Professional Surveyor Magazine

Dr. John Holdren to Keynote

Dr. John P. Holdren, President Barack Obama's science and technology advisor and director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, will give the Keynote Address at the ESRI Federal User Conference (FedUC) on February 17, 2010, in Washington, D.C.

He will address an audience of government leaders and geographic information system (GIS) professionals from all levels of government. "The federal government is revolutionizing the way it uses technology to improve processes, make decisions, and strengthen democracy," said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. "Holdren offers key insights into the important roles that science and technology play in addressing the issues of our time."

Trained in aerospace engineering and theoretical plasma physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, Holdren is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. National Academy of Engineering, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He is also a foreign member of the Royal Society of London and a former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Prior to joining the Obama administration, he was a professor at both the Kennedy School of Government and the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Harvard University, as well as director of the independent, nonprofit Woods Hole Research Center. From 1973 to 1996, he was on the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley, where he cofounded and co-led the interdisciplinary graduate degree program in energy and resources.

In addition to experiencing a compelling Plenary Session, FedUC attendees will explore how GIS supports critical government initiatives such as economic recovery, renewable energy, health care reform, the smart grid, and climate change during paper presentations, technical workshops, a special national security session, and lightning talks. FedUC will be held February 17–19 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Contact Information:

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

Infoterra Launches Interactive 3D City Mapping Service

Yesterday marked the launch of Skape, a new 3D city mapping service designed for architects, planners, local authorities and surveyors. Created and developed by Infoterra, a leading provider of geographic information products and services, Skape enables users to manipulate urban landscapes online by combining high resolution 3D textured city models with 2D mapping and terrain data - a technological first.

Through Skape, users can access major UK cities, enabling urban planners to rapidly develop highly detailed architectural models and save on both time and costs. With Skape, new buildings can be imported into a city and viewed in context with their surroundings, whilst existing buildings can be instantly removed and replaced. The high level of accuracy means that varying building textures, street
furniture, light and sun shadowing at different times of the day, and unlimited vantage points can be observed from anywhere in this online environment.

Skape launches with in-depth 3D coverage of major UK cities including London (centre), Birmingham, Leicester, Nottingham, Southampton, Brighton, Bournemouth, Glasgow, Manchester and Newcastle. By the end of 2010 Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Cardiff, Edinburgh and additional London coverage will be added to Skape's city coverage.

Skape Facts:

* 12 - the number of UK cities mapped so far
* 4 - the number of planes in the Infoterra fleet
* 52 - the number of experts on the Skape testing panel
* 11 - the number of industries that could use Skape
* 14 - the number of applications for Skape
* 52,660 - the number of buildings mapped in total
* 23,947 - the number of buildings mapped in London
* 3,750 - the number of hours it took to map the centre of London
* 960 - the number of hours it took to map Birmingham

Jamie Ritchie, responsible for the launch of Skape, explains: "In today's environment architects and planners are so dependent on modelling and 3D modelling. Their clients are demanding high quality, 3D visuals to bring concepts to life and to help them with their tendering and commissioning decisions. With Skape, highly realistic, complex modelling can now be done quickly and cost-effectively."

"Skape has been developed in conjunction with our user base, so we've called on an independent, expert panel of architects for feedback during the development process."

"During the feedback and development process, the majority of users viewed Skape as a significant improvement over current technology, showing that the market has been waiting for a service like Skape."

"The feedback has been extremely useful, and has meant that the service has been developed with our customer base constantly in mind. Skape will continually develop as we capture more and more data, and as our customers' needs evolve."

Skape has already been used by Bournemouth Borough Council's planning department to scope out a potential new regeneration project, allowing stakeholders to see a far more realistic visual concept than would have been possible previously, in the form of a flythrough of Bournemouth centre and 16 development sites.

"I am convinced Skape has a number of uses that will assist us in promoting the Town Centre Master Vision (TCMV) initiative and the Council's wider aspirations for the Town." - Martin Tiffin, TCMV Programme Leader, Bournemouth Borough Council.

Contact Information:

Infoterra
http://www.skapeworld.com

Start Off the New Year with a Business Plan

Many folks groan at the idea of creating a formal (read: static) business plan: “Why bother? It’ll change next month!” That’s where the “Plan as You Go” concept comes to the rescue. This idea concentrates on the process of planning rather than the formal document. This type of plan is a “living document” that changes with your business. Read all about it on the OpenForum site Business Plans: “Plan as You Go” vs. “Traditional”.

Trimble's Fourth Quarter Revenue Up 4%a as Compared to 4th Q 2008

Trimble announced revenue of $277.5 million for its fourth quarter ended January 1, 2010, up approximately 4 percent from revenue of $268.1 million in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Operating income for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $12.7 million, up approximately 21 percent as compared to the fourth quarter of 2008. Operating margin in the fourth quarter of 2009 was 4.6 percent, as compared to an operating margin of 3.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Amortization of intangibles was $13.7 million in the fourth quarter of 2009, as compared to $12.0 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. The impact of stock-based compensation expense was $5.3 million, as compared to $4.6 million in the fourth quarter of 2008. There was also $1.6 million in restructuring expense, no acquisition-related inventory step-up charges, and $0.8 million in non-recurring acquisition costs in the fourth quarter of 2009. This compares to $0.8 million in restructuring expense, $0.8 million in acquisition-related inventory step-up charges, and no non-recurring acquisition costs in the fourth quarter of 2008.

Excluding these items, non-GAAP operating income of $33.8 million was up 18 percent, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP operating margin was 12.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2009, as compared to 10.7 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008. Fourth quarter 2009 net income was $9.5 million, down 31 percent, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2008. Diluted earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $0.08, as compared to diluted earnings per share of $0.11 for the fourth quarter of 2008.

Adjusting for the items noted above, non-GAAP net income of $25.3 million for the fourth quarter of 2009 was down 13 percent, as compared to the fourth quarter of 2008. Non-GAAP earnings per share for the fourth quarter of 2009 was $0.21, as compared to non-GAAP earnings per share of $0.24 in the fourth quarter of 2008. The tax rate for the fourth quarter of 2009 was 27 percent, compared to a tax benefit of 48 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.

For the full year 2009, Trimble's revenue was $1.13 billion, down approximately 15 percent from revenue of $1.33 billion in 2008.

Operating income for the full year 2009 was $85.8 million, down approximately 54 percent from 2008. Operating margin in 2009 was 7.6 percent, as compared to operating margin of 14.0 percent in 2008. Amortization of intangibles was $52.5 million in 2009, as compared to $44.9 million in 2008. The impact of stock-based compensation expense was $18.7 million, as compared to $16.2 million in 2008. There was also $10.8 million in restructuring expense, $0.5 million in acquisition-related inventory step-up charges, and $3.8 million in non-recurring acquisition costs in 2009. This compares to $4.6 million in restructuring expense, $1.4 million in acquisition-related inventory step-up charges, and no non-recurring acquisition costs in 2008.

Excluding these items, full year non-GAAP operating income of $172.1 million
was down 32 percent, as compared to 2008. Full year 2009 non-GAAP operating margin was 15.3 percent in 2009, as compared to 19.0 percent in 2008.

Net income for the full year 2009 was $63.4 million, down 55 percent as compared to 2008. Diluted earnings per share for 2009 was $0.52, as compared to diluted earnings per share of $1.14 in 2008.

Adjusting for the items noted above, non-GAAP net income of $126.5 million for the full year 2009 was down 34 percent, as compared to 2008. Non-GAAP earnings per share for 2009 was $1.04, as compared to non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.54 in 2008. The tax rate for the full year 2009 was 27 percent, as compared to 26 percent for the full year 2008.

Cash flow from operations for the full year 2009 was $194.6 million, as compared to $176.1 million in 2008.

"The macroeconomic environment represented a significant challenge for Trimble throughout 2009. Although difficult, we saw improving stability in the second half of the year which provided us with the opportunity to demonstrate year-over-year progression in the fourth quarter," said Steven W. Berglund, Trimble's president and chief executive officer. "This reinforces our anticipation of meaningful revenue growth in 2010, with strong operating leverage providing the potential to grow earnings significantly faster than revenue. Trimble employees have distinguished themselves in a historically unprecedented period by confronting the needs of the short term while continuing to develop the platform for future growth. As a result, our fundamental long-term strategy and financial model remain intact and have not been impaired by the cost reductions taken during the recession," concluded Berglund. Read More

Contact Information:

New Mobile GIS Software, SuperPad 3, Supports More Languages

German, Japanese, and Spanish interface of SuperPad 3

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, announces that its full-function mobile GIS software, SuperPad 3, now supports German, Spanish, and Japanese.

SuperPad 3 is the brand new full-function mobile GIS software released by SuperGeo Technologies. The complete and powerful GIS functions of SuperPad 3 enable field-workers to effectively collect, edit, measure, etc. the spatial data in the field with any mobile devices or handheld devices supporting .NET CF 2 or above, so the validity and usability of the data can be improved greatly.

In order to better serve the users all over the world, SuperPad 3 now supports German, Spanish, and Japanese in addition to the built-in traditional Chinese and English. Moreover, SuperPad 3 is going to support French and Simplified Chinese in the near future. More languages will also be supported with the growth of its global network. Therefore, users will have more language options in SuperPad 3 and operate the powerful mobile GIS application more conveniently.

If you would like to experience the multi-language support of SuperPad 3, you can now download the trial software for free at http://www.supergeotek.com/download_6.aspx.

Contact Information:

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

Trimble Introduces 3D Scanner for Building Construction Applications

Trimble introduced the Trimble CX 3D Scanner for building construction applications. This advanced, high-accuracy sensor captures more than 50,000 position points per second - enough data to record the details of a target's shape, size and position with very high precision. It is ideal for building construction applications requiring the accurate measurement of as-built structures, in particular, by mechanical, engineering, and plumbing contractors involved in HVAC and pipe installations.

The announcement was made today at World of Concrete 2010, the concrete industry's annual international event dedicated to the commercial concrete and masonry construction industries. When preparing to install a new HVAC or pipe system, contractors can use the Trimble CX 3D Scanner to accurately record existing systems and spaces to ensure the new installation will fit correctly - even before it is designed. This capability can prevent errors and rework, increase
overall efficiency, and help provide contractors with a competitive edge.

Trimble proprietary WAVEPULSE technology in the Trimble CX 3D Scanner combines the high short-range accuracy of phase-shift technology with the low-noise sensitivity and high-distance characteristics of time-of-flight technology. This ensures high-precision measurements over the full operating range to provide
clean 3D data. An integrated camera collects additional image information, which improves the visualization, post-processing and communication of captured data. A rugged design with IP54 rating and protective housing for the rotating laser ensures the Trimble CX 3D Scanner delivers continuous, reliable results even in difficult building construction environments.

With the intuitive, streamlined Trimble Access software running on the Trimble Tablet Rugged PC, capturing data with the Trimble CX 3D Scanner is fast and easy to learn. Data can then be seamlessly transferred from Trimble Access to Trimble RealWorks or Trimble LASERGen office software. Trimble RealWorks provides tools to identify features captured and simplify the interpretation of data. The Trimble CX 3D Scanner is available now from select dealers in Trimble's North America Building Construction Distribution Network.

Contact Information:

Adapx Unveils New Capturx Mobile Software

Adapx today announced the availability of Capturx Mobile, enabling mobile workers to instantly send and share data collected on paper using Capturx digital pens with
Bluetooth-enabled BlackBerry and Windows Mobile devices. Central teams can now get immediate access to field data without requiring workers to bring mobile computers, applications, or source files into the field. Mobile workers simply collect data on standard paper forms, notebooks, or maps and then Capturx instantly sends and automatically integrates handwritten data into Microsoft Office, SharePoint, or ArcGIS.

"We've been using Capturx for two years and we're looking forward to the addition of Capturx Mobile. From wildfires to the latest damage caused by last week's heavy rains, we can now use Capturx to help us manage data about fast changing situations," said Captain Michael Hoose, 15-year veteran of the Santa Barbara City Fire Department. "With the new Capturx Mobile capabilities, we can instantly collect and share immediate updates from any type of emergency situation which makes it safer for everyone."

Capturx Mobile: How It Works

Capturx Mobile supports the entire Capturx product line and is an add-on to Capturx Forms for Excel, Capturx for OneNote, Capturx for ArcGIS, and Capturx for SharePoint. Handwritten data can be sent from mobile devices through email or directly uploaded into SharePoint Server. In both scenarios, teams simply pair their Blackberry or Windows Mobile device with the Capturx digital pen. Data sent through email is instantly integrated into Microsoft Office or ArcGIS once the recipient opens the email message and attached file. With Capturx for SharePoint Server, Capturx Mobile automatically aggregates data from multiple field workers into central servers for immediate data access, workflow, and archiving.

Utility teams in the field, for example, can instantly document inspections and service records for pipelines or transmission lines. Teams simply fill out paper forms or update asset data on paper maps using field-ready digital pens. Copies of the forms and GIS updates are instantly sent through cell phones to central offices, where they are automatically integrated into ArcGIS or Microsoft Office. Central teams get immediate visibility to field conditions without requiring field teams to deploy mobile computers or custom applications. With instant copies of the original handwriting, teams dramatically reduce the compliance risks of
missing documents. With the converted digital data, they can also easily trigger workflows or integrate data into other back-end field service and asset management systems.

Contact Information:

Adapx
http://www.Adapx.com

Topcon Layout and LayoutMaster Provide Construction Layout Solution

The art of construction layout just got a lot simpler.

Topcon Positioning Systems has introduced the industry’s most advanced software solution for construction layout – Topcon Layout and LayoutMaster.

The new software technology is designed to assist a contractor or builder with virtually any type of construction staking and layout application, regardless of terrain, regardless of weather, regardless of job site restrictions.

Mark Contino, vice president of product marketing, said, “Topcon Layout and LayoutMaster software is easy to learn and use, and will guide a user effortlessly through almost any layout task.”

The foundation of this new solution is the complete integration with Topcon’s industry-leading instrument and field data collection technology, which Contino said, “provides complete input/output integration capabilities. This allows end-users to work with design files in the office, job trailer or in an onsite vehicle and export customized design data directly to the field controller to start laying out the project.”

Layout and LayoutMaster also provide seamless integration with AutoCAD(TM), as well as a number of other engineering design software suites, with Topcon’s total stations including the GTS-100N series, the GTS-230W and the CTS-3000.

Features of the new software suite include:

Simple user interface for total stations
-- Drive robotic total stations with the optional robotic module.
-- Turn measurements from total stations into graphical data.
-- Special software features reduce the potential for angular mistakes.

Live map with touch selection
-- Touch any point or line on the map and press the Stake button to layout the point.
-- Touch any line to quickly calculate offsets.

Fast Plan Entry
-- Directional arrows for entering fast plan line jogs.
-- Plans stored in format to send to DXF files.

Quick dimensions
-- Click the tape measure icon to quickly get the dimension between points.
-- View summary of multiple point selections.

Simple offsets
-- Offset line segments, figures and create offset points from lines.
-- Calculate down and out from any line to a point.

The software will also store bolt patterns, as well as plot bolt patterns from any project point.

Contino also said that Topcon University, Topcon’s industry-leading training organization, is scheduling comprehensive training sessions via special webinar. Information about future webinars can be found at www.topconpositioning.com.

Contact Information:

Trimble Acquires Pondera Engineers Assets

Trimble announced today it has acquired the assets of privately-held Pondera Engineers LLC based in Post Falls, Idaho.

Pondera is an engineering and development company offering services and software tools for siting, designing, optimizing, and maintaining high-voltage power transmission and distribution lines. The acquisition is part of Trimble's strategic initiative to bring productivity solutions to the electric utilities industry. Financial terms were not disclosed. Pondera provides enterprise software solutions and design services for electric transmission line system operators (ISOs), engineer, procure and construct contractors (EPC) and vertically integrated utilities (IOUs). Its software suite includes TL-Pro Design Studio, PoleSTAR, and Nip&Tuck solutions.

TL–Pro allows users to model multiple scenarios and manage design standards in its interactive design environment. It includes sag and tension calculations, finite element structural analysis, true 3D global optimization, and project estimates and material lists via its powerful material manager module. Accuracy, flexibility and user productivity is enhanced by a 3D visualization terrain model and can be applied in a variety of situations, including project reviews, marketing, siting and permitting.

Pondera's PoleSTAR software allows users to model and analyze complicated pole structures using 3D graphical interfaces. Nip&Tuck software for re-tensioning transmission line conductors is used to test various techniques to resolve clearance problems on a span-by-span basis.

"Innovative technology is transforming the way utilities are planned, managed, built and maintained. Pondera software solutions and design services provide utility customers the tools to save time and cost during the design cycle as well as develop more accurate and complete infrastructure models, improving decision making and operational efficiencies," said Doug Merrill, general manager for Trimble's Utilities Initiative. "In addition, Trimble survey, mapping & GIS and GeoSpatial solutions provide data for TL-Pro analysis. The acquisition of Pondera will enable Trimble to provide additional capabilities for creating infrastructure models that leverage design information across the complete utility asset lifecycle."

"Pondera has developed solutions for the power line industry for many years, constantly evolving and innovating solutions to fit industry needs," said Yair Berenstein, a principal owner of Pondera. "Trimble is a leading provider of positioning technology to the utilities market and has complementary solutions that can move our products to the next level in power line infrastructure modeling, design and analysis. Trimble is the right fit for Pondera and our customers and we are very excited about how our combined solutions can address the needs of the electric utilities industry."

The Pondera business will be reported in Trimble's Field Solutions segment.

Contact Information:

Aero-Metric Puts Intergraph's 100th Digital Mapping Camera into Operation

Aero-Metric, a major provider of professional geospatial services with locations across the United States, has acquired its third IntergraphR Z/I Imaging Digital Mapping Camera (DMCR) to expand its high-quality, aerial imaging capabilities. The deal marks the 100th Intergraph large-format DMC to be put into operation and in flight by customers around the globe.

"As we headed into 2010 with the largest backlog in our company history, we needed to expand our image acquisition capacity," said Pat Olson, president and CEO of Aero-Metric. "Due to its superior accuracy, reliability and ease of use, we decided to purchase our third DMC to meet our client commitments and rising demand for large digital image acquisition projects."

"Intergraph cameras continue to be the sensors of choice for the most successful geospatial and image acquisition firms across the world," said Jack Ickes, vice president of photogrammetry at Intergraph. "The 100th DMC purchase by Aero-Metric is another milestone of Intergraph's leadership role in advanced digital imagery technology. It affirms the true value of Intergraph's photogrammetric solutions and our commitment to preserving customer investments, streamlining operations and maximizing efficiency."

The Intergraph DMC was the industry's first large-format frame digital aerial camera, the first to be certified by the United States Geological Survey and the first to offer an innovative Solid State Disk (SSD) storage technology to decrease camera weight and footprint. Intergraph has also recently introduced the RMK DT, a versatile, medium-format digital aerial camera designed to replace film-based technology for smaller mapping and remote sensing projects and for high-resolution engineering projects.

In addition to digital sensors, Intergraph's end-to-end earth imaging solutions include photogrammetric workstations, flight management and post-processing systems and a full photogrammetric data exploitation software suite. Users of Intergraph's end-to-end photogrammetry solutions benefit from speed, ease of use, data accuracy, precision, high performance and cost efficiency from project start to finish.

Aero-Metric has been an Intergraph customer since 1983. In addition to the three DMCs, the company also leverages Intergraph's ImageStationR geospatial data production software suite.

Further information on Intergraph's photogrammetry solutions can be found at: http://www.intergraph.com/photo/default.aspx.

Contact Information:

Aero-Metric
http://www.aerometric.com

Carnahan Elected to Merrick Board of Directors

Douglas E. Carnahan, Jr. has been elected to Merrick & Company’s board of
directors, it was announced by Ralph W. Christie, PE, chair and chief executive
officer. Carnahan has been with the firm for the past seven years, and upon retiring in late 2009, was elected to the board to continue his contribution to the firm.

“We’re pleased to have Doug continue supporting Merrick. He’s had a significant influence on our employee-owned company during his tenure and the continuity of his input into our strategic plans will help to support our continued growth,” said Christie.

Carnahan has been located in the firm’s Oak Ridge office for the past two years, where he was program manager on a major design project for the Department of Energy at the Y-12 National Security Complex , Tennessee. Prior to that he was chief operating officer for Merrick from 2005 until 2008. During his tenure at Merrick, he’s also been involved in projects over $100 million in size at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory, the Los Alamos National Laboratory, and the Argonne National Laboratory.

Prior to joining Merrick, Carnahan served as a senior vice president for Washington Group International and Raytheon Engineers & Constructors. He’s a graduate of
Louisiana Tech University.

Contact Information:

Merrick
http://www.merrick.com

Imagemaps Appoints First Reseller in China

Imagemaps Pte. Ltd., Vexcel Imaging’s sales representative responsible for the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN, has appointed Beijing Siwei Spatial Data Technology Co., Ltd as its first reseller for Ultracam photogrammetric products in the Chinese market. Beijing Siwei is a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Surveying and Mapping under the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping. Given the company’s many major aerial and mapping projects for the Chinese government and relationships with major aerial survey companies in China, Imagemaps identified Beijing Siwei as an ideal partner for the Imagemaps territory.

"The appointment of Beijing Siwei Spatial Data Technology Co., Ltd is the start of our aim to achieve better market coverage, increase product market share and provide better customer care services for our customers," said Lee Sze Keong, General Manager, Imagemaps Pte Ltd. "Beijing Siwei is an ideal partner, considering its experience in the field and its sales and technical support capabilities. We are pleased to have a strong partner like Beijing Siwei and will be organising many exciting marketing and sales activities in 2010 for our customers."

The new partnership extends the availability within the Asian market of Vexcel Imaging’s aerial mapping products that include the UltraCamXp and UltraCamXp Wide Angle large format digital aerial sensors, the UltraCamLp medium format sensor and the UltraMap 2.0 digital workflow software system.

“Vexcel Imaging congratulates Beijing Siwei and Imagemaps on this new partnership,” said Alexander Wiechert, Business Director of Microsoft and Managing Director for Vexcel Imaging GmbH. “This appointment underscores the commitment by Vexcel Imaging and Imagemaps to meet the demand from the Asian market for premium aerial mapping products.”

