Learn to Work with Lidar Data in ArcGIS 10.1 from Esri

With lidar data becoming more common and affordable, Esri software users now have a greater opportunity to use this 3D content within their geographic information system (GIS) workflows. In ArcGIS 10.1, Esri's upcoming software release, lidar data can be managed, viewed, updated, and shared, all while remaining in its native format.

To show you how to use lidar data in your workflows, Esri will host the live training seminar Working with Lidar Data in ArcGIS 10.1 on May 24, 2012. The seminar will introduce you to the methods with which ArcGIS can manage lidar data. You will learn how you can quickly view the data as points and triangulated irregular networks (TINs), take measurements, and edit classification codes. Since lidar data typically comes in collections of LAS files, you will also learn how to manage these collections using a mosaic dataset, as well as disseminate lidar data to desktop and web applications.

After watching this seminar, you will understand how to

Create and view surface models with lidar data
Edit LAS classification codes
Access LAS files from a mosaic dataset
This live training seminar is geared toward anyone who works with or is just starting to use lidar data. A basic knowledge of lidar and ArcGIS is recommended but not required.

Attendees need a broadband Internet connection and an Esri Global Account to watch the live training seminar. Creating an Esri Global Account is easy and free: visit esri.com/lts.

NexTraq Featured in Google Maps Video Case Study

NexTraq™, the value leader of GPS fleet tracking and vehicle management solutions, and Google Maps API for Business, announced the release of a video case study conducted by Google Enterprise on the NexTraq Fleet Tracking platform.

The video case study takes an in-depth look into the NexTraq Fleet Tracking platform technology and how NexTraq is using Google Maps API for Business technology. Google Enterprise recognized the NexTraq platform as the telematics industry’s most advanced and flexible solution, offering an open API, making it the platform of choice for fleet management. With NexTraq Fleet Tracking, businesses can save dispatchers’ and drivers’ time while increasing overall fleet productivity.

“Google Enterprise is the foremost leader for business productivity solutions and we are honored to be featured in its video case study,” said Mike Scarbrough, CEO of NexTraq. “We consistently provide innovative solutions to not only meet, but also exceed the needs of our customers. By integrating Google Maps with our fleet tracking platform, we are able to provide our customers with exceptional route optimization.”

Google Maps API for Business provides traffic updates, delivers real-time locations and optimized routing and driving directions for businesses to provide solutions to their customers. With its seamless integration and large scale deployment, Google Maps for Business provides the ideal solution for the NexTraq Fleet Tracking platform.

“Our customers value Google Maps for Business because it brings Google Maps features directly to the business setting,” adds Scarbrough. “With Google Maps as a business productivity provider, we can focus our energy on other ways of enhancing our platform to better serve current and future customers.”

Visit the Official Google Enterprise blog to find out more and watch Google's YouTube video showcasing NexTraq. For more information on the NexTraq Fleet Tracking platform, its applications – Fleet Mobile, Fleet Metrics and Fleet Dispatch - please visit http://www.nextraq.com or call us at 800.358.6178.

Established in 2000, NexTraq provides the highest value GPS fleet tracking solution in the telematics industry. The NexTraq platform is a cloud-based application that enables service and distribution businesses to optimize fleet operations while reducing operational costs and maximizing revenue. Based in Atlanta, NexTraq customers achieve ROI in as little as one month. For more information, please visit http://www.nextraq.com.

Intergraph® Announces APEM Selection of ERDAS APOLLO to Manage and Distribute Imagery and Vector Map

Intergraph® proudly announces that APEM Ltd has selected ERDAS APOLLO to manage and distribute terabytes of high resolution aerial photography and growing vector mapping data currently being acquired across the United Kingdom. Intergraph distributor Sterling assisted with the original selection of ERDAS APOLLO and will provide on-going support throughout the implementation process.

APEM has been operating for 25 years and is the UK’s leading specialist aquatic science consultancy, offering an integrated approach to every aspect of the scientific study and management of freshwater and marine habitats. APEM currently employs over 130 permanent scientific staff at eight locations across the UK. APEM’s Remote Sensing Division is responsible for all aspects of remote sensing and aerial survey and brings together 35 remote sensing scientists and technical experts to provide robust data to inform any line of inquiry.

“APEM has expanded in recent years, especially in terms of its remote sensing capabilities,” said Dr. Alastair Graham, Principal Remote Sensing Scientist, APEM. “The decision to implement ERDAS APOLLO is part of the next phase of strategic growth.”

Phil Cooper, Director, Sterling added “We are excited to work with the APEM team in the coming years with their ERDAS APOLLO implementation. We are committed to working with Intergraph to meet customer requirements in exploiting, managing and accessing large geospatial datasets.”

Sterling are the UK Distributor for Intergraph’s geospatial product portfolio, promoting ERDAS APOLLO as the leading technology in raster data management, enabling clients to rapidly ingest, manipulate and deliver terabytes of geographic data

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

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

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

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

Blue Marble Releases Global Mapper 13.2 with Enhancements to DigitalGlobe and Intermap Premium Data

Gardiner, Maine - May 16, 2012 - Blue Marble Geographics (www.bluemarblegeo.com) is pleased to announce the release of Global Mapper version 13.2.  This release features updated DigitalGlobe premium imagery with improved access to new DigitalGlobe servers.   Blue Marble’s geospatial data manipulation, visualization and conversion solutions are used worldwide by thousands of GIS analysts at software, oil and gas, mining, civil engineering, surveying, and technology companies, as well as governmental and university organizations.

Global Mapper 13.2 includes updates to the DigitalGlobe premium imagery in both speed and coverage. This service will give users faster access to more up-to-date and higher resolution imagery in most locations. Using the Download Online imagery/Data menu, we have added built-in access to Geologic Map datasets for most of the world. This release also features access to Intermap NextMap web store 2.0 for rich, high precision elevation and expanded coverage data sets.  Additionally, added to the imagery service is MapQuest OpenAerial Worldwide Imagery, now a built in source. There is also added support for specifying custom paper sizes for geospatial PDF support in version 13.2. This minor version release includes new format support for LogASCII, Norwegian SOSI export, PCI Geomatix PIX, NDVI in HDF5 format, EasyGPS .loc, and several other formats. There are noteworthy enhancements to the Digitizer tool as well as many other minor enhancements and updates throughout the software.

“Global Mapper’s access to quality data sets is an important part of the power of this leading data conversion service,” stated Blue Marble’s President Patrick Cunningham.  “We are pleased to work closely with data providers like Digital Globe, Intermap, and Spatial Energy to offer a premium variety of data sources that enhances our vast complementary data sources for our customers work.”

