GPS World

Author: Tracy Cozzens

  • Esri, USDA Forest Service publicize forestry data

    usda-forest-mapEsri and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service unveiled Engagement Portfolio, a gallery of maps and apps of U.S. forestry data open to the public.

    Engagement Portfolio opens up the Forestry Inventory and Analysis database, a trove of detailed information on the nation’s forest ecosystems, which the Forest Service has maintained for nearly a century.

    “The tools we’re releasing today demonstrate the best of what’s possible through private-public partnerships,” says Carlos Rodriguez-Franco, acting deputy chief, research and development, USDA Forest Service. “We’re opening up data for more than 800 million acres of U.S. forests and woodlands that provide clean water, clean air, wildlife and fish habitat, recreational opportunities and resources for economic development.”

    Large-scale map and a chart-populated perspective of the nation’s forests are available, as well as story maps and other interactive tools.

    “Interactive access to data helps everyone make better decisions about our fragile ecosystem,” says John Steffenson, director, global business development, natural resources, Esri. “The Forest Service’s new Engagement Portfolio transforms the agency’s wealth of data into information products that anyone can relate to and that powerfully convey the value of the nation’s forests.”

  • Fugro delivers surface current data with new system

    ROCIS is an airborne system for mapping surface current conditions over a wide area of ocean for current-sensitive offshore operations.
    ROCIS is an airborne system for mapping surface current conditions over a wide area of ocean for current-sensitive offshore operations.

    Fugro and technology partner Areté Associates have successfully delivered near real-time, synoptic, surface current data to characterize Loop Current and Loop Current eddy conditions in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico during a period of intense current conditions.

    Over the course of the five-month program, Fugro used the new ROCIS (Remote Ocean Current Imaging System) to survey currents over a distance of more than 125,000 kilometers — the equivalent of 3 times around the world.

    ROCIS is the first commercially available system of its kind and represents a step change in technology for mapping surface current conditions over a wide area of ocean for current sensitive offshore operations.

    Optimizing recent advances in remote sensing and aerial survey, Fugro and Areté Associates developed a system that uses a combination of digital camera technology and highly accurate positioning systems, together with advanced algorithms, to derive surface currents from wave spectra measurements. It can be installed on a suitable survey aircraft, together with an inertial navigation system augmented by Fugro’s Starfix satellite positioning system.

    Current data are reviewed in real time on board the aircraft, providing continuous assessment of data quality and the location of strong currents. Within an hour of the aircraft landing the system produces a “quick-look” map of the currents over the area while processed data files are available a few hours later.

    During the program, ROCIS data supported day-to-day operational planning and enhanced the accuracy of 3D hydrodynamic current forecast modeling.

    The key technical benefits of ROCIS are the near synoptic, wide area, high resolution, high integrity surface current measurements that allow sub-mesoscale circulation to be measured and monitored. During a four-hour flight, the system can survey ocean currents at 250-meter intervals over a track of 900-1,100 kilometers. To map currents over a similar distance using traditional methods would take a combination of four vessels 24 hours. Given sufficient daylight hours, two ROCIS flight missions can be conducted each day.

    ROCIS services can be provided to single or multiple clients to monitor offshore current conditions over specific locations or a broad area. The system can also provide support in emergency situations such as oil spill and search and rescue, as well as in oceanographic research programs.

    Fugro and Areté Associates are working on further development of the ROCIS system and services, including the use of expendable probes and the incorporation of additional airborne sensors. In 2016 Fugro will add a second ROCIS unit to further enhance its support of offshore operations.

  • Epson releases firmware update for SureColor T-Series printers

    Epson has released enhanced firmware for its current generation of SureColor T-Series large-format color printers. Models affected include T3270, T5270, T7270, T5270D and T7270D.

    The new firmware enhancements, coupled with Epson’s latest PrecisionCore TFP print head and Epson UltraChrome XD pigment ink, provide technical, corporate, marketing and government professionals a combination of precision, performance and productivity with best-in-class printing and scanning speeds.

    “Based directly on customer feedback, the new firmware offers several improvements focused on reducing the level of user interaction and streamlining workflows, all using the same hardware,” said Matthew Kochanowski, product manager, Professional Imaging, Epson America, Inc. “The T-Series printers offer a powerful, cost-effective and scalable printing solution that allows customers to scan and print high quality jobs quickly, while integrating the latest printing techniques and applications.”

    The updated firmware is now available for download and can be installed by end-users of the SureColor Tx270 Series Printers.

