The TatukGIS DK.NET Training Kit has been updated to DK v.10. 

Updates include full compliance with DK v.10 code changes as well as a new chapter on using the new 3D viewing capabilities of the DK.

For more information, please see the following link:

http://training.tatukgisconsulting.com/2009/10/tatukgis-developer-kernel-net-training.html

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TatukGIS Consulting now offers the TatukGIS Editor Training Kit.

The Editor Training Kit can be ordered here.

TatukGIS Consulting has been working with the TatukGIS Editor since its initial release as well as with TatukGIS development tools since 2003 and has deep knowledge of the Editor and a close relationship with TatukGIS. Purchasing the Editor Training Kit allows users, developers, and organizations to substantially reduce the Editor learning curve and quickly begin using the powerful Editor application by tapping into the wealth of TatukGIS knowledge held by TatukGIS Consulting.

The TatukGIS Editor Training Kit includes a detailed training manual containing over 70 pages of hands-on instructional material covering 10 chapters that illustrate step-by-step how to use almost all aspects of the TatukGIS Editor.

The topics covered in the TatukGIS Editor Training Kit includes a broad range of the functionality offered by the the Editor. The following is the chapter index from the Editor Training Manual.

GIS BASICS.

LESSON 1. ADDING GIS LAYERS TO THE EDITOR AND SETTING UP A MAP PROJECT.

LESSON 10.  USING THE 3D PANEL: USING 3D LAYERS, CREATING 3D FEATURES, AND SETTING UP A DEM.

The FGIS plugin

Forestry GIS (FGIS), a plugin to the TatukGIS Editor product, extends the features of the Editor with a simple, easy-to-use, and customizable suite of tools aimed at making forestry and land management professionals’ jobs easier. As a plugin to the Editor, FGIS requires the Editor in order to function and retains all the Editor’s features. (The FGIS plugin was developed using the Editor’s built-in scripting features.)

The FGIS plugin can be used to update Acres (or any shape measurement) values for all polygons in a vector layer or display the Acreage (or any shape measurement) for all selected shapes in the view.  The FGIS plugin has tools for easily making polygons that share coincident boundaries.

The FGIS window.

The FGIS plugin can generate a random or systematic sample of points within an area.  The FGIS plugin can be used to search for a given Township, Range, and Section.

The FGIS plugin can be used to generate sample points or to search for a given Township/Range/Section.

With the FGIS plugin you can easily input a traverse description into a point layer. 

The FGIS plugin can be used to input a traverse description into a GIS layer.

The FGIS plugin includes tools for finding the best route and for displaying the GPS location in real-time.

The FGIS plugin is totally customizable and includes a detailed survey data input form that can be used as a template for the creation of other data input forms.

The customizable FGIS plugin data input form.

FGIS was created by a forester who is also a GIS developer, who has spent the last decade performing custom GIS development for a US state forestry program using TatukGIS and ESRI development tools. This experience provided a great deal of insight about the GIS related needs and preferences of forestry and land management professionals, which is reflected in FGIS.

License
The FGIS plugin is licensed per user and includes one year of updates and email support.

Purchasing Information
FGIS plugin license (including one year of updates and email support): US$49.00

To purchase a license or download the FGIS plugin, please visit fgis.tatukgisconsulting.com.

Features
The main features of the FGIS plugin include:

• Update Shape Measurement Fields
• Show Shape Measurements
• Search for Township/Range/Section
• Generate Cruise Points
• Add Traverse Points
• Customizable Data Input Form
• Spatial Selection dialog
• Bookmarks
• Send Map to Word
• Make Backgrounds of Orthophotos and DRG Topo images Transparent
• Field List Manager
• Subtract Polygon
• Drill Polygon
• Populate Field Values
• Clip Vector Layers
• Merge Vector Layers
• Buffer dialog
• Convert Points to Polygon or Line
• Image Catalog tool
• Routing and GPS tools
• Repath Project File
• Summary Statistics
• Fully customizable interface

Partially translated to:

• Portuguese
• Czech
• French
• German
• Polish
• Slovak
• Spanish
• Thai

Silverlight Map Server
Created using TatukGIS technology, the Silverlight Map Server is a programming framework that enables .NET developers to build rich and high performance web GIS applications.

