GPS World

Tag: GIS software

  • Esri Launches Direct Relief 1 Million Health Workers Map

    One-million-healthcare-workers-map

    Esri has launched a story map for the One Million Community Health Workers Campaign, which aims to expand and accelerate community health-worker programs in sub-Saharan African countries. With the use of the latest communications technology and diagnostic testing materials, these frontline workers link the rural poor to the broader healthcare system of doctors, nurses, hospitals and clinics.

    The map was designed to be a constantly evolving tool, regularly updated with information submitted by organizations deploying community health workers across sub-Saharan Africa. The map is refreshed every month as new data becomes available. The date of the data refresh can be found in the legend.

  • Airbus, Exelis Partner to Provide ENVI Users Integrated Access to Imagery and Services

    Airbus Defence and Space and Exelis are teaming up to provide users of ENVI image analysis software a limited-time voucher offer for new imagery as well as easy access to the Airbus Defence and Space imagery archive through an application programming interface (API) plug-in integrated within Exelis’ ENVI software. The partnership between Airbus Defence and Space and Exelis helps to expand the network that makes imagery easily accessible to GIS users, the companies said.

    The voucher program will offer a specific amount of Airbus Defence and Space imagery free of charge with any new ENVI license purchase, starting October 1, 2014. ENVI combines advanced spectral image processing and geospatial analysis technology with a modern, user-friendly interface. ENVI users will be able to integrate the Airbus Defence and Space imagery they receive through this program seamlessly into the ENVI software for use in applications such as feature extraction, change detection analysis, target identification, and more.

    The partnership has enabled Exelis and Airbus Defence and Space to develop and integrate an extension in ENVI software that directly connects to the Airbus Defence and Space imagery archive via an API. This allows ENVI users the opportunity to search and discover the Geo-Intelligence imagery archive directly within their ENVI environment. Users will have access to a full range of fresh optical and radar imagery including 1.5m SPOT 6 and SPOT 7 and 50cm Pléiades data.

    “This agreement between Airbus Defence and Space and Exelis gives ENVI users easy access to a full range of fresh optical and radar imagery, providing them with more accurate results for their projects and helping them make better decisions,” said Bernhard Brenner, head of the Geo-Intelligence programme line of Airbus Defence and Space. “We are excited to see new opportunities developing with this growing partnership.”

    “This integrated approach modernizes the way that people will discover data and access new imagery in conjunction with their existing imagery or GIS layers,” said Stuart Blundell, general manager at Exelis Visual Information Solutions. “By letting ENVI users easily identify and geo-locate thumbnail previews of available imagery within an area of interest without leaving the ENVI environment, our customers will save time and make better decisions in mission and project planning and execution.”

    The voucher program will be available to new ENVI users as of October 1, and soon after all ENVI users will be able to search and discover the Airbus Defence and Space imagery archive.

  • Orbit GT Showcases UAS Mapping Pro at InterGeo

    Orbit GT_AS-MappingPro11

    Orbit GeoSpatial Technologies will showcase Orbit UAS Mapping Pro, version 11.0, at InterGeo, October 7-9 in Berlin.

    “Orbit’s UAS Mapping Pro 11.0 is an impressive product for all professional UAV systems engaged in mapping,” said Peter Bonne, CEO at Orbit GT. “Based on our seven-year experience in high-precision UAS mapping, this software covers the complete UAS workflow for mapping purposes.”

    Orbit UAS Mapping Pro includes preflight setup, post-processing, orthocreation, dense DEM creation, creation of contour lines, extraction of profiles, calculation of volumes and stereo-viewing. It also includes digitizing tools to convert raw data to 3D vector data ready for GIS or CAD.

    Orbit’s approach to continue support for photogrammetric techniques joins with detailed user control over processing tools. Reports list the results in high detail for professional use.

    Orbit GeoSpatial will exhibit in booth E2-038 in Hall 2.1.

  • Avenza Releases Geographic Imager 4.5 for Adobe Photoshop

    Avenza Systems, producers of MAPublisher cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator and the PDF Maps mobile app, has released Geographic Imager 4.5 for Adobe Photoshop. The latest update is compatible with Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 2014 for both Windows and Mac. Also, the Geographic Imager panel has been refreshed to provide easier access to tools, image information and features.

