Leica Geosystems Enters the Six-Sided (Hexagon) WorldThe Future for its Geospatial Imaging DivisionLeica Geosystems Enters the Six-Sided (Hexagon) World

Just before Christmas (2005), a detailed and informative presentation was made to the publishers and editorial staff of GeoInformatics by

Richard McKay (Vice President, Sales) and Sara Upchurch (Marketing Communications Manager) of the Geospatial Imaging Division of

Leica Geosystems. The presentation first covered the events leading to the take-over of Leica Geosystems by Hexagon AB and the subse-

quent re-organisation of the company that has just been implemented. It then went on to outline the direction in which the Geospatial

Imaging Division plans to go. This included information about the Division's forthcoming products and led to a most interesting discus-

sion about the Division's planned future activities and developments.

by Gordon Petrie

The TakeoverTo say that Leica Geosystems has had "aninteresting" summer and autumn in 2005would be a massive understatement. In earlyJune, the company received an unsolicitedtake-over bid from the Swedish Hexagon ABorganisation - which the Leica company'sboard of directors advised shareholders toturn down. Then, towards the end of July, itreceived another (higher valued) offer fromthe Danaher Corporation, an American compa-ny that manufactures tools and industrialmeasuring devices. The Leica board recom-mended shareholders to accept this new offer.However, in mid-August, Hexagon made a stillhigher offer for the shares of LeicaGeosystems. This resulted in the Leica boardwithdrawing its recommendation regarding theDanaher offer and adopting a neutral positionregarding the new Hexagon offer. By the endof September, Hexagon had received accep-tances of its higher offer from over 70% ofthe Leica shareholders. By the end of October,

the figure had reached 98.5%. In earlyNovember, the original board of directorsresigned and a new board was elected. Thiscomprised the CEO (Ola Rollen) and CFO(Haken Halen) of Hexagon AB, together withthe attorney and secretary of the previousboard (Urs Brugger). With Hexagon's near100% ownership of the shares of LeicaGeosystems, the new board is applying tohave the Leica shares delisted from the SwissStock Exchange (SWX) in Zrich. In whichcase, Leica Geosystems will become a private-ly held company owned by Hexagon.

Who are Hexagon? That Hexagon AB was not well known to thegeoinformatics world prior to its take-over ofLeica Geosystems would be another under-statement. It is however a well-known companyin certain sectors of the automotive, construc-tion and engineering industries. The companyhas three divisions: Hexagon Engineering: manufactures key

components and systems, including thesupply of industrial robots to the truckindustry;

Hexagon Polymers: manufacture plasticand rubber products (for example wheels),semi-finished products and extrusions forthe automotive and construction industries;

Hexagon Metrology: supplies measuringtools (such as gauges) and systems,including coordinate measuring machines(CMMs) and articulated arms to a widespectrum of manufacturing industries. Theactivities of this last division are thoseclosest to those of Leica Geosystems,especially in the area of metrology, wherethey overlap.

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Re-organisationAs part of the Leica Geosystems company inte-gration into Hexagon AB, a number of organi-sational changes are being implemented.Overall the existing Hexagon MetrologyDivision and the newly acquired LeicaGeosystems company are to form the twomajor units within the newly-formed HexagonMeasurement Technologies business area.Besides which, Leica Geosystems itself hasbeen re-organised into three divisions, insteadof the previous six. These three new divisionsare as follows: Geosystems Division: This comprises the

former Surveying & Engineering Division(that manufactures GPS receivers, totalstations, construction lasers and levels)and the High Definition Surveying (HDS)Division (which builds the Cyrax ground-based scanners). The activities of both ofthese divisions are centered in Heerbrugg,Switzerland. Also included in this new divi-sion is the special China sales region. TheGeosystems Division has also taken overthe airborne sensor manufacturing unitlocated in Heerbrugg - which was formerlyunder the Geospatial Imaging Division.

Geospatial Imaging Division: This divisionhas the same name as before and it isstill based in Atlanta, Georgia. It will nowconcentrate its activities on softwaredevelopment and applications and ondeveloping vertical markets. Bob Morriscontinues as President of the Division.

Measuring Tools Division: Essentially thisis a new name for the previous ConsumerProducts Division, whose principal productis the hugely popular Disto hand-held dis-tance measuring device.

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Leica Geosystems has expanded its principal NorthAmerican facility which now occupies a building with100,000 sq. ft. f loor area at the Technology Park inNorcross, near Atlanta, Georgia. The building housesthe headquarters of the company's GeospatialImaging Division.

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Finally the previous Leica MetrologyDivision: which produces laser trackers,probes and hand-held scanners as well asspecial industrial versions of Leica's totalstations and theodolites - is to be inte-grated directly into Hexagon's MetrologyDivision.

Geospatial Imaging DivisionWith its new concentration on software, theGeospatial Imaging Division is planning torelease new enhanced versions of its two prin-cipal products - the ERDAS IMAGINE remotesensing and image processing software suiteand the Leica Photogrammetry Suite (LPS). Inthe near future, it will also introduce a newsoftware product - the Leica Virtual Explorer.

ERDAS IMAGINEVersion 9 of this software suite will be releasedimmediately (in January 2006). One of the high-lights of this latest version will be an AutoSynctool that will allow automated image-to-imagematching and geo-rectification of the imagery.The new version will also ensure compatibility ofthe geospatial image data processed by ERDASIMAGINE with the Oracle Spatial 10g enterpriseinfrastructure. In this area, Leica has alsoentered into a strategic partnership with theAcquis company which already has a suite oftools that allow the handling of vector data andthe topological editing of this data within theOracle 10g environment. Besides these new fea-tures and capabilities, substantial improvementshave been made to the vector editing capabili-ties of the package. Improved support has alsobeen provided for ESRI's ArcSDE software andfor the Map Composer Software. On the imageprocessing side, better image quality resultswhen a zooming-out operation is being carriedout - the result of implementing a better pyra-mid layer algorithm. In addition, improved mergeand pan-sharpening techniques have been pro-vided in the new release.

Looking further ahead, users can expect the pro-vision of automated or semi-automated featureextraction capabilities (especially road extraction)and the implementation of 64-bit processing infuture versions of ERDAS IMAGINE. The officialannouncement and introduction of these majorenhancements is targeted for the forthcomingASPRS Annual Conference being held in Reno,Nevada during the first week of May this year.

Systems (SOCET SET), Intergraph(ImageStation) and Leica Geosystems (LPS).

Leica Virtual ExplorerRichard McKay also mentioned briefly theforthcoming Leica Virtual Explorer product thatwill provide a still more powerful set of 3Dvisualization tools that will be more or lesstransparent to the user. It will allow terabytesof information to be merged into a single"Digital Earth" - that can then be distributedto thousands of users world-wide without pre-processing. The city of Essen in Germany hasbeen involved as the initial user and tester ofthis new package. It is available for purchaseby customers immediately.

ExtensionsArising from the company's cooperation withVirtual Learning Systems (VLS) of Missoula,Montana, Leica had already released FeatureAnalyst for use with the ERDAS IMAGINE soft-ware. This introduced an automated or semi-automated feature extraction capability for welldefined objects such as roads, buildings, etc.into the IMAGINE image processing environ-ment. The Feature Analyst software has ofcourse already been released as an extensionto ESRI's ArcView and ArcGIS platforms.

Now Leica is releasing two further products asextensions to the ArcGIS 9.1 software. The

Leica Photogrammetric Suite (LPS)The latest Version 9 of this Suite will see theinclusion of a Mosaic Pro tool. This will allowpreviously rectified images or ortho-images tobe mosaiced with both local and global balanc-ing of the component images being implement-ed automatically. This will result in an improvedquality of the final rectified image mosaic orortho-image mosaic. Other improvements tothe LPS Suite include new versions of both theORIMA aerial triangulation package and thePRO600 vector map compilation software. Thenew Version 9 also allows the processing ofthe imagery acquired by the recently launchedIndian Cartosat satellite - through the use of anRPC model.Again looking to the future, LPS Version 9.1 isalso planned for release at the ASPRS Renomeeting in May. It will feature improved 3Ddigital terrain model (DTM) data handling andgreater visualization capabilities with up to 100million points being accommodated and han-dled by this upgraded version of the Suite.Obviously this improved capability has beendeveloped as a result of the widespread adop-tion of commercial airborne laser scannerssuch as Leica's own ALS40 and ALS50 and theseveral models available from Optech inCanada.

