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ESRI's ArcIMS 4 Now Shipping With their release of ArcIMS 4, GIS software provider ESRI offers major new enhancements to their product line in addition to new ArcIMS extensions. ArcIMS is ESRI's solution for distributing mapping and GIS data and services on the Web. It is a scalable, standards-based tool that lets users quickly design and manage Internet mapping services. One of the most significant features included in ArcIMS 4 is the ability to create a central repository for publishing and browsing metadata over the Internet, using ArcIMS in conjunction with ESRI's ArcSDE and ArcGIS Desktop. Metadata can be authored using the ArcGIS ArcCatalog application, published to a metadata server, and then quickly searched by others on the network. Along with ArcIMS software metadata services, users also receive the Metadata Explorer, a Java Server Pages (JSP) application that can be used to build a customized, browser-based means of searching for data. As part of ESRI's strategy of offering more GIS capabilities for the Java developer, ArcIMS now comes with a Java Connector that allows developers to program Java clients and applications via JavaBeans. ArcIMS 4 is supported on Linux and HP-UX operating systems, in addition to existing ArcIMS support on the IBM AIX, Microsoft Windows, and Sun Solaris platforms. ESRI is a provider of consulting, implementation and technical support services in the field of GIS software. For further information, please contact Jim Baumann at ESRI, 380 New York Street, Redlands, CA 92373. Tel: (909) 793-2853. E-mail: [email protected]. ENSCO Providing GIS Component to Federal Railroad Administration ENSCO Inc. has been chosen by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to incorporate GIS capability into the toll-free (1-800) Emergency Notification System (ENS) program that provides a trouble-reporting system for railroad highway-rail crossings. The ENSCO contribution to this project will enable a dispatcher to locate a potentially dangerous incident at a crossing -- such as a stalled vehicle on the tracks -- to help avoid a collision. The dispatcher will be able to view the situation on a GIS map display and reference that relationship to nearby schools, hospitals or other landmarks that might be affected. The 1-800 ENS software was developed in response to national legislation passed in 1994 and was implemented as a pilot program in Texas (1999) and Pennsylvania (2001). Plans are to offer the software at no cost to other states and railroads for their use in improving the potential of avoiding crossing collisions. Special signs are posted at each crossing that provide a toll-free number to call whenever there is a problem, malfunction or potential emergency, such as a stalled vehicle. These signs also provide a unique Department of Transportation crossing inventory number that identifies the specific crossing. Some signs give the street location as well for further clarification. The general public can therefore report the problem and crossing number to railroad or state emergency center dispatchers. ENSCO Inc. provides engineering, science and advanced technology solutions for clientele involved in defense, security, transportation, aerospace, and the environment. For further information, please contact Susan Black at ENSCO, 5400 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22151. Tel: (703) 321-4405. E-mail: [email protected]. Boeing Autometric Provides Personalized Web Site for Customer Support Boeing Autometric has launched "My Autometric," an account-support Web site that provides customers with instant access to vital information. This site was created to link customers to technical support and timely information regarding their respective accounts. Boeing Autometric is part of Boeing Space and Communications, a unit of The Boeing Co. The My Autometric site allows customers to personalize, track and manage their accounts within a single site, giving them the ability to stay current on relevant details regarding their software subscriptions and technical support history. Not only is this information updated regularly, but customers are also provided with their product maintenance history and a listing of all products currently under license. Boeing Autometric is a provider of commercial products and services for data storage, data warehousing, data production, and data visualization. This division supports customers in system design and engineering, software engineering, and data production. For further information, please contact Michelle Roby at Boeing Autometric, 7700 Boston Blvd, Springfield, VA 22153. Tel: (703) 923-4516. E-mail: [email protected]. U.S. Census 2000 Data Now Available from GeoLytics The U.S. Census Bureau recently released their first two major sets of data from the 2000 Census. These are "Redistricting" and the "Short Form." GeoLytics offers these products in easy-to-use formats, either at the Block level or at the Block Group level, and in larger geographies. This data has been compressed so that it fits on a single disk along with built-in mapping capabilities based on the new Census 2000 boundaries. GeoLytics offers a number of pre-bundled products that cover a variety of levels of data. Among these are included:
