GPS World

Category: Mapping

  • MAPPS Chosen for FAA Working Group on UAS

    MAPPS, the national association of private sector geospatial firms, has been selected as a member of a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) working group on unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). MAPPS is the only representative of the geospatial, aerial survey, and remote-sensing community on the committee.

    “As an association representing the many private sector businesses that are anxious to use unmanned aerial systems for commercial geospatial applications, we are honored to participate on this important committee,” said John Palatiello, MAPPS Executive Director, who will sit on the committee. “The geospatial community has been safely flying aircraft for decades and understands the safety implications of introducing a new technology in the national airspace. Our members see a great opportunity to utilize UAS to provide new geospatial data and applications benefiting the citizens of the United States.”

    The Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) user working group will hold its first meeting today. FAA has tasked the committee to provide input from users or potential users of UAS on immediate, near, and long-term issues for integrating UAS into the national airspace system.

    The committee is co-chaired by Michael Toscano, Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), Melissa Rudinger, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), and Mark Reed, Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA).  According to Jim Williams, Manager of the UAS Integration Office in FAA, the associations represent “a diverse group of potential UAS users in certain key industries, such as agriculture, mapping, photography, energy, public safety, cargo, communications, and others.

    Palatiello has been MAPPS Executive Director since 1987.  He was an original member of the federal government’s National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) and currently serves on the Virginia Geographic Information Network (VGIN) Advisory Board.  He is president of John M. Palatiello & Associates, Inc., an association management and public affairs consulting firm, where he is a national government affairs consultant to the National Society of Professional Surveyors, Executive Director of the Maryland Society of Surveyors, and Administrator of the Council on Federal Procurement of Architectural & Engineering Services (COFPAES). Palatiello was named one of the ten most influential people in the geospatial community by Directions Magazine.

  • InterGeo: The Worldwide GIS Showcase

    Did you know the largest GIS conference in the world is held in Germany every year? Last October, more than 16,000 geospatial geeks traveled to Germany to attend the InterGeo Conference. In just a few short weeks, Geospatial Solutions’ staff will travel to Berlin and mix it up with the world’s leading geogeeks. If you want to see the latest and greatest GIS technology, both hardware and software, it is the best show in the world, bar none.

    The second largest GIS conference in the world is the Esri International User Conference. It’s a great conference, with one major caveat; it’s a user conference for Esri users. Competitors and perceived competitors are not invited.

    InterGeo is open to any company that can afford an exhibit booth. That’s one major difference. The other major difference is that there are very few technical sessions. That means all 16,000+ attendees are wandering around the exhibits. The exhibit aisles are packed with people, all the time for all three days, and the energy is fantastic.

    The InterGeo conference is an eye-opener for North Americans who attend for the first time. This is because they will see a much wider variety of brands than they are exposed to in North America and, in many cases, they will see products with lower price points. It’s all about marketing. The African, Asian and European markets won’t pay as much for products as North Americans will, and seeing how 83% of the InterGeo attendees are from Europe, you can imagine how the products are marketed. Only 2.4% of the 2013 attendees were from North America. Following is a map illustrating where last year’s attendees traveled from:

    INTERGEO 2013 Attendance
    InterGeo 2013 attendance.

    Not only are there commercial exhibits, but also technology displays such as this mapping machine from the 19th century that was displayed during the 2012 InterGeo Conference.

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    At this year’s show, we expect to see a lot of UAVs. Last year, there were 25 exhibits showing UAVs. This year, I expect that number to double as new UAVs are being introduced almost weekly and, unlike in the U.S., UAVs are legal to fly in many countries of the world.

    I also expect to see a wider variety of RTK GNSS receivers, at more competitive prices than last year.

    Stay tuned to Geospatial Solutions and GPS World magazine staff as we descend into Berlin in a couple of weeks. Expect lots of photos, video recordings and write-ups of the event. Remember to follow me on Twitter for real-time news and photos.

