2007 March 1

If, for some reason, you cannot read this document, please visit:
http://www.gismonitor.com/news/newsletter/archive/archives.php?issue=20070301

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Editor's Introduction

This week I preview two papers that will be presented next week at the Geospatial Information & Technology Association's 30th annual conference: one discusses how converging technologies are finally making mobile GIS and location-based services (LBS) practical, and the other is about GIS for disaster response. I also bring you an update on MAPPS's lawsuit against the U.S. government (for background, see Geospatial Groups Sue Feds On Contracting Regs, Geospatial Groups Oppose Lawsuit By MAPPS et al., and Interview with Ed Wells and Al Butler, of URISA).

Plus, my usual selection of news items—but with a significant change: as of this week, I am no longer editing press releases the way I have been doing for the past two years. Rather, I am providing a title for each one, then reproducing it whole and unexpurgated. Because I receive press releases in many different formats and styles, it will probably take me a few weeks to settle on a new and uniform style.

Finally, please note the item in this week's Department of Corrections.

If you will be at GITA next week and would like to meet me, please drop me a line.

— Matteo Luccio

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GITA Preview

At GITA's Annual Conference 30, next week, in San Antonio, Texas, nearly 200 speakers will present papers on a broad spectrum of topics—from an introduction to the technology to systems integration, from database design to organizational issues. To preview the conference, I talked with two of them: Thomas G. Counts, president of 3-GIS, a geospatial consulting and systems integration company, and Dean Hintz, a product support specialist for Safe Software Inc., a company that specializes in extract, transform, and load (ETL) technology. Counts' presentation will focus on the convergence of technologies that is finally beginning to enable true location-based services and real-time, mobile GIS. Hintz will discuss some of the lessons from studies and tests of GIS deployment in response to disasters. The two presentations will overlap on the question of data transfer.

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Mobile GIS

Thomas Counts' paper, titled "Convergence of Seemingly Diverging Technologies," argues that "the ubiquitous nature of data availability, the miniaturization and amalgamation of telecom, GPS, and computing platforms along with high volume data-storage capability," are giving new credibility to location-based services. Server-based platforms and optimized web services are allowing for thin clients again without a loss of functionality.

As an example of the kind of "grooming" of websites that compensates for limited bandwidth in the field,

Counts points to the difference between www.Yahoo.com and www.mobile.Yahoo.com. The latter is "very trimmed down as far as pictures and pretty bandwidth hogs, so that you only get the content that is germane to what you are looking for." This kind of "management" of the data stream, according to Counts, makes the performance of 2.5-2.75G technology "quite acceptable" for real-time data transfer from the field, thereby eliminating "the much maligned and often corrupted process" of redlining—and its corollary, data latency. Furthermore, "going from 2.5G to ultimately to 3G networks and some day 4G networks," Counts says, "we're seeing a huge increase in available bandwidth, to handhelds and laptops."

This comment led to my first question:

1. Can any of the current data transfer methods meet the needs of mobile GIS users?

   GPRS can meet the need today. That's where I say that we have a convergence of technology, a tipping point. Even though GPRS is only 80KBPS, we have some extreme processing power and some very big caching capabilities. If you know, generally, in what area you will be working, you can cache a lot of information on a 2GB compact flash memory card; there are even 8GB flash cards now being released. If you have one of those flash cards, you don't want to send maps back and forth—you are sending updates back and forth. Even at GPRS speeds, data compression and processing power—to uncompress the data when you get it, do something with it, then compress it back and send it—combine to make GPRS a very viable technology today. As this bandwidth goes up, we start to be able to add more of the bells and whistles, more of the pretty stuff, and we can start bringing in [additional data] as required by an emergency situation or an out-of-coverage area—we can actually start to download maps on the fly.

2. How soon will this be possible?

   [This ability] is probably about two years off—as WiMax comes along. The federal government is talking about mandating WiMax today, so that emergency mobile carriers can pop it up in emergency situations, such as Hurricane Katrina. Today, these tools can already respond to emergency management pretty effectively, because your very first network to come up after an emergency, typically, is your cellular network. You see these tractor trailers roll up and pop up antennas. Even a GPRS network is fine for that.

3. Do you see professional and consumer applications converging?

   If I could see into the future very clearly on that I'd know which stock to buy! GPS receivers today tend to be very specific to the user and the application. I think that you are going to see a lot more people using GPS in their daily life…

4. …embedded deeper and deeper into other applications and form factors.

   Right. From the consumer side, I think that you will see that really advance in the next 12 to 24 months. [Already,] the HP 6945 handheld device talks to GPRS networks and has a GPS receiver in it. The thing sits on my hip very comfortably—I mean, it is tiny. On the professional side, I think that you will see the same thing. If some one is up a pole or down a manhole, they will want to be able to access information without having to climb down the pole or out of the manhole. They will have the device on their hip and be able to access that data anytime, any place—make a change in the field and post it back to the central server immediately. Think how well that could serve the oil and gas industry, when they are out there doing pipeline inspections.

5. As accuracy continues to improve and cost and size continue to shrink, professional and consumer applications will continue to converge, because, for many professional applications the ability to discriminate between electrical poles or manholes is all you need. Therefore, the accuracy of consumer devices will soon match the requirements for many professional applications. Professionals might have bigger screens and more memory than the average consumer, but so will rich business travelers.

   I completely agree with you, you hit the nail on the head right there. I think we have some very exciting times ahead of us.

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GIS for Disaster Response

Dean Hintz' paper, titled "Rapid GIS Disaster Response: Integrating Open Standards With Baseline Data," discusses the trade-off between open and proprietary standards in disaster response. The former, he points out, "have raised many opportunities for sharing spatial data to a broad audience in a timely fashion that are particularly relevant to disaster response" and "[t]here is great potential for combining a rich background of baseline data with updates of evolving disaster impact and resource deployment." However, "most emergency applications remain proprietary based, or depend on de-facto standards" and it is very challenging to bring together open, de-facto, and proprietary standards.

Hintz focuses on a pragmatic, problem-solving approach to data integration for a disaster response scenario—taking into account tight timelines and the most vital data needs when managing an evolving disaster. He recommends a combination of Web-based applications and traditional file and database sources, with the goal of building "a common operational view that overlays city land use and infrastructure data on land imagery with dynamic hazard zones and emergency response resource tracking."

Surveying the lessons from three great recent disasters—the terrorist attacks in September 2001, Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005, and the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2005—Hintz focuses on "technical and logistics workers behind the scenes," who "were coping with their own overwhelming challenges in order to enable the front-line workers to do their jobs." In particular, he writes, "GIS personnel played a critical role during the responses to all three of these disasters to help decision-makers understand the evolving disaster impact, plan responses to it, and understand how both relate to existing infrastructure and resources. In all three cases, there were no fully functional GIS disaster response systems waiting to swing into action."

One of the most immediate and limiting challenges facing GIS disaster response, Hintz argues, is spatial data interoperability: "In a typical disaster situation, a wide range of data is required in a very short period of time. … This data is not of much use unless it is accurately registered to a common spatial reference." While emerging open standards and Web services help disaster responders find and integrate key data, "[t]he challenge is to leverage these new capabilities while still retaining the ability to utilize the majority of data still available via proprietary and de-facto standards."

An essential starting point is "a well established basemap"—which was available in New York on 9/11 but not in New Orleans in Katrina's wake. Also very important, Hintz points out, is "[a] series of map definitions describing the themes and type of data required," as well as "access and contact information" for, and pre-established relationships with, data repositories.

Because Internet access cannot be taken for granted following a disaster, Hintz, like Counts, stresses the importance of caching data—as well as redundant, offsite data storage.

While, "in theory," data structures built on open standards can be read by anyone "with enough time and expertise," Hintz points out, "[i]n practice during disaster response, open standards that are too complex may be prohibitively expensive in time and resources to work with." Therefore, "GIS systems used in disaster response need to facilitate integration with existing basemap data, whatever the format, despite any inherent design or licensing limitations arising from their use."

For ease of use in stressful disaster response situations, Hintz recommends using such "familiar" user interfaces as Google Earth, "regardless of whether the GIS used to generate [the map] was ArcGIS or AutoDesk Map3D. Alternatively, at a more basic level, map products can be made available via a web browser directly, or with the use of plug-ins such as SVG or Flash, or using ActiveX or Java extensions." Integrating all the different data sources, Hintz points out, requires a spatial ETL tool capable of not only translating spatial data but also transforming its geometry and attributes via reprojections, joins, overlays and schema modeling. Finally, Hintz stresses the importance of preserving spatial reference and metadata in any translation.

1. Can you cite any examples of particularly good or bad GIS disaster response implementations?

   I focused on those three high profile cases because a lot of people know about them and can relate to them. In the case of Katrina, the local government resources were largely wiped out. They had very little to work with—unlike 9/11, where [emergency workers] had at least a basemap to start with. [The GIS effort in the case of Katrina] seemed to be led by academic groups from across the country, trying frantically to find data to cover the area, starting off with all the state and national datasets. One of the recommendations I make, coming out of this, is to make sure that you have good basemap data for your area and that you have redundancy, such as off-site backups. That did not seem to exist for the New Orleans area.

2. What do you see as the trade-offs between open standards and proprietary standards?

   It depends on the context, but we are going through a transition. When I talk about de-facto standards, I am basically talking about things like SHAPE, DXF, and GeoTIFF files. They are not OGC-specific standards, but they are effectively open. There are a zillion tools out there that will read them. In some of the demos I've been involved with, which involved different groups and agencies, even though we were trying to demo open standards, a lot of times you end up using a de-facto standard to exchange data if you are having trouble getting your open standards to talk. When we've worked with different levels of government, they try to do both—they try to make sure that they support a couple of these de-facto standards, like SHAPE or GeoTIFF, depending on what type of data it is, [as well as] WFS and GML 3.1.1, etc. As more and more people get used to working with the open standards, you are going to be able to get more utility out of them. There are significant limitations to what you can do with SHAPE and some of these older, de-facto standards. GML is much more flexible. The key thing that we found—coming more from a data integration perspective—the implementations of the open standards stuff that work, are the ones that have the simplest schematic structures, not the highly object-oriented ones. If GML, for example, is relatively relational in structure, it is a lot easier to map into, say, Oracle. But the fairly complex open standards structures can take a lot of time for people to sort through. If they don't have the right schema interpretation file with them, the data might be useless.

3. Is the need for data interoperability in emergencies a driver for convergence on a few standards?

   I would tend to advocate open standards, but with profiles. ESRI has one called Level 0 Profile, which is points, lines, and polygons. Basically, keeping it simple, at least for the key data. For certain very specialized domains, there may be a need for richer schemas, but for all your baseline data and whatever you need to just get rolling out the door the first day after a disaster, if you are going to distribute data in open standards, you need to make sure that you have a well-defined profile, as that makes it fairly easy to interpret it.

4. The feds are pushing for implementing WiMax in disaster areas.

   One of the big gaps [in disaster situations] seems to be real-time data. With good practices on archiving and good collaboration, we can generally get the basemap data OK. Even with the Tsunami response, the basemap data came together fairly rapidly, at least with regards to raster imagery and then, not too long after that, the vector data. The real challenge is disseminating real-time data. One of the good approaches on that is Web services. The limitation on that, however, is having some kind of Internet access. To fill that gap, these rapidly deployed WiFi networks in areas where emergency services are operating would certainly fill a critical gap. We have to make sure that the systems we design—if they depend on geoRSS, WFS, or WMS—have some sort of local caching. You may have intermittent service and you don't want your application to be just off-line as soon as your service drops. So, we have to develop fairly resilient systems that can handle intermittent service. That said, the more rapidly we can deploy a WiFi like that, the more up-to-date your information is going to be.

5. Should there be secure state- and federal-level repositories, where the data for a disaster area could be loaded onto flash cards or DVDs and sent to the affected areas?

   The big limitation on that is the ownership rights of the data. Many jurisdictions hold their data quite tightly and don't readily circulate it. The state of Colorado, [after Katrina,] was working on data sharing agreements with the various counties, so that they could keep their data up-to-date and then they could share the regional data back to the county, so that they county would have at least some data for its neighbors. For the counties that are willing to participate in that, it makes a lot of sense. The trick is defining the relationship, so that the ownership of the data is clear. What you can do, at least, is have a plan in place and maybe have data, maybe even password protected, so that it is there and then only in the case of an emergency you can get it.

