Top Stories
SPOT 5: Delivering the World in 3D
The SPOT 5 "imaging" satellite, to be launched in April 2002, will provide digital elevation models (DEMs) of any location on Earth, allowing customers to create realistic 3D perspectives. DEMs are used as part of the $12 Billion simulation market, which includes civilian and military flight simulation, defense mission planning, video games, and other visualization-based applications. SPOT 5 will have the capability to produce up to 80% of the required elevation models to support image-based 3D mapping business worldwide. SPOT is the only satellite system with the dedicated technology to create DEMs for commercial distribution. SPOT 5's fixed position stereo sensors will capture the required "stereo-imagery" from which elevation models are created. Stereo-imagery includes 2 images of the same area, captured from 2 different viewing angles. Typically, satellites have had to capture overlapping single images from different orbital paths, and manually create DEMs through laborious and expensive image processing. SPOT 5's dedicated sensors will be able to capture consistent quality DEM-production imagery at a rate of 126,000 sq km per day. The consistent image characteristics allow an automatic process to be used in DEM production. The commercial DEMs will have a horizontal accuracy of 10 meters, and a vertical (height) accuracy of 15 meters. The stereo-imagery used to produce DEMs will not be offered commercially.
Visit:-
http://www.spot.com/spot-us.htm
Safe Software updates data translation software
Safe Software has announced the latest major upgrade to the popular spatial data translation software, FME Suite. The company's Feature Manipulation Engine (FME) software gains added
features and now supports hundreds of data formats and processing functions. FME Suite 2002 is the industry's most powerful and complete set of tools for translating, viewing, and sharing spatial data. With this release of FME, spatial data professionals have access to many new formats and features. Other new features of FME Suite 2002 include a refined Viewer, automated colour translations, and performance enhancements. Recent additions to FME's format supported list include XML, GML, GDF, Adobe Illustrator EPS, and MapGuide. FME users now have the ability to read, write, manipulate and add value to as many as 100 formats.
Visit:-
http://www.safe.com/
NovaLIS Technologies introduces new permitting & land development management solution
NovaLIS Technologies is releasing an off-the-shelf solution, Land Development Office, to automate local government growth management practices this fall. Land Development Office
(LDO) builds on the functionality and workflow of the product it is replacing, Local Government Office, creating an affordable solution that enables organizations of any size to create customized workflow environments. Land Development Office automates government workflow practices such as permitting, code compliance, licensing, planning, and project tracking. Through its customizable workflow processes, it ensures the consistent application of regulations, increases staff productivity, and improves customer service. LDO's complete GIS integration with ESRI's ArcView 3.2 or 8.1 provides dynamic mapping and GIS capabilities to LDO users.
Visit:-
www.novalistech.com
DGN Conform now available
Corporate Montage, Inc. today announced the release of DGN Conform, the company's rules-based DGN standard validation solution for MicroStation. DGN Conform can validate that your DGN files adhere to your data standards in minutes instead of hours. DGN Conform can be used by DOTs, USACE, Geological Surveys, Counties, Department of Natural Resources, Oil & Gas Companies, Mining Companies, and Engineering Firms. Data dictionaries can easily be made to address all data standards for any project workflow. MicroStation users can now be assured their EBS, MAP, SURVEY, MASTER PLAN, VISUALIZATION, and ENGINEERING data conform completely to defined DGN standards.
Visit:-
http://www.corporatemontage.com/
GIS as part of the reforms: Serbia starts with SICAD
The Republic of Serbia has taken the first step toward adopting a digital land registry solution from SICAD GEOMATICS, based on modern information technology. At INTERGEO, high-ranking Serbian representatives signed a contract with the GIS supplier for the exclusive use of five basic SICAD licenses in a pilot project. In the words of Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, setting up a Geoinformation System is part of the reform process in Serbia. The pilot phase of the wide-ranging GIS rollout in Serbia covers a test area of around 5000 land parcels, and is contracted to begin in November 2001. Serbia's Governmental Geodetic Authority aims to set up a digital land register in every one of the country's administrative districts. Ivan Aleksic, president of Serbia's Governmental Geodetic Authority (GGA) responsible for setting up the land registry and surveying system, signed the agreement with SICAD GEOMATICS. SICAD's partner BARAL & GORAN GIS will provide extensive services under the project, which involves installing the application and providing specialized training, and will be launched with a kick-off event attended by top-level representatives of the Serbian Government.
