Telogis Acquires Maptuit® Business, Industry Leader in Commercial Vehicle Navigation

Alisoviejo, CA - Telogis, Inc., the platform for location intelligence, announces the acquisition of the assets of Maptuit®, a leading provider of connected navigation for commercial fleets.This acquisition — the company’s fifth in three years — expands Telogis’ services as the market increases adoption of location-based Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions. Maptuit’s commercial navigation technologies further enhance the Telogis enterprise platform of SaaS solutions, which includes fleet management, navigation, multi-vehicle route optimization and planning, work order management and mobile integration.

“This acquisition adds a new dimension to our platform,” said Newth Morris, president, Telogis Route and Telogis Mobile. “With these advances, Telogis further differentiates itself in the market by providing the most comprehensive suite of location intelligence solutions on a single platform.”  

Enhancements to the Telogis platform resulting from this acquisition include an advanced location-based service (LBS) engine that receives feedback from the field on road conditions and physical restrictions that may not be captured by commercial and open source map data. These capabilities are critical not only to the commercial navigation markets where Maptuit has been successful, but also to industries such as mining, and oil and gas, which operate in remote regions where map data coverage is limited.

Maptuit’s technologies also allow companies to specify “known-good” routes and yard-approaches. These capabilities help companies improve the safety of route operations and are increasingly important in international markets where bonded routes exist.

Telogis will integrate Maptuit’s technologies directly into its enterprise platform, thereby expanding the Telogis customer base by more than 100,000 subscribers.

“The commercial navigation technologies that Maptuit has revolutionized will enhance all of the applications on our platform —route planning, navigation, execution analytics —and position our company to best handle the growing location intelligence needs of companies worldwide,” said Morris. “This acquisition complements the Telogis platform with a unique set of high-value capabilities that allow companies to dramatically transform their operations, improve safety and lower operating costs.”

This latest acquisition by Telogis marks a continuing growth pattern for the company, as it has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing private companies in Orange County, Calif., by the Orange County Business Journal, and the 123rd fastest growing company in North America on the Deloitte 2011 Technology Fast 500 (866 percent growth since 2006), and was listed for the fifth straight year on the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing private companies in the country (434 percent growth from 2007 to 2010). The company has further been honored as one of the best workplaces in the region, and forged a major partnership in 2011 that made Telogis the exclusive SaaS solution for Ford Motor Company’s Crew Chief™ commercial vehicle telematics system.

Telogis, Inc., the platform for location intelligence, is dedicated to enhancing the value of its customers’ businesses through intelligent integration of location technology, information and services. Telogis was established in 2001 and is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, Calif., with offices in Europe and Latin America as well as development centers in Austin, Texas, and Christchurch, New Zealand. Telogis’ products and services are used and distributed in more than 60 countries worldwide. To learn more about Telogis, visit www.telogis.com or call toll free at 866-TELOGIS (866-835-6447).

Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Presents Esri Based Crime Mapping Tools to CJIN in North Carolina

GOLDSBORO, NC - The Wayne County, North Carolina Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) recently presented their Esri based GIS tools at the Criminal Justice Information Network (CJIN) Board Meeting in Raleigh, North Carolina. WCSO was asked to present on the crime analysis and public crime mapping tools that they are utilizing. WCSO currently utilizes GeoBlade Crimes from Geographic Technologies Group (GTG) for internal crime analysis and MapNimbus for providing crime incident information to its citizens.

GTG is a full-service local government GIS consulting company offering specialized experience in the planning, design, implementation, and procurement of geo-technologies.  GTG has unmatched technical GIS capabilities, demonstrated successes, international experience, and a reputation for successfully implementing the right solutions. GTG develops GIS products that spatially enable various enterprise solutions and integrates an organization's IT investment via a common interface. GTG also offers stand-alone products for land management, public safety, public access, touch screen technology, and utilities.

GTG has more than 700 clients located throughout North America and Europe and serves all levels of government as well as the private sector. To support our clients, GTG maintains four offices located across the United States: Headquarters in North Carolina, and regional offices in Texas, Florida, and Ohio.

Additional information may be obtained by contacting Geographic Technologies Group, Inc. at 888-757-4222 or you can access our website at www.geotg.com.

NAVTEQ® Map Selected by Galigeo to Power Geospatial Business Intelligence

Veldhoven – March 29, 2012 – Nokia today announced that its Location & Commerce unit has agreed to supply European and North American NAVTEQ Map data to Galigeo to enable its Location Intelligence solutions to support better analytics-based decision-making. The combination of Geographic Information Systems with Business Intelligence introduces the ‘Where’ factor and supports map-based visualisation of analytics which can reveal spatial relationships, dependencies and trends which are otherwise difficult to uncover – in short Geospatial Business Intelligence (GeoBI).

Headquartered in Paris with offices in both Brussels and New York, Galigeo is a pioneer and specialist in this fast growing field, providing applications which enable organisations to gain critical insights, make better decisions and optimise business processes and applications.

“By integrating the NAVTEQ Map into our Location Intelligence applications, we can develop total solutions and offer customers accurate, high quality data. The addition of the geocoding and reverse geocoding functions available with the NAVTEQ Map also supports flexible data input and output. Overall, this will significantly improve GeoBI analysis and facilitate the decision-making process” explained Galigeo CEO, Christian Tapia-Stocker.

GeoBI supports optimisation in many areas including data visualization and reporting; geomarketing and trade area analysis; regulatory and environmental compliance; resource allocation; network infrastructure monitoring; and sales territory management. Galigeo currently focuses on developing solutions for retail, pharmaceutical, telecoms, utilities and government organisations.

“Whether an address, a sales territory, a delivery route or an administrative boundary, location is a central factor in business and GeoBI is an emerging market with huge potential,” added Peter Beaumont, Director Customer Marketing, Enterprise Europe, Nokia, Location & Commerce. “Galigeo is fast becoming an international brand leader in this new arena where standard specification data and accurate geocoding are critical to solutions which can successfully help small, medium or large organisations better understand their businesses.”

Nokia is a global leader in mobile communications whose products have become an integral part of the lives of people around the world. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people use their Nokia to capture and share experiences, access information, find their way or simply to speak to one another. Nokia's technological and design innovations have made its brand one of the most recognized in the world. For more information, visit http://www.nokia.com/about-nokia.

Location & Commerce, a business unit of Nokia, aims to build and monetize unique location experiences for great mobile products, the navigation industry and the automotive market. Location & Commerce provides both Content, including industry leading NAVTEQ® Maps, and Social Location Services, including the Nokia Location Platform and signatures applications like Nokia Maps ™ and Nokia Drive, all supported by Local Commerce. By complementing hardware, software and services with “smart” social location data, users will be able to experience the world in a variety of new and better ways.

Since 2001, Galigeo has been providing value-added software solutions in Geospatial Business Intelligence. By combining geographical dimensions with existing data from business intelligence applications, Galigeo enables organizations to gain critical insights from enhanced Business Analytics. The company’s innovative solutions and unique expertise are focused on improving Sales Territory Management, Resource Planning & Allocation, Infrastructure & Network Monitoring, Site Selection & Trade Area Analysis, and Regulatory & Environmental Compliance.  Galigeo is trusted by some of the world’s largest companies and governmental organisations.  For more information on Galigeo, please visit www.galigeo.com. Join Galigeo on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Galigeo and Twitter at @galigeo.

Pitney Bowes Software Provides Crucial Locational Data Services to 1st Guard Trucking Insurance

Pitney Bowes Software, a global leader in customer data, analytics and communications management, today announced that it is providing geolocational software solutions that help specialty trucking insurer 1st Guard streamline its operations, and provide excellent customer and claims service to its policyholders.

The company uses Pitney Bowes Software’s Spectrum™ OnDemand solution to validate addresses for policies and precise tax jurisdiction calculations, and customer mapping, all over a Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform.

Spectrum™ powers the claims portion of TRUCKER1, 1st Guard’s revolutionary claims iPhone app for truck drivers. TRUCKER1 allows drivers to access their coverage information and get back on the road quickly when they have a claim, regardless of the time or the location of the incident. Drivers can now fill out a claim in 60 seconds on their iPhone, where it used to take nearly two days to complete the process. TRUCKER1 uses Pitney Bowes Software’s software to verify the location of the incident, allowing the claims adjustor to have all of the details on hand to settle the claim efficiently.

The Spectrum™ OnDemand service also provides the 1st Guard sales team with valuable prospecting information, pinpointing the location of current and potential customers within a certain radius from a specific geographical location, to capitalize on potential business opportunities and strengthen relationships.

“Spectrum™ OnDemand has become a supporting service that we use across the company for any address validation or geocoding specific issue,” said Dan Ribar, CIO, 1st Guard. “In addition to the power of the solution, the ease of integration and the service has been exceptional, making Pitney Bowes Software a pleasure to work with. This is a mission critical system for us, and we are confident of the dependability of the service. It is always up and running and we don’t worry about it.”

“We are always confident in the value-add of our geolocational data services for insurers, but to see the innovative ways in which 1st Guard is using our services is really exciting,” said Bill Sinn, strategic marketing director, Pitney Bowes Software. “Spectrum™ OnDemand delivers easy-to-use, easy-to-deploy and easy-to-manage solutions and services.”

Pitney Bowes Software provides multichannel solutions that leverage data to create relevant dialogue between organizations and their customers. These solutions enable lifetime customer relationships by integrating data management, location intelligence, sophisticated predictive analytics, rules-based decision making and cross-channel customer interaction management to increase the value of every customer communication while also delivering operational efficiencies.

Pitney Bowes Software is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Pitney Bowes Inc., a customer communications management technology leader. For more information, please visit www.pb.com.