6. What kind of local drills would be most helpful?

   I have not seen a simulation specifically focused on GIS. That would be something that we would be quite interested in participating in. In disaster response you are almost always dealing with cross-jurisdictional issues. A classic case would be a location near a coast line, because you would have federal, state, and local agencies involved and they would be the ones who distribute the data. So you have to contend with these different levels of government and the various formats of data that they are distributing. [So, I would pick] a location near a coast line or somewhere where there are several different overlapping jurisdictions. The more dynamic the [simulated] disaster, [the better the exercise]. A lot of the homeland security stuff was focusing on a point location, because that was basically what 9/11 was. As tragic as 9/11 was in terms of loss of life, and it certainly made huge waves throughout society, from a GIS perspective it was limited, because it was not dynamic, it was not evolving over time. Whereas, the Katrina disaster occurred wherever water met land, so it had a huge swath. The actual location of the disaster evolved over time. So, what kind of disaster would you emulate? You should try to pick something—such as a fire or a toxic spill—that moves over time, where you have to actually track the dynamic of the disaster. A lot of the emphasis on GIS and disasters has been focused on risk assessment, before and after the crisis, but we have not spent a lot of time ironing out these wrinkles in terms of how to collaborate in the midst of a disaster.

7. How does your company fit into this mix?

   In this context, I am not here to promote one product or to say that there is one product that will solve all your problems. We do have a unique role to play, however. I am trying to promote certain characteristics: when you are designing systems, when you are using tools, try to get stuff that is flexible in these ways, that is adaptive. That is where we have something to contribute: we are not saying "Do everything open source" or "Do everything ESRI" or "Do everything Autodesk." We are trying to break down these barriers between data, which can consume critical hours and resources and cost lives. We have a critical role to play in terms of contributing tools that help integrate and leverage data. We have a lot to learn as well: how can we adapt our tools to better support the GIS operators in a disaster scenario? We are not tightly allying ourselves with any one group. Our raison d'etre is information sharing. Supporting rapid data integration is something that we do anyway, on a day-to-day basis and I personally feel that we can play a greater role in the whole disaster response area. From what I've observed, it seems to me that that has been a gap in the past and that there have been some big challenges there.

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MAPPS Lawsuit Update

On February 8, I reported on MAPPS's suit against the U.S. government and interviewed the organization's executive director, John Palatiello. On February 15, I reported on opposition to the lawsuit within the geospatial community and interviewed Ed Wells and Al Butler of URISA.

Yesterday, I asked Palatiello and Douglas Richardson, the executive director of the Association of American Geographers (AAG), one of the organizations opposing the lawsuit, for a quick update. Richardson referred me to a legal briefing regarding the lawsuit—prepared by Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, a national law firm, at the request of the AAG—to which I had already linked in my February 15 report.

Palatiello sent me the following:

The hearing [took place] as scheduled on Friday, February 23. It lasted not more than an hour.

Judge Ellis started with questions on standing, based on his December order. He posed questions to both attorneys. The judge asked "is there an injury in fact?" Questions then turned to the state ethics regulations against bidding. The question he asked was on whether there is a "plausible threat of discipline." The government argued that since the plaintiffs have produced no evidence of a state's disciplinary action against a licensed practitioner for bidding, there is no threat of injury. The MAPPS et al. attorney argued that practitioners cannot afford to take the risk of deciding which ethics regulations to honor and which to ignore, based on whether there is a history of enforcement action; that the rules are the rules and must be followed.

Judge Ellis could have ruled on standing right there, particularly if he was going to deny standing, and thus end the hearing. However, in a defeat for the Government and the amicus parties, Judge Ellis went right into the merits of the case.

The questions were on the intent of Congress in passing the Brooks Act, subsequent pieces of legislation, and the 1999 Defense Appropriations bill. The government argued that the 1988 colloquy between Rep. Brooks and Rep. Mavroules was in effect binding law, and is [represented] accurately in the FAR. The attorney for the plaintiffs argued that a colloquy is not binding, and that Congress has since spoken to the issue regarding mapping, enacting several subsequent pieces of legislation that resulted in QBS compliance by the one agency that Brooks and Mavroules discussed in their 1988 colloquy—the Defense Mapping Agency (later National Imagery and Mapping Agency and now the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency). He said Congress, in statute, has not qualified or limited "mapping," has not legislated "some mapping," but simply used the term "mapping" when passing laws regarding mapping and QBS.

The Judge asked the attorneys whether they believed that there was or was not "a reasonable application of the plain meaning of the statute" in the regulations. The government argued there was, the plaintiffs' attorney argued there was not. Finally, the plaintiffs' attorney said the 1999 Act that triggered the change in the FAR did two things: (1) it removed the exemption from the Brooks Act for the Defense Mapping Agency and (2) it instructed that the FAR be changed. While the Appropriations bill only restricted funds, the two aforementioned actions were in the Committee report. The plaintiffs' attorney argued the government can't have it both ways—it cannot rely on the Mavroules colloquy and discount Conference report language; it has to consider neither or both.

He also said the Government cannot argue the Appropriation provision was for one year only, since the removal of DMA from the FAR provision was permanent, not just for one year. If the Government truly believed the intent of Congress was for this to apply for one year only, DMA (later NIMA/NGA) would have had to go back to its Brooks exception after the 1999 appropriation expired—something the Government has not done.

In concluding the hearing, Judge Ellis announced that he will issue a ruling based on all the motions and briefs filed, and the points discussed in the hearing.

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Department of Corrections

Due to an omission in a press release from GITA, an item in the "Conferences & Training" section of last week's "News Briefs" department, about next week's GITA Annual Conference 30, failed to mention that the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS) will also be represented at the associations panel.

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News Briefs

Please note: I have not verified the content of these press releases.

1. CONTRACTS & COLLABORATIONS

   1. Earthdata Provides All-Digital Technologies For Mississippi's Gulf Region Base Mapping Program; Final Mapping Deliverables will Support Post-Katrina Redevelopment Efforts

      Having successfully completed digital aerial data collection over a six-county area in southern Mississippi, EarthData International is now fast-tracking delivery on high-resolution orthoimagery to benefit the state's post-Katrina redevelopment. Known as the Gulf Region Base Mapping Program, the project was authorized by Governor Barbour and is part of a larger infrastructure program being run by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ).

      "The mapping data currently being developed is critically needed for the long-range planning work that is necessary for rebuilding and renewing our Gulf Coast," said Trudy Fisher, executive director of MDEQ. "It will enable the public- and private-sector engineering, construction, and economic development people to make wiser and faster decisions," she added. To that end, EarthData's all- digital mapping approach will enable an accelerated project turnaround with first products delivered to the state this spring and final products slated for the fall.

      The mapping program is being funded by the Mississippi Development Authority with a grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. It includes the coastal counties of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson, as well as the inland counties of Pearl River, Stone, and George.

      Color orthoimagery will be developed at 1'-pixel resolution in rural areas and at 6''-pixel-resolution in urban areas and the southern half of the coastal counties where damage and change was most extensive. The Mississippi Coordinating Council for Remote Sensing and GIS will make final mapping deliverables available to state and local government agencies and institutes of higher learning for maximum benefit.

      EarthData participates on the project as a member of Mississippi Geographic Information (MGI), a joint-venture with Waggoner Engineering and Watershed Concepts. MGI previously has completed a number of projects for the state, including LiDAR data collection and digital elevation model production of coastal and inland areas for digital flood insurance rate mapping, as well as image acquisition and processing for the Mississippi statewide mapping program.

      About EarthData International: EarthData provides a full range of mapping and GIS services to support customers' needs in a wide variety of natural resource management, urban planning, economic development, national defense, and engineering activities. With its fleet of aircraft, the organization collects aerial photography, uses airborne laser (LiDAR) and imaging radar (GeoSAR) systems to produce 3D terrain models, and develops or deploys other remote sensing technologies to detect thermal and multispectral information about the earth's surface. EarthData offices in the United States and China use this data to create and supply photogrammetric, lidar, radar, and digital orthophoto mapping and GIS applications and services, world-wide. www.earthdata.com

   2. Tensing USA Extends Reach into African Mobile GIS Market with IST Data Partnership

      Tensing USA, a provider of mobility solutions for utilities, local governments and other organizations with field personnel, has formed a partnership with IST Data of Pretoria, South Africa, to market, sell and implement Tensing GIS-related mobility solutions across Africa.

      "Tensing has established itself as a leader in GIS mobility field solutions in North America, Europe and Australia, and this new partnership with IST Data extends our reach across the entire continent of Africa," said Arjan Plomp, Tensing USA Managing Director. "IST Data is a proven provider of engineering information services in Africa, and our partnership gives IST the ability to offer a full suite of intelligent and flexible ICT solutions."

      Under the agreement, IST Data will serve as a value-added reseller for the complete line of Tensing mobility products. IST Data will provide installation and implementation services as well as local training and after-sales support to clients in Africa. "At IST Data, we understand the unique challenges of the African continent and together with Tensing we will continue to build on our record of delivering world-class services and solutions," said Danie van Vuuren, IST Data Business Development Manager.

      Tensing USA's Plomp added, "We are pleased to join forces with IST Data, which has an impressive record of delivering best-in-class enterprise information technology and services to Africa's facility, utility and telecommunications sectors—industries that have been strongly receptive to Tensing solutions."

      About Tensing USA: Tensing is a mobility software and application developer specializing in worldwide implementations for Mobile Field GIS, Intra/Internet GIS, GIS and Dispatching Systems. Applications such as Routing, Vehicle Tracking & Tracing, Data Acquisition, Network Analysis and Digital Conversions are just some of the examples of applications that Tensing has in operation. The Telecom, Utility, Municipal, Emergency Response and Call Centre industries recognize the value Tensing adds with its wide range of products and consulting skills. Tensing's solutions are being used by thousands of field workers in North America, Australia and Europe for a wide range of applications such as utility network maintenance, fault clearing services, pole inventory, vegetation control, GPS geocoding, inspections, locating and turn-offs.

      About IST Data: Headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa, IST Data is a leading engineering information company that has been supplying competitive, innovative engineering information solutions to clients in Africa and the Middle East for 16 years. As a leader in strategic asset and service management to industries and organizations, IST Data's expertise includes fixed and mobile telecommunications networks and mobile workforce management solutions. For more information, visit www.istltd.com.

   3. Saint John Energy Selects Telvent Miner & Miner's Designer for GIS-based Design

      The Power Commission of the City of Saint John (Saint John Energy), Saint John, New Brunswick (NB), has announced their selection of Designer, a GIS-based design solution from Telvent Miner & Miner (TM&M). The implementation of Designer, which includes embedded ArcFM tools for asset and facilities management, will assist Saint John Energy in more efficiently providing electric service to their customers.

      Saint John Energy is a municipal electric utility that has been serving the City of Saint John since 1922. The focus of the utility has been the efficient delivery of electricity to local consumers. As a non-generating utility, its primary responsibility is the distribution of electricity and customer service for approximately 35,000 customers. Designer will replace the two current, non-integrated processes for detailing and design with a single, integrated process and will automate the generation of cost estimates and bills of materials.

      Implementation of Designer ensures a single point of entry into the engineering database of record (the GIS), thereby eliminating redundant efforts and data throughout the project life-cycle. Through integration with Saint John Energy's Great Plains accounting software and their Transformer and Switch application (previously developed by ESRI Canada), the project will deliver a system that supports an end-to-end design process. Utilizing TM&M's Workflow Manager, as part of the solution, authorized staff throughout Saint John Energy will be able to directly review, assign, manage, and report on all jobs and work in progress. "Designer will provide us with a streamlined information flow from the field through to our Operations, Engineering, Finance, and Stores departments respectively," said Bob Bernard, GIS CAD Specialist, Saint John Energy. "We are looking forward to strengthening our relationship with Telvent Miner & Miner and providing our customers with safe, reliable electricity at the lowest rates possible."