Blue Marble Geographics of Gardiner, ME is a leading developer and provider of software products and services for highly accurate geospatial data conversion solutions. Blue Marble is known for its coordinate conversion and GIS visualization software expertise including the Geographic Calculator and GeoCalc SDK, as well as Global Mapper. The company has been writing GIS software tools and solutions for almost 20 years and currently serves hundreds of thousands of users worldwide. Learn more at www.bluemarblegeo.com.

Esri Canada to Bring Together Public-Private Collaboration to Build a Geospatial Data Exchange

QUÉBEC CITY - Global Geospatial Conference - Esri Canada today announced that the company has been selected by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to lead the GeoFoundation Exchange project. The project, which is partly funded under NRCan's GeoConnections program, focuses on developing a prototype for an open, Web-based system that will enable cost-effective and efficient sharing of geographic basemap data across the country. The GeoFoundation Exchange is essential to the creation and maintenance of the most current national Web basemap of Canada.

“Natural Resources Canada is working with private, public and academic organizations to facilitate the development of world-class geospatial tools and technologies,” said the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. “Open and accessible data is a key strategy of ours to increase the availability of information to Canadians, create socio-economic opportunities and enable citizens to participate more fully in the process of government.”

NRCan is bringing together federal, provincial and territorial governments and the private sector to collaborate and better meet the geospatial demands of Canadians. This collaboration will also help to effectively respond to critical priorities while reducing costs to government and private-sector companies.

Geographic information systems (GIS), combined with other technology, will be used to establish a federated infrastructure shared among all levels of Canadian government, non-government organizations, industry and academia. This will help increase productivity by automating the updating of data. The system will support bi-directional exchange of information, providing all agencies and the public with consistent, current and authoritative data for the national Web basemap.

While there are numerous Canadian mapping initiatives by the public and private sectors, there is often a significant lag time between when a data producer creates data updates and when this data eventually makes it into the national Web basemap. This lag often results in duplicate update efforts, unsynchronized data and a lack of standards in workflows and terminology. The GeoFoundation Exchange will allow for the development of standard workflows for creating and maintaining Canada's basemaps and the improved efficiency and coordination of mapping efforts.

Esri Canada has been at the forefront of providing solutions for broad data sharing. Through its Community Maps Program, the company has established a cloud-based framework for developing a detailed, online national basemap of Canada. The basemap is built from authoritative data contributed by more than 100 organizations across the country. It is free to the public and can be used to develop new or enhance existing mapping applications. The basemap has been used to develop innovative Web applications including Trans Canada Trail's Explore the Trail application, ReNew Canada's Top 100 Infrastructure Projects application and several Web maps that show the changes in Canada's political landscape and population density over time.

Financial support for the GeoFoundation Exchange project is provided by GeoConnections, a national collaborative initiative led by Natural Resources Canada.  GeoConnections supports the integration and use of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), an on-line resource that improves the sharing, access and use of open geospatial information. More information can be found at geoconnections.nrcan.gc.ca.

Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission-critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography.  The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from Esri, Telvent, Cityworks – Azteca Systems, Inc. and other technology partners.  Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada and has been named as one of the top 250 Canadian IT companies and top 25 IT professional services providers in Canada by the Branham Group.  Information about Esri Canada can be found at esri.ca.

NOAA, BOEM: Historic, 19th Century Shipwreck Discovered in Northern Gulf Of Mexico

During a recent Gulf of Mexico expedition, NOAA, BOEM and partners discovered an historic wooden-hulled vessel which is believed to have sunk as long as 200 years ago. Scientists on board the NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer used underwater robots with lights and high definition cameras to view remnants of the ship laden with anchors, navigational instruments, glass bottles, ceramic plates, cannons, and boxes of muskets.

Equipped with telepresence technology, Okeanos Explorer reached audiences around the world who participated in the expedition through live streaming Internet video. As members of the public ashore watched live video from the ocean bottom, they became “citizen explorers,” sharing in the discovery with maritime archaeologists, scientists and resource managers from a variety of federal, academic, and private organizations.

The NOAA-funded 56-day expedition that ended April 29 was exploring poorly known regions of the Gulf, mapping and imaging unknown or little-known features and habitats, developing and testing a method to measure the rate that gas rises from naturally-occurring seeps on the seafloor, and investigating potential shipwreck sites.

Video footage (mp3) captured by the Little Hercules remotely operated vehicle (ROV) and camera platform during the April 26 ROV dive from NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer during the Gulf of Mexico Expedition 2012.
Download here. (Credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program.)

The shipwreck site was originally identified as an unknown sonar contact during a 2011 oil and gas survey for Shell Oil Company. The Department of Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) requested this and other potential shipwreck sites be investigated during NOAA’s Gulf of Mexico expedition. Surveys and archaeological assessments are required by BOEM to aid in its decision-making prior to issuing permits for bottom-disturbing activities related to oil and gas exploration and development.

“Artifacts in and around the wreck and the hull’s copper sheathing may date the vessel to the early to mid-19th century,” said Jack Irion, Ph.D., a maritime archaeologist with BOEM. “Some of the more datable objects include what appears to be a type of ceramic plate that was popular between 1800 and 1830, and a wide variety of glass bottles. A rare ship’s stove on the site is one of only a handful of surviving examples in the world and the second one found on a shipwreck in the Gulf of Mexico.”

Significant historical events occurring in the regions around the Gulf of Mexico during this time include the War of 1812, events leading to the Texas Revolution, and the Mexican-American War, he said.

“Shipwrecks help to fill in some of the unwritten pages of history,” said Frank Cantelas, a maritime archaeologist withNOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. “We explored four shipwrecks during this expedition and I believe this wreck was by far the most interesting and historic. The site is nearly 200 miles off the Gulf coast in over 4,000 feet of water in a relatively unexplored area.”

The expedition also discovered areas exhibiting rich biodiversity. At the base of the West Florida Escarpment, a steep undersea cliff, explorers found a “forest” of deep corals, several of which were new to scientists on the ship and ashore. For several days the expedition team also imaged deep-coral communities in the vicinity of the Macondo oil spill site. On another part of the expedition, team members designed and installed a device on the ship’s undersea robot system, or ROV (remotely-operated vehicle), to measure the rate that gas rises in the water column.

“Testing new methods and technologies is a priority,” said Tim Arcano, director of NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research. “We plan for ocean exploration to foster both follow-on research, and develop new technologies to help ocean resource managers and others better understand, use, and protect our largely unknown ocean and its resources.”

An anemone lives on top of a musket that lies across a whole group of muskets at the site of the shipwreck.
Download here. (Credit: NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program.)