Contact Information:

ImageMaps
http://www.imagemaps.com

FARO Technologies Donates $20,626 for Haitian Relief

FARO Technologies, the world’s leading provider of portable measurement and imaging systems, and its employees have donated $20,626.00 for Haitian Relief, including the Red Cross’s Haitian Relief and Development Fund, UNICEF, and other charitable organizations by wearing jeans to work and simply opening their wallets and hearts to support the cause.

The FARO Cares Committee, an employee-based community outreach group, started the ‘Jeans for Charity’ initiative last year. This program allows employees to wear jeans any day of the week for a $2 donation per day. The contributions have gone to various charitable organizations in the past, such as the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the Lake Mary Fire Department. Due to the recent devastating events in Haiti, the committee decided to send all January charitable donations to disaster relief in Haiti and FARO agreed to match each employee contribution dollar for dollar.

“I’m proud to say, we have so many great employees that have wanted to help and donate money to the relief efforts in Haiti. Every dollar makes a difference and FARO has agreed to match each employee donation to support the recovery effort after this incredibly tragic earthquake,” said FARO Technologies Senior Vice President & Managing Director for the Americas, David Morse.

“Whenever there has been a call for help, the FARO team has always lent a hand and done our part to reach out to those in need.”

Contact Information:

FARO
http://www.faro.com

Virginia Says Stop to Cul-De-Sacs

I live on a cul-de-sac, grew up on one too. I, as do many others, find them cozy, quiet and desirable. So why is the state of Virginia putting an end to them? Here’s an article that explains their decision and offers an upgraded alternative to the time-honored, but threatened, design. Read Suburbs & Cul-de-Sacs: Is The Romance Over? on NewGeography’s website.

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine

New Monitoring Solutions from Trimble

Trimble introduced a new version of its Trimble 4D Control software, the core of Trimble monitoring solutions, that combines Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and optical technologies for real-time deformation monitoring applications. The software is ideal for monitoring dams, bridges, buildings, pipeline support piers, large-scale construction and excavation sites, underground and open pit
mines, landslides, tunnels, and other structures.

"With heightened safety concerns about aging infrastructure, deformation monitoring is a growing market," said Chris Gibson, vice president for Trimble's Surveying Division. "The new software allows users to leverage the optimal combination of sensor technologies to control, manage and analyze deformation measurements for a wide variety of engineering projects and alert project staff of potentially unsafe conditions requiring action."

Trimble 4D Control software is a comprehensive solution for both real-time and postprocessed monitoring. The fully scalable and versatile approach of the system makes it easy for surveying organizations to get started in monitoring. By leveraging surveying instruments and tools they already have, Trimble enables surveyors to customize a monitoring solution to meet the needs of even the most
demanding applications.

Leveraging GNSS Technology for Monitoring
Surveyors can now integrate positioning data from Trimble GNSS receivers to detect rapid motion and long-term movement trends. GNSS receivers can also be used in conjunction with optical target monitoring to examine the stability of control to ensure accurate optical measurements. The software works seamlessly with the TrimbleNetRS GPS, NetR3 Reference Sensor, NetR5 or NetR8 GNSS receivers.

The data from both the optical instruments and the GNSS receivers is combined, processed and analyzed in Trimble 4D Control software. Trimble 4D Control software monitors these measurements and triggers alarms if motion is detected, enabling project teams to take appropriate action to ensure a safe environment.

New Total Station Specifically Designed for Monitoring
For optical measurements, Trimble 4D Control software can be combined with the Trimble S8 Total Station, Trimble's most advanced Autolock and Robotic total station. The recently announced version of the Trimble S8 provides options for 0.5", and 1" angular accuracy combined with the Trimble DR High precision EDM for the most accurate distance measurements.

Other features of the Trimble S8 Total Station make it the optimal optical solution for a range of monitoring applications. Trimble FineLock technology provides a smart tracker sensor with a narrow field of view that enables the Trimble S8 to detect a target without interference from surrounding prisms. For long-distance monitoring applications (such as open pit mines) Trimble Long Range FineLock
provides the capability to monitor a prism at ranges up to 2,500 meters (8,202 feet). Trimble's MagDrive™ servo technology ensures the total station is fast and precise so users can monitor more targets in less time, detect movements faster, and initiate alarms earlier.

Availability
The new Trimble 4D Control software version 2.0 featuring integrated GNSS and optical measurement monitoring is expected to be available in March 2010 from Trimble's worldwide survey distribution network.

Trimble's Connected Site Solutions
Trimble's Connected Site solutions for surveyors create seamless working relationships among Trimble products, technologies and services through support, infrastructure and partnerships. Through the Connected Site, Trimble is focused on providing solutions that address the customer's full work process. By carefully combining technology innovation with a deep understanding of the users' workflows, data integration and maintenance needs across the lifecycle of the project, Trimble helps surveyors reach new levels of productivity for their
business.

Contact Information:

Topcon FC-250

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) introduces ‘next-generation’ field controller technology with its new FC-250. The FC-250 is designed to give users increased power and performance in a rugged and compact unit.

The FC-250 has the operating system power of the latest Windows Mobile Version 6.5. The PC performance with 806MHz processor and 256MB SDRAM is designed to significantly speed up data collection in the field. The FC-250 also has a built-in Bluetooth modem and wireless LAN capability as standard features.

Scott Langbein, TPS senior product manager, said, “The FC-250 is not a simple improvement over the successful FC-200. It offers improved graphics and user-interface as well as the highest PC performance ideal for handling video images. It offers a blazing-fast processor – lists work better, and the speed is fast.

“When used with Topcon’s IS Imaging Station, the FC-250 displays real-time images transferred from the IS via wireless LAN, allowing users to work with live images. This feature will certainly drive forward one-person survey technology,” Langbein said.

“While the FC-250 is extremely compact, it is truly ‘heavy duty.’ Rated at an IP66, inclement weather is not a deterrent to using the FC-250,” Langbein said.

Additional features of the FC-250 include:

-- 3.7” touch-screen display;
-- Optional Spread Spectrum Radio (RS-1) can be attached;
-- Optional long-range Bluetooth modem (RS-1B) can be attached;
-- Quick access to swap the battery;
-- SD and CF card slots; and
-- USB, and DE-9 com ports.

Langbein said, “Topcon has listened to customers and distributors to design this compact field controller with features that are invaluable to increased efficiency in the field. The FC-250 is a very rugged, advanced, affordable and powerful field controller for today’s market. The FC-250’s easy-to-navigate, intuitive user interface is another definite benefit that allows every user, including new Topcon users, to easily utilize full functionality of all Topcon GNSS receivers, total stations and Imaging Station.”

Contact Information:

Optech's Chairman Dr. Allan Carswell

Optech Incorporated, the worldís leading manufacturer of advanced lidar survey instruments, is pleased to announce that Dr. Allan Carswell, Chairman of Optech, will keynote SPAR 2010, on Monday, February 8. Dr.Carswell will discuss the growth of the use of lasers and lidar in surveying, and the lidar industry as a whole, from his perspective.

On the 50th anniversary of the invention of lasers, Dr. Carswell is a highly suitable choice as Speaker. Dr. Carswell has been a respected member of both the research and commercialization streams in lidar since its inception, and is a senior figure in atmospheric lidar research. He was the Science Lead for the lidar system in NASA's recent Mars Phoenix Lander, which captured the first data proving the existence of snowfall on Mars. Back on Earth Dr.Carswell's company, Optech, has been at the forefront of lidar surveying technology for over 35 years, driving its practical applications to answer real-world survey needs.

Dr. Carswell will address pioneering efforts in collaboration with many other commercial and research stakeholders, and their role in the research and development of lidar. The impact of three-dimensional imagery and information, which is now the norm in many surveying applications, will be discussed. The use of lidar in numerous applications, including ground-based static and mobile mapping as well as airborne terrestrial and bathymetric scanning, will also be discussed and illustrated.

The driving spirit of Optech will change your perception of what surveyors can achieve. This will enlighten all attending about the rich history of lidar and its bright future for surveyors today.

Contact Information:

Optech
http://www.optech.ca

Topcon’s Frost, Moser Fill New Sales Positions

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) recently named Joel Frost as national sales manager of network products and services and Fred Moser as laser scanner sales manager. Both positions are new at TPS.

Joel Frost is a former senior regional sales manager for the Topcon Survey Business Unit. As the national sales manager of network products and services, Frost reports to Charles Rihner, vice president of planning for the Topcon Emerging Business Unit.

Rihner said, “Joel’s history with Topcon and knowledge of the industries we serve will greatly benefit our focus on expanding RTK network solutions.”

Fred Moser has assumed responsibilities as laser scanner sales manager reporting to Brice Walker, vice president of sales for the Topcon Survey Business Unit. Moser, who formerly served as TPS technical sales representatives, will work with all survey regional managers to develop opportunities and offer technical sales assistance.

“Fred’s technical expertise and commitment to success are becoming well known to dealers and to many customers who have benefited from his knowledge and expertise,” Walker said. “The nature of the scanner business is tailor-made for Fred’s skill set and I am very pleased to see him take on this new challenge, assisting us in expanding our distribution and ultimately growing all of our businesses.”

Contact Information:

Latvian State Forest Service Re-elects Ashtech MobileMapper GPS Devices for Forestry Control

A year after replacing its measuring tapes and survey compasses with 124 MobileMapper CX handheld GPS/GIS data collectors, the Latvian State Forest Service (SFS) is renewing its faith in Ashtech products with a new purchase of an additional 115 MobileMapper CX devices. Based on the success of its 2008 mobile GIS device deployment and use, SFS is targeting to equip as many field inspection crews as possible with Ashtech GPS/GIS data collectors for larger forestry management and control operations.

SFS foresters use the MobileMapper CX receivers to map forest parcels and locate forest and timber cutting boundaries. The MobileMapper CX units support a localized Latvian version of the popular ESRI ArcPad mapping software into which is loaded forest GIS data and orthophoto background maps from the state forestry registrar databases.

Following the national tender process, the Ashtech device was compared with two competitive brands and chosen once again for its convenience, simplicity and accuracy. MobileMapper CX is a rugged GPS handheld that delivers sub-meter real-time and even down to sub-foot post-processed accuracy at a very competitive price. Lightweight design, sun-readable touch-screen, large SD card support, Bluetooth and long-lasting swappable batteries are some of the embedded features that make the device very productive, easy-to-use and easily deployed to field crews.

12 MobileMapper 6 Devices

In order to equip its hunting inspectors and forest reproductive material inspectors with a GPS device containing an integrated camera, the SFS purchased 12 MobileMapper 6 devices with integrated 2-megapixel cameras. The MobileMapper 6 can take photos and tag them with the GPS location for use as a point attribute in any GIS application. The MobileMapper 6 is a rugged GPS/GIS handheld receiver perfectly adapted for harsh outdoor applications that offers professional GPS/GIS features at a price competitive with consumer-grade GPS devices.

All MobileMapper products were purchased from Ashtech distributor SIA Envirotech. Headquartered in Riga, SIA Envirotech is the leading company in Latvia supplying GIS/GPS technologies and implementing spatially enabled IT solutions.

Contact Information:

Ashtech
http://www.ashtech.com

NOAA Signs Contract for Seven SeaBat 7125-SV Multibeam Sonar Systems

NOAA is a federal agency within the United States Department of Commerce
focused on the conditions of the oceans and the atmosphere. The fleet ranges from oceanographic research ships capable of exploring the world's deepest oceans, to smaller ships and launches responsible for charting the nation's coastal waters. The fleet supports a wide range of marine activities, including fisheries and coastal research, nautical charting, and long-range ocean and climate studies. NOAA's ships are specially equipped and designed to support the agency's programs, and have capabilities not found in the commercial fleet. Six of the SeaBat sonar systems are to be mounted on Hydrographic Survey Launches of the SV Rainier, SV Fairweather, SV Thomas Jefferson and SV Ferdinand R. Hassler while the seventh system will be mounted on the SV Nancy Foster. These sonar systems will be used primarily to continue the legacy of NOAA’s 200 year mission of coastal and international charting.

SeaBat 7125-SV offers a number of new and unique features. The new transceiver provides an integrated multiport serial card and is optionally available with PDS2000 pre-installed for data acquisition and display as well as data processing on the same hardware platform. Four video outputs allow multiple survey and helm displays to be run. Roll stabilization and variable swath coverage of up to 140° featuring 200kHz/400kHz frequencies offers the preferred combination of swath and resolution.

A real-time uncertainty output from the SeaBat 7125 may be used in PDS2000, along with information from other sensors to calculate a TPE (Total Propagated Error). Soundings may be filtered by setting either the relevant IHO order or by
defining a custom vertical error limit. Other new features in SeaBat 7125-SV include roll stabilization, XYZ offsets for flexible transducer installations, Quality
filter and advanced diagnostic which increase survey efficiency. Further, AutoPilot uses sonar tuning values from a default or user generated look-up table for hands free sonar operation.

Mike Mutschler, of RESON states: “We are pleased to be able to continue this important relationship that is focused on Hydrographic survey efficiency. For many years, RESON has delivered a large number of SeaBat multibeam sonar systems to include the 8101, 8111, 8124, 8125, 8160, 7111, 7125 and now the SeaBat 7125-SV multibeam sonar model. With this continued investment in RESON SeaBat solutions we remain committed to the success of the NOAA fleet.”

Contact Information:

Reson
http://www.reson.com

Merrick Supporting Haitian Recovery Efforts With Technical Software Application

Many individuals and companies are supporting the Haitian relief and recovery activities. Because of Merrick’s expertise in light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data acquisition, processing, analysis, and application, the firm is providing a technical software application that will help teams to process and analyze LiDAR data that is currently being acquired in Haiti. The effort is being led by the Rochester Institute of Technology and being funded by the World Bank.

Contact Information:

MERRICK
http://www.merrick.com

Trimble Introduces DPS Mobile Data Transfer for Digital Pen Solutions

Trimble today announced remote data transfer capabilities for its family of Trimble
Digital Pen Solutions. Designed specifically for the construction contractor, the Trimble portfolio of Digital Pen Solutions and supporting software capabilities provide the simplicity of working with pen and paper with easy conversion to digital data by using a digital pen. Using Trimble DPS Mobile software, contractors can streamline the transfer of field data captured with the Trimble Digital Pen Solutions to the office for faster, more accurate data transfer and communications.

The announcement was made today at the AHR Expo 2010, the world's largest show targeting air conditioning, heating and refrigeration contractors. Designed for use with the BlackBerry smartphone, Trimble's new DPS Mobile data transfer application enables workers to easily transfer data from the Trimble Digital Pen to the office. Mobile workers can use Trimble DP20 digital pens to write on printed Microsoft Excel forms and PDF files. The written information can then be transferred to a BlackBerry smartphone via a Bluetooth connection and emailed to the office for integration into the original Excel and PDF files using Trimble DPS software.

Trimble DPS Mobile further improves productivity of field workers by enabling them to deliver field reports directly from the field without having to return to the office. This results in the faster transfer of critical information to minimize downtime, report progress for payment, and address quality issues.

Once digitized, the documents can be shared with project teams and designers to improve change documentation, track construction progress and reduce project risk. With immediate access to job site data, teams can keep projects on-track and minimize errors from poor documentation without the costs and delays of scanning and transcribing data from paper.

Ideal for superintendents, supervisors, engineers, foremen, safety inspectors, crew chiefs, detailers, construction managers and project managers, the Trimble Digital Pen Solutions allow project teams members to simultaneously collect form and markup data using individual pens and print outs. Digital notes, sketches, form data, and markups can be aggregated into the original file, tracking data by user, pen, and time. The digitized data can be added to emails or stored on centralized networks to consolidate and share information among teams.

The Trimble family of Digital Pen Solutions for the contractor includes:

Trimble DPS200 Forms for Microsoft Office Excel
Users can create forms in Microsoft Excel, such as site inspection punch lists or percentage-of-completion reports, and print them on ordinary paper. The handwritten data is immediately digitized and formatted back into the original Microsoft Excel fields for automated reporting and issue tracking.

Trimble DPS200 Markup for PDF
Users can print digitally-enabled designs, such as CAD documents and blueprints, on normal paper in small or large formats. Printed designs and as-builts can be marked-up and redlined in the field with a digital pen, which digitizes and uploads the data into the original Adobe PDF files. Teams can immediately track and share changes digitally without waiting or paying for data on paper to be sent or transcribed.

Trimble DPS100 for Microsoft Office OneNote
Automatically digitizes handwritten notes and sketches captured in the all-weather notebook for easy sharing, storing, and searching through Microsoft Office OneNote.

"The Trimble DPS Mobile applications reflect our commitment to provide innovative solutions that increase construction productivity," said Pat Bohle, general manager of Trimble's Building Construction Division. "These simple solutions work the way our customers work, improve communication, and reduce lost time driving between the project site and office. They also seamlessly integrate changes and ensure more efficient collaboration so that design and building project teams can reach decisions faster."

The Trimble Digital Pen Solutions leverage the Capturx technology—a jobsite proven technology used by hundreds of organizations to automate paper-based data collection. A broad range of industries and agencies use Capturx products as natural interfaces into Microsoft Office, GIS, and CAD systems through digital pens.

Trimble DPS Mobile software for the BlackBerry smartphone is expected to be available during the first quarter of 2010 through select dealers in Trimble's North American Building Construction distribution network.

Contact Information:

GIS-Pro 2010

Since 1963, URISA members and friends have convened annually to learn about, share and discuss all things geospatial. And now the name of URISA’s annual conference has been updated to better reflect that focus. URISA is pleased to announce GIS-Pro 2010: URISA’s 48th Annual Conference for GIS Professionals. The first conference under the new banner will take place September 28-October 1, 2010 in Orlando, Florida.

Along with the new conference name, GIS-Pro will reflect what GIS Professionals are looking for in a modern conference. Gone are restrictive conference tracks - what's in are coordinated themes, designed to move the conversation forward and interactively share information among conference participants. The Conference Committee invites your participation. Proposals for presentations, interactive
discussions, roundtables, and other content is invited and should fit in to one or more of these conference themes:

Value of GIS – The value of GIS can theoretically be quantified in terms of Return on Investment (ROI), but the methodology for determining ROI for GIS has not been standardized. Proposals on this topic could include information on measured return on investment (as opposed to estimated cost/benefit analysis performed prior to implementation); various methods for funding and justifying funding for
GIS implementation; and ways to articulate the financial/liability, economic, social or environmental impact of GIS for a jurisdiction, region or organization.

One Government – This concept is about multiple jurisdictions and overlapping levels of government (federal, state/provincial, regional, local) acting collaboratively. Proposals could include data sharing challenges and approaches; standardization and integration of data, applications and services; collaboration and communication that leads to a "one government" approach, and activities
that promote government transparency and accountability.

Stewardship – The notion of stewardship is one of service and support to a community of data users. Often, the steward has a vested interest in maintaining particular data set(s) for his/her organization, but no mandate (or funding) to maintain it for the rest of the community. Proposals could include data management, maintenance and integration topics, metadata issues and processes, data governance approaches, and methods for treating data as an infrastructure, or other, asset.

Data-based Decisions – This is a hot topic in 2010 at every level. U.S. Congressional Hearings are even focusing on ways to drive decisions based on data and "place". At last year’s Annual Conference, Dr. Wellar’s keynote focused on the need to manage various interrelated information infrastructures to make well-informed, accurate decisions, and the categorical need for GIS technology and geospatial sciences in that endeavor. Proposals could include Web 2.0 and social networking tools as a means of bringing information together and presenting it
appropriately to everyone; promoting GIS use to decision makers; better ways to visualize change spatially and temporally; and managing interdependent information infrastructures with geospatial tools and techniques.

Training & Education – With geospatial technology changing more and more rapidly, the need for high quality training and education continues to grow. And with the economic downturn, training budgets have taken a significant hit. Proposals could include ideas and tactics for promoting K-12 geographic/geospatial education; use of social networking tools for training; and information on technology updates and issues.

Abstracts are due on or before February 23, 2010.

Contact Information:

URISA
http://www.urisa.org

ASPRS LIDAR Committee

The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing ( ASPRS ) will once again host a Hot Topics session at the upcoming International Lidar Mapping Forum (ILMF) event scheduled for March 3 – 5, 2010.

The Hot Topics session is being coordinated by Randy Rhoades, Chairman of the ASPRS LIDAR committee, but with the involvement of some of the key players in the newly formed ASPRS Mobile Mapping Systems committee.

With the close synergy yet unique differences between airborne Lidar and Mobile Mapping Systems, the ASPRS has recognized the need to develop a separate committee. This new committee will host its inaugural meeting at the spring 2010 ASPRS Annual Conference in San Diego, but in the meantime the LiDAR Committee will incorporate specific talks in the HOT Topics session.

Lewis Graham, President and CTO of GeoCue, will provide an overview of Mobile Mapping Systems and Jamie Young, Director of Operations at Sanborn, will discuss the Integration of Airborne, Terrestrial and Mobile Mapping Datasets.

Additional presentations will be made by Karen Schuckman, Professor at Penn State University, who will look at what is good   versus what is lacking in terms of personnel training and Matt Bethel, Manager of Systems Engineering at Merrick & Company, who will focus on high performance computing for LiDAR Data Processing.

The session will be held on the opening morning of the ILMF conference and all registered delegates will be able to attend free of charge.

Contact Information:

ASPRS LIDAR Committee
http://www.asprs.org/society/committees/lidar/

Digital Edition of ASPRS Journal Now Available

Starting with the January 2010 issue of the ASPRS journal, Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing (PE&RS), ASPRS members will have access to the full digital version of the journal online at www.asprs.org. This digital edition is complete with peer-reviewed articles, just as they appear in the printed version.

Members of ASPRS have exclusive assess to the peer-reviewed articles for 24 months from publication. After that, all articles will be available on the public side of the website. Members will have to log into the ASPRS website with their log in and password to see the complete digital version.

The enhanced version of PE&RS contains hot links for all ASPRS Sustaining Member Companies, as well as hot links on advertisements, ASPRS Who’s Who, and internet references.

A public version of the issue also is available on the ASPRS website, but it does not contain the complete peer-reviewed articles. To view the complete peer-reviewed articles, individuals may sign up for membership.

ASPRS will continue to publish and mail the paper version of the journal to all members for the foreseeable future.

Contact Information:

ASPRS
http://www.asprs.org

Topcon Tierra Relaunches Website with ‘New look, feel’

Topcon Tierra’s redeveloped website is up and operating, according to Mark Bittner, senior vice president and general manager, Topcon Telematics Business Unit.

