GEO World articles from June 2005

GEO World archives from June 2005

Is GIS a part of mapping?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... I read Jeremy Crampton's article about GIS Certification (see "Do We Need a GIS Certificate?" GeoWorld, April 2005, page 20), and I was surprised at his perspective and opinions. I agree that cartography is a much older and established...

Defending GIS certification.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
June 1, 2005... We would like to thank Professor Jeremy Crampton for his thoughtful critique of GISCI's certification criteria and Code of Ethics, and offer the following response. Crampton begins by discussing "the vagueness" of GISCI's point-based...

Evolving from producer to enabler.(new National Geospatial Program Office from United States Geological Survey)
June 1, 2005... The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is undergoing transformation from the map production business to a business of coordinating, encouraging and facilitating the creation of a distributed National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI). ...

Satellite maps to ease plight of mountain gorillas.(NEWSLINK)
June 1, 2005... A two-year joint European Space Agency (ESA) and United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) project to chart the habitats of endangered mountain gorillas with satellites concluded in Paris with end users receiving...

Intergraph realigns global operations.(NEWSLINK)
June 1, 2005... Huntsville, Ala.-based Intergraph Corp, realigned its organizational structure, streamlining its global operations from four to two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP & M), and the newly formed Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG &...

Iceberg collides with Antarctic glacier.(B-15A iceberg collision with Drygalski Ice Tongue)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... In mid-April 2005, the B-15A iceberg sideswiped the Drygalski Ice Tongue in Antarctica. Though not as powerful as a direct hit might have been, the blow carried enough force to knock free the tip of the ice tongue, the floating extension of the...

www.avenza.com.(NETLINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... AVENZA SYSTEMS INC. Avenza Systems' MAPublisher Online Knowledge Base now is active on the Avenza Web site.

www.esri.com.(NETLINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... ESRI Munich Reinsurance Co. created the NATural Hazards Assessment Network (NATHAN), an online worldwide database of natural events and catastrophes for use in the insurance industry (www.munichre.com/nathan). The database uses ESRI's...

www.thecarbonproject.com.(NETLINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... GEOLEADERS A new version of the Gaia geospatial Web browser is available for download. Gaia 2.0 is a free, standalone application that runs on any Windows desktop and handles maps and Geography Markup Language features from any Web Map...

imgs.intergraph.com.(NETLINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... INTERGRAPH MAPPING AND GEOSPATIAL SOLUTIONS San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District installed an enterprise Web mapping system, based on Intergraph geospatial data management solutions, that augments its emergency-response process. The...

www.mcelhanney.com.(NETLINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MCELHANNEY CONSULTING SERVICES LTD. (MCSL) MCSL launched RealtyByAir.com, a Web site that allows real estate agents in Vancouver, the Fraser Valley and Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to list residential properties for sale using color...

www.und.edu/dept/grad/GSForms.html.(NETLINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA The University of North Dakota now offers an online GIScience Graduate Certificate, addressing a growing demand for GIScience education and training among students and working professionals.

www.shatters.net/celestia.(RESOURCEOFTHEMONTH)(Product/Service Evaluation)
June 1, 2005... CELESTIA [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Celestia is a free, real-time space simulation that lets users visually experience the universe in three dimensions. Celestia was the initial inspiration and creation of Chris Laurel, who wrote a free...

American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.(PEOPLELINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... At the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing annual awards, Rachel Ruppel was the first recipient of the Kenneth J. Osborn Memorial Scholarship, Nora Csanyi received the BAE Systems Award and the Leica Geosystems Internship,...

Cadcorp.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointed Philip Mclaughlin as Customer Services Engineer)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Cadcorp appointed Philip McLaughlin as customer services engineer for the Northern Ireland region to provide local technical support and professional services to Cadcorp customers in the area. www.cadcorp.com

GeoDecisions.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... GeoDecisions named Patrick Whysong developer in the firm's State College, Pa., office, providing GIS and application development services for local governments, primarily focusing on solutions for central Pennsylvania. The company also named...

