NASA Tests GPS Monitoring System for Big U.S. Earthquakes

The space-based technology that lets GPS-equipped motorists constantly update their precise location will undergo a major test of its ability to rapidly pinpoint the location and magnitude of strong earthquakes across the western United States.

Results from the new Real-time Earthquake Analysis for Disaster (READI) Mitigation Network soon could be used to assist prompt disaster response and more accurate tsunami warnings.

The new research network builds on decades of technology development supported by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, NASA, and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The network uses real-time GPS measurements from nearly 500 stations throughout California, Oregon and Washington. When a large earthquake is detected, GPS data are used to automatically calculate its vital characteristics including location, magnitude and details about the fault rupture.

"With the READI network we are enabling continued development of real-time GPS technologies to advance national and international early warning disaster systems," said Craig Dobson, natural hazards program manager in the Earth Science Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "This prototype system is a significant step towards realizing the goal of providing Pacific basin-wide natural hazards capability around the Pacific 'Ring of Fire.'"

Accurate and rapid identification of earthquakes of magnitude 6.0 and stronger is critical for disaster response and mitigation efforts, especially for tsunamis. Calculating the strength of a tsunami requires detailed knowledge of the size of the earthquake and associated ground movements. Acquiring this type of data for very large earthquakes is a challenge for traditional seismological instruments that measure ground shaking.

High-precision, second-by-second measurements of ground displacements using GPS have been shown to reduce the time needed to characterize large earthquakes and to increase the accuracy of subsequent tsunami predictions. After the capabilities of the network have been fully demonstrated, it is intended to be used by appropriate natural hazard monitoring agencies. USGS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are responsible for detecting and issuing warnings on earthquakes and tsunamis, respectively.

"By using GPS to measure ground deformation from large earthquakes, we can reduce the time needed to locate and characterize the damage from large seismic events to several minutes," said Yehuda Bock, director of Scripps Institution of Oceanography's Orbit and Permanent Array Center in La Jolla, Calif. "We now are poised to fully test the prototype system this year."

The READI network is a collaboration of many institutions including Scripps at the University of California in San Diego; Central Washington University in Ellensburg; the University of Nevada in Reno; California Institute of Technology/Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena; UNAVCO in Boulder, Colo.; and the University of California at Berkeley.

NASA, NSF, USGS, and other federal, state, and local partners support the GPS stations in the network, including the EarthScope Plate Boundary Observatory, the Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array, the Bay Area Regional Deformation Array and the California Real-Time Network.

"The relatively small investments in GPS-based natural hazards systems have revolutionized the way we view the Earth and allowed us to develop this prototype system with great potential benefits for the infrastructure and population in earthquake-prone states in the western United States," said Frank Webb, Earth Science Advanced Mission Concepts program manager at JPL.

The READI network is the outgrowth of nearly 25 years of U.S. government research efforts to develop the capabilities and applications of GPS technology. The GPS satellite system was created by the Department of Defense for military and ultimately civil positioning needs. NASA leveraged this investment by supporting development of a global GPS signal receiving network to improve the accuracy and utility of GPS positioning information. Today that capability provides real-time, pinpoint positioning and timing for a wide variety of uses from agriculture to Earth exploration.

"Conventional seismic networks have consistently struggled to rapidly identify the true size of great earthquakes during the last decade,"

said Timothy Melbourne, director of the Central Washington University's Pacific Northwest Geodetic Array. "This GPS system is more likely to provide accurate and rapid estimates of the location and amount of fault slip to fire, utility, medical and other first-response teams."

The GPS earthquake detection capability was first demonstrated by NASA-supported research on a major 2004 Sumatra quake conducted by Geoffrey Blewitt and colleagues at the University of Nevada in Reno.

TomTom Launches New Geocoding Web Service

Geospatial World Forum, Amsterdam - Today TomTom announces the launch of its high volume batch geocoding web service. The TomTom Global Geocoder enables businesses to process large amounts of data with a single click of a button and return results quickly.

Geocoding is the process of converting addresses into geographic coordinates to allow location analysis.  By combining geographic knowledge with business information, businesses can make smarter decisions that will lead to better products, as well as cost savings and process improvements.  For example, insurance companies are relying on geocoding techniques to help set premiums and make underwriting decisions based on the physical locations of the insurance projects.

“Geocoding is part of TomTom’s DNA.  With close to 30 years of experience developing global digital maps, TomTom is known for its expertise in geocoding,” said Dan Adams, Vice President, Location and Live Services at TomTom.  “By launching our global batch geocoding web service, we are providing critical spatial data to fuel our customers’ analytic engines.”

The TomTom Global Geocoder offers the following benefits:

High volume results in one easy step, with no usage restrictions
International coverage enables one stop for all geocoding needs
Highly accurate, address point level matching
Fast results delivering hundreds of thousands of records per hour.
Visit TomTom at Geospatial World Forum booth #19 in hall 10 to learn more about the TomTom Global Geocoder, as well as other products.

TomTom is a global supplier of location and navigation products and services. We provide consumers and enterprise, government and automotive industry customers with digital maps, traffic intelligence, navigation software, PNDs, automotive systems, fleet management services, smartphone apps, fitness devices, POIs and speedcam intelligence.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has over 3,500 employees and operates from 50 locations in 35 countries.

GeoEye and Rolta Form Strategic Partnership to Develop Advanced Geospatial Solutions

GeoEye, Inc. (NASDAQ: GEOY), a leading source of geospatial information and insight, announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to partner with Rolta, a global, leading provider of innovative IT solutions. With this new partnership, Rolta gains access to GeoEye's high-resolution satellite imagery, services and expertise to develop innovative geospatial products and services. Rolta plans to offer these GeoEye-enabled solutions to its customers across high-growth global markets, beginning with India.

Today's military commanders working in digital battlefield environments need intelligent maps derived from geospatial data and map-accurate imagery to make effective command and control decisions in the field. Rolta is exploring opportunities to leverage GeoEye's imagery service and predictive analytics' expertise to develop defense and homeland security solutions served from its Geospatial Fusion Platform to help users see, understand and anticipate change when lives are at risk.

Preetha Pulusani, Rolta's chief strategy officer, said, "Rolta has been engaged in providing geospatial solutions for over two decades. Imagery plays a critical role – especially for defense and homeland security – to enable users to rapidly analyze change, visualize impacts and make informed decisions in the field in a timely manner. We are pleased to have the opportunity to work with GeoEye to provide our customers with tools and content to meet their most challenging needs."

Rolta also plans to develop intelligent 3-D city solutions for commercial users in urban planning, construction and infrastructure development. Ninety percent of the fastest-growing metropolitan economies are located outside North America and Western Europe and in regions such as Southern Asia. Rolta intends to offer these high-growth global markets financially accessible 3-D model solutions developed from GeoEye satellite imagery.

Tony Frazier, GeoEye's senior vice president of Marketing, said, "Geospatial intelligence has become crucial to decision making. We are excited about this partnership and believe that our world-class imagery, information service capabilities and expertise, coupled with Rolta's product development and IT services track record, will produce innovative geospatial solutions that deliver clear, deep and timely insights to global government and commercial users."

Rolta is a leading provider of innovative IT solutions for many vertical segments, including Utilities, Governments, Transportation, Process, Power, Banking and Insurance. These enterprise level solutions are built around Rolta's intellectual property and domain expertise to offer unique business intelligence for impactful insights for effective decision making. Rolta's solutions framework includes Geospatial FusionTM, a suite to integrate disparate spatial and business data; Rolta OneViewTM, a BI solution for operational excellence; and Rolta iPerspectiveTM, a unique platform for SOA and "Cloud" enablement. Rolta's intellectual property repository contains cutting-edge software for mapping and earth sciences, providing the foundation for Defense and Homeland Security solutions including C4ISTAR information systems, Military Communications, Digital Soldier, and Vehicle Systems. Rolta is a multinational organization headquartered in India, which has executed projects in over 40 countries. Rolta has a countrywide infrastructure and international subsidiaries across the globe. Forbes Global ranked Rolta amongst the "Best 200 under a Billion" four times in six years. The Company is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and National Stock Exchange in cash and F&O segment, and forms part of various indices on BSE/NSE. The Company's GDRs are listed on the Main Board of London Stock Exchange and its FCCBs are listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange.

GeoEye is a leading source of geospatial information and insight for decision makers and analysts who need a clear understanding of our changing world to protect lives, manage risk and optimize resources. Each day, organizations in defense and intelligence, public safety, critical infrastructure, energy and online media rely on GeoEye's imagery, tools and expertise to support important missions around the globe. Widely recognized as a pioneer in high-resolution satellite imagery, GeoEye has evolved into a complete provider of geospatial intelligence solutions. GeoEye's ability to collect, process and analyze massive amounts of geospatial data allows our customers to quickly see precise changes on the ground and anticipate where events may occur in the future. GeoEye is a public company listed on NASDAQ as GEOY and is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia with more than 750 employees worldwide. Learn more at www.geoeye.com.

Macerata City, Italy, Establish GIS Platform with SuperGIS Server 3 for Data Fusion

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, announced that Macerata City Hall in Italy utilized SuperGIS Server 3 to establish an online GIS platform, which can assist users in creating, managing, and distributing a variety of GIS services over the Internet to overcome the ineffective communication between the government and the citizens.

Located in the Provinceof Macerata,Italy, Macerata Cityisfamous forits rich cultural heritagesand annual Sferisterio Opera Festival held in Arena Sferisterio during summer. To continually stimulate the tourism industry, the government accepted the recommendation by Helix S.r.l., SuperGeo’s exclusive distributor in Italy, to employ GIS technologiestoenhance the governmental data fusion service.

