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Sponsor News
The Schneider Corporation Enhances Beacon™ GIS Solution With Oblique Imagery from Pictometry International Corp.
INDIANAPOLIS -- (July 29, 2010) -- The Schneider Corporation (www.schneidercorp.com,) a provider of creative solutions for land, infrastructure and facilities projects that help increase revenue, lower costs and mitigate risk, today announced it is partnering with Pictometry International Corp. (www.pictometry.com) to provide aerial oblique imagery for its Beacon™ Geographic Information Systems (GIS) solution.
Schneider and Pictometry have been working together to develop the integrated solution that will provide Beacon™ users and Pictometry customers more frequently updated images and an easier to use interface.
Unlike satellite or aerial images, which provide orthogonal (straight down) views, Pictometry specializes in oblique (an approximate 40 degree angle) image capture. Pictometry captures and processes images of each targeted geographic area from 12 to 20 different views. As a result, buildings, properties and areas are identifiable and recognizable in a 3-D life-like appearance.
In Johnson County, Iowa, the county assessor is using the combined solution to reduce drive-by assessments. In addition, county law enforcement has found the imagery useful for emergency response situations.
“The Johnson County Assessor’s office utilizes the Beacon™ site to distribute information from several sources to the citizens of Johnson County. One of these sources is the Pictometry photography that we purchase. Having the Pictometry information supplementing our oblique photography and Streetscape iLookAbout imagery gives the customer a complete photographic experience that surpasses an onsite visit,” said Bill Greazel, Johnson County Assessor. “The Beacon™ site is a one-stop portal for all the information the assessor’s office has accumulated on a property, which is a substantial convenience to our customers, and also is a tool we use in our analysis for assessment purposes.“
Having the most current photography is crucial for our clients, according to Jeff Corns, Schneider vice president. “Many public oblique imagery sources are not updated frequently. By partnering with Pictometry, Beacon™ customers know they have the most recent imagery available along with advanced tools from Pictometry to get the most out of the solution.”
“This integration makes it easy for Pictometry and Beacon™ customers to utilize county and state-wide information using a tool they are already accustomed to working with. This is a combined solution that benefits everyone,” said Dante Pennacchia, chief marketing officer for Pictometry.
Pictometry is a major sponsor of Schneider’s 2010 GIS Conferences in Indianapolis (August 4, 2010) and Ames, Iowa (August 10-11, 2010). Information about the 2010 GIS Conference can be found at www.schneidercorp.com/uc2010/.
About The Schneider Corporation
The Schneider Corporation provides creative solutions for land, infrastructure and facilities projects that help increase revenue, lower costs and mitigate risk. Schneider is a leader in providing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) solutions to hundreds of municipal, county, state, federal and private entities. Our additional expertise in engineering, surveying and architecture enables us to offer an integrated approach to complex projects. A woman-owned business for decades, Schneider is recognized nationally for its award-winning work. For more information about Schneider, please visit http://www.schneidercorp.com. For more information about Schneider GIS solutions, please visit http://www.gis.schneidercorp.com.
About Pictometry
Pictometry International Corp. is a leading provider of geo-referenced, aerial image libraries and related software. Pictometry has captured nearly 130 million digital aerial images which represent more than 80 percent of the United States population and all major U.S. markets. Using its proprietary imaging process, Pictometry captures geo-referenced, high-resolution orthogonal (straight down view) and oblique (captured at an angle) imagery within which structures and land features can be measured. Pictometry customizes and markets these technologies for government and commercial applications. Pictometry’s standard oblique imagery includes second order visualization tools that do not produce authoritative or definitive information (surveying). For more information, visitwww.pictometry.com.
Parcel Builder(r) 4.0 to Be Previewed at ESRI International User Conference
St. Charles, IL - Parcel Builder® is quickly becoming recognized as the de facto software standard for parcel mapping within the geodatabase. In its commitment to keep Parcel Builder’s over 700 users current with the ESRI® technology they use, Sidwell announces Parcel Builder 4.0. Sidwell’s development team has been working for months to take advantage of the new editing, printing, and workflow components of ArcGIS® 10. Parcel Builder 4.0 builds upon the successes of its preceding versions by offering more functionality, better integration, and easier to use tools. Most of all, Parcel Builder has been enhanced to take full advantage of ArcGIS 10.
Parcel Builder 4.0 demonstrations will be available at the upcoming 2010 ESRI International User Conference, July 12-16 in San Diego. Visit Sidwell at Booth # 1114 to learn more about this exciting new product!
Parcel Builder 4.0 will allow users to maintain parcel maps using standard non-proprietary feature classes while taking advantage of the geodetic control tools available within the new parcel fabric feature class type. Another important change is that Parcel Builder 4.0 is re-engineered to the .Net platform, which positions it for migration to a web computing environment.
The Parcel Builder tagged data model has been embraced by well over 100 counties as an efficient geodatabase schema within which to maintain cadastral data. It eliminates the need to maintain redundant boundaries while ensuring that boundaries that are supposed to be coincident really are coincident. In Parcel Builder 4.0, maintenance of this model has been fully integrated into the new ArcGIS 10 editing interface. Parcel Builder 4.0 also utilizes a new license server and offers single user, concurrent, or leased licensing, including a site license option.
Parcel Builder-Administrator® provides more flexible access to linked data from other applications, and the option to associate multiple data columns to the geodatabase parcel feature class. Additional options for automated parcel numbering include a “snake” tool for quick and simple sequential numbering. With parcels being a basic data element of many city and county departments, the interface to CAMA and Recorder’s Office systems has greatly improved.
Parcel Builder-AddressManager® has been integrated with Parcel Builder-Administrator so that addressing personnel will know when new parcels have been added in real time. The critical association between parcel number and site address will be automatically established as the addresses are assigned.
In response to our users request for tools to support commonly repeated tasks, we are introducing an improved tag editor, enhanced support for “undo”, improved annotation support, a mailing list generator, a quick query tool, pre-configured thematic mapping, and one button generation of pre-formatted maps. Parcel Builder 4.0 also offers a new browser based web viewing application built with the Silverlight Rich Internet Application platform: PB-Portico®. This totally new parcel mapping and data access toolset will provides a map-centric experience for GIS professionals and citizens wishing to search, query, and compare their property tax records.
Brent Mainzinger, Sidwell’s Vice President of Technology said, “Parcel Builder 4.0 represents the most significant advancement of our code since the inception of the product. While Parcel Builder 4.0 will provide immediate benefits to our clients by delivering more powerful and efficient editing tools, it will also enable us to quickly add new capabilities to the product as we move ahead. “
CartoPac Field Solutions Adds New Position of Channel & Strategic Accounts Manager to Lead Expanding Reseller Distribution Channel
David Barry Brings Extensive Sales, Marketing and Business Development Experience to New Role Focused on Enhancing Customer Service to CartoPac Resellers
Fort Collins, Co. – June 29, 2010 – CartoPac Field Solutions (http://www.cartopac.com), a leading provider of custom mobile GIS field data collection solutions for efficient data capture and integration with enterprise asset systems, today announced that David Barry has been named to the new position of channel & strategic accounts manager. To serve a growing nationwide client base, CartoPac has doubled the size of its reseller distribution channel since the start of 2010. The addition of Barry in this new role will help CartoPac enhance customer service to its expanding base of resellers, enabling them to sell and support CartoPac’s extremely easy-to-use field data collection solutions that save time and reduce project costs.