Visit:-
www.sicad.com
Woolpert Expands GIS Services in Miami
Woolpert LLP recently expanded their geographic information systems/information technology (GIS/IT) staff in their Miami office. Increased GIS involvement in facilities and water management projects in Florida triggered the expansion. Woolpert continues to provide GIS services to multiple county departments at Miami-Dade and has begun GIS conversion work for the City of Fort Lauderdale. This summer, Miami-Dade County Aviation Department awarded Woolpert a second $1.5 million contract for facilities management GIS at Miami International Airport.
Visit:-
www.woolpert.com/news/pressrls/pr.html
CARIS 2001 will extend your boundaries
The Conference Program for CARIS' 6th International Users' Conference has been finalized. Available for viewing online it focuses on and addresses some of the most pressing issues and technological solutions in Geomatics. Hosted in San Diego, California USA, October 30th - November 2nd at the Hyatt Regency Islandia, the CARIS 2001 theme is "Extending Your Boundaries". Conference organizers selected this theme to emphasize CARIS' commitment Revolutionizing Geomatics and to reach beyond conventional boundaries to provide solutions for the entire Geomatics Community.
Visit:-
www.caris.com/caris2001
LiDAR seminar series to continue next week
"The Myths and Realities of LiDAR," a seminar series designed to answer questions and provide information about Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) technology, kicked off Tuesday in Charlotte, North Carolina, with over 50 people in attendance. Responding to a questionnaire about the program, attendees deemed it "excellent," "the best organized I've been at,"and "very good [at] explaining the basic technical procedures used and current and future applications." Sponsored by The Sanborn Map Company, the half-day workshop included talks by industry experts who explained the benefits, capabilities and limitations of LiDAR. The interactive program allowed attendees to learn about LiDAR from case studies and question whether this maturing technology was suitable for their unique applications. The program began September 18 in Charlotte and will be presented in seven additional U.S. cities throughout the fall, including Newark, New Jersey on October 2 and Boston, Massachusetts on October 3. For more information, visit:
www.sanbornmap.com.
Asia News
Companies coldshoulder e-governance
NEW DELHI, Sept. 26 - THE Nasscom President, Mr Kiran Karnik, may be keen on e-governance and social projects around the country. But, unfortunately, he conference delegates did not seem to be interested in such issues. Out of the 80 sessions in the event, there was not a single session on social projects or on e-governance. Neither was there any exhibitor with such focus.
Rather, the three-day event which began on Wednesday would be dealing only with the five key verticals _ finance, digital commerce, e-commerce, e-procurement and service providers (ISP and ASP).
In a pre-survey done by the organisers, the Microland group, the companies wanted the focus to be on the five verticals, where things were and would be happening, according to Mr M.S. Rangaraj, Chairman, Conference Committee, IIW 2001.
``We considered e-governance initially, but cancelled it at the last moment after getting the response from the companies,'' he told said. The narrowing down of the gap between urban and rural areas would depend on IT infrastructure creation, he added. Mr Karnik highlighted some of the successful instances of IT and Internet usage in Pondicherry, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Himachal Pradesh.
But the audience seemed to be interested more in knowing what was happening in areas such as e-commerce and e-procurement, which, in the short term, would bring in returns, unlike Government or social projects.
Source:
Business Line
IT-powered services to be launched at Logistics 2001
CHENNAI, Sept. 26 - TWO Pune-based logistics companies, with over 30 years of experience in the trucking industry, will launch new IT-powered products and services at the Logistics 2001 seminar, which begins here on Thursday .
Nexgen Logistix Ltd, an infrastructure technology management company, has tied up with the UK-based Satamatics, one of the larger telematics service providers, to provide real time satellite based automated vehicle tracking system for supply chain management (SCM).
Mr Faisal Ali, Managing Director, Nexgen Logistix Ltd, said that under the tie-up, Nexgen Logistix will market Satamatics systems for a range of applications such as transport logistics and fleet management for road and rail, security monitoring for vehicles and remote sites, asset tracking and SCM for shipping and catch monitoring for fishing fleets.
The company invested Rs 60 crore in this project and would rent the equipment to its customers, he said. Companies will derive benefit from the ability to control delivery schedules and track the movements of their assets.
Source:
Business Line
India's Sesmic Zoning Map
A sesmic zoning map of india is available at the webite of the India Meteorological Department. An earthquake with its epicentre near Pondicherry Coast rocked parts of Southern India Tueasday night.
You can view the Seismic map at:
http://www.imd.ernet.in/section/seismo/static/seismo-zone.htm
