GEO World articles from June 2001

GEO World archives from June 2001

GIS Drives Mobile Computing Solutions.(Geographic information systems)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Mobile technology is exploding for GIS as well as the converging computing and communications industries. Internet-standardized networking is creating the post-PC era, and the ability to mobilize data and applications is changing the future of...

IBM to Buy Informix Database Business for $1 Billion.(Informix Software Inc.)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Strengthening its position in the burgeoning distributed database market, Armonk, N.Y.-based IBM Corp. announced it will acquire Menlo Park, Calif.-based Informix Software Inc., Informix Corp.'s database business, in a cash transaction valued...

ESRI, NACo Introduce GIS Grant Program.(The National Association of Counties)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The National Association of Counties (NACo) and Redlands, Calif.-based ESRI Inc., a NACo Premier Business Partner, launched a Technology Foundation Grant Series to provide GIS software, training, support and data to qualified NACo members...

Program Lends Students a "Hand" in Exploring Universe.(Hands-On Universe program)
June 1, 2001... For the last eight years, the "Hands-On Universe" (HOU) program, a student-centered research and K-12 curriculum development program of the University of California at Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science, has developed and pilot tested an...

Leica Geosystems Acquires GIS and Mapping Companies.(LH Systems LLC)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... To capitalize on expected growth within GIS and remote-sensing markets worldwide, Swiss-based Leica Geosystems acquired Atlanta-based ERDAS Inc., a geographic imaging software company, and simultaneously purchased from joint owner BAE SYSTEMS...

Analytical Surveys Inc. (ASI), Indianapolis.(aerospace industry)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.anlt.com ASI redesigned its World Wide Web site to better facilitate interactive communication among the company and its customers, partners and suppliers. Features include an interactive messaging application that responds...

Blue Marble Geographics, Gardiner, Maine.(environment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.beyondgeo.com Blue Marble Geographics launched Beyondgeo.com, an online map-server service that allows businesses and organizations to publish interactive, database-driven maps directly within their own Web sites without...

ERDAS Inc., Atlanta.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.erdas.com ERDAS redesigned its Web site to provide users with a "cleaner" layout; clearer, more targeted navigation routes; and a site architecture designed to accommodate future capabilities, including customer interactivity...

Barents Interactive Map Server.(environment)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://maps.grida.no/barents The Barents Interactive Map Server World Wide Web site displays modeled human impact on wilderness in the Euro-Arctic Barents region. The server was developed by United Nations Environmental Programme...

ESRI Inc., Redlands, Calif.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.esri.com ESRI and The Associated Press (AP) developed MapShop, an online mapping service for AP-member newspapers that consists of integrated analytical mapping tools and data services that can be used on the Internet and...

Intermap Technologies Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.globalterrain.com Intermap Technologies added to its GLOBAL Terrain online store the latest release of its GLOBAL Terrain Product Handbook, a reference guide for existing and future customers that includes product specifications...

QC Data, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.(data management company)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.qcdata.com QC Data relaunched its Web site as part of a companywide branding initiative implemented to better reflect the company's data management and maintenance outsourcing services for customers in utility,...

Topcon America Corp., Paramus, N.J.(new design for their web site)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... http://www.topcon.com Topcon America redesigned its Web site to provide visitors with a more "user-friendly" interface and easier navigation. The site also features a companywide e-mail directory; a product-literature library, where...

Geography Community Loses Two Distinguished Members.(John (Jack) E. Estes and Ian L. McHarg, teachers)(Obituary)
June 1, 2001... The geography community lost two important and respected members in March 2001. John (Jack) E. Estes, a professor of geography at the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), died March 9, 2001, in Santa Barbara, after a month-long...

ICDM Creates New Disaster Management Event.(International Conference on Disaster Management )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Traditionally, disaster preparedness conferences focused on a single type of disaster or catered to a single type of responder. However, the International Conference on Disaster Management (ICDM), to be held Aug. 6-10, 2001, in Orlando, Fla.,...

USGS Retires Landsat 4 and 5.(U.S. Geological Survey)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has begun to decommission Earth-observation satellites Landsat 4 and 5, closing a highly successful chapter of an ongoing science mission. Landsat 4, launched by NASA in 1982, and Landsat 5, a duplicate...

NOAA Web Site Monitors Ozone Layer.(National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... For several years, scientists at the U.S. Commerce Department's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) recognized the need to study Earth's ozone layer, because the chemical compound ozone plays a vital role in absorbing harmful...

