GIS in Education

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is producing 1:10,000 geo-hazard maps for distribution to high-risk local government units, according to the Philippine Information Agency, PIA.

Leo Jasareno, director of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said that the department is targeting to map 160 municipalities with the better detailed 1:10,000 scale maps.

Jasareno said that these maps are bigger, thus more detailed than the current 1:50,000 geo-hazard maps that were given to each municipality.

According to Jasareno, the budget for the program would be P300 million for a period of five years.

However, he said the main problem they will be encountering in the mapping project would be the lack of geologists to undertake said project.

Currently, Davao Region has only one geologist to do the job. Priority areas to be mapped would be the towns in Compostela Valley Province, identified to be a high risk area for landslides.

Jasareno said these maps are a big improvement nearing those used by developed countries that are utilizing 1:5,000 scale maps.

The 1:10,000 scale mapping and geohazard assessment project is one of the major programs of the DENR set to be implemented this year.

Among the details that can be found in a 1:10,000-scale geohazard map include parameters or features in the area that may affect ground stability and the type of landslides that can possibly occur in the area.

Relocation sites for affected residents can also be plotted which is severely limited to the available 1:50,000-scale maps, according to DENR Secretary Ramon Paje. (RGA-PIA 11)

Russia and Sweden agreed on Wednesday to improve cooperation in the space industry, including their intention to launch Swedish satellites using Russian carrier rockets.

The two countries signed a relevant declaration during Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to Stockholm.

The sides also agreed to jointly use ground facilities to gather information for operating their own orbital objects and those of third countries.

Sweden and Russia will also cooperate within a Russian space research project to monitor the Earth's polar regions. The project envisions using a new satellite cluster, called Arktika, to provide environmental monitoring data for accurate weather forecasts and to aid national socio-economic development.

The system is scheduled to begin operating in 2015. The cost of the project is estimated at 30 billion rubles ($1.23 billion).

Putin also invited Sweden to increase its cooperation with Russia on its Glonass satellite navigation system, Russia's answer to the U.S. Global Positioning System, or GPS, which is designed for both military and civilian uses.

Russia currently has 22 fully-operational Glonass satellites in orbit. The complete Glonass grouping must have 24 operational and 2-3 reserve satellites for the Glonass network to operate with global coverage. Putin said the number of Glonass satellites in orbit would be increased by 29 or 30 in the near future.

Russia will also study the Swedish experience in the creation of its SWEPOS satellite navigation system, which uses the Glonass signal.

Sweden will share with Russia its experience in the creation of a common emergency call center. Russia is currently introducing its own emergency call service similar to the United States' 911 telephone line.

Russia and Sweden have also cooperated in the introduction of broadband internet and 3G and 4G mobile telecommunications in Russia.

There are new conferences, seminars, workshops, listed on our sister site Geoscience Position.

Here are some upcoming events related to earth science that you may be interested in.

1. Geostationary Coastal and Air Pollution Events (GEO-CAPE) 2011 Workshop

2. Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences (AESS) 2011 Meeting and Conference

3. 2011 IMA Conference on Mathematics of the Climate System

4. GeoCataclysm 2011 World Forum on Natural Cataclysms and Global Problems of the Modern Civilization.

Please visit the conference section of Geoscienceposition.com for the registration details.

Mobile Cadastral GIS is now released officially. We particularly redesign and improve this system entirely, including interface design, manipulation procedure, map display, and query performance. As a result, Mobile Cadastral GIS 3.0 reveals a fresh new look.

Mobile Cadastral GIS, based on SuperGIS Mobile Engine, is particularly designated for field survey and measuring of cadastral navigation. In order to have a light, convenient, and swift system in surveying, the system can perform on the related mobile devices that have Windows Mobile operating platform. Integrated with GIS and GPS technology resources, Mobile Cadastral GIS helps the field surveyors quickly recognize their current location and the correct cadastral navigation information.

Mobile Cadastral GIS includes five features. First, it has the user-friendly interface. Second, it is widely used with the multiple applications of GPS. Third, it can rapidly record the information of location. Fourth, it combines with the map measure function. Fifth, it enables users to position in different ways. The related administrative staff of Land Office or the staff of county or city government is able to get the land number immediately when doing field survey with the system. Additionally, and intuitional manipulation can make the users who have little GIS experience familiar with the system in a short time, which will effectively reduce the user’s learning curve and the burden of manipulation. Therefore, the task can be completed more efficiently.

