GEO World articles from March 2005

GEO World archives from March 2005

"Map Mistakes" article discussed.(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... Susan Fowler might be delighted to know that her article, "Map Mistakes--Five Major Errors Unraveled" (see GeoWorld, January 2005, page 24), is being used as a discussion piece in my Advanced Cartography class here at Humboldt State University....

Is GIS' future really bright?(LETTERS)(Letter to the Editor)
March 1, 2005... I read Matt Ball's "Position" column regarding the future of GIS (see "GIS Skills in Demand," GeoWorld, November 2004, page 8). I wanted to ask him if he thinks the future is still as bright. I have been working with the state of...

Giving and taking Internet advancements.(popularity of the mapping service)
March 1, 2005... Created well before the Web's existence, the geospatial technology industry was founded on a central concept of the Internet: amassing digital data for search and discovery. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Converting data from analog to...

ESRI wins extension for Geospatial One-Stop enhancements.(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc.)
March 1, 2005... ESRI, the Redlands, Calif.-based company that created Geodata.gov, the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) portal for the U.S. Department of Interior, won a $2.4 million five-year contract for system enhancements. "There was a very intense...

Could disaster have been averted?(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... In a 10-year forecast of likely earthquake sites worldwide, the University of California, Davis, Center for Computational Science and Engineering identified the location of the earthquake that triggered the devastating Indian Ocean tsunami that...

A9.com Yellow Pages feature geocoded images.(Amazon.com Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... A9.com, a Palo Alto, Calif.-based spin-off of Amazon.com, launched a new search-engine directory that incorporates geocoded photos of business storefronts. The Block View feature offers a street-view image tied to business listings, allowing...

NGA to withdraw aeronautical maps from public access.(National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency)
March 1, 2005... By Oct. 1, 2005, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) intends to remove its Flight Information Publications (FLIP), Digital Aeronautical Flight Information File (DAFIF), and related aeronautical safety of navigation digital and...

www.ermapper.com.(ER Mapper, contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ER MAPPER A Michigan GIS Web site (found on the Web at www.rsgis.msu.edu) uses backdrops produced with ER Mapper products and incorporates statewide topographic, satellite and aerial imagery backdrops.

www.mapquest.com.(Intercontinental Hotels Group, MapQuest.Com Inc., contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... MAPQUEST SERVICES InterContinental Hotels Group selected the MapQuest Advantage API development environment to deploy online mapping, routing and location search capabilities for its portfolio of hotel brands. InterContinental Hotels have...

www.mcelhanney.com.(new service from Mcelhanney Consulting Services Ltd.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... MCELHANNEY CONSULTING SERVICES LTD. (MCSL) MCSL introduced digital airphotos of Vancouver, Whistler, Vancouver Island and the Fraser Valley, British Columbia, to golf courses via the Web at www.MapsByAir.com. The color airphotos from...

www.real-estate-web-software.com.(InternetsRus, RealEZ, partnership)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... REALEZ RealEZ formed a business alliance with InternetsRus under its Internet Strategic Alliance Partner Program. As part of the program, a Web site for RealEZ was launched.

www.sialtd.com.(Adur District Council, Isle of Wight Council, contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... SIA LTD. Adur District Council and Isle of Wight Council went live with Web mapping portals (www.adur.gov.uk/map) powered by SIA's dataMAP GIS Internet Browser. The portals allow public access to a range of council information via digital...

www.toshiba.com.(Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... TOSHIBA DIGITAL PRODUCTS DIVISION Toshiba's Digital Products Division, a division of Toshiba America Information Systems Inc., added nearly 500 new Wi-Fi hotspots offered nationwide through its MyConnect Internet access service network.

ucatlas.ucsc.edu/home.html.(services of University of California)
March 1, 2005... UC ATLAS OF GLOBAL INEQUALITY The University of California (UC) Atlas of Global Inequality explores some aspects of inequality using online, downloadable maps and graphics. All the materials can be used freely, providing they're attributed...

BAE Systems.(Mark E. Sarojak appointed at BAE SYSTEMS North America)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... BAE Systems named Mark E. Sarojak sales director for the Americas, representing the company's Geospatial eXploitation Products (GXP), which consist of VITec, SOCET SET and SOCET GXP. Sarojak will focus on expanding the U.S. sales force and...

