To help President Bush implement Executive Order 13327, on Federal Real Property Asset Management, issued on February 4, Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS) President Ken Fleming has appointed a MAPPS Federal Land Cadastre Task Force. The Executive Order requires the establishment of an inventory of federal land holdings, as well as directs the Interior and Agriculture Departments to prepare legislation dealing with a public lands inventory. Also, the organization feels that the U.S. Government should "partner with the commercial remote sensing industry to leverage the latest available technology for the purpose of ensuring the continuity of Landsat data." That was suggested in a MAPPS letter to Dr. John Marburger, Director of the Office of Science and Technology Policy in the White House. 

Frost & Sullivan recognized DigitalGlobe with the 2004 Aerospace & Defense Product of the Year Award. Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in developing new products and technologies within its industry.

Colorado Governor, Bill Owens, awarded the Governor's Award to  Space Imaging for Export Excellence in the large-sized manufacturing company category. The Governor's Award for Excellence in Exporting has been awarded annually since 1970, and recognizes Colorado companies that demonstrate a commitment to international trade.

Visual Learning Systems, Inc. (VLS) announced the Feature Analyst State and Local Government Grant Program. This Grant Program provides copies of the company's software, Feature Analyst, which automatically finds features such as buildings and roads from imagery. VLS expects to award up to $5 million dollars in software grants in 2004. Qualified state, city, and local government agencies can apply online at www.featureanalyst.com.

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) formally announced its formation as a non-profit organization that brings together the key players involved in the geospatial intelligence sector to promote the tradecraft and to collaborate on the execution of a national geospatial intelligence agenda. The vision of the USGIF is to have an organization that serves the many disciplines involved in the geospatial intelligence community, and to develop a stronger partnership between government, industry, academic and professional organizations, and individuals involved in the development and application of geospatial intelligence data and the deployment of geo-processing resources.

Since formation, USGIF added seven new directors: Jack Dangermond, President, ESRI; Dr. Michael F. Goodchild, Professor of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara; Arthur V. Grant, Vice President, Raytheon; Brig. Gen. Michael G. Lee, USAF (Ret.), Associate Partner, IBM; Timothy W. Milovich, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer, Questerra, LLC; James A. Myer, Chief Executive Officer & Chairman, Photon Research Associates, Inc.; Herbert F. Satterlee III, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer,  DigitalGlobe, Inc.

IDELIX Software Inc. and Intelligence Data Systems have partnered to incorporate Pliable Display Technology (PDT), into Intelligence Data Systems' customized technology solutions for the Intelligence Community, Department of Defense, and related Federal Civilian Agencies.

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.

Vexcel has acquired the assets of International Systemap Corporation (ISM), a Vancouver-based mapping software vendor specializing in digital photogrammetry. Vexcel ISM is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vexcel Corporation.

Clark Labs announced the formation of two new Resource Centers in its International Resource Center (IRC) program: Peking University in Beijing, China and the Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico in Toluca, Mexico. The International Resource Center program was started in 1995 to better address the needs of the Clark Labs' international user community.

LizardTech, Inc. announced the availability of the MrSID Software Development Kit (SDK) 4.0 with JPEG 2000. This new SDK enables software developers to easily include JPEG 2000, as well as MrSID wavelet imagery, into their applications using a single SDK.

DigitalGlobe released a new product: Digital Ortho Quarter Quads (DG DOQQ). Produced from recently collected QuickBird satellite imagery, the DG DOQQ provides timely imagery at high resolution. The DG DOQQ offers a two-foot resolution, cloud-free, seamless digital image mosaic and is suited to fit many government and commercial customer applications. The DG DOQQ differs from the USGS DOQQ in that it has a higher resolution (two-foot versus one-meter), more image options (black-and-white, natural color, color infrared, and 4-band pan-sharpened), and multiple projection options.

Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping's ADS40 Airborne Digital Sensor now delivers 5-centimeter spatial resolution imagery. This marks a significant improvement from the ADS40's previously published accuracy level of 10-15 centimeter spatial resolution.

Applanix introduced the latest version of its DSS Digital Sensor System, a medium format, digital airborne remote sensing system. The new system incorporates a next-generation CCD, and single-axis azimuth mount, both designed to maximize the DSS system's capabilities in generating high-quality digital imagery for the aerial survey and remote sensing industry.

The latest Image Web Server 2.0 release from Earth Resource Mapping includes multiple-protocol image serving, including support for the ArcIMS (ArcXML) protocol.

Red Hen Systems, Inc. released MediaMapper version 5.1 which shortens the time to produce mapped video imagery over other competitive solutions and increases ease-of-use.

AlphaPixel LLC, a new software developer, introduced PixelSense, a tool for point-and-click processing of remote-sensed imagery bands into GeoTIFF images.

Prompt GmbH of Germany introduced PromptServer, a client-server based image management, processing, and distribution solution for fast access to huge and complex geo-image datasets.

Keyhole Corporation announced the preview release of Keyhole 2 Pro, an enhancement of Keyhole's flagship professional client software. Users can add their own data on top of visualizations and collaborate.

BAE SYSTEMS released SOCET SET Version 5.1. The release boasts faster terrain editing as well as quicker terrain graphics refreshes. SOCET SET v5.1 is also the first release to feature integration with VrOne and BINGO.

Safe Software Inc. announced the release of the latest version of its flagship product, FME 2004 ICE. The new version contains close to 600 user-requested enhancements, as well as several new and updated formats that bring the total number of FME-supported formats to more than 130.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced the award of multi-year contracts for the acquisition of high resolution satellite imagery to two U.S.-based companies: Space Imaging of Thornton, Colo., and ORBIMAGE, Inc. of Dulles, Va. The contracts estimated at $15 million provide the USGS and its partner agencies with coordinated access to the remote sensing industry's products and services.

IONIC Software will provide GIS software and engineering support for DigitalGlobe's next-generation imaging satellite, WorldView. The new satellite, set to launch no later than 2006, will be the world's highest resolution commercial imaging satellite with better agility, accuracy, and collection capacity than any other known commercial system.

Pictometry International Corp., provider of a system that captures digital aerial oblique and orthogonal images, has secured a licensing agreement for countywide imagery and software with the Los Angeles County agencies as well as one with Bergen County, New Jersey.

Kucera International was awarded three 2004 countywide aerial photography and mapping services contracts for Medina, Wayne, and Mahoning Counties, Ohio. The contracts cover more than 1,400 square miles and have a combined value of more than $1.2 million.

PCI Geomatics will be providing GTZ with Geomatica software for geospatial processing of ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) data. Geomatica geospatial software is helping GTZ consultants develop a new geo-database for hydrologic and hydro-geologic resource assessment in Eritrea (Horn of Africa).

The Montana Department of Administration, Information Technology Services Division, on behalf of the GIS Subcommittee of the Montana Homeland Security Task Force recently awarded Positive Systems a contract to acquire aerial imagery of thirteen populated areas across the state.

Sanborn won four GIS base mapping projects in the Midwest. Two are updates for Missouri counties, a third is for a Missouri city and the fourth is for Monroe County Illinois.

The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency (FSA) awarded the largest digital orthophoto collection contract ever granted to a team of three companies: team leader North West Geomatics Ltd. and its business partners, EarthData International and Horizons, Inc. The three will be using six Leica ADS40 Airborne Digital Sensors to acquire imagery over approximately 380,000 square miles of land in the states of Texas, Idaho, and Louisiana.

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has signed a contract with Intermap Federal Services Inc. for the development of interferometric synthetic aperture radar system airborne radar commercial imagery high-resolution radar images, digital surface model, and radar-based map products. The award for $4,153,885 is part of a $47,000,000 deal signed on June 18, 2004. The work is expected to be completed by January 14, 2005. 

Bill Landis has assumed the role of Chief Operating Officer of Aerials Express, the Tempe-based national aerial photography firm started by his father Jerry Landis.

Kari J. Craun won the election over Alan W. Voss to become ASPRS Vice President for 2004. Once she is sworn in as President in 2006, Craun will be the fifth woman to hold that office since the Society was founded in 1934. With the installation of officers at the ASPRS Annual Conference in May, Russell Congalton moves into the position of president; Karen Schuckman becomes president-elect, and Donald Lauer becomes past president. Craun is Chief of the U.S. Geological Survey's Mid-Continent Mapping Center in Rolla, Missouri.

The International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ISPRS) announced that Dr. Krishnaswamy Kasturirangan of India is the winner of the ISPRS Brock Gold Medal. The Medal is donated by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, and is awarded for an outstanding landmark in the evolution of the photogrammetry, remote sensing, and spatial information sciences.

Intermap Technologies named three new staff members: David Hisdal as director, Southeast Asia sales; Carol Thorpe as director, NEXTMap product promotion; and Monica Moore as director of marketing.

Stephen L. Root recently joined Woolpert LLP as a photogrammetry project director.

Space Imaging appointed Mark A. Kling as vice president, general counsel, and secretary.

David Lewis has been appointed director of sales for the Colorado Springs office of Sanborn. In this newly created position, Lewis' primary role will be to assist in the continuing development and pursuit strategies for securing state level programs.

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