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Editor's Introduction  
Institute for Advanced Education in GeoSpatial Sciences
A three-year effort to develop a set of online courses on geospatial sciences recently came to fruition as the Institute for Advanced Education in Geospatial Sciences (IAEGS) unveiled its first ten courses. Funded by NASA for a total of about $9 million, this effort represents the largest infusion ever of training and education money into the geospatial community. IAEGS expects to have seven more courses ready by mid-July and another 10-12 by the beginning of October. The courses cover such topics as digital image processing, aerial photography, and geospatial data synthesis and modeling. The system provides students an advanced navigation tool bar that allows and encourages them to traverse the content of a course in a way that best matches their style and pre-existing knowledge. Students can skip previously mastered content and pre and post quizzes help them manage their path through the course material and insure subject mastery. Faculty members submit materials in whatever format they choose, including paper and pencil sketches, and an in-house team converts them to XML code via a streamlined process that it has developed. Finished course materials use 3-D graphics and animations, streaming video, simulations, virtual reality, text, equations, adaptive communication technologies, and intelligent software agents to present concepts and ensure that students understand them. Individuals can take the IAEGS courses too (as I plan to do). Interaction with faculty is left entirely to the discretion of the institution offering the courses. �You could take one of the courses and never speak to a faculty member,� Lawhead told me. A rural community college in Mississippi �could offer these courses with minimal faculty assistance,� she added, stressing that her team �worked really hard with the delivery mechanism,� so that it could approximate as much as possible person-to-person interaction. �We are not denigrating the role of the faculty � we just cloned them,� she quipped. I asked Lawhead how this project compares to MIT�s OpenCourseWare program to put course materials online. �This is that on steroids,� she answered. Originally, IAEGS targeted two- and four-year colleges and universities. Then, however, they found out via ASPRS that an even bigger clientele would be businesses and government agencies. While the initial implementation had a few glitches � mostly related to server access issues because the institute lacked a direct connection to an Internet backbone � the system is now running smoothly, according to Lawhead. �We just had Sun Microsystems here all week to fine tune our servers and install a firewall,� she told me. The reviews from the students enrolled via Cornell, she added, were �really positive.� Lawhead hopes that this project will soon become self-sustaining, allowing the institute to update every course about every two years and add new courses as needed. The next improvement in the pipeline is the conversion of the courses into modular units, allowing students to mix-and-match units from different courses, to best suit their training needs. Lawhead emphasizes that the money from NASA allowed her team to explore new ways of delivering educational material and develop �a whole new course creation mechanism.� In the process, they published almost 30 technical papers on various aspects of the technology. Lawhead hopes to use this mechanism later, with funding from other government agencies, for other subject areas. �Each time I show this, people are knocked over dead.� James R. Plasker, executive director of ASPRS, told me that his organization realized early on that the NASA grant that IAEGS had secured �was going to be a huge infusion of capital into our field of expertise� � and that IAEGS had a limited expertise in remote sensing. So ASPRS offered the institute access to its membership. In January 2002 ASPRS, through its Education Committee, assembled a �blue ribbon panel� (the group of 16 people mentioned by Lawhead) to advise the institute on modules, prerequisites, courses, etc. ASPRS then began advertising the project and the availability of the fellowships to prepare the modules. It also provided experts for additional review panels over the years. �Since then,� Plasker told me, �we have helped promulgate [the project] within the geospatial community, in Congress, and at NASA, and supported it as needed.� The institute became a Partner in Education with ASPRS and has exhibited at ASPRS meetings. Overall, according to Plasker, �it�s been a very good relationship� and the two organizations have achieved together much more than they could have had they not collaborated. Following President Bush�s decision that NASA should head for Mars, the agency refocused its efforts. In the process, it took $12 million out of Mississippi. IAEGS lost about two years of funding and one and a half years of time. However, ASPRS, which had just given an award to Sen. Lott from Mississippi, explained to his staff that Congress and NASA might be de-funding IAEGS and helped to extend the time and cut the loss to only the last two years of the budget. Now, Plasker points out, it is essential that IAEGS be able to maintain the course material, or the whole investment will go to waste. Professor Thomas M. Lillesand � who teaches and conducts research in the Gaylord Nelson Institute of Environmental Studies Environmental Remote Sensing Center, the Department of Forest Ecology and Management, and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison � was one of the first ASPRS members to help out with IAEGS. He