GEO World articles from November 2003

GEO World archives from November 2003

Geotechnology slides and leaps.(Position)
November 1, 2003... The geotechnology industry has had a tumultuous year. A slower economy has put greater pressure on the industry. The continued troubles in telecommunication and electric utilities have caused some shakeout and consolidation in that sector....

Utilities automation technology shows ongoing recovery.(Newslink)
November 1, 2003... New Orleans-based InfoNetrix, a technical market-research firm focused on utility and energy automation markets, continues to report strong project activity--a record 397 projects valued at $123.5 million--in its recently published Q2-2003...

Autodesk DWF Targets Acrobat PDF.(Newslink)
November 1, 2003... San Rafael-based Autodesk kicked off an aggressive marketing campaign to promote use of its Design Web Format (DWF) over San Jose, Calif.-based Adobe Systems' Portable Document Format (PDF) for engineering and design documents. The move fits...

GIS vendors form enterprise interoperability initiative.(Newslink)
November 1, 2003... Autodesk, Intergraph, MapInfo and Laser-Scan announced a joint initiative to facilitate and promote enterprise interoperability. The team will enable their respective off-the-shelf products to interoperate more seamlessly via Oracle Spatial....

DigitalGlobe wins $500 million NIMA contract.(Newslink)
November 1, 2003... Longmont, Colo.-based DigitalGlobe won a contract in excess of $500 million from the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) to assure the availability of imagery from "next-generation," commercial high-resolution imaging satellites. ...

Corda Technologies, Lindon, Utah.(Online Update)
November 1, 2003... http://www.corda.com Australia's Tourism Queensland integrated Corda Technologies' PopChart to help it visualize sales data in real time. The raw sales data are pulled off databases and presented in a Web-based browser that displays charts...

ESRI, Redlands, Calif.(Online Update)
November 1, 2003... http://www.esri.com ESRI's Web site has a new design and offers a new showcase for GIS users. The redesign features a new tab interface, building on usability testing and feedback to improve information accessibility. By simplifying and...

Maporama, Paris.(Online Update)
November 1, 2003... http://www.maporama.com Maporama's new Web site features detailed maps and door-to-door itineraries. The site's "look and feel" was revamped, and visitors can change the size of displayed maps to match their needs and/or screen.

MapQuest, Dulles, VA.(Online Update)
November 1, 2003... http://www.mapquest.com MapQuest will map-enable the community calendar platform used by many of Gannett Co.'s newspapers nationwide. The license agreement enables Gannett's individual newspapers to expand the mapping and routing...

Maptech, Amesbury, Mass.(Online Update)
November 1, 2003... http://www.outdoornavigator.com Maptech's Outdoor Navigator delivers detailed topographic maps and nautical charts for mobile adventurers who use handheld personal digital assistants. Outdoor Navigator lets users pick and download maps and...

Tele Atlas, Menlo Park, Calif.(Online Update)
November 1, 2003... http://www.na.teleatlas.com Coleman, a manufacturer of outdoor recreation products, selected Tele Atlas as its map data provider for Coleman's Outernet, which offers an online mapping tool for outdoor travel and activity planning, making...

Aerial Acquisition Group Inc. (AAG), Huntsville, Ala.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.aagflight.com AAG opened an office in Toronto and appointed W.R. Thuma as vice president, responsible for further developing survey business in the airborne geophysics arena.

Cadcorp, Stevenage, United Kingdom.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.cadcorp.com Cadcorp announced two new appointments to the company's board of directors. Martin McGarry was named director, sales and marketing, and Trevor Armstrong was appointed financial director.

CipherOptics Inc., Raleigh, N.C.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.cipheroptics.com CipherOptics added two new members to its board of directors, Gerald G. Garbacz of G3 LLC and Scott T. Jones of Origin Partners. The company also added Samuel McKay of Axiom Venture Partners to its board of...

Geolnformatics, Emmeloord, The Netherlands.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.geoinformatics.com GeoInformatics, an international magazine for geoinformation and information technology professionals, appointed Jeff J. Thurston editor, responsible for overall magazine content and production.

Haestad Methods, Waterbury, Conn.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.haestad.com Wayne Hartell was appointed to lead the sales, marketing and research team for Asia and Western Pacific.

Kinetic Solutions LLC, St. Louis.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.kineticsolutions.net Kinetic Solutions named Hector Cervantes senior GIS consultant for the company's Geospatial Services Division. Cervantes' key responsibility will be to guide clients through the GIS design and implementation...

