Eric D. Colburn, PLS

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News-European Environment Agency and Esri Put Map Service in Cloud

August 17, 2010

Redlands, California—The European Environment Agency (EEA) and Esri have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The agreement supports the design and development of ways to share and access essential geographic environmental data provided by the agency’s 38 European member countries.

EEA, which already uses Esri’s geographic information system (GIS) products, will now work closely with Esri to improve the agency’s cloud environment map services. European countries will share their environmental data more easily, while nations, agencies, scientists, and policy makers will be able to quickly access and consume the data for viewing and analysis.

“Our partnership with Esri provides us with innovative solutions to reach out to our key stakeholders and present them with timely and relevant information as they need it,” said Jacquie McGlade, EEA’s executive director. “The agency will now also be able to work directly with citizens in the coproduction of knowledge via open access to data, creation of personalized maps, and simple ways of sharing data among social networks. The two-way exchange of knowledge and expertise between Esri and the EEA underlines just how business and the public sector can work well together to build answers for tomorrow’s challenges.”

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News Trimble Introduces New Desktop and GPS Handheld Solution for Utility and  Smart Grid Asset Maintenance and Inspection

SAN DIEGO, July 12, 2010 — Trimble (NASDAQ:TRMB) introduced today a new version of its Trimble® Field Inspector solution for utility infrastructure and smart grid asset maintenance and inspection. The solution is comprised of the Trimble Field Inspector software for handheld computers and Trimble Field Inspector Desktop software. Scalable and easy to deploy, the solution leverages Trimble Global Positioning System (GPS) and handheld computing technology to automate a wide variety of field applications for electric, gas, water, and wastewater utilities—from smart meter deployments to routine asset maintenance inspections.

The announcement was made today at the ESRI International User Conference.

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Humor? Insight? Snarky? You be the judge.

The following link will take you to a Professional Land Surveyor / Geographic Information System (GIS) article published in GPSWORLD online entitled, “Get It Surveyed (GIS)”.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Trimble Acquires LET Systems to Expand its Utilities
Solutions for Smart Grid Outage and Incident Management

SUNNYVALE, Calif., March 5, 2010 — Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) announced today it has acquired privately-held LET Systems based in Cork, Ireland. LET Systems is an internationally recognized leader in incident and outage management system (OMS) solutions for utilities. The acquisition is part of Trimble’s strategic utilities and smart grid initiative to bring productivity solutions to the global utilities industry. Financial terms were not disclosed.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Trimble Introduces Indoor Mobile Mapping Solution for Capturing Interior Spaces in 2D and 3D Visualization Models

Delivers Rapid, Easy and High-productivity Indoor Mapping

HOUSTON, Feb. 8, 2010 — Trimble (NASDAQ: TRMB) introduced today an indoor mobile mapping solution for facilities management. Using innovative technologies, the solution produces fast and accurate maps allowing users to translate their environments directly into 2D & 3D models of structured interiors. The solution enables building owners, facilities managers, engineers and construction professionals to more efficiently plan and manage building assets and properties.

The announcement was made today at SPAR 2010 Conference on 3D Imaging and Positioning.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Geospatial Consortium Implements Land Registry System in Anhui Province, China

BEIJING, CHINA — International Land Systems (ILS), Inc. with the Anhui Agricultural Commission held a commencement meeting for the China Rural Land Certification and Registration Program, a technical assistance pilot project funded by the United States Trade and Development Agency (USTDA).

The project aims to allow Chinese residents in Anhui province’s rural Feidong county to register farm plots and gain land lease certificates.  States Yang Zhao, Vice-Secretary for China’s Center for Rural Development Policy, “The goal is to further protect farmers’ rights by reducing uncertainty pertaining to land ownership, and by providing clearer and more complete information pertaining to designated land rights for farmers.”  The Chinese government has set the policy framework to protect farmers’ rights through the 11th Five Year Plan, but much work remains to survey individual farmers’ plots and document individuals’ ownership status.

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China Information Security Technology Wins National Surveying & Mapping Awards
October 14, 2009 – 8:00 AM EDT

China Information Security Technology, Inc., (Nasdaq:CPBY) (“China Information Security,” “CIST” or the “Company”), a leading total solutions provider of digital security,geographic information, and hospital information systems in China, today announced that three of the Company’s projectshave been honored with high level awards in the surveying and mapping industry in China.

The Company’s “Multi-source Spatial Information Network Sharing Software Platform and Engineering Applications” project was awarded first place for the Surveying and Mapping Science and Technology Progress Award by the Chinese Society for Geodesy Photogrammetry and Cartography (the “Society”) while the Company’s “Zhejiang Provincial Geographic Information System” project won second place. In addition, the Company’s “Nanchang Digital Garden” project was awarded third place in the Outstanding Surveying and Mapping Engineering Award. These awards are granted annually by the Society to companies and projects that have created innovative technology, found innovative and beneficial applications for existing technology, successfully adopted and developed upon foreign technology or that have achieved excellence in technological information administration, as determined by the National Science and Technology Award Principles.

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ESRI president Jack Dangermond video at the 2009 Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, California, talking about Realizing Spatial Intelligence on the GeoWeb. Covered in his talk is:

• GeoWeb.
• WebGIS
• Cartographic Knowledge
• Geographic Knowledge Created in GIS Environments.
• Data and Web Services.
• Sharing of Geographic Knowledge.
• Spatially Integrated Thinking to a Broader Society
• Leveraging Investments Developing Basemaps.
• Leveraging Investments Developing Thematic Datasets.
• Leveraging Investments Developing other Spatial Assets.

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PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY

In this week’s PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR SURVEY I’m asking if you use GIS (Geographic Information Systems). As you will see, I not only am asking if you use GIS, but also, if not, then are you interested in learning about GIS. Yes, I am trying to lead into a conversation here.

This is a dicey question, because GIS has slipped into our everyday lives, whether it’s in our personal or professional lives. Google Earth, Bing, MapQuest, you name it -GIS is here to stay and it can be about the data, or the software.

I’m sure that at the very least you’ve used some ortho photo’s in creating a drawing or two. However, I see where the merging of the GIS world and the Professional Land Surveyor’s world is coming together. And, this is good.

So vote on the survey. Read the rest of this entry →