Natural Disaster and Resiliency Depends On Better Integration of Built, Natural Environments

Improving the world’s resiliency to severe weather and natural disasters depends on how well we integrate our built environment with our natural one, according to the findings of a report presented today on the economic, human and structural impact of natural catastrophic events over the past year.

Craig W. Tillman, President of WeatherPredict Consulting Inc., presented the report, “Impact 2011: Examining a Year of Catastrophes through the Lens of Resiliency,” at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the Federal Alliance for Safe Homes (FLASH) being held Oct. 26-28 at Disney’s Boardwalk Inn, Lake Buena Vista, FL.

“It’s often said that natural disasters are man-made – our fragilities are directly related to how well or unwell our built environment performs in critical times,” Tillman said. “This report provides a platform for recognizing common themes and, ultimately, a framework to understand how resilience can work to improve communities worldwide.”

In his presentation, Tillman provided his company’s expert view of recent earthquake and weather catastrophes; talked about how these events shape the approach society uses to manage catastrophic risk; and discussed how risk management approaches are evolving. He also described the opportunities available for collaboration with the science and engineering community.

“In the context of historical natural catastrophes, 2011 continues to be a particularly challenging year, with significantly high human loss and property destruction,” Tillman said. “The most devastating of these catastrophes include the earthquakes that struck Japan and New Zealand causing a tragic number of deaths and outsized financial losses.”

He said the earthquakes in Tôhoku, Japan, and Christchurch, New Zealand, showed that even in the developed world there are varying levels of resilience for our most at-risk communities. And he reminded attendees that “mitigation pays,” saying that an investment in stronger building codes is a small cost compared to the lives and property that could potentially be spared.

For a copy of the report, visit http://www.flash.org/download.php?id=216.

WeatherPredict is a U.S. affiliate of RenaissanceRe, a leading global property catastrophe reinsurance company. One of WeatherPredict’s primary roles is bringing intelligence to the risk managers dealing with natural catastrophes.

With the theme Disaster Safety: One Movement, Many Voices, the 2011 FLASH Annual Meeting convened more than 100 of the nation’s leading experts in disaster safety, property loss mitigation and weather outcomes.

In a variety of presentations, panel discussions and demonstrations, meeting attendees are hearing and seeing the latest in innovative disaster safety and mitigation products, programs and impacts natural and manmade disasters have had on the U.S. economy and population at large. Prominent speakers include academics, builders, educators, emergency managers, engineers, researchers and scientists.

About FLASH

Federal Alliance for Safe Homes® (FLASH), a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is the country’s leading consumer advocate for strengthening homes and safeguarding families from natural and manmade disasters. FLASH collaborates with more than 100 innovative and diverse partners that share its vision of making America a more disaster-resistant nation including: BASF, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Florida Division of Emergency Management, The Home Depot®, International Code Council, Kohler Power Systems, National Weather Service, RenaissanceRe, Simpson Strong-Tie®, State Farm®, USAA® and WeatherPredict Consulting Inc. In 2008, FLASH opened the interactive weather experience StormStruck: A Tale of Two Homes® in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Learn more about FLASH and gain access to its free consumer resources by visiting http://www.flash.org or calling (877) 221-SAFE (7233). Also, get timely safety tips to ensure that you and your family are always well protected from natural and manmade disasters by subscribing to the FLASH blog – Protect Your Home in a FLASH.

"GfK Purchasing Power Europe" Study Shows Rising Income Despite Economic Uncertainty

 




The recently updated "GfK Purchasing Power Europe 2011/2012" study reveals the regional distribution of the population's purchasing power in 42 European countries. Prospects for the disposable income available to Europe's households in 2011 continue to be optimistic despite the current debt crisis and economic slowdown in the second half of the year.

According to the results of the "GfK Purchasing Power Europe 2011/2012" study, European consumers have approximately €8,500 billion available for consumer purchases (e.g., retail, traveling) or saving in 2011. This corresponds to an average purchasing power of €12,774 per inhabitant for the 42 countries studied. Taking into account the upward adjusted 2010 numbers for many countries, a purchasing power growth rate of 3.1 percent is expected this year in the 42 countries under review.

However, a growth rate of only 2.3 percent is expected for the 15 long-standing EU member countries; the upward trend is mostly driven by the new member states and EU candidate countries or partner countries, particularly Turkey and the Ukraine, whose high number of inhabitants and high growth boost the growth rate for all of Europe.

