Warning: Undefined array key "upload_with_nude_flag" in /www/www_com/htdocs/get_weekly_feature_ad.inc.php on line 69
Message from the Editor -
Welcome to GISWeekly! Certainly much discussion has revolved around the ripples sent out to the consumer market by geographic exploration systems such as Virtual Earth or Google Earth. But what about the middle market, those who are computer savvy but not necessarily geospatially aware? Read about a 64-bit GIS for Windows that targets that community of users in this week's Industry News.
GISWeekly examines select top news each week, picks out worthwhile reading from around the web, and special interest items you might not find elsewhere. This issue will feature Industry News, Top News of the Week, Announcements, Contract Awards, Awards, People, New Products, Letters to the Editor and Upcoming Events.
GISWeekly welcomes letters and feedback from readers, so let us know what you think. Send your comments to me Here.
Best wishes,
Susan Smith, Managing Editor
Industry News
64-bit GIS for Windows
by Susan Smith
|
Certainly much discussion has revolved around the ripples sent out to the consumer market by geographic exploration systems such as Virtual Earth or Google Earth. But what about the middle market, those who are computer savvy but not necessarily geospatially aware? Manifold.net is a company that addresses those users, offering an accessible, powerful GIS for those Windows users who want to be able to use geospatial information. Manifold System which is now in its 7x release, is dubbed “the world's first 64-bit GIS for Windows.”
Recently manifold.net came out with their 7.00 release. The release reads and writes approximately 80 file formats. The enterprise edition provides simultaneous access to Oracle, IBM and Microsoft from a single application. These companies offered free versions of their databases on DVD included with the release. Additionally, Manifold integrates GIS with Oracle Spatial, it can now modify geometry and attributes and store in other databases and applications, and integrate with Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps and Virtual Earth.
Version 7x goes one step further with its 64-bit GIS for Windows. According to Dimitri Rotow, product manager, “We saw the transition to 64-bit about a year ago. When AMD came out with their 64-bit architectures and beta editions of 64-bit Windows became widely dispersed, we saw the cutover when professional GIS users pretty much stopped buying 32-bit hardware. The PCs they were procuring were all dual core 64-bit. If you look at those machines these days, a 64-bit dual core machine costs the same as an ordinary 32-bit machine, so why would you buy the lesser one?” The 64-bit performance opens users up to the latest advances in modern processors and Microsoft Windows advances.
|
Manifold is the brainchild of a group who were originally at Intel, including Rotow, who was a product manager of their workstation operation. They did a supercomputer joint venture with the Department of Defense, which was titled “the world's fastest computer.” “I helped organize the team of mathematicians and programmers to tune up the mathematics and do the math libraries for that machine,” said Rotow. “Those guys ended up starting Manifold.”
Manifold's market penetration is in this new market of people doing GIS in the private sector who are using Microsoft Office, according to Rotow. “The 500 million people in the world who use Microsoft Office is the mainstream audience for Manifold 7x. Of those there is a population of 50 million who are perfectly capable of using a GIS package to explore their data to do lightweight analysis and really killer presentations. Of that group, there are probably 5 million who are experts on computer technology, who can write code in Visual Studio and VB.net. Those are our customers.” The person who will spend under $500 for Microsoft Office which includes Access, PowerPoint, Excel, and Word is not going to buy an application the size of ArcView for over $100, in Rotow's view. He is reluctant to divulge how many actual seats Manifold has, or what the sales figures are to date.
Manifold has its own IMS map service which costs $200, whereas competing IMS products can cost upwards of $12,000. A web server has a lot of sessions coming in and requires effortless pick up of performance. Sessions can be run between more than one processor on the same motherboard in Manifold.
Manifold has the ability to dynamically connect to a host of different image servers, and is easy to use. You tell it to grab the U.S. from Google Earth and live imagery is streamed in. If you want to zoom down to a particular city, you can. This is done on the fly, automatically.
In addition, Manifold also includes the server, so users don't have to buy a separate application. When you buy a Manifold license, IMS is built in. The Manifold IMS Server can function as a conventional http server the way people routinely use ArcIMS, or it can function as an image server, the way TerraServer, Virtual Earth and Google Earth servers do, or as an OGC WMS Server, using the Open Geospatial Consortium WMS standard, or the OGC WFS Feature Server with transactions so that you can serve vector layers through Manifold IMS. You can have clients that connect to those being able to post back to edit those vector layers.
7x highlights include:
- Native Oracle Spatial read/write/edit, where Manifold Enterprise editions ($445) and above can connect directly to Oracle Spatial DBMS using Oracle's native Oracle Call Interface for read/write/editing of drawings in SDO_ Geometry or images or surfaces in georaster storage types.
