GEO World articles from July 2005

GEO World archives from July 2005

Rallying around recognition.(POSITION)
July 1, 2005... For the second year in a row, I was involved in judging the geospatial award category for the Bentley Empowered (BE) Awards at the annual BE Conference. There were 44 geospatial nominees from around the world for seven categories. The review of...

MSN Virtual Earth unveiled.(new service of Microsoft Corp.)
July 1, 2005... Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft Corp. founder Bill Gates presented a new search component that incorporates maps and aerial imagery at the "D" Conference held May 22-24, 2005, in Carlsbad, Calif. The MSN Virtual Earth was alluded to in a...

Vexcel acquires Synoptics.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Vexcel Corp., Boulder, Colo., acquired the assets of Synoptics, a Netherlands-based remote-sensing and GIS company. The acquisition makes Synoptics a wholly owned subsidiary of Vexcel, with Hans van Leeuwen serving as director. Since 1995,...

Remote sensing tested to locate mass graves.(NEWSLINK)
July 1, 2005... Joint teams of satellite imagery experts, geology experts and forensic archaeologists from the United Kingdom and the United States completed a research visit to Bosnia-Herzegovina to investigate new methods of locating and mapping mass graves....

ProMap becomes Schneider Corp. division.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Indianapolis-based Schneider Corp. added Ames, Iowa-based ProMap's technology and development team as a new company division. Schneider Corp. hopes the move will make the company one of the leading GIS, engineering and land-surveying service...

www.avencia.com.(CityMaps service enhanced)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... AVENCIA INC. Avencia released a new version of CityMaps, the city of Philadelphia's first public online mapping application (citymaos.phila.gov). The Web site links users to information on schools, city council, public recreation and...

www.avenza.com.(sponsorship of Avenza Systems Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... AVENZA SYSTEMS INC. Avenza Systems agreed to exclusive sponsorship of the Cartotalk online discussion group for cartography and design.

www.datem.com.(new service by DAT/EM Systems International)(She-Wolf Works)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... DAT/EM SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL DAT/EM Systems International's Brian Barnes and Maria Talasz of She-Wolf Works developed a new company Web page.

www.dmsolutions.ca.(service launch by Centre for Sustainable Watersheds and DM Solutions Group)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... DM SOLUTIONS GROUP The Centre for Sustainable Watersheds and DM Solutions launched the Watersheds InfoXchange, an interactive online tool for managing water-quality-monitoring data and accessing provincial and national datasets...

www.ermapper.com.(services of City2See)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ER MAPPER The City2See Web site (www.city2see.com) is offering high-resolution color aerial photography of the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area. Users can search and view the image catalog and print low-resolution images for free....

www.esricanada.com.(county of Lambton and Oxford get Award of Excellence)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ESRI CANADA The county of Lambton won an ESRI Canada Award of Excellence for its Web-mapping site for the local farming community's nutrient-management planning. Also, the county of Oxford won an Award of Excellence for its geospatial...

www.mapinfo.com.(service launch)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MAPINFO CORP. Cumberland County, N.C., launched a Web site, based on MapInfo Exponare and MapXtreme technology, to provide public access to information about real estate and transportation projects. The Web site also will deliver E9-1-1...

www.timmons.com.(service upgrade)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TIMMONS GROUP Warren County's public maps and real estate parcel information are available online at www.warrengis.org. Timmons Group updated the county's map data and developed an interactive Web map application that provides access to...

www.ride-share.com.(Jack Bell Foundation)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... JACK BELL FOUNDATION RIDE-SHARE The Jack Bell Foundation (JBF) Ride-Share Web site, www.ride-share.com, is a free portal for commuters to find and plan ride-sharing possibilities across British Columbia, Canada. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.(PEOPLELINK)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... The American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) launched the ASPRS Foundation Inc., headed by a board of trustees. Thomas Lillesand is president, Roger Crystal is vice president and secretary, and Mike Renslow is treasurer....

