GRW has purchased an Optech Gemini Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper (ALTM), adding to the company’s full realm of geospatial mapping solutions, including Digital Aerial Photography, Aerial LiDAR, ground-based Stationary Terrestrial Laser Scanning (STLS), and Mobile Terrestrial Laser Scanning (MTLS).
“The Optech Gemini will meet the increased demand for aerial acquisition, providing our clients with the latest advancements in LiDAR technology,” said Jeremy Mullins, CP, GRW’s LiDAR manager. “We have seen a substantial growth in the LiDAR market over the last several years.”
Ben Fister, PE, PLS, PSM, is principal‐in‐charge of the firm’s Geospatial Division. “GRW has always been committed to providing our clients with the best available solutions tailored to their project goals. After careful evaluation, we appreciate the technical advancements that the Optech Gemini has provided in the field of advanced aerial LiDAR solutions. It is a perfect addition to GRW’s arsenal of equipment,” Fister said.
The sensor will be utilized for a variety of projects and industries, including aviation, coal, forestry, transportation, 3D engineering design projects, and related federal, state, and municipal mapping projects.
The Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo) announced the release of a new stable version of GRASS GIS. This release fixes bugs discovered in 6.4.2 version of the program and adds a number of new features. This release includes over 830 updates to the source code since 6.4.2. As a stable release series, the 6.4 line will enjoy long-term support and incremental enhancements while preserving backwards-compatibility with the entire GRASS 6 line.
According to the announcement, key improvements of this release include some new functionality (assistance for topologically unclean vector data), major speedup for some vector modules, fixes in the vector network modules, fixes for the wxPython based portable graphical interface (attribute table management, wxNVIZ, and Cartographic Composer). A number of new modules have been added for processing LANDSAT and MODIS satellite data, and a new vector statistics module is also introduced. Many new symbols and north arrows are available, and the user will find an improved and easier to use wizard for creating custom project locations with precise map projection and datum support. Community-contributed add-on modules are now more easily and robustly installed from an online archive. Other major developments include enhancements to the Python scripting library and numerous software-compatibility fixes and translation updates. Important is the enhanced portability for MS-Windows (native support, fixes in case of missing system DLLs). And we welcome Romanian as our twenty-fourth language.
Esri released the new version of ArcGIS, marking a major milestone in the history of the Esri platform. With ArcGIS 10.2, Esri has taken advantage of the significant changes in IT that magnify the power and accessibility of GIS. The new release improves ease of use, real-time data access, and integration with existing infrastructure. It allows people to more easily deploy web GIS—the key component for implementing GIS as a platform. Web GIS helps users organize their work and simplifies geographic information discovery, access, sharing, and collaboration.
More Online Analysis Tools
According to the announcement, ArcGIS 10.2 extends the analytic functionality of GIS to everyone via ArcGIS Online. Advanced analysis tools have been added to ArcGIS Online for investigating geographic relationships, patterns, and trends within data. New tools in ArcGIS Online include overlay layers for combining two or more layers into one single layer; enhanced hot-spot analysis; and data enrichment resources to glean information about the people, places, and businesses in a specific area or drive time.
ArcGIS Online Access
To ensure that ArcGIS for Desktop users have access to ArcGIS Online capabilities, Esri entitles every customer organization that has ArcGIS for Desktop (Basic, Standard, or Advanced) to receive an ArcGIS Online subscription. The number of named users will be equal to the total number of ArcGIS for Desktop licenses current on maintenance. This will enable users to easily get started with ArcGIS Online. It will also give access to all Esri apps—such as Esri Maps for Office, Collector for ArcGIS, and Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS—as well as numerous app templates hosted in ArcGIS Online. Esri will notify ArcGIS for Desktop customers about the details of this new entitlement in the coming weeks.