Identify and Use Visual Exposure to Create Viewshed Maps.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The last several "Beyond Mapping" columns discussed the concept of effective proximity in deriving variable-width buffers and travel-time movement. Such procedures relax the assumption that distance is only measured as "the shortest straight...

Internet GIS: Watch Your ASP.(geographic software)
June 1, 2001... GIS users long have been urged to forget about buying their own software. Instead they've been advised to send their data, mapping needs and GIS analysis requirements to firms that specialize in GIS applications. There are three major reasons...

Where Will GPS Take You?(navigation instruments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Every once in a while it's good to consider how today's technology will take you into the work practices of tomorrow. However, it's easy to get "overawed" by technology and always think that it's too "cutting edge" and best left to those who...

OGC Pilot Takes Web Mapping to a New Level.(software industry)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Military Pilot Project Phase 1 (MPP-1) is the most recent Open GIS Consortium (OGC) Interoperability Initiative. Most OGC Interoperability Initiatives are testbeds, which are organized for fast-track definition and development of new...

THE NEXT FRONTIER.(software industry)
June 1, 2001... GIS Empowers a New Generation of Mobile Solutions "Don't bother me now. I've got places to go, things to do and people to see." This well-known maxim of the 20th century has become a mantra, of sorts, for mobile computing in the...

Above the Traffic.(fighting drug trafficking from the sky)
June 1, 2001... Illicit drug production and use have been growing worldwide for decades. As a result, drug enforcement agencies are always searching for effective ways to combat such operations. Now spatial technology, a tool not frequently associated with...

All for One and One for all--Consensus Builds a Successful GIS.(Geographic information systems)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Through extensive cooperation and planning, San Mateo County is developing an efficient enterprisewide GIS base map. Four principal departments and several constituent cities have combined their resources, data and skills to build a base map...

Ian McHarg Reflects on the Past, Present and Future of GIS.(Interview)
June 1, 2001... At the GIS '95 conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, conference organizers established a new, lifetime achievement award. Professor Ian McHarg was the first recipient. Given the conference's strong environmental emphasis, he was a...

ISTAR Americas Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ISTAR Americas Inc., McLean, Va., acquired one-meter-resolution 3-D images over six U.S. cities, including 35,000 square kilometers in California, using the company's AXW HRSC aerial camera (developed by ISTAR and the German Space Agency in a...

LAND INFO International LLC.(completes Millenium Mosaic)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... LAND INFO International LLC, Aurora, Colo., completed its Millennium Mosaic, a natural-color, 15-meter-resolution, seamless digital mosaic of Landsat 7 imagery for the continental United States (distributed via an agreement with EarthWatch...

Navigation Technologies Corp. (NTC).(releases NAVTECH NAVSTREETS v 2.0)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... Navigation Technologies Corp. (NTC), Rosemont, Ill., released NAVTECH NAVSTREETS version 2.0, a digital street-network database that offers expanded road-network coverage, segment-level attributes, and roadway signage for North America and...

Orbital Imaging Corp. (ORBIMAGE).(adds 'near real-time' surface current data)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Orbital Imaging Corp. (ORBIMAGE), Dulles, Va., added "near real-time" surface current information to its existing SeaStar Fisheries Information Service, including drift and speed of the ocean's surface layer, to help fishing captains better...

RADARSAT International (RSI).(introduces System Terrain Corrected)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... RADARSAT International (RSI), Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, introduced via its Landsat 7 package the System Terrain Corrected (STC) product, a GIS-ready geospatial tool that combines Landsat 7's Definitive Ephemeris data with GTOPO30...

Vexcel Corp.(offers three-dimensional terrain and building information for over 50 cities)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Vexcel Corp., Boulder, Colo., now offers "off-the-shell" precision 3-D terrain and building datasets for more than 50 cities worldwide. The datasets are designed to help broadband wireless communication service providers plan and implement...

Autodesk Inc.(introduces Autodesk Field Survey)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... Autodesk Inc., San Rafael, Calif., released Autodesk Field Survey, a "standalone" land-surveying package that allows users such as professionals in small- to mid-sized surveying, engineering and land-development firms to perform deed work,...

Byers Engineering Co.(introducing Spatial Data Loader)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... Byers Engineering Co., Atlanta, announced its SpatialAge Solutions business unit introduced Spatial Data Loader, which helps publish automated mapping/facilities management data in a geospatially enabled data warehouse, allowing users to query...