The site offers new features – Dealer Locator and an Access link that takes visitors directly to the Tierra log-in page for registered users.

The new site, Bittner said, also offers the ability to provide information in multiple languages; the first to be added will be Spanish and Italian.

The site can be accessed at www.topcontierra.com

Contact Information:

Topcon Tierra
http://www.topcontierra.com

Seazone Launch Latest Version Of Marine Data Management Software

Oceanology International ‘10 (ExCel, London, UK, 9 - 11 March 2010) will see the release of the latest version of SeaZone GeoTemporal Editor, an innovative software solution to improve and simplify the management, analysis and presentation of geographic and environmental data where time is an important component.

SeaZone GeoTemporal Editor manages tide, current and wave datasets captured from Acoustic Doppler Profilers, together with other oceanographic, hydrographic and meteorological information such as water quality and wind speed data. The software allows the import of custom datasets and links to GIS and external databases, bringing a wide variety of data together for further spatial analysis and improved reporting and decision making.

Many organisations face the challenges of capturing, using and managing complex survey and environmental monitoring data, often relying on high end programming expertise and specialist software, which can be costly and inflexible.

SeaZone's GeoTemporal software provides marine surveyors, engineers, scientists, researchers, data managers and consultants with a new generation of tools to navigate and browse environmental data.

Through an easy to use interface, users can import, quality control, visualise, analyse and present data from multiple sources. Additional capabilities allow the export of data in open formats for further use in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and other applications such as environmental modelling.

SeaZone GeoTemporal replaces SeaZone's ADCP Processing Suite, offering greater flexibility, faster processing power, improved levels of interoperability and smarter delivery of project data to customers.

Oceanology International is the world’s premier event for marine science and ocean technology incorporating a conference, exhibition plus vessel demonstrations. It takes place at the ExCel, London, UK, 9 - 11 March 2010. SeaZone are located on Stand P455, opposite the bar where free demonstrations of the software are available.

Contact Information:

SeaZone
http://www.SeaZone.com

European Developer of Paving Control Systems Joins Topcon Group

Topcon Corporation announces that Topcon Europe Positioning B.V., a wholly-owned subsidiary in the Netherlands, acquired all business and assets of Roadware B.V., a leading developer of software and hardware for paving machine control solutions. Roadware is also headquartered in the Netherlands.

Joop Mennink, founder of Roadware, said, “After many years of close partnership with Topcon, this company integration is an important step to take our technology to the next level. The products of both companies are highly complementary and will offer our customers a truly seamless product portfolio, covering basic and most advanced automation needs.”

“In addition,” Mennink said, “Topcon’s global presence and extensive dealer network provide access to customers in every part of the world. I look forward to an exciting future together.”

Leveraging Roadware’s broad experience and expertise in automated asphalt/concrete paving solutions, Topcon will accelerate the development of next-generation machine control systems that save time, labor, material, fuel and CO2 while maximizing quality and profitability.

Contact Information:

DotSoft Releases MapWorks 3.0 for AutoCAD 2007 or Higher

DotSoft has released the third version of their Civil/Survey and Mapping software, MapWorks 3.0. With this version the product moves from a loose collection of utilities to a complete multiple module system.

+ Base module Projections section enhanced with alternate coordinates, cursor tracker and more. Import contains support for more formats and Export functionality has been added.

+ Design module contains centerline tools, curve solutions, parking layout tools and labels (that update when moved), etc.

+ Points module contains numerous additional point creation and editing tools along with support for more point file formats.

+ Surface module now contains contouring (with labels), surface creation, volumes, spot elevations, slope arrows, and more.

+ Sections module (includes profiles), can generate from objects in the drawing, points, sampling of multiple surfaces, etc.

+ Additions to all other modules including dozens of mapping oriented polyline tools, AutoCAD Map object data tools, etc.

Note: Requires AutoCAD, Land Desktop or Civil3D 2007 or higher!

Contact Information:

DotSoft
http://www.dotsoft.com/mapworks.htm

Psomas Announces Five New Principals

Psomas is pleased to announce the appointments of Craig Ahrens, PE, PLS; Alejandro Angel, PhD, PE, PTOE; Joseph Boyle, PE; Leslie Morton, PE; and Dave Moritz, PLS, EIT as Principals of the Firm.

Ahrens is a Utah licensed professional engineer and land surveyor with 16 years of experience in site development, transportation, and transit projects. Ahrens’ expertise is in managing large-scale transportation and development projects. He is a team leader for the Survey Department in Psomas’ Salt Lake office and has been with Psomas for 12 years.

Ahrens graduated from the University of Utah with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering. He resides in Salt Lake City.

Angel is a Vice President of Transportation in Psomas’ Tucson, Arizona office. Angel’s background includes a unique combination of roadway and traffic engineering design, with experience in highway design, traffic engineering studies, research projects, and the development of standards for local and national agencies. Angel and his design team have been instrumental in developing traffic engineering services for Psomas.

Angel is also involved in several professional organizations and volunteer activities, including the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the University of Arizona, where he serves as adjunct faculty for highway design. In 2009, the ITE Western District, which includes 5,000 professionals in 13 States, recognized Alejandro with the Young Professional Achievement Award for members under the age of 35. Angel earned his Masters Degree and PhD from the University of Arizona in Civil Engineering, with a focus on transportation, and he resides in Tucson, Arizona.

Boyle, a Vice President and team leader for Water/Wastewater Infrastructure in Southern California, has over 25 years of experience in the planning and design of water transmission, distribution and storage facilities. Boyle received his Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He lives in Laguna Niguel and is based in Psomas’ Orange County office.

Morton is a Vice President and Regional Manager in the Psomas Salt Lake City office. A Utah licensed professional engineer with 16 years of experience in civil engineering, Morton’s expertise is in managing large-scale public and private-sector projects. She and has been with Psomas for 12 years.

Morton has a Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado and a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Utah. She resides in Salt Lake City.

Moritz is a Senior Project Manager in Psomas’ Orange County office. He has over 18 years of experience in large scale surveying and mapping projects, including rail corridors, gas transmission pipelines, multi-site ALTA Surveys, environmental monitoring surveys, and municipal and transit agency on-call contracts. Moritz received his Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly Pomona. He currently resides in Huntington Beach.

Contact Information:

Psomas
http://www.psomas.com

LizardTech Releases MG4 Decode Tool

LizardTech, a division of Celartem Inc. and a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, announced the release of MG4 Decode. MG4 Decode is an easy-to-use decoding tool for decompressing MrSID-encoded LiDAR files out to LAS or ASCII text format.

“Our goal is to create easy-to-use, efficient tools for geospatial professionals,” said
Jon Skiffington, LizardTech’s director of marketing. “With the release of MG4
Decode, users will be able to use a simple graphical interface to turn their compressed MrSID LiDAR files back to LAS or text format.”

MG4 Decode is available now as a free download on LizardTech’s website: http://www.lizardtech.com/download/dl_options.php?page=tools

Contact Information:

LizardTech
http://www.lizardtech.com

Geotagged Photos Facilitate Requests for Federal Aid after Disasters

Brown County, S.D., relies on GPS-enabled digital cameras and photo-mapping software to speed the deployment of resources and facilitate requests for federal assistance following natural disasters. The photo-mapping process, known as geotagging, utilizes GPS-Photo Link software from GeoSpatial Experts and the GPS-enabled Ricoh 500SE camera.

Brown County faces periodic spring flooding from snowmelt and heavy rains. As flood waters move across the county, officials acquire digital photos by air and by land with Ricoh 500SE cameras. A GPS receiver built onto each camera stamps the photos with precise coordinates of where each picture was taken. And a magnetic compass attached to the camera records the direction from which each photo was acquired.

The photos are uploaded along with their location data onto computers at the Brown County Emergency Operations Center. These computers run an easy-to-use photo-mapping software called GPS-Photo Link which automatically displays the photos in their correct geographic locations on a digital map of the county, either in a GIS or Google Earth environment.

County officials examine the photos to assess the damage and determine where emergency response teams should be deployed, explained Scott Madsen, County GIS Coordinator. The location coordinates on the photos help the responders quickly navigate back to those hardest hit areas. In addition, the county’s Emergency Management Director relies on the mapped photos to see where flood waters are headed so that resources can be sent downstream to warn the public and protect vital infrastructure.

Brown County has also discovered the geotagged photos are crucial for speeding their applications for disaster assistance from FEMA. Federal officials typically arrive to make their formal assessments after the flood waters have receded. The time- and location-stamped photos, however, provide them with exact records of the extent of damage that occurred in specific locations.

“When [FEMA] comes in to decide whether to declare a disaster for federal funding, they need to have documentation,” said Madsen. “They want to look at specific infrastructure damage…to put a dollar figure on it.”

Rick Bobbitt, President of GeoSpatial Experts, said that local government users of the GPS-Photo Link software are increasingly relying on geotagged photos taken during or shortly after a natural disaster to help determine the precise causes of damage. Rebuilding infrastructure to withstand future storms and floods depends on knowing whether damage was inflicted by winds, flood waters or floating debris. Brown County’s Madsen confirmed that these subtle differences can often be determined by mapping and examining geotagged photos of damage sites in the county GIS.

The Brown County GIS Office has been so pleased with the geotagging technology that it has purchased additional GPS-enabled Ricoh cameras with magnetic compass modules for use in other county departments. Most notably, the county’s Zoning Department uses the cameras to document zoning violations and conduct site inspections.

While GPS-Photo Link is used in conjunction with the Ricoh 500SE camera in Brown County, the photo-mapping software is compatible with any handheld GPS receiver and digital camera as well as some cell phones cameras with geotagging capabilities. The software can display the digital photos in most GIS and KML-based digital maps.

GeoSpatial Experts offers GPS-Photo Link in two editions: GPS-Photo Link GIS Pro for geospatial professionals mapping their photos in a true GIS environment, and GPS-Photo Link Express for business users who map photos on a digital or web-based map and generate reports from their photo inventories. GeoSpatial Experts sells the software as stand-alone packages or bundled with digital cameras and GPS receivers. To place an order, visit www.GeoSpatialExperts.com

Contact Information:

GeoSpatial Experts
http://www.GeoSpatialExperts.com

Intermap Technologies’ 3D Map Data Enables Accurate Planning

Intermap Technologies, the foremost worldwide 3D digital mapping company, today announced its high-resolution NEXTMap digital elevation data, currently available in numerous regions around the world including Europe and the United States, is being used to develop an advanced terrain and obstacle solution in advance of the ICAO’s eTOD (Electronic Terrain Obstacle Data) initiative. The process for collecting the NEXTMap dataset is currently undergoing certification by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). NEXTMap data will ultimately
enable an eTOD solution, which will help address cross-border harmonization issues in an effort to satisfy the need for uniformity and consistency in the provision of aeronautical information.

Developed in concert with several European-based air navigation service providers, the solution can potentially reduce the risk of collision with terrain and other obstacles by satisfying new reporting and accuracy requirements within well-defined distances surrounding aerodromes throughout Europe.

Available as early as Q2 2010, the solution will be compatible with existing planning tools and software, enable low upfront costs to the member states, and provide easy access to a seamless terrain and obstacle database that is centrally located.

“One of the most exciting aspects of helping make this solution available,” said Adam Denman, Intermap’s vice president and general manager for Europe, “is it will increase the safety of flights for crews and passengers by significantly reducing errors in the terrain and obstacle dataset here in Europe and by removing current issues associated with utilizing data in different coordinate systems from
neighboring countries.”

Contact Information:

Intermap
http://www.Intermap.com

RapidEye Successfully Completes Imaging Campaign in Afghanistan

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that it has completed a baseline image campaign covering the Helmand river basin in Afghanistan. The project was requested with an imaging window from November 3rd to December 4th, 2009 with the majority of the collection taking place during a 10 day from November 18th to 28th.

Covering over 250,000 square kilometers, the Helmand river basin is the largest in Afghanistan, accounting for almost half of the country's territory. It is the world’s largest opium production region. The project was initiated to obtain baseline imagery maps and ground cover information prior to the beginning of the 2010 growing season.

Since the river basin contains the largest production of opium in Afghanistan, it is essential to understand growth patterns and estimate yields in this area as part of the United Nations (UN), US and other efforts to suppress production. The wholesale value of the opium trade in Afghanistan was estimated at about $3 billion USD in 2008. With its red-edge band and broad area coverage the RapidEye satellite constellation is ideally suited for collecting and characterizing agricultural fields and can contribute greatly to these efforts.

Timeliness and accuracy of information is key when providing frequent agricultural monitoring. The RapidEye constellation of five satellites has the unrivaled ability to image individual fields, counties, states or countries on a frequent revisit cycle. The Helmand river basin project reinforced these capabilities, as the area around and including Lahkar Gah, the capital city of Helmand, was collected seven times in 23 days. RapidEye’s satellites can collect up to 4 million square kilometers of Earth Observation imagery every day and revisit any region on Earth on a near-daily basis thus assuring quick and reliable coverage of large areas at high resolution.

The imagery covering the Helmand river basin is now available for purchase to clients and partners worldwide. Additionally, many more million kilometers of Earth Observation data can be accessed through the RapidEye Library, which contains their entire catalog of products including their most recently collected satellite imagery, or through the RapidEye Geodata Kiosk by visiting www.geodatakiosk.com.

More information on RapidEye Products and Services can be found at the company’s website www.rapideye.de. Inquiries may be directed via email to sales@rapideye.de.

Contact Information:

RapidEye
http://rapideye.de

Stimulus SBA Loan Program Extended

The Small Business Administration has loan packages that include two important provisions credited with bringing back banks to small business lending. End result? Loans that are cheaper and easier to get. This program has been extended through February. A major package working its way through Congress, the Jobs for Main Street Act, if passed, will extend the program through next September. Read "Stimulus Relief Extended for SBA Loans" on the WSJ's website.

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine
http://www.profsurv.com

Stephen Gregerson Joins Hunsaker & Associates-Los Angeles

Hunsaker & Associates-Los Angeles (H&A-LA),a Valencia-based civil engineering firm, has added professional land surveyor Stephen Gregerson to its team. Mr. Gregerson brings more than thirty years’ experience in the application of surveying and project management principles and will assist H&A-LA and its clients in the budgeting, preparation and management of land surveys, as well as in all phases of planning, permitting and engineering design. He was previously with Psomas for fifteen years, beginning as Project Manager and advancing to Vice President.

“We’re excited to have such an accomplished professional join our firm,” said
H&A-LA Principal Jeannine Giem. “Steve’s comprehensive surveying and management skills combined with his successful leadership of project programs will be vital assets as we continue to expand and provide land surveying and engineering services.”

Most recently Mr. Gregerson provided consulting services for several large
developments in the southwestern U.S. Mr. Gregerson’s consulting services for these projects included preacquisition due diligence, planning, agency negotiations, permitting/entitlements, budgeting and title surveys for the various projects. He is also an acknowledged expert in the preparation of ALTA Surveys, including providing management and coordination services on a national basis for REIT’s, portfolio managers and lenders. Clients include the national divisions
of all major U.S. title insurers and real estate law firms, including the Times Mirror Corporation, Farmers Insurance, Hometown America, Affordable Residential Communities, Pirtcher, Nichols & Davis, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and Tosco/Unocal.

H&A-LA’s survey team has extensive expertise in all phases of surveying,
involving hundreds of projects throughout Southern California including specialized surveying for ALTA Surveys, aerial control surveys, construction/environmental staking, transportation, boundary, and property records. It is one of the few firms that pre-calculates 95% of the survey construction staking in the office, eliminating potential problems and construction delays.

Contact Information:

Hunsaker & Associates
http://www.hunsakerla.com

U.S. Army Geospatial Center Supports Haitian Relief Efforts

The U.S. Army Geospatial Center's Hydrologic and Environmental Analysis branch compiled earthquake, water and geology maps, as well as a number of other data sets and made them available via the AGC's public and internal Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) Web sites in support of U.S. humanitarian efforts to Haiti recently.

Haiti hydrogeologic maps, Military Capability Studies, water assessments and additional resources are available to Department of Defense (DoD), Federal agencies, and organizations that utilize Common Access Cards at https://cac.agc.army.mil/countries/Haiti.cfm. The Web page also provides
contact information for the Embassy of Haiti to the U.S. and to the U.S.
embassy in Port-au-Prince. Public access to the site is available at

"The initial water resource data provided for the effort to date includes point-specific water resource data on the existing water facilities, surface and ground water resources, the Haiti Water Resources Assessment (WRA), a country scale surface and ground water strategic planning study, and hydrogeologic maps," said Tom Spillman, Hydrologic and Environmental Analysis branch chief. "Coordination within the DoD water resources community has been, and continues to be, on-going to facilitate data sharing and leverage assets. Our Hydrologic Analysis Team (HAT) is currently reviewing and updating geospatial data within the Water Resources Data Base to meet anticipated requirements."

The AGC's HAT has mapped the existing water facility, surface, and ground water resources of Haiti in response to previous requirements. Numerous water well sites have been analyzed and military well logs have been collected and posted within the WRDB in support of previous DoD support missions.

Contact Information:

US Army
http://www.agc.army.mil/Haiti/index.html

ESRI Assists Haiti Earthquake Response

ESRI is working closely with the geographic information system (GIS) community and agencies responding to the Haiti earthquake by providing software, technical support, GIS data, and personnel. In the immediate aftermath of the earthquake—characterized as one of the worst natural disasters ever in the Western Hemisphere—GIS- is assisting in identifying areas of extreme damage, impacts to critical infrastructure, areas suitable for food and water distribution, and more. It gives officials critical information used for making all types of decisions.

Personnel and agencies helping the relief effort can take advantage of maps, data, software, and Web services available online through the ESRI Web site. Some of the data and services include a 25-meter reference grid of Haiti, an ESRI Geo Viewer, and Haiti basemap data from United Nations available on ArcGIS Online. In addition, ESRI-generated earthquake and recovery maps are available for both the media and public. ESRI will provide updates as they become available.

"Our job is to help where we can empower our users with better GIS support,” says Russ Johnson, director of public safety solutions for ESRI. “As soon as we learned of the terrible event in Haiti, we activated our emergency operational procedures to assist emergency services, humanitarian relief, health professionals, NGOs [nongovernmental organizations], and others. These organizations are working extremely hard to make a difference. We’re working to assist their efforts."

As aid and rescue workers pour into Port-au-Prince and other regions, GIS is playing an essential role in the assessment of priorities to get resources and people to the most critical areas. Organizations around the world are working around the clock to transport supplies to the hundreds of thousands of people in need. ESRI is supporting these activities to achieve the best possible response given the complex circumstances.

Contact Information:

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

Maptek announces new I-Site 8800 Laser Scanner for long range survey

Maptek has today announced the release of a new laser scanner - the I-Site 8800.

'The extra long range I-Site 8800 scanner has resulted from many years of research and development, building on our experience with manufacturing laser scanners suited to the demanding mining environment,' said Maptek I-Site General Manager Peter Johnson.

'The I-Site 8800 scanner has been designed from the ground up to take advantage of new technology. Surveyors will feel instantly at home with the end-to-end package,' he added.

The I-Site 8800 delivers the most advanced laser scanner technology for a scanner of this range, combining outstanding measurement accuracy with ease of use. The system maintains the efficient user interface, innovative design, and durability that our users have come to expect.

This survey instrument will deliver the best possible performance across a spectrum of applications, from close range detailed survey to long range topographic mapping.

Stockpile volumes, pit surveys and mapping can be completed faster than ever; even the largest open pits can be modelled in less than a day. The I-Site 8800 will outperform any other method for regular updates of production volumes and material reconciliation.

Adding to its outstanding accuracy and range, the I-Site 8800 is designed to match a surveyor’s workflow. Automatic tilt compensator, motorised alignment telescope, long-life integrated battery and powerful, touchscreen HHC and acquisition interface are just some features ensuring accuracy, reliability and ease of use.

An integrated 70 megapixel panoramic digital camera provides colour texture data which can be automatically applied to scan surfaces. Accurate geotechnical and geological mapping results can be safely achieved working directly from the 3D textures.

‘This versatility will see the I-Site 8800 system in great demand for mining, quarrying and civil earthworks,' commented Peter Johnson.

'Maptek customers expect us to develop technology that works, delivering solutions which make a tangible difference to their business. I am confident that this new scanner will meet their expectations and allow them to further drive the productivity of their operations.’

The scanner comes complete with Maptek I-Site Studio software, the leading point cloud processing, modelling and analysis software. The latest version contains new features to make scanning projects more efficient.

Maptek is producing the I-Site 8800 laser scanners at its purpose-built facility in Adelaide, South Australia.

'The expanded facility allows Maptek to deliver many units at very high quality. We are committed to maintaining our leading status in laser scanning technology,' Johnson concluded.

I-Site products are sold through Maptek's gobal office network, which also provides dedicated technical support.

International exposure of the new I-Site 8800 scanner will start with SPAR 2010 in Houston, Texas in February, followed by appearances at the Maptek Users Conference in South Africa in March, and the FIG International Congress in Sydney, Australia in April.

Contact Information:

Maptek
http://www.maptek.com

Tangible Construction Site Management

Strategic partners RIB and TOPCON will be staging an impressive live presentation of their joint solution at the Bauma 2010 trade fair. A construction machine will be linked wireless via TOPCON’s SiteLink server to RIB’s STRATIS software at the fair booth.

Visitors will be able to take a look at the office/machine interaction outside the building as well as at the TOPCON booth.

“The presentation in Munich is intended to introduce the benefits of the system by highlighting the effects of changes and the prompt reaction potential on the construction site enabled by the integrated solution,” explains Achiel Sturm, Construction Business Unit Manager of TOPCON EUROPE POSITIONING B.V. Andreas Dieterle, Product Manager Sales at RIB, adds: “Cross-section data is directly transmitted from the fair booth to the machine working outside. As soon as the machine has done its job, the information is sent back online to our software system via SiteLink.

Exact actual-target comparisons are possible at any time. Whenever there is a
change of plan, the machine is given the necessary data direct and can initiate
its new working processes immediately.”

The partners will present the integrated solution, consisting of TOPCON’s SiteLink and RIB‘s STRATIS, in Hall A3 at booth no. 227-229. Details of new products to be
exhibited in Munich will be given on the partners’ websites just before the fair begins.

