Archived GIS News Snippets
Published in 2006

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Cimmetry releases Autovue for MySAP PLM

www.cimmetry.com

Cimmetry Systems, an Agile Software company, today announced the release of AutoVue v 19.1 for SAP's PLM platform, Enterprise Central Component (ECC) 5.0. The combination of AutoVue and mySAP PLM fosters team collaboration and optimizes product development and document review processes.

AutoVue's SAP certified solution integrates with mySAP PLM, providing users with a single point of access to hundreds of document types stored in the mySAP repository for viewing, printing, markup and real-time collaboration. AutoVue's unique web-based streaming technology provides a high level of document security by ensuring that documents are never transferred to the client machines for viewing or annotation.AutoVue for SAP PLM works directly with the mySAP PLM CAD integrations to provide visualization for any supported native CAD format, including CATIA, Pro/E, NX, SolidWorks, Inventor and AutoCAD, as well as EDA, Office and PDF documents.

first published week of: 12/08/2006

07 Survey & Engineering GIS Summit Expanded to Include Civil Engineering

www.esri.com

Civil engineering will now be a central component of ESRI?s annual survey and GIS conference. This event, officially renamed the Survey & Engineering GIS Summit, will take place concurrently with the ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, California, June 16?19, 2007.

The summit will continue to focus on key topics for surveyors and related industries, including geodetic control, GPS, integrating surveying and geographic information system (GIS) technology, land management, implementing GIS, and working with government agencies. However, the new program will be enhanced to include prevalent issues in engineering including GIS integration with site and land development, lidar, photogrammetry, engineering and analysis, and construction and as-built surveying.

Paper submissions are still being accepted for the summit. User presentations and paper topics should cover important issues in both surveying and engineering such as:

Survey data requirements for GIS applications
GPS technology
Survey data collection requirements, methods, and accuracy
Engineering and analysis
Lidar and photogrammetry
Construction and as-built surveys
Government implementation

first published week of: 11/06/2006

2006 ASPRS Fellow Award winners

www.asprs.org

Anthony B. Follett, Barry N. Haack and Lloyd O. Herd (posthumously) have been named the 2006 ASPRS Fellow Award winners. The ASPRS designation of Fellow is conferred on active Society members who have performed exceptional service in advancing the science and use of the mapping sciences (photogrammetry, remote sensing, surveying, geographic information systems, and related disciplines). These awards will be given in May at the ASPRS 2006 Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada. The designation of Fellow is awarded for professional excellence and for service to the Society. Candidates are nominated by other active members, recommended to the Fellows Committee, and elected by the ASPRS Board of Directors. Up to 0.3 percent of the Society's active members may be elected as Fellows in any one year. The nominees must have made outstanding contributions in a recognized Society specialization whether in practice, research, development, administration, or education in the mapping sciences. Members of the Fellows Committee and the Executive Committee are ineligible for nomination.

first published week of: 01/27/2006

2006 ESRI Developer Summit to Host Presentations by Microsoft and IBM

www.esri.com/devsummit

Experienced and novice software developers will convene March 17-18, 2006, to advance their abilities and learn about the future of geographic information system (GIS) applications. Aside from technical sessions, networking opportunities, and other events, the summit will host several keynote presentations by experts in the field including Martin Nally, an IBM distinguished engineer, and Eddie Amos, senior director of the Developer and Platform Evangelism Group at Microsoft Corp. The event’s keynote presentations will draw upon the presenters’ experience to give attendees a real-world look at technology leaders’ integration strategies, new technologies, software deployment architectures, and the future of various development platforms. “Many developers are integrating GIS technology with standard enterprise systems,” says Rob Elkins, product manager, ESRI Developer Network (EDN). “It is exciting to have IBM and as a part of the Developer Summit so attendees can learn from real-world applications by industry leaders.”

first published week of: 03/17/2006

2006 ESRI Federal User Conference Focuses on GIS Solutions in Government

www.esri.com/federal

The 2006 ESRI Federal User Conference, taking place January 31–February 2, 2006, at the Washington, D.C., Convention Center, will explore the use of GIS for geoprocessing and analysis, integrated work flows, and intelligent collaboration across government agencies. This year’s conference will also include state government agencies and a special focus on intergovernmental partnerships. “The Federal User Conference not only focuses on the direction of the software and sharing the latest information, it also gives attendees the opportunity to network with each other and ESRI business partners to find the best GIS solution to meet their current needs,” says Chris Thomas, ESRI government solutions manager.

first published week of: 01/23/2006

2007 ESRI Federal User Conference

www.esri.com/feduc

ESRI announces that the 2007 Federal User Conference (FedUC) will be held January 9–11, 2007, at the Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Conference attendees will gain insights into the latest geographic information system (GIS) software and solutions for unique federal problems. Discussion and demonstrations will address how GIS is used to improve coordination and information sharing, reduce costs, increase productivity, and enhance decision making. Attendees at FedUC will include federal government professionals from disciplines such as defense, demographics, law enforcement, and health. State and local government professionals are also encouraged to attend. GIS users at all levels of government can take advantage of this opportunity to learn how GIS is utilized throughout the nation and build strong networks for improved problem solving.

“FedUC is one of the largest events dedicated to GIS and is 100 percent focused on government,” says ESRI government industry manager Christopher Thomas. “What we find there is an integration of executives, people dedicated to federal missions, staff from state and local governments, and GIS professionals all in one setting. This gives attendees a great community that’s both an educational forum and town hall setting where they can exchange ideas. Collaboration is a consistent theme in government, and FedUC is a great place to exercise collaboration.”

first published week of: 12/11/2006

2007 NSDI CAP Grants - now open

http://www.fgdc.gov/grants/2007CAP/2007CAPschedule

USGS and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has formally announced their request for proposals to support the 2007 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP). A total of $1.2 million has been made available to fund an estimated 26 innovative projects in spread across five geospatial data categories. Each project will focus on ways to build new and improve existing geospatial data infrastructure necessary to effectively discover, access, share, manage and use digital geographic data.

The closing date for the 2007 NSDI CAP announcement is January 26, 2007. The project grant awards are scheduled to be announced by USGS/FGDC contracts officer in March 2007 with obligated work to begin on each project by September 30, 2007.

first published week of: 12/11/2006

Aero-Metric Purchases 2nd Z/I Imaging DMC

www.intergraph.com/

Intergraph Corporation today announced Aero-Metric, one of the largest photogrammetric and geospatial services firms in North America, has acquired its second Z/I Imaging® DMC® (Digital Mapping Camera). Aero-Metric experienced outstanding results with its first DMC purchased in late 2003, and the firm's move toward a fully digital workflow has prompted the purchase of a second camera. Aero-Metric will use the second camera to expand its existing digital photogrammetric production projects and provide shorter and higher-quality image production cycles, as the organization moves to a fully soft-copy production line. As a result, Aero-Metric's customers will more quickly receive high-quality data that offers true natural color and accurate stereo imagery.

“Our first Intergraph Z/I Imaging DMC allowed us to capture digital frame imagery simultaneously in all bands,” said Patrick Olson, Senior Vice-President of Aero-Metric. “With this second DMC, we are able to increase our capacity to deliver superior image quality, providing our industrial customers and federal, state and local government agencies with unmatched image precision and resolution.”

first published week of: 10/30/2006

AirPhotoUSA® Offers First Comprehensive 1-Foot Aerial Imagery of USA

www.globexplorer.com

GlobeXplorer®'s AirPhotoUSA today announced the first comprehensive collection of 1-foot resolution aerial photography for the nation. The new offerings will be the highest resolution off–the–shelf seamless imagery commercially available on a nationwide basis. Guided by a '3C' mantra of industry leading clarity, coverage, and compatibility, GlobeXplorer and AirPhotoUSA will make this data available through a combined suite of online and offline products.

airphotousa aerial photo of san diego, california

Clarity “AirPhotoUSA, the first to move the industry from a one-meter resolution to a 2-foot resolution standard, is leading the way again with a nationwide update schedule to 1-foot resolution imagery,” GlobeXplorer's President Rob Shanks said, “Customers simply won't settle for less resolution than 1 foot anymore.”
Coverage AirPhotoUSA has more than 100,000 square miles in acquisition so far for 2006 at 1-foot resolution, and a goal of several hundred thousand by year's end, more than anyone else in the marketplace. “We understand the importance of going beyond major urban core coverage to include secondary and tertiary markets that are seeing so much growth currently,” said Paul Burrows, AirPhotoUSA's President.
Compatibility AirPhotoUSA Premium imagery will be made available on DVD in AirPhotoUSA's Photomapper® product, as well as online through GlobeXplorer's Web services for mappers (ImageConnect®), consumers/real estate (ImageAtlas®), and application developers (ImageBuilder®).
first published week of: 06/30/2006
AltaGas Utilities Selects Tensing SPYder Web GIS
www.altagasutilities.com
www.tensing.com

AltaGas Utilities Inc. of Alberta, Canada, purchased the Tensing SPYder Web GIS solution to provide web-based GIS access to external customers and remote personnel. Implementation of Tensing SPYder Web GIS is underway, and AltaGas expects to take it live this spring. Based in Leduc, Alberta, AltaGas supplies natural gas to more than 62,000 residential, business and industrial customers. AltaGas used the GENS Smallworld GIS package to create a digital mapping system representing its gas distribution network, which consists of 19,500 kilometers of pipelines. “Tensing SPYder Web GIS is a low-cost solution that will enable AltaGas to display, query and print GIS data over the intranet or Internet,” said Arjan Plomp, Tensing USA Managing Director. “We developed SPYder Web GIS as a vendor-independent tool that can be integrated with any combination of corporate GIS databases, applications, schematics, reference drawings, CAD functions and textual data sources.”

first published week of: 05/12/2006
Altstone Software announces Geo Log Analyzer
www.allstone.com

Altstone Software released a new program that can help you take a fresh look at your customers and potential business partners on the net. Geo Log Analyzer allows you to distinguish geographical locations of your website visitors. Ease of use is the first thought that comes to your mind, when you begin to work with the new interactive map. Geo Log Analyzer gives accurate and quick analysis of your website logs and then you find out, on what continent, in what country, in what city the majority of your visitors live. Unique geographical traffic distribution visualization module, which is built in the program, displays information concerning the number of unique IPs, visits and hits for countries, states, separate cities, precise time of the first and the last visit. Geo Resolver is a separate module, designed for manual detection of locations. All you need is just to enter an IP address or a host name, geographic location is given in a moment. Geo Log Analyzer features include:
- Unique zoomable interactive world map;
- Number of unique IPs, visits and hits for countries, states and separate cities;
- Spiders' activity (recognizes 1100+ spiders and spam bots);
- Variety of special filters: common filters, geographical filters, visitor filters;
- Ability to read GZ, TGZ and ZIP compressed logs;
- Apache Common, Apache Combined, and IIS log file formats support;
- Ease of use.
first published week of: 08/14/2006
American Megatrends Announces the Total Acquisition of Spectrum North Carolina, LLC
http://www.geofiny.com/ABOUTUS.htm
American Megatrends, Inc. a leading provider of storage solutions and firmware BIOS, today announced that it has acquired 100% ownership of Spectrum NC, LLC and subsequently changed their corporate name to Geofiny Technologies, LLC to better reflect future business services. The name Geofiny comes from geo, which covers geomatics and all aspects of the mapping services and finy which means infinite service possibilities in geomatics area. Geofiny, which has been in existence in Wilmington for the last 16 years will continue to provide quality services in the areas of photogrammetry, digital orthophoto services, cadastral and GIS. Future services will include right of way iInventory mapping, data sorage, oblique imaging and satellite imagery.
“The timing was right for AMI to move from part ownership of Spectrum NC to full acquisition of the company,” said S. Shankar, President of American Megatrends. “Geofiny will give AMI a new range of services and products and give us access to a new customer group.”
first published week of: 09/29/2006
Analytical Surveys Receives Nasdaq Deficiency Notice
www.anlt.com

Analytical Surveys, Inc. (ASI) (Nasdaq: ANLT), received notice on July 21, 2006, from the Nasdaq Stock Market indicating that the Company is not in compliance with one of Nasdaq's requirements for continued listing because the bid price of the Company's common stock has closed below the minimum $1.00 per share requirement for the previous 30 consecutive business days. Nasdaq requires compliance with the minimum bid price for continued inclusion under Nasdaq Marketplace Rule 4310(c)(4) (the “Rule”). Such a notice is routinely issued when a listed company does not meet the minimum bid requirement. The notice has no effect on the listing of the Company's common stock at this time.
Analytical Surveys Inc. formerly a provider of utility industry data collection, creation and management services for the geographic information systems markets recently transitioned its focus toward the development of oil and gas opportunities. ASI's Energy Division is focused on expansion into high quality exploratory and developmental drilling opportunities and purchases of proven reserves with upside potential attributable to behind-pipe reserves, infill drilling, deeper reservoirs and field extension opportunities. ASI is headquartered in San Antonio, Texas.

first published week of: 07/31/2006
ArcGIS 9.1 Business Analyst Released
www.esri.com/businessanalyst.

ESRI released ArcGIS 9.1 Business Analyst desktop analysis software with 2005/2010 demographic data. New features and data contained in ArcGIS 9.1 Business Analyst helps companies, agencies, and organizations perform accurate marketing analyses faster and more efficiently. “This release of ArcGIS Business Analyst represents a major product upgrade from previous versions,” says Mark Berry, ArcGIS Business Analyst product manager, ESRI. “In addition to the familiar wizards for analyzing data for stores, customers, and trade areas, the new product is integrated with ESRI’s ModelBuilder, which has templates and tools to automate the market analysis process. The innovations now available in ArcGIS Business Analyst, coupled with the industry?s best datasets, provides optimal marketing analysis tools to all companies, agencies, and organizations that require them.”
first published week of: 02/17/2006
ArcGIS 9.1 Passes Integration Certification with SAP NetWeaver
www.esri.com

ESRI announced that strategic alliance partner SAP AG has certified the integration of ESRI's ArcGIS 9.1 software with the SAP NetWeaver® platform. The seamless integration enables organizational flexibility in deploying enterprise server GIS solutions, thereby reducing the need for custom integration. “Our many customers running ESRI and SAP solutions, as well as the system integrator community, will be able to leverage this technology to easily build and integrate enterprise server GIS-enabled business systems that support SAP solutions,” says Jack Dangermond, president, ESRI. “We've been an SAP software partner for many years and are pleased that this new integration level of ESRI ArcGIS with SAP NetWeaver now exists.”.

first published week of: 07/21/2006
ArcGIS 9.2 Is Now Shipping
www.esri.com

ESRI announced the availability of ArcGIS 9.2, a significant release of ArcGIS that includes new productivity tools, data visualization and analysis capabilities, sophisticated cartographic tools, high-precision coordinate storage, and expanded support for standards. This release also introduces a new workflow for authoring, serving, and using geographic data, allowing users to be more productive with geographic information system (GIS) technology. New client applications in combination with ArcGIS Server provide unparalleled access for a wide range of people including mobile workers, analysts, decision makers, and the public. Opening up geographic data and knowledge allows new and improved collaboration within organizations and on the Web.
“This is one of the biggest, most significant software releases in ESRI’s history,” said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. “Version 9.2 represents a major advance in improving the tools that make GIS professionals more productive.”
Highlights of the ArcGIS 9.2 release include the following:
- ArcGIS Server 9.2 delivers a complete Web GIS for spatial data management, visualization, and analysis. It is an open and interoperable server that supports a broad range of clients including ArcGIS Explorer, out-of-the-box browser-based applications, ArcGIS Mobile, and ArcGIS Desktop. ArcGIS Explorer supports a wide variety of 3D mapping services as well as geoprocessing services for spatial analysis. ArcGIS Mobile is included in the ArcGIS Server software developer kit and supports mobile application development for the .NET platform. In addition, models and applications authored with ArcGIS Desktop as GIS services can be used by all ArcGIS Server clients.
- A new method for storing cartographic representations and a suite of advanced drawing and symbolization tools help users automate tasks and perform the complete cartographic production process within the GIS. By integrating sophisticated cartographic tools with a database-managed system, users will save hours of manual work currently needed to re-create maps.
- New visualization and analysis tools allow users to create, play back, and export time-based animations and graphs of how processes evolve, thereby revealing patterns and trends that allow users to make better decisions.
- High-precision coordinate storage and greater flexibility in distributing enterprise GIS data expand the use of large GIS systems across dispersed offices and regions. Users can create and share complete or partial database replicates (copies), synchronize and reconcile edits and changes, and create archives of transaction histories, allowing for improved collaboration and data sharing between departments, organizations, and field staff.
- Expanded interoperability with spatial data makes it easier than ever to integrate disparate data from a variety of sources. It helps free the data from specialized silos for analysis, modeling, visualization, and sharing for better decision making. ArcGIS continues to support the growing array of open data standards including Open Geospatial Consortium GML Simple Features data, the ISO 19139 metadata standard, and DXF and KML. In addition, there is enhanced support for reading, exporting, and working with CAD drawings from AutoCAD and MicroStation.
- Usability and quality enhancements, such as an improved tables experience and new navigation tools and keyboard shortcuts, make users more efficient and productive in their GIS work.
first published week of: 11/20/2006
ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.1 Will have new data
www.esri.com/ba

The upcoming release of ArcGIS Business Analyst desktop software will include ESRI's 2006/2011 segmentation, demographic, business, and shopping center data. This updated data in ArcGIS Business Analyst will help companies, agencies, and organizations perform accurate marketing analyses faster and more efficiently. The 2006 data updates to ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.1 will include:
- ESRI's 2006/2011 demographic data and forecasts
- Segmentation data from Community Tapestry down to the census tract level
- Business data for approximately 11 million U.S. businesses, , from infoUSA (vintage January 2006);
- Shopping center data for 4,200 major U.S. shopping centers, from Directory of Major Malls (vintage January 2006) Companies, agencies, and organizations can use the new data in ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.1 to
- Profile customers and constituents.
- Find similar customer and constituent segments.
- Craft marketing messages to increase response from targeted customers and constituents.
- Analyze and select the best locations for expansion.
- Perform competitive analyses.
- Evaluate store/site performance.
first published week of: 08/25/2006
arcGIS Extension Supports Local Update of Census Addresses Program for 2010
www.esri.com

ESRI announced the development of a new ArcGIS extension to support local governments participating in the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA) program for the 2010 Census. The Census Bureau LUCA program is a 2010 Census geographic partnership program that will allow the Census Bureau to benefit from local knowledge to improve the accuracy and efficiency of the 2010 Census by providing digital data and a review and update tool to approximately 40,000 local governments. The LUCA program is also expected to be one of the key cost-saving programs of the 2010 Census. The extension will read Census Bureau-provided spatial data in shapefile format, provide a toolbox of census-specific workflow tasks (incorporating business rules and data validation), and output a revised shapefile in the required census format. This extension will replicate the task and technical functionality of the census Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (MAF/TIGER) Partnership Software (MTPS) in an ArcGIS environment.

“The new ArcGIS extension is part of our efforts to support users preparing for the year 2010 United States census,” says Jack Dangermond, president, ESRI. “The extension will be compliant with Census Bureau standards and will provide agencies with an advanced tool for reviewing and updating spatial data for the 2010 census. It can be used with geographic information system (GIS) environments that work with the Census Bureau, helping to improve the timeliness and accuracy of census information. The result will be an effective, more familiar method for all types of government agencies producing these census-compliant datasets.” The extension development is a joint effort between ESRI and Citygate GIS LLC. The anticipated availability of the initial version of the extension is December 2006, coinciding with the availability of census-provided data and a census-developed review and update tool. Advance notice letters to participate in the LUCA program are expected to be sent to local government entities early in 2007, with formal invitation letters sent in July 2007 and census-provided data and the review and update tool delivered in the August?October 2007 time frame.
first published week of: 08/21/2006
Archetype introduces asset tracking solutions
www.archetypecorp.com/

Archetype, Inc., a rapidly growing leader in remote wireless machine-to-machine (M2M) data communications, today announced the commercial availability of the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) edition of its TerraTrace GPS/GSM asset tracking system. TerraTrace is an asset tracking and monitoring solution that provides true real-time location and status information for mobile assets. TerraTrace uses a small, onboard GPS/GSM tracker/transmitter device which communicates position coordinates and other sensor data to TerraTrace?s secure data center. The data is then made available to authorized users via a secure Internet connection.
“The ERP edition of TerraTrace has been developed to provide globally scalable solutions for tracking and monitoring the status of mission-critical assets, improving visibility throughout the management structure with real-time updates and historical data logging,” said Jason Cooner, president of Archetype. “TerraTrace employs redundant network routing architecture and end-to-end security standards. Both technologies are internationally patent-pending. The security implementation incorporates NSA-approved encryption mechanisms to provide a comprehensively secure solution.”
TerraTrace integrates seamlessly with all major ERP platforms, including SAP, PeopleSoft, Oracle, IBM and Hewlett-Packard, as well as industry-specific software suites, providing an easy-to-implement value-added plug-in for a company?s existing IT infrastructure. The system can be configured with tiered permission settings for need-to-know information levels and the Web-based interface can be customized to meet a company?s specific requirements and formats. “TerraTrace is the only tracking solution that has been awarded global Enterprise Certification across all tiers of the GSM cellular spectrum by Cingular and other global carriers,” Cooner said. “This ensures the most widely available, high-performance tracking capability on more than 550 cellular networks in over 200 countries. For truly global coverage, TerraTrace can also transmit data over mobile satellite networks such as Orbcomm or Iridium.”

first published week of: 09/25/2006
ArcPad 7 and ArcPad Application Builder 7 Now Shipping
www.esri.com/arcpad

ESRI’s newest versions of its mobile GIS and field-mapping applications, ArcPad 7 and ArcPad Application Builder 7, are now shipping. This release expands the capabilities of mobile GIS applications with new features that dramatically improve the productivity of working with spatial data in the field. ArcPad provides field–based personnel with the ability to capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display geographic information. This enables users to perform reliable, accurate, and validated field data collection including the use of data input from GPS receivers, rangefinders, and digital cameras. ArcPad 7 features many enhancements in the areas of performance, ease of use, productivity, enterprise GIS integration, and customization. “Our close relationship with ArcPad users allows us to get feedback on what is most important to them,” says Shane Clarke, product manager for ArcPad at ESRI. “We have been able to incorporate countless improvements and additions into ArcPad 7. It is a highly effective tool for any data collection effort.”

first published week of: 01/27/2006
ArcPad 7.0.1 gets new tools and better performance
www.esri.com/arcpad

A new version of ArcPad and ArcPad Application Builder, ESRI's software for mobile geographic information system and field mapping applications, has been released. At 7.0.1, ArcPad products address issues raised from previous releases and feature significant improvements that users have been anticipating, mainly in the areas of performance and usability. ArcPad provides field based personnel with the ability to capture, store, update, manipulate, analyze, and display geographic information. This allows them to perform reliable, accurate, and validated field data collection. Users can also incorporate data input from GPS receivers, range finders, and digital cameras in the data collection process. Highlights of ArcPad at this release include
- Significantly faster loading time on devices?Load speed improvements of 25?50 percent have been observed on various devices.
- Faster drawing of features?Features with and without labeling draw significantly faster, particularly noticeable with large datasets.
- A custom datum configuration tool?This tool assists users in defining new datum transformations and selecting default transformations.
- Support of multiple lines in label expression fields?A vertical scrollbar can be used to view the text.
- ArcGIS 9.2 support?The default style sheet and projection files have been updated to match those in ArcGIS 9.2.
- Enhanced localization?Korean and Czech language packs have been added.
first published week of: 10/16/2006
ArcSDE Offers Support for Microsoft SQL Server 2005

www.esri.com

ESRI announced that ArcSDE now supports Microsoft SQL Server 2005 with the release of the ArcSDE 9.1 Service Pack 1 to enable users to take advantage of Microsoft’s newest technology. “ESRI is pleased to be able to support the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 release” said John Baleja, ArcSDE product manager, ESRI ArcSDE enables users to:
- Integrate geographic information query, mapping, spatial analysis, and editing within a multiuser enterprise DBMS
- Move from a distributed approach to an integrated environment
- Manage spatial data as a continuous database accessible to the entire organization
- Easily publish maps on the Web.
first published week of: 01/23/2006
ArcWeb Services Labs Now Available
www.esri.com/arcwebservices
ESRI launched ArcWeb Services Labs, a new online environment that gives ArcWeb Services developers access to the latest technologies and products to enable them to participate in the development process. In the Labs area of the ArcWeb Services Web site, developers can explore new applications, download code, and access resources before they are released. Developers are able to provide feedback directly to the ArcWeb Services product team and interact with other ArcWeb Services developers to share ideas. “We want to encourage real-time feedback from developers participating in the ArcWeb Services Labs community to help us understand what is truly necessary and valuable to their success. Our goal is to incorporate this feedback directly into current development efforts,” said Mike Tait, director of Internet Services, ESRI. ArcWeb Services Labs provide developers with the following resources:
- Access to prereleased API features and functionality
- Previews of early stage Web applications
- Feedback through a community forum
first published week of: 04/24/2006
ArmCode releases Arm Map Explorer 1.0
ww.armcode.com

Arm Map Explorer recreates all the functions of Google Maps while adding new ones such as viewing a map with a coordinate grid on it, getting precise coordinates of any location on a map, moving to a needed location based on specified coordinates and more. This software brings Google Maps to your desktop and lets you find any location on the planet like cities, borders, roads and other cartographic objects and view them as dynamic interactive maps. Such maps are draggable, so you won't have to click and wait for graphics to reload each time you want to view adjacent parts of a map. Basically, Arm Map Explorer 1.0 allows you to work with interactive maps in much the same way as you would with a regular street map.

Arm Map Explorer 1.0 goes beyond the feature set offered by Google Maps. It allows you to view a map with a coordinate grid on it, get precise coordinates of any location on a map, and move to a needed location on a map based on the coordinates you specify. Using the object tree, you can momentarily locate and view capitals of states, large cities, world's landmarks, monuments, international airports and other interesting buildings and locations. You can also save a map as a file or print a map to take it with you on a trip or journey and use it as a regular paper map. Arm Map Explorer 1.0 runs under Windows 98/NT/XP/2000/2003 and is distributed without requiring any payment or registration.

first published week of: 06/09/2006
ASPRS 2006 Annual Conference
www.asprs.org
The ASPRS 2006 Annual Conference was held May 1-5 2006 at the Reno Hilton Hotel, Reno, Nevada with nearly 1400 attendees. This year's conference, Prospecting for Geospatial Information was opened with a keynote address delivered jointly by Stephen K. Robinson, PhD, NASA Astronaut and Donn Liddle with Muniz Engineering. Their presentation, “Inspecting the Space Shuttle in Flight using Photogrammetric and Remote Sensing Technology,” captivated the audience as they described how photogrammetry played a crucial role in determining the seriousness of damage to the thermal tiles on the last Space Shuttle mission. Thirteen workshops, many filled to capacity, were offered on the two days preceding the conference, and covered a wide array of topics including Professional Airborne Digital Mapping Systems - an Overview; Assessing the Accuracy of GIS Information Created from Remotely Sensed Data: Principles and Practices; Remote Sensing of Vegetation; Advanced Topics in Orthophoto Production; and Emerging Technologies in Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing as well as a specially designed workshop for those seeking ASPRS certification. User group meetings were also held on Monday and Tuesday DIMAC, EAGLE Mapping, E. Coyote Enterprises/IGI, ESRI, INPHO, Intergraph, GeoCue Corporation (NIIRS10, Inc.), PCI Geomatics, and RSI.

first published week of: 05/19/2006
Asset Sales and Acquisitions of U.S. Investor-Owned Electric, Gas and Pipeline Utilities 2001–2006 – Now Available
cthree.net/what/publications/asset2005/index.html

During the past five years, the investor owned utility industry as essentially restructured itself in a series of hundreds of asset transactions valued in the billions of dollars. Traditional industry players jettisoned many of their non-traditional assets. Non-traditional players entered the market, buying up assets, at distressed levels in many cases. Many utilities have retreated to “back-to-basics” strategies as risk tolerance decreased. With the repeal of PUHCA, peer to peer mergers are increasing. The C Three Group™ compiled an exhaustive guide detailing sellers, assets marketed, buyers, completed deals, transaction values, along with proceed values from closed sales. Over 100 separate utility holding companies are tracked with over 1,000 separate transactions identified.
Asset Sales and Acquisitions of US Investor-Owned Electric, Gas and Pipeline Utilities is a must-have for business development, competitive intelligence, financial analysis, and investor relations professionals - or anyone with an interest in the asset sale/acquisition environment of the past four years. Asset Sales and Acquisitions of US Investor-Owned Electric, Gas and Pipeline Utilities is available in Excel spreadsheet format for easy, custom analysis and in PDF format for easy printing.

first published week of: 10/09/2006
AutoCAD 2007: new ebook on rendering
www.upfrontezine.com/tar

upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. releases Tailoring AutoCAD Rendering, a brand new ebook title about rendering 3D models with AutoCAD 2007 software from Autodesk. The 140 page e-book describes how to use the many aspects of AutoCAD 2007's new rendering system. The e-book describes:
- Quick rendering methods.
- Rendering with the Dashboard and Tool palettes.
- Using the Render command, and its hangers-on.
- Attaching materials.
- Creating custom materials.
- Placing lights.
- Placing camera views.
- And a history of the teapot
  first published week of: 12/11/2006
  Autodesk to Promote Carl Bass to President and Chief Executive Officer
  usa.autodesk.com
  
  Autodesk, Inc. named Carl Bass, the company’s chief operating officer, to the position of president and chief executive officer, effective May 1, 2006. Bass also has been appointed to the company’s expanded Board of Directors, effective immediately. Carol Bartz, who has served as CEO since April 1992, will become the company’s first Executive Chairman of the Board. “Carl Bass is one of the most respected executives in this industry and has played an integral leadership role in Autodesk’s success,” Bartz said. “As I assume my new duties as Executive Chairman, Carl’s appointment as CEO represents a natural evolution of leadership at Autodesk.”
  
  first published week of: 02/24/2006
  Autodesk Unveils Geospatial Solution Bundle
  www.autodesk.com
  
  Autodesk, Inc. announced the availability of a new government geospatial bundle that combines Autodesk's GIS products with Google Earth Pro; empowering business users to leverage highly technical spatial data via an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. The bundle is called the Autodesk Government Geospatial Solution with Google Earth Pro, and is available on the General Services Administration's (GSA) Schedule 70. “Incorporating Google Earth Pro into our Autodesk Government Geospatial Solution creates a complete workflow for government agencies,” said Dave Rhodes, vice president of Autodesk Government. “The powerful combination enables professional GIS staff to more easily share complex, precision data with a wide audience of nontechnical colleagues and partners that need to leverage that data in a variety of geospatially enabled business projects.”
  
  first published week of: 08/28/2006
  Avenza Announces Geographic Imager 1.1 Update
  www.avenza.com
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and Macromedia FreeHand as well as MAPdataUSA and MAPdataWorld royalty–free data sets, released an update to Geographic Imager, a new plug–in suite for Adobe Photoshop CS2 software that adds geospatial functionality to this powerful image editing program. “Following the successful release and tremendous reception of the initial Geographic Imager release last fall, we are delighted to be following up so quickly with this update”, said Ted Florence, President of Avenza Systems. “We have responded to the requests of our users to add the functionality and improvements that they have asked for.” he added.
  
  Geographic Imager enhances the already commanding Adobe Photoshop CS2 imaging environment by adding all the tools and technology necessary to support the import, edit, manipulation and export of geospatial images such as aerial and satellite imagery. In addition to allowing the use of Photoshop CS2 and its numerous native imaging functions such as cropping, transparencies, individual pixel editing and brightness/contrast control, Geographic Imager adds the ability to import and recognize geotiffs and other referenced raster formats, automatically mosaic images spatially, reproject and transform images, geo-reference images based on ground control points and re–export images with all spatial information intact.
  first published week of: 03/10/2006
  Avenza Announces MAPdataUSA 3.0
  www.avenza.com
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., the developer of MAPublisher map production software and Geographic Imager spatial imaging software, announces the release of MAPdataUSA 3.0, the latest edition of its library of the complete US TIGER/Line data set converted to Shape file format. Enhancements include joined road and water layers, proper name directory of states and counties, convenient 5-DVD package and concatenated road names to a single column for easier labeling and selecting. “Customers tell us this DVD library will save them time lost downloading and manipulating TIGER data to suit their particular requirements,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. “This royalty-free data forms the perfect base for countless mapping and GIS projects involving US jurisdictions and it’s no surprise that we have had a waiting list of customers anxious to take delivery of this updated data set,” he added.
  
  first published week of: 02/02/2006
  Avenza Announces MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator
  www.avenza.com
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager spatial tools for Adobe Photoshop announced the release of MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator CS and CS2. MAPublisher 7.1 is the latest version of this powerful mapmaking software used to produce high quality maps from GIS data. MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator is a full product update that is free to all current MAPublisher Maintenance Program subscribers and replaces the current shipping version of MAPublisher 7.0 for all new customers.
  “We have quickly responded to the requests of our users by immediately improving on the recent version 7.0 release and including many new functions and feature enhancements in this release,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza, “This update is another major step forward for MAPublisher.” he added. MAPublisher 7.1 includes all the significant new functionality introduced in MAPublisher 7.0 including a new intelligent labeling engine, new grid, graticules and scalebar generators, new and improved MAP attributes engine with expression builder, advanced selection filters and support for double-byte character set
  first published week of: 09/29/2006
  Avenza Announces the 2006 Avenza MAP Awards
  www.avenza.com/
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager spatial tools for Adobe Photoshop announces the 2006 Avenza Map Awards. Renamed from the MAPublisher Map Awards, this competition is a forum for MAPublisher and Geographic Imager users to showcase their work, receive recognition, share ideas and compare their productions with other MAPublisher and Geographic Imager users from around the world. “We are very pleased to hold this awards event once again,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. “Every year we see more and more tremendous examples of what our products can empower a user to create and we look forward to just as exciting a selection of entries this year,” he added.
  
  The competition is open to all maps created with MAPublisher and/or Geographic Imager. Awards will be presented for the map judged as the best in each category along with a grand prize for the Best Map Overall. In the academic category the winning entrant with also be awarded a free license of the MAPublisher or Geographic Imager version of their choice that they may use to either expand or upgrade their existing working environment. Submissions will be accepted until September 30th, 2006 midnight EST. Full competition details are available at www.avenza.com/MPcomp/ or by emailing competition@avenza.com.
  
  first published week of: 08/07/2006
  Avineon Awarded Contract to Integrate Flight Procedures for Naval Flight Information Group
  www.avineon.com
  The U.S. Navy’s Naval Flight Information Group (NAVFIG) awarded Avineon a contraact to provide technical and analytical support for the design and evaluation of Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS). Under this five- year, sole-source contract, Avineon will develop, review and analyze flight procedures using TERPS criteria to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Defense (DOD) and U.S. Navy standards.
  first published week of: 03/17/2006
  Avineon selected by Georgia Power for Data migration
  
  Avineon, Inc. announced that Georgia Power, the largest subsidiary of Southern Company, selected Avineon to migrate electrical distribution system data to form an enterprise geographic information system. The new enterprise GIS will leverage common business requirements, centralized information technology architecture and collaborative utility company investments, allowing Southern Company as a whole to improve customer service, cost containment and profitability.
  
  Mary Adams, GIS project lead for Georgia Power, commented, “Avineon's strong understanding of complex geographic information systems and the company's extensive work with utility companies is a critical component to the success of this project. Avineon has the expertise and experience needed in conversion and migration processes to support this large-scale project while still maintaining focus on producing exceptional quality results.”
  
  first published week of: 05/26/2006
  Azteca Systems Announces Cityworks Anywhere
  www.Azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc. released Cityworks Anywhere in conjunction with Cityworks Desktop Version 4.3.1. As the only GIS-centric Asset Maintenance Management System (AMMS), Cityworks Anywhere and Cityworks Desktop represent the latest enhancements and newest functionality, making asset and work management easier than ever and further reinforcing Azteca's position as the clear leader in Asset Maintenance Management solutions for GIS. Building on their strategy to offer an array of solutions designed to scale across an organization, Azteca Systems developed Cityworks Anywhere and Cityworks Desktop utilizing a common architecture with variable deployment options. Cityworks Anywhere offers embedded GIS View and Edit tools, enabling field and office workers with low-cost solutions, while Cityworks Desktop can be deployed with traditional ESRI's ArcGIS desktop software or in stand-alone mode.
  “Cityworks Anywhere represents another significant step towards our strategic vision,” says Brian Haslam, President Azteca Systems. “As ESRI's GIS products continue to mature and evolve, it remains a major piece in our strategy to offer our customers a complete and scalable array of fully functional asset and maintenance management tools in this environment. Listening to the needs and wants of our customers, we strive to enable them with the best GIS-centric solutions, helping them leverage their investment in GIS data with products that fit within their budget and across their organization.”
  first published week of: 05/12/2006
  Azteca Systems Announces User Conference Schedule Changed to May 22-24, 2007
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc. announced that the 2007 Cityworks User Conference dates have been moved to May 22 -24, 2007. Azteca made the decision to shift the dates back a day to ensure that the conference wouldn't interfere with participants' plans for Memorial Day weekend. The 2007 User Conference will be held in Park City, Utah at the Park City Marriott. The event will feature pre-conference training on May 20 and 21 for new and existing users as well as specialized implementation training for authorized business partners. Training will be followed by the Conference which will include numerous user case studies, technical and application sessions, vendor presentations, an exhibit hall and a Cityworks Doctor's Office. The beautiful mountain setting provides a casual and enjoyable atmosphere.
  “The Cityworks User Conference has become a central event for Azteca Systems and one of the reasons it has been so successful is because we try to cater to the needs of our users and business partners,” said Brian Haslam, President of Azteca Systems. “When we realized the dates previously announced may have interfered with attendees' plans for the long weekend, we moved it. The User Conference is a very worthwhile event for all involved and we invite everyone to have the chance to benefit from the knowledge and experiences shared at the 2007 Conference.”
  
  first published week of: 10/09/2006
  Azteca Systems Celebrates Anniversaries: Ten Years of Cityworks and 20 Years of Azteca Systems
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems Inc., a leading provider of GIS-centric asset maintenance management solutions, is celebrating the tenth anniversary of Cityworks and the 20th anniversary of the company.Azteca will recognize their anniversary with events throughout the year and host a special celebration at the Cityworks User Conference, June 19-21, 2006, in Park City, Utah. Founded in 1986, Azteca Systems Inc. supplied specialized GIS and cartographic consulting services to local, state and federal agencies. In 1996, Azteca developed the first GIS-based asset and maintenance management system, Pipeworks. The original name was soon changed to Cityworks as it became apparent the unique software application could easily be applied to more than just pipeline infrastructure.Today, Azteca Systems customers span the globe using the software to manage a wide array of capital assets and infrastructure including: utilities, transportation, energy, facilities and public works features. Editor’s note: I've known the company and its principals since the Pipeworks days and have the highest respect for the people and the products. Get to know them!
  first published week of: 01/23/2006
  Azteca Systems Congratulates ESRI SAG Award Winners
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc. extends congratulations to the 2006 recipients of the ESRI Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) awards at the recent ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, CA. As the leading provider of GIS centric asset maintenance management solutions, Azteca Systems is excited to recognize Horry County, SC for receiving the award.
  The ESRI SAG award recognizes ESRI customers that demonstrate outstanding use of GIS within their organization. Horry County is set apart because of their enterprise-wide approach in deploying GIS centric applications for use with the county. Cityworks was the first GIS-centric application deployed in Horry County in 2005. With both the county and the city of North Myrtle Beach using Cityworks, service requests are sent from consistent SDE GIS databases, enhancing the use of GIS in their respective organizations. When the county became a Cityworks user, the initial project plan was to deploy the software into stormwater. Today however, the county has expanded Cityworks to several other departments and is interacting with cities within Horry County. Their next planned implementation will be within the administrative departments of the county.
  “We are very excited that Horry County was recognized by ESRI for Special Achievement in GIS,” said Brian Haslam, President of Azteca Systems. “We want to congratulate all of those who were recognized as SAG award winners, but are particularly pleased that Horry County has achieved such impressive and applaudable use of GIS within their organization. Horry County's use of GIS demonstrates the benefits and success of a GIS-based approach and proves the endless possibilities of how organizations can utilize GIS to fit into what they most need.”
  
  first published week of: 09/22/2006
  Baker Awarded contract by U.S. corps of engineers
  www.mbakercorp.com
  
  Michael Baker Jr., Inc., was awarded an Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District (the District). Under the three year, $3 million IDIQ contract, Baker will provide master planning, geographic information systems (GIS), and computer aided drafting and design (CADD) services to the District's South Pacific Division (the Division).
  “We will be providing a number of our core capabilities to the Division under this contract.” said Baker Project Manager Travis Clark. “Baker has won numerous regional and national awards for its master planning services and we look forward to the opportunity to applying them, along with our GIS and CADD capabilities, in helping the South Pacific Division achieve its mission.”
  
  first published week of: 07/17/2006
  Bangladesh National Mapping from East View Cartographic
  www.cartographic.com
  East View Cartographic (EVC) announced an agreement to become an official reseller of topographic and thematic maps from the Survey of Bangladesh. These nationally produced maps offer the best large-scale coverage available for Bangladesh and are ideal for uses such as boundary analysis, coastal navigation, GIS foundation maps, and land-use planning. EVC can provide complete country coverage of 1:50,000 and 1:250,000 topographic maps. The Survey of Bangladesh has also produced a number of specialized series including 1:10,000 coastal mapping, a Dhaka city plan, and a variety of political, administrative and boundaries maps.
  first published week of: 04/21/2006
  Bend, Oregon Selects GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  I don't know about you, but I like to comply with instructions, expecially highway signs. So, whenever I am in the Northwest and see a sign that commands “Bend Oregon” I really try to do it. Oh sure, I have managed to fold it on a map, but bending Oregon takes far more strenght than I have. Maybe things will get easier with their use of GIS. Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced that Bend, Oregon bought several GIS software solutions from GTG's LG GIS software suite. The city will be implementing LGviewer Work Request Module, LGweb, LGaddress and LGviewer upgrade to Community Connect. These applications will expand the city's existing GTG software platform, which already includes LGavl, LGPublicWeb, and GeoManager from GTG's LG product line. The city's objective is to utilize these applications to integrate with GIS, thereby providing an integrated platform that will enable city personnel to leverage existing land-based data and applications. The use of these applications offers a comprehensive expansion of Bend's information technology infrastructure.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  blue Marble's GeoCalc selected by ER Mapper
  www.bluemarblegeo.com
  
  ER Mapper recently licensed the GeoCalc 6.3 C++ software developer toolkit from Blue Marble Geographics to enhance and greatly expand their coordinate system definition and conversion support. Blue Marble's coordinate conversion technology is used worldwide by thousands of GIS analysts at software companies, universities, oil and gas companies, civil engineering, surveying, technology, enterprise GIS groups, government and military organizations.
  GeoCalc 6.3 is the largest commercially available coordinate system library, supporting geodetic parameter definition matches for all major GIS software and industry standard organizations. The tool is a fully object-oriented, cross platform software developer kit designed for complex coordinate system definition and conversion in an easy-to-use interface. Now entering its fifteenth year in existence, the tool utilizes an XML data source and provides the latest support for well-known text (WKT) coordinate system definitions per the Open GIS Consortium specifications. The human readable capabilities of the XML data source in GeoCalc are important for ease of use in geodetic development projects. XML allows the GIS expert in your company to work with a developer who may know very little about coordinate systems. The GIS expert can easily read the coding to make certain that all the necessary parameters and tasks are included in the software developed with GeoCalc.
  first published week of: 12/11/2006
  Blue Skies Solutions awarded enterprise GIS contract with Bristol Bay Native Association
  www.blueskiessolutions.net
  Located in Dillingham Alaska, the Bristol Bay Native Association (BBNA) awarded a contract to Blue Skies Solutions to continue the development of an integrated GIS and document management system to aid the BBNA Lands & Resources department in their execution and management of realty transactions. The system, called RealtyNet, allows users to access vital parcel data, documents, and mapping information via a custom intranet application and ESRI software technology. Migrating from a paper file-based realty management system to a digital system with mapping capabilities is helping BBNA increase the efficiency at which staff operates.
  
  first published week of: 03/24/2006
  Boundary Solutions Inc. Awarded Patent: “Computerized National Online Parcel-level Map Data Portal”
  www.boundarysolutions.com
  
  Boundary Solutions, Inc. announced that it has been awarded U.S. Patent 7,092,957, entitled “Computerized National Online Parcel-level Map Data Portal” for multi-jurisdictional search and display of digital parcel map boundaries. The patent relates back to the date of the original provisional patent application filed January 18, 2002. “Boundary Solutions, Inc.'s, National ParcelMap Data Portal, or NPDP, is a turnkey online geoinformation resource. We are pleased to obtain this patent award in recognition of the seminal work BSI has performed in this field” explained the company's CEO and founder, Dennis H. Klein.
  Under this patent, an entered street address, ZIP Code and/or Assessor Parcel ID Number returns a display of the pertinent parcel boundary feature highlighted to differentiate if from the surrounding parcel boundaries. A jurisdiction look up table is referenced to determine which jurisdiction(s) are accessed to retrieve and display the pertinent polygons. Among other features, spatial data is linked to non-graphic property tax records to act as a spatial database model. A metadata profile describing the pertinent data is displayed as needed. Queries can be applied to all parcels on the screen to highlight ones with matching spatial and/or attribute characteristics.
  Customers purchasing digital parcel map data from Boundary Solutions receive a limited license to use this patented technology in conjunction with the acquired content.
  
  first published week of: 08/28/2006
  Breakthrough Technology From HBF Redefines 911 Address Validation
  www.hbfgroup.com
  
  HBF Group, Inc., a leading provider of E9-1-1 database systems and services for the emergency telecommunications and VoIP industries, has developed the first commercially available service for accurate address validation and routing for VoIP 9-1-1 calls. SmartRoute 911 offers the first address validation process that combines the traditional MSAG (Master Street Address Guide) with Postal and Geographic information, providing the most advanced location validation and routing currently available. In 2005, the FCC mandated all providers of interconnected VoIP services to supply enhanced 9-1-1 emergency calling capabilities to their customers and cited the NENA (National Emergency Number Association) i2 architecture as a viable mechanism. The FCC did not specify a mechanism for address validation or call route determination. However, the i2 specification includes designs for these functions. HBF?s SmartRoute 9-1-1 is the first commercially available application supporting these critical functions.
  
  Traditional address validation for wireline and wireless calls has used the same process for over 30 years. With VoIP's nomadic capability, address validation needs to be in real-time, with up to the minute accuracy and routing for the caller?s current location. SmartRoute 911 validates the calle's location information against all three sources (MSAG, Postal and GIS) and provides real-time routing of the emergency call to the correct Selective Router, and on to the correct PSAP (Public Safety Answering Point) for that address. Other key features include:
  - Real-time web service address validation
  - Real-time web service call route determination
  first published week of: 08/28/2006
  BSI FACILITATES URISA06 DIGITAL PARCEL MAP STANDARDS PANEL
  www.boundarysolutions.com
  
  Boundary Solutions, Inc. said its founder and president will facilitate the upcoming digital parcel map standards panel at URISA '06 (www.urisa.org). Here''s a chance to learn how digital parcel map databases are being standardized and about the progress being made toward BSI's seamless National Parcelmap Data Portal. All of this an more is happening at: URISA's 2006 Annual Conference inVancouver, BC on 9/28/2006 in room 232
  
  first published week of: 09/22/2006
  BSI to facilitate digital Parcel Map Standards Panel: URISA 2006
  www.boundarysoltutions.com
  Boundary Solutions Inc., (BSI) to facilitate the “Digital Parcel Map Database Standards” panel at URISA2006, Vancouver September 26, 2006. URISA. Urban Regional Information Systems Association, requested that BSI repeat this important and well received panel BSI presented at CALGIS2006. As a result of this panel discussion, the California Geographic Information Association is proceeding to establish a standing Digital Parcel Map Data Standards Committee.
  
  … many newly created parcel GIS databases, and some old ones, currently use procedures so diverse they pose serious obstacles to the creation of seamless regional/state/national cadastres. This panel explores emerging interests in reducing these obstacles from a state, local and private sector perspective.
  
  How to Participate
  
  If you would like to join the panel contact BSI here. Panel participants are needed in these categories:
  - County GIS Coordinator - How increasing data demand from the private sector can aid in resolving long standing spatial standards development gridlock.
  - Assessor GIS Manager - How regional and statewide standards will improve, long term, appraisal productivity and accuracy.
  - State GIS Manager - How common standards for expediting statewide seamless GIS data models benefit their operations along with incentives states can offer to get local data sponsors to comply.
  - Lifestyle/Lifestage segmentation data from the Community Tapestry LifeMode summary groups.
  - Branch locations, assets, deposits, loan and deposit potential from RPM Consulting's BranchInfo and MarketBank data.
  - Asset, loan, and other credit union data from the National Credit Union Association.
  - Dunn & Bradstreet Business Listings.
  - Street level map data from North America from Tele Atlas.
  first published week of: 09/22/2006
  Byers Celebrates Its 35th Anniversaryl
  www.byers.com
  
  Byers Engineering Company celebrates its 35th year of providing premier engineering, AM/FM/GIS software, and records mapping services to the telecommunications and utilities industries. Founded in the state of Georgia in January 1971, Byers is one of the few companies that have been able to retain its original name and ownership within this competitive industry. A customer-focused approach has been a constant at Byers--just as the president and core management group have been since the beginning. Byers is proud to have been listed as one of the 50 largest technology firms in Atlanta every year since 1985. Ken Byers founded the firm with the mission to be an important, technical services firm supporting the telecommunications and utility industries. The firm's first client was New York Telephone Company (now a part of Verizon) who remains a client today.
  
  first published week of: 01/23/2006
  Byers Engineering releases Map View V8.3
  www.byers.com
  
  Byers SpatialAge® Solutions Division today announced significant enhancements to its popular Map Viewer™ application. Map Viewer Version 8.3 is now available and sets new industry standards in AM/FM/GIS viewing technology. The upgraded software provides the functionality to support installation and maintenance, engineering, planning, field capture, and spatial analysis applications at a cost of up to 50-60 percent less than other currently available, comparable products. “The enhancements in Map Viewer 8.3 takes accessing mapping records in the field to a whole new level,” says Ray Newman, Vice President of Software Development at Byers Engineering Company's SpatialAge Solutions Division. “We continue to raise the bar on viewing applications in the industry. Map Viewer doesn't just allow users to view their data, but enables them to analyze facilities, integrate with mobile dispatch, AVL, assignment, and CIS systems, as well capture field notes and record corrections along with real world locations when using an integrated GPS device.”
  
  first published week of: 05/29/2006
  Byers Welcomes CT&T, Inc as a VAR
  www.byers.com
  
  Byers Engineering Company, a long time provider of AM/FM/GIS software solutions to the telecommunications industry, entered into a VAR Agreement with CT&T to sell its suite of AM/FM/GIS SpatialAge Solutions. CT&T, headquartered in North Little Rock, Arkansas, provides turnkey projects for design, right of way acquisition, construction inspection, facility installation, records update, and project close-out.
  As a Byers VAR, CT&T has already successfully integrated Byers Telco Package into several independent telephone companies in the Midwest. “We are very proud of our relationship with CT&T. CT&T has extensive knowledge, experience, and a record of successful projects with its telecommunications customers. This makes them an excellent partner to represent Byers Engineering Company's products to a wider audience,” comments Ray Newman, Vice President of Software for Byers SpatialAge Solutions Division.
  Byers Telco Package includes Byers Engineering Work Order System™ (EWO) and Byers Map Viewer™ software for enhanced AM/FM/GIS outside plant design and map viewing. EWO has been specifically reconfigured to meet the specific needs of Independent Telephone Operating Companies. This latest EWO release provides the rich functionality used by the RBOCS and large independents at a lower cost. The system assures that facilities are captured based on the latest RUS codes and the facility interface allows the users to select the facility characteristics from which the RUS code is programmatically derived. Map Viewer provides company wide map access for viewing, querying, redlining, and printing OSP records. The new system improves access to the maps by users in the office and in the field. This solution offers Independent Telephone Operating Companies a robust AM/FM/GIS system to maintain its ongoing engineering and records operations in a seamless mapping environment.
  
  first published week of: 08/25/2006
  CACI to Support GIS for Defense Intelligence
  www.caci.com
  
  CACI International Inc. won a two year, $33 million contract to provide services supporting geographic information systems at the Defense Intelligence Agency. The Arlington–based contractor will help the defense agency incorporate GIS technology, data sources, analytical techniques and advanced visualization technology into the agency's Urban Analysis Center battle laboratory and the Defense Department's Intelligence Information System.
  
  first published week of: 06/09/2006
  Cadcorp announces three new, free Plug-ins for XML-based data
  www.cadcorp.com
  
  GeoRSS, GPX and MIDAS Plug-ins for Cadcorp SIS will enable GIS users to incorporate specialised geographically-referenced data. Digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software developer Cadcorp has announced that it is offering three new Plug-ins for XML-based data for use with its Cadcorp SIS ? Spatial Information System software suite. The GeoRSS, GPX and MIDAS Plug-ins are part of V6.3 of Cadcorp SIS, due later this year, but are fully compatible with the current V6.2 release. The new Plug-ins will be available for free download from the Cadcorp web site.
  