This system now is available in traditional Chinese only.

More information about SuperGeo is available at this website.

COM.Geo Conference announces that COM.Geo 2011 program and schedule are now available. All of the programs are published on COM.Geo website. COM.Geo 2011 conference will be held on May 23-25, Washington, DC.

Innovative geospatial research and application technologies are the brightest spotlights at COM.Geo conference. The conference provides a forum for researchers, decision-makers, developers, and application users to present and discuss the most recent innovations, trends, experiences and concerns in the field of computing for geospatial. COM.Geo Conference is an exclusive event that bridges the gap between computing and geospatial areas and connects professionals from academia, government, and industry in all related fields.

COM.Geo 2011 conference includes 16 programs and events, such as keynotes (NASA, U.S. FCC, Microsoft, OGC, etc.), OGC workshop, Microsoft workshop, full papers, short papers, tech talks, demo talks, posters, panels, courses, demo show, reception, cruise, banquet, exhibitions, job fairs, etc. There are more than 100 speakers to present their latest work on innovative computing for geospatial research and applications.

COM.Geo 2011 Highlights: Turn Innovative Ideas into Reality

Mobile Geo Visualization & Navigation
Location Research and Development
Disaster Preparedness and Management
OGC Sensor Web Enablement (SWE)
Digital Earth

Applied Imagery proudly announces the release of Quick Terrain Modeler Version 7.1.3. The new release adds significant capabilities, including a very fast indexing capability, image registration functionality, vector annotation, range rings, and other additional new features. Additionally, the free companion Quick Terrain Reader software will now display RGB values when opening LAS files that have RGB color values embedded.

Learn more about Quick Terrain Modeler. A Webex demonstration can be scheduled by contacting via phone at +1 301 589-4446.

NASA and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have agreed to expand their joint efforts to overcome international development challenges such as food security, climate change, and energy and environmental management.

NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah signed a five-year memorandum of understanding on Monday, April 25, at NASA Headquarters. The agreement formalizes ongoing agency collaborations that use Earth science data to address developmental challenges, and to assist in disaster mitigation and humanitarian responses. The agreement also encourages NASA and USAID to apply geospatial technologies to solve development challenges affecting the United States as well as developing countries.

"Technologies for NASA missions have long improved life here on Earth. Together with USAID, we'll meet even more sustainable development challenges here on the ground, solving problems for the world community," Bolden said. "As we explore space, we'll also be exploring solutions to important health, nutritional and safety challenges in developing countries."

The agencies will continue collaborations to stimulate innovative science and technology solutions to international development challenges by using Earth science data, research results, computer models, visualization applications and remote-sensing techniques.

USAID is the lead federal development agency implementing U.S. development efforts through field-based programs and projects around the world. NASA has broad experience with Earth science research, development of Earth science information products, and technology applications.

"Through our partnership with NASA, we can apply the latest, cutting-edge technology to deliver meaningful results for people in developing countries in areas like health, food security and water," Shah said. "It's a prime example of our efforts to use the power of science and technology to tackle today's pressing development challenges."

Since 2003, NASA and USAID have worked together building and expanding the SERVIR program. The program allows people in developing regions to use Earth observations for addressing challenges in agriculture, biodiversity conservation, climate change, disaster response, weather forecasting, and energy and health issues. SERVIR integrates satellite observations, ground-based data and forecast models to monitor and forecast environmental changes and improve responses to natural disasters in Central America and the Caribbean, East Africa, and the Himalayan region of Asia.

The agencies also collaborate on the LAUNCH program, which supports science and technology innovators in the non-profit and private sectors. The program's goal is improving innovations to achieve greater impact on sustainability issues. NASA, USAID, the Department of State and Nike formed LAUNCH to identify, showcase and support innovative approaches to global challenges through a series of forums.

The agencies have agreed to explore how efforts promoting science, technology, engineering and mathematics education can be advanced through joint support of programs such as Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment (GLOBE). GLOBE is a worldwide primary and secondary school-based science and education program funded by NASA and other U.S. agencies.

For more information on the SERVIR program, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/servir

For more information on the LAUNCH program, visit: http://www.launch.org

For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit: http://www.nasa.gov

For more information about USAID, visit: www.usaid.gov

GIS in Education is expanding. We are now launching a new site where we post job hiring, assistantship grants, fellowship positions for those wanting Masteral and Doctoral degrees. There are also listings of universities and research centers needing faculty positions.

