Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging (LGGI) focuses on
geospatial imaging software solutions and is part of the
Hexagon Group, Sweden. LGGI offers a range of workflow
solutions for photogrammetry, mapping, remote sensing,
visualization, catalog management and exploitation
of geospatial imagery
The interview of the Leica team, President & CEO Bob Morris, Brad Skelton,
Chief Technology Officer, Kaushik Chakraborty, Vice President, India, Middle
East & Africa and Norbert Hanke, CFO, Hexagon was conducted recently at
the venue of Map India 2008, 11th Annual International Conference and Exhibition on
Geospatial Information, Technology and Application.
How is Leica developing its software
suite for enterprise level applicability? BOB: At Leica Geosystems, we define ourselves
by understanding our customers'
needs and what they expect from our products.
We are working towards a holistic way
to deal with data management and delivery,
particularly for the end users who are not
the domain experts and are more involved
in publishing and offering the information.
This has led to the enhancement of our
desktop products as well as leveraging our
enterprise level management tools.
BRAD: We are not migrating from desktop
products into an enterprise solution by
replacing our entire desktop products;
instead, we are adding the enterprise platform
to provide solutions to a larger audience.
We have selected platforms like
J2EE, and integrated existing technologies
from IONICand ER Mapper for building
enterprise applications. These capabilities
provide firm foundations and help us
migrate more into Service Oriented Architecture,
enabling processing services within
the existing environment.
How will the recently added Acquis
ADE feature leverage the Leica's
software suite? BRAD: Leica ADE is a topological featureediting
tool enabling users to update and
maintain topology dynamically. We did not
have an intrinsic topological tool. This adds
to the value to our existing portfolio.
BOB: As more and more of our customers
use the Oracle database technology, this
functionality provides a connection point
and adds to our portfolio of enterprise level
software.
What developments in the near
future are expected from Leica in the
field of Photogrammetry? BRAD: To us, photogrammetry is any
measurement of information from any
source of imagery, be it from film on a
camera, a digital camera or the satellite
sensors. They all have a sensor model and
respective resolutions. Our software products
help extract information from these
sources for our customers. Nowadays
there are very high-resolution satellites, like
the GeoEye-1, with high geo positioning
accuracy which eliminates (but does not
completely replace) some pieces of photogrammetry.
We will continue to make our
products more efficient in executing these
processes. Ultimately, we want to develop a
system where these processes are automated,
working behind the scenes providing
more information products.
BOB: Another aspect under continuous
development is collapsing the time required
for these processes. This is achieved by
developing systems that reduce the steps
required during the traditional workflow and
by adding more computing power.
Is the 'Interoperability issue' a result
of user requirements or is it in anticipation
of Enterprise level applicability (in
the near future) a driving factor for companies
like Leica in achieving interoperable
standards? BOB: In our opinion, it is both. Over the
years, the user community has been
requesting more compatibility or interoperability.
This has led many companies to
develop interoperable products. There is a
need for information that may be shared
among various users and applications. As
more data is made available, solutions are
becoming more complex and much more
integrated. The traditional lines of domain
expertise are blurring, with end users using
the data in a more holistic sense. We want
to be prepared for this change.
How do you see the Geospatial community
benefiting from LGGI's
increased commitment with the OGC? BOB: Our commitment to the Open
Geospatial Consortium (OGC) was recently
demonstrated by increasing our membership
level to Strategic Member. One of the
main motives behind last year's acquisition
of IONIC, a pioneer in standards in this
industry, was maintaining and advancing
our position in the standards development.
It is certainly our belief, looking forward,
that the success of this whole enterprise
equation is going to revolve around interoperability.
To be able to expand the use of
geospatial information to a broader user
base through different applications
required for decision support, we need
interoperable standards. We are very committed
to this philosophy and continue to
evaluate requirements to mature current
standards and meet new standards.
What is your perception about the
companies that for some reason
choose not to comply with the standards,
say the ones set by OGC? BOB: There are different viewpoints to be
considered in regards to this. If the standards
become mainstream expectations,
then the companies not adhering to such
norms will be at risk of being relegated to
the sidelines. However, in cases where
interoperability is not as critical, this is less
of a concern. By complying with the OGC
standards, we will be investing in solving
the larger problems of the whole value
chain for benefit of the end user.