In 2001, when Leica Geosystems bought outBAE Systems' share of their LH Systems part-nership, the principal loss was the well-estab-lished SOCET SET digital photogrammetricsoftware which stayed with BAE Systems. As aresult, many SOCET SET users, especially thosein the defence mapping area, stayed with BAESystems. However, since then, sales of theOrthoBase software - that was acquired whenLeica took over ERDAS in 2001 and which hasbeen further developed in the form of the LPSSuite - have risen steadily. As a result, the rev-enue from sales of LPS have now reached alevel of 75% of that which LH Systems hadwith SOCET SET. In certain markets, there arestrong local competitors - e.g. DAT/EM andCardinal Systems in parts of North America;Supresoft and China Siwei in China; Racurs inRussia. ISTAR's PixelFactory software is a realcompetitor in the specialized area of ortho-image production from pushbroom scannerimagery. However the three leaders in the digi-tal photogrammetric software market, whenviewed on a world-wide scale, are BAE

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Sided (Hexagon) Worldx Sided (Hexagon) WorldArt ic le

The Feature Analyst extension has been produced incollaboration with Visual Learning Systems (VLS).This aerial image of the Altdorf area in Switzerlandshows the vectors defining roads, buildings, etc. thathave been extracted using Feature Analyst.

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Image Analysis extension includes the ortho-rectification of single frames of satellite and air-borne pushbroom imagery and frame images,followed by the balancing and mosaicing of theresulting images. It also allows supervised andnon-supervised land cover classification to becarried out together with change detection.Access to the functionality of the extension ismade through the ESRI Arc Toolbox.

The StereoAnalyst extension offers users a 3Dstereo feature collection capability withinArcGIS. This allows users to collect or updateaccurate GIS data and place it directly into anESRI Geodatabase. Ground control is providedby a prior aerial triangulation (AT) carried outusing either the Leica ORIMA, Intergraph ISATor BAE Systems SOCET SET packages - sincethe extension can handle data in any one ofthe formats used in these leading packages.Support is also provided to allow users to uti-lize oriented stereo-image data from a numberof high-resolution satellites such as IKONOSand QuickBird and for various commonly used3D digitizing devices such as MouseTrak,TopoMouse and the Immersion Device.

HardwareDuring the discussion following the presenta-tion outlined above, inevitably this turned tothe matter of airborne data acquisition - eventhough the Leica airborne sensors that gener-ate this data and formed part of theGeospatial Imaging Division have now been re-assigned to the new Geosystems Division.Currently the three main suppliers of large-for-mat airborne digital imagers - Leica (with itsADS40 pushbroom scanner), Intergraph (withits DMC frame camera) and Vexcel (with itsUltraCam frame camera) - each have roughlyequal shares of the market. Up till now, 37ADS40 units have been delivered to cus-tomers. However this figure may well have

the present writer (Gordon Petrie, not RichardMcKay!) to speculate about what this mightlead to. Leica's current airborne digital sensors -the ADS40 pushbroom scanner and ALS50 lidar- are both wholly dependent on the ApplanixPOS/AV (Position & Orientation System/Airborne Vehicle) which is a GPS/IMU systemthat has been integrated into both these sensorproducts. However the POS/AV system is alsoused by some of Leica's principal competitorsin this area, like Intergraph and Vexcel.Furthermore, Applanix is now owned by Trimble,which is one of Leica's principal competitors inthe area of optical surveying instrumentation,GPS receivers and ground-based laser scanners.Moreover one notices that the NovAtel company(like Terramatics, based in Calgary) - which hasits own SPAN (Synchronized Position & AttitudeNavigation) GPS/INS technology - has now beenincluded as a strategic partner of LeicaGeosystems as set out on the main corporatepages of the Leica Geosystems Web site. All ofwhich causes me to wonder what this acquisi-tion of Terramatics and the designation ofNovAtel as a partner of Leica Geosystems mightlead to in the future.

ConclusionThe Geospatial Imaging Division has had atough year in 2005, largely caused by the con-siderable downturn in the U.S. defence market- due to much defence funding having beenre-allocated to help support the conflicts inIraq and Afghanistan. However Richard McKayclearly feels that the takeover by Hexagon hasalready had several positive results. The newowners have made it clear that there will beno sale of the Division and they have alreadyassigned financial responsibilities and set tar-gets for it to meet. They have also made itclear to the staff that there has to be anincreased focus on customer requirements andan emphasis on those solutions and supple-mentary desktop products with enterprise-wideapplications.

Professor G. Petrie (g.petrie@geog.gla.ac.uk) works

with the Department of Geographical & Earth

Sciences, University of Glasgow. More information on

Leica Geosystems via www.gi.leica-geosystems.com,

www.leica-geosystems.com.

been increased - since theADS40 is now the respon-sibility of the GeosystemsDivision. By contrast, theother potential competitorsin this area - Jena-Optronik(JAS 150 pushbroom scan-ner), Wehrli Associates(DAS-1 pushbroom scanner)and DiMAC Systems(DiMAC frame camera) -only have prototype ordevelopment imagers oper-ational at the present time.

As for the ALS50 airbornelaser scanner, its produc-tion had already beenmoved from the former

Azimuth facility in Massachusetts to the mainfactory in Heerbrugg - as indeed have the HDSground-based laser scanners that were former-ly manufactured at the Cyrax plant inCalifornia. The main competitors for the ALS50are the airborne lidar products from Optech.Regarding the DSW700 photogrammetric filmscanner, it is still selling in reasonable num-bers - its main advantage over previous DSWmodels being the replacement of manymechanical parts with equivalent electroniccomponents.

TerramaticsThe discussion period also provided the oppor-tunity to enquire about Leica Geosystems pur-chase of Terramatics Systems. This took placein July - at the same time as the initialHexagon offer to take over Leica. Terramatics isa small systems house involved in inertial sys-tems that is based in Calgary, Alberta. Thecompany's Inertial Position & Attitude System(IPAS) is an integrated GPS/INS system devel-oped on behalf of North West Geomatics -which is also located in Calgary and is a majorcustomer of Leica's airborne sensors (RC30,ADS40 and ALS40). IPAS has also formed thebasis of other customized GPS/INS solutionsthat have been developed for terrestrial,marine and airborne applications. According to the Canadian GEOIDE NetworkWeb site, Terramatics was also funded during2003/2004 as part of a team developingGPS/INS integration software using artificialneural networks (ANN) and wavelet multi-reso-lution analysis (WMRA). Furthermore, accordingto Wendy Watson (Vice-President of ProductMarketing for the Leica Geospatial ImagingDivision), the Terramatics technology is immedi-ately applicable to the Leica sensor systemsthat are being used for airborne geospatialdata acquisition.All of which is very interesting and has caused

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A perspective view of part of the city of Calgary, Alberta in Canada that has beencreated using the new Leica Virtual Explorer V3.0 product

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Chinese Pioneer 3D Design on Chengdu Dam ProjectTotal Focus on Design ChallengeChinese Pioneer 3D Design on Chengdu Dam Project

Designing the worlds tallest double-arched dam as part of a $2 billion hydropower project is bound to present more than a few

challenges. However, the Chengdu Hydroelectric Investigation and Design Institute (CHIDI) in China has pioneered the use of 3D

design and analysis in this field. The results: faster and more efficient completion of designs, automation of the process of

generating profiles across varied terrains and more precision in excavation planning.

By Terry D. Bennett

Narrow Mountain GorgesSince people began building dams to harnessrivers and generate electrical power, the engi-neers who design hydroelectric projects havehad to contend with a number of terrain-relat-ed problems. By their very nature, hydropowerplants are often located in narrow mountaingorges and with steep terrain and complexfeatures. These are difficult to analyse andvisualise using even the most detailed 2Dmaps. Moreover, they typically include concretearch dams and underground powerhouses thatmust incorporate the surrounding rock struc-tures to form a unified structural system.Challenges faced by this branch of engineeringare different from those found when designing,say, roads. Here you have plans, profiles andcross sections that are nice to have in 3D butcan be adequately portrayed on 2D drawings.Geotechnical challenges are 3D challenges the stability of soil, the affect of a water tablegoing up and down and so on.

Time and EffortOf course none of these challenges have everbeen insurmountable. They just take a signifi-cant amount of time - and mental effort - tohold together. For example, how the stratastack up, the dimensions and depths of pil-ings being driven, the type of soil underneaththe footings or abutments and its engineeringcharacteristics. Or think of the location/depth

of bedrock or limestone and similar con-straints when building tunnels, or dams orfoundations. The amount of different forms ofinformation needed by engineers in this sector- from paper-based soil analysis and qualityassurance statistics to CAD and GIS data - canmean designing is time-consuming and cum-bersome. Unless you are using software thatcan easily integrate CAD and GIS, translatingdata between the two can introduce errors ofprecision and accuracy.

Think Beyond 2DNew 3D design software that has been devel-oped with all these challenges in mind canhelp both produce better designs and improveproductivity. This is because this technology isfar more than just a way to produce realisticimages and pictures. To understand it fully, you need to thinkbeyond 2D to an intelligent 3D model thatholds all the information in whatever form inone central and easily accessible repository.One of the real advantages of this is thatwhen one change is made anywhere in themodel, everything else that is impacted bythat change is co-ordinated accordingly.