      Telvent Miner & Miner (TM&M) is a world leader in the development and implementation of GIS software for utilities. TM&M's ArcFM Solution and extended services assist electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities in increasing productivity, lowering costs, and improving services by allowing them to effectively manage spatial information.

      Founded in 1946 as a full-service electrical engineering firm, TM&M has been a business partner of ESRI since 1987. This partnership has enabled TM&M to become the world's leading developer of ArcGIS applications for the utility industry. TM&M services include implementation, integration, and customization of software to fit the needs of individual utilities. For more information, please visit www.telvent.com/miner/.

      For more than 30 years, ESRI has been the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,700 business partners. ESRI's goal is to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com/.

      Telvent (NASDAQ: TLVT), the Global RealTime IT Company, specializes in high value added solutions and services in four industry sectors (Energy, Traffic, Transport and Environment). Its technology allows high performing companies to make real-time business decisions using data acquisition, control, and advanced operational applications, providing secure actionable information delivery to the enterprise. (www.telvent.com/).

      ArcFM Solution, ArcFM, ArcFM Viewer, Designer, Responder, Conduit Manager, and Network Adapter are trademarks of Miner and Miner, Consulting Engineers, Inc. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

   4. STDBonline Gives Commercial Realtors Access to Information Through Business Analyst Online; One-Stop Internet Service Saves Commercial Real Estate Professionals Time and Money

      ESRI, the leading provider of geographic information system (GIS) software, announces that Site to Do Business (STDBonline), located in Chicago, Illinois, is using ESRI Business Analyst Online, an on-demand GIS and reporting and mapping service. The STDBonline portal provides an entirely new interface and workflow environment that significantly improves the way STDBonline members conduct business. The system provides a one-stop service for more than 17,000 members of the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Institute, the governing body of the largest commercial real estate network in the world.

      "ESRI offers all the software and online data content our CCIMs need to create, visualize, manage, and analyze local information easier and more clearly," says Jay R. Lucas, CCIM, STDB, Inc., president and CEO. "Our clients can learn everything they need to operate the software in minutes. They can generate reports with maps within 30 seconds of finding the right site. Never has there been a more powerful or quick solution available for our industry."

      ESRI Business Analyst Online provides an intuitive mapcentric approach to finding and analyzing data using ESRI Web service technology. Users enjoy a rich experience with access to high-end functionality previously only available via ESRI's desktop GIS software. The new system was designed around the workflow and needs of STDBonline users. Every function is available within a few mouse clicks. Standardized business reports provide immediate feedback on market potential and opportunity.

      The new release also contains recent data updates and additional information layersfrom other sources. These include ESRI 2006/2011 demographic data that was completely revised based on new models and methodology, new data sources, and post-2005 hurricane population distributions. These datasets reveal interesting geographic and business trends including regional growth variations combined with changes in household wealth, migration, and employment

      "We are glad to be a part of STDBonline's commitment to help Certified Commercial Investment Members (CCIM) members grow, profit, and succeed through the use of online mapping services," says Simon Thompson, commercial business industry manager, ESRI. "We will continue to expand our data and GIS services to meet the growing needs of these real estate professionals."

      About ESRI: Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS, 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 www.esri.com.

   5. Pictometry Imagery Now Available at the Click of a Mouse in Symposium Technologies' CAD and Mobile Data Systems; High-Resolution Oblique Solution Deployed in Public Safety Agencies in Massachusetts

      Pictometry International Corp., the worldwide leader in digital, aerial oblique imagery and measuring software, and Symposium Technologies Inc., a leading supplier of computer aided dispatch, mobile data, alarm monitoring, and GPS-based AVL systems, announced that the two companies have successfully integrated

      Pictometry's imaging technology into Symposium's Horizon EME CAD and in-vehicle EM Mobile systems.

      The result is an invaluable tool for both planning and response, providing public safety agencies with better strategic intelligence on how to tackle major incidents, and enabling improved tactical in-the-field decision making by allowing dispatchers and responding personnel to see the lay of the land before they even arrive on scene.

      Pictometry's patented aerial imaging technology captures and catalogues image libraries of entire counties and states. The company's easy-to-use software allows users to access up to 20 oblique (3D-like) aerial photos of every square foot in an area, including every building, highway, or other feature. The industry-leading software also enables users to instantly obtain measurements such as distance, height, building facades, and area directly from the Intelligent Images as well as overlay GIS data and create fully textured, Pictometry Real3D models.

      Pictometry has gained significant acceptance from its proven results in vital public safety applications that include helping 9-1-1 centers rapidly locate landline and cellular calls for service, rapid response in post disaster imaging, and providing SWAT teams and fire fighters with a touch screen software interface for mobile deployments for en route and on the scene tactical planning.

      A case study on Pictometry's public safety applications can be found at www.pictometry.com/casestudies/ps-07.asp.

      The Symposium-Pictometry integration is seamless and transparent, enabling dispatchers using the Horizon EME CAD and responding personnel utilizing the in-vehicle EM Mobile mobile data system to switch back and forth between the traditional map view and the Pictometry view by simply clicking one button. Once in Pictometry mode, users can choose what direction they want to view the address from, and what zoom level is appropriate for the detail they want to use.

      Using this combined solution provides "Visual Interoperability" where multiple public safety agencies can share vital location information of both mapping and high-resolution aerial photos for a more informed response. Images of the integration can be viewed at www.pictometry.com/pressrelease/symposium.asp. Client response to this new development has been tremendous. Currently, two dispatching centers in Massachusetts are using the integrated Pictometry and Symposium systems, with others scheduled to go online in the near future.

      The Peabody Fire Department (MA) was one of the first to go live with the newly combined integration in both the dispatch command center and in the vehicles. According to Peabody firefighter and project coordinator Russ Lewis, the new capability has made a major and immediate difference.

      "With this new feature, our command and control capabilities are light years ahead. We're able to actually see what we'll be dealing with on an incident level, with instant access to detailed imagery when and where it's needed," said Lewis. "On their own, each system is great, but together the combination of CAD, mobile data, and Pictometry has put us far ahead of the curve in terms of preparation and effectiveness."

      More in-depth information on the Symposium-Pictometry integration can be found at www.symposium911.com. Going forward Symposium plans to incorporate even more Pictometry features into its CAD and mobile data, such as the system's unique and powerful measuring capability. This will enable Symposium users to obtain vital measurements from Pictometry images such as distance, height, elevation, and area directly on the oblique imagery, thereby helping them better manage situations beforehand or in progress.

      About Symposium: Symposium Technologies develops and deploys the Horizon Event Management Environment - a family of fully customizable, integrated and wireless-enabled command and control systems including dispatching, mobile data, remote monitoring, and more. Combining cutting-edge technology with superb ease of use, the Horizon EME is designed from the ground up for seamless integration with third-party software and hardware.

      Symposium's Horizon EME is deployed with a wide variety of governmental organizations and private companies throughout North America in areas as diverse as public safety, alarm monitoring, homeland security, critical infrastructure protection, military security, public works, and transit. For more information on Symposium, please visit www.symposium911.com.

      About Pictometry: Pictometry International is a rapidly growing software company that provides visual information systems. The company's patented imaging process captures georeferenced, high-resolution oblique (at an angle for a 3D-like view) and ortho (straight down) Intelligent Images of counties and states. Combined with the company's interactive software solution, users can see everywhere, measure anything, and plan everything.

      The company has a growing customer base exceeding 400 counties, the State of Connecticut, the State of Massachusetts, the State of Rhode Island, federal government organizations, as well as private business users. Major metropolitan areas using Pictometry include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Houston, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

      Applications include 9-1-1, appraisers, assessors, emergency management agencies, engineering, financial institutions, fire departments, GIS, golf communities, homeland security, insurance, law enforcement, planning officials, real estate, transportation, and utilities. Pictometry is a second order visualization tool that does not produce authoritative or definitive information (surveying) from its digital, aerial images. The company is hosting its second annual User Conference, Pictometry FutureView 2007, from October 28 - 31, 2007 in Orlando, FL. For more information on Pictometry, visit www.pictometry.com.

   6. NAVTEQ Map Data Supports QUALCOMM's New European Fleet Management Web Portal; Western and Eastern European coverage key to providing consistent service

      NAVTEQ (NYSE: NVT), a leading global provider of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, has been selected to provide pan-European map data for use in the innovative Web Portal Platform from fleet management specialist, QUALCOMM. This new service will provide QUALCOMM customers with integrated access to all the company's different productivity improvement tools and applications, including: track and trace and driver hour management, as well as trip, load, vehicle and trailer management.

      NAVTEQ street-level map data has been integrated into the Webraska Geospatial Platform (SGP4) which in turn powers the web portal. It encompasses seamlessly connected map databases for the whole of Europe including the new Eastern European GeoCoverage dataset, providing the best coverage for QUALCOMM customers who transport goods Europe-wide. The geospatial platform has been deployed in the QUALCOMM Wireless Business Solutions Europe Headquarters in the Netherlands and supports functionality including geocoding, reverse-geocoding, routing and points of interest searching.

      The product also includes NAVTEQ Transport, which features truck attributes in a specialist dataset of information to optimise the calculation of routes for commercial vehicles. Those attributes include not only details about physical restrictions such as the height and width of bridges and tunnels and hazardous materials restrictions, but also legal restrictions, for example where trucks and trailers are prohibited. NAVTEQ's dedication to the truck sector and the ability to deliver the initial product in France with a European roll-out later this year, were key decision points for QUALCOMM.

      "The quality of NAVTEQ maps, coupled with its detailed coverage of Western Europe and continuously improving coverage of Eastern Europe, enables QUALCOMM to be in a stronger position to deliver innovative services to those customers who specialise in regional and international transportation," commented Sjef Van Gool, Managing Director, QUALCOMM Wireless Business Solution Europe, "Customers can benefit from improvements in both productivity and efficiency by accessing all the key information required for day-to-day operations from one Web Portal."

      About NAVTEQ: NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 2,200 employees located in 144 offices in 25 countries. Its European headquarters are in Veldhoven, Netherlands. For more information, visit www.navteq.com

   7. Tadpole Awarded Contract To Deliver Google Earth Based Application To BP International

      BP International has contracted Tadpole Technology to develop a proof of concept application utilising Google Earth. The application will be delivered to BP Group Fire Advisor to improve the management of system integrity and regulatory compliance across all sites, worldwide.

      "I am very interested in the potential of this project," states Kevin Westwood, Group Fire Advisor at BP International "'Tadpole's proven expertise developing innovative geospatial solutions is enabling us to make use of leading edge internet technology to create a detailed map of our sites, linked to the necessary compliance data. Because this system will be accessible by authorised BP personnel from virtually any location on the globe, it will significantly improve our ability to remotely manage site compliance on a global basis and enable us to readily share integrity and regulatory compliance information across international locations."

      Utilizing the Google Earth user interface, the system will provide a digital world map displaying the exact location of all BP sites across the globe. Each BP site will be represented by a point on the map that links to a virtual filing cabinet, displaying up to date site-specific data and compliance documentation.

      "Advances in web technology are having a profound effect on the dissemination of geospatial technology and data and Google Earth is among the companies leading the way in providing internet-based access to a wealth of high-quality spatial imagery," comments Ross Coulman, Business Manager for the Geospatial Solutions division of Tadpole Technology. "By building this system using Google Earth technology we will be able to take advantage of a range of universally accessible tools and data to provide BP with a highly-advanced geospatial solution that truly meets the demands of a multi-national organisation."

      About the Geospatial Solutions Division of Tadpole Technology Group: The Geospatial Solutions Division is a leading supplier of geospatial applications and technology for the office-based and mobile user. For over a decade and a half it has designed, developed and delivered highly sophisticated geospatial solutions that improve business efficiency and extend enterprise information.

      Its experience extends across a range of technical areas, in particular field GIS applications, workflow management systems and geospatial data synchronization technology and is proven within a variety of industry sectors; including national mapping agencies, the utility sector and government organizations. For more information visit www.tadpoletechnology.com/gsd.

