GPS World

Author: Eric Gakstatter

  • Esri Press Releases 5th Edition of Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information System Planning for Managers

    Esri Press has released the fifth edition ofThinking About GIS: Geographic Information System Planning for Managers. This seminal book on planning and implementing a geographic information system (GIS) is authored by Dr. Roger Tomlinson, widely recognized as “the father of GIS.”

    roger-tomlinsons-thinking-about-gis-fifth-edition-now-available-sm

    According to the announcement, the fifth edition has been updated with new resources including case studies, tips, and terminology definitions that reflect the latest advances in GIS technology and information. The accompanying DVD includes examples and templates, exercises, and videos of the seminar Planning and Managing a GIS from the 2012 Esri International User Conference.

    Drawing from decades of Tomlinson’s consulting experience and worldwide GIS seminars, this new edition bridges the communication gap between the senior managers who oversee information technology systems and the technical specialists who design and implement the systems. The book provides a common ground for both groups so that each clearly understands the methodology needed to implement and maintain an effective GIS.

    “Successful GIS implementation depends on a well-thought-out and executed plan,” says Esri president Jack Dangermond. “If you follow the methodology presented in this book, you will be on the track to success. I hope that you find Roger Tomlinson’s work as informative and beneficial as my colleagues and I have.”

    Tomlinson created the first computerized geographic information system in the 1960s while working for the Canadian government. He is a former chairman of the International Geographical Union GIS Commission, a past president of the Canadian Association of Geographers, and the second-ever recipient of the prestigious Alexander Graham Bell Award from the National Geographic Society.

    Thinking About GIS: Geographic Information System Planning for Managers, Fifth Edition (ISBN: 9781589483484, 280 pages, US$54.95), is available at online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

  • BioDigital Announces $4M Funding to Create a 3D Model of the Human Body

    BioDigital, Inc. announced they’ve received $4MM in Series A funding led by FirstMark Capital with participation from the NYU Venture Fund and a number of prominent angel investors.

    According to the announcement, BioDigital has been pioneering the use of 3D technology to simplify health concepts for a decade.  Regardless of the customer the underlying problem remained the same: traditional methods of communicating health information were no longer adequate. Furthermore, the consumer appetite for information is unprecedented, but the format its delivered in is hard to digest. 3D technology has already changed the face of games, movies and with geo-browsers like Google Earth the way we navigate our planet, but nowhere does 3D make more sense than in representing the human body. The body is a dynamic, complex system and understanding it using text and static 2D illustration is inherently flawed. BioDigital has been fortunate over the last decade to provide innovative solutions to this problem to a range of healthcare customers such as hospitals, medical schools, device and pharma.

    BioDigital_human-showcase

    Two years ago, BioDigital reports that it saw some profound changes happening in the development of the Web. For the first time, as part of the HTML5 spec,  3D would be natively supported in browsers. Cloud and API based businesses also emerged. BioDigital opines that technology is clearly entering a new phase of the web: a services oriented model which leverages rich interactive media as a better means of conveying information. BioDigital reports these trends inspired it to take its IP  built over the years and create the definitive place for immersive health content on the Web, which is called the BioDigital Human Platform.

    BioDigital reports that since its launch 12 months ago, the Human has exceeded expectations. More than one million members have joined across an array of use cases. Students from over 2500 schools are using it to learn anatomy; consumers are using it to understand and share everything from fitness to health conditions; healthcare providers are now introducing it within their clinics to better communicate with their patients.

    Building the first true 3D virtual body platform that finally allows people to see what’s happening below our skin is a massive undertaking, according to the company blog. BioDigital says the investment will allow it to accelerate the development of features and API functionality requested by its users while furthering its mission to make health and human body understandable to everyone.

  • Ordnance Survey uses OpenData to Create a Minecraft Map of Great Britain

    Great Britain’s Ordnance Survey announced a  team developing ideas for future products and services at Ordnance Survey has created a map of Great Britain in the popular Minecraft video game, featuring 22 billion blocks, using their freely available digital map products in OS OpenData, and made it available for download as a new Minecraft world.

    According to the announcement, the national mapping authority have created a Minecraft world representing over 224,000 square kilometres of Great Britain using two of their OS OpenData products. The Minecraft GB terrain was created using OS Terrain 50, a three-dimensional model of the bare earth surface known as a Digital Terrain Model delivered as a grid with a resolution of 50 metres. The raster version of OS VectorMap District, a mid-scale contextual or backdrop map product, was then used to extract surface features – for example water, woodland and roads – based on pixel colours and densities. This information was then used to modify the material of individual blocks in the Minecraft GB world.