NOAA’s Coastal Mapping Program Offers Huge Taxpayer Benefits, Report Says

For every dollar American taxpayers spend on NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Coastal Mapping Program, they receive more than $35 in benefits, according to a recent independent socio-economic scoping study.

The program provides critical baseline data for accurately mapping America’s official shoreline—important for national security, maritime shipping and navigation, and provides geographical reference data needed to manage, develop, conserve and protect coastal resources.

The study demonstrates the program’s contributions in marine safety, geographic information, resource management, and emergency response and the wide range of economic and societal activities it supports.

“This is a great investment for taxpayers,” said David Kennedy, assistant NOAA administrator for the National Ocean Service. “The coastal mapping program FY11 budget of $6.8 million brought about $241 million annually in both direct and secondary economic benefits, as well as non-economic benefits such as those related to safety and the environment.”

Conducted by Leveson Consulting of Jackson, N.J., the study analyzed the benefits to the nation of NOAA’s Coastal Mapping Program, which enhances coastal economies by providing accurate and consistent shoreline data.

LIDAR imagery of an area south of San Francisco acquired by the NOAA aircraft.

Direct economic benefits of the program alone were estimated at $100 million—15 times program costs.The study estimated that NGS’s Coastal Mapping Program further supports 1,500 jobs outside of the program. In addition to the economic data, the study also provides information on the program’s customers and their uses of mapping data.

NOAA derives the shoreline data through various remote sensing technologies including aerial imagery, satellite imagery, Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), and Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR).

“In 2011, NGS delivered 7,800 miles of shoreline mapping that included 250 miles of California shoreline using new LiDAR-based procedures,” said Juliana Blackwell, NGS director.“Through partnerships with other federal agencies in LiDAR acquisition and with continued technological advances, NGS has demonstrated the ability to achieve a threefold increase in efficiency in some of our coastal projects.”

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.

Census Bureau Releases First Information Since 2000 Census on Moves Between Counties

 Census .The U.S. Census Bureau today released estimates from the American Community Survey showing how many people migrated from one specific county to another during the course of a year - the first such numbers published since these data were collected as part of the 2000 Census.

The American Community Survey compiles data over a five-year period and asks people where they lived one year prior to being surveyed. The first five-year estimates released covers the years from 2005 to 2009.

The 2005-2009 American Community Survey County-to-County Migration Files provide tables for each county in the nation, showing both "inflows" and "outflows." Inflows are the number of people living in a given county who lived in another specific county one year earlier; outflows represent the number of people who lived in a particular county one year earlier who subsequently moved to another specific county.

Of the 48.1 million people who lived in a different residence in the United States one year earlier, 17.7 million lived in a different county.

Maricopa, Ariz., had the largest number of inflows of people for any single county in the nation. People moved there from 993 different counties. Similarly, Maricopa led the nation with the largest number of counties in which it sent outflows of people „Ÿ a total of 1,156 counties. This means that individuals leaving Maricopa were more dispersed throughout the country than individuals leaving any other county. Pinal, Ariz. (13,452 residents); Los Angeles (12,403); Pima, Ariz. (7,349); San Diego (6,693); and Coconino, Ariz. (3,994) were among the counties with the highest number of people moving into Maricopa.

Pinal (21,974), Pima (8,464), San Diego (4,156), Los Angeles (3,813) and Coconino (3,188) were among the counties with the highest number of moves out of Maricopa.

All in all, the most common county-to-county moves nationally were from Los Angeles to San Bernardino, Calif. (48,456 people) and Los Angeles to Orange, Calif. (41,612). Los Angeles to Riverside, Calif. (29,710); Orange, Calif., to Los Angeles (29,345); and Miami-Dade to Broward, Fla. (27,010) were among the next most common county-to-county moves.

Additionally, Los Angeles had both the highest number of people entering from another county as well as the highest number leaving for another county. On balance, however, it lost a net of about 160,000 people in this exchange.

Prior to this product, the only migration flow tables available from the American Community Survey covered state-to-state flows; the latest such release, from the 2010 one-year estimates, was published in November 2011. Later this year, the U.S. Census Bureau plans to release a file from the 2006-2010 American Community Survey five-year estimates showing county-to-county flows by demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, and race and Hispanic origin.

Saturna Green Systems Enters Partnership with evolve Motorcycles

Saturna Green Systems Inc. (“Saturna”), an automotive wireless technology developer and GPS location-based services (“LBS”) provider, today announced an agreement with New York-based evolve motorcycles (“evolve”) to incorporate Saturna’s wireless Communications Platform on evolve’s US-made electric scooters and motorcycles. The Platform will be available on certain evolve 2013 models, and represents the first time that LBS and telematics devices are installed on an electric scooter OEM’s assembly line.

Saturna’s patent pending Communications Platform consists of:

1) A rugged On-vehicle Device that incorporates a high-speed processor, memory, GPS, and 3D accelerometer. The device collects detailed data from the evolve scooter’s battery, motor and electrical systems, as well as the bike’s location, speed, direction, attitude, etc.

2) A Digital Dashboard – a human machine interface (HMI) consisting of a large, digital, colour touchscreen display. Information can also be sent to a rider’s phone via Bluetooth™.

3) The Saturna/evolve Cloud – a highly customizable and scalable software application that opens up an unlimited number of location-based services and networking possibilities, and allows evolve scooters to be managed remotely from any web-enabled device.

These features help resolve range and charging anxiety by giving the evolve rider detailed state-of-charge and range information, as well as connecting them to electric vehicle charging infrastructures.

Saturna’s technology enhances safety and security, enables location-based services such as roadside assistance/charging, and makes possible urban social networking. It also allows manufacturers, such as evolve, to proactively engage with customers for warranty, maintenance and CRM initiatives.

Lex Kendall, co-founder and director of evolve motorcycles said, “evolve’s line-up of bikes are cutting edge, from their design to the technologies that power them. With the Saturna Platform we’ll bring revolutionary features to the user interface, and take the experience of riding an EV to a whole new orbit. An evolve motorcycle is an extension of the rider and his/her network, a vehicle that takes any possible worry out of riding electric. A vehicle that is no longer an island but instead redefines true connected mobility.”

Anwar Sukkarié, Saturna’s President and CEO said, “evolve is a company driven by vision and innovation, and we’re very pleased to share that vision, and to be working together to deliver a solution that is the first of its kind worldwide. Saturna’s technology will make evolve ownership even more carefree and fun, and help propel widespread electric vehicle adoption in general.”

evolve set out to create a completely new kind of motorcycle. to develop new ideas for a new generation. to explore new technologies and break new ground. to develop the latest two-wheeled solution to the electric movement. evolve is 100% electric. no gas. no oil. no emissions. made in the USA. a new vehicle for a new generation. evolvemotorcycles.com

Saturna Green Systems Inc., is a technology company developing the next generation of wireless, location-based services for electric two and three-wheel vehicles. Saturna’s team has a proven track record of management and product development in these industries. It was this background that helped Saturna identify a niche in the growing electric vehicle market, and it is now providing this know-how to OEMs and their customers. For more information, please visit saturnagreen.com or contact Eric Wilson, Marketing Director, at 1.604.369.5819.

UltraCam Eagle Sold to Helica in Italy

Graz, Austria - Helica srl, a remote sensing firm based in Italy, has contracted with Microsoft’s UltraCam business unit and subsidiary, Vexcel Imaging GmbH, to purchase an UltraCam Eagle ”ultra-large” format digital aerial camera system. First announced in May 2011, the UltraCam Eagle is the latest product in the line of award-winning UltraCam digital aerial camera systems.

“Helica recognizes the importance of offering multi-sensor capabilities, such as optical imaging and lidar simultaneously. Our search for new technology led us to the UltraCam Eagle, which we believe to be the best digital aerial camera for our needs,” stated Mr. Diego Plos, Director of Remote Sensing and Aviation at Helica. “Its compact structure, large imaging footprint, high resolution and collection efficiency makes the UltraCam Eagle ideal for operating in conjunction with our laser scanners.”

The UltraCam Eagle will be utilized to complete national mapping and urban mapping projects, including the planning and design of transportation and telecommunications infrastructure and managing and protecting the environment.

”Helica always strives to invest in new equipment to remain competitive in our rapidly evolving industry,” said Christian Peloso, Manager of Remote Sensing at Helica. “By synchronizing the UltraCam Eagle with our laser scanners and GPS, we are able to orthorectify and georeference images more quickly, which helps us complete projects on time.”

“Microsoft is very pleased that Helica purchased the first UltraCam Eagle in Italy,” said Alexander Wiechert, Microsoft Business Director. “We also look forward to assisting Helica in the future as we continue to adapt our technology to meet the needs of our customers.”

The UltraCam Eagle features a PAN image footprint of 20,010 pixels across the flight strip. In addition to the ultra-large image footprint, the UltraCam Eagle includes enhanced electronics for improved frame rate and less noise (72 dB signal-to-noise ratio for high image dynamic) when compared to previous UltraCam systems, and innovative high-resolution, high-performance lenses and state-of-the art CCD technology (@ 5.2 µm pixel size) for sharp images with a high dynamic range. The UltraCam Eagle is the first multi-cone digital photogrammetric camera to offer an exchangeable lens system with 80mm (standard) and 210mm (tele for high altitude flights) and includes filters with curved characteristics to flatten out vignetting, enabling the lens system to operate at its best Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) performance for maximum image sharpness and contrast. This digital camera system boasts a new housing concept with everything integrated into a modular sensor head, including the UltraNav embedded flight management and direct georeferencing system from Applanix, and in-flight exchangeable, solid state storage for high reliability and minimal ground time. Compared to previous UltraCam systems, the smaller physical form factor of the UltraCam Eagle system makes it quicker and easier to install, requires less aircraft space, and weighs less for more efficient aircraft fuel consumption.

