State Plane and UTM coordinate system geocoding
• Updated symbol set (e.g. wind turbine, oil derrick)
• One–to–many and many-to-one attribute linking
• Direct exchange of data between XMap‘s GIS tab and a PN-Series GPS receiver
• Improved GIS layer data management and control when transferring to a PN-Series receiver
• Optional World Base Map at 1:250,000, with consistent, seamless detail worldwide

Support for ArcMap, MrSID, GeoTIFF, and DeLorme Map Library Files

Both XMap software and Earthmate PN-Series receivers enable visualization of a variety of geographic data formats including third-party GIS layers, ArcMap raster views, and DeLorme topographic and street data. Users can also display DeLorme Map Library data layers including USGS quad maps, Canadian government topographic maps, and multiple aerial imagery options, as well as freely available imagery in MrSID and GeoTIFF formats.

Common XMap Applications

XMap is used to support a broad spectrum of industry and agency GIS needs. Common examples include:

• Oil & Gas Companies – Design forms that quickly and accurately collect data to support your company’s internal and regulatory report requirements including OneCall reporting, High Consequence Area (HCA) identification, and construction permitting.
• Forestry – Design timber inventory data collection forms that direct field technicians to record exactly the information you require by species, land area, or other key criteria.  Export your XMap Forms to the Earthmate PN-40.
• Public Safety – Embed your organization’s incident management forms into XMap and collect the critical data associated with the incident. Automatically records the GPS location so your officers can focus on the problem at hand.
• Electric and Gas Utilities – Build forms that support field inventories, confirmation of maintenance activities, or track storm and outage response records.
• Energy Asset Management – Discover ways to affordably automate field asset management, comply with permitting, or set up forms that generate quick answers and demand more detail for critical field components.

To learn more about XMap 7, visit www.xmap.com, or call 800-293-2389 weekdays from 9 to 5 ET to speak with a knowledgeable DeLorme associate.

Contact Information:

DeLorme
http://www.delorme.com

GeoEye, Inc. , a premier provider of satellite and aerial-based geospatial information and services, announced today results for its fiscal third quarter ended September 30, 2009.

THIRD QUARTER RESULTS

Total revenues were $79.9 million for the third quarter of 2009, a 123% increase from $35.8 million for the third quarter of 2008.  Net income for the third quarter of 2009 was $12.5 million, or $0.61 per fully diluted share, compared to net
income of $31.6 million, or $1.57 per fully diluted share, for the third quarter of 2008.  The 2008 third quarter earnings included a $27.8 million non-recurring net tax benefit which amounted to $1.38 per share of net income.

Revenues related to contracts with the U.S. Government, the Company's largest customer, were $53.6 million for the third quarter of 2009, representing 67% of total revenues for the period.  Domestic revenues were $57.9 million for the third quarter of 2009, which were 72.5% of total revenues for the period.  International revenues were $22.0 million for the third quarter of 2009, which were 27.5% of total revenues for the period. Domestic revenues increased 186% for the third quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, and international revenues increased 41.3% for the third quarter of 2009 compared to the same period in 2008. 
 
Operating profit for the third quarter of 2009 increased $19.3 million from the third quarter of 2008 to $27.7 million.  Operating margin was 34.7% for the
third quarter of 2009 compared to 23.5% in the same period in 2008.  Adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP measurement defined as net income before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization, and non-cash recognition of stock compensation expense, increased approximately $32.3 million to approximately $44.5 million for the third quarter of 2009 from $12.2 million the same period in 2008. 

Adjusted EBITDA margin was 55.7% for the third quarter of 2009 compared
to 34.0% for the same period in 2008.

The Company ended the third quarter of 2009 with unrestricted cash and cash equivalents of $123.6 million, total assets of $812.1 million, and stockholders'
equity of $257.6 million and long-term debt of $248.0 million. 

NINE MONTH RESULTSRead More

Contact Information:

GeoEye
http://www.geoeye.com

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS solutions, develops a Biodiversity GIS application for users to query species information and share survey data by Internet GIS.
 
In order to efficiently integrate all the survey data from different individuals, groups or websites, Endemic Species Research Institute intends to develop “Biodiversity Geographic Information System”, to construct a sharing platform by using Internet GIS. This project aims to offer users a more convenient query interface, data management and survey tools, and to attract users to use and provide more valuable survey data.
 
Through the Internet platform, users are able to connect to other databases. The personalized survey data management software offers users the customized management functions. The website also provides the links to statistic data and distribution chart of survey data, as well as the survey table sharing function. In addition, a contribution quantification function is created for users to increase their willingness and convenience to contribute survey data. Therefore, every person could easily be a biological surveyor.
 
The system is developed by means of across-browser to support the mainstream browsers including Internet Explorer of Microsoft, Firefox of Mozilla, Safari of Mac and Chrome of Google. Thus, users with different tools are all taken care.
 
The platform mainly provides three functions.
 
1. Query Species:
“Taiwan Biodiversity Network" is the main system in the project. It provides various query methods, such as key word query, geographical range query, conditional filtering query and map query. Users can clearly understand the information of the species matching the searching condition through the simple legends.
   
2. Uploading Data:
This system provides three methods to collect data, including On-Line filling, uploading survey pictures, and huge data collection with Microsoft Excel software. On-Line filling not only allows surveyors to fill the data to the interface, but also supports the administrator to fix and design the filling interface through the manager interface. The uploading picture function enables the public to upload their taken pictures of creatures. The Microsoft Excel uploading function is particularly developed for users who own huge quantities of data. Through Excel, the huge data can be imported to the system in batch to reduce the same data duplicated input.
 
3. User Information:
The system offers the registered users several services according to the information that users have provided, including user profile, survey data, survey album, tracks and statistic data. This allows each user to see how their data are utilized and thus may arouse users’ interests to offer more data.
 
The integrated application of Internet GIS and biodiversity data can help users understand biodiversity distribution efficiently. The system also contributes to land protection and conservation and also assists the prediction and alarm mechanism for climate change and short-term environment change. Also, the regional ecological features can be highlighted to provide the Government with the regional feature information to increase the citizen’s green income.
 
For more information, please visit http://www.supergeotek.com/Library_1_200911.aspx 

Contact Information:

SuperGeo Technologies
http://www.supergeotek.com/
Sarah Liu
886-2-25467700
sarahliu@supergeotek.com

Northrop Grumman Corporation celebrated the grand opening and ribbon cutting of its newhigh-tech geospatial facility today in Slidell, LA, as part of the Eastern Louisiana Consolidation Project, continuing the company's strong presence in the state.

Highlighting the occasion were remarks from John Olesak, vice president of integrated intelligence for Northrop Grumman's Information Systems sector, and Ben Morris, mayor of the city of Slidell, LA.

"The grand opening of Northrop Grumman's Slidell Campus not only represents a significant addition to the local business community, but also our commitment to bring cutting-edge innovation to the area," said Olesak.  "The capabilities available through this new facility, including Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), are at the forefront of the geospatial industry and are shaping the technology available now,
and in the future."

The new Slidell campus combined two existing Northrop Grumman offices, a temporary Slidell office and an office at Stennis Space Center in Miss. The new 20,000 square-foot facility will bring 75 high-tech jobs, including 50 new positions to St. Tammany Parish, enabling Northrop Grumman to continue its role as a strong local employer.

"Expanding and retaining Louisiana's existing companies is our top economic priority, and today's milestone is another reminder that our efforts are working," said Bobby Jindal, governor of Louisiana. "It's also a reminder that, despite the national recession, companies have continued expanding and investing in Louisiana."

The Slidell campus is a Northrop Grumman LiDAR Center of Excellence, broadening the company's scope of capabilities throughout Louisiana. The site supports terrestrial elevation, watershed, flood, bare earth and surface modeling, volumetric and permeability solutions, and feature extraction data.

Contact Information:

Northrop Grumman
http://www.NorthropGrumman.com

The adage "The Web changes everything" can be applied to many things, and GIS is no exception. Over the last several years, many people have made predictions about Web mapping somehow making professional GIS less relevant. But we at ESRI see something very different. We see the geospatially enabled Web—the GeoWeb—driving change that is beneficial for both users and creators of geospatial
information.

Geographic knowledge created in GIS environments is increasingly being made available to Web users, and consumer and commercial awareness of geospatial capabilities has grown tremendously. The geospatial industry has never before had this much attention focused on it. This is leading to open, more transparent access to geographic knowledge and increasing the value of you, the GIS professionals
responsible for creating the majority of the world's geographic knowledge.

What Is Geographic Knowledge?
Geographic knowledge is an assemblage of data describing spatial phenomena; data models that structure the data; models and analytic tools that show predictions or suitability; cartographic expression; geospatial workflows; and metadata, which describes the first five components and is key to sharing, discovery, and access.

The current state of geographic knowledge has changed how we abstract our world and how we reason. People are thinking more about relationships between things and interconnections. The good work of Google, Microsoft, and others, in creating a more spatially aware society has consequences beyond simply looking at maps. The GeoWeb is a revolution in spatially integrated thinking.

Geographic knowledge can be created by specialists from many fields, across government, academia, and business, often brought together by GIS professionals who focus on broad issues such as integration and access. Having the technical skills needed to perform geocentric operations that support mission-critical applications leads to a better understanding of complex issues and more holistic decision making.

Sharing geographic knowledge in the GeoWeb environment is also changing how we organize and communicate between different agencies and organizations. And this is just the beginning. The GeoWeb revolution will go far beyond simple visualization and mapping, embracing all types of knowledge and ultimately becoming a societal infrastructure for human behavior and human action.  Read More

Contact Information:

ESRI
http://www.esri.com

R.A. Smith National (formerly R.A. Smith & Associates and its National Survey & Engineering Division) — civil engineering, planning, surveying, landscape architecture, geographic information systems (GIS) and 3D visualization consultants — Tarentum (Pittsburgh), Pa., has added Bryan Bischoff as a survey technician.

Bischoff has more than eight years of experience as a survey technician and survey crew chief, completing boundary surveys, topographic surveys, construction layout, residential and commercial surveys, and ALTA/ACSM Land Title Surveys. He has provided surveying services for a variety of projects including the Pittsburgh International Industrial Park, St. Paul’s Cathedral (Pittsburgh), North Hills YMCA (Wexford), Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge, a light rail system in Phoenix, and others.

Bischoff earned an associate’s degree in computer-aided drafting and design from Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), Pittsburgh.

Bischoff resides in the city of Pittsburgh.

Contact Information:

R.A. Smith National
http://www.rasmithnational.com

PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, is pleased to announce that the National Survey and Cadastre in Denmark (KMS), has selected GeoConference software to assist with the planning, monitoring and coordination of land security and environmental activities.

GeoConference is a live geospatial meeting system that operates via the internet, and allows users to share maps, imagery and data simultaneously and interactively in real-time.  KMS has used and evaluated GeoConference for exercises related to oil spills at sea as well as security events that involved multiple agencies within Denmark.   

The National Survey and Cadastre's vision is to provide Denmark's public sector, private companies and general public with accurate and updated geographic information about the territories and waters of Denmark, Greenland and the Faroe Islands.  Since 2002, the National Survey and Cadastre has been responsible for Denmark's national geographic infrastructure.  The country is moving towards the implementation of a broad eGovernment strategy in which geodata will serve a central role.

“GeoConference has enabled Danish authorities to cooperate across agency borders without having to change the way they work or replace their existing management solutions,” said Nils Erik Jørgensen, head of TerraNor in Norway, and PCI Geomatics Reseller Partner responsible for European marketing of GeoConference. “The different agencies are able to proceed with work as usual. GeoConference offers a very cost effective and time effective cooperation tool with a minimal investment.”

“GeoConference allows KMS to provide to Danish organizations a geospatial, real-time communication infrastructure that facilitates team coordination and response amongst numerous agencies involved with security and emergency situations,” said Yves Carbonneau, Chief Product Specialist at PCI Geomatics.  “Through the web conferencing capabilities, decision makers can immediately share the common operational picture and be made aware of the situation – regardless as to where they are located.”

For more information on The National Survey and Cadastre, visit www.kms.dk/english.

For additional information on GeoConference, visit www.pcigeomatics.com/geoconference.

Contact Information:

PCI Geomatics
http://www.pcigeomatics.com

Topcon Positioning Systems’ (TPS) new IP-S2 3D mobile mapping system will be on display for a special ‘Ride & Drive’ exhibit at the Rocket City Geospatial Conference on Tuesday, November 17.

The exhibit and hands-on demonstration will be held at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration in Huntsville, Alabama.

Demonstrations of the new IP-S2 technology, which features dual-frequency GNSS tracking, high-accuracy IMU integration, odometry, and flexible vehicle mounting options, will run throughout the day of the exhibit. The IP-S2 provides fast, safe GIS data collection at a cost well below conventional ground mapping methods.

Richard Rybka, TPS IP-S2 product specialist, said, “The Ride & Drive demo is a hands-on way to experience 3D mapping at normal speeds from the safety of a vehicle. After mapping is completed, office software enables GIS users to identify features from high-resolution imagery and LiDAR point clouds collected by the IP-S2. The combination of products forms a complete solution for rapidly populating databases used for asset inventory and management purposes.”

Product specialists will be available at the Topcon booth and during the demo drive to answer any questions about the IP-S2 mapping solutions.