Offering a scalable GIS server platform with complete web map services, the server GIS system allows the managerial administrators of the Information Department to build the feasible server environment to distribute GIS resources for internal workgroups and external users. Consequently, the governors can achieve the goal of improving the public service and living quality and increase the competitiveness of Macerata City.

After making a great deal of sustained effort in the Italian market, Helix S.r.l.has successfully utilized GIS technology to assist local governments and private businesses in resolving difficulties of planning and management in GIS applications. SuperGeowill consistently encourage a close cooperation with Helix S.r.l.to provide the bestand customizable GISsolutions to clients in the broad European market.  

For more information of Helix S.r.l., please visit http://www.helix.it

The official website of Comune di Macerata http://www.comune.macerata.it/

SuperGeo Technologies Inc. is a leading global provider of GIS software and solutions. Since the establishment, SuperGeo has been dedicated to providing state-of-the-art geospatial technologies and comprehensive services for customers around the world. It is our vision to help users utilize geospatial technologies to create a better world.

SuperGeo software and applications have been spread over the world to be the backbone of the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. SuperGeo is the professional GIS vendor, providing GIS-related users with complete GIS solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms.

Demonstrating ‘ArcGIS In Action’ at the Esri UK Annual Conference

Aylesbury - April 24, 2012 - Improving productivity, sharing and collaboration with the ArcGIS system will take centre-stage at this year’s Esri UK Annual Conference. With the imminent launch of ArcGIS 10.1, the event will showcase new capabilities and demonstrate how organisations can extend the reach of their existing GIS and transition to next-generation GIS concepts and platforms, without jeopardising their current GIS investments

The one-day conference will also feature presentations from customers around the UK showcasing innovative, proven approaches to solving complex business challenges with GIS, most notably:

Boots, the UK’s leading pharmacy-led health and beauty retailer, will talk about how it uses GIS to better understand customer demographics and behaviours, analyse individual store performance at both a local and regional level and maximise store outreach to strengthen customer catchment.

The Energy Saving Trust, charged with helping energy utilities and other government and non-government organisations work faster towards a low carbon economy, will discuss how GIS plays a crucial role in understanding how energy efficiency schemes are currently, and can be better delivered.

The Thames Tunnel Project; for the past three and a half years the project, for a major new sewer to protect the River Thames from increasing pollution, has been using GIS to manage data, perform analysis, visualise and share information amongst stakeholders.A demonstration of its web-based tools and iPad app will show how the central GIS has been extended to deliver efficiency and ease of access to the right information, at the right time.

Foster and Partners; having pioneered a sustainable approach to architecture from urban masterplans to product design, Foster and Partners’ presentation will illustrate how an in-depth understanding of spatial conditions is key to developing an intelligent design solution.

For more details of the conference agenda, and to register, please go to the conference website.

Esri UK is the leading provider of geographic information system (GIS) technology, helping businesses become more profitable and public service more efficient through a better understanding and analysis of location-based information. Esri offers an extensive range of GIS technology and professional services and is the only company in theproviding a complete and entirely integrated GIS solution.

Esri UKhas been providing GIS solutions for over 20 years to a wide range of markets including Central & Local Government, Commercial, Defence & National Security, Education, Public Safety, Utilities & Telecommunications, as well as catering for system integrators and application developers through the Esri Developer Network.

Customers include Hampshire County Council, Birmingham City Council, Defra, the Environment Agency, Metropolitan Police Service, Ministry of Defence, Ordnance Survey, RSA Group, Scottish Power and The Crown Estate.

3-GIS to Exhibit and Present at GISWORX 2012

The conference will be held May 1-3, 2012 at the Convention Centre of Al Bustan Rotana Hotel in Dubai.

3-GIS will be exhibiting and demonstrating their company’s new solutions and business strategies as they continue to expand and develop new products for telecom and utility industries. New developments made by 3-GIS in the Android and Apple mobile markets show the remarkable speed in which the GIS is growing.

Tommy Siniard will lead workshops during the conference focused on the roles GIS is playing in the Emergency Management, Mobile and Telecommunications Markets. “Our participation at GISWORX over the years has introduced us to other seasoned professionals and thought leaders,” said Tommy Siniard, COO at 3-GIS. “Working with our partners GISTEC here in UAE provides us the ability to bring these new technologies to a broader market and increase awareness of what the GIS environment has to offer.”

3-GIS Program Director, Lee Nelson, will present Mobile Technology and SEWA Project Presentation. He added “The advancement we have been making in mobile technology in the workforce has changed rapidly in the past year. GISWORX is a fantastic venue to showcase these new solutions.”

3-GIS is a leading innovator of smart geospatial solution. 3-GIS’ software for desktop and field use, takes complex GIS information and makes it simple to understand and fast to access from every level of the enterprise. Visit www.3-GIS.com.
GISWORX is our proactive technical support delivery mechanism. This annual 3-day event provides a unique indepth learning environment on different aspects of GIS to both beginners as well as advanced users through several technical workshops on focused topics. It helps the organizations take full advantage of their software investment by enhancing the knowledge and skills of their GIS professionals. It also addresses key issues related to implementation of GIS in specific industries. Over the years, GISWORX evolved to be the premier GIS event in the Middle East region

MapmyIndia Offers House Number Search to iPhone Users With Launch of Telenav Navigation

MapmyIndia, India's leader in digital maps, navigation and location-based services, and Telenav, the leader in personalized navigation, today launched India's first mobile app that offers house number search and navigation on iPhones. MapmyIndia Navigator by Telenav provides award-winning, high-quality, voice-guided turn-by-turn GPS navigation, moving maps and access to millions of places for easy search and discovery. All maps and places information within the app are cloud-based and always up to date.

Other features of MapmyIndia Navigator by Telenav include:

Search places and favorites: The application has millions of places and points of interest to choose from -- either by category or name -- including restaurants, ATMs, hotels, hospitals and more. Users can then select and navigate to the destination chosen and save frequent destinations as favorites.
India's best maps: Search and navigate to house numbers in 18 cities, reach any of the 579,000 towns and villages and navigate at street-level across 1,200 cities.
Turn-by-turn voice guidance: The application turns your iPhone into a full-fledged GPS navigator, including voice instructions for each turn, speaking street names as well as in an Indian accent.
Automatic re-routing: The application automatically generates a new route if the driver misses a turn.
Shake-to-Go™: Users can shake their phone to instantly start navigation to their home address from wherever they are.
Speed limit alerts: On major highways, the application notifies drivers when they exceed the posted speed limit.
Night-time mode: The application switches to night-time mode automatically, allowing for safer viewing conditions while driving at night.
Talking about the launch, Rohan Verma, Director, MapmyIndia, says, "The exciting partnership between MapmyIndia and Telenav has resulted in India's first app that offers house number search and navigation. Telenav's global leadership in personalized navigation and MapmyIndia's expertise in accurate and highly-detailed maps of India have made this possible. We're delighted to offer this application to Indian users. Our aim is to let more and more people experience how navigation simplifies their daily lives. This launch is a continuation of our efforts to make the benefits of navigation available to a larger audience."

Hassan Wahla, Vice President of Business Development, Telenav Inc., says, "We are excited to be working with MapmyIndia. With the growth in smartphones and 3G data connectivity, India is a fast-growing market for mobile navigation and we believe that this navigation app is a must have on every smartphone."

MapmyIndia is offering a promotional price for the application -- users can try MapmyIndia Navigator for $3.99 for one month. An ongoing subscription can be purchased for $29.99 for one year. Users may continue to use the maps and places search for free beyond the paid subscription period. MapmyIndia Navigator by Telenav can be downloaded from the iTunes App Store. More details about the app are available at http://www.mapmyindia.com/mobile-apps/mapmyindia-telenav.

MapmyIndia (CE Info Systems (P) Ltd.) is India's leader in premium quality digital map and data, GPS, location-based services (LBS), GIS and location-based business intelligence solutions. A New Delhi-based ISO 9001-2008 Company founded in 1992, MapmyIndia pioneered digital mapping in India, and since 1995, through continuous field surveys and state-of-the-art mapping technology, has built its proprietary MapmyIndia Maps, the most comprehensive, accurate, robust, reliable, full-featured and continuously updated navigable map dataset for all India. MapmyIndia is driving the Indian navigation and location-based services industry by providing products and services across all platforms, Internet, Mobile, In-car, Print etc., to end consumers directly as well as in partnership with leading international and national players. 'MapmyIndia Navigator' -- India's largest selling in-car GPS navigation device, sells through over 600 outlets in 50 cities and online.

MapmyIndia also provides, to over 500 leading public sector and enterprise customers across every vertical, solutions which utilize location to enable their business and functioning. MapmyIndia Maps are approved and cleared by the Government of India, and follow the Government of India's norms and regulations. MapmyIndia is backed by leading high-tech and private equity firms, such as Qualcomm Ventures, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers (KPCB), Sherpalo Ventures, Nexus Venture Partners and Zenrin Co. Ltd.

MapmyIndia's Managing Director was elected by GPS Business News as the "World's GPS Businessman for the year 2007" and was honoured with the 'Technovator of the year 2011' Award by Voice & Data Magazine. MapmyIndia was recently awarded 'Automotive Product of the Year 2011' by ET Zigwheels Car & Bike awards and 'Advisor/Product of the Year' by Golden Steering Wheel Awards 2012 and 'Navigation System of the Year 2012' by Car India. MapmyIndia received other prestigious awards 'Most Popular Geospatial Data Portal in India' 2012 at India Geospatial Leadership Forum and 'Best Application of the year' award at NDTV Gadget Guru Conclave 2012.