Flexible and Extensible Architecture
The Silverlight Map Server is composed of a WMS server developed with Isapi Web Broker technology and a Silverlight library which communicates with the server through a simple XML based protocol. This lets the developer implement server side extensions with any web language that supports XML, e.g., ASP.NET, PHP, Java, etc. .

Platform Independent
Applications developed with the Silverlight Map Server are compatible with every browser supporting Silverlight 4.0 or higher, without any special requirement or installation on the client side (except the Silverlight plug-in, in the same way as is done with Flash). Supported operating systems include all versions of MS Windows, Mac and (in the future) Linux.

A web server application, developed with the Silverlight Map Server, for management of a fleet of trucks. The vector maps of the town of Appiano, Italy, are presented as a semi-transparent layer(s) over asatellite image from Bing Maps.

Rich User Experience
The Silverlight Map Server makes use of web technologies that maximize performance. The server side is composed of a WMS Server implemented as an Isapi module which stores the “state” of each client, practically making the application “Stateful”. In this way, time used to load the map is spent only once. The Silverlight technology delivers a web server experience that is particularly fluid and graphically attractive.

Bing Maps Integration
The Silverlight Map Server is integrated with the Bing Silverlight Map Control, giving the user the ability to visualize their own maps over satellite or road maps. This also exposes all features of Bing Maps (address geocoding, reverse geocoding, routing, etc).

Versions
The Silverlight Map Server is available in three different versions:

Standard: the server side is built using the graphic engine of the well known open source product UMN MapServer.

Professional: the server side is built using the graphic engine of the well known open source product UMN MapServer. Includes the client source code (Silverlight)

Enterprise: the server side is built using the TatukGIS DK.VCL. Includes the client source code (Silverlight)

The different graphic engine used by each version causes some differences in functionality and features. For a detailed description of these differences, please read the feature matrix below.

Feature Matrix

Support, Sources and samples included
The Silverlight Map Server package includes Silverlight libraries, with source included (professional and enterprise versions), server as binary, sample applications in C# for Visual Studio 2010, 1 year of updates and premium technical support (professional and enterprise versions).

License
The Silverlight Map Server is licensed per developer and per server. The package includes:

• 1 license for one developer, utilizable on 2 different computers.
• 1 license for one production server.

Subsequent deployments require only the purchase of additional server licenses.

Purchasing Information
Purchasing information can be found on the following link:  The Silverlight Map Server

Online Demos

Geomarketing

• Geomarketing – Deliveries
• Geomarketing on OpenStreetMap

Business Intelligence

• Sales data analysis

Fleet management

• GPS tracking of a truck

Cadastral

• Cadastral web GIS
• Cadastral web GIS – land use
• Regional web GIS (using Bing Maps satellite)
• Regional web GIS (using custom tile source derived from aerial images)

Download
Download a trial version (registration required)

Technical Details

Architecture
The Silverlight Map Server is composed of a client in Silverlight 4.0 and a WMS Server (OGC WMS 1.1.1 compliant) developed with Isapi web broker technology.

Architecture of the Silverlight Map Server

The software architecture of the Silverlight Map Server is composed of 3 main components:

• TkSilverlight.GIS: contains visual controls (map, legend, etc) and related business logic.
• TkSilverlight.Core: contains classes for communication with WMS Server, business entities and primitive GIS functions.
• WMS Server: provides maps, access to GIS functions and other services.

To access textual data, the developer can use the data gateway included in the WMS server, which accepts simple SQL commands and returns XML dataset that are immediately bindable with the Silverlight controls. Nevertheless, it is usually more convenient to implement a business logic layer in the language of choice, being the only requirement is the ability to read and write XML data via HTTP. ASP.NET samples are provided.