All the things listed concern earth science. Check it out - Geoscience Position.

Also, the site accepts posts from all earth-science-related companies and academic institutions that want their hiring ads to be included in our listing. Inclusion does not cost a penny, so send them right to us and we will publish the ads for free.

Listings are always updated. Make sure you join the email list found on the sidebar of geoscienceposition.com and we will send you the daily updates for free.

PolicyMap is an online data and mapping tool which relies on Geographic Information Systems technology. PolicyMap is used by our parent organization, The Reinvestment Fund, to guide investments in low-income communities.

PolicyMap offers free widgets to organizations interested in tracing a particular issue. For Novogradac, a national certified public accounting and consulting firm, PolicyMap created a customized NMTC widget.

Users can view NMTC eligibility based on primary criteria like poverty rates, family income and unemployment, or secondary eligibility criteria, such as a site’s inclusion of a Brownfield or location in a Medically Underserved Area. Novogradac’s widget also includes data about specific NMTC investments previously made around the country.

Video: How To Use the Mapping Tool

Esri is providing free, half-day seminars across the country to help land records custodians be more productive. Professionals in land records who currently work in a desktop, mobile, server, or cloud technology environment and want to modernize their workflow will benefit from the new Esri geographic information system (GIS) software capabilities in ArcGIS 10. These educational seminars will take place in April and May 2011.

“Both longtime Esri users and those completely new to geospatial technology will find great value in this seminar series,” says Esri president Jack Dangermond. “This regional event is designed to demonstrate the latest capabilities in ArcGIS 10 that greatly improve land record data access, migration, and management.”

Seminar attendees will:

- See powerful ArcGIS 10 tools used in various and relevant tasks and workflows.
- Learn practical ways to achieve enhanced analysis, access imagery, make use of the web, efficiently manage parcels, apply ArcGIS in the field, and more.
- Discover maps and apps from Esri’s Land Records Resource Center for new, easy-to-implement capabilities.
- Understand how to promote collaboration both inside and outside an organization.

ArcGIS experts will be available to answer questions. Participants will also be able to interact with peers and share experiences and successes. Registration will be open at 8:00 a.m. with the seminar beginning at 9:00 a.m. and concluding at 12:30 p.m. Continental breakfast will be provided. Seminar registration for cities nationwide as well as an agenda are available at esri.com/landseminar.

Final notice: AGU Fall Meeting session proposals due 20 April, 2011.

View submission policies and links to submit or view session proposals.

Conveners will be notified by 6 June if their session proposals have been accepted.
All approved sessions will be posted on the Fall Meeting site prior to opening for abstract submissions on 8 June.

Visit AGU Meetings for more.

Vietnam will launch its first remote sensing satellite in 2014, according to the Space Technology Institute of the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, via VOVNews.

The Head of the Space Technology Institute, Associate Professor Doan Minh Chung said that the satellite, called VNREDSat-1, will be designed and assembled using French technology in 2013.

The 130kg satellite will be capable of capturing earth images from almost 700km into space, to monitor and study the effects of climate change, monitor natural disasters and manage natural resources and the environment.

The VNREDSat-1 project has a total investment of EUR55.8 million sourced from the French Government’s official development assistance. The project will include the lease of a satellite launching pad and advisors to the project.

The launch of the satellite and an image receiving and processing station will save Vietnam expenditure on purchasing satellite pictures as well as information and data on storms, floods, forest fires and oil spills, he said.

The project will be carried out by the academy as part of its strategy on space technology application and research until 2020.

Earlier, with the cooperation of US aerospace manufacturer Lockheed Martin, Vietnam successfully launched the VINASAT 1 satellite to provide telecom services.

Officially, we now have a mobile app! The Nokia OVI store now carries the "GIS in Education" application for your mobile. You can check it out here. Download it for free (for Nokia users, for now) and tell your friends about it.

The "GIS in Education" mobile app will update you of the latest in Educationgis.com. If you don't have the time to visit this site everyday, download the free app and we'll deliver the news directly to your Nokia smartphone.

Here is the link to the app again.

About Ovi Store:
Ovi Store is intended to offer customers content that is compatible with their mobile devices and relevant to their tastes and locations. Customers can share recommendations with their friends, see what they are downloading, and let them see items of interest.