GeoLytics publishes detailed demographic and geographic data on CD-ROM for business, academic, non-profit and government markets. For further information please contact GeoLytics Inc., P.O. Box 10, East Brunswick, NJ 08816. Tel: (732) 651-2000. E-mail: [email protected]. Automated Aerial Triangulation System Supresoft Inc. has released the latest version of its Automated Aerial Triangulation system (AAT). The AAT is a complete, stand-alone digital system that combines VirtuoZo's image-matching and automated orientation processes with PATB Bundle Adjustment software from K_ Photogrammetry. This fully integrated combination provides a flexible package that makes aerial triangulation a much easier task. The AAT by Supresoft is available in two versions. AAT + PATB Mini can process up to 100 models, while AAT + PATB NT can process an unlimited number of models. Existing PATB NT users can also use their own software with no additional modifications. For those with existing Bundle Adjustment software such as AeroSys, Albany, BINGO or PATB (DOS version), Supresoft also offers the VirtuoZo AATM. This product has many of the capabilities of the integrated version but operates either as a stand-alone system or in conjunction with VirtuoZo. The Supresoft Group specializes in the development of professional software for spatial systems, geographic information, and remote sensing. For further information, please contact Supresoft Inc. at 777 South Wadsworth Blvd, Suite 4-235, Lakewood, CO 80226. Tel: (303) 980-6569. Web address: www.supresoft.com. RSI Awarded Two Agriculture-Related Projects RADARSAT International (RSI) is on the receiving end of two agriculture-related business deals. The World Bank signed one contract, while the European Space Agency (ESA) signed the second. The World Bank contract requires RSI to assess the advantages of Earth-observation satellite data as a tool for verifying the occurrence of extreme weather events. This project focuses on the ability of RADARSAT-1 and processed optical satellite data to be used as effective tools in detecting drought, flood and frost events in Mexico, Nicaragua, Morocco, Tunisia, Ethiopia and Cambodia. Re-insurance and risk management companies will use this information for measuring weather-related damage claims. This project supports the World Bank's efforts to assess and develop index-based weather insurance programs to mitigate socio-economic and food-source effects of natural disasters. The European Space Agency (ESA) award is a two-year business development contract that funds the design and development of a crop information system. This system will use RADARSAT-1 and ENVISAT data, related agronomy information, plus modeling to provide timely and unbiased crop production figures. A consortium of companies will carry out the ESA project, led by sarmap (Switzerland), Synoptics (Netherlands) and Bolton Associates (Malaysia), plus RSI. RADARSAT International, a subsidiary of MacDonald Dettwiler, provides Earth-observation data and derived information products. For further information, please contact Kate Stephens at RSI, 13800 Commerce Parkway, Richmond, BC, Canada V6V 2J3. Tel: (604) 231-5000. E-mail: [email protected]. Kodak Helps Speed Internet Downloads for GlobeXplorer GlobeXplorer Inc., a technology company that distributes interactive aerial and satellite photos via the Internet, has selected JPEG2000 consulting services from Eastman Kodak to help speed delivery of images to their online customers. Kodak JPEG 2000 services include image consulting, planning, assessment, implementation, migration and support, and are designed to provide optimal compression, storage and transmission to meet a customer's image-quality needs. The Kodak solution will provide high-speed access to wavelet-compressed imagery while utilizing minimal amounts of bandwidth to improve how images are stored, delivered and visualized. Kodak worked closely with GlobeXplorer technologists and business planners to develop a customized conversion and image-management process that fit their business needs. The process developed by Kodak allows GlobeXplorer to convert their geo-referenced, aerial imagery archives from proprietary and costly image formats to JPEG2000, the industry's new open standard. This conversion will save GlobeXplorer significant licensing, storage and transmission costs while providing a quicker, better level of service to such customers as MapQuest, Bank of America, and the U.S. Census Bureau. Kodak is a major participant in the info-imaging industry, which is comprised of devices (digital cameras and PDAs), infrastructure (online networks and image delivery systems), and processing software services. For further information, please contact Bernice Borrelli at Eastman Kodak, Rochester, N.Y. Tel: (716) 726-5214. E-mail: [email protected]. Boeing Autometric Releases KDMS Version 13.2 With Floating Licenses Boeing Autometric recently