Information on the IP-S2 is available at:

www.topconpositioning.com/products/mapping-and-gis/mobile-mapping/ip-s2.html

Contact Information:

Topcon
http://www.topconpositioning.com

Intermap Technologies, the foremost worldwide 3D digital mapping
company, today announced it has signed an agreement with Tele Atlas, a
leading global provider of digital maps and dynamic content for
navigation and location-based solutions. Under the terms of the
agreement, Intermap will furnish uniform 3D elevation data derived from
its 5-meter posted NEXTMap countrywide digital map database.


“We’re pleased that our precision elevation data is being used to
enhance the display of road networks for a full range of navigation
services,” said Brian Bullock, Intermap’s president and CEO. “Tele Atlas
is continuing to demonstrate its leadership in delivering what
navigation system users want – the world as it truly is, in 3D. The
immediate availability of our uniformly accurate 3D digital maps allows
automotive, personal navigation and LBS solutions providers to meet the
demands of their customers sooner, rather than later.”

“Tele Atlas is committed to delivering the best visualization product to
our customers worldwide,” stated Rik Temmink, Tele Atlas’ global vice
president of product management. “Intermap’s NEXTMap digital maps set
the baseline standard for true 3D in-dash visualization and are uniquely
able to deliver real world views of not only the road network, but the
entire surface of the earth. We’re excited to work with Intermap’s
NEXTMap terrain data, which allows us to take navigation to the next
level with a visually superior product set.”

“Our first major supply agreement within the automotive industry is a
significant accomplishment for the company’s automotive division and
benefits the industry as a whole,” stated Eric DesRoche, senior vice
president of automotive for Intermap. “Getting our NEXTMap data into the
vehicle is seen as a critical first step to supporting a variety of
applications in partnership with Tele Atlas.”

Intermap’s NEXTMap data provides a uniform and accurate geospatial base
layer, enabling Tele Atlas to easily conflate other visual assets such
as building models, roads, and landmarks – resulting in a realistic
visualization product that matches the outside world.

The Company is delivering data assets with a targeted launch into
equipped automobiles in late 2010.

Contact Information:

Tele Atlas
http://www.teleatlas.com

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to
own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation
satellites, announced today that a frame contract has been signed with
the European Space Agency (ESA) to provide RapidEye satellite imagery
for monitoring and change detection in areas prone to natural
disasters.

The contract between RapidEye and ESA is based on a list of
pre-defined, high-risk areas, for which RapidEye will provide satellite
imagery before and after an emergency event has occurred. With its
constellation of five satellites, the RapidEye system has the
capability to revisit an area daily, which accommodates frequent
monitoring intervals and can provide the most up-to-date information on
environmental changes.

Michael Prechtel, Head of Sales and Marketing for RapidEye,
commented, “We are proud to be a part of this European project that
assists in monitoring and managing areas that are likely to be, and
have been affected, by natural disasters. To support this project, we
offer a special emergency order service to ESA by providing satellite
data within 12-24 hours following a request. We look forward to
contributing to the success of this project, as it will allow the
European Community to be better prepared for critical environmental
situations.”

ESA will be using RapidEye's satellite imagery mainly for the
project 'Safer', a security and emergency project of the Global
Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES) program in Europe. GMES
is a European program for implementing a European capacity for Earth
Observation, with an objective to monitor and better understand the
environment. By contributing to the success of the 'Safer' project,
RapidEye will support ESA in reinforcing the European capacity to
better respond to emergency situations deriving from storms, fires,
floods, earthquakes or landslides. For more information about the GMES
program of ESA please go to http://gmesdata.esa.int.


Aside from offering satellite imagery of high-risk areas, RapidEye
provides satellite data of millions more square kilometers of Earth,
which can be chosen from the expanding collection of imagery in the
RapidEye Library. The RapidEye Library can be accessed by contacting a
distributor at www.rapideye.de/distributors, or RapidEye directly. The Library is continuously growing, with new images being downloaded from the satellites every day. For more information, please visit RapidEye's website at www.rapideye.de.

Contact Information:

RapidEye
http://www.rapideye.de

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) announces its new partnership with Aerotec, LLC of Bessemer, Alabama.

Aerotec, LLC has created an electric power transmission right-of-way vegetation management application to run on Topcon's GRS-1 hand-held GPS receiver. This joint solution for vegetation management applications allows utility foresters to easily use GPS to identify and locate conductor-vegetation clearance problem much faster and more accurately than current alternative methods, according to TPS’ Richard Rybka, partner development manager.

Jim Dow, CEO of Aerotec, said, “Our goal is two-fold: Not only do we increase the level of accuracy and completeness of the forester’s initial LIDAR violation inventory (reducing risk); but with Topcon’s GRS-1, we put the tool and the solution directly into the hands of the forester for subsequent in-the-field future inspections – thus vastly extending and increasing the value and benefits derived from the initial LIDAR violation inventory work.”

Aerotec uses state-of-the-art airborne remote sensing capabilities to provide engineering quality models and maps to its customers throughout North America. Aerotec's primary technologies include Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR/laser-scan), digital aerial photography, proprietary and commercial software, and specialized engineering analysis/design packages.

The accuracy of Aerotec's LIDAR and digital imagery products is well within industry accepted engineering and mapping specifications. Using its advanced proprietary filtering and analysis software, Aerotec manipulates LIDAR and digital imagery data to prepare three-dimensional visualizations, geometrically accurate models, and analysis results that allow customers to move directly into primary engineering/vegetation management tasks faster.

“We are very pleased to have Aerotec join Topcon as a GIS OEM partner,” said Rybka. “With an in-depth knowledge of user requirements for electric power transmission applications and specialized software development capabilities, we expect that their vegetation management solution will quickly become the leading standard for this growing industry.”

Contact Information:

Topcon
http://www.topconpositioning.com

A critical component of pandemic preparedness and response is the nation's healthcare infrastructure. The current H1N1 (Swine Flu) outbreak, and its still unknown virulence and mortality rate, can act as a wakeup call to state and local health policy makers and planners who will guide the nation's response. This interactive map provides county-level counts of H1N1 (Swine Flu) cases, and details on the Healthcare Resources and the Healthcare Workforce in the United States.  Click on the link below to view the map.

Contact Information:

Healthlandscape
http://www.healthlandscape.org

Leica Geosystems’ line sensor workflow software Leica XPro has been updated with several enhancements. Leica XPro covers the entire line sensor workflow - from data download to image generation. Users of the new version XPro 4.2 can now take advantage of on-the-fly generated images in triangulation and many other improvements to increase productivity and efficiency.

New point measurement capability from triangulation
The Leica XPro software provides the most complete and advanced ground processing workflow from data download to image generation. A significant enhancement in Leica XPro 4.2 is the new point measurement capability from triangulation. Users can now take the advantage of the on-the-fly generated Level 1 images directly in the triangulation process. This new feature further improves the workflow and provides higher performance rates.

Advanced capabilities for Image Viewer The Image
Viewer within Leica XPro 4.2 has been further improved. Image footprints are now shown when takes are loaded by session. It also allows loading images easier with remembering mapping projection. The coordinate values in the status bar are made selectable for further use. Finally, the left/right image handling in the Image Viewer is with the full DRA functionality support.

Fast generation of deliverables Leica XPro is designed
to deliver stereo-viewable images or high-resolution orthophotos with extreme speed and minimal user interaction. In Leica XPro 4.2 the radiometric corrections (BRDF) has been further improved using specific masking information while generating image statistics. The Radiometric Image Chain implemented throughout the Leica XPro workflow leads to perfect image radiometry. Generated products are ready for further handling by a wide range of digital photogrammetry software packages.

Leica XPro 4.2 is immediately available and has been delivered to first customers. Customers with software maintenance contract receive the Leica XPro 4.2 updates free of charge.

Contact Information:

Leica
http://www.leicageosystems.com

Davis County, Utah, is located in the northern part of the state and is bounded by the Great Salt Lake on the west, and the Wasatch Range on the east. In their search to find a more efficient means by which to manage their cadastral data, County officials determined that they needed to migrate their data from their existing GeoMedia platform over to an ESRI^-based solution. They were also in search of a way to keep the precision offered by COGO dimensions while at the same time positioning themselves to take full advantage of the power of data analysis afforded by GIS. With these objectives in mind, Davis County selected The Sidwell Company as its provider of choice for this important GIS enhancement project.

 

As part of this project, Sidwell will perform a land records workflow analysis for the County, which will identify any potential bottlenecks or inefficiencies in their current cadastral maintenance processes, and reconfigure their workflow to take advantage of the benefits to be realized by working with the tagged data model. The County has also selected the Parcel Builder™ software suite from Sidwell as their parcel maintenance solution. Parcel Builder, developed by Sidwell, runs on ArcGIS 9.3.1 software from GIS industry leader ESRI. The Parcel Builder suite consists of four modules: PB-Administrator, for tracking and maintenance of land parcel numbers; PB-MapEditor, a set of tools for the creation and maintenance of GIS data; PB-MapViewer, a data deployment tool that allows for wide-spread viewing and analysis; and PB-MapPlotter, for the creation of high-quality hard copy cadastral maps.

 

Davis County will realize numerous benefits with this project. With the application of the tagged data model geodatabase and a condominium data model designed specifically to meet the needs of Davis County, they will be able to efficiently manage all condominium-related data, which they had not been able to do effectively in the past. They will also be able to improve their workflows, easily share data and streamline its management and transfer between the offices of the Surveyor/Recorder and the County’s GIS Department.

Contact Information:

The Sidwell Company
http://www.sidwellco.com
Karen Fouts, Marketing Manager
630-549-1065
kfouts@sidwellco.com

The Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS), housed at The  University of Mississippi, is pleased to announce the launch of MARS 2009 high school GIS projects.  MARS (Mississippi Area Remapping Strategy) is a geospatial high school adoption program that was established in 2007 to help address the ongoing demand for an educated, well-trained workforce and to create a pipeline of the next generation of employees for Mississippi’s geospatial industry.  The 2009 program consists of 13 schools participating from across the state of Mississippi. This year, MARS will pilot the program for middle school students with upper level students from Lyon Elementary in Coahoma County serving as the pilot group.

“Geospatial technology has been identified as one of the top three fastest growing career fields by the Department of Labor,” stated Greg Easson, EIGS Executive Director.  “We are definitely experiencing rapid growth in Mississippi and are spearheading efforts like the MARS program to help ensure that there is a trained workforce ready for the jobs that are waiting.”

The official kick-off was held November 5, 2009, at Hinds Community College in Jackson, MS.  Close to 125 students, teachers, mentors, and representatives from state departments and agencies were in attendance.

Over the next 6 months, the selected schools will work with academic and community mentors to design and conduct a community-based geospatial information science and technology (GIS&T) project.   The projects will show how geospatial technology can be used to address a variety of community needs including the mapping of community resources such as walking trails, the inventory of infrastructure and facilities such as fire hydrants and bridges, the tracking of bus routes, and the mapping of physical features such as levees.

The participating schools receive support from their mentor institution, computer hardware and software, technical support and training, GPS units, and resource books to support the projects.  

MARS is funded primarily through the Enterprise for Innovative Geospatial Solutions (EIGS) at the University of Mississippi with additional funding from a Delta Regional Authority grant and from the AmericaView Program. MARS high schools are partnered with mentors from universities, community colleges, geospatial businesses, and community organizations.  Northwest Mississippi Community College serves as the statewide coordinator for the MARS program.

“This year, MARS is pleased to include participants from counties in the North Delta Planning and Development District in Northwest Mississippi,” said Easson.  “These counties are part of a University of Mississippi grant project funded by the Delta Regional Authority.  The outreach portion of the project has similar goals as the MARS program so participants are being included in the statewide effort.”

MARS 2009 includes schools from Batesville, Biloxi, Como, Decatur, Jackson, Lake Cormorant, Laurel, Louisville, Lyon, Marks, Saltillo, Tunica, Webb, and Woodville.  Volunteering their time and expertise to guide the school GIS projects are mentors from Alcorn State University, DeSoto County GIS Department, East Central Community College, Hinds Community College, Jones County Junior College, Mendrop-Wages Surveying, Mississippi Association for Spatial Technologies, Mississippi State University, Northwest Mississippi Community College, Plum Creek Timber Company, The University of Mississippi, and the University of Southern Mississippi.

“We are so excited to have additional schools and partners participating in MARS this year,” stated Joyce Brasell of Northwest Mississippi Community College, the statewide coordinator for the pilot project.  “From highway departments to sheriff departments to public works departments, the enthusiasm and support for MARS on the part of our community partners is one of the real keys to the success of this program.”

Contact Information:

EIGS
http://www.eigs.olemiss.edu

Dewberry, a privately-held professional services firm, has named John Moynier as western regional vice president of management and consulting services in the firm’s Sacramento, California, location. In his new role, Moynier will be responsible for coordinating the firm’s business development and operational activities throughout the western United States.
 
Moynier has more than 30 years’ experience in both the public and private sectors. He has been involved in extensive contracts throughout the architecture and engineering industry, including numerous high-profile water resources projects in California. His project work includes the FloodSAFE and the Central Valley Floodplain Evaluation and Delineation programs for the California Department of Water Resources, the San Vicente Dam raise/carry-over storage project for San Diego County Water Authority, the Long-Term Facilities Plan for the Orange County Water District, and the Mammoth Lakes Recycled Water Program for the Mammoth Community Water District. Moynier has regularly participated in targeted advocacy efforts and public outreach programs on behalf of clients at the local, state, and federal level.
 