Regional purchasing power distribution in selected countries

Norway: Prosperity apparent in purchasing power level

With a 2011 per capita purchasing power of €29,028, Norway comes in third in the purchasing power rankings behind Liechtenstein and Switzerland. The just under 5 million inhabitants of Norway thus have more than twice as much purchasing power as the average among the 42 countries reviewed. Norway's high ranking is in part a reflection of an exchange rate-related phenomenon: The positive revaluation of the Norwegian krone against the euro contributes to the increase in purchasing power when this value is expressed in euros.

The wealthiest district in the country - Oslo - is also the most populated. The around 600,000 inhabitants of the capit

INTERGEO 2011 – Emerging Technologies the Driving Force Behind New Approaches and Applications

 After the three-day INTERGEO event in Nuremberg, one thing was clear: “INTERGEO is a platform for dialogue between technology users from a variety of sectors – dialogue that gives rise to new approaches and applications. The resultant scope of possible new uses is considerable,” stated Olaf Freier, Managing Director of HINTE GmbH and INTERGEO organiser. “There is quite simply no better specialist platform for suppliers and users to network than this leading international trade fair,” said Professor Karl-Friedrich Thöne, President of INTERGEO patron DVW e.V. – the German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management.
A representative survey of exhibitors highlighted the optimistic mood at INTERGEO. Just under 70 percent of exhibitors felt the innovation rate in the industry was higher, while 21 percent expected an equally strong impetus from innovations.
Some 16,000 trade visitors from 80 different countries attended the 17th INTERGEO to find out about new developments. The event was more international than ever, with more than one in four visitors travelling from abroad. Attracting 1,500 participants, the conference included 140 lectures and provided an opportunity for intensive interdisciplinary discussions on around 40 topics.
Collaboration with the SatNav Forum proved highly successful. For the first time, the BMVBS (German Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development) and BITKOM (Federal Association for Information, Technology, Telecommunications and New Media) held the annual navigation conference in parallel with INTERGEO. “Never has there been such intensive dialogue between politicians and representatives from geoinformation technologies as at this year's INTERGEO. This provides clear proof of geoinformation's current and future significance in everyday life,” said DVW President Thöne. Discussions on further intensifying and continuing collaboration have already been agreed. On a tour of the three trade fair halls with a total exhibition area of 28,000 square metres, BMVBS State Secretary Rainer Bomba was impressed by the numerous solutions on offer from industry and service providers.
Exhibitors provided impressive confirmation of the event's success. Some 92 percent of participating companies, institutions and associations indicated that they had achieved their trade fair targets. Their top priorities were cultivating new and existing contacts and presenting innovations. More than 85 percent of exhibitors gave one of the top 3 ratings when evaluating the overall impression of INTERGEO. A high proportion of just under 89 percent indicated that they would be returning to the trade fair. And 16 percent of these companies spontaneously indicated that they would be increasing their level of participation. Exhibitors were united in their praise for the high quality of contacts they made.
Trade visitors – 98.7 percent according to the representative visitor survey – were happy to travel some way to the event. Thanks to intensive media networking worldwide and a high level of acceptance for INTERGEO's mobile concept, more than 53 percent travelled to Nuremberg from a distance of more than 300 kilometres. This is 13 percent higher than the figure for the previous year. The long journey proved worthwhile for first-time visitors, too. They accounted for 35 percent of total visitor numbers. Some 95 percent of visitors participating in the survey rated the range of products and services on offer positively. Their top priority was to find out about innovations, obtain a general overview of what was on offer, establish and cultivate contacts, and take a closer look at specific products.

“INTERGEO is one of Trimble's most important events,” said Chris Gibson, Vice President of the conference sponsor. One key factor that made INTERGEO so important for companies was the high proportion – a total of 75 percent – of people making or involved in making decisions among the trade public. Just under a third of visitors reported that they had placed orders at INTERGEO or had indicated at the fair that they would be doing so. Nearly 70 percent of the high proportion of decision-makers attending the event wait for INTERGEO before placing their orders.
The focus in 2011 was on geodata infrastructure, sensors and 3D mapping. Olaf Freier expects these topics to be joined by smartphones at INTERGEO 2012 in Hanover.