Portal for ArcGIS
At ArcGIS 10.2, Esri gives people the ability to deploy ArcGIS Online capabilities on-premises for tighter content security and control. Portal for ArcGIS provides a secure front end for ArcGIS for Server, with dozens of easy-to-use apps and full integration with ArcGIS for Desktop. It includes geographic viewers and analysis tools designed for people without any GIS knowledge. Experienced GIS users can connect to Portal for ArcGIS from ArcGIS for Desktop, developer APIs, and other Esri applications. The Portal for ArcGIS extension software is included with ArcGIS for Server Advanced (Enterprise or Workgroup) and is licensed and priced based on the number of named users.
Real-Time Data Access
Esri’s new release of ArcGIS introduces a number of new technologies that enable the real-time collection and sharing of data with GIS. It includes ArcGIS GeoEvent Processor for Server, a new ArcGIS for Server extension that gives users the power to access live data streams. People can analyze and send processed results to other users or into other systems. This capability transforms GIS applications into powerful frontline decision tools, refining data quickly for consumption and enabling fast response in any situation.
Expanded Business Intelligence Support
With business intelligence (BI) being relied on even more in an increasingly competitive marketplace, the new ArcGIS release expands Esri’s support for major BI systems. ArcGIS 10.2 includes new MicroStrategy BI and Microsoft Dynamics Customer Relationship Management tools, allowing users of those platforms to perform location analytics on their business data and focus their marketing. Core BI tools Esri Community Analyst and Esri Business Analyst Online also get productivity-enhancing face-lifts and major customization capability.
For more information on the dozens of other improvements in the latest release of ArcGIS, visit esri.com/whatsnew.
TomTom announced an updated agreement with BlackBerry to provide real-time traffic information for the maps app on BlackBerry 10.
TomTom Traffic provides customers with more precise traffic information, enabling faster journeys, more accurate arrival times, and a smarter navigation experience.
According to the announcement, BlackBerry 10 customers also have the option to anonymously help enhance the coverage and quality of TomTom’s world-class traffic information by sharing traffic data.
“Having accurate and up-to-date traffic information integrated in BlackBerry Maps is an important feature for customers, and TomTom is a recognized leader that provides traffic data to many companies in the market,” said Adrian Gould, VP of Handheld Software Product Management at BlackBerry. “We are pleased to expand our relationship with TomTom in support of BlackBerry 10 customers.”
“By integrating TomTom Traffic, BlackBerry’s smartphone customers will have access to the most accurate traffic information available,” said Charles Cautley, Managing Director of TomTom Automotive & Licensing. “We are proud to be supporting BlackBerry to deliver enhanced location-based services to its subscribers across the globe.”
The U.S. Geological Survey announced that advances in the technology of online map-based data collection platforms have made it possible for citizens of the U.S. to contribute to USGS topographic mapping efforts like never before.
The USGS is currently seeking volunteers to aid in collecting data for The National Map (TNM), which comprises a variety of products and services that provide the Nation with geospatial information to describe the landscape of the United States and its territories. The National Map Corps (TNMCorps) aims to improve this topographic information by updating existing and gathering previously uncollected data via volunteered geographic information (VGI).
Blue dots represent locations where citizen-mapping efforts are currently underway. Green states are currently available for editing with remaining states available around September
The National Map includes hydrographic features such as streams and lakes, elevation contours, geographic names, land cover, and structures. To improve and update The National Map, the USGS is turning to volunteers to map the location of important community buildings – such as police stations, schools, hospitals, post offices, prisons, cemeteries, and fire stations. Adding and verifying the locations of buildings to existing TNM datasets makes significant additions to the USGS’s ability to provide accurate information to the public.
After citizen input is peer-reviewed by fellow volunteers, the valid data are incorporated into The National Map databases. These databases are used to create many products, including US Topo maps – free and downloadable digital topographic maps that are released every three years.
Currently, the USGS is in the process of expanding TNMCorps; 35 new states have been added to the volunteer database and need mapping support from volunteers. These states are: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Web Editor showing downtown Little Rock, AR. Red icons are structures that need to be checked or verified by volunteers. The green icon is an example of a structure that has been verified by a volunteer and which will be added to the National Map after it has gone through peer-review.
