| ArcView Image Analysis 1.1 Upgrade Now Available
ESRI announced that ArcView Image Analys's 1.1, an optional extension to ArcView GIS, is now shipping. ArcView Image Analysis 1.1 significantly expands the geographic imaging capabilities for ArcView GIS users by giving them access to a broader range of data types and particularly emphasizes the growing uses and applications of aerial photography and other remotely sensed data. ArcView Image Analysis 1.1 adds new capabilities for mosaicking imagery in a single-button operation and setting and managing user preferences and includes additional data enhancement options.
ArcView Image Analysis extends the image display capabilities of ArcView GIS with a range of imaging processes that fully extract the information contained within aerial and satellite imagery.
ArcView Image Analysis is intended primarily for ArcView GIS users who want to generate more information from imagery without having extensive knowledge of remote sensing and image processing. Typical applications include state and local government planning, forestry and natural resources management, agriculture, infrastructure management, environmental engineering, environmental planning, map updating, and temporal analyses.
ArcView Image Analysis is an ERDAS software program and the result of a collaborative effort between ERDAS and ESRI. For more information on ArcView Image Analysis 1.1, visit www.esri.com/imageanalysis http://maps6.esri.com/scripts/esrimap.dll?name=Reseller&cmd=RS.StartPage, ESRI at 1-800-447-9778, or your ESRI regional office . Outside the United States, please contact ERDAS at 404-248-9000 or visit www.erdas.com/contact/sales/sales_contact_intl.html.
Tadpole Poised To Link The World Of Web-Enabled Devices
M-business leader's recently-acquired Endeavors Technology, Inc. releases groundbreaking architecture that promises to transform the way information held on desktops, laptops and palmtops is accessed, managed and processed from remote, web-enabled devices Endeavors Technology, Inc., the web technology software subsidiary of mobile computing specialist Tadpole Technology plc, released innovative technology for the Web, which will allow web-enabled devices (including wireless) to access, manage and automatically process information held on millions of desktops, laptops and palmtops, irrespective of their location.
Called Magi_Dav, this fundamental engineering technology enables the interconnection of disparate collections of web-enabled devices and processes, and allows them to operate as a coherent whole for the first time.
The initial release supports Windows and Linux-based desktop and laptop computers - subsequent releases will support operating environments found on wireless Internet-connected devices such as Palm™ , and Tadpole's ruggedized Internet-enabled Java device, the J-Slate™ .
Magi™ is a global, open source initiative for developers building and deploying Internet-scale, business-to-business applications and is based on such web standards as the Apache Web Server, Web Distributed Authoring and Versioning protocol (WebDav), XML, JAVA and HTTP. With Microsoft Office 2000® being WebDAV-enabled, a practical example of Magi_Dav's power is its ability to provide any Microsoft Office 2000 user with the ability to read, write and publish directly to or from a variety of locations (home, office, or on the move).
As the number of web-enabled/connectable computers and devices proliferate, individuals will own several such devices - smart phones, palmtop devices, laptop computers and desktop computers being typical examples. Each contains their own addresses and has a specific identity. All contain separate information.
Managing and processing all the data, files and documents scattered across the gamut of web-enabled devices threatens to become an increasingly complex challenge. Although far more wide reaching in complexity, the problem is analogous to the multiple telephone/ pager numbers carried by most individuals today.
Endeavors' Magi_Dav architecture addresses the mounting problem of managing and processing uncoordinated, unsynchronized information scattered randomly on web-enabled devices. It allows an individual to get at and work on any information held within that individual's desktop computer, laptop computer, or palmtop handheld device from any online remote wireless web-enabled device, anywhere. Once that information has been worked upon, the individual can also share it, simply, directly and dynamically, with defined groups of colleagues or collaborators, preindentified as "buddies", without needing intermediate servers or services requiring time consuming and complex interactions.
The technology allows each web-enabled device to be directly and dynamically addressable to any other with a Magi web server, and enables collaborative information sharing with "buddies", including which ones are online moment to moment. This means information can be shared, and processes coordinated simply, powerfully, and directly, peer-to-peer and person-to-person.
