Topcon Positioning Group has released Topcon Point Manager, a point creation software that’s available as a plug-in for Autodesk AutoCAD and Autodesk Revit users in the U.S. and Canada. According to Topcon, the solution is designed to automate point creation and easily import and export layout files to and from a robotic total station. It’ll also simplify the BIM-to-field process... read more
We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” —Astronaut Gene Cernan’s closing words, the twelfth and last person on the moon as he stepped back into the Apollo XVII Lunar Module on December 13, 1972. Apollo was about vision, courage and discovery. Apollo helped unravel the mysteries of the moon... read more
Teledyne Technologies will acquire FLIR Systems in a cash and stock transaction valued at $8 billion, both companies announced on Jan. 4. Teledyne is a provider of sophisticated instrumentation, digital imaging products and software, aerospace and defense electronics, and engineered systems. Its operations are primarily in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Western and Northern Europe. Founded in 1978, FLIR... read more
SimActive Inc., a developer of photogrammetry software, has integrated its Correlator3D product into lidar systems for drones developed by Lidar USA. Possible configurations include two side-by-side cameras that allow matching the footprint of the lidar sensor, a particularly useful setup for corridor mapping. SimActive’s Correlator3D software is used for automatically registering the imagery with the lidar data. Once a perfect... read more
Reef Support, an automatic warning system that uses artificial (AI) and satellite imagery to detect coral bleaching, algal blooms, sediment plumes and debris caused by humans, won the Copernicus Masters 2020 competition. The Reef Support team includes Crystle Wee, Yohan Runhaar, Marcel Kempers, Marijn van der Laan and Eilidh Radcliff. Reef Support addresses both the environmental and economic aspects at... read more
RedTail Lidar Systems partnered with an engineering firm to demonstrate the RTL-400 lidar system’s high-resolution, high-accuracy mapping capability. According to the company, its lidar imagery was used to generate as-built conditions of a steep ravine to aid in long-term monitoring of the slopes under which a natural gas pipeline was buried. A narrow road traversing the top of the ravine... read more
Aerial mapping company Bluesky is releasing its entire catalog of geographically referenced oblique aerial images of cities in the United Kingdom (UK) via a new subscription-based streaming service. Working with Geoxphere, a specialist in cloud-based GIS, Bluesky will offer MetroVista imagery via an easy-to-use web viewer that also includes measurement tools for detailed analysis of building features, façade details and... read more
Tenacity of spirit is one of the great virtues. Supporters of geospatial technology have often had to endure steadfast resolve convincing others of the multi-dimensional value GIS provides. It is a battle best won by seeing and doing rather than by words. Jack Maple proved the value of GIS to public safety in the early 1990s by using it to... read more
The Caribbean Division of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) has focused on monitoring, protecting and restoring the region’s marine environments for more than 40 years. As the plight of coral reefs has become more urgent, so too have TNC’s efforts to tackle coral conservation, and meet the demands for better maps. “Reef maps are an essential tool for coral resource managers,... read more
The NEXTMap Elevation Data Suite from Intermap Technologies is now offered on the UP42 developer platform for Earth observation data and analytics. UP42 gives users direct access to extensive Earth observation datasets and advanced processing algorithms, and Intermap Technologies, based in Englewood, Colorado, is a provider of geospatial datasets, solutions and software. The NEXTMap 3D elevation products are available as... read more
