Applanix Releases POSPac 4.1
Applanix announced  that it has released POSPac 4.1, the latest update to its post-processing software. Designed to maximize the quality of data generated using the company's airborne and land-based Position and Orientation Systems, this latest release comprises a number of additions and enhanced features aimed at streamlining data processing operations and increasing data accuracy. With the new release the user is now able to control the output data (units, coordinate type, etc.), with the introduction of a conversion option that automatically translates post-processed position data into a user-specified coordinate system, such as State Plane, UTM, etc., efficiently reducing the time necessary to complete the project. Users will find additional benefits include the ability to output data into GIS-compatible formats, such as ASCII and DXF, eliminating the need for further conversion steps, and simplifying data transfer for geographic information systems users.

Mapping Solutions' Debuts TerraViewer Plus
Mapping Solutions is pleased to announce the release of its latest product, TerraViewer Plus. With a high speed Internet connection, TerraViewer Plus dynamically brings GlobeXplorer color aerial imagery as a metered pre-paid service into MapInfo Professional. Desktop GIS users can now enjoy the benefits of up-to-date color aerial imagery without purchasing imagery they do not need. Imagery resolutions vary from six inches per pixel to one meter per pixel for major metropolitan areas for the United States and Western Europe.

DDTI Releases AccuGlobe 2004
Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDTI) announced the release of the AccuGlobe 2004 software product series. AccuGlobe 2004 GIS software is the core engine behind many of DDTI's advanced spatial software products and is available as a free download for the global GIS community at www.ddti.net. AccuGlobe 2004 will be supported by DDTI with feedback from an international base of GIS users. The GIS professional will be able to develop complex and sophisticated plug-ins with the AccuGlobe 2004 Software Development Kit (SDK), developed primarily through a business partner relationship between DDTI and GeoMicro.

Mapping Solutions Introduces TerraViewer USA
Mapping Solutions LLC unveiled TerraViewer USA for ArcGIS, its latest version of this innovative software. TerraViewer is an extension to ArcGIS that seamlessly integrates the USGS aerial images and topological maps into ArcGIS as a dynamically updated layer. Data is delivered via a high speed Internet connection. The product enables end users to view terabytes of USGS archived black and white aerial photography and topographical maps locally on their desktop.  Its sister product, TerraViewer USA for MapInfo Professional, was released in December 2002.

Positioning Resources Adds MobileMapper
Positioning Resources Ltd is pleased to announce the introduction of the Thales MobileMapper to their extensive range of data capture products. The MobileMapper is a mobile mapping system combining full GIS data collection and navigation software in a handheld, feature-packed GPS receiver, which enables location, and description of features being mapped and then their easy and quick upload to a GIS. Not only is MobileMapper affordable, it is also rugged and easy to use. The new system is designed to handle a wide range of mobile GIS and mapping applications for fieldwork for local authorities, utilities, natural resources, street maintenance, bus routing, etc.

RSI Releases NITF Module for ENVI Image Analysis Software
Research Systems, Inc. (RSI), a wholly owned subsidiary of Eastman Kodak Company, announced  that it has released a new module for ENVI that supports reading and writing image files in the National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) and the NATO Secondary Image Format (NSIF). The ENVI NITF module will allow customers who require a certified NITF software environment to take advantage of ENVI's image analysis functionality. 

The new ENVI NITF Module includes:

• Read support tested to Complexity Level 7 (the highest) by the Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC)

• Read support for NSDE classified tags and for unclassified and user defined tags

• Write support tested to Complexity Level 7, including JPEG 2000 compression

• Read support for NITF 1.1, 2.0 and 2.1

• Write support for NITF 2.0 and 2.1 files containing single images, with no text, annotation, or tag segments

• Access to read and write of NITF files within the ENVI menu interface and via batch mode routines

ER Mapper 6.4 Version Extends Capabilities
ER Mapper 6.4 from Earth Resource Mapping is the latest version of the premiere geospatial image processing application. ER Mapper is widely used to process imagery for use in GIS, CAD, imaging, office, and Web applications. ER Mapper 6.4 goes even further in providing headache-free solutions for people managing and using air and satellite imagery.

Highlights of the ER Mapper 6.4 release include map reprojection on-the-fly, floating network licenses, and multi-terabyte compression and image management. Map reprojection on-the-fly allows faster access to image data. ER Mapper automatically reprojects images from different projections into a common projection, providing a transparent user experience.