helped conceive the curriculum and course outlines. Lillesand sees the IAEGS courses not as a replacement for traditional ones but as complementary. Among the great advantages of the online delivery of course materials over traditional printed textbooks, he told me, are the unlimited use of color and the extensive use of animation, some of it in 3D. For example, one of the animations shows the orbital path of a satellite and images of Earth beneath it. �As a text book co-author I feel as if I were in a candy store� in this digital environment. The courses encapsulate the knowledge and instruction of several people who might not write a textbook, Lillesand told me, but who have chosen to participate in the project. Another advantage, he points out, is that students � many of them mid-career professionals � can take the IAEGS courses on their own schedule. Additionally, the courses give students feedback premised on their understanding of the material. The long-term impact of the IAEGS courses, according to Lillesand, will depend largely on their marketing, their delivery, and the response by institutions � but it has �the potential for being quite dramatic.� The current members of the institute�s advisory board are: Ahmed Noor, Old Dominion Stan Morain, University of New Mexico Lynn Usery, University of Georgia, USGS Roger Hoffer, Colorado State University Tom Lillesand, University of Wisconsin Dan Civco, University of Connecticut John Jensen, University of South Carolina George Hepner, University of Utah Carolyn Merry, Ohio State University Vincent Tao, York University Paul Hopkins, State University of New York Randy Wynne, Virginia Tech Chris Friel, GIS Solutions Allan Falconer, George Mason University
Several local law enforcement agencies used Pictometry International Corp.�s measuring software and aerial imaging database of Monroe County, New York in their security preplanning efforts for President Bush's visit to Rochester, New York on May 24. Pictometry's imaging process captures georeferenced, high-resolution oblique and orthogonal digital images of counties and states. The software also enables users to obtain measurements such as distance, height, elevation, and area directly from the 3D-like imagery as well as insert GIS content and other data. The Monroe County Sheriff's Office and the Greece, New York Police Department used the visual information system to assess route planning, tactical placement, and other tasks related to the security procedures of the visit. For the first time at the Paris Air Show � to be held this year June 13-19 at the Le Bourget Airport in Paris, France � GIS technology will be featured in a geospatial showcase as part of the official U.S. Pavilion. This showcase will demonstrate the increasing use of GIS in the aerospace community. With more than 1,700 exhibitors, approximately a quarter of a million visitors, and a heritage dating back to 1909, the Paris Air Show is the leading international event for the aviation, aeronautics, and space industries. ESRI is hosting the inaugural geospatial showcase. ESRI staff will be demonstrating the critical role that GIS plays in such aerospace fields as aeronautical chart and information production, flight and mission planning, airport management, air force installations and environment, and air force C4ISR systems. ESRI�s business partners will also be present in the showcase and will demonstrate a wide range of aerospace related solutions: Analytical Graphics, Inc., will demonstrate Satellite Tool Kit (STK) geodynamic technology, which models sensor parameters to enable mission-coverage planning; BAE Systems will be demonstrating its SOCET for ArcGIS extension, which permits the stereo extraction of features from imagery directly into a geodatabase; DigitalGlobe will present high-resolution imagery from the QuickBird satellite at 61 centimeters, the best resolution of any commercial satellite; Hewlett-Packard will be presenting the large-format printer Designjet 4000 series; Leica Geosystems is featuring the ArcGIS extension for stereo feature extraction (ArcGIS Stereo Analyst) and desktop geospatial imaging solutions (ERDAS IMAGINE and LPS); MetaCarta will present Geographic Text Search, a map-driven geographic intelligence solution that makes data and unstructured content �location aware�; Voice-Insight will provides voice activation of ESRI GIS and asset management with voice-activated field data entry, even on the noisy tarmac of an airport. The Schneider Corporation � a provider of engineering, land surveying, and GIS services based in Indianapolis, Indiana, founded in 1962 � has purchased ProMap based in Ames, Iowa. The latter � founded in 1991 to help local government utilize GIS � is now the ProMap division of Schneider. These two Midwestern companies had been partners since 2001 in providing GIS services to land development clients. NavCom Technology � a wholly-owned subsidiary of Deere & Company that provides GPS products to OEMs, VARs, and system integrators � has signed a contract with Espatial Resources (ESR) to sell NavCom Technology's GIS and Remote Sensing Solutions in Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. Espatial Resources provides system integration and customization using NavCom Technology's products. Applications include remote sensing, mapping, GIS and earth sciences. In turn, NavCom will provide GPS solutions to Espatial Resources in support of their precise positioning solutions for both the private and government sectors in Southeast Asia. ESR, founded in 1995 and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, concentrates in the fields of remote sensing, earth sciences, GIS, information technologies, and ground