GEO World articles from January 2004

GEO World archives from January 2004

Openness feeds the flames of competition.(Position)
January 1, 2004... GeoWorld magazine has long been a key collaborator with the Open GIS Consortium (OGC) by providing a platform for dialog regarding their objectives and initiatives. OGC's vision of "a world in which every-one benefits from geographic...

Federal geotechnology spending tops $5 billion.(Newslink)
January 1, 2004... According to a market report released by Longmont, Colo.-based Cary and Associates, 117 federal agencies purchased a range of geotechnology products and services from 393 companies. Geotechnology is broadly defined to include related fields...

OGC compliance testing available online.
January 1, 2004... The Open GIS Consortium Inc. (OGC), Wayland, Mass., approved two new compliance tests and a series of tools to encourage software developers to validate products that implement OpenGIS Specifications. A new Web site at...

Satellite imagery monitors illicit crops in Afghanistan.(Newslink)
January 1, 2004... Antonio Costa, executive director of the United Nations Office on Drugs Crime (UNODC), recently presented the results of the 2003 Afghanistan Annual Opium Poppy Survey. To conduct the survey, UNODC used Dubai, Saudi Arabia-based Space Imaging...

DigitalGlobe acquires eMap International.(Newslink)
January 1, 2004... Longmont, Colo.-based DigitalGlobe acquired eMap International, a Reddick, Fla.-based geospatial consulting practice specializing in geospatial planning, design and integration. eMap International will become a wholly owned subsidiary of...

Online update: Corda Technologies Inc., Lindon, Utah.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... Corda Technologies launched its new "smart" Web site, which was developed to reach out to prospective visitors before they even knew they were looking for Corda. The site is built on new marketing methodologies of key word and search engine...

Online update: ESRI (UK) Ltd., Aylesbury, United Kingdom.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... ESRI (UK) introduced MapsDirect for Business, a Web-based service that provides professional and home users with access to the latest national Ordnance Survey MasterMap digital mapping for high-quality printing and downloading. ...

Online update: Geotrac, Norwalk, Ohio.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... OnePointCity, a Web-based settlement system from Geotrac, now offers online credit products from Credit Plus Inc., including standard single- and joint-applicant reports, advanced search tools, and identity verification and application analysis...

Online update: Kinetic Solutions, St. Louis.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... Kinetic Solutions will design, develop and host the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department (SLMPD) Web site, which will provide a communication link within the department as well as enable St. Louis and area citizen's to stay up to date with...

Online update: MapQuest, Denver.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... U-Haul licensed MapQuest's Hosted Locator service to provide maps and an interactive retail locator on uhaul.com to help customers find the nearest U-Haul location. The company has more than 15,000 moving and self-storage locations throughout...

Online update: Maporama, Paris.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... Maporama will provide its hotel locator facility within all FastBooking-powered Web sites. http://www.maporama.com

Online update: Pharos Science & Applications Inc., Torrance, Calif.(Netlink)
January 1, 2004... Pharos Science & Applications introduced Smart Traffic for Smartphones, a Web-based service providing real-time traffic information and alerts. Aggregating up-to-the-minute highway monitoring data from various state transportation departments...

Internet resource of the month: Globalis.
January 1, 2004... Have you ever wondered what's the average life expectancy anywhere in the world? Or would you like to know how many mobile phone subscribers currently exist? With a new interactive world atlas called Globalis, users can choose what's displayed...

Sanborn appoints new CEO.
January 1, 2004... John Copple was appointed CEO of Colorado Springs, Colo-based Sanborn. In 1995, Copple joined Denver-based Space Imaging, which provides satellite imagery. Recently, Copple served as a consultant to the Rand Corp., supporting the National...

Allen Instruments & Supplies, Anaheim, Calif.(People Link)
January 1, 2004... Jim Grummon joined Allen Instruments & Supplies as a GIS specialist for Southern California. http://www.alleninst.com

DigitalGlobe, Longmont, Colo.(People Link)
January 1, 2004... DigitalGlobe named Stephen Jennings vice president of marketing, responsible for the development and ongoing management of marketing strategy, product marketing, communications, vertical-market management and business-development initiatives....

