GPS World

Tag: technology

  • Velodyne LiDAR, Paracosm team up to capture environments in 3D

    Paracosm's PX-80 handheld 3D scanner has Velodyne lidar inside. (Photo: Paracosm)
    Paracosm’s PX-80 handheld 3D scanner has Velodyne lidar inside. (Photo: Paracosm)

    Paracosm’s PX-80 mobile 3D scanner leverages lightweight, powerful VLP-16 Puck for fast and accurate surveying of indoor and outdoor areas.

    Velodyne LiDAR Inc., which makes 3D vision systems for autonomous vehicles, and Paracosm, a division of Occipital, have integrated Velodyne’s VLP-16 Puck lidar sensors into Paracosm’s PX-80 handheld 3D scanner.

    The PX-80 3D scanner is commonly used for geospatial, construction and industrial applications to survey a wide array of spaces from large office buildings to thick forests.

    Paracosm’s PX-80 uses Velodyne’s VLP-16 Puck and its own proprietary SLAM technology — itself a fusion of lidar, color imagery and inertial measurement unit (IMU) data — to produce detailed three-dimensional documentation of complex environments and geometries in minutes.

    The resulting point clouds come in full color with corresponding spherical imagery that can provide virtual tours along with accurate 3D measurements. With the lightweight VLP-16 lidar sensor from Velodyne, Paracosm is able to offer a handheld scanner with unprecedented accuracy, range and detail.

    “When we first began our 3D mapping journey, we wanted to be able to capture huge environments as fast as possible, but were limited by the range and accuracy of available sensors,” said Amir Rubin, president of Paracosm. “After searching far and wide for a better solution, we found that the VLP-16 was the best combination of size, accuracy, and functionality to fit our needs.”

    “Paracosm has proven its ability to expand the application of lidar into handheld use cases, allowing the PX-80 to become one of the most accurate and versatile mobile 3D scanners on the market,” said Mike Jellen, president and chief commercial officer, Velodyne LiDAR. “We are thrilled to partner with Paracosm for their development of the PX-80 and look forward to working with them as they expand their footprint.”

    As the VLP-16 is the smallest commercially available sensor in Velodyne’s lidar portfolio, it is the easiest to embed in other products. “The performance of the VLP-16 is unrivaled in the marketplace. We remain deeply impressed with the range, acquisition rate, noise levels and accuracy it provides in such a compact form factor,” said Gannon Wilder, who leads business development in the Paracosm division.

    Both Velodyne LiDAR and Paracosm will be at the Consumer Electronics show (CES) providing product demonstrations. Velodyne LiDAR will be at Booth #3525 in the North Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, while Paracosm will be at Booth #21029 in South Hall 1.

  • Esri maps highlight net neutrality implications

    Esri-net-neutrality-O

    With discussions about net neutrality intensifying, Esri has created a suite of interactive maps to illustrate the current state of internet access and behavior across the United States.

    From analyzing predominant internet connection types to highlighting the communities that have already been left behind in the digital divide, these maps provide critical context for understanding how and where potential changes to net neutrality will impact Americans.

    All maps were created using Esri’s Market Potential and Updated Demographics data.

    The State of Internet Access

    The map below shows where U.S. citizens currently have the greatest access to high-speed internet and explores which type of connection (cable, fiber optic or DSL) is most common in each community.

    What Do Americans Do Online?

    Discover where Americans are most likely to engage in the type of high-bandwidth, high-visibility behaviors (such as streaming movies or playing games online) that would be most impacted by potential changes to net neutrality. The map also shows where adults are most likely to spend 10+ hours a day online.

    High-Speed Internet Deserts

    The map below shows the 10 ZIP Codes in the U.S .where adults have the lowest access to high-speed internet.

    Access Addicts

    Tour the 10 ZIP Codes in the U.S. where the highest percentage of adults spend at least 10 hours a day online.

  • Esri publishes textbook on how to use ArcGIS Pro

    esri-publishes-a-textbook-on-how-to-use-arcgis-pro-WEsri has released GIS Tutorial 1 for ArcGIS Pro: A Platform Workbook, which teaches all the elements of creating and managing data; designing maps; performing spatial analysis; creating 3D scenes; and sharing projects using ArcGIS Pro, Esri’s professional desktop geographic information system (GIS) application.