Telenav's mission is to help make people's lives easier, less stressful, more fun, and more productive while they are on the go. Our personalized navigation services help people make faster and smarter daily decisions about where to go, when to leave, how to get there, and what to do when they arrive. Each day, more than 30 million people have access to personalized navigation that we deliver to their mobile phones, tablets, computers and cars. To date, we have scouted more than 1.3 billion personal journeys.

We aim to be everywhere people need us. Our partners are wireless carriers, automobile manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), app developers, advertisers and agencies, as well as enterprises large and small. Our partners include AT&T, Bell Mobility, Boost Mobile, China Mobile, Ford, MapmyIndia, NII Holdings, QNX Software Systems, Rogers, Sony, Sprint Nextel, Telcel, T-Mobile UK, T-Mobile US, U.S. Cellular, Verizon Wireless and Vivo Brazil. You can also find us in mobile app stores and on the web at www.telenav.com and www.scout.me.

OAG Launches Mapper, a New Network Analysis Mapping Tool

OAG, a UBM Aviation brand, today unveiled its new aviation analysis mapping tool, OAG Mapper. This latest innovation, from the global leader in aviation intelligence, combines a powerful global flight schedule query with advanced mapping software technology to quickly plot route network maps, based on data drawn from OAG’s market leading schedules database of 1,000 airlines and over 3,500 airports. It is ideal for those in commercial, marketing and strategic planning roles across the airlines, airports, tourism, consulting and route network related industry sectors.

A web-based tool that eliminates the need to hand-draw network routes onto maps, OAG Mapper allows users to either import IATA Airport codes, or to enter a carrier, airport, equipment type or a combination of these and generate custom network maps in seconds. The user can then highlight key routes by changing the thickness and colour of the lines and label them for easy reference, save the map to their profile and export to jpeg for use in network planning, forecasting, strategy and executive presentations.

“Aviation professionals who plan, forecast and analyse airline networks have never before had a single system that allows them to bring their network plans and presentations to life in an online format,” said Rob Shaw, OAG Product Director. “The OAG Mapper tool provides users with the ability to easily build an online library of custom-generated aviation route maps. It is a great example of how using OAG data intelligently can lead to the development of new solutions that help streamline our customers’ processes, increasing productivity and saving valuable time.”

Discover more about enhancing network planning, forecasting and presentations with the power of OAG Mapper at www.oagaviation.com/mapper

OAG, a UBM Aviation brand, is the trusted source for aviation information and analytical services. Our leading aviation databases unrivalled in their scale, accuracy and comprehensiveness are integral to the worlds’ aviation industry operations. For more information, visit www.oag.com.

OAG Mapper is an easy to use and intuitive aviation mapping tool powered by the industry leading OAG Flight Schedules database. The advanced software enables users to enter specific parameters and quickly generate a custom aviation network map for use in analysis, planning and executive presentations. For more information, visit www.oagaviation.com/mapper.

UBM Aviation, a UBM plc company, is the pioneer of innovative market leading aviation solutions. Our instantly recognisable brands provide the data, analysis, events, media and consultancy services that drive route development and financial growth for our customers’ businesses. For more information, visit www.ubmaviation.com.

ShadowOps GPS Tracking Solutions Releases Mobile Apps for iPhone/iPad, Android and Blackberry

ST. LOUIS, MO - ShadowOps clients are now being offered a new way of tracking people with the launch of their mobile tracking applications for iPhone, iPad, Android and BlackBerry on its online tracking interface. This opens up a new product for agencies and organizations looking to track work force or people around the globe.

The ShadowOps online tracking interface features motion detection, geo-fence, speed, and various other alerts and reports that most mobile applications simply cannot offer. The new ShadowOps Mobile Apps provide a work force or personal tracking experience that is second to none in performance and reliability.

ShadowOps is the preferred source of GPS tracking solutions for any application.

ShadowOps is a privately held entity owned and operated in part by active law enforcement. Due to our real world experience and specific focus on law enforcement and government GPS tracking applications we offer the world’s most advanced, compact, easy to use, and reliable tracking and navigation systems available today. For more information on ShadowOps GPS Tracking Solutions and the new mobile applications please visit ShadowOpsGPS.com

MAPPS Executive Director Urges Commercial UAS Approval for Aerial Survey Operations

Speaking at the first annual Ohio UAS (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) Conference, held at Sinclair Community College in Dayton, OH, MAPPS Executive Director John Palatiello called on the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to include commercial aerial survey operators in its Congressionally-mandated plan to certify civil unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system.

Palatiello spoke on the role of the private aerial survey community in a UAS environment. He told the more than 400 persons at the conference "aerial survey firms support commercial UAS, have expressed interest to Congress and FAA” and look forward to UAS’s becoming "another tool in the toolbox to supplement, not replace, manned aircraft”.

"A mature, existing commercial aerial survey capability exists and research and development on lighter, smaller sensors for UAS is already underway,” Palatiello said. "The challenge to the private aerial survey is in policy, not technology. The number one obstacle to aerial survey firms is unfair government and university competition.”

"Certifying government, military, university & research UAS, without a like-process for commercial firms will only exacerbate the problem, impede private sector growth and job creation, and stymie UAS maturation,” Palatiello said. He called for a "level playing field” for commercial UAS.

The FAA will soon issue a proposed rule on certification of commercial UAS.The FAA official who is writing the plan, Randy Willis, is a confirmed speaker at the MAPPS 2012 Summer Conference, July 10-14 in Snowmass, CO.

Formed in 1982, MAPPS is the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the remote sensing, spatial data and geographic information systems field in the United States. The MAPPS membership spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in satellite and airborne remote sensing, surveying, photogrammetry, aerial photography, LIDAR, hydrography, bathymetry, charting, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Member Firms, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. Independent Consultant Members are sole proprietors engaged in consulting in or to the geospatial profession, or provides a consulting service of interest to the geospatial profession.
MAPPS provides its 160+ member firms opportunities for networking and developing business-to-business relationships, information sharing, education, public policy advocacy, market growth, and professional development and image enhancement

Everbridge Introduces Industry's First Mobile GIS Emergency Notification

Everbridge, Inc., an industry-recognized leader in incident notification and management solutions, today announced the newest release of Everbridge Aware™, Everbridge Mobile Aware™ and Everbridge SmartGIS™. The release is part of the company's ongoing commitment to continuously enhance its solutions to best equip its clients to utilize the latest advancements in technology to protect their most important assets.

"Ventura County has more than 800,000 citizens spread across nine cities. This makes having mobile GIS capabilities an essential factor of our emergency notification strategy," said Patrick Maynard, program administrator, Ventura County Sheriff's Department, Office of Emergency Services, "With this new functionality, Ventura County will now have the ability to launch a location-based broadcast from anywhere at any time -- this truly enhances our ability to protect and inform our citizens when emergencies occur."

With this release, Everbridge has made significant advances in the solutions' mobile capabilities, integrated a number of real-time reporting features and added the industry's only client-configurable call-throttling ability. "In December, Everbridge embarked on a focused, multi-stage development strategy to enhance the company's solutions in three key areas: mobility, elastic infrastructure and reporting and analytics," said Imad Mouline, chief strategy officer at Everbridge. "This release continues that strategy with a primary focus on mobile and reporting capabilities and additionally includes important client-requested enhancements."

Highlights of the release include:

Everbridge SmartGIS
New mobile capabilities that:

Track progress with GIS specific real-time reporting
Provide familiar geo-spatial maps for selecting target broadcast areas
Allow the user to select contacts from zip codes / use intelligent address search
Everbridge Mobile Aware
Expanded security and usability features including:

Ability to initiate notifications to select individuals and/or groups from mobile devices.
Additional mobile access controls and timeout announcement features.
Everbridge Aware
Flexible call throttling features that help clients to:

Create custom strategies based on organization needs not infrastructure limitations.
Maximize call throughput and delivery.
Prevent PBX overloads and Central Office (CO) outages.
Everbridge Mobile Aware 2.0 with SmartGIS capabilities is now available for download on the Apple iTunes Store®, Google Play™ and BlackBerry AppWorld (Not all mapping features available on BlackBerry).

Everbridge provides leading incident notification and management solutions to more than 1,000 customers worldwide. Everbridge solutions help emergency/risk management, and business continuity professionals in the financial services, healthcare, state/local government, and transportation industries use interactive communications, GIS capabilities and mobile devices to manage incidents anywhere, anytime. For more information about Everbridge, visit www.Everbridge.com.

RouteBuddy Releases Topographic Maps of France

In a joint-venture IGN France and RouteBuddy are pleased to announce the release of high-quality digital IGN France topographic maps from around the world.

RouteBuddy Maps serve the needs of topographic map enthusiasts, providing the widest-range of maps from IGN, in the most popular scales of 25K, 50K and 100K, from such diverse locations as mainland France, the Mediterranean, Caribbean, South America, Indian Ocean (French overseas Départements and Territories - or - DOM-TOM).

Unique to RouteBuddy map software is the ability to view maps from around the world, in vector or raster format, from different providers, all in the same window, at the same time, and with the ability to zoom, pan or flip quickly between them.

RouteBuddy is the leading digital map software for Windows, Mac OS X, iPad and iPhone, and customers enjoy the advantages from constant, consistent development from a dedicated team providing a growing range of maps.

Founded in 2005, RouteBuddy Ltd are a UK-based developer of GPS-enabled mapping software.

Our goal is continual development of high-quality mapping software that unlocks the potential of mass-market GPS devices.