    Employing new features to simplify print and scan job workflows, the updated firmware allows SureColor T-Series users to significantly increase productivity and reduce overall end user interaction via the following improvements:

    Printing Productivity

    • Produce 24” x 33” prints up to 31 percent faster than the previous generation
    • Deliver up to 75 percent faster glossy prints with a new production print mode
    • Dual-roll models offer a 20 percent speed improvement when switching between rolls
    • New auto-roll selection is now available in Microsoft Windows® driver

    Scanning and Copying Productivity

    • Faster 200 dpi grayscale scanning at up to 13 inches per second
    • Longest scanning capability available in its class — up to 30m for black-and-white scans
    • Produce full-bleed borderless copies
    • Increased productivity and less user interaction when scanning multiple jobs

    Postscript Engine/HDD Productivity

    • Eliminates delay between postscript jobs
    • Driverless submission of jobs via the embedded web utility
    • Preflight previews of PostScript jobs
    • Thumbnail views of stored jobs on the hard drive enhance the workflow
    • Secure DoD 5220.22 M standard for HDD sanitation — ideal for the customers within enterprise, government and corporate office settings

  • OGC announces oil spill response recommended practice

    Oil-spill

    A new recommended practice has been issued for GIS and mapping professionals responding to an oil spill.

    The document — the final report of a joint project — guides professionals in using GIS technology and geospatial information to form a “common operating picture” for a spill response, so various organizations can deal with it effectively.

    According to the report, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico showed the need for a coordinated response based on timely geographic data.

    The International Association of Oil & Gas Producers (IOGP) through the Geomatics Committee and IPIECA (the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues) issued the recommended practice in cooperation with the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and Resource Data.

    Officially named the OGC IOGP/IPIECA Recommended Practice for a Common Operating Picture for Oil Spill Response, the document is the final report of the IOGP/IPIECA Joint Industry Project to produce a recommended practice for GIS/mapping in support of oil spill response and for the use of GIS technology and geospatial information in forming a Common Operating Picture (COP) for management of the response.

    “The report lays the groundwork for coordinated activities by multiple stakeholders that need to come together quickly to respond to a spill,” said Rob Cox, Technical Director, IPIECA. “Having the report endorsed as an OGC Best Practice gives it the authority it needs to act as a focal point in support of that coordination.”

    As stated in the report:

    “Responding to an oil spill requires access to and understanding of many types of information. Effective, coordinated operations for the response are based on a shared, common picture of the situation. Interoperability provides shared situational awareness of the crisis and the response activities. What is needed is a common picture of reality for different organizations that have different views of the spill so that they all can deal with it collectively.

    “Recent oil spills have provided lessons learned and recommendations on forming a Common Operating Picture for oil spill response. Through a joint project, industry is responding to the call, moving from recommendations to reusable best practices supported by open standards that can be deployed quickly in any region of the globe.

    “This architecture report is part of the IOGP and IPIECA Oil Spill Response – Joint Industry Project (IOGP–IPIECA OSR-JIP) to produce a recommended practice for GIS/mapping in support of oil spill response and for the use of GIS technology and geospatial information in forming a Common Operating Picture to support management of the response.”

    About the players

    The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is an international consortium of more than 515 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC standards support interoperable solutions that “geo-enable” the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled.

    The International Association of Oil & Gas producers (IOGP) is a unique global forum in which members identify and share best practices to achieve improvements in every aspect of health, safety, the environment, security, social responsibility, engineering and operations. IOGP encompasses most of the world’s leading publicly-traded, private and state-owned oil & gas companies, industry associations and major upstream service companies. IOGP members produce more than half the world’s oil and about one third of its gas.

    IPIECA is the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues. IPIECA was formed in 1974 following the launch of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). IPIECA is the only global association involving both the upstream and downstream oil and gas industry on environmental and social issues. IPIECA’s membership covers over half of the world’s oil production. IPIECA is the industry’s principal channel of communication with the United Nations. When IPIECA was set up in 1974 the acronym stood for the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association. In 2009, recognizing that this no longer accurately reflected the breadth and scope of the association’s work, IPIECA stopped using the full title. The association is now known as IPIECA, the global oil and gas industry association for environmental and social issues.

