geoinformatics 2006 vol02

Upload: protogeografo

Post on 13-Apr-2018

230 views

Category:

Documents


0 download

TRANSCRIPT

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    1/51

    Educate Industry to Dangers InhereER Mapper Can Leave Patent Case Behind

    Educate Industry to Dangers Inhere

    Finally, after a period of six years, the

    dispute between ER Mapper and

    Lizardtech has been settled.

    GeoInformatics recently had an interview

    on this topic with Stuart Nixon, founder of

    Earth Resource Mapping (ER Mapper).

    By Sonja de Bruijn

    The patent case (U.S. Patent No.

    5,710,835, related to image compression

    technologies) dates back to 99. Therewere also other claims of LizardTech and

    a lawsuit against you personally.

    Looking back on this now: how did this

    influence you and the company you

    founded?

    Beginning in 1999, LizardTech launched three

    essentially identical US Federal Court legal

    actions against us; two against the company

    and one against myself. LizardTech made a

    whole range of claims. Their core allegation

    was that we infringed the '835 wavelet com-pression patent that LizardTech had licensed

    from the US Federal Government Los Alamos

    National Laboratory. The court threw out their

    legal action against me.

    The two actions against the company were

    handled as one by the courts and the final

    aspects were wrapped up recently when

    LizardTech's appeal and en banc appeals were

    rejected. Significantly, we won the cases on

    Summary Judgement. In other words:

    LizardTech's three legal actions never went to

    trial. We were able to show the Federal Judge

    presiding over the case that LizardTech had no

    basis for their patent infringement claims.

    This was my first direct experience with US

    patent law. It was an eye opener to see how a

    litigious company can use the US legal system

    as an anti-competitive tactic. We were heart-ened by the tremendous and positive encour-

    agement people in the industry gave us during

    the nearly 6 years it took us to defend our-

    selves and the ISO JPEG 2000 standard from

    March 20066

    LizardTech's actions. Having said that, I really

    don't think that most people today outside the

    US appreciate just how all pervasive and dam-

    aging the US patent system is. It does not just

    affect companies in the US. Because the US

    patent system enables companies to claim a

    total percentage of product revenue that might

    arguably use a patent (rather than a percent-

    age measured by the effective value of that

    patent to the products), companies have

    strong incentive to launch speculative patent

    actions. Probably the only thing preventing

    total mayhem is that the major technology

    companies all have very large patent portfolios.

    Any attempt by one major player to start large

    scale patent litigation against another large

    player would turn the entire US technology

    industry into instant grid-lock. However, as wehave seen in this instance, actions by smaller

    companies can still cause tremendous damage

    to users, competitors, and industry.

    Please indicate some of the points that

    made the Court decide in favour of ER

    Mapper.

    There were two key points. First, the Court

    found that our way of performing the Discrete

    Wavelet Transformation (DWT) is quite differ-

    ent and so did not infringe. Second, the Courtfound that Claim 21 of the '835 patent

    licensed by LizardTech is invalid because it

    did not describe seamless DWT tiling and so

    offered nothing new over prior art.

    Interv iew

    Stuart Nixon, founder of ER Mapper.

    Comment by LizardTech:

    After careful consideration we have decided not to pursue this case any further.

    We realize this case has gone on for a long time and we must focus on what is

    most important to us at this time and that is getting back to competing in the mar-

    ketplace.

    LizardTechs commitment in the geospatial community is to its customers and part-

    ners by bringing innovative and groundbreaking geospatial software to meet the

    needs of GIS professionals by helping them overcome the challenges associated

    with massive satellite imagery and aerial photography.

    Carlos Domingo, President and CEO LizardTech.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    2/51

    Is the case really finished now or can

    the petition by Lizardtech still be of

    influence? What is the current status?

    We believe the case is now really finished

    and totally over with. After we won some

    time ago on Summary Judgement,

    LizardTech appealed to the US Federal

    Circuit Court of Appeals. After their appeal

    was rejected, LizardTech then petitioned

    for an en banc rehearing for Claim 21 only.

    The en banc hearing was also denied.

    Given that the Federal District Court and

    Appeals Court both rejected LizardTech'sarguments, it seems unlikely that the

    Supreme Court would be receptive to any

    final appeal by LizardTech (assuming they

    were to try).

    The US Court of Appeals has affirmed

    the judgement of the United States

    District Court for the Western District of

    Washington that ER Mapper does not

    infringe the 835 patent and that part

    of the patent is invalid. What exactly

    does the latest mean?

    Essentially, it means that JPEG 2000, ECW

    and other related wavelet formats are no

    longer under threat from LizardTech's patent

    Please comment on the security of theISO JPEG 2000 standard, clients and

    ER Mapper as a company. Which con-

    cerned you most and concerns you most

    now?

    Clients need long-term security for use, stor-

    age and access of their valuable imagery

    assets. The ISO JPEG 2000 addresses these

    needs. This is why we strongly endorse and

    support the standard, and the reason why we

    defended it against LizardTech's actions. It is

    also why we spent years developing the ECWJPEG 2000 Software Development Kit and

    then released it for free. For this reason we

    released full source code for the SDK. We also

    try to make easy imagery access as wide

    spread as possible through all software prod-

    ucts in the industry, not just our own. In

    short, we realize that the reason we are in

    business is to support and add value to our

    clients and partners.

    During the litigation, our biggest concern was

    the endless drain of litigation costs which

    would have been put to better use in improv-

    ing software for our clients. Our concern now

    is to educate the industry to the dangers

    inherent in US software patents, not just for

    the US, but also for Europe and Asia.

    How does the outcome of the case influ-

    ence the future of ER Mapper and its

    products?

    Other than reducing uncertainty for the JPEG

    2000 standard and of course for our ECW for-

    mat, it does not change things. ER Mapper is

    very focussed on the logical progression ofimagery use, which is imagery deployment

    across the Internet by enterprises.

    I still smile and shake my head in wonder

    whenever I see terabyte image mosaics being

    served over the Internet using our technology

    and accessed by users all over the world in

    all sorts of products and applications. It is

    exciting and fun. I am proud to have played a

    part in the development of the geospatial

    imagery industry.

    Sonja de Bruijn ([email protected])is editorial manager of GeoInformatics.

    More information can be obtained at

    www.ermapper.com and www.lizardtech.com .

    litigation.Claim 21 of the '835

    patent is missing

    the crucial add-back

    step that resulted in

    generation of a

    seamless DWT from

    individual image

    tiles. Had the claim

    stood then JPEG

    2000's non-seam-

    less tiled DWT

    method would haveinfringed. This is

    perhaps why

    LizardTech contin-

    ued to try to keep

    Claim 21 from being

    invalidated, even

    after giving up on

    appeals against our

    DWT method non-

    infringement. In

    their petition for

    an en banc hearing by the entire US Federal

    Circuit Court of Appeals, LizardTech argued

    "To reach this novel result, the panel first

    read a non-existent "seamless" requirement

    into Claim 21 [...]" (page 4, line 1, emphasis

    added).

    So you can see that in LizardTech's own

    words they believed Claim 21 covered

    non-seamless DWT tiling. JPEG 2000 does

    non-seamless DWT. I frankly find it con-

    temptible that, despite LizardTech's market-

    ing spin claiming they were not after JPEG

    2000, their legal actions spoke otherwise.

    Not only did this case have a long

    history but also an expensive one. Could

    you give a global indication of the total

    costs?

    Total damage to the industry is hard to

    quantify. Certainly it cost us many millions

    of US dollars to defend. It probably cost ER

    Mapper tens of millions in lost business

    and lost opportunities. As for the industry

    itself, the litigation introduced considerable

    uncertainty for a long time, and held backwide spread use of large geospatial

    imagery. My own feeling is the total indus-

    try cost was well over a hundred million

    dollars.

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 7

    t in US Software Patentst in US Software Patents

    Interv iew

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    3/51

    Reality-based 3D City ModelsCyberCity-Modeller and Database

    Reality-based 3D City Models

    For geomatic applications and realistic visualization the latest urban cartographic

    databases contain 3D building models. Based on the application scale and requested

    details, CyberCity AG creates 3D city models from aerial / satellite imagery and

    laserscanner data.