About GIS in Education:
The main goal of this site is to provide the Geospatial technology users and professionals, specifically targeting students and academicians, with the latest developments affecting the GIS and Remote Sensing fields.

Microsoft Streetside is Microsoft's answer the Google Streetview!

Streetside provides a true-to-life view you can explore to get a feel for a place and plan your activities. Travel along streets, view storefronts and parks, and navigate to destinations without an address (or even street names) by using landmarks and familiar spots as visual cues. It's easy to see where you want to be, so you'll never be lost again! To provide this immersive 360-degree experience for even more areas, mobile Bing teams may soon be using a car-mounted camera to map public roads in your country, city, or community.

Try it here.

ERDAS proudly announces the introduction of the all-new ECW for ArcGIS Server, which provides a means for ArcGIS Server 10 to deliver Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) data to clients via OGC-compliant Web Coverage Service (WCS) and Web Map Service (WMS).

Using components of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK version 4.2, ECW for ArcGIS Server enables ArcGIS Server to support ECW imagery, providing the fastest decompression available. Using minimal memory, ECW can quickly decompress and open massive files, in many cases faster than uncompressed imagery can be opened. Additionally, multi-resolution level of detail is built into the file, eliminating the need to generate or distribute pyramids or overviews. The ECW technique does not require that immediate tiles (RRDs) be calculated and stored on disk; they are an inherent part of ECW’s Discrete Wavelet Transformations (DWT). ECW also supports opacity channels, allowing images to overlay other imagery cleanly without showing compression artifacts around the edges.

The ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK technology was developed by ER Mapper Ltd beginning in 1998 and is governed by three patents (US6201897, US6442298, and US6633688).

ECW for ArcGIS Server may be installed on a single ArcGIS Server, with or without other ERDAS software installed. However, ECW for ArcGIS Server does require a FlexNet license file from ERDAS.

This new product expands the industry-wide level of support for the ECW format. ECW is already supported in traditional desktop GIS, CAD and remote sensing packages such as ArcGIS, AutoCAD, ERDAS IMAGINE, ERDAS ER Mapper, FalconView, Bentley Microstation, ENVI and PCI Geomatica.

“ERDAS created ECW for ArcGIS Server in response to overwhelming user demand. For any geospatial organization requiring an accelerated workflow and reduction of hardware costs, ECW is the compression format of choice,” said Paul Beaty, Technical Product Manager, ERDAS. “Its popularity stems from the fact that it doesn’t merely compress files; it simplifies their handling by making them faster to decompress and transfer. ERDAS is committed to providing rapid geospatial data delivery for organizations using any software platform. “

To learn more about ECW for ArcGIS Server, please visit the official product page or attend a free ERDAS webinar on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11 am or 7 pm (GMT -4).

For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.

Early Sunday, China successfully launched its eighth orbiter of the Beidou system. It marks the establishment of a basic system for the navigation and positioning network. But how will the system pave the way for China's space exploration project?

Another journey into the space.

As the flaming tail disappears into the sky, came the rise of China's navigation network, Beidou.

The rising star will join seven other satellites already in orbit to form a network which will eventually provide navigation and positioning services around the globe.

The project started in 2000, when the first two Beidou satellites were launched into geostationary orbit.

Now, as the project proceeds, the pioneers are going to retire.

Guo Shuren, Deputy Director of Office for China Satellite Navigation Management said "The first two satellites are for testing only. The current navigation and positioning service will mainly be provided by the other six satellites."

After a period of adjustment, Beidou will start featuring services of navigation, timing, and positioning covering China around the clock.

Unlike the US GPS system it can also provide a text message communication system.

Sun Jiadong, Chief Designer of Beidou Navigation Satellite System said "The main feature of Beidou is that it can deliver messages. In other words, if I pick up a cell phone and communicate with Beidou, it can give me my position."

To complete a regional network to provide navigation services with high precision and credibility, China will launch more satellites within the coming two years.

The network is scheduled to provide global services by 2020.

It is hoped that with systems made in China, the country will be able to map the world.

