GPS World

Author: Tracy Cozzens

  • Routescene Showcases 3D LiDAR at ILMF in Denver

    routescene-lidarpod-uav-fullThe Routescene LidarPod 3D mapper, a self-contained turnkey solution new to the market, is being showcased for the first time in the United States at the International Lidar Mapping Forum in Denver, Colo., Feb. 23-25. Routescene is based in Edinburgh, United Kingdom.

    The flexible LidarPod was developed for use on unmanned aerial vehicles, but can also be fitted onto any mobile platform such as a car or boat. The flexibility makes it attractive for many sectors and situations where accurate mapping is essential but difficult to achieve, enabling surveys to be conducted in areas that previously would not have been considered, Routescene said.

    routescene-uav-flightThe technology offers a non-intrusive method to obtain detailed and precise geo-referenced 3D datasets, Routescene said. LidarPod 3D can be used for 3D mapping; powerline inspection; scoping, planning and management of mines; forestry design, management and operation; large-scale topographic surveys; and city planning and management.

    Routescene LidarPod costs less than a vehicle-based mobile mapping system, Routescene said. The turnkey solution includes LidarViewer, specially developed software to turn the raw data into valuable business information. It enables users to convert, analyze and filter huge volumes of point cloud data to improve productivity and workflow. Powerful filters enable users to extract relevant data for use in third party software, such as GIS and CAD packages, which are unable to cope with such large data volumes.

    Routescene can be found at booth 65 at ILMF.

  • MAPPS Supports Proposed FAA UAV Rules

    MAPPS has come out in support of the proposed framework of regulations that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has proposed for commercial UAV use. The FAA’s rules would allow routine use of certain small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) for commercial purposes.

    MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello issued the following statement about the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) issued by the FAA concerning operation and certification of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS):

    “The proposed rules issued by the FAA for the commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) will provide considerable potential business applications for MAPPS member firms in the aerial survey profession. According to the FAA, the following are examples of possible small UAS operations that could be conducted under the proposed regulations: crop monitoring/inspection; research and development; educational/academic uses; power-line/pipeline inspection in hilly or mountainous terrain; antenna inspections; aiding rescue operations such as locating snow avalanche victims; bridge inspections; aerial photography; and wildlife nesting area evaluations.

    “In the past, MAPPS has worked closely with the FAA to enable the commercial use of small UAS (which, as defined by statute, is an unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds) for aerial survey purposes through various mechanisms, such as special airworthiness certificates, exemptions, and certificates of waiver or authorization (COA). MAPPS will continue to support the proposed federal regulations, which will provide for the next phase of integrating small UAS into the national airspace system.”

    MAPPS will provide comments to the FAA concerning the proposed rules, and the association will continue to educate its member firms about operational limitations of small UAS in order to maintain the safety of the national airspace system and ensure that they do not pose a threat to national security.

    As a member of a Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) working group advising the FAA on Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) regulations, Palatiello added, “Prompt implementation of the small, line-of-sight UAS rules will help strike the necessary balance between aviation safety and business development, but the next set of rules, governing beyond visual line of sight, need to be developed and implemented as soon as possible as well.”

    “MAPPS has made the case that aerial geospatial data acquisition using UAS provides significant societal benefit and is NOT a threat to individual citizen privacy, and should be permitted to operate within a reasonable regulatory framework,” MAPPS Aviation Counsel Gregory S. Winton said. “It contributes to E911 emergency response and police dispatching systems, precision agriculture, environmental protection, emergency ‘blue tarp’ surveys to support hurricane response, engineering, transportation and infrastructure, electoral district maps, and many other applications. Geospatial data enables the delivery of critical government services and valuable business applications that citizens are demanding. The proposed FAA rule will enable this profession, which has an exemplary safety record and vast experience in manned aerial operations, to use of UAS safely, effectively and economically.”

