GPS World

Tag: technology

  • GEO Business 2016 anticipates 3,000 attendees

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    GEO Business also will be hosting a Gala Dinner.

    Register before April 25 for Early Bird Rates.

    Learn more at the conference website.

  • Mapillary raises $8M Series A to map world through photos

    Mapillary, a community-based photomapping platform, has received an $8 million Series A funding round led by Atomico, with participation from Sequoia, LDV Capital and PlayFair.

    Anyone can contribute photos to the Mapillary platform and mobile app (available on iOS and Android) with a smartphone or action camera. The company’s computer vision software automatically extracts geographic information, blurs license plates and faces, and detects traffic signs from each photo uploaded. Then, the photos are meticulously stitched together on the map alongside other users’ photos, creating a digital representation of each location through the eyes of those who have been there.

    Mapillary’s growing global community has uploaded more than 50 million photos and mapped more than 1.2 million kilometers in over 170 countries to date.

    “Mapillary is reinventing the way we map and navigate our world,” said Niklas Zennström, CEO and founding partner at Atomico. “Their ambition is to transform the way we plan our cities, develop transport networks, and understand all parts of the globe. We’re proud to invest in the next phase of their growth and we look forward to working alongside Jan Erik and his team as they advance their technology and scale the business.”

    Cities, corporations, and nonprofits can access Mapillary’s platform through an extensive API, which holds multiple layers of visual data. Mapillary’s ArcGIS integration — built in partnership with Esri — lets governments, nonprofits and businesses see locations evolve in real-time, arming them with insight into infrastructural problems like inefficient public transportation and changes in road conditions.

    Mapillary partners with several nonprofits to help them improve infrastructure in developing countries around the world. The World Bank trains university students and local community members to use Mapillary in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, to create accurate maps of the most flood-prone areas of the city, and the Red Cross has been mapping Haiti so NGOs and individuals can use the data to better respond to crises affecting the area. Mapillary allows nonprofits to allocate resources more efficiently and to empower communities to contribute to the growth and development of their cities and towns.

    From backyards to Antarctica, Mapillary allows anyone to be immersed in places both familiar and unknown. This funding is bringing the company one step closer to accomplishing its goal of creating an open and complete digital representation of the earth to benefit governments, businesses, nonprofit organizations and curious explorers alike.

  • Topcon releases compact digital sensor for construction

    LS-100D_Topcon-WTopcon Positioning Group has released the latest addition to its line of compact digital laser sensors — the LS-100D. The sensor digitally displays the offset value to on-grade, which is designed to help make elevation and vertical alignment control easier and faster for any application.

    “The LS-100D features an extra-wide beam capture sensor that also rejects annoying interference from strobe-light exposures,” said Kris Maas, director of construction product management. “The large and bright LCD displays (front and back) feature nine channels of grade information and digitally display the distance to on-grade. By pressing the hold button, the display is locked so the user can conveniently read the results.”

    The sensor offers three colored LED’s and a magnet mount for vertical operation, which is designed to be useful for steel erection or operator grade-checking while excavating. Alert icons appear on the LCD if the accompanying Topcon rotating laser instrument is disturbed (HI alert) or when the laser battery is low.

  • Avenza launches PDF Maps affiliate program

    Avenza Systems Inc., a developer of cartographic software — such as MAPublisher for Adobe Illustrator and Geographic Imager geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop — has launched its affiliate program for PDF Maps, its consumer and enterprise mobile map app.

    Any retailer or business, including both online and physical stores, blogs, portals and information sites, can now earn revenue by promoting and selling maps directly to its customers using affiliate links on websites or by using signage with QR codes. Each map sale conducted in this manner will earn the affiliate a share of the revenue.

    The PDF Maps Affiliate program is free to join with no application or setup fees or ongoing costs. Existing PDF Maps Store vendors can opt-in to the affiliate program and earn commission in addition to their normal revenue share.

    “This is a great opportunity for Avenza to increase our marketing efforts and broaden our brand awareness of the PDF Maps platform,” said sales and marketing director, Doug Smith.

    “We are currently working with a number of key map publishers and brands to roll out the affiliate program, and the interest and excitement we’ve seen so far is significant. There has been substantial growth in the use of the PDF Maps app not only as an outdoor recreation tool, but also as a solution for travelers, business people, enterprises and professionals,” Smith said.

    Because of this, examples of affiliate businesses include but are not limited to, outdoor recreation stores, hotels, car rental companies, book stores, and even bloggers,” said Ted Florence, president of Avenza Systems. “Moreover, the PDF Maps Affiliate program seeks to embrace and connect brick and mortar retailers  that cater to outdoor recreation and whose customers may be interested in maps — to the digital economy, instead of excluding them as has been done in the past with music, books and videos.”