    Ordnance_Survey_RS1334_minecraftexample

    Explaining how the project started, Graham Dunlop, Innovation Lab Manager at Ordnance Survey, said, “The purpose of our Labs team is to explore and assess ideas for new products and services. When Joseph Braybrook joined the team as part of Ordnance Survey’s summer internship programme, we discovered he was an avid Minecraft fan and we decided to explore the potential educational benefits of the popular video game. We decided to build a Minecraft world using free-to-use OS OpenData products to display the landscape and terrain of Great Britain.”

    The new Minecraft GB world, which consists of over 22 billion Minecraft blocks, is now available to download by any of Minecraft’s 33 million active users with a license. Players can use the new world to fly across the country and see different environments such as Snowdonia, Poole Harbour and central London. All players will enter the virtual 3D world at our head office in Southampton and from there can add their own recreations of real-life features – such as landmarks like Stonehenge or add imagined environments such as Hogwarts castle.

    Graham continues, “We think we may have created the largest Minecraft world ever built based on real-world data. It’s impressive to know that despite never having used Java programming previously, Joseph took just two weeks to create the Minecraft GB world. The resulting map shows the massive potential, not just for using Minecraft for computer technology and geography purposes in schools, but also the huge scope of applications for OS OpenData too.”

    Recognising the need to scale the world, the team used coding to take the raw heights in Ordnance Survey’s data and scaled it down to fit within the 256 block height limit in Minecraft. A maximum height of 2,500 metres was chosen, which means Ben Nevis appears just over 128 blocks high. Although this exaggerates the real-world height, it preserves low-lying coastal features such as Bournemouth’s cliffs, adding interest to the landscape.

    Ordnance Survey has also linked the world to their popular OS getamap service to enable players to navigate to some familiar places. Players can use the service to search for a location and capture the grid reference displayed on the screen. Using this, a conversion tool can then generate the Minecraft teleport command with the correct world coordinates.

  • Landsat Images Show Devastation Caused by Colorado Floods

    NASA’s Earth Observatory released images illustrating the September floods in Colorado. Though water levels on the South Platte River were receding, muddy brown waters were still out of the river’s banks near Greeley, Colorado, on September 17, 2013, when the Operational Land Imager (OLI) on the Landsat 8 satellite acquired this image. At the time, the river was more than six feet above flood stage, down from more than eight feet above flood stage.

    The image shows that the flood has washed away roads, including sections of U.S. Highway 34. Farmland and a few developed areas are under water. Heavy rain caused flooding across the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains starting on September 11, and much of that water made its way into the South Platte River. The river reached a record 18.79 feet in the early morning hours of September 14. The previous record crest was 11.73 feet. Flood stage is 10 feet. As the water subsides in Colorado, it is expected to swell the river downstream in Nebraska.

    Image acquired June 29, 2013
    Image acquired by NASA June 29, 2013
    Image acquired September 17, 2013
    Image acquired by NASA September 17, 2013

    According to the announcement, as of September 18, floods had affected 17 counties in Colorado, leaving six people dead, 306 missing, and more than 18,000 evacuated, according to the Colorado Office of Emergency Management. Early estimates place the cost of the floods at two billion dollars. Though destructive and costly, all of the excess water may help parts of Colorado recover from drought. The rain helped refill some depleted reservoirs and recharge dry soil. However, it also damaged irrigation infrastructure, so the impact on farmers is mixed.

  • Esri Announces ArcGIS Marketplace, Apps for GIS

    Esri announces the launch of ArcGIS Marketplace, a new destination that allows ArcGIS Online subscribers to search, discover, and get apps and data from qualified providers for use within their organization. ArcGIS Marketplace provides data from organizations such as DigitalGlobe, RapidEye, AccuWeather, and Esri, as well as apps created by Esri and its distributors and partners, such as Latitude Geographics, Azteca Systems, and con terra that are built specifically to work with ArcGIS Online. All apps and data can easily be shared with ArcGIS Online groups and users within your organization.

    Esri_Marketplace“While there are app marketplaces that serve consumer audiences, only ArcGIS Marketplace is specifically designed to serve the needs of GIS users, making it truly unique,” says Johan Herrlin, senior business strategist at Esri. “ArcGIS Marketplace is another facet of the ArcGIS platform. Now you can easily find apps and data services that integrate with your ArcGIS Online subscription, allowing you to get more value out of the platform.”

    According to the announcement, anyone can browse the listings in ArcGIS Marketplace, but you need to be an ArcGIS Online subscriber to get free trials or make purchases. Because all apps in ArcGIS Marketplace require an ArcGIS Online login, users can access their organization’s maps via the apps. Data services acquired via ArcGIS Marketplace are also fully integrated with ArcGIS Online, so you can add them to your basemap gallery or other apps.