Similar to the way Wikipedia or OpenSteetMap allows users to add and edit information on the site, The National Map Corps web editing interface allows users to easily contribute geographic data that will eventually become part of The National Map.
A complete list of the types of buildings the USGS is looking to volunteers to verify throughout the country can be found here.
“Because of a lack of publicly available national authoritative datasets for some municipal buildings and infrastructure throughout the country, we are looking for volunteers who can fill in this information quickly and keep it up to date,” said Volunteer Geographic Information Project Leader Elizabeth McCartney.
In addition to adding previously unmapped community buildings and landmarks to The National Map database, volunteers are encouraged to remove structures that no longer exist, update existing buildings that have changed, and label correctly marked structures as correct.
The current platform used by TNMCorps is a customized version of OpenStreetMap, an online platform that enables users to edit, add, and access geographic data.
“The editor, like OpenStreet Map which has over a billion users worldwide, is meant to be accessible to non-professionals. Users don’t need to be professional scientists in order to contribute. Anyone who wants to volunteer can give it a go. There are a lot of people out there who love maps and are interested in improving information in their communities,” said McCartney.
Volunteer participants are not required to live within the state they review — the mapping technology used for TNMCorps allows anyone to update geographic data from anywhere.
Testing the feasibility of collecting VGI for the The National Map began in a series of pilot projects in January 2011. To test the viability of using volunteers to edit TNM map data, students at Colorado universities were asked to map structures in four topographic quadrangles around the Denver area. The results were impressive, as the structures mapped surpassed the quality standard maintained by the USGS. The success of the pilot projects confirmed that VGI is a viable source of data.
Since its start in Colorado, the program has expanded to 35 states. The National Map Corps hopes to have all 50 states available for mapping by September 2013.
Volunteer Recognition
The USGS has created a social media presence to support this program and reach new volunteers. Using Twitter , with more than 2,080 followers, and the USGS Facebook page, volunteers who contribute to The National Map Corps are awarded badges are recognized based on the number of points edited.
Each badge is represented by a different antique surveying instrument.
Volunteers can earn each successive badge by contributing structures through the editing or peer review process.
OpenGeo announced their plans to support QGIS and the open source community behind it. According to the announcement, QGIS is the most widely available open source GIS tool with a proven track record and an extensive plug-in ecosystem. It is widely regarded to have achieved feature parity with proprietary tools while being more stable, easier to use.
OpenGeo’s flagship product, the OpenGeo Suite, is a complete set of standards-based geospatial software that offers the fastest and easiest way to publish geospatial information on the web. The addition of QGIS incorporates a strong desktop tool into OpenGeo’s solid server offerings. Users of the OpenGeo Suite will now have a complete solution for creating, analyzing, publishing and consuming geospatial data and services without requiring any proprietary software.
Juan Marin, OpenGeo’s CTO, outlined the following areas of development:
Improve integration between QGIS and the OpenGeo Suite
Provide services such as maintenance, technical support, training, etc for QGIS
Enhance existing documentation, tutorials, and examples to make QGIS even easier to learn and use.
Help users collaborate around geospatial data with GeoGit, a scalable distributed versioning system for geospatial information.
Marin noted, “QGIS offers a truly open alternative that lowers barriers to entry and total cost of ownership. It’s also operating system agnostic and has no license fees. We feel it fits perfectly with our mission of extending the availability of geospatial open source software. But we’re not only impressed with the software, we respect the community that has built it and we look forward to supporting them however we can.”
CMTINC.COM announces the release of the Deed Calls Pro software application for the Apple iPad. This app expands on the popular Deed Calls – Area – Perimeter app from the same company. It will let the user easily create a land parcel by entering distances and angles, by importing data in Shapefile or DXF format, or by precise digitization over a background map. It will also create a deed plot from the angle and distance values stored in a text file. For an existing Line or Area Feature on the job map, the app can create a set of deed calls that can be saved into a text file or printed to a PDF file.
