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After nearly two years of delays, Thailand has become the newest country to achieve space observation capability, with the successful launch of Theos (Thai Earth Observation System) on 1 October 2008. The 750 kg satellite was designed and manufactured by French company EADS Astrium. More >> |
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The Japanese have dreamed of the possibility of a warning system for earthquakes for centuries. Shunji Murai from the University of Tokyo has been working on a system that uses GPS towers to monitor land movement. He says the technology is now good enough to predict the location of an earthquake to within one hundred kilometres. More >> |
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The world's biggest geo-exhibition, Intergeo, has been held once again in Germany. The meeting attracted 475 exhibitors and close to 20,000 visitors. It was an opportunity to look for trends that will determine the shape of the geo-informatics marketplace over the next few years. More >> |
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President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran says his country will soon send up a rocket that will put the country's first domestically launched satellite into orbit. The exact status of the Iranian space program has been shrouded in mystery. The Iranian Space Agency has said it plans to launch several domestic satellites by 2010 and send its first astronaut into space within the next decade. More >> |
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Three Glonass satellites were launched into orbit on 25 September from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Khazakstan. The satellites are part of a constellation currently designed to operate with 16 satellites. However, only 13 are currently operating at capacity. The Russian government allocated 9.9 billion rubles to the system last year. More >> |
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Many people regard the red edge band as a simple, workable substitute for hyperspectral imagery in investigating the health of vegetation. It is - or will be - a feature of the a number of satellites includeing the German RapidEye constellation, the South African satellite, Sumbandilasat, and DigitalGlobe's WorldView-2. More >> |
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Risat (Radar Imaging Satellite) is 70 per cent complete and on course for a launch at the end of 2009, says Ranganath Navalgund, the director of the Space Applications Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation. Risat will carry a C band (5.35 GHz) synthetic aperture radar and have a spatial resolution of 1.5 metres. More >> |
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Trimble has agreed to acquire German company TopoSys in an all-cash transaction. The total sum for which the company was bought has not been disclosed to the public. TopoSys designs aerial data collection systems based on laser scanners and metric cameras. Trimble says the will provide a European footprint to support Trimble's aerial mapping customers. Trimble |
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The worldwide value chain for goods and services related to global navigation satellite systems is forecast to rise from US $3 billion in 2008 to US$ 6-8 billion by 2012. The figures were released in a report by Position One Consulting Pty Ltd, a consulting company, and Eric Gakstatter, a contributing editor to GPS World magazine. More >> |
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The Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum has made a second annoucement of its next annual meeting, APRSAF-15, in Hanoi, 9-12 December. APRSAF was established to promote the peaceful use of space, especially remote sensing, positioning and communications. APRSAF-15 will have streams dedicated to all three subjects, as well as capacity-building. More >> |
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Users of Google Maps in the Phillipines, Central Asia and the sub-continent, Laos,Vietnam and Cambodia, as well as on islands and other territories around the world where maps are scarce, can now create their own Google-standard maps using Google Map Maker. A team led by Lalitesh Katragadda at Google India developed the product. More >> |
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Hemisphere will supply CPAC Systems AB with custom-built LV100 GPS Compasses, which will be incorporated into CPAC’s embedded control system for ‘steerby-wire’. The LV100 is a GPS compass and positioning assembly. The manufacturer says it is an alternative to traditional gyro and fluxgate compass sensors, being immune to magnetic interference typically present on marine vessels. Hemisphere GPS |
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DigitalGlobe has extended its agreement to supply imagery to Google on a non-exclusive basis. This follows the launch of the GeoEye-1 satellite by DigitalGlobe's arch rival, GeoEye, and GeoEye's announcement of an exclusive supply agreement with Google. For customers, it means that both DigitalGlobe and GeoEye data will be available from Google. More >> |
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Trimble will hold its international user conference in Las Vegas from 23-25 February 2009. The theme of Trimble Dimensions 2009 is Positioning for Success Today and Tomorrow. Trimble worldwide users are invited to propose topics to present at the conference. Proposals should be submitted to Trimble by 20 October 2008. Trimble Dimensions 2009 |
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Digital map maker Tele Atlas has gained access to TomTom’s speed profiles database, which covers all roads in 23 European countries and 90 percent of roads in the US. Speed profiles calculate routes using real measurements instead of rough estimates. Tele Atlas says the database will be made available to customers later this year. Tele Atlas |
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Seoul-based JiguSoft Inc. has been appointed the master distributor of Erdas Inc. for the Republic of Korea. JiguSoft Inc. will provide marketing, technical support, and training to organisations in the Korean Erdas reseller network. Erdas says the arrangement will enable faster processing of resellers’ orders and decrease the cost of shipping and handling for resellers. Erdas |