EarthData.(Martin Roche appointed at EarthData International)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... EarthData appointed Martin Roche to head the organization's GIS operations in Orlando, Fla., and New York City. Roche will develop EarthData's GIS service offerings and lead the organization's expansion into new GIS markets. ...

GeoAnalytics.(John Leonard appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... John Leonard joined GeoAnalytics to coordinate business development and account management for the south-central region out of Austin, Texas. Leonard will be responsible for supporting the firm's regional client base through analytical work and...

GeoDecisions.(John W. Banning appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... GeoDecisions named John W. Banning GIS analyst for the firm's Austin, Texas, office, responsible for supporting the company's regional government client base in Austin. He also will perform project-management duties and application development....

Innoprise Software.(Cristina Shams appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Cristina Shams joined Innoprise Software's sales team in a dual capacity as a product specialist for the customer information system, work management and community development applications and as a regional sales representative based in the...

The International Map Trade Association.(Bruce McGurty appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The International Map Trade Association (IMTA) elected Bruce McGurty to the position of IMTA (Asia Pacific) president. www.maptrade.org

The National States Geographic Information Council.(Cy Smith appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The National States Geographic Information Council appointed Cy Smith, state GIS coordinator for the state of Oregon, to serve as its representative on the GIS Certification Institute's board of directors. www.gisci.org

Plexis Group.(Scott Stephens appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Plexis Group promoted Scott Stephens to vice president, responsible for managing the company's public and private partnerships. www.plexisgroup.com

Tadpole-Cartesia.(Ian Martin appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Tadpole-Cartesia appointed Ian Martin as executive account manager for its utilities business in North American markets. Martin is charged with the further development of Tadpole-Cartesia's revenues from utility industries through enhanced...

Woolpert LLP.(Rex Cowden, Paul Grodecki, Mark Haberstroh, Leo Flischel appointed)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Woolpert LLP was incorporated on Jan. 1, 2005. New officers for Woolpert Inc. include Rex Cowden, CEO; Paul Grodecki, chief operations officer; Mark Haberstroh, chief financial officer; and Leo Flischel, chair of the board. ...

Air-Trak names White president and CEO.(PEOPLELINK)(Greg White )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Air-Trak Inc., developer of the Cloudberry Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking and communications system, named Greg White president and CEO. White, who had been serving as interim CEO since August 2004, brings experience in early stage...

Plan adds tsunami funding for global monitoring system.
March 1, 2005... Leaders developing a global "system of systems" to monitor conditions on the planet unveiled plans to expand tsunami detection and warning capabilities for the project. The Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) represents an...

"Eyes" and "ears" meet as agencies collaborate.(united states. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Key representatives of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which provides geospatial intelligence in support of national security, and the National Security Agency (NSA), which focuses on signals/communications intelligence,...

USGS focuses on California landslides, tsunami response.(United States. Geological Survey)
March 1, 2005... Heavy rains inundated California in early 2005, causing landslides and deaths. To reduce the loss of lives and property damage, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) kept state and local emergency planners aware of conditions through a series of...

Baltimore's inner harbor hosts ASPRS Annual Conference.(American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing)
March 1, 2005... "Geospatial Goes Global: From Your Neighborhood to the Whole Planet" is the theme of this year's American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) Annual Conference set for March 7-11, 2005, at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront...

MapInfo's MapWorld moves to Miami.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... MapInfo Corp. will host MapWorld 2005, its annual global user conference, from April 6-8, 2005, at the Sonesta Beach Resort in Miami. The three-day conference will bring together hundreds of MapInfo experts, customers and industry...

Denver meeting "kicks off" AAG's second century.(Association of American Geographers, United Nations Foundation)(Barry Lopez, Timothy Wirth, Chip Groat)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Barry Lopez, National Book Award winning author of Arctic Dreams; Timothy Wirth, current president of the United Nations Foundation; and Chip Groat, director of the U.S. Geological Survey, will address the more than 5,000 attendees expected at...

The "G" in GIS: what can we learn from Google's success?(geographic information systems)(Column)
March 1, 2005... When Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Tom Friedman wrote in the New York Times last year "Is Google God?", the response he got was "Is Friedman an Idiot?" (www.google-watch.org/friedman.html). Obviously, not everybody was taking Friedman's...

Making space for mapped data.(BEYOND MAPPING)(Column)
March 1, 2005... The last three "Beyond Mapping" columns investigated two dominant forces that are driving traditional GIS and statistics toward map analysis. Spatial analysis extends the representation of geographic space from discrete sets of point, line and...

