NEWSBRIEFS –INDUSTRY

Bentley extends effi ciencies

Bentley Systems has extended the functionality of Bentley Expert Designer V8i to include water, gas, and communications infrastructure. The software merges network design and work management in a single environment, integrating network modelling, design engineering, and detailed design cost data for a wide range of utility infrastructure. The software’s architecture is GIS and work-management system (WMS) independent, enabling integration into existing GIS and graphics environments. www.bentley.com

McMurdo selects u-blox’ GPS solution

McMurdo has chosen u-blox as its supplier of embedded GPS receivers for its newest “FAST FIND” personal location beacon. The device benefi ts from u-blox’ built in 50-channel GPS positioning engine to transmit a highly accurate location via the global COSPAS SARSAT 406MHz search and rescue satellite communication system. www.mcmurdo.co.uk

CHC wins contract for GPS receivers

CHC, Shanghai has won a contract to provide 30 of its X90 GPS receivers to a survey project in Nei Mongol, the autonomous region of the People’s Republic of China.

Autodesk India announces new Infrastructure Modelling Software

Autodesk India has recently announced new Infrastructure Modelling software products for utilities, telecommunications organizations and government agencies. It includes AutoCAD Map 3D 2010, AutoCAD Raster Design 2010, Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise 2010, and Autodesk Topobase 2010. www.autodesk.com

Leica Geosystems announces the launch of SmartNet Europe

Leica Geosystems announced the launch of SmartNet Europe. Powered by Leica GNSS Spider, SmartNet is a GNSS network RTK correction service that has now been adopted in many European countries including UK, Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Lithuania and parts of Spain. www.leica-geosystems.com

IntergraphR advances Enterprise Geospatial Product lines

IntergraphR has enhanced its open geospatial technology portfolio. Intergraph GeoMediaR can be used for in-depth analysis on spatial data and for accessing and distributing the data in various formats across the enterprise and to key external stakeholders. www.intergraph.com.

Hemisphere GPS Guidance and Automated Steering Technology

Hemisphere GPS and Stara S.A. Industria de Implementos Agricolas announced the launch of Stara’s newest self-propelled sprayer, Gladiador, which comes standard equipped with Hemisphere GPS precision agriculture guidance, automated steering and boom control technology. www.stara.com.br

DAT/EM System’s presents Single Panel 3D Stereo Viewing

DAT/EM Systems Summit Evolution™ stereoplotter and Landscape™ LiDAR processing packages is a single 120- Hz-refesh-rate LCD monitor providing crystal clear stereo image viewing and clean panning. www.datem.com

Garmin recalls marine charts

Garmin has globally recalled its 2009 issue of BlueChart g2 and g2 Vision electronic charts due to inaccuracies in depth contours and areas – resulting in depiction of water depth as deeper than actual under certain display conditions. The users will be given a replacement traditional BlueChart card or g2 Vision card v2008.5 (dated July 2008) free of charge and will also receive the 2009 card free of charge when it is re-released. www.garmin.com

GeoEye’s new distribution model

In a new arrangement GeoEye will allow its customers outside the US to resell data collected by the satellite to the US military and Google. Another important change is that GeoEye will retain the rights to the actual images. It will be able to resell the imagery to customers like the US government, even when local partners have exclusive territorial sales rights. www.geoeye.com

PCI Geomatics receives funding

PCI Geomatics has recently received funding from the Going Global Innovation (Going Global) for its project on fi nalizing and generating new partnerships in China. PCI Geomatics has recently opened a Beijing corporate offi ce and supports research partnerships and market development in the environmental sciences and technologies, natural resources and ICT areas. www.pcigeomatics.com

Pitney Bowes adds support to MapInfo Professional

Pitney Bowes Business Insight (PBBI) has unveiled version 10 of MapInfo Professional, adding a redesigned intuitive user interface; access to PostGIS, an open source database; and built-in support for layered PDF generation. It will have enhanced data access for users to tap into more data than before including Microsoft SQL Server 2008.www.pbbusinessinsight.com

Contex unveils Wide Format Copier

Contex has introduced SD4430 MFP, a wide-format offi ce copier; and the HD3650 MFP, a colour reprographics system designed for a high-productivity workfl ow environment. www.contex.com