    By Daniela Poli

    IntroductionToday the demand for the generation and

    realistic visualization of 3D urban environ-

    ments is growing in many geomatic appli-

    cations. First there was the move from a

    2D to a 2.5 D representation of the reality

    with the introduction of terrain models.

    Now GIS users are looking for the descrip-

    tion of buildings as 3D vector data in order

    to create a virtual environment which is

    more and more similar to reality. The third

    dimension represents a fundamental infor-

    mation for efficient disaster simulations

    (like earthquakes and flooding), urban and

    environmental planning, and building moni-

    toring. Other examples are telecommunica-

    tion planning, pollution distribution analy-

    sis, microclimate investigations and securityevaluation.

    In the field of visualization, the added

    value provided by a 3D object in compari-

    son to the corresponding 2D plan is incom-

    mensurable. By flying through the 3D city

    models (see the interactive model of

    Salzburg, Austria, (1)) the user can recog-

    nize the location and get a true impression

    of the presence of the buildings around

    him. For tourism purposes, realistic models

    with a high level of rendering are recom-

    mended.

    Building Geometric ComplexitiesAccording to the application and the project

    scale, the 3D city models must fulfil specific

    accuracy requirements in the geometry and in

    the texture. Memory size is an essential issue

    too. At CyberCity three different levels of geo-

    metric complexity are generated for city mod-

    els, see Figure 1: (A) block models, (B) main

    roof structure and (C) detailed roof structures.

    Of course, the more details, the higher the res-

    olution of the input data.

    The data source can consist of stereo aerial

    images, satellite stereopairs and laserscanner

    data. In practise, detailed roof structures can

    be generated from aerial stereo images with a

    scale 1:9,000 or smaller or from dense laser-

    scanner measurements with the support of

    orthophotos. Examples can be found in

    Figures 2 and 3. With the highest possible res-

    olution for satellite images available on the

    market (Quickbirds pixel size is better than70cm) main roof structures can be modelled.

    In addition overhanging roof structures (D) can

    be generated by combining the information

    from the sky with the planimetric building

    footprints.

    CyberCity ApproachUsing a reality-based semiautomatic pho-

    togrammetric approach, CyberCity generates

    3D city models from aerial images, laserscan-

    ner data and satellite images with its dedicat-

    ed software CyberCity-Modeller (CCM).

    The modelling approach is the following. In

    case of aerial and satellite images, see Figure

    4, the relevant roof points are first measured

    three-dimensionally in a photogrammetric sta-

    tion following specific rules, then they are

    imported as a point cloud and automatically

    fitted with roof faces. For common types of

    roof that follow geometric constraints like right

    angles and parallel lines, intelligent measure-

    ment rules were developed to reduce the

    number of points that are required to be mea-

    sured to create an object. Therefore this point

    cloud coding reduces manual labour and

    keeps the independence of the photogram-metric workstation for 3D measurement and

    building generation.

    The vertical building walls extrude from the

    intersection of the roof polygons with the

    Digital Terrain Model or alternatively through

    8

    Art i c le

    Figure 1: Different levels of geometry complexity.

    March 2006

    Figure 2: 3D City Model from aerial images: Los Angeles, with detail in Little Tokyo. Automatic texturing using

    aerial images Real-Time visualization with the VRGIS TerrainView (ViewTec AG).

    Figure 3: Detailed roof structures from laserscanner

    data: the 3D model of Bonn. Real-time visualization

    with VRGIS TerrainView (ViewTec AG). Published with

    the approval of the Landesvermessungsamt

    Nordrhein-Westfalen.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    4/51

    back-projection of the building footprints from

    the cadastre. In the latter case, overhanging

    roofs are automatically generated. Special

    modules for quality control allow the improve-

    ment of the geometry due to inaccuracies in

    the measurements, for example right angles,

    parallel lines, planar faces, and correction of

    overlappings and gaps.

    It is also possible to introduce geometric

    attributes like area, volume and compute them

    automatically for any buildings of interest.

    More technical details are described in (3).

    The accuracy of the 3D models is dependent

    on the image scale (governed by the flight alti-

    tude) and is about 0.1 - 0.2 m using a repre-

    sentative fraction scale of 1:5,000.

    Concerning satellite images, CCM can handle

    orientation is not known, usually in case of

    oblique aerial images, the images can be ori-

    ented by measuring six tie points in the 3D

    model and in each image.

    Once the orientation is known, the software

    automatically projects each faade or polygon

    to the images. Among the available textures

    for the selected faade, the software chooses

    the best one according to the number of pix-

    els and the occlusion grade through neigh-

    bouring buildings. If the texture selected auto-

    matically by the software is not entirely

    pleasing, the user can view the available tex-

    tures from the other images interactively on

    the polygon in the 3D model and choose the

    preferred one.

    Each faade image can also be opened directly

    in an image processing software for editing

    and retouching to remove any obstacles or

    correct the radiometry. The changes can be

    seen interactively on the 3D model. Thanks to

    the high degree of automation, large size 3D

    city models can be mapped with realistic tex-

    ture in a short time with this approach.

    The last and most realistic option for faadetexturing is the manual mapping of terrestrial

    photographs with high resolution and quality;

    the quality and rendering achieved are very

    high. The images are oriented by selecting the

    face of the polygon in the 3D model and the

    orientation data in Rational Polynomials

    Coefficients (RPC) formats and apply correc-

    tions with different functions, such as shift,

    rotation, and affine.

    Roof and Faade TexturingIn CCM roofs are textured automatically using

    aerial images, orthophotos or satellite images.

    For faades, three methods are followed,

    according to the available data and the ren-

    dering level to be achieved, see Figure 5. If no

    data (aerial or terrestrial images) are available,

    it is possible to map each faade choosing the

    most suitable texture in the available library.

    This method can be automated for groups of

    faades but produces models which are not

    reality-based.

    Following an alternative approach, in CCM it is

    possible to extract the faade textures from

    the aerial images previously processed for the

    extraction of the building structure or from

    high-resolution oblique aerial images. If the

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 9

    Art i c le

    from Aerial and Satellite Datafrom Aerial and Satellite Data

    Figure 4: Processing chain in CyberCity-

    Modeler.

    Figure 5: Methods for faade texturing.

    Figure 6: Details in Quickbird images (Courtesy of

    Eurimage S.p.A.)

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    5/51

    corresponding corner points in the images.

    Occlusions and obstacles like cars, trees and

    people are retouched in a post-process to pro-

    vide a superior faade texture.

    Case StudyOne of the last results achieved at CyberCity is

    the generation of a 3D city model from the

    high resolution satellite sensor Quickbird.

    Downtown Phoenix, Arizona, was modelled

    from a Quickbird stereopair kindly provided by

    Eurimage S.p.A., Italy (1).

    The dataset included two stereo images over

    their testsite in Phoenix, Arizona, together with

    DTED2 DTM and 30 GCPs measured with topo-

    graphic surveying. The images were acquired

    on 9th April 2004 with viewing angles 29

    (forward) and 27 (backward). The mean

    ground resolution was 70 cm. In these images

    it is possible to distinguish both skyscrapers

    and residential houses distributed in a regular

    network. The appearance of a building is

    shown in Figure 6.

    After the image orientation, the roof points in

    the downtown are about 2 square kilometres.

    These were measured in stereo mode and

    transformed into 3D objects in CCM. The roof

    texturing was added automatically using the

    original Quickbird images. As the faades werenot visible in the scenes and no other data

    were available (oblique aerial images, terrestri-

    al images), some faades have been mapped

    with texture available in the software library.

    building roofs on the ground near the 3D

    models;

    For engineering and architecture planning:

    by exporting the 3D models in DXF formats

    and working in CAD software, engineers

    and architects can be used to visualize

    buildings and urban areas and simulate the

    impact of planned buildings.

    Worldwide DatabaseApart from providing services for the modelling

    of urban environment of interest, CyberCity is

    generating a database of 3D models of world-

    wide cities and any geomatic user will be able

    to buy the 3D model for a selected area of

    interest.