Source: Xinhua via GPS Daily

TatukGIS announces version 3.0 of its highly affordable desktop GIS Editor featuring seamless 3D viewing integration. 3D capabilities include presentation of DTM (digital terrain models), 3D vector rendering, automatic draping of image and 2D vector layers over DTM models, flood simulation, fly-over, lights control, powerful camera/observer control …

An already existing map project can be presented in 3D without any changes. If a DTM exists in an opened project, the map data is automatically draped over the model. Familiar styling capabilities are available in 3D mode as well.

As with other features of the Editor, all the 3D functionality is fully customizable using the Editor’s built-in scripting tools. The use of scripts to control the camera angle, lighting, flood simulation, etc. provides for powerful 3D mapping presentations. By fine-tuning the 3D shape properties of existing vector data, a user can extrude the data into unique 3D presentations.

As is to be expected of a TatukGIS product, the 3D map rendering is extremely fast even with very large data sets and very large individual shapes.
The Editor 3.0 also introduces a modified user interface with collapsible panels to maximize application working space.

Product pricing, trial version download, and additional information are available directly from the TatukGIS web site: www.tatukgis.com

Since 1992, CDV Systems has been providing BIM & CAD training, implementation and technical support services to the engineering, architectural design and construction (AEC) industries. Our experience in managing full lifecycle Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects has given rise to a breakthrough workflow which extends BIM & CAD data into the geospatial realm.

The AEC industry has found real success by planning, designing and constructing facilities using BIM technology. There is now an industry-wide awareness that when GIS data and BIM models are combined, an indoor GIS can be developed which offers dramatic improvements to the operation and maintenance of buildings.

Yet, full-scale repurposing and integration of this rich BIM data for indoor GIS use has been limited.

Design data residing in proprietary BIM software formats lingers as an underused resource. It is often bound by non-standardized file structures, bloated BIM databases and format conversion losses.

The CDV Systems “BIM & CAD and GIS Workflow” is a flexible methodology which allows legacy 2-D and 3-D CAD/ BIM data to make its way into the GIS environment in a more manageable fashion than was previously possible. The ability to smoothly absorb these disparate data sources into an enterprise GIS server paves the way for standing structures to employ exterior, interior, and subsurface GIS.

Indoor GIS raises facility return of investment to its upper limits by connecting to traditional enterprise GIS deployments and back again to the CAD/BIM environment. The convergence of CAD, BIM and GIS brings advanced capabilities to GIS applications and in turn added value to the AEC industry.

We think that this short video entitled: ‘CDV Systems BIM & CAD to GIS Workflow’ will hold the interest of CAD, BIM, GIS and Facility Managers alike.

Video:


Experience the workflow now! Contact us for a free GIS sample model using a portion of your own Revit project.

For inquiries of any kind, please contact info@cdvsystems.com.

The Microsoft UltraCam team is pleased to announce that UltraMap 2.2 and UltraMap/AT 2.2 has been released as of April 5, 2011 and will begin rolling-out to the UltraCam customer base April 6, 2011.

UltraMap 2.2 features new improvements to the Framework, the Raw Data Center, the Radiometry and the Viewer.

UltraMap/AT 2.2 includes significant new features such as a new User Interface and a revised and improved tie point strategy. This impacts the granularity of the AT tasks and leads to a reduced number of tasks but each task requires more time. We have been able to further improve the robustness of the algorithm. Also, automatization and results have been further enhanced, underscoring our commitment to provide our customers with industry-leading photogrammetric solutions.

- The software will be available for customers beginning April 6, 2011

- Customers whose current maintenance agreement entitles them to software upgrades through that date will receive download instructions and dongle upgrades from our implementation team

- Customers who do not have such a maintenance agreement should contact their sales representative for a purchase or upgrade quote for UltraMap 2.2 and UltraMap/AT 2.2

Download link is here.

President Benigno Aquino III of the Philippines announced (via Inquirer) that the Government allocated 1 billion pesos for three-dimensional mapping of the entire country. According to Aquino III, it is designed to minimise damage during natural disasters. Aquino made this announcement during the inauguration of the new PHP 243-million Agno River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning System.

The President said, “One of our proposals is the development of a comprehensive 3-D mapping of the whole Philippines. We will release P1 billion for this. With this mapping, our perspective of every corner of the country will widen, resulting in an improved capability to know which areas are vulnerable to floods.”