Geospatial Information & Technology Association.(PEOPLELINK)(Otsuma Women University)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Geospatial Information & Technology Association presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Sakura Shinoaki, professor of social information studies, Otsuma Women's University. www.gita.org

GIS Certification Institute.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointed Scott Grams as Program Director)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Scott Grams, previously certification program director, was named the first executive director of the GIS Certification Institute. www.gisci.com

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Transformation Advisory Group.(PEOPLELINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Christopher P. Haakon, a member of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Transformation Advisory Group and former CEO and general manager of Boeing Autometric, joined IDELIX Software's board of advisors. www.idelix.com

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions.(PEOPLELINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Keith McDaniel, Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions, won the Geospatial Information & Technology Association's 2005 Distinguished Service Award. imgs.intergraph.com

MACTEC Engineering & Consulting.(PEOPLELINK)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MACTEC Engineering & Consulting named John H. Hankinson Jr. senior consultant, serving as a state and federal government liaison to public agencies. www.mactec.com

Optech Inc.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Optech Inc. reorganized its sales team. Wayne Szameitat accepted the position of sales manager, Marine Survey Division. David Collison, regional sales manager, Asia, will pick up Szameitat's former dedicated Terrestrial Division sales region of...

RJN Group.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointed Robert J. Januska to Board of Directors)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... RJN Group named Robert J. Januska principal of its St. Louis Regional Office and appointed him to the board of directors. www.rjn.com

Sanborn.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointments)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Sanborn hired Richard Vincent as senior project manager, responsible for the company's federal and international mapping programs, and Thomas Leier as project manager. www.sanborn.com

Ten Sails.(PEOPLELINK)(Appointed Bernd Uwe Pagel to it board of directors)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Ten Sails added Bernd-Uwe Pagel, senior vice president of SAP AG, to its board of directors. www.tensails.com

CIG names new executive director.(PEOPLELINK)(Canadian Institute of Geomatics appointed Jean Thie as Executive Director)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Canadian Institute of Geomatics (CIG), Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, appointed Jean Thie as executive director. Thie has worked more than 30 years in integrated resource mapping; GIS; science program management; and policy development within...

USGS plan seeks transformation, consolidation.(United States Geological Survey)
June 1, 2005... Following a recent realignment of geospatial programs at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), agency leadership began developing a strategy that details how changes will occur, including plans for mapping-center consolidation and a new vision for...

ESRI hosts silver-anniversary conference.(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc.)
June 1, 2005... ESRI will host its 25th Annual ESRI International User Conference from July 25-29, 2005, at the Convention Center in San Diego. With more than 13,000 GIS professionals expected to attend, the conference provides a forum for meeting other GIS...

Emerging Technology Summit explores "bleeding edge".(Geospatial Information & Technology Association, sensor webs)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... A diverse array of speakers took part in the third Emerging Technology Summit on the Sensor Web that was held April 14-15, 2005, in Washington, D.C. The event was co-hosted by Denver-based Geospatial Information & Technology Association and...

Intergraph reorganization begins at GeoSpatial World.(CONFERENCECONNECTION)
June 1, 2005... A record attendance of more than 1,200 attendees from 38 states and more than 50 countries gathered April 26-28, 2005, in San Francisco for Intergraph's GeoSpatial World conference. The event launched a new approach for Intergraph, using the...

Extend simple proximity to effective movement.(BEYONDMAPPING)(Column)
June 1, 2005... Last month's "Beyond Mapping" discussion suggested that, in many applications, the shortest route between two locations might not always be a straight line. And, if the shortest route is straight, its geographic length may not always reflect a...