DAT/EM Systems International.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... DAT/EM Systems International added Julie Perilla to its software engineering team. www.datem.com

Exor Corp.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Exor Corp. appointed David MacDonald as senior vice president of worldwide sales, and he will also take a position on the Exor Corp. board. www.exorcorp.com

GeoVantage.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... John Prisco joined GeoVantage as president and CEO. www.geovantage.com

Intergraph.(PEOPLELINK)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Intergraph announced a call for nominations for the 2005 Carl Pulfrich Award to promote outstanding scientific, application-oriented design and/or manufacturing activities in the field of photogrammetry and remote sensing, including...

ManTech International Corp.(George J. Pedersen gets James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... George J. Pedersen, ManTech International Corp.'s chairman of the board and CEO, received the National Defense Industrial Association 2005 James Forrestal Industry Leadership Award. www.mantech.com

MapFrame Corp.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MapFrame Corp. added Ken Whitaker as director of software development, responsible for managing the company's Development & Quality Assurance Teams. www.mapframe.com

microDATA GIS.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... microDATA GIS named Evelyn Bailey vice president of its Business Development Group. www.microdatagis.com

MWH Soft.(appointments)(Board of International Advisors of the Lebanese American University)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Trent Schade joined MWH Soft as national stormwater technology leader. Also, Paul F. Boulos, company president and COO, was named to the Board of International Advisors of the Lebanese American University. www.mwhsoft.com

New England Data Services.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... New England Data Services appointed Christopher Souza director of sales. www.neds.com

NIIRS10 Inc.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... NIIRS10 Inc. hired Martin Flood as general manager of the company's new Canadian office in Toronto, responsible for managing and expanding Canadian operations as well as providing strategic support for GeoCue clients in the United States. Flood...

RBF Consulting.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... John R. Duquette joined RBF Consulting's Temecula, Calif., office as a project surveyor in the Surveying and Mapping Department. www.rbf.com

Sanborn.(appointments)(Sanborn Map Company Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Sanborn promoted Jay Tilley to senior vice president and general manager of the company's Colorado Springs office, responsible for the business and technical operations. www.sanborn.com

Telcontar.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Telcontar appointed Marc Prioleau as vice president of marketing. www.telcontar.com

VARGIS.(appointments)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... VARGIS hired Alan Sneyd as chief operating officer, responsible for daily operations for all projects, production operations, resource allocation, technology innovation and implementation. He also will lead all customer service. In addition,...

Wildland mapping project heats up.(GOVERNMENTCONNECTION)
July 1, 2005... Large amounts of rainfall in the western United States have nourished plant life that, in the heat of summer, could serve as fuel for wildfires. With the prospect of a busy fire season ahead, government officials in charge of fire suppression...

Navy ship enlists paperless navigation.(GOVERNMENTCONNECTION)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... A Norfolk, Va.-based guided-missile cruiser, the USS Cape St. George, is the first surface warship certified to navigate with electronic charts and without paper charts on the bridge navigation console. The move, in which the ship will use...

NOAA, NASA partner in space and air.(GOVERNMENTCONNECTION)(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
July 1, 2005... NASA launched a new environmental satellite for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that should improve weather forecasting and help monitor environmental events worldwide. The satellite, NOAA-18, was launched in...

Bentley celebrates excellence at annual conference.(CONFERENCECONNECTION)
July 1, 2005... The annual Bentley Empowered (BE) Conference highlighted quality user achievements through presentations, displays and awards. The event was held May 8-12, 2005, in Baltimore, attracting an audience of more than 2,000 attendees from 700...

Calculate and compare to find effective proximity.(BEYONDMAPPING)
July 1, 2005... The last few "Beyond Mapping" columns focused on how effective distance is measured in a grid-based GIS. Basic to this expanded view of distance is the conceptualization of the measurement process as waves radiating from a...

Public health and GIS: are we there yet?(CRITICALGIS)
July 1, 2005... The conjunction of GIS and public health seems like an ideal match. Public health focuses on the spread and causes of diseases such as cancer, obesity and heart disease, which are among the nation's leading causes of death. [ILLUSTRATION...