    “We’ve been working diligently on this release of Geographic Imager to allow users to work with their spatial imagery and data in Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 2014,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza. “Geographic Imager is an excellent add-on to Photoshop and proves to be a competitive geospatial image editing platform for many GIS professionals in the industry. We’re looking forward to continuing to develop new tools for the Creative Cloud platform to improve productivity and to streamline workflows.”

    Additional Geographic Imager 4.5 features

    • Compatible with Adobe Photoshop Creative Cloud 2014
    • Refreshed Geographic Imager panel for easier access to tools, image information and features
    • Various bug fixes and user experience enhancements

    Geographic Imager is software for Adobe Photoshop that leverages its image editing capabilities and transforms it into a powerful geospatial production tool. Users can work with satellite imagery, aerial photography, orthophotos, and DEMs in GeoTIFF and other major GIS image formats using Adobe Photoshop features such as transparencies, filters, and image adjustments while maintaining georeferencing and support for hundreds of coordinate systems and projections.

    Geographic Imager 4.5 is immediately available and free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at US$319 for non-maintenance upgrades. New fixed licenses start at US$699. Geographic Imager Basic licenses start at US$199. Academic, floating and volume license pricing are also available. Geographic Imager 4.5 is compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS5.1, CS6, CC and CC 2014.

  • Interactive Esri Maps Explore U.S., Global Poverty

    Esri has created two maps that explain how poverty affects billions of people around the world.

    Poverty in America

    More than 50 million people in the United States live in poverty. Explore the Poverty in America maps to learn more about the levels of poverty in your state and city.

    USA_poverty

    Global Poverty Map

    Through the use of storytelling, videos, and interactive maps, Esri’s map provides a look at one method of measuring global poverty. This measure, called the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI), addresses poverty through an integrative approach.

    Global_poverty

  • Icaros to Demonstrate Measuring Tool for Oblique Imagery at InterGeo

    Icaros_Intergeo

    Icaros Inc., a provider of advanced aerial remote sensing and 3D visualization solutions, will demonstrate the Icaros Measurement Tool (IMT) at the 2014 InterGeo Conference in Germany. Designed for use with oblique aerial imagery, IMT is a simple but powerful photogrammetric visualization application based on ArcGIS technologies, the company said.

    To view a demonstration of the IMT, visit Icaros in stand #A4.009 Hall 4.1 at the InterGeo Conference and Trade Fair being held in Berlin on October 7-9.

    The IMT is a universal oblique measurement tool. It enables customers working within Esri’s GIS environment to view and measure structures in oblique aerial imagery captured by any commercial oblique sensor system, including those from Pictometry, Vexcel/Microsoft, IGI, Leica, and Midas. IMT works equally well measuring images captured by oblique sensors mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

    “Icaros is opening the oblique market to all GIS users by enabling them to purchase imagery from any of the growing number of aerial oblique data providers,” said Richard Baumgartner, vice president of Business Development at Icaros. “For too long, the purchase and use of oblique imagery have been limited by proprietary collection systems and metadata formats.”

    Access to additional oblique vendors will reduce data costs in the long run, Icaros said. In addition, IMT lets users unlock the full potential of their imagery by combining 3D analysis capabilities with their GIS data. The tool is specifically designed to make highly accurate vertical and horizontal 3D measurements of structures and surfaces, including calculating distances, areas, slopes, and azimuths in complex 3D features.

    Baumgartner explained that oblique imagery is already used extensively in tax assessment and public safety applications, but many other markets are waiting to be served by off-nadir image data. The Icaros vision is to expand the use, visualization and analysis of oblique aerial images into the entire spectrum of GIS markets. Oblique analysis of structures can be beneficial to a host of new applications such as facility management, pipeline corridor infrastructure monitoring, energy audits, economic development, and asset management.

    “Asset and facility management are the next big applications for oblique imagery within the emerging 3D GIS market,” said Baumgartner.

    As GIS users continue the move to 3D, oblique imagery will be critical for constructing accurate image-based realistic 3D models. IMT enables users to manipulate and view oblique imagery while leveraging other geospatial data layers within their GIS environment. This capability allows users to navigate multi-image scenes in three dimensions while zooming and panning.

    The IMT software also provides an optional Icaros Digitizer Tool (IDT) for generating 3D models. “IDT provides additional tools to extract physical building structures and digitize them into open format models, such as Collada, Obj, and Ply, textured from the source imagery,” Baumgartner said. “Automated 3D model generation from oblique imagery is at the intersection between imagery and GIS.”