As channel & strategic accounts manager at CartoPac Field Solutions, Barry supports direct sales efforts and is the main point of contact for existing resellers. Barry is responsible for helping maximize sales efforts and partnership value through best practices, training, and support including co-presentations at scheduled marketing events such as webinars, workshops, and tradeshows.
“We created the new position of channel & strategic accounts manager to head our expanding reseller distribution channel, and David brings an excellent combination of sales and business development experience to this leadership role,” said Glenn Vlass, president of CartoPac Field Solutions. “In previous positions, David has been a significant contributor to the vision and execution of solutions ranging from analytics and business intelligence to geographic information systems. We welcome David to CartoPac and look to his expertise to impact sales revenue and lead generation for CartoPac Field Solutions and for our growing base of channel partners.”
David Barry has helped Global 1000 companies implement and use technology solutions to solve complex business problems and bring measurable value to the challenges of increasing revenue, improving efficiency and making better business decisions. In executive strategy and business development capacities, he has influenced successful product development and marketing efforts. Barry has fostered long-term relationships with marquee customers across a wide range of industries and established solid partnerships with key third-party technology providers, systems integrators and strategic management consultancies.
Barry holds a B.S. in geography from the University of Utah and an M.B.A. in international management from the Thunderbird School of Global Management.
See CartoPac at ESRI UC 2010
CartoPac Field Solutions (booth # 2007) will be exhibiting at the upcoming ESRI International User Conference at the San Diego Convention Center, July 12 through 16, 2010. Those interested can meet David at the booth or at the Converging Technologies Social, SDCC, room 16B, Wednesday, July 14th at 5:30pm.
ArcGIS 10 Transforms the Way People Use GIS
New Release Simplifies Your Work, Provides New Ways to Share Information, Supplies GIS in the Cloud, and Much More
Redlands, California—June 29, 2010—ArcGIS 10, which is now available from Esri, is transforming the way people use geographic information system (GIS) technology. With this release, users will be more productive with their work and will be able to take advantage of GIS everywhere: via individual local desktops, across desktops and browsers leveraging central servers, and in the cloud.
"ArcGIS is a complete system that enables you to solve your most challenging issues," said Damian Spangrud, ArcGIS product manager. "This release provides greater ease of use, more powerful analysis tools, additional Web GIS applications, and new mobile platforms. It also promotes collaboration via an online system for using, sharing, and organizing geographic content."
Perform GIS Work Faster—ArcGIS 10 dramatically improves and simplifies the user experience, streamlines editing, and integrates productivity tools to support the workflows of GIS professionals. This release makes map creation and production much easier and provides best practice templates to help users get started quickly. Users can search by keywords or data types to find data and maps. They can also use the search function to quickly and easily find symbols to use in their maps and tools for analysis.
Powerful Spatial Analysis—ArcGIS has always been the premier software for spatial analysis, and with this release, Esri continues to advance geographic science with new tools. ArcGIS now includes Python scripting for automating common tasks and analyses. Using Python, the capabilities of ArcGIS can be combined with other scientific programming to create powerful solutions. Among the new analyses offered in ArcGIS is location-allocation, which helps users understand how their facilities' placements in a given network impact their ability to serve their customers.
This release also makes it much easier to see data in 3D and introduces the notion of time in both visualization and analysis. Users can create, manage, and visualize time-aware data. They can also display and animate temporal datasets as well as publish and query temporal map services. The ability to see data over time opens opportunities for more in-depth analysis.
Improved Imagery Use and Management—ArcGIS 10 enables better use and management of imagery on the desktop and the server. This release lets users efficiently serve dynamic image mosaics to many applications and easily manage massive image collections with dynamic mosaicking and on-the-fly processing. Moreover, users will experience faster performance with accelerated image display and save time by using the new image analysis window for image interpretation and processing.
New Ways to Share—ArcGIS now offers tight integration with ArcGIS Online search and share capabilities, making it easy to create and distribute projects that may include data, layers, maps, tools, scenes, globes, diagrams, and add-ins. Additionally, it is easy to discover and organize geographic data throughout the enterprise via the new Search service in ArcGIS Server. ArcGIS 10 also allows the expansion of volunteered geographic information or user-generated content on the Web.
Cloud GIS—An exciting aspect of ArcGIS 10 is that users can leverage online maps and tools that are a built-in part of the ArcGIS experience, whether they are using ArcGIS Desktop, mobile devices (e.g., smartphones), browsers, or applications developed using the ArcGIS Web Mapping APIs. Users can also now find, share, organize, and use maps, apps, and other resources via the new ArcGIS.com site—a Web-based gateway into the ArcGIS system. Furthermore, users can discover, share, and present geographic information using ArcGIS Explorer Online, a new browser-based version of ArcGIS Explorer.
ArcGIS Server can now be used on the Amazon cloud. Running ArcGIS Server on Amazon allows organizations to take advantage of multiple cloud services and features.
GIS in the Field—ArcGIS Mobile now has a customizable, out-of-the-box application that allows users to extend mobile projects to in-vehicle and tablet-based PCs. Esri is extending this concept to Apple’s iOS platform. Customers will be able to access a mapping application directly from the Apple iTunes app store. Esri is also providing a software development kit so organizations can build their own focused iPhone and iPad applications.
Availability—"By making ArcGIS 10 available as a download, Esri hopes to dramatically reduce the packaging waste that is associated with typical software releases," said Spangrud. "We are hoping that most of our customers will join us in this effort." Those who need to receive the software on media can still request it and expect to receive it in the next few weeks.
In the United States, maintenance contacts will receive information by e-mail on how they can download ArcGIS 10 for their organization. They may also contact Esri Customer Service at 888-377-4575; outside the United States, customers should contact their local Esri office.
To learn more and see demo videos of ArcGIS 10, visit www.esri.com/arcgis10.
CartoPac Field Solutions Expands its Nationwide Distribution Channel by Adding Electronic Data Solutions (Elecdata)
Partnership with Elecdata Enhances the Support, Service and Training
Available to CartoPac Users in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and Surrounding Areas
Fort Collins, Colo – June 22, 2010 – CartoPac Field Solutions, (http://www.cartopac.com) a leading provider of custom mobile GIS field data collection solutions for efficient data capture and integration with enterprise asset systems, today announced that Electronic Data Solutions (Elecdata) (http://www.elecdata.com) of Jerome, Idaho is now a CartoPac Authorized Business Partner. Elecdata will market, sell, distribute, integrate and support the full suite of CartoPac mobile field data collection and asset management solutions for use in natural resource management, federal agencies, state and local municipalities and utilities, oil and gas producers, and other industries.
To serve a growing nationwide client base, CartoPac has doubled the size of its reseller distribution channel since the start of 2010. Partnering with established mobile solution provider Elecdata enhances the expert support, service and training available to CartoPac clients in Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming and surrounding areas.
Elecdata has eight field offices in the Western U.S. and nearly 25 years of experience with mobile data solutions. The scalability and flexibility of CartoPac Field Solutions’ integrated, enterprise-level solutions will strengthen Elecdata’s ability to meet a wide range of client requirements, according to Linda Dean, co-owner and vice president of marketing and sales, Electronic Data Solutions.
"We are very excited by the response CartoPac has received from the mobile computing community, and we are especially impressed by how well CartoPac accommodates different sized projects and types of workflows for very efficient field-to-office applications,” Dean said. “We know our clients will benefit from the fact that CartoPac’s patented, high-speed raster engine enables imagery and data layers on handhelds to operate with maximum speed and performance.”