    For apps and data service providers, ArcGIS Marketplace provides a mechanism to generate leads, provide free trials, grant access to listings, and manage subscriptions. If you have a great app or data that you would like to make available to the ArcGIS community, find out what it takes to qualify as an ArcGIS Marketplace Provider.

    ArcGIS Marketplace is now available globally.

    Photo: Esri

     

  • QGIS 2.0 (Dufour) Released

    The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) announced the release of QGIS 2.0. QGIS is a cross-platform free and open source desktop geographic information systems (GIS) application that provides data viewing, editing, and analysis capabilities.

     

    What’s new in QGIS 2.0

    User Interface

    • New icon theme: We have updated our icon theme to use the ‘GIS’ theme introducing an improved level of consistency and professionalism to the QGIS user interface.
    • Side tabs, collapsable groups: We have standardised the layout of tabs and introduced collapsible group boxes into many of our dialogs to make navigating the various options more easy, and to make better use of screen real estate.
    • Soft notifications: In many cases we want to tell you something, but we don’t want to stop your work or get in your way. With the new notification system QGIS can let you know about important information via a message bar (colour depends on the importance of the message) that appears at the top of the map canvas but doesn’t force you to deal with it if you are busy doing something else. Programmers can create these notification (e.g. from a plugin) too using our python API.
    • Application custom font and Qt stylesheet: The system font used for the application’s user interface can now be set. Any C++ or Python plugin that is a child of the QGIS GUI application or has copied/applied the application’s GUI stylesheet can inherit its styling, which is useful for GUI fixes across platforms and when using custom QGIS Qt widgets, like QgsCollapsibleGroupBox.
    • Live color chooser dialogs and buttons: Every color chooser button throughout the interface has been updated to give visual feedback on whether the current color has a transparent, or ‘alpha,’ component. The color chooser opened by the new color buttons will now always be the default for the operating system. If the user has Use live-updating color chooser dialogs checked under Options -> General -> Application, any change in the color chooser will immediately be shown in the color button and for any item currently being edited, where applicable.
    • SVG Annotations: With QGIS 2.0 you can now add SVG annotations to your map – either pinned to a specific place or in a relative position over the map canvas.

    Data Provider

    • Oracle Spatial support: QGIS 2.0 now includes Oracle Spatial support.
    • Web Coverage Service provider added: QGIS now provides native support for Web Coverage Service layers – the process for adding WCS is similar to adding a WMS layer or WFS layer.
    • Raster Data Provider overhaul: The raster data provider system has been completely overhauled. One of the best new features stemming from this work is the ability to ‘Layer -> Save As…’ to save any raster layer as a new layer. In the process you can clip, resample, and reproject the layer to a new Coordinate Reference System. You can also save a raster layer as a rendered image so if you for example have single band raster that you have applied a colour palette to, you can save the rendered layer out to a georeferenced RGB layer.
    • Raster 2% cumulative cut by default: Many raster imagery products have a large number of outliers which result in images having a washed out appearance. QGIS 2.0 intoduces much more fine grained control over the rendering behaviour of rasters, including using a 2% – 98% percent cumulative cut by default when determining the colour space for the image. The image here shows QGIS 1.8 (left) versus QGIS 2.0 (right) when rendering the same image with default settings.
    • WMS identify format: It is now possible to select the format of the identify tool result for WMS layers if multiple known formats are supported by the server. The supported formats are HTML, feature (GML) and plain text. If the feature (GML) format is selected, the result is in the same form as for vector layers, the geometry may be highlighted and the feature including attributes and geometry may be copied to clipboard and pasted to another layer.
    • WMTS Support: The WMS client in QGIS now supports WMTS (Web Mapping Tile Service) including selection of sub-datasets such as time slices. When adding a WMS layer from a compliant server, you will be prompted to select the time slice to display.