- Concurrent, multi-user editing which enables thousands of Manifold users to simultaneously work with the same drawing stored in a centralized DBMS such as SQL Server, Oracle, or IBM DB2.
- Database Administrator Consol and Batch Export aid IT administrators and users in implementation.
- Fully licensed installations of Oracle Express, Microsoft SQL Server Express and IBM DB2 Express-C editions are delivered on a Manifold DVD at no extra cost.
- Multi-core, multi-processor capabilities/quad core ready allow Manifold 7x's numerous subsystems such as rendering image libraries and IMS and DBMS connectivity to dispatch images to different processors and connect to different databases.
The Future
“Ultimately we would like Manifold to be totally multithreading and multiprocessing throughout, so that even in the simplest case where, say an individual user wants to reproject a very large drawing, but they have to have five to twenty computer systems on their local area network available. When you work in an office, there are 10 machines that are not being used while people are out to lunch,” Rotow pointed out. “It would be great if you wanted to reproject a large drawing and your system would automatically know that there were these other machines in the organization that are not currently being used. We could dispatch part of the job to them. Probably within the next six months, you'll see that coming out of Manifold, a full bore automatic clustering thing.”
Pricing
Manifold Personal x64 starts at $295 while Manifold 7x Enterprise x64 is $445 and delivers complete 64-bit enterprise capabilities which include enterprise server applications, direct concurrent multi-user connections to Oracle Spatial and 64-bit Manifold IMS for Internet Map Server applications.
User Comments
Readers can keep abreast of what's going on in the manifold.net community on the discussion group forum.manifold.net. Some frequently cited features enjoyed by users other than those listed above and the obvious ones like price and ease of use, include projections, the ability to write programs in Manifold by using almost any language, ability to edit images and maintain the geography, ability to store data inside the GIS Project, and Manifold drawing tools.
One interesting challenge for some ESRI users is this: the user is able to link to a personal geodatabase and make some edits to the attribute table as well as reposition some points in Manifold which gets reflected concurrently in ArcMap when he/she refreshes it. But when you create a new point in Manifold, this point does not show up when it is loaded in ArcMap. In a case where a user's clients are mostly ESRI users and their deliverables are often in the form of Personal Geodatabases, this doesn't work. The reason is that you can write applications external to Manifold very easily, as the geometry and metadata are stored in a single table. However, there is not an application external to ESRI that can manage and maintain the geodatabase structure. This means that you need to use ESRI software to manage the geodatabase.
Top News of the Week
Autodesk, Inc. announced the availability of a new government geospatial bundle that combines Autodesk's powerful GIS products with Google Earth Pro; empowering business users to leverage highly technical spatial data via an intuitive and easy-to-use interface. The bundle is called the Autodesk Government Geospatial Solution with Google Earth Pro, and is available on the General Services Administration's (GSA) Schedule 70.
Alliances/Acquisitions/Agreements
TrafficCast International, Inc. provider of real-time and predictive traffic data and analysis and Manning NavComp, a software and system integrator for mobile asset management and vehicle tracking, announce a broad technology development and product licensing agreement to integrate TrafficCast International's real-time traffic data with Manning NavComp's industry-leading dispatch and logistics management solutions.
MapFrame Corporation, mobile mapping and field automation software solutions company announced its partnership with Freedom Data Services, a UK-based IT consulting service. Freedom will resell MapFrame's FieldSmart(R) software to utilities throughout the United Kingdom.
Tele Atlas(R), a global geographic content provider, and SpotScout, Inc., a mobile application software company creating a virtual, real-time mobile marketplace for buying and selling parking spaces, announced that they plan to collaborate to deliver a parking availability solution based on Tele Atlas' digital map data.
Emergency Services integrators, the leader for incident management systems, announced a strategic relationship to create a new application interface between ESRI's web-based GIS software and ESi's WebEOC®. This new application, the WebEOC Mapper, will provide enhanced dynamic spatial representation of incident data, enabling better management of response and recovery efforts and status reporting during times of crisis.
Announcements
The International LIDAR Mapping Forum (ILMF) is now seeking submissions of presentations and technical papers for the ILMF2007 Annual Meeting, which will be held February 12-13, 2007 in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.
Abstracts should be about 200 words and must be submitted to the ILMF Organizer ( Email Contact) no later than November 10, 2006. See website
El Paso Electric has gone into production with Telvent Miner & Miner's ArcFM™ Solution, including ArcFM, Network Adapter, Conduit Manager, and Designer products. El Paso Electric generates and distributes electricity through an interconnected system to approximately 344,000 customers in the Rio Grande Valley in west Texas and southern New Mexico.