"The real power of e-commerce will be realized when people can conveniently use a palmtop computer to search for products online, compare prices, and negotiate optional features, all while walking around a normal retail establishment," says Roy T. Fielding, chief scientist of eBuilt, Inc., and chairman of the Apache Software Foundation. "Magi is leading the way towards a cooperative wireless communication paradigm in which the information you need is available whenever and wherever you need it."
Jim Whitehead, chair of the Internet Engineering Task Force WebDAV working group, comments: "I am very excited that the open source Magi personal Web server supports the WebDAV protocol. By emphasizing personal use, Magi brings us closer to the day when every device will have a Web and Web_Dav server."
Laura Hanscom , Patcom-Media.com, Tel: 925-243-0300, Email [email protected] Bernard Hulme, Group Chief Executive, Tadpole Technology, Inc, Tel: 760-929-0992
NASA Selects 3Di to Map Patuxent River Oil Spill and Damage
Tracking and monitoring of Pepco's fuel oil spill expedited with 3Di's Airborne Hyperspectral Sensor
Since April 7, crews have worked to clean up a 110,000-gallon fuel oil spill that leaked from a Pepco pipeline in Maryland's Prince George's County. A rainstorm and high winds drove the spill, which had been contained in Swanson Creek, into the Patuxent River. As high winds hampered the cleanup operation, determining the extent of oil leakage and the environmental damage to the Patuxent River became more difficult. But with the help of spectral mapping data from the spatial data firm 3Di (Easton, Maryland), EPA coordinators may know in near real-time where vegetative stress exists and the extent of the oil spill.
Under a NASA Code 935 Rapid Response to Disasters contract and in affiliation with US EPA, Maryland EPA and Maryland DNR, 3Di will fly over the fuel oil spill site tomorrow with its AISA sensor as the collaboration's sole source of hyperspectral data for vegetative stress mapping. "Using narrow band light detection from an aerial platform, our hyperspectral sensor can precisely monitor the most subtle changes in the environment," said Bill Bernard, 3Di's Remote Sensing Director of Business Development. "The amount of detail hyperspectral imagery can provide over satellite imagery, and in real-time, will be beneficial in determining what areas have been affected by the spill and where clean-up efforts need to be focused."
More importantly, this digital data, corrected and navigated for use as another layer of information in the response team's management tools can be made available in the next two to three days. "Other processes, like satellite imagery and other traditional mapping techniques, would require two to three weeks of compilation and deliver only half the results, a scenario not suited for a situation that is changing by the minute" said Bernard. "With the hyperspectral sensor, we can quickly determine what has been damaged and target locations for faster clean up."
The data will be hosted on Maryland's Environmental Resources & Land Information Network MERLIN website (http://www.mdmerlin.net/). 3Di's hyperspectral data can be used in conjunction with other data layers and base mapping as a precise management tool for the disaster area. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) created the on-line MERLIN System to provide access to over 150 gigabytes of geographic information products (spatial data) that are created by DNR and many other state, federal and private sources. These other sources include the Office of Planning, Department of Housing and Community Development, State Highway Administration, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 3Di.
3Di launched its hyperspectral data flight mission from Maryland's Easton Airport on April 12, 2000 at 9:30 a.m., EST. Results of the flight will be ready for use as a management tool within a week.
For additional information visit the 3DI on the Internet at www.3dillc.com or contact: Tracey Walter, Manager, Marketing Services, [email protected] 410.770.6038 DIRECT, 800.546.4437 Contact: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Brad Shannon March 21, 2000 (970) 223-1888 E-mail: [email protected]
Miner & Miner Announces Release of ArcFM Energy Software for utilities takes advantage of ESRI's new ArcInfo 8.0.2 platform
Miner & Miner announced the release of ArcFM Energy 8.0.2, the company's latest version of its AM/FM/GIS application for editing, maintenance, modeling and management of facility and land base data and information for gas and electric companies. ArcFM Energy, a powerful extension to ESRI's all new, all-object-oriented ArcInfo 8.0.2 platform, provides a complete, out-of-the-box solution geared toward the needs of utility end users. ArcFM Energy takes advantage of an industry-standard architecture, a new level of ease-of-use, and powerful cartographic tools, giving utility businesses an optimized solution for an entire enterprise.
