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February 06, 2006
Zeroing in on Geographic Exploration SystemsPlease note that contributed articles, blog entries, and comments posted on GIScafe.com are the views and opinion of the author and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of the management and staff of Internet Business Systems and its subsidiary web-sites.
Welcome to GISWeekly! Nearly every participant in our Emerging Technologies review mentioned Google Earth technology and how that might impact the future directions of GIS. Google Earth is exciting and better known to the masses right now, however, it is not the only "Geographic Exploration System (GES)." Read about some others in this week's Industry News. This week we institute a new way of presenting some of the news from our press releases: GISWeekly will post excerpts from only those stories in which our readers have expressed the most interest. Thus, the newsletter will appear shorter. 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, Acquisitions/Agreements/Alliances, Announcements, Awards, Financials, Appointments, Wins, New Products, Around the Web and Upcoming Events. GISWeekly welcomes letters and feedback from readers, so let us know what you think. Click Here to send me your comments. Best wishes, Susan Smith, Managing Editor Industry News Zeroing in on Geographic Exploration Systems by Susan Smith Nearly every participant in our Emerging Technologies review mentioned Google Earth technology and how that might impact the future directions of GIS. Google Earth is exciting and better known to the masses right now, however, it is not the only "Geographic Exploration System (GES)." Although it may seem that these GES are a new invention, they have actually been in the works for quite some time. Technology from lesser known companies has been used to extend or enhance software for some of the heavy hitters. Some companies have OEM'd their technology, others have been the result of outright acquisitions.
Some of its features include:
If you look closely you can see individual streets. World Wind can drape a landscape over a height to create a 3D model, when you hold the right mouse button down and drag the mouse slowly towards you. You can navigate by either using place names or entering the lat/long of where you want to go. Like all these GES, World Wind is limited to the data it has on hand. USGS urban data is not absolutely complete, and similar data although possibly available in other countries, is not free. World Wind has a good FAQ section that answers a lot of questions about installations and capability. World Wind leverages Microsoft .NET technology to access open standards such as XML and WMS and others. I just read an interesting post on the The Carbon Portal, stating their CarbonTools have been used to extend both ArcGIS Explorer and NASA'S World Wind. The Carbon Project's GAIA, a WMS/WFS/GML OGC-compliant viewer developed using CarbonTools, is currently a small 2D viewer application, yet fully OGC-compliant and tested. Skyline Software's TerraSuite is 3D visualization technology with real time streaming imagery capabilities that enable users to evaluate locations for situation analysis and decision support. According to the website, TerraSuite is composed of three main product suites:
The Collaboration component provides hosting services for collaboration sessions between TerraExplorer users. Using the collaboration tool in TerraExplorer, users can create collaboration sessions and invite remote participants to share the 3D experience. Recently Intergraph announced an OEM agreement with Skyline to integrate Skyline's 3D visualization technology with the Intergraph GeoMedia product line. Integrating data collected and managed by GeoMedia into Skyline's products will enhance the data with real time 3D visualization capabilities to use with DEMs, geospatial features and high resolution imagery.
But what about the GeoTango piece? The company does deliver a "3D digital earth" that has smooth maneuverability from global to local level. It offers an "open and web services-oriented solution." But in addition, GeoTango offers a patent pending program capable of generating 3D building models from single images, named "SilverEye." This technology is not already a part of MSN's location and visualization suite, but could be useful for generating quick 3D models of nuclear installations or other military infrastructure, before, during or after an emergency situation, using either satellite images or aerial photos. The 3D models can be exported to any mapping or 3D simulation programs in well-known GIS or OpenFlight formats. Another sidelight: although Microsoft owns TerraServer which serves up the imagery for MSN Virtual Earth, TerraServer and Virtual Earth are maintained separately. In TerraServer you can find out the origins of orthophotos, according to Microsoft, as all metadata is retained in it. Some GIS professionals would love to get vintage orthophoto data and other national agency data into Virtual Earth, however, it currently is a browser based client only with a focus on the mass market and current vintage orthophoto display. You can find the full GISCafe event calendar here. To read more news, click here. -- Susan Smith, GISCafe.com Managing Editor.
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October 09, 2008