Dean emphasized that CartoPac delivers capabilities that are vital to advanced mobile computing applications, including:
- Scalability and agility to fit desktop and enterprise needs as mobile technologies evolve and client needs change
- Flexibility to operate as a standalone or integrate within an ESRI enterprise environment
- Ease of customization for specific workflows coupled with a powerful relational database for field and office
“Our relationship with Elecdata allows us to provide even better customer service in their region,” said Glenn Vlass, president of CartoPac Field Solutions. “Established local resellers like Elecdata have a strong knowledge of local regulations and needs, and can provide valuable support to CartoPac users. Just one example is that Elecdata plans to offer webinars and workshops to demonstrate the power of CartoPac first-hand and expand awareness of CartoPac capabilities.”
See CartoPac and Elecdata at ESRI UC 2010: CartoPac Field Solutions (booth # 2007) and Electronic Data Solutions (booth #1318) will be exhibiting at the upcoming ESRI International User Conference at the San Diego Convention Center, July 12 through 16, 2010.
About Electronic Data Solutions: Since 1986, Electronic Data Solutions (Elecdata) of Jerome, Idaho has built its reputation by supplying quality instrumentation and unparalleled customer support for field data collection solutions. In addition to providing mobile devices, industry-specific software and expert guidance for efficient capture of field data, Elecdata has an award-winning support, service and training team and a programming staff available to customize software to meet each customer’s unique needs. Teamed with CartoPac Field Solutions, Elecdata can provide an efficient, scalable mobile GPS/GIS solution that adapts easily as needs grow or change.
About CartoPac Field Solutions: CartoPac Field Solutions is a leading provider of fully integrated mobile solutions that increase field-to-office workflow efficiency by integrating and enhancing a wide range of technologies including GPS devices, lasers, cameras and other external devices. CartoPac software is ideal for oil and gas, municipalities, railroads, electric or water/wastewater utilities, natural resources, or anyone interested in collecting and managing large amounts of field data. CartoPac Field Solutions is an authorized ESRI and Trimble Business Partner, and is an authorized Strategic Business Partner to Cityworks.
Merrick to Provide Helicopter-Acquired Remote Sensing Data
June 3, 2010 - Merrick is pleased to announce the expansion of our geospatial technologies services with the addition of helicopter-acquired remote sensing data. The addition of the helicopter to our existing fixed-wing aircraft fleet further expands the firm’s abilities to acquire light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data, high resolution color orthophotography, hyperspectral imagery, color infrared orthophotography, and high resolution oblique imagery for a variety of applications.
Sidwell Expands GPS Solutions Staff
St. Charles, IL – The Sidwell Company, the Midwest Distributor for Ashtech™ GPS products and solutions, is pleased to announce the addition of Tom Krohn to their GPS Solutions staff. In his role as GPS Solutions Account Manager, Tom will be responsible for sales and technical support of Sidwell’s Ashtech GPS Solutions product line. This market has experienced steady growth since its addition to the list of products and services offered by Sidwell. “GPS equipment, applications, and related services fit right in with the GIS and photogrammetric data development services performed by Sidwell”, said Kevin Daugherty, Sidwell’s VP of Sales and Marketing. “Tom’s addition will help us better serve our business, local government and utility clients.”
Tom is also responsible for product training, and has recently become a Certified Ashtech Trainer. Krohn’s promotion and appointment to the GPS Solutions team underscores Sidwell’s commitment to providing the geospatial community with the most comprehensive geospatial mapping solutions available. According to Brett Black, GPS Solutions Manager, “Tom is a valuable asset in Sidwell’s focused efforts to provide our clients with the highest level of support and customized field and office solutions for surveying and mapping. His commitment to understanding the hardware and software as well as individual client needs is what makes Tom a perfect addition to our GPS Solutions staff.”
ArcGIS Server Now Available as Cloud-Based Subscription
New Option Provides Easier, Greener Deployment of Server GIS
Redlands, California—May 21, 2010—ESRI announces that, for the first time, customers have the option to purchase a cloud-based subscription to ArcGIS Server, ESRI's server-based geographic information system (GIS) software. With this option, users can purchase an annual subscription, which bundles a preconfigured ArcGIS Server instance on Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) infrastructure with 12 months of ESRI technical support and maintenance. ArcGIS Server Cloud Bundle expands ESRI's growing cloud offerings and provides customers with another deployment option for ArcGIS Server.
Running ArcGIS Server in the cloud simplifies GIS server deployment and reduces the complexity of server management. It allows organizations to more rapidly meet larger-than-average workloads and demand by scaling up or down the number of ArcGIS Server instances without investing in new on-premises hardware. Users gain direct access to ArcGIS Server within minutes and can begin publishing services and supporting Web mapping applications immediately. ArcGIS Server Cloud Bundle is also a green computing option that allows organizations to reduce their overall energy consumption.
Customers with enterprise license agreements (ELAs) can purchase the bundle at a special ELA discount and deploy their licenses on Amazon virtual machines instead of on-premises computers.
For more information on the ArcGIS Server Cloud Bundle, visit www.esri.com/cloudbundle.
Jack Dangermond to Speak about Open GIS at Where 2.0
New Ways to Collaborate and Share Spatial Data
Redlands, California—March 26, 2010—Jack Dangermond, founder and president of ESRI, the market leader in geographic information system (GIS) software and services, will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California, on April 1, 2010.
As part of his presentation, Spatial Analysis and the GeoWeb, Dangermond will discuss how open GIS services can be used to facilitate mashups and create applications that leverage data and spatial analytic functions. Open GIS services are used to create dynamic, modern Web applications that help decision makers with asset/data management, planning and analysis, business operations, and situational awareness.
In addition to Dangermond’s presentation, ESRI staff will be on hand at the Where 2.0 Exhibit Hall March 31–April 1 to show and discuss the capabilities of open GIS services.
ESRI's Mashup Challenge Winners Announced
Redlands, California—March 26, 2010—The geodeveloper community's strong response to the ESRI 2010 Mashup Challenge created a quandary for the jury. "I was really impressed with the creativity and quality of all the applications that were submitted," says Michael Gould, ESRI's director of education for industry solutions. "It was difficult for us to choose the top four entries. This is a testimony to the immense possibilities afforded by the new ESRI Web APIs and the freely available ArcGIS Online content."
The guidelines for the challenge were simple: build a mashup using ESRI's ArcGIS Online content and Web APIs, publish the related URL, and post a video describing the application on YouTube.
Dave Bouwman, CTO and lead software architect at DTSAgile of Fort Collins, Colorado, took the top prize of $10,000 with Executive Compensation Mashup, which compares top U.S. executive salaries with the total income for selected counties in the United States.
Daniel Bradshaw, owner of DB MediaStudio, Springville, Utah, won second prize and $5,000 with Fluttr: The Human Story in Realtime, a mashup that automatically populates an international map with live feeds from Twitter, Flickr, and YouTube.
Mark Laudon, of LaudonTech in Surrey, Canada, took third prize and $2,500 for Floor Plan Mapping, an interactive building floor plan with employee search capabilities including a brief employee biography.
Ernesto Giron, GIS senior analyst for the International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Cali, Colombia, won fourth prize and $2,500 for Drought Timing for Agronomic Screening. This interactive international soil map indicates soil type and quality in a specified area and its agricultural potential with respect to changes in climate.
Links to the winning mashups and related videos can be found at www.esri.com/apimashup.
Sidwell Announces Brand Name Change In GPS Solutions Division
March 17, 2010 - St. Charles, IL - Magellan Professional recently announced that effective immediately, its brand name has been changed to Ashtech. To complement this name change, Ashtech has introduced a totally new logo. The new logo conveys the precision the company’s customers expect from their products, and the new look updates the well-recognized Ashtech brand, bringing it firmly into the 21st century.