Leica Geosystems, Heerbrugg, Switzerland.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://gis.leica-geosystems.com John Asaro joined Leica Geosystems as vice president, marketing, for the Americas, assuming responsibility for all aspects of marketing for Leica Geosystems' Survey and Engineering Division in North and...

Navigation Technologies, Chicago.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.navtech.com Navigation Technologies appointed Winston Guillory Jr. as senior vice president, North American sales. He will be based in the company's Chicago headquarters and report to Judson Green, president and CEO.

NovaLIS Technologies, Charlotte, N.C.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.novalistech.com Neil Benoit joined the company as northeastern regional sales manager, responsible for coverage of the New England states as well as New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and...

Sanborn.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.sanborn.com Sanborn appointed Louie G. "Lou" Bush as regional sales manager for the southeast.

Woolpert LLP, Columbus, Ohio.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... http://www.woolpert.com John Haley joined Woolpert's Columbus office as a site/civil design group manager, responsible for working with existing clients to develop profitable solutions for engineering design challenges. In addition, Haley...

Geological Survey of Canada.(Internet Resource of the Month)
November 1, 2003... http://sts.gsc.nrcan.gc.ca The Geological Survey of Canada Web site helps viewers browse online documents, query databases, access educational products and scientific material, view online maps, explore collections of images, investigate...

Intergraph's new CEO speaks to strengths and strategy.(People Link)
November 1, 2003... In late July 2003, Intergraph Corp. announced that Halsey Wise was selected to be the company's new president and CEO. Wise succeeds Jim Taylor, who announced plans to retire in fall 2002. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "The board conducted a...

Federal agencies track isabel and aftermath.(Government Connection)
November 1, 2003... When Hurricane Isabel hit U.S. shores in September 2003, few were caught off guard. Government observers and media forecasters had been watching the storm for several days and warning the public about Isabel's dangers well in advance. But after...

USDA moving forward with digital imagery project.(Government Connection)
November 1, 2003... The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) continues to work toward its goal of moving from analog content to digital content in its National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP). The switch to digital should help the...

D.C. provides citizens tools for emergency planning.(Government Connection)
November 1, 2003... As it struggled with the effects of Hurricane Isabel in September 2003, the District of Columbia unveiled a Web-based Emergency Information Center (EIC) that district officials describe as a centralized, comprehensive source of...

Passion and policy play at NSGIC meeting.(Conference Connection)
November 1, 2003... The annual gathering of the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) drew an enthusiastic group of state geographic coordinators as well as representatives from federal agencies and industry. The 13th annual event was held Sept....

NPS to present Spatial Odyssey 2003.(Conference Connection)
November 1, 2003... The National Park Service (NPS), Washington, D.C., is hosting Spatial Odyssey 2003, "Grounded in Technology," a servicewide conference on GIS and related technology being held Dec. 1-5, 2003, in Orlando, Fla. The conference will provide NPS...

Czech Republic hosts Digital Earth Symposium.(Conference Connection)
November 1, 2003... Digital Earth 2003, held Sept. 22-25 in Brno, Czech Republic, brought together 250 participants representing government organizations, national mapping agencies, academic and research organizations, and GIS and remote-sensing suppliers...

Traditional approaches can't characterize overland flow.(Beyond Mapping)
November 1, 2003... Common sense suggests that "water flows downhill," but the corollary is "... but not always the same way." Similarly, overland flow modeling in a GIS is more complicated than simply choosing the steepest downhill path. [FIGURE 1 OMITTED]...

GIS helps estimate populations at risk.(The "G" in GIS)
November 1, 2003... A quiet revolution is taking place in population geography. GIS is helping build new databases, and they, in turn, are affecting all sorts of geographic applications. They're especially important in estimating populations at risk in natural...

GIS is a cornerstone in understanding tax exposure.(Readers' Forum)
November 1, 2003... More than 7,500 cities, counties and special taxing jurisdictions collect sales, use and excise taxes in the United States. Determining whether a local taxing jurisdiction is owed these taxes and fees depends on accurately determining whether...

