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Ashtech Mobile Augmented Reality

Cadastres and Climate Change Geomarketing

M a g a z i n e f o r S u r v e y i n g , M a p p i n g & G I S P r o f e s s i o n a l sMarch 2010

Volume 13

2

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Putting NovAtels GNSSreceiver in our siveslleeiee

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While You Were Out

When not sitting in front of my desktop pc, I try not to be occupied too much with gadgets

other than my mobile Phone or iPod. Although Im interested in gadgets, Im not the type of

person who wants to have this weeks new revolutionary and life-changing device that can

do even more than the one that came out the week before last. More interesting for me, is

how a device is used and by whom (and for how long). Im amazed by the sort of informa-

tion people share on the internet. It may not surprise you that there is a search machine

that tells you which people are not at home the moment you perform a search. The site is

called Please Rob Me. The idea behind the site is quite simple: it combines public Twitter

accounts that also use Foursquare, a location based web service for leisure purposes. Once

you check in online, in a bar for instance, and publish this information on your public Twitteraccount, it follows youre not at home at the moment. Combine this in a search engine and

you have the perfect burglar tool (I think it should be mentioned here that it was not the

intention of the makers to make a burglar tool, but to show people what can be done

with information they share with thousands of other people).

That is not all. Municipalities are also discovering the power of individuals with mobile

devices. The recent initiative called NYC BigApps deserves succession: it is a software appli-

cation challenge in keeping with New York Citys drive to become more transparent, accessi-

ble and accountable. One of the winning applications is called Taxi Hack, which allows you

to review and share your live comment on NYC taxis. Users are encouraged to review the

ride and everything that comes with it, in combination with the medallion number or driv-

ers license number. Id like to point out that not only bad reviews are submitted, but also a

great deal of compliments on good drivers as well. But what surprised me most about this

particular application was that taxi drivers themselves use it to comment on clients whomay have done something wrong.

In this issue of GeoInformatics, you will find more on this app challenge: Florian Fischer

takes a look at whats happening right now in the world of augmented reality and whats to

come. And the news keeps on coming: just as I finish this editorial, I read on a travel blog

that Google Goggles (an application on mobile phones that makes use of the Android oper-

ating system) can be used for translating purposes. According to the blogger, who is a fer-

vent traveler, this is ideal for translating menus in foreign restaurants. What mobile devices

cannot do for you is order the meal. But they do make life much easier for you in the end.

Enjoy your reading!

Eric van Rees

evanrees@geoinformatics.com

March 20103

GeoInformatics provides coverage, analysis andcommentary with respect to the international surveying,mapping and GIS industry.

PublisherRuud Groothuisrgroothuis@geoinformatics.com

Editor-in-chiefEric van Rees

evanrees@geoinformatics.com

EditorsFrank Artsfartes@geoinformatics.comFlorian Fischerffischer@geoinformatics.comJob van Haaftenjvanhaaften@geoinformatics.comHuibert-Jan Lekkerkerkhlekkerkerk@geoinformatics.comRemco Takkenrtakken@geoinformatics.comJoc Triglavjtriglav@geoinformatics.com

Contributing WritersLeah WoodRemco TakkenJoc TriglavSimon CottinghamPaul van der MolenRebecca MuhlenkortJasper Dekkers

columnistMenno-Jan Kraak

Account ManagerWilfred Westerhofwwesterhof@geoinformatics.com

SubscriptionsGeoInformatics is available against a yearly

subscription rate (8 issues) of 89,00.To subscribe, fill in and return the electronic replycard on our website or contactJanneke Bijleveld atservices@geoinformatics.com

Advertising/ReprintsAll enquiries should be submitted toRuud Groothuis rgroothuis@geoinformatics.com

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ISSN 13870858

Copyright 2010. GeoInformatics: no material maybe reproduced without written permission.

GeoInformatics is published byCMedia Productions BVPostal address:P.O. Box 2318300 AEEmmeloordThe NetherlandsTel.: +31 (0) 527 619 000Fax: +31 (0) 527 620 989E-mail: mailbox@geoinformatics.com

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Job van Haaften

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1Spatial and High Quality Geospatial Data1Spatial is an innovator in the field of knowledge engineering. This term

covers geospatial data integration, harmonization and quality control.

With this, the company is putting high quality geospatial data at the

centre of its universe. GeoInformatics asked 1Spatials Business

Development Director Steven Ramage about its current activities in the

geospatial business and how new technologies and concepts influence

the way people think about geospatial data.

C o n t e n t

March 2010

ArticlesFusing with Other Intelligent Data

The Power of Full Motion Video 6

Ever-growing Global Risks

Political Risk Map 2010 10

Taking Spatial ETL Technology to New Heights

FME 2010 18

For Avon Fire & Rescue Service

Making Firefighting Safer with GIS 20

Trimble Mobile Mapping Technology

Belgian Road Sign Inventory Project 30

Multi-purpose Land Administration Systems

Cadastres and Climate Change 34

The Buzzword ExplainedGeomarketing 40

New Experiences, Remarks and Prospects

Building Reconstruction and Texturing 44

Mobile Augmented Reality at a Glance

The Digital Sixth Sense 48

Why and What Do Individuals Contribute?

Volunteered Geographic Information 50

Educating Remote Sensing TechniquesEduspace 54

InterviewsProfessional Grade GNSS Technology

The Rebirth of Ashtech 14

Definiens eCognition Server Software

Object-based Image Analysis 22

Innovating Knowledge Engineering

1Spatial and High Quality Geospatial Data 26

ColumnAbout Maps: Theory and Practice

By Menno-Jan Kraak 53

Page 26

Object-based Image AnalysisDefiniens is a company active in image analysis. Not restricted to the

geospatial market only, the company offers solutions for all kinds of

imagery used in life sciences and the medical world.

GeoInformatics interviewed Ralph D. Humberg, Vice President of

Definiens Earth Sciences division. Mr. Humberg joined Definiens in 2002

and is responsible for Definiens' global Earth Sciences business. Hetalks about eCognition, Definiens image analysis software used for

Earth Sciences. The latest release of the software is eCognition version

8, issued in November last year, along with a new internet portal.

4

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Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com5

March 2010

On the Cover:

Details of a point textured model of the exteriors (the main faades)

of St Maria Maggiore (Italy). See article on page 44.

The Digital Sixth SenseIn these early days of 2010 Augmented Reality resounds throughout the

land. Smartphones eventually seem capable enough to provide a super-

imposed view of virtual and real worlds through the cameras view. This

vision awakes expectations of the big business. In the future show-own-

ers might stick virtual coupons on their shop-windows to be picked-up by

AR-flaneurs and thus attract new customers. This article will give a short

overview about current mobile Augmented Reality applications and the

expected development in the coming years.

FME 2010With the release of FME 2010 in January, Safe Software is emphasizing its

stated commitment to improve spatial data access for organizations across

the globe. In fact, the technology has been enhanced in ways that make

spatial data more accessible and potentially more useful than ever

before.

Page 18

Calendar 58

Advertisers Index 58

Page 48

Page 44

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Fusing with Other Intelligent Data

The Power of Full Motion Video

Intergraphs Defense and Intelligence Industry Manager Leah Wood discusses the Motion Video Exploitation solution, which

was shown at the US GeoINT conference in 2009 and the EU DGI 2010 conference in London. This new solution fuses multiple

motion video data streams with other intelligence data in one high-powered analytical environment. Also, the use of visually

displayed telemetry information allows Intergraphs technology to blend motion video into existing architectures and geo-fuse

with a vast amount of intelligence data that resides in other systems.

by Leah Wood

As todays military and intelligence organi-zations support foreign military operations andborder security efforts, it is increasingly impor-

tant that they expand their data collection and

analytical capabilities beyond traditional

systems and methods. To this end, there is

increased interest in incorporating video data

sources, such as those from unmanned aerial

vehicles (UAVs) and other unmanned aircraft

systems (UASs) into existing analytical envi-

ronments.