Current DataThere are three major advantages to using anintelligent 3D model. First, it means that thedata held is always current. It can be enhancedas a project progresses and shared with otherproject team members such as structural engi-neers or even the client. This eliminates theneed for data to be re-created throughout theinfrastructure lifecycle with all the inherentopportunities for inaccuracies.Next, it ensures any clashes or design faults arediscovered in the virtual world rather than onsite. This means that, thirdly, engineers can eas-ily experiment with what-if scenarios. This is aparticularly important benefit for geotechnicaland ground engineers. They have many param-

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Founded in 1955, the CHIDI provideshydropower-related engineering services tothe State Power Corporation of China. Itsstaff includes more than 1,300 engineeringand design professionals. Their expertisein the design of hydropower facilities hasearned the CHIDI over 40 awards for sci-entific and technical achievement since1990.

Every hydropower project must be based on the geog-raphy of the site. Because of this, applications must becapable of very accurate 3D models.

The Jinpin Hydropower plant on the Yalong River isone of CHIDIs most significant projects. When com-pleted, the dam will be the worlds tallest.

Prod_GI_1_2006 30-01-2006 10:59 Pagina 14

eters to take into account trying to deliver onthe clients creative design ideas with often diffi-cult sites and environmental factors to dealwith. Basically, you can move things around tosee if you adjust this value or constraint.Looking at a depth for example, what happensto say the size of footing or abutment neededor the type and amount of material impacted?You can start to understand the potential ofnatural events such as hurricanes or earth-quakes, floods and how these will impact theinfrastructure you are trying to design.

Potential of 3D ApplicationsThe CHIDI engineers spent a great deal of timeensuring that their hydropower plant designsmatched perfectly the images and maps pro-duced by their surveyors. While they saw thepotential of 3D applications and dynamic comput-er models to save time, they were concerned thatsuch applications might sacrifice the precisionneeded for hydroelectric projects. Everyhydropower project must be based on the geog-raphy of the site, says Xue Lijun, a senior engi-neer with the CHIDI. The site information mustbe highly precise, especially on projects involvingexcavation work at the slopes and embankment.Because of this, applications must be capable orvery accurate 3D models to be useful in ourdesign processes.

Ambitious ProgramWith the Chinese economy booming, the nationis hungry for more electric power, especiallypower that does not derive from the burning ofexpensive fossil fuels. As a result, China has

based on existing data, such as survey informa-tion. Because the design elements are linked,changes to one aspect of the design are auto-matically reflected throughout. CHIDI has alsofound that the softwares plotting and gradingfeatures are helping as they plan for the excava-tion of the dam and its embankments. Thehead of the CHIDIs geology department, XiaoQiang, sees potential in the applications abilityto reproduce complex geographic features. Hesays: This could revolutionise the way profilingof varied terrains is done. Using 3D design weare able to do automatic geologic profiling.The engineers at the CHIDI now have 3D mod-els of the Jinpin site at their disposal, not onlyabove but also below ground. We can carryout site analysis and design using these mod-els, explains Xue. Using Civil 3D for ourdesign work on the Jinpin project, we havebeen able to improve the precision of our exca-vation planning and the efficiency of our designprocess.

Going forward, the role of the geotechnicalengineer is not changing, however the toolsat their disposal to assist them in doing theirjob will change. Solutions that allow for true3D modelling of designs will assist them infocusing on the design challenge at hand andnot on figuring out how to bring together 2Ddata to make a 3D model.

Terry D. Bennett (terry.bennett@autodesk.com) is a

senior manager of Engineering & Construction

Solutions Autodesk. Surf to www.autodesk.com to

learn more about Autodesk Civil 3D.

embarked on an ambitious hydroelectric powergeneration program and several hydroelectricplants are being constructed and planned in theChengdu area by the CHIDI. The Jinpin Hydro-power Plant on the Yalong River is among themost significant. With a final planned powergeneration capacity of 8,000 megawatts, theproject is being constructed in two phases.Phase one includes a 3,600 megawatt powerstation and 305-metre double-arched dam,which will be the worlds tallest.

Autodesk Civil 3DAs dam and power station design began on theproject, the engineers at the CHIDI decided toexplore 3D design applications in hope of find-ing a way to improve and accelerate their designprocess. They settled on Autodesk Civil 3D as itprovided a dynamic and realistic interactionbetween design elements. This helps us to cre-ate and modify complex horizontal and verticalelements within designs more quickly, saysZhang Tong, CHIDI engineer. Autodesk Civil 3Dintegrates the drafting capabilities of AutoCADsoftware with relationship-based civil engineeringfunctionality. Its dynamic engineering modelmeans that changes made in one place arereflected instantly throughout the entire project.Design elements, visualisation, analyses andplans stay synchronised, so accuracy is main-tained as drawing submittals move faster fromconcept to completion.

Linked Design ElementsUsing the software, the engineers have beenable to create accurate 3D engineering models

Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com

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n on Chengdu Dam Projectn on Chengdu Dam Project

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At the time of writing, Thierry Gregorius

(thierry.gregorius@shell.com) was Shells global

GIS coordinator but has now moved on to take

up the role of IM & Geomatics Programme

Manager at Shell International Exploration

and Production, based in the Netherlands.

The views in this column are entirely personal.

I paint what I know, not what I see

That is what Pablo Picasso once said of his famous artwork. The same is true of

maps and geographic information (GI), but I wont bore you with the many analogies

that can be drawn with cubist 4D paintings. Instead I would like to report back from

an interesting recent event: the annual conference of the Association for Geographic

Information (AGI) in London.

Looking through the window as my planedescended towards Heathrow, I remem-bered Picassos quote. I spotted theThames, Millennium Dome, Tower Bridge,Houses of Parliament, Hyde Park but Icould only see those things because Iknew them. What would a Picasso maphave looked like, I wondered? At ChelseaFootball Club, the AGI conference venue, Imust have overlooked many thingsbecause I have two left feet and dontknow much about football. Which is ashame because conference delegates wereinvited to party in a VIP lounge overlook-ing the stadium.

But football aside, why was AGI2005 sointeresting? I had only attended this annualevent once before. Then it still seemedmore like an ordinary affair for a Britishpublic sector audience. But now, with anexhibition of 50 major GI vendors includ-ing promising new talent from India itappeared to be very different. You couldalmost taste the energy around the hall-way. Opportunity was in the air. The GIindustry has obviously matured, but so hasthe conference. The presentation pro-gramme had many diverse discussionstreams. More importantly, a senior UKminister showed up to squeeze in a speechbetween a Chinese state visit and a criticalvote on terrorist detainment. He could sim-ply have cancelled due to London traffic,but instead he came and talked about theimportance of GI.

What really makes this conference so differ-ent and worthwhile, however, is its inher-ent Britishness. From a European perspec-tive, the Brits are very peculiar. They driveon the wrong side of the road, drink luke-warm beer, drown their tea in milk andthink it is funny if they tell you the oppo-site of what they mean. But when the Britsdo something, they do it properly. Whoelse would have invented Happy Hour toconsume all drinks in an hour, for halfprice? The same seems to be true of their

conferences: rather than endure the usualDeath-by-Powerpoint scenario, they preferto talk properly. Thirty minutes of eachsession was strictly reserved for interactivepanel discussions. This generated levels ofenergy rarely witnessed before, amplifiedby the fact that the GI industry is undergo-ing drastic change. Everybody agreed thatthere are many opportunities ahead, in theprofessional and consumer markets. Wehave reached a stage where the technologyis there and it is more about peoplesexpectations of that technology. Someonegave the example of in-car navigation sys-tems: to the driver the Escape button mayhave a very different meaning to what theGPS developer intended!

There is not enough space here to high-light any presentations, except one: thecharity MapAction (www.mapaction.org).They gave an emotional and fascinatingaccount about how they provide much-needed mapping to humanitarian disasterrelief worldwide. MapAction really make adifference by sacrificing volunteer time andmoney. They also need your support youknow the website.

Outside the UK not many people seem toknow about the AGI conference. It is one ofBritains best-kept secrets. But if you wouldlike to have your notions of GI shaken, notstirred, then put Chelsea Football Club inyour November diary. And perhaps you canteach me how to play football too.

Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com Jan./Feb. 2006 17

Opportunity was in the air. The

GI industry has obviously

matured, but so has the AGI

conference.

Column

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Contracts and Promising Test ResultsUpdates Galileo, EGNOS, Glonass and GPSContracts and Promising Test Results

A lot of effort is being put in the development of Global Satellite Navigation Systems

(GNSS). First of all there is the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay System

(Egnos), a differential GPS or Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS) based upon

geo-stationary satellites. Furthermore Galileo is under full development as a European

counterpart to GPS. Finally the development of Glonass and GPS is continuing. This

article describes the current state of GNSS. In the future you will find regular updates

in this magazine concerning GNSS.

By Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk

EgnosWhen discussing Egnos, we need to discrimi-nate between Egnos itself and the EgnosSystem Test Bed (ESTB). The latter has beentransmitting test signals for quite some timenow, allowing manufacturers to develop Egnoscompatible products. Furthermore the ESTB isused by ESA for testing the Egnos perfor-mance. The ESTB signals are currently broad-casted via the Inmarsat satellite AOR-E at PRN120. These signals are also available from theInternet via SISNet. In the future Egnos signalswill become available via SISNet as well.