As Magellan Professional’s Midwest Distributor and a local dealer for their full line of GIS Mobile Mapping, Surveying, and GNSS Boards and Sensors solutions, The Sidwell Company welcomes the Ashtech brand. The Ashtech brand name brings a rich history of innovation and industry firsts, such as the introduction of the first commercial GPS+GLONASS receiver and the first full-color handheld GIS data collector. Sidwell’s GPS Solutions will continue to provide unparalleled support and customer service to our existing clients and our dedicated GPS Solutions Team looks forward to the opportunity to offer Ashtech brand hardware and software solutions to the mapping and surveying industries.
Three States Launch Interactive Maps with BroadbandStat
Illinois, Ohio, and Tennessee Put State Broadband Service Maps Online with ESRI's BroadbandStat
Redlands, California—March 15, 2010—Illinois, Ohio, and Tennessee residents and businesses can now simply type in an address to find out which companies provide broadband service in their area. All three states have posted online maps that allow Web site visitors to use BroadbandStat, an application based on ESRI geographic information system (GIS) technology, to enter any address in the state and retrieve a list of Internet providers that serve that location. Visitors to the Connect Ohio, Connect Illinois, or Connected Tennessee Web sites can also create maps of where cable, mobile, or DSL broadband is available; show statewide results by Census Block; and zoom in on results all the way to the street address level. Information on each state's demographic data, broadband and Internet adoption rates, and computer ownership rates (when available) can also be mapped.
"Now, business and industry can use this tool for relocation decisions, home buyers can use this while shopping for a home, and government and ECD [Department of Economic and Community Development] can use it for planning purposes," said Daryl Phillips, executive director of the Hickman County, Tennessee, ECD.
BroadbandStat was developed by ESRI in conjunction with Connected Nation, a nonprofit corporation and leader in promoting broadband expansion. The application gives states the ability to map information they have gathered from a variety of sources and provide a visual way of exploring the results. For example, the data used to create the Ohio BroadbandStat map is based on information gathered from more than 70 Ohio broadband providers and Connect Ohio's 2008 Residential Technology Assessment.
"The assembly of data from major providers is key to a comprehensive portrait of statewide coverage," said Morton O'Kelly, chair of the Department of Geography at Ohio State University. "As a geographer, I am immediately able to see significant regional contrasts, as well as gain a greater appreciation for the challenges facing providers as they attempt to complete coverage in lower-density rural areas."
States can use the combined data to pinpoint where the expansion of new broadband services will help support local economic development. The data is also a useful resource for policy makers, grant writers, and companies doing broadband investment research. Internet access to the maps gives the public a way to find information about broadband services in their area and give feedback, whether to report observations about the data or comment on their own broadband access and experience.
Twelve U.S. states and the territory of Puerto Rico will be using BroadbandStat to organize their broadband services data and make interactive maps available on the Internet. These activities are supported by more than $20 million in State Broadband Data and Development Grant Program funds that were made available through the Department of Commerce's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 for improving broadband accessibility across the nation.
For links to the Ohio, Illinois, and Tennessee sites and more information on BroadbandStat, visit www.esri.com/bbstat.
Sidwell Selected by Adair County, MO to Provide GIS Services
St. Charles, IL – In an effort to ensure their GIS data is current and readily available to the widest group of users possible, Adair County has once again selected Sidwell to provide them with professional GIS services. This project builds upon services provided to Adair County under a previous agreement with Sidwell, which included GIS data enhancement and countywide sign inventory.
As part of this project, Sidwell will prepare Adair County’s geodatabase for hard copy plotting, including creation of the page index feature class, locator maps, and map templates for each desired map scale. Sidwell will also provide the County with a complete set of tax maps (including aerial photography) that they can print on an as-needed basis using Sidwell’s Parcel Builder-MapPlotter® software solution.
Sidwell technology staff will also develop a GIS website for the County which will ensure open access to the County's parcel data. The design and operation will include website map navigation and parcel number querying application so that citizens and businesses can easily access land parcel and ownership information. The informative web site will include the County's digital orthophotography for display of aerial imagery allowing users to view the landscape as it really is. Designated county staff will also receive training on the use of the site to effectively perform queries, conduct property searches, and create and print resulting reports.
Additionally, Sidwell’s dedicated Mapping Services staff will perform parcel maintenance remotely on an as-needed basis. As maintenance tasks are performed, the change will be communicated to the County’s Vanguard “To-Do-List” via VPN. The County’s CAMAVision operator will then make the necessary change to the Vanguard database. The process of ongoing maintenance will protect Adair County’s original investment in GIS and ensure they continue to receive maximum value for that investment.
Spatial Focus and Farragut Systems Team Up to Fix Local Government’s Pervasive Addressing Problem
Longmont, CO, January 18, 2010 – The management and distribution of addresses is a problem that has long challenged local government. Errors and inconsistencies in addressing lead to issues such as:
- Decreased Revenues – Missing and/or wrong addresses can lead to tax assessment and collection problems, e.g., if you can’t find it, you can’t tax it
- Public Safety – Errors and/or inconsistencies can cause emergency services to show up in the wrong place
- Voting – Errors can lead to votes being cast in the wrong district
- Distribution of Services – Incorrect addressing can affect how services dollars are distributed
- Cost of Maintenance – Maintaining multiple addressing systems can lead to duplication of effort, decreased efficiency, and bad data
- Customer Service – Addressing errors can lead to frustration by the public
Spatial Focus, Inc. (www.spatialfocus.com), an industry leader in designing and implementing addressing solutions for local government and Farragut Systems, Inc. (www.farragut.com), a GIS solutions company whose AddressOne™ product is a robust commercial-off-the-shelf enterprise addressing solution, today announced a strategic partnership.
By leveraging Spatial Focus’ wide ranging expertise in addressing and Farragut Systems’ proven enterprise addressing solutions, the combined team will be able to offer a complete, end-to-end solution for the management and distribution of addresses in local government.
“Spatial Focus has unmatched expertise in the assessment, design, and implementation of addressing solutions,” said Greg Anderson, President of Farragut Systems. “We believe that their experience, combined with Farragut’s enterprise addressing solution, is a combination that will offer the first real solution to the addressing breakdowns that plague local governments.”
“Farragut Systems has developed the industry’s most comprehensive enterprise addressing products,” said Martha Wells, Spatial Focus Partner. “What’s more, their solutions are well-designed, they incorporate industry best practices, and they are based on open standards.”
About Spatial Focus:
Spatial Focus is a GIS consulting firm which has been working in the areas of address repositories, data modeling and database design, data standards, and quality assurance for the past 10 years. As the co-chairs of URISA’s Address Standard Working Group and the co-authors of the URISA workshop, "Addressing and GIS/IT Implementation," the Partners of Spatial Focus have continued to lead the drive towards address standardization, integration, and dissemination within local government. For more information about Spatial Focus, visit www.spatialfocus.com.
About Farragut Systems:
Since 1994, Farragut Systems’ has been leading the way in using GIS technology to help departmental applications—and personnel—work better together in the service of local constituencies. Farragut combines commercial-off-the-shelf products such as AddressOne and ParcelSync™ with proven deployment expertise to ensure that each solution delivers the expected results. Farragut Systems is a Microsoft® Gold Partner and a longstanding ESRI® Business Partner. For more information about Farragut Systems, visit www.farragut.com.