Contract Awards
SANZ Inc. announced that it has been awarded a contract with US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) to integrate the EarthWhere product series with Command and Control for the Personal Computer (C2PC) and FalconView. Special Operations Command is comprised of Headquarter elements of Special Forces for joint military services.
Intermap Technologies Corp. announced that its Intermap Federal Services, Inc. subsidiary has received a US$3.9M contract to provide digital elevation data and orthorectified radar imagery for an international project. The contract will deliver data for geography never before mapped to the accuracy provided by Intermap's Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IFSAR) technology. Under the agreement, Intermap will provide radar mapping services for the client over the next six months.
Photo Science was recently awarded a five-year IDC contract by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to provide aerial photography and photogrammetric mapping services to support of the nationwide Shoreline Mapping Program.
Through this contract, Photo Science will assist NOAA in delineating approximately 95,000 miles of shoreline and provide an official and accurate delineation of the National Shoreline. This will be accomplished via stereo photogrammetry using tide-coordinated aerial photography controlled by kinematic GPS techniques. This process produces a seamless, digital database of the national shoreline and a database of aerial photography which will help establish the legal authority when determining the official shoreline for the United States.
PCI Geomatics® has been awarded a contract from Iunctus Geomatics to produce accurate satellite images covering all of Canada, south of 80° North latitude. The five-year contract, which involves both the delivery of software and production services, is part of Natural Resource Canada's (NRCan)$2.4 million award to Iunctus Geomatics and TELUS Corporation for the creation of new, high-quality images of Canada from SPOT 4 and 5 satellite data.
New Products
NAVTEQ, global provider of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, has announced the immediate availability of its full coverage navigable map of Australia. With the release of Australia, NAVTEQ(R) maps now cover 6 continents and 58 countries. This offering is another notable achievement in NAVTEQ's initiative to grow its map portfolio and to support its customers in the rapidly growing Asia-Pacific navigation market.
MWH Soft, a global provider of environmental and water resources applications software, announced the worldwide release of InfoWater UDF Suite, which combines the company's state-of-the-art geocentric solution for unidirectional flushing of drinking water distribution systems with a new field journal designed to guide field personnel in planning and implementing the optimal sequence of unidirectional flushing.
Zip+4 2006 is invaluable for profiling customers and/or clients. If you have incomplete addresses, but do have zip+4 data, this CD by GeoLytics provides the latitude/longitude coordinates and assigns the 2000 block, block group, tract, and county codes. The latest version even lets you import and geocode your own lists of zip+4s, as well as append demographic data right to the zip+4 records.
Around the Web
Avian Flu Detection Information on Wild Birds Available USGS, August 24, 2006
Upcoming Events
Map Asia 2006
Date: August 29 - September 1, 2006
Place: Queen Sirikit National Convention Center Bangkok, Thailand
The Asia and Pacific region is the largest developing region in the world in landmass, population and aggregate income. Its 48 countries have nearly three fifth of the worlds total population. Each country in the region abounds in rich natural capital and has comprehended the true potential of Geospatial information in leveraging this capital to its utmost economic viability. The Asian region is forging a path of development and economic growth as a function of establishment of infrastructural capital. The region demands and offers scope for application of the various Geographic Information technologies like GIS, GPS, Remote Sensing and Imaging
Geo-information Technology Forum 2006 of Chinese Academy of Sciences
Date: September 5 - 6, 2006
Place: Beijing International Conference Center Beijing , China
The forum will be mainly conducted in Mandarin. Proceeding and press material will are printed in Simplified Chinese. Speaker using foreign language is recommended to present with simultaneous interpreter. The organizer's staff, who can speak English, can provide basic assistance and interpreter in necessary.
Mapping Your Community: An Introduction to GIS and Community Analysis
Date: September 6 - 8, 2006
Place: San Francisco, CA USA
This unique, hands-on workshop teaches the fundamentals of how to use a Geographic Information System (GIS) in a way that is particularly relevant to social service providers, planners and researchers. Participants learn to make thematic maps of their community, geocode addresses and perform spatial queries and analysis. Participants also learn to extract and map Census variables such as race, poverty, language, education, health and many other demographic variables. Exercises are designed for beginners. Intermediate Excel skills required. Each students is assigned a computer on which to work for the day.
TerraScan User Event
Date: September 11 - 16, 2006
Place: Los Angeles, AR USA
This year's event is scheduled for September 11th -16th, 2006 in Los Angeles, California. Engineers, surveyors, photogrammetrists, and GIS/LiDAR professionals alike are invited to take part in this comprehensive and affordable learning opportunity.