    For the generation of highly detailed and accu-

    rate models, CyberCity uses aerial images with

    a scale 1:8,000 or smaller and accurate aerial

    triangulation parameters and digital terrain

    models. The faades are textured with both

    (oblique) aerial images and terrestrial images

    for the features of main interest.

    The CyberCity database includes or will soon

    include Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas,

    Paris and Barcelona. Other cities will follow.

    For relevant buildings, like stadia, churches,

    and monuments, detailed 3D models have

    been generated using terrestrial LIDAR data. A

    number of landmarks located in Germany is

    currently produced in collaboration with

    Harman/Becker Automotive Systems.

    References(1) Eurimage S.p.A.: http://www.eurimage.com

    (2) Salzburg 3D:

    www.viewtec.ch/techdiv/tvocx/salzburg.html

    (3) Ulm, K., 2003. Reality-based 3D city mod-

    els with CyberCity-Modeler (CC-Modeler)

    and laserscanner data. VI Conference on

    Optical 3D Measurement Techniques -

    Gruen/Kahmen (Eds), Vol.2, pp. 32-39,

    September 2003, Zurich, Switzerland.

    Daniela Poli ([email protected]) is Senior ConsultantPhotogrammetry & GIS in the company CyberCity AG,

    Zurich. For more information:

    CyberCity AG Zurich - www.cybercity.tv

    CyberCity LLC Los Angeles - www.cybercityllc.com

    For visualization, the TerrainView software by

    ViewTec (ViewTec, 2006) was used. A screen-

    shot of the resulting 3D model is shown in

    Figure 7.

    ApplicationsThe textured 3D city models can be exportedinto several formats and managed in different

    software according to the application:

    In GIS environments: an interface allows

    the user to export CyberCitys 3D city mod-

    els as Shapefiles for ESRI ArcGIS 9.

    Additionally, the data can be stored in a

    Personal Geodatabase (PGDB) or managed

    in a commercial database like Oracle or

    Microsoft SQL Server using the ArcSDE con-

    nection. The 3D data represent an addition-

    al layer for further geographic analysis, dis-

    aster simulations, microclimate analysis or

    for homeland security;

    For real-time visualization: the models can

    be exported in Open Flight (FLT) with dif-

    ferent levels-of-detail (LOD) for the textures

    (as a percentage of the original resolution),

    and the geometry. The LOD of the geome-

    try composes of a symbol (LOD 1), the

    block model with flat roof (LOD 2), the

    main roof structures (LOD 3) and the main

    roof including all superstructures like

    dormers, and chimneys (LOD 4). The visu-

    alization speed can be additionallyimproved by using hardware accelerated

    texture formats. It is recommended to map

    the terrain with true-orthophotos instead

    of standard orthophotos to avoid seeing

    March 2006 11

    Art i c le

    Figure 7: 3D City Model of Phoenix, Arizona. Generated and textured with CC-Modeler package. Real-time

    visualization with VRGIS TerrainView (ViewTec AG). Published with the approval of Eurimage, Italy.

    Example of 3D landmark: the Brandenburg

    Gate, generated using terrestrial LiDAR

    data and textured with high resolution

    digital images. 2006 Harman/Becker

    Automotive Systems GmbH, CyberCity AG.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    6/51

    Europe Advances Rapidly TowaWide Implementation of Standards

    Europe Advances Rapidly Towa

    Digital devices of all kinds continue to proliferate and become smaller, more powerful

    and less expensive. But what is most amazing about this progress is that they are

    being made to communicate with each other on an unprecedented scale.

    Communication, of course, means transmitting or exchanging through a common sys-

    tem of symbols, signs or behaviour. The government programs described in this

    paper have adopted the common systems, or standards, that define the Internet, the

    World Wide Web, and the "Geospatial Web".

    By Martin Klopfer and Guenther Pichler

    Non-proprietary StandardsThe success of the government programs has

    much to do with the fact that the underlyingstandards are non-proprietary standards

    developed by open, global consensus stan-

    dards organizations. The developers of these

    standards represent a broad spectrum of

    organizations technology providers and

    technology users - who are committed to the

    standards' widespread commercial implemen-

    tation.

    Geoprocessing standards help organizations

    leverage their investments in systems and

    data. Sharing and reusing data helps organi-

    zations decrease costs and gain or provideaccess to more and better information. Open

    standards also enable selection of the best

    software tool for each job and reduce technol-

    ogy and procurement risk, like the risk of

    being bound to one vendor. A 2005 study

    commissioned by the US National Aeronautic

    and Space Administration (NASA) found thatprograms based on open standards have a

    25% better return on investment than pro-

    grams based largely on vendors' proprietary

    interfaces and formats.

    Organizations around the world are moving to

    "open architectures", which means high level

    information system designs based on open

    standards, and "service oriented architec-

    tures". The latest are high level information

    system designs which involve computing pro-

    cesses communicating with computing pro-

    cesses on other servers, usually throughstandards-based interfaces and encodings.

    The initiatives described in this article show

    that this transition includes a robust geospa-

    tial component.

    INSPIREThe "Infrastructure for Spatial Information in

    Europe" (INSPIRE) initiative aims at deliver-

    ing integrated spatial information services to

    the largest possible number of users. Such

    services include visualisation of information

    layers, overlay of information from different

    sources, spatial and temporal analysis, and

    many others. The target users of INSPIRE

    include policy-makers, planners and man-

    agers at European, national and local levels

    and also citizens and their organisations.

    To support INSPIRE, OGC and OGCE, the

    European OGC subsidiary, provided input to

    the early Position Papers for INSPIRE and the

    Extended Impact Assessment, evaluating the

    political and socio-economic impacts of

    INSPIRE. European OGC industry members

    participated in the Internet consultation prior

    to the adoption of the Framework Directive

    by the European Commission. OGCE was

    also a partner in the Geographic Information

    Network In Europe (GINIE) Project. The aim

    of this project was to develop a cohesive

    Geographic Information Strategy at the

    European level, and which thus provided

    strategic input to INSPIRE.

    Alessandro Annoni, ESDI Action Leader,

    Spatial Data Infrastructures Unit at the Joint

    Research Centre (JRC), says: "The adoption

    of the INSPIRE directive is expected in 2006.

    Non-EU countries including Norway,

    Switzerland and Croatia are also likely to

    align their national initiatives to the INSPIRE

    framework. This means that across Europe

    there will be an increasing demand for GI

    services based on open standards and forstandards-based portals that will provide

    access to multiple "aggregated" sources of

    data and online geospatial services. The

    development of INSPIRE-compliant infrastruc-

    tures initially focusing on the environmental

    sector is expected to extend to other the-

    matic sectors in near future, from the begin-

    ning to include the regional level and also to

    influence the local level in some cases."

    GMES

    The Global Monitoring for Environment andSecurity (GMES), a joint initiative of the

    European Commission and the European

    Space Agency (ESA), represents a concerted

    effort to bring data and information

    March 200612

    Art i c le

    Diagrammatic View of the INSPIRE Vision (from the INSPIRE Architecture and Standards Position

    Paper www.ec-gis.org/inspire/).

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    7/51

    providers together with users. This way they

    can better understand each other and make

    environmental and security-related informa-

    tion available to the people who need it

    through enhanced or new services. Networks

    of geolocated in-situ, vehicle-mounted, aerial

    and satellite-borne sensors will play a role.

    After an initial period of preparation (2001-

    2003), the implementation phase is on-going

    (2004-2008).

    The requirements that drive the implementa-

    tion of GMES include: openness, federated

    architecture, simplicity of architecture, scala-

    bility, dependability, user-friendliness, data

    security, quality of service, and global ubiquity

    of access.

    EUSCThe European Union Satellite Centre (EUSC),

    located near Madrid, Spain, is an agency of

    the Council of the European Union dedicated

    to the exploitation and production of infor-

    mation derived primarily from the analysis of

    earth observation space imagery in support

    of decision-making in the areas of theCommon Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP),

    especially the European Security and Defense

    Policy (ESDP).