Okeanos Explorer is equipped with: a state-of-the-art multibeam mapping sonar; the Institute for Exploration’s Little Hercules ROV, which made 29 dives; and telepresence technology that uses satellite and high-speed Internet pathways between ship and shore, allowing scientists ashore to participate in the mission in real-time, and general audiences to be “citizen explorers” as the mission unfolds, live.

Background information, web logs from scientists at sea and ashore, video clips, still images, and education lesson plans describing the expedition are available online.

Partners in the 2012 Gulf of Mexico expedition included a number of NOAA offices, BOEM, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, C&C Technologies, Florida Atlantic University, Geoscience Earth & Marine Services, Louisiana State University, Mississippi State University’s Science and Technology Center at Stennis, Naval History and Heritage Command, NOAA Northern Gulf Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Temple University, Tesla Offshore LLC, Institute for Exploration, University Corporation for Atmospheric Research Joint Office for Science Support, University of New Hampshire, University of North Carolina Wilmington, University of Rhode Island, University of Texas at Austin, and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

BOEM manages the exploration and development of the nation's offshore energy and mineral resources. The bureau seeks to balance economic development, energy production, and environmental protection through oil and gas leasing, renewable energy development and environmental reviews and studies.

The NOAA Ocean Exploration Program is the only federal program dedicated to systematic exploration of the planet’s largely unknown ocean. NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer is operated, managed and maintained by NOAA’s Office of Marine and Aviation Operations which includes commissioned officers of the NOAA Corps and civilian wage mariners. NOAA’s Office of Ocean Exploration and Research operates, manages and maintains the cutting-edge ocean exploration systems on the vessel and ashore.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Join us on Facebook , Twitter and our other social media channels.

Telmap Navigator, Free for Blackberry Users in the UK

Telmap, pioneers in mobile location-based services, announced today that a new version of its Telmap Navigator mobile application is now available for free to Blackberry users in the UK.
Telmap Navigator can be downloaded on Blackberry’s AppWorld and for the first time enables Blackberry users to turn their devices for free, into a real local search, mapping and navigation system with in-car navigation with 3D moving maps, voice-guided instructions, a dedicated pedestrian navigation mode, and a postcode business and address search that’s specially tailored for UK users.
In addition, Telmap Navigator enables easy exploration of one’s surroundings with free access to nearby restaurants, pubs and plenty of activities provided by TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet. Moreover, Telmap Navigator offers a layer of ultra-local content that’s specific to UK users and will optimize their on-the-go experience with access to information from local brands such as Barclays Cycle, Ordnance Survey, and more. With Telmap Navigator, users can also keep in touch with their community through integrations with Facebook, Twitter, and the extremely popular BlackBerry Messenger, a must-have for BlackBerry users who will be able to communicate their location through BBM and locate their BBM contacts, all from within Telmap Navigator.
“Telmap’s vision is all about providing people with instant, relevant, reliable and fun information while on-the-go, and we are happy to be able to offer just that to UK users of Blackberry devices. We have optimized the app to the Blackberry device for a great user experience and are confident that by using Telmap Navigator, Blackberry users will be able to derive a lot more value from their devices”, said Motti Kushnir, Telmap Chief Marketing Officer.
Telmap Navigator is available for free download on Blackberrry’s AppWorld. It’s available to UK users, on the following Blackberry models (both touch and non-touch devices): BB9900, BB9810, BB9790, BB9380, BB9360, BB9800, BB9320, BB9300. Click here to download.


Telmap, which is an Intel company since 2011, is a world leader in mobile location-based services, providing mobile operators with cloud-based, managed location-based services that are fully designed to open new business opportunities and generate new revenue streams. The company has established a solid reputation for providing its customers with innovative, value added end-to-end mobile location based services that enrich on-the-go experiences through integration of local content, community interactions, and relevant retail offers.
The Telmap end-to-end offering is comprised of three parts: First, Telmap's flagship product, the Mobile Location Companion that caters to all users’ needs while out and about, with location central to everything: social interactions, deals and promotions, exploration of one’s surroundings, and more. Second, the Telmap offering includes a robust location platform with a set of APIs that are designed to support Telmap customers and third party developers in delivering a strong LBS strategy and are available through the Intel Developer Program. And third, a full set of professional services such as porting, billing and local content integrations, channel marketing, business intelligence and more.
Telmap is the #1 provider of choice for mobile location-based services and its technology has been selected by leading industry players such as Orange France, Vodafone, Vodacom, Cell C, SFR, O2, Telefonica, SingTel, OPTUS, Cellcom, Pelephone, Partner and more.
For more information, please visit www.telmap.com, or look for the Telmap page on Facebook.

Intergraph's LPS Supports VisionMap A3 Imagery

VisionMap Ltd, announced today that its A3 digital aerial camera imagery is now supported by Intergraph's LPS photogrammetry software. This new compatibility provides LPS users the ability to perform stereo compilation with A3 imagery for mapping applications.

The VisionMap A3 digital aerial camera covers a larger area than other aerial cameras, with a footprint of 60,000 pixels across flight track. Its long focal length enables the capture of high-resolution imagery from higher altitudes, simplifying the flight planning and operations of survey projects. Additionally, the A3’s wide field-of-view (up to 109 degrees) allows it to collect multi-directional images of each point in both vertical and oblique angles.

LPS joins a group of photogrammetric suites that support A3 imagery, including DAT/EM, Socet Set, Photomod, ESPA, Atlas, Orbit GIS, and MultiVision.

VisionMap Ltd. is a leading provider of digital automatic aerial survey and mapping systems. Its flagship A3 solution, comprised of a large format camera and automatic processing system, is known for its capability to capture and process areas 2-3 times larger than other available systems in significantly less time, while reducing operational costs. The system supports extremely large scale projects and automatically produces Aerial Triangulations, DSM and Orthophoto mosaic as well as Stereo Models and Geo-referenced Oblique images. VisionMap systems are successfully deployed around the world. For more information visit www.visionmap.com.

T.U. Parks Construction Chooses Leica Geosystems iCON Robotic Total Station

T.U. Parks Construction Company of Chattanooga, Tennessee was founded in 1944 as a one-man construction firm and has grown into one of Tennessee's most progressive contractors, with a long history of health care work. The firm recently purchased Leica Geosystems iCON robotic total station in order to convert to one-man layout crews, and as the basis for a technologically superior construction layout system. The new instrument is getting its first big test on one of Chattanooga's largest ongoing construction projects, the remodel and reconstruction of Memorial Hospital’s Glenwood Campus South Addition.

"Just this part of the project is 190,000 square feet of new construction and remodeling," says Job Superintendent Gary Frame, "And most of it is adjacent to the intensive care units and surgery areas—we need to get our job done efficiently while staying out of the way. Reducing the number of personnel we have onsite is a good way to do that."