Can GIS and geopolitics prevent war?(geographic information systems)
March 1, 2005... According to recent articles on the Web and in The New Yorker, the Bush Administration is conducting clandestine reconnaissance operations in Iran with a view toward pre-emptive strikes on nuclear facilities. Geopolitics seems to be back in the...

A cultural revolution in the making.(DIGITAL PHOTOGRAMMETRY)(Column)
March 1, 2005... As history would attest, an ideological or technical revolution would fade fast into a fad unless a cultural revolution also soon followed. The most unnoticed example is perhaps the desktop computer, which at one time was called the personal...

Epidemic preparedness: GIS mapping detects outbreaks; Michigan health workers are implementing a system of animal and human disease surveillance that utilizes GIS mapping capabilities to detect outbreaks more rapidly.(Disease Control)(geographic information system)(Cover Story)
March 1, 2005... Animal disease surveillance and tracking systems help in early detection of health threats. This is significant, because animals provide early indication of human outbreaks, and animals and animal products supply more than $100 billion in...

Map scale: a guide to practicing ethical GIS.(geographic information system, Urban and Regional Information Systems Association )
March 1, 2005... The centerpiece of the new GIS Professional (GISP) certification program initiated by the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) and now operating under the auspices of the GIS Certification Institute (GISCI) is a formal...

An ASP in the forest: Web-based application aids land management.(application service provider)
March 1, 2005... The Web spawned a new business model focused on hosting software applications and services via the Internet and then providing users with access to data and functionality online. Known as the Application Service Provider (ASP) model, this...

Enterprise GIS: if you build it, it will fund.
March 1, 2005... Electric and gas utilities have used maps for years to locate transformers, land holdings, pipes and wires; analyze leaks and electrical outages; manage evacuation of nuclear plants; and plan for the future. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] It...

GfK MACON ag.(DATA)
March 1, 2005... GfK MACON's digital maps of Taiwan were updated, including the administrative boundaries of 25 counties and 369 districts as well as 365 three-digit post-code areas. All areas have been attributed in Chinese as well as the phonetic...

NAVTEQ.(DATA)
March 1, 2005... NAVTEQ now offers detailed coverage for all of France, including almost the whole French population, 1.4 million kilometers of roads, 544,000 square kilometers of land, 36,600 towns and villages, and more than 324,000 points of interest. Also,...

BAE Systems.(PRODUCTNEWS)
March 1, 2005... BAE Systems released SOCET SET version 5.2, its digital photogrammetric software application. The new version delivers increased productivity through processes such as the SOCET for ArcGIS module, which provides 3-D feature collection...

Applanix.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Applanix released Service Pack 1 for its POSPac 4.2 post-processing software. The service pack is aimed at airborne and land-based POS (Position and Orientation System) users operating sensors such as aerial cameras, LIDAR, Synthetic Aperture...

Avenza Systems Inc.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Avenza Systems released MAPublisher 6.1 for Adobe Illustrator. New functionality includes joining points based on attribute values, the ability to copy coordinates of a known point location and the ability to rotate point symbols based on...

Blue Marble Geographics.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Blue Marble Geographics released a new version of its coordinate conversion software, Geographic Calculator 6.2, which is available free to customers with active annual support agreements. www.bluemarblegeo.com

Curious Software.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Curious Software released version 2.6 of Curious gFx Pro and gFx Pro+, its raster paint, rotoscoping and re-touch software packages. The releases include new features and improvements in functionality and user interface, including project...

ER Mapper.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... ER Mapper released a JPEG 2000-compatible version of its free ECW image-viewing software, ER Viewer, which allows users to efficiently view large multi-terabyte ECW and JPEG 2000 images. www.ermapper.com

Exor.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Exor introduced its ePAQ mobile computing software for PDA use. Remote site inspection now can be completed and validated onsite and fed back to the administration center through a two-way online data feed, eliminating the need for paper-based...

GeoAnalytics Inc.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Varion Systems, the software development and value-added reseller division of GeoAnalytics, released PV.Web 2.1. Enhancements include large-format printing, improved zoom-in and zoom-out tools, dynamic measuring tools, and a more robust...

GlobeXplorer.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... GlobeXplorer and Telemorphic Inc. released Maplmager for ImageConnect, which allows ArcGIS users to perform interactive image or map comparisons within the ArcMap environment. With one button, users can toggle between blend, swipe, change-bands...