According to the announcement, Deed Calls Pro can display the acreage and perimeter of an area as well as label the line segments and corner angles with distance and angle values, respectively. It will let the users easily subdivide a land plot, or combine adjacent land plots into a larger area. Below are a few other highlights of this app:
* Ability to rotate the deed plot to align with the background map.
* Ability to select a coordinate system other than the Lat-Lon-Altitude system.
* Ability to adjust the deed plot using the Compass Rule or the Transit Rule.
* Ability to have multiple Features created on the map.
* Ability to tag the Features with descriptions.
* Ability to attach photos to a Feature to showcase a property.
* Ability to export data in DXF format and send out data files via email.
* Ability to make use of iCloud Storage.
The Deed Calls Pro app is now available at the iTunes App Store.
HERE, a Nokia business, announced that it is bringing its real-time traffic information to Esri, a market leader in Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping software used by enterprise and government fleet management companies around the world. With HERE Traffic, Esri will enhance its web and cloud location platform with more precise location data for intelligent routing. Fleet operators will be able to better manage problems as they occur in real time, re-routing fleets when traffic unexpectedly hits, and providing alerts when pickup or delivery delays occur.
With congestion in the top 100 highway bottlenecks getting worse, real time traffic information helps fleets avoid traffic hotspots so that they get can get to their destinations faster and more safely.
“For 10 years, Esri and HERE have had the shared goal of enhancing safety and increasing the efficiency of fleet operations by offering the most accurate transportation information on more roads than any other provider across the world,” said Chris Cappelli, Director of Sales at Esri. “Launching real-time traffic from HERE on Esri’s platform for our ArcGIS Online and ArcGIS for Transportation Analytics software products will offer a deeper level of logistic and analytic capabilities for enterprise and government fleet companies.”
According to the announcement, real-time traffic is one of the services that HERE delivers based on the data it gathers from a wealth of sources including, the world’s largest compilation of both commercial and consumer probe data, the world’s largest fixed proprietary sensor network, event-based data collected from government and commercial sources, and billions of historical traffic records.
“Dependable real-time traffic information is crucial to improving fleet operations strategy today and for the long-term,” said Roy Kolstad, Vice President for Mobile, Web and Enterprise in North America at HERE. “Our traffic offering will complement HERE map content, which Esri has been using for a decade. Through this combination of traffic and map content, Esri will be able to offer a richer location-based analytics offering that will help businesses make more informed decisions.”
HERE reports that the freshness of that data enables HERE Traffic to provide a more accurate picture of traffic conditions. HERE currently processes 20 billion real-time GPS probe points a month, with almost half of all the data less than 1 minute old and more than three-quarters less than 5 minutes old.
“Traffic data is the single most important telematics application,” said Roger C. Lanctot, Associate Director in the Global Automotive Practice for Strategy Analytics. “Whether for fleets or consumers, traffic data is essential to determining the fastest or most efficient route and HERE’s expanding relationships on the enterprise side are significant. Traffic information is core to maximizing uptime and essential for alternative fuel vehicles such as EVs.”
Geospatial Solutions Editor Eric Gakstatter, who is also a contributing editor to GPS World magazine, will be attending the 2013 Esri Survey Summit and Esri International User Conference, providing continuous new and analysis for the duration of both conferences. The conferences are being held this week in San Diego, California.
On Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. in Room 24A of the San Diego Convention Center, Gakstatter will deliver a presentation entitled “High-Precision GPS/GNSS on your Smartphone, Handheld and Tablet,” discussing trends and new product innovations for sub-meter and centimeter mapping on smartphone, handheld and tablet devices, including Windows Mobile, Android and iOS (Apple) devices.
Steve Copley, GPS World and Geospatial Solutions associate publisher and account executive, shared images of the event on his Twitter account. Here are a few of them:
Geneq Inc. announced it will be introducing two major product lines on Wednesday, June 10th at the 2013 Esri International User Conference in San Diego, CA.