The iCON system is a suite of hardware and software optimized for construction and machine control. Total stations, machine control systems, GPS equipment, tablet PCs and PDAs are all connected around the central hub of Leica's iCONstruct field software, which can pass information back and forth wirelessly from field to office and from instrument to instrument. It's a powerful and easy-to-use system that cuts the time for common construction tasks while improving accuracy and reliability.

"With a two-man crew, there used to be two places for errors," explains Frame, "Now, with one man operating the instrument, and setting and marking points, our construction layout is more reliable and there's no opportunity for communication errors. And with the iCON equipment, I'm even able to work faster than with a two-man crew."

"As a company, Leica Geosystems continues to focus on the construction industry and progressive builders like T.U. Parks," said Pat Smith, Building and Construction Segment Business Manager for Leica Geosystems. "The workflows and data needs of contractors are different than those of surveyors, and most vendors don't seem to know that. This purchase is an endorsement of the work Leica has done to get it right."

Leica Geosystems – when it has to be right

With close to 200 years of pioneering solutions to measure the world, Leica Geosystems products and services are trusted by professionals worldwide to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems is best known for its broad array of products that capture accurately, model quickly, analyze easily, and visualize and present spatial information.

Those who use Leica Geosystems products every day trust them for their dependability, the value they deliver, and the superior customer support. Based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland, Leica Geosystems is a global company with tens of thousands of customers supported by more than 3,500 employees in 28 countries and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world. Leica Geosystems is part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden.

TrackIT launches Corporate Asset Tracking Solution on Cloud

TrackIT Solutions, pioneer in RFID solutions in the Middle East, launched EnTrackAsset, a complete RFID and Barcode enabled Corporate Asset Tracking Solution on Cloud during the R.F.I.D World Middle East 2012 trade show and exhibition at Abu Dhabi.

EnTrackAsset is targeted at businesses, facing difficulty in tracking their fixed assets, which may be in a single location or distributed in multiple locations. It delivers the business benefits of effective asset tracking, without the burden of heavy infrastructure and capital investments.

Mr. Soma Sekhar Vedantam, CEO of TrackIT Solutions FZ LLC, said, "The application is on the Cloud, so it incurs very little capital expenditure. This is a convenient 'pay-per-use' service where the clients can make easy monthly payments. The clients don't need any other IT infrastructure except a computer and access to the internet. The servers/ data base licenses will be managed by TrackIT. Therefore, practically, the system can be operational right away."

Emphasizing on the strong uptime for the solution, he explained, "Since the application will be maintained by TrackIT, any issues in the application will be attended to immediately. As the process includes the use of hand held readers, we also provide 24/7 remote support for hand held devices."

"EnTrackAsset streamlines and automates the process of corporate asset tracking from the asset acquisition stage to its disposal. It helps in effectively managing an organization's physical assets and keeps an effective inventory of assets they own, and how those assets are used throughout. Companies can use EnTrackAsset to reduce their operating costs, decrease maintenance costs, and optimize asset utilization. Our system works great for periodic asset audits. As it is hosted, the updated data can be accessed from anywhere anytime" he added.

How EnTrackAsset works

The system proposed consists of two components: Mobile Handheld readers & Web enabled software application. The web enabled application houses the information about the assets, where as the hand held component would complement this information by providing the necessary accurate and the most 'current' information to update the data in the web application. The result is that, the latest up-to-date information about the assets can be pulled from the application at any given time from anywhere, once one has authenticated access to the system.

The assets can be tagged with Ultra High Frequency passive RFID tags or barcodes. The tag IDs are associated with the assets in the system. Once this association is done any reconciliation information on the ground with respect to the assets can be captured on the field by the hand held device and can be synchronized back into the web enabled system thereby ensuring the the 'reconciliation'.

GstarCAD MC1.2 Officially Released

Beijing, China - May 16, 2012 - With the release of GstarCAD MC1.1 for Apple’s IOS last year, this free Mobile Client has attracted users all over the world with its features and received high praise. As the leading 2D/3D CAD software provider, Gstarsoft today proudly launched GstarCAD MC 1.2, the latest upgrading version.

Compared with the previous version, GstarCAD MC 1.2 has been enhanced a lot. The highlight of this version in functionality is the capability of opening attachments in the email and sending email as well. After downloading the attachments from the mail, users can view and edit the .ocf format attachments in the GstarCAD MC 1.2 directly. Unlike the previous version that the converted .ocf files have to be transmitted to iPad & iPhone and iTouch through iTunes and data cable, this version supports email manipulation which brings more convenience. What’s more, sharing drawings becomes faster in this way.

In addition to the attachments in the email that are accessible, the .ocf files in various storage applications such as webpage, network hard drive and cloud computing storage are also approachable. Users can download the .ocf files from their storages, for example, Google Drive, SkyDrive, Baidu Network Disc etc. What’s more, users can also set up a synchronous path in their computers. The .ocf files can be synchronously transmitted to their storages as long as these files have been copied to this path.

The next version is also in development and will be released soon. Some powerful functions will be included in this version, such as operating on the new iPad which has high resolution, layers view, three-dimensional shading, etc.


Price and Availability
The software is now available at no charge from the Apple iTunes Store at http://itunes.apple.com/app/gstarcad-mc/id456933691?mt=8

GstarCAD is fast, powerful, .dwg-compatible CAD software for the AEC, mechanical, manufacturing, electrical, GIS, survey and mapping industries. The world-class 2D/3D CAD software platform is based on IntelliCAD technology.

GstarCAD's powerful functions, .dwg compatibility, and programming platform, are built on a cost-effective solution with an easy to user interface. Gstarsoft ensures that your design inspiration comes true.

Bentley Acquires InspectTech, Leading Provider of Software-as-a-Service for Bridge Safety

PHILADELPHIA – Be Together: The Bentley User Conference – Bentley Systems, Incorporated, the leading company dedicated to providing comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, today announced at this gathering of infrastructure professionals from around the world that it has acquired InspectTech Systems, Inc., a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based provider of field inspection applications and asset management services for bridges and other transportation assets. Among current InspectTech users are federal and state departments of transportation, major transit agencies, toll authorities, counties, cities, and national and local consultants across the United States, as well as a major roadway authority in Australia. The InspectTech software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution helps asset owners streamline the process of planning inspections, collecting and managing inspection data, and complying with government reporting requirements. Benefits include a disciplined and systematic process, automated compliance reporting, reduced cost of inspections, and the ability to make better, more-informed decisions, leading to increased transportation safety. Bentley’s goal is to exploit the full potential of new capabilities for information mobility to enhance asset management by integrating information modeling with inspection processes.