INPHO GmbH.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... INPHO launched DTMaster software for quality assurance of large digital terrain mapping (DTM) projects created by LIDAR systems or MATCH-T software. Efficient visual data checking is possible in mono (optionally in stereo) by overlaying DTM...

Laurel Hill GIS Inc.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Laurel Hill GIS introduced a "Three-Use Trial" for its GeoData Diagnostics, an off-the-shelf software product for ESRI's ArcGIS personal and enterprise geodatabases. GeoData Diagnostics allows users to compare structures and properties of two...

MWH Soft Inc.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... MWH Soft released InfoSWMM for ArcGIS, which integrates the needs of GIS and wastewater engineering professionals. www.mwhsoft.com

Spicer Corp.(SOFTWARE)
March 1, 2005... Spicer released ViewCafe for FileNet P8, a universal viewing and markup tool that integrates into FileNet's enhanced customer-management solution to access electronic documents in the FileNet repository. www.spicer.com

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions.(Hardware)
March 1, 2005... Intergraph introduced its Z/I Mouse, a high-precision 3-D mouse that simplifies data digitizing and capture of stereo data for input into photogrammetric processes. The new mouse is shipping with the company's redesigned Z/I Imaging...

Matrox Graphics Inc.(Hardware)
March 1, 2005... Matrox Graphics and Xi Graphics released Matrox ParheliaT, Millennium P-Series and QID display drivers for the LinuxR (Red Hat, SuSE and Mandrake) operating system as well as Sun Solaris x86 (versions 8, 9 and 10). www.matrox.com

Trimble.(PRODUCTNEWS)
March 1, 2005... Trimble introduced a new version of its TrimTrac' locator. Redesigned in a water-resistant housing, the new TrimTrac locator has an expanded feature set that includes on-demand polling, motion-based or scheduled reporting, and other enhanced...

Pharos.(MISC.)
March 1, 2005... Pharos introduced its EZ Road Pocket GPS Navigator, which is approximately the size of a pack of cigarettes and weighs less than five ounces. Like all Pharos devices, it uses proprietary Ostia software with GPS satellite data and digital street...

Bentley Systems Inc.(Foster and Partners received BE Award of Excellence)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Foster and Partners won a BE Award of Excellence nomination. Also, as an extension of the company's "You Deserve Better" program, students and educators can download MicroStation PowerDraft software at no cost. www.bentley.com

C Tech Development Corp.(donation of software)
March 1, 2005... C Tech Development established a grant program to provide free and reduced-cost licenses of its software to organizations directly working on issues related to the December 2004 tsunami. www.ctech.com

Cimmetry Systems.(the winner of a Wow! award)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Cimmetry Systems' AutoVue 18 application was chosen as one of Cadalyst's top product picks for 2004 and winner of a Wow! award. www.cimmetry.com

Airborne 1 Corp.(agreement with Johns Hopkins University. Applied Physics Laboratory)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Airborne 1 is licensed to sell QT Modeler and QT Reader, 3-D visualization software that enables laser-terrain mapping professionals and clients to visualize LiDAR data. The software was developed by Johns Hopkins University's Applied Physics...

Digital Information Systems Inc.(agreement with EmergiTech Inc.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Digital Information Systems and Emergitech deployed complete E-911 mapping systems in Iowa, Calhoun and Mitchell counties in Iowa. The data are maintained via mobile GPS by county personnel and edited for specifics inhouse. www.plsdis.com

DigitalGlobe.(Arkansas Geographic Information Office)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... DigitalGlobe's QuickBird satellite imagery was used by the Arkansas Geographic Information Office to prepare for the Clinton Presidential Library opening. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] www.digitalglobe.com

ER Mapper.(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Michigan State University Remote Sensing & Geographic Information Science Research and Outreach Services is completing a ground-water management project that creates county mosaics from USGS Digital Orthophoto Quarter Quad images of Michigan...

eSpatial Solutions Ltd.(NAVTEQ partnership, joint venture with National University of Ireland National Centre for Geocomputation)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... eSpatial Solutions and NAVTEQ partnered to demonstrate the advanced capabilities of NAVTEQ data delivered using eSpatial's iSMART platform and hosted on Oracle 10g. Also, eSpatial Solutions and the National University of Ireland's National...

ESRI.(Environmental Systems Research Institute Inc.)(donations, contracts)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... During the recent combined GIScience 2004 conference and annual Assembly of the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, ESRI donated 23 Student Travel Scholarships, two Young Scholars Awards and 15 Student Software Grants....