Moynier earned a master’s degree in computer-assisted cartography and a bachelor’s degree in conservation and analysis of ecosystems from theUniversity of California, Los Angeles, as well as certificates in land use and environmental planning and business administration from University of California, Davis. He is a Certified Floodplain Manager (CFM), and a recognized expert in the development of environmental analyses under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  He is an active member of the Association of California Water Agencies (ACWA), Floodplain Management Association (FMA), Environmental Water Resources Institute (EWRI), and Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, and serves as water resources chair for the National Association of Environmental Professionals (NAEP).

Contact Information:

Dewberry
http://www.dewberry.com

Hemisphere GPS and CLAAS Agrosystems launches Outback Sts in Europe. CLAAS Agrosystems is providing its customers a customized version of the Hemisphere GPS Outback Sts guidance system named COPILOT TS. COPILOT TS features 16 languages specifically for the European market, including Romanian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian.
 
“As Hemisphere GPS’ distribution partner in Europe, CLAAS Agrosystems is pleased to have the opportunity to introduce Outback Sts to our customers,” said Dr. Michael Quinckhardt, CEO of CLAAS Agrosystems. “We will utilize our strong distribution network to bring this superior product to market. The results will be beneficial to the European farmer, and to both companies. We look forward to continuing a strong long-term relationship with Hemisphere GPS.”
 
Outback Sts (S touch screen) is the latest addition to the line of situational awareness and data management tools from the Outback Guidance product line. The Outback Sts 7 inch, high-resolution color touch screen and electronically integrated Outback Steering Guide uses GPS data and specific job details to provide real time job data and precision guidance. It features a variety of easy-to-use guidance patterns and the ability to set and adjust guidance lines. Outback Sts also boasts a wide array of job management options, including setting perimeters, dropping mark flags, creating job templates, and recording job-specific notes such as the type of crop, the wind direction, and temperature. All this information can be stored on the system internal memory or the data can be conveniently transferred via the USB port. All of these features are powered by Crescent®; Hemisphere GPS’ advanced patented GPS receiver technology. 
 
“We are proud of our partnership with a global agricultural machinery leader like CLAAS,” said Kip Pendleton, Vice President and General Manager of Agriculture for Hemisphere GPS. “CLAAS has earned a reputation for only offering the highest quality product into farms across Western and Eastern Europe and around the world. Customers all over the world rely on a wide range of CLAAS products and solutions to help them operate and grow their business. We are excited to leverage our combined expertise with CLAAS to provide those solutions to the rapidly growing precision needs of customers they serve.”

Contact Information:

HemisphereGPS
http://www.hemispheregps.com

Cy Smith will provide the luncheon keynote address at the conclusion of the URISA Leadership Academy (ULA) in Seattle this December 7-11. Mr. Smith will talk about the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO) and the effort to align all of the geospatial organizations around policy issues, with the implication that there is a need for all members of each organization to get involved in setting direction for the organization and the sometimes not so obvious benefits to the individual and their employer of doing so.

The topic is an ideal presentation for the ULA, where attendees will participate in five intensive days concentrating on GIS leadership.

For details about the Leadership Academy, visit www.urisa.org/ula

 

Contact Information:

URISA
http://www.urisa.org/ula

CartêGraph Systems, Inc., the leading provider of location-based infrastructure management solutions, recently concluded its 11th Annual User Conference.  Held October 5-8 in Dubuque, Iowa, the CartêGraph User Conference played host to over 160 attendees who travelled from as far away as Alaska and represented over 60 different organizations. 

With a renewed emphasis on enterprise-wide solutions, CartêGraph utilized the User Conference forum to showcase the "enterprise-readiness" of their own suite of web, office, and mobile solutions.  Most notable was the introduction of a pair of brand new CartêGraph applications.  First to make its debut at the Conference was newly-available Request Portal, a web-based tool that augments an existing work management system by allowing community members-including citizens, employees, and elected officials-to personally report issues, initiate service requests, and track the status and history of existing issues.

Next, was a prototype version of the CartêGraph Dashboard, a centralized and customizable management tool designed to give upper management and supervisory associates immediate access to information, such as budget numbers, reports, and mapped locations of work crews.  While the Dashboard remains in a development and testing phase, it has been scheduled for release sometime next year.

Sharing their vision for the future of infrastructure management, CartêGraph ushered in the proceedings by reiterating the municipal market's growing need for enterprise-ready solutions that address and refine all corners of the workflow spectrum-from the citizen, to the office, to the field, and beyond.  

"If we think about the millions of dollars that even the smallest communities spend on infrastructure, or the billions that are spent in larger areas," said CartêGraph President and CEO, Scott Taylor, "it tells you that we really should have systems that more people understand the value of, and are connected in an overall enterprise."

Citing other recognized enterprise management systems-such as Client Relations Management (CRM), Information Technology (IT), and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)-Taylor communicated the company’s firm belief that infrastructure management deserves the same respect that those systems have achieved within government at large.  

"Infrastructure is one of the main functions of government," said Taylor, "and enterprise-ready is our way of elevating the discussion about infrastructure management to what we consider to be the highest level in a government organization."

Planning has already begun on the 12th Annual User Conference.  The event will take place October 4-7, 2010, in Dubuque, Iowa.  For further information on CartêGraph services, products-including the Request Portal—and events, please visit www.cartegraph.com

Contact Information:

CartêGraph Systems, Inc.
http://www.cartegraph.com

After several months of fewer-than-normal job postings to URISA Marketplace, it seems that the activity is beginning to increase. A number of new GIS job positions have been posted during the past few weeks, hopefully a sign of an improving economy and more opportunities for GIS professionals. For details: www.urisa.org/MarketplaceJobs

Contact Information:

URISA
http://www.urisa.org/MarketplaceJobs

ESRI users met in Atlanta, Georgia, to discuss how geospatial technology is helping them meet the challenges of an uncertain economy and increasing demands for alternative and traditional energy. ESRI's Electric & Gas User Group  (EGUG) presenters offered technological geographic information system (GIS) approaches to smart grid operation, environmental management, and business efficiency models.

Anthony L. Wilson, vice president of distribution at Southern Company, one of America's largest gas and electric providers, addressed the conference. "GIS provides a way through the uncertain time we face," he said. "GIS is foundational at Southern Company. Our operation systems are well connected to GIS. The system also supports our objectives of safety, customer satisfaction, reliability, profitability, and talent development. Our customers' expectations for service are changing, and GIS is helping us meet those expectations."

 In a video presentation, ESRI president Jack Dangermond talked about changes in the GIS arena. "The presence of GIS is changing the technological landscape. There is a stronger acknowledgment by energy companies worldwide that GIS is key to many of their activities. More companies are using GIS as a central technology for building infrastructure and are using geographic information to formulate science and plan projects."

ESRI technicians showcased ways GIS supports electric and gas business models. For example, a dashboard makes it easy to view many types of related data in one view and see alerts. In the case of storm management, the user's dashboard could include weather, accident information, media coverage, customer outage calls, and SCADA outage reports. Based on this information, the user could then deploy a storm planning model that would show risk levels by area that are related to the particular storm. Finally, the user could bring up a map to see, in real time, the proximity of field crews to outage and at-risk areas.

A data management demonstration showed ways to organize, manage, and disseminate information. Companies can use GIS to dig deep into their data and use it for multiple purposes. Technicians also presented various geoprocessing models, from assessing risk for storm preparation to devising vegetation management plans to planning a pole replacement project. In addition, they explained that customers are Internet savvy and use Web services on a daily basis. With GIS, utility providers can accommodate customer expectations by delivering hosted Web services that allow their customers to view power outages in their area and see what response efforts their service providers are taking.

EGUG president Raymond Brunner, GIS manager for the City of Safford, Arizona, also spoke at the Plenary Session. "GIS brings our organizations together to work with other entities and participate in organizational workflows," he said. "With it, we are meeting the challenges of personnel turnover and asset and work management processes. GIS supports power optimization strategies and integrates with our business management systems."

Participants at the EGUG conference, held October 12–14, 2009, represented 90 gas, electric, pipeline, and GIS industry companies. Descriptions of EGUG paper sessions presented by electric and gas professionals and ESRI business partners are online at www.esri.com/egug. The next EGUG conference will be in Detroit, Michigan, October 18–20, 2010.

Contact Information:

ESRI
http://www.esri.com/egug

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS solutions, releases the new Taiwan electronic map service in SuperGIS Online this week.
 
SuperGIS Online is the GIS online services provided by SuperGeo Technologies. SuperGIS Server is the enterprise server to publish the GIS services and functions. In addition to the FORMOSA-II satellite images of Taiwan and Malaysia electric maps, SuperGIS online also provides the whole new Taiwan electronic map service.   
 
The new version of Taiwan electronic map services contains abundant and up-to-date spatial data, including road signs, more than 130 thousand POI records, and complete traffic system data, such as roads in each level in Taiwan, Taipei Metro, Kaohsuing Metro, High Speed Railway, as well as Taiwan Railway. Therefore, users are allowed to apply the latest electronic map services anytime.
 
With abundant data, the high quality maps are also concerned by users in terms of GIS online services. Consequently, SuperGIS Online will offer the services overlaying Taiwan electronic maps with satellite images and the shaded relief maps to meet user needs in map display. As a result, the maps will look more realistic. 
 
Since SuperGIS Server Desktop Client is the free extension of SuperGIS Desktop, the licensed SuperGIS Desktop enables users to utilize and display the GIS services provided by SuperGIS Online in SuperGIS Desktop. 
 
If you would like to have the account and password to SuperGIS Online, please contact staff@supergetek.com 

Contact Information:

SuperGeo Technologies
http://www.supergeotek.com/
Sarah Liu
886-2-25467700
sarahliu@supergeotek.com

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS solutions, is pleased to announce that several sets of ‘SuperGeo Mobile GIS Expert’, a mobile GIS solution integrating professional Mobile GIS Software, SuperPad, with the rugged PDA, PS 535F, are marketed to Malaysia again. This procurement is contributed by Axis Commerce, SuperGeo’s exclusive reseller in Malaysia.
 
'SuperGeo Mobile GIS Expert’ provides a complete GIS solution for field workers by means of the water proof, anti-dust, and anti-impact PDA, along with full-functional SuperPad. This product has been promoted greatly in many countries, especially in Asia where users have strong demand for mobile GIS solutions.
 
Observing the market need, Axis Commerce procures numerous sets of ‘SuperGeo Mobile GIS Expert’ and is confident in promoting more SuperGIS series software in Malaysian market. ‘SuperGeo’s complete Mobile GIS solutions help us gain more GIS users in Malaysia and we look forward to the enhanced SuperGIS 3 Series Software which will be a nice choice for all the users regardless of functions or price!’ says Axis Commerce, SuperGeo’s exclusive reseller in Malaysia.
 
For more information about ‘SuperGeo Mobile GIS Expert’, please visit: http://www.supergeotek.com/products_others_GISExpert.aspx   

Contact Information:

SuperGeo Technologies
http://www.supergeotek.com/
Sarah Liu
886-2-25467700
sarahliu@supergeoteik.com

Sokkia announces four new enhancements to the NET05 and the NET1 Automated 3D Stations.

The NET05 features 0.5” angle accuracy and sub-millimeter EDM for maximum precision, while the NET1, a 1” model, incorporates longer range EDM and a new laser option designed for precise measurement in tunnel and general construction applications.

“These enhancements will further broaden the applications of our NET series,” said Kunitoshi Ogawa, senior manager of Measuring Instruments Planning Group.

Extended Reflectorless Measurement Range

Reflectorless distance measurement range of the NET05 is extended to 100m (320ft.) under outdoor conditions, without compromising the original accuracy of 1mm + 1ppm throughout the measuring range. The range of the previous model was 40m (130ft.).

Ogawa said, “NET05’s extended reflectorless measurement capability provides the most accurate, effortless and the fastest solutions for large volume measurements where reflectors cannot be placed.”

The NET05 measures to standard prisms up to 3,500m (11,480ft.) range with 0.8mm + 1ppm precision, and to reflective sheets up to 200m (650ft.) with sub-millimeter accuracy of 0.5mm + 1ppm.

Increased Distance Resolutions

Distance measurement resolutions of the NET05 are increased to 0.01mm, 0.0001ft. or 1/64 inches. Display resolution of the previous model was 0.1mm.

“Users in the industrial measurement field can take ultra-fine measurement, leveraging the most precise EDM we have ever designed on mass production basis,” Ogawa said.

Expanded Low Temperature Range

Both the NET05 and NET1 now operate at as low as –20°C (–4°F), while the previous models operated down to –10°C (14°F). The highest operating temperature +50°C (122°F) is unchanged.

Long-range laser option

The LSP1 laser beam emitter can be built into the telescope of the NET1 model. The bright laser beam can be utilized for automatic profile projection on tunnel faces as well as various setting out tasks in underground constructions. Narrow parallel beam reaches up to 700m (2,300ft.). Beam diameter is as small as 30mm at 200m distance (1.18in. at 650ft.).

Ogawa said, “The addition of the LSP1 option to the NET1, featuring robust dust- and water-protection rate IP64 and 300m reflectorless range, will provide versatile solutions for diverse tunnel measurements such as directional control, excavation profile contouring and deformation monitoring.”