  • Handheld Group Launches Nautiz X8 Device for GIS

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    Handheld Group, a manufacturer of rugged mobile computers, has launched the Nautiz X8 rugged PDA. The Nautiz X8 is a handheld computer with superior processing power, screen performance and battery life, the company said. It is built for tough field conditions primarily in GIS, land surveying, public safety, forestry and the military.

    The Nautiz X8 is built to enable efficient and reliable data collection in tough environments. It has an IP67 ingress protection rating, which means it offers complete protection against dust and sand and can withstand immersion in water. It also meets stringent MIL-STD-810G military test standards for overall durability and resistance to humidity, shock, vibration, drops, salt and extreme temperatures.

    nautiz-x8-rugged-ip67-outdoor-mil-std-810g-WThe Nautiz X8 features a high-performance Texas Instruments 4470 dual-core 1.5 GHz processor. It has 1 GB of RAM, 4 GB of iNAND Flash and a 5200 mAh Li-ion battery that lasts up to 12 hours on a single charge. It comes with a choice of operating systems — Android 4.2.2 or Windows Embedded Handheld 6.5.3.

    The device has a large 4.7-inch ultra-bright capacitive multi-touch screen with chemically strengthened Asahi Dragontrail glass, offering users brightness and protection in any field condition. The unit has an ergonomic design and weighs 490 grams (17.3 ounces).

    The Nautiz X8 has a dedicated u-blox GPS receiver, Bluetooth 2.0 and 802.11b/g/n WLAN functionality, as well as connectivity through GSM/UMTS or CDMA phone data transmission. A built-in 8-megapixel camera with autofocus and an LED flash lets users capture visual data quickly and easily. This handheld also features an open architecture and an extension cap system that allows for additional hardware connections such as sensors, radios and other add-ons.

    Orders for the new Nautiz X8 can be placed immediately. First deliveries will begin in November.

    The Nautiz X8 rugged handheld will be shown first at WEFTEC in New Orleans, followed by InterGeo in Berlin.

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  • Digital Coast Act Introduced in U.S. Senate

    A bill to establish a “Digital Coast” program whereby the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) develops a coordinated and comprehensive national mapping effort for coastal, state and territorial waters of the United States, has been introduced in the U.S. Senate, earning praise from MAPPS (the national association of private sector geospatial firms).

    More than half of all Americans, 153 million people, live on or near a coast, and an additional 12 million are expected to move to the coasts over the next decade. Yet, despite this population density and economic development, much of the 95,000 miles of U.S. shoreline does not have current, accurate maps and geospatial information; moreover, much of what does exist pre-dates the 1970s.

    “The Digital Coast Act is needed to realize the concept of a Digital Coast as recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS),” said MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello. “The Digital Coast Act provides an opportunity to help America’s ocean, coastal and shoreline areas by addressing issues raised by the U.S. Oceans Commission, the Pew Commission, as well as several NAS reports, all of which have highlighted the need for surveying, charting, remote sensing, and geospatial data of America’s coasts, harbors, ports, shorelines and ocean resources critical to the nation’s most basic economic and recreational activities, to smartly conserve a fragile environment.”

    “Greater emphasis has been paid to monitoring sea-level rise, coastal conservation and emergency preparedness and response in the wake of natural and manmade disasters,” MAPPS President Jeff Lower, said. “This Digital Coast Act will coordinate the pooling of resources from multiple agencies (federal, state, and local) and other stakeholders to map the various needs once, and then utilize and apply the high-quality data and products numerous times, thus reducing taxpayer waste while maximizing the return on investment for all stakeholders.” 
    The Digital Coast is a geospatially enabled program to improve coordination and support work with stakeholders to identify geospatial priorities; improve coordination of coastal mapping and management activities; use standards and standardized methods for data acquisition, processing, and distribution to ensure broadest utility of data; promote best practices when applying geospatial data for coastal decision making; and contract for the collection and creation of quality non-navigation feature data sets to include: shoreline change, satellite and aerial imagery, land use and land cover maps, benthic habitat mapping, terrestrial topography, shallow water bathymetry, and submerged aquatic vegetation.

