NEWSBRIEFS –INDUSTRY

HP announces expansion of Designjet

HP has expanded its Designjet largeformat portfolio with a range of new workgroup and multifunction printers, software solutions and new media choices to address the needs of vertical segments, IT managers and production operators. The new products, solutions and large-format papers are ideal for GIS, architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) and mechanical computer aided design (MCAD) workgroups. www.hp.com

ZTE selects u-blox timing solution

ZTE Corporation has chosen u-blox’ GPS-based precision timing solutions for 2G and 3G mobile base stations. It allows cellular base stations to achieve precision time-of-day to an accuracy of 15 billionths of a second. The 3G standard was recently adopted by China Mobile, the world’s largest mobile service provider. www.u-blox.com

APS 7.2 released

Groupe Alta has released version 7.2 of its professional Alta Photogrammetry Suite (APS) with new and improved functionalities. www.groupealta.com

Rockwell Collins delivers 300,000th DAGR

Rockwell Collins has delivered 300,000 Defence Advanced Global Positioning System Receivers (DAGR) for use by US and international warfighters. www.rockwellcollins.com

ISRO implements ESRI software

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has reached an agreement with NIIT GIS Limited (ESRI India) to equip its 5 Regional Remote Sensing Service Centres with ArcGIS Server and the Image extension. These centres are in Jodhpur, Dehradun, Kharagpur, Nagpur, and Bangalore. www.esri.com.

Autodesk 2010 Software

Autodesk India has released its 2D and 3D design and engineering software for manufacturers. The 2010 software releases introduce a range of design, visualization and simulation capabilities, along with tighter interoperability with both Autodesk software applications and other CAD tools. Autodesk Digital Prototyping software gives manufacturers the ability to digitally design, visualise and simulate how a product will work under real-world conditions before it is built. www.autodesk.com

Trimble-China joint venture for Compass

China Aerospace Science & Industry Academy of Information Technology (CASIC-IT) and Trimble will form a joint venture in China to develop receivers for Compass. It will be a 50/50 joint venture. www.trimble.com

Leica Geosystems new releases

Leica Geosystems introduced GNSS QC V2.2, the latest version of the GNSS quality control and data analysis software. The new version includes full support for GPS L5. Leica Geosystems released Leica mojoGLIDE system for agricultural machinery with a new dual-frequency GLIDE positioning technology that provides 15 to 20 cm accuracy without subscription fees. It can be operated without base station. It is a dual frequency (DGPS) auto-steer system that can easily be upgraded to RTK accuracy. Leica Rugby 260SG, 270SG and 280DG lasers are a new generation of multipurpose horizontal/vertical grade lasers for the general construction market. All lasers are equipped with a large LCD display and an easy-to-use five button key pad. www.leica-geosystems.com

Outdoor maps for US on SD Card

Magellan and Intermap Technologies announced availability of pre-loaded SD cards with Topo USA maps for Magellan Triton and eXplorist® handheld GPS products, providing outdoor enthusiasts with advanced topographic maps and off-road points of interest. It will be available in retail stores or from the Magellan website. www.Intermap.com

Irish research group invests in LANDINS

IXSEA shall supply LANDINS, its landbased INS positioning system, for a new mobile mapping system pioneered by StratAG, at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth. It is specifically designed for mobile mapping and route mapping applications in dense urban areas, where GPS quality is often poor and the need for geo-referenced information is most critical. www.ixsea.com

Cadcorp CCTV mapping system

Cadcorp has launched its CCTV Mapping System. It provides users in local authorities, emergency services and crime prevention agencies with the tools to manage and share CCTV information in their area. www.cadcorp.com

Pitney Bowes Business Insight teams with LandPoint Systems, Inc.

Pitney Bowes Business Insight (PBBI) is teaming with LandPoint Systems, Inc. to provide a mobile consumer survey service called FACES (Faster, Accurate, Current Economical Surveys). FACES, offered through LandPoint’s KnowYourFaces division, provides retailers and restaurant companies with customizable surveys to help them better capture customer data at the point of experience.

