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Livestock Improvement selects GeoMedia WebEnterprise for innovative GIS solution

Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions has announced that the Livestock Improvement Corporation in New Zealand has selected GeoMedia WebEnterprise as its first spatially based information system for the company's on-farm artificial breeding (AB) service. After an extensive evaluation of all current and third party spatial software providers, Livestock Improvement chose GeoMedia WebEnterprise because the Intergraph New Zealand team demonstrated that the software could achieve significant gains in efficiency and cost savings. GeoMedia WebEnterprise enables Livestock Improvement employees to produce real-time maps over the Web. Users can view multiple datasets in various formats, integrating disparate GIS data sources without translation. Using GeoMedia WebEnterprise, Livestock Improvement will generate optimized travel routes daily for its 1,200 technicians, displaying the routes against a topographic map and including driving directions and trip summary reports. This capability will be extremely effective in reducing the four million kilometers technicians travel each year.

Visit : www.intergraph.com/imgs and www.lic.co.nz

Lowrance Electronics introduces innovative 2002 SONAR and GPS product line

Continuing a 44-year tradition of industry-leading innovations, Lowrance Electronics Inc. unveiled its exciting all-new 2002 SONAR and Global Positioning System (GPS) product line to marine electronics dealers and distributors at the American Sportfishing Association's 44th annual ICAST trade-only show. Improved viewing with eye appeal, both product lines feature a newly-advanced liquid crystal display fitted with a sporty new compact case design for attractive and convenient mounting, even in tight spaces. To please boating, highway, and off-road navigators, new compact GPS models tout higher-definition displays for improved readability, built-in Wide Area Augmentation Service (WAAS) providing more precise position readings in selected locations, and the exclusive Multi-Media Card feature for instant memory expansion and convenience in creating and displaying high-detail mapping.

Visit : www.lowrance.com

EarthSat announces unrestricted licensing for GeoCover-Ortho statewide base maps

Earth Satellite Corporation (EarthSat) today announced an unrestricted licensing and distribution policy for GeoCoverTM-Ortho Statewide Base Maps. Created from GeoCover-Ortho Landsat TM data, the Statewide Base Maps are seamless mosaics of entire states, with better than 20m RMSE across the U.S. Unrestricted licensing allows users to freely display and distribute the data and derived products within their organization as well as to the general public. GeoCover-Ortho Statewide Base Maps are available in any band combination and in any projection. Each mosaic has a custom "LOCAL" contrast enhancement to optimize it for display. Standard formatting options (GeoTIFF and MrSID) make the product ideal for GIS users requiring datasets that are ready to "load & go".

Visit : www.earthsat.com/ip/prodsvc/gcolandsat_prod.html

MapCalc Learner -- Academic supports GIS modeling and spatial analysis instruction

Red Hen Systems has released MapCalc Learner -- Academic, which continues MapCalc Learner's reputation of robust, leading-edge map analysis and display. The new version of the grid-based spatial analysis package offers a variety of tutorials and instructor reference materials, which are designed to support fundamental spatial analysis and GIS modeling instruction. MapCalc Learner -- Academic follows MapCalc Learner, a student tutorial package. The Academic version offers unlimited grid size, extensive teaching materials and licensing for an entire teaching lab. MapCalc Learner -- Academic boasts powerful map display features, including the capability to drape a map over a 3D surface, and powerful grid-based analysis functions, yet the Windows software remains simple to use. MapCalc Learner -- Academic opens common data file formats including MapInfo tables, ArcView Shapefiles, ESRI ASCII grid and Surfer ASCII.

Visit : www.redhensystems.com

Claritas launches customized spatial analysis function for CVS/pharmacy

Claritas Inc., the premier provider of intelligent marketing information and target marketing services, today announced it has developed and launched a customized spatial analysis tool for CVS/pharmacy, America's No. 1 retail pharmacy, that provides key demographic and site location data for its critical site selection process. "Implementing the customized iMARK Enterprise solution at CVS has empowered our Regional Directors in the field to access mission critical data that they need to make informed decisions." said Suzanne B. Lanois, CVS director of real estate administration. iMARK combines Claritas' powerful demographic databases with a client's proprietary information to deliver fast access to actionable information -- anytime, anywhere. iMARK users can save various templates, allowing quick access to pre-determined map and report layouts. They can also interact with a presentation-quality map from the outset with the ability to overlay multiple thematic views of their data.

Visit : www.claritas.com

Vanco launches Madagascar deepwater 2D Survey

A Vanco Energy Company subsidiary has contracted TGS Nopec Geophysical Company to conduct a 2D seismic survey of its Majunga Offshore Profond block offshore the Republic of Madagascar, East Africa. Beginning today, the Binhai 517 will survey 2,000 km of the deepwater block located in the north-western sector of Madagascar. In March, Vanco Madagascar Ltd. signed a Production Sharing Contract with OMNIS (L'Office des Mines Nationales et des Industries Strategiques) for the Majunga Offshore Profond block, the first block awarded in the Majunga Basin since 1997. This survey follows Vanco's yearlong focus on its five-country regional 2D & 3D survey. Offshore Senegal, a 1,500-kilometer 2D survey of Vanco's Dakar Offshore Profond was completed in March. Since last July, nearly 7,970 square kilometres of 3D seismic have been acquired on Vanco's licenses offshore Morocco, Cote d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea and Namibia. All but Morocco is complete, with 3% remaining on the CGG survey.