Contact Information:

RIB/Topcon
http://www.rib-software.com

DeLorme Earthmate GPS Receivers Now Compatible with MyTopo Terrain Navigator Software

DeLorme, the innovation leader in mapping, GPS, and GIS technology, today announced a significant new compatibility between DeLorme Earthmate PN-Series handheld GPS receivers and MyTopo’s Terrain Navigator software suite.

Now, GPS waypoints and tracks collected on the PN-Series devices can be easily imported and displayed within Terrain Navigator map data.

This announcement represents a “best of both worlds” scenario for law enforcement, search and rescue volunteers, and others who rely on both Terrain Navigator mapping software and Earthmate PN-Series receivers.

PN-Series users can now simply save the waypoints and tracks onto an SD card in a .gpx file format. Terrain Navigator Pro will then import and directly display the waypoint and track files, which can be saved for a multitude of reference and planning needs.

“This simple enhancement is excellent news for both DeLorme and MyTopo,” said Jim Skillings, DeLorme Vice President, Business Division. “We can now provide users of Terrain Navigator software with direct access to our fast-growing portfolio of PN-series GPS technologies.”

“MyTopo is pleased that DeLorme has made changes to its GPS device to allow interoperability with our Terrain Navigator software,” added Kevin Toohill, CEO of MyTopo. “This will be welcomed by those who rely on both our products in the field.”

The DeLorme firmware solution avoids additional processing for format conversion. This is particularly important in time sensitive applications such as search and rescue.

Existing PN-Series users can download a free firmware update (Version 2.7) to enable the needed .gpx file saving capabilities. Henceforth, any PN-Series devices purchased with DeLorme XMap 7 software will already have the firmware update installed.

Contact Information:

DeLorme
http://www.delorme.com

Applanix POSPac 5.3 SP1 Release

POSPac MMS 5.3 Service Pack 1 for both download and release notes has been
issued and is now available on the Applanix web site at the following locations:

Airborne Products:
http://www.applanix.com/support/airborne-support/downloads-and-updates.html

Land Products:
http://www.applanix.com/support/land-support/downloads-and-updates.html

Marine Products:
http://www.applanix.com/support/marine-support/downloads-and-updates.html

Your password will be required to enter the download area. Should you have
any questions or concerns regarding this release please email our Customer Support team at techsupport@applanix.com.

Contact Information:

Applanix
http://www.applanix.com

Leica Builder Series Total Stations For Non-Technical Construction Professionals

Leica Geosystems announces the Leica Builder Series Total Stations designed
for construction contractors or anyone on a construction site requiring an easy-to-operate, full-feature measuring tool. From simple tasks to professional all-day use, the Leica Builder offers a scaled product family of five different models to meet the varying needs of most construction jobs. Contractors can choose from the 100-, 200-, 300-, 400-, or 500-Series models.

The Leica Builder Series is designed for non-technical construction professional to easily perform positioning, layout, or dozens of other daily construction-site tasks. To facilitate data transfer, some models feature a USB port-an industry first-while the 500 Series also has Bluetooth functionality.The Leica Builder Series offers the choice of two operation modes. Contractors can operate in 'stand-alone' mode via the on-board PowerSite construction programs with the memory
capabilities to collect, store and download data. Or there is an application available for contractors who prefer to use a data collector. The Builder can be coupled with the Leica DX-10 data collector and Siteforeman software. On-board PowerSite software is designed specifically for construction applications, eliminating surveying features that contractors may not need. Contractors do not require a surveying background in order to use the PowerSite software.

Intended for the construction site, the Leica Builder is designed to withstand dust, water, and other environmental conditions with an IP55 rating. The
entry model Leica Builder 100-Series is an electronic digital theodolite for horizontal and vertical angle measurements. Subsequent models, Leica Builder 200, 300, 400, and 500, are total stations available with reflectorless and/or prism measurement capabilities, data storage via USB memory stick and wireless communication for more useful functionality. All instruments are equipped with theft protection and support many different languages of which three can be
uploaded and switched at the push of a button. The Leica Builder is delivered packaged in a handy, crush-proof transport case with a set of accessories for out-of-the-box use.

More information about all new Leica Builder models at:
http://www.leica-geosystems.us/en/Theodolites_Leica-Builder-Series_79388.htm

Contact Information:

Leica
http://www.leica-geosystems.us

WhiteStar Introduces Streaming Imagery for Oil & Gas Exploration

WhiteStar Corp., a supplier of cartographic data products and services to the
energy industry, today introduced the WhiteStar Streaming Imagery product. Available by subscription, WhiteStar Streaming Imagery enables customers to view and stream high-resolution imagery directly into their digital mapping projects. “WhiteStar Streaming Imagery is delivered online in the standard web mapping service [WMS] format,” said WhiteStar President Robert White. “This
means oil & gas companies using ArcMap, PETRA or GeoGraphix for their mapping projects can access the imagery without leaving the software environment.”

WhiteStar introduced the Streaming Imagery product to facilitate the use of
high-resolution aerial photography and satellite imagery in hydrocarbon exploration and production projects. The WMS-compatible streaming format eliminates the time-consuming process of importing, balancing and mosaicking large image files. The data can be accessed in any WMS-compatible mapping software including ESRI ArcMap and ArcView, Halliburton GeoGraphix and IHS PETRA, Data included in the Streaming Imagery product is recent aerial and
satellite imagery collected since 2003. The entire online database has been orthorectified, tonally balanced, edge matched and stitched together to create a seamless nationwide mosaic. Spatial resolution is 0.5 meters in urban centers and one meter in most rural areas.

Customers can pan out or zoom into any area of interest in the country to a level of 1:2000 map scale, which is equivalent to a USGS quad map. “Streaming
Imagery data sets will be constantly updated with new images, so the data will never be more than a few years old,” said White. The WhiteStar Streaming Imagery solution includes access to nationwide road network and topographic contour datasets that overlay on the images. For clients with existing storehouses of raster imagery, the WhiteStar solution provides the option of archiving their own GeoTIFF files into the secure Streaming Imagery database for their exclusive use. This will give them on-demand access to their digital mapping data along with the WhiteStar imagery in the same easy-to-use WMS format.

Contact Information:

WhiteStar
http://www.whitestar.com
Steve Pickett
303-781-5182

Bowman Consulting Expands Its Virginia Beach Office

Contact Information:

Bowman Consulting
http://www.BowmanConsulting.com

RapidEye Covers 70% of Australia in 11 Months

RapidEye coverage from Feb 2009 – Dec 2009

RapidEye archive satellite imagery now extends across some 5.3 million sq km of Australia, representing almost 70% of the continent. This represents recent archive coverage, acquired since February 2009, at less than 10% cloud cover, and generally less than 15 degrees off-nadir imaging angle. Other key areas across Western Australia, Northern Territory, and Queensland are being captured over coming months, in addition to routine and on-going repeat coverage of tasking sites and agricultural districts across Australia.

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, has acquired over 26 million sq km of multi-temporal imagery over Australia. This imagery has less than 10% cloud cover and comprises almost 42,000 image tiles of 25 km x 25 km (625 sq km). The constellation of satellites has been in operation for less than 12 months.

“The quick collection of satellite imagery by RapidEye has demonstrated one of the systems advantages. RapidEye can routinely capture large areas in short time frames, providing clients with timely, cost-effective data.” says Gail Kelly, Business Development Manager of AAMHatch “This imagery will prove useful for a range of applications, including agribusiness, environment and pre-feasibility stages of many projects.”

AAMHatch is the distributor in Oceania for satellite data products from RapidEye. If you would like to request a quotation or obtain documents outlining the key advantages of RapidEye products, please email us at imagery@aamhatch.com

For more information on RapidEye satellite imagery, visit www.aamhatch.com/rapideye

Contact Information:

AAMHatch
http://www.aamhatch.com
Megan Bock, Marketing Coordinator
info@aamhatch.com

John M. Palatiello & Associates

John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc., a public affairs consulting firm providing government relations, public relations, association management, strategic planning, and management & marketing consulting services to firms and organizations, with an emphasis on the geospatial, engineering, infrastructure and technology communities, has been retained by PaMAGIC, the Pennsylvania Mapping and Geographic Information Consortium (www.pamagic.org), to facilitate the development of a GIS Coordination Council.

The coordination council was proposed in the Geospatial Coordination Strategic Plan for Pennsylvania that was developed under a Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) CAP grant and completed in May, 2009. Although legislation to create a council has been introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly, it has not been enacted. PaMAGIC has led efforts to win endorsement of a council among numerous geospatial stakeholders in Pennsylvania. John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc. is assisting PaMAGIC with a facilitated “congress” of endorsers to develop a strategy for creating the council.“Pennsylvania is one of the few states that do not have a council. Such a body is essential to the full deployment and utilization of GIS by state and local government, universities, the private sector, and non-profit organizations to enable government and make it more efficient and effective. We are confident that a strategy for making such a council a reality in Pennsylvania will be developed and implemented,” said John Palatiello, president of JMP&A.

More than 65 individuals representing more than a dozen organizations supporting a council participated in a January 14 session in Enola (Harrisburg), PA, facilitated by JMP&A, to develop a plan for getting a council established in the Keystone State.

JMP&A serves as association manager for MAPPS (www.mapps.org), the national association of private geospatial firms, COFPAES (www.cofpaes.org), the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural & Engineering Services, and BCFC (www.governmentcompetition.org), the Business Coalition for Fair Competition.

Formed in 1987, JMP&A has assisted more than 25 firms, organizations and
government agencies with public policy and commercial market issues with its staff of six professionals. The firm’s president, John M. Palatiello, is a member of the federal government’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee and was a member of an advisory panel to the Virginia General Assembly that led the effort to create a state council and program, the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN).

Contact Information:

John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc.
http://www.jmpa.us

MapMart Expands Online Offering to Include Ortho Imagery from Pictometry

MapMart , the most extensive online source of mapping and image data sets, announced an enhancement to its online offering: the availability of Pictometry orthogonal 6-inch resolution imagery for 38 cities in the United States and Canada which can be searched, previewed and purchased from the MapMart online geospatial portal at www.mapmart.com .

MapMart has offered individual tiles of Pictometry’s vertical and oblique imagery for several years and most recently made Pictometry Online software available on the MapMart Software portal giving users unlimited annual viewing of oblique and orthogonal images for an entire market.

“Pictometry’s vast image library contains imagery captured in all 50 states and locations and includes rural, high-growth, and urban areas which means there’s imagery that’s relevant to countless markets and users,” said Dante Pennacchia, Pictometry’s Chief Marketing Officer.

Pictometry International Corp. is the leading provider of geo-referenced aerial image libraries and aerial imagery solutions which offer users high resolution imagery that’s measurable. To learn more about Pictometry, visit www.pictometry.com and to learn more visit MapMart at www.mapmart.com or call 1-866-499-6277.

Contact Information:

MapMart
http://www.mapmart.com/

Brent Schwarz Named as Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Velodyne

Velodyne Lidar, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high definition lidar sensors,
today announced the appointment of Brent Schwarz to the position of vice president of sales and marketing. A 20-year veteran with proven success in sales and channel development, Schwarz will be responsible for implementing strategic marketing programs to educate customers on the benefits of using Velodyne’s lidar sensors in 3-D mobile mapping and autonomous navigation systems. He will also collaborate with potential customers on the best methods for utilizing lidar technology in new products and services.

“Brent brings extensive experience at start-ups as well as established enterprises where his sales experience and passion for marketing has propelled companies to the next level,” said Bruce Hall, president of Velodyne. “Brent’s strong background, especially in GPS technology, will be a tremendous benefit as more companies utilize our sensor in creating 3-D models to improve the performance and reliability of autonomous navigation systems and to collect 3-D data for use in GIS, smartphones, car navigation devices and other applications.” As a seasoned sales professional, Schwarz has held sales management roles at leading technology companies including Magellan Navigation, Intel and On Command Corporation.

Schwarz earned a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Colorado at Boulderand a Masters of Business Administration from Santa Clara University. “I am excited to join Velodyne,” said Schwarz. “The company has already created distinctive new opportunities for its lidar technology with defense contractors, heavy equipment OEMs and 3-D mobile-mapping system integrators. I look forward to being a catalyst for Velodyne’s
continued success.”

Contact Information:

Velodyne Lidar
http://www.velodynelidar.com

EngineerSupply Launches New Web Store for Engineering, Surveying and Construction Equipment

EngineerSupply, a leading supplier of engineering, surveying and construction
equipment, is proud to announce the launch its redesigned web store.
EngineerSupply’s newly updated webstore offers quick navigation through our wide variety of engineering, surveying and construction equipment.

The updated professional design gives customers a simple yet fulfilling online
shopping experience. Products are easy to find with our user-friendly
navigation. Purchases are quick and simple. Customer information is kept secure
with sophisticated security safeguards. Customers can login to our website to
check on their order at anytime. This will display current order status as well
as a tracking number if it has shipped.

Professionals around the country can access EngineerSupply’s impressive
collection of products, tips and techniques, and other instructional material.
EngineerSupply offers everything a local walk-in store has, with the addition of
low prices and extensive educational resources. We offer online access to press
releases, industry news, media guides, product demos, tutorials and much more.

"The newly-redesigned Webstore is the direct result of our commitment to offer
the best service to professionals in the surveying, construction and engineering
communities" says Rob Powell, owner of EngineerSupply. "Updates to
EngineerSupply.com have been developed from customer feedback. We will continue to listen to customer comments and upgrade our services to better serve them.”

In addition to the updated webstore EngineerSupply has added links to social
networking services. This provides a unique opportunity to EngineerSupply
customers, allowing them to easily communicate with EngineerSupply.com.
Customers can receive EngineerSupply updates through a wide variety of sources. EngineerSupply’s Twitter Page helps members keep track of site updates and information. Our online Facebook Fan Page allows customers and industry
professionals to share thoughts and questions. EngineerSupply’s YouTube Page
offers informative product videos and tutorials to help customers understand the
products and services we offer. Our new website makes it easy for users to sign
up for updates and promotional alerts through Email Alerts and our blog through
RSS Feeds. In addition to making customer feedback easier EngineerSupply will
use these resources to offer specials to network members. Such specials include
coupons, closeout and overstock notifications, free shipping offers and other
exclusive promotions.

The look has been updated, but the address is the same. Experience it all at
www.engineersupply.com!

Contact Information:

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

Riegl USA Announces New Airborne Laser Scanner LMS-Q680i

RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH has released its latest state-of-the-art
airborne laser scanner the LMS-Q680i. The new system is available for order in the United States immediately. With 266,000 measurements at the ground, this "Innovation in 3D" provides unrivaled point density performance and an unmatched laser pulse repetition rate of 400 KHz.

"The new LMS-Q680i offers the established industry-leading echo digitization for in-depth full waveform analysis, now smoothly combined with multiple-time-around signal processing. The combination allows the user to benefit from the high pulse rate also from high flight altitudes and thus to achieve high measurement densities on the ground," said Dr. Andreas Ullrich, RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems CTO.

A scan rate of up to 200 lines per second at a constant 60 degree field-of-view makes this product ideal for city modeling, power line monitoring and even large area and flood plain mapping. The scanner is also ideal for forestry, shoreline and DEM model generation applications.

"We are excited about the new system and we will continue with the exceptional workflows and best practices that our users find invaluable," said Riegl USA President, Jim van Rens.

There is an update available for current Riegl LMS-Q680 users. LMS-Q680 users
are encouraged to contact Riegl USA for additional details regarding the upgrade.

Contact Information:

Riegl
http://www.rieglusa.com

Merrick Providing LiDAR Services for Oklahoma Natural Resources Conservation Service

Merrick & Company is providing light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data collection and data processing services for 7,766 square miles of five watersheds located in Oklahoma. The work is being done under a contract with AMEC Earth & Environmental, who is the prime consultant, for the U.S. Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS). It is part of a five-year engineering and geospatial service indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contract for the watershed rehabilitation program that includes dam safety assessment, design, design review, flood inundation, and construction management. The data will be used by the USDA-NRCS for use in dam assessment and hydrologic and hydraulic models.

The LiDAR data is being collected between December 1, 2009 and February 28, 2010 over a snow-free terrain. The collected LiDAR data will be filtered to remove 95% or more of the vegetation, buildings, artifacts, man-made features, and noise. Deliverables will include classified LAS files and ESRI Digital Elevation Models (DEMs).

The Watershed Rehabilitation Program covers over 11,000 dams located in 47 states that have been built since 1948. Many of these dams are nearing the end of their 50-year design life and rehabilitation of the dams is needed to address critical public health and safety issues in these communities.

These watershed dams are part of the U.S.’ aging infrastructure that includes highways, bridges, and storm sewers. Local watershed projects represent a $15
billion investment in the national infrastructure. Local projects are federally assisted, not federally owned projects. Local sponsors own the dams and are responsible for their operation and maintenance.

Some of the work in the Watershed Rehabilitation Program is being funded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Benefits of Watershed Projects:

Watershed projects provide flood control, municipal and irrigation water supply, recreation, soil erosion control, water quality improvement, wetland development, and wildlife habitat enhancement on more than 130 million acres across the country. Annually the Watershed Program yields benefits of more than $1.6 billion.

Contact Information:

Merrick
http://www.merrick.com

Woolpert Upgrades Its Airborne Digital Sensors To Leica ADS80s

Woolpert announced today that the firm has upgraded its two Leica ADS40 airborne digital sensors to Leica ADS80 airborne digital sensors to support the firm’s commitment to advanced remote sensing and digital imagery collection.

The ADS80 is an upgraded version of the ADS40 and provides increased
resolution as well as improved hardware and engineering. Woolpert purchased the sensor head SH82 configuration, which allows for stereo viewing of infrared imagery to further support the firm’s advance remote sensing capabilities.

“Over the past five years, Leica’s ADS technology has proven to be a leader
in large-format digital imagery,” said Jeff Lovin, Woolpert vice president and director of geospatial services. “We have been both very pleased and impressed with the reliability and performance of this technology, which has been key in our decision to upgrade our Leica ADS40s.”

Woolpert has partnered with Leica Geosystems for imaging technology throughout the past 20 years, starting when the firm purchased the RC20 aerial camera system in 1989. Woolpert has completed many landmark projects using ADS technology, including several statewide imagery mapping programs and
various large-scale federal projects, since the firm first acquired the ADS technology in 2005.

Contact Information:

Woolpert
http://www.woolpert.com

RapidEye Delivers Images of Haiti's Damaged Areas

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, announced today that it has completed imaging of all of the regions in Haiti that have been most affected by the 7.0-magnitude earthquake that hit the area on January 12.
Despite the unfavorable weather in this area, RapidEye managed to image more
than 80 percent of this large area between January 13 and 17, 2010 from an orbit of 630 km. The images clearly show the extensive damage to the region around the epicenter of the earthquake at 18°27'05''N /72°26'40''W.

RapidEye is concentrating on delivering these and future images of Haiti at no cost to governmental and non governmental help organizations and institutions in need of the most current Earth Observation information available for this region. If your organization is involved in emergency efforts for this devastating
event, please contact sales@rapideye.de. Additionally, RapidEye makes the imagery available for purchase on the Geodata Kiosk at www.geodatakiosk.com. General inquiries for the imagery can be sent to sales@rapideye.de. More information on RapidEye Products and Services can be found at the company’s website www.rapideye.de.

RapidEye has made these images available for editorial use at their website www.rapideye.de. They may be published for editorial use only, in hard copy, electronic or in broadcast format, provided that credit is provided to “RapidEye”
on all such products.

Contact Information:

RapidEye
http://www.rapideye.de

Digital Aerial Solutions Enters LiDAR Market with Leica Geosystems’ ALS60 LiDAR Sensor

Leica Geosystems’ six-year relationship with Digital Aerial Solutions (DAS), a full-service commercial provider of digital aerial imagery and geospatial products, was further strengthened by DAS’ purchase of Leica Geosystems’ ALS60 airborne LiDAR scanner, the company’s third-generation LiDAR (light detection and ranging) system.

Already an avid Leica ADS40 digital airborne user, the new Leica ALS60 technology complements DAS’ existing aerial imaging capabilities to provide an efficient and cost-effective means to acquire accurate, terrain elevation data and create high-resolution digital terrain models (DTMs), digital elevation models (DEMs) and topographical map products for a variety of project applications. "We are excited to add new technology such as the Leica ALS60 LiDAR system, which
further enables DAS to compete in the highly technical field of geospatial surveying and remote sensing and increase our ability to serve our customers’ needs,” said Mitch Jordan, Vice President of Program Management for DAS, based in Tampa, Florida.

With the Leica ALS60’s modular platform, DAS will be able to integrate additional airborne sensors to offer concurrent, high quality airborne images from its LiDAR surveys, providing clients with an additional visual perspective of their survey area.

"We at Leica Geosystems are very pleased with this opportunity to help DAS, Inc. expand its business with their addition of LiDAR technology using the
ALS60 system,” said George Southard, Leica Geosystems’ Vice President
Americas, Digital Imaging. “It has been very exciting over the past several years to watch DAS grow and support its advance in this very dynamic industry we share."

Contact Information:

Leica/Digital Aerial Solutions
http://www.digitalaerial.com

Ashtech Introduces the ProMark 500 V4.0 GNSS Receiver

Ashtech (formerly Magellan Professional) today announced the release of the ProMark 500 V4.0 GNSS receiver for high-performance RTK surveying.

Key new features of the release include:
-Faster signal acquisition and improved tracking capability
-Auto dial for easier connection to RTK networks and automatic reconnect to last mount point.
-USB key plug and play product configuration.
-RTC bridge to relay GSM/GPRS RTK network corrections to multiple rovers via license-free radios
-U-Link TRx radio repeater support
-Virtual antenna for improved equipment integration within a heterogeneous set of surveying equipment.
-L2C signal support.
-20 Hz RTK and data output option.

New Software upgrades available for the V4.0 release include:
-FAST Survey field software upgrade.
-GNSS Solutions office software upgrade that includes new geoids and new utilities.

Current users can fully benefit from these new features via a simple system upgrade. Like virtually all Ashtech firmware and software upgrades, the upgrade is free by visiting the Ashtech FTP site for new software downloads. http://www.ashtech.com/en/support/ Current Users can also contact their resellers about the upgrade.

Contact Information:

Ashtech
http://www.ashtech.com

Safe Software Introduces FME 2010

Safe Software is excited to introduce our greatest breakthrough yet. FME 2010 - which includes new versions of FME Desktop and FME Server – promises to make it easier than ever before for you to access and use spatial data. Discover for yourself why FME 2010 is out of this world.