NASA, NOAA Data Show Significant Antarctic Ozone Hole Remains

 NASA, NOAA Data Show Significant Antarctic Ozone Hole

The Antarctic ozone hole, which yawns wide every Southern Hemisphere spring, reached its annual peak on Sept. 12. It stretched to 10.05 million square miles, the ninth largest ozone hole on record. Above the South Pole, the ozone hole reached its deepest point of the season on Oct. 9, tying this year for the 10th lowest in this 26-year record. 

NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use balloon-borne instruments, ground-based instruments and satellites to monitor the annual Antarctic ozone hole, global levels of ozone in the stratosphere and the manmade chemicals that contribute to ozone depletion. 

"The colder than average temperatures in the stratosphere this year caused a larger than average ozone hole," said Paul Newman, chief scientist for atmospheres at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. "Even though it was relatively large, the area of this year's ozone hole was within the range we'd expect given the levels of manmade ozone-depleting chemicals that continue to persist in the atmosphere." 

The ozone layer helps protect the planet's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation. Ozone depletion results in more incoming radiation that can hit the surface, elevating the risk of skin cancer and other harmful effects.

"The manmade chemicals known to destroy ozone are slowly declining because of international action, but there are still large amounts of these chemicals doing damage," said James Butler, director of NOAA's Global Monitoring Division in Boulder, Colo. 

In the Antarctic spring (August and September) the sun begins rising again after several months of darkness and polar-circling winds keep cold air trapped above the continent. Sunlight-sparked reactions involving ice clouds and manmade chemicals begin eating away at the ozone. Most years, the conditions for ozone depletion ease before early December when the seasonal hole closes. 

Levels of most ozone-depleting chemicals in the atmosphere have been gradually declining as the result of the 1987 Montreal Protocol, an international treaty to protect the ozone layer. That international treaty caused the phase-out of ozone-depleting chemicals, which had been used widely in refrigeration, as solvents and in aerosol spray cans. 

However, most of those chemicals remain in the atmosphere for decades.

Global atmospheric computer models predict that stratospheric ozone could recover by midcentury, but the ozone hole in the Antarctic will likely persist one to two decades longer, according to the latest analysis in the 2010 Quadrennial Ozone Assessment issued by the World Meteorological Organization and United Nations Environment Programme, with co-authors from NASA and NOAA. 

NASA currently measures ozone in the stratosphere with the Dutch-Finnish Ozone Monitoring Instrument, or OMI, on board the Aura satellite. OMI continues a NASA legacy of monitoring the ozone layer from space that dates back to 1972 with launch of the Nimbus-4 satellite. The instrument measured the 2011 ozone hole at its deepest at 95 Dobson units on Oct. 8 this year. This differs slightly from NOAA's balloon-borne ozone observations from the South Pole (102 Dobson units) because OMI measures ozone across the entire Antarctic region. 

That satellite-monitoring legacy will continue with the launch of NASA's National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System Preparatory Project, known as NPP, on Oct. 28. The satellite will carry a new ozone-monitoring instrument, the Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite. The instruments will provide more detailed daily, global ozone measurements than ever before to continue observing the ozone layer's gradual recovery. 

It will take a few years of averaging yearly lows in Antarctic ozone to discern evidence of recovery in ozone levels because seasonal cycles and other variable natural factors -- from the temperature of the atmosphere to the stability of atmospheric layers -- can make ozone levels dip and soar from day to day and year to year. 

NOAA has been tracking ozone depletion around the globe, including the South Pole, from several perspectives. NOAA researchers have used balloons to loft instruments 18 miles into the atmosphere for more than 24 years to collect detailed profiles of ozone levels from the surface up. NOAA also tracks ozone with ground-based instruments and from space. 

For the updates on the status of the Antarctic ozone layer, visit: http://ozonewatch.gsfc.nasa.gov

For more information on the Antarctic ozone hole, visit: http://www.ozonelayer.noaa.gov

3D Forests Show the Way for Sustainable Future

State-of-the-art GIS technology which can create highly detailed 3D maps of entire forests is set to overhaul Australia’s $2.5 billion forestry industry, according to one of the nation’s leading spatial professionals.

The technology, from location intelligence specialists Esri Australia, was on display at SilviLaser 2011, an annual showcase of LiDAR, or light detection and ranging, technology and its applications in forestry.

Esri Australia Senior Consultant Gordon Sumerling, who presented on LiDAR at Ozri 2011 last week, said new advances in GIS technology would ensure Australia’s commercial forests remain sustainable and renewable, and are managed in line with the world's highest environmental standards.

“Forestry is a vital industry in Australia, which has a total forested area of around 150 million hectares – which covers around 21% of our continent,” Mr Sumerling said.