"The ArcFM Energy solution provides a utility and its users with productivity tools that support the way the industry uses and manages data in the modern competitive marketplace," noted M&M President Jeff Meyers. "ArcFM Energy spatial tools allow utilities to use AM/FM/GIS throughout the organization, realizing additional improvements in all critical business areas, including engineering, customer service, marketing and sales."
ArcFM consists of a family of geodatabases, which are intelligent sets of objects that represent the behavior and characteristics of land, energy, telecommunications, and water utilities, plus a thin application layer that is an extension of ArcInfo. ArcFM Energy allows utility businesses to make use of a single integrated environment to manage and map multiple utilities, leveraging all the power of ArcInfo's object-oriented architecture. Editing functionality includes fast geometric coordinate geometry - commonly associated with map feature management - without add-on programming or customization.
"Utility businesses want an easy way for users to access spatial information in the same way they access other information," said Paul Snook, vice president of sales and marketing, Miner & Miner. "Using ArcInfo 8 technology at its core, ArcFM Energy takes advantage of the very latest computing standards, providing an excellent means for absorbing GIS into a utility enterprise's overall information system architecture."
ArcFM Energy fits into the overall information technology architecture of modern utilities through the use of open databases, industry-standard programming environments and COM architecture. It provides a scalable architecture for the full range of utility business needs, and can be used for a single departmental installation or as a multi-departmental enterprise configuration for creating, managing and disseminating utility information.
ArcFM Energy is implemented within the ArcInfo 8 environment using an object-oriented architecture. ArcInfo 8, ESRI's professional GIS, is the most significant release of GIS software ever to hit the computing market. It sets a new standard for applying geographic knowledge and supporting spatial decision making. From small projects to enterprise-wide systems, ArcInfo 8 provides a scalable solution and a complete, integrated platform for creating, managing and disseminating geographic information.
For more information visit www.miner.com. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com. For Immediate Release For More Information Contact: Sue Hale, ORBIMAGE (703) 406-5838 [email protected]
ORBIMAGE's ORBVIEW-1 IMAGING SATELLITE CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY IN ORBIT
Orbital Imaging Corporation (ORBIMAGE), an affiliate of Orbital Sciences Corporation (NYSE: ORB) and a leading global provider of satellite-delivered Earth imagery products and services announced that its OrbView-1 atmospheric imaging satellite has successfully completed its fifth year in space. Launched on 3 April 1995, OrbView-1 provides the world's first broad-area cloud-to-cloud lightning data. Originally planned as a low cost, six-month experiment, OrbView-1 has provided NASA with information in support of its atmospheric research program for over five years. To date, OrbView-1 has completed over 26,000 orbits of the Earth, traveling over 700 million miles.
OrbView-1's payload consists of two sensors: an Optical Transient Detector (OTD) provided by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, and an atmospheric monitoring instrument (GPS/MET) sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the University Consortium for Atmospheric Research. The OTD sensor maps atmospheric lighting strikes and has provided NASA with information important to the understanding of severe weather patterns. The GPS/MET sensor has proven that the signals from the GPS satellite constellation used for precision navigation can also be used to provide important atmospheric data. The success of the GPS/MET sensor has further validated the concept of using space-based sensors to improve worldwide weather prediction.
The OrbView-1 program is the result of a unique government-industry partnership between ORBIMAGE and NASA. Under this arrangement, NASA provided the OTD sensor for use on OrbView-1 and ORBIMAGE agreed to conduct an initial six-month experiment of the sensor. NASA's cost for data under this program over the past five years has totaled approximately $7.2 million.