Ecology and Environment Inc., Lancaster, N.Y.(People Link)
January 1, 2004... Ecology and Environment named Kevin Kuluvar information technology and GIS marketing manager. The company also hired Derek Amerlink as a GIS analyst. http://www.ene.com

Geo-3D Inc., Montreal.(People Link)
January 1, 2004... Geo-3D appointed Jean Dion as vice president of sales, responsible for structuring a sales force adapted to targeted market niches. http://www.geo-3d.com

Trimble, Sunnyvale, Calif.(People Link)
January 1, 2004... Ron Bisio was named Americas marketing manager for Trimble's Mapping and GIS Division in Westminster, Colo. http://www.trimble.com

Scientists dig deep to study earthquakes.(Government Connection)
January 1, 2004... A project to help predict earthquakes more accurately is underway along the San Andreas Fault in California. A team of scientists led by Stanford University and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has begun building the San Andreas Fault...

NASA selects earth science proposals.(Government Connection)
January 1, 2004... NASA has chosen 41 proposals for cooperative agreements that relate to the agency's work in earth science, including observation and geophysical studies. NASA selected the proposals as part of the Research, Education and Applications Solutions...

General Dynamics lands federal business.(Government Connection)
January 1, 2004... General Dynamics Network Systems, a business unit of General Dynamics, won a contract to provide geographic information services to support the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service's California region and its Remote Sensing Laboratory...

Defense weather program gives work to Northrop Grumman.
January 1, 2004... Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. won a $15 million contract modification as the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) exercised an option to acquire one year of support and services for government-owned sensors such as an optical...

Autodesk ups ante on Lifecycle Management.(Conference Connection)
January 1, 2004... * Autodesk University 2003 The annual Autodesk University has found a home in Las Vegas, returning Dec. 2-5, 2003, for the fourth straight year at the MGM Grand Conference Center. More than 3,000 users took part in hands-on classes, labs,...

NovaLIS User Conference doubles attendance.(Conference Connection)
January 1, 2004... More than twice as many customer sites and key business partners attended the second annual NovaLIS User Conference, which took place Nov. 3-6, 2003, on Hilton Head Island, S.C. ESRI President Jack Dangermond delivered the keynote address,...

Intergraph hosts Symposium for Canadian users.(Conference Connection)
January 1, 2004... Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions, Huntsville, Ala., and the Intergraph GeoSpatial Users Community (IGUC) hosted an Intergraph Geospatial Software Symposium in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, on Nov. 13, 2003. In attendance were more...

FEMA director delivers keynote.(Conference Connection)
January 1, 2004... The Washington director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Peter LaPorte, kicked off the annual advanCES conference on Oct. 26-29, 2003, with a keynote address on distribution system security and emergency response. LaPorte...

GIS Research event heads to Norwich.
January 1, 2004... The University of East Anglia will welcome the 12th Annual GIS Research UK Conference to Norwich, United Kingdom, on April 28-20, 2004. Following the successful formula of previous years, the conference aims to provide an informal and...

Use available tools to calculate flow time and quantity.(Beyond Mapping)
January 1, 2004... The last few "Beyond Mapping" columns investigated overland flow modeling with a GIS. The basic approach was introduced, and some of the extended procedures needed to simulate realistic flows were discussed. Although the steepest downhill path...

Geographic ignorance drives foreign policy.(The "G" in GIS)
January 1, 2004... If I could choose a single fact to illustrate the lofty heights to which geography has risen in previous times, it would be the following: The American Geographical Society (AGS) was responsible for drafting President Woodrow Wilson's "Fourteen...

e-government proponents must act on major issues.(E-Government in Action)
January 1, 2004... At the October 2003 Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) annual conference in Atlanta, an e-government workshop held a vote on the three most significant challenges or issues facing implementation. Workshop participants...

Have we seen 100 years of GIS?(Critical GIS)
January 1, 2004... I believe we are celebrating 100 years of GIS. But how can this be, when most histories date GIS to the late 1960s? The answer is that in March 2004, the Association of American Geographers (AAG) will hold its centennial meeting in...

Modern warfare: Air Force deploys new Web-based weapon.(Command and Control)(Cover Story)
January 1, 2004... THE AIR FORCE ADDED A NEW WEAPON IN ITS PAYLOAD: GEOREACH, A WEB-BASED MAPPING SERVICE THAT INTEGRATES DATA FROM SEVERAL AIR FORCE AND COMMERCIAL SOURCES. BEFORE AIRPLANES, MUNITIONS, FUEL AND PEOPLE HIT THE GROUND IN A FORWARD-OPERATING...