On 28 July 2005 Egnos was officially declaredoperational by the ESA. This however does notmean that the system can be used broadly.According to planning, the system will providea fully operational, open service in the firstquarter of 2006. The corresponding Egnos version is 2.1, which will also support thestandard SBAS message type 0/2. All WAAScompatible receivers, making Egnos availableto a larger number of receivers, can decodethis message. The first test results of Egnosare promising, with ESA having measured aprecision of 1 meter.

Currently Egnos signals are broadcasted viathe Artemis satellite (PRN 124) and theInmarsat satellite IOR-W (PRN 126).

Galileo: GIOVE-AThe first Galileo satellite, GIOVE-A, waslaunched on the 28th of December at 06:19CET from Baikonur, Kazakhstan. After a success-ful flight GIOVE-A separated from the Soyuzrocket at 10:01 CET on the same day. GIOVE-Aproceeded to the start-up procedure, whichwas completed faster than expected. At themoment the satellite, which was built by theBritish firm Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd, isfully operational and broadcasting Galileo signals. By launching GIOVE-A, the Galileo project hassecured the frequencies claimed earlier withthe International Telecommunications Union(ITU). GIOVE-A will be used for testing newtechnologies and surveying the radio environ-ment in the medium altitude satellite orbit.

Positioning SignalsGIOVE-A has been equipped with Rubidiumatomic clocks. These clocks will eventually,together with a mother clock, perform the tim-ing of positioning signals. The precision of theRubidium clocks tested in GIOVE-A is in theorder of 10 nanoseconds per day. The clocksin the operational Galileo satellites will have aprecision of 1.9 nanoseconds per 12 hours, or3.6 seconds per day. The expected life time ofthe GIOVE-A satellite is 2 years.The mother clock, which is not available inGIOVE-A, will have a precision of 0.45nanoseconds per 12 hours. This calculates to a

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The first Galileo satellite, GIOVE-A,was launched on the 28th ofDecember at 06:19 CET fromBaikonur, Kazakhstan.

Artist impression GPS Block IIR-M (source: www.wslfweb.org).

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Test ResultsTest Results

The first Galileo satellite, GIOVE-A, was launched on the 28th of December at 06:19 CET from Baikonur, Kazakhstan.

probable error of 1 second per 1.6 millionyears. This mother clock, which operates onthe principle of the excitation of hydrogenatoms, will be tested on board GIOVE-B. Thelaunch of GIOVE-B is planned later on in 2006.

ContractsFurthermore two important Galileo contractswere awarded in December 2005: EADS Astrium awarded a 6 million

contract to LogicaCMG for the develop-ment of the operating system of the GPSconstellation;

The Canadian government awarded thesecond contract of USD 500,000 toNovatel for the development of a GalileoSafety of Life services receiver.

Glonass-MOn christmas day 2005 three Glonass satelliteswere also launched from Baikonur using aProton-K rocket. These satellites were put intoorbital plane 3 but are not active at themoment. As soon as these are active theGlonass constellation will consist of 13 satellites.Of the new satellites two are of the improvedtype (Glonass-M) and one is of the old type. Theexpected life time of the improved type of satel-lite is 7 years. This in contrast with the averagelife time of the current (old) type which is 3years. According to Russian sources the expecta-

tion is that the Glonass constellation will consistof 18 satellites in 2007. However, due to theshort life time of the old type of satellites a con-stant series of launches will have to take placeto replace unusable satellites. Out of 13 satellitescurrently active, three satellites have an age ofover 3 years. Furthermore there are satellitesthat have been in operation for almost 3 years.

GPS-Block IIR-MIn september 2005 the first Block IIR-M GPSsatellite was launched from Cape Canaveralusing a Delta rocket. This launch was originallyset for December 2004 but had been post-poned several times. This launch was the firstof a series of eight with the possibility totransmit the C/A code in the L2 frequencyband, also called the L2C code. Furthermorethese satellites broadcast an improved militarycode, the M-code, on both the L1 and L2 fre-quency bands. It is expected that from 2007onward the Block IIF generation will belaunched. This generation will not only trans-mit the L2C and M code, but will also transmitsignals in the L5 frequency band.

Huibert-Jan Lekkerkerk (info@hydrografie.info) is a

freelance writer and trainer in the field of positioning

and hydrography. For more information about the

topics discussed in this article visit www.esa.int,

www.glonass-center.ru or www.navcen.uscg.gov.

AllAds 8/2/04 9:12 AM Page 1

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Gigapixel Frame ImagesIs the Holy Grail of Airborne Digital Frame Imaging in Sight?Gigapixel Frame Images

Over the last few years, there has been much interest in and considerable publicity

about the production of digital frame images that are Gigapixel in size. This interest has

been apparent both among amateur and professional photographers at one end of the

imaging community and among scientific astronomers at the other end. This article

reviews the technical developments that have taken place to allow Gigapixel images to

be generated. It also discusses the possible implications for the geoinformatics industry,

especially those involved in airborne photogrammetric and remote sensing activities.

by Gordon Petrie

Airborne Digital Frame ImageryIn particular, the author looks at the possibil-ities of applying these new technologies anddevelopments to overcome the limitations inthe size of the CCD area arrays that arebeing used currently in airborne digital framecameras. These limitations have resulted inthe use of multiple cameras to generatelarge-format digital frame images. However,even then, the resulting images are still com-paratively small in size - around 80 to 100Megapixels. Part I (in this issue) will discuss the develop-ments that have taken place to produceGigapixel images within the area of amateurand professional photography. Part II (to bepublished in the next issue ofGeoInformatics) will discuss the correspond-ing developments in the field of scientificastronomical imaging. In both parts, an anal-ysis will be undertaken with a view toassessing their potential application to theacquisition of digital airborne frame imagery.

Four Main ApproachesWithin the particular area of Amateur &Professional Photography, four mainapproaches can be identified, each ofwhich will be explained further in this article.(1) First of all, Gigapixel images have beengenerated using large-format photographiccameras to acquire frame images of therequired scene on negative film. Afterdevelopment, these photographs have thenbeen scanned using a high-resolution pho-togrammetric film scanner to generate thecorresponding digital images.(2) A second approach has been to use asmall-format digital frame camera equippedwith CCD area arrays to acquire numerousoverlapping frame images of a large area ina systematic and controlled manner. Theseimages are then stitched together usingimage processing techniques to generate acomposite mosaic forming a singlepanoramic image of the required scene thatis Gigapixel in size.

(3) A third approach has been to utilize specially built or modified frame camerasthat acquire digital images of the scenedirectly through systematic scanning of therequired area across the focal plane of theframe camera using CCD linear arrays. Againthe application of this technique can produceGigapixel-sized images.(4) A fourth approach has been the genera-tion of digital panoramic frame images usingnewly-developed rotating line scanners,again based on the use of linear arrays. The largest of the resulting images are againGigapixel in size.

Large-Format Film CamerasThe basic technology of the large-format filmframe camera is of course quite well knownto those photogrammetrists and photo-inter-preters who have been working in thedefence mapping and intelligence fields dur-ing the last 30 to 40 years. Taking a well-known example, during the 1970s, theAmerican Itek company produced its rangeof Metritek photogrammetric film camerasequipped either (i) with an f = 12 inch (30 cm) lens and producing photographswith a 9 x 18 inch (23 x 46 cm) format; or(ii) with an f = 8.25 inch (21 cm) lens pro-ducing 9 x 13.5 inch (23 x 34.5 cm) formatphotographs. Using high-resolution Kodak3414 black-and-white panchromatic film, aerial images with resolution values of 75 to80 line pairs per mm were achieved usingthese cameras. They were usually operatedat altitudes up to 60,000 ft. (20 km) or evenhigher on-board RB-57 or U-2 reconnaissanceaircraft. Other versions of this type of filmframe camera with the 9 x 18 inch formatwere developed by Hycon. For example, thecompanys HR-732 camera is equipped withan f = 24 inch (60 cm) lens and has beenused extensively by NASA, flown on its civil-ian (ER-2) versions of the U-2 aircraft, seeFigure 1(a). The Itek Metritek 30 was devel-oped still further for use in space in the formof NASAs Large Format Camera (LFC). Thiswas flown on-board Space Shuttle mission41G in October 1984. Over 2,000 photosfrom this mission are still available from theEROS Data Center (EDC) in Sioux Falls inboth hard-copy and digital form. Indeed theEDC offers the black-and-white LFC photosscanned either at a 14m pixel size

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Figure 1a: A Hycon HR-732 large-format camera (atthe rear) and a Leica RC10 standard-format camera(at the front) sitting on a dual camera mount - asoperated from high altitudes from one of NASAs ER-2aircraft. (Source: NASA)

Prod_GI_1_2006 30-01-2006 10:59 Pagina 20

(giving a file size of 2 x 262 Megapixels) orat a 7m pixel size (producing a 2 x 1.3Gigapixel file). The LFC colour and false-colour photographs are offered with the14m pixel size only, resulting in a file sizeof 2 x 787 Megapixels.

