GIS Development Weekly April 7, 2008

Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging today announced that it has changed its name to ERDAS, Inc. "Across a broad range of industries, more organizations are using geospatial information to drive business decisions and processes," said Bob Morris, President & CEO, ERDAS. "ERDAS is defining the systems that will put the information around our changing earth to work in business." Moving forward, Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging is now ERDAS, Inc, effective April 3, 2008...

April Fool's Day results in New ideas ?
Tracking Service for Public Pay Phones also to monitor Graffitti Change detection...

A geospatial solutions company has announced a popular new service - GPS tracking for pay phones. The company known for accurate coordinate transformation technology, is “answering the call” made by customers to recognize the lack of respect pay phones receive from the general public, not to mention the GIS industry.

With this new technology enterprise, users are able to receive up-to-the-month updates of the coordinate position, spatial whereabouts, barometric change, and amount of loose change in the change return slot. The Premium Service level will supply change detection in the graffiti located on the pay phone windows ... so if every phone booth is monitored 24X7, vandals better watch out

The all weather data reception capability of Radarsat I and near real time processing and delivery to decision makers in St. Petersburg is another step towards the development of geoportals with the capability of disseminating geospatial data for assessment and analysis of the natural environment and high risk area monitoring. The 'Masthead' technology designed by General Dynamics is delivering to the soldier on ground, 3D maps which are a few moments old – almost rel time. The 'Masthead' uses infrared LIDAR along with thermal imaging and x-ray backscatter techniques. It is expected that when this system is coupled with a Radar, non will be able to hide – even beneath a roof. The edge that the foot soldier will have is formidable and so will it be for any search and rescue personnel when the same technology is used for saving lives. Near- Real-Time (NRT) is heading for real time in our domain...

Map Middle East 2008 – the largest congregation of geospatial users, movers and shakers in the middle east starts tomorrow in Dubai. With the acquisitions and mergers that have taken place in the last year, some of the companies have acquired and developed 'killer' applications and technologies. State-of-the-art surveying equipment is being displayed by LGGI – now renamed ERDAS Inc. ROLTA too with its strong commitment to defense technologies in the geospatial domain and the upsurge in the defense budgets of countries like India, will be showcasing indigenously developed applications. The exhibition will be worth a dekko.

In a lighter vein – last year for April Fool's day, we had maps of planet Pluto, this year it appears to be 'monitoring change in graffiti ' on public-call booths ; ).

Dr. Hrishikesh Samant
hrishikesh@gisdevelopment.net