Collaborative effort creates online GIS.(Data Partnerships)
January 1, 2004... WHEN THE CITY OF BATON ROUGE AND parish (county) of East Baton Rouge, La., decided to develop a GIS that would provide personnel and citizens with online access to parcel information and serve data to other agencies, it faced two obstacles....

More than meets the eye: GIS visualizations require planning and foresight.(Visualization Research)
January 1, 2004... ENVIRONMENTAL PROFESSIONALS WHO WORK WITH spatial data are increasingly turning to an expanding array of computerized visualization methods to communicate with a wider audience. A growing drive to make environmental decision-making processes...

Terrestrial 3-D laser scanners capture reality.(Hardware Showcase)
January 1, 2004... THE HIGHLY ACCURATE AND DENSE DATA-POINT clouds collected by terrestrial 3-D laser scanners provide a rich dataset for GIS and 3-D visualization. The terrestrial instruments are close cousins to their aerial light detection and ranging (LIDAR)...

Data: AND products B.V., Rotterdam, the Netherlands.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... AND renewed versions of its route planners that can be upgraded online to include Global Positioning System support. AND Route 2004 Europe makes it possible to plan routes through Western and Eastern Europe. AND Route 2004 Nederland, AND Route...

CARIS, fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... CARIS released version 2.0 of its Hydrographic Production Database (HPD). Built on Oracle, HPD combines source and product databases into one solution. The source database provides non-redundant storage and maintenance of spatial and...

GeoLytics, East Brunswick, N.J.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... GeoLytics released CensusCD Estimates/Projections, which includes the following four demographic datasets: Estimates for 2003, Projections for 2008, Consumer Expenditures for 2003, and Profiles for 2003. For added flexibility, there are five...

Geoscape International Inc., Miami.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Geoscape introduced its DirecTarget Integration Library (DIL), which identifies individuals and households by ethnicity, race, country of origin, language and other socioeconomic attributes. Previously, Geoscape offered DirecTarget as a suite...

LeadDog Consulting, Anchorage, Alaska.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... LeadDog Consulting released Iraq Streets & Roads to support government, commercial and nonprofit organizational work in Iraq. The data are designed to help companies track assets, provide military support and maintain accurate base-level...

Mapinfo Corp., Troy, N.Y.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... MapInfo introduced a new series of Census Data PowerPacks based on the UK 2001 Census. Four products are available for use with MapInfo Professional: Primary, Standard, Professional, and Daytime and Workplace. Containing detailed information on...

Maporama, Paris.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Maporama introduced new pan-European geographic data prepared in collaboration with Navigation Technologies. Maporama now offers more than 5 million kilometers of motorways, roads and streets for 16 European countries: Andorra, Austria,...

Software: Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Autodesk introduced Autodesk Express Viewer 4, the latest of its free, downloadable applications for viewing and printing Design Web Format (DWF) drawings created by architects and engineers. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Blue Marble Geographics, Gardiner, Maine.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Blue Marble Geographics introduced a new round of feature/function upgrades to BeyondGeo, its Internet map server solution that enables businesses and organizations to publish interactive maps on Websites. Blue Marble developers updated the ftp...

ClickSoftware, Burlington, Mass.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... ClickSoftware developed with IBM a solution for wireless field-force automation. Enterprise organizations can use the IBM WebSphere Everyplace Access mobile solution to transfer data from field-service employees to ClickSoftware's...

DAT/EM Systems, Anchorage, Alaska.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... DAT/EM Systems released Stereo Capture for ArcGIS, which checks the positioning and height of 3-D spatial feature data and verifies them for possible errors when viewing data superimposed over 3-D stereo imagery. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

ESRI, Redlands, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... ESRI released MapShop for Media version 3, an online tool for media professionals without GIS experience. MapShop allows users with a Web browser to create news maps customized to an organization's style. MapShop for Media can locate U.S....

ESRI (UK) Ltd., Aylesbury, United Kingdom.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... ESRI (UK) released two new tools that will help customers undertake the Ordnance Survey (OS) Positional Accuracy Improvement Programme, which helps organizations realign their spatial information assets to updated base map data distributed by...

GeoConcept SA, Paris.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... GeoConcept released new versions of two of its lead products: GeoConcept G5.5 is an updated version of the GIS engine that's central to all applications developed with GeoConcept; and GeoConcept Internet Server V3 is for enterprise networks and...