    The textbook primarily focuses on working with ArcGIS Pro but also offers instruction on using ArcGIS Online and apps such as Collector for ArcGIS, Esri Story Maps, and Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS. The book teaches students how to do the following:

    • Use, design, and share maps
    • Work with file geodatabases, spatial data, and geoprocessing tools plus learn digitizing skills and geocoding
    • Conduct spatial analysis using tools such as ArcGIS Network Analyst; work with raster datasets; and use 3D GIS technology to create scenes, buildings, and bridges
    • Manage operational systems using GIS, and complete a real-world project that provides hands-on experience in setting up and managing graffiti mapping and graffiti removal systems

    Designed for use in a university classroom setting, this workbook includes step-by-step instructions, On Your Own exercises, and in-depth assignments. Instructors can access teaching materials. Self-learners will find this textbook to be an excellent introduction in how to use ArcGIS Pro. Each tutorial includes easy-to follow, step-by-step instructions.

    GIS Tutorial 1 for ArcGIS Pro: A Platform Workbook was written by Wilpen L. Gorr and Kristen S. Kurland, the authors of other highly regarded tutorials including GIS Tutorial 1: Basic Workbook, GIS Tutorial for Health and GIS Tutorial for Crime Analysis.

    Gorr is a professor of public policy and management information systems at the School of Public Policy and Management, H. John Heinz III College, Carnegie Mellon University, where he teaches and researches GIS applications.

    Kurland is a professor of architecture, information systems, and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University’s H. John Heinz III College and School of Architecture. There, she teaches GIS, computer-aided design (CAD), building information modeling (BIM), 3D visualization, and infrastructure management.

    GIS Tutorial 1 for ArcGIS Pro: A Platform Workbook is available in print (ISBN: 9781589484665, 480 pages, US$99.99) and as an e-book (ISBN: 9781589484931, 480 pages, US$99.99). The print and e-book editions of the book can be obtained from online retailers worldwide, at esri.com/esripress, or by calling 1-800-447-9778.

    Outside the United States, visit esri.com/esripressorders for complete ordering options, or visit esri.com/distributors to contact your local Esri distributor. Interested retailers can contact Esri Press book distributor Ingram Publisher Services.

  • "Scariest commute of my life": California wildfires erupt

    Two fires erupted Monday in Southern California, fueled by strong Santa Ana winds. The Thomas fire in Ventura County started Monday night and has burned 45,000 acres and destroyed more than 150 structures. The Creek fire is burning near Sylmar and has prompted officials to evacuate more than 8,000 homes.

    Now a dramatic new wildfire erupted in Los Angeles early Wednesday. Flames exploded before dawn on the steep slopes of the Sepulveda Pass, which carries heavily traveled Interstate 405 through the Santa Monica Mountains where ridgetops are covered with expensive homes, including Bel Air. It is also the site of the Getty Center arts complex.

    More than a third of Ventura, California, residents have been forced from their homes. About 38,000 of the coastal city’s 100,000 residents have been evacuated since the fires started Monday night.

    Esri is providing this interactive map to keep up-to-date on events around the fires.

  • USGS map locates lava flows before an eruption

    lava inundation zones: In this USGS map, colors depict 3 of 18 lava Inundation zones for Mauna Loa. Yellow indicates the volcano’s Northeast Rift Zone, an area along which lava could erupt. The extent of the 1984 eruption and lava flow is superimposed on the map (red).

    New U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) maps show areas that could be affected by Mauna Loa lava flows — information critical for response planning. Each zone identifies a segment of the volcano that could erupt lava and send flows downslope.

    Hawaii-laval-maunaloa-map-WThe volcano has erupted 33 times since 1843. Typically, eruptions began in the summit caldera, with a curtain of fire (a 1- to 2-kilometer line of lava fountains).

    Using detailed geologic mapping and modeling of how a fluid (in this case, lava) responds to surface topography, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory constructed nine maps depicting 18 inundation zones on Mauna Loa, Island of Hawai’i.

    Colored regions on these maps show areas on the volcano’s flank that could potentially be covered by flows from future Mauna Loa eruptions. These eruptions could originate from the volcano’s summit, rift zones or radial vents. It’s likely, however, that only part of a zone would be covered in a single eruption.