Users need seamless image mosaics without distracting artifacts or differences between images that make up the mosaic. ER Mapper 6.4's powerful Color Balancing Wizard automatically eliminates checkerboard artifacts between images.

ER Mapper and Image Web Server Set New Record
Earth Resource Mapping has recently completed a World Geocover Mosaic from Landsat satellite imagery.  It is thought to be the world's largest image served over the Internet, and the largest image of the Earth. More than 600 separate images, each a mosaic of about 10 to 15 Landsat TM scenes, totaling two terabytes of imagery, was mosaicked and compressed using a pre-release version of ER Mapper 6.4. The final mosaic covers almost the entire landmass of the planet Earth at 30 meter resolution. The image measures 1.4 million pixels wide by half a million pixels high.  The 2 Terabytes of raw data has been compressed to an ECW (Enhanced Compression Wavelet) file that is 26 Gigabytes in size - a compression ratio of 80:1. Compression was performed using ER Mapper 6.4, which is shipping this month. Compression of this 2TB world mosaic was made possible by new features in ER Mapper 6.4, including an enhanced compression engine allowing for faster compression of very large mosaics.

TopoZone and USGS Create the National Map Partnership
Maps a la carte, Inc., creators of TopoZone, announced it has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the USGS to support USGS' The National Map project. Under the agreement, Maps a la carte will develop, enhance, and document a suite of Open Source software for serving geospatial data over the Internet.

Working with partners, the USGS is building The National Map as a framework for geographic knowledge that will provide current, accurate, and nationally consistent digital data and topographic maps derived from those data to the Nation. The availability of software tools for hosting and serving geospatial data in a flexible, low cost way, without being tied to specific or proprietary formats or vendors, will encourage more state, local and private holders of geospatial data to serve it through The National Map.

IKONOS Satellite Images Support Flood Relief Actions in Southern France
The recent floods in Southern France killed at least six people and forced more than 15,000 to leave their homes. While the water levels of the Rhône river flood are already dropping in most regions in the river valley, the region around the medieval town Arles is still severely affected after several dykes north of the town broke. European Space Imaging collected high-resolution IKONOS satellite images on Saturday, December 6th at 11:45 am which show the extents of the flooding in the region 50 km North of Marseilles.

The IKONOS imagery allows for objects as large as 80 centimeters to be clearly distinguished and gives a very detailed overview of the degree of damage in the inundated areas.

In December 2003, the French Civil Protection authorities called the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters." The International Charter is a joint initiative of international space agencies which have agreed to support disaster relief actions with satellite imagery on a best effort basis. Upon request by the French Government, the German Ministry of the Interior sent 850 German technical relief workers from the Technisches Hilfwerks (THW) to Arles which started flood relief actions on Saturday morning. The THW is the Governmental disaster relief organization of the Federal Republic of Germany.

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) as partner of the International Charter "Space and Major Disasters" supports in cooperation with European Space Imaging the THW mission and the French Civil Defense units in Southern France through providing high-resolution satellite maps.

NovAtel Awarded Contract
NovAtel Inc., a precise positioning technology company, announced that the Company has been authorized to begin work on a CDN$186,900 contract from Canadian Public Works & Government Services, sponsored by the Canadian Space Agency under the Space Technology Development Program, for the development of a Galileo prototype receiver. Galileo is Europe's state-of-the-art GNSS system, which is expected to be fully operable by 2008 with up to 30 satellites orbiting the earth. NovAtel plans to use its new L5, FPGA-based precise positioning receiver to develop a pre-production level Galileo capable receiver. The new receiver will be configured to track the Binary Offset Carrier BOC (2,2) ranging code that is proposed to eventually be transmitted at the Galileo L1 frequency. For this pre-production development the design will be verified at the L5/E5a frequency. The Company also plans to modify an L5 signal transmitter, developed by NovAtel for Zeta Associates of Fairfax, Virginia, to output a Galileo BOC (2,2) test signal.