Bentley Systems CEO Greg Bentley said, “On behalf of my colleagues at Bentley, I welcome these young and energetic entrepreneurs from InspectTech to our company. Mike Schellhase and Jeremy Shaffer, talented computer engineering graduates of Carnegie Mellon, had the vision ten years ago, right out of school, to apply a scalable server-based IT solution to address one of the world’s most pressing problems – infrastructure operational safety in general, and bridge safety in particular. They focused their efforts on building innovative products to deliver real value and reduced risk for owners and travelers, which has resulted in a fast-growing, highly successful business, already known for its software and services quality.”

He continued, “We will together be able to associate observed conditions and designed conditions through 3D as-built models – now readily available through point-cloud scans, managed and streamed through ProjectWise Point-cloud Services by way of hypermodels – linking surveyed and digital assets. By incorporating InspectTech services within our AssetWise platform, we will be uniquely able to fully serve bridge and other transportation owners with Bentley’s bridge information modeling (BrIM) benefits including, for example, Exor linear referencing and incident management, and SUPERLOAD permitting. In addition, through InspectTech’s ongoing role in developing for AASHTO (American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials) its PONTIS BRIDGEWare software, we look forward to working more directly with the departments of transportation to meet their bridge planning priorities.”

Jan Wiley, Bridge Management Engineer, Iowa DOT, said, “We are excited about the acquisition of InspectTech by Bentley Systems. We work closely with both companies and have received excellent support and service from both. We are confident, with Bentley’s history of acquisitions, that we will continue to see growth and integration of the InspectTech products and services that we depend on. Iowa DOT is a user of Bentley SUPERLOAD, and we feel one of the greatest benefits of this acquisition is that it will bring about improved workflows for bridge inspections and overweight and oversize solutions from Bentley. This will further improve the DOT’s ability to keep up-to-date information readily available and easily accessible for improving safety for routing and permitting operations.”

Mike Schellhase, InspectTech founding CEO and now Bentley product development director, said, “Jeremy and I, with our entire team, are enthusiastic about working with our new Bentley colleagues to globalize and integrate our InspectTech inspection workflows. It will be exciting to further advance what’s possible, as information mobility progresses rapidly in the convergence of designed and surveyed conditions – what we might call ‘as-operated’ information modeling – to improve asset performance and safety.”

He added, “As we’ve learned so much about transportation departments’ urgent needs and priorities in this respect, we are eager to scale up, through Bentley, to serve them all!”

About InspectTech’s Offerings

In InspectTech’s SaaS solution, the Collector server software is used to manage inspection workflows, schedule inspections, and to receive and store completed inspection information. The Collector mobile application is installed on a laptop or tablet device and is used by the inspector to gather and record inspection information in the field. The Manager server software is used to analyze and report upon the accumulated inspection information that is gathered for each asset over time. Inspection information can include text, models, drawings, images, video, audio, PDFs, and other data types. Representative InspectTech users and case studies can be found at www.inspecttech.com/casestudies.asp and www.inspecttech.com/downloads/HDR.pdf.

For additional information, visit www.bentley.com/InspectTech.

Be Together: The Bentley User Conference, taking place this week at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia, enables the architects, engineers, constructors, geospatial and operations professionals, and CAD managers who regularly exchange ideas virtually on the Be Communities professional networking site to connect, communicate, and learn from each other in person. In addition, guided by Bentley product experts, attendees acquire knowledge crucial to the adoption of information-modeling best practices as they earn Bentley Institute Learning Units to maximize return on time invested in professional development. The conference hosts 12 tracks: Bentley Civil, Bridge, Building, Communications, Engineering Information Management (including ProjectWise and AssetWise), Geospatial, Geotechnical, MicroStation, Plant, Structural, Utilities, and Water. For additional information about the conference, visit www.bentley.com/BeTogether.

Bentley is the global leader dedicated to providing architects, engineers, geospatial professionals, constructors, and owner-operators with comprehensive software solutions for sustaining infrastructure. Bentley’s mission is to empower its users to leverage information modeling through integrated projects for high-performing intelligent infrastructure. Its solutions encompass the MicroStation platform for infrastructure design and modeling, the ProjectWise platform for infrastructure project team collaboration and work sharing, and the AssetWise platform for infrastructure asset operations – all supporting a broad portfolio of interoperable applications and complemented by worldwide professional services. Founded in 1984, Bentley has grown to nearly 3,000 colleagues in more than 45 countries and over $500 million in annual revenues. Since 2003, the company has invested more than $1 billion in research, development, and acquisitions.

Additional information about Bentley is available at www.bentley.com and in Bentley’s annual report. For Bentley news as it happens, subscribe to an RSS feed of Bentley press releases and news alerts. To view a searchable collection of innovative infrastructure projects from the annual Be Inspired Awards, access Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure publications. To access a professional networking site that enables members of the infrastructure community to connect, communicate, and learn from each other, visit Be Communities.

To download the Bentley Infrastructure 500 Top Owners ranking, a unique global compendium of the top public- and private-sector owners of infrastructure based on the value of their cumulative infrastructure investments, visit www.bentley.com/500

Geosemble Release Integrates Social Media with the Latest Satellite Imagery

Geosemble Technologies today released its newest version GeoXray™ 3.0 software suite for automatic visualization and analysis of information about places. The 3.0 release features the capability for filtering and visualizing content both by topic and location, delivering workflow acceleration for government and commercial users and a reduced need for trained staff. A major feature of the new release is the ability to tap public sources of satellite imagery to compare recent news and social media against the latest aerial image collections.

Commenting on the new release, Geosemble CEO Andre Doumitt noted that, “with so much new data being created every day, it’s becoming more difficult to find relevant information about places,” he said. “GeoXray 3.0 will allow users the benefit of automatic analysis of open source information as it relates to their areas of geographic focus. Further, users can now compare that information to the most recent, publicly available satellite imagery overlays, thereby integrating open source intelligence with open source imagery for a complete picture of a given area,” he said.

Users of GeoXray can include anyone with a geographic area of interest, including cities with geographic boundary responsibilities, Federal Government and US Military users with areas of geographic focus, and companies with sales territories where they may be monitoring business opportunities and supply chain risk. Citing recent customer feedback, Doumitt noted that “GeoXray 3.0 has the potential to save users 2-4 hours per day of search time” when topics of interest – business, government or humanitarian related issues – can consume vast research time from trained personnel focused on specific geographic regions.