  The next service pack release of Cadcorp SIS V6.2 will include a version of the free Map Browser product that will be able to use the GeoRSS Plug-in. This will enable Map Browser users to load GeoRSS 'feeds' and to combine them with Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.™ (OGC™) W*S services. “GeoRSS, although a relatively recent development, is rapidly becoming the format of choice for ? geotagging everything from earthquake locations to mountain bike trails” said Martin Daly, technical director, Cadcorp. “These new Plug-ins for XML–based data – each with very different contents aimed at very different groups of users – will allow the Cadcorp SIS user to easily overlay and correlate the information with their own data in a wide variety of use cases.”
  first published week of: 06/23/2006
  Caliper Creates Software for Five Major U.S. Census Data Programs
  www.caliper.com/
  
  In conjunction with prime contractor M-Cubed Information Systems of Silver Spring, Maryland, Caliper Corporation announced that it is developing software applications for five major Census Bureau data programs for the forthcoming 2010 Census. These applications will be used by over 40,000 state, local, and tribal governments to enhance the Census Bureau's Master Address File (MAF) andTIGER geospatial database of roads, legal and administrative boundaries, and geographical area reporting units for Census and survey data. These updates are essential for the success of the 2010 decennial population census and the many related subsequent activities such as congressional, state legislative and local redistricting, the allocation of federal funds to local and state governments, and the publishing of Census data. Collectively named the MAF/TIGER Partnership Software (MTPS), the five custom applications are based on Caliper Corporation's Maptitude GIS
  
  first published week of: 10/13/2006
  Calumet City, Illinois Selects GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  The City of Calumet City, Illinois has procured additional product functionality from GTG’s LG GIS software suite. The City will be implementing additional search functionality for LGcrimes software to expand the City’s existing LG platform which already includes other GIS applications such as LGdispatch and GeoManager. LGcrimes is an affordable and easy-to-use crime reporting, mapping and analysis software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities. LGcrimes aids in the visualization and analysis of police incident information. The spatial distribution of crimes will allow law enforcement professionals to maximize the use of departmental assets to satisfy the ever-growing demand for critical services. Public Safety departments with limited budgets and staff can now take advantage of crime analysis technology while leveraging their organization’s investment in GIS technology.
  first published week of: 04/11/2006
  CARIS Call for Papers for Kuala Lumpur in 2007
  www.caris.com
  
  CARIS is now inviting submissions for abstracts for paper presentations at CARIS 2007, 11th CARIS User Group Conference and Educational Sessions, March 5 - 8 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Attendees return time and again to CARIS conferences seeking to explore the future of marine and hydrographic geomatics software. CARIS 2007 organizers are looking for papers that will produce the quality of program to meet and exceed these expectations. All the details about the conference and requirments for paper submissions can be found here.
  
  first published week of: 06/02/2006
  CartoBase products to include North Dakota
  www.whitestar.com
  
  With hydrocarbon exploration and production activity increasing in the Williston Basin, WhiteStar Corp. expanded it line of CartoBase digital cartographic products to include North Dakota. WhiteStar, which developed the CartoBase series of subscription data sets specifically for oil and gas mapping, has already released products for Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, Wyoming, Montana and Utah. “We put production of the CartoBase North Dakota database on the fast track because there is so much interest in the Bakken Formation of the Williston Basin right now,” said Robert White, CEO of WhiteStar. “The CartoBase product line is designed to help oil and gas companies manage their leases more efficiently and with less publicity.”
  WhiteStar offers the CartoBase products on a subscription basis whereby clients receive quarterly updates of key data layers for two or three years following the initial purchase. Each CartoBase product contains up to 24 seamless layers of geospatial data covering the entire state and delivered on DVDs equipped with the CartoBase software application that allows users to export data in their choice of mapping formats. Popular software formats supported include Petra, AutoCAD, Kingdom, GeoGraphix, ArcGIS and ArcView.
  
  first published week of: 09/08/2006
  Chariton Valley Telephone Calls for GIS
  www.cvalley.net
  
  Chariton Valley Telephone Company headquartered in Macon, Missouri signed a contract with CT&T, Inc. for data conversion services and an enhanced AM/FM/GIS engineering and mapping system from Byers Engineering Company. Chariton Valley chose to use the Byers Engineering Work Order System™ (EWO) and the Byers Map Viewer™ software to automate their engineering records that previously resided on paper based staking sheets. CT&T is a Value Added Reseller (VAR) of Byers and is providing the professional data services to load the outside plant staking sheets into the EWO system.
  Tim Finefield, Operations Manager at CT&T is the project manager for all aspects of Chariton Valley's AM/FM/GIS projects. “The ease of use of the EWO and Map Viewer software along with its capabilities to provide up-to-date outside plant records to many departments within Chariton Valley provides a major advantage over the other software products that were evaluated,” comments Finefield.
  first published week of: 09/01/2006
  Chuck Cmeyla Joins ESRI
  ww.esri.com
  
  Proving beyond all reasonable doubt that anyone can get a job, ESRI announced that Chuck Cmeyla has joined ESRI as the Public Works Industry Solutions manager. Cmeyla comes to ESRI from GE GeoSpatial Solutions where, as a sales manager, he led GIS-related business development activities for utilities and governments. I suppose I should point out that this particular someone -- Chuck Cmeyla -- is an exceptionally talented individual who is one of the true pioneers in this field we call GIS. Jack Dangermond and the crowd at ESRI are lucky to have Chuck on board. I have known him back in the old AMFM days, long before we knew we were in the GIS business - or is it spatial information? Best of luck, Chuck you will leave a positive influence on ESRI and its customers.
  
  first published week of: 07/21/2006
  Cimmetry releases AutoVue 19.1 For Solaris
  www.cimmetry.com
  Cimmetry Systems Corporation, an Agile Software company, announced the immediate availability of AutoVue v19.1 Client-Server, web edition for versions 9 and 10 of Sun Solaris servers. AutoVue 19.1 for Solaris servers provides organizations world-wide with the ability to view, markup, digitally mockup and collaborate in real-time on hundreds of native document types, including 2D/3D CAD, EDA and Office, with one, comprehensive web-based solution. download a fully functional demo copy or try an on-line demo at www.cimmetry.com
  
  first published week of: 09/25/2006
  Cimmetry Systems releases AutoVue 19.1 for Documentum 5.2.5 and 5.3 SP2/SP3
  www.cimmetry.com
  
  Through its integration with EMC Documentum Content Management Solutions, AutoVue facilitates the way information is communicated throughout distributed enterprises and fosters team collaboration at all stages of the document lifecycle.
  AutoVue 19.1 for Documentum adds native document visualization, markup, digital mockup and real-time collaboration capabilities to EMC Documentum Desktop, RightSite Intranet, WDK, and Webtop Clients. AutoVue facilitates design review and team collaboration by providing ready access to hundreds of native document file formats, including 2D/3D CAD, EDA, image and Office, stored in the Documentum repository. By handling data natively, AutoVue delivers instant and secure access to original documents without undergoing costly and error-prone conversions and without leaving a document footprint on the client’s machine.
  
  first published week of: 12/01/2006
  Cities Revealed™ 3D Buildings available for Google™ Earth
  www.citiesrevealed.com
  The GeoInformation® Group, publishers of Cities Revealed™ aerial photography announced the availability of Cities Revealed 3D buildings in Google Earth 3D format. This new format provides the user with extruded 3D building polygons created using the highly accurate Cities Revealed Building Heights database. The resultant 3D buildings can be visualised within Google Earth, over the existing high-resolution aerial imagery. This new 3D format option provides a low cost entry point into accurate 3D building visualisation within a real world context. The applications and uses of 3D buildings, within Google Earth, are extensive, according to the company
  
  first published week of: 06/12/2006
  Cityworks Continues to Expand Internationally
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc. said that the City of Gävle, Sweden, implemented Cityworks within its energy department- Gävle Energy AB. Gävle joins an array of international organizations that have chosen Cityworks to manage their asset maintenance management needs. The Cityworks implementation in Gävle began with the configuration of eight Cityworks concurrent licenses within the Gävle energy department, being assisted by Azteca business partner MELDIS AB of Sweden. Gävle has already made the decision to expand Cityworks within the organization by using the software in their water department beginning next summer. Gävle Energy joins Stockholm Water as the second Cityworks user in Sweden, illustrating the software's continuing expansion internationally.
  “It is exciting to see Cityworks grow internationally” says Brian Haslam, President of Azteca Systems. “Gävle is one of many organizations choosing Cityworks. Our expansion internationally is a reinforcement of the strong and continuing growth we have been experiencing as more and more people realize the benefits of our GIS-centric solution.”
  first published week of: 12/08/2006
  Cityworks Implementation Expands Within Burleson, TX
  www.azteca.com
  
  The City of Burleson, TX, is expanding its utilization of Azteca's Cityworks within the city. As Burleson grows they have further deployed Cityworks into several departments of the city and plan to continue the expansion in the near future.
  Burleson began their Cityworks deployment in late 1999 when the city's population was 19,000. At the same time, they also acquired GIS and began developing their water and sewer layers, digitized from hand-drawn mylar. Burleson used Cityworks templates and tables for the initial setup and went live with Cityworks in their water department in May 2000. During this time the city's utility secretary was doing data entry while the infrastructure software technician corrected water and sewer GIS layers. The city then implemented Cityworks in the streets department and shortly thereafter, implemented Cityworks in the permitting department to manage requests for water meters and taps. Burleson converted to a geodatabase in 2002 and upgraded to Cityworks Desktop for ArcGIS.
  Cityworks continued expanding within Burleson as the city grew, and the software was implemented into the solid waste department. Next, Cityworks Storeroom was implemented for the water department and a geodatabase was created for the stormwater layer. Today, Burleson is transitioning into real-time data interaction with field crews in the water department. They utilize a mix of Cityworks Desktop and Cityworks Anywhere for office and field staff. As the city's population nears 30,000, they plan to deploy a wireless network to further enhance field operations throughout the city limits.
  “We've been very pleased with the flexibility of Cityworks,” said Christopher Bracht, Infrastructure Software Technician at the City of Burleson. “We started out with the software as a small city with minimal resources and virtually no GIS. Our City Council and city managers have been very supportive, and over the past six years, we've been able to adapt Cityworks to meet our needs at each step along the way. Today, we have a true, GIS-based asset management system. Having seen other asset management software packages, I can say I'm very glad we have Cityworks!”
  “Burleson is a fine example of how even small cities, new to GIS, can implement Cityworks and realize benefits both initially and over time as they grow,” said Brian Haslam, president of Azteca Systems. “Now, after seven years, several departments are leveraging the advantages of GIS with Cityworks. We hear this story a lot and across our customer base – from large to small. Easy-to-use and cost-effective, our customers prefer the flexibility of Cityworks and the smart approach of a single, GIS-centric asset inventory and management tool.”
  
  first published week of: 10/23/2006
  Cityworks Implemented by Philadelphia Streets
  
  www.azteca.com
  
  The City of Philadelphia’s Streets Department has successfully implemented Cityworks from Azteca Systems. Cityworks provides the City with a solution that delivers prompt, accurate results the way they want and need them. Philadelphia Streets implemented Cityworks using a methodical system, targeting specific groups one at a time. This mitigated many challenges often associated when in-house staff is used to implement a new management system. The resulting implementation provided Philadelphia with a personalized configuration that not only delivers exact and immediate results to end users but a deep understanding and knowledge of Cityworks, allowing any system modifications to be quick and easy. The implementation was led by Marion Storey, Information Technology Application Program Manager for City of Philadelphia Streets Department. “Cityworks fits with our GIS-centric philosophy of application development” said Storey. “We have a number of in-house applications, built using the GIS as the assets repository. This is how Cityworks is set up, so it is a perfect fit with our existing technology and philosophy, and ensures easy integration with other applications.”
  first published week of: 03/03/2006
  Cityworks Improves Workflow at Woodland, CA
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc. reported that the City of Woodland, CA has realized great success using Cityworks for their maintenance management needs. In a recently published article in Woodland's eNEWSLETTER, the city detailed their use of Cityworks and how the tool has enhanced productivity within the organization.
  The City of Woodland, like many other cities, manages and cares for a wide variety of capital assets and infrastructure. Woodland has been a Cityworks user for over three years, using the system to track utilities, right-of-way, and city-owned facilities. In the past 12 months alone, they have logged 3,323 service requests and 8,943 work orders. Cityworks enables Woodland staff to plan work in advance and address projects that need immediate attention.
  “Cityworks has been a great asset to our Public Works Department,” says Johanna Currie, Management Analyst at the City of Woodland, CA. “It allows us to pull up information and reports with the touch of a button, rather than having to sort through reams of paper and books of maps. By utilizing Cityworks and ArcGIS, we can determine what needs to be fixed and schedule work accordingly and quickly. Public Works is ensuring that we get the most “bang for our buck”; when we send our crews out on repair and maintenance jobs.” www.azteca.com
  
  first published week of: 11/10/2006
  Cityworks Proves Success for White House Utility District
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc. told us that the White House Utility District of Sumner, Robertson, and Davidson County, Tennessee, and Simpson County, Kentucky, demonstrated dramatic improvement in customer service since the implementation of Cityworks. The results of a research study carried out by the District shows the implementation of Cityworks has statistically proven to have enhanced many levels of the District?s customer support. The research, conducted by Dawn Summers, Project Manager, White House Utility District, was aimed at determining if there was a measurable level of improved customer service with the District?’s implementation of Cityworks.
  The results of the study give strong evidence of the effectiveness of Cityworks. In the first area of research, the District realized a 38% decrease in service calls and an overall 15% reduction of customer service requests. The second area of research showed the total number of man-hours needed to complete assigned work dropped by 58%. In the third area of research, an astounding 85% decrease in duplication was found. Further analysis of the data revealed that these overall improvements are directly attributed to the use of Cityworks.
  first published week of: 04/07/2006
  CIVIC Technologies, Inc. announced its new LibraryDecision SnapShot service
  www.civictechnologies.com
  
  SnapShot is a service that helps public libraries identify demographic trends, strategic issues, and constituent concerns with results with results presented in a brief report that includes an interpretive summary, analysis, hard data, and maps. SnapShot is designed to provide an understanding of the market or context in which your public library is situated. SnapShot is used to characterize the social, political, and economic factors of the market or context in which your library operates. SnapShot uses the following data sources: BusinessDecision, ESRI Business Information Solutions, Census 2000, and ReferenceUSA.
  first published week of: 03/03/2006
  Clark County, Ohio Selects DDTI for Location Based Response System Project
  www.ddti.net
  
  Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDTI®) announced the successful implementation of Clark County, Ohio’s Location Based Response System (LBRS) road centerline and addressing data. The state of Ohio’s LBRS initiative, led by the Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP), is improving the state’s overall road inventory including the identification of unreported roads and updating municipal road inventories that have been outside the realm of the Ohio Department of Transportation. Once counties establish this LBRS data, they are in a position to obtain additional roadway safety funding that may currently be unavailable. Clark County began their LBRS project with DDTI to accurately map landline and wireless calls to 9-1-1, and to clean and update the engineer’s existing address database. Due to the highly accurate centerline data that was provided, Clark County received additional benefits from the project. Bruce Smith, Clark County Engineer, elaborates, “As a result of the DDTI LBRS data deliverable, Traffic Safety Analysis Systems and Services, Inc. (TSASS) was able to locate an additional 120 hazardous roadway segments that may qualify for additional roadway safety improvement funding. This has been a huge benefit to us, and the hazardous roadway recognition will only improve in the future. Taking the time to locate the funding and working with DDTI on creating the data was well worth our efforts.”
  first published week of: 01/27/2006
  Cleveland Activates Intergraph System for Fire and Emergency Medical Services
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced the successful implementation of the first phase of an advanced computer-aided dispatch system for the Cleveland, Ohio, Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. The effort is part of an initiative by the Cleveland Department of Public Safety to modernize the city's public safety systems to enable the department and its various divisions to enhance operations, share information, and increase management reporting capabilities. “The activation of this system represents a significant milestone in our effort to modernize the city's public safety systems,” said Jim Willson, Commander, City of Cleveland Department of Public Safety, Division of Emergency Medical Services. “ntegrating advanced new technologies with legacy systems and training staff on new platforms always presents a challenge, but the transition from our legacy system was accomplished without missing a beat. It was the smoothest transition I've seen in 25 years in the business.”
  
  The new system will provide both agencies with an integrated, interactive mapping capability that provides dispatchers and field personnel with information on the closest available resources and the fastest response routes as well as real-time information on the location of assets in the field as they respond to emergencies. Field personnel with remote web access and telephony including Automatic Number Identification/Location Information (ANI/ALI), Telephone Device for the Deaf and paging to speed real-time incident response and, in the case of EMS calls, the ability for emergency technicians to provide patient information to hospitals enroute so that hospital personnel can prepare to treat patients' specific needs as soon as they arrive at the emergency room.
  
  first published week of: 06/19/2006
  Columbia, South Carolina Police Department Deploys GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  The Columbia, South Carolina, Police Department (PD) is using ArcGIS software for advanced crime analysis that is enabling the agency to better serve its community and fight crime. The agency implemented ESRI based Crime Analysis Tools (CAT) from Bradshaw Consulting Services, Inc. (BCS), an ESRI business partner. Columbia PD's decision to implement an advanced GIS based solution came in recognition of the technology's ability to integrate disparate, complex datasets and create highly accurate, information-rich crime maps that support all aspects of law enforcement and community policing. In addition, Columbia PD can leverage the City's GIS Department resources, which also utilize ESRI technology. The City's basemap data, aerial photography, and other datasets are integrated within the Crime Analysis Unit's GIS solution.
  “The decision was already made by the City of Columbia, South Carolina, GIS Department to utilize the ArcGIS Desktop suite of mapping tools and functions,” says Rick J. Hines, police captain, Columbia PD. “CAT enables the user to quickly analyze different datasets visually from various perspectives based on basemap layers that are accessible through the City's GIS database. It's a powerful yet easy method for performing what if scenarios or viewing what is happening in our community at any given time.” The CAT tools are used to compile GIS crime analysis maps on a daily basis. The solution integrates data from various Police Department and City sources to determine crime trends and/or patterns. Data for time, location, demographics, economics, traffic flow, and more can be mapped and analyzed to determine where the problems are, how to respond to specific incidents, and how to deter and prevent future crime. In addition, GIS allows distributed data access and analysis for various law enforcement staff. This includes police officers in the field who can have fast access to essential information when it is made available.
  
  first published week of: 08/11/2006
  CompassTools Forms New Division to Sell Autodesk GIS Solutions
  http://www.compasstoolsinc.com/
  
  CompassTools Inc. formed a new division as an Autodesk Value Added Reseller in Colorado and New Mexico. Based in Centennial, Colo., the CompassTools Autodesk Division will provide sales, support, training and solutions relating to the Autodesk geospatial product line. “We are very fortunate to have CompassTools join the Autodesk VAR network. Their expertise in key GIS markets and capabilities in IT integration, services, support and training make them an ideal GIS solutions provider in a rapidly growing market,” said Scott Cox, Autodesk Geospatial Business Development Manager.
  The CompassTools Autodesk Division will provide products and services to government and civil end-user markets. To oversee the new division, CompassTools has hired Robert Potter as Business Development Manager. A long-time GIS consultant, Potter brings 10 years of experience with Autodesk as an applications engineer to the new position at CompassTools. “These new Autodesk GIS solutions provide a logical transition from the CAD world to GIS applications,”? said W. Brant Howard, CompassTools CEO. “CompassTools is excited about integrating Autodesk GIS with our current offering of GPS field data collection tools to enable our customers to move field data into their GIS and CAD solutions more efficiently.”
  
  first published week of: 11/10/2006
  CompassTools Gets Expanded Trimble Sales Territory
  www.compasstoolsinc.com/
  
  CompassTools Inc., a provider of GIS field data collection tools, announced that Trimble has doubled the size of the U.S. sales territory in which CompassTools is certified to sell Trimble Mapping and GIS products. To manage the new sales territory, CompassTools welcomes Del Stewart, a long-time GIS industry sales professional, who will open a new CompassTools sales office in Minneapolis, Minn. As a Trimble Dealer covering Colorado and New Mexico for more than 10 years, CompassTools resells, support and provides training for the full line of mapping-grade GPS equipment and GIS software offered by Trimble. The expanded CompassTools sales region includes Minnesota, South Dakota, North Dakota, and the El Paso, Texas, area. Colorado and New Mexico remain part of the CompassTools territory.
  “Trimble rewarded CompassTools with the expanded territory in recognition of our expertise and commitment to the GIS market,” said W. Brant Howard, CompassTools CEO. “We expect Del Stewart will do a great job at expanding the Northern Sales Region.”vStewart comes to CompassTools after serving as a regional sales manager for Laser Technology Inc., a leading provider of laser range-finding devices. Prior to joining Laser Technology, Stewart sold Trimble GPS, mapping/GIS and survey products for more than seven years. He also served as secretary of the American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM).
  
  first published week of: 08/07/2006
  Corbley Communications Extends Small Business Program
  www.corbleycommunications.com
  
  Corbley Communications Inc. will extend its Small Business Development Program through 2006. Corbley Communications, a public relations and marketing services firm with 13 years of experience in the geospatial industry, launched the program last year to assist new and small geospatial companies in marketing their businesses with professional PR campaigns. “Corbley Communications has made its public relations services available at very affordable prices,” said Dave Hart, president and co-founder of Continental Mapping Consultants of Sun Prairie, WI “We have found public relations to be the most cost-effective methods of marketing our mapping services company regionally and nationally.” Four companies participated in the Small Business Development Program in 2005, and all have signed on for another year of public relations services at significantly reduced rates. The program is open to geospatial firms that have fewer than 12 employees or have been in business less than five years.
  
  first published week of: 03/24/2006
  Corbley Communications Offers Multimedia Services to Geospatial Industry
  ww.corbleycommunications.com
  
  Corbley Communications Inc. has teamed with Mind & Media Inc., an award-winning communications firm headquartered in Alexandria, Va., to offer a full line of multimedia and graphic design services to the geospatial industry. “We have expanded our offerings to include multimedia services in response to the increasingly sophisticated marketing communications needs of our geospatial industry clients,” said Kevin Corbley, Owner of Corbley Communications. “Teaming with Mind & Media was an easy decision – they are among the most creative and technologically advanced multimedia firms in the United States.” Geospatial organizations that are interested in enhancing their marketing campaigns with professionally produced multimedia should contact Kevin Corbley at 540-667-2511 or kevin@corbleycommunications.com.
  
  first published week of: 06/09/2006
  CTAA and RouteMatch Software Team up to Help Gulfport's Coast Transit Authority
  www.ctaa.org
  
  The Community Transportation Association of America (CTAA) formed a strategic alliance with RouteMatch Software, Inc., a leading provider of transportation management software and solutions. Under terms of the partnership, CTAA will provide a grant to Coast Transit Authority to assist with the procurement of RouteMatch's advanced transportation management software package, RouteMatch TS™.
  
  Coast Transit Authority in Gulfport, MS, like many other organizations, lost just about everything in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Moving forward, Coast Transit wants transportation technology that can help them keep close track of all senior citizens and disabled persons in and around Gulfport as part of its emergency preparedness plan. RouteMatch's TS software, which leverages geographic information systems and wireless and wireline technology to make transportation smarter, will allow Coast Transit to schedule and route its customers efficiently, leading them to safety quickly and effectively should the need arise. “RouteMatch's software will enable us to improve the quality of the demand-response services we offer our customers while reducing our overall operating costs,” said Kevin Coggin, executive director at Coast Transit Authority.
  
  first published week of: 06/23/2006
  [A-C] [D-E] [F-G] [H-K][L-M] [N-O] [P-R][S-T][U-Z]
  
  D-E
  ArcPad Mobile GIS Technology to
  Support U.S. Census 2010
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI said that its ArcPad mobile GIS platform will be a component of the Field Data Collection Automation (FDCA) project for the 2010 U.S. Census. Harris Corporation of Melbourne, Florida, has been selected by the U.S. Census Bureau as the system integrator and prime contractor for a $600 million, five-year program to develop and implement an automated system for field data collection. The FDCA program will support census field enumerators who will follow up and collect survey data from households that did not return their census forms. The field enumerator will be equipped with GPS-enabled mobile devices, which will include ESRI?s ArcPad software. ArcPad enables field personnel to capture and display geographic information in near real time. Its characteristics for performance, productivity, enterprise GIS integration, and customization make ArcPad an ideal solution for the FDCA project.
  first published week of: 06/26/2006
  Dangermond Fully Endows ESRI Award Through the ASPRS Foundation
  www.asprs.org
  
  Jack Dangermond, CEO of ESRI, recently donated $16,000 to complete the endowment of the ESRI Best Scientific Paper in GIS Award. Established in 1991, the ESRI award is given each year by ASPRS to individuals who publish papers of scientific merit that advance our knowledge of GIS technology. This donation, combined with the approximately $9,000 already on account, will fully endow the Award at the current $1,000 per year level. “As the first corporate–sponsored award to be fully endowed through the Foundation, Jack Dangermond has once again set an outstanding example to his colleagues in the commercial sector of our community, which we hope to duplicate in the future” said James Plasker, ASPRS Foundation executive director.
  
  first published week of: 06/23/2006
  Dash Navigation Taps Tele Atlas for Industry-Leading Digital Map Data
  www.dash.net
  
  Dash Navigation™, Inc. selected Tele Atlas for navigation and location based solutions, to supply digital map and Point-of-Interest (POI) data for the Dash Express™ navigation system. Through this relationship, Dash will utilize Tele Atlas' newly released MultiNet 2006.10 digital map development platform to tackle the chief complaint of existing GPS owners1, out-of-date maps. By leveraging Dash Express' unique two-way wireless connectivity along with Tele Atlas' highly accurate, comprehensive digital map data, Dash will provide seamless, automatic map updates that require no effort whatsoever from the consumer.
  “With the Dash Express's automatic updating process, drivers will always have the most accurate map data and POI content at their fingertips, ensuring they are able to easily find the people, products and places of interest and the best routes to them,” said Tele Atlas Vice President of Personal Navigation Quan Vu. “By working with Dash, we're able to support their innovative approach to making navigation technology accessible and easy for the end user.”
  
  first published week of: 11/27/2006
  DDTI Completes LBRS Project
  www.ddti.net
  
  Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDT®), successfully completed another Location Based Response System (LBRS) road centerline and addressing data project in Hardin County, Ohio. The State of Ohio's LBRS initiative, led by the Ohio Geographically Referenced Information Program (OGRIP), was designed to improve the state's overall road inventory, including the identification of unreported roads and update of municipal road inventories? a task outside the realm of the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT). “Thanks to DDTI's accuracy we will now be able to confidently map incoming 9-1-1 calls, and in turn reduce response time,” said Hardin County GIS Coordinator Tim Mayle. DDTI simulated a 9-1-1 call from every wireline record in the Telco database to proactively ensure that calls will locate properly in dispatch.
  
  first published week of: 06/05/2006
  DDTI Installs 9-1-1 Software in Alliance
  www.ddti.net
  
  Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDTI^®), completed another successful installation in Alliance, Ohio, of its AccuGlobe^® E9-1-1 Dispatch mapping software. The Alliance Police Department began using the application to locate calls to 9-1-1 this summer. The E9-1-1 service can now dispatch emergency units to 9-1-1 calls with greater efficiency and confidence, as the origin of the call is displayed on a digital map for the dispatcher. AccuGlobe E9-1-1 software also offers easy search capabilities, automatic routing applications and automatic vehicle location (AVL)
  AccuGlobe E9-1-1 Dispatch mapping software functions as a stand-alone product, or integrates with an agency?s existing Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD). The Alliance Police Department?s CAD, TAC, facilitated the installation. “We've collaborated with DDTI on many 9-1-1 installations, and are pleased with ” said TAC President Tom Cravens. AccuGlobe E9-1-1 Mobile offers the functionality of the dispatch environment console, but with a design formatted specifically for field use in mobile data terminals. For example, the main navigation menu features large touch-screen buttons for ease-of-use on the road. The application also offers optional audible routing directions, helping the officer's eyes stay on the road and not on the computer monitor.
  
  first published week of: 08/14/2006
  DDTI Provides Tracking Tool for Public Safety Vehicles
  www.ddti.net
  
  Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDTI®) installed in Ohio’s Huron and Erie counties an Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) system designed to aid Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) like sheriff’s offices and 9-1-1 dispatch centers in locating and tracking the activity of their fleet. The AVL is an enhancement to DDTI’s AccuGlobe® E9-1-1 Dispatch software that pinpoints the location of emergency calls to 9-1-1. “Because the AVL allows PSAPs to easily see where the units are in real-time, they gain additional confidence in ensuring the safety of their officers,” said Ron Cramer, DDTI partner. “When seconds make the difference, seeing the exact location of police, fire, and emergency medical service vehicles also gives dispatch centers an added level of accuracy and flexibility in dispatching the unit that can be on-site the fastest during an emergency response situation.”
  first published week of: 04/14/2006
  DDTI® Introduces Real–Time Fleet Tracking
  www.ddti.net
  
  AccuGlobe® Mobile Command Center™, a new application designed by Digital Data Technologies, Inc. (DDTI®), allows public safety officials to view the location of their fleet online, at any time from any location. An extension of DDTI's Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) product used in Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) like Sheriff's offices and 911 dispatch centers, Mobile Command Center gives the option of viewing on one screen via the internet the units actively protecting their communities. “Now I can virtually be at the scene of a crime even if I'm not physically there,” said Huron County Sheriff Richard Sutherland. DDTI installed the product into 71 police, fire and EMS vehicles' mobile data computers throughout the county. “Mobile Command Center gives me the exact location of the incident, and even the closest landmark thanks to DDTI's detailed database of addresses, roads and other attributes.”
  first published week of: 05/01/2006
  Demographic Data Reports Released
  www.esri.com/bao
  
  ESRI's 2006 demographic data estimates and 2011 projections have been released and are available as downloadable reports and maps from Business Analyst Online, ESRI's on-demand reporting and mapping service. The 2006/2011 data is available in more than 50 reports and maps such as the Demographic and Income Profile, Market Profile, and Age by Race Profile. Business Analyst Online provides easy access to these reports that are used to analyze trends, identify growth, and discover new opportunities.
  
  “We are very excited about incorporating the 2006/2011 demographic data into Business Analyst Online,” says Jim Herries, Business Analyst Online product manager, ESRI. “This information is invaluable to our customers to make better business decisions that can improve efficiencies and grow revenues. These Web services from Business Analyst Online enable ESRI to bring this information quickly to a wide variety of customers.”first published week of: 07/17/2006
  Denver GPS Base Station Upgrades Accuracy
  www.compasstoolsinc.com
  
  The GPS correction data that has been available for free to users in the Colorado Front Range for the past eight years just got a lot more accurate. CompassTools Inc., the provider of GIS field data collection tools that established the GPS base station in 1998, has joined with Trimble and the University of Denver in upgrading the system to provide centimeter-level accuracy and real-time correction broadcasts. “This base station is a great example of how industry and academia can cooperate to offer an enormous benefit to the surrounding community,” said CompassTools Inc. CEO W. Brant Howard.
  JD Main, CompassTools Base Station Manager, added, “Survey-grade GPS users can now use the base station for centimeter-level postprocessing, while our sub-meter GPS users can enjoy the benefits of Internet-broadcast RTCM for real-time correction while they work in the field.” “The Trimble 5700 is in a static location and provides a rock solid phase center for differential correction,” said Main.“This is the best free base station in Colorado.”
  
  first published week of: 09/15/2006
  DMTI Spatial and GlobeXplorer Partner to Bring Extensive Imagery to the Canadian Marketplace
  www.dmtispatial.com/iconnect.htm
  
  DMTI Spatial™ (DMTI), Canada's leading provider of Location Intelligence Solutions, is partnering with GlobeXplorer®, a leading geographic data integration and publishing company, to resell GlobeXplorer's imagery service. The companies have joined forces to provide the Canadian market with the highest quality aerial and satellite data available today. Under the arrangement, DMTI will provide GlobeXplorer's popular ImageConnect web mapping extensions to customers throughout Canada.
  GlobeXplorer's ImageConnect GIS plug-ins provide instant access to the largest online archive of aerial and satellite photos available, giving customers a user-friendly means to employ imagery from across North America to address their business needs. Users can easily access specific geographies of interest by zooming, panning and honing in on target areas directly from their preferred desktop GIS software.
  “We're excited that DMTI has made ImageConnect more easily available to Canadian mapping professionals. Users of GIS software will benefit greatly from easy access to premium aerial and satellite imagery,” said Paul Smith, COO of GlobeXplorer. “We share DMTI's commitment to provide the best possible spatial data in the easiest and most cost-effective ways.” ImageConnect also provides users a quick and simple way to manage their imagery inventory and easily track their usage for billing functions.
  
  first published week of: 11/13/2006
  Dover, Delaware, Deploys Mobile GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  The City of Dover, Delaware, now deploys a groundbreaking mobile geographic information system (GIS) application that helps provide optimized emergency management and response capabilities. The application was successfully used during the city's hosting of an annual NASCAR sports car racing event in September 2006. Utilizing ArcPad software on a GPS-enabled mobile laptop, the city fire marshal used powerful GIS functionality in the field to perform a number of functions including ordinance enforcement, event monitoring, and incident response routing.
  “I was approached by our city fire marshal, who was very much in favor of GIS, to discuss the challenges of managing such a large event and what he wanted to accomplish,” says Mark Nowak, GIS coordinator, City of Dover, Delaware. “We were able to quickly develop an application that met his requirements and to use it as a testing ground for the NASCAR race. Everyone, including all the different agencies involved with managing the event, was impressed. It did what they wanted in terms of improved data management, decision making, and better access to information. It allowed a new level of data sharing, which is key.”
  The City of Dover has a unique public safety issue. Twice a year, the city hosts two major NASCAR racing events. During these races, the city population swells to more than 200,000, with racing fans residing in large makeshift campgrounds for several days. According to the city, a major challenge was to be able to locate incidents within the temporary campgrounds where street signs and other identifiers may not be clearly seen or accurately documented. This also presents challenges for documenting and inventorying code enforcement and similar activities. With the mobile GIS system, public safety officials were able to better keep track of the location and condition of all camp facilities.
  first published week of: 12/18/2006
  DropTeam now GIS enabled
  www.battlefront.com/products/dropteam/overview.html
  
  Need a break from the workday, but don't want to get fired? Try this game. DropTeam™ is a multiplayer capable, real-time, tactical simulation of armored ground combat in the far future. You?ll battle for control of objectives on a broad variety of planets ranging from verdant Earth-like worlds to desolate, radioactive wastelands. You will use Dropship's (see unit list) to land fighting vehicles and other deployable assets like sensors, mines and automated turrets on planetary surfaces. So what is news about a computer game doing in a GIS newsletter? It was this particular feature that cuaght my eye: Game engine reads data from professional GIS (Geographic Information Systems) packages such as ArcGIS and Terragen. This is the same industry standard data formats that are used by the Department of Defense for simulations and by engineers for land work, surveying, etc...“” Don't worry about your computer at work because DropTeam™ runs on Mac OS-X, Linux, and Windows 98/ME/2000/XP and has been designed to be very scalable with a wide range of systems.
  
  first published week of: 05/15/2006
  Earth Explorer 4.5 for Windows and MAC release
  www.motherplanet.com
  
  MOTHERPLANET Inc., released its street level resolution software product, Earth Explorer 4.5. The Earth Explorer 4.5 supports many operating systems, Windows 2000/ME/XP/NT and Mac OS X. For Mac OS users, Earth Explorer 4.5 is brilliant choice, for it is one of the few leading high-resolution GIS software designed for Mac OS in the market.
  
  In Earth Explorer 4.5, users can:
  1. Explore 267 countries and regions, 40000+ cities, 15000+ islands, 1700+ noteworthy historical earthquakes
  2. Zoom in as close as to road/street-level. View 1m/pixel resolution digital satellite imagery for inner states of America; and 20m/pixel resolution satellite imagery for outside of America.
  3. View political boundaries, coastlines, and rivers.
  4. Add and display user-definable Place Marks, Paths and personal remarks over places on the digital map.
  5. Resume where he/she has exited the program last time.
  6. Measure and calculate distance and bearing between any two points.
  7. Print and Print Preview a selected area, adjust resolution and size of printing.
  8. Operate under full screen mode
  
  Earth Explorer 4.5 is commercially available at $59.95.
  first published week of: 06/30/2006
  EarthData Wins $16-Million Contract to Map Papua New Guinea
  www.earthdata.com
  
  EarthData International (EarthData) was awarded a$16 million contract by the government of the Commonwealth of Australia to produce the first ever high resolution image and terrain maps of Papua New Guinea. The Australian Government is funding the project under a memorandum of understanding with the government of Papua New Guinea. EarthData will deploy its GeoSAR radar mapping system to complete airborne data acquisitions over the 318,000 square kilometer area. Mounted on a jet aircraft and using two radar bands simultaneously, the GeoSAR system will fly over the area and collect extremely accurate images and three-dimensional models of the forest canopy surface, as well as the terrain beneath the canopy. The resulting data will be used with standard geographic information system (GIS) software to support decision making in a variety of land management and engineering applications.
  
  first published week of: 06/02/2006
  Economic Development Webcast from MapInfo
  www.mapinfo.com
  
  Municipalities and Retail Site Selection -- The Rules Have Changed! Join MapInfo's webcast with experts from Governing magazine, MapInfo and a major retailer, along with a Certified Main Street Manager -- June 22nd at 2:00pm EDT as they “get inside the head” of today's retailers to understand how new methods and criteria for site selection can either make or break a community's chance for a win-win outcome. Ideal for government officials and economic development professionals at any level, BIDs, IDAs, downtown development associations, chambers of commerce, and anybody involved with, or reliant on, economic development efforts in municipalities of any size. Register here:
  https://mapinfoevents.webex.com/mapinfoevents/onstage/g.php?d=663040818&t=a
  
  first published week of: 06/02/2006
  Electric and Gas User Group Conference Coming to Albuquerque for ESRI users
  www.esri.com
  
  The 2006 ESRI Electric and Gas User Group (EGUG) Conference is scheduled to take place October 9-12, 2006, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The EGUG conference is sponsored by ESRI, the world leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology and attended by GIS users who provide utility services, including electric, gas, and water, from generation to distribution. Those attending the conference will learn how they can use GIS to leverage their databases, expand their business systems, and automate workflow processes to improve business practices and decision making. New Mexico governor Bill Richardson is slated to share his vision about national energy policy in our changing world. Governor Richardson has been credited for implementing the most forward-looking clean energy agenda in the nation. He has been a key supporter of the Clean Energy Development Council.
  Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) is hosting this year's event. Joel Ivy, PNM's vice president of Technical Services, will be presenting at the plenary session. His experience in transmission engineering and operations will lend practical insight about the role technology plays in the future of utilities. EGUG conference chair Gathen Garcia of PNM says, “GIS gives us the ability to show complex information geographically both within the organization and to our customers. Being members of EGUG helps us stay abreast of what other companies are doing to support/promote GIS efforts within their organizations.”
  Participants will see GIS solutions that apply to all phases of the energy industry life cycle from generation to distribution and from engineering to marketing. EGUG president Nargis Ladha of Hydro One says, “EGUG serves as an excellent forum for GIS professionals to share GIS experiences and lessons learned across a broad crosssection of gas and electric business disciplines. Through this sharing of ideas and actual implementation experiences, EGUG members can apply what they've learned to their own GIS strategies. This approach helps our members adopt best practices and ultimately leads to successful business and technical implementations.”
  
  first published week of: 10/02/2006
  EmerGeo Mapping V2.2 Adds Interfaces to Google Earth® and Emergency Notification Service
  www.emergeo.com
  
  The EmerGeo mapping software application, developed by EmerGeo Solutions of Vancouver, B.C. has been used by emergency managers around the world. EmerGeo has been disaster tested during several events including wildfires in British Columbia and major oil spill exercise simulations. EmerGeo™ mapping is an OpenGIS-based system designed to streamline information flows between first responders in the field and decision-makers in emergency operation centres (EOC's). An optional interface to the world's leading crisis management software (WebEOC®) gives users an ability to visualize their incident, resource and other data on electronic maps. Now, emergency managers can visualize their emergency situation data in Google Earth®. “EmerGeo has always offered customers the option of connecting to their existing internal mapping (GIS) systems and using EmerGeo to overlay and manage rapidly changing emergency information. EmerGeo's new Google Earth Interface gives customers the capability to rapidly display what is happening on the ground anywhere in the world and distribute this data in a controlled and secure way to other agencies, the media and the public,” explains Mike Morrow, Managing Director of EmerGeo Solutions Inc. Google Earth brings an exciting new integrated global emergency management platform to share information and facilitate improvement of communication and coordination. “We are continually adding interfaces to leading emergency management technologies into our solution to ensure the kind again,” adds Morrow.
  
  first published week of: 10/16/2006
  EntchevDotCom Engaged by Orange Township, N.J.
  www.entchev.com/
  
  EntchevDotCom announced that it was awarded a GIS Implementation Support contract by the City of Orange Township, following a competitive selection process. The EntchevDotCom team will work closely with the action plan adopted by the City of Orange Township. The EDC team will assist the city with identification and acquisition of GIS software, geographic data files, and output devices for use in the city's system. The EDC team will work with the business administrator and the city's management team to provide technical assistance in implementing the city's GIS Needs Assessment Action Plan. The EDC team will assist the city with GIS implementation activities such as:
  - Centralize GIS data sources
  - Add GIS tools
  - Develop base maps
  - Set data policies
  - Build management capacity
  - Incorporate data security
  - Develop a data maintenance plan
  first published week of: 05/15/2006
  ESRI Ships North America Street Dataset for RouteMAP IMS 3.0
  www.esri.com/routemapims
  
  ESRI announced that a North America street dataset for RouteMAP IMS 3.0 is now shipping. The latest release of this data pack, Tele Atlas' Dynamap Transportation, includes updated street data, postal boundaries, landmarks, and water features for the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. RouteMAP IMS is designed to help users add mapping and routing capabilities to their Web sites. Map templates included in RouteMAP IMS make it easy to create maps with symbols for unique company locations. Users can select the map data they need to produce attractive Web-based maps from the data package options. RouteMAP IMS enables users to generate more business activity by allowing prospective customers visiting their Web site to create maps and calculate driving directions to their various business locations. Customized maps can be created with the provided ActiveX, Java, and .NET application programming interfaces.
  
  first published week of: 05/29/2006
  eSRI (UK) Attains Gold Certified Partner Status in Microsoft Partner Program
  www.esriuk.com
  
  ESRI (UK) attained Gold Certified status in the Microsoft Partner Program with a competency in Custom Development Solutions, recognising ESRI (UK's expertise and total impact in the technology marketplace. As a Gold Certified partner, ESRI (UK) has demonstrated expertise with Microsoft technologies and proven ability to meet customers' needs. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, giving them a competitive advantage in the marketplace. ESRI (UK) works on over 500 customer specific GIS projects each year, as well as delivering off–the–shelf solutions to many other private and public sector organisations. Becoming a Microsoft Gold Development Partner confirms that ESRI (UK) has passed the highest level of requirements from Microsoft, demonstrating its capability to deliver robust, efficient and scalable implementations of Microsoft technologies in enterprise customer deployments.
  
  first published week of: 07/28/2006
  ESRI Accepting Abstracts for the 2007 Survey and GIS Summit
  www.esri.com/surveysummit
  Surveyors, engineers, and professionals in related industries have the opportunity to highlight their geographic information system (GIS) projects at the fifth annual Survey and GIS Summit to be held June 16?19, 2007, in San Diego, California. The summit will provide opportunities for both ESRI users and nonusers to learn about integrating surveying and GIS. Land surveyors, engineers, educators, and other professionals will hear about key issues in the industry and experience the latest technology advancements. The deadline to submit abstracts for the event is October 20, 2006. User presentations and paper topics should cover important industry issues such as survey data requirements for GIS applications; survey data collection requirements, methods, and accuracy; as well as integrating survey and GIS in the following areas:
  - National survey control frameworks
  - National mapping programs
  - Cadastre and land records systems
  - Government
  - Private sector
  first published week of: 10/02/2006
  ESRI and CG/LA Infrastructure Form Strategic Alliance
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI formed an alliance with CG/LA Infrastructure LLC, a Washington, D.C. based company dedicated to promoting and supporting infrastructure development in Latin America aimed at quadrupling the current level of investment for infrastructure development projects in the region. The alliance will help CG/LA in its project development efforts by allowing, through the use of geographic information system (GIS) technology, the mapping and tracking of projects critical to the economic growth of Latin America. Specific sectors that will be affected by this alliance are water and wastewater, power generation, oil and gas, transportation and logistics, mining, and digital infrastructure.
  “Latin American infrastructure is currently a $35 billion business, and with ESRI's help we believe that we will be able to catalyze market growth, so that within five years it will be a $140 billion marketplace,” says Norman Anderson, president and CEO of CG/LA Infrastructure. “To sustain and improve current growth rates, Latin America needs to invest 5 to 6 percent of its regional gross domestic product in critical infrastructure. After this year's intense political election cycle, 2007 is going to be the year of infrastructure in the Americas.”
  
  first published week of: 12/04/2006
  ESRI and OAS Form Strategic Alliance
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI signed an agreement today with the Organization of American States (OAS) whereby ESRI will support two projects promoting sustainable development. Ambassador Alfonso Quiñónez, the OAS executive secretary for integral development (SEDI), and Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI, signed the agreement at the 26th Annual ESRI International User Conference. “This agreement represents a milestone in expanding the use of GIS in the Latin American region and demonstrates a unique partnering between the private and public sectors,” comments Dangermond.
  In the initial phase of the agreement, ESRI will support two critical SEDI projects: the Municipal Development Program (MuNet) and the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network (IABIN) project. One of the components of SEDI?s MuNet is designed to empower municipalities in Latin America by providing them with the electronic tools necessary to start building their regional cadastral and land registry systems. In addition to 15 software licenses, ESRI will provide one week of training in El Salvador for representatives from five selected municipalities in participating countries.
  first published week of: 08/14/2006
  ESRI and Planning 2.0 Introduce Business Analyst Online for Health
  www.esri.com
  www.planning2.com
  
  ESRI and the healthcare software company Planning 2.0 released Business Analyst Online for Health, a one-stop shop for health care providers and hospitals in the United States seeking strategic planning and marketing information applications. Business Analyst Online for Health combines geographic information system technology with extensive demographic, consumer expenditure, and hospital discharge information as well as DRG (Diagnostic Related Groups) and ICD-9 (International Classification of Disease) codes from Planning 2.0, an ESRI business partner.
  “By integrating the Business Analyst Online Web services application with specific health care information from Planning 2.0, ESRI brings powerful analytical software to hospitals and other relevant health care organizations,” says Bill Davenhall, global health and human services solutions marketing manager, ESRI. “Business Analyst Online for Health delivers easy-to-use, low-cost tools through a basic Web browser and access to the most current information available.” Healthcare planners and marketers can use Business Analyst Online for Health to get data reports and maps in a ready–to–use format. Health care providers’ upper management, strategic planners, and business development can use the software for product planning, market forecasting, and other marketing applications.
  first published week of: 04/14/2006
  ESRI and STC Collaborate to Address Pandemic Influenza
  www.esri.com
  stchome.com/pre_test.html
  ESRI is working with Scientific Technologies Corporation (STC), an international public health information systems firm. STC will offer private businesses and public organizations an exercise program to assess readiness and help prepare and develop an action plan in the event of an influenza pandemic in the United States.The program enhances STC’s Preparedness Training, Exercises, Simulations, and Testing (Pre-TEST) services. Pre-TEST is designed to evaluate the operational readiness of many different groups such as public health agencies, schools, jails, public facilities, transportation services, and commercial businesses. In a pandemic, the work of these organizations is likely to be severely disrupted. Pre-TEST will provide a practical assessment of how ready organizations and public health systems are for such an event and what measures might be implemented in the short term to speed response and recovery. The enhanced Pre-TEST services will integrate ESRI GIS features and capabilities into both the preparedness planning activities and actual hands-on exercises. “STC has recently developed an exercise program for schools and other large public institutions to assess and stress institutional response and resilience,” said STC president Mike Popovich. “We are delighted to be working with ESRI to enhance these services. The GIS tools and public health and health care expertise of ESRI will add to our exercise program and increase participants’ ability to describe their decision-making processes, identify capabilities and gaps, and increase awareness of peers and partnering agencies.”
  first published week of: 03/31/2006
  ESRI and Stratus Technologies Announce the Launch of the 2006 ArcGIS Server Demonstration Project Grant Program
  www.esri.com/grants
  
  ESRI joined forces with Stratus Technologies, an ESRI hardware partner, to create the 2006 ArcGIS Server Demonstration Project Grant Program. Designed to help users improve government processes, this grant program will help state, regional, and local government agencies demonstrate concepts and create models for an integrated server-based GIS architecture. The grant serves to promote and distribute reusable applications that can be shared between governments by way of an ArcGIS Server public domain Web site. Ten states, regional, or local governments within the United States will be awarded grants. Totaling more than $814,000, the grants will include software, hardware, and training resources. The deadline to apply for this grant is October 27, 2006, at 5:00 p.m. (Pacific Saving Time). The program is open to all forms of state and local governments in the United States including all departments within a government organization. Applications developed by grant recipients will be posted on ESRI Web site beginning May 2007.
  
  first published week of: 09/08/2006
  ESRI Chile Established
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announces that INCOM, its geographic information system (GIS) software distributor in Chile for more than 17 years, has transitioned to ESRI Chile to provide superior customer support and service as well as help expand the growth of GIS throughout the area. The company plans to strengthen its presence in existing markets, including government, mining, utilities, forestry, and education, and expand into other areas such as business, logistics, transportation, and infrastructure. According to Jack Dangermond, ESRI president, “The ESRI designation provides recognition to a select group of our established international distributors, allowing them to better serve their existing customer base with corporate support and confidently expand the use of GIS in the country.”
  As one of ESRI's first distributors in South America, INCOM pioneered the use of GIS in the region and developed an excellent relationship with its customer base during its 17 years as an ESRI distributor.“The establishment of ESRI Chile is a major milestone for our company,” declares Merrill Lyew, ESRI's regional manager for Latin America. “It allows us to significantly strengthen our presence in both Chile and the region. This will facilitate an even greater understanding of our customers' needs in this area, allowing us to better serve them.”
  
  first published week of: 08/21/2006
  ESRI Creates One-Stop Training and Education Web Site
  www.esri.com/training
  
  ESRI launched a new, streamlined Training and Education Web site this summer to help geographic information system (GIS) professionals easily find all the company's educational resources in one location on the Internet. The user friendly Web site replaces two Web sites that separately handled registration for instructor-led classes at ESRI learning centers and the Virtual Campus training conducted via the Internet.
  From the new Training and Education site, visitors can register for any ESRI class anywhere and access Web-based self-study courses and seminars. Getting started on a Virtual Campus course is now as simple as visiting www.esri.com/training, clicking Go to My Training, and selecting My Virtual Campus Courses. “We felt that all the training we offer, regardless of what type it is, should be able to be found in one place,” says Vicki Hill, project manager for ESRI's Educational Services, who helped design the new Web site.
  ESRI offers more than 150 courses, such as traditional classes held at one of more than 50 U.S.-based learning centers, Virtual Classroom courses taught live by an instructor over the Web, and self-study Virtual Campus courses. The Web site was designed to include a search tool that lets people find classes by typing in a subject, topic, or title and, if they wish, narrow the search by choosing the software type and a training format such as instructor led or self-study. The new Web site also lets visitors:
  - Request e-mail reminders for the free ESRI live training seminars that air monthly on the Web.
  - Listen to free ESRI Instructional Series podcasts, which are audio files that can be downloaded to a computer or MP3 player.
  - Access information tailored for first-time visitors or training managers, which introduces them to the types of training available, recommended courses, and pricing and payment options.
  - Search the ESRI Press catalog where they can buy books related to their GIS interests as well as self-study training workbooks.
  - Find the address, telephone number, and e-mail for each learning center along with directions to the site and maps that offer pan and zoom capabilities.
  - Track their training history and print out their course transcripts and completion certificates.
  - Browse the ESRI Training and Education Library, which contains more than 40,000 entries of magazines, books, and papers related to GIS, remote sensing, mapping, and other topics.
  - Tailor their GIS education by investigating the Recommended Courses section, which offers suggestions about what classes to take based on a person's previous training, skills, or job responsibilities.
  first published week of: 09/18/2006
  ESRI Develops Web–Based Mapping System for Emergency Medicine
  www.esri.com
  
  A new state–of–the–art, Web–based system that monitors and maps the location and status of emergency resources, such as hospitals, air ambulances, and rescue helicopters, will be unveiled at the ESRI International User Conference, August 7-11, 2006, in San Diego, California. ESRI developed the Advanced Emergency GIS (AEGIS) for the Center for Prehospital Care, Education, and Research at Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC). The medical center will go online with the technology in September when fielding emergency medical services (EMS) calls.
  