Intergraph has met the challenges of military

and intelligence agencies with proven solu-

tions since 1969, and continues its role as a

worldwide geospatial solutions provider with

innovative technology and products. They

have increased focus on expanding their richset of geospatial exploitation solutions with

applications that provide improved analysis of

motion video, integration with other forms of

intelligence and geospatial information, and

robust management and dissemination of

imagery and video data collections. These new

applications exploit the power of georefer-

enced video sources to create profound

improvements in analytical and decision-mak-

ing ability, and can be directly applied to the

emerging disciplines of wide-area persistent

surveillance and motion imagery intelligence.

In keeping with its commitment to the military

and intelligence community, Intergraph

launched its Motion Video Exploitation solu-

tion, which was shown at the US GeoINT con-ference in 2009 and the EU DGI 2010 confer-

ence in London. This new solution fuses mul-

tiple motion video data streams with other

intelligence data in one high-powered analyti-

cal environment, where analysts can place clip

marks and annotations, and generate reports

and static GeoTiff images for broad dissemi-

nation. The company also relies on MISB com-

pliant KLV (key, length and value) data to pro-

vide the customer with accurate telemetry

information which can be visualized as a num-

ber of different geospatial features: aircraft

trackline, camera angle, video path trackline,

video path polygon, etc. The use of visually

displayed tele-metry information allows

Intergraphs technology to blend motion video

6

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March 2010

UAV (Unmanned aerial vehicle)

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into existing architectures and geo-fuse with a

vast amount of intelligence data that resides

in other systems.

Not Just for the Military AnymoreGlobal Positioning Satellites and the Internet

are two important examples of technologies

initially developed for military applications, but

that then transcended to the civilian space.These two technology sets have dramatically

transformed government, business, and per-

sonal lives. UAV technology is also expected

to have a substantial impact in non-military

sectors and will experience rapid growth in the

coming years. According to a May 2008 report

by the U.S. Government Accountability Office,

the number of UASs being built for civilian uses

is expected to increase from 40 to 160 by 2017.

This includes widespread applications for law

enforcement, firefighting, and numerous envi-

ronmental and scientific purposes. The U.S.Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is current-

ly working to establish airspace safety regula-

tions that would allow the systems to achieve

wider-spread usage. Police in the UK are plan-

ning to use UAVs for policing of major events,

including the 2010 Olympic Games.

High-level WorkflowA typical high-level workflow consists of four

key areas that must function in harmony to

properly support the end-to-end requirements

of the mission:

Automated and manual capture of geospatial

information, including imagery, video, and

other sensor data

Management of enterprise geospatial content,

including traditional vector data sets (layers,

features), imagery, video, and terrain models

Integration and analysis of multiple overlap-

ping sets of geospatial and non-geospatial

information

Visualization and dissemination through a

variety of interfaces

It is important to note that Intergraph embracesopen standards for data storage as well as for

open dissemination of geospatial information,

such as through Open Geospatial Consortium

(OGC) Web services.

The Power of Geospatial FusionVideo-based data sources provide the most

recent view of the battlefield and can augment

other forms of geospatial intelligence to pro-

vide a richer, more detailed view of the area of

interest. To effectively use video as a source of

intelligence, however, the analyst needs to

seamlessly fuse the video with these other

types of intelligence, such as map features and

annotations. This is highly beneficial, as these

other sources can help orient the analysts

Forensic Video Analysis and Real-time Quality EnhancementIn some cases, even with proper content man-

agement tools and powerful data integration

and visualization tools, poor-quality video can

hamper the analytical process. In some cases,

the original captured video is of poor quality

or is unusable due to flight path, altitude, tilt-ing and buffeting of aircraft, and other factors.

Therefore, it is important to provide technology

that can work in a modular fashion to perform

real-time enhancements and corrections on the

video, such as removing atmospheric distortion,

correcting for shadows that affect brightness

and contrast, and stabilizing jittery video.

Intergraph provides state-of-the-art patented

technology for performing these types of

enhancements, increasing the usefulness of

UAV video in a real-time and forensic capacity.Furthermore, Intergraph has a strong history of

deployment of its forensic video technology in

the public safety and law enforcement sectors

through its Video Analyst product, which has

traditionally been used to enhance and analyze

video from closed circuit video systems and

dashboard cameras in police and other emer-

gency vehicles. Intergraph enhanced this post-

collection-based technology to function in real-

time mode to bring these capabilities to

operational environments.

Generation of Georeferenced Imageryfrom VideoA key step towards achieving the fusion of a

video data source with other forms of intelli-

gence is generating a georeferenced image as

the result of stitching together or mosaicking

hundreds or thousands of individual video

frames. Intergraphs software automatically gen-

erates this georeferenced image, which can then

be seamlessly integrated with other forms of

static data, such as aerial photos, satellite

imagery, or geospatial layers and features. This

process can dramatically improve the clarity andaccuracy of the video, enabling accurate analy-

sis on the video. This video mosaic capability

provides a mechanism to glean additional

details from the entire collection sequence that

could not be obtained from individual frames.

point-of-view and improve understanding of

video content by eliminating the tunnel vision

effect caused by viewing the video in a dedi-

cated video window. Intergraph developed a

solution that supports this direct fusion and

provides a rich decision-support environment.

Geospatial Content Management

Another important factor in using video for ana-lytical purposes is the ability to easily query

vast archives of video for specific clips that

meet an analysts search criteria, and to rapidly

deliver the results to the analysts exploitation

environment. Intergraph provides technology to

automate the management of large amounts of

satellite imagery, motion video, aerial photos,

elevation data, and other digital files that are

essential to the geospatial intelligence exploita-

tion workflow. Intergraphs TerraShare, a com-

mercial off-the-shelf (COTS) product for enter-

prise image and elevation management, canprovide multiple users with transparent access

to large amounts of common imagery. This can

greatly reduce the time from collection to

exploitation, while improving efficiency, collab-

oration, and quality.

Automated Geospatial Content IngestAlthough image management systems such as

TerraShare provide a robust solution for the

storage and distribution of data, many organi-

zations still need methods and technologies

that ease the administrative burden of finding,

preparing, and uploading the data into these

archives. These processes can consume a sig-

nificant amount of the operators and analysts

time. As larger volumes of high-resolution data

are being collected, and as the turnaround time

for results is being compressed, it is essential

that the image ingest part of the overall work-

flow be automated to the greatest extent pos-

sible. Todays fast-paced, dynamic environment

also demands around-the-clock monitoring and

processing of new data. It is clear the only way

to ease this burden and realize the full value

of these expensive and complex collectionassets is to implement a mechanism for

automating the ingest, organization, and pre-

processing of new imagery as it becomes avail-

able. Intergraphs TerraShare Automatic Data

Ingest technology provides these capabilities.

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com

Art i c le

7March 2010

With the continued evolution in technology, such as

service-oriented architectures, advanced geospatial applications,

mobile technology, and speed and method of transmission,

now is the time to provide powerful and intuitive geospatial

intelligence solutions that can help military and intelligence

agencies be more effective and cost-efficient.

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In cases where satellite imagery or aerial pho-

tos are not recent enough, this process provides

a more current representation of an area, which

can then be compared to previous images to

form a foundation for change detection from

video sources. This also reduces the workload

for analysts, since they can view the finished

product more quickly and completely than by

viewing the video in sequence. Since the result-

ing image is made up of multiple frames that

overlap to some degree, the mosaic can provide

a clearer representation of the area of coverage,

which is essential for exploitation.

3D Visualization and Motion VideoTo achieve successful results, it is important

to work diligently towards simplifying the user

experience. To achieve this, Intergraph has

partnered with Skyline Software to incorporate

its 3D visualization and fly-through technolo-gy into its motion video solution. They chose

this partnership specifically due to Skylines

ability to seamlessly incorporate georefer-

enced, real-time video into the 3D environ-

ment, along with satellite imagery draped over

terrain models, 3D models, and the dynamic

location of moving vehicles on the ground and

in the air. This reduces the overall number of

applications required to visualize and analyze

the wide variety of static and dynamic data

sources.