    Symbology

    • Data defined properties: With the new data defined properties, it is possible to control symbol type, size, color, rotation, and many other properties through feature attributes.
    • Improved symbol layer management: The new symbol layer overview uses a clear, tree-structured layout which allows for easy and fast access to all symbol layers.
    • Support for transparency in colour definitions: In most places where you select colours, QGIS now allows you to specify the alpha channel (which determins how transparent the colour should be). This allows you to create great looking maps and to hide data easily that you don’t want users to see.
    • Color Control for Raster Layers: QGIS 2.0 allows you to precisely control exactly how you’d like raster layers to appear. You now have complete control over the brightness, contrast and saturation of raster layers. There’s even options to allow display of rasters in grayscale or by colorising with a specified color.
    • Copy symbology between layers: Its now super easy to copy symbology from one layer to another layer. If you are working with several similar layer, you can simply right-click on one layer, choose Copy Style from the context menu and then right-click on another layer and choose Paste-Style.
    • Save styles in your database: If you are using a database vector data store, you can now store the layer style definitions directly in the database. This makes it easy to share styled layers in an enterprise or multi-user environment.
    • Colour ramp support: Colour ramps are now available in many places in QGIS symbology settings and QGIS ships with a rich, extensible set of colour ramps. You can also design your own and many cpt-city themes are included in QGIS now ‘out of the box’. Color ramps even have full support for transparency!
    • Set custom default styles for all layer types: Now QGIS lets you control how new layers will be drawn when they do not have an existing .qml style defined. You can also set the default transparency level for new layers and whether symbols should have random colours assigned to them.

    Map Composer

    • HTML Map Items: You can now place html elements onto your map.
    • Auto snap lines: Having nicely align map items is critical to making nice printed maps. Auto snapping lines have been added to allow for easy composer object alignment by simply dragging an object close to another.
    • Manual Snap Lines: Sometimes you need to align objects a curtain distance on the composer. With the new manual snapping lines you are able to add manual snap lines which allow for better align objects using a common alignment. Simply drag from the top or side ruler to add new guide line.
    • Map series generation: Ever needed to generate a map series? Of course you have. The composer now includes built in map series generation using the atlas feature. Coverage layers can be points, lines, polygons, and the current feature attribute data is available in labels for on the fly value replacement.
    • Multipage support: A single composer window can now contain more then one page.
    • Expressions in composer labels: The composer label item in 1.8 was quite limited and only allowed a single token $CURRENT_DATE to be used. In 2.0 full expression support has been added too greater power and control of the final labels.
    • Automatic overview support in map frame: Need to show the current area of the main map frame in a smaller overview window. Now you can. The map frame now contains the ability to show the extents of other and will update when moved. Using this with the atlas generation feature now core in the composer allows for some slick map generation. Overview frame style uses the same styling as a normal map polygon object so your creativity is never restricted.
    • Layer blending: Layer blending makes it possible to combine layers in new and exciting ways. While in older versions, all you could do was to make the layer transparent, you can now choose between much more advanced options such as “multiply”, “darken only”, and many more. Blending can be used in the normal map view as well as in print composer. For a short tutorial on how to use blending in print composer to make the most out of background images, see “Vintage map design using QGIS”.
    • HTML Label support: HTML support has been added map composer label item to give you even more control over your final maps. HTML labels support full css styles sheets, html, and even javascript if you are that way inclined.
    • Multicolumn composer legend: The composer legend now supports multiple columns. Splitting of a single layer with many classes into multiple columns is optional. Single symbol layers are now added by default as single line item. Three different styles may be assigned to layer/group title: Group, Subgroup or Hidden. Title styles allow arbitrary visual grouping of items. For example, a single symbol layer may be displayed as single line item or with layer title (like in 1.8), symbols from multiple following layers may be grouped into a single group (hiding titles) etc. Feature counts may be added to labels.
    • Updates to map composer management: The following improvements have been made to map composer management:
      • Composer name can now be defined upon creation, optionally choosing to start from other composer names
      • Composers can now be duplicated
      • New from Template and from Specific (in Composer Manager) creates a composer from a template located anywhere on the filesystem
      • Parent project can now be saved directly from the composer work space
      • All composer management actions now accessible directly from the composer work space

    Labeling

    • New labeling system: The labeling system has been totally overhauled – it now includes many new features such as drop shadows, ‘highway shields’, many more data bound options, and various performance enhancements. We are slowly doing away with the ‘old labels’ system, although you will still find that functionality available for this release, you should expect that it will disappear in a follow up release.
    • Expression based label properties: The full power of normal label and rule expressions can now be used for label properties. Nearly every property can be defined with an expression or field value giving you more control over the label result. Expressions can refer to a field (e.g. set the font size to the value of the field ‘font’) or can include more complex logic.
    • Older labeling engine deprecated: Use of the older labeling engine available in QGIS <= 1.8 is now discouraged (i.e. deprecated), but has not been removed. This is to allow users to migrate existing projects from the old to new labeling engine. The following guidelines for working with the older engine in QGIS 2.0 apply:
      • Deprecated labeling tab is removed from vector layer properties dialog for new projects or older opened projects that don’t use that labeling engine.
      • Deprecated tab remains active for older opened projects, if any layer uses them, and does not go away even if saving the project with no layers having the older labeling engine enabled.
      • Deprecated labeling tab can be enabled/disabled for the current project, via Python console commands. Please note: There is a very high likelihood the deprecated labeling engine will be completely removed prior to the next stable release of QGIS. Please migrate older projects.