  The San Bernardino County Communications Center will also use AEGIS, and medical center officials expect that other area fire departments and other agencies will eventually follow suit. “We want to be a community resource,” said Dr. Jeff Grange, the medical center's EMS director who conceived the idea for the system that he believes to be the first of its kind. The AEGIS server receives continuous data feeds and photos that show, for example, in close to real time, where air ambulances have been dispatched and which freeways are congested. At the medical center, a Mobile Intensive Care Nurse working on a computer will be able to see that information displayed on a digital map on a 40–inch LCD monitor. The map's layers also include roads, schools, and malls.
  
  By glancing at the screen or clicking a button marked with symbols, such as an 'H' for a hospital or a helicopter for an air ambulance, the nurse will receive an instant snapshot of
  - Which hospital emergency rooms in San Bernardino and Riverside counties can, at that time, accept more ambulances. A green 'H' symbol on the map indicates that people can be transported there, while a yellow 'H' means the emergency room is busy and a request is being made to divert ambulance patients to another hospital. The information is provided by the Los Angeles–based Rapid Emergency Digital Data Information Network (ReddiNet).
  - The location of air ambulances, rescue helicopters, and other emergency vehicles. Clicking one helicopter button on the toolbar will show, for example, where air ambulances are located. A helicopter rotor even twirls if the air ambulance is in flight.
  - Traffic congestion and accidents on the freeways, using reports or camera feeds provided by the California Highway Patrol and the California Department of Transportation. The touch of a button reveals a snapshot of what traffic looks like on the freeway, with a time lag of only a couple of minutes.
  first published week of: 07/28/2006
  ESRI GIS Portal Toolkit 3 Now Available
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announced the availability of a new version of the GIS Portal Toolkit. GIS Portal Toolkit 3 includes improved installation and configuration, better metadata management and access control, and integration with ArcGIS Desktop. The GIS Portal Toolkit is a technology and services solution for implementing local, regional, national, and global spatial data infrastructure portals. GIS portals organize content (using metadata) and services such as directories, search tools, community information, support resources, data, and applications. Metadata records can be queried for relevant data and services and can link directly to online sites that host content services. The content can be visualized as maps and used in geographic queries and analyses. GIS portals are also designed for interoperability and comply with finalized OGC specification standards.
  
  first published week of: 06/30/2006
  ESRI Goes on the Road with ArcGIS 9.2
  ww.esri.com/92seminar
  
  ESRI is demonstrating enhancements in the company's new ArcGIS 9.2 software this fall during a series of worldwide seminars developed for geographic information system professionals. The complimentary day-long presentations are being held in 46 states, ending in December. Seminars also are planned for customers outside the United States, starting in Sweden, Finland, and the United Kingdom, and expanding to other countries. ArcGIS 9.2 is a complete system for authoring, serving, and using geographic knowledge. “This release, for us, is one of the biggest, most productive releases that we have ever done,” said Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. “Our goal is to make the products much easier to use, more reliable, of higher quality, and with many new capabilities,” he said.
  Dangermond encouraged customers to attend one of the seminars.“The demonstrations will show user-requested enhancements along with continued innovations that will help our users be more productive with our software,”? he said. “We worked closely with our users to understand their priorities, and we appreciate the support and feedback we have received.” The seminars will illustrate
  1. Improvements in software quality, documentation, productivity, and performance as well as simpler use and system administration
  2. Support for evolving computer trends and standards such as integrating new platforms, Web services, service-oriented architecture (SOA) standards, and new geospatial data types
  3. New and enhanced capabilities including innovations in areas such as data management, spatial analysis and modeling, intelligent cartography, and mobile GIS
  first published week of: 09/22/2006
  eSRI India to Host Second Annual ESRI Asia-Pacific User Conference
  www.esriindia.com/apuc2007
  
  NIIT-GIS Ltd. (ESRI India) will host the Second Annual ESRI Asia-Pacific User Conference in New Delhi, India, January 18–19, 2007. The conference will offer participants insight into the latest developments and technology trends in geographic information system (GIS) technology. More than 1,000 ESRI software users are expected to attend. Users will discuss topics related to the conference theme, GIS for Economic Development. “The Asia-Pacific region is in the midst of rapid change,” says Rajesh C. Mathur, president of ESRI India. “This change, largely an effect of globalization, is a result of the availability, transmission, and use of information and knowledge. Effective economic development strategies depend on information such as the spatial patterns of households and businesses as well as new infrastructure proposed for a region. The conference will provide many opportunities for participants to learn about and discuss the economic, social, and environmental benefits of geographic information systems.”
  
  first published week of: 12/08/2006
  ESRI Internet Mapping Software To Power Xionetic Technologies Locator Web Product
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announced that Xionetic Technologies, a developer of advanced location-based services software located in Bozeman, Montana, has selected ESRI's RouteMAP IMS software to power its new store locator service. Xionetic is using RouteMAP IMS to create Locator Web, a Web-based hosting solution that allows companies including Kohler, North Face and Sketchers to easily add a dealer or store locator and mapping and driving direction functionality to their Web sites without hosting the services themselves. Xionetic hosts more than 170 customers' sites and plans to use RouteMAP IMS to rapidly grow this in the coming months.
  Xionetic chose ESRI RouteMAP IMS after careful evaluation of many Internet GIS software solutions. “While I was researching different packages, I kept running into ESRI software,” says Xionetic's president and CEO Craig McCormack. “no other package we evaluated came close to the value of RouteMap IMS. With this software, we have the functionality and data we need to create successful branded sites for our customers.” “I've been involved in computer technology for a number of years,” says Peter Martinson, IT manager, Xionetic Technologies. “I couldn't believe how easy RouteMAP IMS was to implement. ESRI really delivered on their promises.”
  first published week of: 05/05/2006
  ESRI Participates in Pacific NorthWest Economic Region's Emergency Preparedness Exercise
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI participated in Blue Cascades III, a multiagency emergency preparedness exercise held in Bellevue, Washington, and organized by the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region (PNWER). Blue Cascades' exercises prepare and examine mitigation, response, restoration, and long-term recovery activities for potential large-scale natural or man-made disasters such as an earthquake, terrorist attack, or tsunami.
  
  “Blue Cascades is a unique method to examine critical infrastructure interdependencies through dialog and establishing relationships,” says Brandon Hardenbrook, deputy director, Pacific NorthWest Economic Region. “ESRI's support of Blue Cascades III was definitely a highlight of the exercise. Geographic information system (GIS) maps added a totally new dimension to understanding infrastructure interdependencies. Adding a GIS component to the exercise helped everyone have a much better understanding of the cascading impacts caused by a disaster of this magnitude.”
  
  ESRI provided GIS technology, services, and mapping content during the exercise at the incident command center. A large screen was set up for 330 officials from participating agencies to see the exercise scenario unfold during the event. Two screens were used for GIS mapping and support. ESRI tools were used for running earthquake damage models as well as a seawater surge model along the coast. ESRI staff also served on the scenario design committee and helped with event preplanning and postevent scenario review.
  
  Blue Cascades III was a two-day event that simulated a magnitude 9 subduction zone earthquake off the coast of Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Participants from public and private sector infrastructures discussed emergency response capabilities including information sharing and collaboration. Participants also assessed the effects the simulated disaster would have on their sectors and the cascading impacts that would occur from lost services and infrastructure. More than 330 representatives from 150 organizations participated in the exercise, which built upon Blue Cascades I held in Portland, Oregon, in June 2002 and Blue Cascades II held in Seattle, Washington, in September 2004. It provided a real-world case study for evaluating mitigation plans and improving response and recovery practices.
  
  first published week of: 07/07/2006
  ESRI releases new version of GIS Portal Toolkit
  http://www.esri.com/gisportal
  
  ESRI announced the availability of a new version of the GIS Portal Toolkit. GIS Portal Toolkit 2.0.1 includes improved handling and validation of metadata; more detailed documentation; support for harvesting and publishing to and from ArcIMS 9.1 metadata repositories; and support for additional database management systems, servers, and operating systems. The GIS Portal Toolkit is a technology and services solution for implementing local, regional, national, and global spatial data infrastructure portals. The content can be visualized as maps and used in geographic queries and analyses. GIS Portal Toolkit 2.0.1 offers:
  - Support for Windows 2000/XP/Server 2003, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 3, and Sun Solaris 8
  - Database management system support for SQL Server 2000/2003, Oracle9i, and DB2 8.2
  - Detailed installation documentation for the supported operating systems and supported databases
  - Ability to download metadata documents in XML files to local drives
  - Improved handling and validation of Metadata Content Type in published metadata documents
  - Support for harvesting and publishing to and from ArcIMS 9.1 metadata repositories
  first published week of: 02/10/2006
  ESRI Selected by National Fuel Gas Company for Enterprise GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  National Fuel Gas Company, a diversified energy company selected ESRI to provide a core enterprise geographic information system technology platform to support the company's transmission and utility operations. ESRI technology is already in use at National Fuel's Timber segment. “We appreciate the opportunity to provide National Fuel with a core GIS technology platform that will support its business and regulatory objectives,” says Kevin Kirk, energy account manager, ESRI. The new platform will be the foundation for the deployment of a pipeline data repository, pipeline data maintenance and integration tools, and domain specialty applications necessary to support National Fuel's transmission pipeline integrity management program in its Pipeline and Storage and Utility segments. In addition, National Fuel will migrate from its legacy AM/FM/GIS system to the new platform. Based on ESRI's ArcGIS software, this new GIS platform will optimize support for engineering and mapping application requirements for an enterprise asset repository and management system within its Utility segment.
  The current plans for implementation include a three-phased approach: phase 1 will include the implementation and deployment of the corporate pipeline data repository and associated applications for National Fuel's Pipeline and Storage segment, phase 2 is targeted to include migration of Utility segment data and applications to the new platform, and phase 3 will include data cleanup and integration with other enterprise IT systems.
  first published week of: 04/21/2006
  ESRI Showcases First-of-Its-Kind Technology Center
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI showcased the first-ever Fire Rescue Advanced Technology Center, featuring geographic information system (GIS) software and other technologies used to enhance safety, increase effectiveness, and encourage excellence in all aspects of the fire service mission at the 2006 Fire Rescue International (FRI). The center presented advanced uses of GIS and supporting applications for virtually every aspect of operations and preparedness within nine demonstration areas. It provided a unique opportunity for conference attendees to understand how GIS is used today by leading agencies to better protect life and property. Since 2000, ESRI professionals have demonstrated the latest uses of GIS for fire and emergency services. This year's event showcased a large, comprehensive technology center that featured ESRI's GIS software as well as solutions from its business partners used today by fire agencies around the world. It offered attendees at the center a staging area to learn, share, and communicate ideas.
  “The 2006 Fire Rescue International Conference was special because it featured a venue that demonstrated how technology supports all aspects of the fire service mission through the Fire Rescue Advanced Technology Center,” says Russ Johnson, ESRI's public safety manager. The showcase presented stationary and interactive displays of fire service technology applications with experienced fire service leaders and technical specialists guiding attendees through the one-of-a-kind integrated learning experience. The objective was to illustrate how technology can support all requirements of the fire service mission including planning, preparedness, prevention, response, command and control, and situational awareness.
  
  first published week of: 10/13/2006
  ESRI Supports National Geographic Society Campaign to Increase Geographic Knowledge
  www.esri.com
  
  A new program from the National Geographic Society will offer today's youth a valuable resource to increase their geographic knowledge and embrace the world around them. ESRI is a proud sponsor of My Wonderful World, which promotes geographic awareness to K?12 students and provides tools to help teachers and parents be involved in the learning process. The program's Web site will launch May 2, 2006.
  
  “Geography matters to everyone, whether they consciously realize it or not,” says Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. “When we better understand how nature, people, and businesses relate, we can make better decisions. ESRI's mission is to build software that helps people see the patterns, find the relationships, and understand more clearly this wonderful world we share. ESRI is proud to support the National Geographic Society's My Wonderful World program in their efforts to improve geographic literacy among our nation's youth.”
  The My Wonderful World Web site is at the heart of the campaign, offering something for everyone. The site provides valuable resources that give youth a better understanding of the world around them including suggestions for outdoor family activities, links to geography games and online adventures for kids and teenagers, classroom materials for educators, global IQ tests, and a host of other tools.
  first published week of: 05/05/2006
  ESRI to Form Strategic Relationship with Beijing Capital Company, Ltd.
  www.esri.com
  
  ESI signed an agreement with Beijing capital company, Ltd., to form a strategic relationship to implement ESRI’s ArcGIS enterprise software suloution for waer development projects in China. Beijing capital rapidly is becoming the largest water development and operations company in Chinaa. ESRI and Beijing Capital belie that such a strategic relationship will have a significant impact on supporting efficient water operations and manageent of public infrastructure. At present, Beijing Capital has a daily water treatment capacity of more than 6 million tons and provides services to more than 10 million customers.
  first published week of: 02/02/2006
  ESRI’s Newest Distributor Helps in the Rebuilding and Rehabilitation of Afghanistan
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announced that, coinciding with its acceptance into ESRI’s International Distributor Program, GeoVision, the new GIS division of Afghan IT company Liwal Limited, immediately committed itself to active participation in the reconstruction and rehabilitation of Afghanistan. “Unfortunately, Afghanistan is a war-torn country with three decades of conflict that has effectively destroyed the country’s entire infrastructure from residential neighborhoods to national highways. We are fortunate to be in a position to offer any help that we can to assist in the relief, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts,” comments N. R. Liwal, president of Liwal Limited. “With the opportunity to supply GIS software and services, our company can support GIS projects in Afghanistan whenever and wherever necessary. We are currently receiving inquiries for GIS products and services on a daily basis from a wide variety of public, private, and humanitarian agencies,” GeoVision has forged a strong relationship with the Afghanistan Information Management Service (AIMS), a United Nations (UN) Development Programme project that was originally established to provide GIS, database, information management, and training services to the Afghan government and humanitarian community.
  first published week of: 03/10/2006
  ESRI's David Danko Wins Award for Work in Developing National Spatial Data Standards
  www.esri.com
  
  David M. Danko, manager of GIS standards, was recently honored by the International Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS) with its Merit Award for his work in developing spatial data standards. Established in 1992, INCITS is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) to develop standards for information technology; the L1 committee develops standards for geographic information. The U.S. national standard for geographic information, the Spatial Data Transfer Standard (SDTS), became an ANSI-INCITS standard through INCITS/L1.
  In presenting the award, Lynn Barra, associate director, Standards Operations, said of Danko, “INCITS would like to recognize your excellent work on the INCITS/L1 technical committee. Your leadership, broad knowledge of standards, and dedication are keys to the success of the geographic standards both nationally and internationally in ISO/TC 211. Most notable are your contributions to the development of ISO/IEC 19115:2003, IS/CD 19115-2, and ISO/DTS 19139. Your input and guidance on important issues reflect your tremendous skills and commitment to the committee?s program of work.”
  Danko's longtime involvement in developing spatial data standards allows input from ESRI in the development and adoption of U.S. national standards as well as participation in the ISO/ TC 211 standards development. ESRI has been a member of INCITS/L1 for about 10 years. Commenting on his work, Danko said, “I'm currently the cochair of the group developing the North American Profile for Geospatial Metadata. We're working with the U.S. Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), Natural Resources Canada, and others to develop a replacement for the existing FGDC Metadata Standard. This will ultimately become both a U.S. and Canadian national standard that will be based on the ISO standard. It will help promote interoperability globally, specifically between the United States and Canada and, hopefully, someday Mexico.”
  first published week of: 09/18/2006
  ESRI,Trimble Launch 2006 Mobile Government Grant Program
  www.esri.com
  www.trimble.com
  ESRI and Trimble launched the 2006 ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program: Coastal Communities. Totaling more than $96,000, the ESRI and Trimble software, hardware, and training grants will be awarded to a total of 10 state, regional, and local governments within the United States. The grant program is open to all disciplines engaged in activities that serve coastal communities. ESRI and Trimble recognize the need to support those government agencies whose work efforts must consider the distinctive issues that coastal government must address in dealing with development, delivering public services, and developing sound environmental and conservation policies.
  The grant program has been established with two goals in mind. The first objective is to provide assistance to state, regional, and local government agencies in establishing 10 models that demonstrate concepts related to the development and implementation of innovative GIS and GPS applications aimed at improving government processes. The second objective is to provide reusable applications that can be shared between governments with similar projects via ESRI's public domain Web site. Learn more about the ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program: Coastal Communities here: www.esri.com/grants/mobilegovt
  first published week of: 04/03/2006
  ESTEIO Is First to Deploy Leica Geosystems? Airborne Mapping Sensors in Brazil
  
  ESTEIO Engenharia e Aerolevantamentos S.A., a leading mapping and engineering company in Brazil, has placed an order for a Leica ADS40 Airborne Digital Sensor and ALS50-II Airborne LiDAR Sensor. The sale was made through Comercial e Importadora Wild Ltda., Leica Geosystems? licensed dealer in Brazil. “This is an important first for the Brazilian mapping community,” said Marco Antonio Carvalho, director of Wild Comercial. “The ADS40 is the first commercial, large-format, digital sensor to be deployed in Brazil, and will have a major impact on digital map production. The ALS50-II is the first state-of-the-art 150kHz LIDAR sensor delivered to the Brazilian market, and has the capacity to produce digital surface models of a density and accuracy never before available.” Valther Xavier Aguiar, technical director of ESTEIO, said, “Companies like ESTEIO need to be updated with the newest technology, and the acquisition of the Leica ADS40 and ADL50-II sensors will place us in a position of clear market leadership in the Brazilian cartography sector, offering our customers the highest levels of quality and productivity.”
  
  first published week of: 05/15/2006
  Estonian University Makes MAPublisher Their Choice
  www.avenza.com
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager spatial tools for Adobe Photoshop announced that the Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the Estonian University of Life Sciences in Tartu, Estonia has purchased multiple MAPublisher software licenses for use in their computer lab.“MAPublisher is a fantastic tool for landscape architecture and landscape management which will help us combine the technical functionality of GIS and CAD with Adobe Illustrator?s design possibilities.” said Kalev Sepp, Professor of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation. “As a result, designed spatial plans and maps will be nicer, more understandable and easier to read. I am convinced that our students will learn valuable skills in knowing how to use MAPublisher which will have additional value in the post-graduation labour market,”he added.
  .
  first published week of: 07/10/2006
  Evolving GIS/Geospatial Industry
  www.daratech.com
  
  Daratech's research confirms the growth and evolution of the GIS/Geospatial industry. The industry's markets and opportunities are expanding with both new buyers and sellers in the market, led at the moment by Internet search and data providers. The public imagination has been sparked by the availability of web mapping tools and the ubiquity of GPS and LBS systems.
  Although the two largest players, ESRI and Intergraph, together account for nearly half of the total software revenue, there are roughly 20 companies that each account for more than one percent of total annual software revenues. In fact, new buyers and sellers have increasingly contributed to 80% of the market's total in 2004.
  
  The GIS core business concentrated in three categories in 2004: market leaders; large companies acquiring or developing small GIS businesses; and specialized software companies, by far the largest in terms of number of entrants. Both existing and new players are using GIS/Geospatial technology, initiating profitable growth in new markets and application areas. Market growth has been driven by the increased availability of public and private data, which has benefited users with new applications at low incremental cost. The availability of services, applications, multimedia technology, database systems and mass-market user interfaces has increased the demand for integration services to further the growth of the GIS/Geospatial industry.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  [A-C] [D-E] [F-G] [H-K][L-M] [N-O] [P-R][S-T][U-Z]
  
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  Ferguson Receives GITA's Lifetime Achievement Award
  wwww.gita.org
  
  The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) announced today that C. Warren Ferguson of Kerrville, Texas, has been given GITA's 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award. The award recognizes an individual's outstanding contributions and long-standing commitment to the geospatial industry. The presentation was made at GITA's Annual Conference 29, April 23-26, 2006, at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, FL. As the son of a map company owner, Warren Ferguson learned the value of location very early on. Through his belief in that value over the past 44 years, he founded, bought, or joined a number of geospatial businesses. Warren practiced what came to be known as Ferguson's “Five Fs” for growing a business: fast, focused, flexible, fluid, and fun–and taught those principles to the talented and dedicated employees he hired. An active member of the geospatial community, Warren knew participation in user groups and technical and professional organizations strengthened him, and he encouraged his employees to get involved, too.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  First American Buys Harvard Design
  www.hdm.com
  
  First American Real Estate Information Services, Inc., a subsidiary of The First American Corporation (NYSE: FAF), announced today that it has acquired Harvard Design and Mapping Company, Inc. (HDM), a leading provider of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to businesses and governments worldwide. Terms of the acquisition, which closed March 1, 2006, were not disclosed. For more information, read the story in the Houston Chronicle’s web service: Cron.com
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  FLASH! New ArcWeb Services JavaScript API
  www.esri.com/arcwebservices
  
  ESRI announced the availability of the ArcWeb Services JavaScript application program interface (API). Using the API, developers can embed rich Adobe Flash-based, interactive, vector maps into a Web application with just a few lines of code and rapidly deploy them. “The release of the ArcWeb Services JavaScript API addresses the needs of our customers who are asking us to make it easier to deploy more intuitive and visually interactive mapping applications,” says Mike Tait, director of Internet services, ESRI. “We came to the conclusion that combining the power of ArcWeb Services and the capabilities of Adobe Flash into a simple JavaScript API was the best solution.”
  
  ArcWeb Services JavaScript API provides a wide variety of sample applications with source code and includes functionality for
  - Changing map data layers such as satellite, street, hybrid, weather, and traffic
  - Manipulating point, line, and polygon overlays
  - Adding rich media Flash markers containing audio and video
  - Integrating thematic mapping layers
  - Incorporating GeoRSS feeds
  - Controlling map markers using AJAX
  - Accessing prebuilt map widgets
  Developers use ArcWeb Services JavaScript API to work with the vector data contained inside the map image such as points, lines, and polygons. Static map images, such as .bmp files, are exactly like digital photographs. They can be superficially touched up; however, static maps simply contain information about dots of colors that make up the picture. Vector map images allow developers to interact dynamically with information inside the map. For example, developers can now control layers of information that contain features such as turning on and off flooded areas, toggling city and county boundaries, or displaying real-time weather.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Flower Mound, TX completes web-based Cityworks implementation
  www.azteca.com
  Azteca Systems announced that the Town of Flower Mound, TX recently completed a remote, web-based Cityworks implementation. “The Cityworks Remote Implementation Support option gave us time to implement and learn the software,” says Nicole Dogan, Town of Flower Mound. “Instead of a crash course, there was ample time to learn how Cityworks functions while we implemented it. In addition, the web implementation gave us the flexibility to do the project at our pace while juggling regular work duties.”
  
  Cityworks Remote Implementation Support is a web-based service option offered by Azteca Systems to implement Cityworks and train users. The Town of Flower Mound, TX utilized this web-based option because of the flexibility it offers. Remote Implementation Support and Training allowed the Town of Flower Mound the ability to deploy Cityworks inhouse and over an extended period, offering them the ability to proceed at their pace while keeping up with day to day responsibilities. System administrators and users were able to learn Cityworks and how it applied to their procedures and business process. An unexpected benefit happened when some town staff members changed during the project, and because of the convenience of the process the new employees had time to learn the Cityworks system and continue with the rest of the staff.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Folsom, California Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geotg.com
  
  Shades of Johnny Cash! Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced today that the City of Folsom, California has procured additional products from GTG?s LG GIS software suite. The City will be implementing licenses of LGdispatch software to expand the City?s existing LG platform. LGdispatch is a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) mapping interface that provides E-911 dispatchers with an interactive map displaying the location of all emergency calls. LGdispatch offers advanced geo-coding capabilities, AVL mapping, locations of active CAD calls, Phase II call locations among other GIS functionality. Addresses can be validated against address points, polygons (tax parcels) and lines (road network). James Kelt, Regional Manager, stated that, “Over the past 2 years, the City of Folsom has aggressively pursued a comprehensive, enterprise GIS. One aspect of this agenda is providing mapping solutions to virtually every department at the City. One critical part of their GIS is in the Public Safety realm. With LGdispatch, the Police Department will now be able to tap into their Computer Aided Dispatch database for use in GIS. This means that dispatchers will have a seamless mapping interface that will show all active CAD calls, Phase II locations, aerial photography, and any GIS dataset necessary to help first responders arrive on scene in a timely manner. When seconds count, it is imperative that dispatchers have as much information about the situation as possible. LGdispatch is specifically designed to empower its users with this data but is streamline enough not encumber the user with complicated queries and tasks.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Fort Pierce, Florida Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geogt.com
  
  Fort Pierce, Florida purchased GIS software and services from GTG. They bought licenses of LGviewer. LGviewer is a visualization and analysis tool that allows a user to drill down into GIS data layers and disparate corporate databases. Curtis Hinton, CEO and co-owner of GTG, stated that, “Fort Pierce is experiencing rapid growth and the need for innovative IT solutions. Majorie Gaskin, IT Director for Fort Pierce, understands the need for tools focused on integration. Her vision for GIS at Fort Pierce revolves around ease-of-use while harnessing the City's current IT investments. We at GTG are excited about working with the City and look forward to helping Fort Pierce keep pace with the ever growing need for comprehensive IT solutions.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Fort Pierce, Florida Selects GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  Fort Pierce, Florida purchased software and services from GTG. The city procured additional licenses of GTG's LGviewer to expand the City's existing LG platform. LGviewer provides a set of GIS tools in a simple easy to use desktop application. LGviewer allows for visualization of land management information. LGviewer is designed to GIS-enable corporate databases in tandem with existing GIS data to provide a powerful set of tools for visualization and analysis. Curtis Hinton, CEO and co-owner of GTG, stated that “We are excited about continuing our relationship with Fort Pierce. The city is growing rapidly and is experiencing pressure to deliver IT services more effectively. The use of LG products is assisting in bringing the City's investments in IT and GIS together to better serve Fort Pierce's needs.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Free Edition of the AGI GIS Dictionary
  www.geo.ed.ac.uk/agidict/welcome.html
  This on-line dictionary of GIS terms is brought to you by the Association for Geographic Information and the University Of Edinburgh Department of Geography. The dictionary includes definitions for 980 terms compiled from a variety of sources that either relate directly to GIS or which GIS users may come across in the course of their work. The dictionary is also supplemented by 52 diagrams.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  FSU geographer charting new territory with hurricane relief mapping
  www.fsu.edu
  
  When a hurricane strikes, authorities are increasingly turning to satellite images and computer-based maps to tell them everything from where the most vulnerable people live to where the closest supply of food, water and ice is located. While these maps can be beneficial in planning response and recovery, their imprecise nature can result in people not getting the help they need. That's why Florida State University geography Professor Mark W. Horner has received a $64,760 grant from the National Science Foundation to develop new spatial models for disaster relief.
  “Planning for disaster relief is of great societal importance as we learned during last year's devastating hurricane season,” Horner said. “I hope to improve the way geographical phenomena are represented in mathematical models used to allocate disaster relief goods. Better models, in turn, will lead to improvements in our ability to plan and prepare for extreme weather events.” By trying out different mathematical equations, Horner hopes to develop new methods that will allow more detailed models to be implemented within geographic information systems that allow users to analyze and visualize geographically referenced data. More detailed information will result in a reduction of errors in assessments of factors such as response and travel time to nearest relief centers.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Funding Doubled for Three ASPRS Scholarships
  www.asprs.org/membership/scholar.html
  ASPRS Foundation President Dr. Thomas Lillesand announced that the Foundation Board of Trustees has approved increased prize amounts for three ASPRS Scholarships to be awarded in 2007. Prizes for the Osborn and Wolf Scholarships and the Colwell Fellowship have been doubled. Due to an outstanding response from ASPRS members and others in the geospatial community, these scholarships are now fully endowed at the higher levels. “The ASPRS Foundation gratefully acknowledges all of the donors who fund these scholarships, which enable students of the profession to further their studies. Additionally, through their support, donors have affirmed the goals of the Foundation and the Society to continue support for educational endeavors in the geospatial sciences,” stated Dr. Lillesand.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Future of Landsat: Hot Topic At ASPRS annual conference
  www.asprs.org
  “The Future of Landsat” will be covered extensively in several venues at the ASPRS 2006 Annual Conference, being held in Reno, Nevada. The first will be a “Hot Topic” Session on Wednesday, May 3 from 11:00 am to 1:15 pm with a presentation on the work of the Future of Land Imaging (FLI) Interagency Working Group (FLI-IWG). The Working Group has been charged by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) to derive a plan for long-term operational land imaging beyond the short-term Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM). At the end of a short presentation by the Working Group the “Hot Topics” discussion will be opened up for feedback, and attendees are highly encouraged to offer their views. This session, hosted jointly by the ASPRS External Affairs Committee and the Remote Sensing Applications Division (RSAD) is open to all interested conference attendees.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoAnalytics and Zencos Consulting Announce Strategic Partnership
  www.geoanalytics.comGeoAnalytics and Zencos Consulting, both SAS Alliance Partners, have joined forces to bring their state and local domain expertise with business intelligence (BI) solutions to government agencies. Currently, GeoAnalytics and Zencos are collaborating on a Florida County project and will begin other joint projects in the near future. “Partnering with GeoAnalytics is a great opportunity for us. We look forward to being able to combine their core strengths in spatial information systems with our BI implementation and customization experience,” said David Septoff, principal at Zencos. “We feel that this relationship will allow both companies to deliver a higher level of value to our customers. This partnership will be a powerful alliance that has already begun to deliver on the next dimension of GIS in the form of true spatially enabled enterprise intelligence. There is tremendous alignment between the firms because GeoAnalytics and Zencos share the mission of creating profound business value for clients” said William Holland, CEO of GeoAnalytics.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoCollector Field Data Collection Solution
  www.esri.com/geocollector
  
  The GeoCollector series, an end-to-end field data collection solution that merges ESRI's mobile GIS software with professional grade GPS technology from Trimble was announced. The combination of GIS and GPS allows users to increase the accuracy of their data, resulting ultimately in a superior enterprise GIS. “Our long and successful relationship with Trimble and the high quality of its products will provide a great mobile solution for our GIS community with the new GeoCollector series,” says Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI.
  
  The GeoCollector solution includes an ultrarugged handheld computer with integrated GPS receiver from the current Trimble GeoExplorer series and ESRI's ArcPad, delivering hassle-free field collection and seamless data integration with ArcGIS. To meet the full range of field data collection requirements, the device is available in three accuracy options: subfoot, submeter, and one to three meter. The GeoCollector series also includes Trimble's GPScorrect for ArcPad, which collects and manages the GPS data necessary for differential correction during data collection. In addition, Trimble's GPS Analyst for ArcGIS Desktop is available as an add-on to enable the direct transfer of data from GeoCollector and to perform differential correction inside ArcGIS Desktop.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoDecisions Implements Web EMS Manager for Waste Management
  www.geodecisions.com
  GeoDecisions recently implemented the Web EMS (Environmental Management System) Manager for Waste Management, Inc. As a national provider of comprehensive waste and environmental services, Waste Management will use the Web EMS Manager to effectively manage its environmental programs at its Alliance Sanitary Landfill, located in Taylor, Pa. The Web EMS Manager is a customized application that allows users to better manage data, documentation, audits, and corrective actions, in addition to assigning and tracking compliance tasks. Implemented as a desktop application, the Web EMS Manager directs users to EMS requirements to ensure consistent environmental compliance. The Web EMS Manager also features a user specific dashboard with key information that can be tailored to maintain requirements for the user?s individual operations.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoGraphs and Urban Explorer announce CensusTrax
  www.geographs.com
  www.censustrax.com
  Géographs Corporation and Urban Explorer are proud to announce the release of CensusTrax. CensusTrax is an on-line interactive web GIS service to quickly retrieve, map and export US Census data. It will be available as an inexpensive on-line subscription service in the near future. For now, while it is still in this beta version, it is freely available to anyone who wants to use it. For this beta version, detailed statistics (SF1 Tables) are available for California, but will soon have a Nationwide coverage. SF2, SF3, and SF4 Tables will follow in subsequent releases of the software. The géoflash Explorer CensusTrax system is a hybrid (or Mashup) of Google Maps, the géoflash Explorer system (an Open Source Flash web GIS), Yahoo’s National Geocoding service, and the entire block level US Census. The system seamlessly overlays translucent, interactive géoflash demographic maps on top of a Google map. The overlaying “intelligent” géoflash maps can perform thematic analysis, be clicked-on for information retrieval, display mouse-over tool tips and query a dynamic geo-relational database. The Google base map, in turn, provides seamless national coverage and smooth dynamic panning and zooming. Yahoo’s geocoding service provides accurate and lightening-fast address location.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Announces Hand-Held Laser Scanner Support
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic®announced support for the Steinbichler and Leica T-Scan hand-held laser scanners. The new plugins provide real-time processing of large objects for a flexible and accurate reverse–engineering solution. The free plugins, available through www.geomagic.com/support/downloads or directly from Steinbichler, are fully integrated with Geomagic Qualify computer-aided inspection and Geomagic Studio digital reconstruction software. “With the introduction of a real-time interface for the measurement systems from Steinbichler and Leica, we are offering best-in-class reverse engineering, inspection and other engineering solutions to customers worldwide,” says Andrew Stein, vice president of marketing, product management and business development for Geomagic. “This further extends Geomagic software to support the specific needs of our customers in automotive and aerospace industries, and our focus on sheet-metal, powertrain and turbine solutions.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Announces New Corporate Website
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic^®, a worldwide software and services firm headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, launched a new corporate website designed to provide an interactive web experience for visitors, including customers, resellers, partners and industry analysts. It also includes valuable DSSP (digital shape sampling and processing) industry resource information from industry links and articles. The new Geomagic website has been redesigned for a new look and feel, and modern information architecture, with features that improve site navigation and make it easier for users to find information on products or services quickly and effectively.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Expands Presence in China
  www.geomagic.com
  
  In a move to expand upon its market presence in China, Geomagic®, a worldwide software and services firm headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, has opened a wholly owned subsidiary in Shanghai. Geomagic (Shanghai) Software Co., Ltd. has been formed as a result of the increasing demand for Geomagic software in the Chinese manufacturing market. Previously, the company had a branch office to service its customer base. “China is an evolving market, especially in the areas of design and testing," comments Jerry Zhou, deputy general manager for Geomagic (Shanghai) Software. "We believe Geomagic solutions will contribute to China's developing economy by offering fast and cost-effective engineering and inspection solutions to a growing customer base.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Expansion Creates Move To New Corporate Offices
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic announced the relocation of its corporate headquarters to accommodate growth fueled by increased customer demand for Geomagic solutions and services. An integral part of the new facility is an enhanced Geomagic Training Center, equipped with state-of-the-art workstations, 3D scanning hardware and the latest Geomagic digital reconstruction and computer-aided inspection software available. The center will be used for customer training sessions and Geomagic-hosted technology conferences. The new offices are located on the third floor of the Cape Fear Building of the Progress Center at 3200 Chapel Hill-Nelson Road (Hwy. 54), Cape Fear Building, Suite 300, Research Triangle Park, N.C. USA 27709.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Honored as a 2006 Triangle Business Journal Fast 50 Company
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic® won a 2006 Triangle Business Journal Fast 50 Award for being one of the fastest growing private companies in the Triangle area of North Carolina. The award marks the third time that Geomagic, the a provider of software and services for digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP), has received the honor. The Fast 50 list recognizes companies for revenue growth over a three-year period as tabulated by global accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers®® LLP. Geomagic recorded double-digit revenue growth during the period.
  “We are delighted to be included on the Fast 50 list once again” says Ping Fu, Geomagic chairman, president and CEO. “The award recognizes Geomagic’s consistent and sustained growth. I want to thank our employees and customers for their passion and support in making Geomagic the leading innovator in custom product development. Together, we are changing the face of manufacturing.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Launches Industry-First Knowledge Base
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic® launched the Geomagic Knowledge Base. The Geomagic Knowledge Base, in beta, is a first-of-its-kind customer resource for knowledge sharing on Geomagic software and its application in digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP). The new Geomagic Knowledge Base, an extension of the company's website support section at forum.geomagic.com, is designed as a 24/7 interactive forum that will enable up-to-the-minute, information exchange on best-practice use of Geomagic software. The beta release features regular postings of customer technical issues by Geomagic support staff, which will be augmented by content from partners and customers later this year.
  “Our goal with the Geomagic Knowledge Base is to build a self-sustaining forum that builds community by offering the latest tools and information our customers can use to best leverage Geomagic software solutions and services,” says Jim Johnson, Geomagic vice president of sales. “The Knowledge Base is one more way we can ensure the success of our users in their work with Geomagic technology and DSSP.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Named Technology of the Year
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic®, a worldwide software and services firm, was awarded Technology of the Year by the Council for Entrepreneurial Development (CED). The honor, presented at CED's annual 2006 Entrepreneurial Excellence Awards, recognized Geomagic technology leadership in the field of digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP), which is the technology used for ensuring the safe return of the NASA STS-114 Discovery “Return to Flight” mission, digital reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor, and helping manufacturing companies move from mass production to mass customization. Accepting the award on behalf of all Geomagic employees, Ping Fu, CEO and co-founder said, “As a technology company, I am proud of our innovative technical team, and it is an honor our company will treasure. I thank CED for recognizing our people's contribution to the technology world.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Opens Japan Office
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic®, a worldwide software and services firm headquartered in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, opened its first branch office in Tokyo. The Geomagic Japan office was established in response to the increasing demand for Geomagic solutions in Japanese design, engineering, inspection and manufacturing organizations, including automotive, industrial and consumer manufacturers. It will provide enhanced service and support to Japanese automotive and electronics customers such as Toyota, Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Nissan, Mazda and Toshiba. Geomagic resellers and measurement systems partners in Japan will now receive collaborative customer-focused sales support and local technical support.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Qualify 9 and Blade Extension Accelerate Part Inspection, Reporting and Analysis
  www.geomagic.com
  
  The latest release of Geomagic software tools provides unique, unmatched benefits for the turbomachinery industry, including aerospace, power generation equipment, and automotive manufacturing. Geomagic Qualify ® 9 and the Geomagic Blade™ were recently released.
  Geomagic Qualify 9 offers a highly efficient, accurate, repeatable, and cost-effective way to compare as-built to as-designed parts and machinery. When combined with the new Geomagic Blade extension, Geomagic Qualify 9 provides a powerful tool for digital inspection in the turbomachinery industry, with unique and unmatched functionality for the analysis of rotors, stators, impellers, and internal blade features.
  New features in Geomagic Qualify 9 include support for multiple coordinate systems, advanced 2D dimensioning features, direct access to CAD geometry, and line profiles, which improve the clarity, quality, speed and interpretation of inspection reporting and analysis. Other benefits of the software's new version are faster workflow and cleaner models. Geomagic Qualify 9 analysis reliability is certified by PTB, ANFIA and major turbomachinery and automotive manufacturers. The software offers direct plug-ins with popular digital scanning devices such as arm-scanners and laser trackers, providing real-time inspection capability.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Receives Patent for Scanned Data Wrap Process
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic®has been issued a U.S. patent for its process of automatically generating 3D digital models from scanned point-cloud data. The wrap process now protected under U.S. patent 7,023,432 is used throughout the Geomagic product line. “We constantly strive to bring new innovations to our customers,” says Mike Facello, director of research and development for Geomagic. “Patented technology is the cornerstone of our unique product offerings. We are driven to bring highly valuable solutions to serve the needs of the engineering and design industries.” The patented Geomagic wrap process is used widely in dental, hearing and other custom manufacturing applications where simplicity, automation and throughput are critical to successfully transitioning from manual to digital processes. The company cites four major advantages of the patented process:
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Studio 9 Enables Users to Meet Design Objectives
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic® released Geomagic Studio 9. This latest release of the digital reconstruction software features three major areas of enhancement: 3D feature-based modeling, advanced color texture generation and greater versatility with user-defined patch layouts. As a software tool, Geomagic Studio is the leader in effectively and automatically processing 3D scan data for applications ranging from reverse engineering to design and analysis. The software automatically creates accurate models from any physical part, making it ideal for emerging applications such as mass production of customized devices, build-to-order manufacturing and digital asset archiving for automatic recreation of legacy parts.
  .
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic To Bundle Software With Z Corporation Scanner
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic® announced today it signed an exclusive, joint worldwide agreement with Z Corporation. As part of the deal, Geomagic will provide Geomagic Studio software in a comprehensive bundle with the new Z Corporation ZScanner 700. The ZScanner 700 is the first self-positioning 3D laser scanner. The lightweight, handheld device is ready to use in minutes and free of traditional mechanical arms, making it ideal for scanning hard-to-reach places. It offers real-time surfacing, captures 3D data in one continuous process to reduce post-processing, and uniquely allows objects to be moved during scanning. Geomagic Studio creates accurate models from any physical part, making it ideal for emerging applications like the mass production of customized devices, build-to-order manufacturing, and digital asset archiving for automatic recreation of legacy parts. Geomagic Qualify offers a certified way to compare as-built versus as-designed with automatic reporting to make inspection analysis simple, fast and cost effective. The joint agreement represents the fusion of two visionary companies actively pursuing the democratization of the prototyping and scanning market for industries such as aerospace, automotive, consumer, education, footwear, government, healthcare and packaging. The combination of the ZScanner 700 with Geomagic Studio and Geomagic Qualify brings a highly sophisticated level of digital shape sampling for rapid prototyping, design, and quality assurance (QA) at the lowest price point available today in the market.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Wins Prestigious Tibbetts Award
  www.geomagic.com/
  
  Geomagic® won a 2006 Tibbetts Award from the Small Business Technology Council. Named for Roland Tibbetts -- acknowledged as the father of the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program -- the prestigious Tibbetts Awards are given annually to those companies, projects, organizations and individuals judged to exemplify the very best in SBIR achievement. Geomagic has been awarded several SBIR grants for its technology leadership in digital shape sampling and processing (DSSP). The company has used the grants to focus its software development on mass-customization technologies that fundamentally change the way products are designed, engineered, and manufactured.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geomagic Wins Red Herring 100 North America Winner
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic® won the Red Herring 100 North America. The award recognizes the top 100 privately held companies in North America that are leading the technology business in innovation. Geomagic will be honored at the Red Herring Spring 2006 Conference in Monterey, California, May 23-25. “With venture capital flowing again, we're seeing a lot of innovative new companies taking on the established players with disruptive technologies and innovative business plans,” said Joel Dreyfuss, editor-in-chief of Red Herring. “The Red Herring 100 North America companies, including Geomagic, are pushing and breaking the boundaries of the technology business and we are excited to report on their success stories.” The award is an important part of Red Herring's tradition of recognizing new and innovative technology firms and their entrepreneurial founders.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoMicro ships AltaMap 4.1
  www.geomicro.com/
  
  AltaMap 4.1 is a complete mapping platform for your desktop, internet, and mobile applications, according the GeoMicro. Applications built on AltaMap platform range from traditional desktop GIS, E-911 emergency dispatch system, Asset Tracking and Fleet Management, to state of the art mobile navigation system for your mobile devices. More than a specialized offering for a small niche of market, AltaMap 4.1 is powerful, highly customizable, and extendable. AltaMap 4.1 include Desktop and Server products, complete with Geocoding, Routing, and cartographic quality Street Rendering modules. AltaMap has been extensively field tested in diverse vertical markets such as Local and State Government, US Military, Fleet Management and Location Based Services for Mobile Applications and Internet Portals.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoSpatial Experts Adds Google Earth Functionality to GPS-Photo Link Software
  www.geospatialexperts.com
  
  GeoSpatial Experts version 4.0 of its GPS-Photo Link digital image mapping software. Among the many upgrades in version 4.0, GPS-Photo Link now allows users to display their digital photographs in the Google Earth environment. “GPS-Photo Link offers users greater flexibility in watermarking their photos with critical information and outputting them for access in Google Earth or other web-based mapping environment,” said Rick Bobbitt, GeoSpatial Experts President. “As before, the upgraded version is available free to existing customers on our web site.” GPS-Photo Link is a digital image mapping software that saves time and money by automatically linking digital photographic images to GPS location data in the GIS environment. GPS-Photo Link creates web pages in which the watermarked photographs are integrated with satellite imagery, street maps, or other GIS-based mapping layer. The Ricoh edition of GPS-Photo Link provides additional features for users of the Ricoh GPS-enabled camera, including the ability to use a laser rangefinder to record the distance to an object in a photo.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoSpatial Experts Announces Pentax-Garmin Product Bundle
  www.geospatialexperts.com
  
  GeoSpatial Experts unveiled a new GPS photo mapping product bundle that includes a Pentax digital camera, Garmin handheld GPS receiver and the GeoSpatial Experts GPS–Photo Link software. The Pentax-Garmin package is the third GPS–Photo Link mapping product bundle offered by GeoSpatial Experts, the one–stop shop for photographic mapping needs. Due to relatively low cost of the camera and GPS receiver, GeoSpatial Experts views this as the perfect hardware/software combination for first time photo mapping users.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoSpatial Innovations, Itron Team Up for Electric Line Designers, Engineers
  www.gsiworks.com
  
  GeoSpatial innovations, Inc (GSI) formed a partnership with Itron to provide a comprehensive field-to-office technology solution for electric line designers and engineers. Itron Distribution Staker will now come bundled with GSI’s Pocket Designer field software. Users of Distribution Staker will have access to a seamless field-to-office solution for creating overhead or underground electric line designs in the field. This will give engineers the flexibility to complete their field design on a tablet, laptop or a handheld Pocket PC device.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geospatial Line of Business Presidential Initiative
  http://www.fgdc.gov/
  
  The Geospatial LoB will identify opportunities for optimizing and consolidating Federal geospatial-related investments to reduce the cost of government and improve services to citizens. Cross-agency coordination of geospatial activities is still lacking and is needed to help identify, consolidate, and/or eliminate redundant investments. The establishment of the Geospatial LoB will result in a more coordinated approach to producing, maintaining, and using geospatial data, and will ensure sustainable participation from Federal partners to establish a collaborative model for geospatial-related activities and investments.first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geospatial Mash-Up in the U.K.
  geospatial.bcs.org
  
  Issued by Ordnance Survey on behalf of the Association of Geographic Information, the Open Geospatial Consortium and the BCS GeospatialSpecialist Group (SG), a mash-up event to unite leading minds from the geographic information industry will be held on Friday, October 20, 2006.
  UK Geospatial Mash-Up invites technical minds from the Association of Geographic Information, the Open Geospatial Consortium and the BCS Geospatial Specialist Group to explore the impact of dynamically mixing geospatial content. The event, at Ordnance Survey's Southampton head office, will examine the potential of this trend and the innovation it promises to deliver.
  
  While the concept of geospatial mash-ups is increasingly being discussed and explored, its potential is not widely understood. UK Geospatial Mash-Up will bring together experts driving innovation to examine and explore how the approach could be more widely applied across the GI industry. Graham Vowles, Principle Data Consultant from Ordnance Survey's Corporate Geospatial Data Team explains the importance of embracing and evolving mash-up technology: “Geospatial mash-ups have captured the imagination of a wide cross-section of society, from technical experts to members of the community enjoying the functionality they can deliver. The rise of mash-ups reflects the benefits generated by the sharing and reuse of GI. This event will create a forum of expertise to explore and evolve this emerging technology.”
  
