Top Stories
PlanGraphics implements EMOLS for New York City Office of Emergency Management
PlanGraphics, Inc., a provider of professional spatial information technology services, has developed and implemented the Emergency Management Online Locator System (EMOLS) for the New York City Mayor's Office of Emergency Management (OEM). Originally designed as a Web-based GIS application to direct residents of New York City to shelters in the event of weather emergencies, PlanGraphics added new dimensions to EMOLS in response to the September 11th terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The extension to EMOLS, named Interactive Map for Emergency Information (IMEI), provides information on the WTC attacks, including car and pedestrian restrictions, utility outages, etc., in and around "Ground Zero" in the lower Manhattan area. PlanGraphics staff has been creating and maintaining the IMEI Web-site for the OEM, a site that receives map information from the Emergency Mapping and Data Center (EMDC) in the City's Emergency Operations Center. The EMDC is staffed by City personnel, PlanGraphics, ESRI, and various volunteers and operates twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. The IMEI Web-site is updated daily by PlanGraphics staff and can be viewed at
www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/emols/emols_wtc.html
IntelliWhere and Terramapserver join forces to fast-track advanced LBS applications
A strategic partnership agreement signed between IntelliWhere(tm), a division of Intergraph Mapping and GIS Solutions, and Terra Map Server GmbH (Dortmund, Germany) is set to dramatically increase the deployment of advanced location-based services (LBS) by European businesses. The agreement, signed at the recent German INTERGEO fair, will allow businesses such as portal operators, mobile network operators, and short message service (SMS) service providers to quickly build and deploy sophisticated, high-performance location-based services without incurring the capital cost and investment risk of an in-house implementation. The service provided by the partnership includes the delivery of a range of high-volume LBS transactions - locate address, display map, find closest or nearest, identify routing and meeting points, and so forth. IntelliWhere's LocationServer software and the terramapserver geodata Web portal, www.terramapserver.com, provide the foundation for this new service.
Visit:-
www.terramapserver.com
MAPublisher 2001 Map Awards
Avenza Systems Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, the developer of MAPublisherâ, has announced the final results of the 2001 MAPublisher Map Competition. Over 40 maps were received in 8 categories all of which displayed excellent MAPublisher use and knowledge as well as tremendous cartographic skill. The overall "Best Map" prize of a Palm Vx went to The Louisiana Geological Survey for its submission, "Official Map of Louisiana 2000". The complete list including details of each map and the associated images can be found on the company's website at
http://www.avenza.com/MPcomp/2001 "The First Annual MAPublisher Competition was a great success. We received some fantastic examples of what MAPublisher can do when placed in the right hands and we applaud all the winners and entrants for their excellent display of cartographic skill", said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. All the details relating to the competition awards can be viewed at
http://www.avenza.com/MPcomp/2001
Ordinance Survey rise prices to fund map improvements
Britain's national mapping agency currently publishes more than 900 different leisure maps, together covering every part of the country. They range in price from £3.95 to £6.75. From 12 November 2001, its Great Britain Routeplanner map, eight regional Road Maps and the range of Touring maps of popular holiday areas will all cost £3.99. The 204 maps in the 1:50,000 scale Landranger series will cost £5.99, while the price of the growing number of 1:25,000 scale Explorer and Outdoor Leisure maps will be £6.99. The price of 1:25,000 scale Pathfinder maps, now only available for parts of Scotland, will remain at £4.50. People wanting to know precisely which maps cover any location in Britain can check the details in the leisure maps section of Ordnance Survey's web site at
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk
Maporama partner gateway connects geocentric search to Enterprise Information Systems
Maporama has launched the Maporama Partner Gateway, a new product designed for companies with a network of points of sales or agencies allowing companies to connect their Maporama Partner Base to their Information System. Thanks to Maporama Partner Gateway, customers update automatically Maporama Partner Base's 3200 attributes from content in their databases and/or ERP. Using this functionality, sales points' opening hours, ongoing promotions, availability of products etc, are directly and automatically accessible from geocentric queries, using Maporama's products Maporama Search Around Deluxe, Maporama Search Along Deluxe and Maporama Brand Search Around. Maporama, the European leader in online cartography and geocentric information, launches the Maporama Partner Gateway, a new product designed for companies with a network of points of sales or agencies allowing companies to connect their Maporama Partner Base to their Information System. Thanks to Maporama Partner Gateway, customers update automatically Maporama Partner Base's 3200 attributes from content in their databases and/or ERP. Using this functionality, sales points' opening hours, ongoing promotions, availability of products etc, are directly and automatically accessible from geocentric queries, using Maporama's products Maporama Search Around Deluxe, Maporama Search Along Deluxe and Maporama Brand Search Around.