Different backgrounds unite for a common goal.(LAND SURVEYING AND GIS)
July 1, 2005... The land-surveying world is founded on the basis of accuracy and precision in its work. From the first Egyptian pyramid to today's skyscrapers, accuracy has always been the key component in the land-surveying business. [ILLUSTRATION...

GeoWorld Rally '05 start your engines! GeoWorld Rally '05 races to ESRI User Conference.
July 1, 2005... Preview the following products from GeoWorld Rally '05 sponsors before the ESRI International User Conference in San Diego. If you're going to the show, drop by each GeoWorld Rally sponsor booth, and you'll automatically be entered to win one...

The Kingdom of the mouse that clicks.(Digital Photogrammetry)
July 1, 2005... In my last "Digital Photogrammetry" column, I discussed a cultural revolution: the GIS community--the largest geodata consumer group--would perform its own mapping as and when needed (see "A Cultural Revolution in the Making," GeoWorld, March...

Mapping in the mist to conserve mountain gorilla habitat.(Wildlife Management)(Cover Story)
July 1, 2005... The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) adopted the World Heritage Convention (WHC) in November 1972 to define and conserve the world's heritage, drawing up a list of natural and cultural sites whose...

Where's the emergency? West Virginia Mapping Project creates statewide addresses.(Emergency Mapping)
July 1, 2005... Helen Moore, McDowell County, W.Va., 9-1-1 telecommunicator leaned forward at her desk, listening intently on her headset for the sounds of sirens, trying to hear over the panicked breathing of the woman who had dialed 9-1-1 several minutes...

Financing homeland security: rethinking funding with socially responsive debt.(RISK ASSESSMENT)
July 1, 2005... Modern cities are exposed to high-risk, low-probability events with greater frequency of unseen interdependencies. Threats include terrorism, earthquakes, floods, wildfires, crumbling infrastructure, chemical spills and transit accidents. ...

Jungle classroom: geotechnology boosts education in Costa Rica's lowland rainforest.(GIS EDUCATION)
July 1, 2005... Educational systems in many countries have been moving toward educational content standards and national curricula, specifying what students should know and be able to do at certain benchmark educational levels. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI).(DATA)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI) introduced Real-Time Navigation Data Service for Navigation Tool Kit, its desktop application for operational analysts that predicts how GPS-dependent equipment will perform in complex electromagnetic...

EarthMap Solutions LLC.(DATA)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... EarthMap Solutions LLC rolled out its AgroWatch products, which benefit customers using remotesensing tools for agriculture, environmental and forestry land management. AgroWatch products are derived from a constellation of orbiting satellites...

GfK MACON AG.(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... GfK MACON AG updated its digital administrative and postal maps of Germany, Austria and Switzerland in standard GIS formats. www.gfk-macon.com

Mapping Solutions LLC.(DATA)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Mapping Solutions LLC announced that its TerraViewer USA for MapInfo Professional product now brings U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) urban-area color aerial imagery into MapInfo Professional (in addition to USGS black-and-white aerial imagery and...

U.S. Census Bureau.(DATA)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... U.S. Census Bureau released GeocodeCD version 2.5 with the 2004 TIGER/Line files for fast and efficient geocoding. GeocodeCD offers fast geocoding (2 million records/hour on a 2GB machine) and an affordable annual license. The new version has...

Space Imaging.(DATA)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Space Imaging released an IKONOS satellite image showing the Space Shuttle Discovery orbiter, external fuel tank and solid rocket boosters at Launch Pad.39B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Adobe Systems Inc.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Adobe Systems Inc. released Adobe Photoshop CS2, which adds power, precision and control to the digital photography experience. www.adobe.com

Airborne 1 Corp.(software products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Airborne 1 Corp. released QT Modeler 4.0 for importing, viewing and analyzing LIDAR and SAR data. The product provides an enhanced modeling and analysis package that can build surface models from raw data in minutes, visualize 3-D models in...