    Resource Data, Inc. (RDI) has been supporting the oil & gas industry with information technology for spill response since 1989. RDI brings unparalleled experience to oil spill response, leading the geographic information system (GIS) and database teams for the Exxon-Valdez spill and more recently the GIS response team in the Macondo/Deepwater Horizon spill. RDI has developed numerous spill response data systems, participated in multiple drills, and developed risk analysis systems for major pipeline networks. Our depth and breadth of expertise in spill preparedness and response uniquely positions RDI to assist in the development of a Common Operating Picture for the oil and gas industry.

  • Woolpert contracted by USGS to map, survey throughout US

    Woolpert has signed a five-year, multimillion-dollar Geospatial Product and Services Contract 3 (GPSC 3) with the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to provide mapping and surveying services.

    The GPSC is a suite of contracts used by federal, state and municipal government entities to partner with USGS for the purpose of fulfilling their geospatial data requirements.

    The contract will be administered through the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) in an effort to obtain geospatial data services throughout the United States and its territories. The contract also will be used to support the 3D Elevation Program (3DEP) and used by other federal, state and local agencies.

    “This provides Woolpert with the opportunity to continue working with USGS on their 3D Elevation Program (3DEP), an eight-year program to provide highly accurate 3D elevation data of the entire U.S.,” said John Gerhard, Woolpert project director. “This data will be collected via lidar (light detection and ranging) to create the most accurate surface model, and will be used to evaluate flood risk and natural resources, support FEMA, help farmers with precision agriculture, assess and manage infrastructure, and much more.”

    Jeff Lovin, Woolpert senior vice president and director of government solutions, said the Woolpert staff is proud to have had the opportunity to work with the USGS for nearly 25 years. “Over those 25 years, we’ve had the opportunity to collaborate on different layers of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), from the development of nationwide imagery in the 1990s to 3D elevation and hydrography today,” Lovin said.”It’s very gratifying to have the opportunity to play a part in such an important program for our nation.”

  • GEO Business 2016 anticipates 3,000 attendees

    GEO Business is shaping up to be an important show in the geospatial calendar, with 3,000 international visitors expected to attend. Registration is now open and visitors are set to descend upon the Business Design Centre in London May 24-25 to take part in the showcase for the ever-changing geospatial industry.

    This year’s conference is features prominent speakers within the geospatial hemisphere, and the workshop program is set to be the most technically and commercially relevant yet.

    From its beginnings as a UK-centric show, GEO Business has won the support of an international audience. For the first time since its launch show, the event will be held outside of UK and international holiday periods, which has been welcomed by both exhibitors and visitors.

    “This event is very much being driven by industry. We are out there listening and being guided by the trade associations, societies, exhibitors and visitors and are working tirelessly to develop an event where there is a real sense of ownership within the community,” said Event Director Caroline Hobden. “The support we’ve had, and continue to have, has been phenomenal and it’s this level of involvement that makes this show such a success. Expectations are high for 2016 and we are looking forward to delivering the best show yet!”

    The program includes a two-day conference featuring presentations from leading geospatial experts that will focus on geospatial economic efficiency, infrastructure, innovation and sustainability.

    The exhibition is free to attend and visitors will be surrounded by products and services from approximately 200 multinational companies, including Leica Geosystems, Topcon, Trimble and Microsoft / Vexcel Imaging and smaller niche service companies. The line-up of exhibitor includes for the first time Land Registry, Korec and Landmark. The exhibition will also feature a brand new GIS Zone and UAV Zone.

    GEO Business 2016 will also run a series of free-to-attend commercial workshops, where exhibiting companies can provide hands-on experiences into the features and benefits of their products and services.

    GEO Business also will be hosting a Gala Dinner.

    Register before April 25 for Early Bird Rates.

    Learn more at the conference website.

  • USGS partners with European Space Agency on Copernicus Earth data

    The Sentinel satellites developed by ESA are designed to meet the operational needs of the Copernicus program. (ESA illustration)
    The Sentinel satellites developed by ESA are designed to meet the operational needs of the Copernicus program. (ESA illustration)

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) have established a partnership to enable USGS storage and redistribution of Earth observation data acquired by Copernicus program satellites.

    The ESA-USGS collaboration will serve scientific and commercial customers interested in the current conditions of forests, crops and water bodies across large regions and in the longer term environmental condition of the Earth. Data acquired by the European Union’s Sentinel-2A satellite launched in June 2015 are highly complementary to data acquired by USGS/NASA Landsat satellites since 1972.