The applications of the NET05 and NET1 include:

- Precise surveying
- Measurement of precise baselines
- Automatic deformation and/or displacement monitoring
- Setting out tasks in engineering and construction
- Tunnels and underground constructions
- Industrial 3D measurement

The NET05 and NET1 are now available.
Contact 800.4.SOKKIA for more information.

Contact Information:

Sokkia
http://www.sokkia.com

Leaders in the energy and utility industries are coming together at a Spatial Roundtable to discuss the smart grid. Hosted by ESRI, the online discussion
features timely topics as they relate to geographic information system (GIS) technology. ESRI's director of utility solutions, Bill Meehan, kicks off the smart grid conversation by posing important logistical questions and sharing practical answers.

"As funding and technology move the world closer to a more reliable, modernized electric network—a smart grid—utilities face significant challenges," Meehan said. "The Spatial Roundtable gives utilities and energy companies a place to talk about those challenges and the solutions made possible by GIS modeling, mapping, and data management."

Spatial Roundtable is designed for GIS industry thought leaders to share their points of view about concerns, trends, challenges, and technologies. Participants in the online Spatial Roundtable discussion include the main contributor, who initiates the discussion, and invited topic-expert guests. Site visitors may also add comments. Topics remain open for discussion for six weeks. Archived topics are accessible for 24 months.

Contact Information:

ESRI
http://www.spatialroundtable.com

What: The Sustainable Sites Initiative will release the nation’s first rating system for the design, construction and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, with or without buildings. A partnership of the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and the U.S. Botanic Garden, the
Initiative’s rating system represents four years of work by dozens of the country’s leading sustainability experts, scientists and design professionals, as well as public input from hundreds of individuals and dozens of organizations. This essential missing link in green design will foster a transformation in land development and management practices.

Why: Existing rating systems offered little guidance beyond a building’s skin and focused on reducing a building’s environmental impact. Unlike buildings, sustainable landscapes can even give back by cleaning the air and water, reversing climate change, restoring habitat and biodiversity – with the potential to provide
significant social and economic benefits.

Who: Holly Shimizu, Executive Director of the United States Botanic Garden

Nancy Somerville, Executive Vice President and CEO of ASLA,

Susan Rieff, Executive Director of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin

When: Thursday, November 5 at 10:00 AM

Where: United State Botanic Garden Conservatory – West Gallery

About the Sustainable Sites Initiative:

The Sustainable Sites Initiative is an interdisciplinary partnership led by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the United States Botanic Garden to transform land development and management practices with the nation’s first voluntary rating system for sustainable landscapes, with our without buildings.
For more information, visit www.sustainablesites.org.

Contact Information:

Sustainable Sites Initiative
http://www.sustainablesites.org

Local governments are taking advantage of two existing resources to save on budgets and reduce field service resources; GIS and BlackBerry smartphones. IT and GIS departments are starting to combine these two platforms for a wide variety of field uses.

South San Francisco California is focusing on GIS access for public works employees who reference both utility maps and database records, and do not have laptops in the field.

Simcoe County Ontario has initial plans for the following groups; Government executives to access easy-to-use GIS on their existing BlackBerry smartphones. Forestry field workers that map trees and other assets. Tracking live location of first responders during emergency events.

Richland County South Carolina is looking to test the use of BlackBerry smartphones to show AVL vehicles locations on in-house GIS maps. And opening County GIS map data to the public on the BlackBerry is also being reviewed for future use.

Richmond British Columbia has approximately 100 BlackBerry smartphones used by government employees. The IT and GIS departments are looking to help increase productivity for utility workers who access GIS system maps in the field.

These and many other government agencies are using Freeance Mobile Basic, an in-house application that pushes live ESRI GIS map services on BlackBerry smartphones. Freeance Mobile Basic is priced so that agencies can model and pilot live GIS on BlackBerry applications with in-house staff control and operational field users.

Contact Information:

Freeance
http://www.Freeance.com/mobile

By Tom Greaves, CEO

The 2009 Leica Geosystems HDS Worldwide User Conference held last week in
San Ramon, Calif., had a lot of excellent presentations. One of the show-stoppers was Forensic Specialist Sarah Watson's riveting talk about how the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department uses laser scanning to survey and investigate crime scenes and accidents. Part of a four-person, two-scanner team that is on call 24/7, Watson and her colleague, Deputy Sheriff Steve Tillman, have scanned everything from murder scenes to high-profile accidents in the vast county. In a good year, the 4,100-square-mile area with nearly 10 million people reports about 400 homicides. In a bad year, that figure can more than double.

In 2006, the FBI reported 1,012 murders in LA County. Watson was also part of the team that scanned the 2008 Chatsworth Metrolink train collision that killed 25 and injured 135 more last September in LA. The team also deploys scanning whenever there are multiple murders (three or more), and in instances where an officer has perished by gunfire in the line of duty.

Scanning is Good Police Business
It just makes for good police business to collect as much information as possible in
these situations; fortunately, scanning is part of the LASD's risk management plan. One of the challenges of analyzing crime or accident scenes, Watson says, is that what constitutes important evidence may not be obvious until long after the scene has been cleaned up. Scanning provides a means of locating objects in a scene, complete with dimensional information. We may know it was Colonel Mustard in the library with the lead pipe. But where, exactly, was that lead pipe?

Scanning provides a tool for collecting details about evidence whose importance may not be appreciated until much later in an investigation and provides a record that is archived for all time. It also assists the self-insured county that finds itself fending off civil lawsuits in nearly every instance where there is an officer-involved shooting and where settlements can reach upwards of $100 million.
 
Watson reports that scanning is winning over district attorneys and detectives
alike, although, she admits, there are some holdouts. While interviewing eyewitnesses is necessary, time consuming and best accomplished as soon as possible following a crime, many detectives are gladly using laser scanning to filter out certain eyewitness accounts by showing that line-of-sight obstructions are physically impossible.

As an example, Watson described how the testimony for the defense in an LA County child murder trial was discredited when scanning was used to show the view of the "eyewitness" as being physically obstructed.

Shooting Targets is Different for Police Officers

The LA County scanning team got started in the fall of 2007 with the purchase of two Leica ScanStation 2 scanners. Funding came from both technology grants and forfeiture accounts. Watson explained that the ride was rough in the beginning and that the team had to learn to "speak scanning." Law enforcement personnel have something quite different in mind when they hear "shooting targets" than do scanner technicians. Watson lauded the efforts of Leica's Tony Grissim and team
in developing training materials specifically for law enforcement--materials that have been used to train other law enforcement departments around the world. Watson also said that more evidence of the deep commitment of her senior management to the scanning program was that each of the four scanning team members keeps in practice by scanning at least once per week, which is a heavy
training commitment for a 22-member crime scene team.

The LASD deploys lighting balloons, a Nodal Ninja panoramic tripod head to capture 360-degree photographs and generators to support jobs that can last 18-20 hours. Often, both of the department scanners are deployed at the same scene to speed up data collection. Leica TruView viewing and measuring software is used to present evidence in the courtroom.

Watson reports that juries and judges alike grow to appreciate the ability to navigate the scene without having to sift through dozens of still images. The TruView files are archived in perpetuity. Accredited by the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors since 1989, the LASD's Scientific Services Bureau gets its scanners calibrated every year and conducts validation studies for all its equipment.

Following Watson's presentation, Leica's Public Safety and Forensic Account Manager, Tony Grissim, drew my attention to the murder trial of Antonio Jerome Greenlee in Decatur County Superior Court in Georgia where laser scanning data and associated TruView images were admitted as evidence in court by District Attorney Joe Mulholland of the South Georgia Judicial Circuit. Grissim says that the judge and jurors appreciated the effectiveness of the TruView presentation and that the defense had no objection to its use.

The citizens of LA County ought to be very proud of the LASD scanning team. They've blazed a new trail in the use of 3D imaging for their important work and brought some fresh thinking not only to their own departments but to the rest of the scanning community.

Hats off to them!







<<< Back -->

Trimble introduced today the Trimble(R) CX 3D laser scanner with Trimble's
proprietary WAVEPULSE(TM) technology. WAVEPULSE combines the high short-range accuracy of phase-shift technology with the low-noise sensitivity and high-distance characteristics of time-of-flight technology. The result is high-precision measurements over the full operating range that provides the clean 3D data needed for industrial plant scanning applications--allowing the user to realize increased productivity and reduced operating costs. And by requiring fewer setups and enabling faster processing time in an industrial plant environment,
the Trimble CX solution can contribute to improved worker safety.


Built for Efficiency in the Plant

The Trimble CX solution is built for efficient data capture in the plant. With reliable scanning at 50,000 points per second and an 80 meter range with a 360 degree x 300 degree field of view, the solution provides widespread and efficient data capture from a single setup. A rugged design, IP54 rating and protective housing for the rotating laser allow the scanner to deliver continuous and reliable results even in difficult industrial environments. An integrated camera collects
additional image information that can improve the visualization, post-processing and communication of the captured data.

The Trimble CX is supported by Trimble Access(TM) software for Spatial Imaging, which runs on the Trimble Tablet rugged PC. Powerful and built for industrial conditions, the Trimble Tablet combines a large, daylight readable display, IP67 environmental rating and long battery life that can easily withstand the demands of plant environments. With intuitive and streamlined Trimble Access Software,
capturing data with the Trimble CX requires a very short learning curve. Data can be seamlessly transferred to Trimble's 3D scanning office software packages: Trimble RealWorks(TM) and Trimble LASERGen(TM) software.

Certified Application for Tank Measurements

The Trimble CX solution also includes 3D Extractor software specifically developed for storage tank calibration. The software can significantly reduce the time taken to calibrate storage tanks while also providing a richer data set that can be used for monitoring tank deformations. The Trimble CX is certified by the Physikalisch-Technischen Bundesanstalt (the German National Metrology Institute, PTB).

An Integral Solution for Plant Lifecycle Management

Managing a plant's lifecycle requires a clear understanding of the location and condition of the plant's assets. The Trimble CX 3D laser scanning solution can be used for a variety of industrial plant positioning applications:

• Capturing existing condition data for accurate project planning for basic and detailed design;
• Ensuring dimensions of fabricated parts prior to transportation and installation;
• Verifying as-built construction for quality assurance and additional detailed design;
• Visualizing real world conditions for training and simulation;
• Monitoring plant assets and potential movement or deformation during use;
• Planning retrofit construction projects based upon accurate data and;
• Calibrating storage tanks by determining filling tables and sump volumes.

The Trimble CX is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2009.

Contact Information:

Trimble
http://www.trimble.com/plant

DigitalGlobe, a leading global provider of commercial high-resolution
world-imagery products and services for defense and intelligence, civil government, and commercial customers, today announced it has signed an agreement with Microsoft Corp. to launch the Clear30 program, an initiative to distribute high-resolution, 30-cm aerial imagery of contiguous landscapes, initially in the U.S. and Western Europe. These orthophoto mosaics will be available through Bing Maps and through DigitalGlobe channels.

The Clear30 initiative is a new agreement that expands the current relationship between Microsoft and DigitalGlobe and reflects a commitment to increase accessibility and use of high-resolution digital imagery. To collect the first ever multicontinental aerial imagery from 30 cm, the companies will use the  UltraCamG, a large format digital aerial camera manufactured by Vexcel Imaging
GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Microsoft, which is based on Vexcel's
UltraCam large format camera systems, the top selling large format aerial
sensors internationally.

"We're excited about the launch of the Clear30 program and our continued
relationship with DigitalGlobe," said Steve Stanzel, general manager of Bing Maps at Microsoft Corp. "By providing DigitalGlobe exclusive access to our advanced UltraCamG imagery, we can provide our mutual customers easy access and integration of high-resolution digital aerial orthophotos for vast landscapes around the world."

"We are very pleased to be expanding our relationship with Microsoft and look forward to introducing the UltraCamG imagery into our world imagery solutions," said Jill Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of DigitalGlobe. "The addition of large quantities of very high-resolution digital aerial imagery, collected quickly and published on a consistent update schedule, will further enhance our ability to distribute a comprehensive digitized globe to our customers."

The companies did not provide financial details concerning the agreement.

Imagery from the UltraCamG will further expand DigitalGlobe's industry leading
ImageLibrary and will complement the satellite imagery products available from the DigitalGlobe high-resolution satellite constellation, including the recently launched  WorldView-2 satellite.

Current collection areas for the UltraCamG program include the contiguous
United States and Western Europe.

To learn more about advanced DigitalGlobe's constellation of sub-meter satellites, please visit www.digitalglobe.com.

Contact Information:

DigitalGlobe
http://www.digitalglobe.com

Colortrac Limited, the leading large format scanner innovator, has produced eleven practical, hands-on videos which cover the fundamental aspects of day-to-day large format scanning and copying. These videos can be quickly and easily viewed on Colortrac's web site: www.colortrac.com

Colortrac refer to these new videos as "mini movies". They provide a dynamic means for potential buyers and resellers to quickly and easily discover the unique features and distinctive time-saving scanning and copying advantages of Colortrac SmartLF large format scanners, as well as Colortrac's powerful ScanWorks and CopySmart software solutions.

For many years now, AEC, CAD, GIS and reprographics audiences have used the internet as their first step in finding product information before making a purchase. Today, on-line video presentations of products are increasingly being viewed by potential buyers as part of the selection process. As long ago as 2007, a survey of 5,300 businesses and IT professionals conducted by KnowledgeStorm, the technology researcher, and Universal McCann, one of the world’s largest media services firms, showed that 63% of this sample access online videos at least once a week.