Avenza Systems Inc.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Avenza Systems Inc. introduced Internet-accessible floating or networked licenses of MAPublisher 6 for Adobe Illustrator. www.avenza.com

BAE Systems.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... BAE Systems released its SOCET GXP version 2.0 image-analysis software. Added functionality streamlines workflow processes, making it easier for analysts to create and distribute critical data. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

Blue Marble Geographics.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Blue Marble Geographics released Geographic Transformer 5.1 Extension for MapInfo Professional, which allows users to establish an "image-to-world" relationship between image and map coordinates as well as re-project an image into a...

ER Mapper.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ER Mapper version 7.0 adds support for ISO-standard JPEG 2000 image files as well as new batch, color-enhancement and image-stretch wizards to improve workflow. ER Mapper also released Right-WebMap 7.0, a rapid-deployment, client-side solution...

eSpatial.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... eSpatial released iSMART Xtra for GE Smallworld, which provides a standards-based environment for scalable and secure multi-user Web publishing and editing of Smallworld data across the enterprise, using Oracle Spatial. www.espatial.com

ESRI.(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ESRI introduced Tracking Server for collecting and sending near-real-time data from many data sources and formats to Web and desktop clients. www.esri.com

IDEAL.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... IDEAL unveiled enhanced scanner-operating software, IDEAL ScanOS, which now allows users to write and read PDF file formats. www.ideal.com

Intergraph.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Intergraph introduced version 6.0 of its GeoMedia desktop and Web products for maintaining, integrating, analyzing and presenting geospatial data to enable an open spatial enterprise. The GeoMedia family consists of 17 applications tailored for...

KHEOPS Technologies.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... KHEOPS Technologies introduced JMap Spatial OLAP (On-Line Analytical Processing), a JMap extension that leverages the JMap geospatial server. www.kheops-tech.com

LeT Systems.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... LeT Systems released eRespond, which allows users to effectively manage the planned and unplanned outage/event identification and restoration process as well as provide timely and relevant information to all stakeholders. www.letsys.com

LizardTech.(software products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... LizardTech now supports viewing MrSID and JPEG 2000 files on the Mac OS X platform via the company's free ExpressView Browser Plug-in for Macintosh. Key features such as multi-band image viewing support and image data caching are included. ...

MWH Soft.(software product)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... MWH Soft released InfoSWMM Suite for ArcGIS users, providing wastewater utilities with extended power and flexibility in leveraging mapping and GIS data to support the modeling of runoff quantity and quality from subcatchments, allowing them to...

Socket Communications Inc.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Socket Communications Inc. introduced the Socket Wi-Fi Companion designed for Pocket PCs with integrated 802.11 WLAN. Also, Socket Communications launched the KwikBlue Module Development Kit, which supports Socket's KwikBlue Module with...

Spicer Corp.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Spicer Corp. enhanced its online view-markup software, ViewCafe 3.3, which offers an adaptable license structure, new cache pre-loading, 3-D model publishing and support for the latest CAD formats. www.spicer.com

Vexcel Corp.(SOFTWARE)
July 1, 2005... Vexcel Corp. introduced CCDMap, a highly automated satellite image-processing system for coherent change detection (CCD) from commercial SAR data. CCDMap performs image formation; interferometric processing; orthorectification; and catalog and...

Leica Geosystems.(product information)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Leica Geosystems now is shipping its Leica T-Scan hand scanner, which offers high-speed data capture of complex object surfaces and expands the measurement capabilities of Leica's LTD800/700 laser-tracking systems. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]...

Matrox Graphics Inc.(hardware products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Matrox Graphics Inc. released 64-bit SE drivers for Microsoft Windows XP Professional X64 Edition for the Matrox Parhelia, Millennium P-Series, QID and Millennium G-Series products. www.matrox.com

Trimble.(computer products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Trimble introduced its GPS Pathfinder ProXH receiver, which uses Bluetooth technology for cable-free communications to a field computer as well as Trimble's new H-Star technology to provide sub-foot (30-centimeter) positioning accuracy. ...