About AddressOne:
AddressOne, Farragut Systems’ Enterprise Addressing Product, is a robust enterprise addressing solution that is specifically designed to meet the needs of local government. AddressOne provides the following benefits:
- Streamlines address creation, validation and maintenance using robust GIS-based tools
- Increases the accuracy and reliability of address data
- Provides the ability to centrally manage and standardize the use of both physical and mailing addresses
- Provides the ability to query and validate addressing information
- Maintains a complete history of retired and obsolete addresses
- Provides a robust set of web services that allows AddressOne to be integrated with other departmental applications
For more information about AddressOne, visit www.farragut.com/products.html
January 14, 2010 - ORLANDO, Fla. --- Data Transfer Solutions (DTS), based in downtown Avalon Park, was recently awarded a $1.5 million IDIQ contract as part of the Metric Engineering team from the Florida Department of Transportation’s District Three, which covers northwest Florida and the panhandle.
A.M. “Trey” Fragala III, AICP, PMP chief operating officer at Data Transfer Solutions, said DTS will support the Metric team by providing as needed transportation planning support, GIS and applications/software development services to the FDOT.
Data Transfer Solutions provides geographic information systems (GIS), transportation planning and engineering, asset management, web design, custom applications development and video and multimedia production services to local governments and regional and state agencies throughout the U.S. The firm has offices in six states.
MARS® LiDAR Data Management Software Now Available Online
Aurora, CO – Dec. 16, 2009 – The GeoSpatial Solutions (GSS) division of Merrick & Company is pleased to announce the online availability of the new version 6.0 Merrick Advanced Remote Sensing (MARS®) software suite. Geospatial users interested in evaluating MARS® may download either the 32-bit or 64-bit software installers directly from the Merrick website at www.merrick.com/MARS.
Developed to support users working with very large light detection and ranging (LiDAR) datasets, the MARS® software suite is a robust, production‐grade Windows® application designed to manage, visualize, process, and analyze LiDAR data. Boasting powerful visualization capabilities and excellent data processing performance, MARS® also supports high-resolution orthoimagery, GIS/CAD vector data and hyperspectral imagery.
“We’re thrilled to offer our software tools to the public and expect to further enhance MARS® by adding toolsets for the energy, natural resources and defense markets. We’ve carried our most valuable tools forward and added many new features and enhancements that will appeal to many more users,” stated Matt Bethel, Manager of Systems Engineering, Merrick GeoSpatial Solutions.
Parties wishing to utilize the free, 30-day MARS® trial version should visit www.merrick.com/MARS and complete the download information form in order to access the free trial version. A valid e-mail address is required to receive the version 6.0 evaluation license.
ESRI President Jack Dangermond Invites Online Discussion on Climate Change at Spatial Roundtable
Conversation Coincides with COP15 in Copenhagen, Denmark
Redlands, California—December 10, 2009—On December 9, 2009, ESRI president Jack Dangermond opened an online discussion about the value of geographic information systems (GIS) to develop programs for carbon accounting and environmental sustainability. The conversation runs concurrently with the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) in Copenhagen, Denmark. ESRI's hosted Spatial Roundtable will provide an engaging online venue for environmental professionals to weigh in on their vision for geospatial technologies' role in meeting the climate change crisis.
"GIS has the robust capacity and capability to design the building blocks for carbon accounting systems including data, models, and delivery systems," said Dangermond. "It provides the tools needed for analyzing environmental practices as well as developing and monitoring sustainable greenhouse gas reduction plans. GIS users represent a vast reservoir of knowledge, expertise, and best practices for applying this cornerstone technology to the science of climate change and understanding its impact on natural and human systems. I look forward to a lively online discussion at the Spatial Roundtable."
Dangermond, an environmentalist who is a strong advocate of sustainable environmental management, has demonstrated a lifelong commitment to developing technology for monitoring and managing sustainable systems. In so doing, his company, ESRI, or Environmental Systems Research Institute, has become the world's leader in GIS technology.
"I invite environmental professionals who use GIS in their work to visit the Spatial Roundtable to discuss how organizations and businesses use this technology to help us understand and respond to climate change," Dangermond said.
Dangermond kicked off the climate change conversation by asking, "What do you think are the benefits of using GIS technology to advance climate change science?" He has invited special contributors to join the discussion and invites site visitors to add their comments. The climate change topic discussion will be active from December 13, 2009, through January 31, 2010, and will remain accessible for review in the Spatial Roundtable archive through 2011.
Visit www.spatialroundtable.com and join the conversation.
Sidwell Selected by Keya Paha County, Nebraska
St. Charles, IL – As a result of the release of updated statewide soil mapping data, Keya Paha County needed to implement new land capability groups as recommended by the State of Nebraska’s Property Assessment Division. In order to achieve compliance with the Property Assessment Division’s Directive 99-8, Keya Paha County has selected Sidwell to provide digital conversion of the County’s 2,600 land parcels. Once the conversion process is complete, Sidwell will then use its FARMS™ (Farmland Assessment and Report Management System) solution to provide soil calculations, land use calculations, and database linkages to all parcels to complete the assessment GIS and bring the County’s data into compliance. The resulting cadastral-based GIS is to be delivered to Keya Paha County via a new website which will be designed and hosted by Sidwell. The spatial data that will be featured on the site includes the new digital parcel data; the corresponding digital orthophotography; as well as a variety of parcel attribute data. Sidwell staff will provide consultation and training on the use of the website, which will allow County staff to perform queries, conduct property searches, and create and print reports on demand. With up-to-date parcel information in a centralized and accessible location, Keya Paha County will be able to efficiently share the data with end-users in County offices as well as the general public.
This marks the 25th county in 2009 that Sidwell has assisted in moving from paper records to an ESRI GIS-based land records management system.
EPA Maps Recovery Obligations and Outlays
Online GIS Application Shows where EPA Is Investing and How Much It Has Spent to Date
August 27, 2009 - Redlands, California—The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is using geographic information system (GIS) technology to show how it is administering its $7.22 billion allotment from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The ESRI ArcGIS Server software-based Web mapping application (click the link on http://www.epa.gov/recovery/map.html) shows total financial obligations and outlays by state. Once a state is selected, visitors can see how much money is going to State and Tribal Assistance Grants, Environmental Program and Management, the Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund, and Hazardous Substance Superfund.
"Providing this rich set of information to the public in an easy-to-use mapping application is one important way that we are operating in an open and transparent way," says Jerry Johnston, geospatial information officer, EPA. "By allowing the public to see exactly how EPA's ARRA funds are being disbursed in their states and, ultimately, in their neighborhoods, this application and the ones that will follow will help ensure an unprecedented level of accountability and transparency in the execution of these programs."
EPA has used ESRI GIS technology for years to manage its geographic data and deliver information to the public. The EnviroMapper portal, for example, provides access to GIS-based applications that map data related to air, water, and land issues across the United States including EnviroMapper for Environmental Justice and EnviroMapper for the Toxics Release Inventory Program. Most recently, EPA added MyEnvironment to its home page, which allows visitors to input a location and discover detailed information in the specified area such as air quality, cancer risk estimates, and water conditions. MyEnvironment is powered by ArcGIS Server and uses Microsoft Bing Maps.
"GIS supports EPA's mission to safeguard human health and the environment," says ESRI president Jack Dangermond. "Using GIS for research, reporting, and decision making has allowed the agency to quickly respond to environmental events and keep the public informed and protected."