  • Phase One Aerial Cameras Support IGI’s GNSS/IMU

    AEROcontrol with export-free FOG IMU.
    AEROcontrol with export-free FOG IMU.

    All Phase One Industrial aerial cameras now fully support the IGI AEROcontrol, GNSS/IMU positioning system, the companies announced. Aerial camera models include iXA-R, iXA, and iXU.

    Phase One aerial cameras are high-quality industrial-grade camera systems, which have found wide success in the photogrammetry market, both among end users and OEM integrators.

    AEROcontrol is a GNSS/IMU system for the precise determination of position and altitude of multiple airborne sensors. Beside the choice of MEMS- and FOG-based IMUs, the system is also suitable for mobile mapping applications. Used together with IGIplan and CCNS-5, a complete and comprehensive solution for mission planning, aircraft guidance with sensor management and geo-referencing is available to Phase One aerial camera users.

    “With the addition of IGI’s AEROcontrol, users of Phase One aerial cameras are able to use IGI’s popular AEROcontrol, GNSS/IMU positioning system with a single camera or as part of an array,” said Dov Kalinski, general manager of Phase One Industrial.

    “With the integration of the IGI AEROControl GNSS/IMU with the Phase One aerial cameras, all Phase One users now have access to geo-referencing with different IGI IMU models and IMU-based, precise stabilized mount control. This smart geospatial solution helps users obtain the best possible aerial photography results,” added Philipp Grimm, IGI marketing and sales manager.

  • Connect with Bluetooth GNSS Devices Using SuperSurv

    SuperSurv_measureTo meet the needs of high-accuracy field data collection and better workflow with modern GNSS technology, Supergeo’s latest SuperSurv GIS mapping app allows users to connect with and operate external Bluetooth GNSS devices. The app also elevates field-work efficiency with new averaging algorithms.

    SuperSurv is designed for field data collection on Android and iOS-powered devices. Integrating with GIS and GPS technologies, SuperSurv provides functions like Map Display, Query, Measure, and supports to overlay OpenStreetMap as the basemap. Also, users can capture point, line and polygon features and attribute data, and save the data as SHP or GEO format in both offline and online modes.

    With the new external GNSS device connection function, users can choose between internal positioning information and an outer GNSS source via Bluetooth. When pairing the GNSS receiver with an Android device, SuperSurv allows users to fully control and present detailed messages of navigation within system status. In addition, data collection via GNSS is enhanced with options such as a coordinate data averaging function or vertex collecting threshold, bringing users modernized and highly accurate field survey experience.

    The external GNSS device connection and advanced data-collecting functions are fully supported and available with the SuperSurv Pro version. For SuperSurv M3 users, the newly added functions come as an optional plug-in that users can purchase and download.

    Free trials of the software are available:
    iTunes Store
    Google Play

  • LizardTech Updates GeoViewer Imagery Viewer for Windows

    LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, has released an updated version of its GeoViewer and GeoViewer Pro for Windows application.

    The application allows users to view MrSID and JPEG 2000 imagery and includes broad file format support.

    GeoViewer is available as a free application enabling users to display raster imagery, LiDAR point clouds and vector overlays. New features include the ability to connect to online base maps, combine local data with web map service (WMS) and JPIP sources, export imagery, save projects, and includes advanced display options such as dynamic range adjustment.

    GeoViewer Pro is available for $50 and allows access to additional functionality, including support for printing, additional projection systems and advanced area measurement tools.

  • Lockheed, Esri Cloud Deployment Enables Government GIS Sharing

    Lockheed-NGA-Map-world-
    Lockheed Martin and Esri have deployed commercial software to the Amazon Web Services Commercial Cloud Services (C2S) environment for the first time with an intelligence community customer, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA). The move enables government agencies to better share geospatial intelligence.

    The deployment of the portal for Esri’s ArcGIS geographic information system (GIS) provides a single environment for analysts to securely organize and share data throughout the intelligence community and Department of Defense. It’s also the foundational step in consolidating multiple geospatial intelligence portals into the single NGA-provided portal, resulting in technology and license cost savings.