    Retailers and businesses interested in joining the affiliate program can sign up for free and can get in contact with the PDF Maps team.

    The PDF Maps app is available now on the iTunes App Store and Google Play Store free of charge for personal recreational use. A Windows version is in public beta release. Commercial, government and academic use licensing is available for a nominal annual fee. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps in-app store. Commercial use licensing starts at US$49 per year and drops on a per-device basis as deployment numbers increase.

  • MicroSurvey CAD 2016 features new capabilities

    MicroSurvey Software has released MicroSurvey CAD 2016, the newest generation of its desktop survey and design program for land surveyors and civil engineers. Powered by a new IntelliCAD 8.1a engine and enhanced with a suite of new point-cloud management tools, the software makes high-impact drafting and design fast and intuitive, the company said.

    MicroSurvey2016Users on multi-core computers will experience up to 300 percent faster performance compared to previous versions, which substantially improves productivity. Navigation has been enhanced through a new ribbon interface with high-resolution icons that provide easy access to frequently used tools. The newest version of the software is also able to open and export DGN files, handle annotation scaling, and publish drawings as DWF/DWFX, PNG and JPG files.

    Point Clouds. The new release includes significant enhancements for working with point clouds. The Ultimate and Studio versions of the software are now powered by the same point-cloud engine that drives Leica Cyclone and CloudWorx software, making it possible to directly import Leica Cyclone and Leica JetStream databases using Cyclone dialogs.

    Users can view panoramic photographs captured by the laser scanner and snap to points directly from the photographs in a TruSpace window. Point-cloud data is now displayed directly within the CAD model space.

    MicroSurvey CAD is compatible with field data from all major total stations and data collectors and is fully compatible with AutoCAD; 64-bit and 32-bit versions are available.

  • Harris collaborates with Boundless for open-source geospatial technology

     

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    Harris Corporation has expanded a collaboration with Boundless to further extend its capabilities in open-source geospatial technology. This partnership makes it easier and more cost-effective for customers to access, manage and share the huge amount of location-based data available from devices, sensors and satellites, the companies said.

    Most recently, Harris has developed a geospatial data warehouse called One Object One Time (1O1T), which eliminates redundant data and stores the most current representation of geospatial objects such as a lighthouse or communications tower. This capability ensures data currency and significantly reduces the time required for processing and delivering content and products compared with traditional methods.

    Harris is using 1O1T to provide content management services and create high-quality data and products for use by a wide variety of government and commercial customers.

    Boundless’ OpenGeo Suite is an open-source enterprise geospatial software bundle. It expands Harris’ existing offerings like 1O1T. Boundless experts support and consult around the implementation of OpenGeo Suite components including GeoServer, PostGIS, Open Layers and QGIS.

    “We like Boundless’ savvy and nimble approach to providing open-source geospatial software and services,” said Tim Ellis, director of Harris’ IntelliEarth geospatial business. “This is a very productive collaboration for both companies and most important, our customers.”

    “Harris provides top-notch, responsive products for some of the most important geospatial initiatives in the world,” said Boundless CEO Andy Dearing. “Together, we are extending the possibilities of the open-source geospatial platform.”

  • GeoSage enhances software to analyze Landsat-8 imagery

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    GeoSage’s software tool, Spectral Transformer for Landsat-8 Imagery, has been enhanced to include new functions towards automated image feature extraction.

    The changes are built upon the existing tool, so with two button clicks, a user is able to rapidly perform image-band combinations, image stretching and image pan-sharpening, and produce colorful, detail-rich imagery composites at 30m and 15m resolutions.

    New functions include:

    • one-button click for automated NDVI calculation, with 3 types of outputs.
    • one-button click for automated extraction of surface water areas, with 3 types of outputs.
    • generic function to calculate 56 normalized difference image feature indices, with 3 types of outputs.
    • generic function to calculate 56 band ratios, with 3 types of outputs.

    The 3 types of outputs are automatically generated by the software. Each is a single-band GeoTIFF file, ready to be displayed in Windows Photo Viewer, GIS and remote sensing software, or Google Earth Pro.

    • First output: 32-bit Float data type, useful for further analyses.
    • Second output: 8-bit Byte data type, a unique colour palette is applied.
    • Third output: 8-bit Byte data type, a binary image to show classified features after a user-defined threshold is applied.

    This Landsat-8 image analysis software tool targets geospatial professionals, K-12 students, as well as the general public. It is very easy to use, productive and saves time. To test the new functions, a trial version is available. Updated software user guide and new application demos are also provided.

  • New Esri book teaches principles of map design

    A new Esri book guides mapmakers through the process of designing visually pleasing and easily understandable maps.
    A new Esri book guides mapmakers through the process of designing visually pleasing and easily understandable maps.