BRAD: Being compliant with the standards
will not threaten any company, but if companies
do not take up on the standards,
they will likely miss out on a lot of opportunities.
There might be a time when your
customer needs the use of another vendor's
component over your own, as it would
perform according to his requirements. In
this case, if you are interoperable, it will
only enhance and better address the customers'
need. If you are not interoperable
you might lose the customer.
Do you think companies, like Leica
will lose their legacy in the traditional
Geospatial market, with the advancement
of interoperability and standardisation
towards 'plug and play' solutions? BOB: Companies cannot think about legacy
in such terms in the present day competitive
market. We all have customer
bases that have used our tools and solutions
for very specific requirements. Some
of them are now expanding their own
requirements within their own organisations.
We have to meet our customers'
requirements -if you don't change and
allow expansion then everyone is left in the
dark. We aren't abandoning our core (legacy),
but enhancing it to address broader
requirements.
How do you envision the role of
recently set-up Leica India in the near
future? BOB: In India there is an increasing
demand for access to geospatial information.
Thus, from a business perspective,
India is a very attractive place for us to be.
We realised for us to be able to better contribute
to the requirements of the Indian
markets, we had to have a local presence.
The India headquarters will be the key to
our success as we take our technology and
solutions and apply local
requirements. We have learned
that one size does not fit all and
so it is important to provide relevant,
tailored solutions for our
customers. It is our objective to
have a full functioning operation
here, including development
resources and full capability
for services oriented activities.
We will commit full
resources to provide the users
in India the best of services.
With the opening of
Leica India office, do we
expect setting up of a 'Training
Centre' to impart training for
geospatial professionals in
India? KAUSHIK: We have had early
discussions with key universities
and research institutes for
our Centre of Excellence program.
It will be a two-way operation,
where we will contribute
domain expertise and they will
share their knowledge base. We
have plans to offer an internship
programme for the graduates
to contribute, not only to
our company, but also to the
geospatial industry in general.
There are discussions taking
place with certain training and
research institutes to formulate
a curriculum based on the
industry requirements, creating
a practical approach to the theoretical
knowledge of photogrammetry,
remote sensing
and geospatial science. Though
the setup in India is at a very
nascent stage, we are committed
to invest time and effort for
the realisation of these plans.
Empower regional organisation and
people in the region
Norbert Hanke
Responsible for the region
Rest of Asia at Hexagon
Hexagon has been on
a shopping spree lately.
What is its plan for the
year ahead?
One of Hexagon's strategic
principles is to 'make'
or 'buy'. If we cannot
make or develop the
technology, by the way of
R&D then we take the
opportunity to buy that
technology. We will continue
to do this around the
world. As in India, we see
great potential and opportunity,
last year we could
acquire our existing distributor,
Elcome Technologies
and make them a part of our
family.
Leica India office has
been set up recently.
How will it leverage the
Indian Geospatial industry?
Geospatial industry in India
is growing in size and has
large number of opportunities
in the years to come.
However, the main reason
for opening this office is
because our customers are
our focus and anything we
do is to be close to them and
provide them with customised
solutions. The India
office will provide complete
turnkey solutions in all the
segments of the industry, be
it software, hardware, training
or customised solutions.
What are the Training
and education initiatives
taken up by Hexagon
or Leica in India?
We are heavily involved
with training the customers
when we feel they need to
know the new technology.
We not only sell what we
have, but we also look at our
customer's requirement and
provide them with complete
solution.
How will the economic
slowdown in the US
affect Hexagon globally,
especially in India?
There may be an impact of
this economic instability in
times ahead but personally,
I have not experienced any
slowdown in our business.
Hexagon is not US dependent
only; we have sales
globally and are well positioned
in South America,
Asia and Europe. If and
when this downfall occurs,
which will have effect on
businesses across the globe,
we are confident and relatively
well prepared. However,
with respect to India, I
don't see that it will have
any major effect, as the
banking system here is
quite stable. As long as customers
have funds for the
work that needs to be done
in this industry, we will continue
to provide our services
and will not stop expanding
ourselves.
How do you differentiate
the Geospatial
market in China and India?
China, as of now is definitely
ahead of India in terms of
Infrastructure development,
but India is catching up.
India is a growing market.
We want to be a part of it
and we want to be prepared
when India matches the
markets of China and the
US.