Restoring Eden: GIS helps repair marshlands in Iraq.(Response and Recovery)(Cover Story)
November 1, 2003... WHEN I WAS JUST A SMALL BOY, MY FATHER WOULD TAKE ME ON CANOE RIDES THROUGH THE MESOPOTAMIAN MARSHLANDS OF SOUTHERN IRAQ. AS WE PADDLED SLOWLY ALONG WINDING NARROW CANALS BORDERED BY LUSH 15-FOOT-HIGH REEDS, I REMEMBER ENCOUNTERING A SURPRISE...

Ace in the hole: integrating LIDAR, simulations and visualizations.(GIS Development)
November 1, 2003... IMAGINE THAT YOU ARE A GIS PROGRAM MANAGER charged with providing meaningful demonstrations of your group's work. Suppose there's public interest in seeing all the data you've been collecting from different sources: legacy applications,...

Native Americans embrace geotechnology.(Cultural Resource Management)
November 1, 2003... ON THE HIGH PLAINS OF WESTERN SOUTH DAKOTA, a group of Lakota (Sioux) Native Americans are refining a new vision of the future that's a surprising mix of traditional wisdom and modern spatial technologies. Indigenous people's values, worldview,...

GIS and knowledge management: explore the intersections.(Industry Outlook)
November 1, 2003... HOW DOES GIS RELATE TO KNOWLEDGE management (KM)? The fields are related in important ways, and there are significant benefits in better understanding and working with the technologies. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Because the terms are used...

DMTI Spatial, Markham, Ontario, Canada.(Data)
November 1, 2003... http://www.dmtispatial.com DMTI Spatial launched CanMap v7.2, which features more than 40,000 building footprints for major urban centers across Canada, including Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, Toronto, Hamilton-Niagara, London,...

Blue Marble Geographics, Gardiner, Maine.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.bluemarblegeo.com Blue Marble Geographics released a new version of its Geographic Calculator that introduces support for custom local coordinate systems using a polynomial "best-fit" method that links a local system to a...

Bureau Toposcopie, Doorwerth, The Netherlands.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.toposcopy.com Bureau Toposcopie released version 4 of its Toposcopy programs. The software is more user friendly through automation of some error-susceptible procedures, an increase in context-sensitive help and better use of...

Cadcorp, Stevenage, United Kingdom.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.cadcorp.com Cadcorp SIS version 6.1 offers users access to the latest Open GIS Consortium Web Mapping standard: Web Map Context documents. The Web Map Context 1.0 Specification builds on the OpenGIS Web Map Service 1.1.1...

The CEDRA Corp., Rochester, N.Y.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.cedra.com The CEDRA Corp. released CEDRA AVland, a civil engineering software package that expands ESRI's ArcGIS into land development, site development, parcel/tax mapping, roadway, sewer, drainage and water-distribution...

DM Solutions Group Inc., Ottawa.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.dmsolutions.ca DM Solutions Group upgraded MapServer, its open-source Web mapping technology. Version 4.0 includes implementations of the Open GIS Consortium (OGC) Web Map Context and Web Feature Service specifications as well...

Idan Computers Ltd., Azur, Israel.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.idan.com Idan Computers released its Oblivision software, an image-analysis tool designed to combine the accuracy of orthophotos (top-down images) with the detail of oblique (inclined) photos.

MapInfo Corp., Troy, N.Y.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.mapinfo.com MapInfo released MapInfo Professional version 7.5, the company's enterprise mapping and analysis solution. This new version supports Open GIS Consortium standards for Web Mapping Service, enabling users to access...

PCI Geomatics, Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.pcigeomatics.com PCI Geomatics released Geomatica 9 for PC and Unix platforms, offering new hyperspectral data tools as well as data compression technology developed in cooperation with the Canadian Space Agency. After one year...

Telemorphic Inc., Berkeley, Calif.(Software)
November 1, 2003... http://www.telemorphic.com Telemorphic released MapImager, an extension to ESRI's ArcGIS software that adds easy-to-use geographic imaging and visualization capabilities. MapImager includes tools that provide the ability to quickly compare...

HP, Palo Alto, Calif.(Hardware)
November 1, 2003... http://www.hp.com The HP Workstation zx2000 now includes the Low-Voltage Intel Itanium 2 1.0GHz processor with 1.5MB L3 memory cache. The enhanced HP Workstation zX2000 provides up to a 10 percent increase in application performance.

TerraPoint LLC, the Woodlands, Texas.(Hardware)
November 1, 2003... http://www.terrapoint.com TerraPoint introduced its upgraded Airborne Laser Topographic Mapping System (ALTMS), incorporating five technical advancements. TerraPoint increased the ALTMS shot rate from 20 KHz to 40KHz, allowing the system...