    When a Mauna Loa eruption starts, the maps can help decision makers quickly identify communities, infrastructure and roads between possible vent locations and the coast, facilitating more efficient and effective allocation of response resources, the USGS said. The public can also use the maps to consider where lava flows might go once an eruption starts.

    A pamphlet about the maps is available here.

    lava flow glow: Had the Mauna Loa inundation maps been available in April 1984, when the volcano last erupted, the maps could have been used to determine that the northern portion of Hilo was the most likely area to be impacted by the main lava flow. (Photo: David Little)

  • Geologist uses lidar to monitor Greenland Glacier ice loss

    A Riegl VZ-6000 laser scanner, operating at 1064 um wavelength, serves as the backbone of the ATLAS system.
    A Riegl VZ-6000 laser scanner, operating at 1064 um wavelength, serves as the backbone of the ATLAS system.

    Leigh Stearns, a geologist with the University of Kansas, is working with a Riegl VZ-6000 ultra long range terrestrial laser scanner, incorporated into an ATLAS (Autonomous Terrestrial Laser Scanning) system, to monitor rates of ice loss on the Helheim Glacier, a tidewater glacier undergoing large-scale changes due to global climate change.

    “Lidar is an emerging technology for the earth sciences because it produces an incredibly detailed 3-D view of features,” said the KU researcher. “Repeat lidar scanning reveals small-scale changes with very high precision. These systems are now used to measure how bridges are sagging, how tectonic faults propagate and now how glaciers flow. The ATLAS systems are unique because they’re designed to scan the glacier terminus every six hours, year-round. That’s not a trivial task when there’s no sunlight in the winter, winds are high and it’s very cold.”

    The VZ-6000 high speed, high-resolution terrestrial 3D laser scanner offers an extremely long measurement range of more than 6000 meters for topographic (static) applications. Due to its laser wavelength, it is exceptionally well suited for measuring snowy and icy terrain in glacier mapping and monitoring applications in mountainous regions.

    Learn more about the project at the University of Kansas website.

  • Satellite imagery aids rescue efforts for Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria

    MODIS Image of Hurricane Harvey. This natural color image of Hurricane Harvey was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA's Terra satellite as the hurricane reached the Gulf Coast of Texas at 12:25 p.m. local time on Aug. 25, 2017. (Image: USGS)
    MODIS Image of Hurricane Harvey. This natural color image of Hurricane Harvey was acquired by the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer on NASA’s Terra satellite as the hurricane reached the Gulf Coast of Texas at 12:25 p.m. local time on Aug. 25, 2017. (Image: USGS)

    Free and rapid imagery was provided through the USGS Hazard Data Distribution System.

    The calls for assistance started days before Hurricane Harvey came barreling across America’s doorstep this summer. First responders and government officials needed answers to prepare and protect communities.

    How strong is this storm going to be? What kind of damage occurred on its path through the Caribbean? How might it impact southeast Texas once it makes landfall?

    Remotely sensed imagery was provided — at no cost and almost daily — through the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) Hazard Data Distribution System (HDDS) for analysis on the extent, severity and evolution of hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria.

    “USGS staff worked around the clock to keep HDDS populated with satellite and aerial imagery,” said Brenda Jones, who is the disaster response coordinator for the USGS Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (EROS).

    15,000 images were downloaded from HDDS following the three storms. Requests came from 48 government agencies, including the U.S. Senate, Foreign Agricultural Service, Department of Homeland Security and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

    For example, Harvey dropped as much as 52 inches of rain in Houston. The Federal Emergency Management Agency used data from HDDS to identify roads and other infrastructure that were under water in an effort to better direct rescue efforts.

    “Quick, easy and centralized access to high-quality imagery made it possible to create maps that were useful to disaster management authorities,” Jones said. “We haven’t had a hurricane season like this for a very long time, and the HDDS system proved invaluable to rescue efforts.”

    In addition to hurricanes, HDDS is useful for numerous hazard situations. For example, following the recent earthquake near Mexico City, imagery provided through HDDS allowed first responders to see collapsed buildings, blocked roads and damaged infrastructure.

    During fire season, HDDS makes it possible for first responders to have wide-scale pictures of situations.

