NEWSBRIEFS – INDUSTRY

Products

Leica MobileMatriX v1.51 launched

Leica MobileMatriX is said to support a Multi-Sensor GIS. Within a Multi- Sensor GIS fi eld crews can attach several sensors – TPS, GPS, Levels and Laser Range Finders – at the same time and also can measure with various sensors simultaneously. Multi-Sensor GIS is an emerging trend for mobile GIS and mapping applications.

Leica also announces the upcoming release of Leica GradeSmart 3D (V5.2), a smart machine automation dozer and grader solution for the construction industry. It will introduce new features and improvements designed to enhance speed of operation, support and usability and streamlining of the data transformation process.

iCN 330 low cost navigation device

Navman, has announced its latest low-cost navigation device, the Navman iCN 330. Like its predecessor, the iCN 320, the new Navman is a pocket-sized navigation system designed to offer truly usable guidance technology to the masses. More powerful that ever, the iCN 330 features the latest SiRFXTrac enhancement for improved satellite signal reception.
www.navman.com

GfK MACON updates maps of Germany, Austria and Switzerland

The 2006 Editions of Germany, Austria and Switzerland contain all postal
and administrative units as well as many topographical map levels such as streets, railway lines, city areas and elevation levels. Furthermore, the new editions contain special branchspecific maps including Nielsen areas, geographical barriers and statutory health insurance regions as well as data on population and surface areas. The 2006 Editions are the most comprehensive map packages of Germany, Austria and Switzerland available on the market.
www.gfk-macon.com

NovAtel ships first production OEMV receivers

NovAtel has announced that it has begun shipping the first production runs of OEMV receivers – its next generation GPS product – meeting previously announced delivery commitments. These first shipments include a custom variant to Leica Geosystems, Heerbrugg, Switzerland. Leica’s latest GPS 1200 GG Series products, introduced on April 4, 2006, feature NovAtel’s new OEMV GPS+GLONASS technology. www.novatel.com

Innovative new safety phone for kids

i-Kids is a new ‘pre-teen’ mobile handset with GPS functionality that has been designed to meet the needs of parents with children in primary school at the same time as enabling children to go out and play confi dently with the perception of independence. Unlike other mobile phones,
the handset can only dial four numbers and does not include SMS functionality, which means that parents can control and minimise usage. www.gizmag.co.uk

A Garmin StreetPilot for Asian Americans

Garmin International Inc. of Olathe, which uses Yao to promote its GPS products, said it is offering a version of its StreetPilot c330 that allows North American motorists who speak Mandarin Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai or Taiwanese to use GPS satellite navigation in their native language.
www.kansascity.com

New Magellan RoadMate 860T portable navigation system

Thales’ navigation business has announced the new Magellan RoadMate 860T portable vehicle navigation system. The Magellan RoadMate 860T provides real-time traffic capabilities with 15 months of traffic service included so drivers can easily gain detour routes to get to their destination faster. In addition, the Magellan RoadMate 860T features SayWhere(TM), a textto- speech function that speaks the street name for upcoming maneuvers.
www.theautochannel.com

Bentley offers municipalities software

Bentley Systems, Incorporated, provider of software for the world’s infrastructure, announced its innovative software subscription for municipalities. Called the Municipal License Subscription (MLS) program, it offers municipalities all the software they need for the mapping and engineering of all their infrastructure for a fixed annual fee, based on population.
www.bentley.com

Advanced Real-Time Monitoring Ensemble

Thermo-Electron, Inc. and VivoMetrics, Inc. have combined forces to deliver the first real-time monitoring ensemble which brings together three critical elements to aid first responders and hazardous material workers. The real-time monitoring system is worn beneath hazmat protective gear and combines the Thermo Matrix CNET mesh network with environmental hazard detection, global positioning, and the VivoMetrics LifeShirt(R) 300 system, which monitors a broad range of physiological functions. Data from the LifeShirt is integrated with a Thermo-Electron radiation dosimeter, which continuously collects radiation exposure information and a GPS radio uplink that transmits workers’ geographic location.
http://sev.prnewswire.com

Trimble 3D Grade Control Systems

Trimble introduces the GCS600 Grade Control System for excavators. Designed for excavation, trenching, grading and profile work, it is ideal for earthmoving, site preparation etc. It is an entry-level product which can be used for a wide range of applications, including excavation of basements, foundations and footers etc.

The enhanced Trimble GCS900 expands both Trimble’s bulk earthworks and fi nished grading solutions for contractors
www.trimble.com

Business

India’s Vehicle Tracking Systems Sales to Increase

Sales of vehicle tracking systems in India is expected to increase with better awareness, increase in new commercial vehicle sales, and penetration into the market. Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst V.Bhanu Prakash says the vehicle tracking segment of the Indian telematics market is expected to reach satisfactory levels between 2008 and 2009. Frost & Sullivan fi nds that the vehicle tracking systems segment of the Telematics Market in India earned an estimated revenue of US$6.4 million in 2005 and is likely to reach US$78.2 million in 2011. www.frost.com

Eurolink selects MapInfo Confi rm to manage motorway

MapInfo Corporation has announced that the MapInfo Confirm infrastructure management solution, has been selected by Eurolink, a leading European construction consortium to manage the M4/M6 Kilcock to Kinnegad motorway, the first PPP highways project in Ireland. The construction, operation and maintenance of the 27 year PPP contract was undertaken by Eurolink at a cost of several hundred million euros. www.mapinfo.com

Applanix chooses INPHO suite of software

Applanix has chosen the INPHO suite of software tools as the recommended workfl ow to produce directly georeferenced digital orthophoto products with the Applanix DSS 322 digital aerial camera solution. The INPHO digital orthophoto production workflow in conjunction with the Applanix DSS consists of an automatic digital terrain model (DTM) from DSS stereo pair generation environment (MATCH-T), a quality assurance and editing component for DTM data (DTMaster Stereo), and an orthophoto production and mosaicking module (OrthoMaster and OrthoVista).

DAT/EM Systems and PCI Geomatics partnerships

DAT/EM Systems and PCI Geomatics announce the signing of a strategic distributor partnership. The agreement will allow both companies to market, distribute and sell each others complimentary geospatial and photogrammetric technology in certain key markets, including DAT/EM’s SUMMIT Evolution™ Stereoplotter software and PCI Geomatics Geomatica® desktop software.
www.datem.com

Trimble acquires assets of BitWyse Solutions

Trimble acquires the assets of privately-held BitWyse Solutions, Inc., which is a leading data management company specializing in 2D and 3D software applications for engineering and construction plant design. The purchase of BitWyse’s assets is expected to extend Trimble’s product portfolio of 3D laser scanning solutions by providing application-specific software capabilities within the Power, Process, and Plant vertical markets.

NATMO India chooses MAPublisher

Avenza Systems Inc. announces that the National Atlas & Thematic Mapping Organization of India (NATMO) has chosen MAPublisher for their map creation needs. This Kolkatabased branch of the Indian government is the prime architect of the National Atlas of India as well as many other major geographic and cartographic projects for the Indian government.

Blom Geomatics purchases its Second ALTM in 16 months

Optech Incorporated, the developer and manufacturer of laser-based survey instruments, announced the sale of an ALTM 3100EA Airborne Laser Terrain Mapper to Norway-based Blom Geomatics (BLOM). This system is BLOM’s second purchase from Optech in 16 months. BLOM’s existing ALTM 3100 will be upgraded to an ALTM 3100EA model. www.optech.ca