With its operations based in Graz, Austria, and sales and support teams in North America, Microsoft’s UltraCam business unit brings more than two decades of photogrammetry expertise to Microsoft’s Bing Maps business unit. The division is responsible for the highly successful line of UltraCam digital aerial mapping systems that include the UltraCamLp, UltraCamXp and UltraCamXp Wide Angle and the new UltraCam Eagle digital photogrammetric sensors. Rounding out the UltraCam mapping systems offering is the UltraMap workflow software system for processing UltraCam imagery to Level 02 and Level 03 quality data, and with features that include distributed processing with automated load balancing, automated project-based color balancing, and additional quality control tools.

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Helica srl, founded in 2000 and based in Amaro, Italy, owns a fleet of helicopters and aircraft and operates a full range of remote sensing equipment, including digital aerial cameras, lidar scanners, geophysical sensors and mobile mapping systems. The firm produces digital models, infrastructure maps, 3D powerline cartography and environmental analysis, primarily for projects in Italy and Africa. For more information about Helica srl, please contact Mr. Diego Plos by telephone at +39 0433 94286 or email info@helica.it or visit the website at www.helica.it or www.helica.eu.

Aligned Assets Release AddressBase Compatible Business Names Database

Aligned Assets, specialists in gazetteer and address management, have made a database of all UK businesses available to local authorities and the emergency services.

The business names database can be used for a variety of functions to better serve the public through improved delivery of council services and enhanced emergency response to business addresses.

With the database matched to the Ordnance Survey's AddressBase Premium, as well as being the most up to date source of business names data currently available in the UK, it will contain UPRNs (unique property reference numbers) and be easily compatible with existing sources of public sector address data.

"Because businesses change so frequently, it has always been difficult for either local authorities or the emergency services to maintain up to date records," explained Andy Hird, managing director of Aligned Assets.

"Our database is kept up to date by a call centre of 65 people, whose sole job it is to call businesses to confirm and update details. In addition to the call centre, data is also sourced from and validated against Companies House, through online submissions, direct from clients and businesses, plus an online feedback facility with both Bing and the BT Phonebook."

Local authorities and the emergency services have access to accurate and consistent address data via Local Land and Property Gazetteers and AddressBase Premium. Addresses are relatively static, but the 'sign above the door' can change on a very regular basis. It is this 'on the ground reality' that can be so critically important and exactly what Aligned Assets are looking to supply.

"In order to ensure that accuracy is retained, the data will be supplied with monthly updates," continued Hird, "and we will also be supplying business classifications and SIC Codes to enhance the value of the data."

Aligned Assets will be holding a series of webinars to provide more information on the business names database. For more details, visit http://www.aligned-assets.co.uk/businessnames

Aligned Assets are an industry leader in gazetteer and address management solutions. They supply software across the public and private sectors including over 100 Local Authorities, Fire & Rescue Services and Police Forces. In addition to software and data solutions, they offer a complete range of consultancy, training, bespoke development and project management.

Aligned Assets are an industry leader in gazetteer software solutions. They supply over 90 Local Authorities as well as the FiReControl Project, the British Transport Police and Transport for London. In addition to providing GIS and address management software they can offer a complete range of consultancy, training, bespoke solutions and project management.

MapHook App Used to Raise Awareness of Sumatran Tiger Habitat

MapHook, the location-based journal application, is helping the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) bring attention to the deforestation and ruin of the Sumatran tiger’s habitat. Unsustainable clearing of Sumatra’s tropical rain forests for the ultimate purpose of producing paper products is having a devastating effect on the critically endangered tiger and on other animals such as elephants, rhinos, and orangutans.

WWF is asking supporters to identify places that carry or sell paper products made from Sumatran rain forest timber, and then note the location and take pictures using MapHook. Supporters can post a “hook” with their photos on http://www.worldwildlife.org/sites/tigers/toiletpaper-map.html. This site also has information about the paper campaign along with details on how to get started.

Supporters are encouraged to identify as many locations as possible. Supporters may also continue to use MapHook for their own social networking purposes such as sharing photos, videos and journaling in curated categories of interest, as well as viewing other location based content from MapHook partners, including Groupon, Wikipedia and Yelp.

“Social network applications like ours have a built-in ability to support important global outreach projects like this,” said Dr. Paul Carter, MapHook CEO. “This is a powerful illustration of how organizations can use MapHook to interact with the public in a new and effective way. WWF makes a great partner for us because of their broad appeal, their desire to reach out to the masses and our ability to provide the means. We like that they’re trying to make a difference in places and communities around the world.”

MapHook is a location-based journal and social networking application for mobile and desktop users. MapHook was created by MapHook, Inc. a software applications development firm based in Dulles, VA. For more information, please visit www.maphook.com.

Abu Dhabi Police G.H.Q. Receives Enterprise GIS Vision and Strategic Roadmap Award

Redlands, California - The Abu Dhabi Police (ADP) received the prestigious Esri Enterprise GIS Vision Award in recognition of its advanced Esri platform that improves key areas, such as crime prevention, security, and emergency management. The award was presented Tuesday, March 27, at the Esri Partner Conference in Palm Springs, California. The annual Esri Partner Conference brings together global partners and distributors to celebrate their efforts and provide them with the environment to develop the strategies and skills that will extend the value of their businesses.

“Their success is a result of the vision and leadership shown by Major General Ahmed Nasser Al Raisi,” said Jack Dangermond, president, Esri. “The Abu Dhabi Police use GIS to bring together people and processes for making better decisions.”

Abu Dhabi is one of the seven emirates that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and is also its capital. This city's extraordinarily fast development has naturally led to the typical urban concerns of police agencies everywhere including crime fighting, community safety, and intelligent response, which are global challenges as well.

The ADP Esri GIS enhances numerous capabilities. The approach, plans, and designs were benchmarked worldwide with leading law enforcement GIS implementers to ensure that ADP learns from best practices found elsewhere to provide a new standard for future police information systems.

Enterprise GIS services support police business and geoenable legacy police systems. They help easily find the location of emergency 999 callers, dispatch the nearest responders, and show nearby landmarks like hospitals and critical sites. The agency has dramatically reduced response times and eliminated manual descriptive guidance from the caller. GIS-based maps and analysis also help locate police resources and responders through an automated vehicle location system, allowing command and control (C2) officers to dispatch the nearest responder to the incident location. Responses have become more effective as a consequence of the much improved situational awareness provided to both the C2 officers and police responders. GIS is also used to provide a common operating picture with real-time data mapping related to the decision maker's jurisdiction. GIS services fulfill the needs of ADP stakeholders at all levels.

Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.

Bluesky Blom Partnership Delivers Unique Aerial Images Online

Coalville, Leicestershire, UK - 28 March 2012 - Using a powerful online server, high resolution images of hundreds of European cities can now be streamed direct to the desktop. The partnership between two of the UK’s leading geospatial data providers – Bristol based Blom UK and Leicestershire based Bluesky, has opened up access to some of the most up to date geographic imagery including high resolution vertical photographs and oblique images. Utilising the BlomURBEX geoserver images can be viewed at the desktop and even the smallest feature can be digitised and measured.

This announcement builds on an existing relationship between the two companies that has resulted in aerial photographs captured by some of the most prestigious names in UK survey industry being made available to view and download from www.oldaerialphotos.com.

“This partnership is another step in our on-going relationship with Bluesky,” commented Dave Fox, Executive Vice-President of Operations, Blom Group. “It ensures access to some of the most up to date and accurate geospatial imagery for a new generation of applications and users.”

Rachel Tidmarsh, Managing Director of Bluesky International added, “By utilizing the BlomURBEX solution we can provide a hosted service presenting the power of vertical aerial photography to new markets and introducing oblique images to existing users.” She continued, “This is also an important development as it negates the need for in-house data management which can often be complex and costly.”

The BlomURBEX geoserver opens up access to large volumes of geographic imagery via the Internet. Streaming images at high speed with an easy to use interface, users of the hosted service can access nationwide coverage of vertical aerial photography from Bluesky’s own archive as well as stunning oblique images from the BlomOBLIQUE collection of more than 900 European cities and towns. This agreement will also allow Bluesky to resell other products from Blom including Blom3D and BlomMETRO.

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

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

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

Blom is a leading European service provider within acquisition, processing and modeling of geographic information. Blom maintains unique European databases with collections of map, images and models. With particular focus on online services, Blom provides data and solutions to customers in government, enterprise and consumer markets and enables partners to create applications using Blom's databases, location based services and navigation solution.

Blom has app 1,000 employees and subsidiaries in 13 countries. The company headquarter is located in Oslo, Norway. Blom is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (ticker BLO).

Autodesk Unveils New Design Suites and Cloud Services for Manufacturers

Autodesk, Inc. today unveiled its new 3D design and engineering software portfolio for manufacturers, offering a complete set of integrated and interoperable suites and cloud services to simplify design, visualization and simulation workflows from product development through delivery.

The new Autodesk design suites are geared especially for manufacturers and include Autodesk Product Design Suite and Autodesk Factory Design Suite. The new suites provide a broad range of cloud services to help manufacturers more efficiently design, build and deliver better products faster and at reduced costs. The new Autodesk Simulation family of products delivers a faster, more accurate and flexible approach to predicting, optimizing and validating designs earlier in the design process.

“Autodesk’s 2013 portfolio provides our customers with a faster path to ROI for product development and delivery,” said Robert “Buzz” Kross, senior vice president, Design, Lifecycle and Simulation at Autodesk. “Our 2013 suites and scalable cloud services help manufacturers improve productivity and minimize upfront investment.”