On-line videos provide manufacturers like Colortrac with an effective means for displaying the features and benefits of their products in practical, hands-on way. Often the selling process involves educating customers, something which not all resellers are skilled enough to do. This is especially true when selling large format scanning and scanning solutions software which is specialized and in some cases requires in-depth product knowledge. Colortrac's video demonstration of its SmartLF scanners and software offer realistic "sales education" in a works environment to both resellers and buyers alike.

Colortrac's "mini movies" are the result of collaboration between two of its employees, both long-serving large format scanning industry experts. Declan Tyler, Colortrac's Product & Application Specialist, is the producer of the videos while Peter Sandberg, Colortrac's Business Development Manager, EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), is the presenter with the voice of long-standing scanning experience.

"With the internet being the first choice of most buyers today for gathering information before a purchase, videos are now a hugely important part of the selection process," said Tyler. "Our Colortrac videos provide an honest and powerful way to educate and or deliver our message to those who are comfortable with multimedia experiences and who seek direct, objective information on-line. Our videos are an un-staged and truthful representation of the performance and results you can reasonably expect to get from a Colortrac SmartLF wide format scanner and its software. What you see us demo, is what you get”

Colortrac's most popular video is "Scan Once", followed by "Document Handling" and the "CopySmart Demos". The average run time of the videos is under three minutes.

The full list of videos include the following: Read More

Contact Information:

Colortrac
http://www.colortrac.com/

Trimble today announced revenue of $269.7 million for its third quarter ended
Oct. 2, 2009, down approximately 18 percent from revenue of $328.1 million in the third quarter of 2008.

Operating income for the third quarter of 2009 was $20.2 million, down approximately 63 percent from the third quarter of 2008. Operating margin in the third quarter of 2009 was 7.5 percent, as compared to an operating margin of 16.5 percent in the third quarter of 2008.

Amortization of intangibles was $13.6 million in the third quarter of 2009, as compared to $11.1 million in the third quarter of 2008. The impact of stock-based compensation expense was $4.5 million, as compared to $3.8 million in the third quarter of 2008. There was also $1.1 million in restructuring expense, no acquisition-related inventory step-up charge, and $0.6 million in non-recurring acquisition costs in the third quarter of 2009. This compares to $0.5 million in
restructuring expense, $0.4 million in acquisition-related inventory step-up, and no non-recurring acquisition costs in the third quarter of 2008. Excluding these items, non-GAAP operating income of $40.0 million was down 43 percent, as compared to the third quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP operating margin was 14.8 percent in the third quarter of 2009, as compared to 21.3 percent in the third quarter of 2008.

Third quarter 2009 net income was $15.6 million, down 60 percent, as compared to the third quarter of 2008. Diluted earnings per share for the third quarter of 2009 was $0.13, as compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.31 in the third quarter of 2008.

Adjusting for the items noted above, non-GAAP net income of $30.2 million for the third quarter of 2009 was down 40 percent, as compared to the third quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP earnings per share for the third quarter of 2009 was $0.25, as compared to non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.40 in the third quarter of 2008.

Cash flow from operations for the first nine months of 2009 was $139.1 million, as compared to $141.9 million in the first nine months of 2008.

"During the third quarter we saw early signs of recovery in some elements of the Engineering and Construction segment in the U.S. Additionally, we had a number of large contractual wins in the Mobile Solutions segment, where the pipeline generally remains strong," said Steven W. Berglund, Trimble's president and chief executive officer.

"We did see a year to year fall in Field Solutions revenue, reflecting the change in market sentiment within the agriculture market," Berglund continued. "Although economic conditions remain volatile and uncertain, we now believe we have the capability to provide double digit revenue growth in 2010 with significantly higher earnings growth."  Read more

Contact Information:

Trimble
http://www.trimble.com

Intermap Technologies, a leading worldwide 3D digital mapping company, and Eternix, a software company providing high-performance visualization solutions, announced today the compatibility between Intermap’s NEXTMap DEM data and Eternix’s Blaze View visualization solution, enabling real-time presentation of any 2D imagery in 3D.

Raster images, vector data, and video can be accurately placed on top of Intermap’s 3D terrain models and presented in Eternix Blaze View on-the-fly without the need for pre-processing. Combining the capabilities of the industry’s new standard for geospatial base maps from Intermap and Eternix’s sophisticated software brings geospatial users a step closer to the long-awaited world of real-time 3D visualization.

“Blaze View’s pioneering capabilities immediately enable users to create 3D visualization assets using the best geospatial base map in Western Europe and the U.S.,” stated Adam Denman, Intermap Technologies vice president & general manager, Europe. “This level of interoperability takes 3D visualization to the next level. Intermap digital elevation models solve a host of business needs worldwide. The ability to easily create visualization assets using highly accurate DEMS to demonstrate solutions to their customers is yet another example of how companies are leveraging the tremendous value of our NEXTMap database.”

“NEXTMap digital elevation models provide the quality required to make accurate 3D applications a widespread reality in the geospatial visualization domain” said Raviv Brueller, chief executive officer at Eternix. “The use of an accurate basemap enables our software to generate a realistic visualization rendering on-the-fly.”

The companies will unveil their compatibility demonstration in the upcoming GEOINT 2009 symposium in San-Antonio, TX, October 18 to 21. For a fly-through sample of NEXTMap digital elevation data recorded in Blaze View, follow visit: http://www.eternix.co.il/downloads/eternix.terrain.overlay.wmv

Contact Information:

Intermap
http://www.Intermap.com

Bowman Consulting is pleased to announce that it has acquired Massey Design & Associates, PC, based in Virginia Beach, as part of its strategy to better serve the Tidewater region of Virginia.  Massey Design was established in 2003, and provides civil engineering services to public and private sector clients with a specialization in streetscape planning and design.  Massey Design & Associates (MDA) was instrumental in the development of major projects in and around the Virginia Beach area including streetscapes, college and university projects, commercial developments, and recreational facilities.

Clayton Massey, PE, founder of MDA, is a leading expert in streetscape planning and design, urban renewal, and has a wide range of related professional experience.  His articles have appeared in Urban Design, Civil Engineering Magazine, and other local, regional, and national publications.  He has presented several papers on streetscape planning and design at National APWA, regional ITE, regional City Managers Conferences, and at the Virginia Downtown Development Association among others.  Mr. Massey has served on a national ITE committee for developing policy on triple left turns, and currently serves on the Virginia Beach Resort Area Design and Review Committee.  He is a member of the National Society of Professional Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, the American Public Works Association, and the American Society of Highway Engineers (ASHE).  He and the MDA staff will work out of the new Bowman office in Virginia Beach at 1561 Bradford Road.

Contact Information:

Bowman Consulting
http://www.bowmanconsulting.com

3D Laser Mapping has appointed GEOCOM to act as Chilean representative for it’s hi-tech laser scanning systems. With over 20 years experience in providing advanced solutions for field surveying, GEOCOM was the obvious partner for the region. Chile is a vital area for mining and economic development and 3D Laser Mapping sees the region is a key market for its laser monitoring systems. The
partnership with GEOCOM will build on 3D Laser Mapping’s position as an
international specialist in the global development and deployment of laser scanning monitoring systems.

Mr. Carlos Escudero, co-founder of Santiago based GEOCOM commented, “The addition of 3D Laser Mapping’s monitoring solutions to our product portfolio reinforces our position as the leading supplier of technology for surveying, geotechnical measurements and geodesy in Chile.” He continued, “Solutions such as SiteMonitor will enhance the day to day efficiency and safety of mining operations across the region together with potential applications in the geological and environmental sectors.”

“This agreement will provide the perfect foundation from which to further expand the take up of laser monitoring solutions, such as SiteMonitor, which are already in use in diamond, gold, platinum and iron mines around the world as well as being deployed to monitor environmental risk such as volcanic activity and avalanche falls,” added Dr Graham Hunter Managing Director of 3D Laser Mapping.

SiteMonitor is a safety monitoring system that automatically detects tiny movements in slopes and walls in open pit mines and other environments. Using advanced laser scanning technology, the modular SiteMonitor 3 system offers extensive user-defined alarm options with remote monitoring over the Internet and automated warning e-mails. SiteMonitor 3 can be used with virtually any terrestrial laser scanner giving flexibility in the range, rate and accuracy of scan
measurements. It has been designed as a completely flexible laser scanning system that includes configurable software modules to meet individual user’s requirements, plus hardware accessories and a comprehensive service package including commissioning, training and remote support, making it a complete turn key solution.

3D Laser Mapping and GEOCOM will both be exhibiting at the forthcoming Slope Stability conference, which takes place from the 09 – 11 November 2009 at the Universidad de los Andes, Santiago, Chile. For further information visit: www.slopestability.cl

Reader enquiries to Dr Graham Hunter, 3D Laser Mapping Ltd, 
tel: +44 (0) 870 442 9400, www.3dlasermapping.com

Contact Information:

3D Laser Mapping
http://www.3dlasermapping.com

MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello met October 29 at the White House with President Barack Obama.  The meeting, which included executives of small business associations and individual entrepreneurs, focused on the Administration's health care reform proposal and its impact on small business.
 
"It was an honor to be invited to the White House and have an audience with the President," Palatiello said.
 
Palatiello, a longtime and active member of the Small Business Council of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has participated in similar meetings with previous Presidents.  The meeting was called by the White House to assuage frayed relations with the Chamber.
 
"Many small business owners and executives have questions about government mandates, higher taxes and penalties for small business, how the health care proposal would be paid for, and the precedent a "public option" or government competition in health insurance, will set for other industries and professions," Palatiello said. "It was gratifying to hear the President address these issues."
 
"A great many MAPPS members are deeply concerned about unfair government competition with private business.  Already this year, we have seen the federal government get into the banking business, the auto-making business, the car dealer business, the student loan business, and insourcing Defense contracting activities currently performed by private firms. Now the government is going to compete with private insurance companies. Small business owners are asking, 'am I next'?" Palatiello said. "MAPPS is continuing to work with Congress and the Administration to point out the fact that a capable and qualified private geospatial community is alive and doing as well as can be expected in the current recession. We also continue to point out that the health care reform bills in the House and Senate currently lack a provision implementing a coordinated, strategic approach to GIS for health care applications," Palatiello said.
  

Contact Information:

MAPPS
http://www.MAPPS.org.

PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, today announced the availability of Geomatica 10.3, the latest version of its image-centric desktop software, which now includes imaging tools for GIS.

 

Geomatica is PCI Geomatics’ complete set of software for remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, raster spatial analysis, mosaicking and automated production workflows.  Version 10.3 includes support for ESRI ArcGIS Server Image Extension, as well as multi-sensor support through OrthoEngine for ArcGIS users.  These users can now rely upon PCI’s OrthoEngine technology to accurately and efficiently correct raw satellite imagery, opening new doors for the integration of remotely sensed imagery into GIS workflows.

 

“With over 27 years of experience in building image processing software, PCI has established itself as the imagery experts,” said Peter Hazlett, Product Manager for Geomatica at PCI Geomatics.  “With the release of Geomatica 10.3, PCI presents to GIS users, capabilities and functionality not previously available.”

 

Other enhancements to Geomatica 10.3 include improved manual mosaicking, which has been completely redesigned, as well as the addition of algorithms to create full AirPhoto orthorectification workflows within the Visual Modeler environment.

 

For more information on Geomatica 10.3, pleas visit http://www.pcigeomatics.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&Itemid=4

Contact Information:

PCI Geomatics
http://www.pcigeomatics.com

Aerotec, LLC is pleased to introduce its second-generation airborne LIDAR-based mapping product for identifying and locating vegetation in the vicinity of electric power transmission rights-of-way that presents a significant risk to the operation of the transmission lines’ conductors.  A featured component of the vegetation management product is a handheld unit that provides the utility forester with the capability to measure, locate, analyze, and report the vegetation violation on-the-spot, with a two-second response time, using a single-shot of the handheld unit’s laser rangefinder. 

 

Using AeroTec’s 3-D models of the rights-of-way, the utility forester is able to use and re-use the right-of-way models with the handheld unit to re-inspect, conduct on-site analysis, map, and report on vegetation violations well into the future.

 

“With this product, we have realized our goal of adding long-term future value to the initial airborne LIDAR data capture, modeling, analysis, and mapping of electric power transmission vegetation violations inventory results,” stated Jim Dow of AeroTec.

 

Aerotec’s handheld unit is based on the TOPCON GRS-1 unit integrated with the Laser Technology TruPulse 360 laser rangefinder.  Aerotec’s proprietary software for this application produces GIS-compatible (shape-file) results to provide the end-user with complete vegetation violation inventory maps both inside and outside the transmission right-of-way based on an initial airborne LIDAR data capture and processing operation. 

Contact Information:

Aero Tec
http://www.aerotecusa.com

from Directions Magazine

This past week Google prompted a flurry of discussion by announcing some changes to its data and functionality in Google Maps. There's new data and new feedback tools and some anxiety in the geospatial world. Our editors separate fact from fiction and offer our take on the implications of these changes.
Click here to access Podcast

Contact Information:

Google Maps
http://www.googlemaps.com

WilsonMiller is pleased to announce that John P. Maloney, P.S.M., was promoted to Regional Business Unit Manager for Surveying – Lower Southwest Florida.   A professional land surveyor, he is a Senior Associate at WilsonMiller and will now manage the surveying and mapping efforts of WilsonMiller’s lower Southwest Florida Regional offices.
 