About ESRI
Since 1969, ESRI has been giving customers around the world the power to think and plan geographically. The market leader in GIS, ESRI software is used in more than 300,000 organizations worldwide including each of the 200 largest cities in the United States, most national governments, more than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies, and more than 7,000 colleges and universities. ESRI applications, running on more than one million desktops and thousands of Web and enterprise servers, provide the backbone for the world's mapping and spatial analysis. ESRI is the only vendor that provides complete technical solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms. Visit us at www.esri.com.
ESRI, the ESRI globe logo, GIS by ESRI, ArcGIS, www.esri.com, and @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.
Sidwell to Provide E9-1-1 Mapping, Consulting, and Software Services to Wayne County, Illinois
July 22, 2009 - St. Charles, IL – Wayne County, located in southeastern Illinois, has a population of approximately 16,500 and covers an area of 716 square miles. The County has made the decision to move ahead with a comprehensive project to convert their Emergency Telephone System Board (ETSB) to E9-1-1 and implement Wireless Phase I/II. To support them in this critical initiative, the County has selected team of The Sidwell Company and Bullberry Systems, Inc. Sidwell previously provided GIS services for the County that included countywide aerial imagery and parcel development. Sidwell’s mapping expertise and familiarity with Wayne County will allow them to create a highly accurate base map that will be used by BullBerry Systems InSight Dispatch software; this base map will include a Road Centerline layer, an Address Point layer, a Postal Zone layer, and an Emergency Service Zone (ESZ) layer. Addressing assignments will follow all United States Postal Service and NENA standards. Bullberry Systems will provide the County with professional services to support the ETSB-to-E9-1-1 conversion, as well as the implementation of Wireless Phase I/II. The County will also receive Bullberry’s Insight Dispatch mapping software for the tracking of caller/incident locations, and efficient routing of emergency responders.
Wayne County will get the best of both worlds in the technology team of Sidwell/Bullberry. This project incorporates the leaders in the cadastral GIS world and leaders in the 9-1-1 software world into a project team dedicated to ensuring that Wayne County’s E9-1-1 mapping system will meet all their needs and requirements in its creation, implementation, long-term success, and most importantly, the safety and security of all residents of the County.
Sidwell Provides Cadastral Modernization for Robertson County Appraisal District, TX
St. Charles, IL - In 2008, the Robertson County Appraisal District, Texas, (RCAD) came to the realization that its digital mapping efforts could not provide the kinds of data and services necessary to serve its users in County offices or the citizens of the county. In fact, the existing CAD-based software was so out of date that the vendor no longer supported the version being used by RCAD. The digital parcel base also did not contain many fundamental cadastral features common to modern local government GIS schemas, such as roads or parcel dimensions. In addition, RCAD had also determined that they needed to integrate their GIS data with their Tax administration and CAMA databases, and to deploy that integrated data via web services.
RCAD selected The Sidwell Company to provide the professional GIS services required to achieve these goals. Three primary needs were put into the scope of work, with an eight month completion schedule to accomplish these tasks. The first was migration of the existing CAD parcel data into an ESRI® geodatabase, which would be further enhanced by structuring the geodatabase with the Sidwell Tagged Parcel Data model. The next was the development of a front end website providing access to Tax and CAMA data, and an integrated GIS website based on ESRI ArcGIS® Server technology. Finally, Sidwell’s team of professionals would work with RCAD staff on review, analysis, and implementation an improved land records workflow.
These efforts are supported by Sidwell’s industry acclaimed Parcel Builder® software suite, which feature a series of mapping productivity tools that are compliant with ArcGIS 9.3.1®. Work began on the project in December 2008, at which time the frontend website was the first task undertaken, at the request of RCAD. The site went live in early March 2009. Simultaneous with the web development was the complete remapping of all 35,000 parcels in Robertson County. Although the original intent was to make use of RCAD’s existing CAD-based parcel data, Sidwell recommended, and RCAD agreed, that they would achieve a more spatially accurate and robust data set by redrawing the cadastral data. This work was performed at no additional cost to the county. The completed geodatabase was delivered to the county in May, 2009. At the same time, training of RCAD staff to maintain the cadastral geodatabase using ArcGIS and Parcel Builder took place. The entire project was completed both on time, and within budget. Robertson CAD Mapper Dee-Dee Ferrell indicates that she is “very happy with our new Parcel Builder software, and can see ways that it will help tremendously with our ongoing mapping needs.” Ferrell adds “We’ve also found multiple properties we didn’t even know were missing from the tax roll, and we’re getting a lot of compliments on the quality of the data and the ease of sharing it through the website.”
By virtue of their partnership and successful working relationship with The Sidwell Company, the Robertson County Appraisal District has achieved their GIS objectives and now has the tools, and data, to provide the level of GIS and mapping services it has long desired to serve the needs of its entire user community. Visit Robertson CAD on the web: http://robertsontx.mygisonline.com.
ESRI Is a Finalist for Microsoft's Public Sector, Government Partner of the Year
Recognition Is for ESRI's Collaboration with Microsoft on Fusion Core Solution Technology for Data Fusion Centers
Redlands, California—July 2, 2009—ESRI, the leader in geographic information system (GIS) technology, was selected as one of two finalists for Microsoft's Public Sector, Government Partner of the Year award. The Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC) Award recognizes partners that have developed and delivered exceptional Microsoft-based solutions. This new award honors partners that have delivered innovative solutions that address the unique needs of the public sector.
Microsoft and ESRI, a Gold Certified Partner, collaborated to develop a compelling joint offering directed at the growing data fusion center market. The Fusion Core Solution technology architecture incorporates ESRI's sophisticated ArcGIS technology and delivers a standards-based solution tailored to state and local intelligence and fusion center missions and practices and is interoperable with existing technology infrastructures. The Fusion Core Solution technology enables the fusion center team to immediately assess and model emergency situations on a dynamic electronic map. This reduces cycle times and offers decision makers much higher quality and actionable information.
"ESRI is honored to be acknowledged for its efforts in this important venue," says Russ Johnson, ESRI public safety industry manager. "We teamed with Microsoft to develop an integrated software solution to support data fusion centers that merge large volumes of disparate information into actionable intelligence."
Microsoft presents awards in a number of categories, and winners are chosen from a pool of nearly 2,000 entrants worldwide. For this award, Microsoft recognizes the most valuable public-sector partner in delivering Microsoft solutions to its mutual customers during the past year. ESRI is the only GIS vendor to provide a complete suite of geospatial software solutions that can work as clients to the spatial extensions to SQL Server 2008. ESRI's applications, running on more than one million Windows desktops and millions of Web and Windows servers, provide the foundation for mapping and spatial analysis.
"Partners are the key to igniting business innovation through great technology as well as helping customers drive down costs," says Allison L. Watson, corporate vice president, Worldwide Partner Group, Microsoft Corp. "Congratulations to the 2009 WPC Award finalists who have demonstrated a superior level of expertise as well as a focus on delivering customer value. We look forward to seeing these partners fulfill their limitless potential as they continue to provide customers with world-class Microsoft solutions."
The Sidwell Company to Provide Data Conversion and Parcel Builder™ Software to Jefferson County, CO
June 23, 2009 - St. Charles, IL – In November 2008, Jefferson County, Colorado issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purposes of acquiring parcel data conversion services and parcel maintenance software for their Assessor’s office. With the responsibility of parcel maintenance for more than 200,000 parcels in more than 170 taxing entities, the Jefferson County, Colorado Assessor was faced with the need to upgrade and improve the way in which this his office handled this critical need. The County and Assessor Jim Everson clearly defined their desire for a state-of-the-art solution that would support his land parcel information needs and workflow strategy. After review of the solutions offered by the vendors who responded to their RFP, Jefferson County selected The Sidwell Company to provide the parcel data conversion and parcel maintenance solution the County sought. By selecting Sidwell’s team of GIS and mapping experts, Jefferson County will be able to take advantage of the many GIS technology innovations that Sidwell has been a part of, and they will also reinvent their geodatabase design to serve their needs for many years into the future.