    U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin of Wisconsin introduced the Digital Coast Act of 2014 on September 18. The bill compliments a bipartisan effort in the U.S. House of Representatives by C.A. “Dutch” Ruppersberger (D-MD) and Don Young (R-AK), cosponsors of Digital Coast Act, H.R 1382.

  • Proteus Discusses Satellite-Derived Forest Inventory in Webinar

    Proteus FZC, a provider of satellite-derived mapping and classification services, will discuss its use of high-resolution WorldView-2 imagery to derive accurate forest inventory and tree classification maps in Abu Dhabi during a free webinar with DigitalGlobe.

    “Vegetation Analysis in the Desert Using Satellite Imagery,” part of the ongoing DigitalGlobe LEAD Webinar Series, will be held September 24 at 12:30 p.m. BST (7:30 a.m. U.S. EDT). Register by clicking here.

    The webinar is aimed at managers and technical analysts from forestry, agriculture, remote sensing and GIS organizations in private and public sectors. The webinar will cover:

    • How very high-resolution satellite remote sensing technology is being deployed commercially for tree inventory and condition analysis.
    • Tools that are available now to help agriculture, forestry and environmental decision makers in areas with sparse water resources.
    • How to use satellite data in support of environmental planning and policy creation.

    Richard Flemmings, Proteus project manager, will offer insight into a recent 20-million tree mapping and classification project performed by Proteus FZC in Abu Dhabi. As an extension to an Emirate-wide habitat and land use/land cover project, Proteus applied advanced processing algorithms to the multispectral and panchromatic WorldView-2 image data to differentiate many tree species and assess the condition of individual trees, critical for irrigation management.

    “This project demonstrates the viability of using very high-resolution satellite imagery to quickly and cost effectively create baseline vegetative inventories within diverse land-use areas,” said Flemmings. “The mapping technique used in Abu Dhabi can be applied to create forest and vegetation inventories of other species anywhere in the world.”

    Since 2011, Proteus has been delivering solutions for mapping and classification projects using multispectral satellite imagery. These mapping projects have been delivered for environmental, oil & gas, engineering and other coastal zone applications in Europe, USA, the Middle East and Caribbean.

    For more information on Proteus products, see www.proteusgeo.com  or email [email protected] for further details or to discuss individual requirements.

  • LandWorks Adds Linear Project Routing to Online Property Mapping Service

    LandWorks Inc., a developer of land-management solutions, has added linear project mapping capabilities to its online Web AutoMapper service, which converts land legal descriptions into GIS-ready map polygons. Web AutoMapper clients can now download digital parcel polygons with ownership information for every property crossed by a linear right-of-way project.

    The linear mapping capability in Web AutoMapper facilitates the planning of any linear infrastructure development project – pipelines by energy companies, electric transmission lines by utilities, roads and highways by departments of transportation, and buried fiber networks by telecommunication companies.

    “Web AutoMapper makes it faster and less expensive to map a proposed right-of-way or corridor project,” said LandWorks President Jerry Bramwell. “In minutes, project planners can download all of the digital parcel and land ownership information needed to select the safest and least costly route.”

    To use the service, the client logs onto Web AutoMapper and creates an account. The user then uploads a shapefile of the proposed linear project route from their GIS or mapping software. Web AutoMapper prompts them to enter start and end points for the route. Customers are also given the option of having their route mapped with or without a buffer on either side.

    Within minutes, Web AutoMapper overlays the route onto the nation-wide tax parcel grid developed by Digital Map Products of Irvine, California. Web AutoMapper then provides an onscreen map showing every property crossed by the route or within the user-selected buffer around the route. Paying with credit card or a customer account, the customer downloads the Digital Map Products parcels for only those properties affected by the proposed route. The parcel polygons are delivered in either shapefiles or as a file geodatabase for seamless ingest into the GIS or other mapping software.