    More emphasis today needs to be placed on map design, especially on the web, according to Esri president Jack Dangermond. “We need to spend more time designing maps and not just producing them,” Dangermond said at a recent geodesign conference.

    Cartographer Cynthia A. Brewer’s new edition of Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users, published by Esri, will guide mapmakers through the process of designing visually pleasing and easily understandable maps. “This book helps you develop the graphic skills you need for mapmaking,” said Brewer, a professor and head of the geography department at Pennsylvania State University.

    In writing the book, Brewer drew on 30 years of experience teaching and working in map design. The book focuses on the basics of cartography, including layout design; working with basemaps, legends, scales, and projections; selecting colors and type; and customizing symbols. In this second edition, Brewer has added a chapter on publishing and sharing maps and devotes a section to her ColorBrewer application, an online color selection tool that any mapmaker can use. ColorBrewer is now part of the new Esri ArcGIS Pro application.

    The large selection of color maps included in the book prove to be very instructional, with examples of poor or mediocre maps being compared to well-designed maps. For example, there are two maps of Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, located in the United States and Canada. One map is what Brewer calls “excessively decorated,” with a huge scale bar, illegible typeface, and other elements that distract from the map. The second map, meant to showcase vegetation types, is simple and designed to make the most important information stand out.

    Brewer has been a faculty member at Pennsylvania State University for 21 years, teaching introductory cartography and other map design courses. She has written four books, including Designed Maps: A Sourcebook for GIS Users, which complemented her 2005 edition of Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users.

    Brewer also is an affiliate faculty member at the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Center of Excellence for Geospatial Information Science (CEGIS). She has done consulting work with the National Park Service, the U.S. Census Bureau, the National Cancer Institute, the National Center for Health Statistics and Esri. She won the Henry Gannett Award for Exceptional Contributions to Topographic Mapping from the USGS in 2013.

    A video about the book is available to watch at esriurl.com/designingbettermaps.

    Designing Better Maps: A Guide for GIS Users is available in print (ISBN: 9781589484405, 250 pages, $59.99), or as an e-book (ISBN: 9781589484375, 250 pages, $49.99). The book is available at 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.

  • Esri takes top award for Internet of Things innovation

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    The Smart Energy Catalyst. The project showcased how a smart home, smart electric vehicle and smart energy system can work together in an IoT ecosystem with location as a key interaction point.

    Geospatial technology company Esri was honored at the TM Forum Catalyst InFocus event for the company’s contributions to developing solutions for a more connected world. TM Forum, a global industry association for digital business, presented Esri and partners with the Most Innovative Catalyst Award.

    “We’re driving toward the ultimate Internet of Things (IoT) ecosystem where you can bring different applications together that are going to make our lives safer, more energy efficient, and much better in the future,” said Randy Frantz, telecommunications solutions director at Esri.

    Esri’s telecommunications team collaborated with Orange and BearingPoint on the award-winning proof-of-concept project called the Smart Energy Catalyst. The project showcased how a smart home, smart electric vehicle and smart energy system can work together in an IoT ecosystem with location as a key interaction point.

    The multiphase project examined the infrastructure necessary to support a smart energy ecosystem. With the latest iteration of the Catalyst, the project team demonstrated how geofencing in homes and cars can work with Esri’s geographic information system (GIS) technology. When the consumer leaves home or work, mobile devices trigger the GIS to initiate a series of notifications and actions. For example, lights in homes automatically turn off, security systems are enabled, and users are notified that their electric vehicle needs charging.

    “Location provides context to the IoT network. It transforms raw sensor data into useful, actionable information,” Frantz said.

    TM Forum’s Strategy Committee gave the award to the Smart Energy Catalyst team based on several criteria, including having a compelling and inspiring demonstration; growth potential and business value; and potential for humanitarian or other positive effects on society.

    Nearly 200 industry leaders attended the Catalyst InFocus conference, where they explored the organization’s 11 project demonstrations.

    TM Forum’s Catalyst program connects diverse companies from across industries, facilitating collaboration and fostering the cocreation of innovative solutions to pressing telecommunications business challenges. Catalysts are member-led projects and demonstrations that both inform and leverage TM Forum best practices and standards including TM Forum Frameworx.

    The organization announces Catalyst Awards biannually. Winning teams leverage proven technologies, competencies, and investments. Teams have six months to develop proofs of concept that outline digital solutions.

    In addition to his work on the Smart Energy Catalyst, Frantz accepted a position earlier this year as colead of TM Forum’s IoT work stream. The endeavor explores how location, advanced sensor and device data, and powerful industrial and consumer solutions can change social norms and bring business into the modern technology framework.

    TM Forum includes more than 900 member organizations and 85,000 individual members.

    Photos: Esri

    The Esri team at the TM Forum.
    The Esri team at the TM Forum.