  • Explorer for ArcGIS on Mac Now Supports 22 Languages

    Following the July launch of Explorer for ArcGIS on Mac OS X, the Explorer team released an update into the app store today that broadens the reach of Explorer by adding support for 21 new languages.

    Explorer for ArcGIS is now available in all of the country app stores supported by the Mac App Store.

    It can be downloaded from the Mac App Store.

  • 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.

  • LizardTech to Showcase Geospatial Software Solutions for Image Management

    LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, will be showcasing its products at eight conferences this fall.

    LizardTech representatives will highlight its newest product, GeoGofer, a software solution for powerful image searching and sorting. The representatives will be available for product demonstrations and to answer questions at the following shows:

    • September 8-11 in New Orleans, Louisiana, at GIS-Pro 2014, booth 229.
    • September 15-16 in Orlando, Florida, at the eighth annual Central Florida GIS Workshop.
    • September 22-24 in Columbus, Ohio, at the 2014 Ohio GIS Conference.
    • September 22-26 in Grand Junction, Colorado, at the GeCo in the Rockies Conference.
    • September 25 in Denver, Colorado, at the Esri DIUG.
    • October 5-8 in Groton, Connecticut, at the Fall Northeast Arc Users Group (NEARC).
    • October 20-24 in Austin, Texas, at the 2014 Texas GIS Forum.
    • October 22-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at the MAC URISA 2014 Conference.

    In addition to GeoGofer, LizardTech representatives will provide product demonstrations of the company’s entire line of geospatial products. The LizardTech product line includes GeoExpress software, which enables geospatial professionals to compress and manipulate satellite and aerial imagery, Express Server software for high-performance image delivery and publication, and LiDAR Compressor software, which turns giant point cloud datasets into efficient MrSID files.

  • Trimble Launches InSphere Data Marketplace of Geospatial Data

    The Trimble InSphere Data Manager provides efficient geospatial data management for an entire organization.
    The Trimble InSphere Data Manager provides
    efficient geospatial data management for an entire organization.

    Trimble has introduced a new Data Marketplace service for the Trimble InSphere geospatial information management platform. The InSphere Data Marketplace allows geospatial professionals to quickly search, locate and obtain spatial data on demand. InSphere users can now find and use additional free and premium spatial data layers, including aerial and satellite imagery, terrain, elevation and topographic maps, building footprints and other third-party data. In addition, new capabilities have been added to a variety of InSphere applications to streamline geospatial data access.

    “As the latest addition to the InSphere platform of applications, the Data Marketplace service plays an important role in our cloud-based geospatial information management platform. InSphere’s Data Marketplace is designed to help our customers find, manage and use spatial data critical to their business,” said Alain Samaha, business area director of software for Trimble’s Geospatial Division. “Giving our customers access to multiple layers of spatial information makes end deliverables more robust for their clients.”

    The Trimble InSphere Data Marketplace is a new application that is part of Trimble InSphere, a cloud-based platform of software, data, and services focused on the needs of geospatial professionals including surveyors, engineers and GIS professionals. InSphere’s web interface provides access to other productivity-enhancing applications such as Trimble InSphere Data Manager, Trimble InSphere Equipment Manager, Trimble TerraFlex and Trimble Access Services.

    The latest release also adds capabilities and enhancements to the applications within the InSphere platform:

    Trimble TerraFlex — Unified Geospatial Data Collection and Simplified Digital Forms 

    The TerraFlex application includes productivity enhancement features that enable a tighter integration for Esri’s ArcMap plugin and allow GIS users to bring in data directly from TerraFlex into an ArcMap project. The module includes Esri basemap support for access to a range of freely available Esri basemap layers, new export options for more flexibility for portable data formats, exchange, and full Windows 7 and 8 support on TerraFlex Mobile. This enables users a broader range of devices to select and use in the field for collecting asset information data. In addition, the TerraFlex user interface is now integrated into the Trimble InSphere platform, giving users a seamless experience between TerraFlex and other InSphere modules. A 30-day free trial is available online.

    InSphere Data Manager — Geospatial Information in One Place

    Data Manager now supports Trimble Business center version 3.2 files, increasing support for more data file formats that a user is able to upload and view within the module. A 90-day free trial is available online.

    InSphere Equipment Manager — Centrally Manage Equipment 

    The release expands the compatibility to add and manage more devices faster and easier. Users can now import a list of devices from an Excel spreadsheet to immediately begin managing devices in the module. In addition, Equipment Manager now supports Trimble Access Software version 2013.40 (and higher), increasing the number of devices that a user can manage. A 90-day free trial is available online.