    Also included in the Web AutoMapper deliverable is a Line List Report identifying every property crossing in order from the starting to end points of the proposed route. Both the parcel polygons and Line List Report contain important attributes for each property, such as landowner and address details, obtained from county tax records.

    “The linear mapping capability in Web AutoMapper serves as an easy-to-use cost-estimating tool for major infrastructure development projects,” said Bramwell. “The planner receives all of the land ownership information that will be needed to acquire rights-of-way for the project.”

    In many cases, the ownership information in the parcel file will help planners identify certain types of properties — such as hospitals or schools — where rights-of-way may be impractical or simply too costly to acquire, said Bramwell. This allows the planners to look for less expensive alternatives while the project is still in its early phases.

    Some linear projects require the developer to notify land owners within a certain distance of the proposed route. The buffering option in Web AutoMapper enables the planners to easily obtain land ownership information for properties within the regulated proximity to the line.

    LandWorks introduced Web AutoMapper in 2013 as a fast and easy method of processing many types of standard property descriptions and converting them into digital map polygons. The cloud-based application is used extensively by organizations that must manage large tracts of land and keep property records up to date for activities related to oil and gas, renewable energy, mining, banking, utility, pipeline, state/local government, transportation, telecommunications, water and real estate sectors.

  • Topcon Releases New UAS for Aerial Mapping

    Topcon Releases New UAS for Aerial Mapping

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    Topcon Positioning Group has released two unmanned aerial systems (UAS) for mapping — the Sirius Pro and Sirius Basic. Both systems are designed to produce the most accurate solutions for the automated mapping of a wide range of sites — regardless of terrain — including construction sites, mines and quarries, and for use in land surveying, power line and pipeline inspection as well as precision agriculture field mapping.

    The fixed-wing systems resulted from a partnership with MAVinci GmbH, a UAS development company with which Topcon recently entered into a worldwide distribution agreement.

    “The Sirius Pro system is unique to the UAS marketplace. Instead of using traditional ground control points, Topcon combines RTK (real-time kinematic) GNSS solutions with precision timing technology to provide more accurate mapping results when compared to other products,” said Eduardo Falcon, executive vice president and general manager for the Topcon GeoPositioning Solutions Group.

    “The system is easy to use and rugged — allowing operators to use a simple hand launch with precise automatic operation from takeoff to landing, and it can be flown safely in nearly all weather conditions,” Falcon said.

    The Topcon Sirius Basic is an entry-level system offering many of the advantages of the Sirius Pro with options to upgrade. “The Sirius Basic shares the same hardware components of the Pro model, providing affordability with the same level of sturdiness and ease of operation,” said Falcon. “Additionally, when the need arises for the increased accuracy and productivity of the Pro system, a simple upgrade makes the transition practically effortless.”

    Both systems also offer autopilot assisted manual control, automatic flight planning and safety features.

  • Everbridge Adds Mobile, GIS Enhancements to Unified Critical Communication Suite

    Everbridge has launched a Summer Release of its Unified Critical Communication Suite with new mobile, GIS, and expanded alerting enhancements that enable Everbridge customers to deliver unified critical communications and situational intelligence within the context of their recipient’s needs, roles, and locations.

    As enterprise mobility, BYOD, and other unified communications drivers continue to converge in an increasingly global, yet unpredictable world, organizations deploy Everbridge’s Unified Critical Communication Suite to respond and collaborate during both emergency and operational incidents, the company said.

    The latest release expands upon the recently launched spring release, offering new features designed to unify multi-modal, critical communications for diverse industries, including corporations, state and local government, healthcare, financial services, and higher education. The summer release includes new updates to Everbridge’s recently unveiled IT Alerting solution — specifically designed for IT Operations teams to improve communications and collaboration during incidents, resolving issues faster, and maximizing IT system uptime.