   8. City of Norman, Oklahoma Awards Merrick & Company Topographic Mapping Contract

      Merrick & Company, a world leader in LIDAR, digital ortho imaging, photogrammetry and GIS mapping won a contract with the City of Norman, Oklahoma. The project coverage includes a total of 238 square miles in both rural and urban areas. Merrick will deliver a full suite of topographic mapping products including LIDAR data, breaklines, a digital terrain model (DTM), one-foot contours in urban and suburban areas, two-foot contours in the rural areas, color and panchromatic digital orthophotography at half-foot (urban and suburban areas) and one-foot (rural areas) pixel resolutions.

      Merrick was chosen to perform the project based on the company's technical approach using state of the art processes and procedures. The project was awarded in February 2007 and final deliverables are expected in October 2007.

      According to Gary Outlaw, GISP, Merrick's Vice President of Business Development, GeoSpatial Solutions, "We had the privilege of supporting the City of Norman during their initial stages of GIS development and it is a pleasure to again provide the latest technologies and methodologies to fulfill their need for accurate topographic data products."

      According to Joyce Green, Manager of the GIS Services Division, "We need to update our topographic data in order to manage our resources and perform city business. We are currently using data that was collected in the mid 1980's and our landscape has changed significantly since then." Green continues, "We are also beginning our storm water master plan to more effectively manage citywide drainage. In addition, the topographic data will support our work to comply with the Environment Protection Agency's (EPA) NPDES Phase II Stormwater Program."

      The data will be used throughout city departments including planning, engineering, utilities, and parks and recreation. The public can obtain data from the GIS Division for the minimal cost of reproduction. Learn more about the EPA's NPDES Stormwater Program at cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/stormwater/swphases.cfm. Visit the City's GIS Division on the Web at www.normanok.gov/normanmap.

      About Merrick & Company: Founded in Denver in 1955, Merrick & Company is a world-leading multidisciplinary engineering, architectural, geospatial solutions, and construction management firm. The employee-owned company provides these services to municipal, state, federal, and private-sector clients. With approximately 400 employees, Merrick has offices in Aurora and Colorado Springs, CO; Los Alamos and Albuquerque, NM; and Atlanta, GA.

   9. Norwegian Utility to Provide ASP Services using ArcFM Lyse Energi Targets Local Utilities to Host GIS Data

      Lyse Energi, a multi-utility company based in Stavanger, Norway, has elected to become an Application Service Provider (ASP) for Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Lyse Energi serves 120,000 customers in the Stavanger area and leverages Telvent Miner & Miner's ArcFM and ESRI's ArcGIS products for their GIS to manage their distribution network. The utility will be targeting local municipalities and telecommunication partners to provide similar GIS data hosting and maintenance services using ArcFM as a core part of their integrated IT solutions.

      Lyse Energi has been a longtime user of the ArcFM Solution and together with Telvent Miner & Miner (TM&M), ESRI, and TM&M's business partner, Geodata AS, has come up with a model to further advance their IT business. Most of the utilities in the area are smaller municipals that may not have the infrastructure or manpower to support a GIS system on their own. Since Lyse Energi already has a system in place, they will be able to offer their own staff and IT center to maintain facility data on behalf of the other organizations.

      "We have standardized on modern, flexible, and scalable systems for our own multi-utility enterprise. This includes ArcFM, ArcGIS, SAP, Siebel, Citrix, BizTalk and a portal-solution. We recognize that our telecommunication partners and our municipalities are requesting much of the same type of functionality and integration principles that Lyse is already using. As a result, we see a business opportunity to provide them access to our solutions as an ASP," says Asbjorn Hoivik, CIO of Lyse Energi.

      Telvent Miner & Miner (TM&M) is a world leader in the development and implementation of GIS software for utilities. TM&M's ArcFM Solution and extended services assist electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities in increasing productivity, lowering costs, and improving services by allowing them to effectively manage spatial information. Founded in 1946 as a full-service electrical engineering firm, TM&M has been a business partner of ESRI since 1987.

      This partnership has enabled TM&M to become the world's leading developer of ArcGIS applications for the utility industry. TM&M services include implementation, integration, and customization of software to fit the needs of individual utilities. For more information, please visit www.telvent.com/miner/. For more than 30 years, ESRI has been the leading developer of GIS software with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,700 business partners.

      ESRI's goal is to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on the Web at www.esri.com/.

      Telvent (NASDAQ: TLVT), the Global RealTime IT Company, specializes in high value added solutions and services in four industry sectors (Energy, Traffic, Transport and Environment). Its technology allows high performing companies to make real-time business decisions using data acquisition, control, and advanced operational applications, providing secure actionable information delivery to the enterprise.(www.telvent.com/).

      ArcFM Solution, ArcFM, ArcFM Viewer, Designer, Responder, Conduit Manager, and Network Adapter are trademarks of Miner and Miner, Consulting Engineers, Inc. Other companies and products mentioned herein are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

   10. MetaCarta Expands Geographic Information Retrieval to Google Earth, ESRI ArcGIS Explorer and NASA World Wind 3D Mapping Software

       MetaCarta, Inc., the leading provider of geographic intelligence solutions, announced support for KML (Keyhole Markup Language) for MetaCarta Geographic Text Search (GTS) and MetaCarta geOdrive. For the first time, companies and governments can now search unstructured text documents for geographic locations and visualize these references on a map using Google Earth, ESRI ArcGIS Explorer or NASA World Wind interfaces.

       MetaCarta Geographic Text Search (GTS) automatically identifies geographic references using advanced natural language processing (NLP) in unstructured content found in RSS news feeds, Microsoft Office files, Adobe PDF, web sites (HTML) and text files. GTS assigns a latitude and longitude to these references so that users can visualize patterns on a map. This helps companies and government organizations to "connect-the-dots" visually.

       KML is a file format used to display geographic data and imagery in a browser or user interface, such as Google Earth, ArcGIS Explorer and NASA World Wind. A KML file is processed in much the same way that HTML (and XML) files are processed by web browsers. Like HTML, KML has a tag-based structure with names and attributes used for specific display purposes.

       "The advancements in standard interfaces for geographic information retrieval have been enabled new accessibility across a broader set of technologies and applications", said Mark Smith, CEO and Executive Vice President of Research at Ventana Research, "MetaCarta is a key industry provider of technology that enables unstructured content to be location aware. By supporting KML, the MetaCarta solution can become more easily adopted by any organization."

       "MetaCarta continues to expand its geographic search capabilities to new markets," said Claudine Bianchi, vice president of marketing at MetaCarta. "With this announcement, we continue our strategy to be map-agnostic."

       About MetaCarta: MetaCarta, Inc., a provider of geographic intelligence solutions, provides users with map-driven geographic search, geographic referencing, and data visualization capabilities. MetaCarta products make data and unstructured content "location-aware" making that information geographically relevant. These innovative solutions make it possible for customers to discover, visualize, and act on important location-based information.

       Founded by a team of MIT researchers in 2001, MetaCarta is privately held, with US headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts and offices in Vienna, Virginia and Houston, Texas. For more information, please visit www.metacarta.com.

   11. GeoSpatial Experts Includes New Ricoh GPS-Ready Camera in Photo-Mapping Product Bundle

       GeoSpatial Experts is pleased to announce the availability of the Ricoh 500SE GPS-digital camera in a new photo-mapping product bundle. Available through GeoSpatial Experts and its distributors, this bundle includes the GPS-Photo Link photo-mapping software, the Ricoh 500SE camera with attached GPS module, a 1 gigabyte memory card and a camera bag.

       "Ricoh designed the 500SE digital camera with location-based photo mapping in mind," said Rick Bobbitt, President of GeoSpatial Experts. "Our clients can take this extremely ruggedized, water-proof camera with them into the field without any fear that it will break if it's dropped on the ground or gets wet."

       In addition to an all-weather body, 8-megapixel resolution, and add-on lenses, the Ricoh 500SE comes with a detachable GPS module that automatically embeds GPS coordinates with the captured photographic images. The position of the GPS module on the top of the camera provides superior GPS signal reception compared with slide-in GPS cards. The new camera also offers a "GPS lock" function which records the location of the object being photographed instead of where the photographer is standing.

       "The Ricoh 500SE is an all-in-one GIS data collection device," said Bobbitt, noting that it enables users to directly enter up to five data attributes which will be seamlessly attached to the digital photograph along with the location coordinates. The camera can even snap a picture of a barcode and store it as a photo attribute. These attribute fields remain with the photos as GIS layers when the files are downloaded into the GPS-Photo Link software for georeferenced display in a GIS.

       Developed by GeoSpatial Experts, GPS-Photo Link is a digital image mapping software that saves time and money by automatically linking digital photographic images to GPS location data in the GIS environment. GPS-Photo Link creates web pages in which the watermarked photographs are integrated with satellite imagery, street maps, or other GIS-based mapping layer. New functionality added in the most recent software version enables users to display their photo locations as icons in a Google Earth map layer and add an arrow indicating the direction in which the photo was taken.

       Another new function found in the Ricoh 500SE that will be beneficial to photo-mapping users is the built-in Bluetooth and optional WiFi wireless capability. This will allow users to instantly transfer images and attributes acquired in the camera to other handheld mobile devices, such as PDAs or GIS data collectors. Data can also be transmitted wirelessly from these external devices to the camera. GIS users can also utilize the Bluetooth connection to communicate with an external GPS receiver if they choose not to use the Ricoh GPS module attachment.

       "The availability of the Bluetooth or WiFi wireless connection greatly facilitates transferring of photos to other devices," said Bobbitt. "This is the best geo-imaging camera on the market today."

       To learn more about the GeoSpatial Experts product bundle or to place an order, visit www.geospatialexperts.com.

   12. The Nielsen Company Provides Superior Analytics for Customers Using DMTI Spatial

       The Nielsen Company, leading global provider of marketing research information services, analytical systems and tools, and related professional client services, has signed an agreement to purchase DMTI Spatial's premiere product CanMap Streetfiles along with the Platinum Postal Suite and others.

       DMTI Spatial, a leading provider in Location Intelligence solutions, is improving the overall quality and value of the location intelligence Nielsen is using to service their customers. The agreement supplies Nielsen with DMTI's flagship location data, which will be used to maximize its sophisticated market research services to apply against consumer-centric analytics using their best-in-class lifestyle segmentation model. This model provides superior analytics for Demographics, Product Consumption, National & Local Media and Lifestyle. "

       DMTI's database provides a superior level of quality and accuracy, which when combined with Nielsen's market leading solutions will enable our manufacturer clients to more accurately plan out their marketing execution for their retail customers." stated Pam Wood, Marketing Director, The Nielsen Company. DMTI Spatial's CanMap line of data products enhances and extends the Nielsen Canada cartographic map output. Customers will gain even greater detailed map coverage due to the improved automated map production generated by the use of DMTI's data products. The result is improved visualization and interpretation of their online and hard copy publications.

       Nicole Cih, Consumer Marketing Services of The Nielsen Company added, "DMTI Spatial offers us completeness and accuracy in our target market and one of the highest quality datasets I have seen in the cartographic business in Canada. They come with an extraordinary level of information and detail." About The Nielsen Company: The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Adweek), and trade shows. The privately held company has more than 42,000 employees and is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA.

       About DMTI Spatial: DMTI Spatial has been providing industry leading location intelligence solutions for more than a decade to Global 2000 companies and government agencies. DMTI's world-class Location Hub° platform uniquely identifies and cross-references a universe of location-based data. DMTI is the creator of the CanMap suite of geospatial data products, including CanMap® Streets and RouteLogistics, the gold standard for location data in Canada. DMTI Spatial also provides professional services and software tools bringing full solutions to the marketplace. For more information see: www.dmtispatial.com For more information please contact: John Sorrell Director of Marketing DMTI Spatial Inc. [email protected] Toll Free: 1-877-477-3684 x2005

   13. DMTI Spatial powers Economic Development Web Portal with Innovative 6-digit Postal Code Boundaries

       DMTI Spatial, a leading provider of location intelligence solutions, has been selected by McSweeney & Associates, to power the Ontario East Economic Development Commission's (OEEDC) new web portal. The application of neighbourhood level postal geography and detailed demographic data is advancing the tools available to site selection consultants and streamlining economic development processes.

       The OEEDC's web portal combines information from its 114 municipalities with demographic and geographic data into a single point of access for site selection consultants, businesses and other potential investors. Using demographic analysis coupled with mapping capabilities enabled by DMTI Spatial's Platinum Postal Suite, decision-makers can quickly compare potential locations at the micro-level, effectively improving the process for site selection.