The integrated suite of products provides a

rich and intuitive experience, and at the same

time, is built on an architecture that provides

support for direct connections to OGC Web ser-

vices, Oracle spatial databases, and image

libraries. These connections persist during fly-

throughs of the scenes, providing the most

up-to-date representation possible.

ConclusionAs defense and intelligence organizations work

to expand the use of motion video sources for

more widespread purposes, it is important to

appreciate that many civilian organizations are

also incorporating video data sources into their

existing processes and systems. Many civilian

organizations, as well as national and regional

governments, are establishing offices and pro-

grams to address unmanned aerial systems. As

these systems become more reliable and eco-

nomical, and as policies are implemented, a

vast new array of new and innovative applica-

tions will emerge.

To make the most effective use of aerial video

collection in a civilian and military context, it

will be extremely important for these organiza-

tions to implement the types of technologies

that provide reliable enterprise data manage-

ment, fusion with other forms of geospatial

information, cleanup of distorted or jittery

video, and superior analytical abilities.

The combination of these components is the

key to providing the right information at the

right time to solve his problem, achieving

improved analytical quality, performance, and

superior decision-making. Intergraph works with

its partners and customers to provide these

types of essential capabilities.

Military and intelligence agencies are faced with

the need to adapt to wider-reaching demands

and quicker response times than they have in

the past. Furthermore, they are assimilating and

analyzing more available data than ever before,

such as high-resolution imagery, real-time video,

and GPS-tracked objects. Never before has

there been a greater focus worldwide on secu-

rity and emergency preparedness. Todays mili-

tary and intelligence agencies must also meet

the expectations of people and organizations

who are dealing with natural disasters, an

unsettled economy, and devastating global

events.

Therefore, they need to quickly and effectively

collect and analyze relevant information that

helps make sense of current situations and

reduce conflict around the world. With the con-

tinued evolution in technology, such as service-oriented architectures, advanced geospatial

applications, mobile technology, and speed and

method of transmission, now is the time to pro-

vide powerful and intuitive geospatial intelli-

gence solutions that can help military and intel-

ligence agencies be more effective and

cost-efficient.

Leah Wood, Defense and Intelligence Industry

Manager at Intergraph.

8

Art ic le

March 2010

Screenshot of the Motion Video Application (MVA)

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Ever-growing Global Risks

Political Risk Map 2010Political and financial instability remain a feature of the business landscape as a result of the recession, according to

Aon Risk Services, the global risk management and insurance brokerage business of Aon Corporation.

The company recently launched its 17th annual Political Risk Map.

By Remco Takken

Aon ranked the political risk of 209 coun-tries and territories, measuring risk of curren-

cy inconvertibility and transfer; strikes, riots

and civil commotion; war; terrorism; sovereign

non-payment; political interference; supply

chain interruption; legal and regulatory risk.

The risk in each country was ranked Low,

Medium-Low, Medium, Medium-High, High or

Very High. A country with an elevated risk

is defined as any country with a risk ranked

Medium-Low, Medium, Medium-High, High or

Very High.

The results of the analysis are detailed on the

2010 Political Risk Map produced by Aon Risk

Services in partnership with Oxford Analytica,

an international consulting firm. Oxford

Analytica draws its analysis from a global net-

work of more than a thousand experts, includ-

ing senior faculty members at Oxford

University and at major research institutions

worldwide, to make independent judgments

about geopolitical risk.

More Red and Orange ZonesWhile the subsequent risk maps are not meant

to provide comparisons over time, Professor

Erwin Muller, CEO of Aon-owned COT, asserts

that this years map does indeed show more

red and orange zones than those of previous

years: Through the years, you can see the sit-

10

Art ic le

March 2010

Political Risk Map 2010

Key to Symbols

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uation decline. Marc van Nuland, Board

Member of Aon Risk Services, states, The red

zone exemplifies a situation where it is very

hard or even impossible to insure trade risks.

When asked for the cartographic conse-

quences, Muller suggested that the introduc-

tion of yet another theme map by Aon is

always a possibility. Indeed, this has hap-

pened before, with Aons Terrorist Threat Mapemerging out of the Political Risk Map.

This separate map for terrorism threats was

produced in 2006, 2007 and 2009, while gen-

eral economic threats were recently eliminat-

ed from both maps. The one symbol on the

Political Risk Map still associated with terror-

ism looks like an exploding bomb. It is

labelled Strike, Riot, Civil Commotion,

Terrorism. Every year, a separate theme is lift-

ed out of the maps legend. Last year, a

Commodity Crunch Exposure Matrix was pre-

sented, while 2008s Supply Chain DisruptionRisks theme is now permanently featured on

the Political Risk Map.

Food & Water InsecurityThe 2010 map introduces new indices look-

ing at food, agricultural commodities and

water supplies. Van Nuland: This is where

we see most applications for insurances,

which means that most of the trade, and

most investments take place there. There are

two new icons on the 2010 map: Food and

Water Insecurity. They have been applied to

the thirty most high risk countries - that is

those countries potentially facing the most

severe food and water insecurity in the medi-

um to long term. These are all developing

countries, mostly in Africa, which is in keep-

ing with the conventional wisdom that the

impacts of climate change will rebound hard-

est on the countries least responsible for

global warming.

Also, Israel now boasts a symbol for Water

Insecurity. Its ongoing water issues are

extremely well known, but the situation is

supposedly not severe enough to appear inthe Top 20.

Van Nuland picks out the country of

Mauretania to make his point about the Top

10 vulnerable countries when it comes to food

and water risks. There has been a consider-

able amount of food help, and the country is

already buying a lot of food from abroad.

Furthermore, this country is vulnerable to the

warming of the earth.

Not Meant to be AlarmistThe Food and Water Insecurity Indices are not

meant to be alarmist, though, according to Roger

Schwartz, senior vice-president of Aon Trade

Credit. They are forward-looking assessments

designed to be an early warning. While the

Global Agricultural CommoditySupplyThe Agricultural Commodity Supply Risk Index

offers a supply-side view, identifying the inter-

nationally-traded agricultural commodities at

greatest risk of a supply shock, and thus a

sudden global price spike.

Many of the worlds most productive agricul-

tural regions are expected to see a decline in

productivity if temperatures rise.

Cocoa tops the 2010 Agricultural Commodity

Supply Risk Index by some margin, as more

than 75 percent of global production is con-

centrated in four countries at significant risk

of supply disruption, said Wilkin. These

threats to cocoa supplies include political

increasing supply-side pressures of global warm-

ing are more of a long-term issue, there are more

immediate concerns.

We are already seeing instances of countries

that cant produce enough of certain foods

and in these financially difficult times cannot

afford to import these food supplies. This

places localized pressures on a countrys

social balance and can lead to the sort of

geopolitical events we saw in 2007 and 2008.

With the prospect of real economic recovery

over the next year or so, we are likely to see

increased demand for food and water global-

ly. With the current supply-side issues being

experienced in some areas, this will only add

to the existing pressures.

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com11

March 2010

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PoliticalMapindetail

instability, natural disasters, and water sup-

ply insecurity.

For the first time in twenty years, India has

had to import rice for its own population now

the countrys rice production has declined by

16 percent. That explains why India is men-

tioned (with other rice-producing countries)

in the Top 3.

Movements on the 2010 MapEight countries or territories have been

upgraded to a lower risk level - Albania,

Myanmar/Burma, Colombia, South Africa, Sri

Lanka, East Timor, Vanuatu, Vietnam and the

Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of

the People's Republic of China.