    In October 2005, after several interoperability

    studies, the EUSC awarded a contract for the

    design and support of the EUSC Reference

    ture required by the forthcoming INSPIREimplementing rules.

    Other EU ProjectsOther EU Projects supporting INSPIRE, GMES

    and CFSP/ESDP are:

    Open ARCHitEcture and Spatial Data

    InfrasTRucture for Risk MAnagement

    (ORCHESTRA): September 2004 - August

    2007. This Integrated Project is funded by

    the EC under the Sixth Framework

    Programme that incorporates emerging

    specifications of INSPIRE and GMES andcontributes to these initiatives. With the

    goal of improving the efficiency in dealing

    with risks by enabling interoperability,

    ORCHESTRA participants are designing an

    open service-oriented architecture and spa-

    tial and non-spatial services for risk man-

    agement, and are contributing to software

    standards for risk management;

    Reference Information Specifications for

    Europe (RISE): September 2005 - August

    2007. This Specific Support Action is funded

    by the EC under the Sixth Framework

    Programme, also to support INSPIRE and

    GMES. Its objectives are data harmonisation

    by defining a repeatable methodology and

    producing guidelines for the creation of

    geospatial data specifications. The RISE pro-

    ject focuses on the hydrology and elevation

    themes and thus there is a strong linkage

    to different GMES applications and the

    Water Framework Directive (WFD);

    Closely coordinated with RISE is Marine

    Overlays on Topography for Annex II

    Valuation and Exploitation (MOTIIVE):

    September 2005 - August 2007. The focusof this project is on elevation and dynamic

    marine features. MOTIIVE is working closely

    with the national and international meteoro-

    logical and oceanographic communities and

    has a key aim to deliver a reference imple-

    mentation for a feature catalogue registry;

    GEOdata and CRisis Early Warning Situation

    Awareness Architecture Concept (GEOCREW):

    January 2005 - December 2005. This was a

    Specific Support Action funded by the EC

    Preparatory Action on Security Research, to

    support CFSP/ESDP and GMES. GEOCREW'sobjectives were to integrate various infor-

    mation resources for a crisis early warning

    "situation awareness" architecture.

    Facility (EUSC-RF). A prototype has been

    made available for review and testing by

    EUSC and other agencies whose operations

    mesh with EUSCs.

    The EUSC-RF is the result of rigorous analy-

    sis of EUSC operations and data sharing

    requirements and consideration of the waysin which modern Internet technologies can

    support EUSC workflows.

    ESA's HMA ProjectIn September 2005, the ESA launched the

    Heterogeneous Mission Accessibility -

    Interoperability (HMA-I) Project. HMA-I will

    define the necessary interfaces and a gener-

    ic, service-oriented architecture to ensure

    interoperability within the GMES Space com-

    ponent comprising a constellation of satel-

    lites together with its Ground Segment and

    the interfaces to the other components of

    GMES.

    Besides ESA missions like Envisat and ERS-2,

    national missions like Cosmo from ASI (Italy),

    Pleiades from CNES (France), RADARSAT-2

    from CSA (Canada) and TerraSAR-x from DLR

    (Germany) will be providing the Earth obser-

    vation data necessary to allow an opera-

    tional rollout of the GMES services starting

    from 2008. EUSC is also participating in this

    joint effort on interoperability and service-ori-

    ented architectures based on open stan-

    dards. JRCs INSPIRE Team and ESA are work-ing together to ensure coherence of INSPIRE

    and GMES developments. According to Pier

    Giorgio Marchetti, the HMA Project Manager

    at ESA, HMA will leverage recent advances

    in interoperability specifications and service

    oriented architectures. This will empower the

    GMES services with seamless access to

    space data from the already identified mis-

    sions. The others which will be contributing

    in the near future, as well as the necessary

    interoperability with the geospatial infrastruc-

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 13

    Art i c le

    rd Geo-Interoperabilityrd Geo-Interoperability

    The GMES capacity as represented by the GMESdiamond, from the Communication from the

    Commission to the European Parliament and the

    Council, "Global Monitoring for Environment and

    Security (GMES): Establishing a GMES capacity by 2008 -

    (Action Plan (2004-2008))".

    From a presentation at the ESA EUSC IIM workshop

    2005, "Web services integration in an European geospa-

    tial agency - The EUSC case," by Lucio Colaiacomo

    [earth.esa.int/rtd/Events/ESA-

    EUSC_2005/Pr05_Colaiacomo.ppt ].

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    8/51

    DGIWG and NATOIn September 2005, OGC announced the

    signing of a formal Memorandum of

    Understanding (MOU) between the Digital

    Geospatial Information Working Group

    (DGIWG) Secretariat and the OGC. DGIWG,

    established in 1983, is a standardization

    body comprised of 18 nations whose first

    objective was to set up an effectiveexchange standard allowing for the transfer

    of data between the countries' geospatial

    production agencies, to meet NATO geospa-

    tial requirements. A current objective is to

    help develop and to encourage the use of

    technical standards that enable improved

    interoperability and integration of geospatial

    information systems. DGIWG wishes to tran-

    sition from creating military specific stan-

    dards to using consensus industry and inter-

    national standards wherever possible.

    Brigadier Nick Rigby, Director DGIWG: "Thecollaboration with OGC is a major part of

    DGIWG's strategy to work with key partners

    in order to maximize the output from our

    mutual efforts to deliver geospatial stan-

    dards. Such cooperative effort is essential in

    the prevailing climate of increasing require-

    ments but limited resources."

    A recent NATO "information for bid" (IFB CO-

    11424-GIS) call for "a common spatial, reli-

    able, and time reference framework akin to

    enabling the fighting off the same map at

    the strategic, operational, and tactical lev-

    els." The description of work specifically

    mentions OGC implementation specifications,

    ISO Geospatial (191XX) standards, and/or

    NATO's/DGIWG's ISO specifications (profiles,

    application schemas, data dictionaries, etc.)

    SpainThe Spanish NSDI, named IDEE for

    Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales de

    Espaa (www.idee.es) connects geospatial

    catalogues, gazetteers and services distribut-

    ed in servers all around Spain at different

    levels of detail. IDEE is providing servicesthat implement many of OGCs OpenGIS

    Specifications. ISO19100 standards, the

    INSPIRE initiative and OGC specifications

    make possible a framework that has been

    the basis of a Spanish Core Metadata stan-

    dard (NEM for Ncleo Espaol de

    Metadatos), a minimum set of ISO19115

    metadata items; a Spanish Gazetteer Model

    (MNE for Modelo de Nomencltor de

    Espaa); a common schema for Gazetteers

    compliant with ISO19112; and a Spanish Data

    Model for geographic vector data (MDE forModelo de Datos Espaol) based on ISO

    19107 Spatial Schema.

    There is a well-established regional SDI in

    Catalonia, Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales

    de Catalunya, (IDEC). Other Regional (BasqueCountry, Navarra, La Rioja and Galicia) and

    Local (Zaragoza) SDIs, National Agency

    Reference Nodes and other projects are in

    progress. A project called GeoPista has

    produced a standards-based local

    Government GIS that will be extended to the

    more than 4,000 local authorities.

    According to Sebastin Mas of the Spanish

    NDSI Working Group at the Instituto

    Geogrfico Nacional, "The Spanish NSDI

    (IDEE) is a powerful emerging reality based

    on strong technical support and flourishing

    national and regional initiatives proceeding

    in a spirit of coordination, collaboration and

    sharing of knowledge."

    UKThe Ordnance Survey has been licensing dig-

    ital Geographical Information (GI) to cus-

    tomers since the early 1990s, a business

    worth tens of millions of euros. Technical

    standards developed in the OGC with the

    Survey's active participation have enabled

    the Ordnance Survey to offer new capabili-

    ties and new benefits to their users. Mostnotably, the Ordnance Survey has provided

    the OS MasterMap products, which are dis-

    tributed using GML.