Webraska's HQ move to Maisons-Laffitte

Webraska, worldwide provider of wireless navigation services and technologies, will be transfering its headquarters to Maisons-Laffitte, a green area conveniently based a few kilometres west of Paris. Earlier in the year, Maisons-Laffitte won the "Webraska's Favourite Place to Work" internal contest organised by the company among its team members. Each was asked to vote among five locations and their respective facilities. Only 15 minutes away from Paris city centre by public transport and close to Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle International Airport, the Maisons-Laffitte site is designed to accommodate Webraska's continued success and development worldwide. Large meeting rooms and a demo centre will be available to welcome all Webraska customers and partners.

Visit : www.webraska.com

Asia News

Insat 3C launch may be delayed

BANGALORE, July 25- The recent freak launch by Arianespace may push back the launch of India's forthcoming telecom satellite Insat 3C. The European launch major has informed ISRO that it will know its readiness to launch 3C only by August 1, the ISRO Chairman, Dr K. Kasturirangan, said on Tuesday.

ISRO has contracted Arianespace for the launch scheduled around mid-September. Arianespace is the world's leading launch services provider with over 50 per cent market share. A few days ago, Ariane 5 rocket put two foreign satellites in far lower orbits than planned. A fact finding committee is going into the causes.

Meanwhile, ISRO will be conducting four major missions in the next term, according to the ISRO Scientific Secretary, Mr K.R. Sridhara Murthy. These are the first Technology Experiment Satellite (TES-1), tentatively scheduled for September 30 from Sriharikota launch centre; a unique Metsat (meteorology satellite) using the GSLV in the geostationary position; remote sensing satellites IRS P4 and P5 on ISRO's workhorse rocket PSLV, besides Insats 3C and A which are in an advanced stage.

The second launch pad at the Sriharikota launch centre will be ready by 2002 end, Dr Kasturirangan added.

Source: Business Line 26 July 2001

Monitoring environment with GPS

Engineers at at Purdue University and NASA have developed a new technique for monitoring the environment by using routine signals that already are being beamed to Earth by global positioning systems. Conventional techniques for gathering information about global climate change and other environmental data require systems that have their own transmitters and receivers on satellites or aircraft.

The equipment, though, is relatively heavy and consumes large amounts of power. The new technique could be used for alternative or complementary systems on aircraft and satellites. The method does not require a transmitter because it uses the signals already being transmitted by GPS satellites. That makes it possible to design a system that only requires a receiver, other hardware and special software that is one-tenth the weight and uses about one-tenth the energy of conventional systems, said James Garrison, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics at Purdue University. Garrison presented a paper on this technique at a special session during the International Geoscience and Remote Sensing Symposium, in Sydney, Australia. Satellite.

GPS systems are constantly broadcasting microwave signals to Earth. The signals are used for everything from military maneuvers to directions for lost motorists, and ship navigation to measurements for agriculture. The systems work by timing how long it takes for signals to get from the satellite to a receiver on the ground. Because the speed of the signal is known, the difference between when the signal is sent and when it is received reveals the distance of the receiver. Signals from several satellites are needed to provide a three-dimensional fix - a precise location of the receiver on the Earth's surface. Those same microwave signals, however, also bounce off of the Earth's surface and oceans and can be picked up by receivers on aircraft or satellites, recorded and used to study conditions on the planet.

Source: The Hindu, 26 July 2001

Software to track ISRO satellite

Banglore, India (PTI)-Scientists of the Indian Space Research organisation (ISRO) have developed a new software which will automatically monitor and control satellites in orbit, an ISRO official said on wednesday.

The software was recently uploaded on the experimental satellite GSAT-1, launched by India's first geostationary satellite launch vehicle, the GSLV-D1, the Geosat programme Director, Dr. V. R. katti, told PTI.

Scientists started work on the software after GSAT-1 satellite failed to reach its designated geosynchronous orbit shortly after it was launched on April 18 this year. The new software, called Autonomous Control Mode (ACM), automatically and remotely controls the satellite during its orbits.

Mr. Katti said the softwarewould be uploaded in a phased manner on to other Indian satellites already in operation, and could be in complete operation in another three years.

Source: Business Line, July 26 2001

Infotech income up 98 pc

HYDERABAD, July 25- INFOTECH Enterprises Ltd (IEL), the Hyderabad-based Rs 91-crore software solutions company specialising in geographic information systems (GIS), has registered a growth of 98 per cent in total income and 125 per cent in post-tax profit for the first quarter of the current fiscal ended June 30.

However, according to the unaudited financial results taken on record on Wednesday, the growth in net profit for the period after an extraordinary and non-recurring provision of Rs 3.13 crore works out to only 24 per cent.

For the period under review, the company achieved a total income of Rs 21.12 crore as against Rs 10.69 crore in the corresponding period of the previous fiscal and a post-tax profit of Rs 6.97 crore (Rs 3.10 crore), resulting in an EPS of Rs 11.39 (Rs 5.42) on an equity base of Rs 6.12 crore (Rs 5.9 crore).

With GE Capital, which holds optionally fully convertible debentures (OCDs) in the company, choosing not to convert the OCDs that were due for conversion on or before May 12, Infotech had to pay a one-time lumpsum interest of Rs 3.13 crore to GE Caps in full and final settlement.

This had resulted in the company ending up with a net profit of Rs 3.84 crore for the period, as against Rs 3.1 crore in the corresponding period of previous year, with an EPS after extraordinary provisions of Rs 6.27 (Rs 5.42).

Addressing shareholders at the 10th annual general meeting, the IEL Chief Operating Officer and Managing Director, Mr B.V.R. Mohan Reddy, said the revenue-mix registered impressive changes with data conversion services division contributing to 67 per cent of the sales as against 75 per cent last year.

Source: The Hindu Business Line