Hong Kong saw its political stability rise in

recent times. Colombia has proved to be a

safer country than before, with better supply

chain quality. Sri Lanka has (at least for now)

won the war against the rebellious Tamil

Tigers. Albania has made successful steps intheir fight against crime and corruption,

acquiring better cards to play for EU member-

ship at the same time. Vietnam is an upcom-

ing country for its cheap labor, and it has a

good regulatory system which tries to attract

investors from abroad. Myanmar has profited

from high prices for natural gas, which in

effect paid off its national debt.

Eighteen countries have seen conditions wors-

en, leading to a downgrade: Algeria, Argen-

tina, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana,

Honduras, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Madagascar,

Mauritania, Philippines, Puerto Rico,

Seychelles, Sudan, United Arab Emirates,

Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.

Van Nuland: Beginning last year, the first

signs of the financial crisis could be seen,

beginning in Latvia. It turned into an econom-

ic crisis and an increase in non-payment by

countries and private companies. The credit

risk is apparent, and it should now be seen

as a combination of political and economic

risk.

Very High Risk CountriesSudan, Venezuela and Yemen have been

added to the Very High category. Muller

asserts, They are joining Afghanistan, Congo

DRC, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Somalia and

Zimbabwe.

Yemen has been added to the Very High cat-

egory because recently it became painfully

apparent that its government system is about

to collapse. Theres a risk of civil war while at

the same time Al-Qaeda-like terrorist groups

have emerged.

In a fair number of instances, the High andVery High risk countries have been allocated

seven or more symbols on the map. New on

the list is Eritrea, while others have seen an

increase in significant risks. Muller points out

that this is not only the case with countries

which have to deal with a lot of threats.

Ghana, for instance, currently has only three

symbols to its name, but they are all new for

this year. This is in line with the general trend

that Africa is a continent of growing risks.

Good News for Insurance CompaniesMuller sees a trend where there are more High

Risk countries, and more countries residing in

the Medium-High category. Indeed, looking at

the new map, one has to deal with consider-

ably more risk than in previous years. Van

Nuland: Companies should continue to do

their business with flair, but they should also

ask themselves whether higher risks should

be covered in these insecure times. Of

course, this is good news for the insurance

companies Aon works for. This intermingling

within the mapmakers organization, however,

shows a possible weak spot in the scientifi-cally sound presentation of the data.

Van Nuland: With this map, we want to

establish a growing awareness of higher risks

during the financial crisis. Smaller enterprises

in particular should ask themselves: can we

afford the risk of something going wrong?

The combination of higher risk and financial

instability is worrying Van Nuland the most:

We see it in real life: an increasing number

of claims.

Remco Takken is editor of GeoInformatics.

For more information, have a look at

www.aon.com/2010politicalmap

12

Art ic le

March 2010

Food and Water Insecurity

http://www.aon.com/2010politicalmaphttp://www.aon.com/2010politicalmap

8/12/2019 geoinformatics 2010 vol02

13/60Seri

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Professional Grade GNSS Technology

In January, Magellan Professional announced that its brand

name has been changed to Ashtech. Joc Triglav asked Franois

Erceau, Ashtech Vice-President and General Manager, to explain

why this happened and what are the companys plans for the

new year in terms of products and market strategies.

By Joc Triglav

14

Interview

Question: You decided to hit the GNSSmarket target with the old newly rebornbrand name and a totally new logo.Please explain the reasons for thesechanges and their main goals.

Franois Erceau Magellan Professional was the brandwe used within Magellan, our former corporation and

a well known GPS company with a big presence in

the consumer market. With the sale of the Magellan

Consumer division to the MiTAC Corporation in early

2009, rights to and ownership of the brand name

changed. Magellan Professional would only be

able to continue using the Magellan name until,

end of 2011. We thought, Why wait? We felt it

was better to immediately clarify and strengthen

our commitment to the professional business by

moving more quickly to re-identify ourselves with

our own brand in the professional market. The

equity we had in the Ashtech brand was so incred-

ible that it would have been a waste not to lever-

age it. The renaming benefits us because of

Ashtechs early and deeply rooted presence in thehigh-precision GPS and later GPS/GLONASS

application markets such as surveying, GIS and OEM

boards. We see it as the rebirth of Ashtech. The

Ashtech brand has long stood for technology, preci-

sion and innovation. This is exactly what we offer our

customers and what we want to convey with our new logo.

It sports a trendy new look that upgrades the renowned

Ashtech brand bringing it firmly into the 21st century.

Q: Please, define the main global target high-performance applications markets and commer-cial positioning for Ashtechs products.

FE High-performance applications exist today across a broadarray of markets in land, air and sea applications. We under-

stand high-performance to encompass automation, RTK posi-

Franois Erceau

The Rebirth

of Ashtech

8/12/2019 geoinformatics 2010 vol02

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tioning and centimetre-level accuracy. It also means fast and robust signal

processing. Harsh environments also demand specific high-technology fea-

tures, such as strong multi-path mitigation, multi-constellation tracking,

and redundancy of the solution. Heading and relative positioning are also

outputs expected from these high-end applications.

As a leading GNSS manufacturer, we deliver high-performance positioning

solutions to OEMs, integrators, value-added resellers, distributors and

end-users. Obviously, from a pure GNSS technology perspective, perfor-mance has always been linked to the accuracy, the reliability of the data,

and the speed of the processing solution. However, the performance can-

not be defined solely in terms of a products GNSS performance. Design,

connectivity, ease-of use, inter-operability, are integral components of the

definition of high-performance. Thats our belief and our commercial posi-

tioning for each of the solution we offer to the market.

Q: How is Ashtech segmenting its GPS and GNSS productline, especially regarding quality and performance, to coverthe needs of these application markets? Which are yourflagship products in individual application market segments?

FE Professional grade GNSS technology is the core of every Ashtech solu-tion and our range segmentation is based on the customer expectations,

which is expressed in our motto Right feature, Right time, Right price.

Our portfolio starts with entry-level budget solutions mostly based on sin-

gle frequency technology up to fully featured multi-frequency multi con-

stellation offerings. Whatever the level of investment made by the cus-

tomer in his Ashtech product, quality is never at risk.

We segment our GNSS portfolio, into three categories: Surveying , GIS

and OEM boards. Depending on the application, positioning accuracy

varies from the meter level, down to the centimetre level in real time, with

or without advanced RTK features such as heading, relative positioning,

and the ability to work in harsh environments. Our portfolio of technolo-

gy and solutions complies with those requirements. The accuracy, the

real-time capability, the connectivity features and the number of GNSS sig-

nals are key elements that differentiate the products within our range.

In Surveying our flagship products are the ProMark 500 GNSS RTK systemmostly used on Land as well as our ProFlex series which are very popular

for a variety of marine survey and remote sensing applications but are

also more and more adopted by Machine guidance integrators.

In GIS applications the MobileMapper 6 handheld GPS is showing great

market success thanks to its sub-meter post-processing capability, a unique

offering at that price point.

In OEM boards, the GG12W is very successful in aerospace, while our

newly released GPS/GLONASS board, the MB500, has shown promising

results with various integrators in Navigation, Marine , and others DG14

remains very solid as an outstanding SBAS-enabled L1 board offering RTK

capability.

Q: Ashtech probably plans a number of product launchesand initiatives this year to provide new and compellingofferings to GNSS professionals. Please, outline the mainitems shortly to our readers.

FE The 2010 roadmap is very ambitious for Ashtech. We are planningseveral major upgrades to enhance our latest generation of products,

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com15

March 2010

Interview

http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/

8/12/2019 geoinformatics 2010 vol02

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as well as the introduction of several completely

new products. The upgrades will impact our GNSS

board offerings as well as our GIS and Surveying

product lines. This January, we released ProMark

500 V4, the newest version of our renowned RTK

GNSS system. We are also launching two entirely

new rugged RTK sensors, the ProFlex Lite and

ProFlex Lite Duo. Last but not least, we have just

released in February the newest generation of ourmobile mapping software, MobileMapper Field,

which is available on our best-seller MobileMapper

6 handheld GPS for GIS and mapping. We intend

to keep this fast pace of new technology and prod-

uct introductions all year long.