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An Australian online employment service, Spatial Jobs Online, has expanded its services into India. The new site is integrated into the Spatial Jobs Online network of sites in Australia, Japan and the US. Srikant Panda will manage the site. The company is planning to set up other sites around the globe and is local managers. Spatial Jobs India |
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ESRI is hosting an online live training seminar to demonstrate how to set security options for GIS services and web applications for ArcGIS Server 9.3 for the Java platform. It will air on ESRI's Training and Education website on 26 September 2008, at midnight, 0200 and 0600 Singapore time. ESRI Training and Education |
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Digital map maker Navteq has signed a licensing agreement with software developer ESRI. The worldwide agreement allows Navteq to use ArcGIS technology to build products beyond the core map database. Navteq has developed and implemented tools that allow interaction between its proprietary editing tools and ArcGIS. ESRI |
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Pitney Bowes Business Insights has appointed Tom Sun to the position of product manager for its geo-information products – in particular, MapInfo – in the People's Republic of China. This move is in line with similar recruitment activities in Japan and India this year. More >> |
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Leica Geosystems’ new FlexLine product line offers three pre-configured total stations: TS02, TS06 and TS09. The TS02 has been designed for standard measurement tasks, while the TS06 has more features, including an alpha-numeric keyboard and applications software. The TS09 includes removable USB memory, Bluetooth wireless Emitting Guide Light and application software. Leica |
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ESRI has updated its GIS Portal Toolkit for ArcGIS. Improvements include support for finalised OGC-specification standards, a REST-style interface for searching and supporting OpenSearch, GeoRSS, and KML and LDAP authentication support for improved security. It also features configurable support for ISO 19139 metadata profiles, FGDC metadata and Dublin Core metadata. ESRI |
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The R220 GPS receiver is the first product to be powered by Eclipse, Hemisphere GPS’ dual frequency technology. It tracks GPS, SBAS and L-Band differential corrections and provides accurate positioning data for up to 40 minutes of differential correction outage. It supports RTCM v3/CMR+ standard RTK message formats. Hemisphere GPS |
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Leica Geosystems has released PowerDigger 3D, a new 3D excavator system. Leica PowerDigger 3D receives the machine position via GPS/GNSS, calculates the bucket’s exact 3D position on site and compares the bucket position with the 3D design model, displaying differences on-screen for the operator. The company says it saves up to 20 per cent in operating costs. Leica |
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Spectra Precision has released Spectra Precision Survey Office 2.0, its software suite for processing GPS and terrestrial survey and exporting it to a CAD or GIS design package. It includes new total station, digital level, coding and description support. User can now import data directly from a large variety of file formats and export point data as user definable CAD or extensibility XML formats. Spectra Precision |
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Trimble has enhanced its Connected Site surveying portfolio. It includes new models of the Trimble S8 Total Station, with options for monitoring and tunneling applications and the Trimble VX Spatial Station, which now offers integrated video and surveying functionality. It also includes Trimble Business Centre 2.0, which features support for optical surveying data. Trimble |
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In Belgium, Cicade and Dimac systems have developed a camera module that consists of two nadir cameras and four oblique cameras. The system is optimised to provide 10 cm imagery. The first tender has been carried out by the new system, over Poitiers in France. Results will be presented at Intergeo. Circade |
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The Trimble Zephyr 2 Rugged Antenna is a wide-frequency antenna designed for installations subject to high shock and vibration. It is suitable for drilling rigs, marine and various cab mount applications. Trimble supports current and near-future signals including GPS L2C and L5, Glonass, and Galileo and can be used with most Trimble GNSS receivers. Trimble |
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DAT/EM Systems International has released version 4.5 of Summit Evolution, a soft copy stereoplotter. New features include improved mosaic boundary management and creation and an expanded co-ordinate conversion database. It also offers a new, editable 2D Super Imposition setting and a merge/extract project management tool. It supports the Leica Topomouse USB input device. Dat/Em Systems |
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Optech has added a high-performance mapping system, the ALTM Orion, to its Airborne Survey range of products. Standard design features include environmentally isolated enclosure, modular construction, flip-out service panels and optional external data storage. The product has no external control rack and associated cables and is compact in design. Optech |
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The FC-120 is available with TopSurv, Pocket Layout or Pocket 3D – Topcon's survey, layout and 3D site management software packages. It offers many of the capabilities of the previous model FC-200 in a smaller data collector. It has a 520 MHz processor, CF and SD card slots and a large key pop-up keyboard for data entry. Topcon Positioning |
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NovAtel’s new flagship GNSS + INS receiver features on-board data logging, wheel sensor input and scalability for future GNSS advances. Its SPAN (Synchronous Position, Attitude and Navigation) technology links GNSS positioning and inertial navigation, which enables stable and continuously available output, even through periods where GNSS signals are blocked. NovAtel |
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