It's thrilling to work with Nobel Prize winners.(EDGENODES)(Column)
June 1, 2005... In a recent "Edge Nodes" column, I suggested that it would be a "beautiful" idea to have a Nobel Prize for excellence in GIScience. It's not such a far-fetched plan; the "so-called" Nobel Prize for Economics really is a prize for the social...

Musings on the revenge (and forgiveness) of geography.(Column)
June 1, 2005... In 1997, The Economist pronounced distance dead based on the astonishing development of telecommunications led by the Internet, cellular phones, wireless sensor webs, etc. If I can paraphrase Mark Twain, the "death of distance" announcement...

View standards as ecosystem entities.(Information and Communications Technology standards for geoprocessing components)
June 1, 2005... The world's information infrastructure is looking more like an ecosystem--an assemblage of interdependent organisms (systems) functioning as a unit with their environment (Internet, users, etc.). In the complex Information and...

Mobility matures: flexible platforms fit many fields.(use of geographic information systems)(Cover Story)
June 1, 2005... With increased scrutiny on technology spending and a demand for rapid return on investment, field-enabled solutions have gained prominence. Taking data into the field creates efficiencies, and data quality improves through field verification...

Bay Area Rapid Transit takes GIS power to the field.(geographic information systems)
June 1, 2005... In November 2003, the Bay Area Rapid Transit Police Department (BART PD) implemented a new mapping application to solve several data management, analysis and communications problems. The benefits resulting from the GIS project were such that...

Mapping an industrial wasteland: field survey sets path for environmental remediation.(Fieldwork)
June 1, 2005... IN 2004, as part of an environmental investigation of a site in New Jersey, Arcadis G & M was asked to conduct a field-reconnaissance survey. The 870-acre site consists of rugged forested areas, open areas overgrown with brush, abandoned...

Beyond island time: Telecom Fiji improves efficiency.(Telecommunications)
June 1, 2005... The Fiji Islands conjure up romantic images of sundrenched beaches, exotic jungles and quaint villages that have managed to remain untouched by the frantic pace of the outside world. Fiji has worked hard to preserve this air of calm and...

Avenza Systems Inc.(DATA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Avenza Systems released MAPdata World, a three-part set of royalty-free GIS map data covering the world at 1:15 million scale. The world vector dataset was created by XYZ Digital Map Co., an Avenza U.K. reseller, and was created/designed for...

Autodesk Inc.(DATA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Autodesk released Autodesk Civil 3D 2006, Autodesk Map 3D 2006, Autodesk Land Desktop 2006, Autodesk Survey 2006 and Autodesk Raster Design 2006 software products. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] www.autodesk.com

Boeing.(DATA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Boeing delivered the final installment of Digital Terrain Elevation Data to the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. www.boeing.com

ESRI.(DATA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... ESRI released an updated North American dataset for RouteMAP IMS 2.5. Users now can choose Tele Atlas' Dynamap Transportation, which provides street data, postal boundaries, landmarks and water features for the United States, Canada and Puerto...

Intermap Technologies.(DATA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Intermap Technologies' final Shuttle Radar Topography Mission data production delivery was accepted by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. www.intermap.com

NAVTEQ.(DATA)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... NAVTEQ released an enhanced map of Mexico, providing approximately 10,500 additional kilometers of roadway, including detailed coverage of Monterrey, Guadalupe and San Pedro Garza Garcia and more than 3,000 new points of interest residing on...

DeLorme.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... DeLorme released XMap OpenSpace Database Integration Kit, which allows users to automatically update geographic data within DeLorme's OpenSpace database. XMap OpenSpace Database Integration Kit is for use with XMap/GIS Editor. ...

DM Solutions Group Inc.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... DM Solutions Group and Orkney Inc. introduced the ability to output SVG file formats through MapServer, allowing cell-phone users in Japan to access location-based services through goSVG. www.dmsolutions.ca

Earthcomber LLC.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Earthcomber introduced new features for its freeware personal navigator that allow users to mark and share places on a map. Earthcomber version 1.2 lets users mark their favorite places on maps, either on Palm-powered devices or directly on the...