Cook-Hurlbert Inc.(Expert Designer 3 product enhanced)(Brief Article)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... Cook-Hurlbert Inc., Austin, Texas, announced its Expert Designer 3 product now incorporates enhanced electric optimization capabilities that allow users to obtain recommended ratings for a design's primary and secondary conductors, line fuses...

DeLorme, Yarmouth, Maine, announced business unit Eartha Systems.(Solus version 3.0)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... DeLorme, Yarmouth, Maine, announced business unit Eartha Systems released Solus version 3.0, which allows users of Palm hand-held devices to download via the Internet maps and Global Positioning System-based routing information in real time for...

Enghouse Systems Ltd.(software company releases latest version of it's GeoNet program)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... Enghouse Systems Ltd., Markham, Ontario, Canada, released GeoNet version 4.0, an enterprise core-GIS engine designed to leverage industry standards such as OpenGIS and SQL, mainstream development languages such as Microsoft Visual Basic, and...

ESRI Map Objects release 2.(customers to get upgrade of their program)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ESRI Inc., Redlands, Calif., announced that customers who acquired licenses for ESRI's MapObjects release 2 embeddable mapping and GIS component on or before March 1, 2001, will receive a free upgrade to MapObjects release 2.1, which offers...

Golden Software Inc.(MapViewer version 4.0, released by the company)(Product Announcement)
June 1, 2001... Golden Software Inc., Golden, Cola., released MapViewer version 4.0, an analytical tool that allows small business professionals, independent consultants, scientists, GIS analysts, government agencies and other users to produce...

InterGis, Torrington, Conn., introduced ConnectRoute, an external routing and distribution system.(software product)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... InterGis, Torrington, Conn., introduced ConnectRoute, an external routing and distribution system (available as a software product or Internet service) that allows companies to use InterGis' routing, scheduling, dispatching and optimization...

Intergraph Corp.(enhanced GeoMedia version 4.0 package)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala., announced Intergraph Mapping and GIS enhanced its GeoMedia version 4.0 package--specifically, GeoMedia and GeoMedia Professional--to include features such as support for Microsoft Corp.'s SQL service...

MapInfo Corp.(introduced Location Management Platform software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... MapInfo Corp., Troy, N.Y., introduced its Location Management Platform, which can be embedded into the intelligent network or mobile positioning center of an equipment provider's system to provide location services for E-91l, location-sensitive...

Tobin International Ltd.(developed Industry Information Management Center software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Tobin International Ltd., Denver, developed the Industry Information Management Center, which combines the company's T-REX Relational Exchange geospatial data model, Image Data Management System and "best-of-breed" partner products to provide...

Xmarc Inc.(released Wireless & Internet Infrastructure Software Environment version 2.0)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Xmarc Inc., San Jose, Calif., released Wireless & Internet Infrastructure Software Environment (WIISE] version 2.0, a scalable location-based services platform for mobile network operators, portals and "m-businesses."

3Dlabs Inc.(3-D graphics accelerator)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... 3Dlabs Inc., Sunnyvale, Calif., introduced Wildcat II 5110, a professional 3-D graphics accelerator that incorporates 3Dlabs' ParaScale architecture, integrating multiple complete geometry and rasterized pipelines into a single accelerator.

Air-Track.com.(ESRI Inc. tracking software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ESRI Inc., Redlands, Calif., and Air-Trak.com released three fleet-management tracking and messaging systems (hardware/software) for a variety of industries: TerraTrak, which provides graphical fleet management, including automatic terrestrial...

Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA).(public television program on videotape)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA), Aurora, Colo., announced its public television program on GIS, The World in a Box, now is available on videotape. The one-hour educational program introduces viewers to a series of...

Trimble Navigation Ltd.(introduced Trimble Toolbox for land survey)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Trimble Navigation Ltd., Sunnyvale, Calif., introduced the Trimble Toolbox for land survey, an integrated set of surveying tools for land surveyors, civil engineers and construction professionals that combines conventional surveying instruments...

Advanced Technology Solutions Inc. (ATS).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Advanced Technology Solutions Inc. (ATS), Lancaster, Pa., won a contract from Lancaster County, Pa., for a road centerline upgrade and update.