    Additional upgrades to the summer release include:

    PrecisionGIS: Everbridge’s rich GIS functionality now includes three new map-based targeting capabilities:

    • Geofencing: This new feature enables users to draw simple or multiple complex polygons to define boundaries and control the behavior of addresses located inside or outside the “fence.”
    • Custom Base Maps: Everbridge supports commercial mapping applications, including Google, Bing and ESRI, and now enables organizations to overcome existing gaps with commercial maps by customizing the base map used within the Everbridge suite. The base maps can include the geographical or infrastructure information users need to make more informed decisions when preparing and targeting a message.
    • Point-Address Geo-Coding: Users can now manage and provision all addresses down to the parcel level to ensure the data is accurate and precise enough for critical communications. This enables an advanced level of custom and granular geocoding capabilities beyond what is available via commercial geo-coding applications.

    Rich Text Formatting: The Everbridge suite provides enhanced rich text formatting support for email, enabling users to send the right message to the right contact path. Users can now deliver full-featured, unique messages, including entire web pages without modification, optimized for Phone, SMS, Email, and Push Notification contact paths.

    Mobile Enhancements: New mobile device registration simplifies user access and improves Mobile Member opt-in. New enhancements also include “silent mode” override for Android mobile devices to ensure that critical messages get delivered at all times.

    On-the-Go Alerting: This new partner functionality enables users to create and transmit customized alert messages directly from an iPad application. Users can draw affected areas directly on a map, while sending and receiving notifications through IPAWS communications channels.

    On-Call Scheduling: Everbridge now provides robust on-call scheduling to automate outreach to on-call teams with rotating coverage or complex shift changes. Seamlessly integrated with Everbridge notifications, on-call scheduling eliminates the need for manual call lists and handwritten calendars.

    “The new enhancements to our summer release reflect our continuing commitment to product investment and innovation,” said Imad Mouline, CTO of Everbridge. “Our customers are confronted daily with new challenges and opportunities related to mobility, business continuity, emergency notification, secure messaging, and more. We will continue to evolve our suite to meet these challenges—unifying critical communications across modalities and devices on a global scale.”

  • Trimble Enhances Cloud-based Software for Smart Water Infrastructure

    Trimble has introduced the latest version of its smart water infrastructure mapping and work management software — Trimble Connect version 1.8. The latest release of the cloud-based, geographic information system (GIS)-centric software includes a suite of applications that allow water, wastewater and stormwater utilities to visualize and efficiently manage their network maintenance and data collection activities.

    Trimble Connect software leverages Trimble’s GNSS rugged mobile devices and Esri’s GIS technologies to accurately map, locate and assess the condition of critical infrastructure assets, allowing utilities to keep their field infrastructure data up-to-date and accurate. Offered as a software-as-a-service (SaaS) subscription, the solution allows users to monitor asset operating conditions, manage leak repairs, reduce non-revenue water, deploy and inspect smart meters, lower potential threats to safety and health due to contamination and adhere to regulators’ reporting guidelines and requirements. Trimble Connect version 1.8 can be configured and deployed quickly on a variety of Trimble and non-Trimble mobile devices, laptops, tablets and smartphones, including Apple iPads, iPhones, Android, Windows and Windows Mobile devices to automate field workflows and eliminate paper-based maps.

    Trimble Connect utilizes the latest Esri ArcGIS 10.2.2 for Server, Mobile and ArcGIS Online basemap services. The software is designed to automate a variety of specific water and wastewater industry workflows through individual “apps” offered within the product and as part of a subscription. The new version provides standard core apps including Map Book, Manhole Inspector, Leak Repair, Hydrant Inspector, Valve Inspector, Meter Changeout, Incident Repair, Water Mapper, Wastewater Mapper and Stormwater Mapper. In addition, an optional partner app developed for American Flow Control (AFC) hydrant and valve data collection, “AFC Mapper,” can be purchased from AFC and their distributors for use with Trimble rugged handhelds.