    “Landsat and Sentinel data will weave together very effectively,” said Virginia Burkett, USGS Associate Director for Climate and Land Use Change. “Adding the image recurrence of two Sentinel-2 satellites to Landsats 7 and 8 will increase repeat multispectral coverage of the Earth’s land areas to every 3 to 4 days. With more frequent views of the Earth, we will significantly improve our ability to see and understand changes taking place across the global landscape.”

    The agreement is part of a broader understanding between the European Union and three U.S. federal science agencies — NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and USGS — that was signed in October 2015. All parties are committed to the principle of full, free and open access to Earth observation satellite data produced by the European Union’s Sentinel program and by the respective U.S. agencies. An ESA article further describes the cross-Atlantic collaboration.

    “Free and open access to Landsat and Sentinel-2 data together will create remarkable economic and scientific benefits for people around the globe,” said Suzette Kimball, director of the U.S. Geological Survey. “At the outset of our partnership we can only imagine the synergies between our two perspectives from space. But I’m confident that the final product of our partnership will be an enriched knowledge of our planet.”

    Sentinel data are available at no cost from the Copernicus Scientific Data Hub. Additionally, in order to expedite data delivery around the globe, users may also download both Sentinel-2 and Landsat data at no charge in a familiar digital environment from USGS access systems such as EarthExplorer.

    Right now, only selected Sentinel data are available from the USGS in an early testing phase. Timely access to all Sentinel data will follow as the procedures for data transfer, user access and data delivery continue to be optimized at the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) Center.

    The MultiSpectral Instrument (MSI) sensor on board Sentinel 2A acquires 13 spectral bands that parallel and contrast to data acquired by the USGS Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) and Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+). Unlike the Sentinel-2 satellites, Landsat satellites also include a capability to collect thermal infrared data which is used in a variety of water and agricultural monitoring applications. NASA has published an online comparison of Sentinel-2A and Landsat bandwidths.

    For technical details such as data availability, geographic coverage, acquisition frequency and resolution, visit the Copernicus and Landsat websites.

    The Landsat program is a joint effort of USGS and NASA. First launched by NASA in 1972, the Landsat series of satellites has produced the longest, continuous record of Earth’s land surface as seen from space. Landsat data were made available to all users free of charge by the U.S. Department of the Interior and USGS in 2008.

  • Managing editor reflects on a decade with GPS World

    Managing editor reflects on a decade with GPS World

    cozzens_tracy_4_130By Tracy Cozzens, Managing Editor

    In February, I hit the 10-year mark with GPS World magazine. That milestone caused me to stop and reflect on all the changes in my work over the past decade.

    In 2006, our web presence was mostly taking the print magazine and replicating it on the website, complete with a Table of Contents for the current issue. We had dozens of categories and subcategories, slicing and dicing the industry into micro-segments. I found it increasingly difficult to decide which category to place stories into, because so much research and so many products have multiple applications.

    We’ve now greatly simplified the categories, but they still overlap. A Mobile story will touch on Transportation and OEM. A Survey story is also a Mapping story. A UAV story has applications for Defense or Mapping. Because of this, I invite you to see our categories as a jumping off point, not as independent silos. Peruse all the pages of our magazine — you may be surprised at what you find.

    Another massive change over the past decade is our way of thinking. GPS World is no longer just a monthly print magazine with a now-and-then web story or editorial. We are the major industry web presence, with almost 1.5 million page views annually.

    In 2006, I spent perhaps 20 percent of my time on the website. Today it’s closer to 80 percent.

    In many ways, I have gone back to the early days of my career as a daily newspaper journalist to post news every day on both gpsworld.com and our sister Geospatial Solutions website. You can easily tap into these news streams through Twitter (which, coincidentally, is celebrating its 10th anniversary this month.)

    I’m looking forward to another 10 years with GPS World, and I hope you come along for the ride.

  • MediaMapper Mobile featured at GEOINT App Store

    Red Hen Systems‘ MediaMapper Mobile app for Android is available for download at the GEOINT App Store at no cost to credentialed U.S. government employees, first responders and the Department of Defense. It is the second app developed in the private sector to be added to the store.

    MediaMapperMediaMapper Mobile shows users where they have been, what they have seen, and what the environmental conditions were. This app is a Tactical Handheld Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (THISR) tool that captures photos and video, geotags points of interest, records notes with images, and creates date and time stamps. “You can literally back up data collection from any mission, real-time, using MediaMapper Mobile,” said Retired Army Special Forces Captain Bruce Donaldson.

    MediaMapper Mobile’s uses extend beyond defense to include asset management, biosurveillance, biodiversity studies, natural resources management, road and highway surveillance, and more.

