Eric D. Colburn, PLS

Here’s a neat video I came across showing Microsoft Street Slide browsing of street-level imagery.

The Microsoft Research YouTube Channel has this to say about this video:

“Street Slide is a novel browsing interface for street-level imagery that combines the best aspects of the immersive nature of “bubbles” with the overview provided by multiperspective strip panoramas, figures to attract significant interest, in large part because of the ingenious way in which Microsoft Researchers tackle problems with current street-side imagery on the web.”

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Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: Leica XPro 4.3 – HiRes Ortho Processing Reduces Flight Lines and Increases Productivity

Today, Leica Geosystems announced that their leading line sensor workflow, the Leica XPro, has been updated with new features.  Leica XPro  4.3 – HiRes Ortho Processing provides advanced ground processing from data download to image generation and users of the new version XPro 4.3 can now take advantage of the Leica HiRes orthophoto processing. Leica says that this will increases orthophoto productivity by reducing the number of flight lines.

About Leica Geosystems

Leica Geosystems has a long history of almost 200 years of land surveying and measuring solutions. You’ve got to love a company, like Leica Geosystems, whose moto is “When it has to be right.“ Professionals from around the globe utilize Leica Geosystems products and services to help them capture, analyze, and present spatial information. Leica Geosystems, part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden, is based in Heerbrugg, Switzerland. They report having over 3,500 employees, tens of thousands of customers located in 28 countries, and hundreds of partners located in more than 120 countries around the world.

Leica XPro 4.3  and Leica XPro Image Viewer Read the rest of this entry →

Professional Land Surveyor News

Professional Land Surveyor News: GeoEye Receives U.S. Government Contract Award for New Web Mapping Service

GeoEye, Inc., announced this week that it has signed a modification to a contract with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to provide Web mapping services under the NGA’s Rapid Delivery of Online GEOINT (RDOG) program. This contract modification was made so that GeoEye can provide for Rapid Delivery of High-Resolution Commercial Satellite Imagery to Department of Defense Users.

GeoEye reports that this Web hosting and dissemination contract modification is in addition to ongoing production work being done under the RDOG contract originally awarded in June 2009 and under GeoEye’s Service Level Agreement with the NGA.

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Professional Land Surveyor News

MAPPS Seeks Legislation in Congress to Authorize “Imagery for the Nation” “Making America Prosperous (MAP) Act” Would Create National Geospatial Image Maps

A bill to authorize the program known within the geospatial community as “Imagery for the Nation” is being presented for introduction in Congress, MAPPS announced today.

“‘Map it once, use it many times’ is not only a mantra in the geospatial community, but it is technologically feasible through the use of satellite and aerial imagery and geographic information systems. To save tax dollars, create private sector jobs, and provide baseline geographic data for economic development and a variety of other applications beneficial to government programs and private business and investment, MAPPS is urging Congress to authorize and fund a program of geospatial image maps of the United States through a bill known as the Making America Prosperous Act, or MAP Act,” said Jeff Lovin, PS,CP, (Woolpert, Inc, Dayton, OH) MAPPS President.

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USGS Director McNutt a Leader in U.S. Delegation at International Conference

3D Black Hills, South Dakota, USA

Free, easily accessible U.S. satellite data enables any citizen, scientist, or analyst who can use the information to contribute to a shared vision of the challenges facing our planet.

That’s the message the newly-appointed director of the U.S. Geological Survey, Dr. Marcia McNutt, plans to deliver when representatives of 80 governments and over 50 participating organizations convene at the international Group on Earth Observations (GEO-VI) meeting, November 16-17, in Washington, D.C.

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VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. -- A United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket was launched here at 11:51 a.m. Oct. 8. The Delta II was launched on behalf of Boeing Launch Services. (U.S. Air Force photo/Airman 1st Class Andrew Lee)

VANDENBERG AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. – Vandenberg successfully launched a Delta II rocket from Space Launch Complex late last week.

The rocket carried WorldView-2, a high-resolution, remote-sensing satellite, into polar orbit.

With confirmation of the payload’s delivery into orbit and signal acquisition, the launch was pronounced a success.

Col. David Buck, the 30th Space Wing commander, was the launch decision authority for this mission.

“There really is nothing quite as exciting as seeing one of these powerful little rockets jump off the pad,” Col Buck said. “I’m incredibly proud of this wing and its mission partners for the way they conquer the immense technical difficulties of space lift operations and make it look so easy.”

Once operational, WorldView-2 will join a constellation of satellites belonging to DigitalGlobe. It will produce high-resolution, world-imagery products and services for defense and intelligence, government, and commercial clients.

The Delta II is an expendable launch, medium-lift vehicle. First launched in 1989, the Delta II’s primary mission was to carry Air Force GPS satellites into orbit. Today, it is used to launch military, civil and commercial payloads into low-earth, polar, geosynchronous transfer and stationary orbits.

“The Delta II is one of my favorite rockets; I’ve been launching them since I was a lieutenant colonel,” Colonel Buck said. “I’m very confident whenever I am working with this rocket, but I am even more confident when I work with this team.”

Vandenberg is next scheduled to launch an Atlas V carrying a payload for the Defense Meterological Satellite Program on Oct. 18.

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Professional Land Surveyor Source

U.S. AIR FORCE - Vandenberg Base

Ten Geospatial Organizations Endorse IFTN

Professional Land Surveyor Source: National States Geographic Information Council

The leadership of ten geospatial organizations has jointly agreed to support a simple resolution in support of a national digital imagery program:

Be it resolved that the undersigned geospatial organizations support the funding and establishment of an operational program consistent with Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) within the US government with the responsibility for acquisition of high resolution digital imagery over the United States.

The leadership of these organizations met in a conference call on July 22 to discuss the resolution and voted via e-mail over the following day in order to have a position in place for the July 23 Congressional oversight hearing on Federal Geospatial Data Management.

The following organizations agreed to support the resolution:

• American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)
• American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
• Association of American Geographers (AAG)
• Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CAGIS)
• Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA)
• GIS Certification Institute (GISCI)
• International Association of Assessing Officers (IAAO)
• National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)
• University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
• Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)

Imagery for the Nation (IFTN) is a NSGIC initiative to support the development of a sustainable and flexible digital imagery program that meets the needs of local, state, regional, tribal and federal agencies.

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Professional Land Surveyor Source:

American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)

Use of Synthetic Aperture Sonar Results in Significant Project Cost Reduction

SUNNYVALE, California, July 10, 2009 – Applied Signal Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: APSG) (AST), a market leader in advanced underwater imaging systems as well as other intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance systems, today announced that it had recently assisted C & C Technologies, Inc., using its PROSAS™ Surveyor synthetic aperture sonar (SAS) system to survey the integrity of seven pipeline structures in the Gulf of Mexico for a major oil company. Specifically, AST was tasked to evaluate the critical positioning of mattresses that are used to protect exposed pipelines from marine traffic, tidal scour, and storm impact and to determine whether structural repairs were required. C & C Technologies, Inc.  is a privately-owned international surveying and mapping company specializing in deepwater services.

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