    Programmability

    • New Python Console: The new Python console gives you even more power. Now the with auto complete support, syntax highlighting, adjustable font settings. The side code editor allows for easier entry of larger blocks of code with the ability to open and run any Python file in the QGIS session.
    • Even more expression functions: With the expression engine being used more and more though out QGIS to allow for things like expression based labels and symbol, many more functions have been added to the expression builder and are all accessible though the expression builder. All functions include comprehensive help and usage guides for ease of use.
    • Custom expression functions: If the expression engine doesn’t have the function that you need. Not to worry. New functions can be added via a plug-in using a simple Python API.
    • New cleaner Python API: The Python API has been revamped to allow for a more cleaner, more pythonic, programming experience. The QGIS 2.0 API uses SIP V2 which removes the messy toString(), toInt() logic that was needed when working with values. Types are now converted into native Python types making for a much nicer API. Attributes access is now done on the feature itself using a simple key lookup, no more index lookup and attribute maps.
    • Code compatibility with version 1.x releases: As this is a major release, it is not completely API compatible with previous 1.x releases. In most cases porting your code should be fairly straightforward – you can use this guide to get started. Please use the developer mailing list if you need further help.
    • Python project macros: A Python module, saved into a project.qgs file, can be loaded and have specific functions run on the following project events: openProject(), saveProject() and closeProject(). Whether the macros are run can be configured in the application options.

    Analysis Tools

    • Processing Commander: For quick access to geoprocessing functionality, just launch the processing commander (Ctrl + Alt + M) and start typing the name of the tool you are looking for. Commander will show you the available options and launch them for you. No more searching through menus to find tools. They are now right at your fingertips.
    • Heatmap Plug-in Improvements: The heatmap plug-in has seen numerous improvements and optimisations, resulting in much faster creation of heatmaps. Additionally, you now have the choice of which kernel function is used to create the heatmap.
    • Processing Support: The SEXTANTE project has been ported to and incorporated into QGIS as core functionality. SEXTANTE has been renamed to ‘Processing’ and introduces a new menu in QGIS from where you can access a rich toolbox of spatial analysis tools. The processing toolbox has incredibly rich functionality – with a python programming API allowing you to easily add new tools, and hooks to provide access to analysis capabilities of many popular open source tools such as GRASS, OTB, SAGA etc.
    • Processing Modeller: One of the great features of the new processing framework is the ability to combine the tools graphically. Using the Processing Modeller, you can build up complex analysis from a series of small single purpose modules. You can save these models and then use them as building blocks in even more complex models. Awesome power integrated right into QGIS and very easy to use!

    Plug-ins

    • Revamped plug-in manager: In QGIS 1.x managing plug-ins was somewhat confusing with two interfaces — one for managing already installed plug-ins and one for fetching python plug-ins from an only plug-in repository. In QGIS 2.0 we introduce a new, unified, plug-in manager which provides a one stop shop for downloading, enabling/disabling and generally managing you plug-ins. Oh, and the user interface is gorgeous too with side tabs and easy to recognize icons!
    • Application and Project Options: Define default startup project and project templates. With QGIS 2.0 you can specify what QGIS should do when it starts: New Project (legacy behaviour, starts with a blank project), Most recent (when you start QGIS it will load the last project you worked on), Specific (always load a specific project when QGIS starts). You can use the project template directory to specify where your template projects should be stored. Any project that you store in that directory will be available for use as a template when invoking the Project –> New from template menu.
    • System environment variables: Current system environment variables can now be viewed and many configured within the application Options dialog. Useful for platforms, such as Mac, where a GUI application does not necessarily inherit the user’s shell environment. Also useful for setting/viewing environment variables for the external tool sets controlled by the processing toolbox, e.g. SAGA, GRASS; and, for turning on debugging output for specific sections of the source code.
    • User-defined zoom scales: A listing of zoom scales can now be configured for the application and optionally overridden per project. The list will show up in the Scale popup combo box in the main window status bar, allowing for quick access to known scales for efficiently viewing and working with the current data sources. Defined scales can be exported to an XML file that can be imported into other projects or another QGIS application.

    General

    • Quantum GIS is now known only as ‘QGIS’: The ‘Quantum’ in ‘Quantum GIS’ never had any particular significance and the duality of referring to our project as both Quantum GIS and QGIS caused some confusion. We are streamlining our project and as part of that process we are officially dropping the use of the word Quantum – henceforth we will be known only as QGIS (spelled with all letters in upper case). We will be updating all our code and publicity material to reflect this.