Autodesk Design Suites Enhance Interoperability, Collaboration

Autodesk suites provide comprehensive workflows to connect desktops to mobile devices and to the cloud. These workflows enable manufacturing customers to develop complete definitions of product designs; integrate electrical and mechanical design to increase productivity; predict product performance; and visualize designs or complete factory layouts in 3D.

Autodesk’s 2013 design suites integrate with Autodesk 360 cloud offerings to better enable collaboration. Cloud-based assets promote design sharing and reuse. The suites also offer interoperability with the new 2013 version of Autodesk Vault product data management software and the company’s next generation, cloud-based alternative Autodesk PLM 360. Autodesk Vault software enables workgroups to organize, manage and track their engineering CAD data, manufacturing bills-of-material and change processes from a centralized location.

The 2013 Autodesk Product Design and Factory Design suites are available in three cost-effective, convenient editions: Standard, Premium and Ultimate.

Autodesk Product Design Suite Completes the Entire Engineering Process

Delivering a comprehensive software solution, the Autodesk Product Design Suite enables design, visualization and simulation capabilities, helping to drive innovation with integrated, discipline-specific tools and workflows built for Digital Prototyping.

New for Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013 are the addition of one-click workflows created to help customers seamlessly move through the engineering design process, advanced cloud-based services for simulation and the inclusion of additional software allowing customers to realize their end-to-end design process. Autodesk Product Design Suite 2013 updates include:

Autodesk Inventor software in the Standard edition, establishing 3D parametric design as the foundation to the engineering design process and providing a solution that delivers powerful 3D design and drafting capabilities.
AutoCAD Electrical software and Autodesk Inventor Routed Systems in the Premium and Ultimate editions, delivering a complete integrated electromechanical system capable of producing an entire product definition, including fully defined tubing, piping and hydraulic systems.
Autodesk Navisworks Simulate in Premium and Ultimate editions, providing integrated electromechanical, markup and visualization workflows capability.
“The Autodesk Product Design Suite has been an invaluable tool for Sunkist Research and a big part of our success, from generating animations in Autodesk 3ds Max Design, to overlaying a 3D model in a real-time factory environment to actual engineering design and 3D modeling with the Autodesk Inventor suite,” said Alex Paradiang, director of engineering, Sunkist Research. “We have showcased our engineering talents with Autodesk software and displayed to our customers that we are constantly looking for the best solutions to help maintain our lead in the citrus industry.”

Autodesk Factory Design Suite Brings Digital Prototyping to the Factory Floor

The suite enhances AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor software with exclusive access to interoperable, layout-specific workflows, new cloud-based factory asset resources and powerful visualization and analysis tools that help increase design accuracy, efficiency and communication.

Specifically, the one-to-one synchronization between 2D AutoCAD drawings and the 3D Inventor assembly within the suite means changes made in the AutoCAD drawing will propagate to the Inventor 3D layout, and changes in the 3D layout will propagate back to the original 2D drawing. The bidirectional associative workflow of the suite provides veteran AutoCAD users with a familiar, easy to learn process for generating compelling 2D and 3D factory layouts while improving efficiency and accuracy.

“The Autodesk Factory Design Suite allows us to model packaging lines in a digital environment,” said Brian Strothcamp, senior designer with the Barry-Wehmiller Design Group. “We can visualize different options more easily to find innovative and practical solutions. Interactive, 3D walkthroughs give our clients confidence that our factory layouts will satisfy all their needs.”

Autodesk Inventor Publisher: Accurate and Compelling Product Documentation

Autodesk Inventor Publisher 2013 extends the value of Autodesk Design Suites by leveraging the same 3D digital model used in the design process for developing highly visual and interactive 2D and 3D technical documentation that helps explain and differentiate products and processes. Inventor Publisher 2013 features faster performance, new video output formats that can be published directly to YouTube and Facebook, and many new interoperability additions, such as new file import formats, automatic update with new assembly formats and integration with Sketchbook Designer.

Autodesk Simulation: Fast, Accurate and Flexible

The Autodesk Simulation family of products delivers a fast, accurate and flexible approach to predict, optimize and validate designs earlier in the design process. The new family includes 2013 versions of Autodesk Simulation Mechanical, Autodesk Simulation CFD, Autodesk Simulation Moldflow and serves as a comprehensive set of simulation software tools that are easy to integrate into each phase of the product development process. Enhancements to the 2013 simulation portfolio include:

Autodesk Simulation Mechanical – Interoperability with Autodesk Showcase 2013 allows for results to be imported into Autodesk Showcase to create high-quality photo realistic renderings and presentations.
Autodesk Simulation CFD – Up to a 34 times improvement in overall solve time, while Autodesk Inventor Fusion enhancements include the ability to create associative internal and external fluid volumes, the ability to detect interferences, and automatic model simplification.
Autodesk Simulation Moldflow and Autodesk Moldflow Insight WS – Allows designers and manufacturers involved in injection molding simulation to address the trend towards lightweight designs. The cloud-enabled tools provide access to computation power and enable the user to solve multiple scenarios in parallel, thereby reducing previous limitations and increasing productivity.
“Articulinx is a small, yet innovative company. Our unique technology requires that we have the ability to run multiple simulation computations in parallel without being bogged down or losing productivity,” said Rick Lilly, R&D engineering manager at Articulinx. “We selected Autodesk Insight WS so that we could easily scale our Moldflow access, and it works amazingly well for us.”

Availability

Product availability varies by country. Purchasing a design suite with Autodesk Subscription helps customers stay current and connected with access to the latest workflows on desktops, mobile devices and in the cloud. See details and purchasing options at www.autodesk.com/purchaseoptions.

Autodesk, Inc., is a leader in 3D design, engineering and entertainment software. Customers across the manufacturing, architecture, building, construction, and media and entertainment industries -- including the last 17 Academy Award winners for Best Visual Effects -- use Autodesk software to design, visualize and simulate their ideas. Since its introduction of AutoCAD software in 1982, Autodesk continues to develop the broadest portfolio of state-of-the-art software for global markets. For additional information about Autodesk, visit http://usa.autodesk.com.

Blue Marble Releases 13.1 Update to Global Mapper Software Developer Toolkit

Gardiner, Maine  - March 27, 2012 - Blue Marble Geographics (www.bluemarblegeo.com) is pleased to announce the release of Global Mapper Software Developer Toolkit version 13.1. This update features many new drawing and analysis tools along with enhanced geospatial PDF and LAS 1.4 support. 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 SDK 13.1 syncs up the software developer toolkit with Global Mapper desktop software releases. This will enable a more consistent release cycle ensuring the software developers are able to work with the latest and greatest feature/functions introduced to the desktop version of the software. The 13.1 release introduces many new drawing tools such as drawing map layout items, including elevation legend, distance scale, map feature legend, and north arrow. The update also introduces powerful new analysis tools like the function for creating density/heat grids from loaded point features, thefunction for creating roughness length grids from a land cover layer and the methodfor easily calculating a watershed with stream paths and drainage basins from loaded terrain layers. The ability to add custom online data sources is introduced along with improved Geospatial PDF support, new LandXML, LASzip and LAS 1.4, I.H.S. Well Data point files, GeoJSON, and Digital Bathe Bathymetric Database Variable Resolution (DBDB-V)files and much more.

“Blue Marble has been directly supporting hundreds of geospatial software developers implement cutting edge technology for years,” stated Blue Marble President Patrick Cunningham. “The Global Mapper SDK is a great tool to add to a suite of libraries and we are excited to work directly with our developer community with this new display and translation api. Syncing up the SDK kits with the desktop releases will help us provide the latest features and functionality to our existing users as well as new customers for future releases”

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.

European Space Imaging supports GMES Masters Competition

European Space Imaging announces its support for the upcoming GMES Masters 2012 through the addition of a new challenge centered on the use of new applications for very high-resolution satellite imagery.

During this years’ competition kick-off in Munich European Space Imaging GmbH (EUSI) announced its support of the GMES Masters competition established by the Anwendungszentrum GmbH Oberpfaffenhofen (AZO). European Space Imaging is pleased to expand the contest by contributing the new ‘European Space Imaging High-Res Challenge’.

“We are very happy to have European Space Imaging on board for this year’s GMES Masters. As Europe’s leading provider of VHR data they bring a new and exciting challenge to the program”says Thorsten Rudolph, CEO, AZO.

“Through participating in the GMES Masters we hope to encourage creativity and find new, innovative ideas for the use of  very high resolution satellite imagery in support of monitoring global environment and security”explains Michaela Weber, Sales and Marketing Director, European Space Imaging.

The European Earth Monitoring Competition GMES Masters takes place on an annual basis and calls for new ideas and services making the best use of earth observation data from Europe's flagship program on Global Monitoring for Environment and Security (GMES). Initiated by the European Space Agency (ESA), the Bavarian Ministry of Economy, the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and T-Systems and supported by the European Commission and European Space Imaging GmbH, the GMES Masters 2012 will call for submissions between 1 June and 16 September 2012 in six categories.

EUSI currently provides VHR optical data to GMES program from DigitalGlobe's satellite constellation consisting of WorldView-1, WorldView-2 and QuickBird. The imagery supports a range of services for monitoring the environment and supporting civil security activities on a European, national and regional level. Especially for GMES emergency services, like SAFER or GMOSAIC, an instant tasking option for VHR optical data is crucial for immediate assessments and can be fully supported through EUSI using their local WorldView groundstation and their close connection with the WorldView Global Alliance partner DigitalGlobe.