    Download MediaMapper Mobile from the GEOINT App Store to an Android mobile device and complete these tasks:

    Collect Information

    • Embed GPS data (time, longitude, and altitude) and sensor information (altitude, temperature, humidity) in photos and videos.
    • Mark features of interest (FOI) while taking photographs and recording audio notes.
    • Take sequential photos based on time or distance intervals.

    View Information

    • View a complete video, along with its track log and route on a map, showing where it was taken.
    • See thumbnails of photos and videos on Google Earth to identify their locations.
    • Use photo triangulation to determine the location of a remote object photographed from at least two positions.

    Share Information

    • Generate a PDF of any photo or map screen, complete with GPS and Laser Range Finder information, then annotate the PDF, add a QR code and email it.
    • Upload photos to a server or share them via email, along with their latitude, longitude, pitch, roll and yaw.

    Download for free.

  • LizardTech introduces enhanced GeoExpress, version 9.5.1

    GeoExpress 951 LiDAR Compression

    LizardTech, the creator of MrSID and provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, has released GeoExpress 9.5.1. The company’s flagship product for compressing geospatial images and lidar data into high-quality MrSID files now has a streamlined interface, faster processing and support for .pix raster files.

    “Last year, we introduced the ability to compress raster and LiDAR imagery to MrSID and LAZ formats,” said Robert Parker, LizardTech product owner. “With GeoExpress 9.5.1, we’re excited to introduce a beautiful new design, seamless mosaicking of LiDAR files and the added choice to compress .pix raster files to MrSID.”

    GeoExpress 9.5.1 features include:

    • Intuitive User Interface (UI): An updated look and streamlined interface make this version more user-friendly while delivering top-quality compressed and manipulated images.
    • Seamless mosaicking of LiDAR files: Seamless mosaicking of LiDAR files supplements lossless compression that uses four times less storage space.
    • Faster default workflow for existing MrSID images: Processing of MrSID files is now faster by default when working with existing MrSID files, with cropping, editing, despeckling, AOI, tiling and more.
    • New Format Support: Compression of PCIs standard .pix raster files to MrSID for greater flexibility.

  • Esri adds what3words address system to ArcGIS Marketplace

    what3words will be providing its three-word address and location reference system to ArcGIS Marketplace. ArcGIS Marketplace is a destination that enables ArcGIS users to search, discover, and get apps and content from qualified providers.

    what3words is an addressing and location reference system based on a global grid of 57 trillion squares of 3 x 3 meters. Each square has a unique pre-assigned three-word address. For example, recruiters.infusions.fastening is the location of a fire hydrant on inverness Drive East highway in Denver, Colorado. This what3words system is being used by Esri partner Metcom911 to manage 57,000 fire hydrants serving over a million people to ensure fast and effective response to emergencies.

    Learn more about what3words in Art Kalinski’s column for Geointelligence Insider, and watch the video below.

  • Esri seminar teaches ways to simplify CAD-GIS workflows

    With ArcGIS for AutoCAD from Esri, AutoCAD users can access maps and data from Esri ArcGIS software for use in computer-aided design (CAD) drawings. This free application makes it simple for AutoCAD users to find, create and edit content stored in ArcGIS.

    To learn how to work with the application, tune in to the live training seminar Simplify CAD-GIS Workflows Using ArcGIS for AutoCAD on March 10. In the seminar, you will learn how to easily create data, edit ArcGIS enterprise geodatabases, and leverage ArcGIS web services—without ever having to leave your familiar AutoCAD environment.

    After viewing the seminar, you will understand how to

    • Easily edit GIS data using AutoCAD and ArcGIS for AutoCAD.
    • Access and interact with ArcGIS for Server web services inside AutoCAD.
    • Configure and customize ArcGIS for AutoCAD to meet the requirements of a production environment.
    • Use ArcGIS for Desktop, web, and mobile applications from within AutoCAD.

    AutoCAD users who want to use CAD editing workflows to create and maintain GIS data stored in Esri ArcGIS will find this live training seminar highly useful. The seminar also will be of interest to engineers and designers who want to access data stored in ArcGIS to make more informed design decisions and to GIS professionals who want to streamline their CAD-GIS workflows and easily share data with coworkers or consultants.

    You will need a broadband Internet connection and an Esri Account to watch the live training seminar. Creating an Esri Account is free: visit esri.com/lts, click Login at the top right, and register your name and email address.