    HDDS acquires imagery and data from several sources, including the International Charter for Space and Major Disasters, of which the USGS is a member. Once the hurricane season began, USGS EROS staff began pulling data acquired by space and aerial systems and loading them into HDDS.

    GEOS-13 Image of Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Jose. Image of Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Jose acquired by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 at 1:15 p.m. local time on Sept. 19, 2017. The satellite is operated by NOAA while NASA helps develop and launch the GOES series of satellites. (Image: USGS)
    GEOS-13 Image of Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Jose. Image of Hurricane Maria and Tropical Storm Jose acquired by the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite 13 at 1:15 p.m. local time on Sept. 19, 2017. The satellite is operated by NOAA while NASA helps develop and launch the GOES series of satellites. (Image: USGS)

  • OnTerra offers new version of MapSavvy web map service

    mapsavvy-logoOnTerra Systems has introduced a new version of its MapSavvy aerial imagery service and a corresponding new website, www.MapSavvy.com.

    MapSavvy is an affordable Web Map Service providing OGC-compliant images for anyone who needs aerial images in the course of their work or research.

    The new version of MapSavvy offers users access to two versions of Bing Maps aerial imagery: original Bing Maps imagery and the recently updated aerial imagery updates introduced in 2017.

    Typical users of MapSavvy are GIS and CAD professionals from business, research, or government organizations that need to use aerial imagery as part of projects, presentations, reports, or visual analysis of trends.

    Examples of MapSavvy users include:

    • Architects and developers: Architects and developers use MapSavvy in GIS and CAD applications to obtain aerial imagery of construction sites to incorporate into projects, proposals and presentations that show where new buildings or structures would be located in the context of an existing built environment.
    • Research teams: Research teams use MapSavvy in GIS and CAD applications to access aerial imagery that will be incorporated into research reports, or to be able to spot trends by visually depicting information on top of an aerial image. MapSavvy is used for wildlife tracking, hydrology, environmental programs and a host of research activities.
    • Public safety: Law enforcement teams use MapSavvy to access base map where crimes are occurring, either to spot trends or to help solve a specific criminal case.
    • City planning: City planners use MapSavvy to see base map aerial views of cities, municipalities and unincorporated areas as part of their process of planning city infrastructure and new developments.
    • Oil and gas: Oil and gas companies use MapSavvy in GIS and CAD applications to view aerial imagery  to plan for pipeline facilities placement.

    The new MapSavvy aerial imagery service offers the flexibility of access to original Bing Maps imagery as well as the new updated aerial imagery introduced in 2017. The original Bing Maps imagery offers the highest resolution. The newly updated Bing Maps imagery offers the most up-to-date imagery of developed areas that have undergone changes to streets and buildings, or wild land areas that have seen changes due to geological shifts or wildfires.

    “By offering MapSavvy users access to the original Bing Maps imagery and the new updated imagery, users get the best of both worlds,” said Steve Milroy, OnTerra Systems president. “This new version of MapSavvy lets users access original Bing Maps imagery if their application requires high-resolution images, or access recently updated Bing maps imagery if they require the most up-to-date images showing changes to cityscapes or wild lands.”

  • ESA investigates high-altitude pseudo-satellites for Earth observation

    News from the European Space Agency

    High-altitude pseudo-satellites (HAPS) are platforms that float or fly at high altitude like conventional aircraft but operate more like satellites. (Image: ESA Earth Observation Graphics Bureau)

    The European Space Agency (ESA) is considering extending its activities to a new region of the sky via a novel type of aerial vehicle, a missing link between drones and satellites.

    High-altitude pseudo-satellites, or HAPS, are platforms that float or fly at high altitude like conventional aircraft but operate more like satellites — except that rather than working from space, they can remain in position inside the atmosphere for weeks or even months, offering continuous coverage of the territory below.

    The best working altitude is about 20 kilometers, above the clouds and jet streams, and 10 kilometers above commercial airliners, where wind speeds are low enough for them to hold position for long periods.

    From such a height they can survey the ground to the horizon 500 km away, variously enabling precise monitoring and surveillance, high-bandwidth communications or back up to existing satellite navigation services.

    Several ESA directorates have teamed up to investigate their potential, explains future-systems specialist Antonio Ciccolella.