European Space Imaging (EUSI) is Europe’s leading supplier of very high-resolution satellite imagery. The company was founded in 2002 and is based in Munich, Germany. EUSI is the only European satellite data provider that operates its own dedicated very high-resolution satellite ground station for direct satellite tasking and local data uplink and downlink.

SuperGIS Desktop 3 Enhances GIS Teaching for Indonesian Senior High School

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, announced that the SMKN 4 Palangkaraya Senior High school, Indonesia, purchased SuperGIS serial products. The educators attempt to utilize the GIS technology to improve the education quality and innovation in geography.

The development of technology facilitates the rapid exchange of information. Hence, how to make geographic knowledge easier and accessible to students is crucial to educators. Located in Kalimantan Province, Indonesia, the SMKN 4 Palangkaraya Senior High school decided to invest in GIS software to create a practical learning environment and arouse students’ interests in learning geographic knowledge and skills.

After having a consultation from the local reseller, Datascrip, the schoolpurchased SuperGIS Desktop 3, Spatial Analyst, and GPS learning CD to establish a professional GIS platform to process a large amount of spatial data and to reach the educators’ teaching requirement. By using Spatial Analyst, the users can analyze spatial data in different perspectives and quickly obtain the required geospatial information.

Being a principle business partner in Indonesia, Datascrip serves a total geospatial solution to local businesses. SuperGeo and Datascrip believe that reliable software and service can not only help students develop the ability of data manipulation but also promote the instructional quality of geography. In the future, the two companies will constantly put in a great deal of effort to supply better satisfactions of GIS education.

For more information aboutDatascrip, please visit http://datascrip.com/

For more information about SuperGeo, please visit http://www.supergeotek.com
SuperGeo Technologies Inc. is a leading global provider of GIS software and solutions. Since the establishment, SuperGeo has dedicated to providing state-of-the-art geospatial technologies and comprehensive services for customers around the world. It is our vision to help users utilize geospatial technologies to create a better world.

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

PrecisionEarth – Award Winning Soil Sampling App for iPads

Tucson - 27 March 2012 - PrecisionEarth, announces new features, lower cost of $150 (USD), and being selected by Croplife as one of the “10 Best Mobile Agriculture Apps For 2012.”  PrecisionEarth brings Soil Sampling to Apple’s iPad and iPhone platforms leveraging the ease-of-use and larger screensof these mobile devices.

PrecisionEarth is an easy-to-use but powerful iPad Soil Sampling app that enables:

Creating and managing Grower, Farmer, Field database
Loading, creating, editing, and exporting boundaries as shapefiles
Loading directed sampling points, regions, and zones
Creating and collecting using custom grids, zones, regions, test plots, and freestyle
Collecting with single or multiple samples per bag with unique generated bag IDs
Loading, managing, and displaying user layers (Yield, NVDI, GVI, etc.)
Loading and displaying height colorized elevation
Exporting sampling results as Shapefiles for the labs
Working with and without 4G/3G/Wi-Fi networks
With this release PrecisionEarth is easier to evaluate as well, based on customer feedback, we made so you can perform every task but import or export data that way you can see it works great before you buy.

PrecisionEarth is happy to announce our selection by Croplife as one of the “10 Best Mobile Agriculture Apps For 2012”.  Read about it here:  http://www.croplife.com/article/26369/10-best-mobile-agriculture-apps-for-2012

With PrecisionEarth, it is getting easier to load field data, find your current location, get work done, and save your changes while roaming your fields or anywhere you have your iPad or iPhone loaded with PrecisionEarth.

PrecisionEarth is available in the Apple iTunes App store at new one-time cost of $150/user.

Get PrecisionEarth here: http://itunes.com/apps/precisionearth

Avenza Releases MAPublisher 8.7 for Adobe Illustrator

Toronto, ON - March 28, 2012 - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of the PDF Maps app for iOS and geospatial plugins for Adobe Creative Suite, including Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop, is pleased to announce the release of MAPublisher 8.7 for Adobe Illustrator. This release includes a number of enhancements to existing features, such as Grids & Graticules, and some new ones, such as the Georeferencer tool.

The Grids & Graticules tool was redesigned to offer an almost endless level of customization for index grids, graticules, and measured grids. Many new options are available including the ability to create a grid collection (multiple grids), intersects, align tick marks, and apply special formatting and styles to grid labels.

"We're delighted to release MAPublisher 8.7 and to provide many new and sought-after features to the Adobe Illustrator cartographic and GIS environment,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “We are excited to enhance our tool lineup so that they better serve our users. The Georeferencer tool is the only one of its kind that exists in the Adobe Illustrator environment. The fact that MAPublisher users can now easily and effortlessly georeference their data in a graphics environment is an extremely powerful innovation,” he added.

Enhancements and new features of MAPublisher 8.7

Grids & Graticules tool received major enhancements. Multiple grids can be created and layered to form a grid collection for a highly customized look – fine tune the look of grid lines, borders, tick marks, style labeling and more. Save grid settings to configuration files and share them with others who can load them.
New Georeferencer tool provides the ability to give spatial properties to a non-referenced map by establishing a relationship between page locations in the document and world locations sourced from an online map service, another open document, or manual entry.
The Buffer Area tool has the new ability to buffer areas.
Redesigned the Label Features dialog box for easier label management.
Text Utilities has a new Merge text utility which provides the ability to merge multiple lines of text into a single text object.
More about MAPublisher for Illustrator

MAPublisher for Illustrator is powerful map production software for creating cartographic-quality maps from GIS data. Developed as a suite of plug-ins for Adobe Illustrator, MAPublisher leverages the superior graphics capabilities of this graphics design software for working with GIS data and producing high-quality maps with efficiency.

MAPublisher 8.7 for Illustrator is available free of charge to all MAPublisher customers with an active maintenance subscription and as an upgrade for non-maintenance users at US$599. New licenses are US$1399. MAPublisher FME Auto is available as an add-on to MAPublisher 8.7 at prices starting at US$399 per license. Academic, floating and volume pricing is also available. Prices include one year of full maintenance. Visit www.avenza.com/mapublisher for more details.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services as well as the PDF Maps app for purchasing and using maps on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, including GeoPDF and geospatial PDF files. Visit www.avenza.com for more details.

INTERGEO Round Table 2012: “Geoinformation plays an important role in all key sociopolitical issues”

Geoinformation holds enormous potential: “Geoinformation plays an important role in all key sociopolitical issues,”said Prof. Karl-Friedrich Thöne at the INTERGEO Round Table in Karlsruhe. All participants were in agreement with the President of the German Society for Geodesy, Geoinformation and Land Management (DVW), the organization responsible for hosting INTERGEO from 9 to 11 October 2012 in Hanover. However, the experts –including representatives from the worlds of politics and industry –backed different approaches for the leading international industry forum with conference and trade fair. Dr. Georg Thiel from the Federal Ministry of the Interior (BMI) called for a “national geoinformation strategy”, while Ernest McCutcheon, Managing Director of Karlsruhe-based DDS Digital Data Services GmbH, said that “too great an emphasis”was placed on data protection, favouring instead an approach highlighting the benefits of employing geoinformation.

During the discussion held under the banner “Smart Geoinformation –Intelligent Geoinformation for the Future”, Thomas Haupt, responsible for sustainability in his position as the Director of PTV Planung Transport Verkehr AG in Karlsruhe, gave an example demonstrating that easier access to data improves the “robustness of systems”. He said that anonymous mobile data could be used instead of models for planning traffic flows, which would also help find a way out of the “data jungle”and into a “healthy mixed forest”. However, DVW President Thöne warned against focusing exclusively on the benefits of geoinformation. The debate on Google Street View, he said, showed that potential risks also had to be included in any discussion. He proposed that: “INTERGEO should also serve as a platform for adopting an offensive strategy for data protection and data security”.

The first national INSPIRE Conference is to be held at the 18th INTERGEO in Hanover this year. INSPIRE is an EU directive for creating a common geodata infrastructure. Under this directive, high-quality geodata from the public bodies of member states should be made available under uniform conditions to support the formulation, implementation and evaluation of European and national areas of policy. “It is our job to put data protection in Europe on a new footing,”said Dr. Georg Thiel. The INSPIRE Conference and INTERGEO, he added, are ideal platforms for launching discussions with a view to developing a national geoinformation strategy.

But how does INSPIRE affect smartphone owners? “INSPIRE will generate added value,”said Thiel, referring to the simple example of intelligent lawn-mowing robots. “These lawnmowers can use INSPIRE, for example, to incorporate weather data into their planning and wait for a storm to pass before automatically starting to mow the lawn”. Public administration bodies will make decisions based almost 100 percent on geoinformation, said Thiel.

Dr. Hartmut Rosengarten from Hexagon Geosystems and spokesman for the INTERGEO Exhibitor Advisory Board acknowledged the event as both an international communication platform for the industry and a bridge between professionals and end consumers. He said: “At INTERGEO, we have to offer solutions so they can be understood and utilised by everyone”.

GeoComm Selected by Esri as Recipient of 2012 Private Web Application Award

St. Cloud, MN - GeoComm, an Esri Platinum Tier Partner, is pleased to announce that they have been selected as the recipient of the 2012 Esri Partner Conference Award for a Private Web Application for GeoLynx Server.

The prestigious Esri Private Web Application Award is given to a company that has exhibited a practical yet innovative application using the latest features in ArcGIS Server 10. To be considered for this award, Esri Partners are nominated by Esri staff or Esri distributors. GeoComm was nominated for their GeoLynx Server product, a web-based mapping system for public safety and law enforcement personnel.