    Layer Legend

    • Legend visual feedback and options
      • Total count for features in layer, as well as per symbol
      • Vector layers in edit mode now have a red pencil to indicate uncommitted (unsaved) edits
      • Active layer is now underlined, to indicate it in multi-layer selections or when there is no selection
      • Clicking in non-list-item whitespace now clears the selection
      • Right-clicks are now treated as left-clicks prior to showing the contextual menu, allowing for one click instead of two
      • Groups and layers can optionally be in a bold font style
      • Raster layer generated preview icons can now be turned off, for projects where such rendering may be slow
    • Duplicate existing map layer: Duplicate selected vector and raster layers in the map layer legend. Similar to importing the same data source again, as a separate layer, then copy/pasting style and symbology attributes.
    • Multi-layer toggle editing commands: User can now select multiple layers in legend and, if any of those are vector layers in edit mode, choose to save, rollback, or cancel current uncommitted edits. User can also choose to apply those actions across all layers, regardless of selection.

    Browser

    • Improvements to in-app browser panel: * Directories can be filtered by wildcard or regex expressions * New Project home (parent directory of current project) * View Properties of the selected directory in a dialog * Choose which directories to Fast scan * Choose to Add a directory directly to Favourites via filesystem browse dialog * New /Volumes on Mac (hidden directory for access to external drives) * New OWS group (collation of available map server connections) * Open a second browser (View -> Panels -> Browser (2)) for drag-n-drop interactions between browser panels * Icons now sorted by item group type (filesystem, databases, map servers) * Layer Properties now have better visual layout.

    QGIS 2.0 can be downloaded here.

  • Global Mapper V15 Released with Extension Interface and Powerful New LiDAR Tools

    Blue Marble Geographics announces the release of Global Mapper version 15. This major release includes many powerful updates along with a new extension interface that provides add-on functionality capabilities including the COAST tool and a new LiDAR Module. Blue Marble’s geospatial data manipulation, visualization and conversion solutions are used worldwide by thousands of GIS analysts at software, oil and gas, mining, civil engineering, surveying, and technology companies, as well as governmental and university organizations.

    GlobalMapper_Augusta_LiDAR_s

    According to the announcement, the new extension interface in Global Mapper 15 allows third parties and customers the opportunity to create add-on applications that can be part of the software with access to all the formats and tools that Global Mapper has to offer. As part of this release, Blue Marble has created three modules; The COAST tool for cost/benefit analysis of coastal flooding incidents, an Overview Map Window application, and a new powerful LiDAR module. The LiDAR module is available for the price of another seat of the software, while COAST and the Overview Application are free. Other new extension modules from key partners are expected over the next year.

    This release also features a new Mathematical Raster Calculator for multi-band imagery analysis, the ability to edit and re-calculate multiple view shed layers, 3D PDF read/write support, scripting enhancements, such as passing variables to the script from the command line, and much more. The LiDAR Module is a powerful toolbar that has totally new functionality on par with software that is many thousands of dollars more expensive. Leveraged through a toolbar for easier management and editing capabilities, the module features the ability to view, edit and reclassify points in the Path Profile viewer, robust gridding techniques for faster, extremely flexible creation of elevation surfaces, including smart decimation through binning, and other techniques. The tool also allows for automatic classification of ground points from unclassified point clouds, and support for reporting LiDAR statistics via script to a text file to facilitate QA processes and new format support for E57 LiDAR.

    “Global Mapper is TRULY the GIS tool for everyone and that includes the basic user who simply needs to view data or output it to Google Earth, as well as the highly trained GIS or Survey professional working with LiDAR point clouds of a billion points or more,” stated Blue Marble’s President Patrick Cunningham “We are committed to adding the most advanced functionality at a price point that is within reach of everyone and we have again done so with this release.”

  • Esri Releases Interactive Colorado Flooding Impact Map

    Esri released an interactive flood impact map of Colorado. Flash floods in Colorado have caused massive damage throughout the state since they began on the evening of September 11, 2013.

    ColoradoFlooding

    Chart: Esri

    Click here for full-screen interactive map

    Boulder Area
    Since September 9th, the Colorado Front Range has received a large amount of rainfall. The top 50 citizen observations are shown on the map.

    FEMA shelters have been established to help residents that have been impacted by heavy flooding. Click on boundaries to see population statistics for that area. Residents in Lyons were evacuated and the community was virtually cut off by damage to roads in and out of the city.

    Denver Area
    In the Denver area, many localities were impacted by evacuations and disruptions to the drinking water supply. Interstate 25 was closed in both directions up to Wyoming and dams in the area were breached, including one at the Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Commerce City.

