GIS in Education

1Spatial is delighted to announce that PSMA Australia have purchased their Radius Studio product to provide data quality conformance services.

PSMA Australia Limited combines spatial data from Australia’s governments with leading-edge technology to create national spatial information datasets that include features such as roads, street addresses and cadastral and administrative boundaries. These datasets are then utilised by a network of partners who develop products and services that present the data in meaningful and useful ways for a wide range of industry, government and community uses that deliver economic, environmental and social benefits to the whole of Australia.

PSMA Australia receives data from multiple sources in multiple formats, from across Australia. The data is then integrated to produce datasets that provide seamless and consistent national coverage on a 90-day update cycle. Data quality forms a vital part of this procedure, and 1Spatial’s Radius Studio will provide an automated solution to ensuring a high level of data quality throughout the integration process.

Radius Studio provides automated conformance checking of spatial data against a pre-defined set of business rules certifying the quality of, firstly, the source data, and secondly, the integrated dataset, which will be delivered to the customer. The benefit of this rules-based approach is the assurance of the overall data quality and the automation enables increased efficiency and productivity, which ultimately leads to savings in resources.

In the longer term, Radius Studio will also form part of PSMA Australia’s LYNX infrastructure. LYNX will provide enhanced mechanisms to perform data integration and delivery between PSMA Australia and the various data providers (custodians) and their clients. The system will utilise the latest web technologies and architecture to enable PSMA Australia to:

* Provide an enhanced product and service
* Obtain a broader market reach
* Increase value for the data custodians and their clients

The use of Radius Studio in this process will simplify the existing supply chain and increase the overall efficiency of the system.

Dan Paull, CEO of PSMA said:

“The demands associated with development and maintenance of these datasets is significant and with user awareness comes an increasing demand on quality and update frequency. 1Spatial’s Radius Studio will enable PSMA Australia to streamline business processes and ultimately deliver higher quality data more frequently to our clients.”

Duncan Guthrie, Managing Director of 1Spatial added:

“PSMA Australia has a proven track record as one of the leading organisations involved in spatial data integration and management in Australia. We are very pleased that Radius Studio will form a key part of their future service, delivering high quality spatial data to the Australian market place.”

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XATA today announced it will add improved digital mapping software to its XATANET on-demand fleet operations software. The upgraded mapping software will provide XATANET end-users with more high-quality data, including larger and more dynamic maps, to help better track exact vehicle location and improve route details. Available in November 2008, the enhanced mapping capability is part of the XATANET 4.3 release.

XATA will deliver these improved capabilities by leveraging Microsoft(R) Virtual Earth(TM) maps, which gives XATANET customers a host of additional maps for vehicle tracking and provides additional geographic tracking capabilities for fleet operators. Microsoft Virtual Earth also pulls geographic data directly from the Web for up-to-the-minute vehicle tracking, ensuring that customers have instant access to the most updated data on their vehicles.

"We ensure our products and services use the most advanced technology available because we know it makes a difference to our customers," said Tom Flies, senior vice president, product management, XATA Corporation. "With XATANET 4.3, we are delivering more intelligent mapping capabilities, which translates to increased fleet visibility and cost savings for all of our customers."

XATANET 4.3 includes a new mapping user-interface that provides enhanced ease-of-use benefits, such as keyboard shortcuts and real-time map updates.

Mapping enhancement highlights include:

* Draggable maps, which enable users to quickly pan and see a broader view of the highlighted geographical area, giving an enhanced view of a vehicle's location.

* Increased customization, which allows users to include information specific to delivery routes.

* Increased map visibility, with the ability to show road detail, aerial photographs, or both.

* Improved GPS positioning controls for more accurate delivery and pickup location information.

* Increased capacity to handle more data points and more accurate map details.

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Orbit Geospatial Technologies presents Orbit GIS 4.3 for Windows on 32bit and 64bit machines. The Orbit GIS Desktop solution now comes with full OGC WMS support, raster processing tools and over 85 new and improved functionalities.

Download you copy now from www.orbitgis.com.

Orbit GIS 4.3 offers improvements on many issues, ranging from full OGC-WMS support, dramatically improved raster data management, improved graphics and symbols tools to a wide range of usability improvements with focus on user friendliness.