    This progress has shown the need for further

    development of OGC Web Services specifica-

    tions. Increasingly, users of geographical

    information are using geospatial data to sup-

    port decision making processes that involve

    automated transactions. In the insurance

    industry, for example, or in Location Based

    Services (LBS) delivered on mobile devices,

    there is a requirement for structured intelli-gent information rich in attribution and capa-

    ble of being linked to associated information

    stored elsewhere. This often involves chain-

    ing of Web services, and not all of the

    required open interfaces for these serviceshave been developed into standards.

    One of these gaps in being addressed in

    OGC's "GeoDRM," or Geospatial Digital

    Rights Management initiative. The Ordnance

    Survey is leading the development in OGC of

    digital rights management techniques. Ed

    Parsons, Chief Technology Officer of the

    Ordnance Survey, says: "Web Services that

    utilize OGC standards will play a crucial role

    over the next five years in delivering up-to-

    date geographically based decision-making

    support to a wide range of users without the

    massive management overhead of the past."

    GermanyGerman companies and agencies have been

    active in OGC for a decade, and they have

    implemented standards-based systems at

    all levels of government. In 1998 the

    Federal Cabinet founded the Interministerial

    Committee for Geo Information (IMAGI) and

    issued the instruction to develop an effi-

    cient geodata management framework for

    the federal government. Since then the

    Geodata Infrastructure for Germany (GDI-DE) has grown rapidly. In 2003 the chief

    executive officers of the Federal

    Government and the 16 states took the

    decision to implement the GDI-DE in a

    combined effort at all levels of public sec-

    tor. The GeoPortal.Bund portal which went

    on-line during the INTERGEO 2005 confer-

    ence in Dsseldorf is to be the central

    entry point to the GDI-DE.

    The Geodata Infrastructure of North Rhine-

    Westphalia (GDI-NRW) was founded in 1999

    by the NRW state government, organizingthe efforts and resources of more than 100

    institutions. Also in North Rhine-Westphalia,

    Conterra implemented the TIM-online

    GeoPortal.

    March 200614

    Art i c le

    The five levels of detail defined by CityGML [from "CityGML Interoperable Access to 3D City Models",

    Thomas H. Kolbe, Gerhard Grger, Lutz Plmer].

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    9/51

    "CityGML," a GML3 Application Profile for vir-

    tual 3D city models, is providing important

    input into the OGC effort to integrate

    geospatial information with information

    about built structures. CityGML was devel-

    oped by the Special Interest Group 3D (SIG

    3D) of the GDI-NRW, chaired by members of

    the University of Bonn (Thomas Kolbe and

    Gerd Groeger). Many cities are constructing

    3D city models for applications such as

    urban planning, disaster management,

    tourism, vehicle and pedestrian navigation,

    facility management, but there is no appro-

    priate standard for data exchange. This is

    what CityGML developers and others in OGC

    are working on.

    The NetherlandsIn 2003 the Dutch Directorate for Public

    Works and Water Management,

    Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), which is responsible

    for the maintenance of dikes, roads, bridgesand the navigability of canals in the

    Netherlands, started the GeoServices project,

    a system for web based access to geo-

    information within Rijkswaterstaat using ISO

    and OGC standards. The goal was to make

    geoinformation available directly from multi-

    ple local sources. The use of open standards

    was a given, whereas the use of open

    source software to realize the OGC web

    architecture was one possible choice.

    Under supervision of Rijkswaterstaat, the

    company Geodan built the GeoServicesapplication architecture and then delivered a

    proof of concept, on the basis of which full

    implementation was completed.

    In 2005 the RWS SDI infrastructure was

    access to many more sources of georefer-

    enced data, including data from other organi-

    zations' OGC-compliant servers on the Web,

    and including access to analytical, computa-

    tional and data processing facilities. BRGM

    represents the Association of European

    Geological Surveys (EuroGeoSurveys) within

    INSPIRE.

    NorwayThe Norwegian Mapping Authority (NMA, or

    Statens Kartverk) was identified by the

    Norwegian Ministry of Trade and Industry as

    a key agency for the success of the

    Norwegian e-Gov initiative. A national

    "GeoNorge" project was initiated, led by Olaf

    Ostensen, Chairman of the ISO/TC 211

    Committee and a key player in the harmo-

    nization of OGC and ISO specifications.

    The first version of the project connected the

    servers from National Mapping Agency,Norwegian Geological Survey, Norwegian

    Institute for Land Inventory, Public Roads

    Administration, and the Directorate for

    Nature Management and County

    Administration. All servers are made accessi-

    ble through their implementations of the

    same standard OpenGIS interface specifica-

    tions. This was accomplished smoothly and

    quickly, without migration of any data, tech-

    nical re-engineering, or purchase of new GIS

    Servers.

    ConclusionEurope's leadership role in the development

    of geospatial interoperability standards is

    now paying off in the widespread implemen-

    tation of these standards. Instead of down-

    loading or mailing massive data files, data

    sharing is being accomplished with a few

    keystrokes in Web-based applications.

    Remote online geoprocessing services can be

    invoked to derive information, without the

    need for the user to own expensive soft-

    ware. If progress toward this goal has

    seemed slow at times, it now seems to bemoving forward at a remarkable pace.

    Martin Klopfer ([email protected]) is the

    European Programmes Director of the Open

    Geospatial Consortium (Europe) Limited. Guenther

    Pichler ([email protected]) is Director

    Business Development Open Geospatial Consortium

    (Europe) Limited.

    expanded with IONIC's standards-based

    Redspider products in order to provide more

    scalability for transactional and mobile

    geo-applications. It is expected that in the

    end the RWS Spatial Data Infrastructure will

    consist of more than 40 connected applica-

    tions.

    FranceBRGM is a French public institution with a

    mission to acquire, manage and diffuse geo-

    logical data necessary for implementing pub-

    lic policies relating to the development and

    sustainable management of natural subsur-

    face resources. To support this mission, in

    1998 BRGM created InfoTerre, an Internet site

    providing access to geological maps and

    other georeferenced data of France.

    Soon after InfoTerre started, BRGM adopted a

    policy of interoperability concerning the infor-

    mation domains for which it is responsible.

    In 2001 this resulted in BRGM becoming thefirst supplier of French data to join the Open

    GIS Consortium, Inc. (OGC).

    The standards-based version of InfoTerre was

    released in March 2003, providing users with

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 15

    Art i c le

    The InfoTerre web site[http://infoterre.brgm.fr/ionic/banques.asp?

    mode=expert].

    The GeoNorge portal www.geonorge.no/.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    10/51March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 17

    European e-GovernmentAward for Dutch Cadastre1.8 Million Requests per Month

    European e-GovernmentAward for Dutch Cadastre

    Every two years the European Commission presents the e-Europe Awards for e-Government.

    The Dutch Cadastre has won the award for the theme Service use: Citizens and

    Businesses. The other three awards were granted to the Social Insurance Institution in

    Poland, the Agency of Governmental Management in Denmark and the Revenue

    Commisioners in Ireland. Arco Groothedde, executive board member of the Dutch Cadastre,

    shares his views with us.

    By Robin Wevers

    Four Different ThemesThe aim of the e-Europe awards is to promote

    best practices within the EU so that the corre-

    sponding know-how can subsequently be

    shared. The e-Europe Awards are organized by

    the EIPA, the European Institute of Public

    Administration. In 2005 they received 234 sub-

    missions for four different themes: Enabling e-

    Government, Transformation, Businesses and

    Citizens, and Impact. The European

    Commission has granted the 'Good PracticeLabel to 76 projects, 52 have been selected

    as finalists. The finalists presented their appli-

    cations at the e-Government Conference in

    November 2005 in Manchester.

    Kadaster-on-lineUntil the turn of the century the Dutch

    Cadastre had a specific type of software that

    customers used to order and retrieve informa-

    tion from. This application was not based on

    Internet-technology, relatively complex to use

    and built on stand-alone systems. It did not

    live up to the demands of our time. In 2001

    the Dutch Cadastre introduced Kadaster-on-

    line. This new application offers up-to-date

    information, is immediately available and pro-

    vides a user-friendly Internet-interface.

    Initially Kadaster-on-line was built for house-

    brokers and notaries. These professional cus-

    tomers have subscriptions that allow them to

    selectively retrieve the required information.