Geospatial experts LLC, Fort Collins, Colo.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... GPS-Photo Link, a software program that automatically matches digital photos with Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates without wires, now is compatible with Magellan GPS receivers without having to use third-party software. ...

Haestad Methods, Waterbury, Conn.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Haestad Methods released GISConnect for AutoCAD, its enterprisewide software that integrates independent computer-aided design and GIS information. GISConnect is an add-on to AutoCAD and ESRI's ArcGIS products and ties the environments...

IDEAL.com, Rockville, MD.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... IDEAL.com launched its Online PlanRoom Editing Tool, Wiselmage 6.0 for Windows, which enables reprographers, contractors, engineers and cartographers to restore, update and edit drawings in raster format. Users of an IDEAL Online PlanRoom can...

IONIC Software, Alexandria, VA.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... IONIC Software's RedSpider product line now supports Oracle 10g. http://ionicenterprise.com

Mapping Science Inc., Seattle.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Mapping Science released a Linux version of its GeoJP2 Image Encoder, which includes provisions for lossy and lossless (at bit-level) compression. The addition of Linux support makes possible the integration of compression tools within existing...

Mapping Solutions LLC. East Lansing, MICH.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Mapping Solutions released TerraViewer USA for ArcGIS, an extension that integrates U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) aerial images and topological maps into ArcGIS as a dynamically updated layer. Data are delivered via a high-speed Internet...

Maptech, Amesbury, Mass.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Maptech's Terrain Navigator Pro includes a free ArcGIS Extension that eliminates file format problems. ArcGIS 8.3 users can access Maptech's raster cartography directly without exporting, importing or re-projecting maps. Maptech provides more...

Nieuwland Automatisering, Wageningen, the Netherlands.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Nieuwland Automatisering released version 3.0 of its Theme Browser, an "ArcCatalog-like" extension for ArcView 3.2 or higher that bridges the gap between ArcView 3.x and ArcGIS. Theme Browser's search engine handles geographic datasets, and...

ObjectFX, Minneapolis.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... ObjectFX integrated its SpatialFX tool, under the name TrackingAdvisor, with QUAL-COMM's FleetAdvisor fleet-management system. TrackingAdvisor will integrate dynamic location and spatial services via mapping, geospatial visualization and GIS...

PCI Geomatics, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Geomatica 9 FreeView is available for download via the company's Web site. Modeled on PCI Geomatics' geospatial solution, the software allows users to view, layer and evaluate raster and vector spatial data. Geomatica 9 FreeView supports more...

Software: planet 9 Studios, San Francisco.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... To enhance war-fighter performance through advanced learning and situational awareness techniques, Planet 9 Studios released customized interfaces to its urban-simulation software package, eScene 3D. Planet 9's eScene Military Operations on...

Software: Research Systems Inc. (RSI), Boulder, Colo.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... RSI integrated its hyperspectral analysis software, ENVI, with Sensor Systems' RemoteView ELT software for application in defense and intelligence fields. http://www.rsinc.com

Software: Sylvan Ascent Inc., Taos, N.M.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Sylvan Ascent released PocketTerra, a set of mapping and Global Positioning System (GPS) components for field data collection for the Microsoft. NET Compact Framework. Users can locate features in the field using topographic maps, aerial...

Software: Taylor Technologies Inc., Kingsford, Mich.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Taylor Technologies released version 4.0.3 of its Rapid Integration Toolkit (RIT) software for Autodesk MapGuide Web GIS sites. RIT helps users manage, maintain and monitor GIS data as well as share and distribute GIS and emergency management...

Software: Undertow Software Inc., Channahon, ILL.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Undertow Software released MapOCX Pro 6.1, a development tool for adding street map displays within a Microsoft Windows visual development environment or Internet application. Enhanced features include map rotation, point-to-point routing,...

Hardware: HP, Palo Alto, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... HP introduced new notebook PCs and a mobile workstation that provide mobile professionals at large businesses with robust security capabilities and flexibility to stay connected with a broad range of wireless connectivity applications. The HP...

Hardware: NavCom Technology Inc., Torrance, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... NavCom Technology added the NCT-2030M to its line of dual-frequency Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers. The receiver is a 12-channel, dual-frequency GPS engine offering 64MB internal memory for data logging. The sensor delivers...