GRS-1 for Mobile GIS Mapping

Topcon Positioning Systems’ (TPS) new GRS-1 is a modular, all-in-one, dual-constellation mapping system that incorporates high-accuracy capabilities into a single, small hand-held device. It has a high-speed processor, increased memory, built-in compass and an integrated digital camera and cell phone modem that provides flexibility for the user in the field. www.topcon.com

Full-Crossline Laser LX442

SOKKIA BV, has released the new LX442 interior Laser. Featuring fullcrossline projection, high-speed selflevelling, wireless operation and robust body, it significantly increases work efficiency in levelling, plumbing, squaring, alignment and layout applications. www.sokkia.net

GRACE collaborates with Spirent® Communications

The GNSS Research and Applications Centre of Excellence (GRACE) has procured Spirent GSS8000 hardware simulation system. It consists of a two chassis, 16 channel GSS8000 system controlled by Spirent’s SimGEN software that can simulate current and future GPS signals, including L1, L2 and L5 signals and Galileo E1, E5 and E6 signals as well as WAAS and EGNOS Space Based Augmentation System signals. www.grace.ac.uk

Contex Partners with Resellers

Contex, wide format scanner manufacturer, is launching a Partner Program offering resellers financial benefits, sales and marketing support and product training. The Partner Program aims to encourage resellers to take a closer look at wide format scanners as a potential growth area. It offers resellers rebates and other sales incentives, as well as sales and marketing support designed to help them grow wide format scanner sales. Contex is now launching the program in the US and UK. Other selected countries in Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific will follow later this month.

Hemisphere GPS new Outback S-Lite™

Hemisphere GPS launched a new version of the Outback S-Lite™ guidance system software that also supports simplified Chinese. With the new sales distribution partners established, the company expects to ship thousands of S-Lite units into China. It is an ideal entry-level GPS guidance solution for farming applications including spraying, spreading, broad-acre tillage and seeding applications. www.hemispheregps.com

At a Glance

Mergers, Acquisitions and Partnerships

►Survey of Israel has signed an agreement for cooperation with Bureau of Surveying and Mapping, China.

►TeleCommunication Systems, Inc. has acquired LocationLogic

►Topcon has partnered with Applied Field Data Systems (AFDS) to sell and support Topcon GIS solutions in Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas in USA.

►T-Mobile and NAVIGON forms a strategic partnership

►SuperGeo recruits a new reseller in Tamil Nadu, India.

►PCI Geomatics joins ESRI’s Business Partner Program.

►ERDAS and Spot Image in a new partnership, increases their involvement in the Heterogeneous Mission Accessibility- Interoperability

project.

►Intrinsyc Software partners with the Blom Group.

►Spotigo partners with location platform supplier Genasys..

►SPOT Image has signed an agreement with KAI Image for distribution

of KOMPSAT-2 products in North America.

►The European Space Agency and European Space Imaging entered

into an agreement giving ESA access to more than 15 million sqkms of

IKONOS satellite imagery.

►NAVIGON stops PND business in North America.

►Greece’s Data Protection Authority has banned Google Inc. from gathering images in Greece.

Financial Results

►35% revenue growth of Hemisphere GPS in ‘2008.

►Commercial and industrial investment fell an alarming 37.9 percent during the first quarter of 2009, according to the U.S. Commerce Department’s April 29th release on the GDP.

►$11.3 Million contract for Intermap Technologies to provide 3D digital

elevation data and orthorectified radar imagery for an international project.

►GeoEye, Inc. first quarter of 2009 – revenues were $45.2 million, a 26% increase compared to $35.9 million in the first quarter of 2008

► TomTom first quarter 2009 revenue is €213 million, a decrease of 60% sequentially and a decrease of 31% compared with last year.

► Garmin announced its financial results for the first quarter of 2009 – total revenue was $437 million, down 34% year on year.

► GMV opens Commercial Offices in Asia, one in Malaysia and the other in the Korean Republic.

► Trimble announced revenue of $289.0 million for its first quarter 2009, down 19% from last year.

►PT Pageo Utama of Jakarta awards Veripos a contract for provision of

GNSS precise positioning facilities.

►China Information Security Technology, Inc. won a contract for $3.4 million for Shenzhen’s Border Control Bureau Police-use GIS (“PGIS”) Command System.

►GeoEye has nearly doubled the production space, of its St. Louis, Missouri advanced production facility.