To support our software we have also developed the RouteBuddy Store, which provides an easy path to purchasing digital maps for use in our products.

Our original desktop mapping software was released in 2006 and followed by mobile software for the iOS platform. We have continued to develop both desktop and mobile products, and offer leading cross-platform desktop support for both Microsoft Windows and Apple's Mac OS X.

Towson University Receives Federal Grants to Enhance Geospatial Data Infrastructure

The Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has awarded Towson University's Center for GIS (CGIS) two National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) cooperative agreement grants. The grants are intended to enhance the accessibility and delivery of geospatial data and services in Maryland. CGIS has been helping government, businesses, and non-profits gain cost-effective access to geographic information systems technology, more commonly known as GIS, since the early 1990s.
"The NSDI grants recognize our ability to build partnerships that improve the state's delivery of geospatial resources to its citizens and reinforce our commitment to enhancing the well-being of our state and our region," said Dyan Brasington, TU Vice President, Economic and Community Outreach.
Partnering with the Maryland State Geographic Information Committee (MSGIC) and the State Geographic Information Officer, CGIS will work with state and local government to populate the national GIS inventory system known as Ramona with FGDC-compliant metadata for nationally significant geospatial data themes such as transportation and utilities. CGIS will also conduct a formal campaign to encourage more government entities to inventory their unrestricted geospatial data and services.
Additionally, CGIS will work with Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MD DNR), the agency that maintains the state's 6-inch imagery, to assess the potential benefits of hosting the state's basemap in Amazon's Cloud. The project will compare and measure usability, performance, scalability, and cost between the Cloud and the state's current MD iMap hosting environment. Performance will be tested by utilizing web stress tools and by enabling real-world use of the system for mobile applications. MD iMap is Maryland's public-facing enterprise GIS infrastructure for providing mapping applications, products, and services online that assist citizens and government employees with managing and presenting data linked to a location.
"Both projects address the need for jurisdictions to quickly find accurate geographic information for daily operations and for emergency events, and they align with FGDC's geospatial line of business goals to optimize and consolidate Federal geospatial investments by reducing costs and improving services to citizens," said Mark Helmken, CGIS director.
Since 1999, CGIS has completed nine FGDC-NSDI funded projects.
FGDC is an interagency committee that promotes geospatial data technology, best practices, and coordination on a national basis. FGDC activities are hosted by the National Geospatial Programs Office of the United States Geological Survey. NSDI is a physical, organizational, and virtual network designed to achieve cost-effective production, ready availability, and greater utilization of geospatial data across many disciplines.
More information about NSDI cooperative agreement activities and grants can be found athttp://www.fgdc.gov/grants or by contacting Brigitta Urban-Mathieux, NSDI CAP Coordinator, at 703-648-5175 or at burbanma@usgs.gov.

New MyGeoTrex Mobile Social Networking Application Launches at DEMO 2012

MyGeoTrex(TM) Corporation, (MGT) today announced its new MyGeoTrex social networking mobile application platform for smartphones and compatible tablet devices at the DEMO Spring 2012 Conference being held this week in Santa Clara, CA. MyGeoTrex utilizes location-based, GPS technology within mobile devices to "tag" locations anywhere in the world and enables individuals, business, and organizations to create, publish, and share and view multi-media content relevant to that location as a "GeoTrexpedition(TM)" or "Trex(TM)". The multi-media content, including text, photos, sound, music, and videos, can be kept private or shared with individual friends, GeoCircle(TM) groups, and the general public. MyGeoTrex will be available for free as an open social networking mobile application platform for entertainment, information, and education with built-in sharing links to Facebook and Twitter.

"MyGeoTrex is the first social networking mobile application designed to leverage the smartphone's powerful multi-media capabilities and location based technology into an open platform for creating and sharing enhanced multi-media content associated with specific locations anywhere in the world," said Eric Small, founder and CEO of MyGeoTrex Corporation. "Now individuals, businesses, and organizations will be able to create rich, multi-media content for informational or entertainment purposes, and share it privately among individual friends or groups, or to the general public via the Web and mobile devices."

"We're excited about the features MyGeoTrex offers to enhance our visitors' experience while visiting the Kansas City Zoo," said Julie Neemeyer, Director of Marketing/Membership at Kansas City Zoo. "MyGeoTrex allows for more detailed information about each animal habitat providing a more enjoyable educational experience for the visitors."

MyGeoTrex users can search for nearby "GeoTrexpeditions(TM)" on their mobile device or PC according specific categories such as: Shopping and Dining, Sightseeing, Great Outdoors, Museums/Aquariums/Zoos, Real Estate, Theme Parks and Resorts, and more. Users can also locate nearby GeoTrexpeditions(TM) based on user-defined distance parameters ranging from 10 miles to 25,000 miles. Users can easily communicate and update their current GeoTrexpedition location status to social networks such as Facebook and Twitter.

MyGeoTrex users can also create, view, and manage GeoTrexpeditions from a computer via the Internet at www.MyGeoTrex.com, which provides an optional environment for creating and editing multi-media content rather than uploading and downloading files on a mobile device.

MyGeoTrex Current Features & Specifications

Location-based/location-aware open platform for smartphones and tablet devices.
Currently supports Apple iOS 3.1.3 and above on iPhone 3GS, 4, and 4S and the iPad.
Q2/Q3 planned support for Android, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7, and RIM.
Multi-language capable.
Online/offline capabilities. MyGeoTrex is able operate offline from saved files on the local device making cell coverage or WiFi unnecessary and to save on data charges.
Full Trex creation/management from the mobile device or MGT website.
Social Networking. Users can share their Trexs with individuals, groups, Facebook friends, Twitter followers, or the entire MGT universe.
GeoTrexpedition Examples (note:Content not yet created)(note:will be developed by MGT staff)(note:individuals)(note:business)(note:and organizations.)

New York City Tour Guide: Visitors to New York City may choose to visit www.mygeotrex.com prior to their visit, select the landmarks they wish to visit, download them to their smartphone and then travel to different locations throughout the city while listening, reading, and viewing information on their smartphone to make their experience more enjoyable and memorable.

Shopping: Shopping centers and malls can produce guides with advertised specials strictly for people on a GeoTrexpedition. Large outdoor shopping districts like New York City, Beverly Hills, or Las Vegas will be able to provide a GPS based navigation through the many store locations.

Theme Parks: Attractions, scheduled event information, park admission, restaurant menus/pricing, gift shop information, and show schedules/pricing are just a few of the items that could be included in a GeoTrexpedition of popular theme parks.

Parks & Recreation: Hikers can produce location-based records of their wilderness experiences for future reference, or to pass on to friends. Information such as campsites, water location and trailheads could be recorded and shared.

Zoos/Museums: Zoos would be able to provide detailed information on each animal habitat and museums could provide additional information on their exhibits enhancing their visitor's experience.

Produced by the IDG Enterprise events group in conjunction with VentureBeat, the DEMO conferences focus on emerging technologies and new products innovations, which are hand selected from across the spectrum of the technology marketplace. The DEMO conferences have earned their reputation for consistently identifying tomorrow's cutting-edge technologies, and have served as launch pad events for companies such as Palm, E*Trade, Handspring and U.S. Robotics, helping them to secure venture funding, establish critical business relationships, and influence early adopters.

MyGeoTrex is a privately-held, startup company and developer of the MyGeoTrex location-based/location-aware mobile social networking platform and application for individuals, businesses, and organizations. MyGeoTrex will be available for free and is designed to enhance the entertainment, informational, or educational experience associated with locations by creating multi-media content relevant to a specific site or region. Organizations and businesses can create and manage official "GeoTrexpeditions" to more effectively communicate and market to the public through their mobile device. Individuals can create their own personal GeoTrexpedition about any location including businesses, and add their own comments, photos, videos, and choose to share them with individuals, GeoCircle groups, or over the World Wide Web. MyGeoTrex has a Web site www.mygeotrex.com that enables users to create, edit, manage, and view Trex from a PC. For more information about MyGeoTrex visit: www.mygeotrex.com

MyGeoTrex, GeoTrexpedition, Trex, GeoCircle and One Touch Closer to the World, are trademarks of MyGeoTrex Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks, trade names, or company names referenced herein are used for identification only and are the property of their respective owners.

1Spatial Successfully Completes LAM Data Discovery Phase at United Utilities

Cambridge, UK, Thursday 19th April 2012. 1Spatial is pleased to announce the successful completion of the initial ‘data discovery’ phase of the Linear Asset Management (LAM) Programme for water company United Utilities (UU).

The LAM programme is concerned with implementing a new Geographic Information System (GIS) across UU’s business, enabling enterprise-wide access to its linear asset information. As part of the associated data migration activity, UU is taking the opportunity to improve the quality and completeness of its existing data. This will enable UU to make informed investment decisions to ensure the company meets regulatory requirements cost effectively, as well as complying with its responsibilities in relation to the transfer of private sewers bill. As a consequence, UU will be able to contribute more meaningfully to the 2014 Price Review, which will dictate the limits on the prices that UK water companies can charge.

1Spatial, in conjunction with system integrator Wipro, has been working with UU through a series of interactive workshops to analyse and understand its existing asset data sources and to define acceptable standards of quality. These measures will enable UU staff to have increased confidence when working with the data and enhance the reliability of UU’s regulatory compliance and monitoring activities.

Ian Costigan, Head of ICT Business Solutions at United Utilities said:

“Our focus at United Utilities is on providing better service to our customers and one of the ways we’re doing this is to give our employees a better view of what’s happening right across our asset base. Good data is the foundation of this programme and we’re delighted to be using 1Spatial’s expertise to help us build a clear picture for UU.”