Lockheed Martin Selects ImageLinks Products
ImageLinks, a provider of imagery solutions for visualization and simulation applications, has been selected by Lockheed Martin Corporation to provide high-resolution satellite imagery products that will be used in engineering development simulators for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) and flight training simulators for the F/A-22 Raptor. ImageLinks will provide its multi-resolution, cross-sensor TrueTerrain imagery products of large areas covering Southwest Asia, Eastern Europe, the Southwestern United States, Texas, and the Northeastern United States. When incorporated into flight simulators, this true-color, geo-specific imagery allows pilots to experience flying the aircraft over a specific geographic area without leaving the ground-ultimately resulting in enhanced mission awareness, understanding and safety. The company already provides Lockheed Martin with geo-specific imagery used in several of their training simulators. ImageLinks' TrueTerrain products are created using ImageLinks' Virtual Sensor technology, which merges and mosaics multi-source, multi-resolution satellite and aerial imagery-from 3 inches to 100 meters-with digital elevation data. These realistic, geo-specific, 3-D terrain models are orthorectified, seamlessly co-registered, tonally balanced, blended and feathered into a single mosaic.

Beijing UniStrong Joins NavCom's Global Distribution Network
NavCom Technology, Inc. announced that it has signed a dealer/distribution agreement with Beijing UniStrong to represent NavCom's GPS products and services in the People's Republic of China. Its global satellite-based StarFire Network provides users with real-time decimeter positioning anywhere, anytime without the need for local ground-reference stations. Its range of RTK and GPS receivers are ideally suited for high-accuracy applications in GIS, navigation, survey, machine control, and structural monitoring.

Spectrum North Carolina Awarded Contracts
Spectrum North Carolina, LLC announced the award of a contract to update approximately 55,000 parcels for Darlington County, South Carolina. Darlington County is located in the Coastal Plain region of South Carolina, encompassing approximately 550 square miles. Spectrum's parcel research, construction, conversion, and compilation services will result in data to be included in the County's newly implemented Geographic Information Systems (GIS). An accurate digital cadastral layer is considered crucial to the successful implementation of this countywide GIS. Spectrum will develop an ArcInfo database design for the project and assemble digital cadastral data using both COGO and Best-Fit construction methodologies.

ImageLinks Achieves Top-Ten CELTIC Pathfinder Rating
ImageLinks has announced that its Open Source Software Image Map (OSSIM) and Active Archive ranked in the top 10 of the National Imagery and Mapping Agency's (NIMA) Commercial Electronic Light Table for the Intelligence Community (CELTIC) Pathfinder assessment. The CELTIC Pathfinder assessment focused on next-generation image analysis and manipulation tools in a field of 300 software packages. OSSIM and Active Archive were evaluated on 261 functions by 16 organizations from the U.S. intelligence community. From 17 finalists, 10 products were chosen for hands-on technical evaluations. The ImageLinks products ranked eighth in overall expert ratings and first in the mosaic-only category. OSSIM was the only Beta product.

Intergraph Delivers Optimized Geospatial Information System
Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions  announced its European Competence Center for Mapping and Military (Bonn, Germany) has successfully completed implementation of an optimized geospatial information system for the Amt fur Geoinformationswesen der Bundeswehr (geoinformation office of the German Federal Armed Forces) (AGeoBw). The new system, called the geodata information basis, contains source data, including topographical features with a scale from 1:50,000 to 1:1,000,000 that the AGeoBw uses to produce maps that support German military operations.

The new system facilitates the seamless storage and administration of vector and hierarchical data originating from various sources, such as Germany's Authoritative Topographic-Cartographic Information System (ATKIS), as well as chronological attributes for version control of the data foundation. With newly implemented workflows of the system and a feature-level database, the AGeoBw accelerates the production of maps ranging from NIMA-like maps, such as a JOG-A at a scale of 1:250,000 to TPC at a scale of 1:500,000, thematic maps and maps on demand. Intergraph's GeoMedia technology enables the AGeoBw to quickly and efficiently fulfill all the geospatial-related tasks of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force. For example, the digital data models allows illustration of varying scales including 1:1,000,000, 1:100,000 or a very detailed scale of 1:50,000. Maps can also now integrate topographical, geomorphological, geodetical and hydrographical vector-based data with object and alphanumerical data from the database. In addition, the new system allows data to be queried over the Internet or intranet. Users can access the most up-to-date data and verify information on data changes that will enable the organization to safeguard data integrity and validity. 

Spectrum Mapping Awarded Contract
Spectrum Mapping, LLC has been awarded a second contract for LIDAR data collection and mapping in King County, Washington for the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and The Sensitive Areas Ordinance (SAO). Spectrum generated bare earth DEM's, first and last return raw data, and first and last return intensity data, to help King County's ESA/SAO response efforts. The first contract was Phase 1-Western Lowlands and the latest contract is Phase 2-Eastern Uplands.