Top Stories
MapAnimator 3D for ArcGIS Released
Baird Software, Ottawa, ON Baird has announced the commercial availability of MapAnimator 3D. MapAnimator 3D is a complete animation toolkit extension for ArcGIS 8 and the 3D Analyst extension. MapAnimator 3D allows users to instantly create a smooth camera path through their complex 3D data. Choose from a variety of pre-defined paths that can be automatically scaled to one or more data sets in a scene. Instantly apply a complete flight path to any dataset. Independently control the movement of the camera and the directionality of where the camera is looking. Specify as many control points (or "key frames") as are needed and MapAnimator 3D will interpolate a smooth path between them. Titles, legends, and logos can all be included on a virtual windshield that keeps cartographic elements on top while flying through a 3D scene. This overlay layer remains fixed in front of the 3D animation. Any fonts and images can be used their size and transparency adjusted to suit the animation. MapAnimator 3D provides all the functionality you need to transform your data into animated movies. Create MovieMaps in industry standard formats such as MPEG and AVI that will play on most computers. Create animations of any size, quickly and easily by selecting from common pre-defined settings. Create animations that can be emailed, posted on a website or used in large presentations.
Visit:
www.mapanimator.com &
www.bairdsoftware.com
ISTAR North American image catalogue exceeds 20,000 square miles
ISTAR Americas Inc. has acquired and processed one-meter resolution imagery for 17 U.S. cities, passing the 20,000-square-mile mark with the additions of Dallas, Texas, and Buffalo, NY, earlier this month. In addition to the cities now in the catalog and ready for purchase, ISTAR is now acquiring orthoimage data for other major U.S. cities. These data sets will be processed for production of TrueOrtho images and digital surface models (DSMs). Cities now included in the catalog include Washington, D.C., Boston, Los Angeles, Fresno, San Francisco, Oakland, San Diego, San Jose, Sacramento, Albuquerque, Charlotte, Savannah, Richmond, Phoenix, Tucson, Dallas, Buffalo, Jacksonville and New York City (Manhattan). It has been just over a year since ISTAR, based in Sophia Antipolis, France, brought its unique airborne HRSC imaging and processing technology to the United States. It is the only airborne imaging system that acquires multiple overlapping images on a single pass to generate "true" orthoimagery. ISTAR TrueOrtho products offer one-meter resolution with no blank spots and no building lean distortion. The 3D models derived from these true orthoimages are accurate to within one meter horizontally and 2.5 meters vertically. Used extensively in the wireless telecommunications industry, these products are now in demand among other GIS users groups.
Visit:
www.istar.com
New climate change information products released for international conference
The world's governments are meeting in Morocco over the next two weeks to finalize the procedures and institutions needed to make the Kyoto Protocol fully operational. In connection with this meeting, the Seventh Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, GRID-Arendal announces the availability of two new information resources on climate change. Other products will be announced in the second week of the conference.
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSION GRAPHICS
(
http://www.grida.no/db/maps/collection/climate6/index.htm) This series of graphs shows the greenhouse gas emissions reported by the parties to the Convention on Climate Change, including each country's actual emissions, its projected emissions to 2010, and its commitment under the Kyoto Protocol.
INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE THIRD ASSESSMENT REPORT
(
http://www.grida.no/climate/ipcc_tar/) The IPCC is the world's foremost scientific body on the issue of climate change. Its Third Assessment Report presents the current state of our knowledge about climate change, in four volumes: The Scientific Basis; Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability; Mitigation; and a Synthesis Report that addresses a broad range of key policy-relevant questions. The complete text of all four reports, along with all figures and data tables, is
available online.
Antarcti.ca Systems Launches Visual Net 2.0
Antarcti.ca Systems Inc. (ASI), a leader in the data visualization market, today announced the release of Visual Net 2.0 (VN2.0) and the development of a new personal visualization tool. Where standard database navigation relies on old-fashioned text search technology, Visual Net provides a unique Graphical User Interface, allowing users to browse and navigate information more easily using visual maps. With a cleaner more organized user interface, Visual Net 2.0 adds two new key features: Advanced Filter - Filter is a visual translation of traditional text search. After applying the Filter, the Visual Net maps will only display data and categories that match the search parameters entered by the user. The results are organized into topic neighbourhoods on the map, with no long lists of text to sort through. Target Landmarks - Landmarks function as visual bookmarks. They allow users to highlight specific pieces of data by placing graphical icons on the map so users can easily return to them. Landmarks are automatically organized by location and can be personalized with user notes. Personal Visual Net (PVN) is a personal information manager and collaboration tool. PVN is a new architecture of VN 2.0 that is a standalone desktop client that allows users to create their own visually rich maps of personal data sets such as computer files or Web sites or as a tool for sharing and collaboration of enterprise information.