Software architecture of a typical solution built with the Silverlight Map Server

Main features of the Silverlight Map Server include:

• Development with Visual Studio 2010, Expression Blend and all IDEs that supports Silverlight 4.0.
• Main GIS functions (Zoom, Pan, selections, etc) already implemented.
• Grid visualizzation of vector data.
• Rendering of leading vector and raster formats.
• Overlay of vector or raster layers with Microsoft Bing Maps™ with customizable level of transparency.
• Legend.
• Selection of shape object by point, rectangle, circle and polygon.
• Measure tools: distance and area.
• Use of main layout functions (selections, labels, graphs, colors, etc.)
• Thematic maps.
• Query for each group of objects for name, class, type, etc.
• Creation of reports and PDF for high resolution prints.
• Geocoding and reverse geocoding.
• Built-in data gateway.
• Rendering of satellite and road maps.
• Rendering and management of POI (Points of Interest).
• Support for main RDBMS.
• Editing of attributes and geometries for vector layers.
• Support for other map providers besides Bing Maps: OpenStreetMap, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps.
• GPS tracking (this feature is a work in progress).
• Topological operations (this feature is a work in progress).

∞ TatukGIS Consulting

BSI’s TatukGIS-Based Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) shown here with MetaVR’s Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG)

“I recently undertook the quest for a .NET GIS component, and ultimately chose the TatukGIS DK.Net for several reasons.

First, the DK.NET component is an amazing value for a developer’s license. I would never purchase a product under a runtime license, and was expecting to pay much more for a developer’s license.

Second, the support for the CADRG & CIB data formats makes the DK very attractive for the development of GIS-aware simulations for the Department of Defense. This is because the map, chart and imagery data distributed by NGA (National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, formerly NIMA) is in the RPF format (which encompasses CADRG and CIB). Because CADRG is a very complex format, building support for it on my own would easily have cost me tens of thousands in labor.

Finally, one of the most important reasons that I decided to go with the TatukGIS DK.NET is the exceptional responsiveness to customer e-mails and support requests, both during the evaluation period and after I became a customer.

So while a part of me would prefer that my competitors don’t learn about TatukGIS, I think the Company has a bright future.

If TatukGIS was publicly traded, I’d be buying stock!”

Gary DeYoung
President & CEO
Battlespace Simulations, Inc.
San Antonio, Texas, USA
http://www.battlespacesims.com/

BSI’s TatukGIS-Based Modern Air Combat Environment (MACE) shown here with MetaVR’s Virtual Reality Scene Generator (VRSG)

From the TatukGIS news wire…

Wageningen, The Netherlands

Alterra, an institute which is part of the Wageningen University Research Centre, has developed information systems for the evaluation and management of biodiversity among plant species, vegetation types and landscapes. The software is used by students, policy makers, ecologists, and nature conservationists. These systems – called ‘SynBioSys’ – are up to now developed for the Netherlands, Europe, and South Africa (Kruger park en FynBos).

The most valuable part of the SynBioSys systems – all written in Delphi – is the GIS. While former versions of SynBioSys made use of Map Objects, the ‘discovery’ of the TatukGIS Developer Kernel has resulted in the GIS part of the systems becoming a lot more sophisticated (for a very modest price). As a matter of fact, some universities already have adopted the system to offer students a free and easy-to-use GIS. Most of the strengths of TatukGIS are already mentioned many times (fast rendering, no additional DLL’s, numerous supported formats, on-the-fly reprojection, transparency, anti-aliasing, spatial analysis, etc.), but two features are greatly appreciated by us, namely:

1. support of WMS layers (first screen shot)
2. map storage in SQLite databases (second screen shot)

SynBioSys Netherlands: Aerial photographs retrieved from a Web Mapping Service. (http://gdsc.nlr.nl/wms/dkln2006)

SynBioSys Fynbos (South Africa). The vegetation map of South Africa is stored in a SQLite database (easily imported from a shape file using the TatukGIS Editor). As such, the map can only be used within the SynBioSys system, which prevents the usage of the map data in other systems.

This article was contributed by DK licensed developer Stephan Hennekens with Alterra, Wageningen UR.

From the TatukGIS news wire…

Bombardier de Havilland Dash 8 – offshore electronic surveillance using Customs Coastwatch, a division of the Australian Customs Service.

TatukGIS has licensed the TatukGIS Developer Kernel and TatukGIS Internet Server products to SELEX Galileo, a Finmeccanica Company, which is one of the top ten global players in aerospace, defense, and security. SELEX Galileo has used the TatukGIS products to develop the ground station portion of an air surveillance system supplied to the Australian Customs Coastwatch. This system is used to plan, monitor, and evaluate surveillance tasks performed by fixed wing and rotary wing aircraft with the objective of developing and maintaining a tactical database of target and track information in order to present a current surface picture of the maritime border, i.e., a Maritime Zone Awareness (MZA).