To learn more about these companies, visit: ORBIMAGE http://www.orbimage.com Marshall Space Flight Center's Optical Transient Detector http://thunder.msfc.nasa.gov/otd/ NASA SeaWiFS Project http://seawifs.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEAWIFS.html Orbital Sciences Corporation http://www.orbital.com
Able Software Opens New Training Center
ABLE SOFTWARE has purchased a new technical support and training center in Billerica, MA, USA to accommodate the growing demand of product training and technical support operation.
The expanded operations are in direct response to the rapidly increasing number of users and applications. This new training center is located in Boston's Interstate 128 high tech region. Advanced presentation equipment and computers are installed for the use of training courses and sales demonstrations.
Training courses for R2V will be provided weekly at the new training center. The courses are taught directly by software developers and technical support staff to provide detailed information about the software and the applications. Users are encouraged to bring their own images to the training so they can learn specifically the functions needed to get their work done.
Detailed training schedules and topics are available at Able Software's website, (www.ablesw.com). Private group training can be arranged through the sales department. For more information, contact: Y. Ted Wu, Able Software Corp., Tel: 781-862-2804, Fax: 781-862-2640, Email: [email protected]
GPS / GNSS MEASUREMENT : DSNP LAUNCHES THE NEW SCORPIO RANGE
The new range is mainly characterized by its extreme flexibility, its high degree of integration and its high performance.
The eight models introduced are lightweight, compact and robust, allowing users to cover all the professionals' needs for land surveying and positioning : sub-centimetric to metric accuracy, real-time or post-processing work, and operational range up to 50 kilometres. A large choice of application software comes in addition to this series of equipment to offer users complete turn-key solutions.
DSNP has particularly emphasised the integration of the new system : the real-time models are fitted with a built-in UHF receiver and a single antenna for reception of GPS, GNSS and UHF signals, hence reduced connect hardware and improved user-friendliness.
All the receivers from the new SCORPIO range are based on one of the two latest generation GPS engines designed and developed by DSNP to offer even greater performance in terms of accuracy and reliability :
• CompactPro 1 is a single frequency GPS engine available in two versions, depending on the desired output rate for raw or computed data,
• CompactPro 2 is a dual frequency GPS engine which generates coordinates at a rate of 20Hz in its real-time version.
Thanks to their full compatibility with the previous 6001 et 6002 series, the new 6500, 6400 and 6300 series allows existing SCORPIO customers to complete their stock of systems with complete confidence.
All the products are available for sales starting May 2000, from DSNP's international distribution network.
For more information, contact: Marie-Laure Pessin - Communication Department Tel : +33 (0)2 40 30 59 61 Fax : +33 (0)2 40 30 58 92 e-mail : [email protected] web site : http://www.dsnp.com
GITA's Annual Conference XXIII Breaks All Attendance Records 3,840 convene in Denver, Colorado, to participate in the premier geospatial IT event
April 13, 2000, Aurora, Colo.- Interest in geospatial information technology and its applications skyrocketed as a record-breaking 3,840 attendees flocked to the Geospatial Information & Technology Association's (GITA) Annual Conference XXIII, held March 26-29, 2000, at the Colorado Convention Center in Denver, Colo. The attendance figure represents a 29% increase over the previous year. Delegates from 45 nations, seeking the latest information on geospatial information technology, packed the convention center, filling the 80 educational session rooms and causing a first-ever sell-out of 20 of the 22 full- and half-day seminars. "It's incredible; better than we ever could have expected," said GITA Executive Director Bob Samborski.
In addition to the high level of interest in the technical program, the product and services exhibition held in conjunction with the conference garnered high accolades. "At times, we could barely keep up with the number of people visiting our booth, said Alex Nikolajevich, director of sales, Safe Software Inc., Surrey, BC. "We've been very busy-the booth has been packed basically the entire time," added Ernest Berghof, marketing manager, Autodesk, San Rafael, CA. The phemomenal success of the conference illustrates the ascendance of GITA's Annual Conference as the premier geospatial information technology event in the U.S.