    In addition to the standard core apps, Trimble Connect version 1.8 includes:

    • Full offline mobile support including GIS data for Android, iOS, Windows Mobile and Windows 7/8 platforms
    • Esri ArcGIS Online (AGOL) support to create and share Web Maps using data collected in Trimble Connect
    • Work management support for single and multi-asset work orders on all supported platforms
    • Enhanced workflows for asset inspection and condition assessment
    • Embedded business rules to define failed inspections or ones that need review
    • Enhanced workflows for asset mapping and data collection
    • Support for the Trimble Geo 7 series rugged mapping handheld and integrated Laser Rangefinder
    • Standard dashboards with each of the core apps

  • KEYW Unveils Aeroptic Aerial Mapping System at National Guard Conference

    Aeroptic-law-enforcement-bostonThe KEYW Holding Corporation’s subsidiary, KEYW Corporation, will formally unveil the Aeroptic Mapping System August 22-25 at the 2014 National Guard Association (NGAUS) Conference & Exhibition in Chicago. With a 10-year legacy of mapping around the globe, Aeroptic is a fully integrated airborne solution that provides high-resolution, wide-area map data for both civilian and military applications.

    “Aeroptic is a commercially available mapping system that supports every mission in which the National Guard engages, ranging from incident assessment and disaster response in Domestic Operations (DOMOPS) to reconnaissance and situational awareness on the OCONUS battlefield,” said Kevin Gunde, executive vice president, Surveillance and Exploration Systems. “Aeroptic can be deployed on a variety of fixed- and rotor-wing platforms, including the National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk.”

    KEYW developed the Aeroptic solution with image quality, positional accuracy and ease of use in mind. The system integrates a full-color electro-optical (EO) camera, GPS/IMU, and user-friendly geo-processing software based on non-proprietary open standards. The system is compact, light-weight and ruggedized for deployment in harsh environments.

    The rapid-refresh EO camera captures imagery of extraordinary quality by employing advanced noise reduction, image sharpening algorithms and high-end lenses with innovative configurations, the company said. The interchangeable lenses offer multiple focal length options that enable the Aeroptic camera to acquire high-resolution visible-band imagery with sub-meter geo-positional accuracy from varying flight altitudes without surveyed ground control points.

    Aeroptic offers the option of processing imagery in the air or on the ground, producing unclassified, wide-area ortho-mosaic maps in near real time. Generated imagery products are ready for immediate ingest into standard commercial viewing tools and GIS packages.

    “No expertise in GIS or cartography is needed to make full use of the Aeroptic system,” said Kevin Gunde, executive vice president, Surveillance and Exploration Systems. “With just eight hours of training, the typical user can produce content-rich image maps ready for distribution within minutes after acquisition.”

    KEYW will be discussing the Aeroptic Mapping System and its many mission applications in booth #512 at the NGAUS General Conference & Exhibition being held August 22-25, 2014, in Chicago’s McCormick Place.

  • Quarryman Laser Scanner Offers Speedy Rockface Profiling

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    The new Renishaw Quarryman Pro 3D laser scanner system uses innovative technology to help optimize blasting and increase the profitability of quarrying operations, according to Renishaw. The system, which also helps to improve safety, was launched at the Hillhead 2014 Tradeshow, held June 24-26 in Buxton, UK.

    Quarryman has offered on-site systems for quarries for more than 20 years, improving safety and allowing quarry managers to modify processes simply and swiftly, the company said. The new Renishaw Quarryman Pro is optimized for speed of operation in tough environments, with swift set-up, programming, scanning and data processing, and offers significant benefits over previous models.

    New viewing and editing software is quicker to operate, easier to integrate with other mapping software, and includes filtering and data processing functionalities. The sun-readable screen is larger than on previous models, for better visibility, and is now in full color. Data is saved to a USB, rather than a flashcard, for ease of data transfer and larger file capacity.

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    A GPS mount is built into the handle for quick positioning and easy mapping of point-cloud data to other quarry maps using coordinates, and auto date and time stamping help operators find files, without needing to enter details.