This release is simultaneous for 32bit and 64bit Windows platforms, with identical capabilities.

“Orbit GIS 4.3 is flexible and not intimidating to use. Now GIS work is no longer rocket science. In addition to our long-time vector-editing power, 4.3 adds raster data processing on an equal professional level. This is yet another step in providing valuable alternatives to costly solutions on the market, allowing quality solutions for everyone.” says Peter Bonne, product manager of Orbit GT. “Orbit GIS 4.x users can upgrade at no cost.”

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On August 26, EPFL, the Swiss National Science Foundation and Switzerland's National Weather service, MeteoSwiss, will inaugurate a new LIDAR measurement system in Payerne, Switzerland. This technically innovative installation, unique in the world, will provide continuous data on atmospheric humidity for Western Switzerland's weather forecasting headquarters.

To make accurate forecasts, meteorologists need data on the vertical distribution of temperature and humidity in the atmosphere. The LIDAR system developed by EPFL can collect these data continuously and automatically up to an altitude of 10km. On August 26, EPFL will officially transfer this custom-developed LIDAR to MeteoSwiss, and from this point on Swiss forecasters will have access to this source of vertical humidity data for the models they use to calculate weather predictions. The project was supported by funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation.

The LIDAR system developed by EPFL is a relative of the familiar RADAR systems used widely in weather forecasting. Instead of sending radio waves out looking for water droplets, however, the LIDAR sends a beam of light vertically into the sky. The "echo" here is a reflection of that light from different layers in the atmosphere. This reflection is used to build an instantaneous vertical profile of temperature and humidity. The spatial and temporal resolution is excellent – the laser beam can be shot 30 times per second, a vast improvement over weather balloons that take minutes to reach the upper atmosphere and can be sent out only a few times a day. And even though it's state-of-the-art technology, the LIDAR developed by EPFL is stable and reliable; even after a test run of several months, it did not need tuning.

Traditional LIDAR systems are more finicky, typically needing to be tuned on a daily basis. According to project leader and EPFL Professor Hubert van den Bergh, "This LIDAR will serve as a reference for future or existing systems, especially since this kind of remote sensing is experiencing rapid development."

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RIEGL Laser Measurement Systems, internationally renowned manufacturer of laser scanners for terrestrial, airborne, mobile and industrial applications, launches its innovative new V-line of Laser Scanners with significantly improved performance data:

* Highest ranging accuracy and reliability based upon echo digitization
and – for the first time worldwide – online full-waveform analysis

* Excellent multiple target capability – unlimited number of targets

* Latest state-of-the-art laser technology (invisible laser beam,
time-of-flight principle, Laser Class 1)

* Very high pulse repetition rates up to 200 kHz
* Very high scanning rates up to 100 scans/sec

* Latest GPS, LAN, WLAN, USB, etc. interfaces

* Interfaces for high precision time stamping

* Mechanical interface for direct IMU mounting

* Compact, rugged and lightweight design –
less than 10 kg

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Pictometry was officially launched in Asia at the MapAsia conference in Kuala Lumpur last week. AAMHatch General Manager, Mr Brian Nicholls said, "AAMHatch is pleased to announce the launch of Pictometry in Asia. Data capture across Australia's main cities is nearing completion, and planning is underway for the South East Asian region.

Acquisition is scheduled to commence in November, with Malaysia being our preferred starting location before moving to neighbouring countries. AAMHatch is pleased to be the exclusive Pictometry supplier throughout South East Asia, and will work with Pictometry and the various government authorities to ensure that the full benefit of this exciting technology is available throughout the region." Pictometry is a unique information system that combines aerial imaging with an intuitive user interface and range of valuable measurement and navigation tools.

The user interface and tools have the ability to provide Intelligent Imagery unlike any other system available. A digital warehouse of oblique and nadir (vertical) images is the foundation of this product. Pictometry provides a new perspective in mapping by showing the built environment from a more intuitive angle. Oblique is the technical term used to describe an aerial photograph that is taken at an angle. This means that a feature, such as a house, building, street light or fire hydrant can be seen in its entirety, rather than the conventional top down (orthogonal) perspective of aerial photography. The result is a new revolutionary way to use aerial imaging.