       "One of the best examples is a business looking to set up a call center facility in Eastern Ontario," explained Eric McSweeney, President of McSweeney & Associates. "The site selection consultant can search from among hundreds of demographic variables to narrow their search. The analysis can be conducted at the 6-digit postal code level and have results rendered visually to quickly evaluate the best locations meeting specific site location criteria."

       The Platinum Postal Suite is a bundled solution containing the most comprehensive and detailed collection of Canadian postal geography products available that include enhanced Forward Sortation Areas (FSA) boundaries and enriched Postal Code Points. Platinum Postal Suite° is the first solution to include Local Delivery Units (LDUs) explicitly represented as block group service areas, delivering unsurpassed precision down to the neighborhood level.

       For more information about McSweeney & Associates visit www.mcsweeney.ca. For more information about the Ontario East Economic Development Commission visit www.onteast.com

       About DMTI Spatial: DMTI Spatial has been providing industry leading location intelligence solutions for more than a decade to Global 2000 companies and government agencies. DMTI's world-class Location Hub° platform uniquely identifies and cross-references a universe of location-based data. DMTI is the creator of the CanMap suite of geospatial data products, including CanMap® Streets and RouteLogistics, the gold standard for location data in Canada. DMTI also provides professional services and software tools bringing full solutions to the marketplace. For more information see: www.dmtispatial.com

       For further information about DMTI Spatial please contact: John Sorrell Director of Marketing, [email protected], Toll Free: 1-877-477-3684 x2005

   14. Airborne 1 Services Secured by IAGT for Map Modernization Project

       Airborne 1 Corporation, a leading provider of advanced LiDAR services, rentals, and software worldwide, has completed work in upstate New York for client IAGT.

       The Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT), under contract with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, performed a formal Accuracy Assessment and Quality Control review in accordance with FEMA guidelines to evaluate potential use of the LiDAR data in a Map Modernization project. The project sites were located in Ontario and Monroe Counties.

       "We delivered classified LiDAR data with extracted features removed. The laser did a good job of penetrating vegetation due to leaf-off conditions," said Matt Coleman, Airborne 1's LiDAR Data Analyst Team Leader. Coleman also noted there were "interesting geographic features as a result of past glacial movement across upstate New York."

       Karen Kwasnowski IAGT GIS Analyst II commented at the completion of the project that Airborne 1's "LiDAR data is some of the best we've seen. We will definitely recommend to anyone who needs LiDAR collection that they consider Airborne 1."

       About Airborne 1: Airborne 1 Corporation (www.airborne1.com) provides advanced LiDAR technology and asset management for partners in the photogrammetry, surveying and mapping fields. From Turnkey Services, to Software/Training, Rentals, Fractional Ownership Plans, and Franchising Opportunities, Airborne 1 enables professionals worldwide to effectively enter the LiDAR market without having to incur the high costs of owning a sensor. Airborne 1's digital mapping services and solutions include a dedicated team of LiDAR surveying experts, state-of-the-art Optech ALTM sensors, LiDAR data processing analysis and application development, as well as LiDAR field survey coordination and project management.

       About IAGT: The Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology (IAGT) (www.iagt.com) is a nonprofit organization that specializes in the application of geospatial information technologies (GIT), and is dedicated to accelerating the application of such technology across the government, education, and commercial sectors. IAGT uses a number of advanced techniques and tools to integrate satellite and aircraft-based imagery (Remote Sensing), and geographic information system (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS) data to enhance visualization and improve decision making. For more information contact Dana Piwinski, Director of Program Development at 315-252-8669.

       Press Information: Rose Mary Mercer, Airborne 1 Corporation Phone: (310) 414-7400 E-mail: [email protected] URL: www.airborne1.com

   15. ESRI BusinessMAP Software Improves Customer Service at Global Knowledge Easy-to-Use Territory Design and Database Mapping Software Goes Out on the Street with Sales Representatives

       ESRI, the world's leading provider of geographic information system (GIS) software, announces that Global Knowledge, the largest privately held provider of training, enterprise learning services, and software solutions for information technology (IT) and management professionals, has selected ESRI's BusinessMAP software to help its representatives manage sales calls to clients and prospective clients.

       Global Knowledge chose BusinessMAP software in 2005 after looking at several options available on the market. Global Knowledge has since been using the mapping software to support its sales force. Sales representatives use BusinessMAP to display sales information (stored in Microsoft Excel) on an interactive map. "BusinessMAP is a great product and it's easy to use," says Michael Chevalier, market research manager at Global Knowledge. "We started out with just two reps testing the system in the first quarter of 2005, and now we've expanded to more than 20 users. The product allows our sales team to focus on prospects and clients rather than spending time making the software work."

       The sales force is also able to identify and plot competitor information from various business listings. The ability to integrate these many data sources and to see and analyze the information has helped Global Knowledge to effectively manage its sales force and create more profitable sales territories. BusinessMAP is an affordable mapping application that transforms information from databases, contact managers, and spreadsheets into pushpin- and color-filled maps. It turns static data into meaningful maps, providing a better understanding of customers, competition, advertising, and other important business factors for mission-critical decision making.

       "BusinessMAP allows any company to see exactly where its clients are whenever needed," says Bill McNeil, BusinessMAP product manager, ESRI. "With BusinessMAP software, Global Knowledge has been able to give 20 sales representatives custom, intelligent maps right on their laptops very affordably. They don't loose control of their data and they are able to use maps and GIS features whenever it is needed, all without connecting to an outside service."

       For more information on BusinessMAP software and how ESRI software runs a better business, visit http://www.esri.com/software/busmap.

       About Global Knowledge: Global Knowledge is the largest privately held provider of training and enterprise learning services for information technology (IT) and management professionals. The company offers a broad array of hands-on IT, project management, and professional skills training featuring proprietary core and custom curriculum, as well as content from leading companies, including Cisco, Microsoft, Nortel, and Red Hat. Delivered in classrooms, at private facilities, or over the Internet, Global Knowledge has helped Fortune 500 companies, organizations and government agencies leverage learning to turn knowledge into productivity for employees, customers, and channel partners. Founded in 1995, Global Knowledge employs more than 1,100 people worldwide and is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina. The company is owned by New York-based investment firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson, and Stowe. For more information visit www.globalknowledge.com.

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2. PRODUCTS

   1. Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging Announces New Enhancements and Capabilities for ERDAS IMAGINE 9.1

      As well as providing installers for new modules such as IMAGINE Subpixel Classifier and IMAGINE DeltaCue, these new enhancements offer numerous updated capabilities to regular ERDAS IMAGINE capabilities. The File Chooser has been enhanced to allow for rapid selection and opening of image files. The creation and reading of JPEG2000 format images has been improved. In addition, users now have more flexibility and choices with expanded support for ArcGIS 9.2 versioned Geodatabases.

      New ERDAS IMAGINE 9.1 features and enhancements include:

      • Improvements to the Map Composer and Map Series tool
      • New options for the Map Series Tool such as automatic creation of an adjoining map sheet diagram and an MGRS / USNG Grid Zone designator diagram
      • Enhanced Map Composer tool makes it easier to set up end users to use map templates and create standardized mapping products to user specifications
      • New Vector Attribute to Annotation tool Enables the user to select an attribute field of a vector file from which to create display labels
      • Spatial Profiling tool Enables existing vector layers to be used as sources of the vector(s) to produce a profile, as well as providing the ability to annotate distance and direction onto the vector.
      • New Route Intervisibility tool Creates masks of seen / unseen areas out to a given distance from a selected vector path. Useful for environmental impact studies of proposed communication corridors, etc.
      • Numerous improvements to the reading or creation of file formats ASRP/USRP/ADRG, CADRG, ENVI, ENVISAT, GeoTIFF, HDF, JPEG2000 and NITF.
      • Viewer multi-threading support Improved to allow Viewer to be more responsive to the user while reading image data.
      • Rational Polynomial Coefficients (RPC) generation tool Used to export imagery with adjusted RPC models in a format that is universally understandable (e.g. NITF with RPC00B). The 2007.02 Enhancement for ERDAS IMAGINE 9.1 is now available via download from the web to all software maintenance customers (SWM).
      For more information about Leica Geosystems or its products and services, call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit gi.leica-geosystems.com.

   2. GIS Yellow Pages Releases GIS Portal for Geotechnology Products and Services

      GIS Yellow Pages has released a new GIS portal designed to categorize geotechnology related products and services for corporations, organizations, and government agencies around the world.

      Using listing services provided by GIS Yellow Pages, organizations can advertise products and services, list conference or training events, post jobs, and much more. Through various listing services, GIS Yellow Pages provides the ability to promote your business or organization. Showcase listings are a top of the line advertisement and appear above Premium, Basic, and Fee listings in our search results. Showcase listings including company title, logo image, address, phone number, fax number, web link, email link, summary description, detail description, send to a friend, add to favorities, print, map to office, designation icon, coupon, ratings and reviews, photo gallery and contact form.

      "We consider this to be the ultimate advertising medium for organizations providing geotechnology related products and services," said Robert Long, Vice President at GIS Yellow Pages, LLC. "Using our portal, companies and organizations can effectively and efficiently reach potential customers." In addition to listing services, GIS Yellow Pages also provides an Event Listing service which can be used to advertise upcoming user conferences, seminars, training events, and any other event that would be of interest to your audience. Furthermore, we provide a Jobs section to post position announcements.

      End users will be able to search for products and services using a number of methods including search keywords, categories, and location. Search results will return detailed company / organization information for the products and services that are of interest. Information returned will include the products and/or services offered by the company, contact information, website links, Google maps to the place of business, the ability to bookmark companies, and email the links to others.

      For more information, please visit http://www.gisyellowpages.com Our News section contains industry news, press releases, events, and blogs and can be viewed at http://www.gisyellowpagesnews.com.

   3. 2007 ESRI Business GeoInfo Summit Shows Businesses How to Profit from the Geographic Advantage; GIS Helps Business Professionals Find New Markets, Increase Market Share, and Improve Efficiency and Customer Service

      Business professionals will learn how geographic information system (GIS) technology can give their companies a competitive edge when they gather for the 2007 ESRI Business GeoInfo Summit, April 23-25, 2007, at the Westin Park Central Hotel, in Dallas, Texas.

      This premier GIS conference for the business community will draw hundreds of business professionals and commercial executives who will explain how they are using GIS to collaborate and communicate more effectively, reduce costs, increase productivity, and improve decision making.

      This year's summit will focus on applications, real-world successes, and industry best practices, with attendees learning how companies apply GIS to key business functions to get results. Keynote presentations and sessions will be led by successful, experienced senior executives from the retail, real estate, insurance, financial, media, and manufacturing industries. The sessions will bring together the best and most knowledgeable GIS experts to present the keys to success with GIS software in any business environment.

      The summit will provide many opportunities to network and share business-focused GIS solutions with others. Attendees will have firsthand access to the latest platforms, services, data, and professional advice that can help any business find new markets, increase market share, and become more efficient and responsive to customers.

      Business GeoInfo Summit attendees will include business professionals from banking, health care, hospitality, insurance, media, real estate, retail, utilities, and many other industries. Attending the conference will benefit anyone who is involved in

      • Customer and Market Analytics
      • Site Selection and Territory Design
      • Risk Analysis and Performance Monitoring
      • Supply Chain Management and Logistics
      • Business Continuity Planning
      • Business Intelligence, Customer Relationship Management, Enterprise Resource Planning, and Back-Office Integration
      • Facilities and Property Management
      Visit www.esri.com/geoinfo for more information, maps and directions, and to register.

   4. Valtus Adds 2006 Coverage of Three US States and Worldwide Satellite Imagery

      Valtus Imagery Services announces the immediate availability of an additional three U.S. States at 1 meter resolution and Texas at 2 meter resolution. The natural color data of Nevada, Utah and Wyoming was flown in 2006. Valtus has also acquired and made available worldwide 15 meter coverage.