    Colorado Springs Area
    Heavy rains west of Colorado Springs resulted in flash flooding on Thursday night (09/12/13). Fountain Creek, which runs through the city, surged to a flood stage and resulted in life-threatening conditions in Downtown Colorado Springs. Highway 24 was closed due to the impact of the 2012 Waldo Canyon Fire scar.

    Fort Collins Area
    Rivers and streams surrounding Fort Collins and Longmont have witnessed some of the worst flooding in the state, especially towns along the Big Thompson Canyon. Towns in Weld County, including parts of Johnstown and Milliken, were completely water-locked. Numerous FEMA shelters have been established in the area to help residents that have been affected.

     

  • USGS Releases US Topo Maps Covering Colorado and Minnesota, Schedule for Remaining States

    In keeping with rapid demand, the USGS has posted new US Topo quadrangles covering Colorado (1,794 maps) and Minnesota (1,689). These new quads replace the first edition US Topo maps for those states. The replaced maps will be added to the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection and are also available for free download from The National Map and the USGS Map Locator & Downloader website.

    The new design for US Topo maps improves readability of maps for online and printed use, while retaining the look and feel of the traditional USGS topo map. Also, map symbols are now easier to read over the digital aerial photograph layer whether the imagery is turned on or off.

    Other re-design enhancements and new features:

    • New shaded relief layer for enhanced view of the terrain
    • Military installation boundaries, post offices and cemeteries
    • New road classification
    • A slight screening (transparency) has been applied to some features to enhance visibility of multiple competing layers
    • New PDF legend attachment
    • Metadata formatted to support multiple browsers

    In addition, the new Colorado US Topo quads include recreational trails in National Forests, provided by the U.S. Forest Service. Although this first test of trails was successful, the Forest Service does not yet have comparable data in other states, and schedules for adding trails in all National Forests have not been set.

    Figure showing proposed US Topo production schedule. States that were updated in 2012 are in yellow; states that have, or will be updated in 2013 are colored red; and states are scheduled to be updated in 2014 are in blue.
    Figure showing proposed US Topo production schedule. States that were updated in 2012 are in yellow; states that have, or will be updated in 2013 are colored red; and states are scheduled to be updated in 2014 are in blue.

    “We are excited to about these two updates that are part of our continual effort to improve US Topo maps for our users,” said Vicki Lukas, USGS Chief of Partner and User Engagement. “First, the new design makes US Topo maps even easier to use, and the new Colorado maps include Forest Service trails as a new feature.”

    US Topo maps are updated every three years. The initial round of the 48 conterminous state coverage was completed last September. Hawaii and Puerto Rico maps are being completed this year. New US Topo maps for Alaska have started, but will take several years to complete.

    US Topo maps are created from geographic datasets in The National Map, and deliver visible content such as high-resolution aerial photography, which was not available on older paper-based topographic maps. The new US Topo maps provide modern technical advantages that support wider and faster public distribution and on-screen geographic analysis tools for users.

    The new digital electronic topographic maps are delivered in GeoPDF image software format and may be viewed using Adobe Reader, available as a no-cost download.

     

  • Astrium to Provide Satellite Imagery for Google Maps and Google Earth

    Astrium announced that it has entered into an agreement with Google Inc. to provide satellite imagery in support of Google Maps, Google Earth and other Google products and services. Under this agreement, Astrium Services will provide newly acquired imagery from its Pléiades and SPOT satellites.

    According to the announcement, Pléiades 1A and 1B are Europe’s first very high-resolution Earth-observation satellites, offering exceptional performance to support both commercial and government markets with 50cm resolution imagery products. The SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 constellation, operated in conjunction with Pléiades, offers 1.5m resolution imagery products and is uniquely capable of mapping continent-wide areas.

    Astrium reports that their four-satellite constellation makes Astrium Services the first satellite operator in the world to offer a complete range of Earth-observation data at different resolutions (from medium to very high-resolution), an image collection capacity of up to 6.5 million square kilometers each day and the ability to image every point of the globe on a daily basis.

  • HERE Announces Partnerships with Automakers and Suppliers to Connect Cars to the Cloud

    HERE announced ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show that it has partnered with the Mercedes-Benz division of Daimler and two of the world’s leading automotive system integrators, Continental Corporation and Magneti Marelli. These partners are building on the HERE Connected Driving framework to offer individual connected products and services that go beyond navigation to meet their differing needs.

    According to the announcement, connectivity will allow cars to compute real time information on demand so that the vehicle can take over more aspects of driving ultimately creating an entirely new class of services.