GeoAnalytics Inc.(Oneida County uses PV.Web 2.1)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Oneida County hired Varion Systems, the software development and value-added reseller division of GeoAnalytics, to implement PV.Web 2.1 to provide county staff with intranet access to GIS data. www.geoanalytics.com

Geographic Technologies Group (GTG).(contracts)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... GTG opened its Portland regional office; the village of Wellington, Fla., contracted with SunGard HTE and business partner GTG to provide an ESRI ArcIMS-based mapping solution called LookingGlass Web; and the city of Lexington, N.C., awarded...

GeoTango International Corp.(PCI Geomatics contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... PCI Geomatics integrated GeoTango's SmartDigitizer technology for semi-automated feature extraction. Users can digitize vectors from a variety of image sources, including high- and low-resolution satellite imagery, aerial photos, optical...

GIS Certification Institute (GISCI).(endorsement of geographic information systems)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... The North Carolina Geographic Information Coordinating Council became the first state to endorse the GISCI certification program. www.gisci.org

Innoprise Software.(Wisconsin's St. Croix Valley Natural Gas contract )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Wisconsin's St. Croix Valley Natural Gas contracted with Innoprise Software for new enterprise software that will replace the utility's legacy system. The gas company purchased Innoprise CIS, Financials and Work Management software along with...

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions.(Telefonica de Espana contract)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Telefonica de Espana chose Intergraph's G/Comms technology for communications utility geofacilities management as the enabling core for its Geospatial Resource Management system. Also, Intergraph won a contract to provide an outage and mobile...

Laser-Scan.(Ordnance Survey Great Britain contracts)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Laser-Scan will extend its support for all Ordnance Survey (OS) Great Britain customers migrating to OS MasterMap. Also, Dartford Borough Council is using Laser Scan's Radius Topology PAI Wrapper to ensure its data are fit for purpose following...

LiDAR Services International (LSI).(contracts)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... LSI, in association with Ground Data Solutions, is providing LiDAR data collection and processing services to support a major project in Borneo, Indonesia. LSI also commenced a LiDAR survey in Ecuador for an engineering company working on a new...

MapInfo Corp.(Marco's Inc. contract)(MapInfo E9-1-1)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Marco's Franchising selected MapInfo's Smart Site Solutions to provide market and real estate intelligence for the restaurant chain's national expansion and ongoing growth. In addition, MapInfo's E9-1-1 solution is the first submission to...

ORBIMAGE Inc.(services)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... ORBIMAGE has been dedicating satellite imagery collection time over South Asia for the collection of high-resolution imagery of areas affected by the December 2004 tsunami. In support of U.S. government relief efforts and research on the deadly...

NAVTEQ Corp.(prearranged stock-trading plan)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... NAVTEQ's president and CEO, Judson C. Green, adopted a prearranged stock-trading plan that was adopted in accordance with the guidelines specified under Rule 10b5-1 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which permits the adoption of written,...

NovaLIS Technologies.(NovaLIS Land Development Office)
March 1, 2005... Richmond County, N.C., went "live" with NovaLIS Land Development Office in January 2005. www.novalistech.com

OriginLab Corp.(new academic pricing option to share Origin 7.5 software )(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... OriginLab introduced a new academic pricing option that allows professors and academic researchers to share Origin 7.5 software with others within their department. www.originlab.com

Pictometry International Corp.(contract with public safety agencies)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Monroe County, N.Y., Sheriff's Office and the Gwinnett County, Ga., Fire Department become the first public-safety agencies in the country to deploy Pictometry's new touch-screen interface with their countywide image databases on mobile laptop...

Spatial Business Systems Inc.(relocates)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Spatial Business Systems relocated to an upgraded office suite within the Lake Plaza Center in Lakewood, Colo., adjacent to the Denver Federal Center. www.spatialbiz.com

Trimble.(Trimble Navigation Ltd. acquires Pacific Crest Corp.)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... Trimble entered a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Pacific Crest Corp. in a cash transaction. Pacific Crest supplies wireless data communication systems for positioning and environmental monitoring applications. [ILLUSTRATION...

Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).(shareholder of Steering Committee of the Federal Geographic Data Committee)(Brief Article)
March 1, 2005... URISA was accepted as a stakeholder on the Steering Committee of the Federal Geographic Data Committee, a national consortium working to advance policy and standards for development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure. ...