Q: The global process of transition fromold-style national coordinate referencesystems to new ITRS-based nationalcoordinate reference systems is in variousphases in a large number of countries. In

your opinion, which are the crucial con-siderations and possible dangers in thisprocess of transition, especially regardingthe use of GNSS technologies and solu-tions?

FE Coordinates provided by GNSS technologies andsolutions are ITRS-based coordinates. They can be

easily expressed in any new ITRS-based national

coordinate reference systems without any loss of

accuracy. The main issue is the transformation of

existing coordinates expressed in "old-style"

national coordinate reference systems, as this

transformation is always specific and approximat-

ed. What will be key during the transition is to pro-

vide as many details as possible on the reference

system in which any coordinates are expressed, including the reference

date of the coordinate system, as ITRS-based systems are time depen-

dent, in order to avoid tremendous loss in accuracy and so preserve

complete trust in GNSS solutions. Considering the accuracy we achieve

today, telling where a point is on a map means telling where this point

was at the time the map was elaborated. No matter that the point may

have moved since that time, together with Earth's crust on the area

since GPS, and now GNSS, use appropriate coordinates transformation.

It has for long been a key area of activity for Ashtech. This being said,

Ashtech has dedicated specific resources to ease this transition for thebenefit of the end-user. Once the transition is completed, all coordi-

nates will be better harmonized whatever the reference systems used.

Q: This year a wealth of new developments in the GNSSsatellite launches and operations is scheduled andannounced, such as the first launch of the GPS IIF satel-lite with new L5 signal, launch of two Galileo IOV satel-lites, first launch of a GLONASS-K satellite with newCDMA signals, as well as additional launches of ChineseCompass satellites and first launches of Japanese QZSSand Indian GAGAN, etc.. How is Ashtech strategically,technologically and operationally adapting to these actualnovelties and changes in the GNSS business?

FE As a leader, Ashtech is on top of GNSS technology development.The growing number and evolving nature of satellites systems is a fan-

tastic opportunity of growth for us. We were the

first with a GLONASS GNSS Board (GG12), and we

are the first, with BLADE technology, to trully blend

L1/L2 GPS and GLONASS and SBAS signals togeth-

er. As many customers are telling us, BLADE deliv-

ers the best PVT computation, as of today .

Moreover BLADE is already tuned to accommodate

all new upcoming signals. Ashtech direction is to

keep customers thrilled with what our GNSS tech-nology delivers as real user benefits, and make sure

it is constantly up to date, according to the evolu-

tions.

Q: Several nations, at least six today, arealready operating or initiating their ownabove mentioned global or regionalsatellite navigation systems. Even moresuch systems are expected to developand operate in the next ten years. Arewe entering the golden era of GNSS?

How will this abundance of satellite PNTservices influence global society? Howwill our daily life and business change?

FE Survey and GIS data creation will continue togrow with more layers of information from geo-

graphical to demographic data. More and more peo-

ple in the field will collect and update data on larg-

er territories. Many additional workers will deploy

GIS mobile technologies in their everyday work life,

in many applications from utilities, homeland secu-

rity to agriculture, natural resources management,

and oil & gas markets. The addition of more satel-

lites expands the operating domain for RTK with

longer ranges and efficient positioning at more

challenging sites where complementary techniques

were needed in the past. Precise positioning will bring more and more

an everyday increase of productivity for many applications, in dredg-

ing, construction, road building, mining, forestry, in any type of asset

management, machine guidance, or fleet tracking. In every of those

fields, Ashtech is a leader and will continue to bring innovation as

expected by the customers.

Q: At the end, I definitely havent asked you everythingyou wanted to say to our readers. So, please, take this

opportunity to address our readers with your closingword.

FE Ashtech rebirth is good news for the Professional GNSS industry.Our roots are in Silicon Valley but we are also taking many benefits

from our belonging to Magellan, especially a great know-how in design

of lightweight handheld units for the Survey and GIS applications. With

all its assets Ashtech is well positioned to innovate in the market.

Ashtech will be part of the move to GNSS modernization in the next 10

years. Beyond this Ashtech will be offering new alternatives to cus-

tomers within an open market where interoperability and standardiza-

tion are becoming the rule. Times when you would capture the cus-

tomer for long with one product or one technology are over. Ashtech is

a venture for the 21st century within a new open market.

Joc Triglav is editor of GeoInformatics.

www.ashtech.com

16

Interview

March 2010

Rover Operator

http://www.ashtech.com/http://www.ashtech.com/

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Web Mapping APIsUse Fast, Intuitive Web Maps to Share Your Geographic Knowledge

You can easily access and leverage your GIS with clients built on

Flex | Silverlight | JavaScript

Copyright 2009 ESRI. All rights reserved. ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, ArcGIS, and www.esri.com are trademarks, registered trademarks, or service marks of ESRI in the United States, the European Community,or certain other jurisdictions. Other companies and products mentioned herein may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective trademark owners.

With ArcGISWeb Mapping APIs, you can create and deploy GIS applications that are best suited for

your environment. To save time and resources while learning how to use these APIs, ESRI offers live

samples, training seminars, sample applications, and free maps and GIS tasks such as geocoding and

routing. Discover how ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs can deliver mapping and GIS functionality in your

Web applications; visit www.esri.com/mappingapis.

For ESRI locations worldwide, visit www.esri.com/distributors.

Czech Republic

www.arcdata.czDenmarkwww.informi.dk

Estonia, Latvia,and Lithuaniawww.hnit-baltic.lt

Finlandwww.esri-nland.com

France

www.esrifrance.frF.Y.R.O.M.www.gisdata.hr

Germanywww.esri-germany.de

Georgiawww.geographic.ge

Greece and Cypruswww.marathondata.gr

Austria

www.synergis.co.atBelgium and Luxembourgwww.esribelux.com

Bosnia and Herzegovinawww.gisdata.hr

Bulgariawww.esribulgaria.com

Croatiawww.gisdata.hr

Hungary

www.esrihu.huIcelandwww.samsyn.is

Israelwww.systematics.co.il

Italywww.esriitalia.it

Maltawww.geosys.com.mt

Moldova

www.trimetrica.comThe Netherlandswww.esrinl.com

Norwaywww.geodata.no

Polandwww.esripolska.com.pl

Portugalwww.esri-portugal.pt

Romania

www.esriro.roRussiawww.dataplus.ru

Slovak Republicwww.arcgeo.sk

Sloveniawww.gisdata.hr

Spainwww.esri-es.com

Sweden

www.esri-sgroup.seSwitzerlandwww.esri-suisse.ch

Turkeywww.esriturkey.com.tr

Ukrainewww.ecomm.kiev.ua

UK/Irelandwww.esriuk.com

http://www.esri.com/http://www.esri.com/mappingapishttp://www.esri.com/mappingapishttp://www.esri.com/distributorshttp://www.esri.com/distributorshttp://www.arcdata.cz/http://www.informi.dk/http://www.hnit-baltic.lt/http://www.hnit-baltic.lt/http://www.esri-fi/http://www.esrifrance.fr/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esri-germany.de/http://www.geographic.ge/http://www.marathondata.gr/http://www.synergis.co.at/http://www.esribelux.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esribulgaria.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esrihu.hu/http://www.samsyn.is/http://www.systematics.co.il/http://www.esriitalia.it/http://www.geosys.com.mt/http://www.geosys.com.mt/http://www.trimetrica.com/http://www.esrinl.com/http://www.geodata.no/http://www.geodata.no/http://www.esripolska.com.pl/http://www.esri-portugal.pt/http://www.esriro.ro/http://www.dataplus.ru/http://www.arcgeo.sk/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esri-es.com/http://www.esri-sgroup.se/http://www.esri-suisse.ch/http://www.esriturkey.com.tr/http://www.ecomm.kiev.ua/http://www.esriuk.com/http://www.esri.com/http://www.esriuk.com/http://www.ecomm.kiev.ua/http://www.esriturkey.com.tr/http://www.esri-suisse.ch/http://www.esri-sgroup.se/http://www.esri-es.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.arcgeo.sk/http://www.dataplus.ru/http://www.esriro.ro/http://www.esri-portugal.pt/http://www.esripolska.com.pl/http://www.geodata.no/http://www.esrinl.com/http://www.trimetrica.com/http://www.geosys.com.mt/http://www.esriitalia.it/http://www.systematics.co.il/http://www.samsyn.is/http://www.esrihu.hu/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esribulgaria.com/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esribelux.com/http://www.synergis.co.at/http://www.marathondata.gr/http://www.geographic.ge/http://www.esri-germany.de/http://www.gisdata.hr/http://www.esrifrance.fr/http://www.esri-fi/http://www.hnit-baltic.lt/http://www.informi.dk/http://www.arcdata.cz/http://www.esri.com/distributorshttp://www.esri.com/mappingapis