The newest release of GeoXray contains important new capabilities that include:

Imagery Web Services, integration of standard WMS/WFS image services to overlay imagery on top of a tile map. Geosemble can consume DigitalGlobe’s FirstLook online service, an on-demand crisis response subscription offering that delivers workflow-ready imagery content over approximately 100 zones per year.
An Interface for linking to the DOD’s Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS)
Statistical analysis across documents that refer to a location to retrieve unique keywords and phrases that represent that location
Ability to filter on documents that contain photos
Enhanced time filtering by hour and minute of source availability time
Enhancements to the API to ensure robust capability when viewing GeoXray server content via other viewers such as BAE Systems’ GXP Xplorer and ESRI’s ArcGIS
About GeoXray

GeoXray™ is a software product that spatially enables unstructured text from the internet and other sources so that viewers can geographically “see” what’s related to a particular area of interest, either in a map view or as a list of textual content. Integrating news, blogs, tweets, YouTube and an organization’s proprietary data, the system gives users a “triple filter” of sorting by location, by topic and by time so that users can start with a place they care about and learn about things they’re interested in. GeoXray supports alert monitoring to desktop and mobile devices. The output of GeoXray can be viewed in its own native GeoXray viewer or tapped via an API and displayed on a variety of systems.

Founded in 2004, Geosemble Technologies helps organizations visualize relevant data geographically. The company’s flagship product, GeoXray™, links unstructured content to locations. Its MapStrata product extracts raster map data and automatically overlays and aligns it on aerial imagery. Uses for the technology include Government and Military programs, municipal redevelopment, Business Intelligence, Enterprise Search, and geographic content delivery for mobile phone users. The company is an In-Q-Tel portfolio company, a strategic Google® Earth Enterprise Partner, and a developer in the Oracle® PartnerNetwork, and a DARPA SBIR Phase II contractor. Geosemble Technologies, Inc. is privately held. Learn more at http://www.geosemble.com.

National Geographic & Trail Of The Ancients To Launch Comprehensive Four Corners Geotourism Mapguide

Local community leaders, regional and state tourism managers and Geotourism site nominees will meet at the Aztec Ruins National Monument on Saturday, June 2, 2012, at 11 a.m., to launch the Four Corners Geotourism website and Geotourism MapGuide with National Geographic Maps. The landmark project has taken two years to plan and execute and is a historically significant asset for everyone who visits or lives in the Four Corners region.

The Geotourism MapGuide highlights the enchanted landscapes and enduring people of the region where four states and many cultures merge. It is designed to showcase to national and international audiences the natural, cultural and historic attractions that define the Four Corners region.

From Acoma Pueblo to Zapata Ranch to Twin Rocks Cafe, locals sent in more than 800 nominations of their favorite points of interest; historic, cultural and natural landmarks; events; artisans; and attractions, which capture the region's unique character and beauty. The MapGuide will be sold in various outlets throughout the Four Corners region. The website may be viewed at www.FourCornersGeotourism.com. Residents and visitors alike may continue to nominate new sites, events and special places to the website, which will be dynamic and constantly changing.

"The Four Corners Geotourism MapGuide and website showcase what makes the Four Corners Region so culturally and geographically significant," said James Dion, sustainable tourism program manager, National Geographic Maps. "More than ever, this project underscores the importance of conserving the region's tremendous scenic, historic and cultural assets for future generations."

The Four Corners Geotourism MapGuide:

Is one of only 17 Geotourism MapGuides worldwide to date.
Showcases many of the more than 800 sites nominated by locals.
Is a resource designed to improve local, rural economic development.
Provides access to a niche national market of 65 million "geotourists."
Will grow with the ongoing addition of hundreds of more sites and events over the years.
Highlights the resources of the Four Corners region encompassing a major portion of the Colorado Plateau, including communities, private and public lands and 23 tribes.
Provides a long-term resource for promoting the Four Corners to the nation and the world.
National Geographic's acclaimed mapmaking and sustainable tourism expertise helped produce the Geotourism website and MapGuide with Trail of the Ancients (TOTA) Byway Associations in Colorado, Utah and New Mexico; representatives of the Ute, Navajo and Pueblo tribes; regional communities and organizations and state and federal agencies. Funding for the project was provided by the Bureau of Land Management; the U.S. Forest Service; Utah, New Mexico and Colorado Tourism Offices; the towns of Aztec and Farmington, N.M.; San Juan County, Utah; a Scenic Byways grant through TOTA-Colorado; and a Preserve America grant through Mesa Verde Country®.

"Trail of the Ancients and the Four Corners partners see this project as a great opportunity to work closely with other groups in the region to promote responsible tourism," said Susan Thomas, project coordinator from TOTA-Colorado.

"This Geotourism MapGuide will bring national and international attention to one of America's most remote and beautiful areas, encouraging the traveling public to visit our states and discover firsthand the remarkable natural resources, history, culture and people who call this enchanting landscape home." said Lynn Dyer, tourism director for Mesa Verde Country®.

Aztec Ruins National Monument, which is hosting the launch event, is one example of the high-quality venues on the MapGuide that celebrates the region's sense of place and offers a glimpse into the people and events that shaped the Four Corners region. Aztec Ruins has been chosen as one of 50 projects nationally for America's Great Outdoors Initiative. The project will receive funding for a pedestrian bridge over the Animas River and a trail linking the national monument to downtown Aztec, N.M. The celebration of this achievement will share the stage with the launch of the Geotourism MapGuide and website.

The event will feature Indian dancers, a regional geotourism fair and remarks by representatives and dignitaries associated with the project. Visitors are also encouraged to tour the national monument. June 2 is also the annual Aztec Fiesta Days, a popular tradition in northwest New Mexico. The formal program will begin at 11 a.m. at the national monument, although there will be activities throughout the day at both the monument and in the city of Aztec.

The National Geographic Society has worked with community-based alliances to develop similar Geotourism MapGuides and websites in other regions around the world. Geotourism MapGuide projects have been completed or are ongoing in the Central Cascades (Oregon, Washington), the Crown of the Continent (Alberta, British Columbia, Montana), Greater Yellowstone (Idaho, Montana, Wyoming), Sierra Nevada (California, Nevada), Tennessee River Valley (Smoky Mountains through Knoxville and south to Chattanooga and north Georgia), California's Redwood Coast, Lakes to Locks Passage (New York, Quebec), Guatemala, Newfoundland and Portugal's Douro Valley.

National Geographic Maps was established as a division of the National Geographic Society in 1915 and has been producing maps for National Geographic magazine and other Society groups for more than 95 years. National Geographic Maps publishes a vast collection of wall maps, travel maps, outdoor recreation maps, atlases and globes. For more information on National Geographic Maps, visit www.natgeomaps.com

SuperGeo Unveils the Latest Mobile GIS Software, SuperPad 3.1

SuperGeo newly launched SuperPad 3.1, the comprehensive mobile GIS software. SuperPad 3.1 not only has an improved user interface with 13 languages but also offers new features, like SBAS extension, sample codes for custom extensions, and the integration with SuperGIS server to enable effective data synchronization for users.

Specializing in mobile GIS, field survey and outdoor mapping, SuperPad 3.1 can be deployed on a variety of mobile devices, assisting field surveyors in collecting, editing, measuring, and querying spatial data effectively and facilitating the data accuracy and usability.

Featuring the brand new user interface, SuperPad 3.1 simplifies the manipulation with a user-friendly operation environment and supports multi-language interface, including German, Spanish, French, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Japanese, Korean, Arabic, Turkish, Traditional and Simplified Chinese.

To meet the diverse resolution of your mobile devices, the smart-editing toolbar offered by SuperPad 3.1 is adjustable to edit features faster during field investigation. Moreover, the SBAS extension is added to ensure the accuracy of GPS data collection.

SuperPad 3.1 offers sample codes and Microsoft Visual Studio templates to users who can then develop the customized GIS functions they need. With SuperPad 3.1, surveyors can also access and edit the maps published by SuperGIS Server 3 (the server GIS developed by SuperGeo) and then synchronize the map files to maximize working efficiency.

For more product information about SuperPad 3.1, please visit http://www.supergeotek.com/ProductPage_SP3.aspx

The free trial is available at http://www.supergeotek.com/download_6.aspx

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.

EasyTracGPS Debuts ComTracNVG “Pro” GPS Tracking and Fleet Management System

Lyons, IL - With the recent advent of the commercial vehicle handheld cell phone ban, fleets were presented with the challenge of communicating with their drivers without sacrificing effective management of their vehicles. EasyTracGPS’ ComTracNVG “Pro” addressed these concerns for fleet owners and managers nationwide.

Thru EasyTracGPS’ ComTrac™ Total Tracking Solution, the ComTracNVG “Pro” offers live 5 or 10 second GPS tracking position updates, reports and alerts. When integrated with any Garmin Nuvi 255, 265, and 465 Series device, the ComTracNVG “Pro” system also includes enhanced turn-by-turn voice navigation, interactive dispatching and routing, and 2-way one-touch communication capabilities.

“The handheld cell phone law shifted the landscape in fleet tracking and management technology,” stated Luis Vera, President of EasyTracGPS and also a fleet owner himself. “The use of handheld devices to communicate with dispatch can now lead to hefty fines for both the driver and the company. EasyTracGPS fully supports any initiative that promotes safer roads for everyone. Fleet operators had a new problem and we were committed to finding a solution. Our goal was to offer our clients a vehicle tracking and communications alternative that didn’t distract their drivers in the process. We are proud to say that the ComTracNVG 'Pro' accomplishes every goal that we had set for it from the outset.”

EasyTracGPS’ ComTrac™ line of GPS tracking systems are pioneering vehicle fleet and asset management, covert vehicle tracking, emergency and responder personnel tracking, and family GPS tracking. Their systems and solutions yield operational improvements and increased profits for clients worldwide. For additional information, visit www.easytracgps.com

ACE Launches New Global Mapping Tool to Help Clients Evaluate Catastrophe and Supply Chain Exposures

ACE and Willis Re Analytics launched the ACE Cat Web platform to help companies evaluate their own catastrophe exposures, as well as those of their suppliers and customers, as part of ACE’s commitment to help businesses prepare for changing risk in an increasingly globalised world.

Following the worst-ever year for global catastrophe losses in 2011, which highlighted the vulnerability of many companies’ operations to supply chain interruption, the web-based platform is designed to help businesses understand better their catastrophe risk profile and accumulations in different locations.

Using information on earthquake, storm and flood risk made available by risk modelling agency RMS along with information provided by the client, the ACE Cat Web Platform provides a unique on-line visualisation of the relative exposures that the client faces worldwide using a colour-coded global mapping feature. Satellite imagery can then be used to provide more detailed risk assessments of local risk by ACE’s engineering specialists. The platform can also be used to view past and current global natural hazard activity, including earthquake, storm and flood events, using data from USGS (the US Geological Survey). ACE will make the platform available to its risk engineers advising existing and potential new customers.

Commenting on the launch, Derek Talbott, Executive Vice President of ACE International said:

“2011 provided a wake-up call for many companies. Last year a number of disasters, from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami to the Thai floods, underlined the importance for every business of understanding the risk exposures they face from increasingly global and ever more complex production and supply chains.”

“The ACE Cat Web Platform allows us to help clients by identifying more precisely the natural catastrophe exposures they face as a result of doing business across multiple locations and working with suppliers and customers who may be exposed to the same risks. By pinpointing accumulation hot spots, companies can better assess the strengths and weaknesses of their supply chains and ACE can more easily work with them to develop the right programmes to manage the risks.”

Rowan Douglas, CEO Global Analytics, Willis Group, added:

"Willis is delighted to support ACE’s Cat Web Platform using our market-leading mapping and analysis technologies. Cat Web will provide rich insights for firms wanting greater control of their business continuity, underpinning ACE’s efforts to help clients manage their own catastrophe exposures and those generated by their supply chains.”

The ACE Group is one of the world’s largest multiline property and casualty insurers. With operations in 53 countries, ACE provides commercial and personal property and casualty insurance, personal accident and supplemental health insurance, reinsurance and life insurance to a diverse group of clients.

ACE Limited, the parent company of the ACE Group, is listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: ACE) and is a component of the S&P 500 index.

Willis Re Analytics helps clients around the globe quantify risk in order to support key business decisions. Professionals specialising in catastrophe modelling, actuarial science, financial analysis and enterprise risk management work as integral members of each client team, ensuring seamless access to their expertise. Using a range of advanced analytical techniques, Willis Re Analytics delivers actionable, practical results to address real-world business issues. The Willis Research Network offers further support through open academic research and the development of new risk models and applications.

U.S. Army Geospatial Center Provides Free Modeling and Simulation Terrain Databases

The U.S. Army Geospatial Center (AGC) is now distributing Modeling and Simulation (M&S) terrain databases along with operational geospatial products on its Common Map Background (CMB) website with the goal of providing a single repository for all geospatial products. There are 161 free synthetic terrain databases that support Live, Virtual, & Constructive (L/V/C) simulations used in training, testing and experimentation hosted on CMB. These M&S terrain databases are available in multiple formats suitable for use in Joint Semi-Automated Forces (JSAF), One Semi-Automated Forces (OneSAF), Virtual Battle Space 2 (VBS2) and other Department of Defense simulations. Available terrain databases include selected Army training areas as well as areas of recent Army deployments.

