BOEING TO ACQUIRE AUTOMETRIC
The Boeing Company (NYSE: BA) announced it will acquire Autometric, Inc., a leading supplier of software products and services in the geospatial information technology marketplace. Terms were not disclosed.
Autometric, a privately held firm based in Springfield, Va., is considered one of the premier geospatial information technology companies in the United States. It provides end-to-end solutions to support modeling, visualization, simulation and analysis of imagery and associated digital geographic products. Autometric, with 1999 revenues of approximately $80 million, has over 500 employees.
Boeing is focusing its growth in space and communications in areas that include classified government program opportunities, the movement of broadband information on and off mobile platforms, and integrated military battlefield and defense systems. Through its $7-billion, Seal Beach, Calif.-based Space and Communications (S&C) Group, led by President Jim Albaugh, Boeing intends to be a leader in these areas. Autometric will become part of Boeing's Integrated Defense Systems (IDS) division within S&C.
"The addition of Autometric products and services provides an excellent fit for Boeing's expertise in information collection and processing," Dr. Roger Roberts, vice president and general manager of IDS. "With Autometric onboard, we will be uniquely positioned to add value for our customers and to provide for our future growth in the area of space imagery visualization and geospatial information."
With headquarters in Seattle, The Boeing Company is the largest aerospace company in the world and the United States' leading exporter. The company's capabilities in aerospace include commercial jetliners, military aircraft, rotorcraft, electronic and defense systems, missiles, rocket engines, launch vehicles, and advanced information and communication systems. The company has an extensive global reach with customers in 145 countries and manufacturing operations throughout the United States, Canada and Australia.
For more information, contact: Marie Amundson (562) 797-1172; Anne Eisele (562) 797-1022
Airborne 1 takes delivery of Optech ALTM 1225
Airborne 1 Corporation announced that they have taken delivery of an Optech ALTM 1225, a state-of-the-art airborne laser mapping system. Laser mapping systems, or LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) technology produces superbly accurate topographic maps with high resolutions more efficiently than traditional mapping tools.
"The state-of-the-art technology incorporated in the ALTM 1225 design allows us to acquire digital elevation data for our clients in the photogrammetry and surveying industries much faster and more cost-effectively than traditional survey techniques" said Martin Flood, CTO for Airborne 1.
LiDAR works under the same principles as radar, but is based on laser rangefinder technology. While in existence for more than 20 years, the application of LiDAR to commercial topographic mapping has only become available in the last five years. "Today, LiDAR mapping is highly automated, from flight planning and acquisition of data, to the production of digital terrain models and contour maps" said Mr. Flood.
Airborne 1 provides flexible access to advanced LiDAR technology for clients in the photogrammetry, surveying and mapping fields. Airborne 1's digital mapping services and solutions include a dedicated airborne LiDAR survey group operating Optech ALTM sensors; flexible fractional ownership plans for clients without dedicated access to LiDAR technology; LiDAR data processing, analysis and application development; LiDAR field survey coordination and project management.
For more information, contact: Airborne 1 Corporation, 5777 W. Century Blvd. #725, Los Angeles, CA, 90045, Phone: 310.342.7100, Fax: 310.342.7109, Email: [email protected] For more information about Optech, contact: Jennifer Huron, Phone: 416-787-1405, Email: [email protected]
AUTODESK AND CADTEL DELIVER ENTERPRISE FM SOLUTIONS TELECOMMUNICATIONS MARKET Autodesk, Inc., and CADTEL Systems, Inc., a software developer for AM/FM and GIS applications, announced a strategic partnership to address the facility and outside plant management needs of the telecommunications industry. The two companies will collaborate on the seamless integration of CADTEL's enterprise applications for outside-plant design and engineering, SpatialENGINEER and SpatialBASE, with Autodesk's data creation and data warehousing technologies, AutoCAD Map¨ and Autodesk VISION*® software. They claim that now, telecommunications customers can use powerful tools to simplify complex engineering design and extend formerly department-based data across the enterprise.
Intense competition and diversification of products and services mandate that telecommunications companies integrate all information about their assets to reduce costs and better serve their customers. The integrated Autodesk/CADTEL solution provides the framework for these companies to more efficiently perform time-critical activities such as Network Provisioning, Operations and Maintenance, Fault Analysis, Trouble Reporting, Network Analysis, Engineering Design and Change Management, Dispatch, and Mobile "Point of Work" Computing. While competing solutions still treat spatial data separately from other types of data, the Autodesk/CADTEL offering provides a powerful means for telecommunications companies to integrate all types of data for improved decision support.