released version 13.2 of their Kork Digital Mapping System (KDMS), which lets existing customers transfer licenses to any production machine on their network. This floating license process allows users to switch computers without needing to reinstall software keys, thus saving production time. Under the terms of this agreement, buyers make an electronic purchase from a license server for use on a particular machine, which then can be transferred freely to any networked device throughout the enterprise. Boeing Autometric is a provider of commercial products and services for data storage, data warehousing, data production, and data visualization. This division supports customers in system design and engineering, software engineering, and data production. For further information, please contact Michelle Roby at Boeing Autometric, 7700 Boston Blvd, Springfield, VA 22153. Tel: (703) 923-4516. E-mail: [email protected]. Sanborn Joins LIDAR Software Development Team Sanborn Map Company has joined forces with a number of corporations to develop LIDAR processing tools that support the open industry standard format, thereby promoting the exchange of LIDAR (light detection and ranging) data throughout this field. Joining Sanborn in this process is Z/I Imaging Corp. (Ala.), Optech Inc. (Canada); EnerQuest Systems LLC (Colo.), Leica Geosystems (Switzerland), and the U.S. Army's Topographic Engineering Center. LIDAR involves shooting laser light from an aircraft to measure distances to the ground. This technology emerged a few years ago as a faster and more effective way to gather Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data. Due to the industry's infancy, however, a standard format for the exchange of data does not yet exist. Companies use either a generic ASCII file, which can be problematic due to its large size, or else a proprietary system wherein data cannot easily be transferred from one system to another. Sanborn and their development partners recognize the need for a common format and hope that easy-to-use LIDAR software packages will improve data exchange for vendors and customers alike. The Sanborn Map Company Inc. offers a full suite of GIS and photogrammetric mapping services that include GIS consulting, data acquisition, digital mapping, and data conversion. For further information, please contact Amy R. Drescher at Sanborn, 629 Fifth Avenue, Pelham, NY 10803. Tel: (800) 930-3298. E-mail: [email protected]. Intergraph Introduces New GeoMedia(r) 5.0 Product Suite Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions has released GeoMedia(r) 5.0 for mapping, GIS, and IT professionals. GeoMedia technology connects and integrates geospatial and business information throughout the enterprise and provides tools to develop custom client applications. The GeoMedia product suite is comprised of GeoMedia and GeoMedia Professional for the desktop, plus GeoMedia WebMap and GeoMedia WebMap Professional (formerly GeoMedia WebEnterprise) for the Web. With this latest release, the GeoMedia product suite offers a number of enhancements and new features that connect the desktop to the Web. These include:
Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions serves government agencies and commercial enterprises worldwide with geospatial solutions for cartography and map production, plus enterprise-wide mapping and GIS. For further information, please contact Intergraph by telephone at (800) 791-3357 in the U.S.A., or at +1 (256) 730-7191 from overseas. The company's Web site is located at www.intergraph.com/imgs. Delaware County Again Picks Merrick & Company to Update GIS Merrick & Company is once again providing a full range of mapping services to the fastest growing county in Ohio, Delaware County. Building upon the original mapping data it created in 1997, Merrick & Company is generating new, highly accurate digital orthophotos as part of the county's five-year update plan. The accuracy and precision of this data is especially critical because the county is re-evaluating its tax zones, intending to use the updated GIS data for 2003 property appraisals. This second phase update plan calls for Merrick & Company to survey existing ground control points and collect new color aerial photos at various scales, based on the amount of urban growth affecting a particular geographic location. Canter Surveying and Mapping (Athens, Ohio) is handling the surveying portion of the project, while Air Photographics Inc. (Martinsburg, W.Va.) is collecting the aerial photos that will be used to produce the color and black-and-white digital orthophotos at scales ranging from 1"=100' to 1"=400'. Merrick & Company is a multidisciplinary engineering, architectural, GIS/mapping and construction management firm, providing these services to municipal, state, federal, and private-sector clients. For further information, please contact Gary Outlaw at Merrick, 2450 South Peoria Street, Aurora, CO 80014. Tel: (303) 751-0741. E-mail: [email protected]. EMERGE and Applanix Announce Strategic Relationship EMERGE and Applanix have begun jointly selling a new digital remote sensing system. The