According to the announcement, Geneq invites interested parties to attend the announcement at a lunch event on Wednesday, July 10th, 12:00p-12:50p, in Room 30C at the San Diego Convention Center. Lunch boxes and drinks will be provided and priority will be given to those who RSVP via email to Marcel Belanger [email protected].
The SXPad product line will be expanded with products that will set a new price/performance standard for sub-meter and centimeter accurate GNSS handheld devices.
The SXBlue product line will be expanded to include an interface to the Apple Ipad, for both sub-meter and centimeter accuracy.
Geneq reports that both announcements promise to introduce ground-breaking products that will set new standards for GNSS mapping and surveying receivers.
Laser Technology, Inc. (LTI) announced it will be unveiling two new TruPulse models July 9, 2013, at the Esri User Conference in San Diego, CA.
Currently in pre-production, LTI reports the new lasers will expand LTI’s TruPulse laser series that are already being used by tens of thousands of professionals worldwide. Listening to key market feedback, LTI has responded by addressing the need for both a lower cost professional measurement laser rangefinder and one that produces a higher level of accuracy.
Be among the first to see the newest additions to the TruPulse laser rangefinder family by visiting LTI’s Esri UC booth number 2517. Another new product to be showcased will be an LTI exclusive FotoMapr L100 GPS unit that integrates with the TruPulse and stores remote offset data. This is low-cost alternative to other GPS handheld devices.
LTI will also be demonstrating other mobile mapping solutions that delivers efficiency to field work, such as LaserGIS for ArcPad, ArcGIS for Mobile, a new LaserSoft Measure app for the iPhone and MapSmart that is packaged with a new lower-cost BAP data collector.
Esri UC attendees can learn how to map with smartphones, tablets and lasers by attending a lunch and learn session Wednesday, July 10 from 12:00– 1:00 p.m., in Room 28C. LTI will be co-hosting the session with GeoSpatial Experts, the leader in photo mapping software.
The presentation will walk through the entire process of capturing geo-tagged photos, remotely positioning your target and measuring additional height data using GeoJot+ and a TruPulse laser.
The field data can then be synced to the cloud and GeoJot+ Core can process everything in the office to create ArcGIS and Google Earth compatible files.
Professionals in forestry, natural resource management, public works, utilities, mining, telecommunication or any other discipline that collects and reports GIS data, will walk away from the Esri UC with knowledge about the most advanced laser measurement and mapping tools available.
ABI Research announced that more than 39 million tablets shipped worldwide during the first calendar quarter of 2013, representing the second largest volume of shipments to date; only bested by the previous quarter ending calendar year 2012. The spending power of the largest three world regions and availability of new, higher cost Windows devices from PC OEMs are continuing to drive market awareness and growth.
Tablets remain a lucrative market for the three largest world regions for consumer electronics and computer adoption: North America, Western Europe, and Asia-Pacific’s Japan and South Korea. “Three regions of the world are expected to yield 97% of tablet revenues in 2013,” says senior practice director Jeff Orr. “North America is forecasted to claim nearly half of the estimated $72 billion expected to be spent this year on tablet devices. Western Europe and Asia-Pacific will also have their hands in the honey pot for a combined 50% of world tablet revenues, respectively.”
Contributing to the revenue growth is the broader availability of Windows-based tablets. ABI Research estimates only 1.5 million Microsoft Surface tablets shipped during 1Q’2013. “The average selling prices for Windows 8 and Windows RT are higher than other platforms, which is keeping price erosion minimized,” adds Orr. Several tablet partners have joined Microsoft in launching Windows tablets, including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Panasonic, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba, and Vizio. Businesses, many of which have loyal Windows PC followings, are a prime growth audience for tablets.
These “Media Tablets and eReaders” Market Data findings are part of ABI Research’s Media Tablets, Ultrabooks & eReaders Research Service which includes Research Reports, Market Data, Insights, and Competitive Assessments on technologies and vendor ecosystems shaping the tablet computing industry.