The President said this will also give the government more time to help Filipinos at risk from flooding. The Agno River Basin Flood Forecasting and Warning System is an early warning facility meant to provide timely, reliable and understandable flood warnings and bulletins in the provinces of Tarlac and Pangasinan. The system had received PHP 154-million grant from the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

“The flood forecasting and warning system is equipped with automatic monitoring stations that observe every hour, in real time, the intensity of rainfall and the level of the Agno River and its tributaries, including Sinocalan River,” said Nathaniel Servando, acting administrator of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.

This one is cool -- London was divided into grids and each grid is given a rating as to the level of sounds it produces. The higher the number, the louder the sound or noise.

Click the noise map below to listen to recordings of background atmospheres and incidental noises from all over London.

Do we have something like this in the U.S.?

I know that my colleagues at the GIS Center have been learning how to program using Python. Python is a programming language that lets you work more quickly and integrate your systems more effectively.

I really would want to learn this as well, so I searched for the best links for Python tutorials.

1. Visit the Python site. This is the first link that you should see.

2. See Geoprocessing with Python using Open Source GIS. There are examples and assignments that you can try yourself.

3. Also visit OpenOffice.org & Python.

4. Read Intro to Python Scripting for ArcGIS part 1 and part 2.

I will add more if I find more useful links. Enjoy learning Python.

From the press release: SuperGeo Technologies was invited to ‘Geographic Information System and Land Management’ Seminar to introduce GIS Development and Applications in Taiwan for the participants from all over the world. This seminar was held by International Center for Land Policy Studies and Training (ICLPST).

Having successfully promoted SuperGIS series software worldwide, SuperGeo Technologies is the very first and the only Taiwanese GIS software producer exporting self-developed products overseas. In view of the outstanding achievement, ICLPST invited SuperGeo to outline the current research and development of SuperGIS software, as well as the condition in its global promotion of SuperGIS products.

During the conference, participants got a further understanding of self-developed GIS software in Taiwan. After recognizing the expansive applications of SuperGIS products in the fields covering land management, disaster report, urban planning, environmental resources, etc., the conferees highly admired the development and contribution of SuperGIS products.

Founded in 1968, ICLPST has long been dedicated to the advancement and training projects of land applications and management. It is also worth mentioning that the multiple trainings and seminars this institute holds for foreign government officials and scholars have brought numerous benefits to the countries where the attendees come from.

The seminar was authorized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan. The participants consisted of representatives from more than 20 nations around Europe, Americas, Asia, and Africa. All of them are from government agencies and enterprises worldwide, which adhered to land utilization, measure mapping, cadastral management, urban planning, etc.

Attending the seminar this year, SuperGeo Technologies not only had its power of GIS R&D witnessed, but also received extensive recognition with its remarkable competitiveness and advantages within the global geospatial market once again.

Download the world’s premier desktop mapping application - MapInfo Professional.

MapInfo Professional is a powerful Microsoft Windows-based mapping and geographic analysis application from the experts in location intelligence. Designed to easily visualize the relationships between data and geography, MapInfo Professional helps business analysts, planners, GIS professionals – even non-GIS users – gain new insights into their markets, share information-rich maps and graphs and improve strategic decision-making.

MapInfo Professional expands location intelligence:

See your business data in powerful new ways:

- Discover trends hidden in spreadsheets and charts
- Gain new understanding of your customers and markets
- Perform powerful data analysis and calculations
- Create custom maps and content for analysis

Use geographic insights to innovate business processes:

- Manage location-based assets, people and property
- Optimize service and sales territories for greater efficiencies
- Deploy networks, infrastructure and utilities with confidence
- Map resources, plan logistics and prepare for emergencies

Works and plays well with existing IT infrastructure:

- Designed and tested with Windows

Download link.

GeoCat, a geospatial software company specializing in Spatial Data Infrastructure development, and OpenGeo, the world leader in supported open source geospatial solutions, announced that the GeoCat Bridge software will now be available as an integrated component of the OpenGeo Suite.

GeoCat Bridge allows users of Esri's ArcGIS Desktop to instantly publish data online. Now that Bridge is included in the OpenGeo Suite, existing ArcGIS users do not need to adopt a new cartographic toolset to create robust web maps. Instead, they can continue to use Esri software to style and edit maps on their desktop and then use GeoCat Bridge to push their geospatial content online through the OpenGeo Suite. This allows them to leverage the capabilities of the OpenGeo Suite's open source geospatial stack, which was built from the ground up to support standards-compliant, high-performance web maps.