Dr Michael Sanderson, Director of Strategy at 1Spatial added:

“We are delighted to be working with UU to deliver insight and recommendations for approaches that will move the company forward. Not only will these tools help UU to meet its overall corporate goals, but they will also enable UU staff to work more efficiently and more confidently, thanks to a more complete and accurate data source.We have demonstrated the strength of the data improvement methodology and we hope that it will be at the forefront of smart approaches to network infrastructure management over the next five years.”

We see data differently. 1Spatial’s rules-based approach to capturing, validating and managing data enables customers to have confidence in not only their operational data, but also that with a location element. Even those with ‘big data’ are able to process and analyse information in a way traditional technologies do not allow.

By using Socium, 1Spatial’s cloud platform, to automatically validate and correct their data, customers benefit from unrivalled time and cost savings using a truly scalable, zero infrastructure environment.

1Spatial’s technology underpins data management and processing solutions across the globe. Customers range from National Mapping Agencies to Utilities, Defence and government departments, all working to improve efficiencies, reduce risk and promote continuous innovation. Visit www.1spatial.com

1Spatial’s data discovery process helps businesses to understand the data they have, the business context that it supports, what extra information is potentially available within that data and then whether it is fit for its intended purpose. From identifying gaps and non-conformances in datasets to exploring existing data to articulate business rules and capture business knowledge, 1Spatial helps businesses exploit what they already have to achieve business advantage and reduce operational costs. In this initial phase of the project for United Utilities, 1Spatial has used their Radius Studio technology platform to collaboratively capture and implement business rules, which United Utilities can use to assess the quality of their existing linear asset data, which includes asset data like reservoirs, water mains, sewers, manholes, water treatment works and aqueducts. During this discovery phase, 1Spatial has also helped United Utilities to define their data quality mission statement and started to build an agreed set of business rules that will ensure existing data, and any new data, conforms to that standard. The same rules-based approach has been used to discover and explore how the combination of multiple data sources, within Radius Studio, could automate actions to produce an improvement in the content and contextual value of United Utilities asset data holdings.

ASPRS Announces 2012 Award Winners

The Photogrammetric Award (Fairchild) was awarded to Dean W. Merchant, PhD, PE. at the 2012 Annual ASPRS Conference in Sacramento in March. This award, the essence of which is practicability, is designed to stimulate the development of the art of aerial photogrammetry in the United States. The selection committee makes its choice based on an outstanding invention or design involving any type of equipment that applies to the art of aerial photogrammetry; any outstanding method developed for the general use of aerial photographs and/or imagery; outstanding research for study along aerial photogrammetric lines and outstanding effort for the general advancement of the art of photogrammetry. Lockheed Martin donates funding for the award, which consists of a silver presentation plaque.

One of the pioneers in incorporating GPS with photogrammetric cameras, Merchant was awarded the Photogrammetric (Fairchild) Award for his activity in the in-situ calibration of GPS-assisted photogrammetric systems as well as other excellent and far reaching achievements. Merchant has been Professor Emeritus at The Ohio State University since 1988.

Additional awards made during the ASPRS 78th Annual Conference and administered by the ASPRS Foundation were:

Robert N. Colwell Memorial Fellowship
Winner: Meghan Graham MacLean, PhD candidate in Natural Resources and Earth Systems Science-Remote Sensing/GIS at the University of New Hampshire

Boeing Award for Best Paper in Image Analysis and Interpretation
Winners: Joe Fortier, John Rogan, Curtis E. Woodcock, and Daniel Miller Runfola for “Utilizing Temporally Invariant Calibration Sites to Classify Multiple Dates and Types of Satellite Imagery,” PE&RS, 77 (2), 181–189.

John I. Davidson President’s Award for Practical Papers
First Place Winners: Kass Green, Mark Tukman, and Mark Finkbeiner, for “Comparison of DMC, UltraCam, and ADS40 Imagery for Benthic Habitat and Propeller Scar Mapping.” PE&RS, 77 (6), 589-599.

ERDAS Award for Best Scientific Paper in Remote Sensing
First Place Winners: Jungho Im, Zhenyu Lu, and John R. Jensen for “A Genetic Algorithm Approach to Moving Threshold Optimization for Binary Change Detection,” PE&RS, 77 (2), 167–180.

ESRI Award for Best Scientific Paper in GIS
First Place Winners: Fayek A. Farag, Christopher M.U. Neale, Roger K. Kjelgren, and Joanna Endter-Wada for "Quantifying Urban Landscape Water Conservation Potential Using High Resolution Remote Sensing and GIS," PE&RS, 77 (11), 1113-1122.

Talbert Abrams Award
Grand Award Winners: Christopher E. Parrish, Inseong Jeong, Robert D. Nowak, and R. Brent Smith for "Empirical Comparison of Full-Waveform Lidar Algorithms: Range Extraction and Discrimination Performance," PE&RS, 77 (8), 825-838.

William A. Fischer Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Baojun Zheng, PhD student in the Department of Geography at the Virginia Tech University

Robert E. Altenhofen Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Ivan D. Detchev, doctoral candidate at the University of Calgary, Canada, Department of Geomatics Engineering

Ta Liang Memorial Award
Winner: Matthew Fagan, a PhD student in Environmental Biology at Columbia University, New York

Abraham Anson Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Bradley Scott Henning, South Dakota State University (SDSU), Brookings, South Dakota

John O. Behrens Institute for Land Information Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Tiffany Tatum, California State University, Fresno

Kenneth J. Osborn Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Andreas Torsvik, pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Geomatics Engineering from the California State University at Fresno

GeoEye Award
Winner: Katie Ann Corcoran, PhD student in Biological Anthropology at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville

Z/I Imaging Award
Winner: Jacky Chow, pursuing his PhD in Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary, Canada

International Educational Literature Award (IELA)
Winner: Mzuzu University, Department of Land Management, Mzuzu, Malawi

Francis H. Moffitt Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Ana Paula Baungarten Kersting, a PhD student in the Department of Geomatics Engineering at the University of Calgary, Canada

Paul R. Wolf Memorial Scholarship
Winner: Allan Ng, a PhD candidate in Civil Engineering-Geotechnical Engineering at the University of California-Los Angeles

BAE Systems Award
Winner: Nima Pahlevan, PhD Candidate, Rochester Institute of Technology for “Integrating Landsat-7 Imagery with Physics-based Models for Quantitative Mapping of Coastal Waters near River Discharges”

Ford Barlett Membership Award
Recipients: Steven P. Lennartz

Outstanding Workshop Instructor Award
Winner: Qassim Abdullah

Conference Management Awards
Recipients: Conference Co-Directors, Alan Mikuni and George Hepner and Conference Technical Program Co-Directors Maggi Kelly and Ryan Jensen

Presidential Citations
Recipients: Lewis Graham, Bobbi Lenczowski, Ekaterina Fitos, Devin Bourland, Thomas Holm, Brian Murphy, Kim Tilley, Carolyn Merry, Matthew Austin, Russell Congalton, Jeanie Congalton, Rae Kelley, Dave Kreighbaum, Jerry Lenczowski, Naresh Pai, James Plasker, Heather Staverman

Complete information on all of the above awards can be found at http://digitaleditions.walsworthprintgroup.com/publication/?i=103484&p=9.

Founded in 1934, ASPRS is an international professional organization of 6,000 geospatial data professionals. ASPRS is devoted to advancing knowledge and improving understanding of the mapping sciences to promote responsible application of photogrammetry, remote sensing, geographic information systems and supporting technologies.

Founded in 1979, The ASPRS Foundation, Inc. is an independent 501 (c) 3 organization established to provide grants, scholarships, loans and other forms of aid to individuals or organizations pursuing knowledge of imaging and geospatial information science and technology, and their applications across the scientific, governmental, and commercial sectors. The Foundation is the primary funding source for all non-sponsored awards and scholarships recognized by the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.

Geosoft 2012 Software Release Now Available

Geosoft has announced the availability of its 2012 Software Release, including updates to Oasis montaj, Target, Target for ArcGIS and GM-SYS Modelling software, and the new release of Geosoft VOXI Earth Modelling, a geophysical inversion software service that generates 3D voxel models from airborne or ground gravity and magnetic data. The 2012 release includes major 2D and 3D workflow enhancements and new capabilities that deliver greater efficiency and flexibility for resource explorers and earth scientists exploring the earth’s subsurface.

"Each year Geosoft has continued to make improvements in developing our software technology to support explorers challenged to visualize and analyze more complex structures, deeper under cover, within integrated interpretations," says Louis Racic, Geosoft Product Director. "The 2D to 3D workflow is an important one to get right, and a particular challenge for geoscientists working across GIS and exploration software platforms. Bridging the gap between 2D and 3D is a key improvement area within our 2012 Software Release.”

Release highlights

New capabilities and workflow improvements in the Geosoft 2012 Software Release help save time and provide greater flexibility when visualizing multidisciplinary geoscience data in 2D and 3D.

Improved 2D to 3D workflows in Target for ArcGIS: The 2D to 3D workflow enhancements, include new display capabilities, and new section import and export options. Layers, such as interpretation layers from sections or plans can now be easily displayed in their correct geospatial orientation within your 3D view. 2D section interpretations can be exported to a 3D georeferenced file, such as shapefiles or DXF files, to be shared with other 3D applications. 3D vector files, such as open pit outlines, and wire frames can now be easily imported to multiple section and plan maps.