The Sidwell team will prepare a prototype geodatabase schema using information gathered at the County. Upon acceptance of this geodatabase, all existing cadastral data will be converted to an ESRI geodatabase feature dataset based on the tagged data model. The County also elected to purchase Sidwell’s Parcel Builder® software. Parcel Builder is a suite of software developed by Sidwell for the specific purpose of creating and maintaining cadastral maps. It is compliant with ArcGIS 9.3.1, and extends the functionality of ESRI’s ArcGIS software platform by introducing over 40 tools to improve GIS-based land records workflows.
Jefferson County has also selected Manatron as their CAMA vendor, and will benefit from the ongoing partnership between Sidwell and Manatron which will provide the County with a long-term integrated workflow solution between their GIS and CAMA data. According to John Hansen, GIS Programmer/Analyst with the Jefferson County Assessors’s Office, "Jefferson County concluded that Sidwell’s approach to GIS/CAMA integration provides the most synergy with our long-term strategic goals.” Adds Hansen, “We also concluded that the tagged-line data model is ideal because it is cartographically based, and can leverage our current data model as we transition from coverages to the geodatabase." Ultimately, Jefferson County will have a streamlined cadastral system that will support their land records management needs and help the Assessor’s staff provide the necessary services to their constituents in the most efficient manner possible.
Pictometry Promotes Hepp to VP of International Business Development
Rochester, NY - June 17, 2009 - Pictometry International Corp. announces the promotion of Alex Hepp to Vice President of International Business Development.
In this new position, Hepp is responsible for growing Pictometry’s international product sales and working directly with the Company’s international licensees. Pictometry’s international business currently has eight international technology licensees, each of which utilizes Pictometry’s proprietary technology to provide imagery to government and commercial customers, together covering more than 140 countries and territories around the world. Pictometry’s extensive international image library currently includes coverage of more than 1,500 cities and locations in Europe, the Americas, Australia, Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
Hepp joined the company in 2006 as Manager of Assessment Operations and has been instrumental in helping Pictometry develop and grow its product offering and brand awareness among users in tax assessment and valuation. Prior to joining the Company, he was Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Mobile Video Services, Inc. Kansas City, Missouri, a leading imaging and field data collection company.
About Pictometry
Pictometry International Corp. is a leading provider of geo-referenced, aerial image libraries and related software. Pictometry has captured over 50 million digital aerial images in over 600 counties in the United States covering over 70 percent of the United States population. Using its proprietary imaging process, Pictometry® captures geo-referenced, high-resolution oblique (at an angle, producing a 3-D like view) and orthogonal (straight down) Intelligent Images®, within which structures and land features can be measured. Pictometry customizes and markets these technologies for government and commercial applications, offering non-traditional software solutions to aerial imaging needs. Pictometry’s imagery and software enables users to “See Everywhere, Measure Anything, Plan Everything”® using a patented digital information system. Pictometry has its headquarters in Rochester, NY and an office in Europe. Pictometry is a second order visualization tool that does not produce authoritative or definitive information (surveying) from its digital, aerial images. For more information on Pictometry, visit www.pictometry.com.
Three Georgia eGPS Base Stations have been added to the National CORS Program
NORCROSS, GA, May 21, 2009 – Three additional GPS satellite base stations owned by eGPS Solutions are now being processed into the National Geodetic Survey (NGS) Continuously Operating Reference Stations (CORS) program.
These base stations are part of the eGPS Real Time Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) Network. Every CORS-approved base station provides the Global Navigation Satellite System carrier phase and code range measurements in support of 3-dimensional positioning activities throughout the United States and its territories. As part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), NGS invites organizations and individuals to share data from their permanent GPS base stations by including these stations in the National CORS network.
Each CORS-approved base station must meet significant criteria including having dual frequency receiver/antenna oriented to true North with approved NGS phase center variability model, tracking at least ten satellites above 0 degrees, with pseudorange precision to better than 0.5 meter RMS, and many additional measurements and rules. Surveyors, engineers, scientists, and others can use data provided by CORS to position points at which GNNS data have been collected. This system enables accuracies in positioning of a few centimeters, both horizontally and vertically, relative to the National Spatial Reference System.
In developing its Real Time Network, eGPS Solutions has designed and built all of its base stations to the CORS specification. The newly added stations are Brunswick, GA (gabk), Tifton, GA (gatf), and Blakely, GA (gaby). The addition of these CORS stations will add to the accuracy of OPUS solutions within the boundaries of Georgia as well as the post processed static and mapping grade measurements. The firm is proud to be serving as the backbone of geodetic control throughout Georgia.
Located in Norcross, Georgia, eGPS Solutions, Inc. owns and operates a GNSS RTN covering all of Georgia and Florida and extending approximately five miles off the coastline of both states. It is the largest privately owned GNSS Real Time Network (RTN) in the United States. Originally conceived as the brainchild of ardent industry professionals with a penchant for advancing the surveying and mapping industries, it was not built as a service to accompany and promote the sales for a specific manufacturer's equipment. This has given eGPS Solutions the unique opportunity to benefit a broader spectrum of professionals. The RTN technologies utilized by the eGPS Solutions network of RTN reference stations replace conventional Real-Time Kinematic (RTK) base station methods by eliminating the need for individual, temporary base stations. For more information on eGPS Solutions, visit www.egps.net or contact Lonnie Sears, 770-695-3361, lsears@egps.net.
Sidwell to Provide GIS Services to City of Beloit, WI
May 14, 2009 - St. Charles, IL – As they analyzed their current land records management processes and workflows, the City of Beloit recognized the need to modernize and automate their mapping system, and make it easier to distribute and deploy data to all potential users. According to the City’s GIS Coordinator Keith Houston, “We knew we wanted a solution that would incorporate state-of-the-art GIS technology, be capable of supporting our land parcel information needs, and fit seamlessly with our chosen workflow strategy.” After a comprehensive qualifications-based selection process, the City chose The Sidwell Company to serve as their GIS consultant.
Sidwell—a provider of geographic information systems, aerial photography, cadastral mapping and website provision services—will convert the City of Beloit’s current cadastral data into an ESRI® ArcGIS® Geodatabase platform, and provide an ESRI-based software solution for maintaining the GIS. This GIS solution will also support a direct interface to the City’s application for tax cycle administration. The City will receive Sidwell’s Parcel Builder™ integrated software suite for use in maintaining the converted data, as well as several hours of customized training on how to maximize use of this mapping productivity toolkit. The County is also contracting with Sidwell to provide mapping services to prepare the cadastral database for plotting, including the creation of map indexes, templates and symbology style sets that are designed for use with the Parcel Builder-MapPlotter™ software module.
Along with data conversion, Sidwell will develop and maintain a GIS website for the City. The new website will include a map navigation capability and a parcel number querying application with which users of the website (i.e. citizens and businesses) can easily access land parcel and ownership information. At the completion of this project, the City will have all its parcel data in the most current technology from ESRI; an integrated parcel management system for daily maintenance and map production, a public access website, and training that will allow them to manage and extend the system on their own. The overall impact of this project will be to accomplish the City’s ultimate objective with regard to their land parcel maintenance needs: they will be able to increase the accuracy of their parcel data creation and maintenance in a true GIS environment.