“GIS, when combined with traditional technologies such as LiDAR, can vastly improve critical industry tasks such as assessing forest health, calculating biomass, and identifying drainage patterns and terrain types.

“The 3D maps generated by GIS can enable users to see intricate forest detail such as where and how dense various canopy layers are, and the characteristics of ground level biomass.

“The images also provide a detailed view of topographical changes, which will save an enormous amount of time in terms of hauling loads and positioning machinery.

“This level of insight will be critical in the ongoing sustainable management of our forests.”

LIDAR uses light beams fired from a plane to measure tree and canopy height and terrain.

Mr Sumerling said the Esri Australia’s GIS technology – particularly the soon-to-be-released ArcGIS 10.1 software – transformed raw LiDAR data into 3D maps of the landscape that provided significantly more detail than traditional aerial photographs.

“Aerial photographs only provide views of the actual tree tops, whereas LiDAR can penetrate those and other layers down to the forest floor,” Mr Sumerling said.

“However, in the past LiDAR could only produce simple, 2D images that were mostly useful only to highly trained technicians.

“GIS technology combines multiple 2D LiDAR images and creates highly detailed 3D maps that provide an extremely accurate picture of what forests actually look like – right down to the level of rocks and shrubs on the forest floor.

“This allows non-technical users to get an understanding of the forest floor and tree and canopy heights over vast areas, streamlining decision-making processes while also making them more accurate and informed.”

Mr Sumerling said SilviLaser 2011 was the first time the ArcGIS 10.1 LiDAR applications had been exhibited to Australia’s forestry industry.

“Senior forestry figures have been genuinely amazed by the 3D maps this technology is producing and how it has transformed relatively indecipherable raw data,” Mr Sumerling said.

“They can see the potential this technology has in the industry to revolutionise critical forestry management activities such as biodiversity, fertilisation, harvesting, cultural heritage and development.”

“It’s a very exciting time for Australia’s forestry industry.”

About Esri Australia
Esri Australia has a 33 year history of providing location intelligence and data mapping solutions that help organisations make smart business decisions. The combination of local expertise and world-leading Esri GIS technology has helped thousands of government departments and commercial organisations to turn their data, information and knowledge into collective insight to reveal opportunity.  
About GIS


Geographic Information Systems are a key piece of technology used in thousands of organisations Australia-wide from the military and government, to the insurance and mining sector. Australia’s GIS industry currently stands at over $2.1 billion and morethan 300,000 organisations across the world use Esri GIS.

Trimble Outdoors Launches Backpacker Map Maker App for iPad

Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) and Backpacker magazine released Backpacker Map Maker, a mapping and trip planning app for the Apple iPad. Now, from the touch-screen of an iPad, hikers and backpackers can find wild places, plot GPS points and plan their next adventure over seamless topographical maps.

"Our readers absolutely love maps. As avid backcountry explorers and GPS users, they like to view, create and annotate their topos, and with Map Maker, they can now harness the beauty and power of their tablets to experience maps in an extraordinary and dynamic way," said Jonathan Dorn, editor-in-chief of Backpacker, and vice president, AIM Outdoor Group. "Map Maker is a portable, practical tool for hikers, a great way to relive their adventures, and the perfect complement to GPS Trails, our smartphone navigation app for in-the-field use."

Backpacker Map Maker begins with best-in-class maps for hikers in the U.S. and Canada. In addition to aerial, hybrid, street and terrain maps, the app provides access to more than 68,000 USGS topo maps stitched together and enhanced by MyTopo. The app has a full-line of other features for the hiker, including:

Place search: Find popular peaks, campgrounds, trailheads, mountain passes, creeks, lakes and more from a list of more than 10 million places.

Dual maps: Turn on dual map mode and view two map types at once for more precise trip planning. For instance, view street maps to find access roads to the trailhead then fade to topo maps to check out the detailed topography.

Cloud-based trips: Save trips to a backpacker.com account and access them from anywhere with an Internet connection. Hikers can also plan trips in Map Maker and then open and navigate in the Backpacker GPS Trails app, an in-field navigation app for iPhone and Android.

Mark waypoints: Simply drag-and-drop GPS waypoints onto the map. Add notes too.

Ruler tool: Measure how far it is from the trailhead to your campsite to a mountain summit and beyond.

Digital compass: See a full-screen translucent compass overlaid on the maps.