Visit:-
www.maporama.com
Alzheimer's Association selects Wherify's GPS Personal Locator for field test
The Alzheimer's Association-Aloha Chapter announced that with Wherify Wireless, Inc., a developer of nationwide wireless location-based technologies and services, that the Association has selected the Wherify GPS Personal Locator for field testing throughout the Hawaiian Islands by the end of the year. Approved by the national Alzheimer's Association, the field-testing will be spearheaded by Dr. Bret Flynn and Dr. John Buzanoski of the Alzheimer's Association-Aloha Chapter's Scientific Medical Research Committee, along with members of the Honolulu Police Department Missing Person's Division. Drs. Flynn and Buzanoski are faculty members of the John A. Burns School of Medicine, Department of Geriatric Medicine at the University of Hawaii. "We regard this as a very worthwhile community service," Dr. Flynn said. Scheduled to hit the market by the end of the year, Wherify's GPS Personal Locator is unlike any location-based service available today. Through the convergence of Global Positioning System (GPS) and digital wireless technologies, the miniaturized, wrist-worn locator offers a patented, tested and proven safety solution that gives a caregiver the ability to locate a wandering Alzheimer's patient, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Visit:-
http://www.wherifywireless.com
Asia News
Minister of Power, Mr. Suresh Prabhu visits CSDMS
Union Minister of Power Mr. Suresh P. Prabhu visited Centre of Spatial Database Management and Solution (CSDMS) on Wednesday 10th October 2001. A small presentation was made on the various activities undertaken by CSDMS in the past few months.
In his address to the gathering he said that GIS is an important tool in the hands of decision-makers to facilitate developmental activities. He emphasised on the need to take GIS at grassroots level. He stated that GIS is an area which has not been totally explored and its potential is huge. He added that GIS helps in leveraging of information that is already available. He emphasised on the need of dissemination of the knowledge of GIS and said that its success depends on the knowledge and the appropriate application of the technology.
"There is a huge potential for the use of the technology in the power sector in the transmission and the distribution aspect of power. Use of GIS, IT and telecom knowledge for the benefit of the common man will be a challenge and has huge potential of development. Development of modern tool will provide leverage in the national resource, bringing in sustainable development in an optimal manner. He pointed out that NGOs have a great role to play in the development and upliftment of the society in conjunction with the other sector of the government " said Mr. Prabhu.
In this background, Mr. Prabhu appreciated the contribution of CSDMS in GIS field through its informative monthly publication GIS@development and website GISdevelopment.net and also organising events such as Map India. He lauded the efforts to organise conference at regional level such as Map Asia and GIS Forum South Asia. The Minister said that during Map India 2002 Ministry of Power would organise a workshop on the power sector in collaboration with CSDMS. He recalled his long association with CSDMS since its inception. He was very much impressed by the good work carried out by the organisation and its growth in such a short span of time.
China's Aviation Remote Sensing Placed in Advanced World Ranks
October 14 was a memorable day in China's aviation remote sensing history. Two satellite remote sensors-CCD camera and infrared multi-spectrum scanner, carried in the "Resource No.1" Satellite, have both exceeded the designed two years' life. Still working normally at present, its remote-control functions are all stable, without any damage to all pieces of equipment and parts of the two sets of instrument, the two sensors are expected to extend their services for a long time. This achievement is rarely seen in the international resource remote-sensing satellite research history. It marks that China has stepped into the world-advanced ranks of earth resource satellite remote sensing.
In 1986, China decided to research and manufacture its own resource satellite and assigned the task of researching and manufacturing satellite remote sensor, one of the most important technologies, to the Beijing Space Electromechanical Research Institute. After over a decade's hard work, the Institute finally succeeded in developing the two satellite remote sensors of high reliability and long life.
Source:
People's Daily
Flood-Control Project on World's Third Longest River Drawn Up
A multi-million dollar bid to reduce the risk of devastating floods on the Yangtze River, the world's third longest in China, has been drawn up by scientists, the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) said in Nairobi on October 13.
The ambitious scheme, the brainchild of researchers in China and at UNEP, aims to restore thousands of lost lakes and natural drainage systems so that the river, whose basin is home to 400 million people, can cope better during times of heavy and prolonged rains.
One of the main thrusts of the proposed initiative is to create Ecosystem Functions Conservation Areas in key sites including the headwaters of the Yangtze and its tributaries deemed vital for flood control, according to UNEP's press release.
Studies, carried out by UNEP in the wake of the devastating floods of 1998 in which millions were made homeless, have found that siltation of the river has also made it far more vulnerable to flooding.
The project plans to restore natural forests, grasslands and other key habitats in the upper and middle reaches of the Yangtze to reduce soil erosion and soil sweeping into the river.
Source:
People's Daily