Visit:
http://antarcti.ca/
Spar Receives $6 Million DND Hercules Aircraft GPS Contract
Spar Aerospace Limited has announced the award of a Department of National Defence contract for the supply, installation and integration of a commercial off-the-shelf Global Positioning System in the Avionics Update Project (AUP) modified CC130 Hercules fleet of thirty-two (32) aircraft. The new GPS system to be installed is FAA approved which will allow navigation of commercial airways and GPS non-precision approaches. The contract will be performed over the next sixteen-month period commencing immediately at Spar Aerospace Limited in Edmonton, Alberta. Spar developed, installed and integrated the existing AUP suite of avionics systems into the DND CC130 fleet under a separate five-year Crown contract completed earlier this year. The CC130 Hercules aircraft is the workhorse of Canadian Forces' strategic and tactical airlift operations and is used in the Aerial Refueling, Search and Rescue roles, and to support international requirements as required.
Visit:
http://www.spar.ca/
French national mapping agency invests in Laser-Scan technology
The Institut Géographique National (IGN), the national mapping agency of France, is preparing for the implementation of an important project to produce a new national cartographic database.
Project Carto2001 aims to create 1:100,000 mapping from base data at 1:50,000. To achieve its target IGN has selected automated generalisation technology from geospatial solutions experts Laser-Scan. The agency has just taken on 5 licences for production and development software. A recent agreement between IGN and Laser-Scan allows IGN to run up to 100 licences. Laser-Scan's LAMPS2 Generaliser product is based on the results of the highly successful AGENT (Automated GEneralisation New Technology) project. Combined with the underlying Gothic Object-Oriented spatial database and toolkit, Generaliser can make possible new automated flowlines for generalisation. In the new generalisation paradigm, it is the individual features on the map (the buildings and roads), which are made into intelligent self-aware software 'agents' and given responsibility to improve themselves to suit the required map specification.
Visit:
www.laser-scan.com
Motorola and TSS Wireless demonstrate fleet management solution
Motorola, Inc. and TSS Wireless, Inc. demonstrated a mobile fleet management application on Motorola's application upgradeable handsets at the DCI Enterprise Wireless Summit in Boston. This client application, running on Java(TM) 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME(TM)) technology-enabled handsets from Motorola, allows transportation professionals to receive new passenger pick-
up information from a back-end dispatch system. It also allows the mobile user -- whether limo, shuttle, taxi or other transportation service driver -- to confirm the passenger pick-up, drop-off, or
no-show status, with time stamp and payment information, back to the dispatch system.
Visit:
http://www.mot.com/home/
Asia News
Satellite-based precision farming scheme soon
BANGALORE, Oct. 29 - AN integrated precision agriculture planning scheme using remote sensing satellite data is being worked out to optimise crop output across the country.
The scheme is targeted at the fragmented and small and marginal farm holdings. Under the scheme, using IRS data, the agencies would develop aggregated cropping strategies for optimum use of land and water resources for small farmers, the DoS Secretary and the ISRO Chairman, said Dr K. Kasturirangan, said while delivering the Sardar Patel memorial lecture on Socio-economic development through space here.
The joint programme under the Department of Space is in the concept stage and will involve the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation, the Department of Biotechnology and the Indian Council for Agricultural Research.
Precision farming, he said, would give small farmers key inputs and also help them to cope with external challenges such as pricing and markets. Remote sensing-based forecasting has shown more than 90 per cent accuracy.
Another comprehensive national system to forecast crop estimates using satellite-based information, FASAL (Forecasting Agricultural output using Space, Agro-meteorology and Land based observations), is being established jointly by the Ministry of Agriculture and DoS. Pilot studies under FASAL are under way in Orissa for kharif rice, ragi and groundnut and jute.
DoS is also working in collaboration with the Ministry of Rural Areas and Employment to locate and map drinking water sources in 1.2 lakh habitations in five States.
Source : Business Line, 30 oct 2001
Dubai Govt e-initiative takes off
ABU DHABI, Oct. 29 - DUBAI'Sambitious e-governance initiative is under way. A host of services provided by various Dubai Government departments will now be only a mouse click away, enabling people to carry out their transactions from their desktops at home, office or even from any place abroad.
The e-government project has been launched within the 18-month schedule set by Mr Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Makotum, the crown prince of Dubai and UAE Defence Minister, according to a statement from the e-government office.
He had announced the initiative in April 2000 with the aim of facilitating online transactions for the public, business and within the Government itself.
The e-government portal, Dubai.ae, will link all Government departments and provide services such as facility for online payment of telephone, traffic and electricity bills, information about immigration procedures.
Mr Mohammad Yassin, Regional Director, Sales and Marketing for EDS, told Business Line that the initiative wiil also help the Government and the public sector financially through higher productivity and less paperwork.
Source: Business Line, 30 Oct 2001