Pictometry has broken new ground on providing metric oblique images that are accurately georeferenced down to the pixel level.

ERDAS Inc. has provided Image Analysis for ArcGIS to the Middle School Solothurn, the second largest middle school in Switzerland . Solothurn is also the first middle school in Switzerland to add digital image processing to its geography curriculum.

In July, Middle School Solothurn celebrated its 175th anniversary. This event included a workshop on "Satellite Geography," introducing applications of satellite imagery and an overview of GIS. MFB-GeoConsulting, the exclusive ERDAS partner in Switzerland used Image Analysis for ArcGIS to introduce digital analysis of satellite imagery to the students. MFB-Geo also donated the satellite imagery to the school.

Image Analysis for ArcGIS is the all-in-one solution for preparing and creating GIS-ready imagery from airborne sensors, extracting information from and analyzing imagery to derive spatial and non-spatial information. With Image Analysis for ArcGIS, users can orthorectify frame camera, SPOT, Landsat, IKONOS and QuickBird imagery, as well as imagery with RPC information.

"Image Analysis for ArcGIS provides a low-cost, and high performance remote sensing toolset with unique and seamless integration into the ArcGIS environment," said Thomas Bayer, Vice President, Europe , Middle East & Africa, ERDAS. “By introducing this technology to their students, Middle School Solothurn is developing future leaders with a greater understanding of changing Earth.”

During the workshop, the students learned how to extract information from satellite imagery (2001) and digital aerial photos (2008), identifying land use, tracking changes, and updating master plans for the region of Solothurn. After only one week, the students developed skills necessary for handling satellite imagery and other geospatial data. Because of this success, the school plans to include geospatial data analysis in the curriculum each year.

“Using Image Analysis for ArcGIS, the students’ successfully analyzed changes in the landscape, including forest and urban areas, as well as flood monitoring,” said Raymond Treier, Teacher, Middle School Solothurn. “We are excited to incorporate this powerful and easy-to-use tool into our geography curriculum.”

To learn more about MFB-GeoConsulting, please visit www.mfb-geo.com. To learn more about ERDAS’ solutions, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com.

Caliper Corporation, a worldwide leader in GIS, transportation and mapping software, is pleased to announce the latest 5-digit ZIP Code boundaries and points for the entire United States ($195).

These boundaries reflect changes such as new housing and commercial development, and are based on Post Office updates through July 1, 2008. The ZIP Code data are for use with Caliper's GIS products, including Maptitude and TransCAD.

Pricing
A single user license of the ZIP Code Boundaries Data CD is US$195. Please visit the data area of the Caliper web site or contact Caliper Sales at 1-617-527-4700 or sales@caliper.com to learn more or to place an order. Web licensing and site licenses are also available upon request.

Iran announced Sunday that it launched a satellite into space earlier in the day, the country's first domestically made.

The satellite, Omid (hope), was launched Sunday by using Safir (ambassador) satellite-carrier rocket, the armed forces said in a statement, quoted by the official IRNA news agency.

The Omid Satellite which was successfully fired on the birth anniversary of the last Imam (prophet) of Shiites, Hazrat Mahdi (who is believed to reappear at the end of the world) illustrated the auspicious name of the Imam in the space, IRNA said.

According to Iran's English-language Press TV satellite channel, the domestically manufactured Omid Satellite will pass over the country six times a day.

The launch of Safir rocket aimed to test remote sensing, satellite telemetry, and geographic information system (GIS) technology as well as remote and ground station data processing, Press TV said.

Another news agency Fars quoted government spokesman Gholam- Hossein Elham as saying that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was at the launch of the communications satellite from Iran's space station.

In February, Iran said it has prepared for the satellite launch by sending a probe into space of a rocket on the mission.

Ahmadinejad announced in his press interview in Istanbul Friday that Iran would in near future launch its first domestic satellite to the space.

Iran, embroiled in a standoff with the West over its disputed nuclear ambitions, has pursued a space program for several years, according to media reports.