"The OpenGeo Suite provides a great enterprise solution for existing desktop users who require flexible, powerful, web mapping solutions," noted Jeroen Ticheler, CEO of GeoCat. Chris Holmes, OpenGeo President, added: "We are very excited to offer the GeoCat Bridge plugin to users of the OpenGeo Suite. This will greatly improve workflows for our users of Esri desktop software, and make it much simpler for everyone to put their maps onto the web."

Integrated components of the OpenGeo Suite include PostGIS, GeoServer, OpenLayers, GeoWebCache, and GeoExt. The GeoCat Bridge plugin imports maps created in ArcGIS by converting the cartography to the Styled Layer Descriptor (SLD) OGC standard markup with GeoServer-specific extensions. It then uploads this style, along with the data, to the OpenGeo Suite.

To learn more and download a free trial visit GeoCat.

Mobile311, LLC has recently expanded its existing smart phone application onto the Android and iPhone platform. This latest advancement, with single-click connection from an Android or iPhone, reinforces the ease of use and flexibility that this company was built on.

Mobile311 is an app that lets users easily flag work items in the field, such as down street lights, pot holes, bulky trash items, code violations, graffiti and any other item or event the client needs to track. With one touch, the location, time, and type of work are instantly uploaded to a web-based map via a smart phone application. This allows users to respond to information quickly and efficiently and keep track of their work using a standard phone network and the Mobile311 software.

“Mobility is an important part of business in today’s world,” begins Paul Benbow, Sales Manager for Mobile311, LLC. “To be able to communicate with and organize your fleet in real time saves fuel and man-hours that everyone is lacking in this economy. This is an affordable solution - no more custom field units. If you know how to use a standard cell phone, then you can use our software. ”

The addition of Android and iPhone applications compliment the current device offering that includes Windows Mobile phone and Blackberry. Mobile311, LLC maintains a phone carrier neutral status to allow the client the flexibility to choose the right carrier for them. In the past, clients of Mobile311, LLC often needed tech assistance to install the software. With the launch of this app, now clients download it themselves to their smart phone or tablet computer.

This application can be downloaded at the Apple App store or at the Android Marketplace. For more information, please visit www.mobile311.com, or give us a call at (919)238-0444.

About Mobile311, LLC
Mobile 311, LLC is known for creating mobile, user friendly software and applications with a modern edge. Leading the way in field tracking software and public-facing GIS data, Mobile311 makes flexible, affordable solutions that adapt to your needs.

A greatly enhanced version of 3-GIS's Express Solution Inspection Management Module has been released. The Inspection Management Module extends the functionality ofhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif 3-GIS's Network Express and Field Express applications, leveraging these Esri-enabled web and field applications to effectively enable a utility's inspection and maintenance activities.

3-GIS has enhanced the Inspection Management module to better assist both office and field workers to more efficiently track work assignments. Managers will now be able to more effectively make both inspection and maintenance assignments based on proximity and workload. A field crew will be able to review these assignments and more efficiently perform their work in the field.

In addition to the new enhancements, 3-GIS has also released a new white paper "Utilizing GIS in Inspection Management - A Logical and Cost Effective Solution to a Utility Priority". This paper discusses how recent advances in GIS technology make GIS-Based inspection management a viable solution. This white paper is on 3-GIS's website, at this location.

About 3-GIS
3-GIS delivers innovative thin-client web-based solutions to companies worldwide in the Utilities, Telecommunications and Emergency Management markets. 3-GIS offers the Express Solution, an ArcGIS Server-based suite of thin-client asset management products and Command Center an Esri-enabled Operational Picture and Situational Awareness solution. More and more companies are finding 3-GIS’s cost effective powerful applications simple to deploy and easy to use. For more information, visit www.3-GIS.com.

The Ukrainian government has approved a strategy for the development of Ukraine's space industry until 2032 with UAH 38.5 billion in funding (UAH 7.96 / USD 1).

The document was drafted by the State Space Agency of Ukraine jointly with the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, according to the agency's press service. It is planned to create a powerful system for Earth remote sensing, Sich, a national space communications system, Lybid, as well as a coordinate-time and navigation support system and a system to monitor and analyze outer space. It is also planned to conduct space research, international space experiments on the initiative of domestic scientists, and participate in conducting the studies of the Moon using domestic satellites, the agency said. [via]