GPS coordinates: Display latitude/longitude coordinates in three formats: DD, DDM and DMS. Or, view coordinates in UTM, the metric-based coordinate system preferred by the U.S. military and Backpacker editors. Backpacker publishes trail-based coordinates for nearly every destination article in the magazine.

"We are excited to add an iPad product to the successful line of Backpacker outdoor adventure apps. Backpacker readers can surf gorgeous topos and plan out trips in any park or wilderness in the U.S. and Canada, and then carry that trip with them using GPS Trails on their iPhone or Android smartphone," said Rich Rudow, general manager for Trimble Outdoors.

Backpacker Map Maker for the Apple iPad and iPad2 is available for download now from the Apple App Store at: www.backpacker.com/mapmaker.

About Backpacker

Backpacker brings the outdoors to readers' doorsteps, inspiring and empowering them to get out and enjoy nature more often. The authority on active adventure, Backpacker is the world's first GPS-enabled magazine, and the only magazine whose editors personally test the hiking trails, camping gear, and survival tips they publish. Backpacker is published by Active Interest Media (www.aimmedia.com), has a circulation of 340,000, and is published nine times per year. www.Backpacker.com.

About Trimble Outdoors

Trimble Outdoors, a Trimble business, develops GPS-enabled mobile apps and map solutions for fitness and outdoor enthusiasts. Its popular apps—Trimble Outdoors™, AllSport GPS™, Geocache Navigator™, Cabela's Recon™ Hunt, and Backpacker GPS Trails—run on more than 300 mobile devices worldwide and help consumers navigate on trails and off-road, track fitness workouts, find caches and more. Trimble Outdoors is also a leading provider of print and digital maps for hikers, hunters, and campers via the MyTopo brand. By leveraging Trimble's 30 years of commercial expertise in GPS, software, and communications, Trimble Outdoors delivers cost-effective and convenient position-based services that promote consumers' well-being, security and active lifestyles. For more information about Trimble Outdoors, visitwww.TrimbleOutdoors.com.

About Trimble

Trimble applies technology to make field and mobile workers in businesses and government significantly more productive. Solutions are focused on applications requiring position or location—including surveying, construction, agriculture, fleet and asset management, public safety and mapping. In addition to utilizing positioning technologies, such as GPS, lasers and optics, Trimble solutions may include software content specific to the needs of the user. Wireless technologies are utilized to deliver the solution to the user and to ensure a tight coupling of the field and the back office. Founded in 1978, Trimble is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.

Telogis Introduces Telogis Fleet 9

 Telogis, the platform for location intelligence, introduces Telogis Fleet 9: the industry’s most reliable and scalable fleet management software. Telogis’ Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) fleet management system drives rapid return on investment for fleets of all sizes through improved productivity and operational streamlining. Telogis Fleet 9 provides businesses with new configurable reporting and alerting options designed to allow the fleet manager to tailor the system to their specific needs, as well as advanced asset utilization and security capabilities that ensure the productivity and protection of high-value assets.   These new elements build on a platform that already offers a wide range of tools to better manage a compay’s mobile assets, including real-time traffic and weather, fuel card management, advanced compliance reporting, extensive vehicle histories and personnel management functions. Telogis Fleet 9 supports a variety of vehicle and equipment types, and integrates seamlessly with Telogis Route, Telogis Progression and Telogis Mobile to providestrategic and dynamic routing, real-time work order management, telematics and mobile integration on a single platform. 

“The next generation of Telogis Fleet is designed to give the user a completely unique fleet management experience that best aligns with their business needs,” says Sean McCormick, product manager, Telogis. “Other applications on the market provide more rigid reporting and alerting mechanisms that leave the organization confined to the functions that the system offers. With Telogis Fleet 9, we are putting that power into the user’s hands by providing tools that allow easy and fast customization, and offer visually relevant information and data.” 