EMERGE Digital Sensor System is the next generation of EMERGE's digital aerial sensor and presents a new option to the aerial remote sensing marketplace: an affordable, pilot-operated color and color-IR digital sensor. This system has been designed to address a market requirement for a mid-priced, direct digital aerial sensor. The EMERGE Sensor is a medium format (4092 x 4079) sensor with a choice of 35mm, 45mm and 80mm lenses to cover a wide range of project requirements. Shutter speed options range from 1/125 to 1/4000 of a second and are capable of collecting ground sample distances ranging from 0.15 meters to two meters. The sensor is fully integrated with the Applanix POS AV-aided inertial position and orientation system, with the POS AV IMU mounted in the sensor body. One internal, pressurized 80GB disk for high-altitude collections and a single, external removable disk provide data storage for imagery and navigation data. On the ground, analysts can use the included software suite of Applanix and EMERGE applications for GPS and inertial data processing, exterior orientation parameter calculation, sensor calibration and radiometric processing. Following initial processing, the imagery (in TIFF, JPEG or IMG formats) can be used directly, or else post-processed in a variety of GIS, photogrammetric or remote sensing applications. This commercial offering is made possible by a strategic relationship between EMERGE and Applanix. Under the agreement, EMERGE is designing and developing this commercial, data-capture offering. To ensure seamless system integration and turnkey operation, Applanix will integrate and calibrate the system. Applanix Corp. develops, manufactures, sells and supports precision products that measure the position and orientation of vehicles in dynamic environments. EMERGE provides digital, orthorectified mosaic imagery for use in land management, mapping and GIS applications. For further information, please contact Matthew Davis at EMERGE, 800 Federal Street, Andover, MA 01810. Tel: (978) 557-7048. E-mail: [email protected]. ERM Launches I-Wizard Earth Resource Mapping is pleased to announce their release of I-Wizard, an application that allows users to seamlessly integrate Image Web Server imagery within an ArcIMS(r) 3.1 Web site. Users can benefit from the real-time, image-serving capabilities offered by Image Web Server directly within their ArcIMS Internet/intranet solution. The I-Wizard allows users to edit ArcIMS 3.1 web pages through the use of Earth Resource Mapping's Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) imagery. This ensures that any ArcIMS site can display images of any size within their virtual environment. The I-Wizard also eliminates huge storage overheads for high-resolution imagery, since the ECW images that are served into the ArcIMS(r) Web site use only a fraction of the space TIFF or other image files normally require. Earth Resource Mapping is an image-handling and integrated mapping software company whose primary products include ER Mapper to prepare imagery, ECW to compress and use imagery, and Image Web Server to serve imagery over the Internet. For further information, please contact Chris Ribbel at Earth Resource Mapping America, 4370 La Jolla Village Drive, Suite 900, San Diego, CA 92122. Tel: (858) 558-4709. E-mail: [email protected]. DigitalGlobe(tm) Reduces Satellite Imagery Pricing; Unveils Archive Access DigitalGlobe(tm) has reduced its prices for QuickBird imagery products. In a related effort, the company now allows customers to search archived QuickBird imagery on the company's Web-based interface before placing product orders. This announced price change applies to both QuickBird basic imagery and standard imagery products. For example, the price for panchromatic imagery has been reduced from $30 to $22.50 per square kilometer. Additional price changes include multispectral products at $25 per square kilometer (reduced from $30) and pan-sharpened products now priced at $30 (reduced from $37.50). In addition, the minimum purchase for standard imagery products delivered from archives has been reduced from 64 square kilometers to 25 square kilometers. DigitalGlobe is an imagery and information company that provides highest-resolution satellite imagery products via its QuickBird commercial satellite. For further information, please contact Chuck Herring at DigitalGlobe, 1900 Pike Road, Longmont, CO 80501. Tel: (303) 682-3820. E-mail: [email protected]. Intermap Acquires Aircraft, Radar System; Opens European Office
Intermap Technologies Corp. has acquired certain assets and intellectual property of Aero-Sensing Radarsysteme GmbH, located near Munich, Germany. In addition to operational IFSAR technology, the company also acquired functional P-band radar, a "technology in development" where waves pass through vegetation to allow for more accurate terrain surface measurements and terrain model generation. The company also has opened a German office to serve the European community at large. Intermap Technologies GmbH is situated in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany.