A key part of air surveillance system is the ground station which collects information from all platforms. The ground system is composed of a set of workstations used by Customs operators that are networked to a database running on a central server. Data from the database server is made available to the workstations for data exploitation and analysis. One of the main features of the workstation application software is the mission management that is developed using the TatukGIS Developer Kernel (.NET edition). Ground station information is made available to remote operators through an ASP.NET web server application which replicates much of the map management interface of the workstation application. The web server part of the system uses the TatukGIS Internet Server and its Flash plug-in.

The map data is both vector and raster. For best performance with very large data sets, the raster layers are stored in the TatukGIS PixelStore SQL database format. The TatukGIS Editor (GIS desktop application) was used to prepare the map project.

The system delivered to the Australian Customs Coastwatch is derived from SELEX Galileo’s Airborne Tactical Observation and Surveillance System – ATOS, an advanced and flexible airborne integrated observation and surveillance mission management system which is already installed on a wide range of platforms and is in operation with different customers. Solutions within the ATOS family are designed for uses ranging from fishery control, anti-smuggling, and immigration control to anti surface ship warfare and anti submarine warfare. The system’s modular open architecture easily supports the integration of multiple sensors and workstations.

TatukGIS value-added partner in Italy, Vita Fabrizio, provided local consulting on the use of TatukGIS products for this project.

More information about the organizations referenced in this article is available at the following links:

SELEX Galileo – www.selexgalileo.com

Finmeccanica – www.finmeccanica.com

Australian Customs and Border Protection Service – www.customs.gov.au

Overview of Customs Coastwatch (PDF)

∞ TatukGIS Consulting

The TatukGIS Editor is a multi-purpose, full-featured, powerful, and easy-to-use desktop GIS application.

The Editor can be used to create rich, detailed maps using a multitude of vector and raster data layer types. The Editor can be used to view and edit vector datasets stored in popular enterprise GIS database formats, including ESRI ArcSDE, Oracle Spatial, Microsoft SQL Server Spatial, and PostGIS.

The ability to edit vector datasets stored in enterprise GIS databases is unheard of for any desktop GIS application anywhere near the price of the Editor (US$350)!

The following screenshot shows the Editor with a colorful map of Türlen, Switzerland.

The Editor supports almost 3000 coordinate systems (including US state coordinate systems), providing project-on-the-fly functionality for all data layers with defined coordinate systems.

In addition, the Editor interface is fully customizable by the end-user via a powerful scripting interface that uses Basic or Pascal syntax. In fact, the entire GIS functionality of the TatukGIS flagship Developer Kernel library is accessible via the Editor’s scripting interface. One could easily run a small consulting business with the Editor as their only tool!

The following screenshot shows the Editor’s scripting interface. The script allows the user to change the ‘Height’ attribute value for any feature that is selected.

The Editor’s powerful editing features include joining databases to vector layers for editing, clipping, merging, & buffering vector layers, generating sampling points, splitting shapes, unioning shapes, subtracting & drilling polygons, appending vector layers, snapping to features in a vector layer, multi-part shape editing, topology correction for line or polygon layers, and more.

New in Version 3 of the Editor is full 3-D support. 3-D features include the ability to switch between 2-D and 3-D map views, view vector layers and DEMs in 3-D, edit 3-D shapes via Z and M values of vertices, drape 2-D imagery over 3-D DEM, rotate the 3-D scene, rotate the camera angle around the 3-D scene, change the position of the sun on the scene, and more!

The following screenshot shows a 3-D scene in the new Editor Version 3.

And above all, the Editor is very easy to use.  It’s elegance is in it’s simple interface which makes it easy for a beginner to learn to use.  Because the Editor is also easily customizable, advanced users can modify the Editor interface and add GIS functionality to their hearts’ content.

(TatukGIS Consulting offers the fGIS plugin to the TatukGIS Editor, the TatukGIS Editor Customization Training Kit, and Premium Support for TatukGIS Users in North America.)