receiving systems. Empresas Publicas de Medellin E.S.P. (EEPPM), Colombia's multi-utility company, is upgrading its FRAMME-based geofacilities management system to Intergraph Corporation�s G/Technology. EEPPM manages and maintains five distribution networks � electric, gas, water, wastewater, and telecommunications � for 2.5 million customers throughout Colombia. The open architecture of G/Technology will facilitate the sharing of data among EEPPM employees and the provisioning and maintaining of the company�s service delivery networks. The software will also provide EEPPM with a corporate asset database to further facilitate integration among key IT systems, including its corporate and business environment systems. Additionally, it will give EEPPM high-performance tracing capabilities for all networks, thus a quicker method to identify and resolve outages and speed response to customers. With Intergraph's GeoMedia technology EEPPM will manage the landbase information that is shared between the five distribution networks. Merrick & Company, a provider of LiDAR, digital ortho imaging, photogrammetry, and GIS mapping, has signed a $1.8 million contract to deliver a turnkey LiDAR solution to Lidar International Partnership, Ltd. (LIPL). Marketing rights of the solution in the Australasia region have been granted to Merrick Mars Lidar Proprietary Limited (MMLPL) of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. Commencing this past March, Merrick acquired and integrated an ALS 50 sensor from Leica Geosystems, an Applanix POS/AV Inertial Measurement Unit, a GPS flight management system from TrackAir, and Airborne GPS equipment from Trimble Navigation, Ltd. In addition, Merrick will produce and co-mount its Digital Airborne Camera System (DACS) with the ALS 50 sensor, which allows for simultaneous digital imagery and LIDAR acquisition. LIPL will also receive training and delivery of a total photogrammetric LiDAR workflow, including Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS) software. Final delivery to LIPL is expected in late July 2005. The United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) has welcomed six new members, bringing the total number of sustaining members to more than 65. New sustaining members include 3001, Inc., ADAM Systems Group of Advanced Software Resources, Inc., Compusult Limited, Pixia Corp., Stellar Solutions, Inc., The Titan Corporation, and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The growing number of sustaining and individual members reinforces the Foundation�s role as the forum for individuals, companies, and organizations that work in geospatial intelligence to come together for the benefit of the tradecraft. The addition of these new sustaining members continues USGIF�s trend of rapid growth that began when it launched in January 2004. The City of Wheaton, Illinois, has hired Varion Systems, the software development and value-added reseller division of GeoAnalytics, to implement PV.Web 2.1 to deploy GIS data and tools to city staff and its constituents. The city plans to disseminate vital business data stored in its asset management and permitting systems through PV.Web in conjunction with ESRI�s ArcIMS and ArcSDE. PV.Web, which is built on ESRI's ArcIMS technology, allows users to navigate, browse, query, and report on both spatial and non-spatial land information. PRODUCTS Airborne 1 Corporation, a provider of LiDAR services, rentals, and products, has released QT Modeler 4.0, the latest application in its suite of 3-D LiDAR visualization software. The new version allows users to import, view, and analyze LiDAR and Synthetic Aperature Radar (SAR) data. The QT Modeler 4.0 builds upon previous versions by providing an enhanced modeling and analysis package that can build surface models from raw data (e.g. ASCII XYZ or LAS), visualize 3-D models in real time, perform analysis, overlay aerial photography, and export to a variety of other software packages for further analysis. The package requires no additional or underlying software and will process and display point clouds of up to 200 million points. New features designed for QT Modeler Version 4.0 include flood plain simulation, change detection, slope analysis, volume calculation, support for state plane coordinates, and multiple cross section export. A free 30-Day trial of QT Modeler, 4.0 can be accessed at www.airborne1.com\qt.html. GfK Macon has released the 2005 edition of its digital maps for CRESTA (Catastrophe Risk Evaluation and Standardizing Target Accumulations) � an organization that studies natural hazard risk coverage for the insurance industry. CRESTA uses maps from GfK Macon to record such natural occurrences as flooding, earthquakes, and storms in a standardized manner to permit prognoses to be derived from them. In the CRESTA maps, country-specific zones are determined for the uniform and detailed recording of natural hazards. The latest map package comprises 13,222 zones and 455 subzones of all countries in the world. CRESTA is currently under the patronage of the M�nchner R�ck reinsurance company. The maps from GfK MACON are available for ESRI and MapInfo products, as well as the marketing and sales software RegioGraph and DISTRICT. Cadcorp, a developer of GIS and digital mapping software established in 1991, has announced that its SIS (Spatial Information System) software suite is now able to connect directly to ESRI ArcIMS Image Services. This new capability builds on the multi-format support that users of the software already enjoy out-of-the-box for working with ESRI data, including shape files, Personal Geodatabases, ArcSDE, ARC/INFO Export (ASCII), ARC/INFO DTM, BIL, BIP, BSQ, ARC/INFO Binary Grid, and