ECONZ Wireless.(products)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ECONZ Wireless and Verizon Wireless introduced EService, a "Get It Now" application that helps customers manage mobile workforces, including job dispatch, workflow tracking and real-time inventory control. www.econz.com

ESRI.(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc publishes GIS Worlds.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ESRI published GIS Worlds: Creating Spatial Data Infrastructures, which provides an overview of the developments in spatial data infrastructures during the last 10 to 15 years. In addition. IDC published a white paper, "ESRI: Extending GIS to...

Laser-Scan.(introduces Positional Accuracy Improvement (PAI) solution.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Laser-Scan and Dotted Eyes introduced ShiftWiz Professional, a new Positional Accuracy Improvement (PAI) solution that supports Ordnance Survey's national PAI program. www.laser-scan.com

TMS International.(releases report on LIDAR technologies: laser imaging detection and ranging)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... TMS International released the TMSI Global LIDAR Market Report, which brought together results of a major market survey on the growing number of LIDAR technologies, service providers, and market demands and trends. www.tmsico.com

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS).(launches ASPRS Foundation Inc.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) launched the ASPRS Foundation Inc., an independently registered entity that will raise, invest and grant funds to the ASPRS Awards and Scholarships Program. ...

Autodesk Inc.(acquires C-plan AG.)
July 1, 2005... Autodesk Inc. announced that FirstEnergy chose to expand its use of Autodesk's geospatial products and services to create an enhanced platform for utility distribution network design and management. In addition, Autodesk agreed to acquire all...

Bentley Systems Inc.(adds David Evans and Associates Inc to its partner.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Bentley Systems Inc. added David Evans and Associates to the Bentley Enterprise License Subscription program. www.bentley.com

Cadcorp.(provides SIS product to fire departments.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Cadcorp provided its Cadcorp SIS product to the Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service with enhanced incident data analysis, planning, information presentation and data integration capabilities. Also, Cadcorp won a contract to provide Cadcorp...

CarteGraph.(CarteGraph Systems Inc provides GIS software to four divisons of Santa Barbara city.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... CarteGraph provided CarteGraph products to four divisions of the city of Santa Barbara, Calif., allowing GIS staff to automatically update CarteGraph with the latest asset information from the GIS database. Also, the city of Bettendorf, Iowa,...

Corbley Communications Inc.(new office for headquarters.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Corbley Communications Inc. opened its new headquarters office in Winchester, Va., just outside the Washington, D.C., area. www.corbleycommunications.com

CTIA.(Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association releases survey report.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... CTIA--The Wireless Association released its semi-annual industry survey, showing that estimated wireless subscribership grew by 13.7 percent in 2004. The total number of wireless subscribers in America now exceeds 180 million, a penetration...

Definiens Imaging.(opens new center at Charles Darwin University.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... Definiens Imaging formed two new Centers of Excellence in Object-Oriented Image Analysis: the Department of Geography at the University of Calgary and the Tropical Spatial Science Group at Charles Darwin University. ...

DeLorme.(T-L Irrigation Co. uses XMap 4.5 software.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... DeLorme announced that its XMap 4.5 software was adopted by T-L Irrigation to aid in the sale and setup of its products. Also, the K9 Forensics Recovery Team is relying on XMap 4.5 to help organize and map its evidence-gathering activities. ...

DigitalGlobe.(adds Marathon Oil Co to its partner program.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... DigitalGlobe added Marathon Oil to its Enterprise Partner Program. Also, San Diego State University is using high-resolution QuickBird satellite imagery to aid tsunami relief efforts in Indonesia. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ...

ESRI.(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc names Business Objects OEM Partner of the Year.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ESRI was named Business Objects' OEM Partner of the Year for 2005. Also, Geographic Mapping Technologies, ESRI's distributor in Puerto Rico, won a contract to implement a companywide CIS at the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority. ...

ESRI Canada.(awards.)(Brief Article)
July 1, 2005... ESRI Canada presented the city of Lethbridge with an Award of Excellence at its ESRI Canada Regional User Conference in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and the city of Vaughan won an Award of Excellence at ESRI Canada's Regional User Conference in...