    This is NGA’s second pioneering step in the cloud, after the agency moved its Map of the World application to the C2S environment late last year.

    “Deploying Esri’s Portal for ArcGIS to a commercial cloud environment securely organizes existing data and facilitates collaboration across intelligence agencies,” said Jason O’Connor, vice president of Analysis and Mission Solutions for Lockheed Martin. “This cloud implementation also further shapes the government’s processes for architecting and implementing enterprise class services within a cloud environment.”

    ArcGIS connects users to maps and geographic information. Users can create and view maps, compile geographic data, analyze mapped information and share geographic information in a range of applications.

    “Working with Lockheed Martin and the NGA on this strategic implementation for national security is particularly meaningful,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri president. “It recognizes the importance of consolidating geospatial intelligence information into a single portal to facilitate rapid situational awareness and response by our intelligence community.”

    Lockheed Martin and Esri have partnered for eight years on the Geospatial-Intelligence Visualization Services (GVS) program, which helped NGA and the Intelligence Community achieve this cloud migration milestone. The Total Application Services for Enterprise Requirements (TASER) GVS contract vehicle, which was originally awarded in 2012, conveys geospatial visualization context and analytic capabilities to warfighters, intelligence officers and policy-makers through classified and unclassified computer networks.

  • Esri Maps Colleges and Universities Attended by American Presidents

    In honor of Presidents Day, Esri’s Presidential Colleges story map features colleges and universities attended by all 44 American presidents. Search by president or college, and discover the varied academic undergraduate experiences of each president.

    esri-presidents-day-W

  • Big Data Reveals Patterns of Urban Bacteria

    An interactive map allows residents of New York to see what bacteria was mapped at their neighborhoods subway stops. (Image: Wall Street Journal)
    An interactive map allows residents of New York to see what bacteria was mapped at their neighborhoods subway stops. (Image: Wall Street Journal)

    A Big Data project in New York last summer set out to map germs on the city subway system, reports the Wall Street Journal. The scientists, from Weill Cornell Medical College, identified hundreds of types of bacteria in the transit system as a way to study the microbiology of urban environments.

    In the 18-month study, researchers found germs that can cause bubonic plague uptown, meningitis in midtown, stomach trouble in the financial district and antibiotic-resistant infections throughout the boroughs, the WSJ writes. The team also found bacteria that keep the city livable, by sopping up hazardous chemicals or digesting toxic waste. They even tracked the trail of bacteria associated with cheese and sausage, popular snack foods among commuters.

    The study is the first genetic profile of a metropolitan transit system. Microbiologists hope to discover new ways to track disease outbreaks, detect bioterrorism attacks, and combat the antibiotic resistance among microbes, which causes about 1.7 million hospital infections every year. Similar projects are taking place in Oregon (classrooms), Virginia (plumbing in buildings), and Chicago (hospitals).

    The research team gathered DNA from turnstiles, ticket kiosks, railings and benches, then sequenced the genetic material and sorted it by supercomputer. They compared the results to databases of known bacteria, viruses and other life-forms. The findings uncovered how commuters seed the city subways every day with bacteria from the food they eat, the pets or plants they keep, and their shoes, trash, sneezes and unwashed hands. The team detected signs of 15,152 types of life-forms.

    An online database at the Wall Street Journal allows residents to see what microbes were found at the stations they frequent.

     

  • Los Angeles Geospatial Summit Coming Feb. 27

    The Fifth Annual Los Angeles Geospatial Summit will take place at the Japanese American National Museum on Feb. 27, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The event will feature addresses and discussions from leading innovators in the world of geographic information science (GIS) and technology. The summit also will feature presentations from students representing more than a dozen different Southern California colleges and universities.

    Registration is available here. A detailed program breakdown can be found here.