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Taking Spatial ETL Technology to New Heights

With the release of FME 2010 in January, Safe Software is emphasizing its stated commitment to improve spatialdata access for organizations across the globe. In fact, the technology has been enhanced in ways that make

spatial data more accessible and potentially more useful than ever before. According to Safe, usability

enhancements in FME 2010 bring greater productivity for existing users, speed the learning curve for people

that are new to the product, and enable faster adoption, broader deployment and creative new applications

of FME technology throughout an organization.

By the editors

Greater Data Access and SharingSafe Software has reported that nearly 1,000 of

the improvements introduced in FME 2010 are

a direct result of customer feedback. Users iden-

tified specific changes in FME that could help

them to improve spatial data access and

address their data interoperability challenges.

As with previous releases, FME 2010 continues

to expand its support for various data formats

and coordinate systems to provide what Safe

calls unparalleled data accessibility and facil-

itate greater sharing. This includes not only

adding support for a wide variety of new for-

mats and coordinate systems, but also enhanc-

ing the way the software handles current popu-

lar formats, including 3D.

For instance, based on customer feedback it

became clear to the Safe Software team that GIS

professionals are facing increasing demands to

share their spatial data with non-GIS users and

decision makers. To better facilitate this shar-

ing, many FME users turn to familiar output for-

mats, such as Google Earth (KML) and Adobe

Acrobat (PDF), and FME 2010 is designed to

make the creation and output of these formats

much faster and easier.

According to Safe, FME 2010 now supports

more than 250 different data formats overall,

further empowering GIS professionals to share

information with new user communities. This

includes new support for common statistics for-

mats including IBM PASW (SPSS), R Statistical

Data and SAS (Statistical Analysis System). The

company highlights that this statistical format

support opens up a whole new category of

business applications for use with FME, ideally

allowing improved GIS planning, analysis and

decision making.

18

Art ic le

March 2010

With FME 2010, users can integrate a variety of data types to create a realistic, integrated 3D model.

FME 2010

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As has been highlighted many times in the

pages of GeoInformatics, there is a growing

market interest in 3D data access and model-

ing. To address this need, FME 2010 has been

enhanced to deliver expanded support for these

3D formats, including vastly enhanced 3D

object texture handling. By enabling users to

create realistic multi-dimensional models that

integrate data from a wide variety of data types,FME 2010 should facilitate both better data

visualization and improved communication.

Among the changes: FME 2010 now includes

support for Autodesk Civil 3D and 3ds, COLLA-

DA, Google Sketchup and Presagis OpenFlight.

The new release also introduces support for

1,850 additional coordinate systems, bringing

the complete total to more than 5,300. So

whatever coordinate systems end-users require,

they can quickly get usable data.

Dynamic Workflow, Faster WorkspaceDesignAccording to Safe, FME 2010s new dynamic

workflows will provide users with greater flexi-

bility and convenience, saving time and improv-

ing efficiency under a wide variety of scenarios.

These workflows (called workspaces in FME)

allow GIS professionals to use either the origi-

nal source schema or a separate schema tem-

plate at runtime, creating workspaces that are

entirely schema-independent. Users can thus

design workspaces and perform translations on

any dataset at any time, and can even create a

single workspace to perform quick translations,

and even transformations, on multiple source

datasets whose schema is unpredictable.

Conversely, users can build a template

workspace to quickly repeat the same transla-

tion or transformation task.

In all of these scenarios, building a dynamic

workflow should save design and maintenance

time, while minimizing the number of

workspaces that need to be created. Ulf

Mnsson of SWECO, a Safe Software reseller inSweden thats been testing the new approach

has already found dynamic workflows to be a

huge benefit. SWECO has been using FME 2010

with the City of Gteborg to perform coordinate

system conversions to meet new national

requirements. Our clients can now focus on

the tasks that are interesting, not schema map-

ping, said Mnsson.

Dynamic workflows also improve the efficiency

of SWECOs teams. As consultants, this makes

us more efficient as we can give our clients their

results and feedback immediately. We work on

projects with thousands of datasets, and

dynamic workflows are now saving us tremen-

dous amounts of time. For example, we can

strengthened the security options to match.

These changes should allow both greater flexi-

bility and improved control at an enterprise or

organizational level.

For example, new security capabilities provide

granular data access controls so that GIS pro-

fessionals can ensure that despite broad deploy-

ment, they are sharing spatial data only withauthorized users and preventing unauthorized

access. FME Server 2010s flexible security frame-

work should simplify and somewhat automate

this process by allowing tighter integration with-

in an existing environment, supporting common

directory services such as LDAP-based Microsoft

Active Directory integration, and delivering SSL

encryption for web access.

FME has long been known for its desktop and

server configurations, and for 2010 the compa-

ny has added support for deployment in thecloud. This should provide considerably greater

IT flexibility, for instance by allowing organiza-

tions to take advantage of the clouds resource

support during peak periods of FME use.

FME 2010 also provides for greater interoper-

ability and fewer cross-platform restrictions,

ensuring that organizations can deploy the soft-

ware on their preferred system (Windows, Linux

or Solaris). And FME 2010 offers a technology

preview of Windows 64-bit, for those organiza-

tions interested in added horsepower on the

Microsoft platform.

Safe Software and Spatial ETLThanks to its broad deployment and years of

proven reliability, FME represents the gold stan-

dard in spatial ETL for many in the industry.

Safe Software appears to have taken this

responsibility to heart with FME 2010, provid-

ing nearly unlimited flexibility in data model

transformation and distribution, and delivering

the industrys most extensive format support

for data translation and integration.

In March, Safe Software co-founders Don Murray

and Dale Lutz, along with other Safe team mem-

bers, will kick off 2010: AN FME ODDYSSEY, a

10-city tour across North America geared toward

helping users to solve common data access

challenges. According to the company, atten-

dees will learn all about the latest enhance-

ments in FME 2010, and better still from our

perspective, have the opportunity to discover

how peers are navigating the vast universe of

spatial data challenges. The company will also

participate in FME User meetings in March and

April across Europe, including the UK, Germany

and France.

Internet:www.safe.com

now easily replicate huge datasets, not only

files but even entire spatial databases with a

single workspace, explained Mnsson.

On a related note, new usability enhancements

help users more rapidly design and maintain

these workspaces from the start. Layout

enhancements in the products graphical user

interface, FME Workbench, improve efficiencyby putting a broad spectrum of tools at your

fingertips, including automated transformer

help. With FME 2010s Quick Add Transformers,

a user can type directly in a workspace canvas

to add transformers, eliminating the need to

search, click and drag. With the new Workspace

Search feature, users can quickly find any object

in a workspace from attribute names and trans-

formers, to bookmarks, comments, and more.

Additional improvements to FMEs data trans-

formers both strengthen existing options, andcreate new transformers that should add flexi-

bility and speed to a users workspace design

experience. For example, FME users working

with KML output datasets will benefit from the

latest refinements to the KMLStyler, which has

been simplified to make output settings more

easily understandable.