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2008 NSGIC Annual Conference
Date: September 7 - 11, 2008
Place: Keystone Conference Center
Keystone, CO USA

The National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) is an organization committed to efficient and effective government through the prudent adoption of geospatial information technologies (GIT).

What’s New In MapInfo Professional v9.5
Date: September 9, 2008
Place: Radisson Hotel Boston 200 Stuart Street
Boston, USA

If you are an existing MapInfo Professional customer or a GIS specialist, you will not want to miss the overview session on MapInfo Professional version 9.5. Take a detailed view of the new capabilities and functions now available to you. See live demos of the new features such as CAD-like tools, .NET programmability, support for SQL Server 2008, a sneak peak at vector translucency and much more. Then join the Pitney Bowes MapInfo Product Management team for a session where you will have the opportunity to provide personal and direct input on future product enhancements.

2008 Incident Management Summit
Date: September 11 - 12, 2008
Place: Radisson SAS Hotel
Amsterdam, Netherlands

The 2008 Incident Management Summit was instigated by the Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat who have dedicated their time and energy into making this event the most prestigious and forward thinking geo-spatial platform for European transport management. It brings together many of the world's foremost geo-infrastructure experts, high ranking public sector delegates representing governmental agencies from across the whole of Europe and globally trusted solution providers who will be on-site and available to offer cutting edge technology designed specifically for this arena.

IMTA Global Conference and Trade Show 2008
Date: September 14 - 16, 2008
Place: Vancouver Canada

Join IMTA for its first global conference in North America. Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Nestled between the majestic coastal mountains of British Columbia and the tides of the Pacific Ocean, it is a year-round destination that lures travelers from all parts of the globe.

Remote Sensing and Photogrammetry Society Annual Conference 2008
Date: September 15 - 17, 2008
Place: University of Exeter
Cornwall Campus, Falmouth, United Kingdom

The conference will include technical sessions on a range of scientific, commercial and technical themes.

Virtual Earth New Partner Day
Date: September 19, 2008
Place: Brighton, United Kingdom

Do you have customers that rely on location based information? Find out how they can track assets, find customers, manage mobile work forces and make sure their customers find them before they find a competitor. Learn how to combine your expertise and Microsoft’s technology to integrate mapping applications into your client’s business. For more information or to register please follow this link.

GITA's 16th Annual GIS for Oil & Gas Conference & Exhibition
Date: September 21 - 24, 2008
Place: Marriott Westchase Hotel
Houston, TX USA

The 16th Annual GIS for Oil & Gas Conference and Exhibition is the world's largest gathering of oil and gas GIS professionals.Finding innovative solutions can be the key to unlocking today's unique technological challenges. GIS technology can provide solutions that include many operational and economic benefits to oil and gas operations. Whether you're new to geospatial technologies or a knowledgeable veteran, you'll discover how GIS can help you address regulatory compliance issues, proactively manage organizational assets, and enhance your bottom line.

Pitney Bowes MapInfo, the leading global provider of location intelligence solutions, today announces the launch of Jobs in the Field, the latest addition to the suite of mobile working software for Confirm, the most sophisticated and comprehensive suite of specialist asset and infrastructure asset management functionality on the market.

The Jobs in the Field module allows work instructions produced in Confirm to be transferred to handheld devices as jobs to be completed out in the field. The seamless integration of this functionality allows mobile operatives to receive new instruction, report on the progress of the work and input completed work details so payment claims may be made.

“As a seamlessly integrated suite within Confirm, Jobs in the Field brings unparalleled efficiencies to organisations with remote workforces,” said Richard Turner, Global Product Manager, Confirm, Pitney Bowes MapInfo.

“The capability to receive new instructions, report works progression and input completed works detail for payment claims within a single asset management field software solution is exemplary – and the unprecedented scalability makes it equally suitable for small service departments through to nationwide organisations.”