Bentley Systems, Exton, PA.(Miscellaneous)
November 1, 2003... http://www.bentley.com The Bentley Institute added virtual classrooms to its training subscription program, providing live, instructor-led training via the Web. Also, Bentley Systems released Bentley PowerSurvey, which is compatible with...

East View Cartographic, Minneapolis, Minn.(Miscellaneous)
November 1, 2003... http://www.cartographic.com East View Cartographic published Terrain Analysis of Afghanistan, the first in a series of books that will be followed by similar geographic analyses for countries such as Pakistan, Iran, Iraq, China and others....

Haestad Methods, Waterbury, Conn.(Miscellaneous)
November 1, 2003... http://www.haestad.com Haestad Press, the publishing arm of Haestad Methods, released Stormwater Conveyance Modeling and Design, a textbook for practical stormwater modeling, by S. Rocky Durrans.

InfoNetrix, New Orleans.(Miscellaneous)
November 1, 2003... http://www.infonetrix.com InfoNetrix, a technical market-research firm focused on utility and energy automation markets, continues to report strong project activity--a record 397 projects valued at $123.5 million--in its recently published...

Aerial Acquisition Group Inc. (AAG), Huntsville, ALA.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.aagflight.com AAG opened an office in Toronto to service the airborne geophysics marketplace, a worldwide market that focuses on wide-area data acquisition in the search for minerals and oil and gas. To submit information...

And Products B.V., Rotterdam, The Netherlands.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.and.com BEA Systems Inc. named AND as a Star Partner in the BEA Star Partner Program. AND is using the BEA WebLogic Enterprise Platform as a foundation for its Web Services-driven solution, GeoAccess.

Applied Geo Technologies Inc. (AGT), Choctaw, Miss.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.appliedgeotech.com AGT and Leica Geosystems are working with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians (MBCI) to complete its 2002 Demographic Survey/Census. AGT is managing the collection, integration and analysis of the data for...

@Road Inc., Fremont, Calif.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.road.com Nextel Communications added @Road Pathway to its mobility service applications for workers in the field. @Road Pathway enables companies to verify routes, stops and work schedules. The solution is available on Nextel's...

Avatech Solutions Inc., Baltimore.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.avatechsolutions.com Avatech Solutions announced several strategic vendor partnerships that enable it to launch a total infrastructure and facilities management (FM) practice. Avatech now is authorized to sell products and...

Bentley Systems Inc., Exton, PA.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.bentley.com The Utah Department of Transportation implemented Bentley Systems' Digital InterPlot to streamline engineering operations, project management and electronic bid solicitation. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Boeing Co., St. Louis.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.boeing.com Boeing leads the team selected for the next stage of the Softcopy Search development program managed by the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA). The program's objective is to demonstrate a technology that can...

Brainbench, Chantilly, VA.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://brainbench.com A new study from Brainbench mapped out the global distribution of skilled knowledge workers. Called the Global Skills IQ 2003 Report, the research provides a country-by-country ranking in nine categories, including...

DigitalGlobe, Longmont, Colo.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.digitalglobe.com DigitalGlobe plans to install a ground station in Wilkes-Barre, Penn., to receive data from the QuickBird high-resolution imaging satellite. Scheduled to be operational by the end of third-quarter 2003, the...

DM Solutions Group Inc., Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.dmsolutions.ca DM Solutions Group won a GeoInnovations contract to develop inter-active cartography tools that work with the emerging Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI). GeoInnovations is one of the programs funded...

DMTI Spatial, Markham, Ontario, Canada.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.dmtispatial.com Following a successful pilot program with World Wildlife Fund Canada, DMTI Spatial is launching its new charity program called Geospatial Resources Assisting Charitable Enterprises (GRACE).

ESRI, Redlands, Calif.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.esri.com The Atlantic Mutual Insurance Co. integrated ESRI's GIS technology into its underwriting application. Also, software developed by ESRI and SAS helped guide the search for debris from the Space Shuttle Columbia after it...

ESRI Canada, Toronto.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.esricanada.com The Department of National Defence's Mapping and Charting Establishment (MCE) was presented with an Award of Excellence at ESRI Canada's annual ESRI Regional User conference in Ottawa. The award recognized how...