  Register at www.nottingham.ac.uk/cgs/Booking.htm
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoSpatial Training Services Releases Four New Short Courses
  www.geospatialtraining.com
  GeoSpatial Training Services LLC, a provider of virtual and instructor led GIS training courses, is pleased to announce the upcoming release of four new short course virtual training courses including “Geocoding with Google Maps,” “Reading Databases and XML Files in Google Maps,” “Web Services 101” and “Reading ArcObjects Object Model Diagrams.” Each of these short courses are designed to provide educational content specific to a narrowly focused topic of interest. Our unique course delivery method allows you to view audio and visual lectures in a Flash movie format from the convenience of your home or office.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Geotagger 1.01 Released
  craig.stanton.net.nz/software/Geotagger.html
  
  Geotagger is a droplet for inserting GPS coordinates into your photos. Simply position Google Earth (version 4 only) over the location you wish to insert into your images, then drag your images (jpegs only) onto the Geotagger icon. Once the images are tagged the information stays with them so you can import them to iPhoto, upload them to Flickr or Panoramio or any number of other things. If you choose iPhoto you may want to check out a plugin I wrote that will export your photos to a KMZ file that you can open in Google Earth and see your photos on the globe. You can drag images from prettymuch anywhere. But if you drag them from iPhoto it won't show the changes have taken place. The data has been saved to the file but iPhoto has cached the Exif information and doesn't check the image for updates. This is freeware and currently runs under MacOS X only. GoogleEarth v.4 is required.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GeoWeb 2006 Call for Papers Issued
  www.geoweb.org
  
  The GeoWeb conference will bring together the world of professional GIS and the broader world of the Web. Important synergies should come from this interaction in terms of business opportunities, specifications, technology development and business and policy models. The conference is set for July 24-28, 2006, at the Morris J. Wosk Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia. GeoWeb 2006 is an outgrowth of the successful GML Days and GML and Geo-Spatial Web Services Conference held from 2001 to 2005. The new GeoWeb conference will be larger and more inclusive and will include keynote speakers, panel sessions, product demonstrations, workshops and educational sessions. Conference papers will be organized around markup, Web services, service-oriented architecture and business and policy issues that arise in the GeoWeb context and their relationship to key market and technical themes. Those themes include nautical and aeronautical information systems, defense and homeland security, consumer and commercial services, municipal information systems and global spatial data infrastructure, disaster management and environmental systems and technology centric.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GGP Systems unveils new online planning solution for local authorities
  www.ggpsystems.co.uk
  A software solution to help local authorities in the UK provide online planning services and information and meet current e-government targets has been unveiled by GGP Systems, a Geographical Information Systems supplier. The solution is part of the Planning and Regulatory Services Online (PARSOL) project financed by the UK government and run by a local authorities consortium. It links different databases and software in order for web-based planning queries to be answered - the front-end browser is linked to back office databases and systems using the GGP PARSOL Connector.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GIS for Brownfields Toolkit to Be Released at Brownfields 2006
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI and ICMA, the premier local government leadership and management organization, have worked together to produce a virtual library with a wealth of resources for using GIS for brownfields redevelopment. The ESRI-ICMA GIS for Brownfields Toolkit will be released at the Brownfields 2006 conference in Boston, Massachusetts, November 13-15. The toolkit contains conference presentations, reports and articles, and an extensive list of Web resources that will spark new ideas for communities wanting to use GIS in brownfields redevelopment.
  Original case studies produced specifically for the toolkit share the experiences of three communities using GIS for brownfields redevelopment: Hillsborough County, Florida; Spokane, Washington; and Worcester, Massachusetts. Hillsborough County uses GIS maps to help its citizens understand the potential impacts of brownfields efforts and to involve them in discussions about future plans. The City of Spokane found GIS helpful for planning and setting priorities for its brownfields program. The City of Worcester developed a special GIS application, the Brownfields Redevelopment Inventory Query (BRIQ), to help manage brownfields redevelopment efforts.
  The toolkit is available free of charge. Conference participants can pick up a copy at the ESRI exhibit (booth 543) in the Exhibit Hall. After the conference, the toolkit can be ordered through ICMA by e-mail at Brownfields2006@icma.org or by phone at 202-962-3533.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GIS looking glass: an Imperial idea
  www.geotg.com
  
  Imperial Beach, California purchased additional products from GTG's LookingGlass GIS software suite. The city will implement additional licenses of LGviewer Work Request Module. This application will serve to expand the City's existing LookingGlass platform, which already includes LGviewer and Geomanager. LG Viewer Work Request Module enables users to generate and query work requests as well as view job orders directly from a GIS interface. Also, users can place and locate work orders/task orders through a GIS interface. David Kuhn, GTG's regional manager and head of GTG's West Coast office says, “LG Work Orders takes the guess work of work order allocation. The exact location of the asset and work to be done are part of the map.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GIS Technology and Applications for the Fire Service
  www.esri.com/library/whitepapers/pdfs/fire-service-gis-applications.pdf ( PDF)
  The link above will download this recently published ESRI White Paper. It explains how GIS (specifically ESRI-brand GIS) can be useful for various fire service tasks.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GIS the easy way: worldKit
  worldkit.org
  
  Creating even a simple interactive map for publication on the Web can be a real hassle. worldKit, a Flash–based lightweight geographical information system (GIS) distributed under GPL, allows you to create interactive maps without getting too deep into all the intricacies of GIS. Although it doesn't provide all the bells and whistles of a professional application like GRASS GIS, it has a few clever tricks up its sleeve. worldKit consists of three main components: the worldkit.swf engine, which does all the hard work; a config.xml file, which contains the settings; and an rss.xml file that includes the mapping data. To illustrate how easy worldKit is in use, let's jump right into it by creating a simple map of Paris with a few points of interest on it. First of all, you need a map of Paris, and worldKit's Web site provides the handy MapProxy service that allows you to find the map you want. Maps in MapProxy are available as aerial photographs, topographic maps, or street maps, but some regions are covered better than others. For example, street maps are not available for most of Europe. To create a map of Paris, enter 'Paris' into the International City field and select France from the country list. Next, enter the desired distance in the Distance field; the value you enter depends on how detailed a map you want to generate, but 5 km works fine for Europe. Select the Photo option and press the Get Map button to generate the map. For more information, also see Dmitri Popov's comprehensive NewsForge article
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GIS used to Locate Sites for Carcass Disposal
  www.k-state.edu
  
  A trio of Kansas State University researchers, using Geographic Information Systems technology, is collaborating with the state Department of Health and Environment and other state agencies to help find appropriate sites for disposing of a large number of livestock carcasses in the event of a disease outbreak or bioterrorism attack. The researchers are Shawn Hutchinson, assistant professor of geography and director of K-State's Geographic Information Systems Spatial Analysis Laboratory, John Harrington, professor of geography; and Lori Emerson, a graduate student in geography, Manhattan.
  
  “We're acquiring the necessary information in digital form within our Geographic Information Systems and building a model that can help find a suitable site for burying a large number of livestock,” Hutchinson said. “Given the type and size of the animals, we can determine the size of the burial pit, then use Geographic Information Systems to automatically search for the best place to dig.” Full story here.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GITA 2006 Gold Papers Now Available Online
  www.gita.org
  
  Gold Papers from Annual Conference 29 are now available for complimentary download on GITA's Web site at: www.gita.org/members_only/goldpapers.asp. You will be asked to login after clicking this link. The Gold Paper Collection is a compendium of technical presentations that received top ratings by attendees at Annual Conference 29, held April 23-26, 2006, in Tampa, Florida. The 2006 speaker award winners who authored the papers are:
  - Talbot J. Brooks, Delta State University–GIS and Disaster Management
  - Jack Dangermond, ESRI–GIS Enterprise Architecture: Unifying the Utility
  - Pat Drinnan, FortisAlberta–Right of Way Maintenance Goes Mobile at FortisAlberta
  - Thomas Kelly, Florida Department of Transportation–Documenting Hurricane Damage with Geo-referenced Imagery and GIS
  - William T. Shaw, SWANTECH–SCADA Fundamentals, Functionality and Futures
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GITA to Hold 16 Seminars at Annual Conference 30
  www.gita.org
  
  The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) announced the topics for its 16 seminars, which will be presented at GITA's 30th Annual Conference, slated for March 4-7, 2007, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The half-day seminars are organized into a series of four subject areas: project management, spatial databases, GIS and the Web, and mobile GIS. A fifth series of solo seminars will address a variety of individual geospatial topics, including GIS business requirements, one-call, estimating return on GIS investments, and integrated systems.
  “In order to keep up with the fast-breaking changes in geospatial technology, the 2007 program committee is excited to provide all-new seminars for 2007,” said Annual Conference Chair Mary Ann Stewart of Mary Ann Stewart Engineering, LLC. “These are not revamped previous seminars -- we started from scratch with the most compelling topics of today to provide an outstanding educational opportunity.”
  Online registration for GITA's Annual Conference 30 is now open at www.gita.org/annual. Registration fees start at $379; exhibit-only passes are just $25
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GITA's Annual Conference 29 only months away
  www.gita.org
  
  Don’t misread that. Gita’s conference is not 29 months away; their 29th conference is just months away. (I think). GITA will present its 29th Annual Conference: No Barriers: Connected. Responsive. Prepared at the Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida, April 23-26, 2006. The conference will focus on geographic information systems (GIS) and other geospatial technologies as they relate to government agencies, telecommunication organizations, pipeline companies and electric, water and gas utilities. New in 2006, the conference will feature a job fair and a poster session. The goal of the job fair is to place GIS professionals of all levels with reputable organizations. The fair is free to job seekers who are registered for the conference. The poster session will allow geospatial professionals to exhibit their projects, and all full-conference attendees can vote for a “Best in Show” winner.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Global Marketing Insights Completes NOAA International Remote Sensing Survey
  
  www.globalinsights.com
  
  Global Marketing Insights, Inc. completed the study entitled “Survey and Analysis of Remote Sensing Market, Aerial and Spaceborne” and delivered the final report to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite and Information Service Division. NOAA posted the report as a PDF for downloading by the public at www.licensing.NOAA.gov. Global Marketing Insights made the report available at www.globalinsights.com Global Marketing Insights created a series of extensive online surveys covering issues related to eight sectors of the remote sensing market: aerial film, aerial digital, aerial sensors, satellites, commercial end users, value added hardware and software, academic, and government. These surveys were completed by geospatial industry professionals and end users worldwide between February and August 2005.
  
  “NOAA’s primary goal for the survey was to learn about the technological, political, economic and environmental trends impacting each of those sectors,” said Dr. Shawana Johnson, President of Global Marketing Insights. “The survey results provide insights into where the worldwide remote sensing market is heading –from the viewpoints of both data and service providers and end users.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Global Marketing Insights Expands International Remote Sensing Survey
  www.globalinsights.com
  
  Global Marketing Insights Inc. has accepted a request from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Satellite and Information Services Division to expand the recently completed International Remote Sensing Survey to focus on Asia. Similar to the first survey, the new project will study aerial and space-borne remote sensing trends and activities in more than 20 Asian countries, including Australia. Global Marketing Insights has tailored a series of online surveys covering issues relating to eight sectors of the remote sensing market: aerial film, aerial digital, aerial sensors, satellites, commercial end users, value added hardware and software, academic and government. The five-minute online survey is posted at www.empliant.com/NOAA-remote-sensing-research. Global Marketing Insights is seeking survey responses from individuals involved in the remote sensing industry within Asia or specifically doing remote sensing-related business in Asia.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Global Scan Technologies announces agreement with ANTRIX
  www.gstdubai.com
  
  Global Scan Technologies (GST), a company providing remote sensing and GIS technologies in the Middle East, announced today that it has signed a contract with ANTRIX Corporation Limited, a provider of satellite images worldwide and the marketing arm of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) under the Department of Space, Govt. of India (DOS). “Our agreement with ANTRIX allows us to distribute Indian Satellite imagery in the UAE and many other Middle East countries,” said Dr.Hussein Harahsheh of GST.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Google Adds Multimedia Content To Earth
  earth.google.com
  
  Google Inc. on September 13, 2006, began offering multimedia content from the Discovery Network and others, on Google Earth. The overlays are available by clicking a “featured content” checkbox in the desktop software's sidebar. In doing so, users checking out individual locations will automatically see any additional information that's available.
  For example, the Discovery overlay enables travel buffs to view video segments to learn more about the history and significance of various world landmarks, national parks, American and European cities, and African locations. Other content providers include the United Nations Environmental Program, the National Park Service, the Jane Goodall Institute, and Turn Here. The institute does animal research, while Turn Here offers city video guides for travel, restaurants, hotels, local events and music around the globe.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Google Maps on your phone
  www.google.com/gmm/index.html
  
  For years the auto industry has been trying to figure out how to get you to pay for them to sell you an in-car navigation system. Have you noticed that by and large, the consumer market has rejected this idea? Perhaps it is because it is still expensive and most people know where they are going. So what if there were a way to get the benefits of mobile navigation, without buying a new device and paying for it only when you use it? Enter Google Maps for your cell phone! The maps are free, but you will have to pay for data services from your carrier
  
  Combining directions, maps, and satellite imagery, Google Maps is a free download that lets you find local hangouts and businesses across town or across the country–right from your phone.
  
  Detailed directions: Whether you plan to walk or drive, your route is displayed on the map itself, together with step-by-step directions.
  
  Integrated search results: Local business locations and contact information appear all in one place, integrated on your map.
  
  Easily movable maps: Interactive, draggable maps let you zoom in or out, and move in all directions so you can orient yourself visually.
  
  Satellite imagery: Get a bird's eye view of your desired location.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GPS cell phone with sexual predator zone alerts helps parents
  www.cattrax.us/
  Today's world is busier and unfortunately scarier than ever. Now CATS Communication, an Irvine, California based company, is making it easier to keep track of loved ones so families can have greater peace of mind. Wonder Boy Foundation, an organization dedicated to educating kids and their families on protection techniques against predators, is proud to announce its endorsement of CATS Communication's latest development in family protection technology: CATTRAX(TM). CATTRAX™is the most advanced “Location Based Service” that allows parents to keep track of loved ones through a GPS cell phone and even alerts them when their child is in a sexual predator zone. Over 1 million children in the U.S. are reported missing each year. Another 270,000 are abducted by family members, and as many as 60,000 are abducted by non-family members. The CATTRAX™ service costs about $20.00 per month, in addition to the cell phone and phone service costs. It is currently only available through CATS Communication
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GPS-Photo Link Software Provides Situational Awareness to Police Before Major Events
  www.geospatialexperts.com
  
  TATE Inc. is using GPS-Photo Link software from GeoSpatial Experts to enhance the situational awareness of police and security personnel assigned to provide protection at public events. As a provider of training and support to organizations with personnel operating in high risk environments, TATE deployed the GPS-Photo Link solution in preparation for major gatherings in Washington, D.C., including President Reagan's funeral in 2004. “Law enforcement personnel can view the GPS-located photos in the mapping environment on a computer screen to gain situational awareness in an area they have not visited,” said Ron Dinger of TATE Inc., based in Alexandria, Va. “By clicking on photos of an event venue or motorcade route, the officers are able to assess threats on the computer and determine which need to be examined in person.”
  
  GPS-Photo Link is a digital image mapping software that automatically links digital photographic images to GPS location data in the GIS environment. GPS-Photo Link creates web pages in which the watermarked photographs are integrated with satellite imagery, street maps, or other GIS-based mapping layer. New functionality added in the most recent software version enables users to display their photo locations as icons in a Google Earth map layer and add an arrow indicating the direction in which the photo was taken.
  
  In preparation for the Reagan funeral, TATE personnel used GPS-linked digital cameras to photograph every intersection and building on the motorcade route. Intersections were photographed in 360 degrees, and line of sight photos were taken from the tops of nearby buildings. TATE integrated these location-stamped photos into a GIS-based map display of Washington, D.C., using the GPS-Photo Link software and created a PowerPoint presentation with hyperlinks to the photos. Prior to the Reagan funeral, the PowerPoint presentations were given to members of the U.S. Park Police, Capitol Police and other security forces. They used the map and digital photos to evaluate infrastructure vulnerability and determine the safest route for the motorcade. To view the photo of a specific intersection or site, they simply clicked on a map icon “By photo-mapping the route in advance, we provided the officers with a valuable mission-rehearsal tool,” said Dinger. “It helped them get a feel for what they would face.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GRASS GIS 6.1.0 released
  grass.itc.it
  
  A new technology preview version of GRASS GIS was released on August 11, 2006 in preparation for the next benchmark release, GRASS 6.2. This feature release, version 6.1.0, improves upon the previous stable version of GRASS by adding hundreds of new features as well as support for the latest GIS data formats. The Geographic Resources Analysis Support System, commonly referred to as GRASS, is a Geographic Information System (GIS) combining powerful raster, vector, and geospatial processing engines into a single integrated software suite. GRASS includes tools for spatial modeling, visualization of raster and vector data, management and analysis of geospatial data, and the processing of satellite and aerial imagery. It also provides the capability to produce sophisticated presentation graphics and hardcopy maps.
  
  GRASS currently is used around the world in academic and commercial settings as well as by many governmental agencies and environmental consulting companies. It runs on a variety of popular hardware platforms and is Free open source software released under the terms of the GNU General Public License. Joining GRASS' well developed raster engine the GRASS 6 series introduced a new topological 2D/3D vector engine featuring support for vector network analysis and SQL based DBMS management of linked attributes. This release improves the integration and functionality of the raster and vector engines, and 3D raster (voxel) support has been greatly enhanced.
  
  A new graphical GIS manager and menu system has been implemented, while the old GUI display manager has been retained and improved for legacy support. The NVIZ visualization tool has been enhanced to display 3D vector data and voxel volumes and supports the creation of on-the-fly MPEG animations. Additional improvements include substantial message translation (i18n) with support for FreeType fonts, including multi-byte Asian characters, and tools to allow new project locations to be automatically generated from input data or EPSG code. Click for screenshots of Grass 6.1.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GRASS GIS 6.2.0
  grass.itc.it
  
  Anew stable version of GRASS GIS has been released today. This release adds hundreds of new features, support for the latest GIS data formats, and includes new translations for many languages. The Geographic Resources Analysis Support System, commonly referred to as GRASS, is a Geographic Information System (GIS) combining powerful raster, vector, and geospatial processing engines into a single integrated software suite. GRASS includes tools for spatial modeling, visualization of raster and vector data, management and analysis of geospatial data, and the processing of satellite and aerial imagery. It also provides the capability to produce sophisticated presentation graphics and hardcopy maps. It runs on a variety of popular hardware platforms and is Free open-source software released under the terms of the GNU General Public License.
  Joining GRASS's well developed raster engine, the GRASS 6 series introduced a new topological 2D/3D vector engine featuring support for vector network analysis and SQL-based DBMS management of linked attributes. This new release improves the integration and functionality of the raster and vector engines, and greatly enhances 3D raster volume (voxel) support. Additionally, this release debuts a new graphical GIS manager and menu system, while an improved version of the old GUI display manager has been retained for legacy support. The NVIZ visualization tool has been enhanced to display 3D vector data and voxel volumes, and now supports the creation of on-the-fly MPEG animations. Further improvements include substantial message translations (i18n) with support for FreeType fonts, including multi-byte Asian characters, and the inclusion of tools to create new project locations automatically given a georeferenced data file or EPSG code.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Greenburgh, New York's Police Department Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geotg.com
  
  Greenburgh, New York's Police Department has procured additional product functionality from GTG's LG GIS software suite. The department will be implementing additional licenses of LGmobile software to expand the department's existing LG platform which already includes other GIS applications such as LGdispatch. LGmobile is the latest breakthrough in mobile software solutions. LGmobile is a field-based mobile GIS mapping software solution used in public safety vehicles. It has a simple, easy-to-use interface that allows users to access important and vital dispatch and GIS information. Active incidents, AVL units and specific user events are all readily available within LGmobile. Curtis Hinton, CEO and co-owner of GTG, stated that, “GTG has enjoyed working with Greenburgh over the past few years. They face the challenges that all public safety agencies nationwide face: delivery of quick, consistent, and quality services for the protection of their citizenry. Greenburgh understands that software tools can help them better their service delivery. Greenburgh's use of the LG suite has improved information sharing an service delivery. The next logical move for the Town was to extend these powerful tools to the field with LGmobile.” The Department's continuing utilization of GTG's LG products highlights the value of our products as an integrated and comprehensive set of GIS solutions that leverage the Department's investment in their current applications.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Greenman–Pedersen Inc. Continues to Expansion MultiVision USA
  www.mv-usa.com
  
  Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI) announced the expansion of its subsidiary, MultiVision USA (MVUSA), a leading geospatial service provider. MVUSA has added enterprise geographic information system (GIS) services, geodatabase development and intranet and internet solutions to its already successful MultiVision oblique imagery, orthophotography and LiDAR-derived digital terrain model products. With these new services, MVUSA integrates the best capabilities of GPI and Aerial Cartographics of America (ACA) into an innovative and extensive offering. In newly expanded offices in Orlando, Florida and Lebanon, New Jersey, MVUSA will continue its coast-to-coast growth. The company brings the best products and services available to property appraisers, public safety officials, environmental agencies, homeland security, and emergency 911 agencies. With new software enhancements, MVUSA will continue to provide oblique imagery solutions designed to fully integrate imagery and geospatial systems, and provide access to these systems via an intranet and/or internet solution.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Greenville County, SC Selects GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  Greenville County, South Carolina’s Emergency Medical Service expanded their implementation of Geographic Technologies Group’s (GTG) LG GIS software suite. The County’s EMS system acquired licenses of LGaddress for Public Safety to expand the existing LG platform which includes other GIS applications such as LGdispatch. LGaddress for Public Safety is a bi–directional geographic information system software application that allows spatial management of the Master Street Address Guide (MSAG). LGaddress for Public Safety offers innovative bi-directional GIS functionality including: 1) Data that resides on a GIS now can be automatically and seamlessly integrated into the MSAG, and 2) Data that resides in the MSAG now can be automatically and seamlessly integrated into the LGaddress for Public Safety GIS application. LGaddress for Public Safety allows the user to update Geofile records with spatial information residing in a GIS spatial overlay capabilities allow the user a window into GIS and Geofile records.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GTG forms Strategic Alliance with Tele-Works, Inc.
  www.geotg.com
  
  This alliance will form an advanced GIS implementation team that will benefit government agencies of all sizes and complexities. Experience in all aspects of government will afford clients the very best professional services for successfully implementing enterprise-wide GIS solutions. Tele–Works clients will now be able to talk to a local government GIS expert about planning, designing, building optimum GIS solutions, and purchasing off-the-shelf GIS software solutions. GTG is nationally recognized as a leader in planning, designing, and implementing total GIS solutions for town, cities, and counties. A full service GIS company with offices throughout the United States, GTG offers Tele–Works client's immediate access to a cadre of seasoned local government GIS specialists and a complete suite of GIS software that seamlessly integrates with Tele-Works eVision Platform and Solution Set. Tele–Works was founded in 1986 and has established itself as the leading provider of inbound and outbound communication solutions for local governments and utility agencies. Tele–Works exclusive dedication, targeted experience and commitment to their client's success gives Tele–Works customers riskfree solutions, innovative technology and affordable products that produce results.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GTG releases GeoBlade Viewer
  www.geotg.com
  
  GTG announces the release of its latest installment to its GeoBlade Suite of software, GeoBlade Viewer. GeoBlade Viewer is a user-friendly desktop application that provides users with the ability to turn their data investment into meaningful information by allowing the users to view, search, query and browse their GIS data in a quick and easy manner.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GTG to Provide Consulting Services and Implement GIS Software Solutions to Calvert County, Maryland
  www.geotg.com
  Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced that Calvert County, Maryland awarded GTG a contract to provide continued services. This project will identify and recommend strategies and technologies that meet the current and future GIS needs of Calvert County. The County will be implementing gtg-route, gtg-dispatch, gtg-AVL, and the GTG address management tool. The combined use of these applications offers a comprehensive expansion of the County’s information technology infrastructure. gtg-route offers users of the GTG’s suite of products exciting new routing functionality such as finding the most efficient travel route, generating travel directions, finding the closest facility, or defining service areas based on travel time. gtg-dispatch is a GIS mapping interface that provides E-911 dispatchers with an interactive map displaying the location of all emergency calls. gtg-avl is a GIS software solution that when integrated with GISmo, gtg-dispatch, or gtg-mobile will allow for the tracking of public safety or work crew vehicles. The gtg-address management tool is a productivity tool that allows an organization interactively and accurately map and edit address data including street centerlines and address points.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  GTG: Coming to your town soon?
  www.geotg.com
  
  In the role of editor of this newsletter I get to see all the news releases coming from GIS and GIS-related companies. Sure, I get a ton from ESRI, which makes sense since they are the industry leader. But on the other end of the spectrum is a company called Geographic Technologies Group that seems to be installing GIS in every small town in America. I am not personally familiar with the company nor its principals nor products. But given the seemingly unending torrent of press releases it would appear that they are the go-to company for small to mid-sized municipal GIS.
  
  For example, here are some of the recent press releases that Andera Herring of GTG sent me:
  - The City of Pearland, Texas will be implementing additional licenses of LGcrimes software and LGcrimes additional search functionality to expand the City's existing LG platform that already includes other GIS applications such as LGdispatch, LGmobile, LGaddress, LGviewer and GISmo.
  - The Town of Palm Bay, Florida purchased LGaddress from GTG's LG GIS software suite. This application will serve to expand the City's existing GTG software platform, which already includes LGdispatch, LGcrimes, LGviewer, LGweb, LGpublicweb and LGaddress for Public Safety.
  - Saint Vincent's Electric Services (VINLEC) bought GTG's LGweb and LGaddress. LGweb is an Intranet GIS data browser that seamlessly integrates with Vinlec's GIS and existing IT investment. Employees from managers to field crew will be able to visualize GIS data in conjunction with billing, consumption, work order, and other data residing in Vinlec's corporate databases.
  - Yuba County, California will implement additional licenses of LGmobile software to expand the County's existing LG platform, which already includes other GIS applications such as LGdispatch and LGcrimes. LGmobile is a field based mobile GIS mapping software solution used in public safety vehicles. It has a simple, easy-to-use interface that allows users to access important and vital dispatching information. Active incidents, AVL units and specific user events are all within the LGmobile interface.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OSI Geospatial Secures First
  Commercial Customer in Europe
  www.osigeospatial.com/
  
  OSI Geospatial Inc.was awarded a contract by Peter Dôhle Schiffahrts - KG (Peter Dôhle) of Hamburg, Germany for the installation and service of eight ECPINS® 4000 commercial grade navigation systems. Under the terms of the contract, ECPINS® will be installed on Peter Dôöhle's minibulk carriers. ECPINS® helps to reduce the risk of navigation related incidents by giving bridge crews a precise, real–time display of their position, course, and speed against a background of fixed obstacles and other navigational hazards. The system provides advanced navigational, precise vessel prediction, radar, and target control functionalities to assist the bridge team in difficult manoeuvring and traffic situations. “With the addition of our first customer in Europe, we continue to expand our role in the commercial maritime market,” said Ken Kirkpatrick, president and CEO of OSI Geospatial. “Earlier this year we stated our intention to aggressively pursue this market. Our first European customer represents another important milestone. We are delighted to be working with a shipping company like Peter Dôhle.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  [A-C] [D-E] [F-G] [H-K][L-M] [N-O] [P-R][S-T][U-Z]
  
  H-K
  Harris Corporation Teams with BAE SYSTEMS and T-Kartor
  www.harris.com
  
  Harris Corporation announced that it teamed exclusively with BAE SYSTEMS ADR of Mt. Laurel, New Jersey, and T–Kartor Sweden AB, of Kristianstad, Sweden, to pursue the Nordic Initiative of the Multinational Geospatial Co-Production Program (MGCP). Formed in 2003, the MGCP consists of 28 member nations working to bolster cooperative production and coordination of high resolution digital vector data in high interest regions where adequate data is not currently available. The Nordic Initiative represents the interests of Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland to produce more than 600 cells of geospatial data to MGCP specifications.
  
  “This is a very important international program and a perfect fit for the proven expertise that the Harris team offers in large-scale, geospatial data production,” said Russ Haney, president of the National Programs business unit of the Harris Government Communications Systems Division. “Harris has extensive expertise with large geospatial programs such as the U.S. Census Bureau's Master Address File/Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing Accuracy Improvement Project and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency's Global Geospatial Intelligence program. The MGCP program would expand our served markets in this area of expertise to the international arena.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Hawaiian High School Students Use GPS-Photo Link Software
  www.geospatialexperts.com/
  Students at Kealakehe High School in Hawaii will be hitting the beaches this year with GPS-Photo Link software from GeoSpatial Experts of Thornton, Colo., to study the extent and possible causes of shoreline erosion. The study is funded through a Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) grant sponsored by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). “We have incorporated GPS and GIS into our Career and Training Education curriculum which focuses on teaching skills that students can use to get jobs,” said Larry Rice, a Career and Training instructor at Kealakehe High School on the island of Hawaii.
  As part of the B-WET Program, the students will select several beaches on the island for mapping and study. Using standard Ricoh digital cameras equipped with GPS cards, the students will document beach conditions throughout the school year. They will then use GPS-Photo Link software to integrate the GPS-located photos into a geographic information system (GIS) to determine if, and to what extent, the beaches are eroding as a result of sea level rise and island subsidence. Mapping with digital photography is a technology made possible by GeoSpatial Experts? GPS-Photo Link software. This digital image mapping software automatically links digital photographic images with GPS location data and maps the photographs on a GIS layer. In addition, GPS-Photo Link creates web pages in which the watermarked photographs are integrated with satellite imagery, street maps, or other GIS-based mapping layer. New functionality added in the most recent software version enables users to display their photo locations as icons in a Google Earth map layer and add an arrow indicating the direction in which the photo was taken.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  HDI offers white paper on Mapping IT Service
  www.thinkhdi.com
  
  Like it or not, GIS is part of the IT world -- just expand the last two letters in GIS. Though GIS may not physically be in your enterprise's IT department, that does not mean it is not part of the discipline. The output may be unlike anything the IT guys have ever generated, but under the hood you are still entering, storing and retrieving data. You are meeting users expectations, you have delivery dates, standards and governance along the way. Granted, the title of this white paper -- “Mapping IT Service and Support -- Learn,;Govern; Improve”-- does not refer to GIS type mapping, but it will help improve your results
  Founded in 1989, HDI is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and is the world?s largest membership association for internal and external IT Service and Support professionals. HDI is member-focused and remains vendor-neutral in its efforts to facilitate open, independent networking and information sharing within the association?s global network.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Homeland Security Selects ESRI for GIS Enterprise
  www.esri.com
  
  The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has signed an Enterprise License Agreement (ELA) with ESRI that will enable the agency to deploy the full spectrum of ESRI geographic information system (GIS) software throughout its organization. The comprehensive agreement provides the department with an easy and cost-effective method to provide enterprise-wide GIS software, professional services, and training to DHS employees. It will enable DHS to expand the use of GIS to mitigate against, prepare for, and respond to events as well as secure U.S. borders, enable trade and transportation, and enforce US law.
  “ESRI is honored that the Department of Homeland Security has selected ESRI as a core component to its enterprise GIS, and we look forward to expanding our collaboration with the agency through the Enterprise License Agreement,” says Jack Dangermond, ESRI president. “Protecting the homeland and providing safer communities is one of the most important duties of government. The ELA provides an optimized framework for deploying the full array of GIS software and services throughout DHS while providing maximum cost savings and value. It will help the agency leverage existing GIS investments and will facilitate expanded use of the technology to share information and analysis across the department.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  HopStop.com to use NAVTEQ® Data
  www.hopstop.com
  
  Hopstop.com selected NAVTEQ to provide U.S. street map data to HopStop.com. The agreement between HopStop and American Digital Cartography, Inc. (ADCi), a leading authorized distributor for NAVTEQ, allows HopStop to use NAVTEQ data within HopStop's Web Site and Web Services for the purpose of allowing users to obtain subway, bus and walking directions in major U.S cities.
  
  HopStop provides door-to-door directions to city residents and tourists via public transportation systems. “The company is building the first national network to facilitate inter-city and intra-city travel using mass transit systems” says Chinedu Echeruo, CEO, HopStop. HopStop&039;s services are currently available in New York City, Boston, San Francisco and Washington D.C. with future plans to include Philadelphia, Chicago, Atlanta, Maryland, New Jersey, and Long Island, NY.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Horry County Region Uses Cityworks GIS-Centric Software
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems announced that Horry County, South Carolina, has become one of the first regions in the United States to fully utilize GIS-centric software solutions to enhance intergovernmental cooperation among agencies in the area. As part of their commitment to GIS-centric solutions, the county and neighboring agencies use Cityworks as the asset and maintenance management system. Horry County selected Cityworks for its integrated call center, asset and work order management capabilities as well as its unique GIS-centric approach. Several departments utilize Cityworks including Emergency Management, Land Records, Information Technology, Public Works, Buildings and Roads. Additional business applications are being integrated such as Document Management, Pavement Analysis, CAMA, and mobile services. “Cityworks was right on target and exactly what we wanted,” said Tim Oliver, Assistant Director of IT/GIS for Horry County. “Being GIS-centric, easily deployable, and affordable, Cityworks meets our needs while offering an environment for easy data and application sharing within our agency and among our constituent jurisdictions.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  House Intelligence Committee Chairman to Address MAPPS Federal Programs Conference
  www.mapps.org
  
  Congressman Pete Hoekstra (R-MI), Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, will be a featured speaker at the MAPPS Federal Programs Conference, March 13-15, 2006 in Washington, DC. The Intelligence Committee has jurisdiction over the National Geospatial–Intelligence Agency (NGA), and important client organization to MAPPS and dozens of its member firms.
  
  “We are honored and delighted that Chairman Hoekstra will be taking time from his very busy schedule to be with the MAPPS membership,” said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. “MAPPS member firms, as prime contractors and subcontractors, are increasingly engaged in NGA’s programs, including GGI, Clearview, and Nextview, and having Chairman Hoekstra with us is an important step in building the already excellent working relationship MAPPS has with NGA, and will help MAPPS efforts in supporting NGA in Congress.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  HSGT Signs Pictometry® for Hitachi HouseDiff® Services
  www.hsgt.com/
  
  Pictometry International Corp. and Hitachi Software Global Technology (HSGT) announced that Pictometry will become the Master North American distributor for the Hitachi HouseDiff® service offering. Under terms of the agreemen, Pictometry will market and sell the Hitachi HouseDiff product as a complementary offering to its own Pictometry Professional (EFS) and Pictometry Change Analysis™ software systems. Hitachi HouseDiff automatically detects changes in an area that could go undetected, such as additions to existing structures, demolitions, land use changes, new construction, or other real property features. Pictometry Change Analysis allows the direct comparison on a computer monitor of previous aerial imagery with recent imagery of the same area. Combining the Pictometry Change Analysis Viewer with the Hitachi's HouseDiff process, users can now view the change candidates side-by-side with new imagery, as well as verify and analyze the changes using the multiple views from Pictometry's oblique imagery.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  IDELIX picks new CEO
  www.idelix.com
  
  The board of directors of IDELIX Software Inc. named Philip Attfield as the company's new CEO. He will be operating from the IDELIX U.S. office. Mr. Attfield was a founder of Signal 9 Solutions and acted as its CEO until January 2000, at which time the company was acquired by McAfee.com. Signal 9 Solutions pioneered personal firewalls and produced the world's first mass-market, Common Criteria certified product of its kind. Since Signal 9, he has acted as a facilitator at numerous G8 Cybercrime workshop sessions, led a team of security experts in the development of an infrastructure-scale authorization framework at Boeing Phantom Works, served as an expert witness for the U.S. Department of Justice in the investigation and courtroom prosecution of a complex, multi-national cyber-crime, and most recently held the position of President of the Northwest Security Institute, a Seattle-based non-profit organization.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  IID to Provide Seamless Data Access
  wwww.iid.com
  
  Imperial Irrigation District (IID) has selected ESRI for its enterprise geographic information system platform. The implementation will create a systemwide GIS environment of electrical asset, configuration, and grid coordinate information that is accurate and current with real-time updating.
  Imperial
  Irrigation District
  ESRI is providing professional services including design and application customization services. In addition, the GIS will fully interface with the organization's SAP enterprise resource planning software. “We're one of the fastest-growing utilities in the country in terms of percentage of growth per year,” says John Federowicz, manager, IID Energy. “This growth has forced us to move beyond previous processes. GIS will be one of the cornerstones of our enterprise technology solution. It will provide us with new ways for maintaining data and providing accurate information throughout the organization. We want our employees to have the best information and applications to do their work and give our customers the finest service possible.”
  
  “IID will be able to leverage the advantage of enterprise GIS for integrating all types of datasets including asset, network, operations, customer, and more,? says Bill Meehan, director of Utility Solutions, ESRI. ?They will be able to build a true enterprise platform with an open architecture and state-of-the-art technologies.” IID is a community-owned utility that provides irrigation water and electric power to the lower southeastern portion of California's desert. Rich in agricultural history, the Imperial Valley region has an agriculture–based economy.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  ImageCat's 3DCity™ Model for the City of London
  www.imagecatinc.com
  
  3D-London™ is the first realistic 3D urban model for the City of London - the international financial capital of the World. It is the flagship offering from ImageCat's 3DCity™ program, which was initiated in 2004 to meet the advanced building inventory needs of the insurance, asset management, planning and security markets. 3D-London™ provides a detailed structural model of the more than 1,000 buildings within the City, and includes highly-accurate information about building height, number of stories, footprint area and location. It includes famous landmarks including St Paul's Cathedral and the SwissRe 'Gherkin'. The model is compatible with Google Earth, ESRI software and other common GIS applications.
  
  3DCity™ models offer stand alone guidance for risk assessment, and are readily integrated into new and existing decision support protocols. … For improved disaster scenario testing, 3D-London™ is easily combined with flood maps, fire following assumptions, plume dispersal models, bomb blast radii, or line of sight calculations. Due for release in July 2006, 3D-London™ Version 1.1 is under development, and will include an expanded suite of building attributes requested by the insurance and reinsurance sectors.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Indian River County, Florida Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geotg.com
  
  Indian River County, Florida acquired software and services from GTG. The County procured GTG's GeoBlade Intranet and Geomanager software solutions. GeoBlade Intranet is the latest in enterprise GIS tools from GTG. The application enables the entire enterprise to access GIS and IT investments. Unique backend tools synchronize GIS data with existing data from other databases. Curtis Hinton, CEO and co-owner of GTG, stated that, “Indian River County has made a major commitment to GIS. They have just completed a very comprehensive implementation plan that details the optimal steps for implementing GIS over a three year period. One of the keys to the County's success is making sure that all stakeholders can see the progress being made and get a quick return-on-investment. GeoBlade Intranet accomplishes both of these goals. Staff throughout the County will see the progress being made on a daily basis while using the data to make the daily decisions that their jobs require.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  indiana Launches Innovative Web-based Site Selection Tool
  
  www.in.gov
  
  The Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) today launched a geographic information systems (GIS) powered site and building database on its new Web site. This new innovative economic development tool makes Indiana the fourth in the nation with a Web site that utilizes interactive GIS mapping technology for statewide site and building searches. This is available at www.IEDC.in.gov. The site selection tool is part of the IEDC’s redesigned Web site, and will speed-up and simplify the process of business attraction and site selection for expanding and relocating businesses. IEDC is partnering with the Indiana Economic Development Association (IEDA) and the Indiana Business Research Center (IBRC). The IBRC is providing technical, data, and administrative support for the project, with the twin goals of advancing the technology for the site and ensuring that the content is up-to-date and accurate.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Indiana University and the Indiana Geological Survey host interactive Web site
  www.indianamap.org
  
  Indiana University and the Indiana Geological Survey are hosting an interactive Web site that provides detailed map information about Indiana for land use planners, businesses and the public. The site, called the IndianaMap, includes high resolution aerial photography of the entire state, along with data about transportation, elevation and water resources. “This is basically a one stop location to be able to find these types of geographical data,” said Rick Hill, assistant director for technical services with the Indiana Geological Survey. The map site is managed by the Indiana Geographic Information Council, a nonprofit organization of professionals and educators in the field of geographic information systems, or GIS.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Industry Experts to Keynote at GeoWeb 2006
  www.geoweb.org
  GeoWeb 2006 announced that three well-known industry leaders will provide keynote addresses at GeoWeb 2006, to be held at the Morris J. Wosk Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, July 24-28, 2006. GeoWeb 2006 is the only conference focused exclusively on the convergence of XML, Web services, and geographic information systems. Michael Jones, CTO of Google Earth; Stephen Lawler, general manager of Microsoft’s Virtual Earth; and Kurt Cagle, author and technology architect for Mercurial Communications, will be featured keynote speakers. Conference organizer, Galdos Systems Inc., and conference supporter, the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), expect to add at least one other keynote speaker as the conference gets closer.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Integrated Mapping Services Becomes Tensing USA Business Partner
  www.tensing.us/
  
  Tensing USA named Integrated Mapping Services Inc. (InMaps) of Holderness, N.H., as the newest Tensing Business Partner. As a Business Partner, InMaps is able to resell Tensing mobility products and integrate them with its own GIS and CAD applications to create custom mobile GIS solutions for gas and electric utility clients. “The Tensing and InMaps mobile GIS products complement each other to provide unique solutions for our clients in the utility sector,” said Arjan Plomp, Tensing USA Managing Director. Richard St. Pierre, President of InMaps, said, “Our goal is to offer complete, proven technology solutions to our gas and electric utility customers, and we believe our business partnership with Tensing is an excellent way to accomplish this goal. InMaps sees the Tensing SPY suite as an ideal platform upon which to customize our Automated Driving Survey solution.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intelligent Alignment? Pixxures’ Lineworks
  www.pixxures.com
  
  Pixxures released its vector alignment software, LineWorks®, for licensing into the commercial market. The LineWorks technology replaces traditional vector alignment processes such as “rubber sheeting” that often compromise data integrity and prohibit consistent adjustment of associated annotation. The LineWorks software is a standalone package that does not require additional licenses of GIS/CAD software. LineWorks works both in the Linux and Windows environments and supports numerous external data formats. LineWorks was first developed by Pixxures for in–house use on customer projects such as Jefferson County, Colorado to align their parcel data with their newly acquired 1–foot pixel imagery. “Many of our customers were dealing with similar problems. Pixxures leveraged our technical resources in-house to engineer a tool that will enable us to provide vector alignment efficiently and accurately,” explainedPresident and CEO Chuck Killpack.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Announces ImageStation PixelQue
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced ImageStation® PixelQue, a unique application offering several finishing tools needed in orthophoto production for image inspection, quality control, image enhancement, and image editing. ImageStation PixelQue combines all the tools needed into a single package tailored for production, streamlining and driving productivity throughout the orthophoto finishing process. ImageStation PixelQue includes many tools for which users have traditionally employed a range of applications, many of which were not designed specifically for orthophoto production. By delivering these tools within a single application, which is tightly integrated with ImageStation OrthoPro, users benefit from support of four band and 16-bit images and preservation of georeferencing embedded in the file header.
  “Intergraph is committed to providing an integrated geospatial and mapping environment, and by integrating tools essential to orthophoto finishing within ImageStation PixelQue, we are demonstrating that dedication to innovation. By streamlining the production process, organizations are able to improve productivity for photogrammetrists,” said Peter Batty, chief technology officer of Intergraph.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Announces Intergraph 2007
  www.Intergraph.com
  
  Following the success of its inaugural integrated users conference, Intergraph Corporation announced Intergraph 2007, to be held May 21-24, 2007 in Nashville, Tennessee, at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. In its second year, this international conference will be built around the theme “Realize Your Vision,” exploring how customers across the globe are using Intergraph's spatial information management software to address today's challenges but also those of tomorrow.
  “Our attendees expressed an overwhelmingly positive response to Intergraph 2006, the first time we had welcomed all of our customers and partners from around the world and across the industries we serve to a single event,” said R. Halsey Wise, Intergraph president and CEO. “Intergraph 2007 will embody our organizational strategy and vision, highlight our continued commitment to delivering a full range of the most advanced spatial and design technologies, and address the economic, social and political trends leading to increased demand for real-time accurate spatial intelligence by our customers.” For more information about Intergraph 2007, visit www.intergraph2007.com.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Announces MAP2PDF for GeoMedia and Digital Cartographic Studio
  www.Intergraph.com
  www.terragotech.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation and TerraGo Technologies announced that MAP2PDF versions for Intergraph product lines, GeoMedia and Digital Cartographic Studio (DCS) are now generally available. GeoPDF embeds geospatially referenced data for map coordinate readouts, distances and bearing information in an easy to understand PDF format. The new MAP2PDF will export geospatial data from GeoMedia or DCS to a georegistered PDF with layers and feature attributes. This GeoPDF can be easily distributed and used in connected or disconnected modes with TerraGo's free Adobe Reader software. Users are able to view maps, turn layers on and off, query attributes, display coordinates, GPS track and create redlines and notes.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Announces New Version of ImageStation Technology
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced a new version of the ImageStation® suite of products, which increase customer productivity with an enhanced user interface, improved computation performance in triangulation, automatic Digital Terrain Modeling (DTM) and improved orthophoto processing. “Intergraph’s ImageStation technology provides customers with the seamless integration of hardware and software, improving photogrammetric production, streamlining workflows and improving overall performance,” said Gadi BenMark, general manager, Intergraph Transportation and Photogrammetry. “This new version of ImageStation increases productivity with enhanced capabilities that allow customers to do more, faster.” Key features of the new ImageStation release include:
  - Added different GPS/inertial measurement unit (IMU) correction models, enhanced exterior orientation (EO) analysis tools and increased speed of bundle block adjustment
  - Consolidated sensor modules to a single product – ImageStation Satellite Triangulation
  - Decreased automatic DTM generation computation time of color imagery by approximately 40%
  - Added distributed processing capability to orthophoto software – enabling true ortho and mosaicking as well as multi-threaded support for mosaicking
  - Increased speed of mosaicking and true ortho processing – freeing users to focus resources on other areas
  - Added support for expanded MicroStation V8 design plane – simplifying customer processes
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Expands Offerings for Energy, Utiltities & Telecommunications
  www.intergraph.com
  Intergraph Corporation became an IBM Business Partner by joining its exclusive PartnerWorld Industry Networks (PWIN). As part of the agreement, PWIN IBM and Intergraph have entered into a marketing relationship whereby both organizations collaborate to promote their bes-of-breed solutions to the telecommunications, energy and utilities industries. Under the terms of the agreement, Intergraph's mobile workforce management system featuring InService technology will be enabled with the following IBM technologies: WebSphere Application Server, WebSphere Business Integration (WebSphere MQ), IBM eServer (xSeries), and IBM eServer (BladeCenter).
  The partnership will enable telecommunications and utilities organizations to benefit from the reliability and innovation for which IBM and Intergraph are each acclaimed within their respective industry segments, according to the company. Additionally, by integrating WebSphere into Intergraph applications, customers will experience lower initial implementation and integration maintenance costs. “This agreement continues the growth of our global partner network and underscores the strength of our mobile workforce management offering,” said Jay Stinson, vice president of Intergraph Utilities & Communications. “IBM and Intergraph are positioned to deliver highly productive, reliable and cost effective solutions to our telecommunications and utilities customers.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Introduces OneMobile Enterprise
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced its OneMobile enterprise information application for utility and communications companies. OneMobile provides an end–to–end, real time information link between field service technicians and the corporate back office resulting in enhanced productivity and efficiency. In doing so, it increases business productivity by shortening the data acquisition chain - the time it takes to obtain information and act on that knowledge. Until now, field personnel have had to rely on several applications to manage routine tasks such as outages, inspections, repairs and connect and disconnects. Intergraph's OneMobile geospatial resource management platform solves this issue by facilitating connectivity for interrelated systems including geospatial information systems, outage management, mobile workforce management, and work management all from within the vehicle in the field. With OneMobile, field personnel can use one geospatial user interface (GUI) to receive multiple types of work, view and redline facility map data, share resources across departments, and communicate with back-office applications. OneMobile supports workflows including design, inspection, damage assessment, viewing, routing, and dispatching.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Opens International Users Conference
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced the commencement of the company's new flagship international users conference, Intergraph 2006, June 13-15 at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. In its inaugural year, the conference will host more than 2,000 attendees from over 60 countries. General Colin Powell, USA (Ret.) will present the featured keynote, exploring leadership during times of change and crisis. Additional keynote addresses will be presented by Intergraph President and Chief Executive Officer Halsey Wise, Chief Operating Officer Reid French, and Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Peter Batty.
  