    “At the USC Spatial Sciences Institute, we collaborate with a cross-cutting array of researchers, businesses, non-profits, NGOs, and other entities from a wide range of disciplines and industries to analyze, model, and visualize location-based data,” said John P. Wilson, USC Spatial Sciences Institute and summit program committee member. “Although there are many geospatial conferences across the country and around the world, our summit has the distinctive mission to connect current leaders in the spatial sciences with students from numerous different academic institutions who are the next generation of innovators.”

    At the summit, students will be able to learn about emerging trends in geospatial science, technology, and applications; present papers and posters about their own research; network with industry professionals; and introduce themselves to geospatial company representatives at the closing Industry and job fair.

    Industry professionals will have the opportunity to learn what leaders in their field see as emerging geospatial trends, create greater awareness for their company by sharing materials at the industry fair, network with other geospatial professionals, and have a chance to influence what academic programs are teaching to the next generation of GIS professionals.

    Plenary speakers will be Gil Elbaz, CEO, Factual Inc., presenting “Location-Based Data and GIS: Changing the Future;” Keith Masback, CEO, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; and Chris Mattmann, Ph.D., chief architect, Instrument and Data Systems Section, presenting the case study “Data Science from the Trenches: NASA, Academia, and Open Source Trial by Fire.”

    Moderators and panelists for the day’s panel discussions and concurrent presentations will include:

    • Estella M. Geraghty, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Health Solutions, Esri
    • Chris B. Dunbar, Principal Director, Guidance & Control Subdivision, The Aerospace Corporation
    • Mark Sarojak, Vice President, PIXIA Corp.
    • Bingcai Zhang, Technical Fellow, BAE Systems
    • Robert Fassett, M.D., Director, Care Delivery Transformation, PricewaterhouseCoopers
    • David DiBiase, Team Lead – Education Industry, Esri
    • Isaiah Mack, Manager, California Surveying and Drafting Supply, Inc.
    • Thomas A. Horan, Professor and Dean, Claremont Graduate University
    • Myles G. Cockburn, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Spatial Sciences, USC
    • Andre Doumitt, CEO, Digital Adopxion
    • R. Maxwell Baber, Director of Academic Programs, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation

    The summit is sponsored by California Surveying and Drafting Supply, California Geographic Information Association, Esri, PIXIA Corporation, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, and the USC Spatial Sciences Institute.

  • Los Angeles Geospatial Summit Coming Feb. 27

    The Fifth Annual Los Angeles Geospatial Summit will take place at the Japanese American National Museum on Feb. 27, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. The event will feature addresses and discussions from leading innovators in the world of geographic information science (GIS) and technology. The summit also will feature presentations from students representing more than a dozen different Southern California colleges and universities.

    Registration is available here. A detailed program breakdown can be found here.

    “At the USC Spatial Sciences Institute, we collaborate with a cross-cutting array of researchers, businesses, non-profits, NGOs, and other entities from a wide range of disciplines and industries to analyze, model, and visualize location-based data,” said John P. Wilson, USC Spatial Sciences Institute and summit program committee member. “Although there are many geospatial conferences across the country and around the world, our summit has the distinctive mission to connect current leaders in the spatial sciences with students from numerous different academic institutions who are the next generation of innovators.”

    At the summit, students will be able to learn about emerging trends in geospatial science, technology, and applications; present papers and posters about their own research; network with industry professionals; and introduce themselves to geospatial company representatives at the closing Industry and job fair.

    Industry professionals will have the opportunity to learn what leaders in their field see as emerging geospatial trends, create greater awareness for their company by sharing materials at the industry fair, network with other geospatial professionals, and have a chance to influence what academic programs are teaching to the next generation of GIS professionals.

    Plenary speakers will be Gil Elbaz, CEO, Factual Inc., presenting “Location-Based Data and GIS: Changing the Future;” Keith Masback, CEO, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation; and Chris Mattmann, Ph.D., chief architect, Instrument and Data Systems Section, presenting the case study “Data Science from the Trenches: NASA, Academia, and Open Source Trial by Fire.”