EXOR Corp., Fairfax, VA.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.exorcorp.com Cambridge Systematics and Exor, under contract with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT), jointly developed synchronization software between their respective bridge-management systems in use at KDOT.

Geographic Technologies Group (GTG), Goldsboro, N.C.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.geotg.com GTG won a contract from the city of Midland, Mich., to develop a GIS Development Plan. The three-month project will include a GIS Needs Assessment and development of a Phased Implementation Plan.

Geo InSight International Inc., Carpinteria, Calif.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.geoinsight.com Geo InSight International teamed with Genesys International Corp. to enhance the access and use of the Bureau of Land Management's aerial photography archive. The project is a pilot study that will deliver at...

Grontmij Geo Informatie BV, Roosendaal, The Netherlands.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.geoinformatie.grontmij.nl Grontmij Geo Informatie and ESRI Nederland will jointly produce the GeoWeb product for the municipal market.

Groupe Hauts-Monts, Quebec.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.hauts-monts.ca Groupe Hauts-Monts now operates its three companies that specialize in geomatics solutions (Hauts-Monts Inc., Geomatique G.P.L. Consultants Inc. and Geomat International Inc.) under the name Groupe Alta. ...

Haestad Methods, Waterbury, Conn.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.haestad.com Haestad Methods expanded its international presence to Australia to meet growing demands of customers in the region. The formation of Haestad Methods' Sydney-based office follows the opening of similar operations in...

Horizons Inc., Rapid City, S.D.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.horizonsinc.com Horizons won a five-year contract from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Regional Office. The project entails aerial photography and mapping services to include 17 states...

Infotech Enterprises, Hyderabad, India.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.infotech.org Infotech Enterprises signed a long-term contract with Tele Atlas NV to provide map data conversion services. Infotech will deploy data conversion specialists to work on various projects for Tele Atlas over the next...

Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions, Huntsville, Ala.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.intergraph.com/gis Geonetics Inc. signed a contract with Intergraph to become a Utilities & Communications Registered Solutions Center; Intergraph will resell Laser-Scan's Radius Topology products; Intergraph announced the...

Leica Geosystems, Heerbrugg, Switzerland.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://gis.leica-geosystems.com Kucera International Inc. was the first company in the U.S. market to own the Leica ALS50 Airborne Laser Scanner. Also, Photo Science purchased the ALS50 Airborne Laser Scanner for use in a variety of...

Lucash, Gesmer & Updegrove, Boston.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.consortiuminfo.org Law firm Lucash, Gesmer & Updegrove filed a "friend of the court" brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Rambus v. Infineon. Ten major standard-setting bodies as well as several financial industry corporations...

Luciad NV, Leuven, Belgium.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.luciad.com LuciadMap was selected by the Dutch city of Tilburg to build and integrate its GIS application. LuciadMap is Web-enabled software for visualizing, distributing, transforming and editing geographical information in...

Mapping Science Inc. (MSI), Seattle.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.mappingscience.com MSI awarded exclusive reseller status to three U.S.-based GIS services organizations. Ascent GIS Inc., GCS Research LLC and One Stop Airborne Solutions will provide sole-source distribution and support...

MarketPoint, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.marketpoint.nl MarketPoint and Yamaha Motor Europe are implementing a pan-European Geomarketing solution based on Microsoft MapPoint European edition.

Matrox Graphics Inc., Montreal.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.matroxcad.com Matrox Graphics' Matrox ParheliaT graphics card powered visualizations of the recent blackout in the northeastern United States and Canada. The images were created by Vector One using the following GIS and...

MDSI Mobile Data Solutions Inc., Richmond, British Columbia, Canada.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.mdsi-advantex.com Three MDSI customers were acknowledged with awards for customer service and operational excellence. Memphis Light, Gas and Water received the FFAst Track award for Mobile Service--Large Enterprise from Field...

Merrick and Co., Denver.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://www.merrick.com Merrick & Co. was selected to perform map modernization of all Flood Insurance Rate Maps (FIRMs) in the city and county of Denver. The collaborative effort includes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),...

MuskokaTech, Toronto.(Business News)
November 1, 2003... http://pathaway.com MuskokaTech and Touratech AG announced an extended partnership in which Touratech will bundle PathAway GPS 3 for Palm-powered handhelds with its worldwide digital map CD-ROMs and desktop Global Positioning System (GPS)...