Next year's conference will be held March 4-7, 2001, at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. The theme of the 2001 conference is 2001: A Geospatial Odyssey. More information on the conference can be found at the association's Web site, located at http://www.gita.org.Contact: Elizabeth Roberts, Marketing Communications Manager, GITA, 303-337-0513, [email protected]
RADARSAT INTERNATIONAL DELIVERS RICE MONITORING SYSTEM TO VIETNAM
RADARSAT International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacDonald Dettwiler, announced the final delivery of the Rice Crop Monitoring Project in the Mekong Delta in Hanoi. Initiated May 1, 1999 the project provided services and tools to improve the Vietnamese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development's (MARD) rice crop management practices.
The Rice Crop Monitoring Project demonstrated how remote-sensing technology can be used in an operational setting to provide crucial agricultural information. Further, the project has created a milestone for collaboration between the research and educational institutions from the North and South of Vietnam as well as a direct connection to the Provincial Authorities in the Mekong Delta.
The project team of RSI, Viet Nam's Inter-ministerial Centre for Spatial Applications (CIAS) in Hanoi, and the Sub Institute of Geography (SIG) in Ho Chi Minh City provided the MARD with 20 RADARSAT-1 satellite images collected over the Mekong Delta during the 1999/2000 rice growing season. In addition, the team provided customized AGROMA software from Canada's PCI Geomatics for image analysis, and workshops in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
RSI President, Mr. Roland Knight, said, "Rice has important economic and political value in Viet Nam and other rice growing regions of the world. We are encouraged by the success of this project, which has demonstrated the sustainable use of RADARSAT-1 satellite imagery and derived information for an important issue-namely food security." RSI expects to repeat the success of the Viet Rice project in other rice growing regions in the world that have similar conditions.
MARD Vice-Minister, Dr. Ngo The DAN, said rice production information emanating from traditional statistical sources is sometimes unclear. "The monitoring tools developed in [this] project will provide MARD with more accurate crop statistics and a more accurate rice acreage estimation."
Complementing this success is the proposed development of a web enabled national information service. This project aims to develop an agricultural information network that focuses on processes and systems that allow farmers to make informed decisions about their livelihood. RSI and its partners hope to have the first systems operational by summer of 2000. The Rice Crop Monitoring Project is supported by the Canadian International Development Agency- (CIDA-) funded Viet Nam-Canada Information Technology Project (VCIT), as well as from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Government of Viet Nam. About MacDonald Dettwiler
MacDonald Dettwiler is a world-class provider of information products, services and technology used to help people manage their activities on the planet. MacDonald Dettwiler is already active in the North American e-commerce market for land information with BC Online and Cartica.com and is pursuing associated opportunities in Europe. The Company employs more than 1500 people at offices in British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia and multiple international locations. For more information, contact: Cory Rossignol, Director, Communications, RADARSAT International, 1-(604) 231-4916, cell: 1-(604) 808-7680, [email protected], www.rsi.ca
ArcEurope Now Shipping Adds Basemap and Demographic Data to Your Desktop GIS
ESRI is now shipping its comprehensive data product for Europe. ArcEurope provides useful basemap and demographic data for desktop applications and includes two components: ArcEurope Base Map and ArcEurope Demographics. These data sets are packaged to be compatible with ESRI's ArcView GIS, the world's most popular desktop mapping and GIS software.
According to Earl Nordstrand, ESRI's data products manager, "ArcEurope offers desktop GIS users an excellent starter set for performing a broad spectrum of planning and analysis for every country in Europe."
ArcEurope Base Map is packaged with a series of basemap layers provided by AND Data B.V. These high-quality layers are ideal for cartographic presentation and basic geographic analysis. The data includes country and province boundaries, water features, urbanized areas, railroads, a connected road network, and more than 50,000 named places. The road network is a completely connected network suitable for route planning and other network applications.
ArcEurope Demographics includes a set of demographic and marketing data from GfK Marktforschung GmbH. GfK Marktforschung is an international company headquartered in Germany that collects data appropriate for market research across all of Europe. The data provided includes purchasing power indexes that indicate each area's purchasing power relative to a larger region, as well as population data by sex, age group, births, deaths, household, size of household, and stock of dwellings. The area geography used for this data is based on the boundaries included in ArcEurope Base Map and goes as far as the NUTS 3 level in many cases. ("NUTS" stands for the Eurostat Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. It provides a uniform breakdown of territorial units for the production of regional statistics for the European Union.)
The two components of ArcEurope can be acquired separately or together. To obtain ArcEurope, contact your local ESRI reseller or the ESRI office nearest you. You can also call ESRI directly at 1-800-447-9778 or visit www.esri.com/gisstore (in the United States). To locate a reseller near you, visit www.esri.com/resellers. Outside the United States, contact your local ESRI distributor (visit www.esri.com/international for a current distributor list).
ArcPad 5 Is Now Available
ESRI announced that ArcPad 5, the solution for mobile mapping and GIS, is now available. ArcPad software provides database access, mapping, and GIS to users out in the field via handheld and mobile devices. Data collection with ArcPad is fast and easy and significantly improved with immediate data validation and availability.
ArcPad leverages existing mapping and GIS software systems and databases. ArcPad supports vector map and raster image display, which includes industry-standard shapefile and LizardTech's MrSID imaging language formats. Data obtained in the field can easily be uploaded into the master database in the office. Users simply create custom input forms from their existing GIS database for use in ArcPad.
ArcPad also offers integration with an optional global positioning system (GPS) or differential global positioning system (supports the National Maritime Electronics Association [NMEA] and Trimble Standard Interface Protocol). This capability enhances GPS technology by allowing you to view, edit, and add features to your current position in the context of a map display.
ArcPad is a GIS and mapping system everyone can use. Potential applications include property damage assessment, habitat studies, military fieldwork, street sign inventory, road pavement management, power pole maintenance, and meter reading. Availability
ArcPad runs on Windows CE 2.11, 95/98, NT, and 2000 platforms. Supported Windows CE devices include Aero from Compaq, Cassiopeia from Casio, and Jornada from HP. The ArcPad Software Development Kit, scheduled for release in summer 2000, will give developers the ability to build custom field mapping solutions using powerful ArcPad components. ArcPad software is sold independently of any hardware device. For more information, to download a FREE evaluation copy, or to order ArcPad, visit www.esri.com/arcpad, contact your local ESRI regional office, or call 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, please contact your local distributor; see www.esri.com/international for a current distributor list. ArcPad currently supports Trimble GPS receivers within the United States. Outside the United States, ArcPad is GPS-enabled for all GPS receivers using an NMEA format.
MrSID Images Available Windows CE ArcPad
LizardTech™ Inc., announced support of its MrSID™ technology in ESRI's Windows® CE application ArcPad 5. ArcPad users will now have portable and seamless access to geospatial imagery for geographic information systems (GIS) fieldwork. LizardTech is the first company to provide an application to enable massive, high-resolution images on a commercial Windows CE hand-held application.
The potential industry applications of MrSID on ArcPad are widespread-natural resources, utilities, insurance, and telecommunications users among others can now use MrSID imagery to increase the accuracy of their GIS data in the field. With MrSID integration into ArcPad, aerial and satellite imagery can be used as backgrounds to aid in positioning, for field navigation and data collection.
With the ArcPad integration, MrSID is now in every aspect of the Geospatial imagery life cycle. MrSID now supports all levels of Geospatial imagery--from satellite and aerial data providers, to image processing, to GIS applications, and now in data collection.
"Imagery has been the last great hurdle for portable CE devices," said John R. Grizz Deal, LizardTech's president and CEO. "With this integration, images that were once limited to bulky workstations are now available in the palm of your hand."
For more information, contact: Laura Dodd, LizardTech, 206.652.5211, [email protected]
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