    Moderators and panelists for the day’s panel discussions and concurrent presentations will include:

    • Estella M. Geraghty, M.D., Chief Medical Officer and Health Solutions, Esri
    • Chris B. Dunbar, Principal Director, Guidance & Control Subdivision, The Aerospace Corporation
    • Mark Sarojak, Vice President, PIXIA Corp.
    • Bingcai Zhang, Technical Fellow, BAE Systems
    • Robert Fassett, M.D., Director, Care Delivery Transformation, PricewaterhouseCoopers
    • David DiBiase, Team Lead – Education Industry, Esri
    • Isaiah Mack, Manager, California Surveying and Drafting Supply, Inc.
    • Thomas A. Horan, Professor and Dean, Claremont Graduate University
    • Myles G. Cockburn, Associate Professor of Preventive Medicine and Spatial Sciences, USC
    • Andre Doumitt, CEO, Digital Adopxion
    • R. Maxwell Baber, Director of Academic Programs, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation

    The summit is sponsored by California Surveying and Drafting Supply, California Geographic Information Association, Esri, PIXIA Corporation, United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation, and the USC Spatial Sciences Institute.

  • PDF3D Releases Version 2.11.0 of its 3D PDF Software Suite

    PDF3D_v211_WPDF3D has improved the quality of tools and has introduced new features in version 2.11.0 of its 3D PDF software suite. The suite includes ReportGen, SDK Developer Toolkit and XML Server.

    The company said in a news release that in response to customers, a large number of technical issues have been addressed.

    “For our geospatial customers, we’ve extended the Geospatial 3D PDF solution profile with new input data formats, new processing methods and new library features for developers,” said Ian Curington, head developer at PDF3D. “And for engineers and CAD users, we’ve added new engineering representations and advanced texture mapping surface material characteristics.”

    The release features new textures, material characteristics and templates available within the software.

    “Those working with 3D terrain, point cloud data and scans will find various new formats and functions, including the addition of GeoTIFF 16 and 32-bit Raster Elevation Data and IMAGINE IMG Raster Data Format for multi-channel imagery and elevations,” said Curington. “With IRAP Classic Grid Formats, Landmark ZMap Elevation Grids and layered 2D PDF Geospatial map drawing now extended, there are some great new visual features in the tool.”

    Version 2.11.0 is available to download immediately.

  • GIS for Disaster Management to Boost Market in China

    The increased use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in disaster management has resulted in the growth of the GIS market in China, which is expected to post a CAGR of 11.75 percent from 2014-2019, according to research from TechNavio.

    The report “GIS Market in China 2015-2019” focuses on the increased use of GIS technology across various systems such as forest fire management, flood management and climate change, which has made GIS technology an effective tool for disaster management in China.

    “Governments and natural resource sectors are heavily dependent on GIS for disaster management. The technology provides detailed information on an area’s geography, and any changes or deviations in the typical information can lead to an inspection by experts,” said Faisal Ghaus, vice president of TechNavio.

    The report emphasizes increased investments in GIS software. The market is witnessing the presence of several large international GIS solution providers that are making huge investments, leading to high economic growth in China. “The increased adoption of GIS solutions across different sectors has motivated large international vendors to make investments in providing GIS solutions in China,” Ghaus said.

    The report covers:

    • Market segmentation, size and forecast through 2019
    • Market growth drivers: Increased use of GIS for disaster management
    • Market challenges: Availability of open-source GIS software
    • Market trends: Increased investments in GIS software
    • Key vendors:
      • Autonavi Holdings Ltd.
      • HERE
      • Hexagon AB
      • NavInfo Co. Ltd.
    • Other vendors:
      • Autodesk
      • Beijing Supermap
      • Bentley System
      • China Information Technology

    Other GIS market research reports available include: