Santa Clara , Calif. , June 10, 2008 -- The UK's biggest ever plant hunt began this May when gardeners and volunteers at Killerton in Devon kicked off a survey that will cover tens of thousands of plants at more than eighty significant National Trust gardens.

The three year mammoth survey, sponsored by the Yorkshire and Clydesdale Banks, will capture details of the wide range of plants growing in National Trust gardens in England , Wales and Northern Ireland . Head Gardeners will lead the teams of gardeners and volunteers in carrying out the survey. A photo will be taken of each plant, a GPS grid reference will be recorded using the Magellan MobileMapper CX running DigiTerra Explorer 5 software and each plant will be identified by experts.

The National Trust purchased twelve MobileMapper CX, GPS GIS data collectors, from Ormston Technology Ltd. The units were chosen because they offer easy-to-use, sub-meter real-time performance at a cost significantly lower than competitive receivers. F ranklyn Tancock , Plant Collections Curator at the National Trust, says, “After evaluating several competing models, we selected the MobileMapper CX because of its value for the money. We were able to purchase the appropriate number of MobileMappers to allow a larger number of properties to be surveyed at one time. It is also easy unit to use by a wide range of individuals skills that will be involved.” He adds, “It's a rugged device that has a strong construction, is weatherproof and provides the accuracy required, sub meter or greater with post processing.”

Information from all of the survey work carried out in the gardens will be entered into a central database. This will enable experts to identify which plants, trees or heritage vegetables need to be propagated at the new National Trust's specialist propagation unit at Knightshayes Court in Devon . The propagation of plants will enable the Trust to replenish existing collections, prepare its gardens for the challenges of climate change and make plants available to other properties.

Many of the Trust's twenty historic working kitchen gardens will also be taking part in the survey. This will provide a much clearer picture of the rare and threatened heritage varieties of vegetables found in these gardens and which of them need to be preserved or propagated for wider distribution.

The National Trust selected DigiTerra software to run on the open platform MobileMapper CX. Mr. Tancock says, “DigiTerra Explorer is easy to understand, straightforward, and details of captured information are easily written onto pre constructed forms. Each layer can have a different symbol, which makes for easy identification on any map. Points can be labelled to enable easy identification, and full information of each plant can be effortlessly displayed.”

Contact: Robert Wick , Robertwick@verizon.net

Back to Top

Toronto , Canada - The weather report from Mars is great, thanks to the Optech lidar technology at the heart of NASA's Phoenix Mars mission. The Phoenix Mars lander made a dramatic landing on the Red Planet on Sunday, May 25th after a journey of 10 months and hundreds of millions of miles through deep space. The first lidar results from Mars arrived late in the evening of May 28th, amid cheers and applause from NASA officials and science team members gathered at JPL and the Science Mission Operations centre at the University of Arizona .

The Phoenix lidar was designed and built by Optech in partnership with MDA Space Missions, with funding from the Canadian Space Agency. The analytical lidar, which probes the atmosphere above the lander, is the first of its kind to be sent to another world. The Phoenix mission is also the first of its kind, selected by NASA from an initial set of over 20 mission proposals, designed to land in the north polar region of Mars to study the atmosphere and look for habitability supporting life.

"The data look great and all aspects of the system are working well," reported Dr. Allan Carswell from the mission operations centre. "I send my congratulations along with those of the Principal Investigator (PI), Peter Smith to the whole team at Optech who worked so hard to achieve this outstanding success." Optech founder and Chairman Allan Carswell is recognized as the true father of the Phoenix lidar instrument. After decades of pioneering work developing the analytic lidar theory, and following terrestrial test campaigns chasing dust devils in the desert, Dr.Carswell was the initial PI of the Canadian contribution to the NASA Phoenix mission, leading the Canadian Science Team and creating the initial design for the lidar system. Allan remains a key participant of the Canadian Science Team, now led by former student Jim Whiteway from York University .

Optech lidar technology aboard the NASA Phoenix mission is teaching scientists about the Martian climate and, in doing so, helping us to understand the factors that affect climate change back here on Earth.

"We look forward now to having the Phoenix lidar open a new chapter in the understanding of the Martian atmosphere,” said Dr. Carswell. "In the days ahead lidar measurements will be made during bot h day and night to provide a highly detailed picture of the atmosphere throughout the mission."

Mars weather reports and more information about the mission are available at: http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/exploration/phoenix.asp , http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/

Back to Top

Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, May 30, 2008 .The wait is almost over – the expectation of an imminent launch adds excitement to the RapidEye Team these days, as the constellation of five earth observation satellites sits ready in a clean room in Surrey, U.K. waiting to be shipped to the launch site in Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

“For the first time since signing the supply contract in 2004 with CCC (Canadian Commercial Corporation) to have MDA (MacDonald Dettwiler) build the ground and space segment of the RapidEye system, we can say that we see the finish line. Anticipation is building every day,” said Pietro Widmer, Head of the Operations and Engineering Department.

The space head module, on which the satellites will be mounted and which will be placed on top of the DNEPR rocket, has been built and is currently undergoing final testing, while the launch vehicle and the silo are being prepared for the event.

Additionally, the insurance contract covering the launch of the satellite constellation and the first year in orbit has been successfully negotiated.

“Currently, nothing is standing in the way of us launching this summer,” Mr. Widmer says. “Although there can always be unforeseen delays in this business, I'm very optimistic.”

For more information contact: info@rapideye.de , www.rapideye.de

Back to Top

Fredericton, NB, CANADA – June 17, 2008 – CARIS is pleased to announce Mike Robinson, Chief Executive of the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) will deliver the Opening Keynote Address at CARIS 2008, 12 th International User Group Conference and Educational Sessions 22-26 September in Bath, United Kingdom.

Under the theme Make a Spatial Connection, CARIS 2008 will feature Geospatial Standards, Hydrographic Survey Operations, Electronic Charting, Law of the Sea, and Ports and Waterways with a specific emphasis on data sharing, workflow management and interoperability.

Mr. Robinson was appointed Chief Executive in July 2006. Based in Taunton , Somerset , the UKHO is the worldwide premier supplier of navigational charts and publications as well as providing critical maritime safety information.

In the delivery of the Opening Keynote Address, Mr. Robinson will launch CARIS 2008 by sharing the significant changes he has made throughout the organization while highlighting the relevance of interoperability in the drive forward to transition from paper to digital products and the overall digital future of the organization.

It is anticipated that CARIS 2008 will be the largest gathering of CARIS users in the twelve-year history of this event. Representatives from national hydrographic agencies, companies actively involved hydrographic and geospatial data production and services and academia will participate to learn about the charting and mapping activities of other nations, to keep abreast with technological advancements and to learn how to use CARIS ping-to-chart software more efficiently.

For more information: Sheri Flanagan, CARIS, +1 (506) 458-8533, sheri.flanagan@caris.com

Back to Top

(Heerbrugg, 12 June, 2008 ) The relaunched Version 2.1 of Leica fieldPro features several improvements of well-known functionalities and a new interface between CADWorx fieldPipe and Leica CloudWorx for AutoCAD.  

CADWorx fieldPipe for Leica fieldPro application interfaces with Leica Total Stations to as-built plant and piping components to create full scale specification-driven 3D models in real-time, on-site, and without any post-processing back in the office – saving valuable time and money. Now in fieldPro v2.1, the CADWorx fieldPipe for Leica fieldPro option as well as the fieldPipe standalone option have been enhanced with multiple additions, such as Pipe Orthogonization . Additionally the CADWorx fieldPipe for Leica fieldPro now interfaces to point cloud data via Leica CloudWorx Pro for AutoCAD . Creating CADWorx intelligent 3D pipe models and extracting isometric drawings now is easier than ever before.

Intelligent Handling of Point Clouds : Leica CloudWorx for AutoCAD is a software application that allows users to take advantage of rich, 3D point clouds directly within AutoCAD, and users can work efficiently with large point clouds directly using AutoCAD tools and commands. The CloudWorx application adds simple tools for viewing and working with slices of point cloud data to speed up the 2D drawing creation in Leica fieldPro. Powerful modeling tools enable as-built piping models and other 3D constructions to be created from point cloud data in the AutoCAD environment and can be easily imported into Leica fieldPro via the new interface.

Leica fieldPro - measure once, model on site, deliver efficiently : Leica fieldPro is a mobile CAD software, the on-site and on-demand field solution to “as-built” in Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) as well as Surveying. Accurate 2D/3D “as-built” documentation has never been easier. In combination with Leica Geosystems sensors, all information is captured in real-time on-site in its final deliverable CAD format, and no post-processing back in the office is required anymore. When the user leaves the site, the full scope of work is done.
Leica fieldPro is a plug-in for AutoCAD® an d Autodesk products such as Civil 3D, Land Desktop, Map 3D, Architecture, Mechanical Desktop, and many more.

All existing customers of Leica fieldPro v2.0 with valid Customer Care Package can download version 2.1 from the Leica Geosystems Downloads website or www.leica-geosystems.com/fieldpro

For further information please contact: alessandra.doell@leica-geosystems.com , www.leica-geosystems.com

Back to Top

Redlands, California— Crop-specific maps, created by combining survey data and satellite images, provide a literal lay of the land for farmers and agribusinesses such as seed and fertilizer companies.

Crops grown in the U.S. Corn Belt and Mississippi River Delta areas are mapped extensively in the Cropland Data Layer now available to the public for download or on disc. The Cropland Data Layer is created by the United States Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Geographic information system (GIS) software from ESRI is used to prepare the data and build the maps.

"We create resourceful maps to identify the spatial extent and associated acreage of the crops grown in these specific states," said Rick Mueller, a GIS expert with NASS. "GIS software from ESRI makes it possible."

The colorful, informative maps are used by crop farm growers associations, crop insurance companies, seed and fertilizer companies, farm chemical companies, libraries, universities, federal and state governments, and value-added remote-sensing/GIS companies. The digital data layers of land-cover information have proved helpful in watershed and environmental monitoring , agribusiness planning , crop modeling, land-use /land-cover studies, and change analysis.

For more information visit : www.esri.com

Back to Top

Privas, Fr., May 26, 2008 -- As part of its responsibility to efficiently manage the street lighting throughout the rural Ardeche Department in south central France, the Ardeche Regional Energy Authority (SDE 07) recently began the challenging task of identifying the location and attributes of the estimated 30,000 streetlamps scattered over 5,500 square kilometers in the department's 247 municipalities.

The geographic database of all streetlamps and their attributes, such as type of lamp, lumens, and type of post or support, is being recorded in the field on Magellan MobileMapper CX handheld GIS/GPS receivers running Sirap's Edipocket GIS application solution. The MobileMapper CXs and Sirap software are being provided by SDE 07 to nine firms that are contracted to maintain the lighting infrastructure throughout the department. The new information will be integrated into the Energy Authority's existing GIS database to better manage the department's street lighting network.

As field crews perform preventive maintenance or repair a streetlamp, they will enter data about the location and characteristics of the lamp on the MobileMapper CX. Using a standardized cell-phone-like keypad and pull-down menus that provide logical intuitive data entry, the field crews will enter the location and characteristics of each streetlamp they service. S pecially designed for field work, the MobileMapper CX is shock-resistant, moisture-proof and easy to operate. It supports memory cards of up to 4GB to permit the viewing of large base maps that enable the repair crew to see the location of the streetlamp as the position and data are entered. Removable memory cards permits data to be easily retrieved and uploaded to the central SDE07 GIS database.

For more information contact: robertwick@verizon.net

Back to Top

June 3, 2008 ( Park Ridge , IL) -  The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) is presenting three educational programs between now and October to meet the professional development needs of its multi-disciplinary membership. All of the volunteer committees for each conference are hard at work finalizing educational sessions that challenge participants and organizing events that strengthen professional networks. Registration is open and active for each program and all details about speakers, sessions, and exhibits/sponsorships are online at www.urisa.org

June 16-20, 2008 - URISA Leadership Academy in Chicago – GIS Leaders Teaching Leadership
The ULA, the only leadership training program of its type, is tailored to industry leaders and practitioners faced with unique challenges of GIS leadership and management and who want to make an impact leveraging the power of GIS.  

August 25-29, 2008 - 4th URISA Caribbean GIS Conference on Grand Cayman
In its fourth year, this conference regularly attracts forward-thinking and accomplished GIS professionals in the region and provides quality educational programming and professional development opportunities. Well-known keynote speakers; an excellent variety of sessions ranging from copyright and privacy issues to disaster response; and meaningful social interaction are highlights of this program. 

October 7-10, 2008 - URISA's 46th Annual Conference in New Orleans
Following two strong annual conferences (in Vancouver , BC and Washington , DC ), the URISA 2008 conference committee has high hopes for another successful gathering in New Orleans . The conference will also include a charity event to assist in the renewal of the Crescent City . Make plans to attend today! 

Find out more about each event at www.urisa.org

Back to Top

The Earth Observation and GIS communities taking action to fight the climate crisis

Toulouse , June 19, 2008: Planet Action is a non-profit initiative launched by Spot Image , a world leader in satellite imagery. Planet Action and its partners support local projects acting on climate change issues by providing geographic information, Earth observation images and expertise to NGOs, institutions and universities.

Partners in the Planet Action initiative include co-founder and leading GIS provider, ESRI, and more recently the UNESCO who joined Planet Action within the framework of the Open Initiative to support World Heritage sites using space technology. Other partners include CNES (the French Space Agency), NSPO (the Taiwanese Space Agency), DigitalGlobe and Definiens.

Awareness about climate change is now mainstream and spreading among all communities: scientific, civil, governmental, nongovernmental or business. Faced with this unique challenge, satellite imagery brings the coverage, resolution and agility that are needed to assess and understand climate change impacts and to prepare, measure and manage adapting strategies.

Planet Action aims to: •  Build capacity to understand and act upon climate change related issues and support projects from the civil society that are engaged in action

•  Raise awareness and educate the public about the climate crisis, the benefits of Earth observation imagery and GIS, and the role of local NGOs and scientists as they tackle these issues.

Non-governmental organizations, institutions, universities and research organizations engaged in actions addressing climate change causes, impacts, and solutions can benefit from support from Planet Action.

Today, more than 30 projects are currently benefiting from satellite imagery and GIS expertise. These include projects on biodiversity changes in Indonesia , invasive plants in Madagascar , forest protection in Brazil , land cover change in Nepal , coral bleaching in Guadeloupe, and tracing toxic algae in the Mediterranean .

An international call for projects was launched last week to NGOs and institutions working on climate change issues. Planet Action is expecting to work with more than 100 non profit organizations before the end of the year. Details on the selection process and how to submit a project is available at:

http://www.planet-action.org/web/40-1st-call-for-projects-2008.php

Back to Top

Q: What is the mission of your SOCET GXP Software, and in what ways does it provide unique benefits to users?

A: We believe that the distinction between image analysis, geospatial analysis, mapping and photogrammetric tasks is diminishing such that the roles of many individual domains are merging. We have listened to existing and prospective users who must learn and operate several different software packages to build and finish products. Based on feedback collected during user conferences, workshops and focus groups, we have learned that individuals are responsible for a growing number of tasks that require a wide range of skills and rapid turnaround times. And organizations are looking for cost savings across the board.

In response to these issues, we have been developing a new product architecture over the last several years that is the foundation for a comprehensive application called SOCET GXP. We are combining SOCET SET (geospatial analysis, mapping and photogrammetric tools); MATRIX (image analysis tools); VITec ELT (image analysis and mapping tools); and Common Geopositioning Services (targeting tools) into a single software product architecture that allows users to perform multiple tasks from a single user interface. Moreover, HSI/MSI and advanced geospatial intelligence capabilities have been added as well. By providing all of the required functionality in one product with a single user interface, BAE Systems empowers organizations to consolidate resources and increase productivity. SOCET GXP is flexible, easy to learn, and helps users create accurate, high-quality products quickly and efficiently.

Q: How are you working to enhance the product and related services in the future?

A: The SOCET GXP architecture is scalable and highly configurable so that customers can buy specific functionality to meet their requirements. With SOCET GXP, while a particular organization may have several configurations or software bundles in place, all of the software functions with the same underlying architecture and user interface.

We feel that, since SOCET GXP has a single user interface, we can eliminate the problem encountered by customers today, who have to use several different software packages to accomplish their tasks. Some of them use as many as six packages, often unrelated or loosely integrated, and cannot possibly be trained well enough on each one to take full advantage of its capabilities. By minimizing the number of software packages required, SOCET GXP users can streamline training, reduce integration and O&M costs, simplify licensing and customer support, and increase productivity.

Another advantage of SOCET GXP that is critical to many customers is that, like SOCET SET, it offers the same appearance, performance, user experience and software baseline for both UNIX and Windows, for ease of use among multiple workstations.

Read more on: http://www.military-geospatial-technology.com/article.cfm?DocID=2394

Back to Top

GfK GeoMarketing recently released 16 new digital maps for Japan . These offer internationally active companies a reliable basis for geomarketing – i.e., the analysis of the Japanese market with respect to region-specific criteria.

GfK GeoMarketing recently updated and expanded its digital map set for Japan . The revised map set includes, for the first time, a map with coverage of the country's approximately 950 three-digit postal code districts as well as a map featuring 10,000 city points. Together the maps comprise the most comprehensive digital map set available for postal and administrative districts in Japan . The map set is available in all common data formats and includes Japanese and international name attributions.

Digital postal code maps provide companies with a solid foundation for sales territory and expansion planning. In conjunction with a geomarketing software application, the maps allow companies to visualize their company and market data through the use of the postcodes associated with this information. This straightforward but powerful technique gives companies the ability to reveal their customer distribution, branch location turnover volume and market potential on insight-generating digital maps.

Due to frequently changing postal and administrative boundaries, up-to-date data and accurate maps are required in order to carry out this process successfully. For example, Japan 's municipal boundaries have undergone numerous reforms in recent years. Since the year 2000, the number of municipalities has almost halved to the current count of 1,983 (as of 1.1.2008). The revised administrative map for Japan reflects these changes.

The city maps have also been completely revised and expanded: featuring more than 10,000 city points depicted according to the number of inhabitants, these maps provide an ideal orientation tool. New additions to the revised map set for Japan include maps of the rail network, airports and elevation levels.

You can find further information on the digital maps for Japan at : www.gfk-geomarketing.com/japan

Back to Top

Redlands , California — Adventures in geographic exploration await students using four new Our World GIS Education books and accompanying software and data from ESRI Press. Working with geographic information system (GIS) technology, they will analyze and map information to study the world around them, past and present. Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan's expedition, the animal kingdom, hurricanes such as Katrina, and illiteracy rates are a few of the topics covered in Thinking Spatially Using GIS, Mapping Our World Using GIS, Analyzing Our World Using GIS, and Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS .

Using the books and working with GIS software from ESRI, students will learn to read and understand maps, analyze spatial patterns, map data, think critically, and solve problems. The lessons tie in to earth sciences, social studies, history, geography, environmental studies, and other subjects being taught in classrooms today.   

The books will provide a strong GIS foundation for students of all educational levels, from elementary school pupils to college undergraduates. The lessons also fit into teachers' curricula, meeting National Geography, National Science, and National Technology standards. The series was inspired by and builds on the materials in Mapping Our World: GIS Lessons for Educators, the popular 2005 ESRI Press book geared to middle and high school students. 

The new series' first three volumes, Thinking Spatially Using GIS, Mapping Our World Using GIS, and Analyzing Our World Using GIS, are teachers' editions and come with a CD or a DVD of GIS software and one student workbook. Additional workbooks can be ordered from ESRI Press. The fourth volume, Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS, is geared toward students attending college or technical school. The textbook contains a resource DVD with exercises and data and a software DVD. Instructors in the U.S. can request a desk copy of Making Spatial Decisions Using GIS with a companion DVD by contacting ESRI Press or calling 888-377-4575. The Web site www.esri.com/ourworldgiseducation , which will be updated often, offers resources and data, access to online technical software support, and instructional tips and tricks.

For more information visit: www.esri.com/esripress

Back to Top

Wayland, Mass., June 17, 2008 -  The Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) and the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to cooperate in advancing standards-based, interoperable work flow and Web-enabled geospatial content sharing, modeling and visualization to address the needs of their members.

Mark Reichardt, President of the OGC, explained, "The OGC is pleased to have the opportunity to work in partnership with the WfMC to help make geospatial information and processing a more integral part of workflow and business process management (BPM)."

Anticipated activities include: coordination between OGC and WfMC working groups and committees; involvement in interoperability testbeds, pilot initiatives and experiments; and outreach.

"The WfMC is excited for this partnership between the two respective industry leaders," explained Nathaniel Palmer, Executive Director of the Workflow Management Coalition. "It took strong interoperable standards to deliver the geo-enabled Web that is critical to all business today. The next step is a ‘flow-enabled web' to support both mass market and enterprise processes. The OGC's track record of managing large-scale, user-focused
activities and the WfMC's leadership in process and workflow are well matched for success in this endeavor."

For more information contact : Media@lists.opengeospatial.org or visit www.opengeospatial.org

Back to Top