Hardware: Sharp Systems of America, Huntington Beach, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Sharp Systems of America released its Actius RD3D notebook computer that incorporates Sharp's TFT 3-D LCD technology, which makes it possible to view 3-D images using the naked eye, but can be switched back to 2-D viewing for standard...

Miscellaneous: Aether Systems Inc., San Antonio.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Aether Systems enhanced Aether MobileMax, its wireless communications and tracking solution for the transportation industry. MobileMax now features text-to-voice technology, handheld access via a personal digital assistant, wireless e-mail and...

Miscellaneous: Direct-Track, Roseville, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... Direct-Track introduced its Mobile Locating Unit Global Positioning System Internet tracking solution for cars, motorcycles and recreational vehicles. http://www.westcoastgps.com

Miscellaneous: ESRI, Redlands, Calif.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... ESRI Press released Getting to know ArcObjects: Programming ArcGIS With VBA, which leads readers through ArcObjects components, what individual objects do and how to program objects to execute specific GIS tasks. Readers will gain a thorough...

Miscellaneous: IDEAL.com, Rockville, MD.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... IDEAL.com introduced its Color ScanCENTRAL system for online ordering and viewing, including an IDEAL/Contex Color Scanner up to 54 inches wide, JETimage PRO+ scan-to-print software and e-commerce-enabled IDEAL ArtRoom software. The Color...

Miscellaneous: Tripod data systems (TDS), Corvallis, Ore.(Product News)
January 1, 2004... TDS released its Survey Pro 3.8 surveying software and TDS Recon rugged handheld data collector running Microsoft Windows Mobile 2003 software for Pocket PCs. Survey Pro 3.8 is designed to support Recon's Pocket PC functionality, and it adds...

Aerodata International Surveys, Antwerp, Belgium.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... Aerodata International Surveys acquired a Vexcel UltraCam-D large-format digital camera. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] http://www.aerodata-surveys.com

AERO-METRIC Inc., Sheboygan, Wis.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... AERO-METRIC transitioned to a complete digital/softcopy production process by purchasing a Z/I Imaging Digital Mapping Camera system and adding an Optech ALTM 30/70 light detection and ranging (LIDAR) system and software to support direct...

Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, Calif.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... Autodesk partnered with GeoConnections, a Canadian partnership initiative led by Natural Resources Canada to build the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure, to develop functionality in Autodesk MapGuide software that complies with Open GIS...

Blue Marble Geographics, Gardiner, Maine.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... Domino's Pizza licensed Blue Marble's 2002 TIGER/Line Map Kit to help document and analyze store locations. Domino's also will use it to establish delivery boundaries among corporate stores and locally owned franchise sites. Also, Blue Marble...

Digital Data Technologies Inc. (DDTI), Columbus, Ohio.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... DDTI will provide Meceola Central Dispatch with an intelligent base map and software to help E-911 emergency response. The digital map, which DDTI will create with its voice and data recording system, is comprised of 3-D intelligent road...

DMTI Spatial, Markham, Ontario, Canada.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... DMTI Spatial launched its "Great Canadian Mapping Challenge," which is a scholarship program that offers Canadian university and college students the opportunity to add a spatial view to their studies and earn a monetary reward for creative and...

Erdas, Atlanta.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... Team ERDAS, comprised of a select group of companies, was chosen for technical assistance under the National Imagery and Mapping Agency's Soft Copy Search research and development program. Leading Team ERDAS are Leica Geosystems Defense...

ESRI Redlands, Calif.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... ESRI sponsored the Wireless LBS Challenge presented by Navigation Technologies and SiRF Technology, offering application developer contest registrants a free six-month trial of ArcWeb for Developers, ESRI's Simple Object Access Protocol/XML...

Exor Corp., Fairfax, Va.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... Exor is helping Transit New Zealand implement a national call center system to provide enhanced access to information on the road network. Exor has been selected to develop a Traffic and Road Information Database to support the logging and...

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions, Huntsville, Ala.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... Intergraph added its first five Intergraph Registered Solutions Provider members in France: Applications de Cartographie et Topographie Informatisees, Alliance Qualite Logiciel, Generale d'Infographie, NASCA Geosystemes and SOMEI S.A. In...

International Mapping Associates (IMA) Ellicott City, MD.(Business News)
January 1, 2004... IMA won a five-year cartographic services contract from the United States Forest Service to provide map design, research, compilation and production services necessary to create visitor/recreation, wilderness and special area/use maps for...