Earthmate.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Earthmate Image Tagger is a free module that relates photographs to the location at which they were acquired. Designed for use with DeLorme mapping software, Earthmate Image Tagger reads a GPS log generated by an Earthmate GPS or Blue Logger...

ESRI.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... ESRI shipped PLTS for ArcGIS 9 Defense Solution, which provides tools to reduce costs and improve the efficiency of creating and maintaining topographic databases for publishing professional map products and data analysis. ESRI also released...

GlobusData.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... GlobusData released a new version of HealthPlan Geographic, which helps health plans and other health-care organizations accomplish provider network configuration and analysis; address validation, searching and matching; map presentations and...

har*GIS.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... har*GIS Field Information Systems released Asset Maintainer, which helps move information stored in enterprise databases onto mobile field devices; and DisCo Mobile-View, a distribution operations and maintenance application designed for...

Hitachi Software Global Technology (HSGT).(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... HSGT introduced new functionality through its Any*GIS GeoAdapters. Built on OGC standards and open-systems architecture, Any*GIS is a multitiered interoperable framework that integrates multiple GIS data sources. www.hsgt.com

KHEOPS technologies.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... KHEOPS added support for ESRI's ArcSDE spatial storage technology to its Jmap software. www.kheops-tech.com

Laurel Hill GIS Inc.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Laurel Hill GIS released GeoData Sentry, an off-the-shelf software product for ArcGIS enterprise geodatabases that provides the ability to create custom testing environments. www.laurelhillgis.com

MapInfo Corp.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MapInfo released its MapInfo MapX Mobile application for Microsoft Windows Pocket PC software developers. With new functionality and support for handheld devices and standard development languages, MapX Mobile 5.0 enables organizations to...

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Intergraph released GeoMedia Grid 5.2, a fully integrated grid analysis toolkit for GeoMedia that provides seamless integration of vector and grid data formats for viewing and analysis. Intergraph also released GeoMedia Fusion, which automates...

MapText Inc.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MapText released SmartLabel 1.0, which integrates with MapInfo Professional and is designed to provide cartographic-quality label placement. www.maptext.com

Meteorlogix.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Meteorlogix launched an enhanced version of MxVision WeatherSentry Public Safety Edition. www.meteorlogix.com

Microsoft Corp.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Microsoft MapPoint Business Unit released Microsoft MapPoint Fleet Edition 2004, providing new licensing options for customers who locate, track and manage fleets with MapPoint 2004. Customers are only required to purchase a MapPoint Fleet...

MWH Soft.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... MWH Soft released a new version of InfoSWMM for power ArcGIS users. www.mwhsoft.com

NAVIGON.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... NAVIGON introduced MobileNavigatorl5 (MNI5), which provides increased ease-of-use, greater application reliability, optimized memory compression and universal applicability on all hardware. MNI5 software is available with maps for North...

TatukGIS.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... TatukGIS released the TatukGIS Editor, a desktop GIS editor supporting all the formats, features and functionality of the company's free Viewer as well as features to digitize/edit vector geometry and attributes; convert between vector file...

STAR INFORMATIC.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... STAR INFORMATIC's STAR ELEC applications for the power industry now feature native interaction with Oracle Spatial for the storage and management of vector, raster, attribute and text data. www.star.be

Telcontar.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Telcontar released Traffic Manager 3.0 for integrating real-time traffic flow and incident information into location-based services. Traffic Manager is designed to support traffic incident and flow information from multiple traffic data feed...

uismedia.(SOFTWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... New features in MapViewSVG version 4 support layers with chart symbology and the possibility to tile point layers as well as display attribute data as bar charts and group layers. www.mapviewsvg.com

Applanix.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Applanix introduced its new compact POS MV WaveMaster, which delivers six-degree-of-freedom position and orientation solutions in a rugged, compact form factor. All POS variables and timing information are available as motion compensation and...