Mr. Maloney has 28 years of professional surveying and mapping experience (all with WilsonMiller), and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Land Surveying. John is an accomplished and respected professional with a proven record in client service.
 
His project experience includes utilities, roads, schools, and residential and commercial developments. Mr. Maloney manages surveys as they relate to development, including boundary surveys, subdivision plats and condominium plats.
 
John is also active within the community, including being recently named President of the Foundation for the Developmentally Disabled (FFDD).  In addition to his work on behalf of FFDD, Maloney is a member of the Naples Nites Lions Club and served as Chairman of the Golf Tournament Committee to benefit the Florida Lions Camp for children and adults with disabilities.

Contact Information:

WilsonMiller
http://www.wilsonmiller.com

Bizworks Corp. Inc. (www.bizworks.co.jp), SuperGeo’s reseller in Japan, demonstrated SuperGIS series products at CIPA, Japan. Cooperating with ISPRS (International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing), CIPA is one of the oldest international committees to improve all methods for surveying of cultural monuments.
 
Have been working with SuperGeo for a long time, Bizworks has had a great performance in marketing SuperGIS software. In March 2009, Bizworks especially came to Taiwan for product training and technical interflow, which has contributed to the promotion of SuperGIS in Japan.
 
During CIPA 2009, Bizworks showcased SuperGIS series software, particularly SuperPad, SuperGeo’s professional mobile GIS software. “The user-friendly interface and competitive price have triggered the interests of many visitors who then inquired the product and purchasing information.” indicates Bizworks. “The exhibition was very successful and has brought many business opportunities to us.”
 
For more details about CIPA, please visit http://www.rgis.lt.ritsumei.ac.jp/cipa2009/01_Invitation/Invitation.html   
 

Contact Information:

SuperGeo Technologies
http://www.supergeotek.com/
Sarah Liu
886-2-25467700
sarahliu@supergeotek.com

By Rick Bobbitt , GeoSpatial Experts 

From the weekend camera buff to the sophisticated GIS user, 'geotagging' photos with location coordinates has become a popular application of GPS technology. Geotagging, which adds coordinates to a digital image so that it can be accurately placed on a digital map, has spawned a new market we call photo mapping that has compelled the manufacturers of digital cameras, cell phones and GPS receivers to develop a variety of products designed to make it easier to stamp images with GPS points.

In just the past two years, some of the biggest names in cameras - Ricoh, Nikon and Canon - have released models that either have GPS built into the camera body or are designed for direct inputs from an external GPS device. Never wanting to turn their backs on a potential new app, cell phone developers have gotten in on the photo mapping action by integrating cameras and GPS chips inside the phones for automatic geotagging of pictures. And GPS equipment developers like Trimble are approaching the market from the opposite direction by adding cameras  to their newest receivers. GPS digital cameras are popping up everywhere. 

At GeoSpatial Experts, we introduced GPS-Photo Link in 2001 as the first software developed specifically for mapping photos. At the time, our software was geared almost exclusively toward professionals who needed to document their photos in a GIS. Over the past few years, however, the photo mapping market has expanded dramatically as camera, GPS and Web-based mapping technologies have evolved and become increasingly intertwined. 

Today, we see three distinct groups of end users comprising the market for photo mapping technology: GIS professionals, non-GIS business professionals and recreational photographers. The application needs of these groups are so different that we ultimately created two versions of GPS-Photo Link to serve the GIS and non-GIS professionals.

The purpose of this article is to differentiate these three user groups, and match their needs with the latest GPS digital camera offerings. Ideally, this information will help readers select the photo mapping hardware that best fits their budget and meets the needs of their applications.  Read More

NGIS Australia will bring the first official Ignite Spatial event to the heart of Perth's CBD early next month. 

The Perth Ignite Spatial will present the opportunity for anyone with an interest in GIS, spatial sciences or mapping to get up in front of a crowd and say what they like - all within 5 minutes on 20 timed slides. 

The Ignite concept started in Seattle in 2006 and quickly became a world-wide phenomenon. Rather than sitting in conferences all day, Ignite Spatial is about giving short, sharp and entertaining presentations in an informal pub atmosphere. The sessions have been immensely popular in Sydney and Melbourne and this time around, the Ignite team is bringing the event to the west, thanks to NGIS Australia. 

Event organiser, Stephen Lead says that Ignite Spatial - Perth promises to be a fun and entertaining evening where you will be guaranteed to learn something new, without suffering 'death by PowerPoint'. 

"People these days can't really afford the time to take days out of their working week to sit through long speeches at conferences. Ignite is about condensing great ideas and sharing them in a fresh and engaging format," he said. 

"We find people learn more in less time at Ignite events, plus it opens up a great opportunity to network with all sorts of people who are interested in the industry." 

The invitation to attend Perth's Ignite Spatial is open and registration is free. If you are interested in becoming a speaker, head to the Ignite Spatial website. 

The event will be held on: 

Thursday 5th November, 2009 
5.30pm for 6.30pm start 
Belgian Beer Cafe 
347 Murray Street, Perth 

To register, head to www.IgniteSpatial.com

Contact Information:

NGIS Australia
http://www.ignitespatial.com

Deloitte released the 2009 Technology Fast 500, an annual ranking of the fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America based on five-year fiscal revenue growth. ReachLocal, a global provider of localized Internet advertising solutions, achieved the coveted top spot on the list with 2008 fiscal year revenue of $146.69 million and a five-year fiscal growth rate of 146,050 percent. The company is privately held and based in Woodland Hills, California.

“Deloitte’s Technology Fast 500 identifies some of the most promising technology companies in North America today,” said Phil Asmundson, vice chairman and U.S. Technology, Media & Telecommunications leader, Deloitte LLP. “I am proud to congratulate ReachLocal and all the ranked companies for their remarkable achievements.”

“Being ranked first on the Technology Fast 500 list is an amazing honor and we thank Deloitte for this prestigious recognition,” said Zorik Gordon, co-founder and chief executive officer of ReachLocal. “Our success is a result of the tireless dedication and effort of our hundreds of employees worldwide. This would have never been possible without them.”

Contact Information:

GeoEye
http://www.geoeye.com

Leveraging over 140 years in business, The Sanborn Map Company has added a new dimension to their vast library of digital data by assembling nearly 100 cities of three dimensional building models for both international and domestic locations. 

The product, "Sanborn 3D Cities" focused Sanborn’s fleet of aircraft and sensors as well as its satellites partners on Central Business Districts (CBD) of nearly one hundred cities, including; Manhattan, Chicago, Seattle, Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro. The collection and technical resources enabled Sanborn’s photogrammetric engineers to collect and produce highly accurate and precise 3D geometries; creating buildings, terrain models, and orthophoto products. 

In total, Sanborn has over 500,000 buildings in its archive today with plans to expand, update, and collect new cities on a continual basis. The product offers enhanced building attribute information for 40 of the cities that are currently available in Sanborn’s flagship product, CitySets. Sanborn offers 3D Cities for discovery and use by consumers and professionals searchable through the web. The product is consumed by a wide variety of users such as architectural and engineering firms, local government, in personal navigation devices as well as for several risk analysis applications. Sanborn has supported film animations TV shows, as well as current gaming systems with the 3D Cities product. 

Visit Sanborn.com and find out how Sanborn 3D Cities can help your organization, agency, or business today by realizing the third dimension. 
http://sanborn.com/2009_REVISE/products/3d_citiesREV.asp 

Contact Information:

Sanborn
http://www.sanborn.com

Topcon Positioning Systems has appointed GeoShack North America, Inc. as their newest US dealer for the entire Sokkia line of construction and survey instruments.
 
GeoShack has been in the construction and survey industry since 1995 and is excited about the addition of the Sokkia line of products.  GeoShack President, Scott Beathard, stated “With twelve locations in the United States, adding Sokkia products will enhance our ability to provide the right product for our customers needs at all levels of their job.  Sokkia will be an important aspect of our total business solutions.”

Sokkia Corporation is a world-leading manufacturer of precision measuring systems.  Sokkia’s diverse product line provides complete measurement solutions for surveying, mapping and GIS, industrial measurement and construction applications.  Sokkia provides turn-key solutions for surveyors including Total Stations, Data Collectors, Digital Levels, and Lasers plus a full complement of field accessories and supplies.
 
Tom Brennan, General Construction Sales Manager, states “Our customers are sure to benefit by our offering of top quality Sokkia products combined with GeoShack’s knowledgeable sales specialists and certified technicians.”  David Owen, Survey Sales Manager, concurs “The Sokkia relationship, blended with Topcon products, strengthens our ability to provide our customers with more choices to make sure they have the right tools for the job.  We’re looking forward to many years as a Sokkia dealer.”
 
Dan O’Reilly, Sales Manager for GeoShack Ohio, is excited about the new possibilities that the Sokkia products opens up for his team.  He said, “Having the full line of Sokkia products enhances everything we stand for at GeoShack - quality products, superior support and value added services.  GeoShack truly is a One Stop Shop for contractors and surveyors.”

Contact Information:

GeoShack
http://www.geoshack.com

SuperGeo, the leading global provider of complete GIS solutions, recently released ‘GIS Learning CD’ worldwide. Within 2 months, the unique teaching and learning tool has interested numerous GIS teachers and learners all over the world.
  
For instance, in Taiwan, many famous institutes, inclusive of Academia Sinica and several noted Universities, have procured GIS Learning CD for teaching and promoting GIS concepts. During TGIS Conference, the largest event as well as communication platform for GIS and Urban Geoinformation in Taiwan, this product also attracted a large number of visitors and potential buyers.
 
In the US and Canada, where GIS was first developed and GIS related tutorial materials are fairly mature, the CD has demonstrated bright sales record. Many users have purchased this CD and shown highly positive feedback.
 
Within SuperGeo’s global reseller network, the reseller in Bahrain, Aeromap Technology System, has marketed the CD not only inside the local market but also in other countries in Middle East. In India, the exclusive reseller in Karnataka State, Spaceinfo Technologies, has found several significant channels, such as big book stores and schools, in the local territory. Spaceinfo is planning to market the CD in a large base.
 
‘We are very pleased to announce the great sales performance of GIS Learning CD’, says Willy Wang, the author of GIS Learning CD as well as the Director of GIS Training and Support Center at SuperGeo. ‘We hope that the CD could help more users learn GIS knowledge easily.’ In the near future, SuperGeo will release the advanced version of GIS Learning CD to show the rich applications of GIS and how to employ GIS to assist in decision making and problem solving. GPS Learning CD and RS Learning CD are also under scheming.   

Contact Information:

SuperGeo Technologies
http://www.supergeotek.com/#
Sarah Liu
886-2-25467700
sarahliu@supergeotek.com

Five of Merrick & Company’s (www.merrick.com) offices were recently awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Award for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility.  The offices, which were each recognized on their own merit, are located in Aurora, Colorado; Atlanta/Duluth, Georgia; Albuquerque, New Mexico; Oak Ridge, Tennessee; and Los Alamos, New Mexico.  The awards were given to individual offices of companies which exemplify a great workplace environment.  Each company office is evaluated on its own merit and receives its own individual award.
 
The Alfred P. Sloan Awards for Business Excellence in Workplace Flexibility are part of When Work Works, a national project on workplace effectiveness and workplace flexibility from the Families and Work Institute in partnership with The Institute for a Competitive Workforce, an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the Twiga Foundation.
 
Applications for the awards are evaluated in a two-step process that measures an employer’s workplace flexibility programs, policies, and culture against national data from the Families and Work Institute’s National Study of Employers  National Study of Employers.  The applications are then validated with employee input.  The employers that rank in the top 20% of employers when compared to these national norms are selected as finalists.  The selection of the final winners is based on a score that combines employer and employee responses.

Contact Information:

Merrick
http://www.merrick.com

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) introduces two new products in its office software ‘Master’ series – Topcon SiteMaster and Topcon SiteMaster Lite. 

Topcon SiteMaster is an integrated design, surface modeling and construction survey solution. 

Mark Contino, vice president of product marketing, said, “SiteMaster provides unparalleled ease-of-use and seamless integration for Topcon field equipment and 3D-MC (machine control) systems. Whether it’s the initial boundary and topo survey, or a complicated multi-surface construction site, a simple road design or a multilane divided highway design, Topcon SiteMaster provides the user everything needed to complete the project and prepare the surface model for use with 3D-MC systems.

“From project start-to-finish, control of critical data flow from data collection, survey data analysis, engineering design, surface modeling, design stakeout, to as-built survey…it can all be accomplished easily and accurately with SiteMaster.” The new software can also accommodate plot design plans, as-built survey and revision plans. 

Contino said, “Topcon SiteMaster provides the total construction package for surveying and construction professionals and is a perfect complement to Topcon’s 3D-MC systems.”

SiteMaster features include:
-- Import/export 3D-MC project files;
-- Surface (DTM) creation/editing;
-- Road design (template and/or strings);
-- Manual road data entry/editor;
-- Site design;
-- 2D to 3D conversion tools;
-- Volumes;
-- Survey and COGO utilities;
-- Extensive import/export options;
-- Supports AutoCAD DWG/DXF files;
-- Supports MicroStation design files;
-- Synchronization with Pocket 3D and Topcon’s TopSURV; and
-- Single file projects.

