Top Stories
Eros A1 satellite imagery now available via Internet order
High-resolution imagery from the Eros A1 satellite is now available through special order via e-mail under a test program initiated July 23 by ImageSat International (ISI), the Limassol, Cyprus-based operator of the Eros system. Imagery acquired since the satellite's December 2000 launch and stored in the firm's central archive can be purchased electronically at a price of $1,500 for full scenes measuring 12.5 square kilometers or by specific coverage areas at prices ranging from $10 to $25 per square kilometer. Priority acquisition customers willing to pay a $1,500 service fee can task the Eros A1 satellite to image a specific geographic location at a predetermined orbit and date. Under this arrangement, ISI will preprogram Eros A1 to photograph the ordered site, and ship the image directly to the customer, provided the image is more than 80 percent cloud free. Receipt of the image will cost the preferred customer an additional $1,500 per image.
ICIMOD wins president's award at ESRI's 2001 user conference
The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) was presented with the prestigious President's Award on July 9, 2001, in front of 10,500 of the world's geographers and GIS professionals at the 2001 ESRI User Conference. Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI, personally selected ICIMOD and its partners in the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. Dr. J. Gabriel Campbell, director general of ICIMOD; Basanta Sherestha, acting division head of ICIMOD; and their collaborating partners from Lhasa and Thimpu accepted the award in the traditional garb of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region. ICIMOD's substantial work, research, and dedication to GIS education in the last decade are reflected in this award. The company supports the expansion of GIS utilization within ICIMOD and 45 other GIS institutions and active partners in seven countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar or Burma, Nepal, and Pakistan) of the Hindu Kush-Himalayan region under the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) umbrella.
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www.esri.com
AT&T Digital PocketNet Service Adds NextBus
Transit riders in nine of America's cities need to look no further than their Internet-ready wireless phones to find out when their next bus or train will arrive at their stop. NextBus users can access real-time transit information quickly and easily using AT&T Digital PocketNet(R) service. With a few pushes of a button, public transportation passengers are in more control of their commuting experience. NextBus combines existing technology to provide real-time, on-the-go information for commuters in San Francisco, CA, Oakland, CA, Emeryville, CA, Glendale, CA and Santa Barbara, CA, Boston, MA, Lowell, MA, Vail, CO and Fairfax, VA. GPS receivers are installed on transit vehicles, and this tracking information is used to calculate when a vehicle will arrive at a particular stop. NextBus transmits arrival time predictions--not schedules-- to the stop and on the wired and wireless web. NextBus was the first company to serve passenger-focused information to the Internet.
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www.nextbus.com
Tripod Data Systems Appoints New Sales and Marketing Director
Tripod Data Systems, a leading supplier of field-based data collection and processing applications, today announced it has appointed William H. Martin as Sales and Marketing Director. Martin will be responsible for worldwide sales for all product lines, and will also coordinate and manage the Company's marketing activities. He will report to David Scribner, the company's president. Martin comes to TDS from Ashtech, where he was most recently served as Marketing Product Manager for Survey Products. At Ashtech, he held several positions of increasing responsibility over a 10-year period. Prior to Ashtech, Martin worked as a Geodetic Engineer for Holden GPS, an engineering and surveying firm. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Survey Engineering from the University of Maine.
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www.tdsway.com
Asia News
New Indices Evaluate IT Development in China
BEIJING, July 30 - In a bid to provide a unified standard for measuring the spread of information technologies, the Ministry of Information Industry yesterday created 20 evaluation indices, according to today's China Daily.
The indices will measure such factors as television and radio broadcast time per 1,000 residents and the number of phone calls made per capita. They are aimed at painting a clearer picture of what sorts of technologies are used in China.
Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen have raced to outpace other regions in developing the sector. But until this, there was no authoritative or efficient way to compare progress.
These indices will give specific figures to show the popularity of information services, officials said. It also helps measure China's status in the world.
The indices also include measures on e-commerce trade volume and the proportion of the information industry products in the gross domestic product. Still, officials hastened to add the indices are not intended to simply declare winners and losers.
Rather, they will provide valuable insight to help direct the development of the sector. "The indices are of strategic significance to promoting the national economy and the popularity of information services, " Minister of Information Industry Wu Jichuan said.
Source: Xinhua News Agency
Mobile Phone Makers Brave Through Global Slowdown
Despite the sluggish world market for mobile phones and deteriorated sales of the world¡¯s major mobile phone makers, domestic mobile phone makers are reportedly enjoying the biggest boom ever in their history. The world's largest mobile phone maker Nokia for instance has seen its net profit for the second quarter this year reduced by 16% from the same period last year, while Swedish mobile phone maker, Ericsson recorded a deficit of US$500 million for the second quarter.
The number one in the US and the world¡¯s second largest mobile phone maker Motorola, on the other hand, has reduced its workforce by 20%, laying off over 30,000 employees. Various research institutes projected that mobile phone sales worldwide will reduce this year for the first time in twenty years.
However, domestic mobile phone makers are thriving despite the sluggish world market. In fact, Samsung Electronics¡¯ operating profit for the second quarter increased by 30% from the same period last year, although it reduced from the first quarter by 60% due to the plummeting semiconductor prices, thanks to increased sales for mobile phones. In the same regard, LG Electronics has reportedly exported 3.12 million mobile phones during the first half of the year, an increase of 150%.
Moreover, it is reported that Pantech has recently signed an exclusive seven-year contract with Motorola of the US to export US$700 million worth of mobile phones. Market experts cite the world-class manufacturing technology of domestic mobile phone makers for their success.
Source: Digital Chosun Online Newspaper