“GeoComm’s GeoLynx Server is an excellent vertical solution for public safety that leverages Esri ArcGIS for Server,” said Lew Nelson, Esri’s Global Law Enforcement Industry Manager. “GeoComm has long been an industry leader in developing great public safety solutions and we congratulate them on the award.”

The award was presented to GeoComm by Esri President Jack Dangermond at the Esri Partner Conference in Palm Springs, California. To learn more about GeoLynx Server visit www.geo-comm.com/webdispatchmapping.html

GeoComm is a proven provider of end-to-end public safety GIS systems tailored to meet the needs of your agency. GeoComm is leading the industry providing NG9-1-1 GIS services and software from a NG9-1-1 GIS Data Quality Report Card to enhancing your data with NG9-1-1 attributes to providing software to maintain your GIS data to providing the ECRF/LVF in your new ESInet and tactical mapping in your PSAP. Contact us to for more information or to discuss your options! geocomm@geo-comm.com

GeoComm’s Family of Products provides the tools necessary to speed and enhance emergency response. These tools reduce response times, improve data accuracy and quality, accelerate communications, and provide mission critical GIS-based decision support. www.geo-comm.com

U.A.E Ministry of Interior/Abu Dhabi Police GIS Center for Security Joins the OGC

The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC®) announced that the U.A.E. Ministry of the Interior, represented by Abu Dhabi Police GIS Center for Security, has become a Principal Member of the OGC to chair a new, planned international OGC Law Enforcement and Public Safety Working Group.

In addition to advancing technical standards and best practices as voting members of the OGC Technical Committee, Principal Members provide guidance on market direction and Consortium focus, vote to approve nominations to the OGC Board of Directors, and have authority over the development, release and adoption of OGC standards through their voting rights in the OGC Planning Committee.

The Abu Dhabi Police GIS Center for Security aims to contribute to the OGC GovFuture Program and other consortium activities that guide local, sub-national, national & international government organizations in raising awareness and adoption of OGC standards in geospatial systems and geographical information, which are critically important in government decision support systems. Abu Dhabi Police is interested in initiating and leading a Domain Working Group that would be supported by police, emergency and security forces from the UAE, the Middle East region and other world regions. The goal is to drive geospatial technology standards and approaches that support law enforcement, public safety and security, as well as encouraging research, projects, events and outreach that contribute to achieving this goal.

Mark Reichardt, President of the OGC, said, “By becoming a Principal Member in the OGC, the U.A.E. Ministry of the Interior has shown a strong commitment to the open standards community and its leadership in advancing OGC standards for improved decision making across government. It’s also important for the Middle East region that we now have an OGC Principal Member from the UAE."

"We are pleased to be the first police force in the world to be a Principal Member of the OGC, and in a position to chair a focused domain working group at the global level," said Captain Mohammed Saleh Al Mansoori, head of the GIS Center for Security in the U.A.E. "This initiative contributes to our mission of becoming an intelligence-led police force by investing in information and knowledge and adopting technology best practices and standards to fulfill our tasks and duties as a force."

About the Abu Dhabi Police GIS Center for Security

The Abu Dhabi Police GIS Center for Security has developed a strategic roadmap to utilize the capabilities of spatial systems in areas of law enforcement, public safety and homeland security. It is setting a new standard on how to plan, think and operate spatially to make location count in law enforcement and public safety.

The OGC is an international consortium of more than 435 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available geospatial standards. OGC standards support interoperable solutions that "geo-enable" the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. OGC standards empower technology developers to make geospatial information and services accessible and useful with any application that needs to be geospatially enabled. Visit the OGC website at http://www.opengeospatial.org/contact.

Esri Geospatial Technology Promotes Local Food Systems in US

As part of the US Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) ongoing commitment to support local and regional food systems, it recently released the KYF2 Compass Map. The interactive, web-based map provides information about these food systems and is a component of the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food Compass, announced by agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack and deputy secretary Kathleen Merrigan of the USDA. The map uses Esri’s geographic information system (GIS) technology and web map services designed and developed by VSolvit LLC.

USDA originally launched the KYF2 initiative in 2009 to help revitalize rural communities by identifying the resources needed to grow, market, and distribute local food. The KYF2 Compass Map was created to carry that momentum forward by providing the public with a way to access information about where food is grown and the availability of local markets.

“USDA has shown how legacy GIS content can be rapidly organized to benefit broad groups of constituents,” said Jack Dangermond, Esri president. “We are pleased that USDA has mapped local food systems and extended the use of government data to all stakeholders."

The KYF2 Compass Map is deployed using Esri Managed Services. Future plans include updating and adding new datasets and offering dynamic map views and map services. As the map evolves, it will ultimately benefit farmers, educators, businesses, and other organizations by aggregating many sources of data about local and regional food supply chains.

Part of the USDA mission is to help build a national dialog about local food systems. To promote this dialog, Esri supports the Twitter campaign around the Compass and encourages those Twitter users involved with local food projects to include the hashtag #KYF2 when referring to the KYF2 initiative and talking about the KYF Compass and map.

Since 1969, Esri has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS technology, Esri software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. Esri applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. Esri is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at esri.com/news.

VSolvit LLC (pronounced "We-Solve-It") is a leading provider of geospatial and information technology consulting services and solutions to the government and the private sector. VSolvit was recognized as the USDA Woman Owned Business of the Year in June 2011. VSolvit’s SBA Certified 8(a)/SDB, 8(m)/WOSB status and availability of GSA schedules enables government agencies to have rapid access to geospatial expertise for geospatially enabling their organizations. Please visit us at www.vsolvit.com.

Five StreetMapper’s Take to the Roads in Japan

StreetMapper, the mobile laser mapping system, has announced delivery of its fifth system to Japan in less than a year.  The StreetMapper equipped vehicles enable 3D laser scan surveys to be undertaken at normal road traffic speeds and are being used for a range of mapping projects across Japan.  StreetMapper, a joint development between the UK’s 3D Laser Mapping and German navigation specialist IGI, is distributed by Japanese company Mirukuru.

“Feedback from our client’s show the StreetMapper systems are mainly being used in road mapping projects,” commented Shinji Inaba of technical consultancy company, Mirukuru. “Using StreetMapper they can achieve greater accuracies of measurement and a much denser and more complete point cloud cover. All at a fraction of the price of more traditional airborne or terrestrial surveys.”

Asia Air Survey were the first company in Japan to adopt the highly accurate mobile mapping system, making headlines with their use of StreetMapper to assess the damage caused by the earthquake in March 2011. Building on this successful application the specialist surveying company has recently purchased a second system. The Geospatial Information Authority of Japan, the national organisation for surveying and mapping, has also recently taken delivery of a StreetMapper Portable system, while construction consultants ASCO are already operating two similar solutions.

“As well as the high profile use of the StreetMapper system assessing the structural damage caused by the earthquake and tsunami last year, we have also had reports of StreetMapper systems being used for power line mapping, 3D city modelling as well as road profile and section measurement and asset data collection,” continued Inaba.

StreetMapper has been specifically designed for the rapid 3D mapping of highways, runways, railways, infrastructure and buildings. Using vehicle-mounted lasers offering a 360-degree field of view, StreetMapper enables high precision mapping to a range of 300 metres, a capacity of 550,000 measurements per second per sensor and recorded accuracies in independent real world projects of better than 10 millimetres.

Utilising StreetMapper 360 technology StreetMapper Portable combines flexibility and ease of use with
proven performance and accuracy. StreetMapper Portable is small enough to check in as standard luggage at the airport and designed to be installed in a matter of minutes on virtually any vehicle making it ideal for rapid deployment in inhospitable or inaccessible environments.

StreetMapper has been developed by UK based 3D Laser Mapping in conjunction with German based guidance and navigation specialist IGI mbH. The system employs the latest laser scanning technology for improved field performance and accuracy, precision navigation including a solution for reduced GPS coverage in urban areas, combined with a flexible, modular configuration and increased ease of use and deployment.


3D Laser Mapping is a global developer of laser scanning solutions for sectors such as mapping, mining and manufacturing. 3D Laser Mapping specialises in integrating laser scanning hardware with their own software and peripherals to create solutions at the cutting edge of technology. Through a worldwide network of distributors 3D Laser Mapping is able to provide frontline support and service for a growing international client base. 3D Laser Mapping is also the Riegl Premier Distributor for the UK, Ireland and sub-Saharan Africa and the leading distributor of TerraScan software.


Mirukuru is a technical consultant company for 3D measurement. A business partner of 3DLM and IGI in the Japanese market their technical background is Photogrammetry and Laser measurement. Mirukuru is also working in the 3D City model business. The achievement of Mirukuru always expands since the company establishment in 2003.

SuperGeo Releases SuperGIS Spatial Analyst 3.0

SuperGeo Technologies, the leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, officially releases SuperGIS Spatial Analyst 3.0, which contains a variety of spatial modeling and analysis algorithms. The specialized analysis tool allows a user-friendly interface to effectively accomplish complicated spatial analysis tasks.

By employing SuperGISSpatial Analyst 3.0, users can freely access the functionality of the integration of vector and raster data, analysis of spatial relationship, best location search, analysis of service area, multiple layer query, and statistics of raster data, etc.

SuperGIS Spatial Analyst 3.0 supports to import point, line, polygon, and raster data for specific functions. In this new release, Hydrologic analysis is supported to offer many analysis functions such as basin, fill, flow accumulation, flow direction, flow length, sink, snap pour point, stream link, stream order, and watershed. Users are able to perform these data in various formats.

For manipulation, SuperGIS Spatial Analyst 3.0 requires SuperGIS Desktop 3.1, the whole new desktop GIS software. The key features of newly-launched Spatial Analyst 3.0 are available on www.supergeotek.com; please refer to the document, What's New in SuperGIS Spatial Analyst 3.0 for more details. The other extensions such as SuperGIS Network Analyst 3.0 are going to be launched in the near future.