Topcon GRS-1 partnership for faster access to GIS Field Data

Topcon has partnered with GeoAge to create a real-time, fi eld-to-offi ce data exchange for GIS. Users can now connect to a server, download data forms and upload information, including photos, from the fi eld. No additional hardware is required. It features a dual-frequency GNSS receiver, Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system, high-speed processor, digital camera, and integrated cellular modem. www.topconpositioning.com

Blom completes 40 3D models of cities

Blom has completed the production of the fi rst 40 high quality 3D models, Blom3D, of European cities. The Blom3D models have been delivered to Tele Atlas for integration into navigation; LBS and mapping solutions. www.blomasa.com

Blue Marble Desktop release

Blue Marble Geographics has released Geographic Calculator 7.3 and Geographic Transformer 6.1 via the Blue Marble Desktop 2.0, the all-in-one geospatial data management platform for Blue Marble’s data transformation tools. www.bluemarblegeo.com

ERDAS APOLLO powers mobile geospatial data provisioning system

ESG Elektroniksystem and Logistik- GmbH (ESG) has released a new Coordinates July 2009 | 41 version of mobile geospatial data provisioning, based on ERDAS APOLLO. It organizes and delivers geospatial data via a geoportal offering massive amounts of raster, vector and terrain data. It will be used by customers in defence, security and emergency response situations. www.erdas.com

Bricscad gains distribution into North America and India Markets

Bricsys NV and Global Force DIRECT have reached an agreement granting Global Force DIRECT licensing rights to market and sell the Bricscad product and applications across North America and India. www.bricscad.com

DeLorme extends GPS capabilities to ESRI users

ESRI users will now be able to view their ArcGIS Desktop projects on the DeLorme Earthmate PN-40 GPS receiver. www.delorme.com

NovAtel wins US Federal Aviation Administration contract

NovAtel Inc has been awarded a contract by the US Federal Aviation
Administration (FAA) to develop the next generation Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) reference receiver (the “GIII” receiver). The total value of the contract is $9.7m US. WAAS is a space-based system that broadcasts corrections data and information to improve the overall accuracy and integrity of GPS satellite signals.
Following are the comments by Michael Clayton, NovAtel’s Director of Aviation Programs regarding usefulness of WASS and GIII receiver

How does WASS help to improve the GPS satellite signals?
The goal of WAAS is to improve the accuracy, integrity and availability of GPS for Aviation users. It uses a network of ground based reference stations to measure the GPS satellite signals in the western hemisphere. The reference stations send these measurements to master control stations, which post processes the data and then generates corrections and integrity information that is forwarded to geostationary WAAS satellites. These satellites then broadcast the signals back to earth, where WAAS enabled GPS receivers utilize the data to determine the integrity of the GPS signals and to improve positioning accuracy of the resulting position solution.

How will the ‘GIII’ receiver be different from the current generation of receivers?
The third generation WAAS Reference Receiver will be a technology refresh for the WAAS network to support the “modernized” GPS signals. In addition to the legacy L1 C/A and L2P(Y), this receiver will support the new L1C, L2C and L5 signal structures. This WAASGIII Ground Reference Receiver is expected to be start to be integrated into the WAAS network in late 2012 with full cut-over in the 2014 timeframe

AT A GLANCE

Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships
►Topcon, Sokkia create New Survey Business Unit for Americas.
►Trimble acquires NTech Industries to extend its Precision Agriculture
Solutions Business.
►Wallingford Software acquires InfoStream
►Fugro acquires Tenix LADS.
►Geomatics Data Solutions Partners with IVS 3D.
►AvMap extends relationship with Tele Atlas
►Azteca Systems. and CartoPac Field Solutions announced an alliance
►Tele Atlas gets map data deal signed with ALK.
CONTRACTS AWARDED
► Argon ST awarded next phase of DARPA Robust Surface Navigation
Program.
► Magellan Aerospace awarded contract for RADARSAT Constellation
Mission.
► OSI Geospatial signs US $2.5 Million of R&D contracts with U.S. Army.
► Infotech Enterprises signs a Multi- Year Partnering Contract with iTEC of
Malaysia.
► SAIC awarded $13 Million contract by U.S. Department of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency.
► NAVTEQ LocationPoint Advertising selected by Centrl.
► Maptel has secured a five-year; $600 million contract to digitise data
collection for US authorities.
► July 14 is RazakSAT’s new launch date