NEWSBRIEFS – INDUSTRY

Products

Blue Marble introduces FlexLM licensing

Blue Marble Geographics has announced an update to their Geographic Calculator software application aimed at improving GIS data management efficiency. The Geographic Calculator is known for its easy-to-use interface that allows the user to perform simple coordinate transformations while at the same time allowing for very elaborate in-depth conversions. www.bluemarblegeo.com

Leica Geosystems launches Leica PaveSmart 3D

Leica Geosystems announced the launch of Leica PaveSmart 3D for Curb & Gutter paving applications – another first in machine automation. Leica PaveSmart 3D for Curb & Gutter is the world’s first fullyautomated 3D all-track grade and steer control system for concrete paving equipment. Based on a completely new modular 3D software platform, and utilising Leica Geosystems’ unique X-Function dataflow concept, PaveSmart 3D lays the foundation for Leica Geosystems’ next generation of machine control systems for the paving industry. www.leica-geosystems.com

u-blox unveils GPS evaluation and visualization tool ‘u-center mobile’

u-blox AG, Switzerland introduces ucenter mobile, a GPS evaluation and visualization tool for Windows Mobilebased Pocket PC handheld devices such as PDAs. u-center mobile is the handheld version of u-center, u-blox’ PC-based GPS evaluation software, launched in 2001. www.u-blox.com

AgGPS EZ-Boom 2010 automated application control system

Trimble has introduced its AgGPS EZ-Boom 2010 automated application control system. The system is designed to help farmers cut input costs and reduce operator fatigue by providing precise automatic control of field spraying applications. The new AgGPS EZ-Boom 2010 system works with the Trimble AgGPS EZ-Guide Plus lightbar guidance system, AgGPS EZ-Steer assisted steering system or the AgGPS Autopilot automated steering system. www.trimble.com

Autodesk Government Geospatial Solution

Autodesk Inc. announced the availability of a new government geospatial bundle that combines Autodesk’s powerful GIS products with Google Earth Pro; empowering business users to leverage highly technical spatial data via an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. The bundle is called the Autodesk Government Geospatial Solution with Google Earth Pro, and is available on the General Services Administration’s (GSA) Schedule 70. www.finanznachrichten.de

3G MobileBridge for mobile intelligent transportation systems

Top Global has introduced 3G MobileBridge communications gateway for mobile intelligent transportation systems (ITS). The MobileBridge is a patented, mobile/portable wireless system. It is an integrated 3G mobile IP communications gateway. The MobileBridge currently supports all 3G standards including EDGE, UMTS, HSDPA, CDMA 1x, EVDO, and EVDO Rev. A. It will also support mobile WiMax and HSUPA. With EVDO Rev.A, the MobileBridge delivers up to 3.1Mbps download and 1.8Mbps peak upload speed, thus many innovative mobile and wireless applications can now be delivered. www.topglobalusa.com

Business

Intergraph to be acquired by investor group

Intergraph Corporation announced on August 31 that it has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by an investor group led by Hellman & Friedman LLC and Texas Pacific Group in a transaction valued at approximately $1.3 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Intergraph stockholders will receive $44.00 in cash for each share of Intergraph common stock, representing a 22% premium over Intergraph’s average closing share price for the last twenty trading days. www.intergraph.com

NGIS to lead the development of NSW spatial information strategy

NGIS Australia, in partnership with Spatial Strategies Pty Ltd, has been selected to lead the development of an overall spatial information strategy for NSW as part of an ongoing Board of Surveying and Spatial Information

Geokosmos completes GIS project for gas industry

Geokosmos, the leading company in the Russian and CIS topographic and geodetic survey market, has successfully completed the largest GIS project for gas industry. The project was initiated by Gazprom Joint Stock Company and Urengoygazprom Ltd., the owners of the vast gas field areas in the Tyumen Region (Western Siberia). This territory is characterized by compound landscape (tundra, swamp lands) and severe environmental conditions with cool summer (around +15°C) and very cold winter (around -30°C). The project is focused on land survey, land management and land inventory. It is for the first time when the state-ofthe- art airborne laser scanning and terrestrial laser scanning technologies have been used in such a large-scale project not only in Russia but in whole Europe as well. www.geokosmos.ru

Thales navigation is now Magellan

An investment group led by Shah Capital Partners (SCP) has announced they have completed the acquisition of Thales Navigation, a division of Thales. The new company will be known as Magellan, and is a leader in the consumer, survey, GIS and OEM GPS navigation and positioning markets. corp.magellangps.com.

EADS to set up technology center in India

EADS is committed to supporting India in the development of both its aerospace infrastructure and its industrial capabilities in aviation, space and defence technology. This was announced by EADS CEO Tom Enders during meetings in New Delhi with Indian top officials. A significant step will be the opening of the EADS Technology Centre India. This campus-style institution will bring both the EADS subsidiaries and the Indian partners under the same roof, performing engineering and information technology services. www.moneycontrol.com

$3.9 million contract to Intermap Technologies

Intermap Technologies Corp. announced that its Intermap Federal Services, Inc. subsidiary has received a US$3.9M contract to provide digital elevation data and orthorectified radar imagery for an international project. The contract will deliver data for geography never before mapped to the accuracy provided by Intermap’s Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) technology. Under the agreement, Intermap will provide radar mapping services for the client over the next six-months. www.intermap.com.

PCI Geomatics to create accurate SPOT satellite images for Canada

PCI Geomatics has been awarded a contract from Iunctus Geomatics to produce accurate satellite images covering all of Canada, south of 80° North latitude. The five-year contract, which involves both the delivery of software and production services, is part of Natural Resource Canada’s (NRCan) $2.4 million award to Iunctus Geomatics and TELUS Corporation for the creation of new, high-quality images of Canada from SPOT 4 and 5 satellite data. www.pcigeomatics.com

Rolta announces joint venture with Thales

Rolta has announced ts joint venture (JV) with Land & Joint Systems division of Thales, to be headquartered in Mumbai in India. To be owned 51% by Rolta and 49% by Thales, the JV will take advantage of technology transfer from Thales for developing state-of-the-art Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (C4ISTAR) information systems, for domestic and international markets. The initial authorised capital of the joint venture will be Rs. 50 crore (USD 10.5 million). www.hindu.com

GeoEye selects BAE Systems’ software for 3D mapping of airports

GeoEye has selected BAE Systems’ SOCET SET and ClearFlite software for a project that will create 3- D maps for hundreds of airports worldwide. Pilots and air traffic controllers will be able to use the new maps to guide aircraft into and out of airports. The National Geospatial intelligence Agency (NGA) had awarded GeoEye a $3.7 million contract in June to complete the 3D mapping project, which involves the creation of airport mapping databases for 365 airports by June 2007. http://home.businesswire.com

Smart Antenna reference design

Sarantel and u-blox AG has announced the availability of a new “Smart Antenna” reference design that will shorten time-to-market and reduce the risk of GPS integration for products ranging from personal navigators to multimedia players with built-in navigation functions. The new design uses Sarantel’s GeoHelix®- P2 GPS antenna and the high sensitivity LEA-4S GPS module from u-blox.
www.u-blox.com

CARIS Hydrographic Production Database Adopted by Ecuador

CARIS has announced that the Oceanographic Institute of the Navy of Ecuador (INOCAR) has selected CARIS Hydrographic Production Database (HPD) in order to move to database-driven hydrographic production system. INOCAR has selected a full implementation of HPD which will include HPD Server, Source Editor, S-57 ENC Editor and Paper Chart Editor. A ten-day training session is being planned now and will be hosted in Ecuador shortly. www.caris.com.