The use of Jobs in the Field for Highways, Lighting, Grounds, Cleansing, Highways, Lighting and Property Maintenance operational staff will bring considerable efficiencies to the front line. Compatible with most mobile devices, the simple-to-use system carries job instructions electronically to vehicles or operatives on foot, detailing the works instruction by text and the exact spatial location on a map. In the case of street lighting, where a third party is required to fix the reported problem, the engineer can report the specific need which can be relayed to a local authority services organisation. In addition to tangibly driving works efficiencies by speeding up communications and directives in the field, it can also help graffiti gangs to tackle newly reported incidents on the move, helping in the drive to reduce crime.

With or without Confirm’s integrated mobile maps and data, Jobs in the Field can be transmitted to operatives wirelessly – or via a docking station.

A world leader in location intelligence Pitney Bowes MapInfo also provides a range of added value capabilities that allow organisations to truly mobilise their workforces and undertake analysis, visualisation and planning of operational and investment strategies. Jobs in the Field is now available within Confirm 7.0. For more information, visit: www.mapinfo.co.uk/confirm

Safe Software announced today that its software solution FME, the recognized standard in spatial ETL (extract, transform and load), now offers complete support for CityGML.

The FME 2009 beta introduces the ability to write CityGML data, adding to the read support which has been available since the format's early draft stages. This combination of read and write capabilities enables CityGML users to communicate in the common specification while still using their preferred systems for data analyses. FME Server, Safe Software's spatial data distribution solution, will also be extended in 2009 to add capabilities for sharing CityGML data via the OGC web feature service (WFS) protocol.

In addition to the complete support offered in FME for the widely used draft CityGML 0.4, Safe Software is already actively updating FME to support CityGML 1.0, announced yesterday by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) as an official specification. CityGML has been adopted as a common information model for the representation of 3D urban objects, providing a standard means by which to share urban spatial data.

"Finally we have a common standard for people serious about implementing 3D city models that take us beyond beautiful visualizations. Combining quality graphics with robust information and topological models, CityGML will change the way professionals manage virtual cities," says Tim Case, Chair of the OGC 3D Information Management Working Group.

"This open, interoperable and extensible platform has already been effectively implemented in dozens of jurisdictions," Case adds. "However, the incorporation of CityGML read/write support into FME is perhaps the single most important next step towards broad adoption of 3D city models in the geospatial industry. I look forward to the rapid adoption of this platform which is designed to support next generation 3D solutions."

Safe Software has been proactively providing read/write capabilities for OGC standards since the preliminary stages of GML in 2001. Today, FME supports OGC WMS, WFS, GML, and KML along with CityGML.

"We are committed to supporting OGC standards and encouraging data interoperability in the various segments of the spatial data world, including 3D," says Don Murray, President of Safe Software. "This in mind, extending our support for the newest OGC specification, CityGML, was a natural choice. We look forward to seeing the power of data interoperability that CityGML holds unfold in projects around the globe."

FME provides data conversion capabilities to users around the world. To learn more, visit safe.com. FME 2009 is anticipated for release in early 2009. Until then, the FME 2009 beta is available at www.safe.com/beta.

ERDAS announces its participation at Map Africa, August 25-26, 2008 at Cape Town Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa.

Exhibiting in booth #1, ERDAS is showcasing ERDAS IMAGINE and LPS, the industry’s leading and most complete collection of software tools designed to manipulate, process and understand imagery and streamline numerous photogrammetry processes. In addition, ERDAS is also highlighting IMAGINE Objective, a tool providing object-based multi-scale image classification and feature extraction capabilities for building and maintaining accurate geospatial content. ERDAS is also featuring Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS and the recently announced ERDAS APOLLO.

“Africa’s geospatial information needs continue to increase at an unprecedented rate, making Map Africa an important event for industries and government organizations throughout the continent,” said Thomas Bayer, Vice President, Europe, Middle East and Africa, ERDAS. “ERDAS provides a complete portfolio of solutions, including Geospatial Business Systems for integrating geographic data and business information, meeting a broad range of user and organization needs.”

Map Africa facilitates interaction, discussion, and collaboration, providing a platform to share the latest developments in the field, promoting products and services. Participants include top decision makers from government and private sectors, as well as prospective users, academicians, vendors, policy makers and representatives of various international organizations promoting the cause of this technology. For more information about Map Africa, please visit http://mapafrica.gisdevelopment.net/.

For more information about ERDAS, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com.