3D Viewer improvements: Geosoft 3D gridding methods have been expanded to include IDW and direct gridding; these new methods better support the 3D gridding of a broad range of data types. Angled clipping of objects in 3D views provides the ability to clip parallel or perpendicular to dataset orientation or geological strike. Geoscientists can set a clipping plane that aligns with any direction chosen.

Expanded GM-SYS 3D density model support: Voxels can be used to define the 3D density variation within GM-SYS 3D model layers. This provides more direct integration with 3D seismic data as the generated density cubes may be used directly in the GM-SYS model.

BING Maps imagery: Geoscientists can now add satellite imagery to their basemaps by connecting to the Bing Maps online data source. This is a useful, additional data layer which provides geographic context to maps.

VOXI Earth Modelling

Geosoft VOXI Earth Modelling is a new geophysical inversion software service that generates 3D voxel models from airborne, ground gravity and magnetic data. VOXI Earth Modelling is accessible within Geosoft Oasis montaj and uses the power of cloud computing to rapidly invert large exploration datasets. More information on VOXI Earth Modelling is available at www.geosoft.com/voxi.

Release availability

Online installation of the Geosoft 2012 Software Release is available within Geosoft software and from the Downloads page within the Geosoft online support centre - www.geosoft.com/support. Information on how to request an update DVD is available in the Geosoft Support Knowledge Base.

Visit www.geosoft.com/whats-newfor detailed information on what’s included in the 2012 Software Release. For general Geosoft software enquiries and local representation, please contact explore@geosoft.com.

Since 1986, Geosoft has helped earth explorers make discoveries through data. Geosoft technology is industry-standard for 3D mapping and modelling of the Earth's subsurface, and for managing large geoscience data. With offices across five continents, and a network of international business partners, Geosoft serves thousands of clients within resource exploration industries, government and the earth sciences, including the most successful mineral and oil explorers in the world. Geosoft has been ranked as a Top 150 Technology Company, and one of the Ten Best Workplaces in Canada. For more information, visit www.geosoft.com.

Esri Experts Earn TM Forum Certification

Redlands, California - April 17, 2012 - Randy Frantz, Esri’s telecommunications and location-based services industry manager, and Mark Reddick, technical marketing analyst on Esri’s telecom solutions team, recently received certification in TM Forum’s Business Process Framework and Information Framework.

"Esri is embracing the standards adopted by the TM Forum in an effort to help meet the telecommunications industry’s need for spatial analytics and visualization," said Frantz. "Esri recognizes that the integration of GIS into existing business processes using industry-accepted standards reduces the cost and risk of deploying spatial technology."

As Esri incorporates TM Forum standards and terminology, it will become easier for telecommunications companies to integrate ArcGIS into existing platforms and business processes that adhere to the standards.

TM Forum standards allow vendors and suppliers to build platforms that meet telecommunications industry standards and enable service providers to deploy solutions that can be integrated into business processes with reduced implementation cost and risk. TM Forum estimates that 90 percent of the world’s largest telecommunications service providers have adopted TM Forum’s Frameworx suite of standards.

TGS Signs Agreement to Provide Access to Canadian Well Data via Geo Webworks

Calgary, Alberta - 19 April 2012 - TGS has entered into an agreement with Geo Webworks of Calgary to provide access to TGS’ online library of digital well log data across Western Canada. TGS currently has data available for 450,000 Canadian wells.

“We feel that our database is a natural addition to the content of Geo Webworks, especially since the challenging resource plays in Canada demand the improved accuracy provided by our LAS Plus and Directional Survey Plus data types,” commented John Adamick, Senior Vice President of Geological Products and Services at TGS.

Geo Webworks contains multiple GIS layers and includes a Frac Knowledge database, Well Spacing Module and an Acquisition and Divestment solution. TGS’ global well data library includes 6.6 million well logs from 32 countries that are available online via LOG-LINE Plus!®

TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company (TGS) provides multi-client geoscience data and services to oil and gas Exploration and Production companies around the globe. TGS’ geophysical and geological data products include multi-client seismic libraries, permanent reservoir monitoring, magnetic and gravity data, the industry’s largest global database of digital well logs and regional interpretive products. TGS also provides high-end depth imaging services to help resolve complex seismic imaging problems

SuperGIS Desktop Aids American University of Sharjah in Civil Engineering Programs

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, announced that American University of Sharjah, UAE adopted SuperGIS Desktop Lab Kit and GIS Learning CD. The procurement is recommended by Evolving GeoSystems, SuperGeo’s distributor in UAE, to enhance the academic service quality and create a positive learning environment for the users.

Established in 1997 and located in Sharjah, UAE, American University of Sharjah is established with an American model of higher education and ground in the Arabic culture. The university provides various degrees programs through the collages of Architecture, Art and Design, Arts and Sciences, Engineering, and the School of Business and Management.

In order to develop individuals as leaders in their respective fields, the Civil Engineering Department of American University of Sharjah adopted SuperGIS Desktop 3 Lab Kit and GIS Learning CD as the multi-purpose GIS tools for educators and students to integrate a variety of geospatial data and consequently apply these spatial analyses to related applications such as public safety, pipeline management, environment analysis, construction planning, and so on.

To constantly heighten the brand awareness in the Gulf Region, SuperGeo exhibited at Middle East Geospatial Forum in early April. The company worked in collaborationwith Evolving GeoSystems to present the idealGIS solutionsto the local visitors who are looking for appropriate solving ways to their businesses.

For more information about Evolving GeoSystems Technologies, please visit http://www.evolving-geosystems.com/

For more information about SuperGIS Desktop 3, please visit http://www.supergeotek.com/productpage_SG3.aspx

About SuperGeo

SuperGeo Technologies Inc. is a leading global provider of GIS software and solutions. Since the establishment, SuperGeo has dedicated to providing state-of-the-art geospatial technologies and comprehensive services for customers around the world. It is our vision to help users utilize geospatial technologies to create a better world.

SuperGeo software and applications have been spread over the world to be the backbone of the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. SuperGeo is the professional GIS vendor, providing GIS-related users with complete GIS solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms.

More information about SuperGeo is available at www.supergeotek.com

Intergraph Geospatial Roadshow Brings Dynamic GIS to Australia

Huntsville, AL - April 17, 2012 - Intergraph announces a roadshow across Australia, engaging customers locally from April 16 to May 1, 2012. Each event features a series of presentations from Intergraph personnel, partners and key customers showcasing the comprehensive portfolio and featuring implementations and workflows that highlight the Dynamic GIS story.

Current and prospective users will be able to experience the vision of the Dynamic GIS and how it integrates sensors, software and solutions into a streamlined workflow that addresses all aspects of the geospatial information life cycle. Products featured include GeoMedia, ERDAS IMAGINE and GeoMedia Smart Client.

"Our geospatial portfolio includes the industry's richest set of products, supporting key vertical market workflows," said Kaushik Chakraborty, Asia Pacific Vice President – Geospatial, Intergraph. "This roadshow brings together our community across Australia. We believe the Dynamic GIS concept will transform our industry, providing truly connected geospatial capabilities to solve real business and government challenges."

Below are the dates and locations for the roadshow:

April 17: The Rydges Capital Hill Canberra in Canberra, Australia
April 18: The Rydges World Square in Sydney, Australia
April 19: The Hilton Brisbane in Brisbane, Australia
April 23: The Parmelia Hilton Perth in Perth, Australia
The roadshow is the latest in a series of customer-focused efforts throughout Asia-Pacific. Recently, Intergraph was also a gold sponsor at the Malaysia Geospatial Forum in Melaka, Malaysia, showcasing demonstrations of GeoMedia Smart Client and Motion Video Analyst. In addition, Intergraph held its 2012 India Users' Conference on February 6 at Epicentre, Gurgaon, India.

To register for one of the roadshow events listed above, please visit our website.

About Intergraph

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.

Millions Saved by UK Councils Sharing Services Using Geographic Data

London - 18 April 2012 - The award winning partnership between Adur District Council and Worthing Borough Council in Sussex, England, is proving to be a nationally significant model for collaboration. It has achieved millions of pounds worth of savings by working together to create a single officer structure and deliver services to both communities by amalgamating services employed across the two councils including; Planning, Environmental Health, Electoral Registration, Waste Services, Land Charges, Concessionary Fares, Allotments and Park, Non Domestic Rates, Council Tax and Customer Relationship Management (CRM).

Of key importance was the creation of a single Corporate Information Team with responsibility for the Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPG), Geographical Information System (GIS), Street Naming and Numbering (SNN) and the Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA).

Gill Van-Eetvelt, Corporate Information Manager, Adur District and Worthing Borough Councils, said: “By working in partnership Adur and Worthing Councils have successfully managed to achieve unprecedented levels of integration. As a result we have realised significant financial savings and instigated more efficient ways of working. Underpinning this success is an integrated address database that has been developed and maintained to the highest standards providing location intelligence across the partnership.”

The partnership has initiated the development of systems and processes to integrate the data across both organisations. As a result most service areas are now actively using the same address data resulting in a more joined-up and efficient service delivery plan.

The Adur and Worthing partnership has successfully managed to achieve large scale integration making significant financial savings and instigating more efficient ways of working whilst still producing excellent quality LLPG data for both local authorities, used throughout the partnership and the wider public sector.

The Adur Worthing Partnership has been recognised with a ‘2011 National Gazetteers Integration Exemplar Best Practice Award’ at the ‘Everything Happens Somewhere conference’. The award, sponsored by SOCITM (the membership association for ICT professionals working in Local Authorities), recognised the linking of the LLPG to council services or local partnerships.