Intermap is building a global database of digital elevation models (DEMs), with their digital maps used in a wide range of applications that include planning and engineering projects, in navigation systems, and to enrich satellite images. For further information, please contact Garth Lawrence at Intermap Technologies Inc., 400 Inverness Drive, Suite 330, Englewood, CO 80112. Tel: (303) 708-0955. E-mail: [email protected].
The First SPOT 5 Image The first images taken by the High Resolution Geometric (HRG) instruments aboard the SPOT 5 satellite were obtained on May 7, 2002. Initial analyses show that the quality of data is well within the level of anticipated technical specifications. The satellite was launched on May 4 at 01:31 GMT. The first black-and-white images, received May 7 at 09:27 GMT in Toulouse, France, were obtained over the city of Athens, Greece. Using the new processing facilities installed at SPOT Image headquarters, a 2.5-meter-resolution image was produced using two five-meter-resolution images sampled according to the Supermode technique. As the satellite commissioning period continues, additional work with ground-processing software and attendant systems is expected to produce even higher quality images. The in-orbit commissioning of the new satellite continues to proceed as planned. Additional instruments on the payload -- High Resolution Stereoscopic (HRS) and Vegetation -- have also been switched on and are reportedly working well. Imaging by the HRG, HRS and Vegetation sensors is continuing, and more images will be available in the very near future. The DORIS orbit determination system is also said to be operating with excellent precision. An important step has also been accomplished: the first orbital adjustment to bring SPOT 5 towards its final orbit at an altitude of 832 kilometers. The SPOT 5 satellite was developed by CNES in cooperation with entities in Belgium and Sweden. Astrium acted as the prime contractor, while Alcatel Space contributed numerous equipment systems. The SPOT Image group of global companies provides imagery and geospatial information to support decision-making for businesses and governments worldwide. SPOT 5 provides very-wide-area imagery at resolutions of 2.5 meters, five meters and 10 meters. For further information, please contact Clark Nelson at SPOT, 1897 Preston White Drive, Reston, VA 20191. Tel: (703) 715-3131. E-mail: [email protected]. Fast and Easy DTMs with Leica Terrain Productivity Bundle The GIS & Mapping Division of Leica Geosystems has introduced the Leica Terrain Productivity Bundle, a software package that combines the easy-to-use workflow of IMAGINE OrthoBASE Pro(r) with the terrain editing versatility and speed of SOCET SET(r). Via the bundle's Photogrammetry Data Exchange utility, users can transfer aerial triangulation terrain data between the two systems to create clean and accurate digital terrain models (DTMs) from stereo imagery. Consisting of ERDAS IMAGINE(r), IMAGINE OrthoBASE Pro and SOCET SET's CORE, STEREO, and ITE modules, Leica Terrain Productivity Bundle is the division's first product that demonstrates the cohesion Leica Geosystems is developing between products previously sold separately by subsidiaries ERDAS(r) and LH Systems. Leica Terrain Productivity Bundle users can take advantage of IMAGINE OrthoBASE Pro's linear workflow for adding imagery to a project and defining sensor model parameters, plus measuring ground control points, automatic tie point collection, aerial triangulation and automatic DTM extraction. The resulting DTMs can then be served to the SOCET SET Interactive Terrain Edit module (ITE) that incorporates extensive terrain-editing tools and handles large data sets consisting of many millions of points. The edited terrain data can be returned to ERDAS IMAGINE for continued processing, including ortho-image production, mosaicking and 3D visualization. Leica Geosystems offers 3D data acquisition, processing and visualization. With their recent integration of ERDAS and LH Systems, Leica Geosystems has expanded its product areas to offer four ranges of GIS and mapping solutions: airborne data acquisition, geographic imaging, GPS/GIS, and land information systems. For further information, please contact Leica Geosystems, 2801 Buford Highway NE, Atlanta, GA 30329. Tel: (404) 248-9000. E-mail: [email protected]. |