"The integration of CADTEL's proven enterprise AM/FM/GIS applications with AutoCAD Map and VISION* make perfect sense for our customers," said Joe Astroth, executive vice president, GIS Solutions Division, Autodesk Inc. "By implementing a rules-based, best-in-class solution on a single Oracle database, the entire organization can assess critical information necessary to keep pace with demands on telecommunications industries. As a result, telecommunications companies will realize improved efficiency, faster time-to-market, asset optimization, customer satisfaction, and engineering excellence."
CADTEL is a leader in AM/FM and GIS applications for utility and telecommunications industries. The Phoenix-based company has been providing accurate, solution-based applications since 1985. For more information, contact (602) 953-4888 or visit their web site at www.cadtel.com.
Autodesk is a leading supplier of PC and web design software and digital content creation tools. Autodesk has more than four million customers in over 150 countries.
For more information, contact any Authorized Autodesk Reseller, call Autodesk at 800-964-6432, or visit www.autodesk.com.
REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATION CHANGES NAME AND ANNOUNCES CONFERENCE
The Real Estate Information Providers Association (REIPA) announced an organizational name change as well as its fifth annual conference to take place September 14-16 in Bal Harbour, Fla.
Although the REIPA acronym remains the same, the significance of the name change is substantial. REIPA officially changed its name to the Real Estate Information Professionals Association, thereby reflecting the professionalism of people they are attracting to the organization and the subject matter they handle. Says REIPA President Linda Wendt of Transamerica Intellitech, Inc., "REIPA has always been about providing an industry forum for the creative exchange of ideas and discussion of issues pertinent to our business climate. Professional development, legislative tracking/governmental relations, the development of industry standards and keeping abreast with technological advances are just a few of the benefits gained through REIPA membership."
REIPA will unveil the new name at its fifth annual conference named Building Value - Click by Click, which is sponsored by Transamerica Intellitech, Inc., Homeseekers, Dataquick and the Appraisal Institute. The Conference will address strategies and solutions that can build lasting value for customers, companies and the industry at large. Among the industry leaders sharing their visions, insights and experiences include: Jack Peckham, Real Estate CyberSpace Society; Ann Bailey, Homestore.Com, Inc.; Kenneth Harney, syndicated Washington Post correspondent; Ira Luntz, Homeseekers.Com, Inc.; and James Sherry, Innovative Solutions. These and other industry leaders will address the disciplines of demographics, commercial and residential real estate, automated property valuation, multiple listing, transaction management, Web site design and site usability.
For more information about REIPA and its annual conference visit their web site at www.reipa.org.
StereoGraphics Launches CrystalEyes 3 Stereoscopic Visualization Eyewear
StereoGraphics® Corporation, supplier of stereoscopic visualization products, introduced CrystalEyes® 3 wireless liquid crystal shuttering eyewear. Keeping pace with industry demand, the latest evolution in StereoGraphics flagship product line boasts significant design and performance improvements, including enhanced stereo sync circuitry and improved battery life. The new CrystalEyes 3 eyewear is ideal for professionals who work with complex 3D images in industrial VR (virtual reality), molecular modeling, GIS/mapping, MCAD and medical imaging.
"As design and engineering professionals continue to work on projects that are more and more complex, the capabilities of their visualization tools need to grow as well," said David Forter, president and CEO, StereoGraphics Corporation. "The improvements in this new product reflect the needs of today's end-user and represent a clear evolution of the CrystalEyes product family."
A significant performance enhancement for CrystalEyes 3 can be found in the new electronics that provide more than 250 hours of continuous operation. This represents nearly 50% more battery life than previous CrystalEyes models. A new battery level indicator light also alerts the user when power is low, ensuring that the eyewear is achieving optimal performance. CrystalEyes 3 also features enhanced stereo sync circuitry for improved shutter performance, providing the highest quality stereo viewing possible.
CrystalEyes 3 is now equipped with an optional nosepiece and redesigned temple pieces, enhancing the comfort of the eyewear and making them more suitable for CAVE? (computer-aided virtual environment) and VR immersion environments. The eyewear is made of a new, more robust matte black composite material and is covered by a three-year warranty. "Every engineering improvement found in CrystalEyes 3 was made with end-user input," said Ian Matthew, director of marketing, StereoGraphics Corporation.
CrystalEyes 3 works with all stereo-enabled graphics cards and software applications. It is compatible with all computer operating systems including Linux, UNIX, Windows 2000 and Windows NT workstations. All leading MCAD, industrial VR, molecular modeling and GIS/mapping software developers support stereoscopic viewing and are compatible with CrystalEyes 3.
StereoGraphics' CrystalEyes 3 carries a suggested list price of $795 (U.S.) and is available immediately.
For additional product, sales or reseller information on CrystalEyes 3 and other products from StereoGraphics, call 800-783-2660 (outside the United States, 415-459-4500), visit the StereoGraphics Web site at www.stereographics.com or send an email to [email protected].