SiteMaster Lite 
Topcon’s new SiteMaster Lite is designed for users who do not require the complete functionality of Topcon SiteMaster, but need the ability to import and export, and verify and modify 3D-MC project files. Contino said, “An easy-to-use import and export utility is provided for 3D-MC files taking the guess work out of what files are needed for a project.”

SiteMaster Lite features include:
-- Data compatibility;
-- Single file projects;
-- Pocket 3D & TopSURV interoperability;
-- Surface (DTM) creation/editing;
-- Drafting tools (lines, points and arcs);
-- Horizontal alignments;
-- Vertical alignments;
-- Manual road data entry;
-- Supports 3D-MC project files;
-- Supports 3D-MC design files; and 
-- USB ‘plug-and-go’ concept.

Contact Information:

Topcon
http://www.topconpositioning.com
news@topcon.com

Scientists working on understanding the integration of space and time will gather in California February 22–23, 2010, to attend the Space-Time Modeling and Analysis Workshop. The workshop will be part of the first Redlands GIS Week—a gathering of thought leaders from academia, government, and industry to advance the science and application of geospatial technologies. The remainder of Redlands GIS Week 2010 will be dedicated to informal networking activities, demonstrations, and technical tours.

The Space-Time Modeling and Analysis Workshop will feature keynote presentations, lightning talks, and small group discussions, as well as opportunities for informal brainstorming with leading geospatial thinkers and implementers.  Researchers are invited to submit 500-word abstracts describing the work that they would present as either a keynote or lightning (focused 10-minute) talk. Preference will be given to abstracts describing concrete results to concrete problems, and software demonstrations are encouraged.
Redlands GIS Week will be held at ESRI's headquarters as well as nearby sites in Redlands, California. The event is cosponsored by the University of Southern California, ESRI, the Association of American Geographers (AAG), and the University of Redlands. After the workshop, a publication will share the event's results with a larger audience.

For more information and to view the Call for Participation, visit www.redlandsgisweek.org.

Contact Information:

ESRI
http://www.redlandsgisweek.org

Hemisphere GPS announced today that it was awarded a position on the 2009 Cleantech 10 list by Corporate Knights Inc.

The award, compiled by Corporate Knights Inc. and Cleantech Indices LLC, recognizes companies that minimize the impact human activity has on the environment. Hemisphere GPS does this by developing technologies that improve operational performance while lowering energy consumption and reducing the impact of chemical applications. 

“Our GPS based agricultural products enable farmers to dramatically reduce the amount of fuel, chemical, fertilizer and seed wasted during regular applications,” says Dr. Mohamed Abousalem, Vice President of Marketing and Business Development at Hemisphere GPS. “Through precision navigation, automated steering and application control technologies, we eliminate operator error that causes large overlaps during spraying, planting and harvesting.”

The 2009 Cleantech 10 awards are chosen based on a comprehensive screening process of the 122 Cleantech companies currently traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange. A full list of the annual award recipients is published in the November issue of Corporate Knights Magazine which accompanies The Globe and Mail, Canada 's most circulated national newspaper.

Contact Information:

Hemisphere GPS
http://www.hemispheregps.com

DeLorme, the innovation leader in geospatial technology, today announced an agreement with value-added reseller MapMart for worldwide sales of the DeLorme World Base Map and DeLorme North America Data Sets via the MapMart.com commerce portal.

The DeLorme World and North America products are unique in their level of consistency, seamless up-to-date detail, and horizontal and positional accuracy. They will be available from MapMart.com beginning November 18, 2009.

“We are delighted to have a company with the reputation and experience of MapMart representing these two key data sets for us,” said Jim Skillings, DeLorme Vice President, Business Division. “With its worldwide reach and knowledgeable staff, we’re very confident that MapMart will help us achieve the kind of global market penetration these products merit.”

DeLorme World Base Map data provides a seamless 1:250,000 view of the earth, combining accurate object placement and projection with a unique topographic visualization, complete with a digital elevation model for the entire earth. This data set offers a consistent level of detail and reliable horizontal accuracy of +/- 50 meters for all features worldwide.

The DeLorme North America Data Sets provide a routable US highway, street, back road, and trail network. Detail also includes land cover, drainage and open water, plus places of interest. It is compiled from a variety of sources and includes a digital elevation model to provide topographic detail and contours. The data has a positional accuracy of +/- 5 meters CE in areas where the majority of the US population resides. Street-level detail is also available for Canada and main roads for Mexico.

“DeLorme’s comprehensive global data set is very up-to-date and extensive.” said Rebecca Murray, Product Manager for MapMart. “We look forward to delivering these stellar new options to our MapMart clients around the world.”

Contact Information:

DeLorme
http://www.delorme.com

Critigen, a global technology consultancy for critical infrastructure, today announced its entry into the market as a privately held company. Recently divested from CH2M HILL’s 62-year, $6.4 billion engineering business, the independent company emerges with deep domain expertise combined with the entrepreneurial ability to proactively apply technology based approaches, new insights and visionary thinking that modernizes every sector of the growing critical infrastructure market.

 

According to CEO Jeff Akers, “Critigen is the catalyst to apply a new vision – one that will forever

impact how we build and manage critical infrastructure. Critigen’s clients are also at the forefront of

acute challenges including climate change, sustainable environmental and energy transformation,

asset protection and management, and carbon reduction. Approaching these modern challenges

within thought or technology silos will fail our cities and our citizenry,” said Akers. “Critigen brings

behaviorally-relevant, holistic approaches that will comprehensively address our 21st century

challenges.”

 

Critigen serves both public and private-sector clients, including government, state, local, large

engineering firms and financial institutions with technology-based approaches to support the

delivery of essential services. Critigen’s broad client roster touches every sector of critical

infrastructure – energy, water, facilities, government, financial, commercial, transportation and

emergency response – with nearly 700 global employees allowing clients to visualize, collaborate,

secure and manage their information.

 

Visualize: Critigen is the world’s largest privately-held geospatial consulting business. The

company’s visualization capabilities provide critical multidimensional business insight and

accelerate decision-making by integrating location intelligence, business processes and analytical

systems.

 

Collaborate: Critigen is the market leader in collaboration methods to improve data use,

interrelationships and business processes by enhancing data management, community interactions and business system integration.

 

Secure: Critigen has deep experience and the highest levels of governmental clearance for cyber,

physical and facilities security as well as crisis management and SCADA operations control. The

company mitigates risk for the most impenetrable agencies in the world by integrating complex IT

command and control/security and preparedness needs.

 

Manage: Critigen’s award-winning extensive IT sustainment practice is central to its technology

capabilities. Clients avoid costly IT capital investments, reduce operating costs and improve IT risk

management by leveraging Critigen’s best-in-class IT resources, tools, processes, procedures and

infrastructure.

 

Critigen’s marquee clients include the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force

as well as Genworth Financial, the Wyoming Dept. of Environmental Quality and the world’s first

carbon-neutral city, Masdar, located in the UAE. In addition, one of Critigen’s largest clients is

CH2M HILL with which it holds a three-year preferred provider agreement.

 

The company is now owned by Golden Gate Capital, a private equity investment specializing in the

IT industry with approximately $8 billion of capital under management. “Critigen is working in some

of the fastest-growing market segments, applying information management with deep value,” said

Jake Mizrahi, Managing Director of Golden Gate Capital. “We’re excited about the company’s

philosophy and business model and look forward to growing the business with the Critigen

management team. We believe this is a powerful example of how private equity investment can

propel future-focused companies that will solve pressing global issues.”

 

About Critigen

Critigen is a global technology consultancy serving as the leader in information management for

critical infrastructure. Divested from CH2M HILL’s 62-year, $6.4 billion engineering business, the

company leverages deep domain expertise to develop technology-based approaches for some of

the most prestigious and progressive clients in the world.

Solely focused on the convergence of technology application and mission-critical data, Critigen

provides clients a way to visualize, collaborate, secure and manage information - becoming the

catalyst for modernizing critical infrastructure. Learn more about how Critigen aligns 21st century

demands with 21st century answers at www.critigen.com.

Contact Information:

Critigen
http://www.critigen.com

AAMHatch is pleased to announce the popular Multi-Site product is now available for 50cm GeoEye-1 satellite imagery. Multi-Site, already available for 80cm IKONOS imagery, allows clients interested inmultiple captures over small areas to acquire the higher resolution and more accurate GeoEye-1 satellite imagery.

Contact Information:

AAMHatch
http://www.aamhatch.com

Mr. Roger Ilgen, President of GEI WideFormat, a Visual Edge Technology Company, announced today the introduction of the new GEI 5636 engineering copier to the GEI WideFormat product line. “We are very pleased to provide our customers with such an exciting new product. The GEI 5636 has innovative features, such as color scanning, paired with ultra-fast output speeds.” said Mr. Ilgen.

 

The GEI 5636 enhances workflow productivity with output speeds of 10 D-size prints-per-minute. Features such as an easy-access clamshell design, front copy exit tray that holds 99 D-size drawings, and a color LCD touch-panel interface make this engineering copier truly unique. Changing paper and toner is trouble-free with easy-to-use front loading drawers that house 4 rolls of 500’ media and consumables are easily conserved with the ability to preview thumbnails prior to printing.

 

The most exciting feature of the GEI 5636 is the embedded color scanner. Now, changes and additions or “redlines” are captured and circulated effortlessly. Also, the external 5636 print controller will interface with an ink jet printer for a complete color copy system. Phil Trembly, National Sales Manager for GEI WideFormat said, “The GEI 5636 provides the perfect solution for high-volume environments where productivity is key.”

 

For more information about the GEI 5636 and other engineering copiers visit www.geiwideformat.com or call 888-722-6434.

Contact Information:

GEI WideForma
http://www.geiwideformat.com

LizardTech, adivision of Celartem Inc. and a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content,announced the release of the MrSIDPlug-in for ArcGIS 3D Analyst at the GEOINT2009 Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by the United States GeospatialIntelligence Foundation (USGIF) October 19-21, 2009. 

Untilnow, LizardTech's customers, who widely use ArcGIS 3D Analyst, were not able toload point cloud datasets that were compressed to MrSID Generation 4 using LiDAR Compressor intoESRI's 3D Analyst product. However,with the release of this free plug-in, 3D Analyst users can load point clouddatasets compressed to MrSID Generation 4 to create surfaces for use inline-of-sight and terrain modeling, visualization, and spatial analysis.

“LizardTech’sgoal is to give customers tools for using their point cloud data compressedwith LiDAR Compressor in the applications they use every day,” said JonSkiffington, LizardTech director of marketing. “Many of our customers useArcGIS, but were not able to use it with MrSID files created in LiDARCompressor. Now our customers can easily load point cloud datasets compressed to MrSIDGeneration 4 into ESRI’s 3D Analyst product.”

The free MrSID Plug-in for ArcGIS 3DAnalyst is available for download here: http://www.lizardtech.com/MrSID.html Additional information can be obtainedby contacting one of LizardTech’s sales representatives at 206.652.5211.

Contact Information:

LizardTech
http://www.lizardtech.com

URISA and the University of South Florida's National Center for Transit Research at the Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) are pleased to support this one of a kind conference which offers GIS in Transit professionals the opportunity to learn from industry experts, attend professional development training, learn about research updates and new technologies, and network with your peers.

 

GIS in Transit: The Route to Success in Transit GIS Conference 
November 16-18, 2009 
St. Petersburg, Florida

 

Featured Session: Google Transit - GTFS Data Standards with Open Innovation  
The Google Transit Web Based Trip planner has excited many within the transit community.  Equally exciting is the open source data format which drives the Google Transit application.  This open source format encourages innovative uses of transit data to communicate with transit passengers in many ways.  This session will address the open data format and illustrate innovative approaches to using this data to better communicate with the transit customer.  It will feature Joe Hughes from Google Transit and three software innovators using the Google Transit data format to create alternative web and mobile trip planning applications. 

 

• Developer 1: In Search of Simpler Schedules, Jehiah Czebotar, theNextTrain, New York, NY
• Developer 2: OneBusAway: An Open-Source Transit Traveler Information System, Brian Ferris, University of Washington, Seattle, WA
• Developer 3: Five Points: An Open-Source Framework for Transit System Simulation, David D. Emory, Atlanta, GA

 

Featured Session: Better Transit Maps
If your customers can't understand your transit maps, they won't use them. This presentation discusses guidelines and recommendations for producing effective and consistent printed transit information materials like system maps, route maps, and schedules.