Regional FME User Meetings: 2010: An FME Odyssey

Join us in a city near you as we blast off on a 10-city tour across North America. These complementary events will help you get all the highlights on FME 2010, gain new insights from user presentations and discover best practices for solving your spatial data access challenges.

Contact Information:

Safe Software
http://www.safe.com/aboutus/events/2010-An-FME-Odyssey/overview.php

Juniper Systems introduces Everglade Comprehensive Wetland Delineation Data Collection and Mapping

Juniper Systems, Inc., a manufacturer of innovative mobile field computing solutions for rugged applications, announces the release of Everglade, a mobile wetland delineation data collection solution.

The Everglade solution combines the power and ruggedness of Juniper Systems mobile computing platforms with a rapid, accurate, and efficient wetland data capture and reporting solution. Everglade is a comprehensive mobile data
collection application that meets wetland delineation requirements as defined by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers (USACE) for tabular and spatial data collection.

The Everglade solution simplifies the wetland delineation data collection process by providing easy to use forms and simple spatial data collection tools. Transcription errors and time-per-project are reduced through the use of drop-down menus and searchable databases. Map production is enhanced through a common data storage location and spatial projection of all spatial data.

The Everglade mobile component, EvMobile, captures required tabular data as specified in the USACE regional determination forms through a comprehensive, easy to use form driven interface. EvMobile provides access to an extensive plant database with associated regional wetland indicators for species. Using a directly connected or Bluetoothr GPS, EvMobile captures spatial data in standard shapefile format for mapping in any GIS application. Using real-time, sub-meter receivers, EvMobile captures spatial data that meets USACE standards for spatial data
capture. Spatial data generated using Juniper Systems, Inc. Everglade solution meets the USACE map projection requirements.

The Everglade desktop component, EvDesktop, is used to create, manage, and synchronize field projects while providing a platform to evaluate, edit, and export finalized reports. EvDesktop installs with five United States Army Corp of Engineers regions available for immediate use in wetlands delineation projects in the contiguous United States. EvDesktop manages field project deployment and facilitates evaluation and editing of data upon return from field data collection. EvDesktop completes prevalence and dominance worksheets and exports a completed USACE formatted wetland delineation form to the common .doc format
which may be opened in any common word editor. Exported forms may be printed, emailed, or pasted into final reports.

Demonstration software and additional information can be accessed by visiting www.junipersys.com or follow EvergladeMobile on Twitter.com for updates and notices.

Contact Information:

Juniper Systems
http://www.junipersys.com

U.S. Borders Redrawn

by Jeff Salmon
Now that I’ve got your attention, here’s an interesting look at several U.S. maps
redrawn to take into account political and economic trends. Plus, if you haven’t seen it yet, a version of Prof. Igor Panarin’s redrawn U.S. map. He’s the former KGB analyst and a dean of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s academy who is predicting a Soviet-style breakup of the U.S. in 2010. According to this map, I need to learn to add “eh” to my speech pattern, as Colorado will be part of Canada this year. Funny! Read “Borderline Reality” on New Geography’s website.

RIEGL Airborne Laser Scanner LMS-Q680i

Riegl LMS-Q680i provides 266,000 measurements on the ground, using a laser pulse repetition rate of 400 kHz. A scan rate of up to 200 lines per second at a constant 60 degrees field of view provides an evenly distributed point pattern of high resolution for various applications like city modelling, power line monitoring, and even large area and flood plain mapping. With its specific multiple target capability the new scanner is the first choice for forestry and DEM model generation applications.

"The new LMS-Q680i offers the established industry-leading echo digitization for indepth full waveform analysis, now smoothly combined with multiple-timearound signal processing. This combination allows the user to benefit from the high pulse rate also from high flight altitudes and thus to achieve high measurement densities on the ground" said Dr. Andreas Ullrich, CTO at RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems GmbH.

Contact Information:

RIEGL
http://www.riegl.com/

Trimble Introduces New Additions to its Optical Total Station Portfolio

Trimble introduced today a wide range of new additions to its innovative portfolio of optical survey systems, giving surveyors a comprehensive selection of solutions for surveying and engineering applications.

“Surveying firms require flexible and integrated solutions to stay competitive. This is why Trimble’s Connected Site solutions are becoming the industry standard in Integrated Surveying techniques,” said Chris Gibson, vice president for Trimble’s Surveying Division. “One of our key objectives is to deliver versatile and scalable solutions that enable surveyors to quickly adapt to new market conditions.”

Trimble S8 Total Station

Originally introduced in 2007, the Trimble S8 Total Station is Trimble's most advanced Autolock and Robotic total station. New 0.5” accuracy models have been added for demanding engineering projects such as monitoring, precision build, and high-speed railway applications that require the highest levels of accuracy available.

The Trimble S8 Total Station product line has also been extended to include a new model with video-enabled robotic control to improve surveyors’ productivity. Trimble VISION technology gives surveyors the ability to remotely see and measure with live video feed from the instrument on their data controller. Surveyors can see everything the instrument sees without a trip back to the tripod. The total station’s system integrates survey data with the live video on the controller so surveyors can verify their work and ensure that they have captured everything before leaving the job. Photo documentation also allows surveyors to complement the data they provide to clients with images of the job conditions, making the data easier to understand. This new Trimble S8 model also includes Trimble DR Plus™ technology, which dramatically extends the total station’s reflectorless measurement range, saving time by reducing instrument set-ups.

Designed to deliver unsurpassed performance and productivity for surveying, the Trimble S8 Total Station is supported by Trimble Access and Trimble Survey Controller field software and Trimble Business Center office software to take full control of surveying and data analysis. For engineering applications, the Trimble S8 Total Station can be paired with other office and field solutions such as Trimble 4D Control software and specialized applications for Trimble Access software.

Trimble S6 Total Station

The new Trimble S6 Total Station provides surveyors with scalability and flexibility. It includes the long-range EDM performance of Trimble DR Plus technology, making it capable of direct reflex measurements at more than double the range of previous models. Longer range means fewer instrument set-ups and easier access to more locations, saving surveyors time and money.

With Servo, Autolock and Robotic options now available, the Trimble S6 is fully upgradable, enabling surveyors with a path for long-term growth. Engineered with MagDrive servo technology, the Trimble S6 silently spins the instrument at 115 degrees per second for fast operations. With its exclusive MultiTrack technology and Target ID capabilities, surveyors can choose the type of target, passive or active, that best suits the jobsite conditions and be confident that they can find and lock to the correct target. The robotic Trimble S6 instrument also supports Trimble GPS Search, a feature in Trimble field software, which uses GPS to quickly locate a lost prism on a rover. In less than 3 seconds the Trimble S6 can move to the correct position and lock onto the robotic rover. With Trimble’s unique SurePoint accuracy assurance technology, the Trimble S6 Total Station aims and stays, despite windy weather, vibrations, handling, or tripod settling, to ensure accurate pointing and measurement.

Trimble S3 Total Station

The Trimble S3 Total Station product line now includes new Autolock and Servo-only models with an on-board control panel for streamlined performance in the field. The Trimble S3 includes everything needed to perform efficient surveying projects: precision positioning performance and powerful data collection in an integrated, ergonomic solution for convenient, all-day use. It is built on proven, reliable, Trimble functionality such as Trimble DR technology for range measurement without a prism to almost any type of surface.

With Trimble Survey Controller on board, the Trimble S3 provides the foundation for Trimble’s Integrated Surveying solutions. With Integrated Surveying, surveyors can seamlessly integrate complementary technologies on the job site, such as Trimble GPS/GNSS and optical measurements, which allows them to use the most appropriate tool for the jobsite conditions.

Trimble M3 Mechanical Total Station

Lightweight, compact and rugged, the new Trimble M3 Total Station delivers powerful mechanical technology, backed by Trimble’s world-class training, service and support network. Ergonomic controls, plus an integrated screen and keyboard, streamline and simplify the surveyor’s work. World-class Nikon optics provide proven clarity, quality and precision for improved aiming and operation.

Easy to learn and operate, the Trimble M3 is built on mechanical measurement expertise and proven Trimble software tools. The Trimble M3 includes robust data collection and calculation tools with the new on-board Trimble Digital Fieldbook software for fast results in the field.

Trimble VX Spatial Station

The new Trimble VX Spatial Station adds the long-range reflectorless capacity of Trimble DR Plus technology to collect more data with fewer instrument setups and extends the range of scanning operations. Surveyors can capture and combine 3D scanning, imaging and surveying deliverables as well as create enhanced 2D and 3D deliverables for rich information management on projects—all with a single, easy-to-use solution.

With the ability to capture metric images with the Trimble VX in the field, surveyors can continue taking additional measurements back in the office and further attribute data using the industry standard Trimble RealWorks software. With Trimble RealWorks, surveyors can easily show clients their detailed work via 3D walkthroughs of the job site combining survey data, images, and scanned information all from the Trimble VX.

First introduced in 2007, the Trimble VX Spatial Station continues to revolutionize the scope of services that surveyors, engineers, mapping and geospatial professionals can offer as well as provide them with an entry into spatial imaging and spatial information applications.

Trimble’s Connected Site Solutions

Trimble’s Connected Site solutions for surveyors create seamless working relationships among Trimble products, technologies and services through support, infrastructure and partnerships. Through the Connected Site, Trimble is focused on providing solutions that address the customer’s full work process. By carefully combining technology innovation with a deep understanding of the users’ workflows, data integration and maintenance needs across the lifecycle of the project, Trimble helps surveyors reach new levels of productivity for their business.

Availability

The new optical total station solutions are expected to be available in February 2010 from Trimble’s worldwide survey distribution network.

Contact Information:

Cadcorp announces Workload Modeller for UK fire services market

Digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software developer Cadcorp has announced the release of a new application for GIS users in the Fire Service sector. The Cadcorp Workload Modeller extends the range of applications
available to fire services that are based on the Cadcorp SIS – Spatial Information System product suite. It has already been deployed at a number of UK Fire Services.

Cadcorp’s Workload Modeller provides transparent and flexible methods to model current resource workload against historic incident databases. Fire services are able to monitor levels of efficiency whilst also modelling ‘what if’ situations. The application significantly benefits emergency planning activities while providing a greater understanding of existing resilience. It helps satisfy the business needs of fire and rescue authorities which are increasingly driven by integrated risk management planning (IRMP) which, amongst other things, sets out when and where people and resources are needed and how they will be used.

Vikki Sharpe, Technical and Operational Support (Tops) Directorate of West Midlands Fire Service commented ”The Cadcorp Workload Modeller has allowed
us to filter data quickly and effectively; predict at which fire stations the available appliances should be based to best address the selected level of demand, and to run scenario analysis which predicts impacts on performance. This software is easy to use, flexible and reliable, results are transparent and can be analysed.”

“The Cadcorp Workload Modeller is a significant extension to the range of applications available to Fire Services that are based on Cadcorp SIS”, said Mike O’Neil, managing director, Cadcorp. “We intend to provide further applications support to our users in this sector in the future”.

Contact Information:

Cadcorp
http://www.cadcorp.com

Velodyne Lidar Expands Global Reseller Network

Velodyne Lidar, Inc., a leading manufacturer of high definition 3-D lidar sensors, has secured international agreements with five major distributors worldwide to expand marketing for the company’s sensor products. The extended distributor network includes offices in Germany, China, Israel, South Korea and the UK.

The Velodyne HDL-64E is used by commercial, government and defense organizations for high-precision 3D mapping, surveying and security along with applications for terrestrial and marine autonomous vehicles and robotics. The new distributors are the exclusive channel for distributing the sensor in their respective regions and each brings their own unique expertise and strategic regional strengths: IfTAS in Germany; LumiSol inSouth Korea; RAM-Robots representing Israel; Zektek in China and Mapix Technologies in the UK.

“As Velodyne continues its worldwide growth, we are delighted to expand the distribution of our HDL sensors with these new companies in key areas around the world,” said Bruce Hall, president of Velodyne. “We have chosen these distributors for their ability to effectively market Velodyne lidar products and we look forward to a successful and strategic relationship.”

The HDL-64E lidar sensor, with a patented one-piece design, uses 64 fixed-mounted lasers spread over a 27 degree vertical field to create a 3D digital model of the surrounding environment. The sensor produces a 360-degree 3D point cloud at refresh rates of 5 – 20 Hz and a density of more than 1.3 million data points per second – providing several orders of magnitude more data than conventional lidar sensors.

Contact Information:

Velodyne Lidar
http://www.velodynelidar.com

URISA Grants a One Year Complimentary Membership to All New GISPs

The URISA Board of Directors has voted to award new GIS Professionals (GISP) a complimentary one year membership valued at $175. The title of GISP is granted by the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) to those people who have met the educational, professional experience, and professional contribution requirements as set out by the GISCI. Beginning with the December 2009 class, all new GISPs (who are not already URISA members) are eligible for this free membership offer. URISA is granting this award in order to recognize the accomplishments and support the professional contributions of GISPs in the future.

Contact Information:

URISA
http://www.urisa.org/

Economic Indicators to Watch

by Jeff Salmon
We’re all so busy with our day-to-day activities that sometimes we need to step back and look at the big picture. Watching larger economic trends can help when planning your business. Here at PSM’s website we try to relay updates on housing, stimulus, and so on. Here’s an article on the WSJ’s website that covers five big economic indicators to watch and links to get the latest data. Read “Small Business Economic Indicators.”

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine
http://www.profsurv.com

Full Operational Capability

DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2 satellite has achieved full operational capability. Imagery from the satellite is now available to global resellers, partners, and
customers. Launched on October 8, 2009, WorldView-2 joins DigitalGlobe's sub-metre satellites, QuickBird and WorldView-1, on orbit. The satellite significantly expands the constellation's collection capacity, enabling an annual imaging capacity equivalent to three times the area of earth's land mass, and allows for intraday revisit, providing customers with the most timely, relevant imagery available in the commercial market.

WorldView-2 is also the industry's first commercial high-resolution satellite to offer eight multispectral bands, which provide more spectral information and allow for greater analysis capabilities, including improved feature identification and change detection.

"Today's achievement is an exciting milestone for both DigitalGlobe and the satellite imagery industry as a whole," said Jill Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of DigitalGlobe. "Our three satellite constellation, together with our comprehensive ImageLibrary, will enable us to provide our customers with more comprehensive high-resolution imagery coverage of the world faster than ever before. The innovation offered by WorldView-2, including industry leading agility and the unique eight multispectral bands, will bring new value to the earth imaging industry and imagery's every day users."

Contact Information:

DigitalGlobe
http://www.digitalglobe.com

MAPublisher Now Supports Spatial Database Import

MAPublisher 8.2 now supports the import of spatial databases directly into Adobe Illustrator. The latest version of MAPublisher features the new Spatial Database add-on to import ESRI Personal, File and ArcSDE geodatabase feature classes directly into Adobe Illustrator CS3 and CS4.

You can now import feature classes from ESRI Personal, File and ArcSDE geodatabases using MAPublisher Simple or Advanced Import. Supported geometry types include: point, polyline, polygon, bezier curve, and annotations. Create new connections to one or many ArcSDE geodatabases and save, edit and remove connections for easy management of multiple data sets.

Enjoy great flexibility in building SQL statements to limit the number of objects and attributes imported from a single feature class. Search for feature classes and attributes, use the interface to build a query, and validate query statements to limit import errors. Also, perform multiple queries across multiple feature classes within the same geodatabase.

Use a spatial filter to limit the geographic area for the data being imported. Enter new coordinates values using the selected file source coordinate system or using an alternate coordinate system.

Contact Information:

MAPublisher
http://www.avenza.com/

Magellan Professional Renamed Ashtech

Magellan Professional announced that effective immediately its brand name has been changed to Ashtech.

In commenting on the name change, François Erceau, vice-president and general manager said: "We have enjoyed the power of Ashtech in the professional GNSS market, and I am sure the rebirth of the Ashtech name is great news for all our customers and the market in general. Ashtech brings a remarkable legacy of technology, precision, and innovation, but the `new Ashtech' is a venture for the
21st century. We plan through 2010 a number of product launches and initiatives providing new and compelling Ashtech offerings to GNSS professionals. We are thrilled and proud to be Ashtech again."

To complement the name change, Ashtech is introducing a totally new logo. The new logo conveys the precision our customers expect from our products, and it sports a trendy new look that updates the well-recognized Ashtech brand bringing it firmly into the 21st century.

Contact Information:

Magellan Professional/Ashtech
http://ashtech.com

2010: Year of the (Chinese) Tiger?

by Jeff Salmon
I get this at work a lot: The decline of the U.S. and the rise of China and India. Our best days are behind us. China will be the new superpower. Yadda, yadda, yadda.

You’ll pardon me for pointing out this contrary view: “Don't Give Up On The U.S.”
on New Geography’s website. The author, Joel Kotkin, points out several demographic, economic, political, and cultural reasons why the U.S. is
not ready for the dustbin of history quite yet.

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine
http://www.profsurv.com

Valtus Customers Now Able to Order Imagery by Uploading a Shapefile

Valtus Imagery Services, a division of North West Geomatics Ltd. is pleased to announce a significant new feature has been added to the Spatial Data Store.

Valtus now offers its customers the ability to purchase orthorectified digital imagery from the online store by uploading a shapefile.

"We are extremely excited that we are now able to offer our customers a more convenient method of getting the data they need, how the need it" stated Tammy Peterson, business manager. "This the first in a series of customer driven enhancements planned for 2010."

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.

Contact Information:

Valtus
http://www.valtus.com

HP Introduces Innovative New and Upgraded Products at CES 2010

from http://www.mcadcafe.com/
By David Heller

HP arrived at CES 2010 with a bevy of new and upgraded products, including a new and improved touch tablet, an exciting line-up of portable workstations and netbook computers, an upgraded series of desktop computers, a brand new cost effective and powerful workstation, some new high performance displays, an upgraded SkyRoom web collaboration tool, and one of my favorites, the Notebook Projector Companion.

I had a chance to experience all these new and innovative products and have selected my six favorites to overview here.

Contact Information:

HP
http://www.hp.com

GRAFCAN Purchases UltraCamXp with Wide Angle

Vexcel Imaging GmbH, a Microsoft company, has signed a purchase agreement with Cartográfica de Canarias, S.A. (GRAFCAN) for the purchase of an UltraCamXp Wide Angle, a new version of the UltraCam large format digital aerial camera system that features a wide-angle lens with a shorter focal length. The wide-angle lens offers customers with lower-flying planes exceptional small-scale mapping capabilities.

”After a thorough study of the top large format digital aerial cameras available today, we decided the UltraCamXp Wide Angle is the best choice to launch our company into the digital aerial market,” said Mr. Bernardo Pizarro, General Manager, GRAFCAN. “The large footprint of the UltraCamXp Wide Angle allows us to collect more high-quality imagery cost effectively.”

The UltraCamXp Wide Angle has the largest footprint available and can collect data at a rate of 2.5 Gbits per second. In addition, digital technology removes the need for film/photo processing and scanning, and speeds up geometric processing activities. The combined time and cost savings are a true advantage for the digital aerial provider. GRAFCAN offers a full range of GIS, geodesy, basic and thematic cartography, photogrammetry, surveying, and image processing services.

“We are happy to help GRAFCAN transition from analog to digital technology,” said Alexander Wiechert, Business Director of Microsoft and Managing Director for Vexcel Imaging GmbH. “The UltraCamXp Wide Angle is a perfect resource for a company serving a variety of customers when quality imagery and fast turnaround are key factors for success.”

Contact Information:

GRAFCAN
http://www.grafcan.com

ERDAS Launches ERDAS APOLLO 2010

ERDAS Inc. announces the availability of ERDAS APOLLO 2010, the geospatial industry’s leading enterprise-class data management, delivery and collaboration solution.

ERDAS APOLLO 2010 is equipped to fully understand, competently manage and rapidly serve large volumes of vector, raster and terrain data. ERDAS APOLLO implements an out-of-the box Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), that provides a publish, find and bind workflow for any data type. Integrating ERDAS Image Web Server and ERDAS TITAN, ERDAS APOLLO is now available in three tiers to cater to any organization’s management, collaboration and delivery needs.

“From a low-cost, remarkably fast image and feature server to a comprehensive data management and on demand geoprocessing system, ERDAS APOLLO provides unprecedented performance, even when handling the largest data archives,” said Mladen Stojic, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, ERDAS. “Extremely scalable, ERDAS APOLLO provides rapid delivery of unprecedented volumes of geospatial information to domain specific desktop and web client applications.”

ERDAS APOLLO contains the most interoperable geoprocessing services in the industry. Users can run an entire model (such as change detection), completely contained within a single Web Processing Service (WPS). ERDAS APOLLO includes the fastest image delivery system on the market, with the high performance streaming imagery protocol ECWP.

ERDAS APOLLO embraces OGC services, making them a native implementation. Seamlessly integrating with GIS environments, ERDAS APOLLO also leverages existing business systems, such as the Oracle database for persisting intelligent metadata and application specific information.

For organizations that require interoperable cataloging and delivery of imagery, terrain and vector data through OGC Web Services to any client application, ERDAS APOLLO Essentials—SDI is appropriate. Government organizations with geospatial data that needs to be shared via a public access website can easily do this with ERDAS APOLLO Essentials—Image Web Server. This unique, low-cost product provides high-speed access to large volumes of imagery on a minimum hardware set.

Organizations that need to manage massive amounts of geospatial data need ERDAS APOLLO Advantage. The data may be redundant and distributed across multiple departments or offices. Often, this data needs to be rapidly delivered to users based on their role and permissions in the enterprise. ERDAS APOLLO Advantage can deliver the raw data as well as a single, homogenous dataset without creating multiple service layers (supporting the same data types as ERDAS
IMAGINE). ERDAS APOLLO Advantage provides automated data and metadata
harvesting, crawling, indexing and schedulers, with a secured hierarchical data model.

For users that need to manage data, as well as perform on-demand spatial analysis to extract information, ERDAS APOLLO Professional is appropriate. ERDAS APOLLO Professional offers a powerful geoprocessing (WPS) component, unrivaled in complex algorithms. ERDAS APOLLO Professional enables server-side geoprocessing of geospatial data contained within a Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI). With ERDAS APOLLO Solution Toolkit, users can extend ERDAS APOLLO web clients or create new ones. Users can develop vertical market applications using an
extensible web and rich client application framework. Supporting numerous vector and raster data formats, users can also customize support for new or classified formats.