DAP Technologies.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... DAP Technologies integrated a color 1.3 megapixel camera and flash into its rugged Microflex CE5000X computer unit. www.daptech.com

Getac Inc.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Getac introduced its Mobile-Force M220 Enova X-Wall 40-bit real-time cryptographic gateways, which are incorporated into the M220's motherboard to ensure that data encryption doesn't degrade the notebook's performance. [ILLUSTRATION...

Leica Geosystems.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Leica Geosystems released its Leica MNS1200, a new Machine Navigation Sensor for precise dynamic GPS guidance of machines, incorporating GPS positioning technology into a smaller, ruggedized case with internal shock mounts. ...

DAP Technologies.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... DAP Technologies expanded its Microflex product range by launching three new handheld computers: Microflex CE3240, Microflex CE5000X and Microflex 2240. www.daptech.com

Mio Technology Ltd.(HARDWARE)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Mio Technology introduced its Mio136 GPS navigation system combined with a street atlas of North America. www.miogps.com

Cadcorp.(MISC.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Cadcorp and Ricoh Corp. teamed to develop a complete hardware and software solution for ground-based geo-imaging applications. The solution is based on Ricoh's new Pro G3 GPS-ready digital camera and Cadcorp SIS digital mapping/GIS software. In...

ESRI.(MISC.)(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Unlocking the Census with GIS, a new title from ESRI Press, helps professionals and students make better use of census data by taking advantage of GIS technology. Readers don't need an extensive knowledge of GIS or any prior knowledge of census...

Leica Geosystems.(MISC.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The new Leica SmartStation integrates GPS and total-station functionality into a single package with common software, database, storage medium and user interface. All operating procedures for GPS and terrestrial surveying are carried out...

Topographic Inc.(MISC.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Topographic put together a set of mapping components, the GIS Starter Kit, that includes GIS software, base map data layers, a GPS handheld unit and onsite training. www.topographic.com

upFront.eZine Publishing Ltd.(MISC.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... upFront.eZine Publishing released What's Inside? AutoCAD 2006, a 96-page e-book published exclusively in Adobe Acrobat format. www.upfrontezine.com

Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).(MISC.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... With the release of its three newest titles, URISA's catalog of Quick Study publications now numbers 15. The three new publications are Building a Geographic Information System Community by Sharing Data by Janet Jackson and Paula Gee Davis;...

GeoTango International Corp.(MISC.)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... GeoTango International introduced its new See Anywhere Map Everywhere (SAME) technology, which uses satellite/aerial images and sensor networks to provide real-time or near-real-time monitoring, surveillance and mapping of critical...

BlueSky.(BUSINESSNEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... BlueSky created a series of contour maps, terrain models and perspective views from archived black-and-white aerial photography to aid site and infrastructure development for an export quarry and crushing works in Fiskefjord, West Greenland....

AND Automotive Navigation Data.(BUSINESSNEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... AND Automotive Navigation Data provided detailed digital maps of Central and Eastern Europe to TomTom. www.and.com

American Outland.(BUSINESSNEWS)(Global Mapper Software)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... American Outland was named a reseller of Global Mapper Software's Global Mapper product. www.american-outland.com

Avenza Systems Inc.(BUSINESSNEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... The Department of Geography at Memorial University of Newfoundland chose Avenza Systems' MAPublisher software for its cartography lab. www.avenza.com

Bentley Systems Inc.(BUSINESSNEWS)(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Three companies in the Public Service Enterprise Group adopted Bentley's ProjectWise products and services to create a managed environment for more than 225,000 documents and landbase records. Also, Dutch municipalities Deventer, Hengelo,...

Cadcorp.(BUSINESSNEWS)(Newtownabbey Borough Council )(Brief Article)
June 1, 2005... Newtownabbey Borough Council selected Cadcorp SIS to provide the basis for its first corporatewide GIS. www.cadcorp.com