New KML transformers such as the KMLTour-

Builder and the KMLViewSetter also make it

easy to create a guided end user experience

through an output dataset, and the new

KMLTimeSetter helps users create timeline play-

backs for data which is time sensitive, such as

analysis for a tsunami or tornado event.

In another response to customer feedback, FME

2010 speeds creation of transformation work-

flows by offering a new tester family, filter fam-

ily, styling family, and much more. The rede-

signed transformer dialogs that are grouped

into similar tasks, help users more easily set

parameters. Tapping into fmepedia, an online

encyclopedia of FME technical information and

examples, through FME Workbench, users also

have instant access to useful resources like auser-submitted custom transformer.

And in keeping with Safe Softwares historical

emphasis on steady performance improvements

for greater usability, FME 2010 is faster and

more responsive throughout, with key areas

seeing speed increases of more than 20 per-

cent according to company representatives.

Broader Deployment Options,Powerful SecurityDeployment and security were two key areas of

focus in the new release, according to Safe.

Considerable customer feedback led the com-

pany to add a SaaS-based cloud computing

option for deploying to the existing desktop and

server configurations for FME. Safe has also

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com

Art i c le

19March 2010

http://www.safe.com/http://www.safe.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.safe.com/

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For Avon Fire & Rescue Service

Making Firefighting Safer with GIS

Fire and rescue services need to be armed with accurate risk information if

theyre to respond to emergencies effectively. Simon Cottingham, Public Safety

Strategist at ESRI (UK), looks at how the innovative use of geographic

information systems (GIS), is helping one of the UKs Fire & Rescue Services

become better informed and therefore safer when responding to incidents.

By Simon Cottingham

Entering a burning building without knowingwhats on the other side of the door is one ofthe dangers that firefighters face every day.

Traditional systems used to capture risk infor-

mation about a buildings lay-out, usage or con-

struction provide a degree of protection but are

largely paper-based, with limitations in terms

of accuracy, currency and distribution of infor-

mation. In addressing this challenge, one pio-

neering fire service has adopted a GIS solution

from ESRI (UK), which helps record all neces-

sary risk data relating to a building but also

greatly improves how information is accessed

and shared with every fire station in the area.

Avon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) watches

over almost 1,500km2 and a million people in

south west Britain, covering the areas of Bath,

Bristol, North Somerset and South

Gloucestershire. With headquarters in Bristol

city centre, the service has 23 fire stations,

almost 900 firefighters and last year attended

over 13,000 incidents. While firefighting remains

at the forefront of its work, the service is also

focused on protection and prevention.

Gathering Risk InformationAlong with all other UK Fire & Rescue Services,

one of Avons responsibilities is to provide risk

assessments of large or significant buildings

within their area, in accordance with UK legis-

lation. Involving routine inspections, these pro-

vide vital information about a specific building

and potential hazards within its immediate area,

to reduce the risks if a crew ever has to respond

to an incident at that location.

The majority of fire services store this informa-

tion in a paper-based system which makes ittime consuming to update and difficult to share.

Each of Avons 23 fire stations had a folder, for

example, containing written information and

pictures relating to premises in the area and

these were updated by annual inspections.

Steve Cornish, Station Manager and Project

Manager for AF&RS, explains: Manually updat-

ing the information would involve crews

inspecting buildings, subsequently passing the

information to another team member back at

base to input all the data. When responding to

an incident, the folder would be consulted but

if more than one station was involved in a

major incident, they would not have access to

this information until they arrived at the scene.

20

Art ic le

March 2010

Avon Fire and Rescue Service Vehicle

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Avon began looking for a different method of

managing its risk information to make respond-

ing to incidents safer for its crews. After evalu-

ating available solutions, AF&RS felt that ESRI

(UK) could provide the most suitable option.

ESRI (UK) was the only firm that could provide

what we wanted namely a system which could

make us more efficient at gathering information

and improve our ability to share that data quick-ly and easily, commented Cornish.

Pioneering Fire and Rescue ServiceESRI (UK)s DragonMap solution, which uses the

ESRI ArcGIS platform, went live in October 2009

following a short pilot phase. It is believed that

AF&RS is currently the UKs first service to use

GIS in this way.

Now each fire station uses a ruggedised laptop

to conduct risk inspections, inputting all the

necessary data using drag-and-drop icons ontomaps and building plans, stored in an ESRI

ArcGIS server. The information is then upload-

ed to a central database on return to the sta-

tion, removing the need for re-keying or tran-

scribing of notes. When any station

subsequently connects its laptop to the system,

it simultaneously receives all updates available

for the entire Avon area.

We wanted to ensure we could provide the

latest risk information to crews about individu-

al buildings, so they could look at it on the way

to an incident, said Cornish. Our 23 fire sta-

tions now have access to a single view of all

the current risk data across our whole area,

enabling better preparation and decision-mak-

ing, especially when attending an area theyre

not familiar with.

DragonMap provides a simple but accurate

method of capturing risk data on to building

plans and maps any information which might

help a crew respond in the safest possible way.

Originally developed to help the military cap-

ture intelligence in the field, the software wasdesigned for non-GIS specialists, where the

gathering of location-based information had to

be as simple as possible and not require a user

to learn a complex piece of software.

The user interface was created to be clear and

intuitive with a simple drag-and-drop system

(hence the name Drag-on-Map), using pre-deter-

mined icons to represent hazards, objects or

what-ever is required. DragonMap lets the user

place the icons at the correct spot on a map of

a building layout or its surroundings, then eas-

ily add notes, web links and even digital pho-

tos. For a fire and rescue service, this provides

a very simple, quick and accurate way to record

all potential risks at a site in a consistent way.

a major incident at Bristols BOC (British Oxygen

Company) bottling depot. A fire caused by a gas

explosion involving a number of acetylene cylin-

ders saw AF&RS attend the scene for eight days

using multiple stations. We used DragonMap

to locate the best sources of water, using the

hydrant data layer, explained Cornish. A sig-

nificant volume of cooling water was required

and as several stations from the area wereinvolved, all engines needed to find it easily.

Normally crews know where hydrants are but if

youre coming in from the surrounding area,

being able to see them on a map with their

exact location makes it a lot quicker.

Protecting Firefighters and the PublicWith the majority of risk assessment at UK fire

services still underpinned by paper-based sys-

tems, AF&RS is showing how the smart use of

new technology can be applied to help create

a greater, shared, situational understanding andreduce risk in what is already a dangerous pro-

fession. For fire and rescue services the world

over, AF&RS serves as a great example of how

GIS can be implemented in day-to-day opera-

tions to improve safety.

Future plans include expanding the system to

give a more in-depth understanding of the

areas infrastructure, by incorporating more data

layers such as utilities, drainage or open water

supplies. This can be a challenge as such data

is often held in many different file formats.

However, with ESRIs ArcGIS able to read over

70 different spatial data formats, AF&RS should

find itself in a good position when it is ready

to take this step.

DragonMap helps us protect the public and

our firefighters, concluded Cornish.

Improving access to risk data helps increase

both the safety of people in a building, as fire-

fighters can respond more effectively, but also

the safety of fire crews as theyre a lot better

informed.

Simon Cottingham scotting@esriuk.com,

Public Safety Strategist at ESRI (UK)

For more information on DragonMap please visit:

www.esriuk.com/dragonmap

ESRI (UK) would like to thank the team at AF&RS

for their assistance in the production of this article.

More Efficient Data CaptureCrews have taken well to the new method of

data collection, as Cornish highlights: Data

capture has become a lot easier with

DragonMap. The new system gives ownership

of the whole process to fire crews, which theyve

responded well to. After some training, all per-

sonnel feel at home taking the laptops out for

inspections and when attending incidents.

In total, Avon has 37 laptops across 23 stations,

one for each of its front-line response vehicles.

Every laptop has been configured so that only

the designated operators at each respective sta-

tion can update the map information. When

data is uploaded to the central database host-

ed at the headquarters in Bristol, all informa-

tion is double-checked to ensure consistency.