The 2011 Exemplar Awards were presented by GeoPlace and aim to share, reward and celebrate best practice, which brings service improvements and efficiencies through the effective management of address and street information.

National Address Gazetteer Database

The National Address Gazetteer database is managed by GeoPlace. It brings together data from local authorities’ Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPGs) Ordnance Survey, Valuation Office Agency and Royal Mail. AddressBase™ products are produced from the National Address Gazetteer Database and made available by Ordnance Survey. To find out how the National Address Gazetteer Database can make substantial savings for your organisation, please visit www.geoplace.co.uk

GeoPlace

GeoPlace is a public sector limited liability partnership between the Local Government Association and Ordnance Survey. GeoPlace’s role is to create and maintain the National Address Gazetteer Database and the National Street Gazetteer for England and Wales, the definitive sources of publicly-owned spatial address and street data. Through agreement with Scotland’s Improvement Service Company, the plan is to extend coverage to Scotland.

Local Government Association

The Local Government Association is here to support, promote and improve local government. The LGA is an organisation that is run by its members and covers every part of England and Wales and includes county and district councils, metropolitan and unitary councils, London boroughs, Welsh unitary councils, fire, police, national park and passenger transport authorities.

Ordnance Survey

Ordnance Survey is Great Britain’s national mapping agency, providing the most accurate and up-to-date geographic data, relied on by government, business and individuals. Ordnance Survey utilises the National Address Gazetteer Database to create the AddressBase range of products which are available for use in both the public and commercial sectors.

Peoria County Parcel Data Now an iOS App

Redlands, California  - April 17, 2012 - Real estate professionals, residents, and other consumers can now download a free iTunes application, Parcel Value GIS, to check the assessed value of properties in Peoria County, Illinois. The app was created using the Parcel Value for iPhone template from Esri.

Micah Williamson, GIS manager for Peoria County, said it took less than two days to get a testable beta app up and running on its servers. Since the app went live, there have been more than 435 downloads and plenty of positive feedback.

"People appreciate the convenience of being able to walk the neighborhood and learn about the area—to immediately see home values and nearby sales, instead of researching that back in the office," said Williamson. "We chose to build this app with Esri technology because of the ArcGIS for Local Government template, which comes preloaded with data and made development so easy."

The preloaded demo data from Esri includes centerlines, parking lots, vegetation, terrain, aerial photos, parcel data, and home values.

The app allows users to search by address or parcel identification number (PIN) or, using the iPhone's GPS technology, search by current location. Users can turn on or off layers that show home sales for 2010 and 2011, including information about assessed value and home details such as style, square footage, and number of bedrooms.

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

Countries of Congo Basin Using Geospatial Technologies

The partnership established in 2010 between the AFD and Astrium aims, in the long term, to freely distribute SPOT satellite images to governments, public institutions and NGOs that work for the sustainable management of forests in Central Africa.

This programmefor the provision of SPOT satellite images, which is financed by the AFD for a total sum of 8.5 million Euros, is now entering its second phase. It is piloted by Frenchinstitutions specialising in the field of spatial observation united as aconsortium led by IGN France International (IGN FI) and made up of the National Centre for Spatial Studies (CNES), the National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information (IGN) and the Institute of Research for Development (IRD).

Spatial observation has long been used by professionals in the forestry field as a decision-support tool for the planning and management of forests, inventory work and forest cartography. SPOT satellite imagery combines a large coverage capacity with resolutions spanning from 20 to 2.5 metres, allowing for accurate monitoring of forest coverage. The archiveimages (from 1990 to 2011)serve as reference data in order to assess the commitments related to REDD+. The acquisition of new images allows for the updating ofinformation over time in order to follow the evolution of deforestation and adapt environmental policies.

Vincent Kasulu Seya Makonga, Director of Sustainable Development and representative of the Democratic Republic of Congo for the framework convention of the United Nations on Climate Change (UNFCCC) welcomes the deployment of this project in his country: “The SPOT data is an essential information source and its provision provides real added value, especially for the Measurement, Reporting & Verification (MRV) system that we are implementing in the context ofREDD+ (Reduction of Emissions from Deforestation and the Degradation of forests), as well as for the development of our National Forest Inventory.”

The processing of the satellite images will allow the beneficiaries to be able to more easily analyse these data and to better use them in order to shape their strategic choices. The second phase will also contribute to the preparation of reference scenarios in terms of deforestation and the degradation of forests that are helpful for establishing national climate plans in the context of goals for the reduction of the emission of greenhouse gases.

Indeed, the forests of the Congo Basin represent 22% of forestry coverage worldwide and form a carbon reservoir of more than 56 gigatonnes. Their sustainable development is essential in preventing climate change.

Thanks to this initiative, the countries of the Congo Basin are reinforcing their commitment to the prevention of climate change.

About the French Agency of Development

The French Agency of Development (AFD) is a public institution that has been working for seventy years to fight poverty and favour development in Southern and overseas countries. It implements policies defined by the French government. With offices in over 50 countries and 9 overseas departments and territories, the AFD finances and supports projects that improve populations’ living conditions, boost economic growth and protect the planet: education, maternal health, support for farmers and small companies, water supply, preservation of tropical rain forests, prevention of global warming… In 2010, the AFD devoted more than 6.8 billion Euros to the financing of actions in developing countries and in favour of the overseas territories. They will contribute to the education of 13 million children, the improvement of the drinking water supply for 33 million people and the granting of micro-loans for a little over 700,000 people. Energy efficiency projects over the same period will save nearly 5 million tons of CO² per year.

IGN France International was created in 1986 and is the international subsidiary of the French IGN (National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information). Over the years, the company has shown itself to be an indispensable player in both of its sectors of intervention: geographic information (acquisition, processing, modelling) and geographic information systems (implementation and integration). It works on all types of projects in the following fields: Cadastre and land administration, urban planning, energy, environment, risk management, water, security/precision work, agriculture.

Sparx Systems Releases Profile for Esri® ArcGIS in Enterprise Architect

Sparx Systems, a leading vendor of visual modeling tools, has included the official release of a UML profile for ArcGIS in its launch of Enterprise Architect 9.3. The new Enterprise Architect profile for the ArcGIS 10 suite of tools by Esri Inc. enhances the way that architects and analysts work with geospatial databases.

The Sparx Systems' UML profile for ArcGIS is a new technology built on UML to design, build and share geodatabase schemas. Enterprise Architect provides a comprehensive toolset to build the ArcGIS models along with commonly used ArcGIS Workspace model templates. Models can be forward engineered to create the Workspace XML which is typically imported into ArcCatalog(TM). Legacy geodatabase schemas can be reverse engineered into Enterprise Architect to understand and document existing systems.

"This development reflects Sparx Systems' commitment to facilitating interoperability within the geospatial domain and is a practical extension of the strong relationship that the company enjoys with the global geospatial standards community through ISO/TC 211, OGC and CEN/TC 287," said Sparx Systems Business Development Manager, Ken Harkin.

In addition to the immediate benefits of modeling geospatial databases, this release helps to bridge the information gap between different domains, allowing geospatial components to be linked to requirements, system and business models. By bringing geospatial database design into a UML driven modeling repository, geodatabase designs can be created in a scalable environment based on open standards, linking to models and components in other domains and disciplines.

With the introduction of the Sparx Systems Enterprise Architect ArcGIS profile, geospatial experts are equipped with modeling tools to create and work with geodatabases as well as share and integrate their work with others.

SuperGIS Network Analyst Extension 3.0 Released Officially

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, officially launched the latest SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0. Utilizing SuperNetObjects 3.0 as the development core, SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0 adds hierarchy settings and greatly improves its performance in operation and analysis.

SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0 effectively helps users in all fields to perform different network analyses, such as transportation planning, shortest path for scenic spots, pipeline configuration planning, convenience store location, logistics, etc. Users can easily find the superior route planning or best site location according to the network analysis results.

Supporting the hierarchy setting, time window setting, and direction window, SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0 allows users to accomplish their route planning more efficiently and find the satisfying results. In aspect of network analysis types, location-allocation analysis is added to SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0, which enables you to allocate the facility to each stop with the minimum cost.

For manipulation, SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0 requires SuperGIS Desktop 3.1, the whole new desktop GIS software developed by SuperGeo. The key features of newly-released Network Analyst 3.0 are available on www.supergeotek.com; please refer to the document, ‘What's New in SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0’ for more details.

SuperGeo Technologies Inc. is a leading global provider of GIS software and solutions. Since the establishment, SuperGeo has been dedicated to providing state-of-the-art geospatial technologies and comprehensive services for customers around the world. It is our vision to help users utilize geospatial technologies to create a better world.

SuperGeo software and applications have been spread over the world to be the backbone of the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. SuperGeo is the professional GIS vendor, providing GIS-related users with complete GIS solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms.

Bluesky Streams 3D Aerial Maps Over Web

Leicestershire, UK - 17 April 2012 -  Aerial mapping company Bluesky has launched a new service streaming 3D aerial photos via the Internet. The Stereo Web Map (SWM) allows high resolution aerial images to be viewed in 3D and enables users to take height measurements from the images and digitise 3D mapping, all online. Applications of the SWM are expected to include insurance risk assessment, cartography, urban planning, construction and design, real estate and emergency response planning.

Overlapping stereo photographs from Bluesky’s own national archive of aerial imagery can be streamed directly to a user’s desktop where they can be viewed on a normal screen using anaglyph glasses, available to buy for a few pence, or, for more advanced applications, a 3D screen. The images can also be viewed on mobile devices. The 3D aerial photos can be viewed directly in a web browser or in most WMS compatible software.