Polk County Sheriff's Office Counts on MapObjects to Boost Census Response
ESRI announced that a software application built using ESRI's MapObjects embeddable mapping components is being used to raise the response rate to the United States census in Polk County, Florida.
MapObjects has been used to embed mapping functionality into GeoNotify from Bradshaw Consulting Services, Inc. (BCS). GeoNotify is used in conjunction with The Communicator! from Dialogic Communications Corporation (DCC) to hone in on areas of Polk County where the census response has historically been low, then follow up with automatic phone calls to residents. GeoNotify maintains historic census data including information as to which census tracts have had a historically low response rate. The MapObjects-enabled spatial query capabilities are used to pull information about these low response rate areas out of the database including names and phone numbers. The results are then fed to The Communicator!, which is a high-speed notification system that automatically calls the homes in the specified area. The Communicator! plays a recorded message reminding the occupants to fill out their census forms.
The Polk County Sheriff's office developed this application by modifying the system they had been using for community policing, crime prevention, and public safety. For example, the system is used to alert neighborhood watch groups about crime activity in a certain area and to provide residents with notification of an impending hurricane or other emergency.
Bradshaw Consulting Services, Inc., of Aiken, South Carolina offers a complete range of GIS services, including custom and commercial MapObjects application development, installation and support of all ESRI software, GIS data conversion, ArcSDE administration, and database consulting, in addition to other services needed by the GIS community today. For more information, contact Tony Bradshaw at 803-641-0960 or visit www.bcs-gis.com.
For more information, ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com.
RADARSAT AND IMAGE & MEASUREMENT FORGE PARTNERSHIP
RADARSAT International, (RSI) of Richmond (British Columbia, Canada), a wholly-owned subsidiary of MacDonald Dettwiler, announced that it has solidified a new partnership with Image & Measurement, Inc. (IMI) of Tokyo.
RSI and IMI have named this new venture for the Japanese remote sensing market 'RSI Japan'. RSI and IMI sealed their alliance with a data distribution agreement, which positions RSI Japan to command a leadership role for the radar data marketin Japan. Under the terms of this agreement, RSI grants to IMI the exclusive rights to distribute non-NASDA RADARSAT-1 imagery in Japan. RESTEC and NASDA will continue to be important partners in Japan.
Mr. Hiroshi Nashimoto, IMI President, commented, "IMI is very pleased to team with RSI to create RSI Japan, a venture we believe is highly significant for the Earth observation market in Japan. We will be the only commercial organization in Japan solely dedicated to distributing RADARSAT data to the Japanese end user community. This will allow us to further the cause of radar data in various applications such as ship detection, flood monitoring and rice field acreage estimation."
For more information, visit RADARSAT International at: www.rsi.ca
Denmark's leading data provider to serve TB's with Image Web Server
Earth Resource Mapping announced that Kampsax Geoplan will use the Image Web Server to serve Terabytes (1,000's of GB) of high resolution imagery over the Web. Kampsax provides data and consultancy to a global client base, and Image Web Server has proven to be the ideal mechanism to distribute data to these clients in real time.
Kampsax Geoplan also intends to use E-commerce with the Image Web Server, enabling customers to buy 0.4 meter photo-imagery of Denmark over the web.
For more information about Earth Resource Mapping visit their web site at www.ermapper.com.
For more information about Kampsax Geoplan contact [email protected] or visit www.kampsaxint.dk
Tripod Data Systems (TDS) Joins Oregon's "Fast 50"
Tripod Data Systems announced that it was recognized as one of the fastest growing, high-technology firms in Oregon. Tripod Data Systems is a leading developer of data collection software for the Land Surveying and GPS/GIS markets. The company ranks 41st in the 2000 Oregon Technology Fast 50 program.
"It is a great honor to be recognized as one of the fastest growing technology companies in Oregon," said David Scribner, president and chief executive officer of TDS. "TDS, along with our subsidiaries, PenMetrics and At Work Computers, are solidly positioned for continued growth in our traditional markets and in exciting new markets like TV cable system walkout, environmental inspection, and well surveillance."
Deloitte & Touche created the Technology Fast 50 program in Oregon and 20 other regions in the U.S. To be eligible for consideration for the Oregon Technology Fast 50, companies must provide technology-related products or services and meet specific Fast 50 eligibility criteria, be headquartered in Oregon, and have been in business a minimum of three years, with 1997 operating revenues of at least $50,000 and 1999 operating revenues of at least $1 million.
TDS is recognized as a leading developer of data collection and PC software for geomatics professionals who are involved with collecting and processing spatial data. TDS provides integrated and comprehensive hardware and software solutions. The 12-year-old company has headquarters in Corvallis, Ore.
TDS can be reached by telephone at 541-753-9322, by fax at 541-757-7439, via the web at www.tdsway.com or by email at [email protected].
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