ARC/INFO ASCII GRID. It also adds to the 120-plus different data sources that Cadcorp SIS already reads in their native form. This capability extends across the Cadcorp SIS software suite, including Cadcorp GeognoSIS.NET, which is certified compliant for both Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Web Map Services (WMS) and OGC Web Feature Services (WFS). Consequently, existing ESRI ArcIMS Image Services can now be served using Cadcorp�s OGC-compliant WMS. The ESRI ArcIMS plug-in for Cadcorp SIS v6.1 is available for immediate download from: www.cadcorp.com/resources_digital_mapping/cadcorp_sis_plugins.htm. The police in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, has begun using Beat Tracker, which provides frontline police officers with timely access to current crime information. The Beat Tracker interface was developed with ESRI Canada. While many Canadian police services use GIS for crime mapping, Beat Tracker is the first interactive mapping service provided to front-line police officers. With Beat Tracker, all members of the Hamilton Police Service (HPS) can access beat-specific, mapped data on crime for timeframes of up to one year and can custom-design their own maps based on the information they want to see. In 1999, HPS made a commitment to intelligence-led policing, which is a policing model that uses information and analysis with investigation to combat crime. Timely, accurate data that is available to all members promotes this policing model. Beat Tracker is part of the HPS' GIS and Crime Mapping Project. There are two other important components. First, there is an advanced tool for the Hamilton Police Corporate Planning branch to perform strategic analysis to support organizational change such as beat realignment, map editing and data mining. Second, the geo-spatial analytical tool for division Crime Analysts is used to perform a more involved analysis to address root problems. These two components will soon be fully operational. Hamilton Police Service provides policing services to over 512,000 residents. As the sixth largest police service in Ontario, it deploys 720 police officers and 263 civilian members. Avencia � a Philadelphia-based geospatial analysis and software development firm specializing in the creation of location-based software tools to enhance decision-making processes in governments, businesses, and non-profits � has released a new version of neighborhoodBase, an online mapping application for users to access neighborhood indicator data. The application is part of the Philadelphia Neighborhood Information System (NIS), which gives users access to housing data, crime data, information on murals, and demographic data. Philadelphians can visit the public website located at www.cml.upenn.edu/nis and access hundreds of data elements with a user-friendly map interface. NeighborhoodBase is a collaboration with the Cartographic Modeling Lab at the University of Pennsylvania and the City of Philadelphia. Improvements to the application include five-year trend data, customizable neighborhood reports, interactive charts, and downloadable GIS data. In addition, users can export data from the website to use in preparing their own reports, maps, and proposals. Avencia is among the first companies to develop the ability for users to create user-defined neighborhoods. Today visitors to the website can decide the boundaries of their neighborhood, select them from a map, and return user-defined data for the area. This technology was developed by Avencia to meet demands from users that pre-defined neighborhood boundaries don�t always make sense to community-based organizations engaged in revitalization efforts. NeighborhoodBase was built using GIS technology from ESRI. Avencia works with governments and universities across the country to develop user-friendly Web-based mapping applications. Replications of the neighborhoodBase project have occurred in Columbus, Ohio and Palm Springs, Florida. The Philadelphia NIS consistently ranks as on of the top online community data systems in the country. American Digital Cartography (ADCi), a reseller of NAVTEQ and Tele Atlas street map data, has released NAVTEQ data in Oracle Spatial 10g format. NAVTEQ data is available from ADCi for users of Oracle10g Spatial and/or Locator by the U.S. county or state or European country. Data is in the Oracle10g Spatial mapping, geocoding, and routing schema and delivered in transportable tablespaces. ADCi offers several licensing options for NAVTEQ data, including appropriate licensing for internal user applications or Internet deployments. The data is updated quarterly. Encom Technology Pty Ltd has released Engage3D, which adds 3D visualization to MapInfo Professional. The product enables users to display maps, gridded surfaces, points, lines, volume models, and 3D DXF objects and to extrude 2D features into 3D objects and create fly-through recordings for playback. Creation options include triangulation, inverse distance weighting, and minimum curvature gridding linked with real time preview. Other tools include object editing, text functions, map layout, enhanced layer control, and advanced coordinate functions. Leica Geosystems has launched its new MC1200 universal machine control system for earthmoving machines. Built to operate in harsh environments and cope with tough earthmoving tasks, the device is the first next generation 1D/2D machine control system from Leica�s new Construction Machine Automation group (business unit under Surveying & Engineering). Combining a state-of-the-art user interface, CAN-bus architecture, and sensors, MC1200 is ready for use on all types of earthmoving equipment. As a foundation for 3D