For more information about SuperGIS Spatial Analyst 3.0, please visit  http://www.supergeotek.com/products_desktop_SA.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.

PCI’s GXL Technology Successfully Used to Process 1m imagery for ArcGIS Online World Imagery

Richmond, Hill - Ontario, Canada - PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, announced today that the GXL Cloud system it deployed for Esri in 2011 has successfully been used to process large volumes of 1 meter pansharpened Ikonos imagery. Imagery processed through the use of the GXL Cloud system is now available for free through ArcGIS Online.

The imagery processed using PCI’s GXL system was published to the ArcGIS Online World Imagery map earlier this month. Expanded coverage is now available for Korea and several countries in the Middle East and North Africa – with several more updates planned over the coming months. Samples of the imagery processed using PCI’s GXL technology can be accessed here: http://pci.gl/wdqxP7.

PCI’s GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL) technology was designed for automation and speed, leveraging off-the-shelf CPU/GPU hardware through highly parallelized processing capability, thereby accelerating production throughput over traditional desktop systems by orders of magnitude. Cloud-based services offer the advantage of low-cost computing resources across multiple instances that can be switched on and off as required, providing on-demand scalability. PCI has worked with Esri Inc. to deploy its GXL technology to the Amazon Cloud, where multiple instances can be tasked to process large volumes of imagery — on demand.

The GXL Cloud System implementation is tailored to process high-resolution optical imagery, and can generate pansharpened, orthorectified, color-balanced tiled mosaic products at high speed using multi CPU/GPU and multi-instance enabled technology. The complete system can transform uncorrected Level 1 frame-based data from multiple satellite sensors into thousands of orthorectified and mosaicked products — on demand.

“Through diligent work and a great amount of innovation, we have overcome significant hurdles which have limited the availability of cloud computing for the customers’ Earth Observation and Imagery needs,” said David Stanley, Chief Technology Officer at PCI Geomatics. “By staging the data directly within Amazon’s facility and coupling it with our Cloud-optimized GXL system, we can leverage the true power of Cloud Based processing for our customers, that is, on-demand scalability for high-speed production.”

“Through the use of the GXL Cloud system that PCI has deployed to our Amazon Cloud instances, we are working diligently to provide high-resolution and high-quality content as quickly as possible for the ArcGIS Online platform,” said Steven Lambert, Senior Program Manager at Esri.

About GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL)

GXL technology combines high-performance computing with PCI Geomatics expertise to provide significant improvements in automation, speed and efficiency. By optimizing and distributing automated workflows, traditional image-processing is elevated to industrial-strength production.

For more information about the GXL software solution, and the Cloud based capability, visit www.pcigeomatics.com/gxl, or www.pcigeomatics.com/cloud 

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

Esri develops geographic information systems (GIS) solutions that function as an integral component innearly every type of organization. Esri software is used by more than 350,000 organizations worldwide including most U.S. federal agencies and national mapping agencies, 45 of the top 50 petroleum companies, all 50 U.S. state health departments, most forestry companies, and many others in dozens of industries. Esri software is the standard in state and local government and is used by more than 24,000 state and local governments including Paris, France; Los Angeles, California, USA; Beijing, China; and Kuwait City, Kuwait. For more information, visit www.esri.com.

GE Energy Announces a Cost-Effective, Flexible, Advanced Smart Metering Solution for IEC Market

GE (NYSE: GE) announced today the availability of the SGM1100, a PRIME (Power Line Intelligent Metering Evolution) PLC compliant smart meter designed for global utilities following IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) requirements. The SGM1100 provides utilities with a cost-effective and flexible solution to meet the requirements of an advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), laying the foundation for increasing efficiency and better managing energy costs.

“With almost a century of experience developing robust metering solutions for utilities, GE is proud to announce the availability of the SGM1100 smart meter for IEC markets,” said Luke Clemente, general manager, Metering & Sensing for GE’s Digital Energy business. ”GE has a deep understanding of the unique needs of the utility having built electric networks around the globe including everything from transmission, distribution and metering. With SGM1100, GE is helping utilities around the globe take the next step in their energy evolution, becoming more sustainable, reliable and productive through AMI.”

AMI is the cornerstone to grid modernization, enabling two-way communication between the utility and the consumer. Through AMI, utilities and consumers can benefit from improved power reliability, greater availability of renewable energy and increased control of energy usage including enhanced electric vehicle charging.

The SGM1100 is a single-phase meter designed to support residential and small commercial energy consumers. In alignment with local standards, the SGM1100 meets IEC requirements and provides PLC AMI communications with the PRIME and the DLMS/COSEM protocols.

Designed for ease of use, GE’s SGM1100 enables utilities to accelerate installations, automate provisioning and reduce the amount of required post-installation support, which results in faster and more cost-efficient deployments. Additional benefits include:

    Increased security features and a dual pole relay for increased safety during installation and service.
    Remote upgradeable firmware via the PLC communications to reduce on-site visits for maintenance.
    Local communications enabling site-specific configuration, firmware updates and on-demand diagnostics.
    An integrated PRIME PLC modem providing reliable and interoperable communications with PRIME compliant data concentrators.

For more information on the SGM1100, visit our website at www.GESmartMetering.Com.

GE (NYSE: GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.

APOS Wins 2012 Esri Partner Award for Enterprise Integration Application

PALM SPRINGS, CA - March 26, 2012 - Esri Canada congratulates APOS Systems for receiving the Esri Partner Award for Best Enterprise Integration Application at the 2012 Esri Partner Conference in California. The company was recognized for its APOS Location Intelligence Solution (LIS), which integrates Esri's industry-leading geographic information system (GIS) technology with SAP BusinessObjects business intelligence software. The solution helps organizations improve business intelligence through geographic visualization and analysis.

"We are extremely pleased to receive this award," said Allan Pym, Chief Operating Officer of APOS. "This award recognizes both the unique position and quality of our Location Intelligence Solution in the enterprise BI market, and the close nature of our relationship with Esri."

“APOS has developed a strong expertise in combining the power of GIS with BI to deliver a valuable enterprise decision support system,” said Alex Miller, President of Esri Canada. “Their APOS LIS solution adds the important factor of location to business analytics, allowing users to make intelligent decisions. We congratulate them on this well-deserved award and wish them continued success.”

An Esri gold-tier partner since 2010, APOS has helped numerous customers in various industries, including those in telecommunications, insurance and retail, deploy APOS LIS to leverage the full functionality of Esri's ArcGIS

technology within their SAP system. The solution integrates content from diverse sources with BI and GIS to achieve advanced location and data visualization, delivering faster time to insight.

APOS LIS provides visual analytics (i.e., maps and geographic data) that improve business intelligence reports and dashboards.  It allows enterprise information users and analysts to see and understand the geospatial relationships inherent in business data in a familiar business-centric environment. The solution is also offered in a hosted environment as a cost-effective cloud-based service.

Since its beginning in 1992, APOS Systems has evolved from a custom business application development shop to a global provider of solutions promoting well managed business intelligence. APOS focuses on providing BI Platform Management and Location Intelligence solutions that improve the return on your BI investment. APOS solutions simplify, automate, complement, enhance and extend BI practices, and focus BI processes for greater agility in your organization's decision-making capabilities.

The APOS logo is a registered trademark of APOS Systems Inc. SAP, PartnerEdge and all SAP logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of SAP AG in Germany and in several other countries. Business Objects, BusinessObjects and the Business Objects logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Business Objects in the United States and/or other countries. Business Objects is an SAP company.

APOS Systems Inc. is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Visit http://www.apos.com/ for more information about APOS Systems Inc.

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.

AVS Provides Data Visualization Software to Boeing for Military and Commercial Applications

Advanced Visual Systems (www.avs.com) provides data visualization software that helps create three-dimensional (3-D) views of terrain that reveal surface characteristics that are invisible to traditional overhead photography. Using Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) technology that displays aerial test data in colorful contour presentation, Boeing Directed Energy Systems is developing widespread applications in surveillance, mission planning and geology that allows analysts to also detect extremely small terrain anomalies and isolate them for scrutiny.

Data visualization software from AVS has been applied to challenges in a wide range of industries where large and complex data can easily overwhelm a decision-maker's ability to quickly make sense of rapidly changing information. Boeing's progressive use of AVS data visualization in its 3-D LIDAR program underscores the value that data visualization provides to tactical and strategic surveillance initiatives and serves as a model implementation for 3-D graphics in military and commercial applications.

Advanced Visual Systems (www.avs.com) provides industry-leading, interactive data visualization software and solutions that help business, scientific and engineering users gain critical insight from all types of data. AVS's complete line of software products speed decision-making by bringing information to life using the latest in graphics, Web-based and interactive technologies on all major computing platforms. Call 781.890.4300 or write info@avs.com for additional information about Advanced Visual Systems.

DigitalGlobe Providing Broader Content Across Microsoft Bing Maps and Xbox

Longmont,CO - DigitalGlobe, a leading global provider of high-resolution earth imagery solutions, today announced two licensing agreements with Microsoft.

The first agreement more than doubles the volume of high-resolution imagery DigitalGlobe delivers to Microsoft for use in its Bing Maps service. The imagery, delivered on a quarterly basis, will provide refreshed content covering millions of square kilometers of the earth's surface, including up-to-date imagery for the world's highest-density urban areas.

"We've chosen to expand the use of DigitalGlobe satellite imagery to provide broader global coverage in Bing Maps," said Steve Stanzel, general manager at Microsoft. "With this increase and our continued work with DigitalGlobe for the collection of high-definition aerial imagery, we are improving our maps worldwide to offer a more comprehensive, consistent and functional mapping experience."