American Consulting Engineers Council.(Psomas finalist in award competition)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... American Consulting Engineers Council, Washington, D.C., announced Psomas is a finalist in the council's 35th annual "Engineering Excellence Award" competition for developing a GIS-based pollutant-loading model that served as the basis of a...

Apex Geospatial Data Services LLC.(expands service)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Apex Geospatial Data Services LLC, San Antonio, expanded its service offerings to include online GIS database maintenance, which involves real-time updating of as-built conditions into existing GIS and legacy systems to reflect the current...

Applied Analysis Inc.(University of South Carolina wins engineering award)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Applied Analysis Inc., Billerica, Mass., along with Earth Tech and the University of South Carolina, received the "Grand Conceptor" award from the North Carolina/Consulting Engineers Council for a collaborative project called "Exploitation of...

Applied Geographies Inc. (AGI).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Applied Geographies Inc. (AGI), Boston, moved its offices to 353 Congress St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02210.

Applied Technological Services Inc. (ATS).(won contract from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Applied Technological Services Inc. (ATS), Dallas, won a contract from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport to provide maintenance, design and implementation services to update, enhance and improve the airport's GIS and related...

Bentley Systems Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Bentley Systems Inc., Exton, Pa., partnered with Gulf Interstate Engineering Co. to develop pipeline design and data management tools to help automate the collection, storage and processing of data used in the production of pipeline alignment...

Byers Engineering Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Byers Engineering Corp., Atlanta, announced Sprint Corp. selected its SpatialAge Solutions business unit's GIS-based technology and engineering work-order database to connect Sprint's facility network database and Customer Loop Assignment...

CorDax Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... CorDax Inc., Irvine, Calif., opened an office in Phoenix, expanding its spatial data management service offerings in the western United States.

Descartes Systems Group Inc.(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
June 1, 2001... Descartes Systems Group Inc., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, announced record financial results for fiscal-year 2001 fourth quarter and year ending Jan. 31, 2001, including $21 million in revenues for the quarter and $66.6 million in revenues for...

EnerQuest Systems LLC.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... EnerQuest Systems LLC, Denver, won a Small Business Innovation Research contract from the Army Research Office in Washington, D.C., to develop commercial software that process light detection and ranging data.

Enghouse Systems Ltd.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ESRI Inc., Redlands, Calif., and Enghouse Systems Ltd. partnered to deliver architecture products to utility and telecommunications organizations, including the next generation of Enghouse Systems' WORKS applications, which will be built on...

GeoCom TMS Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... GeoCom TMS Inc., Quebec, announced Robert Transport implemented its GeoNav application for fleet tracking, monitoring, positioning and mobile messaging, allowing the transportation company to automatically position trucks on precise digital...

Global Geomatics Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Global Geomatics Inc., Laval, Quebec, Canada, announced GeoMAP Consultants became the exclusive Egyptian reseller of Global Geomatics' c@ssini products.

IDEAL Scanners & Systems Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... IDEAL Scanners & Systems Inc., Rockville, Md., introduced the I/DEALer Program, a dealer plan that focuses on the company's IntraNETIX software, a large-format document-management product that provides browser-based access to any...

Infoterra Ltd.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Infoterra Ltd., Hampshire, United Kingdom, opened for business to provide geospatial information products and services to a variety of market application areas worldwide.

Intergraph Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Intergraph Corp., Huntsville, Ala., announced San Mateo County, Calif., standardized on Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions' GeoMedia technology for its countywide GIS initiatives.

Intermap Technologies Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Intermap Technologies Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, and its prime contractor EarthWatch Inc. won a contract from the National Imagery and Mapping Agency to provide high-accuracy digital elevation mapping in South America.

i2Go Inc.(forms i2Go Telematics and Mobile Technologies Division)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... i2Go Inc., Atlanta, formed the i2Go Telematics and Mobile Technologies Division to provide increased focus on emerging connectivity technologies as well as to speed delivery of the company's ConnectedCar product, which will allow commuters to...

Leica Geosystems Inc.(appoints TerraPro GPS Surveys Ltd. to represent its GS50 product)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Leica Geosystems Inc., Torrance, Calif., appointed TerraPro GPS Surveys Ltd. to represent the Leica GS50 GIS/Global Positioning System product in western Canada.

LizardTech Inc.(installs graphical interface at Los Angeles County, California's Sheriff's Department)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... LizardTech Inc., Seattle, announced the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department installed the ShotSpotter Mapping and Database graphical interface, The Communicator! high-speed notification system, and the ShotSpotter urban gunshot detection system,...