(a) Gigapxl ProjectThis began in 2000 as a retirement projectcarried out by Graham Flint (a physicist andoptics specialist from the U.K. who hadworked in senior positions with Lockheedand the USAF) and his wife, Catherine Aves(with a background in desktop publishingand image processing) who are now basedin New Mexico. They decided to build a veryhigh-resolution camera that could be usedon the ground to record large-format digitalimages of the landscapes of North America. To obtain the very detailed yet wide-angleimages that they desired, they constructed apurpose-designed camera on the basis of anold Fairchild K-38 large-format aerial filmcamera - again having a 9 x 18 inch (23 x46 cm) format. The main body and the mag-azine were retained, but many modificationswere made to the rest of the camera. In par-ticular, a new wide-angle (Asymmagon) lenswith f = 215mm was designed and manufac-tured to meet the specific requirements oflandscape photography using this camera,see Figure 1(b). A new lens mount, togetherwith a precision tilt and focus mechanism,was also purpose-built for the camera. Thefilm drive motors were stripped out to save

that have been imaged so far have mainlybeen taken using the Kodak SO846 and2444 and the Agfa Aviophot aerial colournegative films that are very familiar to pho-togrammetrists. However high-resolutionblack-and-white panchromatic films havealso been used for the purpose. The final colour images were producedoriginally on a Cymbolic Sciences (nowOc) LightJet 5000 printer using Kodak pro-fessional colour paper. More recently, theimages have been produced on an EpsonStylus 9600 colour printer. A very detailedaccount of the design and construction ofthe Gigapxl camera, together with a fasci-nating in-depth analysis of its performanceand numerous eye-catching sample imagescan be found on the projects Web site:http://www.gigapxl.org/.

(b) R1 CameraFollowing on from the Gigapxl Project,starting in 2003, a similar approach to thegeneration of Gigapixel images has beentaken by another American artist and pho-tographer, Clifford Ross, who is the principalof Ross Studios in New York City. The basisof his R1 camera is again an ex-militaryFairchild film frame camera producing a 9 x18 inch (23 x 46 cm) format photograph.The camera has been modified to sit in aspecially built cradle which is mounted ona heavy-duty tripod, see Figure 1(c). The R1camera utilizes colour negative film - inthis case, Fujichrome Velvia - which, afterdevelopment, is scanned in a high-qualityfilm scanner to produce a 2.6 Gigapixeldigital file. As with the Gigapxl Project, thefinal colour image is output on an OcLightJet printer. The relevant Web site -http://www.cliffordross.com/ - is again quitevoluminous, though it is a little less infor-mative on the technical aspects of the cam-era and has a greater concentration on themore artistic and interpretive aspects of theresulting imagery. In December 2004, Rossformed a working group, including partici-pants from the Sandia National Lab, NewYork University and several commercialcompanies, to investigate further the dis-play and interpretive aspects of his large-format high-resolution digital imagesemploying wall, ceiling and floor projectiontechniques.

Composite Image MosaicsTwo examples of this alternative approach tothe formation of Gigapixel images that haveused multiple small-format digital images arethe projects undertaken by an American pho-tographer, Max Lyons, and by the Dutchresearch organisation, TNO.

weight and the camera converted to manualoperation. The camera was then fitted insidea specially-built skeletal metal frame whichsits on top of a sturdy and stable tripod. Asmall-format Nikon digital camera wasmounted on this frame to act as a viewfind-er, supplementing a telescopic sight.

After exposure in the camera, the large-for-mat negative film images are scannedeither in a Leica Geosystems DSW500 or aVexcel VX-4000DT film scanner. Initially a12.5m pixel size (providing 80 pixels permm) was used, producing digital imagesthat are 670 Megapixels in size. Since then,collaboration with Leica using its latestDSW700 scanner has resulted in the capa-bility to scan the film with a smaller 6mpixel size resulting in a file size of 2,900Megapixels (2.9 Gigapixels). The colourphotographs of the 1,000 or so landscapes

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ight?

Figure 1b: Two different versions of the Fairchild large-format film cameras that have been modified for use in theGigapxl Project - with the long (18 inch) side set in the horizontal position in the example on the left of the pictureand set in the vertical position in the example on the right. (Source: Gigapxl Project)

Figure 1c: The Ross R1 large-format film camerabeing used to expose a photo of Mount Sopris inColorado (Source: Clifford Ross)

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(a) Max LyonsMax Lyons is a professional photographerbased in Washington, D.C. who specializes intaking panoramic photographs of buildinginteriors and exteriors and of landscapesfrom multiple overlapping images acquiredby a small-format frame digital camera. Hehas also developed a number of softwaretools to aid the construction of the finalcomposite large-format panoramic imagesformed from the numerous individual over-lapping small-format images taken by thecamera. An example of his work that hasreceived wide publicity is the panoramicimage of Bryce Canyon in Utah that was gen-erated towards the end of 2003. This com-posite image has been constructed from 196individual frame images, each 6 Megapixelsin size. These were taken using a Canon D60digital camera equipped with an f = 280 mmlens. The camera was mounted on aManfrotto tripod equipped with a specialhead that allowed it to be rotated aroundthe nodal point of its lens. This allowed theimages to be taken in a systematic manneralong each of several rows with small over-laps between them, see Figures 2(a) & (b). The image processing was carried out overseveral days using Adobe Photoshop in com-bination with specialized software (Panotoolsand PT Assembler) to carry out the matchingand stitching together of the individualimages. The dimensions of the finalmosaiced image of Bryce Canyon are 40.7k x26.8k pixels = 1.09 Gigapixels. The size ofthe compressed colour RGB file was just over2 Gigapixels. More information is given onthe relevant pages of Max Lyons Web site -http://www.tambaware.com/maxlyons/gigapix-el.htm.

(b) TNO, The NetherlandsIn the autumn of 2004, the Dutch TNOresearch organisation also followed the samegeneral approach by using a relatively inex-pensive small-format digital camera to take

stored on a laptop computer. The final imageprocessing - including the stitching togetherand merging of the individual images - wascarried out using the same software packagesand tools as Max Lyons. However variousadditional software modules had to be devel-oped by TNO for the automated control of thecamera motions. Furthermore while Max Lyonscarried out the stitching together of theimages purely manually, the TNO group useda highly automated approach. A detailedaccount of the TNO project, together withnumerous photos of the equipment, the loca-tion and extracts from the final image is givenon http://www.tno.nl/gigapixel/.

Frame Cameras with Scan BacksAs the photogrammetric community is onlytoo well aware, currently the largest CCD areaarrays that are readily available commerciallyto acquire colour images are 4k x 4k pixels =16 Megapixels or 5.4k x 4.2k pixels = 22Megapixels in size. Most of these area arraysare manufactured by Kodak. These arrays areused for example in the digital backs fitted tothe Applanix DSS and IGI DigiCAM 22 air-borne digital frame cameras. The bodies from medium-format (6 x 4.5 cmor 6 x 6 cm) Contax, Hasselblad or Rolleicameras are used as the basis of these units.These 16 or 22 Megapixel digital backs havealso been used in multiple in a tilted configu-ration in the Digital Modular Camera (DMC) ofDiMAC Systems where up to four of thesebacks may be utilized to acquire the individu-al colour images that will be used to formthe final composite large-format frame image.Even then, this image is only some 80Megapixels in size.

The same limitations regarding the formatsize of digital cameras apply in most profes-sional photography. However film camerasusing still larger format sizes - e.g. 4 x 5inches (10 x 12.5 cm) - are in widespreaduse for studio and landscape photography.To convert these cameras to digital opera-tion, various digital backs have been devel-oped in which the focal plane is scannedusing a tri-linear array to collect separatered, green and blue (RGB) images that canbe processed and merged to form colourframe images. Probably the best known ofthese digital scan backs are the productsfrom Better Light in the U.S.A. and PhaseOne in Denmark. For example, thePowerPhase FX+ digital back from Phase Oneuses a Kodak Tri-linear array with 10,500 pix-els, each 8m in size. The size of the finalframe image is 10,500 x 12,600 pixels = 132Megapixels, while the file size of the RGBcolour image is 380 Megapixels. Obviously

multiple overlapping images from the top of a100m high building in the town of Delft toproduce a panorama of the town and the sur-rounding countryside. It then carried out thestitching together and merging of the resultingmultiple images to create a single compositemosaic image that is 78.7k x 31.6k pixels =2.5 Gigapixels in size. The file size of the finalRGB colour image was 7.5 Gigapixels. TheTNO group used a Nikon D1x digital cameraequipped with an f = 400mm lens that pro-duced individual images that are 6 Megapixelsin size. This camera was mounted on aManfrotto tripod that was fitted with a com-puter-controlled pan and tilt head equippedwith motors, encoders and a motion con-troller, see Figure 2(c), instead of the manuallyoperated head used by Max Lyons. A total of 600 individual images wereacquired, with each image being read out and

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Figure 2b: The overlapping concentric frame imagescan be projected on to a common plane using a 2Dprojective transformation. (Drawn by Mike Shand)