    Groothedde: Innovative may not be the first

    word coming to mind when hearing the name

    Cadastre, but when asked most of our cus-

    tomers will undoubtedly qualify us as innova-tive. From 2003 onwards private citizens also

    have access to Kadaster-on-line. Groothedde

    says: It is the Cadastres task to make infor-

    mation available easily and at limited costs.

    The electronic highway is an important means

    for us to bring real estate-information into

    peoples homes and offices.

    Verdict of the JuryThe jurys short description of Kadaster-on-line

    is: The project delivers online access to land

    registry products through national up-to-dateland registry information. It has 6,000 (Note:

    this should be 12,000) registered clients and

    45,000 users, and provides significant value-

    adding service extensions.

    The jury qualified the project as : A very

    good case regarding innovation in the applica-

    tion area. Integration and collaboration of dif-

    ferent systems and entities is convincingly

    elaborated. It offers high potential for a large

    group of users and for replication in different

    regions and European countries.

    Take-offKadaster-on-line has taken off in a way that

    even the people involved could never dream of.

    In 2001 175 thousand requests for information

    were received every month. In 2005 this number

    increased to 1.8 million per month. The number

    of professional subscribers has grown from

    6,000 to 12,000. Considering that most subscrip-

    tions apply to more than one user, the actual

    number of users is estimated at 45,000. What

    makes Kadaster-on-line different from most

    applications? Groothedde: It is different due to

    the fact that the starting point has not been the

    products the Cadastre can offer, but the demand

    of the customers. We truly offer what the cus-

    tomer wants. To support this statement he

    says: From the moment Kadaster-on-line wasintroduced, we have seen an exponential

    decrease in the number of information requests

    by phone or at the desk. Kadaster-on-line has a

    nice front-end, but most impressive must be the

    part you cant see: the systems and data behind

    the front-end such as cartographic information,

    alphanumeric information, realising the quality of

    the data, and logging and billing all transactions.

    Kadaster-on-line is the spider in the web. Anice

    front-end can only work if the back-office sys-

    tems are up to their tasks.

    Robin Wevers ([email protected]) is a freelance writ-

    er of geo-ICT articles. More information can be found

    at www.kadaster.nl and

    www.egov2005conference.gov.uk.

    Interv iew

    The e-Government award.

    Arco Groothedde: From

    the moment Kadaster-on-

    line was introduced we

    have seen an exponential

    decrease in the number of

    information requests by

    phone or at the desk.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    11/51

    GeoStore.com Final ComponentImage(ry) is Everything

    GeoStore.com Final Component

    In March 2006 Infoterra Limited, provider of geographic information products and ser-

    vices, celebrates its fifth birthday. Dr Andy Wells, director of sales and marketing,

    looks back at the companys history and the launch of GeoStore.

    By Andy Wells

    Web-based ServiceIn order to meet the demand for accurate and

    timely geographic information, capable ofadding immediate insight to any situation,

    Infoterra launched GeoStore.com. This web

    based service, available since October 2005,

    provides aerial data across England which can

    be viewed, analysed and purchased on-line. As

    the only on-line system of its kind to provide

    images that have not been compressed in

    storage, images are delivered directly to the

    end user without having decreased in quality

    due to storage or transmission techniques.

    Data ChallengeAs part of Europes space company EADSAstrium, Infoterra was able to draw from a 25

    year history of commercial earth observation

    and geospatial knowledge. Despite this

    breadth of knowledge already within the

    group, the challenge of storing and distribut-

    ing vast amounts of aerial photography and

    other geospatial data was immense. However,for many business processes to benefit from

    this valuable resource, the need to solve the

    technical challenges associated with storing,

    managing and delivering such data required a

    solution. Begun in 2000, the 2m research

    and development programme finally culminat-

    ed in the release of GeoStore.com.

    With England-wide aerial photography requir-

    ing 13 terabytes of storage, overcoming the

    problems of loading, management and viewing

    aerial imagery, was crucial.

    Infoterra invested in technologies that wouldenable aerial images to be rapidly loaded and

    easily managed, while still providing rapid

    delivery over thin bandwidths, such as the

    web and mobile phones. GeoStore utilises a

    technology that allows the user to immediately

    receive accurate aerial images, irrespective ofhow the user roams, pans or zooms. This

    guarantees that the user waits the same brief

    amount of time for the delivery of any image.

    EnviSATEstablished 10 years ago for the management

    of data from ESA satellites ERS1, ERS2 and

    EnviSAT, the data hosting centre in

    Farnborough is the largest commercial geo-

    graphical data hosting facility in the UK with

    1,500 terabytes of data available on or near-

    line and an archive in excess of 7,000 ter-abytes.

    The core of the system is a storage area net-

    work (SAN) linked to multiple server configura-

    tions. The choice of the SAN was made follow-

    ing extensive testing and optimisation using

    geographical datasets. This enables multiple

    services to link to a single datastore. The sys-

    tem is supported by a number of additional

    services including a fire suppression system,

    flood detection, environmental control, four

    levels of building security, a secondary external

    generator, two separate lines from separate

    bandwidth suppliers and a nearline file

    restoration system capable of replacing 10 ter-

    abytes of data in less than a day.

    Service BackboneThe latest technology is complemented by a

    staff with skill sets required for a successful

    geospatial Internet service provider (G-ISP).

    This centre provides the service backbone for

    GeoStore. In the months following the launch

    of GeoStore.com the site has delivered hun-

    dreds of aerial images to customers through-

    out the world. Two additional services willaccompany GeoStore Select, the service initial-

    ly launched that allows a precise location to

    be identified and displayed by using roam,

    pan and zoom functionality.

    The two additional services include GeoStore

    Explore, which offers the ability to view and

    analyse geographic data through a web brows-

    er without the need to store a local copy of

    the data or for GIS software. This added func-

    tionality is suitable for rapid site investigation,

    including risk assessments, planning reviews

    and environmental enquiries.Now live, GeoStore Direct enables immediate

    access to terabytes of data, delivered on-line

    through an open standard solution to the

    users own geo-information system. By imme-

    diately receiving the image, the user has

    March 200618

    Special

    Tower of London and Bridge, London.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    12/51

    instant access, without having to use his own

    hard disk space to save and then insert the

    images required. Through an OGC WMS com-

    pliant interface, environmental reports, proper-

    ty reports, and others can be instantly

    enhanced with geographic imagery delivered

    through GeoStore.com.

    ADS40 Digital Pan Broom CameraInfoterra now services more than a dozen

    clients through this hosting centre including

    members of the insurance, property, mapping,

    government and international community. The

    company has continued to invest in new tech-

    nologies having recently purchased the ADS40

    digital pan broom camera. Unlike frame cam-

    those needing support from geospatial infor-mation.

    Future plans for GeoStore.com are currently

    being finalised. However further data layers are

    already being planned for loading and dissem-

    ination including the recently acquired

    London Heights layer comprising a ground

    and building height model with vertical accura-

    cies better than 15cm.

    Dr Andy Wells ([email protected]) is

    head of sales and marketing at Infoterra. Have a

    look at www.infoterra.comfor general informationon Infoterra. Visit www.GeoStore.com to learn more

    about the product discussed in this article.

    eras this device is able to capture a seamless

    strip of digital imagery over large areas. Using

    a three-line stereo sensor, the camera can

    simultaneously capture red-green-blue and

    colour infra-red imagery, providing the rapid

    production of both orthophotos and surface

    elevation models. The ADS40 has so far been

    used to capture 1,400 square kilometres ofBerkshire, producing 16 lines of imagery that

    were mosaiced into a single image within a

    week.

