PRODUCTS

Hitachi Software Engineering Launches PiXterra Online Image Publishing Services
Hitachi Software Engineering Co., Ltd Japan, has launched the image publishing website PiXterra. PiXterra distributes 40 GB of 60-centimeter Quickbird satellite image data covering the central area of Tokyo using ER Mapper’s Image Web Server and ECW image database format. By spring 2004, PiXterra will be publishing half a terabyte of data, covering most major Japanese cities, including Osaka and Kyoto. The PiXterra website is available to the public for subscription at http://PiXterra.net/. PiXterra offers a range of powerful and useful tools, including real-time roam-and-zoom, address search, and GIS Vector Information. It also offers multi-date imagery overlay and transparency for change detection analysis. Information in the GIS database includes public buildings and parks, train stations, and roads. In the near future, demographic data derived from census statistics and land assessment information will also be available. PiXterra is suitable for use by a wide range of industries. These include real estate and property management agencies, utilities and facilities management organizations, transportation companies, and the tourism industry.

BUSINESS

RADARSAT International Provides GeoSpatial Intelligence to U.S. DoD’s Grand Challenge
In support of a developing defense application, RADARSAT International, one of the world’s largest distributors of
LANDSAT 7 imagery, is providing two LANDSAT 7 mosaics to support the aim of team AI Motorvators: to win the DARPA Grand Challenge’s US$1 million cash prize. Developed by the U.S. Department of Defense, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Grand Challenge will pit a field of autonomous ground vehicles against each other in an off-road race between Barstow, California and Primm, Nevada on March 13, 2004. Each vehicle is uniquely built and must traverse the race route without any human intervention or control. The teams will be given the precise location of the race course two hours prior to the start. Each vehicle will have 10 hours to complete the 250- to 300-mile race. RADARSAT International is providing AI Motorvators with two LANDSAT 7 mosaics that cover the race target area. The resolution of the first mosaic is 15m (panchromatic (black & white) imagery) and the resolution of the second is 30m (multispectral (colour) imagery). The mosaics will provide a critical base layer in AI Motorvators’ vehicle’s in-car navigation system. The team is developing a neural network system to enable their vehicle to choose routes based on the LANDSAT 7 imagery.

Loafer Creek Purchases Leica ALS50 LIDAR System for Environmental Monitoring Efforts
Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping and Loafer Creek LLC are pleased to announce that Loafer Creek has purchased an ALS50 Airborne Laser Scanner to help them manage and monitor natural resources. This effort includes the Dove Ridge
Conservation Bank, a 2,400-acre mitigation bank that opened in December 2003, which offers conservation credits for a variety of endangered species plus vernal pool and swales credits.
To further aid their natural resource managing and monitoring efforts, Loafer Creek also purchased Leica Geosystems’ ERDAS IMAGINE geographic imaging software; a 4k x 4k color digital photogrammetric camera from Spectrum Mapping, LLC (Denver, Col., USA), and a thermal infrared sensor from ITRES Inc. (Englewood, Col., USA). The three sensors will be integrated at Leica Geosystems’ Airborne LIDAR Operation office in Westford, Mass., USA.

Pictometry and Intermap Form Partnership
Pictometry International Corp., provider of a patented information system that captures digital aerial oblique and orthogonal images, as well as related software, announced that it haspartnered with Intermap Technologies. Under terms of the agreement, Pictometry will be able to offer its customer base of local, county, state, and federal government end users the option to combine Pictometry’s digital images with Intermap’s terrain elevation data to create more accurate mapping products. Currently, Pictometry’s customers have the option of utilizing elevation data from a suite of vendors. Intermap’s technology will provide Pictometry users with a significantly more accurate image location, elevation, and positional detail of buildings, properties and structures in their image libraries.

GRW Aerial Surveys, Inc. Wins 2004
Foundation Award
GRW Aerial Surveys, Inc. (GRW) recently received the 2004 ESRI Foundation Partner of the Year Award, in recognition of an extensive automated mapping and surveying project for the Louisville Water Company. GRW was selected by the Louisville Water Company (LWC) to help improve the infrastructure management of their water distribution system. The LouisvilleWater Company serves 250,000 people, covering approximately 600 square miles in Jefferson, Bullitt, and Oldham Counties in Kentucky. With more than 3,300 miles of water mains, the company had a massive amount of pipeline and service data maintained in multiple AutoCAD files. To simplify the process of accessing data, GRW was hired to utilize Geographic Information System and Global Positioning System technology, combining the mapping resources into a single network database, easily accessible via an Intranet. The new database will enable LWC to easily plan, model, and manage its water distribution system. This multi-year project involved the latest ESRI software technology.

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