      All Valtus Data is available through both VIEWS and VISTA. VIEWS (Valtus Imagery Enhanced Web Service) provides instant, secure access to an extensive library of imagery that can be seamlessly integrated into mapping applications and geographic information systems. VISTA (Valtus Imagery Services Terrain Archives) is a convenient online solution (www.valtus.com) for users who require immediate access to downloadable, georeferenced mapping data. Valtus also stores, manages and seamlessly integrates customer owned data with our public database.

      "This new data and our relationships with a large number of aerial and satellite data providers will enable us to continue bringing the high level of service our customers have come to expect. We are aggressively acquiring and building our global content because of demands from our customers"', says Kenyon Waugh, chief strategy officer. "These 4 additional states represent a doubling of Valtus coverage in the United States to eight full western states."

      Collected in 2006 as part of North West Geomatic's USDA NAIP program, this data represents the continued growth of NAIP and NAIP related data sets that will be available on-line through Valtus Imagery Services. North West and its partners EarthData and Horizons, are the leading providers of NAIP imagery to the USDA. The 15 meter NaturalVue coverage is provided by Valtus partner MDA Federal.

      About Valtus Imagery Services: Valtus Imagery Services is a Geospatial Storage Service Provider delivering imagery from our large online library and managing and integrating our customers' existing imagery holdings. Valtus' technology utilizes open GIS protocols to allow high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery to be stored, managed and viewed instantly through a wide range of industry standard web-mapping products and desktop applications.

      The company serves a broad base of markets including land management, surveying, oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, environmental management, real-estate, emergency response and all levels of government. In addition, Valtus holds the largest private data base of LiDAR data in western Canada.

      Valtus provides significant imagery content and capability to our customers through our partnerships with leading satellite imagery and aerial photography firms. Valtus is hosting a free Seminar: Advances in Geospatial Data on March 6, 2007 in Calgary. Visit the Valtus Website to register www.valtus.com/calgary2007. About North West Geomatics Ltd.: North West is a leading aerial acquisition service company using the most advanced sensors available in the market today. North West operates four Leica ADS40 sensors and the Leica ALS LiDAR systems with a fleet of company owned aircraft for its acquisition operations throughout North America. North West also maintains an aggressive development group to enhance and further a number of technologies related to image handling, processing, storage and delivery.

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3. CONFERENCES & TRAINING

   1. 2007 GeoTec Event Registration Now Online

      Programming details and registration for the 2007 GeoTec Event are now available online at geoplace.com/gt.

      Sponsored by GeoTec Media, publisher of GeoWorld magazine and developer of the Web portal GeoPlace.com, the 2007 GeoTec Event is scheduled for May 14-17, 2007, at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. This year's event will be held in conjunction with GeoAlberta.

      GeoAlberta is comprised of The Alberta Chapter of the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), the Alberta Chapter of the Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA), the Alberta Geomatics Group (AGG), and GeoEdmonton. Programming Highlights Pre-Conference Workshops: 15 full- and half-day sessions will offer small class sizes, intensive instruction and take-home workbook materials.

      Tracks: This year's educational sessions will be organized into the following 10 application areas or tracks:

      • 3-D Visualization
      • Enterprise Integration
      • Executive Management
      • Geospatial Data
      • Geospatial Research and Education
      • GIS Development
      • GIS and Public Policy
      • Imagery
      • Infrastructure and Interoperability
      • Integrated Case Studies

      Poster Presentations: Visual, interactive displays will present the latest research.

      Distinguished Speakers Opening Keynote, Tuesday, May 15: Ed Parsons, former chief technology officer, Ordnance Survey.

      Breakfast Keynote, Thursday, May 17: David MacInnis, president, Canadian Energy Pipeline Association.

      Exhibition: The Calgary Telus Convention Centre is strategically located in the heart of downtown Calgary and is a 20-minute drive from Calgary International Airport. More than 50 exhibitors expected. ? Show floor almost half sold out! Accommodations The Calgary Hyatt Regency Hotel is the host hotel, which is conveniently connected to the Calgary Telus Convention Centre. GeoTec Media is offering a rate of $199 single/double to all delegates and attendees. Online reservations can be made at the event site, www.geoplace.com/gt or by calling the Calgary Hyatt Regency direct at 403-717-1234. For further conference information, visit www.geoplace.com/gt or contact Matt Ball at 303-355-2450, e-mail [email protected]. For information about the exhibition, please contact Cody Pearson at 303-355-1715 or [email protected].

   2. GeoWeb 2007 Conference

      The GeoWeb conferences are about unleashing the economic potential associated with the convergence of XML, Web services, and geographic information systems, known as the GeoWeb. Organized via partnership between Galdos Systems Inc. (Galdos) and the Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA), GeoWeb 2007 welcomes both public and private organizations to meet, discuss, and learn about today's most innovative geospatial technologies and the possibilities related to this important technological shift.

      GeoWeb 2007 will include dedicated workshops on Geography Markup Language (GML), KML, MapPoint, LandXML, SVG, ebRIM, and OGC Web Services for GIS. The conference will be held on July 23rd to the 27th at the Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For more information on GeoWeb 2007, please visit www.geoweb.org.

   3. APEX conference early registration extended; U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman featured speaker

      The inaugural Advanced Positioning Educational Exposition (APEX) educational conference on GPS, GIS, surveying and mapping solutions, will be held April 2-5, 2007 in Albuquerque. Due to federal budget delays, early registration for the conference has been extended to March 16.

      This first conference is dedicated for federal users and is co-sponsored by Topcon Positioning Systems of Livermore, California, and Holman's, Inc., a GSA contract holder.

      The conference will include educational programs directly aimed at key federal agencies - land management, national resources conservation, United States Geological Survey (USGS), among others - that use precise positioning surveying and construction instruments.

      Jeff Bingaman, U.S. Senator from New Mexico, will be the featured speaker. Key speakers will include experts in the disciplines of GPS, GIS, surveying, robotic total stations, and reference networks. Speakers include representatives of the Bureau of Reclamation, Hewlett-Packard, the General Services Administration, and the Bureau of Land Management, as well as from the private sector.

      Headquarters for the conference will be at the Albuquerque Marriott Pyramid North. There is a registration fee of $275 for early registration. After that date the fee will be $350. Online registration is available at www.topconapex.com.

      About Topcon Positioning Systems: Topcon Positioning Systems, a developer and manufacturer of positioning equipment, offers the world's leading selection of innovating precision GPS, GIS, laser, optical surveying, and machine control, agriculture, products, software, and applications. Topcon Corporation is traded on Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732).

   4. Valtus Announces Final Call for Registration to Calgary Seminar on Advances in Geospatial Data

      Valtus Imagery Services, a leader in imagery management and delivery is announcing the final call for registration for the seminar Advances in Geospatial Data. This seminar is intended to help existing and new users understand the latest technologies for acquisition, management, and delivery of imagery and other geospatial content.

      The keynote speaker for the event is Mr. Ron Roth, Product Manager Leica Geosystems LiDAR Products. Mr. Roth will discuss the latest advancements and directions in both digital imagery and LiDAR.

      The seminar is scheduled to cover:

      • Digital Aerial Imagery Advances
      • Satellite Imagery Advances
      • LiDAR and Elevation Advances
      • Adding value to geospatial content
      • Improving ROI on data investments through management and delivery.

      "Our customers cover a wide range of industries that leverage geospatial data, however, with recent significant improvements in data and technology, it can be a full time job just to keep current." explained Greg Adamietz, Senior Director of Corporate Alliances. "Valtus Imagery Services is pleased to sponsor this event for our customers and partners and we are particularly pleased that Ron Roth from Leica

      Geosystems is speaking."

      Interested in learning more about geospatial data and how it can help your business? Join us for lunch, being held in downtown Calgary on March 6, 2007

      Space is limited, so registration is required www.valtus.com/calgary2007 About Valtus Imagery Services: Valtus Imagery Services is a Geospatial Storage Service Provider delivering imagery from our large online library and managing and integrating our customers' existing imagery holdings. Valtus' technology utilizes open GIS protocols to allow high-resolution aerial and satellite imagery to be stored, managed and viewed instantly through a wide range of industry standard web-mapping products and desktop applications.

      The company serves a broad base of markets including land management, surveying, oil and gas, agriculture, forestry, environmental management, real-estate, emergency response and all levels of government. In addition, Valtus holds the largest private data base of LiDAR data in western Canada. Valtus provides significant imagery content and capability to our customers through our partnerships with leading satellite imagery and aerial photography firms.

      About North West Geomatics Ltd.: North West is a leading aerial acquisition service company using the most advanced sensors available in the market today. North West operates four Leica ADS40 sensors and the Leica ALS LiDAR systems with a fleet of company owned aircraft for its acquisition operations throughout North America. North West also maintains an aggressive development group to enhance and further a number of technologies related to image handling, processing, storage and delivery.

   5. OGC and GITA Emerging Technology Summit Preliminary Program Available

      The Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) and the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), Wayland, MA, have posted the preliminary program for the Emerging Technology Summit (ETS) IV, focusing on information system interoperability standards, such as Building Information Models (BIM). The event is slated for March 21-23 at the Melrose Hotel in Washington, D.C.

      ETS IV has been organized to provide CIO's, technology managers in government, and business leaders in the AEC industry an opportunity to better understand the breadth and current and future benefits of convergence. The ability to discover, access, integrate, and apply data from AEC-CAD products, geospatial products and BIM products in 3-D offers the potential for improving decision-making for users across the entire building life cycle from conception to decommissioning.

      "In determining ETS IV program content, we've tried to step back and look at technology and standards challenges from a variety of perspectives. We are fortunate to have an excellent list of speakers who represent this important level of diversity," Mark Reichardt, president of OGC, said.

      OGC and GITA have collaborated on three previous ETS presentations: I - Location Based Services, II - GeoWeb Services, and III: Advancing the Sensor Web. ETS IV is planned to be the next in this series and will address the issues of Web Services and the convergence of Building Information Modeling, CAD, 3-D and geospatial. The National Institute for Building Sciences and the Web 3D Consortium have signed up as collaborating sponsors of ETS IV.

      "The line-up for this event has all the unique qualities of a forum that will help drive the direction of our industry," Bob Samborski, GITA executive director, said. "Whether you're just beginning to explore open standards or have worked with them for years, you'll want to attend." For more information: Full details about the ETS and online registration are available at www.gita.org/ets, or by contacting GITA headquarters at 303-337-0513; E-mail: [email protected].

      About GITA: The mission of the Geospatial Information & Technology Association (GITA) is to provide excellence in education, information exchange and applied research on the use and benefits of geospatial information and technology in business, utility and government applications worldwide. GITA's Annual Conference 30 will be held March 4-7, 2007, in San Antonio, Texas. Visit GITA on the Web at www.gita.org. About OGC: The OGC is an international industry consortium of more than 335 companies, government agencies, research organizations, and universities participating in a consensus process to develop publicly available interface specifications. OpenGIS® Specifications support interoperable solutions that geo-enable the Web, wireless and location-based services, and mainstream IT. The specifications empower technology developers to make complex spatial information and services accessible and useful with all kinds of applications. Visit the OGC Web site at www.opengeospatial.org.

   6. Online GIS Training Program from the University of North Dakota

      The University of North Dakota offers a 12-credit, online graduate certificate program in geographic information science (GISc) to help feed the growing global demand for geographic information systems (GIS) professionals. After successful completion of four courses, students will be eligible for a graduate-level GISc certificate, which will qualify them for a wide variety of education, government, and private sector jobs in which GIS now is an essential tool.

      "The field is growing by about 20 percent per year because the technology is applicable to any field in which maps are used," says Bradley Rundquist, associate professor of geography and nationally recognized GIS expert and educator. "The GIS profession was recently identified by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of the three fastest growing job fields along with nanotechnology and biotechnology." The UND Department of Geography worked with the Division of Continuing Education to design and deliver an online program targeted for working professionals. The first course covers computer mapping and cartography. Over the next year, students will receive GISc education, hands-on training, and exposure to GIS technology, including digital mapping.

      "Digital mapping provides a great deal of flexibility compared to traditional paper mapping," says Rundquist, who will be one of the online course instructors. "Our graduates will have valuable skills sought after in many fields, everything from natural resources management to urban planning to facilities management."

      The Department of Geography also offers an on-campus GISc certificate program that mainly serves graduate students in other UND academic departments, such as biology, space studies, and earth system science and policy.