    “For Earth observation, they could provide prolonged high-resolution coverage for priority regions, while for navigation and telecoms they could shrink blind spots in coverage and combine wide bandwidth with negligible signal delay,” Ciccolella said.

    “ESA is looking into how these various domains can be best brought together.”

    “We’ve been looking into the concept for the last 20 years but now finally it’s becoming reality,” explained Earth observation specialist Thorsten Fehr.

    “That’s come about through the maturing of key technologies: miniaturised avionics, high-performance solar cells, lightweight batteries and harness, miniaturisation of Earth observation sensors and high-bandwidth communication links that can deliver competitively priced services.”

    Navigation engineer Roberto Prieto Cerdeira added, “There’s obvious potential for emergency response. They could also be employed semi-permanently, perhaps extending satnav coverage into high, narrow valleys and cities.”

    The QinetiQ-designed and Airbus-owned Zephyr-7 solar-powered unmanned aircraft holds the world flight endurance record at 14 days. (Photo: Airbus)

    European companies have already unveiled product lines. For instance, Airbus has developed the winged, solar-powered Zephyr, which in 2010 achieved a world record 14 days of continuous flight without refuelling.

    The Zephyr-S is designed to fly payloads of a few tens of kilograms for up to three months at a time, with secondary batteries employed to keep it powered and aloft overnight. A larger Zephyr-T version now in preparation will support larger payloads and power needs.

    The first flight is projected for 2021 for Thales Alenia Space’s Stratobus airship. (Artist’s rendering: Thales Alenia Space/Briot)

    Meanwhile, Thales Alenia Space is preparing the lighter-than-air Stratobus, with its first flight expected in 2021.

    The buoyant Stratobus airship can carry up to 250 kilograms, its electric engines flying against the breeze to hold itself in position, relying on fuel cells at night.

    Many other firms are also developing vehicles, payloads and services. Last month saw them gathered at ESA’s inaugural workshop, together with representatives of potential customers, including the European Defence Agency, Frontex — the EU agency tasked with Europe’s border management — and EU Copernicus environmental monitoring services.

    Airbus’s double-tailed Zephyr-T variant HAPS aircraft is designed to support larger payloads, keeping them aloft for months at a time. (Image: Airbus)

    “This was the first meeting of its kind in Europe, with more than 200 HAPS experts” explains Juan Lizarraga Cubillos, from ESA’s telecoms area.

    “We heard from them on the needs, opportunities and critical issues within the field, particularly as a complement for existing satellite services, to start preparing a future ESA programme.”

    ESA regards the vehicles as a valuable way of establishing applications that complement its satellites while also accelerating space technologies through early, high-altitude flight testing.

    The point was also made that market acceptance of HAPS would come down to their efficiency and cost-effectiveness — and the best way to show that would be through demonstration projects.

    “We have to fly them,” remarked Alvaro Rodriquez of the EU’s Satellite Centre. “The technology is there, all the ingredients are there, now it’s time to mix them into a nice recipe.”

    Thales Alenia Space’s Stratobus is topped with solar panels, powering its propellers to fly against the wind at 20 km for prolonged periods of service. (Image: Airbus)

  • SimActive introduces new technology for true orthophotos

    SimActive Inc., a developer of photogrammetry software, has released Correlator3D version 7.1 with new technology for true orthophotos.

    Users can now automatically generate enhanced true orthomosaics through a technological breakthrough that significantly minimizes artifacts, the company said.

    This major release successfully addresses the industry-wide challenges of generating true orthophotos without artifacts, such as distortions around buildings and vertical structures. Along with the enhanced output quality, the overall mosaicking speed of the software has increased five-fold, furthering the gap with competing tools.

    “While DTM-based orthophoto generation has been the norm for decades, we observe a shift toward true orthos,” said Louis Simard, CTO of SimActive. “The advancement provides consistent quality of results without any manual intervention.”

    For a live demonstration at the Geospatial World Forum (Jan. 17-19, Hyderabad, India), send an email to [email protected].

    To register for an online training session on how to generate high-quality orthomosaics with Correlator3D (Nov. 30, 10 a.m. Eastern Time, sign up at the website.

  • OGC seeks participants for 'interoperability plugfest'

    Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) is calling for interested participants in its Geospatial to the Edge Interoperability Plugfest.