Telogis Fleet 9 features new configurable reporting functions and settings designed to tailor the system to each unique business model. Key new capabilities include: 

• Ad Hoc Reporting—Telematics systems gather data that is not always relevant to every organization. Telogis Fleet 9 and Ad Hoc Reporting allow the user to define the data elements that they want to see and to organize them in a way that is the most logical way for their operation. Backed by the massive computing power of the Telogis Cloud, Telogis Fleet 9 is able to create and run these reports in real time. 
• Terminology Module—Every organization has its own jargon and terminology. Telogis Fleet 9 lets the user go into the system and rename key terms to match internal nomenclature (“driver” becomes “field technician,” “Van 1” becomes “Regional Route 1,” etc.). 
• InSight Alerting Engine—The new Telogis Fleet 9 InSight alerting engine allows the user to create unique alerts based on almost every piece of data that the system collects. For instance, when a vehicle’s windshield wipers are turned on, an alert can be sent to the fleet manager that it is currently raining at the vehicle’s location. 
• Layers—Layers allows organizations to quickly and easily integrate unique GIS layer data into Telogis Fleet. This means that users can easily locate relevant locations in their company infrastructure that do not appear on standard maps, such as power poles, oil wells, gas and water lines, land use grids, and forestry and parcel data. 

Telogis Fleet 9 also benefits from the new advanced features of Telogis Asset, including asset-specific alerts and reporting functions that provide greater visibility as to how each asset is being used in the field. Users have the ability to view all assets in a single view, customize data by asset type and integrate that information into larger fleet-wide reports — an especially important feature in large, mixed fleets (trucks, heavy equipment, trailers, site equipment). Advanced loss prevention and utilization monitoring tools also protect assets from theft and misuse.

“Telogis’ asset solution not only ensures the security of your high-value assets, it also helps eliminate replacement costs, damages, and higher insurance premiums,” says Jeffrey Cohen, vice president, Asset & Security Solutions, Telogis. “It also allows companies to maximize asset utilization and optimally deploy resources based on real-time information that shows how vehicles, equipment and tools are being used in the field.”

For more information on Telogis Fleet 9 visit www.telogis.com or call 1-866-835-6447.About Telogis

Telogis Inc., the platform for location intelligence, is dedicated to enhancing the value of its customers’ businesses through intelligent integration of location technology, information and services. Telogis was established in 2001 and is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif., with offices in Europe and Latin America as well as development centers in Austin, Texas and Christchurch, New Zealand. Telogis’ products and services are used and distributed in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about Telogis visit www.telogis.com or call toll free at 866-TELOGIS (866-835-6447).

Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District Maps, Manages Network with Esri ArcGIS

Redlands, California - October 10, 2011 - The Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District is taking advantage of the Esri Small Utility Enterprise License Agreement (SU-ELA) program to obtain ArcGIS technology for mapping and managing its underground network. The Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District serves more than 55,000 customers in 21 counties of the state's rural middle region.
"ArcGIS provides the ability to efficiently and accurately map our natural gas system, and gives us detailed basemaps," said Sean Flatt, GIS mapping coordinator at Middle Tennessee Natural Gas Utility District. "Also, all of our personnel now have access to an internal web mapping application, using the ArcGIS API for Flex, which provides maps of our system and allows basic GIS tools and functionality."
ArcGIS is now deployed throughout several departments in the utility, including planning, construction, and engineering. Utility operators are relying on ArcGIS capabilities to perform ad hoc analysis of many company-wide objectives.
In the coming year, Middle Tennessee Natural Gas plans to expand its ArcGIS technology into mobile applications using ArcGIS for iOS. This app will provide field access to maps and data and will enable field-based reporting and data collection for yearly system maintenance projects. Operators in the utility home office will be able to monitor the progress of projects, and updates will no longer require manual entry into the database.
"The Esri small utility ELA has helped our GIS program take a huge leap forward," said Flatt. "With the ability to use the full ArcGIS system, we have been able to not only investigate but actually implement many products that we would have previously not even considered. The ELA makes it possible to let even the most occasional user have access to ArcGIS software."
Esri's SU-ELA program is open to utilities with 100,000 meters or fewer. Through the program, these small utilities receive unlimited deployments of ArcGIS software, as well as maintenance and support for products, staff training, passes to the Esri International User Conference, and Esri data models.
For more information on the Small Utility ELA program, including a webcast and podcast, visit esri.com/suela. To speak to an expert, call 800-447-9778, extension 2990.

About Esri
Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.

Esri to Demonstrate Its Geospatial Technology at GEOINT 2011

Defense, intelligence, and national security professionals will get the opportunity to watch demonstrations of Esri's complete geospatial system for intelligence at the GEOINT 2011 Symposium in San Antonio, Texas, next week.

The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation hosts GEOINT, which will be held

October 16–19, 2011, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.

ArcGIS technology from Esri turns intelligence data into geographic knowledge that informs decision making for a wide range of missions. ArcGIS is a system for working with maps and geographic information that agencies use to fuse, analyze, visualize, exploit, and disseminate complex intelligence data.