  • LizardTech Launches GeoGofer for Image Searching and Sorting

    LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, has launched GeoGofer, a new addition to its product line. GeoGofer is a software solution for finding geospatial imagery quickly and efficiently, regardless of where it is located.

    GeoGofer was designed to streamline the process of finding, organizing, and tracking geospatial imagery. To that end, GeoGofer comes with powerful search and filter features that can be used to find imagery by keyword, by projection, by file format and more.

    “Our customers will never again have to struggle to find their geospatial images,” said Jon Skiffington, director of product management at LizardTech. “Our product preview demonstrations have received overwhelmingly positive feedback from existing LizardTech customers and from a sampling of Esri User Conference attendees.”

    With GeoGofer, users can browse all of their imagery on a single map, tag images for later use, and perform powerful queries using simple tools. Users can search by modification date, by number of bands, or by resolution to find the imagery they need.

    GeoGofer integrates fully with trusted Esri technology. GeoGofer uses an existing ArcGIS Online subscription to store and query image information. Additionally, if users have ArcMap installed on the same machine that runs GeoGofer, they can open images directly in ArcMap.

    More product information, purchase options, and a free 14-day trial are available at the website.

  • CartoPac 5.0 Offers Workflow Manager, Windows 8 Optimization

    CartoPac International Inc. has announced a major new release of the CartoPac Mobile Platform. CartoPac 5.0 extends the mobile platform with support for Windows 8 and introduces the CartoPac Workflow Manager, which provides a structured process to manage the use of geospatial data across the enterprise.

    CartoPac will demonstrate the applications and technologies of Version 5.0 in the free CartoPac Mobility Webinar Series beginning on September 30.

    The CartoPac Platform is a configurable suite of field and office tools designed to maximize the productivity of crews as they digitally map, inventory and inspect critical assets using GPS-enabled mobile devices. Seamlessly integrating with the Esri ArcGIS Server, CartoPac is used extensively by oil and gas companies, pipeline operators, electric utilities, state/local governments and environmental engineering firms to populate the enterprise GIS and asset-management systems with captured infrastructure information.

    The new CartoPac Workflow Manager (CWM) in CartoPac 5.0 provides organizations with a structured workflow to view, edit, validate and approve asset data as it moves from the field back into the enterprise. CWM ensures that individuals responsible for data are notified as it comes into the organization so they can incorporate the data into systems related to work-order fulfillment, risk analysis, integrity modeling and other asset management processes.

    CartoPac developed CWM for the management of heavily regulated assets in the field, such as gas pipelines and electric distribution infrastructure. A module within the CartoPac Server, the CWM extension creates an audit trail of all the edits and modifications made to the data sets that represent the monitoring and maintenance of real world assets in the field.

    “CartoPac Workflow Manager fills the gap between data collection and enterprise asset management systems to enable organizations to maximize the value of their data,” said CartoPac CIO Scott Crouch. “CWM enables organizations to show regulators they have a structured process for tracking and responding to the conditions of their critical assets and has proven to be key component for assisting companies with their regulatory compliance and integrity management programs.”

    Further expanding the capabilities of the CartoPac mobile components, version 5.0 has been optimized for the Windows 8 operating system running on standard GPS-enabled laptop computers and tablet devices. This migration means that crews can use CartoPac to collect and manage asset data in the field on the same hardware devices they will use back in the office to run their daily business applications.

    “The attractive cost, integration with GPS and expanded performance of Windows 8 tablets and laptops will enable organizations to put more personnel into the field, ensuring that vital infrastructure is mapped, inventoried and properly managed,” said Crouch “Laptop/tablet-equipped maintenance personnel in the field will now be able to run CartoPac solutions on the hardware they already use for tracking repairs and closing work orders.”

    To demonstrate the advantages of enterprise asset management, CartoPac has launched the CartoPac Mobility Webinar Series, which will feature applications by electric and gas utilities and highlight new mobile technologies. The first webinar, “Applying New Mobile Technologies to Electric Utility Inspections,” will be presented with EDM International Inc., a Colorado electric utility services company.

    The free “Applying New Mobile Technologies to Electric Utility Inspections” webinar will be held on September 30, 2014, at 4:00 pm Eastern Time. To register, click here.