    OGC Plugfests, initiatives of the OGC Innovation Program, provide a venue for sponsors and technology implementers to come together to solve geospatial interoperability challenges in a collaborative, agile process.

    A plugfest is organized around scenarios and a testing environment to advance the implementation of OGC standards and profiles of OGC standards in commercial and open source software products. A plugfest allows organizations to test and validate implementations of OGC standards in their software products, verifying that they can interoperate with other products implementing the same standards.

    The Geospatial to the Edge Interoperability Plugfest is co-sponsored by Army Geospatial Center and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA/CIO&T). The Plugfest will assist tool enhancement and provide guidance to improve the delivery of enterprise geospatial data to end users. The Plugfest will test profiles and extended capabilities of the GeoPackage, WMS, WMTS, and WFS standards for the end user.

    Examples of end user communities that will benefit include:

    • first responders, relief workers, and firefighters preparing for and operating in limited network environments;
    • emergency planners and managers in their efforts to support hurricane, wildfire, and earthquake preparedness, relief/response activities, and damage assessment;
    • soldiers/warfighters planning and executing operations, specifically in disconnected, intermittent, and limited network environments.

    What is an OGC profile?

    An OGC profile is a subset of a standard that helps better share information within a community of interest. A profile is a specification that imposes additional constraints on an existing standard to make that standard more focused to the needs of the user community. A profile can also be extended to offer specialized functionality, for example, make previously optional capabilities mandatory, or define extensions where permitted by the base standard.

    The profiles that are planned to be used in the Plugfest include: raster and vector NSG GeoPackages, NSG WMTS, NSG WMS, and NSG WFS.

    Interested parties can respond to the Call for Participation by filling in the web form  (due Jan 8).

    For more information on the Plugfest, visit  the websitte, or contact Luis Bermudez, executive director, Innovation Program.

  • Remote Geosystems geoDVR deployed for search and rescue

    Remote GeoSystem, North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters have successfully deployed a geoDVR Gen2 with a FLIR daylight EO/IR gyro-stabilized video camera on an Airbus TwinStar (AS355) for search-and-rescue (SAR) missions.

    NSR and Talon team operate the geoDVR and FLIR during ground training in October 2017.
    NSR and Talon team operate the geoDVR and FLIR during ground training in October 2017.

    The geoDVR Gen2 is an advanced mil-spec DVR for recording multiple channels of HD & Standard-Definition geospatial full motion video in airborne and rugged vehicle environments.

    The geoDVR’s ability to reliably record HD color and infrared, along with continuous GPS data and Live Moving Maps, make it suited for professional airborne search and rescue, law enforcement and infrastructure inspection applications that utilize multi-sensor gimbal video cameras.

    “Remote Geo has a reputation for building one of the industry’s most dependable and user-friendly airborne geospatial video recorders, complete with flexible post-flight mapping tools. So the geoDVR Gen2 was an obvious choice when we were asked to fly the FLIR on the TwinStar for mountain search and rescue,” says Peter Murray, Founder/Operations Manager at Talon Helicopters.

    “Adding the FLIR camera to North Shore Rescue’s toolbox has been a great enhancement to NSR’s capabilities,” said Jim Loree, North Shore Rescue SAR manager and air operations coordinator. “Having the ability to record and geo-track the location of the video seemed essential to maximizing the full potential of the FLIR camera. The geoDVR allows searchers to review recorded video for clues that may or may not have been observed during the flight.”

    “This feature could also be highly valuable in a large-scale disaster such as an earthquake where widespread areas are surveyed for damage,” Loree said. “Emergency Operation Centers would be able to use the data to help them make decisions on where and how to deploy resources based on the exact location and extent of damages provided by the video recording.”

    North Shore Rescue and Talon Helicopters will use the geoDVR with a FLIR generously donated by Port of Vancouver to perform helicopter-based SAR operations with color and infrared. Then, using LineVision™ software post-flight, North Shore Rescue will review the geoDVR videos and flight tracks overlaid on Google Earth and Esri maps for training mission planning and recovery operations.

    Because North Shore Rescue is an all volunteer organization, Remote GeoSystems donated 18 LineVision Esri Maps and LineVision Google Earth licenses as part of the implementation.