Colombia’s IDEAM Selects Intergraph®’s ERDAS APOLLO to Protect Citizens

Intergraph® proudly announces that the Institute of Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Studies (IDEAM) in Colombia is now using ERDAS APOLLO to help generate and distribute critical information regarding potential disasters, as well as manage the sustainable use of Colombian natural resources.

As part of this critical mission, IDEAM provides environmental and hydrometeorological condition forecasts and alerts regarding situational changes that can cause disasters or impact natural resources. To maximize the benefit of these forecasts and alerts, IDEAM needs to ensure the timeliness of the data used to create them, and their rapid delivery to end users.

ERDAS APOLLO, now offered by Intergraph’s geospatial products division, is the market-leading enterprise solution for managing and delivering geospatial data and imagery. It consistently delivers more data, faster and with less hardware than competing image serving products. An interoperable OGC®/ISO-based solution, ERDAS APOLLO also easily delivers feature data, terrain and virtually any digital object in an enterprise.

Prior to its selection of ERDAS APOLLO, IDEAM’s process consisted of a daily download of 48 images from the GOES 12 satellite. Using these images, IDEAM prepared precipitation and temperature data, publishing them in PDF format. Specialized personnel at IDEAM used these data to issue environmental alerts in cases of extreme weather conditions capable of causing calamities such as landslides, floods and wildfires. They sent other types of maps generated from these periodic images to remote offices and users via DVD.

With ERDAS APOLLO, IDEAM plans to streamline this process. “We are opening access to a new portal implemented with ERDAS APOLLO, from which the general public can learn about the monitoring activities IDEAM develops to provide present-day information about the status of natural resources in Colombia,” said Ricardo Jose Lozano Picón, Head Director, IDEAM.

IDEAM selected ERDAS APOLLO because it offers a comprehensive data administration module that allows IDEAM to easily incorporate new images into its catalog and distribute them quickly. The software enables IDEAM to catalog raw data, automatically harvesting metadata, and provides interoperable CS-W services. For those images, it also provides interoperable OGC web services that can be consumed by other Intergraph products, or any other OGC-compliant SIG software.

In addition to assisting with the global efforts of IDEAM, ERDAS APOLLO will facilitate specific projects within the organization. “IDEAM is very pleased to make available a web-accessed nationwide monitoring system for deforestation in Colombia, and acknowledges the importance of selecting and using the Intergraph suite of products on this project,” said Maria Claudia Garcia, Subdirector of Environmental Studies, IDEAM.

Garcia continued, “The combination of Intergraph products has allowed us to successfully and quickly complete all the tasks related to data preparation and processing, generation of base maps, automation of tasks to create reports, geospatial data catalog creation and distribution or publication of our products.  With this portal, our users can strengthen their technical capability to design, execute and supervise projects related to reduction of emission coming from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD).”

Since implementing ERDAS APOLLO, data administrators at IDEAM are able to better organize and manage raster data. Additionally, IDEAM’s data consumers report satisfaction with the speed of the image display in their browsers, and enjoy using the intuitive user interface to explore the catalog and display images along with their metadata.

Datum Ingeniería SAS, Intergraph distributor in Colombia, assisted IDEAM with the selection, implementation and customization of ERDAS APOLLO. A leading engineering consulting firm in Colombia, Datum is comprised of geospatial professionals with more than 30 years of experience in GIS, measurement systems, photogrammetry, remote sensing and meteorology. With this rich background, Datum offers high-quality, integrated geomatics services tailored to the unique requirements of each client. Datum is involved in the environmental, mining, oil and gas, construction and defensemarkets, among others.

“Datum is grateful for the opportunity to apply its expertise and knowledge to find an innovative solution that meets both IDEAM’s organizational and project needs,” said Oscar Guzman, Technical Manager, Datum Ingeniería SAS.

To learn more about ERDAS APOLLO and the other products within the Intergraph Geospatial portfolio, please visit www.intergraph.com/geospatial/products.

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph’s industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data to make processes and infrastructure better, safer and smarter. The company’s software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I).  Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction, operation and data management of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially powered solutions including ERDAS technologies to the public safety and security, defense and intelligence, government, transportation, photogrammetry, and utilities and communications industries. Intergraph Government Solutions (IGS) is an independent subsidiary for SG&I’s U.S. federal and classified business.

Intergraph is a wholly owned subsidiary of Hexagon AB, (Nordic exchange: HEXA B). For more information, visit www.intergraph.com and www.hexagon.com