    Mercedes-Benz

    HERE announced is has teamed up with Mercedes-Benz to jointly develop smart maps for connected cars and ultimately, self-driving cars. HERE and Mercedes built a 3D digital map of the route that the first Benz Patent-Motorwagen took 125 years ago from Mannheim to Pforzheim, Germany. Based on the particular requirements of autonomous vehicles, this map includes precise road data that go beyond traditional maps, including the number and direction of lanes, traffic signs along the route and even exact coordinates of traffic lights. While autonomous vehicles may not hit the streets commercially for several years, automakers and tech innovators alike must already think about the infrastructure and technological requirements needed to support this technology.

    Magneti Marelli

    HERE announced they are working with Magneti Marelli to develop an end-to-end connected driving solution ready to use for car makers, based on Magneti Marelli’s open platform and the HERE Connected Driving offering. It takes advantage of dynamic content from the HERE Auto Cloud such as real-time traffic information, parking and fuel prices as well as information on local places.

    Continental Corporation

    Continental Corporation recently announced that it has implemented 3D content from HERE into its new Infotainment platform. With HERE, the platform will integrate different location based applications into cars such as 3D Landmarks, satellite imagery with split screen and current traffic information among other location based applications. Drivers can also synch navigation destinations and route preferences across the in-dash system in their vehicles and their smartphone, tablet, or PC.

    “We believe that the evolution towards a connected car future will happen in different phases. Autonomous driving is just one fascinating aspect,” said Michael Halbherr, Head of HERE and EVP at Nokia. “Every car OEM, system integrator and every driver will require their own unique solution and technology will never be able to replace human understanding. That is why we have created our Connected Driving solutions with fresh maps at their core.”

    The HERE Connected Driving offering will be demonstrated at the International Motor Show  starting on September 10 at Hall 4.1, Stand E30.

  • USGS Releases Updated U.S. Topo Maps of Alaska

    AK_Fairbanks

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) announced that more than 400 new topographic maps are now available for the state of Alaska. The new maps are part of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Mapping Initiative, to update foundational data for the state and to replace the existing maps that are about 50 years old.

    “These new digital maps of Alaska are elevating our visual record of the surface of the state to 21st century levels,” said Anne Castle, Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Water and Science.  “The associatedadvances in human safety, navigation, and natural resource management cannot be overestimated. The productive partnership between the State government and the USGS is facilitating acquisition of the necessary data to complete digital mapping of Alaska, which is a critical chapter in the history of our geographical knowledge of the North American continent.”

    The first 400-plus new US Topo maps for Alaska are now accessible and are the beginning of a multi-year project, ultimately leading to more than 11,000 new maps for the entire state. The goal of the AMI is the production of a complete series of digital topographical maps at a scale of 1:25,000 to replace the 1:63,360-scale maps produced about 50 years ago. The maps will be published in digital PDF format (GeoPDF) and are available for free download and manipulation on a computer.

    These new maps include several layers, with an option for the user to turn them on or off. Major updated features include:

    • Satellite image layers which allows a recent view of the earth’s surface.
    • Contours and shaded relief layers showing the lay of the land derived from newly acquired 5-meter radar elevation data.
    • Surface water features from the USGS National Hydrography Dataset, which are updated by local stewards and USGS.
    • Glaciers updated using Randolph Glacier Inventory data.
    • Boundaries integrated from multiple sources, including Census and major Federal landholders.
    • The Public Land Survey System layer from the Bureau of Land Management.
    • Roads from a commercial vendor under a USGS contract.
    • Railroads and the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline data from local sources.
    • Important buildings including police stations, schools, and hospitals.
    • Airports, heliports and seaplane landing strips compiled by USGS from multiple sources.
    • Feature names from the USGS-maintained Geographic Names Information System.

    To ensure that the maps meet current accuracy specifications and standards, the maps will be made using newly acquired elevation and imagery data from multiple state, federal and commercial sources. The map-making process will be largely automated using software specially adapted by the USGS to create approximately 11,275 digital map quadrangles, covering the entire area of the state.

    Mapping in Alaska did not keep pace with records for the rest of the nation as a result of difficult terrain, remote locations, and vast distances. Modern mapping information does not exist over the majority of land in the state. Prior to this effort, topographical maps for much of Alaska were about 50 years out of date and not produced to current standards, which rely largely on high resolution digital imagery and elevation data. As a consequence, essential public services have suffered, among them transportation planning and safety, urban and regional planning, economic development, natural resource management, conservation and scientific research.

    This new generation of digital topographic maps will continue the rich and valuable USGS cartographic history, and serve the Nation by providing reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth; minimize loss of life and property from natural disasters; manage water, biological, energy, and mineral resources; and enhance and protect quality of life.

    For more information and download, go to: http://nationalmap.gov/alaska/