"Esri's geospatial technology is uniquely qualified to handle many forms of intelligence such as data from satellite imagery and information collected using handheld devices," said Jack Dangermond, Esri president. "When analyzed and displayed using ArcGIS, subtle geographic patterns emerge from the intelligence that would otherwise be difficult to detect."

ArcGIS is an Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant system designed and engineered with interoperability in mind. It can be used on a variety of technology platforms including mobile devices, desktops, servers, and web browsers.

During GEOINT, Esri will demonstrate Portal for ArcGIS, a repository for geospatial content that operates behind a secure firewall or in a private cloud. It's similar to Esri's publicly available ArcGIS Online, the cloud-based geospatial content management system for storing and managing maps, data, and other geospatial information.

Portal for ArcGIS lets you access maps, templates, workflows, datasets, services, tools, and other geospatial content. You can also use the resources in the portal to create and share maps that others can access through a variety of platforms, such as mobile devices or custom applications.

"Portal for ArcGIS provides the same collaboration and sharing tools as ArcGIS Online but in a secure environment," Dangermond said. "Users inside an organization can quickly access the authoritative content and create intelligent maps and apps using templates and web mapping APIs."

Esri will be at booth #539. Stop by for briefings and demonstrations on how to

• Manage, visualize, analyze, and distribute geospatial intelligence using Esri's complete, open OGC-compliant enterprise geospatial system.
• Use ArcGIS to seamlessly process and incorporate imagery as an integral part of the geospatial enterprise.
• Exploit the latest in cloud, mobile, server, desktop, and online capabilities.
• Work with robust geospatial tools to manage and analyze data for field operations and situational awareness.
• Use ArcGIS technology to support Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response (HADR) operations launched after hurricanes, major earthquakes, and other natural disasters.
• Learn how ArcGIS technology provides a powerful analytic platform for understanding human geography.

GEOINT is considered the premier geospatial intelligence conference in the United States. The symposium drew more than 4,000 attendees last year.

Visit esri.com/intelligence to learn more about GIS in defense and intelligence.

About Esri

Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.

GE Joins Western Power Distribution to Help Design Cleaner, More-Efficient Power Grid for UK

 GE (NYSE: GE) announced a Low Carbon Network Fund (LCN Fund) project with Western Power Distribution (WPD). The research initiative is revealing how carbon-reducing technologies, like distributed solar panels, can impact the electricity network. Study results will create a set of “reusable network templates” to help utilities plan more efficient, more reliable, lower-carbon networks worldwide.

The project has been awarded by United Kingdom’s Office of the Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) LCN Fund. The LCN Fund is sponsoring £500 million of low-carbon research over the next five years to spur the radical change electricity networks need to make the low-carbon energy sector a reality.

“We’re making the real world our research lab and learning what really happens when we add new generation and consumption technologies to our power grid,” said Peter Aston, innovation and low carbon networks manager at WPD. “Building new power network designs based on remotely accessible, accurate views of actual usage gives us a powerful advantage over computer models and simulations. We’ll know the true effects of system changes because we will be able to collect and analyse the low voltage network data in a way we haven’t been able to do before.”

Key to the project’s success is GE Energy usage sensors that will be distributed throughout Southwest England and South Wales. Sensors at 1,000 substations will record demand and voltage data, while sensors at 8,000 homes will record voltage profile data. The information will be compiled and analyzed by researchers at the University of Bath. The Bath research team will apply engineering and statistical analysis methods to the network patterns to create “network templates” to guide optimal power grid design and upgrades around the United Kingdom.

“Today we’re using the power grid in ways that were not even conceivable when the system was originally designed,” said Keith Redfearn, general manager—digital energy in Western Europe for GE Energy. “With GE sensors transmitting network data, we can help create the roadmap to lower energy’s carbon footprint and incorporate innovation more effectively and efficiently.”

Carbon-saving technologies, such as rooftop solar panels distributed throughout the network, create challenges for a system originally designed to accept electricity from large, centrally located power plants. GE’s sensors will report the voltage, network status, capacity and network stress as new technologies are deployed. Researchers will be able to determine the best ways to smooth loads, lower stress, optimize performance and maximize the energy-delivery capacity of the entire network.

“We’re creating network templates in order to build a more reliable, more efficient and less carbon-filled energy future,” added Aston. “Our greater knowledge of the way the network operates will help us with all aspects of our business, helping us to improve the service to our customers.”