      To get accepted into the program, applicants must have bachelor's degree from an accredited university with a minimum GPA of 2.75. A new cycle of the GISc online program begins in June. Space is limited. Application review will begin April 1. For more information, contact UND Distance Degree Programs at 877-450-1842 or visit www.conted.und.edu/ddp/gis.

   7. Geospatial Integration for Public Safety Conference in New Orleans Announced

      The National Emergency Number Association (NENA http://www.nena.org/) and the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA http://www.urisa.org/) are pleased to announce the Second Geospatial Integration for Public Safety Conference (formerly URISA's Addressing Conference: Street Smart and Address Savvy) to be held April 15-18, 2007 in New Orleans.

      This conference is designed to bring together GIS professionals, addressing coordinators, 9-1-1 and emergency response specialists for a networking and learning opportunity. The inaugural conference took place in April 2006 in Nashville and generated quite a buzz. Don't miss the conference this year! What attendees said after the 2006 GIPSC Conference:

      "I think this is a really great conference. It is even better that NENA and URISA are putting it on together, rather than two separate ones. Our county budget is getting tighter and two national conferences were out of the question, but the combination made it much easier to get approval for. As budgets continue to get tighter I think the combined effort will become more important."

      "There were multiple sessions I wanted to see going on at the same time! I think the conference is headed in the right direction."

      "It was an all-around informative, educational, and enlightening experience. Very impressive." Educational sessions are scheduled within the following program tracks:

      • Addressing Basics, Coordination, and Standards
      • Emergency Response and 9-1-1
      • Case Studies of GIS Integration with Public Safety
      • Hot Topics
      Conference Schedule Saturday, April 14: Come early to attend the free French Quarter Festival—great music and food! Sunday, April 15: Register for one of these three pre-conference workshops:
      • Introduction to Next Generation 9-1-1
      • Understanding GIS for the PSAP
      • Addresses and IS/GIS Implementation: Key to GIS Success
      Monday, April 16:
      • Keynote address by John Ellison, Executive Director, Shelby County, Alabama 9-1-1: The Brave New World of Integrated Emergency Communications Breakout sessions
      • Roundtable luncheon
      • Networking reception in exhibit hall
      Tuesday, April 17:
      • Plenary Session: Hurricane Katrina — Lessons Learned
      • Breakout sessions
      • Exhibits
      • Plenary Session: Next Generation Emergency Communications
      • Conference social event
      Wednesday, April 18:
      • Post-conference tours
      • New Orleans PSAP
      • Hurricane Katrina
      For complete conference information, visit http://www.urisa.org/conferences/GIPSC/Info. Session and presenter information, exhibit details and online registration are included. Questions? Call 847-824-6300 or email [email protected]

   8. Scotiabank's Jean-Marc Astolfi to Deliver Keynote Address at MapInfo Global User Conference—MapWorld 2007; 14th Annual MapWorld Conference to Welcome Hundreds of Business Leaders to Seattle, May 8-10

      MapInfo Corporation (NASDAQ: MAPS), the leading global provider of location intelligence solutions, announced it will host MapWorld 2007, its 14th annual global user conference, on May 8-10 in Seattle, Washington. MapInfo executives, customers and industry experts from all over the world will come together for three days of highly-informational events including valuable networking opportunities, customer presentations and hands-on training sessions featuring MapInfo's location intelligence applications and solutions.

      Jean-Marc Astolfi, Director, Branch Network Delivery, International Banking, Scotiabank, will deliver this year's keynote address, "Leveraging Location Intelligence in a Global Business." MapInfo location intelligence technology assists Scotiabank's aggressively expanding international division, including helping to manage the complex business challenges associated with its site selection strategies. Mr. Astolfi will discuss how location intelligence enables his organization to make more insightful decisions regarding customers, prospects, assets, competitors and new markets.

      "MapWorld has become a premier event for existing and new customers to network and share their experiences and successes using MapInfo location intelligence solutions," said Mark Cattini, CEO, MapInfo. "This year's keynote from Scotiabank will focus on the international capabilities of location intelligence, within the financial services sector. New to MapWorld this year are dedicated conference tracks in each industry, with sessions given by industry experts showcasing the latest methodologies in site selection, economic development and underwriting, to name a few."

      Also at MapWorld 2007, is the annual MapInfo Meridian Awards Ceremony, a popular event among MapInfo customers that recognizes the hottest companies that are driving business innovation with dynamic uses of MapInfo location intelligence solutions. Submission information is available at www.mapinfo.com/meridianawards For MapWorld 2007 registration information and a preliminary agenda, please visit www.mapinfo.com/mapworld2007. About MapInfo Corporation: MapInfo is a global company and the leading provider of location intelligence solutions, integrating software, data and services to provide greater value from location-based information and drive more insightful decisions for businesses and government organizations around the world.

      MapInfo solutions are available in multiple languages through a network of strategic partners and distribution channels in 60 countries. Headquartered in Troy, N.Y., MapInfo is on the World Wide Web at www.mapinfo.com.

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4. PEOPLE

   1. Avineon Expands Geospatial and Engineering Services with Appointment of Business Development Executive

      Avineon, Inc., a successful provider of IT, geospatial, engineering and program management services, announced the addition of Steve Evans as a business development executive within the company's Geospatial and Engineering Services division. Evans holds more than 20 years of technical and sales experience and has a strong record of consistently growing company revenues by multi-million dollar figures.

      Based out of Avineon's Clearwater, Fla. office, Evans will play a central role in driving Avineon's business development and maximizing growth objectives in new and existing markets. Evans possesses an extensive background in sales, business development and operations management. He has held a number of senior leadership positions at domestic and international companies including Utility Automation Integrators, Inc., SECON Pvt. Ltd., Kinetic Solutions, LLC, AGRA Baymont, Inc. and South Carolina Electric & Gas Co.

      "Steve's demonstrated ability in the delivery of geospatial solutions among a diverse field of companies will provide value to Avineon as we look to maximize growth," said Gary Wilkison, vice president of geospatial and engineering services for Avineon. "He has the technical and sales experience to facilitate our drive to becoming the leader across all the markets we serve."

      Evans is an active member of the Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA), a nonprofit education association serving the global geospatial community, and served as president of the organization's Florida chapter in 2001 and 2002. Avineon will be exhibiting at GITA's Annual Conference and Exhibition to be held March 4-7, 2007 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. Company executives, including Evans, will be available at booth 417 to discuss the company's geospatial and engineering services.

      "Avineon is positioned for significant growth as the company is backed by fifteen years of experience and posted record numbers in 2006," said Evans. "I am excited to be joining Avineon at such an important and exciting time and look forward to utilizing my business development and operations experience in the geographic information systems market to fuel future growth."

      About Avineon Avineon, a CMMI Maturity Level 3 and ISO 9001:2000 registered company, is a diversified high technology company that provides information technology (IT), geospatial, engineering and program management services. With headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and offices in Alabama and Florida, Avineon employs more than 140 staff in the United States, and with subsidiaries in Europe and India employs a total staff of 700. In IT, Avineon specializes in web-based architecture, systems engineering, application development and on-going network and security support. For additional information please visit www.avineon.com.

   2. Avineon Appoints Utility Industry Veteran, Akhlesh Kaushiva, to Vice President of Commercial IT Services Division

      Avineon, Inc., a successful provider of IT, geospatial, engineering and program management services, announced that Akhlesh Kaushiva has joined Avineon as vice president of the company's Commercial IT Services division. With more than 30 years of engineering and IT systems experience, Kaushiva will lead Avineon's business intelligence and business process management efforts among other IT systems for the company's growing commercial sector.

      Avineon recently formed the Commercial IT Services division to further focus on meeting the needs of its strong base of commercial clients including large electric, gas, water and telecom utilities. Kaushiva holds extensive experience in implementing and integrating major utility IT systems including outage management (OMS), mobile dispatch (MDS) and geographic information (GIS). Lately, he has been involved in the evaluation of automated metering infrastructure (AMI), meter data management systems (MDS) and distribution automation (DA). Prior to Avineon, Kaushiva held multiple positions at Pepco Holdings, Inc. (PHI) and its subsidiary, Pepco, a long-time Avineon customer.

      He most recently served as manager of IT projects leading integration projects for Atlantic City Electric, Delmarva Power and Pepco and was a key decision maker in the company's selection of integrated outage management, MDS, GIS and graphic work design (GWD) solutions. In the wake of Hurricane Isabel in 2003, Kaushiva served as Pepco's technical expert on OMS and MDS and developed recommendations for improved performance. He also developed a long-term GIS strategy for the company to interconnect other secondary systems relying on GIS.

      Karlu Rambhala, president and CEO of Avineon, commented, "With Avineon's strong commercial customer base, particularly with large utility companies, Akhlesh's extensive background with Pepco will provide immediate value to our team. His technical, business and operations experience and leadership will allow Avineon to continue to deliver the innovative approaches and top-quality service to meet our commercial customers' needs."

      Avineon has worked with a host of utility companies and in 2006 alone, completed projects with SEMCO and Georgia Power among others. In its most recent project for Pepco, Avineon is assisting with the integration of a GWD system with a GIS system to increase efficiency of its outage management system, design process and asset management.

      For SEMCO, Avineon converted a gas distribution system from manual maps into a new ESRI ArcGIS geodatabase. The conversion allowed SEMCO to integrate key business processes such as CIS, Field Order System and Document Management System with its GIS. The project has helped SEMCO expand its markets, cut operating costs and reduce overall product prices.

      In addition, Avineon was selected by Georgia Power to migrate its electrical distribution system data to form an enterprise GIS. The new system leverages common business requirements, centralized information technology architecture and collaborative utility company investments, allowing the company to improve customer service, cost containment and profitability.

      "I am pleased to be working for a company with such a long-standing and well-respected history in the utility and commercial sector," stated Kaushiva. "My background at Pepco will serve well at Avineon as we continue to develop and implement optimal system solutions for the commercial sector." Kaushiva received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering with honors from the University of Maryland and a Master of Science in Computer Science from George Washington University. He is a senior member of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and has spoken at key utility industry events. Kaushiva is also a registered professional engineer in the state of Maryland and the District of Columbia.

      About Avineon: Avineon, a CMMI Maturity Level 3 and ISO 9001:2000 registered company, is a diversified high technology company that provides information technology (IT), geospatial, engineering and program management services. With headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, and offices in Alabama and Florida, Avineon employs more than 140 staff in the United States, and with subsidiaries in Europe and India employs a total staff of 700. In IT, Avineon specializes in web-based architecture, systems engineering, application development and on-going network and security support. For additional information please visit www.avineon.com.

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5. OTHER

   1. EngineerSupply announces Total Stations are now a part of its product offering

      EngineerSupply is pleased to announce the arrival of a new line of products for their surveying and mapping customers. EngineerSupply now has several new vendors for Total Stations. EngineerSupply will provide sales and support for the new line of product. Total Stations are used by professional land surveyors, engineers, and law enforcement agencies.

      EngineerSupply is a fully authorized factory dealer for CST/Berger, Sokkia, and David White brand of Total Stations. EngineerSupply is a privately held company. Its conception was based on its teams years of experience working in the engineering and surveying industry both using the products and seeing a need to a single resource for engineers, surveyors, and construction professionals.

      For additional information, contact: EngineerSupply on the web at www.engineersupply.com

   2. EngineerSupply announces new supply line of Leica Geosystems

      EngineerSupply announces that Leica Geosystems brand of products will be featured in its supply chain. After careful review, EngineerSupply decided that Leica Geosystems would make an excellent fit for their current supply chain.

      EngineerSupply will provide sales and support for the line of Disto Laser Distance Measuring Devices that Leica Geosystems manufacturers. Leica Geosystems manufactures professional-grade laser distance measuring devices for construction and surveying professionals.

      The new partnership will allow EngineerSupply to source Leica Geosystems Disto line of products quickly and efficiently. Being able to readily source from Leica Geosystems will allow EngineerSupply the ability to ship fresh products to their customers. EngineerSupply.com's customers include Professionals from the Architectural, Engineering, and Construction Industry.