  “Bringing together all of our customers and partners from around the world allows us to highlight our organizational synergies and the true difference Intergraph and our customers make in the world today,” said R. Halsey Wise, Intergraph President and CEO. “Intergraph 2006 will showcase some of the most advanced spatial technologies used by our customers today as well as our vision for the future, addressing the macro- and socioeconomic trends of heightened security concerns, increased demand for critical infrastructure and energy and rising oil and gas prices.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Reaches Patent Agreement with Acer
  
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced a patent license agreement between Intergraph's intellectual property subsidiary and Acer Incorporated. Under the terms of the agreement, Acer will make a one–time, fully–paid royalty payment of $7.5 million based upon a 1% royalty on applicable product revenues. As a result of the patent license agreement, Acer will obtain a fully paid-up worldwide license to Intergraph's Clipper patents, and Intergraph will obtain an option to license certain Acer patents on royalty bearing terms.
  “We are pleased to have reached a licensing agreement with Acer,” said R. Halsey Wise, President & Chief Executive Officer of Intergraph Corporation. “The Acer license demonstrates our continued commitment to enforce and realize value from our intellectual property portfolio in the best interest of our Company and shareholders.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Reports Fourth Quarter and 2005 Financial Results
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced financial results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2005. Revenue for the quarter was $145.9 million, compared to $146.2 million reported in the fourth quarter of 2004. For the year ended December 31, 2005, revenue was $577.6 million, an increase of 4.8% from $551.1 million reported in 2004. Operating income for the quarter was $10.4 million, or 7.1% of revenue, compared to $9.8 million, or 6.7% of revenue, reported in the fourth quarter of 2004. Operating income for the year was $32.5 million, or 5.6% of revenue, compared to $34.1 million, or 6.2% of revenue, reported in 2004.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph Selected By Nanjing Gas
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced the successful phase one implementation of its G/Technology geofacilities management application at Nanjing Gas, the largest of 25 Chinese companies that have joint ventures with the utility giant, Hong Kong China Gas Company, also known as Towngas. The phase one milestone encompasses using geospatial technology to streamline network operations, including maintenance, repair and replacement. Nanjing Gas is the first gas industry provider to deploy Intergraph's G/Technology platform in China. It is implementing the G/Gas suite of geofacilities management applications, which are based on gas distribution industry best practices and are a key enabling technology within Intergraph's Geospatial Resource Management (GRM) environment of integrated systems.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph to be Acquired
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by Hellman & Friedman LLC and Texas Pacific Group in a transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Intergraph stockholders will receive $44.00 in cash for each share of Intergraph common stock, representing a 22% premium over Intergraph's average closing share price for the last twenty trading days. “We are pleased to announce this transaction which represents the culmination of a thorough review of our standalone plan and strategic alternatives,” said Sidney L. McDonald, Chairman of the Intergraph Board of Directors. “Our Board of Directors believes this transaction is in the best interests of our stockholders and underscores the significant operational and financial improvements Intergraph has made over the past three years.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intergraph To Offer More Than $1.8 Million in Grants to Universities Worldwide
  www.osgeo.org
  
  Intergraph Corporation awarded grants for its SmartPlant suite of plant and industrial design software with an estimated commercial lease value of $1,808,350 to five international education institutions in Argentina, Finland, Haiti and Norway. The recipients include Bergeland Videregående Skole, Laboratory of CAD Stavanger, Norway, (US$76,400); Rogaland vidergående sjoaspirantskole of Hundvag, Norway (US$47,600); Escuela de Educacion Technica No. 1, Buenos Aires, Argentina (US$220,100); Kymenlaakso Polytechnic, Finland (US$1,426,750) and Université Quisqueya, Haiti (US$37,500). The Educational Grant Program (ppm.intergraph.com/education) awards software to institutions of higher learning and technology worldwide.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intermap Partners with Tele Atlas to Develop Vehicle Navigation Applications
  www.intermap.com
  
  Intermap Technologies Corporation announced today that it has signed a letter of intent with Tele Atlas North America, Inc. to develop highly accurate two and three dimensional digital road maps for the vehicle navigation market. The new collaboration is an important step in addressing the growing demand for intelligent transportation system (ITS) and combines Tele Atlas’ 2D road data with Intermap’s 3D NEXTMap data. The companies will first work to produce an operational scale pilot incorporating Intermap’s 3D elevation map of California, the most accurate map of the state ever produced, and Tele Atlas road vectors. The resulting application will allow visualization systems to operate at higher levels of detail and accuracy than any other statewide dataset. “We are excited to join forces with Tele Atlas in an effort to accelerate 3D navigation visuals and provide a more detailed 3D road vector database in support of ITS applications,” commented Brian Bullock, president and CEO of Intermap Technologies.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intermap Technologies expanded its online offerings
  www.intermap.com
  
  Intermap expanded its online offerings to include countrywide and statewide SRTM (Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) elevation datasets, contours and Global Mapper geospatial software. All of these offerings complement the Intermap suite of NEXTMap® digital elevation models. SRTM elevation datasets will supplement the company's NEXTMap® high–resolution datasets while the company collects and builds their national elevation database of countries around the world. The SRTM datasets are available by whole country or group of countries (except for the United States, which is broken into states and territorial islands). The datasets have national boundaries buffered to 12 nautical miles, ocean elevation set to 0 meters and flattened lakes greater than 600 meters in length. Datasets are available in ESRI GRID format or custom formats at a customer's request. The U.S. state and territorial island models are clipped from SRTM DTED® Level 2 data using ESRI's shapefiles of U.S. state boundaries. Country models are clipped from the SRTM DTED® Level 1 data by using ESR's international country shapefiles.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intermap Technologies Wins $2.5M Mapping Contract in Southeast Asia
  www.intermap.com
  Intermap Technologies Corp.was awarded a US $2.5 million contract for radar mapping in Southeast Asia. Under the agreement, the Company will collect and deliver geographic three–dimensional elevation and imagery data utilizing Intermap's IFSAR radar mapping technology. The delivery of current and accurate Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) for this region will allow the client to create new topographic maps and update existing mapping data in the region. Accurate geospatial information allows clients to better understand any changes to the landscape for future planning, design, engineering, and construction.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Intermap to create precision 3-D visualization models
  http://www.intermap.com/
  
  Intermap Technologies, Inc. entered an agreement with CyberCity 3D LLC to use Intermap's elevation models in conjunction with ViewTec's state-of-the-art TerrainView software to create precision 3-D visualization models of five California counties: Los Angeles, Orange, Sacramento, San Diego, and Ventura. The resulting models, named “3D Terrains,” will be available in the coming weeks.
  Each county, ranging in size from 945 to 4,752 square miles, will feature aerial imagery draped over Intermap's elevation data that has a vertical accuracy of one meter or better. Users of the TerrainView software may select from a wide palette of environmental attributes; including time of day, skybox, distant haze, volumetric clouds, and rain, snow, and wind effects to generate realistic scenes within these counties. They will also have the ability to create and save flight paths, points of interest, and take 3-D measurements of the displayed areas and features.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  iPhotoToGoogleEarth 0.9
  craig.stanton.net.nz/software/iPhotoToGoogleEarth.html
  
  iPhotoToGoogleEarth is a plugin for iPhoto 6 (Mac OS X 10.4) that will export photos for viewing in Google Earth. To make the most of iPhotoToGoogleEarth you'll need to have GPS infomation stored in the Exif tags. If you don't know what that means this plugin probably isn't for you. The best GPS tagger out there is GPSPhotoLinker, check it out. Once you have photos tagged correctly, select your images in iPhoto and then Export. If you have a track log (in NMEA format) you can include it with the images and configure the line thickness and colour. If the track is very long you may wish to lower the detail (it skips points) so that Google Earth runs smoothly, this will depend on how fast your computer is. The file it produces is a KMZ. Open it with Google Earth or share it with friends to show off where you have been. iPhotTo GoogleEarth is freeware
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  IU Northwest Centers announce new Non-Profit Institute
  www.iun.edu/~newsnw/pg/2006/060201_nonprofit.shtml
  
  IU Northwest Centers for Cultural Discovery and Learning and Sustainable Regional Vitality are pleased to announce the creation of the new Non-Profit Institute at Indiana University Northwest in partnership with the Lake Area United Way (LAUW), GRANTS, Inc. and the Northwest Indiana Quality of Life Council. The institute was formed with funding from a 3-year LAUW grant of $150,000, in response to key 2004 and 2005 reports from these agencies that indicated the need for education and training support for non-profits and their constituents. … Both the Non-Profit Institute and GRANTS, Inc. are now located in the IU Northwest Library Conference Center. The location of the Institute in the library is especially vital to the role they now serve. This location will allow non-profits, businesses and individuals who work with the Institute to have access to a database that builds on resources of the Data and Analysis Center, which provides demographic, census, and projection-type information that is often used for grantseeking projects; the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Forum Regional Office, which provides electronic maps relating to Lake County and the northwest Indiana region; and the Library itself, which is equipped with meeting spaces, computer labs, IT and phone jacks, and provides access to thousands of paper and electronic education materials.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Jack Dangermond Awarded Henry Shaw Medal
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI president Jack Dangermond was awarded the Henry Shaw Medal in a ceremony on September 13, 2006, at the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, Missouri. Presented since 1883, the medal recognizes those who have made significant contributions to the Missouri Botanical Garden, botanical research, horticulture, conservation, or the museum community. It is named in honor of Henry Shaw, a successful St. Louis businessman who founded the Missouri Botanical Garden in 1859.
  Summarizes Scott Schnuck, chairman of the Missouri Botanical Garden's Board of Trustees, “ESRI has not only developed technology that advances the garden?s mission but has also been very generous in helping the Missouri Botanical Garden acquire and implement this technology in many applications throughout the institution.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Jacksonville, NC improves its GIS
  www.ci.jacksonville.nc.us/opencms/opencms/eservices/linktoonlinemapping.html
  Jacksonville, North Carolina purchased GTG's LG GIS software suite. The city will be implementing additional licenses of LGdispatch, a CAD mapping interface that provides E-911 dispatchers with an interactive map displaying the location of all emergency calls. GTG provides several LG products that provide a GIS interface for many public safety agencies throughout the United States. Curtis Hinton CEO of GTG, said “Jacksonville has been a marquee client for many years. They have implemented the entire LG suite of products. These products have allowed Jacksonville to serve its citizens more quickly and more effectively.” The City's implementation of LGdispatch is a huge step in leveraging existing technology investments for use with GIS software. The City of Jacksonville has proven that GIS applications can be implemented quickly as a unifying technology, according to a GTG spokesperson.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Jacksonville, North Carolina's Cops Nab GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  The City of Jacksonville, North Carolina's Police Department has bought additional products from Geographic Technologies Group's LG GIS software suite. The Department will be implementing licenses of LGdispatch and additional licenses of LGcrimes software to expand the Department?s existing LG platform which already includes other GIS applications such as LGfires. LGdispatch is a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) mapping interface that provides E-911 dispatchers with an interactive map displaying the location of all emergency calls. LGdispatch offers advanced geo-coding capabilities. Addresses can be validated against address points, polygons (tax parcels) and lines (road network). LGcrimes is an affordable and easy-to-use crime reporting, mapping and analysis software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities. LGcrimes aids in the visualization and analysis of police incident information. The spatial distribution of crimes will allow law enforcement professionals to maximize the use of departmental assets to satisfy the ever-growing demand for critical services.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Jerry King Named President and COO: Intelligent Spatial Technologies, LLC (iST)
  www.i-spatialtech.com
  
  Intelligent Spatial Technologies, LLC (iST) a technology comapny specializing in location-based services for mobile users, announced the addition of Jerry King to its management team as president and chief operating officer. Mr. King will supervise the company’s sales, marketing and business operations, as well direct efforts to raise capital to meet accelerating marketing and product engineering efforts fueled by market demand. iST Founder and CEO Chris Frank said, “We are excited by the energy and experience Jerry brings to our management team. Jerry’s successful track record of growing start-up ventures into revenue generating businesses and in taking technology companies into the financial markets is important to the continued success of our company.”
  Mr. King has over 25 years of experience in entrepreneurial sales, marketing, software development and executive management. Most recently with Progress Software Company (Nasdaq: PRGS), Mr. King was vice president and general manager of XML products for Progress’ DataDirect technologies division. Prior to this, Mr. King held a senior VP of channels position with eXcelon Corporation, which was acquired by Progress Software Company in October of 2002.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  John Deere Agri Services to Advance Remote Sensing Product Worldwide
  www.deere.com
  
  John Deere Agri Services, a business unit of Deere & Company, will expand digital aerial imagery and advanced remote sensing products worldwide. These offerings are based upon a high-tech approach to digital aerial imagery pioneered by Massachusetts-based GeoVantage, Inc., now part of John Deere Agri Services. By creating and developing knowledge-based products and services, John Deere Agri Services meets the needs of a wide variety of customer groups. Specific to imagery technology, it will make significant infrastructure improvements to:
  1. Continue advancement in georegistration accuracy and imagery quality.
  2. Streamline order delivery with revitalized order systems and process management.
  3. Significantly increase imaging capacity by the end of 2006.
  4. Expand full-fledged service capabilities worldwide.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  John Jarnagin joins Azteca Systems
  www.azteca.com
  
  Azteca Systems, Inc., announced the appointment of a new regional representative, extending Azteca's ability to serve customers throughout the United States. John Jarnagin joins the Azteca Systems' Sales and Marketing team as the Western Regional representative. Mr. Jarnagin joined Azteca Systems in August 2005 from VESTRA Resources, Inc., where he managed Mobile GIS projects and was involved in corporate business development, marketing, software development, research and development. John joined Azteca Systems as a client services manager and was appointed to the sales and marketing team in April 2006. He is responsible for Azteca Systems' business activities in California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, Alaska and Hawaii.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Kass Green Elected as ASPRS Vice President
  www.asprs.org
  
  The results of the 2006 election have been tallied by the Tellers Committee and they reported that Kass Green won the election over Charles Mondello to become ASPRS Vice President for 2006. Green is President of The Alta Vista Company, and consults on geospatial strategy, technology and policy issues to private, educational, and public organizations.
  
  Once she is sworn in as President in 2008, Green will be the seventh woman to hold that office since the Society was founded in 1934. Becky Morton was elected as Assistant Director, Photogrammetric Applications Division. Morton is the director of Business Development for Horizons, Inc. in Rapid City, South Dakota. Douglas L. Smith was elected as Assistant Director, Professional Practice Division. Smith is vice president at David C. Smith & Associates, Inc., a family-owned photogrammetric mapping firm in Portland, Oregon. John S. Iiames, a research biologist-remote sensing scientist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, was elected Assistant Director, Remote Sensing Applications Division.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  key West, Florida Selects GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  Many years ago, just before I got married, I was asked to give a key note address at a conference in Florida. I told my would-be host that I would be on my honeymoon. He asked where I was going and I told him my bride said she wanted to go to someplace she could see the sea, feel the sand and hear the sound of a foreign language. “Hey,” he said, “that sounds like our conference city - Miami. Come down a bit early and we'll set you up in Key West, then join us in Miami after your honeymoon.” Never one to pass on a freebie, we enjoyed our hosts hospitality and the beautiful sights of Key West Florida. It would be a while befoe I told Kay about the financial details of our days in paradise.
  
  So, I was delighted to read that Key West now is part of the GIS community. Just how do I know that? Well, Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced that the City of Key West, Florida has bought even more products from GTG's LG GIS software suite. The City will be implementing LGcrimesweb to expand the City's existing LG platform which already includes other GIS applications such as LGcrimes and LGdispatch. LGcrimesweb aids in the visualization and dissemination of police incident information. The Crimesweb administrator can decide how much information to make available for public consumption. LGcrimesweb is an affordable and easy-touse crime reporting, mapping and querying software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  KIELA 2006 Award Recipient Named by ASPRS
  www.asprs.org
  
  The Institute of Geography, National University of Mexico was awarded the 2006 Kodak International Educational Literature Award (KIELA). This award was presented during the ASPRS 2006 Annual Conference in Reno, Nevada earlier this month. The Institute offers an international MSc program focusing on landscape managment; contributes to an MSc program in biology emphasizing spatial modeling; participates in undergraduate degree programs in environmental science stressing spatial analysis and offers graduate degrees in geography with specialization in society and territory, environmental geography and territorial management. This award will enhance current literature holdings and educational materials in photogrammetry, remote sensing, and GIS. The KIELA was begun in 1990 by Eastman Kodak and is administered through the ASPRS Foundation. It consists of $350 worth of books, manuals and other literature published by ASPRS, a five-year subscription to PE&RS, proceedings of the ASPRS Annual and Fall conferences for five years, one complimentary registration to the ASPRS Annual Conference when the award is being given and a hand-engrossed certificate.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Kiss My … GIS
  www.geotg.com
  
  The City of Kissimmee, Florida Public Safety and Justice selected Geographic Technologies Group (GTG) to implement GIS software solutions. The city purchased LGAddress from GTG's LG GIS software suite. This application will serve to expand the city's existing GTG software platform, which already includes GeoManager, MapTouch, LGdispatch, LGcrimes, LGmobile, and LGaddress for Public Safety from GTG?s LG product line. LGaddress allows users to maintain address points, pass valuable GIS data to their land database, and ensures a 100% match rate of the land database modules via an intuitive ArcEngine based GIS application. Curtis Hinton, CEO of GTG, stated that, “Kissimmee understands that the true success of GIS is its integration with existing IT investments. LGAddress is going to allow the City to maintain a one-to-one match between their GIS address point layer and their IT databases. LGAddress allows city staff to add significant value to their existing non-GIS applications.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  KorTerra Announces Web Based Mapping Technologies
  www.korterra.com
  
  KorTerra released KorWeb v4.0, which includes many powerful web based mapping technologies.The web based mapping capabilities will allow for utilities and municipalities to display their facility maps (e.g. gas, electric and telephone lines) in an Internet browser based environment. Combining KorTerra's mapping technology along with their KorWeb One Call Ticket Management software will provide safety and productivity benefits to the damage prevention industry.
  The primary safety benefit results from being able to view an excavator's dig site on a street map along with the utility's underground facilities. Many times a locate ticket will have a single street address assigned to the dig site, which can falsely give the impression the dig site is located exclusively at the one address, when in fact the excavator's dig site could actually be the entire city block. KorTerra's ability to display the dig site on a map will promote safety by correctly depicting the excavator's actual dig site. A locate ticket which previously may not have been located by a utility since it appears to be far from the utility's underground facilities, will now be correctly located.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  
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  L-M
  Lake County GIS releases 2006 aerial photography
  www.lakegovernment.com/departments/
  growth_management/geographic_information_systems
  
  The Lake County [FL] Department of Growth Management, Geographic Information Systems Division, released last week on its Web site 2006 aerial photography for the entire 1,156 square miles of Lake County. Taken earlier this year, the aerial photography includes more than 2,800 images. The aerial photography was paid for by the Florida Department of Revenue. The Department is required by statute to provide county property appraisers with the photography every three years. The new Lake County GIS layer accompanies aerial photography taken in 2004, 2002 and 1998. Aerial photography is a helpful tool for a variety of government services. From land planning to emergency services, the new layer assists with locating roads and structures. According to GIS staff, the aerial photography is also useful to citizens and businesses. Land owners often use the photography to learn more about their property. In addition, the collection of aerial photography found on the Web site also provides a unique historical perspective of how the County has changed over the past eight years.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LandMark Offers SiMS Growth and Yield Simulator, A Powerful Resource for Foresters
  www.landmarksystems.org
  
  LandMark Systems introducted SiMS, a new and innovative growth and yield simulation software tool. The SiMS software provides forestry professionals the latest technology for use in long-range planning for small to large parcels. LandMark Systems’ goal of providing efficient managing solutions to the forestry and natural resources industries has led them to establish a partnership with ForesTech International, LLC, the developer of SiMS, in order to better serve the needs of their clients. “Our primary goal is to provide our customers with the best products and services available,” said Mark Milligan, president of LandMark Systems. “Our new partnership with ForesTech International is another step in that direction. The SiMS software is powerful and provides highly important information to foresters and other individuals in the industry.” The SiMS software provides growth and yield simulation along with financial analysis for the three major species of southern pine as well as for mixed pine/hardwood stands, which provides foresters with information about the impact of silvicultural treatments on the growth of these trees.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LandMark Systems Launches Online Shopping
  www.LandMarkSystems.com
  
  LandMark Systems added a new online store to its website. Online shopping will provide LandMark’ clients the ability to shop for products and update their management systems more efficiently. “We know how important it is in our industry to have the right equipment in order to keep management systems up to date, and we want to make it as easy as possible for our customers to get that equipment,” said Mark Milligan, President of LandMark Systems. Products available through this service include: TDS Products, Handheld Data Collectors, Handheld Accessories, Standalone GPS, GPS Packages, GPS Antenna Accessories, Trimble Products, Haglof Products, and Desktop Software. Training packages and technical support systems can be ordered online as well.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LandVoyage Awarded Patent for Online Mapping Functions
  www.landvoyage.com
  
  LandNet Corp. was issued a patent from the U.S. Patent Office for a suite of highly differentiated online mapping functions. The patent titled “Land Software Tool” includes several functions that provide the online map drawing and measuring capabilities available on the LandVoyage mapping website. Developed in 2000, LandVoyage is a turnkey online mapping business that competes in many of the same markets as Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, and GlobeXplorer, which is owned by Stewart Title. The LandVoyage patent number 7,054,741 was issued on May 30, 2006 and relates back to the date of the original provisional patent application which was filed on February 11, 2002.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LandVoyage Online Mapping Business Offered for Sale
  www.LandVoyage.com
  
  LandNet Corp. plans to sell its LandVoyage Internet mapping business and hired an investment banking firm to manage the sale process. LandVoyage is a turnkey online mapping enterprise that competes in the same markets as Google Earth, Yahoo Maps, Microsoft Live Local, and Stewart Title’s GlobeXplorer. LandVoyage offers significant advantages over its online competition in three areas: map content variety, functionality, and geographic search capabilities. The LandVoyage database of seven digital map layers and five satellite/aerial imagery data sets in an array of resolutions and scales is the most extensive U.S. database on the web. The site also boasts a proprietary suite of software that includes an Internet/intranet map server, advanced geospatial search engine, and e-commerce solution. In addition, there are online map drawing, searching and measuring tools for which an allowance of 49 patent claims has just been awarded and another 92 patent claims are pending.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LandVoyage Online Mapping Business Offered for Sale
  www.LandVoyage.com
  
  LandNet Corp. plans to sell its LandVoyage Internet mapping business and hired an investment banking firm to manage the sale process. LandVoyage is a turnkey online mapping enterprise that competes in the same markets as Google Earth, Yahoo Maps, Microsoft Live Local, and Stewart Title’s GlobeXplorer. LandVoyage offers significant advantages over its online competition in three areas: map content variety, functionality, and geographic search capabilities. The LandVoyage database of seven digital map layers and five satellite/aerial imagery data sets in an array of resolutions and scales is the most extensive U.S. database on the web. The site also boasts a proprietary suite of software that includes an Internet/intranet map server, advanced geospatial search engine, and e-commerce solution. In addition, there are online map drawing, searching and measuring tools for which an allowance of 49 patent claims has just been awarded and another 92 patent claims are pending.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LAPD Joined ESRI to Demonstrate CAMS and COMPSTAT
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI demonstrated the full suite of its geographic information system (GIS) technology and solutions available to law enforcement and homeland security professionals at the 2006 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Conference. As part of the IACP Exhibitor Pavilion, ESRI and its partner organizations provided the more than 14,000 attendees with an opportunity to see how GIS is used in all aspects of law enforcement.
  The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) joined ESRI in its exhibit area for the conference to demonstrate the new Crime Analysis Mapping System (CAMS) and CompStat applications that LAPD has built with ESRI. This application provides robust desktop crime analysis capabilities as well as intranet crime mapping applications and new capabilities for COMPSTAT. COMPSTAT is intelligence-led policing methodology combining modern management principles with strong analytical and visualization capabilities to develop deployment strategies that place police personnel where crime is occurring or is expected to occur, dramatically improving crime-fighting effectiveness
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LAPD nabs ESRI software
  www.esri.com
  
  The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) selected ESRI for an enterprise geographic information system platform that will provide numerous benefits to staff across the organization. The implementation will include ESRI software, services, and application development. ESRI will provide GIS applications and spatial data access for uses such as incident management, 911 and communications, emergency management, and homeland security. GIS will serve as a core tool in the CompStat inspection process, which will allow command staff to use spatial technology to look at digital maps of criminal activity and compare them with everything from arrests to calls for service and more.
  The new crime analysis selection came after a vigorous screening and investigation process. The resulting crime mapping system will provide information integration, geocoding, spatial analysis, georeporting, and map output capabilities.
  “In the last decade, the use of GIS has become vital to the overall effectiveness of law enforcement,” says Rudy Pichardo, detective, LAPD. “We had plenty of demands put on our current crime analysis system that were beyond its current capabilities. We needed to move forward, so we evaluated current and future needs and then developed a new system that provided a platform for future growth and continued success. We also wanted to leverage existing city GIS standards, which are based on ESRI technology. This meant we could utilize GIS data from other city entities as well as provide data to these agencies.”
  The Computer Analysis Mapping System (CAMS) operates in three tiers. The first is CAMS Web, which will use ArcIMS technology to provide agency-wide access to department managers, investigators, patrol officers, and others. The intranet application is accessible from any of more than 6,300 department-wide computers. Users can view maps, query information, conduct easy-to-use analysis, and generate reports. Information including crime incidents, crime and arrest locations, recovered vehicles, citations, traffic accidents, calls for service, and more will be made available.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Largest Electric Utility in Central Europe to Implement ESRI Enterprise GIS Software
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announces that it has been selected to provide an enterprise geographic information system (GIS) to CEZData, s.r.o. of the Czech Republic, part of the CEZ Group, the largest electric utility provider in central Europe. The enterprise site license will enable CEZData to deploy the full suite of ESRI’s ArcGIS products in an open, scalable, and standards-based GIS architecture throughout the entire CEZ Group operation. The GIS will integrate with and leverage existing CEZ information technology (IT) resources to meet a broad range of business and engineering needs now and in the future.
  As the largest electric utility in central Europe, the CEZ Group serves approximately seven million customers in the Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria. ESRI's official Czech Republic distributor, ARCDATA Praha, will support the software deployment.“CEZData is implementing an extensive geographic information system to manage and maintain CEZ Group’s thousands of kilometers of electrical distribution network,” says JiCí Fanta, general manager of CEZData. “CEZ Group now operates in several European countries and needs a comprehensive GIS solution capable of meeting a very diverse set of requirements. We are confident that ESRI technology will provide the results we are seeking.”
  “We are very excited to partner with one of Europe’s leading energy companies on the deployment of their enterprise GIS,” says Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI. “I feel confident that CEZData will find that ESRI’s GIS platform will provide significant improvements in efficiency and productivity across the entire organization.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  LaSalle, Canada receives award for GIS technology
  www.esricanada.com
  
  The Town of LaSalle was presented with an Award of Excellence at ESRI Canada's Regional User Conference in London, Ontario, Canada. The Town of LaSalle was presented with the award in recognition of their efforts in creating a corporate geographic information system (GIS). More than 200 people were on hand for the presentation, which was one of the highlights of the conference. “The Town of LaSalle implemented core ESRI GIS technology to make mapping accessible to both municipal staff and to their citizens,” said Peter McLaren, Account Manager, ESRI Canada.“They have spent a great deal of time, effort, and resources in creating an impressive number of geographic layers that represent many physical features in their municipality.”
  The municipality uses GIS to communicate with key stakeholders through “infoLaSalle,” a web-based interactive site that is an integral part of how business is conducted. Through the site staff in all departments are able to answer inquiries from the public and to conduct business in a more timely and cost-effective manner. On February 25, 2005, the Town of LaSalle made infoLasalle available to the public. Residents, businesses, and visitors are now be able to retrieve, view and print a broad range of property, topographic, public service, and community planning related information and maps from their home or office computers.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Latin American Users Conference to Be Held in Bolivia
  www.geosystems.cc
  
  The XIII Latin American GIS Users Conference is an annual itinerant event that gathers organizations from different parts of the world, specially from Latin America with the goal to exhibit the several applications of SIG and encourage the use of its different tools. Geosystems SRL has been chosen to organize the XIII Latin American GIS Users Conference that will take place from October 25th through October 27th, 2006 at the “Los Tajibos Hotel & Convention Center”, Santa Cruz de la Sierra - Bolivia.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leesburg, Florida Completes OneGIS implementation
  www.onegis.net
  OneGIS announced that it completed the implementation of Designer™ software for the City of Leesburg, Florida. Designer, an integrated design solution that uses a single, configurable, architecture, is part of the ArcFM™ Solution from Miner & Miner (M&M), a Telvent company. ArcFM and Designer are built on the ArcGIS® platform from ESRI. In addition to providing the software installation, OneGIS configured Designer to the specific needs of the City and developed custom tools to enhance the business process such as a batch reconcile tool, numerous autotext elements to place design information on the work sketch, as well as custom reports. In conjunction with the implementation contract, OneGIS analyzed the City's existing engineering design workflow and configured the software to match that workflow. New feature classes were added to the City's ArcFM Geodatabase to support the design process and OneGIS provided training to the design engineers as part of the contract.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica ADS40 Second Generation Airborne Digital Sensor
  http://www.leica-geosystems.us/
  
  Leica Geosystems first introduced large-format digital aerial cameras with its Leica ADS40 in 2001, and the company has now developed two new sensor heads, the SH51 and SH52, for the highly successful ADS40 system. Equipped with patented Leica beamsplitter technology, the SH51 sensor head provides perfectly co-registered color, infrared and panchromatic images. The SH52 adds a second beamsplitter for perfectly co-registered stereo viewing of all image bands. These two new features allow users to employ the five-band co-registered imagery for all aerial surveying and airborne remote sensing applications. The ADS40 saves time and money by offering simultaneous, wide-area acquisition of true high-resolution panchromatic, color and color-infrared digital images.
  The single-lens design of the Leica ADS40 eliminates the need for multiple-lens image patching and pan-colorizing (pan-sharpening) with low-resolution spectral band images that cause color distortion. This new product achieves optimal color fringe-free stereo viewing with a constant stereo viewing angle which provides an uncompromised geometric and radiometric representation of the earth’s surface. The second generation Leica ADS40 is designed for versatility, premium performance, economical operation and exportability options.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica DISTO™ A8
  www.disto.com
  
  Expectations run high when a manufacturer known for its high quality products combines high precision with the latest technology. The recently launched Leica DISTO™ A8 easily fulfills the highest demands: it comes equipped with a digital viewfinder, and a tilt sensor - these characteristics combined with the already proven functionality of the Leica DISTO™ A5, make the Leica DISTO™ A8 a real innovation worldwide and open up totally new possibilities in taking a measurement. The “Visionary One” is ideally suited for in and outdoor applications and sets new standards in the world of measurement. With the 3-fold,digital zoom supported by the blended in crosshairs, it is easy to aim the Leica DISTO™ A8 at faraway targets. Even if the laser dot is too far away to be seen by the unaided eye, the target is clearly recognizable. The display has nine brightness settings. Thanks to the grayscales the contrast levels are high, making the display easy to read -- an invaluable advantage on sunny days! Taking measurements is made easier and more efficient as the most frequently used calculation functions can be quickly and directly called up with the short- cut keys. Just press a key to calculate the circumference of a room or the surface area of walls and ceilings.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Adds Optional PIN Codes to Total Stations
  www.leica-geosystems.us
  
  Leica Geosystems announced that it is adding optional PIN codes to its TPS400 and TPS800 total stations, in a move to counter the growing rate of equipment theft from jobsites. All new TPS400 and TPS800 instruments will be shipped with a PIN Unlocking Key (PUK), which can then be changed by the customer to a secret 6-8 digit PIN. Leica Geosystems dealers can modify existing instruments by loading the firmware to support the PIN code option. PIN codes have been available on the Leica System 1200 total stations and GPS instruments since 2005, and the new firmware for the TPS400 and TPS800 units will make all Leica total stations and GPS instruments PIN-code capable.
  “We are alarmed by the increasing problem of equipment theft, and we are determined to do something to deter larceny and protect survey crews who may be at risk on the job,” said Carl Singleton, product marketing manager for Leica Geosystems. “Since 2004, we have documented 143 survey instrument thefts in Florida with an estimated loss value of over $2 million,” said Terry McKay, president of FLT Geosystems, Leica Geosystems dealer in Florida.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems and Locata Corporation Sign Agreement
  www.leica-geosystems.us
  
  Leica Geosystems and Locata Corporation, Australia, are pleased to announce that they have signed a cooperation agreement for the distribution and support of Locata positioning technology in mutually-agreed markets. The first steps in this agreement will see Locata providing technology and support to Leica Geosystems for Locata receiver integration into mine monitoring and machine automation solutions for open cast mining, and for monitoring of structures such as bridges, dams and buildings. It is expected that these markets will initially gain the most benefit from completely new Locata technology which creates terrestrial augmentation of GPS for environments with weak or no GPS coverage. Following initial integration activities, Locata will cooperate with Leica Geosystems in the development of an integrated GPS/Locata receiver for specific positioning markets.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Announces New Features for Sprinter M-Series Electronic Levels
  www.leica-geosystems.us
  
  Leica Geosystems announced the release of new firmware for the Sprinter 100M electronic levels with new line-leveling applications and on-board GSI commands. The new line-leveling applications cover the most common field leveling procedures practiced by engineers and surveyors, including backsight and foresight (BF), backsight, foresight and foresight, backsight (BFFB) and backsight and intermediate sight and foresight (BIF). The new on-board commands facilitate two-way communications between the instrument and a PDA or data collector. Existing Leica Sprinter 100M instruments can be upgraded for a nominal fee, and new units may be ordered with this optional firmware.
  “The Sprinter products have established a strong reputation for reliable, fast, error-free leveling on a wide range of construction jobs,” said Dan Dykhuis, director, construction sales and marketing. “The new line-leveling functions will improve productivity in the field and will provide full elevation control in any construction site.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Continues Expansion into Construction Market
  www.leica-geosystems.us
  
  Leica Geosystems and Hexagon announced the acquisition of Mikrofyn A/S in Denmark. The company is one of Europe's leading suppliers of machine automation and laser leveling and alignment equipment for the building construction and civil engineering industries. Mikrofyn's product range consists of a portfolio of automatic and manual machine control systems for excavators, graders, dozers and paving machines, as well as a broad line of laser rotators, laser receivers and pipe lasers.
  “The acquisition of Mikrofyn is part of Hexagon's growth strategy and commitment to global expansion within machine automation technology. Mikrofyn is the largest European manufacturer of one and two dimensional solutions for construction machine automation and ideally complements Leica Geosystems' product range of GPS, TPS and laser-based machine automation systems that maneuver infrastructure machines with increased efficiency and precision. Mikrofyn also complements Leica Geosystems' existing construction laser product line and adds a second brand to our portfolio,” said Ola Rollén, president and CEO, Hexagon AB. Mikrofyn is based in Odense, Denmark, and currently has 70 employees. In the past several years, the company has shown annual growth rates of 30 percent. Mikrofyn will be consolidated within Hexagon Measurement Technologies and will immediately contribute to Leica Geosystem's and Hexagon's earnings.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Introduces 1-Person RTK GPS Survey System
  www.leica-geosystems.us
  
  Leica Geosystems today announced the introduction of the GPS900, a GPS surveying system designed to boost productivity on the job for a wide range of surveying and construction tasks. The GPS900 RTK System is a complete base and rover system conveniently packaged in a single ruggedized case, providing a complete, low cost, turnkey GPS surveying solution that can be easily transported to and from the work site. The GPS900 rover is a lightweight, all on the pole, cableless, dual frequency RTK GPS surveying instrument designed specifically with one person operation in mind, increasing efficiency and productivity over conventional total stations, which usually require a two-person crew.
  
  “The new GPS900 is being introduced to provide customers with an affordable entry-level GPS surveying system offering high accuracy, Leica's reliable performance and easy one-person operation,” said Carl Singleton, product marketing manager for Leica Geosystems. “With the GPS900, one person can quickly and easily tackle many construction-site surveying tasks, such as foundation layouts and drainage work, topographic and as-built surveys, and even road alignment stakeouts.” Singleton added. “The GPS900 system allows the flexibility you need on any project site. And with no more worries about line of sight, you can move quickly to the point, measure it, and move on. It?s that simple.” The GPS900 incorporates Leica Geosystems?' proven SmartCheck GPS RTK technology. The system provides centimeter level accuracy even under difficult conditions, fast acquisition times, 2 Hz position update rate, and has a range of 1.5 miles from the base station.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica geosystems introduces lightweight all-on-the-pole cable-free RTK GPS surveying system.
  www.leica-geosystems.com/
  
  Leica Geosystems introducted the SmartRover, a new, lightweight, high-performance, all-on-the-pole RTK GPS surveying instrument. Weighing just 2.8 kg (6.16 lb), the SmartRover is 30 percent lighter than other all-on-the-pole RTK systems. “With the lightweight SmartRover, a surveyor can work the whole day without fatigue, maximizing on-the-job performance and productivity,” said Steve Crowfoot, vice president for product and segment marketing. “In addition, the SmartRover delivers complete cable-free operation to provide maximum flexibility with fewer components.” Consisting of the Leica AT1230 SmartAntenna and Leica 1250 Controller, the SmartRover is designed to be fully compatible with the Leica SmartStation, the first total station with integrated GP “The surveyor can use the SmartAntenna to position the total station, and then transfer it to the SmartRover to continue GPS RTK surveying,” said Crowfoot.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems launches Britain’s first commercial RTK network: Leica SmartNet
  www.leica-geosystems.com/
  
  Since mid January 2006 Leica Geosystems’ SmartNet service is live and available as a broadcast correction service to subscribers via GSM or GPRS technology in Great Britain. The service is a partnership between Leica Geosystems and Ordnance Survey. GPS first became a viable tool for Topographic Surveys, GIS and Engineering applications in the early 1990’s, with the completion of the Navstar satellite constellation. The breakthrough to high precision solutions came with the expense of needing access to two GPS receivers; a reference and a rover. Without this configuration, accuracy is at around 10 metres, of variable quality and uncertain reliability. Now there is a genuine breakthrough which means that we no longer require the use of multiple GPS receivers. Announced December 20th 2005, Great Britain will have the first commercially available broadcast RTK network, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Leica SmartNet. “Now, one receiver is all you need. Of critical importance is the continuous datum afforded by SmartNet – you can work at full precision, in OS Grid, as soon as you turn the receiver on, anywhere in the country – or work in a new or existing local grid as before.” says Leica Geosystems’ Simon Mears. SmartNet is based on raw data from the Ordnance Survey network of GPS base stations. This network, known as OS Net, comprises around 90 permanent nationally deployed GPS reference stations, however OS Net is commercially available only via partners.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems launches Leica MobileMatriX v1.51
  www.leica-geosystems.com
  
  Leica MobileMatriX
  
  The Leica MobileMatriX v1.51 combines several surveying sensors ? TPS, GPS, Levels and Laser Range Finders - within a mobile GIS. With its newly launched Version 1.51, Leica MobileMatriX now fully supports a Multi-Sensor GIS. Within a Multi-Sensor GIS field crews can attach several sensors – TPS, GPS, Levels and Laser Range Finders - at the same time and also can measure with various sensors simultaneously. Multi-Sensor GIS is an emerging trend for mobile GIS and mapping applications. By accurately synchronizing data from various independent sensors, Leica MobileMatriX manages measurement processes and storage of those in one common database directly. Leica MobileMatriX v1.51 is a major step forward in getting various surveying sensors close to a GIS database.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Opens New E-Commerce Online Store
  www.buy.leica-geosystems.com
  
  The site makes it easy for professionals with construction, surveying, positioning and distance measurement needs to purchase a variety of Leica Geosystems products direct from the source. To aid in the selection of the right product, the site offers customers online training with demonstrations and tutorials. Customers also have access to special promotions offered exclusively through the site - as well as ongoing monthly specials and discounts. Other features include price checking, real-time order entry, tracking and status.
  “Leica Geosystems has earned a reputation around the world for helping make businesses more productive and efficient on the jobsite,” said Valerie Richardson, vice president of marketing and customer support, Leica Geosystems, Inc. Americas. “This new online store is another way that we can provide construction customers with the jobsite solutions that meet their needs. It doesn?t get any easier to find the right product and enhance the profitability of your business through these highly accurate products.”A wide range of Leica Geosystems products are available for direct purchase, including levels, pipe lasers, rotators and underground service locators
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems releases new, ultra-precise, 72-channel Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) engine
  www.leica-geosystems.com
  The GNSS engine is being offered in the new Leica GX1230 GG and ATX1230 GG GPS sensors, as well as the GRX1200 GG Pro sensor for reference station networks. The Leica GNSS-compatible systems accept signals from U.S. GPS satellites, including the L2C frequency, and the Russian GLONASS satellite network. They are also designed to support all future GNSS signals, including GPS L5 and the European Galileo system, offering a clear upgrade path as these next-generation satellite systems become operational. “We believe that the GLONASS satellite system has now demonstrated sufficient levels of robustness and reliability, so that we can incorporate it into our family of System 1200 survey solutions for our customers,” said Bob Williams, president of Leica's Surveying & Engineering Division for the Americas. “There are now 17 GLONASS satellites in orbit, and the Russian government has made a commitment to continue expanding the system with additional satellites. The ability to track and use the GLONASS satellites together with GPS will enable surveyors to increase productivity on the job, especially in difficult environments where GPS signals are blocked or attenuated,” Williams added.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Upgrades Total Stations
  www.leica-geosystems.com
  
  Leica Geosystems announced that extended-range, high-precision, PinPoint electronic distance measuring (EDM) technology is now available in its TPS400, TPS700 and TPS800 total stations. The PinPoint reflectorless EDM was introduced last year with the highly successful System 1200 series. Its extremely narrow, visible laser beam permits surveyors to measure distances to objects, such as curved surfaces, corners and inaccessible points, with unprecedented accuracy, even under harsh conditions like rain or snow. The PinPoint technology is available in two different versions ? R100 with a range of up to 200m and R300 with a range to over 500m. “With PinPoint EDM, inaccessible points become a thing of the past,” said Steve Crowfoot, vice president of product and segment marketing for Leica Geosystems. “You can now measure with a high degree of accuracy to any surface without reflectors at a distance of half a kilometer.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Leica Geosystems Wins Large Order for GPS Surveying Systems
  www.leica-geosystems.com
  Leica Geosystems won an order from the Mexican government to supply 92 high-precision GPS surveying systems for a major, nationwide land registry initiative. The order for 92 Leica GX1220 GPS surveying instruments was placed by the Registro Agrario Nacional through Leica Geosystems' dealer SYSTOP (Porfirio Diaz No. 35 y Carolina Colonia Nochebuena, Mexico D.F.). The equipment will be used for field data acquisition to establish a cadastral-based land registry of lands farmed throughout the country. It is part of a major initiative being undertaken by the Mexican government to document ownership of lands distributed since the Revolution of 1910. Just in the State of Chiapas, one of the most difficult regions of Mexico due to its topography and its location in the middle of the jungle, more than one million parcels of land will be surveyed and registered.
  
  “The conditions under which the equipment is going to be used are extreme,” said Juan Delgado Trujillo, president of SYSTOP. “That is one major reason the Mexican authorities decided to choose the Leica GPS System 1200 products for this task.” Cesar Lanatta, vice-president of Leica Geosystems for Latin America, stressed the importance of this project and the extreme tests that all bidders had to undergo. “Throughout the course of the testing process, Leica Geosystems consistently returned highly accurate results, demonstrating quality performance and reliability,” Lanatta said.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Lexington County, SC implementa advanced GIS
  www.esri.com
  www.lex-co.com/
  
  Lexington County, South Carolina, implemented an advanced geographic information system for its emergency medical services (EMS). The agency selected the ESRI software-based Mobile Area Routing and Vehicle Location System (MARVLIS) from Bradshaw Consulting Services (BCS), an ESRI business partner. The implementation delivers a complete automated vehicle location (AVL) solution for providing faster, more efficient routing and response.
  
  “We wanted to implement an advanced AVL system that would keep up with our growth,” explains Jack Maguire, GIS manager, Lexington County, South Carolina. “We selected the ESRI software-based MARVLIS solution because it offered powerful, intelligent routing and dynamic information analysis and updates. Every incident where an ambulance responds is automatically captured and updated in our database. It gives EMS staff a real advantage in how they serve the community.” The solution uses Motorola?s Palmetto 800 wireless communications between the county computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and emergency vehicles equipped with mobile computers. When an emergency occurs, Lexington County EMS dispatchers can quickly locate the incident and track the location of response units on a GIS map. Vehicle location, status, speed, and direction are relayed to the CAD system every 3 to 90 seconds depending on vehicle status.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Lucid Models Software announces the release of Visual Requirements
  www.lucidmodels.com/
  
  Lucid Models Software released a requirements development and analysis tool VR (Visual Requirements) - a practical, low cost / low risk solution for business analysts, systems analysts, designers, testers and anyone who creates and/or uses specifications for software, user interfaces, system components, processes, dashboards, information sources, etc. How requirements are organized and presented directly affects their quality. VR improves requirements quality by leveraging clear and efficient requirements structures. For example, the same field may have to appear on several screens – where to keep the requirements related to this field and how to find them? Some scenarios or algorithms may have many identical elements –how to make the updates to these elements only once? Some requirements belong to use cases but also have to appear in supplementary specifications – what is the best way to deal with this? VR uses the strength of two metaphors – visual and conceptual – and provides simple effective functionality.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  mPower Technologies Enters Market with Web GIS Product for Quickly Distributing Data to the Web
  mpower-tech.com
  
  mPower Technologies, the developer of mPower Integrator™ announced their launch into the GIS market. The company has over 30 years of combined experience in geospatial technologies. mPower Integrator, their flagship product, offers a new way to develop customized Web applications. “Using mPower Integrator, we were able to quickly and efficiently create multiple customized web GIS sites for different groups of users, all with purchasing only one product,” states Todd DeBoer from the City of Baxter, MN. “The interface is very intuitive and does the programming and coding for you. Our first intranet site was up and running the day we received the software. mPower Integrator proved to be a cost effective way to provide our GIS data to everyone in our organization and the public.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MAP2PDF® for GeoTIFF Now Available
  www.terragotech.com
  
  TerraGo Technologies announced today that MAP2PDF for GeoTIFF is now available, allowing TerraGo customers to create GeoPDF® files directly from GeoTIFF files. These GeoPDF files are then viewable with the free Adobe® Reader® and include enhanced mapping functionality via the free GeoPDF toolbar. GeoTIFF is a standard image file format used by GIS professionals to store and publish high resolution maps and imagery. GeoTIFF is based on the standard TIFF file and allows for embedded georeferencing information. It is commonly used as an interchange format for aerial photography and scanned maps. MAP2PDF for GeoTIFF allows users to convert GeoTIFF files to the more functional and flexible GeoPDF format.
  GeoPDF is the TerraGo Technologies adaptation of the Adobe PDF format that lets users view maps, measure distances and areas, query attributes, display coordinates and create redlines and notes with Adobe Reader that can be incorporated back into GIS databases via .shp files.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapAction Operation in Indonesia
  www.mapaction.org
  
  Following earthquake and continued threat of volcano eruption, MapAction deploys field team. MapAction are part of the response to the earthquake disaster in Yogyakarta, Java. A field-based team of two has deployed to Yogyakarta, backed up by more GIS resources in the UK. In Indonesia the team will work alongside the UN's emergency information management team. MapAction's mission is to translate fast-changing situation information into map form. Maps will show needs for and provision of relief. This helps humanitarian agencies both within and outside Indonesia to ensure that aid reaches the right places, quickly. This will become even more critical if Mount Merapi, the active volcano 30km to the north, erupts, as was already predicted as imminent before the earthquake struck on 28th May.Both team members deployed have relevant previous experience including the 2004 tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. They are self sufficient with a range of technology tools to produce printed maps locally and also to upload them via their own satellite communications systems to MapAction's UK base for world-wide distribution.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Mapflow to take part in ε41m motoring research project
  www.mapflow.com
  
  Mapflow, the Dublin based software house, won a key role in a consortium working on a ε41m Europe-wide technology research project into the future of motoring. Called CVIS (cooperative vehicle infrastructure systems), the major new EU supported project is scheduled to last between three and four years. It covers the design, development and testing of technologies to allow cars to communicate with each other and with the nearby roadside infrastructure over a wireless network. The project consortium involves 61 different organisations including car manufacturers, technology suppliers, mobile networks and local authorities in several countries.
  
  Mapflow, which develops geographic information systems (GIS) and location based services (LBS) technology, is a partner of Navteq, which is leading one of the work streams in the project consortium. Mapflow's role will be to develop technologies which use positioning and mapping components to provide spatial data for next generation traffic management and information systems. “The gap in the project that we fill is in being able to broker the location of vehicles and the location of roadside infrastructure,” said Mapflow CEO Richard Bryce. “We're the glue in the middle.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Announces New Educational Data Licenses for Universities
  www.mapinfo.com
  
  MapInfo Corporation announced a new academic licensing program for its core data products. The new annual license packages provide detailed, up-to-date geographic data sets in lab, class and site configurations, enabling greater flexibility and usability in any educational setting. … The new data packages provide accurate, up-to-date data sets for varying geographic areas, ranging from single-state data points to nationwide coverage. The annual data licenses are available in MapInfo® StreetInfo/MapMarker or MapInfo® StreetPro/MapMarker Plus bundles. “Affordable access to hands-on technology in the classroom is becoming exponentially more critical as universities and colleges continue to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical application,” said Sabby Nayar, education program manager for MapInfo.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Announces the Meridian Awards
  extranet.mapinfo.com/slp/meridian/
  
  MapInfo Corporation announced the 2006 MapInfo Meridian Awards™. This inaugural awards program recognizes MapInfo customers who are driving business innovation with dynamic uses of location intelligence. This year's winner was Blockbuster. They developed the Blockbuster Ultimate Location Intelligence Tool (BULIT), a premier application that supports numerous departments, including development, marketing, operations, finance, diversity, human resources, strategic planning and alternate brands and products. For instance, with BULIT, employees are able to view and analyze information on both brick–and–mortar and online consumers and analyze the impact of adding, closing or relocating a Blockbuster within a market. The application is so useful that it is now used in many of Blockbusters international divisions including Canada, UK, Mexico, Australia, and Taiwan.
  
  The Meridian Awards recognize MapInfo's most outstanding customers in the following categories: “Organizational Impact,” “Changing the World,” “Technical Achievement,” “Unique & Unusual” and “People's Choice.” MapInfo customers can nominate their organization for an award, nominate a partner's or colleague's solution or vote for their favorite application. “In the spirit of the annual MapWorld conference, which demonstrates how MapInfo's location intelligence technology is helping organizations make smarter business decisions and enhance productivity, the 2006 Meridian Awards will recognize those customers who maximize MapInfo solutions and technology in truly remarkable ways,” said Mark Cattini, president and CEO, MapInfo.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Appoints Reid Hislop Vice President of Corporate Marketing
  www.mapinfo.com
  MapInfo Corporation appointed Reid Hislop as vice president of corporate marketing. In this capacity, Mr. Hislop will lead the company’s corporate marketing team and direct the company’s branding efforts. Mr. Hislop will work directly with MapInfo’s executive team to grow and strengthen the company’s overall marketing strategy. “With 20 years of technology marketing experience, Reid’s long history of developing successful and innovative marketing programs makes him an ideal addition to the MapInfo team,” said Michael Hickey, COO at MapInfo. “In particular, Reid’s expertise in strategic global marketing and branding will be integral to expanding MapInfo’s leadership position in location intelligence and making location a critical component in all business decision making processes …”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Awarded Patent for International Geocoding Engine
  www.mapinfo.com
  
  MapInfo Corporation announced that the United States Patent & Trademark Office has granted MapInfo a U.S. patent for its premier international geocoding software engine. The technology enables global organizations to use a single geocoding engine to attach a latitude and longitude to addresses in diverse international formats. The patented geocoding engine is delivered to the enterprise via the MapInfo Envinsa™ location platform and ensures the consistency and accuracy of location–based information. Based on enhanced data about the location of customers, assets and competitors, organizations can make more intelligent decisions that can have an immediate impact on bottom line results.
  
  With MapInfo's patent, “A System and Method for Geocoding Diverse Address Formats,” organizations can use a single application programming interface to geocode addresses regardless of their national format. For instance, a multinational financial services company interested in displaying ATM locations worldwide must cope with the challenges of assigning coordinates to vastly differing address formats. Customers planning access to cash for international travel need to have accurate location and service information. By improving the accuracy and efficiency of location enabling ATM data, the MapInfo geocoding engine helps organizations improve operational efficiency and customer service.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Business Points Data
  extranet.mapinfo.com/products/Overview.cfm?productid=48&productcategoryid=0
  
  Business Points v8.2 has been updated, and now includes 15,793,097 business records–with 100% containing business name, SIC code (8-Digit), NAICS code, address information, employee sizes and sales volumes, at the individual location and parent company. Over 85% of the total business records geocoded to street-level accuracy.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Introduces New Location Intelligence Application for IBM
  
  www.mapinfo.com
  
  MapInfo Corporation announced that IBM has selected MapInfo® technology to power the new Prospecting portlet in IBM's Core Life Solution for the insurance industry. Building on the company's relationship with IBM, the MapInfo Prospecting portlet enables insurance agents to identify and locate target customers based on neighborhood demographic, lifestyle and consumption patterns, helping increase sales and market share. Built on MapInfo location intelligence technology, the Prospecting portlet enables insurance agents to easily visualize prospective customers in their assigned territory, along with key market demographics, to more effectively target their ideal customer segments. Agents can also optimize routes for sales calls and obtain driving directions, so they can make more efficient use of their time.
  