Product downloads, collateral and licensing information are available on the ERDAS website. Media kits will begin shipping later this month to software maintenance customers. To learn more about ERDAS APOLLO 2010, please visit www.erdas.com, or call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS.

Contact Information:

ERDAS
http://www.erdas.com

R.A. Smith National Promotes Paul Taivalkoski to Survey Operations Manager

R.A. Smith National (formerly R.A. Smith & Associates and its National Survey & Engineering Division) — civil engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, geographic information systems (GIS) and 3D visualization consultants — Brookfield, Wis., has promoted Paul Taivalkoski to Survey Operations Manager. Taivalkoski has more than 30 years of varied survey experience, including 20 years with R.A. Smith National’s Survey Division. His responsibilities include the daily operations of the Survey Division, business development and overseeing construction staking services.

Taivalkoski lives in Sussex, Wisconsin.

Contact Information:

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

GeoEye RoadTracker 2.0 Now Available for Overwatch’s Feature Analyst

Overwatch, an operating unit of Textron Systems, a Textron Inc. company, announced today the availability of RoadTracker 2.0 for Overwatch’s award-winning feature-extraction software, Feature Analyst.

RoadTracker 2.0 extends the ease-of-use and time-saving advantages of Feature Analyst by adding new capabilities for the many government and industry users of Feature Analyst’s suite of tools. The upgraded application, functional on any road surface type using either panchromatic or multi-spectral imagery, accelerates the collection of roads and other linear features from satellite or aerial imagery by up
to a factor of four. This tool also includes automatic feature attribution and other smart editing capabilities that greatly improve speed, accuracy and workflow when collecting map-quality linear features.

“RoadTracker 2.0 provides the most rigorous and cartographically accurate approach for semi-automated linear feature collection in the industry,” said Stuart Blundell, director of Business Development for Overwatch. “With new enhancements in auto-topology editing, feature attribution and editing, this release addresses enterprise geospatial data production requirements for timely and accurate linear feature extraction from imagery.”

GeoEye’s senior director of Advanced System Development, Dr. Jacek F. Grodecki, added, “We originally developed RoadTracker for the U.S. Government and many of its contractors to increase the speed and accuracy of manual road extractions. RoadTracker 2.0 expands upon this concept by delivering a full suite of extraction and editing tools that vastly increases extraction efficiency, saving the end user both time and expense.”

Feature Analyst is an automated feature extraction extension that enables GIS analysts to rapidly and accurately collect vector feature data from high-resolution satellite and aerial imagery. Feature Analyst incorporates multi-attribute learning algorithms to also enable analysts to collect linear and polygonal features such as roads, hydrologic features, trails, buildings, vegetation, land-cover/land-use
and many other features. Feature Analyst improves optimizes workflows for maintaining the temporal currency of geographic data.

For more information on Feature Analyst and RoadTracker, or to try a free demo, visit www.featureanalyst.com.

Contact Information:

Overwatch
http://www.overwatch.com

Sokkia Introduces the GRX1

Sokkia Corporation announces the new GRX1 GNSS system that includes the new SHC250 data collector, as well as a new controller and post-processing software.

Denny Welch, senior vice president and general manager, Survey Business Unit, said, “These new products further strengthen the entire Sokkia product lineup.”

He said the new GRX1 GNSS receiver has an integrated antenna, digital UHF radio, GSM module, Bluetooth module and detachable battery in a “compact, rugged, magnesium-alloy body.” Its fully upgradeable features “allow users to start with an entry model for L1 GPS that can be upgraded to L1 GPS+GLONASS, to L1/L2 GPS, up to 72-channel L1/L2 GPS+GLONASS receiver.”

The new SHC250 data collector incorporates the latest Windows Mobile 6.5 OS, built-in Bluetooth modem and the new Spectrum Survey Field software “that fully controls the GRX1 receiver with unsurpassed ease and speed,” Welch said.

“This new GNSS system provides unmatched versatility and usability in RTK, network RTK and static applications that require millimeter or centimeter positioning accuracy,” he said.

The GRX1 GNSS receiver features:

- Fully upgradeable, dual-frequency, 72-channel GPS+GLONASS receiver;

- Triple wireless technologies – digital UHF radio (Rx/Tx), GSM/GPRS modem and Bluetooth module are available as integrated options. This allows an array of data communication choices for RTK correction, both at a base station and at a rover;

- Voice messages notify the users when RTK is fixed or lost, along with other notifications, eliminating a need for repeated visual checks of the controller display; and

- Advanced data storage capability via SD and SDHC memory cards.

The SHC250 data collector features:

- Windows Mobile 6.5 OS;

- 806MHz XScale processor;

- 256MB SDRAM / 1GB Flash memory;

- 3.7 in. VGA touch-screen display;

- Built-in Bluetooth wireless module;

- IP66 dust- and water-protection; and

- SD/SDHC card slot / CF card slot.

The new controller software, Spectrum Survey Field, and the comprehensive GNSS software, Spectrum Survey Office, will also support existing Sokkia GPS receivers.

“The GRX1 joins the ‘X’ family of instruments which represents the ‘ultimate in precision and reliability’ ensured by the Sokkia brand,” Welch said.

The new Sokkia GNSS system will be available in early 2010.

Contact Information:

Sokkia
http://www.sokkia.com

URISA Has Educational Resources for GIS Professionals

In addition to URISA's many conferences throughout the year, the association also offers a number of other resources to support its members and the GIS community.

URISA offers a webinar at least once per month with topics ranging from Addressing Standards to Public Participation GIS to Measuring the Benefits of GIS.

Many organizations have discovered that it is more economical to bring URISA Certified Workshops to their staff than sending their staff to conferences where the workshops are being presented. For the price of two conference registration fees, an organization can license a URISA workshop taught by a certified instructor. Entire departments can take advantage of URISA's peer-reviewed, full-day courses without spending valuable time away from the office.

There is still time to register for URISA's Leadership Academy (ULA) being presented in Seattle, Washington, December 7–11, 2009. ULA is five days of targeted GIS leadership training, taught by GIS leaders. There have been nearly 140 graduates of the program so far. Plan to add your name to the list this December!

The GIS Management Handbook
Another valuable resource that is proving to be popular among GIS professionals is The GIS Management Handbook, offered in association with Kessey Dewitt Publications. The handbook covers the concepts, practices, and tools for planning, implementing, and managing geographic information system projects and programs. It is a comprehensive guide and reference for new and seasoned GIS managers, GIS staff, IT management, researchers, students, and companies
providing products and services to the GIS community. The handbook was authored by Peter Croswell, an internationally recognized GIS practitioner, manager, and consultant. Reviews include the following:

"The GIS Management Handbook is the first book I have read
that comprehensively covers all the tools GIS managers need to have in
their toolbox. Beginners and seasoned GIS managers alike can learn
something from this book."—Stuart Davis, assistant chief operating
officer for the State of Ohio Office of Information Technology and past
president of the National States Geographic Information Council

"This book fills a void and is long overdue."—Jury Konga, manager of GIS Services, Town of Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada

To Order
To order online and access details about book content, visit www.urisa.org/gisbookorder. $110, 330 pp. (ISBN13: 978-0-9824093-0-5)

Contact Information:

URISA
http://www.urisa.org

Hemisphere GPS is named to Alberta Venture’s Fast Growth 50 List

Hemisphere GPS has marked a strong start to 2010 with the company’s second consecutive recognition as one of Alberta’s fastest growing companies. The Fast Growth 50 list published in the January edition of Alberta Venture magazine ranked Hemisphere GPS 14th in the category Top 25 Over $20 million.

Members of the list, dubbed “Growth Champions” by the magazine, are comprised of two categories: over $20 million and under $20 million. The applicants’ relative growth is then calculated by increases in revenues, assets, profits and head count over the three fiscal years ending immediately before the application date of October 2009 – December 31, 2008 for Hemisphere GPS.

“2010 marks the company’s 20th anniversary of providing innovative GPS technology to our customers worldwide. The company has become bigger,
stronger and faster in offering innovative product solutions to the precision positioning and machine control applications,” says Steven Koles, President and CEO of Hemisphere GPS. “We are in a great position for growth in 2010 and beyond, and we look forward to expanding our presence in both new and existing markets.”

Alberta Venture will host a gala award celebration in Edmonton on February 10, 2010 to officially celebrate the success of the Fast Growth 50 winners.

Contact Information:

Hemisphere GPS
http://www.hemispheregps.com

GeoForce Technologies Upgrades to UltraCamXp Wide Angle

Vexcel Imaging GmbH, a Microsoft company, has signed a purchase agreement with GeoForce Technologies Co., Ltd. of Taiwan to upgrade an UltraCamD to an UltraCamXp Wide Angle large format digital aerial camera system. The deal was brokered by Imagemaps, Vexcel Imaging’s sales representative responsible for the People’s Republic of China, Taiwan, Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar).

“This upgrade to the UltraCamXp Wide Angle was an easy decision for us,” said Robert Hsu, President of GeoForce Technologies. “We appreciate the UltraCam heritage, and the UltraCamXp Wide Angle has the right combination of large area coverage and high radiometric and geometric quality for our customers.”

GeoForce Technologies will use the UltraCamXp Wide Angle to serve its existing customers, including agencies in counties and the central government, academic and research institutions, and the telecommunications industry.

“We are pleased that GeoForce Technologies is continuing its legacy as an innovative company by selecting the UltraCamXp Wide Angle to support its projects,” said Alexander Wiechert, Business Director of Microsoft and Managing Director for Vexcel Imaging GmbH. “It is the first company to own our newest UltraCam sensor.”

Contact Information:

GeoForce
http://www.geoforce.com.tw

Spanish Mapping Agency Selects Geocue

Institut Cartogra`fic de Catalunya (ICC) selects GeoCue as its core production integration frame- work. The ICC, the mapping agency of the Autonomous Community of Catalunya of the Kingdom of Spain, has selected the GeoCue geospatial integration framework as the base software on which some critical geospatial production workflows will be based. The ICC’s selection of GeoCue follows a detailed analysis of the Return on Investment of internally developed foundation software versus the off-the-shelf GeoCue framework.

The ICC’s new approach to production management software deployment will be to build vertical applications on the GeoCue foundation. This approach will allow the ICC to concentrate its considerable internal development talent on applications that are unique to the ICC mission as opposed to expending that effort on common foundation technology.

The ICC will deploy GeoCue technology in four phases. The first phase will focus on implementing the GeoCue Command Dispatch System for providing core distributed computed services to the organization. Later phases will include integration of LIDAR processing, digital camera post-processing, and orthophoto production.

Contact Information:

Geocue
http://www.geocue.com

2010 Reader Questionnaire

Through four different surveys this year, we are connecting with our readers to improve our services for you, for our advertisers, and for the profession as a whole. Your feedback is vital!

When you fill out this first survey, you'll be entering for a chance to win an HP 50g or an HP 35s. Two winners (one for each calculator) will be selected at random on
February 1st, and we'll announce the winners on our homepage.

Thank you for spending a bit of your valuable time helping us connect with you better.

Click here to take the survey.

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor
http://www.profsurv.com

Woolpert Purchases Two Optech Gemini ALTM LiDAR Sensors And LYNX Mobile Mapping System

Woolpert announced today that the firm has purchased two Optech Gemini Airborne Laser Terrain Mappers (ALTM) and one LYNX Mobile Mapper system to support the firm’s commitment to advanced remote sensing and LiDAR services.

The GEMINI systems provide the latest in LiDAR technology with an effective pulse repetition rate of up to 167 kHz. The GEMINI’s waveform digitizer technology produces significantly more information than a conventional LiDAR point cloud. The further enhancement of this data will prove beneficial as LiDAR advances from being solely used as a topographic instrument to being used as a true remote sensing device to aid in automated feature data extraction, forestry applications, and carbon sequestration mapping to name a few.

The LYNX Mobile Mapper system is a new technology that collects survey-grade LIDAR data at over 200,000 measurements per second with a 360º field-of-view (FOV).

“As a pioneer in LiDAR, Woolpert has always committed the resources necessary to achieve a leading edge in LiDAR technology,” said Jeff Lovin, Woolpert vice president and director of geospatial services.

With the acquisition of the Optech Gemini systems with full waveform technology, Woolpert will be equipped to maintain its position as a leader in the LiDAR market. A key component to that strategy is the addition of the Lynx Mobile Mapping System to the firm’s suite of LiDAR sensor and services.

“We see huge potential in the mobile LiDAR market over the next several years and look forward to expanding our existing LiDAR services to include this promising technology,” said Lovin. “We are excited to partner again with Optech, which we purchased our very first airborne LiDAR system from in 1998. We purchased our next generation of LiDAR sensors from Optech because we felt that after much evaluation, not only are they ahead of the competition with their waveform technology, they are clearly leading the market with their mobile platform.”

Contact Information:

Woolpert
http://www.woolpert.com

Trimble Launches New Version of its Outdoor GPS Navigation Application

Trimble is moving quickly to give Android phone users more innovative features with a new version of its Trimble Outdoors application for the Android Marketplace. The new version is the most complete and user-friendly navigation tool for outdoor enthusiasts to find their way, capture their excursions with multi-media, and share with others through the Trimble Outdoors community. In November, Trimble introduced its popular AllSport GPS application, a fitness application for mobile phones, for the Android platform.

The Trimble Outdoors application on the Android platform has new features that allows users to easily turn their mobile phones into complete, powerful GPS navigation units--no extra devices needed. Trimble Outdoors is the ultimate application for hiking, backpacking, fishing and other outdoor activities and has the following key new features:

Best-of-class out-of-network GPS capability - Users can now count on having a digital guidebook of their content, including maps, photos, trip directions and other information, almost anywhere and even out of network. Trimble Outdoors helps users navigate their way on new excursions and gives superior tools to stay on track.
Multi-media capability - User can journal activities by capturing pictures, videos, and voice recordings. Share the adventure with friends and family or with all users on the Trimble Outdoors Web site or using the Trimble Outdoors Facebook application.
Easy user interface - From the weekend hiker to the avid backpacker, Trimble Outdoors on the Android platform is extremely easy to use. All activities and functionalities are activity-centric and designed to help users get started quickly.
Online content - Users can directly access content from the trimbleoutdoors.com Web site right from the phone. Powerful search functions provide direct access to thousands of professionally edited adventures in the user's area or wherever their travels take them.

"It's been very exciting to incorporate our customers' feedback into this new Android version of Trimble Outdoors," said Larry Fox, director of business development for Trimble Outdoors. "We believe our existing and new users will love the cool features in this release and use their Android phones to navigate the outdoors and capture their journeys, whether it be a quick day hike or a cross country road trip."

Kris Wagner, map editor for Bicycling and Backpacker magazines said, "The new Trimble Outdoors for Android lets your adventures--from maps to photos to videos--live on forever to share with friends and family. Plus, users can search from thousands of professionally endorsed rides and hikes from Backpacker and Bicycling magazines."

Contact Information:

Trimble
http://www.trimbleoutdoors.com

China to Launch Civil HD Survey Satellite

China will put into space a civil high-definition survey satellite, the first of its kind in the country, in 2011, the State Bureau of Surveying and Mapping (SBSM) said here Friday. The satellite, ZY 3, would be launched from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center in northern Shanxi Province on a Long March 4B carrier rocket, according to Xu Deming, director of the SBSM and Vice Minister of Land and Resources.

Xu did not disclose the planned launch date.

Once successfully launched, the satellite would operate in a sun-synchronous orbit about 506 kilometers in altitude, and could produce seamless imagery of the earth's surface from 84 degrees south latitude to 84 degrees north latitude.

The satellite would be used for map updates, land resources investigation and monitoring, disaster prevention and reduction, and would serve the agricultural, environmental, urban planning, traffic and national defense sectors, Xu said.

Aerial Photo Specialist from Novato Helps Police

by Brent Ainsworth, from the Marin Independent Journal

Months ago when the Jaycee Dugard abduction case dominated the national news, a Novato man worked with police investigators because of his expertise in aerial photo interpretation. The kidnapping suspect, Phillip Garrido, and his wife had a back yard near Antioch where Dugard was allegedly held captive for 18 years and raised two children believed to be fathered by Garrido.
Investigators believe the yard, which included an elaborate array of tarps, fences, sheds and tents, was designed to isolate Dugard and keep her identity a secret. One way to show changes in the property through the years was through aerial photo analysis.
Enter David Ruiz, 43, a 1983 Novato High School graduate who became an imagery specialist in the Army. He is a senior manager of Pacific Aerial Surveys in Oakland and does freelance work on the side. Ruiz contacted the Hayward Police Department, which was interested in Garrido as a suspect for a separate long-dormant case, and volunteered his services.
"After (Garrido) was caught, I got involved," Ruiz said. "It wasn't until it came out that he had locked her up in the back yard for so many years that aerial shots were thought to show evidence of that and of his intentions. If you kidnap someone at such a young age, the photos could show a progress of how the property changed."
Ruiz has not been asked to testify in the Garrido case, which is taking place in Placerville. He usually works on property line disputes, construction progress and environmental issues, but he occasionally gets called to work criminal cases. In 2007, he helped in the search of missing Microsoft researcher Jim Gray, who disappeared during a planned one-day solo sailing trip out of San Francisco Bay.
Ruiz looked at aerial images of the Garrido property dating to the mid-1980s and compared a series of shots through the years to establish changes that had been made.
Hayward police Lt. Christine Orrey said her department wasn't even aware of aerial photo specialists as a field, but she's glad Ruiz called. His conclusions helped investigators decide where to focus their attention. This week Ruiz received a thank-you letter from the police chief there for his work.
"He was extremely helpful," Orrey said. "It was big for us."
Hayward is still investigating the 1988 disappearance of Michaela Garecht, and a suspect sketch based on an eyewitness account of that abduction almost matches photos of what Garrido looked like 20-plus years ago.
Hayward police were digging for possible gravesites on the Antioch property and were going to destroy a concrete driveway as part of their investigation. Ruiz's analysis showed that the driveway was poured before Garrido started living at the property, and that discovery saved police dozens of work hours and thousands of dollars, Orrey said.
"Our goal was to leave no stone left unturned, so that gave us some additional peace of mind," Orrey said.
A sense of service is in Ruiz's genes. His father was in the Navy and the family lived at Hamilton when David was a child. Ruiz joined the Army in 1990 with the intention of becoming a military police officer.
He was assigned to imagery analysis and grew to like it. In his five-year stint in the service, he analyzed photos of former Soviet republics, North Korea and Iraq. He spent some of his time working at the Pentagon.
Ruiz and his wife, Kristin, who is from Marinwood, have been at Hamilton for the past eight years and have two sons. Ruiz has worked part time with the San Anselmo Police Department in the past year as a community services officer.
Reflecting on his career, Ruiz said it takes a trained and patient eye to be good at aerial imagery interpretation. It can be awkward for people to adjust to an overhead view of the world, he said.
Programs such as Virtual Earth and Google Earth have made it easier, but real intelligence gathering requires the inquiring mind of a private eye.
"It takes the ability to stop and question things and accept the simplest possibility," he said. "You're looking for clues."
The Garrido case is a sample of Ruiz's willingness to use his expertise to aid a police investigation. He said he didn't hesitate to volunteer.
"With something like that, you don't look for money," he said, "you look for how you can give back somehow. I think what I provided proved invaluable. I'm really glad I was able to help."

DeLorme Annouces Downloadable Trial Edition of XMap 7 GIS Enterprise

DeLorme, the innovation leader in mapping, GIS, and GPS technology,announced the availability of a downloadable trial edition of XMap 7 GIS Enterprise software. This thirty-day evaluation copy provides all of the features of the standard Enterprise software version and includes a sample of DeLorme’s topographic base map data.

XMap 7 is a three-tiered GIS software suite that has been engineered to extend the reach of GIS to field technicians and mobile professionals through straightforward two-way data synchronization and form-based data collection and editing.

XMap 7 GIS Enterprise is the most advanced level of the three tiers. It offers offer a full array of GIS importing, editing, and analysis tools as well as powerful data administration and deployment functionality. Using XMap 7 GIS Enterprise, a GIS manager or IT administrator can:

• Import data in all common spatial formats
• Create and edit both the geometry and attributes of a layer
• Classify, symbolize, and query the data
• Establish the synchronization process to enable the efficient transfer of selected GIS layers
• Build data collection forms for use in all versions of XMap 7 or on the Earthmate PN-40 handheld GPS receiver
• Integrate field-collected data in a master GIS database

To download a free trial copy of XMap 7 GIS Enterprise, visit www.xmap.com/trial.

Also available in the XMap 7 software suite are XMap 7 GIS Editor, a full featured application offering an extensive set of GIS layer importing, creating and editing tools, ideally suited for small scale GIS operations; and XMap 7 Professional, which is primarily a GIS data viewing application but, when used in conjunction with XMap GIS Enterprise, becomes a proficient field data collection and updating tool, ideally suited for field personnel and other mobile professionals.

More information about XMap 7 and other DeLorme product news is available in the DeLorme Professional Newsletter, which is can be found at www.delorme.com/customerservice/newsletters.aspx.

Contact Information:

DeLorme
http://www.delorme.com

Optech Extends Support to Include DiMAC Camera

GLONASS
http://www.glonass-ianc.rsa.ru/pls/htmldb/f?p=202:1:14637162736231801312::NO

Contact Information:

Optech
http://www.optech.ca

Carlson Software for Home Use

Carlson Software is offering civil engineering, land surveying and mining students the option of purchasing their own software on which to learn and work at home for $99 for a full academic year. This program is available for fulltime students.

The software that Carlson is offering for this program includes the following:

Carlson Civil Suite – Carlson Survey, Carlson Civil, Carlson Hydrology and Carlson GIS in one powerful package.

Carlson Survey – now with C&G Survey included is the ultimate office survey software.

Carlson Takeoff – provides fast and accurate CAD-based estimating, plus essential quantity and quality controls.

Carlson Mining – the software choice of the U.S. coal mining industry in Underground, Surface and Geology modules.

Students in colleges and universities from around the world are working with Carlson Software. In addition to the program above, which allows students to get their own copies of Carlson's leading software choices, Carlson also sponsors unlimited network licensing of Carlson Civil Suite to qualified colleges and universities for an annual fee of $650. This covers ALL classroom seats including instructor licensing as well.

Why teach or learn on Carlson Software? While technically advanced, Carlson’s versatile software is also easy-to-learn and easy-to-use.