NAVTEQ LBS Developer Conference 2006
Date: September 11, 2006
Place: Los Angeles Convention Center Los Angeles, CA USA
As the exclusive sponsor of LBS at CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment, NAVTEQ is presenting the NAVTEQ LBS Developer Conference 2006. This daylong event prior to CTIA Wireless I.T. & Entertainment will provide developers the opportunity to network with top industry decision makers. Attendees will gain valuable insight on trends and opportunities as well as advice on how to effectively launch location-based services in today's wireless world.
AGI2006 "Better Business by Design"
Date: September 12 - 14, 2006
Place: Business Design Centre London, Islington, N1 0QH United Kingdom
Year on year, the AGI conference and exhibition is acknowledged as the most significant event for all organisations with an interest in geographic information, regardless of sector. Conference Chair Sallie White (Ordnance Survey) commented; 'this world-class venue enables the integration of a vibrant conference with a bustling trade exhibition, which creates a great environment for learning, networking and commerce. I am delighted to be Conference Chair and look forward to welcoming you to AGI2006 in September'.
GIS in the Rockies 2006
Date: September 12 - 15, 2006
Place: INVESCO Field at Mile High Denver, CO USA
Historically, attendees include representatives from: local, state and federal government, the utilities industry, environmental services, surveying professionals, the oil and gas industry, retail and business marketing professionals, and other related fields. So bring a friend, spouse or coworker and join professionals in the fields of GIS, facilities management, remote sensing, photogrammetry and surveying to learn about the latest developments in the Geospatial Industry.
WALIS Forum 2006
Date: September 14 - 15, 2006
Place: Perth Convention Exhibition Centre Australia
WALIS is proud to present WALIS Forum 2006. Held every 18 months, the Forum provides an opportunity to address issues related to the management of geographic information. The Forum is open to everyone, however, is targeted to people working with geographic information (GI) or those who would like to find out how they can harness GI to improve their business. The Forum aims to provide opportunities for people within and associated with the industry to learn, network, identify potential solutions and to share and debate strategies for the future.
2006 Pennsylvania Data User Conference
Date: September 14, 2006
Place: Holiday Inn Harrisburg Hershey, PA USA
This year's conference theme is of concern to both governmental and private agencies: How Safe is Pennsylvania? Speakers will focus on how the state, communities, and the private sector are using data for planning and emergency preparedness.
IMTA (Americas) Annual Conference & Trade Show 2006
Date: September 17 - 20, 2006
Place: St. Julien Hotel & Spa Boulder, CO USA
Far North Queensland GIS User Group (FUNGIS)
Date: September 18 - 19, 2006
Place: Civic Reception Room Cairns City Council Building, Spence Street, Queensland, Australia
The non-profit group 'Far North Queensland GIS User Group Inc.' (FUNGIS) is pleased to announce the 2006 Seminar - 'Sandbags and Sandals - An Emergency Spatial Information Management Forum in the Tropics'.
GIScience 2006
Date: September 20 - 23, 2006
Place: Münster , Germany
It will be the follow-up meeting to the highly successful GIScience 2000, 2002, and 2004 conferences with over 300 researchers attending each time. GIScience 2006 will again bring together scientists from academia, industry, and government to analyze progress and to explore new research directions. It will focus on emerging topics and basic research findings across all sectors of geographic information science.
FME Worldwide User Conference 2006
Date: September 21 - 22, 2006
Place: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Block off September 21-22, 2006 now to take advantage of this unique opportunity to learn new tips and techniques that will help you maximize your return on investment and improve your productivity with Safe Software products.
URISA Annual Conference
Date: September 26 - 29, 2006
Place: Vancouver Convention Center Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Go beyond basic technology and applications and contemplate issues related to designing, managing and applying information technology - at its highest and best use - to improve our urban and regional environments. Join your colleagues, peers, thinkers and doers from around the world at URISA's Annual Conference.
https://www.urban-research.info/ur/workshops/workshops-gis.shtml
Date: September 27 - 29, 2006
Place: Orange County, CA USA
This unique, hands-on workshop teaches the fundamentals of how to use a Geographic Information System (GIS) in a way that is particularly relevant to social service providers, planners and researchers. Participants learn to make thematic maps of their community, geocode addresses and perform spatial queries and analysis. Participants also learn to extract and map Census variables such as race, poverty, language, education, health and many other demographic variables. Exercises are designed for beginners. Intermediate Excel skills required. Each students is assigned a computer on which to work for the day.
You can find the full GISCafe.com event calendar here.
To read more news, click here.
-- Susan Smith, GISCafe.com Managing Editor.