  Reaching the Advanced Optimized IBM partner status last year, MapInfo solutions are available as portlets for IBM WebSphere Portal. The new Prospecting portlet was developed on the MapInfo Envinsa™ location intelligence platform, which is built on an open, ACORD XML standards-based architecture designed for seamless integration into existing IT environments and business applications. “With the selection of MapInfo location intelligence technology for the Prospecting portlet, MapInfo now provides two critical customer services applications within the IBM Core Life Solution?enabling consumers to find insurance agents and helping agents find ideal customers,” said Craig Bedell, director, Global Insurance Vertical, MapInfo. “Insurance carriers are becoming more aware of the need for location intelligence analysis across the entire organization and an increasing number of them are relying on MapInfo technology, data and services to improve claims and policy management practices, reduce underwriting mistakes and better target customers.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapInfo Launches New Web Services Connectivity
  www.mapinfo.com
  MapInfo Corporation introduced MapInfo Professional® version 8.5, the first version of the company's location intelligence application with Web services connectivity. MapInfo Professional users can now access dynamic data available on the Internet and perform detailed analysis of information in a single environment to make better informed decisions about the location of assets, customers, constituents and competition. MapInfo Professional v8.5 users can quickly and easily connect to Web services–enabled content and perform more comprehensive analysis of disparate forms of dynamic data. With Web services connectivity enabled via MapBasic®, organizations in any industry can improve analysis of enterprise and external information. For instance, a retailer can quickly view customer profiles in a selected location for improved trade area analysis. Cable companies can receive real–time traffic conditions from the Yahoo! traffic feeds Web service to help service personnel more efficiently reach customers. “With MapInfo Professional, we are able to analyze our client's data to quickly identify and graphically depict potential areas where they may be overexposed,” said Bruce Norris, senior vice president, Hilb, Rogal & Hobbs, one of the nation's leading insurance brokerage firms.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MapMarker Plus v12.0 released by MapInfo
  www.mapinfo.com
  
  MapMarker Plus v12.0 has made a significant enhancement addressing the challenges of traditional geocoders. This version marks the rollout of an innovative data building process and patent-pending interpolation algorithm that, in many cases, shifts address points significantly closer to their true location on the ground. With MapMarker Plus v12.0, nine states including NY, NJ, PA and the six New England states are provided with the new processing techniques.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MAPPS Announces Winter Meeting, January 21-25 in Naples, FL
  www.mapps.org
  
  MAPPS, the association of private mapping, photogrammetry and geospatial firms, will host its Winter Meeting January 21-25, 2007 at the Naples Grande Resort in Naples, Florida. Registration for the conference is now open via the MAPPS web site. “MAPPS meetings are known for their unique programs that feature an outstanding schedule of current and emerging topics affecting private geospatial firms, including those on new markets, policy and legal issues impacting firms, technology, and business practices,” said John Palatiello, MAPPS Executive Director. “Our meetings also feature an opportunity to network with the top leaders of the profession's leading firms, a chance to fulfill continuing education hours with quality learning sessions, an unparalleled chance to learn the latest news and information in the market and the profession, and an enjoyable spouse program and social activities that provides a relaxed atmosphere for geospatial firm principals, owners, partners and senior executives to meet with their peers and potential teaming partners in a beautiful beachfront resort venue.”
  “Each year, literally millions of dollars in business is transacted among and between MAPPS member firms, and these relationships grow out of the MAPPS meetings,” Palatiello added.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Maps from text
  web.mac.com/rjsdev/iWeb/software/MappingService.html
  
  MappingService is a utility for working with mapping websites, for you Mac OS X computer. Select text (e.g. an address) in an email, webpage or other document, then choose Map from the Services menu to display a map using one of the following sites:
  MappingService is open source software released under the BSD Licence. Source code and source documentation are included in the download. MappinService 1.0: Universal (Intel and PowerPC) • Tested on Mac OS X 10.4.6 • may work on earlier versions of Mac OS X (editor's note: I tested it on 10.3.9 and it works fine. Sadly, as noted in the documentation, Firefox 1.5 and Word 2004 does not support this service.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Maps to Analyze Voter Patterns
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announced that the Mapping the Media – Political Finance in the Americas project uses ESRI's geographic information system software to create maps for the analysis of the media. The goal of the project is to reduce corruption and promote equitable access to political information during elections by using the maps to empower policy makers and the public to facilitate constructive reforms of political finance laws and practices regarding media access. The maps depict which kinds of media reach which voters, and who owns those media outlets. In aditon they display voter characteristics in a given district in terms of native languages, socioeconomic status, and education levels.
  
  Commenting on the mapping project, Dr. Shelley McConnell, senior associate director of The Carter Center's Americas Program, said, “In this way, citizens can participate in regulation of political finance that will reveal the linkages between donors, candidates, parties, and the media and thereby reduce undue influence over politicians. In addition, the maps will enable small and independent parties to identify the media that reach each constituency, thereby allowing them to target their media messages and recruit effectively at a lower cost. Money will matter less in electoral outcomes.” The project is sponsored by The Carter Center, the Canadian Foundation for the Americas, and the Latin American Research Centre of the University of Calgary.first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MAPublisher 7.0 for Adobe Illustrator released
  ww.avenza.com
  
  Avenza Systems Inc. released MAPublisher 7.0 for Adobe Illustrator. MAPublisher 7.0 is the latest version of this powerful mapmaking software used to produce high quality maps from GIS data. Significant new functionality in MAPublisher 7.0 includes a new intelligent labeling engine, new grid, graticules and scalebar generators, new and improved MAP attributes engine with expression builder, advanced selection filters and support for double-byte character sets. “This is a very exciting and impressive upgrade to an already powerful software suite,” said Hans van der Maarel of Red Geographics in The Netherlands. “Especially the new labeling function which will definitely make a large difference in productivity,” he added.
  
  Features of MAPublisher 7.0 for Adobe Illustrator
  - Improved labeling engine with intelligent label placement
  - New grids and graticules generator - grids can now be created on any projected or geodetic map view
  - New scale bar generator offering more new options and customization
  - New MAP attributes palette and functions - new engine offers search/replace and expression based attributes
  - Introduction of art property attributes - edit map art from within the attributes palette
  - New Expression Builder for creating simple and complex selections and attribute assignments
  - Support for value ranges in MAP Stylesheets for legend creation and symbolization
  - New MAP Selections palette - selections may now be saved and more easily applied
  - New Import Table functionality
  - New North Arrow functionality - easily convert any Illustrator symbol to an auto-aligned north arrow
  - Import MAP View - easily transfer complete MAP Views and layers between documents
  - Support for double-byte and other international character sets
  - Single-click automatic centering and re-positioning of page anchors
  - Various user interface enhancements to improve usability
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator Announced
  www.avenza.com/
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager spatial tools for Adobe Photoshop announced the release of MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator CS and CS2. MAPublisher 7.1 is the latest version of this powerful mapmaking software used to produce high quality maps from GIS data. MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator is a full product update that is free to all current MAPublisher Maintenance Program subscribers and replaces the current shipping version of MAPublisher 7.0 for all new customers.
  “We have quickly responded to the requests of our users by immediately improving on the recent version 7.0 release and including many new functions and feature enhancements in this release,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza, “This update is another major step forward for MAPublisher.” he added.
  MAPublisher 7.1 includes all the significant new functionality introduced in MAPublisher 7.0 including a new intelligent labeling engine, new grid, graticules and scalebar generators, new and improved MAP attributes engine with expression builder, advanced selection filters and support for double-byte character sets, as well as the following new features and enhancements.
  
  Features of MAPublisher 7.1 for Adobe Illustrator
  - New Advanced Expression Builder
    new syntax highlighting makes it easier to build expressions
    - new operators including LIKE, REGEX, STARTSWITH, ENDSWITH, POW and PI
    - automatic entry of attributes into expression builder by double-clicking
    - automatic formatting
    - built-in descriptions and examples
  - Advanced Control for Labeling
    - new labeling options for specifying location along a line and for disabling automatic flipping
  - Advanced line-joining function for greater control over compound paths
  - Improved optimization for conversion of legacy files
  - Compliance with Mac Intel processor based systems
  - New progress bars in most functions indicating time left to process
  - Various other user interface enhancements to improve usability
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Marshall Dillion, Here’s your GIS!
  www.geotg.com
  
  Dodge City, Kansas, location for many great western movies, including the TV classic Gunsmoke is turning to high tech for crime fighting. While a tough Marshall, good horse, loaded six-shooter and the occassional noose tamed the west, from here on, Dodge City will use GIS to get the bad guys. According to Geographic Technologies Group, Inc., Dodge City, Kansas purchased products from GTG’s LG GIS software suite. The City will be implementing LGcrimes.
  LGcrimes is a crime reporting, mapping and analysis software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities. LGcrimes aids in the visualization and analysis of police incident information. The spatial distribution of crimes will allow law enforcement professionals to maximize the use of departmental assets to satisfy the ever-growing demand for critical services. Public safety departments with limited budgets and staff now can take advantage of crime analysis technology while leveraging their organization’s investment in GIS technology. My advice to the tough guys: “Get outta Dodge!”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MassGIS GISette Email Newsletter
  mass.gov/mgis/GISette.htm
  
  Sign up to receive the new MassGIS newletter, sent out about every two months. Features news, data updates, event information, and more. The August 2006 issue and back issues now available in .PDF format.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Maui Police Department Uses GIS: E911 Dispatch
  www.esri.com
  
  The Maui Police Department (MPD) now uses GIS technology from ESRI for a groundbreaking E911 dispatch system that allows dispatchers to track the locations of people using a wireless phone to call in an emergency. The system can pinpoint and digitally map an emergency call location within seconds, allowing dispatchers to rapidly respond to emergencies no matter the location, whether on land or sea or in remote hiking or camping areas. The system is the first to go online for the state of Hawaii. “The department needed to meet the federal mandate to provide accurate locations for 911 calls from cell phones,” says Tommy Takeshita, dispatch supervisor, Maui Police Department. “We already had in place an accurate system for telephone calls from land-line locations. Cellular phones presented a unique challenge because they are wireless and mobile and not tied to a specific location or address. We needed to be able to locate and plot calls from these devices dynamically based on an x,y coordinate. The only way to do this is with GIS.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  McKinney, Texas Selects Implement New GIS
  www.geotg.com
  
  McKinney, Texas has purchased additional product functionality from GTG’s (Geographic Technologies Group, Inc.) LG GIS software suite. The city will be implementing additional search functionality for LGcrimes software to expand the City’s existing LG platform, which includes other GIS applications, such as LGmobile, LGdispatch, LGaddress, GISmo, LGviewer and GeoManager. LGcrimes is an affordable and easy-to-use crime reporting, mapping and analysis software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities. James Kelt, GTG’s Regional Manager and director of GTG’s Texas office says, “McKinney, Texas is one of the fastest growing communities in the nation. They have implemented enterprise wide GIS solutions that serve both the public and various city departments. One important aspect to city officials is the value of GIS to the police department. This additional functionality will allow the police department to map and analyze crime database information such as arrests, accidents, citations, sex offender locations and 911 calls for service.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Meriden, Connecticut Selects GTG to Implement New GIS Solution
  www.geogtg.com
  
  The City of Meriden, Connecticut expanded their implementation of GTG’s LG GIS software suite. The city acquired additional licenses of LGfires to expand the their existing LG platform that includes other GIS applications, such as LGcrimes, LGdispatch, and GeoManager. LGfires enables the Fire Department to conduct spatial analysis of fire incidents to deploy its resources more efficiently, and to work with other public safety departments and agencies. Additionally, the city will use LGfires in emergency response management, utilizing LGfires to predict airborne particulate plume drift, and utilizing GIS-based emergency notification services to quickly and accurately contact potentially affected populations during emergency scenarios.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MetaGeek Creates Low Cost 2.4 GHZ Spectrum Analyzer
  www.metageek.net
  MetaGeek, LLC created the world's smallest 2.4 GHz Spectrum Analyzer: The Wi-Spy.This revolutionary device will become an excellent resource in the future of troubleshooting Wi-Fi networks, according to a company spokesman. The performance of wireless devices is commonly inhibited by radiowaves from other wireless networks, cordless phones and similar devices. Even a microwave can interfere with the best wireless equipment, significantly reducing productivity.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Metes and Bounds version 1.5 released
  www.tabberer.com/sandyknoll/more/metesandbounds/metes.html
  
  What can you get for $29.95 that runs on your Mac or your Windows machine? Try Metes and Bounds and data into a plot map: Auto-completion, Area Calculation, Custom Labels and more. Features include:
  - Perform calculations: Square Feet, Acres, Hectares.
  - Easy entry data form.
  - Metes & Bounds will calculate if the survey closes or not.
  - Auto-Completion of drawing. If you?re missing the final segment of your land plotting data, let our Metes and Bounds land mapping software finish it for you.
  - Multiple measurement types: Feet, Meters, Rods and more.
  - Calculates areas and perimeters.
  - Create custom labels and backgrounds.
  - Determine closure errors.
  - Split a single plot into multiple plots.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Microsoft Acquires Vexcel Corp
  www.vexcel.com/
  Microsoft Corp. acquired Vexcel Corp., a worldwide leader in photogrammetry, imagery and remote sensing technologies, on May 3, 2006. Financial details of the acquisition were not disclosed. This deal, the second in the past six months for Microsoft's Virtual Earth business unit, was done to enhance the talent, technologies, products and services dedicated to fulfilling Microsoft's broad vision for best-of-breed local search and mapping solutions for consumers, businesses and government.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Microsoft MapPoint Web Service For the Rest of us
  www.microsoft.com/mappoint
  
  Web developers can purchase Microsoft MapPoint Web Service usage transactions in small blocks for their applications. Maps4MyApps.com provides access to the MapPoint web platform for transactions usage starting out as low as 1,500 transactions per month - ideal for small or start up applications requiring map look up and driving directions. Maps4MyApps.com provides developers direct access to the Microsoft platform under a cell phone model, utilizing monthly usage charges, and transaction rollover, all under an annual contract. These is no activation fee, and developers can select usage plan between 1,500 and 50,000 usage transactions per month. As your application grows, usage plans may be upgraded at any time Maps4MyApps.com is a service of InfoGrow Corporation, a Microsoft Certified Partner and leading MapPoint Web Service application developer. Recently Microsoft MapPoint Web Service has been re-branded to the Virtual Earth Platform. Through the Virtual Earth Platform, web-based application developers will have flexibility of tapping into one of the two Virtual Earth application programming interfaces (API): MapPoint Web Service API using SOAP XML to communicate with customer applications and Virtual Earth Map Control that lets users make requests via JavaScript to AJAX map object.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Milford, Connecticut, Fire Department Uses ArcGIS to Optimize Incident Response
  www.esri.com
  
  The Milford Fire Department (MFD) implemented ESRI's ArcGIS software to help manage its 3,500 prefire plans and to provide fire trucks with instant, mobile access to emergency data when responding to an event. This new capability assists in decision support, enhances situational awareness, and improves response capabilities using highly accurate incident data. In addition ArcGIS, a geographic information system (GIS) supports the agency with numerous public safety activities, including planning, preparedness, mitigation, response, incident management, and more. “We have a very active, elaborate prefire plan program that has helped us with our incident response,” says Lou LaVecchia, fire chief, MFD. “We recognized the need to get this information maintained and disseminated electronically, and we worked with ESRI to implement their GIS software to help make this happen. Now we have a faster, more efficient, and automated method for getting the right information to the personnel who need it. Using our GIS platform and applications, we can make information available in a way we could not do before.”
  
  “One of the primary challenges for the fire service is responding to fires and deploying quickly to reduce loss of life and property damage,” says Russ Johnson, public safety industry manager, ESRI. “MFD has deployed GIS technology in a very practical way that provides first responders with critical information before they arrive at the scene of a fire. Rapid access to preplans, floor plans, and other premise information reduces the time required to deploy firefighters for rescue and suppression. MFD is providing firefighters with the required information at the right time and place to respond more effectively and safely.” Located in Milford, Connecticut, MFD is a full-service agency that handles all aspects of emergency services including fire, emergency medical service, rescue, hazardous materials response, and more. The highly touted agency is a Class One fire department--the highest rating possible--and is only one of three in the New England area. Nationwide, only 44 out of approximately 43,000 fire departments have earned this distinction.
  
  As part of the agency's leading fire service delivery efforts, the department has a comprehensive collection of prefire plans for the thousands of buildings and land parcels located within its service area. MFD takes advantage of ArcGIS 9 to manage these plans and other data using advanced computing, geoprocessing, and visualization tools. As part of its overall GIS platform, MFD takes advantage ofsoftware packages from various ESRI business partners. First Look Pro, from The Cad Zone, is used to organize and access all critical preincident planning information. The Omega Group's FireView software provides industry-specific mapping tools to help review existing deployment policies and develop new strategies. The MFD dispatch center is also equipped with CompassCom software for automatic vehicle location and mobile asset tracking. The computer-aided dispatch (CAD) system links to mobile, GIS-enabled computers in the fire trucks.
  .
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Mobile GIS and GPS Grants from ESRI and Trible
  www.esri.com
  www.trimble.com
  
  ESRI and Trimble are pleased to announce the 10 winners of the Mobile Government Grant Program: Coastal Communities Edition. The grant program has been established to help government agencies create models for the development and implementation of innovative GIS and GPS applications aimed at improving government processes. Beginning in December 2006, the grant winners' applications will be posted as public domain templates for ArcPad on ESRI's Web site www.esri.com/arcpadtemplates. From there, the scripts can be accessed and freely downloaded.
  
  For this edition of the grant program, ESRI and Trimble have awarded software, hardware, and training grants totaling more than $96,000 to 10 state, regional, and local governments within designated coastal communities. The recipients of the 2006 ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Grant Program: Coastal Communities Edition are:
  - Indian River County, Florida, Coastal Engineering Department
  - Collier County, Florida, Environmental Services Department
  - Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff's Office
  - New York City, New York, Department of Parks and Recreation, Capital Projects Division
  - City of Ocean Shores, Washington, Public Works Department
  - State of Georgia, Department of Natural Resources, Coastal Resources Division, Ecological Services Section
  - Curry County, Oregon, Assessor's Office
  - City of Wilmington, North Carolina, Public Services Department, Stormwater Services
  - State of Maine, Department of Conservation
  - City of Alpena, Michigan, City Engineering Department
  ESRI and Trimble encourage the government community to promote the sharing of applications by posting their work online, because exchanging ideas on issues that affect their communities helps government better serve the public. Through the ESRI and Trimble Mobile Government Demonstration Project and the public domain templates on ESRI's Web site, governments can continue to meet their objectives through the open exchange of ideas and shared resources.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Multiple Pulses in Air (MPiA) LiDAR Technology from
  www.leica-geosystems.com
  
  Leica Geosystems debued of the company's MPiA (Multiple Pulses in Air) technology, a new patent-pending advanced laser system that measures distances at significantly higher rates than conventional time-of-flight measurement tools. Leica Geosystems' MPiA technology has been successfully tested in real-world applications, and is now ready for incorporation into product lines. Unlike current time-of-flight systems, Leica Geosystems' new MPiA technology does not depend on receiving the target reflection before starting the next distance measurement cycle. Users will now be able to obtain the same distance measurements in less than half the time without sacrificing data accuracy.
  “This technology has the potential to significantly increase the productivity of airborne LiDAR data acquisition systems,” said George Southard, director of digital imaging sales, Leica Geosystems, Inc. - Americas region. “We will soon be offering our airborne LiDAR customers an upgrade path to take advantage of the MPiA technology along with our industry leading 150 kHz data acquisition rate. This will enable our customers to fly a notably wider swath at the same point densities as today, or acquire significantly increased point densities with the same swaths as today. Either option ultimately leads to appreciably reduced flight costs resulting in greater savings to our users.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MultiVision USA Delivers High-Resolution Oblique Imagery for Property Appraisal in Sedgwick County, Kansas
  www.mv-usa.com
  
  MultiVision USA, a provider of high-resolution oblique imagery and 3D viewing software, has delivered new aerial imagery of Sedgwick County, Kansas, along with viewing software, to the County Appraiser?s Office for use in property mass appraisal. “Sedgwick County is a rapidly growing area where local government offices are racing to ensure that county services keep pace with development,”? said Dave Ledgerwood, MultiVision USA President. “County officials have committed themselves to finding new technologies that create efficiencies and streamline key business processes such as property appraisal.”
  MultiVision USA utilizes an advanced aerial imaging system to acquire high-resolution oblique imagery for use in Property Appraisal and Assessment, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, Emergency Management and other applications that benefit from multi-perspective and 3D viewing capabilities. Michael Borchard, Appraiser for Sedgwick County, is responsible for overseeing the appraisal of all real property throughout the county. Each year, approximately one-sixth of the entire county is re-inspected. He and his staff of 75 had been seeking new, high-tech ways of verifying property characteristics, and the MultiVision USA product will make their work significantly easier.
  “This technology gives us 3D views of all properties, allowing us to easily see property changes from year to year, so that we can provide accurate property appraisals,? said Borchard. ?We can now work much more efficiently. Previously, we had team members going out and manually measuring properties. Now we get accurate measurements without even leaving our desks.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MultiVision USA Delivers High-Resolution Oblique Imagery
  www.mv-usa.com/
  
  MultiVision USA, a provider of high-resolution oblique imagery and 3D viewing software, delivered oblique images of Cass County, Mo., along with viewing software to the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), a non-governmental agency that supports seven Missouri and Kansas counties in the greater Kansas City area. Cass County is using the multi-perspective imagery and software for property assessment and other purposes.
  “We saw how well MultiVision integrates with ESRI products, particularly the ArcGIS suite of mapping software.” said Craig Arnold, Support Specialist for the Cass County Commission, a MARC member. “That capability is very exciting to us. We had new oblique imagery flown of our growing county, and it has proven very useful and user friendly.” MultiVision USA utilizes an advanced aerial imaging system to acquire high-resolution oblique imagery for use in Property Assessment, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, Emergency Management and other applications that benefit from multi-perspective and 3D viewing capabilities.
  “This was an ideal application for MultiVision imagery and viewing software,” said Dave Ledgerwood, president of MultiVision USA. “MARC was already using ESRI products, and the member counties were able to pool their resources to obtain the imagery and software, sharing the cost and providing invaluable information to make the assessors' jobs easier.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MultiVision USA Demonstrates Software Upgrades
  www.mv-usa.com
  
  MultiVision USA, a provider of high resolution oblique imagery and viewing software, demonstrated the latest version of its MultiVision software package at the ESRI International Users Conference this week in San Diego, Calif. The new software version offers enhanced functionality for viewing and measuring oblique aerial imagery within a GIS-based environment.
  
  MultiVision USA utilizes an advanced aerial imaging system to acquire high-resolution oblique imagery for use in Property Assessment, Law Enforcement, Fire & Rescue, Emergency Management and other applications that benefit from multi-perspective and 3D viewing capabilities. MultiVision software integrates oblique and nadir aerial photos into a single database and provides onscreen tools to manipulate and measure vertical and horizontal structures, such as building facades, backyard patios, and terrain features, from any angle or direction. The software works directly with all GIS-based applications, allowing for the importing and exporting of additional data layers without third-party software. “ESRI conference attendees will be impressed with how easy it is to utilize oblique imagery inside their GIS applications with the new MultiVision software,” said Dave Ledgerwood, president of MultiVision USA. “In addition to new viewing and searching capabilities, MultiVision software now offers much faster ingest speeds, loading up to 52,000 oblique aerial images in 30 to 40 seconds.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  MultiVision USA Expands Market Share to 10 Percent in 18 Months
  http://www.mv-usa.com/
  
  In only 18 months, MultiVision USA has captured 10 percent of the U.S. market for oblique aerial imagery, according to company spokesman Dave Ledgerwood. A subsidiary of Greenman-Pedersen Inc., MultiVision USA utilizes an advanced aerial imaging system to acquire high-resolution oblique imagery for use in property assessment, law enforcement, fire & rescue, emergency management and other applications that benefit from multi-perspective and 3D viewing capabilities.
  “MultiVision USA has raised the bar for oblique aerial imagery products, and the market has responded favorably to the choices in vendors and products it now enjoys,” said George Donatello, CMS, a consultant to the property assessment industry, and past-president of the International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO). “It is a testament to MultiVision USA?s advanced technology and excellent customer service that its market share has grown so significantly in such a short period of time.”
  In just the past two months, MultiVision USA has signed contracts to acquire oblique imagery at four-inch pixel size for several additional counties, including Cass County, Mo., Pasco County, Fla., and Sedgwick County, Kan. Property appraisers and assessors are currently the primary end users of MultiVision USA products, citing the quality of the imagery and ease of use of the complementary 3D viewing software. Law enforcement and emergency services personnel are the second largest, and most rapidly growing, users of MultiVision USA technology. MultiVision software integrates oblique and nadir aerial photos into a single database and provides onscreen tools to measure vertical and horizontal structures, such as building facades, backyard patios and terrain features from any angle or direction.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Novell's OpenOffice to Deliver Office 2007 Compatibility
  www.openoffice.org/
  
  On the heels of its landmark cooperative deal with Microsoft, Novell Inc. announced this week that its edition of the OpenOffice.org office productivity suite will offer support for Microsoft's Office Open XML format by the time the consumer release of Office 2007 ships at the end of January. The move is a key first step agreed to by Microsoft and Waltham, Mass.-based Novell in last month’s landmark agreement. At the announcement on November 2, Novell executives said they would work to make Office work with their implementation of the OpenOffice.org suite.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  
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  MacGPS Pro - 6.4.0 released
  www.macgpspro.com
  
  Prefer to use your Mac for getting around town? Good news: MacGPS Pro is software for communicating with GPS Receivers and viewing your position on moving digital maps and nautical charts. These images can be viewed with no GPS receiver connected or used in real-time as a moving-map display of your current position and velocity.
  - It allows import of maps from a wide variety of sources in the following formats: TIFF (TIF), JPEG (JPG), GIF, PNG, PICT, BMP, Photoshop (PSD), SGI, TGA, and (in OS X) PDF.
  - It imports Nautical Charts in Softcharts (NOS) and Maptech (BSB v.1, v.2, v.3, v.4, v.5) format.
  - It supports NMEA 0183 input from all serial port, Bluetooth, and USGlobalSat USB receivers. Waypoints, Routes, Tracklogs can be graphically generated and edited for use on the Mac, or for transfer to and from Garmin Serial Port and USB Receivers, and Magellan Serial Port receivers.
  - MacGPS Pro shows your current position on Google Maps.
  - It imports Waypoints from USGS Geographic Place Name files and .LOC files. It imports and exports waypoints, routes, and tracklogs in the GPX interchange format used by Geocachers.
  Version 6.4.0 is universal binary, gibing you native performance on Intel-based Macs.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Nampa, Idaho Maps Grave Sites with GPS and Photo Mapping Software
  www.geospatialexperts.com
  
  The City of Nampa, Idaho, is using GPS and digital photo mapping software to create a web-accessible map database showing the precise locations of all grave sites in its public cemetery. Completed in just one summer, the mapping project was made possible by GPS-Photo Link software from GeoSpatial Experts of Thornton, Colo. “With the growing interest in genealogy, our city clerks were spending many hours every week handling inquiries from people wanting to know where their relatives were buried in our cemetery,” said Rod Collins, GIS Manager in the Nampa Engineering Department. “Pinpointing a specific grave was time consuming because the clerks had to page through paper maps and records dating to the late 1800s.”
  At the end of each day, the digital photos and GPS data were loaded back into the city's geographic information system (GIS). GPS-Photo Link software then automatically linked the digital photographic images with the GPS location data and mapped the photographs on the GIS layer. This created a digital map in which the tombstone photos and interment details were linked to their accurate geographic locations on the GIS map.
  “We are now integrating the cemetery layer from our GIS into the city web site,” said Collins. “Anyone will be able to visit the site and view a customized map of the cemetery showing the location of a particular grave simply by querying on a name or date of death. The online user will also be able to view the photo of the tombstone.” “Mapping grave sites in cemeteries is a rapidly growing application of GPS technology,” said Rick Bobbitt, President of GeoSpatial Experts. “Many cities have purchased our GPS-Photo Link software because it provides one of the easiest and most inexpensive means of creating a geographically accurate digital map.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Nashville Electric Service Website provides outage map
  www.nespower.com
  
  When the power goes out, Nashville Electric Service (NES) customers turn to one of the most popular features on the NES Website: an online outage map with live, continuously updated outage information. Teresa Corlew, NES spokesperson says, “It's been a hit with our customers and the media who depend on the information to be accurate and timely.” The map provides information during a power failure. Users can view all outages across the NES service area or narrow their search to a specific neighborhood. They can see the number of customers who are experiencing outages, the streets that are affected, and if crews have been assigned to the problem. Information is updated every 10 minutes. NES tracks the number of visitors to the Website. NES had over 2,700 unique visits to the outage map on August 30 when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. The number of visits normally averaged less than 500. NES experienced a similar spike in April 2006 when tornados ripped through Middle Tennessee and left 17,000 customers without power. Source: uaelp.pennnet.com/Articles/Article_Display.cfm?ARTICLE_ID=259168&p=22
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organization of India Chooses MAPublisher
  www.avenza.com
  
  The National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organization of India (NATMO) has chosen MAPublisher for their map creation needs. This Kolkata-based branch of the Indian government is the prime architect of the National Atlas of India as well as many other major geographic and cartographic projects for the Indian government. “We are thrilled to include NATMO among the many prominent overseas users of MAPublisher who have invested in multiple licenses,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. “It is wonderful to see the growing acceptance of our products overseas and to be a part of the Indian government?s entry into modern-day map creation methods,” he added.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  National Domestic Violence Hotline Uses GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  The National Domestic Violence Hotline (NDVH) recently implemented an ESRI based GIS system.. Now, when an abused person calls the hotline, she quickly receives helpful information about nearby resources because ESRI's ArcWeb Services is at work. Information technology consulting firm Catapult Systems designed and developed the new call center application with ArcWeb Services. The GIS based system replaces the paper maps and Microsoft Access Forms-based desktop application that hotline workers (advocates) used when assisting callers. Now, when a call comes in to the hotline, an advocate can focus on the caller instead of conducting a lengthy search of disparate printed lists and maps for information on nearby resources. A caller's location is automatically identified in a general area on a map such as a city or county, which maintains the caller's anonymity. Then the advocate can conduct a search for information about battered women's shelters in the area, whether workers at the facility speak a specific language, if they accept children, and so forth.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  National Geographic Society Chooses MAPublisher and Geographic Imager
  www.avenza.com
  
  Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager spatial tools for Adobe Photoshop announced that National Geographic Magazine in Washington, DC chose MAPublisher and Geographic Imager for their map creation needs. Multiple MAPublisher licenses of both products have been purchased by the NGS, along with onsite MAPublisher training for its cartographic designers.
  
  “We are thrilled to include National Geographic among the many prominent users of MAPublisher and Geographic Imager who have invested in multiple licenses of our products,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems Inc. “ NGS is recognized the world over as a leading producer of high quality cartographic products and we are delighted to extend our ongoing relationship with them and to continue to work with them in the future,” he added. “We are very pleased to be able to include MAPublisher and Geographic Imager in our map creation workflows,” said Bill McNulty, of National Geographic Magazine.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Selects Intergraph
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Intergraph Corporation significantly expanded the company's long-standing relationship with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), signing a new three year Enterprise Site License Agreement to assist the agency in providing timely, relevant and accurate geospatial intelligence in support of national security objectives. Under the terms of the new partnership, Intergraph will provide licensing of its geospatial intelligence technology to enhance the agency's flexibility and enterprise control, assist end users, deploy new technology and provide NGA with even greater ability to meet its mission of supporting national security.
  
  “For more than 20 years Intergraph has been providing geospatial intelligence technology to military, public safety and governmental agencies around the world,” said R. Halsey Wise, Intergraph President and CEO. “Our long-term partnership with the NGA has led to the development of some of the most advanced location-aware technology for national, regional and local security organizations. This technology partnership and the Enterprise Site License Agreement further demonstrate our continued commitment to NGA, its mission and its goals.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  National Vacant and Abandoned Properties Grant Program Winners
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI, the National Vacant Properties Campaign, and Magellan announce the winners of the National Vacant and Abandoned Properties Grant Program. Fifty thousand dollars in software, hardware, and training grants has been awarded to 10 U.S. local and regional governments. The goal of the grant program is to foster innovative approaches to solve government and community problems through the combined use of geographic information system (GIS) and GPS technology.
  Grants were awarded to governments that proposed GIS and GPS applications that will produce or enhance property inventory and encourage redevelopment of vacant or abandoned properties within the United States. The recipients will create and share reusable GIS and GPS applications that governments with similar projects can access via an ESRI public domain Web site at www.esri.com/arcscripts.
  The 2006 ESRI, National Vacant Properties Campaign, and Magellan National Vacant and Abandoned Properties Grant Program recipients are
  1. City of Opa-locka, Florida, Community Development Department
  2. City of Detroit, Michigan, Department of Environmental Affairs
  3. City of Trenton, New Jersey, Department of Housing and Economic Development
  4. City of Gretna, Louisiana, Mayor’s Office
  5. City of Boston, Massachusetts, Department of Neighborhood Development
  6. City of Ashland, Wisconsin, Department of Planning and Development
  7. City of Spokane, Washington, Economic Development Division
  8. Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission, Iowa (four counties)
  9. City of Alton, Texas, Planning Department
  10. City of New Orleans, Louisiana, Redevelopment Authority
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  NAVTEQ and Autodesk Collaborate in Co-Marketing Agreement
  www.navteq.com
  usa.autodesk.com
  
  NAVTEQ and Autodesk, Inc. entered into a strategic co-marketing agreement. This alliance enables Autodesk geospatial and civil engineering customers greater ability to access NAVTEQ® map data through Autodesk's geospatial solutions. In addition, NAVTEQ is providing sample data to Autodesk for The MapGuide Open, a Web mapping contest for developers designed to encourage the creation of new and innovative geospatial solutions using the new MapGuide Open Source platform.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Nebraska Implements Innovative Disaster Preparedness for Rapid Response
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI successfully implementated a GIS-based inventory management application for disaster preparedness for the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services (NHHS). Created by ESRI business partner GeoAge, Inc., Stockpile Management Receiving and Tracking (SMRT) is a Web-based, secure system that combines the functionality of an inventory management application with the analytical power of GIS. Built with ESRI ArcIMS and Microsoft .NET, SMRT gives officials the ability to map Nebraska's health and distribution facilities, display real-time inventories for each site, and relate the information to a spatial overlay of census population data. When a specific area is affected by a health emergency, the census data is used to determine population and dosage requirements for that area. Inventory access makes it easy to locate the needed supplies and send them to the closest receiving site. ArcIMS is the ESRI solution for delivering dynamic maps and GIS data and services via the Web.
  
  “During an emergency, communication and coordination are two of the biggest challenges to overcome. The application is an effective tool for enhancing communication and the coordination of multiple tasks to effectively respond to public health emergencies in the state of Nebraska,“ says Robert Leopold, deputy director, Department of Regulation and Licensure, Nebraska Health and Human Services System.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Networkcar Introduces DataConnect Service
  
  www.networkcar.com
  
  New service provides fleets the ability to integrate and stream vehicle and GPS data into software applications. Networkcar®, a Reynolds and Reynolds company specializing in remotely monitoring vehicle location and diagnostics, today announced the availability of the DataConnect service for its Networkfleet™ wireless vehicle management system. This new service enables sharing of Networkfleet vehicle and GPS data with a third party application in near realtime. The DataConnect service enhances the current Networkfleet product by enabling fleets and independent software vendors (ISVs) to take advantage of Networkfleet data by creating integrated solutions to solve a variety of business needs
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New eBook for Programming with AutoCAD
  www.upfrontezine.com
  upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. released “Tailoring AutoLISP - DCL - Diesel,” a new ebook about programming AutoCAD software Autodesk. The 166-page ebook describes how to program with AutoLISP any release of AutoCAD, Release 13 through 2007. The ebook provides tutorials on creating dialog boxes with DCL (dialog control language), and how to employ the puzzling Diesel macro language. The e-book provides:
  - Introduction to the AutoLISP programming language.
  - Intensive step-by-step tutorials on writing useful code with LISP.
  - Thorough explanation of DCL (dialog control language).
  - Exhaustive reference of DCL tiles and attributes -- more accurate than Autodesk's own documentation.
  - Reference of dialog-related AutoLISP functions.
  - Understanding Diesel.
  - Using Diesel in menu and toolbar macros, and with AutoLISP.
  Learn more about Tailoring AutoLISP - DCL - Diesel, read the full table of contents, and view select pages at www.upfrontezine.com/tadd.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New Free Live Training Seminar:
  Tips and Tricks for ArcGIS 9
  campus.esri.com/seminars
  Editing in ArcGIS 9: Tips and Tricks II, a new live training seminar from ESRI Virtual Campus, explores the newest tips and tricks in ArcGIS Desktop. The seminar is ideal for experienced ArcGIS users who edit features in ArcMap and want to learn techniques to increase efficiency and precision. The Web seminar will be presented on April 27, 2006, at 9:00 a.m., 11:00 a.m., and 3:00 p.m. Pacific time. ArcGIS Desktop has a variety of tools and commands to edit and manipulate data. Following Editing in ArcGIS 9: Tips and Tricks I, this seminar offers more ways to work with editing tools to construct vector geometry. The presenter will explore common editing challenges in ArcMap and reveal and demonstrate their solutions. Key points include using sketch constraints, creating cul-de-sacs and generating street centerlines, editing with offsets, and splitting and subdividing lines. A broadband Internet connection and an ESRI Virtual Campus membership are required to view the seminar. Becoming a Virtual Campus member is free and only takes a few minutes.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New GIS Integration Engine from TriTech
  www2.tritech.com
  
  TriTech Software Systems deployed a new, innovative Geographical Information System utility that enables TriTech clients to easily synchronize street address information and other spatial data directly between TriTech applications and their source geodatabase. The new solution, VisiNet GISLink™ facilitates synchronizing spatial data with VisiCAD Command™, TriTech?s computer–aided dispatch (CAD) software solution including addressing, routing and spatial layers. This is accomplished by sing a simple interface with minimal steps that enables the user to link their 9-1-1 applications directly to the GIS enterprise system. VisiNet GISLink allows the user to specify the location of source, destination, and differences data; links streets fields to CAD streets fields (many or all automatically link); determine and fill differences and then synchronizes these differences with the TriTech GIS databases. VisiNet GIS Link greatly simplifies the process of data validation with no degradation in CAD or VisiNet Mobil ™ performance, and without having to reboot the application.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New MobileScan3D Plug-In For Geomagic Software
  www.geomagic.com
  
  Geomagic now supports Steintek’s MobileScan3D automated scanner system. The new plugin provides real-time processing and visualization of physical objects as they are captured by the MobileScan3D scanning system. The free plugin, available directly from Steintek, is fully integrated with Geomagic Qualify computer-aided inspection and Geomagic Studio digital reconstruction software. “We are pleased that Steintek is using our agile platform to offer additional value to its MobileScan3D customers,” said Andrew Stein, vice president of marketing, product and business development for Geomagic. “This is an example of how Geomagic works with its optical measurement system partners to help users realize significant productivity gains from DSSP.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New Seattle Landslide Maps
  
  www.usgs.gov
  
  Experts at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) have produced a series of new landslide maps of Seattle that will provide property owners, government agencies and utilities with improved landslide information. The new maps include a Shallow Landslide Hazard Map; Landslide Terrain Map using LIDAR Imagery; Map of Landslide Probability and Recurrence; Prototype Maps Linked to Rainfall; Rainfall Thresholds for Landslides and Early Warning; and Deep Landslide Hazards Map. ”We are very pleased to have these new resources," said City of Seattle Emergency Management Director, Barb Graff. "An improved understanding of landslide hazards in Seattle can help government and private property owners reduce the threat to both people and property.style="font-size: 100%; padding-right: 0px; background:none;"
  
  The new maps are the product of a multi-year study by the USGS following the devastating landslides in the region in 1996/97 and are part of the larger Seattle Project Impact, a public-private partnership, to improve safety in the region against such natural hazards as landslides and earthquakes. Since 1997, the City of Seattle has
  - Refined mapping of Landslide Prone Areas (LPAs)
  - Provided annual expert landslide mitigation seminars for the public
  - Developed a coordinated emergency response and recovery plan
    with annual preparations by City staff for the wet season
  - Fixed a number of priority landslide and drainage problems in LPAs
    (over 300 large and small projects have been completed).
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  new technology detects hydrocarbons down to 20,000 feet
  www.efieldexploration.com
  
  A Southern California company has reported completion of a new oil exploration survey using technology that detects natural energy currents created by solar flares and lightning. Ed Johnson, President of the Orange County based company eField Exploration, said that they completed an aerial survey of over 3,100 miles of existing oil and gas fields and other land in Texas using a developing technology which reveals the location of water and oil down to 20,000 feet or more below the surface.
  
  This new generation of “Electro-Magnetotelluric” technology is mounted on an airborne platform and makes use of advances in computer analysis and systems. The maps and colorful GIS graphics that result provide pictures of geophysical structures deeper than commonly used exploration technologies. For years now, geoscientists have been focusing efforts using similar electromagnetic technologies on mineral exploration. But recently, with the rise is the price of oil, strategic interests have shifted and a few companies are placing more emphasis on the search for oil close to home.
  
  The eField system detects the presence of hydrocarbons by reading patterns associated with natural electric currents known scientifically as Telluric currents which are induced by solar flares and lightning and penetrate deep to the earth's core. Charges effects occur at the interface of water and dissolved hydrocarbons – an effect now called NFIP (Natural Field Induced Polarization) in the literature. The accumulation of these charges and their migration to the surface (seep columns) is mapped by the eField Airborne EMT System.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New Training Seminar Focuses on a Free ArcGIS Application Developed by FEMA
  campus.esri.com/campus/home/workshoplist.cfm
  
  A new, free training seminar explores the risk management capabilities of HAZUS-Multihazards (MH), a free ArcGIS extension developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). HAZUS-MH for Decision Makers, presented by ESRI Virtual Campus, provides an overview of the application in the areas of mitigation, response, recovery, planning, and risk management for earthquake-, hurricane-, and flood- related events. HAZUS-MH is designed to support the ongoing disaster response needs of communities as well as meet the risk assessment requirements of programs such as the Disaster Mitigation Act 2000. The application's variety of options is useful to a wide range of individuals and organizations, providing tools to both novice users with limited knowledge of hazard analysis as well as advanced users with expertise in the area.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  New Video Series Gives People a Window into GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  Twelve videos showing how geographic information system technology can help in everything from fighting wildfires to planning for a possible avian flu pandemic will be available this year to GIS Day event organizers. The four to eight minute videos on the GIS Day Video Kiosk CD will help presenters explain the important roles of GIS in analyzing and mapping data in fields such as public safety, firefighting, health care, and retail marketing. Using slides or video of maps or GIS users at work, narrated segments show, for example, how
  - Scientists and other researchers use GIS to map outbreaks of avian flu in birds and humans and mark flyways to decide where to set up sites to monitor for infected birds.
  - Fire agencies use the technology to map wildfires and show where the blazes may potentially spread.
  - Law enforcement officers use GIS to map and analyze crime patterns, helping to decide, for instance, where to increase patrols.
  The CD can be requested by contacting GIS Day coordinator Maria Jordan.GIS Day organizers can play one or all of the videos at their events, which may include workshops, corporate open houses, community expos, school assemblies, GPS scavenger hunts, and even GIS-inspired baking contests. The videos on the CD will be especially helpful to GIS Day organizers who do not have Internet access during their presentations. GIS Day will be November 15, 2006, though people in some parts of the world celebrate at other times of the year.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Newmont Mining Selects ESRI
  www.newmont.com
  
  Newmont Mining Corporation recently selected ESRI as its enterprise geographic information system software provider. Newmont Mining is the second largest gold producer in the world, with operations on five continents. The global enterprise license agreement will enable Newmont Mining to deploy the full suite of ArcGIS products in an open, scalable, and standards-based GIS architecture that will integrate with and leverage existing Newmont Mining information technology (IT) resources. The ESRI global enterprise license replaces Newmont Mining's previous GIS, offering greater opportunity for more integrated and robust applications. ESRI products will allow the company to create distributed data repositories, which will replicate data from central servers. The company?s data will be accessed via an intranet portal by a wide variety of employees from GIS professionals to casual users.
  Matthew Bidwell, Newmont's manager of Worldwide GIS, says, “Our global enterprise license agreement with ESRI will enable us to organize our data in one consistent standardized architecture. Our geologists will be able to more easily and quickly locate the data they need. The enterprise license agreement makes it easy to implement GIS throughout Newmont. Our offices no longer need to be concerned with negotiating for and distributing GIS software. This is huge for us. We do not have to worry about writing purchase requests each time we hire a new geologist.”
  “This global license is significant because it demonstrates the ability of GIS technology to make vast amounts of data available to users in distant lands,” says Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Nomadix and ROC-net Launch Wi-Fi Canopy for Downtown Rockford, IL
  wwww.Nomadix.com
  www.roc-net.com
  
  Nomadix, Inc. a supplier of intelligent network devices and interconnect services for guest access, digital cities, and carrier HotSpots, and ROC-net Services, a co-operation of local private businesses providing Internet connectivity and other high-tech solutions in Northern Illinois, launched a Wi-Fi canopy for an 8-square-mile area of downtown Rockford. The deployment is the first step in a wider initiative to provide wireless broadband services to 10 counties in the region. ROC-net made the announcement at a press conference on January 30th, 2006 featuring Illinois Senator Dick Durbin, a representative from Illinois Senator Barack Obama’s office, Illinois Congressman Don Manzullo, and Illinois Lt. Governor Pat Quinn. Rockford is 60 miles west of Chicago.
  The Nomadix Service Engine™ (NSE) resides in venue, carrier, or service provider infrastructure to enable connectivity in public access environments. Embedded on the NSE itself, Nomadix’s patented gateway software immediately and invisibly adapts to a computer’s settings to enable a secure, easy-to-use connection. In addition, NSE software creates a unique service creation environment, and supports a variety of revenue-generating mechanisms for operators. Since its inception, Nomadix has shipped 25,000 NSE-enabled units to customers in over 60 countries. This Roc-Net deployment was done in partnership with Airpath Wireless, Inc. and their hosted OSS solution.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  NY Subway construction uses Tech from Leica
  www.leica-geosystems.us/
  Workers on a major underground construction project in New York City are depending on high-precision surveying instruments from Leica Geosystems to ensure the safety of personnel and structures as part of an automated deformation monitoring system. The $400 million South Ferry Terminal improvement program involves a major upgrade of the existing station, which is located underneath Peter Minuit Plaza in Lower Manhattan, adjacent to Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry Terminal.
  The monitoring system developed by Geocomp and MRCE includes 10 Leica TCRP1201 total stations, monitoring more than 450 prisms above and below ground. The system also includes seismographs inside the tunnels to record vibrations, tiltmeters on selected structures to monitor deflection, and inclinometers installed in the support-of-excavation walls and in the ground in front of nearby historic structures to monitor lateral deflections. The Leica TCRP1201 robotic total stations, permanently mounted at fixed locations, take continuous laser measurements to prisms mounted on buildings and other structures on the surface within a several-block radius of the worksite. … The automatic monitoring system alerts authorities to any out-of-tolerance movements that could pose a danger to the buildings or workers above and below ground. All 10 total stations are controlled and synchronized using Leica GeoMoS monitoring software.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  NyVejle Municipality Selects ArcGIS
  www.esri.com
  
  Informi GIS A/S, ESRI's distributor in Denmark, recently signed a contract with the newly constituted NyVejle municipality that will give NyVejle a professional and state-of-the-art enterprise geographic information system based on ESRI'?s software. ”The fact that ESRI?s software is open and scalable and supports the needs of many different types of users was our main reason for choosing it,” explains Bjarne Falk, geographic information manager in NyVejle municipality.
  The enterprise GIS will ensure user friendly and easily accessible GIS software and give many different users the opportunity to share maps and store data in a central location. ESRI's ArcGIS, ArcSDE, and ArcIMS software were chosen for the NyVejle GIS because of their powerful analytic, storage, and Internet capabilities. The software is appropriate for both advanced GIS users seeking powerful analytic capabilities and those with more basic needs. During the past year, the Danish political map has changed dramatically as many small municipalities have been consolidated into bigger units. For GIS professionals, the impact is profound.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  ObjectFX Releases SpatialRules 2.0
  /www.objectfx.com
  
  Unique Middleware Component Helps Manage Flood of Spatial and Temporal Information. ObjectFX® Corporation, announced availability of SpatialRules^™ 2.0, a spatiotemporal rule system designed to manage streams of spatial and temporal data. The release follows successful beta testing by several major systems integrators serving the defense and geospatial intelligence communities. SpatialRules 2.0 strengthens the company's ability to help customers intelligently manage the flood of location-based information that faces many organizations in government and the private sector. Traditional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) vendors have failed to address the need for a scalable, open framework for spatiotemporal rule processing. Initial target industries and applications for the technology include commercial transportation, logistics and supply chain management; government homeland security and law enforcement; military blue/red force tracking, logistics and situational awareness; and intelligence monitoring and analysis.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC Announces Fall Interoperability Day
  www.opengeospatial.org/event/0610interop
  
  The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.®(OGC), announces an Interoperability Day Seminar on October 4, 2006 to be held in conjunction with its Technical and Planning Committee Meetings in Tyson's Corner, Vienna, Virginia. The event is open to all and will focus on the state of geospatial and information technology interoperability. The seminar will include a keynote address, multi-vendor demonstration, and panel discussions. Topics will include the value of interoperability and standards, and the challenges ahead.
  Doug Eberhard, Chief Technical Officer of Parsons Brinckerhoff, will speak about “Extending the Geospatial Landscape: Addressing the Complexities of the Urban Landscape” in the keynote presentation. Speakers including Jim Knudsen, GIO of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Johnny Tolliver, member of the Computing Applications group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Thomas Gay, Assistant Vice President and Manager of commercial insurer FM Global's Engineering Plan Services will share their perspectives on how interoperability plays a role in government, research and private industry. Participating OGC members will show off their solutions in a Vendor Interoperability Showcase providing attendees the chance to get more familiar with implementations of OGC standards. The final session of the day, hosted by OGC staff, will give attendees the chance to help craft future efforts by sharing input on priorities.
  The event will be held at the Sheraton Premier, Grand Ballroom, Tyson's Corner from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm and includes morning coffee, lunch and an evening social hour.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC Announces Geospatial Linking Service Interoperability Experiment
  www.opengeospatial.org
  
  The Open Geospatial Consortium Inc. (OGC) will launch an interoperability experiment on “geospatial linking” on January 15, 2007. The Geospatial Linking Service Interoperability Experiment will test methods for linking attribute data (typically records in a database) to those data records' geospatial representations (typically stored as digital maps) when both data and geospatial representations are stored at separate locations on the Internet.
  The experiment is expected to validate the functions of Web services specified in the “Geospatially Linked Data Access Service (GDAS)” and “Geospatial Linking Service (GLS)” OGC Discussion Papers. Experience gained in the experiment will be used to improve these specifications, which may then be submitted for further development and adoption by the OGC membership as OpenGIS® Specifications.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC GeoRSS White Paper released
  www.opengeospatial.org
  
  The membership of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) has released the "OGC GeoRSS White Paper" to the public (OGC Document 06-050r3). GeoRSS is a simple proposal for geo-enabling, or tagging, “really simple syndication” (RSS) feeds with location information. GeoRSS standardizes the way in which “where” is encoded with enough simplicity and descriptive power to satisfy most needs to describe the location of Web content. It is extensible and upwardly-compatible with more sophisticated formats like the OGC GML (Geography Markup Language®). GeoRSS is an important stepping stone in the evolution of the geo-semantic web. It is the product of an informal collaboration of geospatial professionals applying expertise in Web standards, syndication, and the Semantic Web. An incubator group within W3C is working to progress things further (see www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/geo/charter). This incubator activity represents an important link between the OGC and W3C communities to address the growing importance of the Semantic Web and the need for locally relevant information accessible through a variety of networked devices.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC Membership Approves Four Sensor Related OGC Specifications
  www.opengeospatial.org
  With sensors of all types becoming part of the world's information infrastructure, the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.® (OGC) is pleased to announce that its membership has approved four standards that will allow sensors to better interoperate with the Web and other information technology assets.
  Common sensors found everyday include imaging cameras traveling on aircraft, “sniffers” that determine pollutions concentration in the air, “listeners” that keep track of noise and temperature sensors that ensure that produce traveling in trucks remains fresh. The OGC has been working for several years to find ways in which these and other sensors can publish information about their existence, report their locations and share their information in a standard way. The vision is to build a Sensor Web, a network of sensors accessible over the Internet to serve scientists and others as they try to better understand our world.
  The OpenGIS® Sensor Model Language (SensorML) Implementation Specification describes an information model and encodings that enable discovery and tasking of Web-resident sensors, and exploitation of sensor observations. SensorML allows scientists to find and communicate with sensors to assign specific jobs. SensorML is built on XML and can describe any process, including measurement by a sensor system, as well as post-measurement processing.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) White Paper released
  www.opengeospatial.org
  
  The membership of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) approved and released the OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) White Paper as an official public OGC White Paper (OGC Document 06-046r2. A sensor network is a computer accessible network of many spatially distributed devices using sensors to monitor conditions at different locations, such as temperature, sound, vibration, pressure, motion or pollutants. A Sensor Web refers to Web accessible sensor networks and archived sensor data that can be discovered and accessed using standard protocols and interfaces. In the OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) activity, members of the OGC are defining, testing, and documenting a consistent framework of open standards for exploiting Web connected sensors and sensor systems of any type. Sensor Web Enablement presents many opportunities for adding a realtime sensor dimension to the Internet and the Web. This has extraordinary significance for science, environmental monitoring, transportation management, public safety, facility security, disaster management, utilities' SCADA operations, industrial controls, facilities management and many other domains of activity. The OGC voluntary consensus standards setting process coupled with strong international industry and government support in domains that depend on sensors is expected to result in SWE specifications that will become established in all application areas where such standards are of use.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC® approves revision to the OpenGIS® Web
  www.opengeospatial.org
  
  The members of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) have approved a revision to the OpenGIS® Web Services Common Specification. This document specifies many of the aspects that are, or should be, common to all or multiple OGC Web Service (OWS) interface Implementation Specifications. These common aspects are primarily some of the parameters and data structures used in operation requests and responses. Example of common usage are how to handle bounding boxes, exception processing, URL requests, URN expressions, key value encoding, and so forth.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OGC® Releases Basic Profile for
  Geography Markup Language (GML™)
  www.opengeospatial.org
  
  The membership of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC®) has approved and released the OpenGIS® Geography Markup Language (GML™) Simple Features Profile Specification. This standard defines a simple profile of GML version 3.1.1. The OGC's GML specification defines a large number of data encoding options that support a very wide variety of capabilities. Profiles of GML provide useful subsets of these options. The Simple Features profile specifies 2D geometry features such as Point, Curve (LineString), Surface (Polygon), MultiPoint, MultiCurve and MultiSurface.
  