Sensor installation will commence late summer 2011.

About Western Power Distribution

Western Power Distribution is the electricity distribution network operator for the Midlands, South Wales and the South West.

The company delivers electricity to more than 7.6 million customers over a 55,300 sq km service area. The network consists of 216,000 km of overhead lines and underground cables with 184,000 substations.

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is an advanced technology, services and finance company taking on the world’s toughest challenges. Dedicated to innovation in energy, health, transportation and infrastructure, GE operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com.

GE also serves the energy sector by providing technology and service solutions that are based on a commitment to quality and innovation. The company continues to invest in new technology solutions and grow through strategic acquisitions to strengthen its local presence and better serve customers around the world. The businesses that comprise GE Energy—GE Power & Water, GE Energy Management and GE Oil & Gas—work together with more than 100,000 global employees and 2010 revenues of $38 billion, to provide integrated product and service solutions in all areas of the energy industry, including coal, oil, natural gas and nuclear energy; renewable resources such as water, wind, solar and biogas; as well as other alternative fuels and new grid-modernization technologies to meet 21st century energy needs.

Rugby2GO Application Makes it Easy for Fans to Locate Traffic Congestion

The free Rugby2goNZ mobile app for Android, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad devices is the perfect companion for the rugby tourist. It contains detailed information on how to get to the rugby stadiums, the Transport Management Plans, Fan Zones and the more than 1000 REAL NZ Festival 2011 events throughout New Zealand.

The paid version of the application can display LIVE traffic information on accidents, incidents, road closures and traffic congestion which is updated every couple of minutes (exclusive to the Rugby2GoNZ app) to help the user get to where they want to go.

Utilising the GPS in the mobile device to locate the user, Rugby2GoNZ has the whole of New Zealand covered in terms of mapping and Points of Interest for tourists along with direction and routing features.

Bargain hunters can view the location of locations offering discount vouchers from Arrival Magazine.

SOS features of the free Rugby2GoNZ mobile app include AA Roadside Assistance support, locations of the nearest hospital A&E services, pharmacies, Police and even embassy & consulate details.

Rugby2GoNZ Mobile App: The Most Detailed Rugby Stadium and Location-Based Traveller Information Available
Visit www.rugby2go.co.nz

iOS free version for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPad.

iOS paid version for iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPad
(Includes live traffic subscription for one month.)
Android version for Android version 2.2 and later.
(Live traffic subscription may be purchased in-app @ $2.50 per month.)

Rugby2GoNZ may be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rugby2GoNZ/157320591016115?ref=ts and Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/rugby2gonzfor daily tips on local attractions near your location.

Company History

Rugby2Go is a project partnership formed by GeoSmart, Ethermedia and Paycre8.

Paycre8
Paycre8 is an independent payments consultancy company founded by a group of senior payment specialists, with many years of experience in the creation of payment solutions.
The Paycre8 team is experienced across all forms of electronic and card payment solutions having worked on assignments with banks, service providers, retailers, mass transit providers and mobile operators in over 30 countries.
These professionals have extensive experience from both a business as well as a technology perspective, and blend these two elements to develop considered and innovative solutions.
They are among an elite international group with extensive experience stemming from their involvement as business development experts, strategic advisors, solution architects and integrators, plus project managers in payment deployments on all the major continents.

Ethermedia
Ethermedia specialises in innovative digital and mobile marketing & engagement solutions.
Over time Ethermedia has developed and provisioned a comprehensive range of advanced digital and new media marketing and sales solutions specifically relevant to mobile in an every growing range of areas.
Ethermedia can provide a range of powerful mobile products with capabilities which include SMS, MMS, mobile direct marketing, and location based services, global gateways, along with mobile application development for most mobile operating systems and mobile website development.

GeoSmart

GeoSmart is New Zealand’s premier mapping company and a wholly owned subsidiary of the New Zealand Automobile Association. GeoSmart provides the mapping data for the leading car navigation brands including Navman and TomTom. GeoSmart is also New Zealand’s mapping leader in printed maps and data supplier for Fleet Management / Vehicle Tracking companies.
GeoSmart provides web mapping API’s and Web Services for web sites and mobile applications. It has also built and maintains AA Traffic and provides real time traffic services to web sites including www.roadwatch.co.nz and www.aamaps.co.nz as well as to car navigation brands including Navman, TomTom and Garmin Asus.