    ConclusionFor Infoterra, GeoStore.com is the final compo-

    nent in a corporate strategy initiated in 2003

    to provide a complete end-to-end solution for

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 19

    Special

    n Corporate Strategyin Corporate Strategy

    The challenge of storing and distributing vast amounts of aerial

    photography and other geospatial data was immense.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    13/51

    Georeferenced Oblique Aerial IPictometry - Intelligent Visual Technology

    Georeferenced Oblique Aerial I

    With todays emphasis on visual information, GIS professionals are looking closely at a

    third format: georeferenced digital obliques. With this, users are taking geospatial data

    into non-traditional areas of utilization and placing it into the hands of those who need

    visual information for fast, accurate decision making. The key is the georeferencing

    component, which gives the imagery an in-built functionality and presents the user

    with a wide range of potential applications. For the Geomatics industry the technology

    offers increased information availability with a remarkable operational effectiveness.

    by Frank Arts

    IntroductionThe development of georeferenced oblique

    imaging technology has been spearheaded

    by US-based Pictometry International Corp.,

    headquartered in Rochester, New York. Its

    patented imaging systems became commer-

    cially available more than six years ago. The

    company has generated an extensive image

    library on a county-wide level. These are

    comprised of high-resolution, georeferenced

    verticals and obliques, and can be utilizedby various government agencies and private

    industry. Flown in a grid pattern, the vertical

    and oblique images are captured simultane-

    ously. Averaging approximately 800 square

    miles per county, the coverage is extremely

    dense with every square foot on the ground

    accounted for. In fact the company has been

    contracted to fly 30% of the countrys popu-

    lated areas.

    Pictometry has taken the complex georefer-

    encing dynamic and integrated its functionali-

    ty with oblique visual imagery, using

    inertial/GPS technology from Canadian-based

    Applanix, a company active in the field of

    inertial geospatial solutions. The merging ofhigh-resolution digital obliques and accurate

    georeferencing has proven to be a potent

    combination. Since its launch onto the

    Geomatics market, the technology has been

    adopted by several organizations for applica-tions as emergency management, land-use

    planning, strategic analysis, and homeland

    security.

    Engineered to produce high-resolution images,

    it is an accurate second order visualization

    tool, integrated with multi-functional software.

    It is not designed to replicate survey-grade

    precision, but it does use high-accuracy LiDAR

    data and digital elevation models (DEMs) to

    produce a pixel-level ground sample distance

    (GSD) in the order of 15 centimeter.

    Data InteroperabilityThe technology makes it possible to effec-

    tively combine digital imagery and vector

    data, and to exploit the geo-relationship

    between the two data formats. To be truly

    useful raw imagery must be geometrically

    corrected and geographically encoded to

    ensure both vector and image data have a

    common registration. Using rectification and

    geo-correction techniques on vertical imagery

    produces an orthophoto with the image dis-

    tortion removed, allowing georeferenced vec-

    tor data to be overlaid with true positional

    accuracy.

    Pictometry is now introducing the technology

    into Europe and beyond, with licensing rep-

    resentation through Blom ASA in Norway,

    Simmons Aerofilms in the UK, and

    Compagnia Generale Ripreseaeree (CGR)

    Group in Italy. David Critchley, Simmons

    Aerofilms Director Aerial Operations and

    Blom COO, states: The technology is being

    used primarily to capture urban areas. We

    have embarked on a project to cover every

    town and city with a population greater than50,000, which we estimate to be around 800

    targets. Currently, 60 cities in Italy and 12 in

    the UK have been completed, and this year

    we expect to increase the total cities cap-

    tured to around 200, including London,

    Amsterdam, Rome and Madrid. We are cap-

    turing these cities at 15cm resolution but

    have not ruled out undertaking whole coun-

    ties similar to the US model.

    The primary applications driving interest in

    the UK are homeland security and property

    taxation. Simmons has just completed anarrangement with Ordnance Survey (GB)

    which has total market penetration for GIS

    and mapping, giving them sole agency sta-

    tus for re-selling Pictometry in Britain.

    March 200620

    Special

    The Coliseum in Rome. Image courtesy of Compagnia Generale Ripreseaeree (CGR), part of the Blom ASA Group.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    14/51

    Application PotentialThe application potential for this type of

    visual technology is wide-ranging. The use of

    digital imagery as an information source

    allows technical and non-technical users

    alike to acquire a quick appreciation of the

    geospatial relationship between their data

    and the real world. Location-specific informa-

    tion, utilizing a three-dimensional coordinate

    system, becomes its most effective when it

    relates to a point on the earths surface.

    When the information is displayed as co-

    located image and vector data, a GISbecomes intuitive and visually dynamic- a

    key to maximizing data comprehension and

    ultimately, data utilization.

    Pictometry believes that with the develop-

    ment of georeferenced oblique imaging and

    its integration with GIS technology, the appli-

    cation potential for oblique visuals has

    expanded.

    For many organizations implementing the

    technology with their GIS, there have been

    substantial benefits, primarily through sav-

    ings in time and operational expense.

    Detailed analysis of oblique imagery can

    yield the same types of information that

    would be obtained in the field, without

    putting personnel at risk working beside a

    busy highway for example, or interrupting

    traffic flow while undertaking bridge mea-

    surements. Updating or verifying planimetric

    detail, or locating and cataloging signage,

    forward. Unless you are very familiar with

    viewing vertical images, to the un-trained eye,

    it is not always obvious what is being seen.

    The plan view of buildings can be the most

    deceptive, with variations in roof elevation

    often the most difficult to detect. However,

    from an oblique vantage point, high-rise build-

    ings, towers, bridges, retaining walls and other

    tall features are easily identified. You can see

    the fronts of buildings, and also the sides and

    backs. The information on billboards and shop

    facades can be read, and very quickly a com-

    plete and detailed impression of the area can

    be established.

    Objects obscured by overhanging vegetation

    or located under bridges and overpasses can

    now be seen. Ridges, valleys and cliffs, which

    illustrate dramatic changes in topography,

    become quite distinct. Oblique imagery pro-vides the user with a wealth of detail and

    visual information that is just not discernible

    on a standard vertical photo.

    Unless you are viewing vertical imagery stereo-

    scopically, using image pairs with a 60% over-

    lapping common area, any form of relief on a

    single vertical photo is not readily apparent. It

    requires an experienced photogrammetrist

    familiar with the three-dimensional aspect to

    extract the relevant information.

    Enterprise-wide Data SharingWith the attributes associated with georefer-

    enced oblique digital imagery, this technolo-

    gy has opened the doors to enterprise-wide

    data sharing. Dante Pennacchia, Chief

    are just some of the tasks that can be car-

    ried out quickly using this technology. For

    companies involved with transportation plan-

    ning or highway asset management, field

    trips to validate roadside data have been

    reduced by as much as 70%, the majority of

    which is in the elimination of travel time get-

    ting to and from the job site.

    Perspective AdvantagesFor the user, the primary advantage of oblique

    imagery is perspective familiarity. The ground

    is being seen from a more recognizable angle

    and therefore feature identification is straight-

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 21

    Special

    magerymageryAbout the AuthorFrank Arts has spent more than 20 years in photogramme-

    try, technical training, marketing and business development

    with various aerial survey and engineering companies in

    Toronto. He has worked on several mapping projects

    throughout Canada and the United States. Of particular inter-

    est have been a number of projects involving forensic analy-

    sis and crime scene photogrammetry for law enforcement

    and investigation.As a technical instructor he has been responsible for training

    staff in digital mapping methodology, primarily in the areas

    of air photo interpretation, aerial triangulation and pho-

    togrammetric data capture. Through his marketing and business development experience he

    has produced a number of technical publications including white papers, business proposals

    and promotional material.

    Most recently as a technical communications writer with Applanix Corporation, his industry

    knowledge was focused on editorials, case studies and marketing collateral dealing with air-

    borne, land and marine survey applications utilizing integrated inertial/GPS technology.

    Closely involved with photogrammetry through its transition from analogue to analytical, and

    to the virtual automation of softcopy technology, Frank has a keen interest in the potential

    for new applications. His current interests focus on technologies such as LiDAR, IfSAR andthe integration of multi-sensor imaging systems, and the impact they are having on aerial/ter-

    restrial photogrammetry and remote sensing applications.

    Frank is based in Canada, and as a technical writer is the North American correspondent for

    GeoInformatics magazine. He will be at this years ASPRS conference in Reno should you

    wish to meet him.