About this project, Neal Carpenter, President and CEO of The Sidwell Company, says ““We are thrilled to have been selected by The City of Beloit, and are dedicated to meeting their needs and exceeding their expectations. I am confident that the outstanding GIS staff at the City will use the results of this project to meaningfully improve the quality of the services they provide to the people of Beloit.”
BOONE COUNTY MISSOURI GIS SELECTS SANBORN
Colorado Springs, Colo., May 13, 2009—Sanborn today announced the company’s St Louis office has been awarded a contract by Boone County, Missouri. Sanborn will provide the county’s 2009 mapping project with LiDAR and color digital orthophotos. The project, funded by the Boone County Assessor’s Office, covers a total of 1106 square miles, of which 466 square miles will be used to create highly accurate 2’ contour and planimetric data layers used throughout the county for assessment, stormwater management, planning and design purposes. The project also includes cost-sharing with the USGS and the Corps of Engineers that resulted in a regional LiDAR flight of 1106 square miles to support the improvement of elevation data in the region.
“We are pleased to support Boone County,” states Bob Williams, vice president of Sanborn’s Imagery Services Central. “The county is very knowledgeable on the use of this technology and we look forward to supporting their requirements.”
Sanborn will use LiDAR, a technology that uses laser beams fired from airplanes, to create the areas’ digital elevation model. The high-resolution elevation data provided by Sanborn will give users significant insight into the terrain of the county. The LiDAR deliverable is FEMA compliant and will be an invaluable addition to the county’s GIS. Orthophotos will be produced from digital cameras providing both high resolution detail and when combined with the elevation data collected from LiDAR, highly accurate mapping products.
“Sanborn met or exceeded our requirements for the project. They are experienced and have supported other projects in Missouri and the Midwest.” says Jason Warzinik, Boone County’s GIS Manager. Multiple county departments, various agencies, private consultants, the USGS, the Corp of Engineers, among others will be able to utilize the data Sanborn collects for a variety of purposes including land valuation and assessment, roadway design, sewer and storm water planning as well as flood mitigation. The data will also help officials in their emergency response planning and response efforts.
The entire project will be completed by March 2010 enabling the county to provide current, critical information for the programs and to its partners.
April 8, 2009 -Sidwell to Provide Photogrammetric and Professional GIS Services to Lake County, IN
St. Charles, IL – After determining the need for updated aerial photography to support the ongoing spatial enhancement of their cadastral data, Lake County Surveyor George Van Til, has chosen The Sidwell Company to undertake a multi-phase photogrammetric project for his large Northwest Indiana County. Sidwell is eager to assist a longtime, valued client by providing aerial photography and related topographic services to support the continued growth of the county’s robust GIS. Using an Airborne Global Positioning System (AGPS), in conjunction with ground-based GPS survey technology for control, Sidwell will secure spring 2009 color aerial photography for use in developing two-foot topographic contour maps, which are needed by the Lake County Surveyor’s Office to support its drainage and storm water management duties.
During the first phase of this project, the photogrammetric work will be done for approximately one-third of Lake County, focused on a key area in which the most growth and the most recent land development changes have occurred. Subsequent work phases will include the capture of aerial photography and creation of two-foot topographic contours for all other areas within the county, eventually providing complete coverage of the entire jurisdiction which includes 626 square miles. In addition, the Surveyor’s Office website will be upgraded with a number of useful and usable enhancements. Sidwell will also install the industry-acclaimed ArcGIS®-compliant parcel map maintenance solution, Parcel Builder™ Version 3.3, and office staff will receive several days of on-site customized training on its use.
Following the lead of the Surveyor’s Office, several other Lake County government offices will be working with Sidwell on a variety of GIS-related professional services to augment their own unique use of the county’s cadastral data – all part of a county-wide effort to move toward establishing a more integrated, enterprise GIS. With funding provided by a seven member County Council, a contract approved by the three County Commissioners, and plans supported by many different governmental offices, Sidwell is ready to address the GIS needs of the Assessor, as well as the Parks, Planning, and Highway Departments. This project will include providing data integration services to the county’s Planning Department, converting data for the county’s Highway Department, and performing farmland assessment computations for use by the County Assessor’s office, in determining agricultural parcel value and assessment.
Veteran Lake County Surveyor George Van Til, the consistent driving force behind Lake County’s geographic Information System pointed out; “As our GIS has matured and it’s functionality continues to advance, Sidwell provides the sophisticated, state-of-the-art information technology we need along with a genuine understanding of the specific public service requirements that various governmental offices must respond to.” Adds Van Til, “I like the fact that the Sidwell Company experts have the flexibility we sometimes need in government while maintaining their focus on the mission and our goals. This has been invaluable to us.”
April 2, 2009 - Data Transfer Solutions Approved by the Federal Government to be Listed on the GSA
ORLANDO, Fla. --- Data Transfer Solutions, LLC, the downtown Avalon Park-based technology company that provides professional Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software engineering and web development services to local and state government agencies, recently qualified for inclusion on the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) list of approved contract providers.
A.M. “Trey” Fragala III, AICP, chief operating officer at Data Transfer Solutions, said inclusion on the list is a critical first step to securing federal government contracts to provide technology-based services, such as custom applications development and web development.
Data Transfer Solutions has three other technical offices – in Tampa, Jacksonville and Fort Collins, Colo. – and sales offices in San Antonio, Boston, Portland, Ore., Chicago and Charlotte.
Oregon Signs ESRI ELA and Adopts ArcGIS Platform as the GIS Standard
State Becomes Sixth to Embrace ELA Program for Cost Savings and Increased Flexibility
Redlands, California—March 31, 2009—The State of Oregon has signed an enterprise license agreement (ELA) with ESRI. With unlimited access to ESRI ArcGIS software, the state cuts procurement costs and encourages widespread GIS application development for more efficient operations. Oregon has already leveraged its ELA to develop a GIS-based stimulus funds tracking Web site. It joins states across the United States that are realizing the value of ESRI ELAs including Alabama, Delaware, Maine, Montana, and North Carolina.
“Our goal is to meet the business needs of all our staff, from novice GIS users to experts,” said Cy Smith, statewide GIS coordinator, Department of Administrative Services/Geospatial Enterprise Office. “Ongoing access to the software means agencies can expand application development. Agencies that have not yet started using it can do so. Now, a lot more people will create geospatial data to improve specific business processes and government services that require interagency coordination.”
Oregon also recently passed legislation making ESRI technology the standard for GIS in all state agencies. The administrative rule is Oregon’s first IT standard. Operating from this common foundation with wide access to ArcGIS software will ease GIS software administration and improve collaboration, data sharing, and communication across agencies. The ELA, combined with the state’s GIS standard, will encourage rapid growth of navigatOR, Oregon’s initiative to cost-effectively develop and manage statewide geospatial data in coordination with local, state, tribal, and federal government. The state’s data and Web mapping applications are available via Oregon Explorer.
“Oregon’s move to standardize on ArcGIS software and secure the GIS software it needs will help the state optimally serve government agencies and citizens,” said ESRI President Jack Dangermond. “As states across the nation face growing demands to do more with less, Oregon provides a strong example of how they can use GIS technology to move government forward.”
ArcGIS software provides spatial analysis, geographic data management, advanced visualization and cartographic capabilities, and more. ArcGIS software is a complete system to author, serve, and use geographic information. The open and interoperable technology gets geographic information to those who need it including analysts, decision makers, field staff, and the public through its support of mobile, Web, and desktop clients.
For more information about ESRI ELAs for government, contact 800-447-9778 or visit www.esri.com/governmentela.