Figure 2a: A diagram showing the geometric arrange-ment of a block of overlapping concentric frameimages acquired by a single digital camera from asingle exposure station. (Drawn by Mike Shand)

Figure 2c: The Nikon D1x small-format digital camera withits motorized pan-and-tilt head and motion controllerhardware mounted on the parapet of the 100m highElectrical Engineering building of the Delft University ofTechnology to order to acquire the photos of the town.(Source & Copyright: TNO)

Prod_GI_1_2006 30-01-2006 10:59 Pagina 23

the use of a digital back employing a lineararray that is scanning the area of a frameover a substantial period of time is inappro-priate to an airborne platform with its rapidforward motion.For museum work, where very large maps,tapestries, paintings and documents need tobe photographed for record and research pur-poses and for the recording of landscapes,still larger formats are required. For theseapplications, the Italian company, MetisSystems based in Rome, has devised itsDigital Macro Camera (DMC), see Figure 3(a).This is a purpose-built camera rather than adigital back fitted to the body of an existingcamera. It utilizes a tri-linear array (fromSony), which is first scanned over the lowestpart of the focal plane amounting to one-third of the final image. After which, the arrayis then moved up using a precise mechanicaltransport mechanism and motor to scan suc-cessively the remaining parts of the focalplane, see Figure 3(b). Basically the scanningpattern across the focal plane is similar to

that used in high-precision photogrammetricfilm scanners such as the Z/I Imaging SCAI.The drives and electronics for the X and Yscan mechanism are from Kigamo GmbH inGermany. The total size of image produced bythe DMC camera is 31,250 x 38,125 pixels =1.19 Gigapixels. The final RGB file is 3.4Gigapixels in size. Once again, the use of thistype of camera is limited to the capture ofimages of static objects from a single fixedposition. It cannot be used from an airborneplatform having a rapid movement over theground. More details of this camera can beobtained from the Metis Web site:http://www.metis-group.com/.

Rotating Line ScannersPanoramic photography, especially of land-scapes and buildings, has long been popu-lar both with amateur and professionalphotographers. Until recently, this has beencarried out using special cameras based onthe use of 35mm or 120-sized roll film.Now, however, a new generation of rotatingline scanners has been developed for theacquisition of panoramic images in digitalform - with the highest resolution imagesreaching Gigapixel size. An example is theEyeScan M3 digital panoramic scannerwhich has been developed jointly by theGerman Aerospace Center (DLR) and theKamera System Technik (KST) companybased in Dresden, see Figure 4(a). The scanning action involves the rotationof the line scanner imager on a high-preci-sion turntable around the vertical axispassing through the lens of the imager togive a 360 panoramic image. The rotationspeed of the turntable is controlled pre-cisely using a motor equipped with a suit-able gearing system under computer con-trol. The scanned digital image is recordedcontinuously in colour using a Kodak Tri-linear CCD array, 10,200 pixels in length -that is set in the vertical direction. Whenused in conjunction with a long-focus (f =100mm) narrow-angle lens, the resultingdigital panoramic frame image is 10,200 x89,700 pixels = 914,940 Megapixels in size,i.e. just under one Gigapixel in size. Giventhe 3 RGB channels of the Tri-linear array,this produces an image file of 2.75Gigabytes (at 8 bits per pixel) or 5.5Gigapixels (with 16 bits per colour chan-nel). Since it takes 10 minutes to completethe recording of a complete 360 scan,once again, the use of this scanner is

restricted to the imaging of static objectsfrom a fixed position. More details can beobtained from the KST companys Web site:www.kst-dresden.de/.

The basic geometry of the frame image pro-duced by this rotating line scanner is verysimilar to that of an airborne panoramicframe camera - albeit with the distinctionthat that a full 360 rotation of the lens isachieved with this new type of imagerinstead of the 180 maximum angular cover-age of the airborne panoramic camera, seeFigure 4(b). There has been a strong interestby photogrammetrists in this EyeScan imagerand in the similar scanners produced by theSpheron VR (PanoCam) and Dr. Clauss(Karline) companies in Germany and theSeitz (Roundshot) company from Switzerland.However all of these latter examples gener-ate much smaller-sized images since theyuse shorter CCD linear arrays that are either3,600 or 5,300 pixels in length. This interest by the photogrammetric com-munity has been concentrated on terrestrialapplications such as architectural photogram-metry; in particular, the execution of preci-sion surveys of building exteriors and interi-ors for urban modelling. This developmenthas already resulted in two specialist ISPRSworkshops on panoramic imagers being heldin Dresden (in March 2004) and in Berlin (inFebruary 2005).

Summary & Analysis From the account set out above, it is obviousthat several different approaches have beendevised by the amateur and professional pho-tographic communities to obtain Gigapixelframe images. The first approach of using alarge-format film camera to acquire the images

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Figure 3a: The Digital Macro Camera (DMC) 1015/Cused for the high-resolution digital imaging of largeobjects such as maps and tapestries - based ondynamic scanning of the camera's focal plane.(Source: Metis Systems)

Figure 3b: Systematic scanning of the focal plane of the Metis DMC camera using a Sony tri-linear array to producea Gigapixel frame image. (Drawn by Mike Shand)

Prod_GI_1_2006 30-01-2006 10:59 Pagina 24

and then digitizing the negative film is thesame as that followed by many current usersof standard-format (23 x 23 cm) aerial filmcameras - with the bonus that the format sizeis doubled. However many years have elapsedsince large-format aerial film cameras were last

period of time. This solution is not relevant toimaging from a moving airborne platform. Theneed to process and merge several hundredimages is a further disadvantage. Similarly thesecond alternative solution of generatingframe images by scanning across the focalplane of the camera using linear arrays is alsoinappropriate to a situation involving a movingairborne platform. Though, of course, bothtechniques might be appropriate to terrestrialphotogrammetry, provided the subject beingimaged is static over a period of time. Much the same remarks can be made aboutthe applications of the third alternative solu-tion - that of the rotating line scanner generat-ing fully panoramic images. All of which leadsone to look elsewhere for technologies andsolutions that might be useful for the directacquisition of large-format frame images indigital form for aerial photogrammetric andremote sensing purposes. This will be exploredin Part II of this article which looks at theexciting developments in this particular subjectarea that are currently taking place in scientificastronomy.

Professor G. Petrie (g.petrie@geog.gla.ac.uk) works

with the Department of Geographical & Earth

Sciences, University of Glasgow.

manufactured. Furthermore, without doubt, thetrend is towards cameras that will allow directcapture of airborne digital image data.However the main drawback with digital framecameras at the present time is the relativelysmall size of current CCD area arrays with the

need to have multiple cameras andsub-images that need to be pro-cessed to form the final image. Eventhen, the final image will only 80 to100 Megapixels in size.As for the other three solutions thatproduce digital images directly, thefirst of these alternative solutionsinvolves the generation of multipleoverlapping images from differentpointings of a camera from a singlestation to produce each image over a

Jan./Feb. 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 25

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Figure 4a: The KST EYESCAN M3 Metric rotating line scanner sitting on its mount and the high-precision turntable that is used to rotate the imager during the acquisition of itsdigital image data. (Source: Kamera & System Technik GmbH)

Figure 4b: The 360 scanning action of thelens and the tri-linear array that is used toproduce an image on a cylindrical surfaceusing a panoramic camera. (Drawn byMike Shand)

Figure 4c: The cylindrical image data that has been collected by the panoramiccamera can be unwrapped onto a plainsurface. (Drawn by Mike Shand)

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The Role of Large Format Printing in Visualizing Complex GIS DataGreater Impact and More Effectiveness Hard Copy PrintsThe Role of Large Format Printing in Visualizing Complex GIS Data

Todays GIS technology helps to integrate all kinds of information and applications

with a geographic component into one, manageable system. A GIS ties all data togeth-

er and facilitates the analysis to support the decision making.

By Laurent Gaubert

BackgroundThe developments in Information Technologysuch as the evolution of Internet, theincreased speed of processors, the capabili-ties of storage systems and the advances inprinting technology, are also crucial to sup-port the new demands of GIS users.More photographic data is being used andincorporated into GIS files with the availabili-ty of web-based satellite imaging libraries.The combination of raster data such asOrtho images) and the existing vector data(like existing pipelines) help users to inter-pret the results of GIS studies better. Clearvisuals make it easier to share these resultswith more people, and to include more con-stituents in the decision-making processes. The photographic data also makes it easierfor maintenance and other technical person-nel to interpret technical drawings, whichlowers training cost and improves the accu-racy of their work. Of course, the use of more raster data hasalso caused files to increase in sizes from500KB or 5MB to 300, 500, or even 1GB.