  Profiles reduce the time and resources required for an organization to develop software and applications that use GML. Communities of interest that agree on how to implement the profile using a common model greatly enhance interoperability and their ability to share data. Submitting organizations included Cadcorp Ltd. (U.K.), CubeWerx Inc. (Canada), ESRI (U.S.), Galdos Systems Inc. (Canada), interactive instruments GmbH (Germany) and PCI Geomatics (Canada).
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OneGIS Hires Changming Du as Chief GIS Architect
  www.onegis.net
  
  OneGIS announced that it hired Mr.Changming Du as chief GIS architect to head up the company's efforts in web services and assist in the development of OneGIS applications and integration tools. Mr. Du will be responsible for overseeing the configuration and installation of web-based Geographic Information Systems using ArcGIS® Server and ArcIMS® from ESRI as well as third party applications and add-on tools developed by OneGIS. He comes to OneGIS from another ESRI business partner where he was a developer and team leader responsible for developing numerous web-based and desktop applications for the oil/gas pipeline and utility markets. Mr.Du has fourteen years experience in the GIS industry where he has held the positions of GIS Planner, GIS Specialist/Programmer, Webmaster and Consulting Developer. He holds both a Bachelor and Master of Engineering from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China as well as a Masters in GIS Planning from the University of Cincinnati.Commenting on the hire, Chris Cirillo, OneGIS President said, “We are pleased to have Changming on our staff. He brings an expertise in an area of the company that is growing rapidly – that of web services and web-GIS implementations. His experience with ESRI products, especially ArcObjects and ArcGIS Server, as well as COM and dot-Net will greatly enhance our capability to deliver quality GIS products and services in this fast-growing market segment. We welcome him to the OneGIS family.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OneGIS Implements School Bus Route Website
  www.onegis.net
  
  OneGIS implemented a school bus route website with the assistance of Forsyth County Georgia Board of Education staff. The team built the site using OnPointTM Professional from Orion Technology, an extension to ESRI® ArcIMS® internet map server technology, to provide county school bus route information to the public. Forsyth County is located in the northern part of the Atlanta metropolitan area and has a population of more than 140,000. It is one of the fastest growing counties in the nation with a 6.4% annual growth rate. With 28 percent of the population under the age of 18, the Forsyth County Board of Education has quite a challenge routing school buses and keeping parents, teachers and students informed of those routes and the nearest bus stop for students. The Board of Education turned to OneGIS to help them implement a website that would ease the burden of getting school bus route information to the public. The implementation of the website has been separated into two parts. Part one involves the installation and configuration of OnPoint Professional, which allows parents and students to find bus stops, bus routes, schools, and attendance zones. Users of the website can search for a student's bus route based on their address. All students' addresses have been geocoded in the county ArcGIS database that the website draws its data from. Future plans include the ability to allow board of education staff internal access to the website to provide a comprehensive view of maintenance history for each facility and look up student information such as address, parent contact numbers, grade history, class schedule, etc. The second part of the implementation involves the development of a 2-way interface between ArcGIS and the board of education's Infinite Campus system.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OneGIS Strengthens Telecom Service Offerings
  www.onegis.net
  
  OneGIS announced that it has enhanced its service offerings to telecommunications organizations by becoming the first North American value added reseller of Telecordia® Network Engineer to offer certified training for that leading telecom GIS software package. The certification was received by long-time telecom industry veteran and OneGIS project manager, Dan Thalimer after he completed the requirements to teach Network Engineer user and administration classes at Telcordia's Huntsville, Alabama offices. One of the first training classes that will be taught by Mr. Thalimer is for the City of Leesburg, who recently contracted with OneGIS to implement Network Engineer in their fiber division. Leesburg purchased the software to manage the fiber optic network that the City operates in an expanded service territory in central Florida. Leesburg selected OneGIS to implement Network Engineer because of its experience in ArcGIS-based applications and because of the GIS integration and configuration work that the company has performed for the City over the past two years. Telcordia's Network Engineer software manages fiber, copper and coax cable communications networks as well as inside plant facilities, all as an extension to the industry-leading ArcGIS® platform by ESRI®.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  ONTRACK Implements Web-Based GIS Solution
  www.eagle.co.nz
  
  Eagle Technology Group, a New Zealand ESRI distributor, won the contract to implement a Web-based geographic information system visualization solution using ESRI's ArcIMS Server for ONTRACK, the New Zealand government agency responsible for ownership and management of the national rail network. The GIS will enable trains to be tracked by satellite and the information fed back to ONTRACK's train controllers. This will provide the controllers with a geographic view of their network. Peng Aik Lim, national GIS account director of the Eagle Technology Group: “Our COTS solution is well suited for this installation. It will enable ONTRACK to quickly implement its new system. A key requirement is the capability to perform dynamic segmentation functions in the future, because it will be necessary for ONTRACK to pick up some of its track data using GPS technology. Dynamic segmentation functionality within the GIS will help train controllers to record information such as correct speed, direction of travel, and train separation on the specified track.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Open Source Geospatial Foundation
  www.osgeo.org
  
  The Open Source Geospatial Foundation has been created to support and build the highest-quality open source geospatial software. The foundation's goal is to encourage the use and collaborative development of community-led projects. This website serves as a portal for users and developers to share their ideas and contribute to project development. The Open Source Geospatial Foundation, or OSGeo, is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to support and promote the collaborative development of open geospatial technologies and data. The foundation provides financial, organizational and legal support to the broader open source geospatial community. It also serves as an independent legal entity to which community members can contribute code, funding and other resources, secure in the knowledge that their contributions will be maintained for public benefit. OSGeo also serves as an outreach and advocacy organization for the open source geospatial community, and provides a common forum and shared infrastructure for improving cross-project collaboration.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OpenOSX Ships OpenOSX GrassPro™
  OpenOSX.com/grass
  
  -OpenOSX is shipping a major new version of their “OpenOSX GrassPro™)” product, that for the first time is now both PowerPC and Intel-native. In addition, they published their freely available “OpenOSX Grass” standalone application, which is also now available natively for both Intel and PowerPC Macintoshes for the first time.
  The PowerPC and Intel native OpenOSX GrassPro product features: OpenOSX Grass, a standalone application based on the powerful and proven open source GRASS 6.1.0 Geographic Information System software, requiring a simple drag and drop installation; OpenOSX MapServer, which is a complete, standalone application based on Apache 2.0.59, PHP 5.0.5 and MapServer 4.8.4, used for readily publishing dynamic, navigatable maps with layers over the Internet directly from dozens of popular geo-spatial file formats; OpenOSX GMT featuring more than 60 tools for rich manipulation of geographic and Cartesian datasets, including advanced filtering, trending, gridding, projection and much more with EPS file format output; PostGIS which enables spatial, geographic support for the included PostgreSQL (similar to ESRI®'s Spatial Data Engine (SDE) and Oracle ®'s Spatial Extension); along with an exhaustive set of additional software and tools included to extend the power of GRASS GIS; all backed with documentation, tutorials, sample-data and limited installation support.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  OpenStreetMap
  wiki.openstreetmap.org
  
  OpenStreetMap is a project aimed at creating and providing free geographic data such as street maps to anyone who wants them. The project was started because most maps you think of as free actually have legal or technical restrictions on their use, holding back people from using them in creative, productive or unexpected ways. OpenStreetMap has created an online editing interface to allow anyone to contribute to the map. The editor allows you to upload, share and trace your GPS tracks on top of free aerial and satellite imagery. The data created can then be used for free in lots of different ways that often aren't possible with commercial mapping.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Optimal Geomatics Links to Google
  www.optimalgeo.com
  
  Optimal Geomatics Inc., a geomatics service and software provider for the power line and pipeline utility sector, announced the roll-out of geoPylotTM, a transmission asset data management program for Electric Utilities with links to Google and other Web-based maps. geoPylotTM is a software application that enables electric utility engineers and asset managers to easily navigate large volumes of imagery and attribute data (detailed information about construction type and components) related to overhead power lines and the right-of-ways they occupy. The data accessed by geoPylotTM are composed of orthorectified aerial photographs that provide a plan view of the transmission system and digital video that gives a heads-up view of the right of way and high resolution still photos of each structure.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  ORBIMAGE Completes Acquisition of Space Imaging; Changes Brand Name to GeoEye
  www.geoeye.com
  
  ORBIMAGE Holdings Inc. finalized the acquisition of substantially all of Denver-based Space Imaging’s assets. The combined company will now do business under the brand name GeoEye. GeoEye is the world’s largest commercial satellite imagery company with a pro forma combined revenue for 2005 of approximately $160 million. The purchase price was approximately $58.5 million less amounts that were paid by Space Imaging on its existing debt as well as certain other adjustments. “The much-anticipated consolidation in our industry will result in a stronger and more stable industry that will better serve the needs of its customers,” said Matthew O’Connell, president and chief executive officer of GeoEye.
  
  With the combined resources of ORBIMAGE and Space Imaging, GeoEye brings to the market a talented pool of skilled employees with broad subject-matter expertise, national and international resellers, more than a dozen regional affiliates around the globe, the world’s largest commercial archive of map-accurate satellite imagery, and value-added geospatial imagery processing capabilities that are unmatched in the satellite imagery industry. “Governments can be assured, especially the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. intelligence community, that the commercial satellite imaging industry is here to stay,” said. Lt. Gen. (Ret.) James Abrahamson, GeoEye’s chairman.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Orbis Integrated Solutions teams with ARCBridge to deliver Wireless GIS Mapping & Analysis solutions
  www.orbis-is.com
  
  Orbis Integrated Solutions Inc. a business consulting and technology integration firm that focuses on Investigative Solutions and Data Management Solutions, announced formed a partnership with ARCBridge Consulting & Training Inc. a GIS solutions firm, to deliver wireless GIS mapping solution leveraging handheld PDA technology. Patrick Lee, President of Orbis Integrated Solutions, Inc., stated, “We are excited to partner with ARCbridge to deliver GIS solutions via wireless devices. We are experiencing the need for GIS information to be an integral part of the investigative solutions we deliver. Orbis also sees the expansion of a range of applications being made available on PDAs, the GIS information will serve as an important piece of information to the end-user, delivering more decision making power to the mobile workforce.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Orbit FlashMap supports 64-bit Web Mapping
  www.orbitgis.com
  
  ORBIT Geospatial Technologies announced the availability of Orbit FlashMap for 64bit processors. Orbit FlashMap comes in 3 versions: free LITE version, view and consult PROVIDER version, and the INTERACTIVE version for online creation and editing. They now all support 64-bit processing on Linux/Unix platforms. “By releasing a 64-bit version of Orbit FlashMap, companies can now create web mapping solutions with very high performance and very low maintenance cost. This is yet another step in providing valuable alternatives to costly solutions on the market,” says Peter Bonne, product manager of Orbit GT. “Web Mapping Solutions set up with any 32-bit version of OFM can be migrated to the 64-bit version with no effort whatsoever.” Version 4.2 contains many configurable items and a full public API to embed and control the map client. API documentation is online available from the orbitgis.com knowledge base. The OFM product package includes server-side and client-side software, and a development 'cockpit' sample application in Flash.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Overwatch Hosts Precision Positioning Breakfast Workshop on March 1, 2006
  www.geospatial.overwatch.com/
  
  Overwatch Geospatial Operations, formerly Sensor Systems, will host a free Breakfast Workshop on March 1, 2006, to demonstrate the Precision Positioning functionality now offered in its RemoteView imagery visualization and geospatial analysis software system. The unclassified workshop is open to all RemoteView software users, however, space is limited at the Overwatch training center in Sterling, Va. Attendees must register in advance by calling Jessica Hall at 703-437-7651. Breakfast begins promptly at 8:30 am. The workshop will feature demonstrations of precision positioning tools such as RVPinPoint, Bundle Block Adjustment, and Tactical Registration available in RemoteView Professional. These tools are vital for increasing the precise geopositional location of extracted features and images.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Overwatch Systems Purchases All-Source Imaging Systems
  www.geospatial.overwatch.com
  
  Overwatch Systems acquired All-Source Imaging Systems, Inc. of Northampton, MA. Founded in 1998, ASIS is the leading manufacturer of cost-effective and easy-to-use solutions that allow image analysts to fully integrate film-based imagery archives into today's softcopy production environment using an automated process. The ASIS-developed Zoom 500 Digital series of products quickly transform a traditional light table stereoscope into a full multi-source digital image exploitation system. The ASIS ZoomDigital™ and FilmDeskPro™ software products complete the transformation of a stereoscope into a completely self-contained multi-source image analyst workstation, fully capable of exploiting maps, digital imagery and GIS data. ASIS software products and integration services provide full featured, PC-based, multi-source imagery production systems that can pull from a variety of hard and softcopy sources to create and disseminate intelligence products.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Oviedo, Florida Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geotg.com.
  Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced today that the City of Oviedo, Florida retained GTG to conduct a GIS Needs Assessment and develop a Strategic GIS Implementation Plan. The project will include: (1) A comprehensive needs assessment that involves a review of existing and future departmental use of GIS, (2) A conceptual system design for information technology infrastructure, data management, and work flow, and, (3) A phased implementation plan based on the needs assessment and available resources. This project will focus on identifying strategies for meeting the current and future GIS needs of the City of Oviedo. Mr. David Holdstock, CEO for Geographic Technologies Group, said that “GTG was delighted to be selected by the City of Oviedo to assess, design, and develop a phased GIS implementation plan. The City of Oviedo is a fast growing community that is technically savvy and forward thinking. The GIS plan will focus on ways in which to respond more quickly to citizen requests, improve efficiency, and increase productivity.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  
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  Pasadena Water and Power Develops
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI announced it has been awarded a subcontract through business partner MWH Global to support the creation of an enterprise GIS (EGIS) for Pasadena Water and Power in Pasadena, California. “The implementation of an enterprise GIS will facilitate the timely and accurate capture, documentation, and distribution of network asset information to the entire workforce, which will enable us to improve customer service, upgrade water and power infrastructure, and meet performance levels established by key stakeholders,” says Casty Fortich, project manager, Pasadena Water and Power. “Partnering with MWH and ESRI makes us confident the outcome of this project will be positive, and that will ultimately help us better serve our community and customers.”
  The EGIS will include ESRI ArcSDE, ArcIMS, and ArcInfo software along with the Miner & Miner ArcFM solution. Additionally, ESRI Professional Services will perform two tasks for this project: first, it will support MWH in the development of the system architecture design portion of the final Life Cycle Architecture document and, second, ESRI will implement a complete GIS data quality control/quality assurance program for the project. This will include performing quality assurance checks and quality control on the converted data with the Production Line Tool Set (PLTS) GIS Data ReViewer. ESRI business partner DCSE, Inc., will assist the City of Pasadena by implementing and configuring the Web portal, map production, and markup management applications.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics and eSpatial launch on-demand mapping centre
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  
  PCI Geomatics and eSpatial are unveiled technology in use as part of the Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN) National Mapping Centre. This advanced system continuously gathers and processes pan-Canadian geospatial satellite and other data to generate and disseminate maps on demand. The Mapping Centre addresses the challenges of updating national map coverages, quickly disseminating critical information and meeting the demands of dozens of applications by reducing redundancy.
  “The Mapping Centre automates many important map-creation tasks, thereby improving interoperability, data management and cost of ownership,” said Dr. Robert Moses, President and CEO of PCI Geomatics. “Together, integrated systems from PCI Geomatics, Oracle and eSpatial make it possible to deliver critical map information quickly, efficiently, and securely.”
  The National Mapping Centre was developed in collaboration with NRCAN, and made possible through investment from Industry Canada and PCI Geomatics. The system automatically ingests and corrects the best available sources of satellite imagery over Canada at optimum levels of accuracy, stores them in an Oracle 10g database, and outputs digital maps and satellite image maps. eSpatial's iSMART web platform is leveraged by the system by providing a management and delivery platform for the processed map data. Through a strategic partnership agreement, PCI Geomatics and eSpatial will build and deliver similar integrated image management solutions to businesses and governments worldwide.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics and UltraSpectral announce technology partnership
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  PCI Geomatics®, signed a technology partnership with UltraSpectral Inc. PCI is working with UltraSpectral to develop its advanced SpectralObjeX™ image analysis software. SpectralObjeX™ brings new object-oriented processing capabilities to multispectral and hyperspectral analysts by integrating Spectral Geographic Information System (SGIS) technology with the proven components of PCI's Geomatica X platform. Through the agreement, image analysts can benefit from UltraSpectral's newly licensed SGIS technology and the powerful GIS and image management tools of Geomatica. The software is intended for advanced users who require superior analysis and data organization for spectral, polarimetric and active remote sensing data. SpectralObjeX? will use Oracle 10g Spatial in conjunction with PCI's GeoRaster ETL, an extract, transform, and loading tool that is used to populate an Oracle database.
  “The integration of SpectralObjeX™ with Geomatica will bring to the marketplace a mature database management system that enables object-oriented analysis of hyperspectral and multispectral sensor data,” said Fred Portigal, Chief Technology Officer and Vice President at UltraSpectral.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics announces the launch of Geomatica LidarEngine
  http://www.pcigeomatics.com/
  
  PCI Geomatics signed an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) agreement with AmberCore Software Inc. for the creation of Geomatica LidarEngine. Geomatica LidarEngine is a high performance data management, analysis, and visualization tool for LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) data. Powered by Ambercore Software, Geomatica LidarEngine?s architecture and algorithms are exceptionally well suited for processing the very large volumes of LiDAR data.
  “Ambercore saw an exciting opportunity within PCI Geomatics to incorporate proven technologies together, as well as to leverage their worldwide customer base and distribution channels,” said Martin Sendyk, President and CEO of Ambercore Software. Capabilities include batch processing, data integration, enhanced pyramiding, 3D visualization and geo-referencing for raster data.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics Awarded Certification for CARTOSAT-1 Satellite Image Processing
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  
  PCI Geomatics®, a world-leading developer of image-centric software and solutions for the geospatial industry, has achieved complete certification for its flagship software, Geomatica®, to be used for processing data from the CARTOSAT–1 satellite, from the Indian government-contracted ANTRIX Corporation. The CARTOSAT–1 satellite was launched on May 5, 2005 by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). With two panchromatic cameras that deliver a spatial resolution of 2.5 meters, CARTOSAT–1 provides stereo data suitable for advanced, large-scale mapping applications. The data are also optimal for generating digital terrain models (DTMs) and digital elevation models (DEMs).
  
  “PCI Geomatics is pleased to have reached certification for CARTOSAT image correction,” said Peter Hazlett, Product Manager. “This reaffirms our leadership in providing accurate, efficient, robust, and affordable orthorectification solutions. It will be exciting to see users of CARTOSAT imagery save money and build better image products with our software.” This certification states that Geomatica Version 10.0.2 has complied with all six identified levels, which include: image import and image processing, single image triangulation, stereo pair triangulation, block triangulation for mono imagery, block triangulation for stereo imagery, digital topographic mapping.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics awarded contract to create
  accurate SPOT satellite images for the landmass of Canada
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  
  PCI Geomatics® has been awarded a contract from Iunctus Geomatics to produce accurate satellite images covering all of Canada, south of 80° North latitude. The five-year contract, which involves both the delivery of software and production services, is part of Natural Resource Canada039;s (NRCan)$2.4 million award to Iunctus Geomatics and TELUS Corporation for the creation of new, high-quality images of Canada from SPOT 4 and 5 satellite data. “We look forward to working with Iunctus Geomatics on this important project for the Canadian government,” stated Brad Schmidt, Vice President of Sales at PCI Geomatics. “With PCI039;s new Geomatica X technology, accurate orthorectified images for SPOT 4 and SPOT 5 data will be created through an automated process.”
  PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of image-centric software and solutions for the geospatial industry, has considerable experience in developing products and solutions for the orthorectification of both satellite and aerial imagery. “Traditional methods for correcting SPOT images were simply too expensive and time-intensive to meet the needs of our client, the Government of Canada,” said Brett Michelson, Vice President of Business Development at Iunctus Geomatics. “The scalability of a PCI Geomatics automated orthorectification system will allow for the rapid and cost-effective production of accurate images with little user intervention.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics develops SAR Polarimetry Workstation
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  
  PCI Geomatics® developed and released the SAR Polarimetry Workstation (SPW) as part of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Earth Observation Application Development Program (EOADP). The SPW is available as an add-on module to Geomatica 10, their image-centric geospatial software. Polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (POLSAR) data has greater information content than the more commonly available non-polarimetric SAR data, and there is solid experimental evidence that this data can be exploited in a variety of important tasks, including sea-ice detection and classification, agricultural crop monitoring, and forest type and harvest mapping. In addition, POLSAR data can be collected day or night and under atmospheric conditions that prevent the collection of optical data, such as clouds. The availability of POLSAR data, particularly from satellite-borne sensors, will soon increase significantly, and there will be a considerable interest in establishing truly operational applications of this data. The SPW is a tool that will help make this happen.
  “The SPW provides a comprehensive and integrated set of operations for research on applications of POLSAR data. Previously, POLSAR researchers had to rely on a collection of software from different sources, plus their own programming skills,” says Richard Pollock, director of research and development at PCI Geomatics. “The SPW enables researchers to do their work within an integrated software environment.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics Named to the Branham300 List
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  PCI Geomatics® was recognized as one of the top 250 Canadian IT companies in the prestigious Branham300 listing. The annual list identifies Canada's top privately and publicly held information technology companies, and has become known as the most comprehensive and trusted source of information for the health of the Canadian IT industry. Representing an insightful piece of intelligence on the nation's information technology market, the annual Branham300 listing ranks Canadian companies based on worldwide revenues and Canadian criteria. For 13 years, the Branham300 has highlighted top Canadian IT companies, and PCI Geomatics is proud to be a part of this annual list since 2001.
  
  “While we do our very best to focus on the needs of our customers and partners, it is very rewarding to be acknowledged by the Branham Group as a technology leader in this important marketplace,” said Dr. Robert Moses, President and CEO of PCI Geomatics. “Geospatial solutions are proving to be an integral component of the IT industry around the world; helping to put Canada on the map through the recognition of the Branham300 has been a pleasure for everyone here at PCI Geomatics.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics offers Geomatica 10 for Linux and Solaris users
  pcigeomatics.com
  
  PCI Geomatics^® released of Geomatica^®10 for Linux™and Solaris? users. The latest version of the company’s revolutionary image-centric geospatial software emphasizes automation, productivity, and support for more than 100 geospatial data formats. Geomatica 10 offers solutions for various geomatics processing requirements, while maintaining interoperability with outside software packages. At PCI Geomatics, we understand the needs of our users and realize that it is imperative to offer our software on several platforms, said Michael Agnes, Director of Software Sales at PCI Geomatics. As a company that does business all over the world, we have learned to give customers with different requirements exactly what they want.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics signs Memorandum of Understanding with the State Key Laboratory
  http://www.pcigeomatics.com/
  
  PCI Geomatics® announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the State Key Laboratory of Information in Surveying, Mapping and Remote Sensing (LIESMARS) in China. The MoU outlines plans for cooperation in a variety of areas including the introduction of emerging image-centric geospatial technology in China and outlying regions. It also highlights plans for further promotion of Geoinformatics along with a better understanding of the earth and space.
  LIESMARS is a unique key-state laboratory specializing in Geoinformatics, and represents the country's best level of research in this field. With a faculty of over 75 members, the lab's major research directions include remote sensing, image processing, spatial information, GIS software and more. As a state key lab serving the country's research forefront, LIESMARS keeps a tight connection with the international research community, as well as the geospatial industry. Prof. Gong Jianya, Director of LIESMARS said, “To create a formal relationship with PCI, one of the largest enterprises in this field, will further enhance our research focus on the global industry demands on geomatics.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PCI Geomatics to support satellite TerraSAR-X
  www.pcigeomatics.com
  
  PCI Geomatics announced that it will support the upcoming German radar satellite TerraSAR-X for image processing, correction, and analysis. The satellite is set to be operational in mid 2007, and PCI Geomatics software will support the sensor's data as it becomes available. Infoterra holds the exclusive commercial exploitation rights for TerraSAR-X data and will supply radar data, as well as a variety of radar-based geo-information products, via a dense distribution network which ensures reliable and efficient data distribution worldwide.
  “Because PCI Geomatics provides the world's leading SAR image processing software, it was an obvious choice for Infoterra, the exclusive commercial provider of high resolution TerraSAR-X data, to establish close cooperation with them,” said Joerg Herrmann, Managing Director of Infoterra GmbH. “We are sure that TerraSAR-X Services will benefit from this cooperation, as PCI Geomatics is not only known for its established partner network and strong contacts in the SAR user community, but also for its high innovation potential with regard to SAR modules.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Perceptive Software Releases ImageNow 6.0 Sunflower
  www.dash.net
  
  ImageNow 6.0 Sunflower is the latest version of the company's flagship document management, imaging and workflow software suite. ImageNow 6.0 Sunflower features enhancements designed to further simplify business processes, including version control and library services, digital signatures, ImageNow Projects, ImageNow Worksheets and ImageNow Workflow Designer. ImageNow 6.0 Sunflower is based on more than 15 prior versions of the software. Enhanced functionality was added without compromising the user-friendly interface, nonprogrammatic integration, ease of administration or cost-effective deployment options ImageNow users have come to expect.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport to Develop Enterprise GIS
  www.earth.com
  
  Anyone old enough to remember black and white TV, or even colorless radio is old enough to remember “Sky King,” who along with his neice Penny soared through the western skies in their Cessna saving good people from bad people. We did no know why, but we loved the show. So, anytime I fly to Pheonix, Arizona and land at Sky Harbor Airport black and white images of Sky King rush into what remains of my brain. And so it was when I learned that the very same Sky Harbor airport was developing an enterprise GIS system. I am sure that Kirby Grant who played Sky King is smiling at the thought.
  
  Sky Harbor International Airport awarded a $10 million contract for developing an enterprise geographic information system (GIS) based on ESRI GIS technology to Woolpert, Inc. The enterprise GIS will support Sky Harbor's planned $2 billion improvement project that includes runway rehabilitation, a new terminal, and a possible people-mover system. “We will use the enterprise GIS to ensure that, as we go through this large development project, we establish standards and capture that information so we can maintain it into the future, says Dennis Murphy, Sky Harbor information technology project manager. “We will also use it to establish efficient management of our existing assets and airport operations.”
  
  For you trivia buffs: On October 30, 1985 Kirby Grant, aka "Sky King" was on his way to watch the launch of the Challenger at Cape Canaveral. Shuttle astronaughts were to honor him for his achievements in encouraging aviation and space flight. Tragically, he died in a car carsh en route.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Pipeline Data Model Agreement
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI, the Pipeline Open Data Standards (PODS) Association, and the ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model (APDM) Steering Committee announce the signing of a memorandum of understanding that sets forth a framework for a close working relationship. This agreement came as a result of the PODS Association's desire to create a PODS spatial database. The outcome of this relationship will be a PODS based data model that uses essential APDM core components. The APDM is designed for storing information pertaining to features found in gathering and transmission pipelines, particularly gas and liquid systems. The APDM was expressly designed for implementation as an ESRI geodatabase for use with ESRI's ArcGIS and ArcSDE® products. The POD input will add to the APDM POD standards.
  “This is an important event,” says Chuck Wilder, APDM Steering Committee Chair. “It creates greater commonality between the two organizations and offers operators a greater choice of GIS vendors. This is a significant step for the pipeline industry.”
  “This agreement to work together is great news for the pipeline industry. It will allow operators to adopt an industry-standard data model that PODS provides plus take advantage of the full benefit of the spatial geodatabase of APDM,” notes Bill Meehan, director of Utility Solutions and acting pipeline industry manager for ESRI. Both the PODS Association and APDM Steering Committee will continue to work as separate organizations maintaining their separate identities. A joint subcommittee will be formed, which consists of PODS Association and APDM Technical Committee members, to work out the integration of the APDM core with the PODS data model. The results of this collaboration are posted on the APDM Web site at www.apdm.net.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PIXIA to Develop Rapid Image Access System to Support Hurricane Response
  www.pixia.com
  
  PIXIA Corp., a provider of rapid image access technology, is developing a prototype system based on open standards to quickly disseminate satellite and aerial imagery to analysts and emergency responders in support of hurricane preparedness and response activities. PIXIA has been tasked by the National Technology Alliance (NTA) under contract with Rosettex Technology & Ventures Group of Arlington, VA., to deliver the system in August of this year. The image dissemination system will make high-resolution imagery of the U.S. East Coast and Gulf of Mexico instantly accessible via designated government web portals. The server will make imagery available via a Web Map Service (WMS) to both analysts requiring advanced GIS capabilities as well as those users seeking only to visualize pre- or post-event imagery of the affected area. Any WMS client that follows the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards will be able to seamlessly access this image server.
  “During a time of crisis it is essential that technology aids the emergency responder and not hinder them. It is our firm belief that the ability to instantly access and analyze full resolution imagery covering the entire area of interest will greatly improve the responders' efficiency and execution of their mission,” said Rudi Ernst, CEO and co-founder of PIXIA. The company's technology allows for ingesting imagery into the server at rates that exceed current commercial systems by an order of magnitude. Under this program, PIXIA will demonstrate the ability to continuously add new imagery to the server as it is being acquired without interruption to the service. This capability should significantly improve the lag time from image collection to dissemination.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PlanGraphics to Develop Urban Construction Management Information System for Chongqing, China
  www.plangraphics.com/
  
  PlanGraphics, Inc. won a $685,000 contract to develop an urban construction management information system for the City of Chongqing, China The project is part of a larger urban environment project to foster sustainable development by improving Chongqing’s urban infrastructure and sewage/waste disposal. Located on the upper Yangtze River, Chongqing is China’s seventh-largest city by population. For the Chongqing Construction Commission, PlanGraphics will lead the development of an information management system that will incorporate geographic information systems (GIS) and other information technologies
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Podcast Offers Insights into Asian Geospatial Markets
  corbleycommunications.com
  
  The latest Geospatial Newsmaker Podcast features an interview with James Grigsby, Vice President of Operations for Pacific GeoPRO, an Asian provider of geo-demographic data based in Taiwan. In the Podcast, Grigsby offers insights into which sectors of the Asian geospatial market are developing the fastest and what it takes to do business in the region. The Geospatial Newsmaker Podcast is produced by Corbley Communications Inc. of Winchester, Va. The Podcast is free and is available for downloading and playing at www.corbleycommunications.com. “This Podcast will interest any geospatial organization that is considering doing business in Asia or partnering with an Asian company,” said Kevin Corbley, the Podcast host and owner of Corbley Communications. Pacific GeoPRO is a leading provider of high-quality, regionally standardized geo-demographic data in Asia. The Taiwanese company provides custom-designed data packages that can be integrated into best-practice, location-based analyses, such as site network planning and territory customization. Pacific GeoPRO accomplishes this by leveraging extensive in-house data, government data and market data as well as proprietary surrogate data sets.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Power Companies Selects ESRI for Enterprise GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  Public Service Company of New Mexico (PNM) and Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP), wholly owned subsidiaries of PNM Resources, Inc. (NYSE: PNM), selected ESRI as their enterprise geographic information system software provider. Their legacy systems will be migrated to a single platform using ArcGIS software. ArcGIS will serve as a complete, interoperable platform that provides powerful visualization and cartographic capabilities, advanced spatial analysis, and comprehensive geographic data management. The selection came after an extensive, multiyear decision process.
  “ESRI and our business partners are very pleased that PNM and TNMP have selected ESRI ArcGIS software technology as their enterprise GIS platform,” says Bill Meehan, director of utility solutions, ESRI. “PNM has been using ESRI software for years for electric and gas transmission applications including its leading TAMIS and AMIGO systems. The decision by PNM and TNMP to implement a single GIS platform enterprise-wide enables support for electric and gas distribution applications on a common system.”
  The enterprise GIS implementation will consolidate legacy AM/FM systems and data to a common ArcGIS software technology platform. The implementation will include improving workflow processes and efficiencies with GIS-based engineering design applications; planned integration with other IT systems, such as system modeling, work management, customer information system, and outage management systems; and training and services. The result will be a powerful, integrated framework where data, business logic, and applications are easily maintained and accessible throughout the organization. PNM and TNMP will achieve streamlined business processes; more accurate asset and network data; increased data access, analysis, modeling, and reporting; better regulatory compliance; and improved customer service.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Powercomm Deploys GE EnergyY's Smallworld
  www.ge.com/energy
  
  PowerComm, one of the largest telecommunications operators in Korea, has started operation with GE Energy's Smallworld Network Inventory™ portfolio of products to support the rollout of retail services over its Hybrid Fibre-Coaxial (HFC) and fiber network to. In a contract worth over US$3 million through Phase1 (HFC) and Phase2 (fiber), the Smallworld Physical Network Inventoryr™ (PNI) product supports 220 users to plan, design, construct and manage the HFC and Fiber network on a Citrix Metaframe environment and support the call center operators through Smallworld Internet Application Server™ services. Mr. HC Lee, ERP team director for PowerComm, commented, “GE's Smallworld Physical Network Inventory solution is the most adequate tool to manage our company's hybrid networks which includes HFC and fibers. Less than one year has passed since the contract was to deploy PNI was awarded. It is now a very important and necessary OSS tool to validate data integrity between databases and fields and helpful to fulfill the customer business. In the near future, after finishing deploying logical inventory from core to path management, we can manage all the company assets through one tool base.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Predicting Coastal Vulnerability with New GIS technology
  www.appsci.com/
  
  A newly improved geographic information systems technology, in development by the Rhode Island company Applied Science Associates, allows planners to better allocate resources and to publicize the risk to vulnerable areas while allowing the public to be proactive in preparing for flooding. Global mean sea level has been rising at an average rate of 1 to 2 mm/year over the past 100 years, a rate significantly larger than that averaged over the last several thousand years and severe weather patterns and tropical storm intensities are predicted to increase in conjunction with global climate change. Exacerbated by recent disasters such as Hurricane Katrina, many organizations, businesses and media outlets are asking the question of what our coastlines and low lying cities might look like when impacted by storms and rising sea levels.
  Applied Science Associates (ASA) has become increasingly involved in mapping the impacts of storm surge flooding. The effort began in Boston, where the National Environmental Trust (NET) commissioned ASA to map the effects of a 100-year storm surge plus 100 years of sea level rise along the downtown coast. These images were used in a recently released EPA report, “Climate's Long Term Impacts on Metro Boston.” ASA then mapped the effects of a Category II hurricane storm surge plus 100-years of sea level rise for Miami, Washington DC, and Manhattan. These images were released by NET in conjunction with the first Conference of the Parties of the Kyoto Protocol in December 2005.
  The mapping and visualization of the impacts of coastal storms is extremely effective for communicating the vulnerability and risk associated with many coastal areas. Of the 10 costliest hurricanes over the last 50 years, 8 have occurred in the last 5 years. By mapping the flood zones of real storms, not just the 100-year FEMA design storm, property owners and officials alike can easily visualize the risks associated with actual events and determine how to reduce vulnerability.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Preetha Pulusani, Intergraph Executive Vice President, to Retire
  www.intergraph.com
  
  Preetha Pulusani
  
  Preetha Pulusani, president of Intergraph's Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I) division, will retire after 25 years with the company. Ben Eazzetta, previously chief operating officer of Intergraph's SG&I division, succeeded Pulusani as the SG&I division president reporting to Reid French, the Company's chief operating officer. “On behalf of our Board of Directors, our shareholders and all of the people of Intergraph, I want to thank Preetha for her invaluable contributions to the Company,” said R. Halsey Wise, president and CEO of Intergraph. “Preetha has devoted 25 years to building our Company, and Intergraph is a better corporation as a result. Much of her exemplary career has been devoted to building our Company's leadership in the geospatial technology market.” “I am very proud to have been part of such a great organization over the past 25 years,” said Ms Pulusani. “As I look back over my career with the Company, I am most proud of the people of Intergraph and all that we have accomplished together. Intergraph has never been more relevant in our key markets than we are today.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Prepared Response, Inc. Adds GIS Capability to Rapid Responder Crisis Management System
  www.preparedresponse.com
  Prepared Response, Inc., a Seattle-based developer of crisis management planning and response systems, added Geographic Information System functionality to the Web-based version of its Rapid Responder^® crisis management system. The GIS capability allows police, fire, and other first responders to view a variety of features, such as streets, pipelines, railroads, or political subdivisions as layers on an interactive map. The GIS functionality allows emergency responders to create more accurate tactical pre-plans and respond faster and more effectively during a wide variety of emergencies, including terrorist related incidents, bombings, civil disturbances, hazardous materials spills, fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and tsunamis.
  “During an emergency, first responders need to access key infrastructure information quickly and easily,” said Jim Finnell, president and CEO of Prepared Response, Inc. “GIS is a powerful technology, but it is typically difficult to learn and expensive to implement. In Rapid Responder, the GIS functionality is easy to learn and easy to use. First responders can better visualize ‘the big picture’ ... ”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Prepared Response, Inc. Receives Focus on Innovation Award from National Homeland Defense Foundation
  www.preparedresponse.com/
  
  Prepared Response, Inc. (PRI), a leading developer of crisis management planning and response systems, has received the Focus on Innovation Award from the National Homeland Defense Foundation at the Homeland Defense Symposium 2006 Annual Awards Dinner held at The Broadmoor Hotel in Colorado Springs. PRI was selected from more that 100 companies participating as exhibitors at the Symposium for its pioneering work in the area of statewide crisis management planning and response systems. The award is given to companies who display excellence in innovation and provide new technologies used for homeland defense in the battle against global terrorism. Bill Harris, president and CEO of the National Homeland Defense Foundation, said “Prepared Response was selected for this award because the company represents everything that is great about American industry. Smart ideas, great energy, and the kind of financial wisdom a young company needs to become a big company. PRI supports our first responders with remarkable software that opens schools, airports, public buildings and other venues in emergencies in a way unknown only a few years ago.”
  Prepared Response, Inc.'s Rapid Responder® crisis management system provides the core technology for Washington State's Critical Incident Planning and Mapping System, which is being currently deployed to protect all schools and critical infrastructure in the state. Rapid Responder runs on laptop computers and allows first responders to instantly access more than 300 site-specific data points, including tactical plans, floor plans, satellite and geospatial (GIS) information, interior and exterior photos, staging areas, hazardous materials locations, utility shut-offs, and evacuation routes for virtually any facility.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  PROGIS Conference 2006
  www.progis.com
  
  The International PROGIS-Conference 2006 will take place on April 19 - 20 in Vienna. The event explores background, legislation, needs and technologies for farm advisory systems, as they are necessary to comply with the new situations like commitments regarding Cross Compliance, documentation needs to ensure food- and feed-traceability, to calculate, to map etc..The set up of public or private farm advisory services (FAS) is binding from 2007. Few states have already installed systems, but most of the member states are still evaluating how to manage them best. PROGIS will present its integrated AGROffice-technology as it is applicable to any of the mentioned fields of business activity. AGROffice comprises next to mentioned tasks, issues like economy, ecology, logistics, precise - and virtuell farming, forestry etc. Many of them “global issues”, that’s why our partners from Germany, UK & Ireland, Slovakia, Spain, Bosnia & Herzegovina will present their excellent successes in their countries with PROGIS technologies as well as experts from throughout EU will present their views to the mentioned topics.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Provisional Certification Program Announced by ASPRS
  www.asprs.org
  
  ASPRS eveloped a provisional certification program in photogrammetry, remote sensing and GIS/LIS that is now available to graduating students in the spatial sciences who meet the educational and program requirements. The first of its kind, this program provides students with the opportunity to take the ASPRS certification exam as they are finishing their studies. ASPRS is working with universities that offer spatial technology education to implement this innovative program.
  Eligible students can apply, pass peer review, and take the examination in their specialty (photogrammetry, remote sensing, or GIS/LIS) while still in school, and become “provisionally certified.” They then enter the workforce and when they meet the job experience requirements, they become fully certified. Having both a provisional certification and a defined career path is a significant advantage when seeking employment.
  Mike Renslow, chair of the Evaluation for Certification Committee stated, “Provisional certification is a win-win for both the educational institutions and ASPRS. Universities need not establish new certification programs for their students; they can work with ASPRS's internationally recognized program and provide the recognition their students need to enter careers following their education. ASPRS provides the professional and educational environment for these students to develop their careers and become fully certified.”
  The first university to offer the program is North Carolina Central University (NCCU). College or University departments offering courses in the spatial sciences (photogrammetry, remote sensing, or GIS/LIS) interested in participating in this program should contact the Chair of the Evaluation for Certification Committee, Michael Renslow for details. Provisional certification is available for all of the ASPRS certifications:
  - Certified Photogrammetrist
  - Certified Mapping Scientist-Remote Sensing
  - Certified Mapping Scientist-GIS/LIS
  - Certified Photogrammetric Technologist
  - Certified Remote Sensing Technologist
  - Certified GIS/LIS Technologist
  Details can be found here: www.asprs.org/membership/certification/certification_guidelines.html
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  R7 Solutions Acquires BSI's TOTAL NPDP
  www.www.boundarysolutions.com
  
  Boundary Solutions, Inc. completed delivery of its TOTAL NPDP to R7 Solutions, a Houston based company providing web-based GIS solutions to the energy, transportation, government and real estate sectors. TOTAL NPDP includes the National ParcelMap Data Portal's entire Q2 2006 inventory consisting of 35 million parcels from 280 jurisdictions. Each countywide dataset is normalized to the same data structure, projection, naming, annotation, metadata and archrival protocols to expedite application development
  
  R7 Solutions, Inc. provides unique expertise in the areas of geographic information systems, wireless and mobile computing, enterprise integration, e-collaboration and document management. R7 provides software and implementation consulting to deploy complete enterprise GIS, mobile computing and document management systems. R7's flagship product is GeoRoom. It is a web-based GIS that incorporates data from multiple sources to streamline quick assembly and interfacing of disparate GIS map layers, non-spatial databases, documents, workflow management and analytical tools. Framework solutions supported by GeoRoom include:
  - Pipeline and Corridor Systems.
  - Expert Real Estate Information Systems
  - Energy Exploration and Production
  TOTAL NPDP is being incorporated into R7's GeoRoom hosted service to vastly improve its effectiveness. More important than improving spatial accuracy, R7 will be leveraging the parcel boundary's singular ability to communicate the extents, not just the location, of a property. TOTAL NPDP coverage addresses over 55% of the nation's economic activity. By Q3 2006, TOTAL NPDP is scheduled to grow to 48 million parcels in 400 jurisdictions, coverage for about 74% of the economic activity.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  RamTech acquires Analytical Surveys' Waukesha office
  www.ramtech-corp.com
  
  RamTech Software Solutions Inc. purchased the office and several ongoing services contracts of Analytical Surveys Waukesha office, Analytical Surveys' chief executive officer Lori Jones said. No layoffs are expected. The office has about 20 employees, about half of the company's total number of employees. The Waukesha office of San Antonio based Analytical Surveys represents the firm's geographic information systems operations. It is transitioning its focus of operations to an oil and natural gas exploration company. In regulatory filings, Analytical Surveys said its traditional GIS data conversion business has decreased dramatically in the past years, incurring “severe” operating losses. In fiscal years 2003, 2004 and 2005, revenue was $15 million, $11.6 million and $6.1 million, respectively, leading to net losses of $3.9 million, $1.2 million and $3.3 million, respectively. The company blamed the declining performance of the business on the growing availability and use of GPS technology as an alternative to its services.
  RamTech provides information technology outsourcing services focusing on computer-aided design and geographic information systems. It had served as a subcontractor on a majority of the contracts it is acquiring from Analytical Surveys, said Manish Sanwalka, president of RamTech. New Delhi, India-based RamTech employs more than 1,200 workers worldwide, with offices the United Arab Emirates and the United States.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  RapidEye^™ Expands and Exhibits
  www.rapideye.de
  
  To accommodate expanding operations, RapidEye AG has opened and dedicated their new corporate headquarters and ground operations facility in Brandenburg an der Havel, just outside of Berlin. The new office currently houses an international team of 40 professionals in the fields of space engineering, computer science, remote sensing, GIS and associated technologies. The renovation of the facility was designed to accommodate the anticipated four-fold growth of RapidEye, leading up to the launch of its own earth observing satellite constellation next year.
  
  In 2007, RapidEye will launch a constellation of 5 identical remote sensing satellites capable of acquiring 5-bands of multi-spectral imagery processed at 5-meter pixel. Designed for clients whose applications require frequent coverage of extremely large geographic areas and the capability for daily revisit, the RapidEye constellation is capable of collecting upwards of 4 million square kilometers of image data per day. RapidEye is developing off-the-shelf imagery products as well as imagery-derived information services, customized to meet the needs of individual clients in the Agriculture, Forestry, Oil & Gas, Environmental, Government and other markets where repetitive monitoring and assessment of large areas is required.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Richland County (IL) approves arrangements to use GIS
  www.southeastillinois.com/Richland.html
  Richland County Board unanimously approved an agreement for use of the county's Geographic Information Systems by other entities during its monthly meeting Tuesday night at the Richland County Courthouse. Supervisor of Assessments Tim Hahn said the city of Olney is interested in sharing the GIS mapping system. Hahn said the agreement would be $500 per year per entity for a term of five years, after which the terms would be negotiated. All of the funds collected will go toward the GIS Fund, he said.
  