The second agreement enabled Microsoft Studios to extensively feature DigitalGlobe imagery in the recently launched Forza Motorsport 4 racing game for the Xbox 360. The Forza Motorsport series is one of the world's most realistic and successful racing franchises. The latest installment, Forza Motorsport 4, features the first-ever combination of DigitalGlobe satellite and Microsoft aerial imagery into a seamless gaming experience, resulting in unprecedented, true-to-life detail.

Forza 4 game designers selected many high altitude and low altitude images for each track region featured in the game and combined them into a seamless animation sequence, using advanced memory management techniques. The result gives players the experience of travelling across the globe in Forza Motorsport 4's World Tour mode.

Both agreements took effect in the fourth quarter of 2011.

"We are proud to know that DigitalGlobe content plays a valuable role in helping Microsoft achieve its business objectives and deliver a superior, photo-realistic experience for its end-users," said Rafay Kahn, senior vice president at DigitalGlobe. "We look forward to a successful, ongoing relationship with Microsoft in order to support the millions who use their products and services every day for insight, understanding and entertainment."

DigitalGlobe is a leading global provider of commercial high-resolution earth imagery products and services. Sourced from our own advanced satellite constellation, our imagery solutions support a wide variety of uses within defense and intelligence, civil agencies, mapping and analysis, environmental monitoring, oil and gas exploration, infrastructure management, Internet portals and navigation technology. With our collection sources and comprehensive ImageLibrary (containing more than two billion square kilometers of earth imagery and imagery products) we offer a range of on- and off-line products and services designed to enable customers to easily access and integrate our imagery into their business operations and applications. For more information, visit www.digitalglobe.com.

Online Energy Map Set to Reduce Household Bills in Nottingham

London - A pioneering new online energy tool has been launched in Nottingham, England that can help residents make big savings on their energy bills. The Nottingham Energy Calculator allows residents to select their property and return information on the savings which insulation, double glazing, new boilers and solar panels can bring. It also provides an interactive map which shows planning constraints and other existing renewable installations across the city.

The interactive energy tool, is underpinned by the council’s Local Land and Property Gazetteer (LLPG) together with other Ordnance Survey Public Sector Mapping Agreement (PSMA) products which are freely available to the whole of the public sector.

The Energy Calculator has been developed by Nottingham City Council, working with Nottingham Energy Partnership and other selected organisations including ESRI UK. It has been developed as part of the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) Local Carbon Frameworks projects and supports Nottingham’s key energy ambitions; specifically to reduce 2005 carbon dioxide emissions by twenty-six percent and generate twenty percent of all energy and heat from low carbon and renewable sources.

Integrating the LLPG and OS MasterMap with additional intelligence from 3rd party suppliers, alongside data and survey results from strategic partners, has allowed the development of a definitive and reliable property level database. This includes property type and age, building footprint area, average height and gas supply, as well as solar energy generation calculations and viability flags for other types of green energy installations. The comprehensive dataset and associated modelling also underpins a dynamic mapping tool which aides strategic decision making and planning in relation to renewable energy installation, for example identifying suitable sites for large scale wind and de-centralised heating systems.

“Our energy tools are an innovative way of tackling the need to reduce the city’s carbon emissions, increase the energy independence of the city and help our citizens save money on their energy bills,” commented Councillor Alan Clark, Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Energy and Sustainability. “The Nottingham Energy Calculator will help us raise awareness of the practical steps citizens can take in their own homes.”

The Nottingham Energy Mapping project recently achieved Runner Up in the 2011 National Gazetteers Green Exemplar Award. The 2011 Exemplar Awards were presented by GeoPlace and aim to share, reward and celebrate best practice for projects which bring service improvements and efficiencies through the effective management of address and street information.

For further information see www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/energycalculator

National Address Gazetteer Database

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

List of project partners

Bristol City Council, South Gloucestershire Council, Bath & North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council, Avon and Somerset Police Authority, Avon Fire and Rescue Services, Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust, Great Western Ambulance Service, NHS Bath and North East Somerset Trust, NHS Bristol, NHS South Gloucestershire and North Somerset PCT

GeoPlace

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

Local Government Association

The Local Government Association is a political organisation that is run by its members. The LGA always strives to agree a common cross-party position on issues and to speak with one voice on behalf of local government. It aims to set the political agenda and speak in the national media on the issues that matter to council members.

Ordnance Survey

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

CoreLogic Report Shows Tornado and Hail Risk Extends Far Beyond Great Plains States

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX), a leading provider of information, analytics and business services, today released a new tornado and hail risk report that analyzes the risk associated with changing tornado and hail weather patterns outside of the narrow corridor in the U.S. Midwest traditionally known as “Tornado Alley.” The report, entitled Tornado and Hail Risk Beyond Tornado Alley, discusses the impact of record-breaking hazard events across the country over the last year for insurance companies and homeowners, and provides greater insight into the extent of severe tornado and hail risk in geographic regions far beyond the Great Plains states.

“The extensive destruction wrought by convective storms in 2011, which produce hail, strong winds and tornados, captured the attention of the public and forced many insurance companies to rethink the way they assess natural hazard risk,” said Dr. Howard Botts, vice president and director of database development for CoreLogic Spatial Solutions. “The apparent increase in the number of incidents and shift in geographic distribution of losses that occurred last year in the U.S. called the long-held notion of risk concentration in Tornado Alley into question, and is leading to changes in risk management policy and procedure.”

Tornado Alley is typically considered to encompass mainly the Great Plains states and surrounding areas, spanning Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois. For that reason, many of the severe weather events that occurred outside of the Midwest in 2011, like the “Super Outbreak” of tornados that devastated much of Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama and even Virginia, were seen as an anomaly. According to CoreLogic, however, historical data suggests that the frequency and severity of storms is much more widespread than commonly believed.

Among key findings, the CoreLogic tornado and hail report notes:

    The perceived dramatic increase in the frequency and severity of tornado and hail events in recent years could be attributed to a number of factors, including improved observational tools, broadened geographic distribution of modern Doppler radar stations, population growth and migration to suburban areas.
    24/7 disaster news reporting via television, online coverage and social media have greatly affected public awareness and likely heightened sensitivity to severe weather events in recent years.
    There is growing scientific evidence that there has been an increase in the actual number of severe weather outbreaks as the result of rising global temperatures.
    Actuarial analyses of claims losses associated with severe weather events in 2011 will likely cause many insurers and enterprise risk managers to approach state Department of Insurance Commissioners with rate change requests in 2012.

Tornado Damage Beyond Tornado Alley

    Tornado risk actually extends across most of the eastern half of the U.S. rather than being confined to the Midwest.
    According to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), of the top ten states with the highest number of tornado touchdowns between 1980 and 2009, only three actually fell within Tornado Alley.
    At least 26 states have some area facing extreme tornado risk.
    Estimated property damage within the Tornado Alley states from 2000-2011 was approximately $2.5 billion, while in comparison, the 16 states located outside of Tornado Alley with the next highest numbers of tornado touchdowns totaled nearly $15.5 billion in property damage.  Those states range from Illinois and Ohio to Mississippi and Alabama, extending as far north as parts of Minnesota and as far south as Florida.

Hail Damage Beyond Tornado Alley

    At least 11 states have significant areas facing extreme hail risk, and almost every state east of the Rocky Mountains has some area facing a moderate or higher level of hail risk.
    The area of highest hail risk extends outward from the central Great Plains to include states as far east as Georgia and the Carolinas.
    Hail storms in the Tornado Alley region caused approximately $4.3 billion in property damage and nearly $1 billion in crop damage between 2000-2011. The 16 states with the next highest amounts of hail damage outside of Tornado Alley revealed about $3.2 billion in property damage and $400 million in crop damage over the same time period. Those states span as far west as New Mexico and as far east as South Carolina and Georgia.

The maps and analysis included in the tornado and hail risk report were generated using the recently launched proprietary CoreLogic property-level risk assessment tools, Wind Probability and Hail Probability. These analytics were designed to provide insurers with a unique level of spatial and content granularity for tornado and hail risk. Unlike most generalized wind and hail data, which provide a risk rating for large geographical areas, the CoreLogic risk model uses 10 x 10-kilometer (6.2 x 6.2 miles) grid cells to pinpoint and predict the probability of a wind or hail event occurrence. The scientific models used to develop the data layers produce more precise results than other products that base their calculations on ZIP codes or counties.

For a complete copy of the Tornado and Hail Risk Beyond Tornado Alley report, which includes charts, images and risk maps for the top 16 states outside of the traditional Tornado Alley corridor with the greatest exposure to tornado and hail disasters, visit http://www.corelogic.com/about-us/researchtrends/tornado-hail-research-report.aspx. Individual maps found in the report are available for download upon request. For more information regarding the CoreLogic Wind Probability and Hail Probability products visit http://www.corelogic.com/products/wind-and-hail-risk.aspx.

CoreLogic (NYSE: CLGX) is a leading provider of consumer, financial and property information, analytics and services to business and government. The Company combines public, contributory and proprietary data to develop predictive decision analytics and provide business services that bring dynamic insight and transparency to the markets it serves. CoreLogic has built one of the largest and most comprehensive U.S. real estate, mortgage application, fraud, and loan performance databases and is a recognized leading provider of mortgage and automotive credit reporting, property tax, valuation, flood determination, and geospatial analytics and services. More than one million users rely on CoreLogic to assess risk, support underwriting, investment and marketing decisions, prevent fraud, and improve business performance in their daily operations. The Company, headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., has more than 5,000 employees globally. For more information, visit www.corelogic.com.