Large Format Prints and GISThere are only two ways to present GIS out-put to the human eye: a monitor or a hard

copy print. Hard copy prints are more effec-tive, and have greater impact, offering thefollowing benefits: Higher resolution; Larger file sizes; Easy to mark up; Easy to share and present; Portable and convenient; Weather resistant.It will be a while yet before mobile comput-ing can offer the same benefits and conve-nience of paper prints. Therefore, a vitallyimportant part of a successful GIS manage-ment project is the large format printer,which visually represents the spatial data.Now, todays larger raster files must be pro-cessed for printing and the challenge for thelarger format printer is to print fast, to pro-vide excellent image quality & line precision,and to be flexible in terms of complementarysolutions.

Right Printing TechnologyIn a mission-critical environment, the GISuser does lots of printing. When there is aneed for a printout, the user wants it fastand it simply has to come out. In the caseof piezo technology, reliability can be a prob-lem. Additionally, piezo technology is still

expensive and the user still needs to makeimage quality versus speed trade-off. Whileconsidering investing in piezo technology,the most important questions to beanswered should be the maintenance andservice costs as well as the ease of use. Some GIS sites use direct laser imaging plot-ters that are either in production printingenvironments or in mission-critical environ-ments. In a production-oriented environment,the plotter is typically shared with the engi-neering department and dozens or hundredsof plots needs to be printed a day. A typicalexample is a Utility or Telecom application.Direct laser imaging devices offer the speedbut have other drawbacks such as very highpurchase cost, poor text and line quality,need for a darkroom environment andexpensive maintenance cost.However, when it comes to the overall com-bination of benefits to the typical GIS user,thermal inkjet is very hard to beat in termsof productivity and efficiency. With the recentbreakthroughs, the thermal inkjet technologyis the best in speed, image quality and ver-satility.

The vital components of the thermal inkjettechnology are the print heads and the printcartridges. As far as the print heads are con-cerned, the ink firing frequency, number ofnozzles, and drop volumes are the mostimportant features to achieve the best printquality. Equally important are the numberand the size of the ink cartridges. Bigger inkcartridges give the end user better cost perpage. As some GIS applications also requireoutdoor durability, the printer needs to becompatible with dye-based and pigmented(UV) inks.

Jan./Feb. 200626

Specia l

When there is a need for a printout, the user wants it fast and it simply has to come out- in short time.

It will be a while yet before

mobile computing can offer the

same benefits and convenience of

paper prints. Therefore, a vitally

important part of a successful

GIS management project is the

large format printer.

Prod_GI_1_2006 30-01-2006 10:59 Pagina 26

Choosing the Right PrinterSpeed is crucially important while investingin a large format printer. The printer needsto deliver a combination of production speedand unattendedness features. It should inte-grate networking features together with highbandwidth connection in order to better han-dle huge GIS files. GIS imagery usually needsconsistent and accurate color-coding, areafills and shading, sharp contour lines andhigh resolution photo output. Here comesthe importance of image quality. Finally, theprinter needs to be versatile and flexible inorder to provide connectivity to the main GISsoftware applications, to a variety of printingmedia and solutions to handle long plot GISimagery.

make decisions. To help enhance the GISusers workflow, HP has created new featureslike HP Designjet Webaccess. This allows theuser to communicate directly with the largeformat printing system via the Internet, fromanywhere and at anytime. Webaccess is a gateway to a range of ser-vices and features including: Job submittal(driver-less printing), Job queue management,Job preview, Supplies status and accountinginformation.Driver-less printing simplifies and speeds upthe printing of large data files. Instead ofstarting the process by opening the desiredfile with the appropriate SW application andthen using the printer driver to specify thecharacteristics of the printout, it is only amatter of drag & dropping the file to theprinters web page with an Internet browser.The file will then be processed in the printerleaving the processing power of the comput-er available for the user to work in othertasks.

Laurent Gaubert (Laurent.gaubert@hp.com) is

Marketing Program Manager for Technical Printing

at Hewlett-Packard Imaging and Printing Solutions

Department, Spain. Go to www.hp.com to have a look

at all HP solutions.

Among some other printer vendors, Hewlett-Packard is investing heavily in the above fea-tures in order to develop the GIS printer ofthe future, with available today the new HPDesignjet 4000 / 4500 family of Large FormatPrinters.

Internet to Speed up WorkflowThere is a growing trend for GIS users toaccess data at source via specifically creat-ed project web sites. These web sites act asa general repository for drawings or mapswhich can then be accessed by project par-ticipants. In this new environment, users canview, modify or print the data in drawings.They can analyze trends and patterns, testideas, and use the information to help them

Jan./Feb. 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 27

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ting in Visualizing Complex GIS Datarints

nting in Visualizing Complex GIS Data

The Designjet 4500 is available as a printer with two media rolls and optional stacker, as alarge format scanner, or as a fully featured print/scan/copy multifunction printer. The seriesfeatures simultaneous processing and printing. Equipped with HP Double Swath technology,it takes 0.17ml of ink to produce a standard colour line drawing covering an area of onesquare metre. Furthermore, 100 A1 size black and white or colour drawings can be printed in one hour. The series also delivers up to 2,400 x 1,200 optimised dpi and plus/minus 0.1percent line accuracy.The HP Designjet 4500 comes with two roll feeds, each holding up to a 175m long roll andswitches between different roll widths and media types automatically. With full capacity of350m media, the printer can be left unattended for at least six hours without needing tochange the roll. The new extra-large HP 90 775ml Black Ink Cartridge provides sufficientcapacity to print over 1,500 A0 line drawing plots. The optional stacker closes the unattendedprinting workflow by flattening and holding up to 200 A0 plots. When equipped with the HPDesignjet 4500 Stacker, the printer requires no attention for at least four hours while producing 200 plots.

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Jan./Feb. 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 29

Seeing the Bigger PictureDont Stumble at the Last HurdleSeeing the Bigger Picture

From transport and logistics, utilities and mining industries, through to government and insurance companies, the need for geo-

graphic information is essential. Highly accurate information ensures a competitive advantage. There have been recent announce-

ments in the press, such as TomTom using Tele Atlas, as well as the launch, and following success, of Google Earth. These are tes-

tament to the increasing popularity of GIS and the increasing demand for satellite imaging for everyday use.

By Paul Hinkins

PCs and Handheld DevicesTechnology has meant that GIS is now moresophisticated than ever, as are the deviceswith which we view pictures. Currently,images and maps are traditionally looked ator analysed on PCs and/or handheld devices.However, it seems that large format imageoutput is an area that can be neglected. On-screen viewing is commonplace but is that

enough when examining an image closerdetail? Printing is a vital part of the GIS pro-cess but is an area where businesses andorganisations are sadly falling down.

Stand-alone DeviceOver time, a myth has developed that print-ing, especially on a large format printer(LFP), is expensive and something that busi-

nesses do not necessarily need. To brieflyclarify, a large format printer is exactly that, astandalone device that allows users to printlarge documents and, as with most technolo-gy, it has developed and advanced over timeto produce cost-effective, high-qualityimages. Not only that, but there is also alack of awareness that a large image can beprinted out in its entirety from a single

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The latest large format printers released by Canon are the 44" imagePROGRAF W8400 (D) and A1+ 24" imagePROGRAF W6400 (D). Utilisingdye-based ink, the printers possess a wide colour gamut. Coupled with new one-inch-wide high-density print head, these products producemicroscopic 4-picoliter droplets. The imagePROGRAF W8400(D)/W6400(D) produce output speeds of up to around 2.2 minutes per page whenproducing A0 size images and 1.3 minutes per page for A1. Both printers offer a small footprint as well as supporting both Mac and PC plat-forms, which means that they can be integrated into an existing office solution. They also offer increased compatibility with standard softwareand the inclusion of PosterArtist and Digital Photo Print Pro as standard. PosterArtist has a catalogue of templates and images that allowusers to create their own, individual poster designs. Digital Photo Print Pro has been designed to support large-scale photographic reproduc-tion - enabling users to process, enhance and print photographic images without needing to use photo application software. CanonsimagePROGRAF W8400(D) and imagePROGRAF W6400(D) come with HDI drivers for AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT.

The 44" imagePROGRAF W8400 (D) printer.

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device. Not de-bunking the myth that sur-rounds LFP could mean that businesses aremissing out on a range of opportunities thatcould lead to an increase in revenue or amore accurate assessment of an image. It maynot be seen as the most critical part of theglobal imaging process, but LFPs are a funda-mental component and something GIS usersshould not ignore. It can also offer a competi-tive advantage and provide levels of detail;especially with satellite imaging that may notnecessarily be seen on screen. A printed imagecan have a significant impact on a range ofareas and activity, such as presenting plans,providing evidence in legal or insurance cases,searching for oil, or even for individuals tohang on their walls.

Breaking Down BarriersGIS is an area where precision and data accu-racy is key. With that in mind there may be abarriers to purchasing an LFP. These barrierscan be easily overcome however. From discus-sions Canon has had with GIS experts itseems there may be a trust issue at play dueto a reticence between what is seen on-screencompared to what is printed on the LFP, whichmay not necessarily represent the visual truth.These reservations arise from the moment anindividual presses print as the data may notsuccessfully transfer to the LFP, therefore print-ing an inaccurate image. This is not the case. Although with GIS, the conversion of datafrom application to printer is far heavier than amore traditional word-based document or low-res image, this does not affect the output.Currently, there are a range of software tech-nologies that are specifically designed for GISthat can, and do, successfully convert largeamounts of varying data to produce whollyaccurate images. SCP is a company that pro-vides one such software solution.