The risk assessment process begins with each

station identifying the buildings they want toinspect. And because they know their station

areas, theyre familiar with which premises

might cause potential problems. Over a 12

month period, a rolling programme will then

see several premises inspected every month,

said Cornish.

On a first inspection, crews use DragonMap to

identify the outline of the premises it needs to

inspect. Once saved onto the system, firefight-

ers start applying the icons. AF&RS use sym-

bols to represent a wide range of information,

including building usage, number or expected

occupants day or night, construction methods,

location of hazardous materials, plus other

details such as access routes or hydrant loca-

tions. Notes might be added, such as storage

of 10,000 litres of diesel fuel or Asbestos roof

tiles etc. All information is added as layers on

the map, which can be switched on or off.

Seeing the Bigger PictureIn addition to icons at the plan level,

DragonMap also enables different layers of data

to be displayed along with maps of differentscales. When responding to an incident, crews

can use the GIS to zoom out and see a build-

ing in the context of its surroundings and locate

the best access route, water hydrants and

neighbouring properties. Having DragonMap

in the cab on the way to an incident gives crews

an overall picture of the situation but also the

finer details. Being able to access risk data

quickly helps reduce potential harm to firefight-

ers and the public but also limit any damage

to property and disruption. The more we know

about what were facing the better, Cornish

continued.

In early January 2010, only a few weeks after

the system went live, DragonMap was used in

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com

Art i c le

21March 2010

mailto:scotting@esriuk.commailto:scotting@esriuk.comhttp://www.esriuk.com/dragonmaphttp://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.geoinformatics.com/http://www.esriuk.com/dragonmapmailto:scotting@esriuk.com

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Definiens eCognition Server Software

Object-based Image AnalysisDefiniens is a company active in image analysis. Not restricted to the geospatial market only, the company offers solutions

for all kinds of imagery used in life sciences and the medical world. GeoInformatics interviewed Ralph D. Humberg, VicePresident of Definiens Earth Sciences division. Mr. Humberg joined Definiens in 2002 and is responsible for Definiens'

global Earth Sciences business. He talks about eCognition, Definiens image analysis software used for Earth Sciences.

The latest release of the software is eCognition version 8, issued in November last year, along with a new internet portal.

By Eric van Rees

Question: With version 8 you re-re-named your softwareback to eCognition. What was the reason for that back-to-the-roots naming?

Ralph Humberg Definiens introduced object-based image analysis tothe geo-sciences industry in 2001 with the release of our eCognition

desktop software, see text box 1. We utilized the eCognition brand

name for the first four versions of our desktop software. As imaging

data sets grew in complexity and size, Definiens pioneered client-serv-

er capabilities beginning with eCognition version 5. With a broadened

suite of products associated with our client-server offerings, we intro-

duced additional brand names. Our server has always been known as

eCognition and the brand name possesses a great deal of cachet in

the industry. We believe the majority of the geo-sciences community is

now moving toward client-server processing and with the introduction

of eCognition version 8, we now refer to the complete product suite

under the eCognition brand.

Q: Many people are convinced of the power of thesoftware, but they find it very complicated to use or tounderstand the principles behind it. Have you done anytechnical developments to make the world of OBIA(object-based image analysis, see text box 2) moreunderstandable for the non-experts?

RH As the leading provider of OBIA for the geo-sciences, we have a largeuser community, with an installed base of 3000 licensees in more than 80

countries. These users encompass a myriad of disciplines, from remote

sensing to geology, hydrology, forestry and urban planning - all of which

require image analysis technology. Traditionally, geo-spatial image analysis

software has been structured around remote sensing domain expertise.

Simplifying that expertise so that it is accessible by increasingly wider

audiences of non-experts across diverse industries is something we take

very seriously.

In the last few years we have noticed a distinction between our advanced

22

Interview

March 2010

eCognition 8 comes with full 3D image analysis capabilities. Within the eCognition Labs section of our community,

this functionality, which is still in its infancy for LiDAR analysis, is provided to our scientific user base.

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and our more casual users, and this has informed our product develop-

ment. In eCognition 8, a new QuickMap start-up mode enables our

casual users to readily complete a number of common image analysis

tasks. A simplified graphical interface, comprising click-and-classify type

tools, allows users to perform image analysis using important segmenta-

tion algorithms and classification standards. This built-in workflow was

developed using findings from training sessions with customers and

remote sensing students and is designed to be intuitive.

Exploring some of the more complex functionality requires an investment

of time, but our advanced users know this investment is justified, as

eCognition enables them to extract features and detect changes like no

other software.

We have also invested heavily in the development of an online communi-

ty to facilitate knowledge sharing and building. A broad range of pre-devel-

oped rule-sets and applications are available online, along with self-learn-

ing materials.

Q: With version 8 you have introduced many new featuresto eCognition. Can you outline these and briefly explain

the most important ones?

RH eCognition 8 represents the first of a new generation of image analy-sis technologies that takes OBIA into entirely new dimensions. Our rapid

advancement stems in part from Definiens' significant investment in med-

ical imaging research and development. By leveraging technology devel-

oped for 3D MRI and CT image analysis, we have been able to tackle new

and exciting applications in the area of geo-data analysis.

For example, eCognition 8 can load and rasterize native LiDAR (.las) files,

fuse them with stacks of other data, such as high resolution images, and

conduct object-based image analysis in three dimensions. Future versions

of eCognition will significantly expand 3D functionality.

The new QuickMap mode is another important feature because it not

only provides a simple interface for new users, but is also the first of what

we believe will be many standardized applications designed for eCognition.

Performance was another important aspect to this release. The maps and

regions function allows users to save processing time by analyzing differ-

ent geographical features via tailored segmentation approaches. While

other software packages employ the same analysis approach to an entire

image, eCognition segments objects of interest, such as forests or rivers,

using feature-specific approaches within the same image, processing the

remainder of a scene in lower resolution. The result is a more accurate

analysis of data with less processing time.

Finally, a strong focus on production workflows has resulted in a number

of new features designed for building powerful semi-automatic processing

and editing environments including image object generalization which

produces GIS-ready output.

Q: With the introduction of version 8 of now again eCognition you also launched a new internet user portal.Is this portal meant for support purposes only or is theresomething more behind it?

RH While product support is certainly an important element, oureCognition community web portal provides users with a host of opportu-

nities; we designed the portal as a center for knowledge sharing and usercollaboration.

In the last few years we have noticed that local eCognition communities

were sprouting up in many countries, organizing their own conferences or

engaging in informal collaboration. We decided to provide our user com-

munity with a centralized online location to enable more streamlined inter-

action and collaboration, launching the eCognition online community in

July 2009. The response has been very encouraging and in just six months

our online community has grown to almost 1900 members.

The eCognition community is equipped with infrastructure for rule-set and

application exchange. So, for example, a forestry professional in Australia

can easily upload a rule-set for a project that can be downloaded and

used by a colleague in the United Kingdom. The community also provides

collaborative learning and teaching space, with user demonstrations, blogs,

message boards and video and image file sharing capabilities.

Latest News? Visitwww.geoinformatics.com

Interview

23March 2010

The Principles of Object-based Image AnalysisIn conventional automated image analysis, objects of interest are

identified using a series of pixel-based filters. These filters, such as

intensity thresholds and gradients, compare pixels to their neighbors.

The goal is to transform the original image so that the areas of inter-

est can be extracted by simple threshold measures.

In developing Definiens Cognition Network Technology, our company

founder Gerd Binnig and his team made a radical departure from thispixel-based approach.

Definiens Cognition Network Technology is object-based: It does not

simply identify the objects of interest but all of the intermediate

objects together with their interrelationships (context). In effect, a model

is built which is represented by Definiens unique Cognition Network.

This stores all of the objects, sub-objects and their semantic relation-

ships in a clear hierarchy.

The difference in approach is profound. It is the contextual information

contained in the Cognition Network that enables the automat