Quotes from long-time Carlson users sum it up:

“It’s just so easy to use and so productive.” –J.T. Hardin, DDS Engineering

“We are actually able to give the customer a much better product in much less time than we used to.” –Tony Kinder, Cleveland Surveying

“Carlson Survey does it all for us – it’s a big time saver on all different levels.” –Reed Adams, Koontz-Bryant

Carlson Software products are designed to take users from concept to completion, starting with data collection, and handling civil design in the office, estimating, machine control and stakeout. Utilizing the same data sets throughout, Carlson Software has solutions for the full cycle of a project. Plus, Carlson Software, which works on AutoCAD and related products, comes with IntelliCAD built in, enabling students to work and learn without additional software purchases.

To learn more about this program and to download application forms, visit the Carlson Software website at www.carlsonsw.com/academics. Or call Carlson at 606-564-5028 and ask for the Academics representative.

Contact Information:

Carlson Software
http://www.carlsonsw.com/academics

Michael Evans, PLS LSLS

On December 11, 2009, Michael Evans, Registered Professional Land Surveyor No. 4715, Chief Executive Officer of Great Southwestern Land Surveyors, LLC, in Mansfield, Texas, was sworn in as Texas’ newest Licensed State Land Surveyor.

William D. “Bill” O’Hara, RPLS, LSLS, and Director of the Surveying Division of the Texas General Land Office administered the oath of office. “It was exciting to learn that I had become a Licensed State Land Surveyor, but it was humbling to realize that I will be following in the footsteps of many iconic surveyors of the past and present,” Evans is quoted as saying.

Unlike Texas Registered Professional Land Surveyors, Licensed State Land Surveyors are vested with the authority to make surveys to determine the disposition of the public domain in Texas. Unrecorded patents, vacancies between patent surveys, excess or deficiency of acreage in patent surveys are some of the tasks allocated to Licensed State Land Surveyors. In addition, LSLS's are authorized to make coastal boundary surveys and to make gradient boundary surveys to determine the boundary between the State of Texas, which owns the streambed, and upland private owners along navigable rivers and streams in Texas. LSLSs are the only Texas surveyors authorized to submit surveys and reports to the Texas General Land Office for these purposes.

Is Home Construction Coming Back?

New headline on PSM's homepage.

Contact Information:

http://www.profsurv.com

The RV Industry as a Financial Indicator

PSM's new headline is up on our website: http://www.profsurv.com.

RW Martin, Inc. Announces Increased Gross Weight STC for Restricted Category Operations of the DHC-6-300 Twin Otter

IKHANA Group, Inc. announced today the FAA’s approval of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC No. SA02267LA) to RW Martin, Inc for the DHC-6-300 Twin Otter. The RWMI DHC-6-300RG STC increases the payload capabilities of the basic DHC-6-300 aircraft by 1,500 pounds, or 12%, to 14,000 pounds for aerial survey and scientific research missions operated under a restricted category.

The DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft is a workhorse platform supporting regional airlines and special missions operations worldwide. This newly certified capability allows operators increased range, loiter, and operability to support their unique mission requirements and provides an FAA approved fatigue plan to support over weight operations. “By offering this STC, we are allowing flight departments, currently
operating over gross weight limits, to safely operate using published FAA approved data.” states Mr. John Zublin, president of RW Martin, Inc. “We are also working to expand the application of this STC to aircraft operated in Standard Category in 2010.”

RW Martin, Inc. supports the international DHC-6 Twin Otter fleet with various upgrades including wing re-life, wing life extension, and air-conditioning STC’s plus other special missions modifications designed to suit unique customer requirements. The RW Martin modification facilities are located at the French
Valley (F70) airport in Murrieta, CA.

RW Martin Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the IKHANA Group, Inc. IKHANA Group is a leader in the development of proprietary data for special mission projects in the business jet and turboprop markets with a focus on the DHC-6 Twin Otter.

Contact Information:

RW Martin, Inc
http://www.rwmi.net/
Roy Wiley, Marketing Manager
(951) 600-0009, ext. 205

People’s Map of London Launched

The People’s Map has launched its map of London, covering over 400 sq km stretching from Richmond Park in the South West to Epping Forest in the North East. This is a truly independent map of the nation’s capital city, free of Crown Copyright and derived data issues with a fresh new take on licensing. It is suitable for use by anyone whether they be a marketer, cartographer, GIS professional, web guru, graphic designer or member of the public. The remainder of
London, within the M25, will be available in early 2010.

The People’s Map is unique, having a single database for all eleven map scales, from 1:1m to 1:12,000, with a clean, clear and consistent style across all scales, something that no other mapping achieves. There are eleven layers with over 600 different feature classifications. These layers include admin boundaries, postcodes,
buildings, built up areas, coastline, drainage, land use, place name gazetteer, points of interest, roads & paths, railways, rivers and canals. All layers are available at all scales. Available in a range of vector and raster digital file formats based on the British National Grid coordinate system, the map can be supplied on CD/DVD, via FTP, via WMS feed or simply as hard copy.

The People's Map is a web-based mapping project (www.peoplesmap.com), which allows anyone to become part of the map creation and maintenance process simply by visiting the website, registering and then ‘drawing’ over Getmapping’s highly accurate orthorectified aerial photography. Work in progress can be viewed in the unverified layer whilst the finished map, the result of exhaustive validation by People’s Map cartographers, can be viewed in the verified layer.

Map makers, graphic designers, media companies, retail organisations in fact anyone wishing to purchase or create their own maps can order base maps for areas of the People’s Map which are complete and then should they wish, apply their own styling, changing colours altering fonts and line weights to suit. They can also add their own data to produce a map which is completely customised to their
own specfic application.

Along with London, the People’s Map already has complete 1:12,000 scale street mapping of Birmingham, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bath, as well as other cities in progress such as Bournemouth, Brighton, Cardiff, Portsmouth, Southampton, Coventry and Milton Keynes.

Contact Information:

People's Map
http://www.peoplesmap.com

Digital Map Products Solves Parcel Content Challenges

Digital Map Products (DMP), a leading provider of web-enabled spatial solutions, announced innovative parcel data integration and coverage enhancements to ParcelStream, its SaaS solution for parcel boundary data acquisition and interactivity. ParcelStream now has over 100 million parcel boundaries and new data pre-matching solutions to make parcel boundary data even easier to use.

Parcel boundary information is a must-have data set for online mapping applications and ParcelStream provides the most comprehensive parcel solution available. With its recent coverage expansion, ParcelStream customers now have access to over 100 million parcel boundaries for virtually 100 percent of US cities with populations greater than 100,000. A hallmark of ParcelStream is how simple and easy it makes the inclusion of parcel boundary content in any web application; parcel boundary is continually updated and maintained, freeing developers' time from this tedious task.

ParcelStream also offers users turn-key solutions for spatial data integration with features such as TaxLink, a spatial data pre-matching service that links property data to the parcel polygons available in ParcelStream. With parcel-related data sets accurately linked to parcel boundaries, customers can fully exploit the map-based interactivity solutions of ParcelStream and incorporate parcel identity, highlight, labeling, thematic shading, and information retrieval.

Digital Map Products CEO Jim Skurzynski notes that interest in mapping and spatial technology is exploding with the widespread adoption of Google and
Microsoft's consumer mapping solutions. "As the general population's awareness of spatial applications grows, there's a constant need for more sophisticated spatial data and technology. That being said, spatial technology is only powerful if it's easy to use and implement, and that's where Digital Map Products is focused. Our goal is to make spatial technology made easy," Skurzynski says.

Digital Map Products has a long history of delivering innovations in spatial technology. It transformed the parcel boundary data market with ParcelStream by solving both parcel data acquisition and technology integration challenges in one easy-to-use offering. SpatialStream, DMP's Saas Spatial Platform, is similarly revolutionizing the spatial application development world by allowing companies to create robust geospatial applications with fewer resources and in a fraction of the
traditional time.

ParcelStream is the most comprehensive parcel boundary data solution on the market. Experience the ParcelStream difference by visiting:
www.digmap.com/campaigns/PR.ParcelStreamDec.html
and registering for a free 14-day trial of the ParcelStream API.

Contact Information:

Digital Map Products
http://www.digmap.com

Merrick Wins Project of the Year in MAPPS Geospatial Excellence Awards

Merrick & Company’s geospatial technologies business unit (Merrick Geospatial Technologies) received the project of the year award, presented at the Management Association of Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)/ American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) specialty conference, held in San Antonio, Texas in mid-November.

The firm’s “Levee Recertification Using Geospatial Technologies” project received the grand award recognition for its utilization of aerial light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology and an advanced hydrographic survey. The elevation data
generated during the project was in support of the City of Wichita, Kansas’ activities and as part of the process of recertifying approximately 100 miles
of levees in the flood prone area.

“The Merrick team did not merely think in terms of what had been done in the past; they actively pursued new ideas and pushed the envelope with new technologies to provide deliverables that would continue to add value for the client long after the immediate project was completed,” said Robert Burch PS, CP, chair of the independent judges panel.

Merrick’s project initially won an award in one of five technical categories. The grand award was subsequently selected from those five categories.

Merrick & Company has a lengthy history in land surveying and mapping. Among the firm’s current work, the geospatial business unit is providing land surveying and/or airborne mapping services to the Southwest Florida Water Management District, the Rainwater Basin Joint Venture, Xcel Energy, the Western Area Power Administration, and the Colombian (South America) Navy.

Contact Information:

Merrick & Co
http://www.merrick.com

ESRI and Trimble Announce 2009 Mobile Government Grant Recipients

ESRI and Trimble have selected the winners of the joint ESRI and Trimble 2009 Mobile Government Grant Program. Grants will award hardware, software, and training with a total value of $89,980 to 20 local and state government agencies in the United States.

The grants will help agencies create models that demonstrate the integration of mobile and server geographic information system (GIS) architecture to improve government processes. The winners will then provide reusable applications that can be shared among governments with similar projects. Those applications will be posted on ESRI’s ArcScripts public domain Web site in June 2010.

The ESRI and Trimble 2009 Mobile Government Grant Series recipients are the following:

1.     Ada County, Idaho, Assessor’s Office—Appraisal Division
2.     Bay Lake Regional Planning Commission, Wisconsin
3.     Brigham City, Utah, GIS Department
4.     City of Arlington, Texas, Public Works and Transportation Department
5.     City of Auburn, Alabama, Public Works and IT Department
6.     City of Fernandina Beach, Florida, Planning Department
7.     City of Fullerton, California, Community Development Department
8.     City of Hayden, Idaho, Community Development Department
9.     City of Indianapolis, Indiana, Office of Sustainability
10. City of Las Vegas, Nevada, Department of Field Operations
11. City of Maple Grove, Minnesota, GIS Department
12. City of Mobile, Alabama, Urban Development Department
13. City of Poway, California, IT Department
14. City of Saginaw, Michigan, Engineering Division
15. City of Tucson, Arizona, Clerk’s Office
16. City of Baton Rouge/Parish of East Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Environmental Division
17. Forsyth County, Georgia, Water and Sewer Department
18. State of California, Department of Transportation, District 11
19. Warwick Township, Pennsylvania, Planning and Zoning Department
20. Waukesha County, Wisconsin, Department of Parks and Land Use

With the ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program and the public domain Web site, governments can continue to meet their objectives through the open exchange of ideas and shared resources.

Contact Information:

ESRI, Trimble
http://www.esri.com/grants/esri/government.htm

Sidwell Provides Cadastral Modernization for Garza Central Appraisal District, TX

St. Charles, IL – Garza County, located in northwest Texas, covers approximately 900 square miles and encompasses 5,806 land parcels. The Garza Central Appraisal District (GCAD) recognized a critical need for a compliant mapping system that would effectively allow their staff to handle the process of GIS-based land records management and keep their maps as current as possible. GCAD turned to The Sidwell Company to provide the professional GIS services to help them achieve these goals.

As part of this multi-year project, Sidwell will develop a cadastral GIS with annotation for all parcels within the service area of the Garza Central Appraisal District. GCAD’s existing digital orthophotography will be used as the base map for construction of the new ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 geodatabase. GCAD staff will receive training on the review of the geodatabase, and will support Sidwell as any necessary parcel research and ongoing parcel maintenance is performed.

According to GCAD Chief Appraiser Shirley Smith, “We chose Sidwell because the system they will provide for us will meet all the necessary requirements, and it includes features that will allow for the most effective mapping of the district and our lake developments in particular.” Smith also says, “This system will handle the changes currently taking place, as well as those that will occur in the future of Garza County.” GCAD is the latest Texas appraisal district to benefit from Sidwell’s depth of experience and ability to create functional and flexible GIS solutions for jurisdictions of all sizes.

# # # # #

About Sidwell

The Sidwell Company is an employee-owned firm providing integrated land records management solutions and GIS mapping and software development to local government and private-sector organizations across the United States. Sidwell’s premier parcel mapping solution, Parcel Builder™, is currently in use at over 150 sites nationwide. Sidwell also offers a full range of aerial photography and photogrammetric services, and is the Midwest Distributor for Magellan™ GPS products and solutions. For more information about Sidwell services and products, call 877.SIDWELL (877.743.9355) or visit www.sidwellco.com.

Contact Information:

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

PCI Geomatics to Release Open Source PCIDSK Library

PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, is pleased to announce the upcoming availability of an open source initiative for the geospatial software development community. The open source library will provide access to the PCI proprietary file format – PCIDSK and will be included in the Geospatial Data Abstraction Library (GDAL) version 1.7 slated for January 2010 release.

The library will offer full support for raster data within the PCIDSK file, including the reading, writing and creation of raster image data, in all storage types (BIP, BIL, BSQ and tiled images) as well as overviews, metadata and projections. The library also includes access to vector data within the PCIDSK file and is available for both Windows and LINUX operating systems.

“PCI Geomatics is committed to providing technology to the geospatial community as open source; we see it as helping to facilitate the creation and sharing of best practices,” said Louis Burry, Vice President of Technology and Delivery at PCI Geomatics. “The library will enable developers to quickly and easily build more robust and reliable applications supporting the PCI file format.”

"On behalf of the GDAL/OGR project, I am very pleased to incorporate the PCIDSK SDK, significantly improving the read/write support for this important geospatial file format," said Frank Warmerdam, Vice President, GDAL/OGR for the Open Source Geospatial Foundation. "This continues a long standing commitment by PCI to open data interchange - going back to an earlier generation of the PCIDSK SDK, and the Shapelib open source library."

PCI Geomatics will be using this library within its core products, thus ensuring consistent file-level interoperability between PCI software products and any geospatial tools created using the library.

Contact Information:

PCI Geomatics
http://home.gdal.org/projects/pcidsk/

Russia Launches Three GLONASS Satellites

Russia got its GNSS program back on track with the launch of three modernized GLONASS-M satellites — resuming a schedule interrupted by problems with a navigation payload on an in-orbit spacecraft.

A Proton launcher took the trio of satellites into orbit at 1038 GMT December 14th (5:38 a.m. EST) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in central Kazakhstan. The launch brings the total number of GLONASS satellites in orbit to 22 — although one of these is in the process of being decommissioned and two others are currently off-line for maintenance, including GLONASS #726 in which the signal generator problem was discovered.

Another launch is expected in February 2010.

Contact Information:

Technidea Corporation: Best New Product

Contact Information:

Techinidea
http://www.ziplevel.com

Introducing “Recovery News”

If you read these headlines regularly you've by now noticed a trend of our reporting on good economic news. I’d like to formalize this trend by dedicating at least one headline per week on the good news of the ongoing recovery. While there’s plenty of bad news out there, I feel that the general mass media tends to dwell on the negative. The problem with relentless negativism is captured in this quote by Nietzsche: “when you look long into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you.” Better to dwell on good news eh? —Jeff Salmon

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine
http://www.profsurv.com

Advice on Winning Government Contracts

With talk of a second stimulus package in Congress, ideas about landing government contracts may be useful. (With construction rebounding so slowly, exploring any alternative source of revenue is a must.) For a high-level look at the subject, read “Expert Advice for Winning Government Contracts.” For a view of how a construction management company got in government contracting, check out “Daytner Construction Group: A Case Study in Government Contracting”; both of these are on American Express’ valuable business resource website OPEN Forum.

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine
http://www.profsurv.com

Cost-Effective Alternatives to Holiday Perks

It’s that time of year when holiday gifts, bonuses, and parties are the expected norm. How to fund these treats in these times? Small-business owners are getting creative in showing their appreciation to their employees. Providing on-site meals, bartering products to use as gifts, and sharing holiday parties are just a few of the ideas illustrated in “Rethinking Holiday Perks” on the WSJ’s site.

Contact Information:

Professional Surveyor Magazine
http://www.profsurv.com

Printable instruction sheet for Cad CARDs for AutoCAD

U.S. Version www.cadcard.com

Metric Version www.cadcard.com/id1.html

U.S. ANSI & Architectural Converted to Metric Version www.cadcard.com/id1.html

U.S. ANSI & Architectural "Junior" Version www.cadcard.com/id1.html

Instruction sheet available with diagrams explaining how to use the different windows, helpful for all card versions. Simply print the front and back and fold.

HOW-TO-SHEET-FRONT-AND-BACK
www.cadcard.com/HOW-TO-SHEET-FRONT-AND-BACK.pdf

HOW-TO-SHEET-INSIDE www.cadcard.com/HOW-TO-SHEET-INSIDE.pdf

Contact Information:

AutoCad
http://www.cadcard.com

ERDAS Announces a Technology Preview of a New Terrain Processing Solution

ERDAS announces LPS eATE, a new module for generating high-resolution terrain information from stereo imagery. The LPS eATE technology preview provides a sample of the new ERDAS terrain processing solution. ERDAS eATE will be formally released in 2010.

LPS eATE is an add-on module to LPS, an integrated suite of workflow-oriented photogrammetry software tools for production mapping, including the generation of digital terrain models, orthophoto production and 3D feature extraction. Automating precision measurement, maintaining accuracy and including flexible operations such as image mosaicking, LPS increases productivity while ensuring high accuracy.

Easily scalable, LPS eATE is an ideal solution for both small and large terrain generation jobs. LPS eATE utilizes the power of multi-core computer systems and supports parallel processing across a networked group of computers.

Providing an unparalleled environment for processing terrain data, LPS eATE can handle a wide range of data input, from satellite to airborne frame to digital pushbroom sensor. With modern airborne and satellite sensors achieving increasingly higher resolutions, LPS eATE maximizes this image resolution and generates high-density results. With terrain processing options, users have complete control over their results.

LPS eATE also includes tools for producing LAS point clouds. Increasing flexibility, LPS eATE supports the ability to visualize imagery in 3D by associating RGB values with terrain points in a LAS file. Additionally, the output point clouds can be classified and automatically filtered to remove undesired objects as an integrated
part of the eATE process.

“Production mapping professionals are demanding experts who inherently understand what accuracy and reliability mean. With an increasing number of sensors delivering vast amounts of raw imagery every day, they need to rely on powerful tools that boost their productivity,” said Mladen Stojic, Senior Vice President, Product Management & Marketing, ERDAS. “LPS eATE provides a set of tools to produce high-resolution terrain information from stereo imagery in a
shorter timeframe.”

For more information about ERDAS, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.

Contact Information:

ERDAS
http://www.erdas.com

The iPhone Goes to War

Is the iPhone going to war?

On Wednesday at the 2009 Intelligence Warfighting Summit in Tucson,
Raytheon, the military contractor, announced an iPhone application that
tracks friends and foes, shows their positions on live, real time maps
and provides secure communications.

Called the One Force Tracker, the Raytheon iPhone software can also
be used by first responders like police, firemen, and emergency medical
technicians.

Read New York Times story

Topcon SurveyMaster Lite for Cost-Efficient Performance

Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) has released a new CAD-based desktop application for surveying and job site information editing and plotting – SurveyMaster Lite.

Mark Contino, TPS vice president of product marketing, said, “SurveyMaster Lite is a cost-efficient surveying office software package perfect for the cadastral surveying and construction stakeout professional.” Modeled from Topcon’s SurveyMaster software program, SurveyMaster Lite is loaded with survey specific functionality as well as surface modeling and contouring tools. SurveyMaster Lite provides tools required to produce final plats and survey calculations for property surveys, topographic maps and ALTA surveys.

SurveyMaster Lite is designed so users can manage data from raw format all the way through to a finished plot. Survey calculations can be completed and uploaded to the field collector for stakeout and field verification.

Contino said, “SurveyMaster Lite is the perfect addition to complete any Topcon instrument system. It completes the cycle of a ‘field-to-finish’ solution. The program is on the USB Drive so users can simply take the USB Drive with them and have the program on any PC.”

Features include:

-- Complete desktop surveying and drafting solution;

-- Versatile ‘field-to-finish’ solution with automatic line connectivity;

-- Synchronization with TopSURV & Pocket 3D;

-- Program is transportable – USB key;

-- Easy, uncomplicated plotting;

-- Interactive raw data editor;

-- Customizable data entry/editors;

-- Traverse adjustments;

-- Network least squares adjustment;

-- Least squares transformation;

-- Subdivision layout;

-- Legal description writer;

-- Contouring and surface file editing;

-- User-defined symbols;

-- User-defined linetypes;

-- User-defined title blocks; and

-- Stand-alone performance.

“SurveyMaster Lite was designed by surveyors that have the software experience needed to understand what is needed to manage site and surveying data efficiently. It provides the user with all the legal, annotation, adjustment, and drafting tools they need in one Topcon product.”

Contact Information:

Microsoft’s Vexcel Imaging Announces UltraMap 2.0 Photogrammetric Software

Vexcel Imaging GmbH, a Microsoft company, will roll out release 2.0 of its UltraMap photogrammetric software to customers beginning January 25, 2010. UltraMap 2.0 continues the tradition of providing a flexible and scalable distributed system for managing and processing vast amounts of UltraCam data.

The features of UltraMap 2.0 are implemented in five modules:

Framework
Raw Data Center
Radiometry
Viewer
Aerial Triangulation

UltraMap includes features for managing data download, distributed processing using load balancing and resource management, aerial triangulation, and interactive data visualization for quality control. Use of Microsoft’s Dragonfly technology enables incredibly smooth and high-resolution image browsing and zooming for very large sets of data content. Dragonfly supports multi-channel 16-bit UltraCam imagery for high quality visualization within the complete photogrammetric workflow.