      EngineerSupply is a fully authorized factory Leica Geosystems Dealer. EngineerSupply is a privately held company. Its conception was based on its teams years of experience working in the engineering and surveying industry both using the products and seeing a need to a single resource for engineers, surveyors, and construction professionals.

      For additional information, contact: EngineerSupply on the web at www.engineersupply.com

   3. Colombia Coastal Mapping Project Cited In National Engineering Competition; Innovative Technology Aids Environmental Management

      Merrick & Company of Aurora, Colorado, is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies' 41st annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for conducting an extensive coastal mapping project for the Maritime Directorate (DIMAR) of the Navy of Colombia.

      ACEC is the Washington-D.C.-based engineering industry association representing the business and political interests for owners and principals of approximately 5,500 independent engineering companies throughout the United States.

      Merrick & Company helped DIMAR assess the feasibility of using advanced Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and digital aerial photography to determine the geographic limits of its jurisdiction, much of which consists of exotic, complex, and fragile marine ecosystems. LiDAR is the only airborne technology capable of penetrating dense vegetation, providing a perfect means to gather detailed surface data without the need for human intrusion.

      The project team collected and processed high-precision topographic data and imagery in four sensitive coastal areas comprising approximately 10 percent of Colombia's 2,400-mile coastline. DIMAR plans to fund additional phases of its LiDAR program, with several of Colombia's other government agencies expected to provide assistance as well.

      The project is among 180 engineering projects from across the nation and the world that are being recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements for 2006. Judging for the prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards—known industry-wide as the "Academy Awards" of engineering—took place in February by a distinguished panel of engineers and architects, along with representatives from government, media, and academia. Criteria for awards include uniqueness and originality, technical, social and economic value, complexity, and success of the projects in meeting goals.

      Winners of 24 specific engineering categories, including the "Grand Conceptor Award" for the best overall engineering achievement, will be announced at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, to be held Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

      The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America's engineering industry, representing nearly 5,500 independent engineering companies throughout the United States engaged in the development of America's transportation, environmental, industrial, and other infrastructure. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.

   4. MAPPS Introduces Awards Program to Honor Excellence in Geospatial Products and Services

      MAPPS, a national association of geospatial, mapping and photogrammetry companies, has introduced the Geospatial Products and Services Excellence Awards. This new annual awards program will recognize the professionalism, value, integrity and achievement of MAPPS member and associate member firms in specific projects.

      "The MAPPS Geospatial Products and Services Excellence Awards provide our members and their clients with the opportunity to achieve national recognition for their significant contributions to the geospatial profession over the past year," said Kurt Allen, Vice President of Photo Science Inc., and current MAPPS President. "As we celebrate the MAPPS 25th Anniversary, this new awards program is a great way to showcase the high professional standards to which MAPPS members hold themselves as they provide geospatial products and services."

      MAPPS will assemble a distinguished panel of five judges representing diverse aspects of the geospatial profession. They will evaluate project submissions in six categories: airborne and satellite data acquisition, photogrammetry/elevation data generation, remote sensing, GIS/IT, small projects, and technology innovation. Judges will select one winning project from each category as well as an overall winner who will receive the Grand Award for MAPPS Project of the Year.

      The 2007 Awards will be presented at the MAPPS Summer Meeting being held July 16-20, 2007, at the Mount Washington Resort at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. For full submission guidelines, visit www.MAPPS.org. About MAPPS

      MAPPS was formed in 1982 by a small group of U.S. photogrammetry companies as the Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors to represent the interests of private photogrammetric and aerial surveying firms. Since then, MAPPS has expanded in size and scope to become the only national association exclusively comprised of private firms in the spatial data and geographic information system field in the United States.

      Current MAPPS memberships spans the entire spectrum of the geospatial community, including Member Firms engaged in surveying, photogrammetry, satellite and airborne remote sensing, aerial photography, hydrography, aerial and satellite image processing, GPS, and GIS data collection and conversion services. MAPPS also includes Associate Members, which are companies that provide hardware, software, products and services to the geospatial profession in the United States and other firms from around the world. For more information on the MAPPS Awards Program, please visit www.MAPPS.org.

   5. Geofirm Digital Mapping System Cited In National Engineering Competition: Innovative Technology Helps Speed Production Of Flood Risk Maps

      Dewberry of Fairfax, Va., is a finalist in the American Council of Engineering Companies' 41st annual Engineering Excellence Awards competition for developing the GeoFIRM Enterprise: FEMA Engineering and Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map (DFIRM) Mapping Environment.

      ACEC is the Washington-D.C.-based engineering industry association representing the business and political interests for owners and principals of approximately 5,500 independent engineering companies throughout the United States.

      GeoFIRM is a multi-user geodatabase that automates the production of maps used by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other agencies to delineate community flood risks. Integrated toolsets for terrain, survey, hydrology, and hydraulics help engineering teams expedite the process of map updates, enabling planning and emergency management officials to make better decisions about land uses and mitigation efforts in flood-prone areas.

      Dewberry has used GeoFIRM to produce more than 11,000 DFIRM panels since 2004, helping FEMA protect the lives and property of nearly 40 million people. When Dewberry mapped the coastlines of Mississippi and Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina, the project team used GeoFIRM to analyze survey data and high water marks, and set base inundation and debris limits that local and state officials are using to guide the recovery of the devastated communities.

      Founded in 1956, Dewberry specializes in engineering, architectural, program management, planning geographic information, and environmental services. The firm has 1,840 employees in 33 offices nationwide. The project is among 180 engineering projects from across the nation and the world that are being recognized by ACEC as preeminent engineering achievements for 2006. Judging for the prestigious Engineering Excellence Awards—known industry-wide as the "Academy Awards" of engineering—took place in February by a distinguished panel of engineers and architects, along with representatives from government, media, and academia. Criteria for awards include uniqueness and originality, technical, social and economic value, complexity, and success of the projects in meeting goals.

      Winners of 24 specific engineering categories, including the "Grand Conceptor Award" for the best overall engineering achievement, will be announced at the Engineering Excellence Awards Gala, to be held Tuesday, May 8, 2007, at The Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C.

      The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) is the business association of America's engineering industry, representing nearly 5,500 independent engineering companies throughout the United States engaged in the development of America's transportation, environmental, industrial, and other infrastructure. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in Washington, D.C., ACEC is a national federation of 51 state and regional organizations.

   6. Local Company honored by Red Cross: CEO of Bentley Systems, Incorporated. TO Receive Humanitarian Award On Behalf of Company

      WHO: Tom Foley, CEO of American Red Cross, SEPA Chapter

      WHAT: Circle of Humanitarian Award presentation to Bentley Systems, Incorporated

      WHEN: Monday, February 26, 2007, 2:30-3:30 p.m.

      WHERE: Bentley Systems, Incorporated, 400 Eagleview Blvd., Suite 110, Exton, Pa.

      When the tsunami devastated the regions of Southeast Asia and East Africa on December 26, 2004, Bentley Systems, Incorporated, was immediately motivated to help those hard-hit areas in the best way it knew how. Because of its generosity, Bentley will be presented with the American Red Cross' prestigious Circle of Humanitarian award in recognition of a generous $500,000 donation of software and services. The in-kind donation is supporting the design of urban and rural water systems to be reconstructed as part of the American Red Cross Tsunami Recovery Program, which provides relief and long-term recovery for millions of people and communities in Indonesia and other tsunami-affected areas.

      Tom Foley, CEO, American Red Cross-SEPA Chapter will present the award to CEO Greg Bentley on the afternoon of February 26 at Bentley Systems, Inc. headquarters in Exton, Pa. "Bentley Systems is truly deserving of the Circle of Humanitarian Award," said Foley. "The residents of these areas want nothing more than to be on a steady road to recovery. Bentley saw how their water systems were adversely affected and knew it could be a part of that recovery. Bentley did not hesitate to come to their assistance and we at the Red Cross are very thankful and overwhelmed by its kindness."

      After the ceremony, Red Cross Tsunami Recovery Expert Eric Barese will give a brief power point presentation on the America Red Cross Tsunami Recovery Program and how Bentley's water and wastewater software has and will be used to restore the water sanitation infrastructure in the affected regions. For more information, call Christina Crews at (215) 299-4042.

   7. ESIP Federation Elects 6 New Partners

      The Federation of Earth Science Information Partners ("Federation") has elected six new partners for full membership. The following represent this strong class of new Federation members:

      • Assimilating AURA-derived Trace Gas Retrievals and MODIS AOD into an Operational Multi-pollutant Ensemble Air Quality Forecast Decision Support System with a focus on Ozone and Haze Prediction", John McHenry, Baron Advanced Meteorological Systems, Raleigh, North Carolina
      • Global Systems Science Project, Alan Gould, Lawrence Hall of Science, University of California, Berkeley, California
      • The HDF Group, Mike Folk, Champaign, Illinois
      • NASA Earth Observations, Kevin Ward, Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Maryland
      • Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College, Cathryn Manduca, Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota
      • Virtual Solar-Terrestrial Observatory, Peter Fox, National Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Boulder, Colorado

      "The Federation's growth during the past few years has surpassed all expectations," says Dr. Charles Hutchinson, Federation President. "We are drawing in new partners from a variety of sources, including innovators in the technology and earth science data management fields. People are drawn to the Federation because of its collaborative environment where partners share cutting-edge ideas to advance the field of earth system science and promote a deeper understanding of the Earth system."

      The Federation now numbers 103 partners representing a wide range of Earth science data interests. Federation partners include science data centers, environmental research groups, innovators in the application of environmental data, educators and technologists. Across these diverse interests, public, private and non-profit organizations are represented.

      The Federation is a consortium of Earth science data centers, researchers, scientists, technologists, educators, and applications developers. The Federation promotes increased accessibility, interoperability and usability for Earth science data and derivative products. Initiated by NASA in 1997, the Federation provides data, products and services to decision makers and researchers in public and private settings. The Foundation for Earth Science provides administrative and staff support to the Federation of Earth Science Information Partners.

   8. New ESRI Press Book Chronicles the Federal Government's GIS Success Stories; Case Studies Show How Mapping and Geospatial Analysis Save Agencies Time and Money and Boost Productivity

      Standards for Success: GIS for Federal Progress and Accountability recounts how geographic information system (GIS) technology helps United States federal agencies streamline work and save money while tackling diverse projects such as monitoring volcanoes and managing forests.

      This latest book from ESRI Press presents more than a dozen case studies showing how GIS sped up the analysis process, made sharing information easier, and presented a clearer picture of problems and options to solve them. Standards for Success details how agencies such as the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) successfully use GIS in aspects of their work that require geospatial analysis.

      For example, the Geological Survey's Volcano Hazards Program adopted GIS, in part, to produce maps that show and analyze potentially dangerous volcanoes and hazardous areas such as Mount St. Helen's in Washington. The Forest Service employs GIS to help manage forests on private land. The EPA uses a Web-based GIS tool to map contaminant risks in water supplies.

      ESRI Government Solutions manager Christopher Thomas edited the book, which is filled with examples of how government organizations turn to GIS for creative solutions to often pressing concerns. For example at Dyess Air Force Base in Texas, setting up a new GIS-based system of tracking trash containers trimmed labor costs by 90 percent. At NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, GIS serves many purposes, including creating up-to-date maps that show locations of hazardous materials and emergency equipment in buildings. Standards for Success: GIS for Federal Progress and Accountability (ISBN 978-1-58948-047-6, 112 pages, $24.95) gives detailed examples of how each agency uses GIS software and, in several cases, quantifies how much time and how many resources were saved using geospatial analysis technology. This information will help readers better assess how GIS could best work for their agencies.

      The book is available at online retailers and bookstores worldwide or can be purchased at www.esri.com/esripress or by calling 1-800-447-9778. Outside the United States, contact your local ESRI distributor. Visit www.esri.com/international for a current distributor list. ESRI Press books are distributed to the trade by Ingram Publisher Services. Call 1-800-648-3104 or visit www.ingrampublisherservices.com. About ESRI Press: ESRI Press publishes books on GIS, cartography, and the application of spatial analysis to many areas of public and private endeavor including land-use planning, health care, education, business, government, science, and many others. The complete selection of GIS titles from ESRI Press can be found on the Web at www.esri.com/esripress.

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