    A new Li-ion battery is lighter, provides a greater scan time, and issues a warning when power is low. It also shuts down automatically if not recharged, retaining data for operators to retrieve later. The system’s operating temperature range and processing power have also been increased.

    “Customers using the new Quarryman Pro alongside Renishaw’s Boretrak system will see a significant competitive advantage,” said Martin Carr, Business Manager, Mining Systems. “Quite simply, they will access accurate data more quickly, in a wider range of conditions, and be more easily able to export data to other mining software packages. In 20 years of working with quarries, including some of the world’s largest and most competitive global quarrying companies, Quarryman Pro is the best product we have developed, and marks the beginning of a new era for laser scanning systems for the mining and quarrying sectors.”

    “The new Quarryman Pro is the first system developed, engineered and manufactured by Renishaw, and customers now have one of the world’s leading engineering technology companies behind the support and service of every unit sold,” said Will Lee, Director and General Manager of Renishaw’s Spatial Measurement Division.

  • New STAR*NET Tools Make Least Squares Adjustment Faster, Easier

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    MicroSurvey Software released STAR*NET 8.1, a new version of the least squares network adjustment suite. With a multitude of new and improved tools, the software makes least squares adjustment even faster and easier, MicroSurvey Software said.

    Several highly requested features have been added based on feedback received directly from STAR*NET users. All network plot display options are now customizable in an intuitive grid view that allows users to control the visibility, color, linetype and size of each network element to graphically differentiate conventional, GPS, and leveling observations. Directional linetypes indicate the direction and number of observations between each network station, and intuitive mouse controls allow for smooth zooming and panning in the network plot.

    Additionally, a new .PRISM inline command lets users apply a correction for measurements that were collected with an incorrect prism offset setting. Support for Google Maps and Google Earth allows users to view and export network stations and connections in popular mapping formats, and a new Level Loop Tolerance Check allows users to instantly verify the vertical closure of level loops or traverses.

    Other changes include:

    • A new Online Updater that makes it easier for users to stay current with the latest STAR*NET updates.
    • A new Data File Monitor that checks for any changes made by an external program to a loaded data file and prompts users to reload files from disk if needed.
    • Improved file references for easy access to corresponding data files directly from the listing.
    • Direct access to all conversion utilities through the Import menu, with help buttons for guidance.
    • Improved MicroSurvey FieldGenius Support, including the ability to convert COGO measurements from raw files as bearing measurement records and to read GPS offset measurements from raw files.
    • Improved Carlson SurvCE Support, including the ability to average shots in multiple sets, convert resection observations as direction sets, and import point descriptions with each vector.
    • Improved Leica DBX Support, including the ability to export all set observations or average set observations for any sets collected with either the Sets of Angles or Traverse applications, export stakeout observations as measurement records, and export check shot deltas as comment records.

    “We’ve created several powerful new productivity tools and wanted to make these immediately available to STAR*NET users,” said Brian Sloman, desktop products manager at MicroSurvey. “The flexible and independent control of conventional, GPS, and leveling data in the network plot, including the new directional arrows which indicate both the direction and number of observations for each network connection, can help you visually identify regions with lower redundancy without having to analyze the listing file. The new .PRISM inline command lets you correct distances without having to make potentially thousands of tedious calculations and manual edits, and the level loop tolerance check lets you immediately confirm whether or not your level loops or traverses fall within the maximum allowable tolerances for a desired standard of accuracy.  Toss in the ability to view your data in Google Earth and Google Maps, and it al all adds up to a faster and easier least squares analysis.”

    STAR*NET 8.1 is a free upgrade for any STAR*NET users who have a valid Maintenance Subscription and Support Plan. A STAR*NET upgrade tour is available at https://www.youtube.com/microsurvey. To learn more or download a free demo, visit www.microsurvey.com.

     

    To learn more or download a free demo, visit www.microsurvey.com.