Aerial triangulation has been integrated smoothly into the workflow, and includes new radiometry with gamma and levels dialog. The other new features are concentrated in the Raw Data Center and the Radiometry modules. Of particular note, “Monolithic stitching” is a new feature of the Raw Data Center that improves geometric image accuracy by a magnitude for unstructured terrain. In the Radiometry module, UltraMap 2.0 introduces model-based radiometric correction that enables users to eliminate hotspots, atmospheric effects and haze.

“I am proud of the accomplishment this product release represents for the Vexcel Imaging team,” notes Alexander Wiechert, Business Director of Microsoft and Managing Director for Vexcel Imaging GmbH. “It provides much richer functionality, and it supports our customers’ businesses by enabling easier, faster image processing and better overall results.”

Contact Information:

Microsoft
http://www.microsoft.com/ultracam/news/umap20.mspx

Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS) Update

Merrick has released an upgrade to its proprietary software, Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS), that is used to manage, process, visualize, and analyze light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data. That upgrade is now available and interested readers can download a free trial version from Merrick’s website at:

http://www.merrick.com/index.php/services/geospatial-solutions/mars-software

LiDAR data is used by a variety of agencies and private sector clients, from companies developing wind and solar farms to flood plain management agencies, the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, homeland security agencies, FEMA, utility transmission companies, the Corps of Engineers, and oil and gas companies.

Contact Information:

Merrick
http://www.merrick.com

PCI Geomatics Supports ISPRS Foundation

PCI Geomatics is pleased to announce its support for The ISPRS Foundation Inc. (TIF) which offers assistance to the photogrammetric, remote sensing and spatial information sciences and technologies.

The ISPRS Foundation Inc. is a non-profit scientific and educational entity managed by a Board of Trustees for, but independent of, the International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS). The Foundation provides grants that assist individuals, especially from emerging markets and regions, who wish to further their knowledge, skills and experience in the sciences and technologies associated with the disciplines embodied by the ISPRS.

PCI Geomatics has provided sustainable support to TIF over the past four years through significant financial contributions as well as through in-kind donations of its desktop software Geomatica.

“PCI Geomatics is dedicated to supporting initiatives such as the ISPRS Foundation, which encourage development and growth within the photogrammetry and remote sensing areas,” said Dr. Robert Moses, President and CEO of PCI Geomatics, as well as a TIF Trustee. “We are pleased to participate and embrace the idea of giving back.”

“Our donors are providing the means to enable many skilled individuals from developing countries to participate in our profession with the ultimate benefit of providing advancement of their country,” said Larry Fritz, TIF Finance Officer. “Thank you to Dr. Moses and PCI Geomatics for their generous donations to TIF, and we encourage other companies and individuals to join in and take part in this positive initiative.”

For further information, including grant opportunities and application criteria, visit www.isprs.org/foundation

Contact Information:

PCI Geomatics
http://www.pcigeomatics.com

Eagle Point Customer Transition Program

Why is Eagle Point transitioning its clients to Civil 3D?
For over 26 years, Eagle Point Software has been developing solutions for civil
engineers and surveying professionals. Early on, we developed solutions to operate
independently from other software systems. In 1989, we made a shift to build solutions to run on the most popular and powerful CAD platform available – AutoCAD. Throughout the following 20 years, we experienced the challenges our clients faced and continually evolved our solutions to address them.

In recent years, we have seen these platforms evolve to address many of those same challenges. This evolution has created an environment of duplicated features and redundancy between the Eagle Point solutions and the current Autodesk platforms. In many cases, this means our clients are paying twice to receive similar functions to aid in solving their current design challenges.

Just like in 1989, it’s time to make another shift in development platforms. Since the initial release of Civil 3D by Autodesk in 2004, we recognized that it would eventually become the development platform of the future. More and more organizations are benefitting by migrating from traditional 2D design solutions to
3D design solutions, like AutoCAD Civil and/or AutoCAD Civil 3D, which support Building Information Modeling (BIM). However, to be the ultimate development platform that we knew it could be, AutoCAD Civil 3D needed a few years to mature.

Traditional 2D Civil Engineering and Survey solutions no longer adequately address the demands and challenges professionals face today. With AutoCAD Civil 3D now in its 5th major release, we are excited about standardizing on Civil 3D as our
development platform. This means that we are able to focus our energy on developing new technologies that help you complete your land development, transportation, and environmental projects better, faster and more affordably than ever before.

However, in doing so, we realize it is crucial that we provide you with an easy and
affordable migration path from your current Eagle Point design products running with AutoCAD to Civil 3D and including our new suite of supporting products.

We are very pleased to announce that Eagle Point and Autodesk are jointly offering you an easy mechanism to make this transition. By taking advantage of this transition program, you will enjoy dramatic savings. Eagle Point has solutions
to assist you in the transition by allowing you to start taking advantage of the new capabilities of AutoCAD Civil and AutoCAD Civil 3D immediately. To further ease your transition, we will have releases of the traditional Eagle Point Civil Design modules available through November 2011. And finally, we will provide you with the expertise that only Eagle Point has to consult and train you as you move from your Eagle Point products to AutoCAD Civil 3D.

For details on the Eagle Point Customer Transition Program, please contact your
Eagle Point account executive.

Contact Information:

Eagle Point
http://www.eaglepoint.com

INOVx Announces Release of RealityLINx 5.3

INOVx, the pioneer of solutions that leverage 3D virtual models to transform daily operations and maintenance practices, announced today the release of version 5.3 of its RealityLINx Asset Virtualization platform. This newest release of RealityLINx
enhances functionality in many aspects of the product including new features for
3D modeling of structural steel elements from laser scan point cloud data, improved connectivity to external data sources, expanded options for publishing
views, enhancements to the built-in macro language, and integration and synchronization with additional CAD systems. The new release also adds support
for Windows Vista operating systems.

The RealityLINx 5.3 release underscores INOVx’s long-term commitment to improving and enhancing work processes through Asset Virtualization.

INOVx Asset Virtualization solutions provide simple access and navigation of enterprise asset data via a highly accurate and precise virtual model of a facility. Through RealityLINx software, users in maintenance, safety, inspection, operations and engineering have realized considerable productivity gains as well as significant benefits resulting from better planning and more informed decision making.

“With this new release, INOVx continues to strengthen the RealityLINx offering which provides an end-to-end environment for the creation and management of solutions to visually locate, identify and manage plant assets,” said Ralph Rio, Research Director at the ARC Advisory Group.

“The realistic as-built 3D models enable a variety of powerful applications for
operations and maintenance personnel who can navigate and access information in
a way that matches their real-world environment.”

RealityLINx delivers a solution that supports every aspect of Asset Virtualization from the creation of precise as-built virtual models using laser scan images to management of change features for keeping the model accurate and up-to-date. The RealityLINx offering is unique with its dynamic integration to enterprise software systems, and its built-in role-based workspaces.

Some of the key features of RealityLINx include:

Best-in-class,highly-assisted, modeling from laser scan images for the rapid creation of process equipment, piping, and structural elements.
Laser scan image management with support for large files and the easy incorporation of new data through synchronization.
Support for a standalone or multi-user, client/server system –enabling improved collaboration.
Highly extensible, user customizable catalog of objects for representing process elements.
Role-based workspaces with support for multiple hierarchies saved searches and customized presentation.
Connectivity to legacy applications and data sources including SAP PM, OSI PI, Meridium and others.

The five basic RealityLINx configurations are:

RealityLINx View - delivering simple viewing capability as well as advanced features such as asset query and Knowledge Views.
RealityLINx Enterprise - containing the capabilities needed for day-to-day use by operations and maintenance personnel.
RealityLINx Manage - for maintaining the asset model and as-built information, as well as synchronization with popular CAD formats such as PDS, MicroStation, AutoCAD, AutoPLANT and the ISO 15926 standard.
RealityLINx Model - providing best-in-class functionality needed to create intelligent 3D asset models.
RealityLINx Exchange - enabling laser scan images to be rendered in CAD systems.

Contact Information:

INOVx
http://www.inovx.com

Spatial Roundtable: Climate Change

On December 9, 2009, ESRI president Jack Dangermond opened an online discussion about the value of geographic information systems (GIS) to develop programs for carbon accounting and environmental sustainability. The conversation runs concurrently with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark. ESRI's hosted Spatial Roundtable will provide an engaging online venue for environmental professionals to weigh in on their vision for geospatial technologies' role in meeting the climate change crisis.

"GIS has the robust capacity and capability to design the building blocks for carbon accounting systems including data, models, and delivery systems," said Dangermond. "It provides the tools needed for analyzing environmental practices as well as developing and monitoring sustainable greenhouse gas reduction plans. GIS users represent a vast reservoir of knowledge, expertise, and best practices for applying this cornerstone technology to the science of climate change and understanding its impact on natural and human systems. I look forward to a lively online discussion at the Spatial Roundtable."

Dangermond, an environmentalist who is a strong advocate of sustainable environmental management, has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to developing technology for monitoring and managing sustainable systems. In so doing, his company, ESRI, or Environmental Systems Research Institute, has become the world's leader in GIS technology.

"I invite environmental professionals who use GIS in their work to visit the Spatial Roundtable to discuss how organizations and businesses use this technology to help us understand and respond to climate change," Dangermond said.

Dangermond kicked off the climate change conversation by asking, "What do you think are the benefits of using GIS technology to advance climate change science?" He has invited special contributors to join the discussion and invites site visitors to add their comments. The climate change topic discussion will be active from December 13, 2009, through January 31, 2010, and will remain accessible for review in the Spatial Roundtable archive through 2011.

Visit www.spatialroundtable.com and join the conversation.

Contact Information:

ESRI
http://www.spatialroundtable.com

National Open Topographic LIDAR Facility Gets $1.7 Million

The NSF has awarded $1.7 million to SDSC and ASU for the creation of an online LIDAR data website.The goal is to make access to LIDAR data much easier for end users.This is a similar mission to the USGS CLICK site and I hope the 2 groups will work together.

The US National Science Foundation, NSF has awarded Arizona State University and the San Diego Supercomputer Center – SDSC, $1.7 million to operate an internet-based national data facility for high-resolution topographic data acquired with LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology. The facility will also provide online processing tools and act as a community repository for information,
software and training materials.

It’s a 3 year project based on SDSC’s OpenTopography portal, which will be scaled up to a national facility to make topography data available in multiple formats. This includes “raw” LiDAR point cloud data, standard LiDAR-derived digital elevation models, and easily accessible Google Earth products to better serve LiDAR users at various levels of expertise.

Contact Information:

NSF
http://www.nsf.gov

DeLorme Offers Free Downloadable Trial Version of XMAP 7 GIS Enterprise Software

DeLorme, the innovation leader in mapping, GIS, and GPS technology, today announced the availability of a downloadable trial edition of XMap 7 GIS Enterprise software. This thirty-day evaluation copy provides all of the features of the standard Enterprise software version and includes a sample of DeLorme’s topographic base map data.

XMap 7 is a three-tiered GIS software suite that has been engineered to extend the reach of GIS to field technicians and mobile professionals through straightforward two-way data synchronization and form-based data collection and editing.

XMap 7 GIS Enterprise is the most advanced level of the three tiers. It offers offer a full array of GIS importing, editing, and analysis tools as well as powerful data administration and deployment functionality. Using XMap 7 GIS Enterprise, a GIS manager or IT administrator can:

• Import data in all common spatial formats
• Create and edit both the geometry and attributes of a layer
• Classify, symbolize, and query the data
• Establish the synchronization process to enable the efficient transfer of selected GIS layers
• Build data collection forms for use in all versions of XMap 7 or on the Earthmate PN-40 handheld GPS receiver
• Integrate field-collected data in a master GIS database

To download a free trial copy of XMap 7 GIS Enterprise, visit www.xmap.com/trial

Also available in the XMap 7 software suite are XMap 7 GIS Editor, a full featured application offering an extensive set of GIS layer importing, creating and editing tools, ideally suited for small scale GIS operations; and XMap 7 Professional, which is primarily a GIS data viewing application but, when used in conjunction with XMap GIS Enterprise, becomes a proficient field data collection and updating tool, ideally suited for field personnel and other mobile professionals.

Contact Information:

DeLorme
http://www.xmap.com/trial

Intermap Technologies Receives Third Consecutive MAPPS Excellence Award

Intermap Technologies – the foremost worldwide 3D digital mapping company, announced today that the Company had been named a recipient of a 2009 Geospatial Products and Services Excellence Award by MAPPS, (www.mapps.org),
the national association of private geospatial firms. Intermap won the award in the category of Airborne and Satellite Data Acquisition for its submission “Intermap Technologies Completes Acquisition of NEXTMap Europe,” which detailed how the Company collected digital elevation data for all of Western Europe. Totaling 2.4 million square kilometers in its border-to-border coverage for every country in Western Europe, NEXTMap Europe is history’s first regional digital elevation dataset accurate to 1 vertical meter.

"Once again, MAPPS member firms have demonstrated the professionalism,
innovation, and societal benefit that the private geospatial community provides to enhance our quality of life," said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. “I am pleased to commend Intermap’s achievement and all the firms who serve their clients every day.”

This is the third consecutive MAPPS Excellence Award for Intermap, which received the award in 2007 for a mapping project the company completed on behalf of the Italian mapping agency; in 2008, the company won for its development of a technology that significantly increased its data collection rate while maintaining strict accuracy standards.

“Intermap undertook this massive project to create an alternative to the array of existing country and regional datasets that were of varying accuracy standards,” said Garth Lawrence, Intermap senior vice president, Strategic Business. “Many of those datasets were also significantly out of date – the European geospatial community now has access to data that is current and uniformly accurate across the entire region. We’re proud to have set a new industry standard for 3D digital
mapping content for the geospatial industry.”

Intermap collects its elevation data with radar technology mounted to aircraft that fly precisely straight lines over wide areas of land. During NEXTMap Europe operations, Intermap’s pilots were guided by GPS-referenced coordinates adhering to the pan-European spatial reference system. The first flight for NEXTMap Europe data collection took off from a German airport on June 25, 2006; the final flight took place over the Italian Alps on July 10, 2008. During the course of data
collection, the aircraft flew a total of 484,430 kilometers of flight lines – the equivalent of 38 times around the world.

In addition to linguistic, cultural, and weather challenges, each Western European country has its own civil aviation authority or military mapping agency that granted Intermap permission to make flights over their territories – in some cases, those permissions needed to be requested six months in advance. One mission, flying from Amsterdam to Rome, required coordination with seven different air traffic control centers.

“Prior to NEXTMap Europe, no private company had ever attempted a mapping project of that scale,” said Lawrence. “The success of the program is directly attributable to the dedication and hard work of Intermap employees around the world, including all those who planned the collection of the data, coordinated the availability of equipment and supplies, and processed and edited the data into its final form.”

Markets that can benefit from the NEXTMap Europe database include environmental management, carbon emission reduction, fuel efficiency
improvements, transportation, engineering planning, risk management for flood and windstorm damage, water resource management, telecommunications network planning, and aviation safety.

In addition to the Company’s European mapping program, Intermap’s NEXTMap USA dataset, which provides coverage for all 8 million square kilometers of the contiguous United States and Hawaii, is more than 80 percent complete and will be fully available in the first half of 2010.

Contact Information:

Intermap Technologies
http://www.Intermap.com

Hemisphere GPS Forms Alliance with Third Eye Maps for Aerial Imagery Services

Hemisphere GPS has formed a strategic business alliance with Third Eye Maps company. The alliance recognizes Third Eye Maps as Hemisphere GPS’ authorized representative for aerial imagery capture and processing.

Through the collaboration of multiple technologies, Hemisphere GPS now offers
imagery solutions to its agriculture and land management customers. Third Eye Maps uses infrared camera systems to generate aerial imagery and maps with a variety of useful information. For agriculture, this information is used to determine vegetation growth indices as well asnutrient and irrigation irregularities that are essential for the improvement of farm yield efficiencies. For land management, imagery aids in the recognition of invasive species and other vegetation
identification that enables targeted management. The captured imagery data is post-processed and formatted into digital files which are compatible with most GPS assisted spray systems including the Hemisphere GPS Air IntelliFlow and IntelliGate liquid and dry flow control systems, respectively.

“This combination of technologies provides our customers with valuable data that can be used in conjunction with automated spray applications; whether they are
simply turning a spray on and off, or using it with full variable rate treatment in aerial or ground applicators” says Kip Pendleton, Vice-president and General Manager of Agriculture. “Growers, pilots and landowners can now spot spray areas as small as one-tenth of an acre in a more precise and cost effective manner."

Third Eye Maps brings more than 20 years of vegetation mapping and land management experience to Hemisphere GPS. The combination of Hemisphere GPS’
advanced guidance and flow control systems and Third Eye Maps’ aerial mapping technology and services offers Hemisphere GPS’ customers a more complete solution for imagery usage, data management and spray efficiency.

Contact Information:

Hemisphere GPS
http://www.hemispheregps.com

ArcGIS(R) RapidEye's Online Satellite Data Store Now Open

RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of five identical Earth Observation satellites, released the German version of their online shop for satellite imagery today –“The RapidEye Geodata Kiosk”.

The RapidEye Geodata Kiosk is an online shop for satellite imagery with ready-to-use data available immediately after purchase. After a secure credit card payment is made, the data is ready to be picked up immediately via secure download.

All data available in the Geodata Kiosk are RapidEye Ortho Products (level 3A); orthorectified, five meter pixel sized imagery from the RapidEye satellite constellation, ready to integrate into any GIS system. In addition to the data for Germany this release also includes the data for 16 free demonstration products for potential customers to test.

“With the RapidEye Geodata Kiosk we have the ability to accommodate satellite imagery requests from almost anybody; from the GIS professional who might want to use the data as background imagery, to value adders, who can derive expert analyses from it, to the university student, as well as to my neighbor who might be looking for an image of Berlin for his home. By using the Internet to distribute
our data we will be able to service large and small orders of our satellite imagery easily, quickly and automatically,” commented Wolfgang G. Biedermann, RapidEye's CEO. “With the release of our German version we are getting our 'feet wet', and we ask that everyone try it out so that we can work out any initial problems before we make a big splash with the roll-out of our international version in 2010.”

RapidEye plans to expand the Geodata Kiosk to include data products from around the world, with a dedication to providing continually fresh imagery and making data from almost every country on Earth available to anyone, anywhere at anytime.

“The big benefits for our customers are that they can choose and buy only the area they really need, as no minimum sized area is required and purchases can be made with as little as 50 Euro. Customers instantly get what they order and can choose between different delivery formats, including GeoTIFF and NITF. Re-projection on-the-fly between UTM and geographic coordinate systems is also an option that will appeal to our more knowledgeable customers,” comments Michael W. Prechtel, Head of Marketing and Sales for RapidEye.

The Geodata Kiosk can be accessed through the direct URL www.geodatakiosk.com, or by visiting RapidEye's website at www.rapideye.de.
This initial version of the Geodata Kiosk may have minor system difficulties, but will not affect the quality of its data. RapidEye would appreciate if any issues with the system will be reported either through the feedback function in the Geodata Kiosk or via a direct email.

All updates regarding the progress of the Geodata Kiosk will be available by either following RapidEye on Twitter at or by sending an email requesting a subscription to RapidEye's newsletter. These updates will not only inform subscribers about the future international version of the Geodata Kiosk, but will include information about new areas that have been or will be added once the future version will be available.

The RapidEye Geodata Kiosk is not the only way to obtain RapidEye satellite imagery, nor is the imagery available on the Kiosk all that's available from RapidEye. For the opportunity to purchase millions more square kilometers of Earth as single or multi-temporal datasets, RapidEye's library can be searched either through a local distributor or directly through the RapidEye Customer Service department.

Contact Information:

RapidEye
http://www.geodatakiosk.com

ERDAS IMAGINE & ERDAS ER Mapper 2010 Just Released

ERDAS announces new releases of two of the industry’s leading geospatial desktop authoring solutions: ERDAS IMAGINE and ERDAS ER Mapper 2010. This release also includes IMAGINE Feature Interoperability, a new ERDAS IMAGINE module, and IMAGINE SAR Interferometry, a new collection of products in the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite.

ERDAS IMAGINE is available in three tiers: IMAGINE Essentials, IMAGINE Advantage and IMAGINE Professional. This release also includes joint licensing between IMAGINE Professional and ERDAS ER Mapper, providing both products when either is purchased. This allows users of either product to utilize the powerful tools in both solutions simultaneously.

ERDAS IMAGINE 2010 is an all in one, fully integrated desktop authoring platform, incorporating image analysis, remote sensing and GIS capabilities. Featuring a new ribbon interface, ERDAS IMAGINE makes it easier for users to streamline workflows and customize their workspace. ERDAS IMAGINE also provides enhanced tools for parallel batch processing, spatial modeling, map production, mosaicking and change detection. In addition, ERDAS IMAGINE also incorporates the ERDAS ER Mapper algorithms and implements comprehensive OGC Web
Processing Service (WPS), Web Coverage Service (WCS), Web Mapping Service (WMS) and Catalog Services for the Web (CS-W).

IMAGINE Feature Interoperability is a new module supporting DGN Direct-read, write and editing, including symbolization colors, cells (points with shapes assigned to them), text, relating to external attribute sources such as Oracle tables and the use of the spatial indexing and caching for roaming, zooming and more.

With intelligent defaults and optimized processing, IMAGINE SAR Interferometry is fully integrated into ERDAS IMAGINE. IMAGINE SAR Interferometry includes new interpolation techniques that increase the quality and fidelity of radar data. A part of the IMAGINE Radar Mapping Suite, IMAGINE SAR Interferometry includes InSAR, Coherence Change Detection and D-InSAR processing capabilities.

ERDAS ER Mapper is a powerful image processing software for geoscientists and GIS professionals. It has unique data display tools to enhance satellite imagery, elevation data and geophysical datasets.

In this release, ERDAS ER Mapper introduces a vastly improved coordinate system and projection support. In addition, this release also features numerous improvements in data handling and processing as well as an enhanced regional mineralogical mapping capability using ASTER data.

“ERDAS IMAGINE 2010 integrates new technology and fuses together the strengths of our existing desktop products into a single solution,” said Mladen Stojic, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, ERDAS. “With the streamlined ribbon interface and joint licensing available for IMAGINE Professional and ERDAS ER Mapper customers, a comprehensive set of compelling tools are easily accessible.”

For more information about ERDAS, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.

Contact Information:

ERDAS
http://www.erdas.com

Geocue Acquires QCoherent Software