The terrain databases are available for download for free to the Department of Defense users with Common Access Cards at https://agcwfs.agc.army.mil/cmb_online/Default.aspx. CMB's graphical interface is easy to use and users can select M&S terrain databases using a simple map interface. The site also provides contact information to request new M&S terrain databases. Other M&S terrain database producers who wish to use CMB to redistribute their databases should contact the AGC's Geospatial Acquisition Support Directorate using the contact information on the site.

The U.S. Army Geospatial Center coordinates, integrates and synchronizes geospatial information requirements and standards across the Army, develops and fields geospatial enterprise-enabled systems and capabilities to the Army and Department of Defense, as well as provides direct geospatial support and products to Warfighters. To learn more about the AGC, please visit www.agc.army.mil.

TerraGo® Technologies Releases PublisherTM for ArcGIS® v.6 to Empower Esri Users

TerraGo® Technologies has released its PublisherTM for ArcGIS® v.6 software to enable Esri users to produce interactive, portable and intelligent TerraGo GeoPDF® maps, imagery and geospatial applications with unprecedented collaboration capabilities.

TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS permits Esri users to extend, exchange and exploit their enterprise geospatial assets by producing multi-layer TerraGo GeoPDF maps and imagery. Users without sophisticated GIS tools or training can access, dynamically update and share compact geospatial information from any source and roundtrip it back to the enterprise GIS.

The new version of TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS introduces enhanced collaboration capabilities and functionality that empowers users to:

Produce GeoPDF applications that are automatically enabled to allow anyone, anywhere using the no-cost v.6 TerraGo ToolbarTM with Adobe Reader® to update and share maps and imagery with georeferenced audio, video, notes, forms and Web services;

Support automated GeoPDF map book production using Esri data-driven pages;

Export ArcGIS map feature layers and attributes as geoforms into TerraGo GeoPDF maps. This new capability allows users to edit GeoPDF maps in the field with TerraGo Toolbar and Adobe Reader and return the updated geospatial information via Publisher to refresh the ArcGIS database.

TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS software is complementary to and easily integrates with ArcGIS permitting large data-intensive geospatial files to be compactly shared, interactively updated and returned to the enterprise GIS to ensure more current and accurate geospatial information.

“TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS v.6 promotes geospatial collaboration by making it easy to share geospatial intelligence in online and disconnected environments,” said Talbot Brooks, director, Delta State University Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies. “Since 2005, we have relied on TerraGo geospatial collaboration software in our response to nearly 50 disasters worldwide and for producing thousands of on-demand maps for disaster planning, defense and other applications. The v.6 enhancements will further our ability to maximize the power of geospatial information across a multitude of applications.”

“The advanced collaboration and GeoPDF production capabilities of TerraGo Publisher for ArcGIS v.6 will help Esri users to more easily make geospatial information available to everyone,” said Rick Cobb, TerraGo president and CEO. “With the full suite of the newest versions of Publisher, Toolbar, ComposerTM for Adobe Acrobat® and SDK products now released, TerraGo looks forward to unleashing the power of enterprise geospatial information.”

TerraGo is a gold partner of Esri and Adobe is both a gold and development partner. TerraGo’s close partnership with these industry leaders facilitates its ability to fully leverage Adobe Reader, Acrobat PDF and ArcGIS capabilities to the benefit of Esri users and their customers.

To learn more about v.6 Publisher for ArcGIS, please register to join Talbot Brooks, director of the Delta State University Center for Interdisciplinary Geospatial Information Technologies, and TerraGo for an informative webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern May 15. For detailed product information and free trial software, visit http://www.terragotech.com/products/terrago-publisher-arcgis.

About TerraGo Technologies

TerraGo Technologies geospatial collaboration software and GeoPDF maps and imagery are among the most widely adopted solutions to produce, access, update and share geospatial information and applications with anyone, anywhere. TerraGo solutions enable enterprises to extend, exchange and exploit geo-referenced maps, imagery, audio, video and other intelligence in connected or offline environments. Trusted by government agencies and businesses worldwide, TerraGo solutions increase the use of geospatial data throughout and between enterprises and the return on geospatial investment through greater organizational efficiency, productivity and responsiveness. Founded in 2005, TerraGo is privately held and is an In-Q-Tel portfolio company. For more information, visit www.terragotech.com.

Intergraph Customer Wins ALGIM GIS Project of the Year Award

Intergraph® announces that Christchurch City Council (CCC) recently received the Association of Local Government Information Management (ALGIM) GIS Project of the Year Award. CCC received the award for implementing an innovative GIS solution in response to the devastating earthquake that took place in Christchurch, New Zealand, on February 22, 2011.

Christchurch City Council is New Zealand?s second-largest local government authority responsible for nearly 370,000 residents. A long-term Intergraph user, Christchurch City Council has implemented a suite of Intergraph solutions for managing and sharing up-to-date infrastructure services data with key stakeholders after the earthquake.

The serious level of damage from the earthquakes required solutions for managing the growing volumes of spatial data requests. Christchurch City Council needed to free up staff resources by removing any manual processes for data management and dissemination. The organization created a spatial data infrastructure (SDI) using web feature service (WFS) technology to make feeds of geospatial data continuously available to the various contracting organizations involved in quake recovery work.

"The "old? pre-quake process was very cumbersome, time-consuming and involved outputting snapshots of datasets into various formats, burning them to a CD or DVD and sharing them with many parties," said Kyle Dow, Senior Data Analyst, Corporate Data Team, Christchurch City Council. "This new implementation allowed us to share spatial data several times a day with minimal use of staff time, allowing us to free up our resources for other critical needs."

Through the use of a comprehensive product site license, the Christchurch City Council has a wide range of Intergraph geospatial products they can use including GeoMedia„¥, GeoMedia WebMap and GeoMedia SDI Pro. In addition, Intergraph donated local support services, as well as provided a global expert from its Canada office to help implement the SDI services functions of GeoMedia WebMap.

"In light of this tragedy, we are glad that we were able to support the response of the devastating earthquake in New Zealand last year," said Stephen Willson, New Zealand Country Manager, Intergraph Corporation. "We would like to congratulate the Christchurch City Council for winning the ALGIM GIS Project of the Year Award. The demands of the quake response have been huge on all staff at CCC, and this is deserved recognition of their efforts to deploy web services technology to speed up the quake recovery process."

The Christchurch City Council is now using this solution on a daily basis for increased efficiencies when sharing geospatial data with key stakeholders. Steps are also underway to stand up a Transactional WFS (WFS-T) to provide a read/write capability to and from external agencies.

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.