  The system was installed last year in Hahn's office by WTH Engineering, Inc. of Indianapolis for $265,000. An $80,000 grant was used to pay for some of the costs and the rest came from filing fees from the supervisor of assessments office. Nothing came from the county's General Fund, Hahn said. Hahn said the $500 per year fee is a fair amount because GIS is not a moneymaking system. The agreement, he said, is “setting the base for the whole county.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Roswell, Georgia Implements New GIS Software
  www.geotg.com
  
  While the other Roswell worries about space aliens, Roswell, Georgia concentrates on what truly matters in life: better GIS. So, they turned to Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) who gladly beamed down some additional product functionality from GTG's LG GIS software suite. The city will be implementing additional licenses of LGcrimes software to expand the city's existing LG platform which already includes other GIS applications such as LGdispatch. LGcrimes is a crime reporting, mapping and analysis software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities. LGcrimes aids in the visualization and analysis of police incident information. The spatial distribution of crimes will allow law enforcement professionals to maximize the use of departmental assets to satisfy the ever-growing demand for critical services. Public Safety departments with limited budgets and staff can now take advantage of crime analysis technology while leveraging their organization's investment in GIS technology. Curtis Hinton, CEO and co-owner of GTG, stated that “we are excited to continue working with Roswell. They are a forward looking organization that is dedicated to implementing all the best tools to improve public safety.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  
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  Saco, Maine Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geotg.com
  
  Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced that the City of Saco, Maine purchased products from GTG's GeoBlade software suite. The City will be implementing GeoBlade DISPATCH, GeoBlade AVL, and GeoBlade MOBILE. GTG provides several GeoBlade products that provide a GIS interface for many public safety agencies throughout the United States. In addition to the GeoBlade products the City will be implementing GTG's software product GISmo. This application is a desktop GIS solution that will provide city staff the ability to map and analyze existing GIS data. Curt Hinton, CEO of GTG, stated that “Saco recently viewed an installation of GTG's public safety applications and knew that it would benefit their organization. Saco decided to aggressively pursue a GIS solution and found the GeoBlade products from GTG to be the best suited for their needs. City staff are focused on providing better and more informed public safety services and see the GeoBlade suite as a surefire way to accomplish their goals.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Safe Software Announces Immediate Availability of FME 2006 GB
  www.safe.com
  
  Safe Software Inc. announced the release of FME® 2006 GB, the latest version of the company's Feature Manipulation Engine technology. Among the hundreds of user-requested enhancements included in this release, FME 2006 GB offers important customization options to enhance security, increase work efficiency, and assist with processing ever-increasing data volumes. New security options in FME 2006 GB allow users to password protect workspaces, custom formats, custom transformers and mapping files. Within the Workbench application for designing data transformations, users can now customize the interface for faster performance by placing frequently used tools and transformers on the toolbar for quick access. Authoring workflows and debugging has also been made easier with the inclusion of optional counters in the Workbench canvas that show the number of features passing through each link between transformers and feature types.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Sanborn Awarded State of minnesota digital elevation model project
  www.sanborn.com/
  
  John Copple, CEO of Sanborn, is said that the company has been selected to provide light detection and ranging (LiDAR), and digital elevation models (DEM?s) for the State of Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Sanborn was contracted to provide high density LiDAR data for the purpose of generating a high resolution DEM that will be used by the State of Minnesota in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for improving floodplain maps and to act as base data for regional hydrologic modeling projects. Encompassing over 3,600 square miles, the area targeted for this acquisition is the Wild Rice River watershed and the Red River of the northwestern Minnesota floodplain. The area includes all of Norman and Mahnomen counties. This rural agricultural region is generally characterized by flat terrain with poor drainage. The state?s goal is to obtain detail topographic data for the project area to support floodplain mapping, detailed hydrologic and hydraulic studies, preliminary engineering design, and other efforts that rely on accurate ground elevation data.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  SeaMobile™ Acquires Geolink
  www.seamobile.com
  
  SeaMobile, Inc., the dominant global provider of at-sea communications, connectivity and content services announced today that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Geolink, a pioneer and leading provider of satellite based broadband communications and networking services with extensive experience serving the European market. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
  In May 2006, SeaMobile also acquired satellite industry leader Maritime Telecommunications Network (MTN). With the acquisition of Geolink, SeaMobile now provides broadband satellite, wireless voice and data, internet connectivity, television and other services for more than 300 maritime vessels throughout the world. Geolink significantly expands and strengthens SeaMobile’s presence in the European market. “Our vision at SeaMobile is to be the world’s premiere provider of communications services to remote places. The strength of Geolink, particularly in Europe, accelerates our goal dramatically,” said SeaMobile Enterprises Chief Executive Officer, William D. Marks.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Sho-Me Power Selects Tensing SPY Mobile GIS
  www.tensing.us
  
  Sho-Me Power, a major electric cooperative in Missouri, selected the Tensing SPY Mobile GIS product to expand GIS access to utility field crews. Tensing SPY Mobile GIS runs on any Windows-driven device utilizing the Microsoft .NET Framework or .NET Compact Framework. “As a user of the GENS Smallworld package as its corporate GIS, Sho-Me Power needed a cost-effective manner of providing data access to crews in the field without sacrificing performance,” said Arjan Plomp, Tensing USA Managing Director. “After reviewing several mobile products, Sho-Me Power chose the Tensing SPY Mobile due to its platform flexibility and .NET technology.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Simon Cox Receives OGC's Gardels Award
  www.opengeospatial.org
  
  At the June meeting of the Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc.OGC® in Edinburgh, Scotland, Simon Cox received OGC's eighth annual Kenneth D. Gardels Award. The Gardels Award, a gold medallion, is awarded to individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to advance OGC's vision of geospatial information fully integrated into the world's information systems.
  Simon Cox is a Research Scientist , Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), Exploration and Mining, Perth, Australia. He has been for many years a highly respected and enormously important contributor in the OGC Technical Committee, where he has made significant contributions to the OpenGIS Geography Markup Language (GML) and Web Feature Service (WFS) Implementation Specifications as well as the Sensor Web Enablement effort. His work in ISO has been of great value in helping OGC standards receive ISO standing, and he has been a strong advocate of OGC in Australia for a decade.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Sixth Annual ESRI Education User Conference
  www.esri.com/educ
  
  Educators and administrators of all types will come together at the sixth annual ESRI Education User Conference (EdUC) August 5-8, 2006, in San Diego, California, to network and explore the benefits of geographic information system (GIS) technology in education. The conference will delve into everything from how to start GIS programs and initiatives to how to enhance and expand already existing ones. Conference attendees will include hundreds of school teachers, college and university instructors, school administrators, community leaders, librarians, and museum professionals from all over the United States and from many other countries. The EdUC is a unique opportunity to connect with others involved in GIS education while learning about the latest in GIS products and services from a variety of commercial, government, nonprofit, and educational organizations. “I found the EdUC to be both enjoyable and useful,” says Mila Powell, Environmental and Spatial Technology (EAST) Facilitator, EAST Lab of Eureka Springs High School. “I really enjoyed learning various GIS applications, attending the group presentations, and walking through the vendors' exhibits.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Smallworld Technology for brazilian water/wastewater utility
  www.ge.com/energy
  
  GE Energy has supplied Sabesp - Companhia de Saneamento Básico do Estado de Sâo Paulo (Sabesp) of Sao Paulo, Brazil with its Smallworld geospatial technology. This technology forms the core of the SIGNOS integrated water management system, improving water delivery to households and response time to service outages. Sabesp is the largest water and wastewater company in Latin America. The new GIS application has allowed Sabesp to standardize network information graphically. The installation of the system has also permitted data integration and integrated analysis, which has led to broader access and more uniform data consistency for the entire company. “Our Smallworld platform enables Sabesp to develop plans accordingly based on the available parcel data and allows them to locate leakages and higher pressures in the network rapidly,” said Dan Heintzelman, president of energy services for GE Energy.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  SMART Launches New Rear Projection SMART Board
  smarttech.com
  
  SMART Technologies Inc. has released its new Rear Projection SMART Board 4000i interactive whiteboard. According to the company, the 4000i, a touch-sensitive display, has the highest resolution and the largest screen size in its class. New features in 4000i include a 3000-lumen SXGA DLPT projector (1400x1050 resolution) with a short-throw lens and a contrast ratio of 2500:1. The 4000i also comes with new screen technology that delivers uniform, ultra-crisp visuals for applications, such as GIS (geographic information systems), used during briefings, debriefings and command-and-control operations.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Southern Company Implements Enterprise GIS
  www.esri.com
  
  Southern Company has implemented an enterprise geographic information system to enable its five operating companies: Alabama Power, Mississippi Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, and Savannah Electric–to improve customer service, cost containment, and profitability. “Southern Company invests in the continuing operation of existing GIS environments at its various operating companies,” says David Breland, enterprise GIS (E-GIS) lead, Southern Company. “The purpose of our enterprise GIS was to consolidate resources, provide a common architecture and support structure, streamline costs, and provide better value to each operating company. Using a common, integrated approach provides a number of key benefits.”
  Prior to the enterprise GIS approach, each of the five utilities operated and maintained an independent GIS, with adequate sharing of infrastructure and support. However, with separate GIS programs, duplicate efforts were performed for maintaining, administering, and supporting GIS across business units such as distribution, transmission, land, economic development, and marketing. Substantial cost-saving and knowledge-sharing opportunities had historically been missed. Enspiria Solutions, Inc., a consulting and systems integration firm based in Denver, Colorado, developed an E-GIS architecture plan including hardware, software, and network requirements. In addition, the company provided an implementation road map showing cost and savings estimates. The plan is a framework for management and control of the enterprise-wide system used by Southern Company?s five separate operating companies.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Southern Pines, NC Implements GIS Solutions
  www.geotg.com
  The town of Southern Pines, North Carolina purchased products from GTG’s (Geographic Technologies Group, Inc.) GIS software suite. The town will be implementing GISmoWeb. This application is an intranet GIS solution that will provide Town staff the ability to map and analyze existing GIS data. Curtis Hinton, CEO of GTG states: “GISmoWeb is enabling all Southern Pines staff to cost effectively view and analyze GIS data. The intuitive tool set developed for GISmoWeb was defined after visiting over 400 cities and counties over the past decade. This is the perfect local government tool. It allows an organization to accomplish 90% of their GIS tasks with ease.” GISmoWeb provides users with the ability to turn their data investment into meaningful information by allowing the users to view, search, query and browse their GIS data in a quick and easy manner.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Spatial Express Supports JPEG 2000 and MrSID
  www.lizardtech.com
  
  LizardTech, a division of Celartem, Inc., announced the company's further support of JPEG 2000 within its Spatial Express application which enables storage of MrSID and JPEG 2000 images natively in Oracle® Spatial 10g, an option to Oracle Database Enterprise Edition. Oracle Spatial 10g provides a robust foundation for storing and retrieving geospatial data from Oracle Database 10g.Spatial Express, organizations can now maximize investment in Oracle Spatial 10g by storing geospatial raster imagery natively in both JPEG 2000 and MrSID formats dramatically reducing the storage space used for their raster imagery by up to 95 percent while retaining visually lossless image quality. Spatial Express also decreases the load on database servers by using the selective decoding of JPEG 2000 and MrSID, eliminating the need to decompress the entire image to view only a portion of it.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Spotsylvania Selects Geographic Technologies Group (GTG) to Provide GIS
  www.geotg.com
  
  There is nothing quite like a drive along the Pennsylvania Highway on a Sunday afternoon. If you are lucky, just after the “Dick and Jane Highway” and before “Curios George Cove” you might be lucky enough to see the Spotsylvania exit. It is there that you might just get to see that famous dog run. On the other hand, you may also find Spotsylvania County, PA, home of the smart people who recently acquired GIS technology
  
  Spotsylvania County, Virginia recently awarded Geographic Technologies Group, Inc., (GTG) a contract to provide GIS Services which includes an SDE installation and data conversion services. Curtis Hinton, CEO and Co-owner of GTG, stated that “The GTG team has been working with Spotsylvania County for the past year. The initial focus was on creating an enterprise GIS implementation plan. This project allowed the county to have a coherent vision as to where they were heading and secured full funding for the project. The next step for the Spotsylvania team is to implement SDE and an effective database design. GTG will be assisting the County in this effort and looks forward to working with the County as they move GIS to the enterprise.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  SRC releases geocoding software as open source
  www.extendthereach.com
  
  SRC, a developer of geographic business intelligence software, released its Explorer geocoder technology to the open source community. SRC's Explorer is the industry's first open sourced geocoder that is data and country independent, enabling developers to integrate digital address databases in any country to support geocoding processes. By open sourcing Explorer, SRC continues to further the expectation from business leaders that business intelligence tools will provide their organizations with immediate, revenue generating opportunities via a content neutral environment. A database process that assigns latitude and longitude coordinates to any geographic address or intersection; SRC's Explorer combines its geocoding library with free US Census Bureau's TIGER address coding guide. TIGER data, compiled of street names, address ranges and intersections coordinates, joined together with Explorer enables companies to immediately accomplish business development and customer services goals such as:
  - Enhance Website Functionality for Customers – find the nearest store locations to their home, office, etc.
  - Locate Customer's with Greater Efficiency – i.e. E911 pinpoints a cell phone customer by the geographic location of the cell phone/nearest cell phone tower
  - Generate Intelligence on Customers –> i.e. insurance companies can identify the flood risk associated with a customer based on their home's location
  - Pair Customer Data with TIGER – generate geographic representations of customer locations for uses such as increasing the intelligence/effectiveness behind marketing campaigns, etc.
  The open source of the Explorer geocoder C++ library is available under an LGPL license. The geocoder is available to download from SRC#39;s Website at: http://www.extendthereach.com/products/OSGeocoder.srct
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  State, Regional, and Local Governments Win ArcGIS Server Grants
  www.esri.com
  
  SRI and Stratus Technologies are pleased to announce the winners of the ESRI and Stratus ArcGIS Server Demonstration Project Grant Program. The program will provide government agencies with models of innovative applications and data delivery based on server-based GIS architecture. Reusable applications that can be shared between governments with similar projects will be posted via ArcGIS Server public domain templates at www.esri.com/arcscripts beginning in May 2007. The ESRI and Stratus Technologies software, hardware, and training grants totaling more than $800,000 have been awarded to 10 state, regional, and local governments within the United States. The 2006 ESRI and Stratus Technologies ArcGIS Server Demonstration Project Grant Program recipients are
  - Town of Amherst, Massachusetts, Information Technology Department
  - State of Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
  - Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska, Information Technology Department
  - St. Clair County, Michigan, Road Commission
  - Regional Transportation District of Denver, Colorado, Information Technology Department
  - City of New York, New York, Fire Department
  - Cabell-Huntington Health Department, West Virginia
  - St. Johns County, Florida, GIS Division
  - State of Missouri, Office of Administration, Information Technology Services Division
  - County of Santa Cruz, California, Public Works Department
  Through the public domain templates, ESRI and Stratus Technologies hope to encourage the government community to promote the sharing of applications. Exchanging ideas and resources on issues that affect their communities enables governments to meet objectives and better serve the public.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Summer Camp Introduces Youth To GIS Technology
  lal.cas.psu.edu/events/GISCamp2006.htm
  
  A special summer camp offered by Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will introduce junior and senior high students to an exciting, high-tech career option. The Penn State Geospatial Technology Summer Camp, to be held July 31-Aug. 4 at Penn State's University Park campus, will allow 12- to 18-year-old youth to have hands-on fun with high-tech global positioning systems and computers while presenting them with real-world challenges and skills that they can use immediately in their communities, says Stewart Bruce senior extension associate in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences. He explains that a week of fun could introduce youngsters to a lucrative future career. “The U.S. Department of Labor has designated geospatial technologies as one of the top 10 career growth fields, and there are shortages of people in that career,” he says. “We hope by introducing youth to geospatial technologies, they'll get excited about it, and see it as a possible future educational and career option, because the industry definitely needs workers, and offers good-paying jobs. Geospatial technology is used in pursuits as diverse as trying to find Osama bin Laden, mapping underground infrastructure such as water and sewer lines, planning for future growth in your community, or locating the next Wal Mart store,” Bruce says. “There's a wide range of applications for the technology and it's not really limited to one specific field.”
  
  Campers will learn to use geographic information systems software, global positioning systems hardware and remote-sensing data in the laboratory and in the field to map specific landscape features and collect geo-referenced data that will be used in analyzing a project area. They will also use GIS software to compile field data, import remote-sensed satellite imagery and prepare a project report with relevant large-scale maps for presentation to the group.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Sunstar Emergency Medical Services deploys GIS
  www.sunstarems.com
  Sunstar Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in Pinellas County, Florida, has deployed an advanced geographic information system (GIS) solution that helps the county ambulance service provide more accurate and expedient emergency planning and response. The solution is used to place ambulances in the best possible locations, track vehicles in real time, and provide intelligent time-of-day-based routing that improves response capabilities for its entire fleet. The result is faster response times, which can make all the difference in an emergency.
  “The Sunstar EMS operation had new and more stringent emergency response time requirements beginning in October 2004, and utilizing the traditional automatic vehicle location (AVL) tools alone was not going to be enough to be successful with our new standards,” says Jim Pennington, director of Information Technology for Sunstar EMS. “Paramedics Plus, the contractor organization under Sunstar, turned to GIS and the ESRI-based solutions for advanced applications that would provide a new level of service. These applications provided our organization with new tools and methods for planning, implementing, and monitoring the deployment of our [68] ambulances in Pinellas County.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Survey of Your GIS Usage
  www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?A=150777874E49021
  
  PennWell MAPSearch is conducting a survey on the use of GIS technology and data within your industry, and your response would be greatly appreciated. The survey has eight short questions and should only take a minute of your time to complete. At the end of the survey, you can register for a drawing of three, $100 American Express gift certificates
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Telcontar Announces Name Change to deCarta
  www.deCarta.com
  
  Telcontar, the leading supplier of software platforms and services for the location–based services (LBS) market, today announced that it is changing its corporate name to deCarta. The new corporate identity reflects the Company's objective and commitment to deliver the most advanced geospatial software and services to Internet, mobile and telematics applications. In connection with the name change, the company also unveiled a new corporate logo and began doing business under the new name and identity as of today.
  
  After 10 years in the geospatial industry, Telcontar has decided to make the name change to deCarta to more effectively market the strengths of the company and highlight its positioning in the industry. It has recently expanded its international presence in Europe and Asia-Pacific and has had record growth in the past two years.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Telcordia Accelerates Fixed-mobile Convergence
  www.telcordia.com/
  
  Telcordia launched the industry’s first commercially available IMS-based Fixed-mobile Convergence (FMC) offering, empowering operators worldwide to maximize the benefits of seamless mobility. Part of the Telcordia® Maestro™ IMS Portfolio, the newly launched Telcordia® Seamless Mobility offering expands the reach and power of an operator’s network allowing subscribers to use any device, at any time, over any network. Starting with, and extending well beyond basic WiFi-Cellular roaming, Seamless Mobility helps enable operators to realize the financial and operational benefits of a converged network. “True fixed-mobile convergence changes the underlying principles of an operator’s business – enabling them to extend their reach, expand their profitability and enhance their customers’ experience,” said Scott Erickson, Executive Vice President, Global Sales and Marketing, Telcordia Technologies. “By taking a leadership role in delivering on the promise of fixed-mobile convergence via IMS, Telcordia is empowering carriers to offer a better combination of coverage, quality, services and price.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tele Atlas and ESRI Announce Education User
  Conference Scholarship Winners
  www.teleatlas.com
  Four educators, all strongly committed to teaching others about the power of geographic information system technology, were named today as winners of the joint Tele Atlas and ESRI scholarships to attend the ESRI Education User Conference in San Diego, California, from August 5-8, 2006. Dan Harms of Elizabeth, Illinois; Jeremy Donald of San Antonio, Texas; Laurie Wilhite of Klickitat, Washington; and Wendy Miller of Chestertown, Maryland, received the scholarships. Tele Atlas gave each recipient $400 toward travel costs to San Diego, California. ESRI provided complimentary admission to the Education User Conference (EdUC). The scholarship recipients will join more than 500 K-12 teachers, college and university instructors, school administrators, librarians, and museum professionals from more than 30 countries at the sixth annual EdUC. The honorees will share their experiences at the conference through posts to the ESRI UC Blog at blogs.esri.com/roller/page/ucblog.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tele Atlas Introduces Online Map Feedback Tool
  www.teleatlas.com
  
  Tele Atlas will expand its map update system with Map Insight™, an online tool that allows users of Internet, personal navigation and wireless devices and applications powered by Tele Atlas data to quickly report changes to the company. Released in limited availability today, Map Insight will be made generally available during the fourth quarter of 2006. Changes to roads and points of interest occur every day, and the ability to quickly analyze and incorporate multiple sources of input is vital to generating maps that are fresh and highly accurate. Tele Atlas already uses a combination of professional drivers, innovative mobile mapping van technology and other authoritative information sources to ensure that planned and existing changes are accurately incorporated into its maps. Map Insight adds an interactive, community based perspective that Tele Atlas President and COO George Fink says is vital to the future of map development.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Telvent's substation automation client base continues to grow
  www.telvent.com
  
  Telvent GIT S.A., the Global RealTime IT Company is announcing the continual advancement of the SAGE product line, evolving from legacy Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) into the optimum Substation Automation Platform. The SAGE product line is intended to meet the complex requirements of the integrated substation by providing features that make it easier to interface with a broad range of Intelligent Electronic Devices (IEDs), as well as having the horsepower to run a wide range of automation applications. SAGE includes Telvent's entire protocol library, enabling it to talk to a wide range of IEDs and master stations without added costs and without limitations.
  As a result of the quality of the products, many utilities have elected to invest in the SAGE technology. Texas Utilities (TXU), in the Greater Dallas / Fort Worth Texas area, has been working with Telvent in developing an ongoing plan to upgrade their existing substation infrastructure. Currently, SAGE is being used to replace other vendor models. Conectiv provides electricity and telecommunications to southern New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia as well as natural gas to northern Delaware. Conectiv is in the process of changing out their antiquated CDC remotes with Telvent SAGE. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the steward of medical and behavioral research for the Nation. NIH has recently updated all legacy remotes with Telvent SAGE.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tensing Earns Status as Microsoft Gold Certified Partner
  www.tensing.com
  
  Tensing, an international provider of mobile and GIS solutions, earned status as a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner. Tensing achieved this program status in two competency categories – ISV/Software Solutions and Mobility Solutions. “The inclusion of Tensing at the Microsoft Gold Certified Partner level recognizes our expertise in working with Microsoft technologies at the highest degree and acknowledges that Tensing fully meets all customer needs,” said Arjan Plomp, Tensing USA Managing Director. “Microsoft Gold Certified Partners receive a rich set of benefits, including access, training and support, that gives them a competitive advantage in the marketplace.”
  
  Microsoft Gold Certified Partners are the elite Microsoft Business Partners who earn the highest customer endorsement. They have the knowledge, skills, and commitment to help implement technology solutions that match exact business needs of clients. Microsoft Gold Certified Partners have passed the highest level of requirements from Microsoft and have demonstrated the most robust, efficient and scalable implementations of Microsoft technologies in demonstrated enterprise customer deployments or an on-site Microsoft assessment, according to Microsoft.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tensing USA Announces Five Major Contract Wins
  www.tensing.us
  
  Tensing USA won five major new contracts from energy and water utilities to implement products from the Tensing line of mobility solutions. The five utilities are Tacoma Power of Tacoma, Washington; National Grid USA Service Co. of Syracuse, N.Y.; Enbridge Gas Distribution of Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Sydney Water Corporation of Sydney, Australia; and Washington Gas of Washington D.C. Announcing the wins at the GITA Annual Conference in Tampa, Fla., Tensing USA's Managing Director, Arjan Plomp, said, “The selection of Tensing products by so many large international utilities indicates the Tensing SPY technology is emerging as the industry standard mobile GIS solution for organizations that need to seamlessly link their field personnel with the enterprise geospatial systems.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tensing USA Becomes a Trimble Business Partner
  www.tensign.com
  
  Tensing USA became a Trimble Authorized Mapping & GIS Business Partner. As a Trimble Business Partner, Tensing may offer a wide variety of services from customer application software development to fully integrated software/hardware solutions that incorporate the Trimble Mapping & GIS product lines. “Tensing USA and Trimble are leading developers of mobile solutions for field GIS applications,” said Arjan Plomp, Tensing USA Managing Director. “We see tremendous synergy in the mobile GIS product offerings of our two companies especially for clients in the utility, telecom and local government markets. Tensing plans to work with Trimble in providing integrated hardware and software tools to meet specific client needs.”
  
  Tensing recently introduced its SPY Mobile GIS, a platform-independent product that runs on any Windows-driven device utilizing the Microsoft .NET Framework or .NET Compact Framework. As a Trimble Business Partner, Tensing can develop SPY .NET solutions that allow customers to take digital data from any corporate GIS and display it on the Trimble GeoExplorer^® or Trimble Recon^® series of integrated, handheld mobile GIS mapping devices. “The combination of Tensing and Trimble technologies offers organizations the ability to make their fieldwork much more efficient,” said Doug Merrill, General Manager for Trimble’s Mapping & GIS Division. “Tensing’s solutions fully complement Trimble’s hardware, offering customers a complete, integrated solution specifically designed for their market and for their needs.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  TerraGo Technologies Announces Strategic Investment and Development Agreement with In-Q-Tel
  www.terragotech.com
  
  TerraGo Technologies, provider of GeoPDF® and the MAP2PDF™ family of products, announced today that it has entered into a strategic agreement with In-Q-Tel, the independent strategic venture capital fund that identifies innovative technologies to support the missions of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the larger Intelligence Community (IC).
  The equity and technology advancement agreement allows for development of new mapping products needed by government agencies such as the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and other In-Q-Tel Intelligence Community partners. These agencies use TerraGo products to quickly and easily share geospatial data throughout their organizations.
  “In-Q-Tel serves as an accelerator for emerging technologies, proving the ability of these tools to positively impact government organizations,” said James Davis, TerraGo President and CEO. “In-Q-Tel's support of TerraGo is validation of the increasing importance of using GeoPDF to distribute and collaborate on geospatial data and confirms the advantages of a tool that can be used anywhere, anytime by anyone.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  TerraGo Technologies Lets Users Export .shp Files from a GeoPDF
  terragotech.com
  
  TerraGo Technologies' latest version of its software includes features that allow Adobe Reader users to export data from GeoPDF files to geospatial information systems (GIS) via the ESRI Shapefile format (.shp). Utilizing the new GeoPDF Toolbar, Adobe Reader users can add comments, redlines, and markups to geospatially enabled GeoPDF files and then export the information back into the original GIS system. TerraGo's flagship product line, MAP2PDF which is available for major GIS systems, is used to export data from geospatial information applications to a georegistered PDF with layers and object feature attributes, allowing users to share spatially–enabled files among colleagues and applications. GeoPDF files can be easily distributed and used in connected or disconnected modes with Adobe Reader and TerraGo's free GeoPDF Toolbar, which replaces MAP2PDF for Reader. The GeoPDF Toolbar recognizes geo– enabled files and lets users view maps, turn layers on and off, query attributes, display coordinates, GPS track and create redlines, markups and Geonotes.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  TerraGo Technologies’ Products Added to GSA Schedule
  
  www.terragotech.com
  
  TerraGo Technologies, provider of the MAP2PDF family of products and GeoPDF announced today that it has been awarded a United States General Services Administration (GSA) Schedule contract number, GS-35F-0262S. This contract allows TerraGo to sell directly to federal and other qualified state and local government agencies at specially approved pricing. MAP2PDF allows GIS professionals to share complex, georegistered, geospatial data as a GeoPDF with non-technical professionals anywhere in the Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Mapping technologies like TerraGo's products are widely used among government agencies such as those responsible for national defense, infrastructure, emergency response, public safety, security and public works.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  TerraSAR-X Scheduled for Launch from Baikonur on February 27 2007
  www.terrasar.de
  
  The German radar satellite TerraSAR-X will be launched from Baikonur on February 27th, 2007 on a Dnepr-1 rocket. This new launch date has now been announced by the German Aerospace Centre (DLR), its industrial partners Astrium GmbH and Infoterra GmbH, responsible for the commercial exploitation of TerraSAR-X data. The launch originally planned for October 31 st , 2006, had to be shifted after an unsuccessful launch of a rocket of the same type last summer. Meanwhile the single cause of this launch mishap has been resolved, and, after considering all necessary preparatory activities, February 27 th has been selected as the new launch date.
  TerraSAR-X's full operationality is planned to be reached after 51?2 months. Already prior to this, scientists will support the mission calibration activities. “Within the last year, we have received more than 200 proposals for scientific use of this new-quality data,” says Achim Roth, TerraSAR-X Science Coordinator at DLR in Oberpfaffenhofen. “We are convinced that numerous interesting and promising developments will evolve in the next years – all based on TerraSAR-X data.”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tokyo Metropolitan Government Begins New Era in City Planning
  www.metro.tokyo.jp/ENGLISH/
  
  The Tokyo Metropolitan Government (TMG), a longtime user of ESRI's geographic information system (GIS) software, has implemented a Web based system that promises broad new capabilities and greatly expanded use throughout the government. “Since TMG first began using ArcInfo on an IBM mainframe in the early ?90s, the fact that GIS can take a pivotal role in city planning has been increasingly recognized within the Tokyo government. To make more effective use of its GIS for city planning, it was decided to build an urban planning system using ArcGIS Server,” commented Chiharu Masaki, Managing Director at ESRI Japan.
  The new Tokyo Metropolitan Urban Planning GIS is a high-performance, Web-based system that meets the security requirements of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Local Area Network system. The GIS was designed with multiple menus and functions adapted to the various functions and skills of the operators. Presently, TMG's Bureau of Urban Development enables all 1,500 bureau staff members to use GIS to view and edit a wide variety of city planning information from their PCs, which boosts their productivity. In the future, TMG anticipates that the GIS will be available to all TMG departments, allowing instant on-line access to more than 30,000 staff members.TMG's new GIS product configuration includes ESRI's ArcGIS Server, ArcSDE, ArcIMS, ArcInfo, ArcView, Spatial Analyst, 3D Analyst, and Network Analyst.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Toole County, Utah expands their implementation of GTG's LG GIS
  www.geotg.com
  
  The county has acquired licenses of LGviewer to expand the County's existing LG platform that already includes GISmo, GeoManager, LGcrimes, and LGdispatch. LGviewer provides a set of GIS tools in a simple easy to use desktop application. LGviewer allows for visualization of land management information. Local government professionals have long desired the ability to map and analyze the spatial distribution of all data that is tracked within their data storage. The land management module allows users to assign locations to each land management record. The LGviewer software is designed to leverage database data along with existing GIS data to provide a powerful set of tools for visualization and analysis. David Kuhn, GTG's western regional manager and head of GTG's Oregon office says, “Providing a GIS viewer as an everyday tool in local government saves a tremendous amount of time and productivity.” LGviewer is a desktop application that can be configured to specific workflows and user preferences. “LGviewer takes as much time to learn as a web browser so by the end of your first day you are producing materials and information that you use to request from others,” concluded Kuhn. The county's continuing utilization of GTG's LG products highlights the value of our products as an integrated and comprehensive set of GIS solutions that leverage the County's investment in their current applications. As with other fast growing communities, Tooele County has embraced cutting edge technology to improve services for its citizens. You might say they have retooled their GIS.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  TransCo receives special achievement award for GIS best practices
  www.pia.gov.ph
  
  For its pioneering efforts in planning and implementing GIS technology, the National Transmission Corporation (TransCo) received a Special Achievement in GIS Award at the 26th Annual ESRI International User Conference in San Diego, California on August 9. ESRI confered the award to TransCo in recognition of its best practices in implementing its Enterprise Geographic Information System (E-GIS) the Spatial Data Infrastructure Project (SDIP).
  These best practices include the formation of a Project Steering Committee composed of senior executives and a Technical Working Group composed of junior executives; hiring of TransCo domain consultants and a GIS advisor; involvement of the contractor's consultants in the project team, and assigning the “right staff to the right job” resulting in the formation of a technically competent TransCo working team. TransCo is one of the largest and most profitable government-owned and controlled corporations in the country with around USD 2.5 billion in physical assets. At the end of 2005, TransCo's transmission lines spanned a total of 20,236 circuit-kilometers while substation capacity measured 24,607 million voltamperes.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Transition eBook Released for AutoCAD/TurboCAD
  www.upfrontezine.com/t4a
  
  upFront.eZine Publishing, Ltd. releases the second edition of its transition ebook for AutoCAD 2007 and TurboCAD Professional 12. TurboCAD for AutoCAD Users is the updated ebook for AutoCAD users interested in transitioning to the lower cost and more capable TurboCAD. The 168-page e-book contains side-by-side tutorials for creating 2D and 3D models in both popular CAD (computer-aided design) packages: AutoCAD on one side of the page, the equivalent steps in TurboCAD on the facing pages. TurboCAD for AutoCAD Users is published exclusively in Adobe Acrobat format. The 2nd edition of this e-book adds these features:
  - Setting up and creating 2D drawings and 3D designs.
  - DWG import and export.
  - Comparisons and contrasts between AutoCAD and TurboCAD.
  - Command cross-reference.
  - Jargon dictionary.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Tyler, TX Selects Geographic Technologies Group (GTG)
  www.geotg.com
  
  Tyler, Texas purchased LGAddress from GTG’s LG GIS software suite. This application will serve to expand the City’s existing GTG software platform, which already includes LGroute, LGdispatch, LGcrimes, LGfires, LGmobile, and LGaddress for Public Safety from GTG’s LG product line. Curtis Hinton, CEO of GTG, stated, “Many cities and counties have adopted LGAddress as their preferred method of maintaining their street centerline and address point GIS layers. LGAddress’ ArcEngine toolset allows users to utilize GIS to maintain a foolproof organization-wide address file. This tool will allow Tyler to utilize their GIS layers to serve as the address portal for every corporate IT investment that they currently have and will acquire. The address database maintained becomes the defacto address database for the entire organization. GTG is excited to continue to assist the City of Tyler in becoming a GIS centric organization.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  
  [A-C] [D-E] [F-G] [H-K][L-M] [N-O] [P-R][S-T][U-Z]
  
  U-Z
  UAE Streets released by Leaddog
  www.leaddog.com
  
  LeadDog Consulting -- as in the dog in front, not the slowest dog -- released geographic databases of city streets for the U.A.E. cities: Abu Dubai, Dubai, Sharjah, Ra's Al-Khayman, Umm Al Qaywayn, and Ajman, Fujairad to support asset-tracking, government, military, and commercial GIS applications. Designed to help companies track their assets and provide accurate base level mapping, LeadDog's product provides numerous vector layers and attributes such as:
  - Streets at 1:10,000 scale
  - Street names
  - Street classifications
  - Extensive Points of Interest (government ministry offices, banks, hotels)
  - Park, Water, and Landmark polygons
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  UK fire & rescue services implement new Cadcorp SIS-based GIS
  www.cadcorp.com
  
  Digital mapping and geographic information systems (GIS) software developer Cadcorp announced that six fire and rescue services in the UK recently implemented new GIS enabled information systems from one of its business partners for emergency services, SSi Solutions Ltd. The new systems will deliver SSi's latest fire planning, fire safety, hydrant management, risk assessment and risk management, planning and reporting applications, all fully integrated with GIS functionality provided by the Cadcorp SIS® – Spatial Information System® product family.
  The six services are Central Scotland Fire Service, Isle of Wight Fire & Rescue Service, Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service, Norfolk Fire Service, Suffolk Fire & Rescue Service and Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service. All of them recently made the decision to upgrade their existing planning, reporting and management systems to SSi's new Cadcorp SIS-based applications in order to reap the benefits of a fully integrated, advanced GIS environment.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  University Park, Texas Selects Geographic Technologies Group
  www.geotg.com
  
  The City of University Park, Texas purchased additional products from GTG’s LG GIS software suite. The city will be implementing licenses of LGdispatch and LGcrimes to expand the City’s existing LG platform which already includes other GIS applications such as LGaddress, LGmobile, LGcrimesWeb, and LGaddress for Public Safety. LGdispatch is a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) mapping interface that provides E-911 dispatchers with an interactive map displaying the location of all emergency calls. LGdispatch offers advanced geo-coding capabilities. Addresses can be validated against address points, polygons (tax parcels) and lines (road network). LGcrimes is an affordable and easy-to-use crime reporting, mapping and analysis software application designed for towns, cities and counties of all sizes and complexities. LGcrimes aids in the visualization and analysis of police incident information. The spatial distribution of crimes will allow law enforcement professionals to maximize the use of departmental assets to satisfy the ever-growing demand for critical services.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  US National Weather Service Seeks Input on Spatial Data Content and Formats
  ocwws.weather.gov/gis/index.php
  
  The National Weather Service, part of NOAA, is seeking input on what weather information users need and in what geospatial formats should be used to deliver that information.
  “Specifically, we seek input on what classes of information are most valuable (e.g., radar, temperature, winds, hurricane track), preferred formats (e.g., shapefile, OGC compliant), and types of access (e.g., ftp download, map/feature service). Please be a specific as possible. For instance, the NWS provides temperature information in a number of ways - if particular temperature data are important, please identify them.”
  We encourage interested parties to respond via this NWS website with their thoughts.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  USGS Opens Competition for
  National Geospatial Technical Operations Center to Denver and Rolla
  www.usgs.gov
  
  The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced plans to allow the mapping centers located in Denver, Colorado, and Rolla, Missouri, to compete for the consolidated site of the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC). The Department of Interior directed the action in an effort to comply with the expressed intent of both the House of Representatives and the Senate Committee on Appropriations in their respective versions of the FY 2007 Interior appropriations bill. The announcement means the USGS will revise the OMB Circular A-76 process currently underway to provide for consideration of consolidation of NGTOC operations at either the Denver, Colorado, or Rolla, Missouri, locations. Employees in both Denver and Rolla will be provided with resources necessary to formulate their Most Efficient Organization (MEO) to allow these centers to effectively and fairly compete. While this process is underway, Denver and Rolla will remain open until selection of a single site for the NGTOC has been finalized. Consolidating USGS geospatial technical operations into one cutting edge, efficient NGTOC will remain a top priority for USGS in order for the agency to continue to effectively fulfill its leadership role within a dynamic and changing geospatial community.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  VA Department of Forestry Implements ESRI ArcGIS Server
  www.esri.com
  
  ESRI reported to us that the Virginia Department of Forestry (VDOF) implemented its ArcGIS Server. ArcGIS Server is the basis of a VDOF program called the Integrated Forest Resource Information System (IFRIS), which is used to more efficiently and accurately manage forest lands. IFRIS will enable field staff to make better assessments of how landowners should manage their resources with respect to short- and long-term goals. The mapped data will also permit regional and statewide spatial analyses relative to other spatial units such as watersheds, stewardship priority areas, economic impact zones, and others. “This application will make it easier for field staff to capture data describing the location and nature of wildfire incidents, water quality, harvest inspections, forest health observations, and other critical data,” says Mindia Brown, Information Systems Manager, VDOF.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Valtus Adds USA Data to its Secure Imagery Web Services
  www.valtusimagery.com/
  Calgary-based Valtus Imagery Services, a division of North West Geomatics Ltd. announced today the immediate availability of 1m resolution, color imagery for the states of Montana and North Dakota. Valtus customers who subscribe to the company’s VISTA and VIEWS online Web services via the Valtus Web site and IHS Energy?s AccuMap System will now be able to access North West’s USDA NAIP imagery in addition to Valtus’ already-large inventories of aerial data.
  VISTA (Valtus Imagery Services Terrain Archives) is a convenient online solution for users who require immediate access to downloadable, georeferenced mapping data. VIEWS (Valtus Imagery Enhanced Web Service) provides instant, secure access to an extensive library of imagery that can be seamlessly integrated into mapping applications and geographic information systems (GIS). AccuMap is an oil and gas information application available through IHS Energy (www.ihsenergy.com).
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Virginia Department of Education Adopts ESRI Statewide ArcView License
  www.esri.com
  
  All Virginia public school students in grades 6–12 will soon have the opportunity to use geographic information system (GIS) software and extensions. Virginia's statewide license puts ESRI's ArcView software in the classrooms to help teachers in a wide range of subjects create real-world experiences involving analysis and problem solving.
  
  “There is a lot of excitement about this in our middle and high schools,” says George Willcox, state specialist of technology education for the Virginia Department of Education. “Some of our high school agriculture, geography, science, and technology teachers have already begun working with geospatial tools, and we will be running a set of regional weeklong training institutes this summer to get more teachers up to speed. This is powerful technology, and we know there are many opportunities for students with GIS skills.” A statewide license grants Virginia schools ArcView 3.x and ArcView 9.x on an unlimited number of computers. The software may be used for teaching any subject in grades 6–12 in Virginia's public schools. The Spatial Analyst and 3D Analyst extensions are also part of the statewide license as well as certain ESRI Virtual Campus courses.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Washougal, Washington Selects GTG
  www.geotg.com
  
  If you enjoy showering with your wife or lady, then "wash you gal" as you learn about Washougal, Washington. Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. (GTG) announced that the City of Washougal, Washington purchased LGviewer from GTG's LG GIS software suite. LGviewer provides a set of GIS tools in a simple to use desktop application. LGviewer allows for visualization of land management information. Local government professionals have long desired the ability to map and analyze the spatial distribution of all data that is tracked within their data storage. The land management module allows users to assign locations to each land management record. The LGviewer software is designed to leverage database data along with existing GIS data to provide a powerful set of tools for visualization and analysis. David Kuhn, GTG's Regional Manager and head of GTG's West Coast office said, “The City of Washougal will continue to see significant growth in population and development as the Portland-Vancouver area expands, incorporating GIS into the desktops of City staff will provide them with an important tool required to meet the demands growth will put on the City's information services.” The City's continuing utilization of GTG's LG products highlights the value of our products as an integrated and comprehensive set of GIS solutions that leverage the City's investment in their current applications.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Watermark Factory announces new Windows Vista compatible version
  2.53
  www.watermarkfactory.com
  Watermark Factory announces today the launch of version 2.53 of the popular image protection tool, packed with new effects and image processing technologies. In its creation, the developers have put much emphasis on watermark quality and program functionality. And their efforts are not in vain. Enhanced Watermark Factory does its job better and faster. This update will allow you to use Vista-compatible product version as soon as you migrate to the new operating system. New features allows working with EXIF and IPTC information.
  “Watermark Factory is a tool for batch copyright protection of high-quality images,” says James Thornton, PRO of the company. “Its features are aligned with the demands of professional image processing. Yet we keep the interface as transparent as possible so that all users who wish to protect their intellectual property can do it easily. The new major version of Watermark Factory offers improved image encoding, expanded formatting options and multilayer watermarking. Some other improvements were suggested by our users. All these changes aim at saving time and efforts of users and provide them with the most advanced protective options.” Watermark factory features at a glance:
  - Support for multi-line text watermarks;
  - Support for logo and multi-layer watermarks;
  - A choice of text and logo formats, visual effects and background setting;
  - High-quality anti-aliasing;
  - Manual, auto fit and tile positioning modes;
  - Ability to save watermarks as preset and use later in other projects;
  - Ability to add image-specific information, such as EXIF and IPTC, date, image size, file size and name;
  - High-quality JPEG encoding, smooth and progressive encoding;
  - Improved intuitive interface.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Wayne County, NC Selects GTG to Verify and Adjust Fire Response Districts
  www.geotg.com
  Wayne County, North Carolina selected GTG to verify and adjust the fire response districts for the Emergency Services Department. The services contract will include the following steps: 1) Map Boundary Lines from Street Network, 2) Adjust and Define Boundary Files, 3) MSAG Reporting Integration. The process will include utilizing the street centerline network to measure the road distance to determine the effective response district. The resulting dataset will also be configured and utilized as a fire tax district. John Little, GTG’s GIS Director says “The County was looking to establish the boundary from a clearly defined and reproducible methodology. Utilizing the road distances and property records will allow the county to establish a clearly defined response GIS layer.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Whiteside County, Illinois to implement LGdispatch and LGmobile
  
  www.geotg.com
  Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. said that Whiteside County, Illinois purchased new products from GTG's LG GIS software suite. The city will be implementing licenses of LGdispatch and LGmobile. LGdispatch is a Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) mapping interface that provides E-911 dispatchers with an interactive map displaying the location of all emergency calls. LGdispatch offers advanced geo-coding capabilities. Addresses can be validated against address points, polygons (tax parcels) and lines (road network). LGmobile is the latest breakthrough in mobile software solutions. LGmobile is a field-based mobile GIS mapping software solution used in public safety vehicles
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  WhiteStar Elevation Service introduced at the ESRI Petroleum Users Group Conference
  www.whitestar.com
  
  The WhiteStar Elevation Service utilizes a proprietary ArcGIS extension developed by WhiteStar to enable clients to create elevation profiles for features or sets of points – such as roadways, pipelines or well locations – anywhere in the world. The Elevation Service extension opens inside the client’s ArcGIS and allows them to run the profile against a database supplied by WhiteStar or a database of their own. WhiteStar can host the client database if necessary. “We designed the Elevation Service for oil & gas companies, pipeline operators, forestry firms, utilities and other organizations that must accurately determine elevation values as part of their mapping projects,” said Steve Pickett, WhiteStar Director of Business Development. “Working in ArcGIS, the client can select an entire feature layer – hundreds of miles of roads or thousands of wellheads – and instantly receive elevation values for them.”
  For international mapping projects, the WhiteStar Elevation Service generates profiles for any region of the world using the 30-meter digital elevation database created with Enhanced Space Shuttle SRTM data. Within the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii, the detail is even better. The Elevation Services utilizes 10-meter elevation data from a USGS National Elevation Dataset processed by WhiteStar. Bathymetric data is also available for offshore profiles, and WhiteStar can host a client-supplied LiDAR data set for use with the service.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  WhiteStar Introduces CartoBase® Montana Product
  wwww.whitestar.com
  
  WhiteStar Corp. today added Montana to its CartoBase line of digital cartographic products, which are developed specifically for oil and gas mapping. Montana joins Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, Wyoming and Utah in the CartoBase product line-up. WhiteStar offers the CartoBase products on a subscription basis whereby clients receive quarterly updates of key data layers for two or three years following the initial purchase. Each CartoBase product contains up to 24 seamless layers of geospatial data covering the entire state and delivered on DVDs equipped with the CartoBase software application that allows users to export data in their choice of mapping formats. Popular software formats supported include Petra, AutoCAD, Kingdom, GeoGraphix, ArcGIS and ArcView.
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  WhiteStar Introduces CartoPlat™ Products for Petroleum, Forestry Mapping
  www.whitestar.com
  
  WhiteStar Corp. is pleased to introduce CartoPlat™, a digital database of georeferenced maps depicting the original lot and tract surveys of U.S. townships. Scanned from actual township maps, CartoPlat products can be overlaid on WhiteStar CartoBase™ layers or any other common digital land grid for use in new or existing land mapping projects.
  “Oil & gas and forestry companies spend hundreds of thousands of dollars every year on day rates for land researchers to find the legal descriptions and land ownership details required to lease land parcels,” said WhiteStar CEO Robert White. “CartoPlat puts the original township plat map, lot numbers, acreage and patentee names right on their desktop, fully georeferenced to their land grid.”
  Offered as georeferenced raster tiff images, CartoPlat products are available for the entire state of Louisiana and many townships in Colorado, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Arkansas, California, Oregon, Alabama, and Mississippi. WhiteStar can create CartoPlat products for any other U.S. township. The database products can be purchased on a per-township or per-state basis”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  WhiteStar Introduces Elevation Service
  www.whitestar.com/elevation_service.htm
  WhiteStar’s Elevation Service Is the first in a series of ArcGIS 9.1 extensions. This extension returns an elevation in feet or meters given a coordinate from the ArcGIS data frame.The WhiteStar Elevation Service is a powerful tool for organizations that need to instantly generate elevation profiles of existing or proposed transportation routes, pipeline corridors or utility rights-of-way, said Steve Pickett, WhiteStar director of business development. This is the ultimate ‘what-if’ scenario planning tool for corridor selection and planning.For international clients, the WhiteStar Elevation Service generates profiles for any region of the world using the 30-meter digital elevation database created with Enhanced Space Shuttle SRTM data. Within the Continental United States, Alaska and Hawaii, 10-meter elevation data is available from a USGS National Elevation Dataset processed by WhiteStar for this service. Bathymetric data is also available for offshore profiles, and WhiteStar can host a client-supplied LiDAR data set for use with the service.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  WhiteStar Introduces Unlimited Grid Access (UGA) Product for Regional Mapping
  www.whitestar.com
  
  WhiteStar Corp. introduced Unlimited Grid Access (UGA ? pronounced Uggah!), a seamless digital mosaic of land survey and fitted county boundaries covering all public land survey states, Texas, and Offshore State and Federal Waters in the Gulf of Mexico. Precision hand-digitized from industry standard 1:24,000-scale USGS topographic maps over a period of 20 years, UGA was developed to provide flexibility to the oil and gas, pipeline, forestry, and insurance industries for mapping projects that span a few square miles or cover the entire nation. UGA is designed for organizations needing a township, range, and section map of - for example - southern Oklahoma on Thursday and then thirty counties of Texas grid to meet the requirements of a hot prospect on Friday. Companies need the flexibility to create accurate maps anywhere in the United States to immediately respond to time critical opportunities.
  UGA is the basis for all foundational digital mapping including the construction of strategic land maps of ownership or leasehold positions, well locations and seismic data. UGA overlays other WhiteStar products including scanned USGS topographic maps and one-meter orthophoto imagery. UGA allows users to “cookie cutter” an area of interest and then export the data into a variety of popular mapping formats, including ESRI format Shape Files, DXF, GeoGraphix, Petra, MapInfo and SMT Kingdom. In addition, the data can be projected into a variety of coordinate systems. UGA is also compatible with high-end well data and locations from IHS Energy.
  WhiteStar includes regular quarterly updates as part of the UGA product and eliminates costly customer data management problems. Instead of trying to track the vintage and the location of “postage stamp sized areas” of previously purchased datasets, the customer has all of the latest update information for the nation available right at their fingertips.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  Wirebury Connections Deploys Cityworks
  www.wirebury.com/
  www.azteca.com/
  
  Wirebury Connections Inc., a Canadian based electric distribution services and smart metering company, deployed Azteca’s Cityworks to manage their electrical network maintenance workflow and infrastructure for more than 4,000 customers in Ontario. Wirebury provides the electrical infrastructure leading up to and including meters in new business developments and multi-tenant high-rises and condominiums. This includes individual suite metering for both new facilities as well as for retrofitting older buildings using “SMART” meters. SMART meters enable the company to track detailed electricity use. “Using a GIS–based solution, we’re able to meet the needs of our customers in the constantly evolving electricity market,” said Delores Montgomery, Director of Business Integration and Technology for Wirebury. “With Cityworks, we manage our infrastructure and work in a single, visual, integrated environment, reducing redundant processes and data entry. The bottom line: this enables us to operate more efficiently and economically and, with reduced expenses, we can meet customer energy demands at competitive rates.”
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  WiseImage X for AutoCAD 2007 Now Shipping
  www.ideal.com
  
  IDEAL has begun shipping WiseImage X with full support for all versions of AutoCAD 2007. WiseImage X for AutoCAD 2007 is based on market-proven WiseImage X for AutoCAD 2006. WiseImage for AutoCAD solves the problem of incorporating scanned raster data into a CAD environment. This is done by adding native CAD-style raster editing and raster to vector (R2V) conversion inside AutoCAD to facilitate revision creation and new drawing production. WiseImage for AutoCAD offers an updated exclusive set of enhancement tools for black/white as well as grayscale and color images.
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
  XCEL ENERGY PURCHASES GE ENERGY'S NEW SMALLWORLD SOFTWARE
  www.ge.com/energy
  
  Xcel Energy purchased GE Energy's new Smallworld Global Transmission Office™ software, a spatially-enabled network management suite of applications for the management of the assets in a pipeline transmission network. GE Energy's Smallworld Global Transmission Office complements the Smallworld Gas Distribution Office™ software announced in October 2006 as one of a series of applications that are components of the new Smallworld Utility Office Suite product line. Smallworld Global Transmission Office provides critical asset management applications including high consequences area analysis, alignment sheet generator, linear referencing, asset inventory reporting and PODS (Pipeline Open Database Standards) interface.
  Smallworld Global Transmission Office also includes the Smallworld Office Productivity Pack, with applications that extend functionality for annotation management and manage various processes such as the bulk updating of attributes, business rules support, multimedia viewing, grid plotting and thematic display. With these additional plug and play tools, the product offers functionality unavailable in any other package.
  Xcel Energy, based in Minneapolis, Minn., will use GE Energy's Smallworld Global Transmission Office with its current Smallworld core GIS product. The software is scheduled to be delivered in late December 2006. “We have been a long-term customer of GE Energy, ” said Pete Gomez, manager of information requirements for Xcel Energy. “We were impressed with the Smallworld Global Transmission Office functionality that allowed us to enhance the productivity of our existing data systems. ”
  
  first published week of: 07/31/2006
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