Bluesky are also able to create a 3D image stream for other types of data including their own archive of historically important aerial photographs dating back to the early 1900’s, or a client’s own images, and combined with existing mapping and GIS layers.

“The Stereo Web Map takes aerial photography to the next level,” commented James Eddy, Technical Director of Bluesky International. “We are all used to being able to access 2D aerial maps through online services such as Google Earth however when you go to the next dimension a wealth of previously unavailable information becomes apparent. After all, we live in a 3D world, so we should view it that way”

“Stereo photogrammetry has been around for a long time and has been traditionally been reserved for high end applications with expensive equipment and software,” he continued. “Our Stereo Web Map service combined with the prevalence of 3D viewing devices will open up the world of 3D making it accessible to all.”

Bluesky is a UK-based specialist in aerial imaging and remote sensing data collection and processing.  An internationally recognised leader with projects extending around the globe, Bluesky is proud to work with prestigious organisations such as Google, the BBC and Government Agencies.

Bluesky has unrivalled expertise in the creation of seamless, digital aerial photography, 3D landscape/cityscape visualisations and prints and also runs a national mapping centre, providing digital mapping, satellite imagery and aerial photography including ultra-high resolution imagery of cities and towns.

Bluesky is now leading the way developing innovative solutions for environmental applications including the UK’s first nationwide map of solar potential, citywide ‘heat loss’ maps, 3D maps of trees and their proximity to buildings and historical imagery.

URISA Announces LiDAR Webinar Series

Des Plaines, IL - April 16, 2012 - URISA, the Association for GIS Professionals, is offering a three part LiDAR webinar series for all members of the geospatial community.

The first session, LiDAR 101, is scheduled for Wednesday, April 25th at 1 PM ET/ 10 AM PT. Followed by part two, Project Planning, on Wednesday, May 23rd and part three, Data Quality Control, on Wednesday, June 27th.

The purpose of this webinar series is to review concepts involving light detection and ranging (LiDAR), its real-world applications, current visualization, data processing and quality control approaches. The target audience of this webinar is at the beginner to intermediate level, including GIS managers, geospatial analysts, survey professionals, scientists and students.

Series presenter, Mark Stucky, currently serves as the MARS® Technical Support Specialist for the GeoSpatial Solutions division of Merrick & Company, a professional engineering services firm based in Aurora, Colorado (USA). In this position, Mark is responsible for technical support and software maintenance of MARS®, Merrick’s LiDAR visualization and data processing software solution. Mark is extensively involved in MARS® design, testing, and documentation.

URISA Connect is an effective way to develop your professional skills and even work towards GISCI Certification Education Hours. URISA Webinars count towards the EDU-2 section of the application.

MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica Fair Free Admission

In addition to lectures, courses and workshops, MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica 2012, the largest event of geospatial industry in Latin America, held from May 29 thru 31 at the Frei Caneca Convention Center in Sao Paulo (SP), Brazil, will feature an exhibition of products and services with free admission. The registration must be made in advance (http://mundogeoconnect.com/2012/credenciamento/), so that people can compete for daily prizes to be raffled during the event, and avoid queues at the time to validate access at the door.

Additionally, MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica fair awaits with the presence of multinational companies – through local representatives – such as Google Enterprise, products division of global giant corporate; Trimble and Hexagon, groups working in various sectors of the geospatial industry; and DigitalGlobe and GeoEye, providers of satellite images of high resolution. Take a tour of the fair plant and get to know who will exhibit their products and services: http://mundogeoconnect.com/2012/menu-superior/feira/planta-da-feira/.

In the first edition of the event, held in June 2011, the fair had an attendance of over 1,800 participants and 30 exhibitors. Iara Musse Felix, Director of Santiago & Cintra Consulting, said in an interview with MundoGEO, the innovations that the company brought to the event. “The big news [for a wide range of sectors] is what we call ‘Brazil Atual’: for the first time you can take images in a period of 12 months, covering the whole country with a resolution of five meters,” states Iara Musse. See the full interview at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1mDdGF4Kec.

Also, executives from some of these companies will attend the International Forum on Geospatial Trends, which will get going on the first day of MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica 2012, with simultaneous translation in English and Spanish. May 29 looks forward to welcoming hundreds of experts, users and decision makers of the geospatial industry, to hear the opinion and discuss trends in geospatial technologies for the years to come. This is one of the forums that can be found during MundoGEO#Connect LatinAmerica 2012.

New Rugged Trimble Pro Series GNSS Receivers Provide Total Flexibility for GIS and Mobile Mapping

Sunnyvale, CA - April 17, 2012 - Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today the next generation of its Trimble® GPS Pathfinder® family—the Trimble Pro 6H and Pro 6T receivers for GIS and mobile mapping. The Trimble Pro series with advanced features allows mobile workers to configure a solution for a wide range of applications, delivering unparalleled flexibility in professional GIS data collection. The series offers a new streamlined form-factor and dramatic productivity improvements in difficult GNSS environments with Trimble Floodlight™ technology.

The modular Trimble Pro series receiver gives users the flexibility to choose their setup configurations:

Optimized for use with Trimble data collection devices such as the Trimble Juno® or Nomad® G series handhelds, or Yuma® tablet computer, the Trimble Pro series can also be used with other tablets and handhelds with NMEA output
Real-time or postprocessed GIS workflows
The receiver can be deployed in a backpack, on a pole or mounted on a vehicle
Two models are available—the Trimble Pro 6H delivers decimeter accuracy, while the Pro 6T is the submeter model for standard GIS applications
"With the availability of the new Pro series receivers, data collection professionals now have access to the productivity-enhancements of Floodlight technology in both integrated and modular configurations," said Daniel Wallace, general manager of Trimble's GIS Data Collection Division. "While some prefer the convenience of an integrated, all-in-one handheld, others will appreciate the Pro series' flexibility to choose from a range of data collection devices such as a high-resolution tablet or lightweight Trimble Juno."

Improved Performance in Tough GNSS Environments with Trimble Floodlight Technology

For maximum productivity in high-accuracy applications, Trimble Floodlight technology allows users to collect decimeter accuracy data in the toughest GNSS environments. Buildings and trees can cause satellite shadow and limit the environments where high-accuracy GNSS data collection can be performed. Unique to Trimble, Floodlight technology combines a range of innovative techniques to increase the availability of positions and boost accuracy in areas affected by satellite shadow. Using Floodlight technology, the Pro series can keep teams productive without compromising on accuracy. Users can work with fewer disruptions and ensure better data, faster data collection and higher field efficiency.

Built for Intensive Data Collection Campaigns

Trimble Pro series receivers are rugged and built to withstand the rigors of long hours in tough outdoor conditions, yet optimized for high-accuracy GIS data collection workflows. For applications such as utilities inspections and timber stand valuations, Trimble Pro receivers provide long battery life and tough construction for dependable service over the course of rigorous data collection projects.

With its IP65 rating, the receivers offer reliable operation, even after prolonged exposure to water and dust. An integrated antenna reduces the complexity of the system for fast setup and swift data collection campaigns. Field workers can be up and running with minimal training, saving time and money. Combined with a Trimble handheld solution and Trimble TerraSync™ software, the complete system provides dedicated field workflows to simplify data collection and improve integration with the GIS for total workflow improvements.

Availability

The new Trimble Pro 6H and 6T receivers are available now from Trimble's worldwide Mapping & GIS authorized distribution channel. For more information, visit: www.trimble.com/pro.

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, Calif.

TomTom Delivers Broader and Richer Map Coverage for Business Customers

Amsterdam - 17 April 2012 - TomTom today announces the availability of its latest map product update for automotive, government, and enterprise customers. TomTom maps now cover more than 200 countries and territories globally, with navigable coverage for 109 countries or 36 million kilometres of roads.

"TomTom prides itself on being able to deliver a high quality map with industry leading coverage," said Charles Cautley, Managing Director of TomTom Automotive & Licensing. "In addition to superior coverage and high quality, TomTom continues to exceed customer needs for the most comprehensive map content."

Some of the enhancements include:

Continued expansion in India with the addition of over 2,000 km of roads in 47 cities.
In Brazil, 64,000 km of roads with navigable coverage were added.
A Mobile Mapping Van initiative in Mexico resulting in more than 5,000 improvements across 900,000 km.
Focus on the Mega Manila area of the Philippines with the addition of 22,000 km of navigable coverage.
Continued growth in Croatia resulting in navigable coverage for 100% of the population (140,000 km).
The introduction of a MultiNet map for Namibia and Botswana. This includes a significant number of topographic roads enabling off-road navigation.
In addition to extending coverage, TomTom also introduces new advanced features and enhanced content, including:

Points of Interest to improve search capability:
o 43,000 in Brazil.
o 34,000 in Vietnam.

Address Points enabling premium geocoding and navigation:
o 9.6 million in North America.
o 2.5 million in APAC.
o 10,000 in Europe.

Map Display products for advanced visualisation:
o 130 new 3D Landmarks in North America, including 17 stadiums.
o 88 new 3D Landmarks in India.
o 7 new 2D City Maps in APAC and Europe.
About TomTom

TomTom is a global supplier of location and navigation products and services. We provide consumers and enterprise, government and automotive industry customers with digital maps, traffic intelligence, navigation software, PNDs, automotive systems, fleet management services, smartphone apps, fitness devices, POIs and speedcam intelligence.

Headquartered in Amsterdam, TomTom has over 3,500 employees and operates from 50 locations in 35 countries.

TomTom is listed on NYSE Euronext. More information can be found at www.tomtom.com. For the most up-to-date route planner, including live traffic information please visit www.tomtom.com/livetraffic