High-quality ImagesAnother perception is that the total cost ofownership of an LFP is high and that they areslow and cumbersome owing to the fact thatthey have to produce large, colour-intenseimages. As mentioned earlier, technology hasallowed the printer industry to produce faster,high quality images cost-effectively. There arenow LFP devices that can produce outputspeeds a little over 2 minutes per page when

sent a stronger case, both commercially andwithin a scientific context as seeing an imageas a whole in hardcopy can have a visualimpact on its audience. It is an effective wayto communicate a point to a non-scientificaudience this is particularly pertinent for thecommercial sector and could be a matter ofwinning business or even to use as evidencefrom a legal standpoint.

More Printing Than EverFinally, another key benefit is a very simpleone, tangibility. People do like to touch andlook at documents. Consider the office envi-ronment for a moment, where it was believedthat one day there would be the paperlessoffice. The fact is that businesses are nowprinting more than ever. It is predicted that astaggering 37 thousand million pages colourprinted pages will be produced by 2007 [1].This is showing no signs of decreasing. It istestament to the fact that people like to printbecause tangibility ensures a better under-standing of a document or image for the indi-vidual. From a scientific perspective, hapticperception, the exploratory use of touch,means that from childhood to adulthood, peo-ple find touch an extremely important sense,therefore to get the best performance out ofindividuals means providing tangible images.

ConclusionBy ignoring the benefits of large format print-ing, businesses and organisations are reallystumbling at the last hurdle and not seeingthe bigger picture. For those that thought LFPswere slow, expensive and cumbersome, tech-nology has remedied all of those issues toprovide an extremely cost-effective device thatcan quickly and accurately print images. GIS isall about getting the correct view of the world,so get printing to ensure greater accuracy andmore effective information share along withthe improved decision making that follows.

References [1] IDC European Hardcopy Tracker 2004.

Paul Hinkins (paul.hinkins@canon-europe.com)

is European Marketing Manager, LFP, Canon Europe.

Product and company information on

www.canon-europe.com.

producing A0 size images and significantly lessper page for A1 this certainly goes againstthe pre-perceived notion that large formatdevices are slow. These times are beingreduced with every new product released. Theprinters also come in a range of sizes from 24inches to 44 inches to cater for the diverseneeds of the GIS market. Additionally, as withall printers, inks are not indispensable and dohave to be replaced, which may be seen bysome as costly and another barrier to adop-tion. The good news for the GIS industry isthat the cost of print goes down when moreink is required, therefore significantly reducingthe cost per milliliter for LFP. Most, if not allLFPs today possess a wide colour gamut orrange, to ensure accuracy when matching thecolour on-screen with the printed image. Inktechnology has developed so much that LFPscan now produce microscopic 4-picoliterdroplets that create vibrant and realistic colouroutput. For those that may have concernsabout print parameters on a page, there isalso a borderless print option to cover thepaper from end to end and side to side, toshow even more of the image creating themaximum impact every time.

Why Print?There are many business benefits to printing adocument that could enable competitiveadvantage for the commercial sector and pro-vide greater clarity for the science arena.Besides cost, using an LFP can, quite literally,provide a bigger picture than looking at ascreen. As images or maps can be printed intheir entirety, users are able to get a broaderperspective on an image. This leads toimproved decision-making, as opposed tolooking at an image in stages, which can befragmented. Even with modern re-sizing tech-niques employed by most of todays GIS soft-ware you cannot beat the impact a large for-mat print has on the argument! To give a better idea on this, consider screensizes and think about a standard PC monitoror the screen on a handheld device it iseasy to understand that it is not possible toview an entire map or image in detail. Byprinting an image or map and placing it infront of the individual means detail can beseen more completely and more effectively. Printing can also allow an organisation to pre-

Jan./Feb. 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 31

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Why Should GIS Operators Care About Printing?Improving Effectiveness of Daily Activities GIS OperatorsWhy Should GIS Operators Care About Printing?

Most GIS operators dont want to print. When working with their Geographic Information System (GIS), the last thing they want to do

is print. Gathering information, combining different data sets, analysing the results, deriving conclusions, defining actions, that is

what they find interesting. But printing on paper?

By Adwin Kannekens

What is the Problem?Given the fact that GIS operators dont wantto print, they dont spend a lot of time onsending their output to the printer. Most ofthe time, hitting the print button in theapplication software does the job. And bydoing so, a lot of the resources and effortput into GIS are wasted or not used to themaximum. This is like a chef who spendsfour days preparing and cooking a Christmasmeal with the team and then serving it toguests on paper plates with plastic forks. Orlike eating a fast-food hamburger from realporcelain with a silver knife & fork.Imagine that an emergency happens, forexample a child is missing or the drinkingwater system has been contaminated. Itmight be that a number of sheets from theGIS must be printed to solve this emergencyon site. In this situation, the GIS operator isnot interested in the availability of the firstsheet but in the last one (read: the wholeset). That means overall productivity isessential. In this situation it is very unlikely

that he cares about the media used.Optimising things for one situation mighteasily lead to unacceptably high costs inanother situation (fast food on porcelain) orto lower rewards and credibility (paperplates on Christmas Day). So it is importantfor GIS operators to care about printing. Orat least their managers. This should result ina printing system hooked up to GIS softwarethat requires hardly any operator interven-tion to support a variety of printing jobs inthe optimum way.

Right Print ModeWide format printers that can do colour (andcolour is a no-brainer for GIS printing) are allbased on inkjet technology, mainly thermalinkjet. The advantages of this technology areclear: good print quality, a big colour gamutand low initial investment. Costs mainly haveto do with the ink, so this is totally depen-dent on actual usage. Furthermore there is avariety of media to choose from.On the other hand, when working with ther-

mal inkjet one has to take into account thatthe prints are created in swatches. The printheads are moving from left to right and backagain to put the ink on the paper. Thoseswatches will be visible in the image. Toeliminate this, the image can be printed inmultiple passes (read: a different printmode). Although this results in a better printquality, it decreases the print speed. Andprint speed is already one of the weakerpoints of the current wide format colourprinters. Basically, an operator has to make a trade-off between the printing quality needed andthe amount of time he wants to spend onwaiting for the print. A decision that is oftenmade incorrectly by GIS operators. It mightbe that they are not aware of the conse-quences or where they can do selections (inthe driver). Moreover, visibility of the swatch-es is worse when printing lines than whenprinting areas. So theoretically, GIS operatorshave to take into account the contents ofthe file for selecting the right print mode.

Jan./Feb. 200632

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The Oc TCS500, see page 35 for more information.

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Right Paper TypeFurthermore, one has to realise that mostcolour printers only support one media roll.This means that whenever you want to printon another media this requires changing rolls.On many colour printers loading a roll is notan easy job. It might also lead to conflicts,especially when multiple operators are usingthe same printer. Assume that one operatorwants to print on high quality (read: expen-sive) paper for e.g. a presentation to theboard while at the same time lower quality(read: cheaper) paper is in the printer. Beforesubmitting the print job the operator will loadthe high quality media onto the system.However, his colleagues in the room next doorare not aware of this and may want to checkand discuss their work so far. Without knowingthe operator is printing a number of docu-ments that will have a lifetime of only a fewminutes on the expensive paper.

(cyan, magenta, yellow and black). In thiscase the printer requires 4 bitmaps. Unfortunately, many colour printers do notprint when processing those bitmaps. This

Processing Large FilesPrinting higher quality prints can take awhile. However, the processing of those filescan be even more time-consuming. Theamount of raster and vector data that can beincorporated in one print from a GIS applica-tion can be very large. 100 Mb is common,500 Mb is no exception and up to 2 GB hap-pens occasionally. The (controller of the)printer has to digest this data and convert itinto printable data (bitmaps). Colour printersused for GIS normally print in four colours

Jan./Feb. 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 33

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Care About Printing?ators

s Care About Printing?

When processing the plot file, Dynamic Switchingdetermines which print mode must be applied toprint the information. On the f ly the printer will, forexample, switch from one-pass to four-pass and back,if a part of the plot requires this. This guarantees theoptimum trade-off between print speed and printquality. Since this is done automatically the GIS oper-ator does not need to make additional settings toselect the number of passes.

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means that the print times (that alreadywerent that impressive) are even extendedby the amount of time the printer processorneeds to process the bitmaps. GIS operatorsknow that this can vary from 30 seconds toan hour or more. What they dont know ishow to overcome this.

Optimise Printing from a GISCan GIS operators, and their managers,improve the overall performance and presenta-tion of their activities by caring about printing?Possibilities are analysing the workflow, look-ing at where printing comes into play, usingcommon sense and surfing the Internet forsolutions. Provided they can afford the timeand enjoy doing this, they can add a lot ofvalue to their organisation. However it