 

• Designing Printed Transit Information Materials – A Guidebook for Transit Service Providers
  Alasdair Cain, CUTR/USF, Tampa, FL
• Development of Innovative Bus Schedule Format That Reduces Printing Costs
  Judith M. Lavelle, MPH, Lavelle Consulting Group, Greeley, CO  
• The Psychology of Passenger Information and Wayfinding
  Rick Wood, CHK America, Inc, Santa Barbara, CA     

 

Featured Preconference Workshops:

• Asset Management: Planning, Strategy, and Implementation
• Transportation Spatial Database Design
• Overview of Free and Open Source GIS

 

Featured Keynote Address:  
Unlocking the Benefits of GIS in Tough Times: Moving GIS from the “Sidelines” to the Heart of the Enterprise
Paula (Polly) Okunieff, Senior Technical Staff, Consensus Systems Technologies Corporation, Shenorock, NY
For many transit agencies, GIS and GIS staff must do more with fewer resources and meet greater expectations of customers and senior managers.  In the past, the role of GIS in transit agencies has focused primarily on making pretty maps and simple planning studies.  With the tools that are available today, it can be used as an integration engine for core transit data, serving a critical role in ensuring quality transit information and operating efficiencies.  The need is manifested in the specialized tools that scheduling and ITS applications – like Computer Aided Dispatch and Automated Passenger Counting Systems -- use to implement transit service.  Many of these tools still manage data in stove-pipes, missing the integration opportunities to support a multitude of other transit business processes.  Ms. Okunieff will discuss strategies and initiatives to expand the role and value of your agency's GIS investments.

 

Featured Closing Session:  
What Open Source, Open Data, and Open APIs Mean for Tomorrow's Transit Agencies
Chris Holmes & Nick Grossman, OpenGeo, New York, NY
Agencies across the US are embracing an open approach to transit data and technology.  The Open Planning Project will share its experiences working with TriMet to develop open platform solutions.  Find out what this means for agency operations, how it enables greater inter-agency collaboration, and most importantly, how it can save money and foster ongoing innovation. 

 

Review complete conference details, exhibit and sponsorship information and register online: http://www.urisa.org/gis_transit

Contact Information:

GIS in Transit
http://www.urisa.org/gis_transit

CARIS is accepting submissions for papers for its annual International User Group Conference, “CARIS 2010: Stronger Together – People, Products, Infrastructure”. The five-day event will be held from March 22-25, 2009 in Miami, Florida, United States.

The CARIS 2010 program will focus on core issues that relate to the innovation and integration of geospatial technologies in the areas of chart production, hydrographic survey, ports and waterways and web mapping.

Through the following paper themes, the event will expand awareness and implementation of best practices and effective solutions for data management and production performance and will solidify the role of all stakeholders in the broader marine geospatial community:

-Bathymetric Revolutions,
-Production Environments: Desktop versus Enterprise,
-Ping-to-Chart,
-Workflow Optimization,
-Specialized Chart Products,
-Merging Land and Sea.

Abstracts can be submitted online at http://www.caris.com/caris2010. The deadline for submission is November 23, 2009. For more information on the CARIS 2010 event, visit http://www.caris.com/caris2010.

About CARIS
Established in 1979, CARIS is a leading developer of geospatial software. The CARIS Ping-to-Chart product line delivers an integrated software solution for the entire workflow of hydrographic information from the echosounder “ping” through to the production and distribution of the “chart”. CARIS products are continually selected by hydrographic offices, military agencies, survey contractors, ports and harbours, municipalities, land administrators and academia among others. In addition to its Canadian headquarters, CARIS has offices in The Netherlands, United States, Australia and United Kingdom. There are also more than 40 resellers bringing sales and support of CARIS brand software to more than 85 countries.

Contact Information:

CARIS
http://www.caris.com/caris2010.
Sheri Flanagan
(506) 458-8533
sheri.flanagan@caris.com

Contact Information:

The Institute of Navigation
http://www.ion.org

PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, is pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Hollis to the position of President and CEO of PCI Geomatics Corporation (USA).

 

“I am pleased to welcome Mike to this role and look forward to leveraging his expertise, energy and industry knowledge to take our business to the next level,” said Dr. Robert Moses, President and CEO of the Canadian-based parent company PCI Geomatics Enterprises Inc.

 

“I am excited about continuing to pursue my interests in remote sensing and information technology applications in this new capacity with PCI Geomatics,” said Michael Hollis.  “PCI brings technical excellence and innovation to the geo-information market, and its new emphasis on automated image processing solutions will help our customers increase productivity and reduce operating costs.”

 

Mr. Hollis brings over 30 years of experience in the aerospace and information technology industries.  Prior to joining PCI Geomatics, he served as a Naval Aviator and acquisition professional, and as President of four small high technology U.S. defense companies.

 

Mr. Hollis holds a B.S. Naval Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy, a M.S. in Management and a M.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, and is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School. He has served on the Board of Directors of multiple companies and is currently a member of the Board of Aero-Mechanical Industries, Inc.

Contact Information:

PCI Geomatic
http://www.pcigeomatics.com

Carlson Software’s new line-up of its just-released land development software solutions for 2010 is the result of lots of user ideas and input. Coaching on improvements included comments like “just add a 64-bit version this round and I'll be set” all the way to several long-standing requests including multiple backsight orientation for Carlson Survey 2010, triangulation surfaces for reserves in Carlson Mining 2010, and quick graphic reports for Carlson Takeoff 2010.

Contact Information:

Carlson Software
http://www.carlsonsw.com

Authors that are interested in submitting abstracts on the technology and all applications of LiDAR should visit the ILMF Call for Papers on line at http://www.lidarmap.org/papers  by October 22nd, 2009.

Registration is also open at http://www.lidarmap.org/register/

Authors wishing to submit a paper for the conference are requested to submit an abstract of no more than 250 words on the following topics:

• Data Acquisition – LiDAR and associated equipments 
• Systems Integration – LiDAR sensors and complementary technologies and peripherals
• Data Fusion & Processing Technologies – feature extraction,enhancement, visualization, viewing and imaging techniques and software 
• Recent Projects – reporting on innovative or improved techniques and applications; challenges, successes and problems encountered; including military LIDAR mapping projects 
• Developments in GIS, Data Modeling and Management 
• Trends in Market and Technology Development - including ground based LiDAR and Mobile Mapping 
• Industry Issues - Federal/State initiatives and operational challenges;best practices; recruitment and training issues.

Contact Information:

LiDAR10
http://www.lidarmap.org/papers

Contact Information:

RapidEye
press@rapideye.de

Valtus Imagery Services, a division of North West Geomatics Ltd. announced October 14 that its imagery library in Western Canada has been updated.  

The database has recently been enhanced with 30cm color aerial imagery supplied by DigitalGlobeT for Vancouver, British Columbia as well as Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta.  The other areas that have been updated are within the northeast portion of Alberta, around Fort McMurray as well as an area in the North West, around Grande Prairie.  This data was provided by Tarin Resource Services and is a 0.5meter black and white product offering.  Both of these datasets were acquired during 2008.

The Valtus Imagery Services online database currently holds over 9 million square kilometers of high resolution imagery across Canada and the United States.  All Valtus Data is available through both VIEWS| Spatial Data Access Subscription and the Spatial Data Store. The Views service provides instant, secure access to an extensive library of imagery that can be seamlessly integrated into mapping applications and geographic information systems. The Spatial Data Store is a convenient online solution for users who require immediate access to downloadable, geospatial data. Valtus also stores, manages and seamlessly integrates customer owned data with our public database through the Vault| Spatial Data Hosting Service.

For further product or coverage information, please visit the Valtus website at www.valtus.com

Contact Information:

Valtus
http://www.valtus.com

EngineerSupply, a leading supplier of engineering and construction equipment, is proud to announce they have become a factory-authorized, national distributor of Topcon tools and equipment. Topcon is a leading manufacturer of machine control products, precision construction lasers and optical land surveying equipment and many more products used around the world.

The new partnership will enable EngineerSupply to provide an efficient solution to its customers' needs. EngineerSupply ships all Topcon products directly to customers in brand new, factory fresh condition. All Topcon products come with the manufacturers warranty. Topcon products are used by professionals in the industries like building construction, site construction, grading and excavation, as well as land surveying.

EngineerSupply is very excited about this new partnership with Topcon. When you think of top quality, you can think of Topcon Equipment, says EngineerSupply founder, Rob Powell. Topcon Surveying and Construction Products support the world of civil engineering, optical surveying, construction, agriculture, utilities and law enforcement. According to the Who We Are section of Topcons website they develop, design and manufacture integrated positioning and automation technologies to meet the constantly changing demands facing industries worldwide.

In addition to Topcon, EngineerSupply is an authorized dealer for the leading brands in the industry, including, CST/Berger, Schonstedt, Safco, Mayline, Keson, Leica, Seco, Sokkia and many more.

EngineerSupply is constantly expanding its product line and assists many professionals in areas such as engineering, construction, design, surveying, estimating, law enforcement and more. The trained customer service team is available to help with any customer questions and concerns. Its conception was based on its teams' years of experience working in the engineering and surveying industry both using the products and seeing a need to a single resource for engineers, surveyors, and construction professionals. EngineerSupply represents the most reputable brands in the industry for engineering supplies, land surveying equipment, blueprint storage, measuring wheels, measuring tapes, and construction equipment. EngineerSupply is a privately held company and was started in 1999.


For additional information, contact:
EngineerSupply on the web at www.engineersupply.com 

Contact Information:

EngineerSupply
http://www.engineersupply.com
Rob Powell
800-591-8907
rob@engineersupply.com

There's good news for people who want to learn how to use geographic information system (GIS) software close to home. ESRI now offers access to more than 40 beginning, intermediate, and advanced instructor-led GIS courses through a variety of training alternatives and venues including:

• Video-recorded training at all ESRI learning centers in the United States
• Video teleconferencing training at the ESRI learning centers
• Virtual Classroom online training delivered to students' own workplaces or home computers

Instructor-Led Video-Assisted Classroom Training (www.esri.com/videotraining) provides convenient access to a wide variety of courses taught by qualified ESRI instructors via video. Students can watch video-recorded lectures and demonstrations and complete hands-on software exercises at their own pace. They can review course materials on their own and repeat the lectures or the exercises as time permits. An ESRI instructor with expertise in the subject matter is in the classroom at all times to answer questions, explain concepts, and provide guidance.

Instructor-Led Remote Classroom Training (www.esri.com/remotetraining) uses two-way, interactive video-teleconferencing technology. This lets students attend instructor-led training classes remotely from a local ESRI learning center, select ESRI satellite locations, or any location within their own organizations that has compatible video-teleconferencing equipment.

The classes are broadcast from an ESRI location in the United States to one or two remote locations. Students in the remote locations can see and hear the instructor lecture as well as speak with other students, ask questions, and share GIS knowledge. The instructor can see students' computer screens and provide remote assistance with class exercises.

Instructor-Led Virtual Classroom Training (www.esri.com/virtualclassroom) offers online training delivered in real time via the Internet and telephone conferencing technology. Students take the training from their desktop or laptop computer, either at work or at home.

"Our customers can be assured they are receiving the highest-quality GIS education from expert instructors in the field," said Ralph Luchs, ESRI training delivery manager. "Our ultimate goal is to make sure our customers can receive the instructor-led training they need, when and where they need it, in order to be successful with ESRI software."

In the coming months, ESRI will offer 28 Instructor-Led Video-Assisted Classroom Training courses including introductory classes such as Introduction to ArcGIS Server and Introduction to the Multiuser Geodatabase. More advanced courses are scheduled too, such as ArcGIS Server: Web Administration Using the Microsoft .NET Framework and Building Web Maps Using the ArcGIS API for JavaScript.

ESRI will also offer 13 Instructor-Led Remote Classroom Training courses such as Introduction to ESRI Business Analyst Desktop,Introduction to ArcGIS Server Image Extension, Building Geodatabases, and Working with ArcGIS Spatial Analyst.

ESRI learning centers are located in more than 50 cities, including Danvers, Massachusetts; New York, New York; Chesterbrook, Pennsylvania; Vienna, Virginia; Alpharetta, Georgia; West Palm Beach, Florida; Leawood, Kansas; St. Paul, Minnesota; and Sacramento, California. Visit www.esri.com/trainingmaps to see a map of all the learning centers, including directions on how to get there.

Contact Information:

ESRI
http://www.esri.com

GeoShack announces Topcon Positioning System's (TPS) new GRS-1, the world's first fully integrated dual-constellation, network-enabled RTK rover system. It is an all-in-one handheld GNSS receiver and field controller with high-speed processor, increased memory, built-in camera, compass and bar code reading function. 
 
David Owen, Vice President said, “Integrated into the new GRS-1 system are SD memory card slot, optional internal GSM or CDMA modem, and wireless connectivity via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth technology.
 
The GRS-1 (Geodetic Rover System) was designed with two primary system design goals: Smaller size and weight, and lower-than-expected cost. According to Owen, “The GRS-1 "packs all the power of a full GPS + GLONASS dual-frequency receiver, cellular modem and Windows PC into a very small, very powerful package."
 
Designed primarily as a GPS network rover receiver, the GRS-1 "provides a small, lightweight rover and a price to fit any budget," he said.  "The new receiver has DGPS capability with internal L1 antenna for GIS and navigation, add the PGA-1 external antenna and connect to your local GNSS network via the internal modem, and instantly move to dual frequency, dual constellation GNSS centimeter RTK accuracy.   The GRS-1 can also be used as a static post processed receiver system."
 
The GRS-1 uses the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system to run TopSURV, Topcon's popular surveying software.  TopSURV 7.2 adds new features and functions that are unique to the GRS-1. The receiver and field controller also has a 3.7 inch, touch screen display and its rugged construction is rated to stand a one meter drop.
 
Owen said, "With the GRS-1 network rover, no additional modem or equipment is needed . . . it's all built in. The user can access a RTK network for sub meter to sub foot mapping. By attaching an easy-to-connect external antenna, centimeter accuracy is instantly achieved."

Contact Information:

Geoshack
http://www.geoshack.com