  • Aerial mapping of Macchu Pichu: Drone helps preserve archaeological treasure

    Two flights were conducted at 120 meters and 100 meters to gather data to help the Peruvian government protect the site from erosion and wear from tourism. (Photo: Trimble)
    Two flights were conducted at 120 meters and 100 meters to gather data to help the Peruvian government protect the site from erosion and wear from tourism. (Photo: Trimble)

    High up in the Peruvian Andes Mountains lies Machu Picchu, an Incan citadel built in the 15th century, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

    In the fall of 2014, Trimble demonstrated its UX5 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) — along with the Trimble Business Center and Inpho UASMaster processing software — at the famed archaeological site.

    Machu Picchu is under the threat of landslides and erosion — plus the site experiences heavy rains known to wash away roads. It has also seen an increase in tourism over the years.

    As a consequence, the preservation of the landmark is a growing concern for the Peruvian government. Data captured by a fixed-wing UAS is expected to help the many organizations that govern and preserve the site to visualize and monitor the location.

    Getting to Machu Picchu is a challenge in itself. A 3.5-hour train ride from the city of Cusco takes visitors almost 8,000 feet above sea level. When a Trimble team visited the site, access to Machu Picchu was arranged well in advance by its distribution partner Geosystems and the Peruvian Ministry of Culture.

    Orthophoto of the Macchu Pichu site. (Image: Trimble)
    Orthophoto of the Macchu Pichu site. (Image: Trimble)

    The day of the flight, a small area on one of the terraces was cleared of tourists (but not local llamas) for the flight. Two flights were conducted at 120 meters and 100 meters for enhanced data. Along with Trimble and Geosystems representatives, local archaeologists and surveyors from the Ministry of Culture attended the flight, which went off without any challenges.

    With the flight complete, Trimble and Geosystems went to work processing the data immediately in Trimble Business Center and Inpho UASMaster. Trimble Business Center allowed the data to be quickly processed into high-quality point clouds and orthophotos while Inpho UASMaster offers feature-rich photogrammetry workflows.

    The following day, Trimble and Geosystems presented government officials with orthophotos and a 3D point cloud model.

  • Esri, Microsoft join on location, spatial services

    Esri Inc. is working with Microsoft to integrate location services and spatial analytics to the Microsoft Azure IoT (Internet of Things) Suite.

    The collaboration will rapidly enable IoT scenarios by offering customers and partners a set of highly capable platform services as ready-to-use, preconfigured solutions. The forthcoming integrated offering is the next step in Microsoft’s and

    Esri’s long-standing alliance to spatially enable the enterprise, Esri said in a press release.

    Smart city concepts and innovations in the automotive industry are examples of how data from many sources increases understanding. Governments and businesses use that data to improve safety features, reduce air pollution, and mitigate traffic congestion.

  • Recreating Singapore in 3D

    Scope of Project: The 3D mapping project encompasses all of Singapore — more than 700 square kilometers.
    Scope of Project: The 3D mapping project encompasses all of Singapore — more than 700 square kilometers.

    The Singapore Land Authority (SLA) is engaged in a 3D mapping initiative to create and maintain a high-resolution survey-accurate 3D national map. Denmark and Switzerland have national 3D maps, and Hong Kong has mapped its central business district.

    3D virtual environments support city planning, decision-making and risk management. SLA’s project involves capturing vast amounts of data and creating 2D and 3D datasets in several formats. The project began in April 2014 with airborne data capture and modeling; the modeling of buildings is expected to be completed this month. Mobile data capturing and road modeling is expected to be completed by the end of 2016.

    The 3D models of buildings and road infrastructure are being created from high-quality images and laser-scanning data. The 3D data is stored in the open information model CityGML, which allows for 3D spatial analysis, simulation and visualization.
    The project has employed multiple rapid mapping technologies such as oblique imagery, airborne laser scanning, mobile laser scanning and terrestrial scanning, resulting in more than 500 terabytes of data in multiple formats.

    Using Bentley Map software, the project team created, maintained and disseminated 3D information directly from the Oracle Spatial database platflorm. In November, Bentley Systems awarded the 3D mapping project the 2015 Be Inspired Award for Innovation in Government.

    Building Level of Detail 2: The Singapore project will model up to LOD2.The five levels of detail (LOD) in CityGML are LoD0 (terrain model), LoD1 (block models with no roof structures), LoD2 (explicit roof structures), LoD3 (detailed architectural models) and LoD4 (interior modeling).
    Building Level of Detail 2: The Singapore project will model up to LOD2.The five levels of detail (LOD) in CityGML are LoD0 (terrain model), LoD1 (block models with no roof structures), LoD2 (explicit roof structures), LoD3 (detailed architectural models) and LoD4 (interior modeling).