control, MC1200 is ready with plug-and-play support for Leica�s GradeStar TPS or GPS 3D system, giving the operator complete flexibility to select the best tool for the job. A large LCD multi-language display, coupled with high-visibility indicator lights provides in-cab operator information at-a-glance. Dedicated function keys and an intuitive menu structure provide flexibility and ease-of-use. MC1200�s compact size makes for easy installation in even the smallest machine cabs without interfering with operator visibility and site safety. With optional lever-mounted keys for most-used functions, operators very quickly develop a feel for the system and operation becomes second nature. Leica�s new CAN-bus architecture and a complete range of machine slope and grade sensors adapt the MC1200 to all types of equipment and applications. Miner & Miner, a Telvent company, has released ArcFM Solution 9.1 � an enterprise solution for editing, modeling, maintenance, and management of facility and landbase information for electric, gas, and water/wastewater utilities. ArcFM Solution 9.1 is being released concurrently with ESRI's ArcGIS 9.1, and supports both ArcGIS 9.0 and 9.1. The ArcFM Solution 9.1 introduces the following new products to the solution suite: ArcFM Viewer for ArcGIS Engine, a visualization and analysis solution built with ArcGIS Engine; ArcFM Viewer Redliner Extension, which allows field and enterprise users to leverage the benefits of ArcFM Viewer with the additional capability of sketching; and ArcFM Engine and ArcFM Server, which augment ESRI's new ArcGIS Engine and ArcGIS Server products and provide developers with ArcFM components for building custom GIS applications or embedding GIS functionality in existing applications. In this release a Graphics Tab has been added to ArcFM, Designer, and the Redliner Extension that facilitates the placement of graphics and text elements on a map; a Template Favorite Tool now allows users to create template favorites with choice lists for feature placement and prompting for attribute values; a History Function has been added to Workflow Manager, which allows the user to view the history of a work request or design; and Mobile Administration tools have been added to reduce the configuration requirements for mobile deployments. CONFERENCES Visual Learning Systems (VLS) will hold its annual Feature Analyst Users Conference on September 13-14 in Missoula, Montana. At the conference, the company will provide free one-on-one consulting for registered participants on how best to use Feature Analyst and LIDAR Analyst to extract geospatial information from imagery. The theme of the conference is "Advances in Automation." In addition to individual training, it will feature presentations on advances in automated feature extraction, the rollout of new and future Feature Analyst products and solutions, and an exhibit hall. The Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) will hold two conferences this summer: the Public Participation GIS Conference (PPGIS), July 31 � August 2 at Cleveland State University, Cleveland, Ohio, and the GIS in Addressing Conference, August 14-17 in Austin, Texas. The PPGIS Conference will bring together participants with a rich diversity of experiences that include citizens and citizens groups, public officials, planners, technicians, librarians, policy scientists, and researchers. Presentation topics will range from urban neighborhoods to indigenous people, developing nations, environmental organizations, and virtual communities. Map expert Denis Wood will give the keynote address. The GIS in Addressing Conference, now in its seventh year, focuses on all aspects of addressing � integration into existing systems, user-friendly information systems, solutions to problems, and newly emerging challenges. It is endorsed by the National Emergency Number Association (NENA). Dr. Bill Munn, Executive Director of the Tarrant County (Fort Worth, Texas) 911 District, will give a keynote presentation on the growing role of GIS in the delivery of emergency calls and new applications for GIS in public safety communications. Cart�Graph Systems � a company that develops software and provides service solutions for the collection, management, and analysis of asset data for public works departments � will host four user group sessions this summer: on June 14 in Hudson, Ohio, on June 21 in Kansas City, Missouri, on July 13 in Chicago, Illinois, and on July 20 in Prior Lake, Minnesota. These are complimentary sessions designed to provide a forum for users of the company�s software to share their experience with their peers, exchange best practices, and learn about new products and services offered by the company. PEOPLE Lt. Col. Abraham Anson, the eldest member of the Potomac Region of the ASPRS and its former historian, died on May 29 at age 94. Dynamix Corp., a company founded in 1987 that specializes in providing computer, GIS, and relocation services to federal government entities, has hired Paul Namie and Hassan Ali to assist in providing GIS services to its customers. Namie, a graduate of Plattsburg State University in New York with a degree in geography, is working on capturing features such as private right of ways, public utility easements, and land ownership parcels; he is also responsible for certain quality control functions. Ali has a GIS degree from the University of Maryland and an associate degree in computer science from Ann Arundel Community College. He is responsible for building applications to speed up the infrastructure mapping tools that help analysts determine a change in a visual display or visual interpretation.
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