M3i Systems Inc.(its PragmaWeb product selected by GPU Power UK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... M3i Systems Inc., Longueuil, Quebec, Canada, announced GPU Power UK selected its PragmaWeb product to support the utility's real-time operations-management system, allowing users to analyze, view and report on critical network information...

Miner & Miner, Fort Collins.(strategic alliance with MESA Solutions)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Miner & Miner, Fort Collins, Colo., and MESA Solutions announced a strategic alliance in which the companies will sell, market and implement Miner & Miner's ArcFM product line for electric, gas and water/wastewater utilities.

Navigation Technologies Corp. (NTC).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Navigation Technologies Corp. (NTC), Rosemont, Ill., became a sponsor member of the Mobile and Automotive Geographic Information Core Services Initiative, an industry consortium established to develop and promote an open industry specification...

NovAtel Inc.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... NovAtel Inc., Calgary, Alberta, Canada, released financial results for the fourth quarter and year ending Dec. 31, 2000, including revenues of $3.8 million for the quarter, compared with $5.4 million for the same period in 1999, and $16.5...

ObjectFX Corp.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... ObjectFX Corp., St. Paul, Minn., closed a $9.1 million private placement, which included contributions from private investors such as Brookwood Financial, Software Consolidations Inc. and T. Rowe Price Threshold Partnerships. ObjectFX will use...

Orbital Imaging Corp. (ORBIMAGE).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Orbital Imaging Corp. (ORBIMAGE), Dulles, Va., modified its license arrangement with MacDonald Dettwiler and Associates (MDA). Under the agreement's terms, ORBIMAGE will retain exclusive distribution rights for RADARSAT-2 imagery to U.S....

Owen Ayres & Associates Inc.
June 1, 2001... Owen Ayres & Associates Inc., Madison, Wis., received the Wisconsin Land Information Association's "Outstanding Contribution Award," marking the first time the annual award was given to a company rather than an individual.

PCI Geomatics.
June 1, 2001... PCI Geomatics, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada, was selected by the National GIS Key Lab of China Scientific Academy to become its principle geomatics software provider.

Pixxures Inc.(Pixxures Inc. and Axion Spatial Imaging Inc. to jointly develop digital maps)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Pixxures Inc., Arvada, Colo., and Axion Spatial Imaging Inc. agreed to develop and distribute products involving image compression, distribution, manipulation and storage to provide users with improved access to digital map imagery via the...

RADARSAT International (RSI).(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... RADARSAT International (RSI), Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, and PCI Geomatics negotiated a new license arrangement that provides RSI with additional floating licenses of PCI Geomatics' OrthoEngine and EASI/PACE products.

The Sanborn Map Co.(sets up shop in Tennessee)(Abstract)
June 1, 2001... The Sanborn Map Co., Pelham, N.Y., opened a regional sales office in Tennessee to better serve existing and new clients in Alabama, the Carolinas, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee and southern Virginia.

The Sidwell Co.(Iowa counties to implement Geographic information systems)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... The Sidwell Co., St. Charles, Ill., won contracts from Dallas County, Iowa, to develop and implement a GIS; Carroll County, Iowa, to provide services that support the ongoing development of its GIS; and Wayne County, Iowa, to provide...

Space Imaging.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Space Imaging, Thornton, Colo., agreed (via its Spatial Innovision reseller) with the Jamaican government to take one-meter-resolution satellite images of the entire country for Jamaica's land-related and mapping agencies. The project will be...

Syncline Inc.(announces Marietta, Georgia contract)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Syncline Inc., Boston, announced the city of Marietta, Ga., subscribed to Syncline's MapCiti service, an automated World Wide Web-based mapping service that allows cities, towns and government agencies to share GIS data (e.g., property...

TIMMONS, Richmond, Va., won contracts from North Wales Water Authority.(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... TIMMONS, Richmond, Va., won contracts from North Wales Water Authority to provide digital data development services, including the preparation of a data conversion plan to support the authority's migration from a paper-based environment to an...

Trimble Navigation Ltd.(contract with Tres Picas Co.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2001... Trimble Navigation Ltd., Sunnyvale, Calif., announced Tres Picas Co. will use Trimble Navigation's AgGPS Autopilot system in conjunction with its Caterpillar Challenger tractors to install drip irrigation tape and prepare crop beds in the same...