    Police squad car with on-board Pictometry system. Imagery courtesy of Pictometry International Corp.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    15/51

    Marketing Officer at Pictometry explains: We

    call it the democratization of GIS informa-

    tion, by allowing the technology to expand

    into areas which until now had not been

    major users of GIS and digital imagery. This

    can be seen in the case of policing and

    emergency task force response activities. Pre-

    emptive and synchronized tactical planning

    are prime applications where visual reference

    information can play a vital role.

    He continues: The system can be tailored

    for a specific environment by enhancing the

    capabilities of a GIS and placing it in a

    patrol vehicle or police cruiser, with mobile,

    touch screen functionality. Law enforcement

    officers, emergency medical personnel and

    first responders, can all access multiple

    obliques of the same location at the same

    time and very quickly put into place a com-

    bined action plan.

    Intelligent Images

    The system is designed to give the user the

    maximum amount of visual information for

    the areas they are interested in. County-wide

    image data is updated every two years, but

    depending on the amount of redevelopment

    and physical change taking place, particular

    regions can be re-flown as frequently as

    every six months. This ensures the imagery

    remains as current as possible and is a rele-

    vant image source for a wide-range of poten-

    tial users.The power associated with this type of visual

    information lies in its interactive capability.

    Pictometrys multi-functional Electronic Field

    Study (EFS) software is an integral part of

    the technology which allows the user to very

    effectively manage large quantities of visual

    information, while importing shapefiles and

    re-projecting vector overlays using oblique-

    March 200622

    Special

    Hurricane Katrina change analysis images. Imagery courtesy of Pictometry International Corp.

    Advertentie DATEM 185x134 mm 07-12-2005 10:52 Pagina 1

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    16/51

    viewing tools.

    Using a geo-coded street address or a geo-

    located entry in a GIS database, location-

    specific features can be pinpointed on a

    series of low obliques (taken from different

    angles) and imported for detailed analysis

    and investigation. Relevant geospatial vector

    data can then be introduced and the com-

    plete GIS information level expanded with a

    task-oriented practicality. The user can obtain

    direct length, width and height measure-

    ments of any visible feature, together with

    perimeter distances, area calculations, coor-

    dinate values, compass bearings and eleva-

    tions. Horizontal distances can even be gen-

    erated in an as the crow flies, or ground

    plane surface format, referred to as walk

    the earth.

    The ability to extract this type of information

    from an oblique image, plus the opportunity

    to integrate position-accurate vector data

    and its attributes, has produced a powerful

    planning and analysis tool. An embeddableversion of the software is also available

    which allows it to be integrated with various

    third-party GIS products, such as ESRIs

    ArcGIS and ArcIMS, as well as Autodesks

    MapGuide. In addition, the EFS software

    enables users to retrieve, overlay and store

    GIS data directly from ESRIs ArcSDE.

    adjoining buildings, is it a high-risk location,

    are there hazardous materials located inside

    (garage, chemical storage, paints etc.), is

    neighborhood evacuation required? All this

    information can be made available to emer-

    gency personnel right at the scene by inte-

    grating oblique imagery and various types of

    GIS data.

    At night, or in a smoke-filled environmentwhere on-site visibility is severely restricted,

    this type of information becomes even more

    vital as emergency crews are able to view

    multiple, full colour, daytime oblique views

    of the location. This was the situation faced

    by the Polk County fire department in 2004,

    when visibility at one particular fire scene

    was virtually zero. In analyzing the obliques

    on the command vehicles laptop, chemical

    storage tanks were observed close to the

    burning building, which could not be seen

    by the fire crew. Immediately, hoses wereredirected to spray the tanks to keep the

    embers from igniting them. All the necessary

    decision making information was pulled

    together very quickly and the safest and

    most operationally-effective plan put into

    place.

    Ultimate Visual ResourceGeoreferenced oblique imaging technology is

    dynamically changing the way we see our

    world. Today, there are very few geographic

    information users who do not employ visual

    image data in the decision making process.

    Georeferenced obliques can expand that pro-

    cess as the ultimate visual resource. Whether

    it is for project planning, or disaster

    response and recovery, the availability of cur-

    rent, georeferenced oblique imagery in the

    hands of people who need it the most can

    be the determining factor in project success

    or mission failure.

    AcknowledgementsSpecial thanks to Will Smith, Marketing

    Manager and Steve Schultz, Chief TechnologyOfficer, Pictometry International Corp.

    Frank Arts ([email protected]) is a

    technical writer with particular interest in aerial

    and terrestrial photogrammetric applications for

    the Geomatics industry. Have a look at

    www.pictometry.com to learn more about the

    technique discussed in this article.

    Currently, EFS is undergoing integration with

    MapInfos product suite.

    Faster Decision MakingFor emergency services such as a fire depart-

    ment, the system has proved invaluable. In

    Gwinnett County the technology is already

    available on 18 of its 83 vehicles. The entire

    fleet will eventually be equipped enabling all

    fire crews to access the system enroute to a

    fire anywhere in the county. Vertical images

    and obliques can be analyzed to establish

    the best locations to park fire trucks and

    position hoses. Laneways and gates etc. can

    be quickly measured to determine whether

    access is possible. Doors, ramps and win-

    dows can be identified and evaluated as

    potential access and escape routes.

    The heights of buildings can be accurately

    calculated to verify ladder reach and water-

    cannon elevation, and an effective and effi-

    cient action plan formulated before the crew

    arrives at the scene of the fire.By importing building plans and integrating

    GIS data to locate fire hydrants and water

    supply lines, a very detailed description of

    the building and the surrounding area can

    be assembled. Is it a multi-storey building, a

    residential or commercial unit, does it have a

    flat or peaked roof, what is its proximity to

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 23

    Special

    GIS flood plain overlay. Imagery courtesy of Pictometry International Corp.

    With georeferenced oblique imaging technology users are taking

    geospatial data into non-traditional areas of utilization and placing it

    squarely into the hands of those who need visual information for fast,

    accurate decision making.

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    17/51

    In the Gigapixel article in GeoInformatics 1-2006, the various methods that have been

    devised to generate Gigapixel frame images in the area of amateur and professional

    photography have been outlined. In this article, a review will be undertaken of the

    methods being used by scientific astronomers to generate large-format digital frame

    images that are Gigapixel in size. These appear to have much more relevance to

    satisfy the current needs of the photogrammetric and remote sensing communities

    for the direct acquisition of larger-format frame images from airborne platforms.

    by Gordon Petrie

    Astronomical ImagesUntil recently, most of the images collected by

    astronomical telescopes have been recorded

    as frame images on large-format photographic

    plates. Thus, for example, the wide-angle

    Schmidt telescopes that have been used to

    conduct systematic surveys of the northern

    skies [by the Palomar Observatory in the

    U.S.A.] and of the southern skies [by the U.K.Schmidt Telescope (UKST) based in Australia

    and the European Southern Observatory (ESO)

    located in Chile], record their images typically

    on 14 x 14 inch (35.5 x 35.5 cm) photographic

    plates. The images on these photographic

    plates are then digitized using automated

    plate scanners such as the SuperCOSMOS at

    the Royal Observatory Edinburgh (ROE). This

    uses a 10 m pixel size and has a measuringaccuracy of less than 1m. Thus it operates

    with pixel sizes and accuracies similar to those

    of the current Leica, Z/I Imaging and Vexcel

    film scanners that are used in aerial pho-

    togrammetry. The size of the final digital image

    is 35.5k x 35.5k pixels = 1.26 Gigapixels.

    However, in recent years, in scientific astrono-

    my, as in aerial photogrammetry, the trend has

    been towards the direct acquisition of digital

    images. So existing telescopes are being con-

    verted and new telescopes are being built to

    allow the direct digital imaging and recordingof star images.

    As already discussed in the previous

    Gigapixel article, a major difficulty, both for

    photogrammetrists and astronomers, is thelimitation in the size of the area arrays that

    are currently available for direct imaging.

    Besides which, the CCD arrays used in astro-

    nomical telescopes need to detect the very

    low light levels that come from very distant

    stars. So they need to have high quantum

    efficiencies and very low noise levels. As a

    result, many of the CCD arrays installed in

    astronomical telescopes are custom built by

    specialist labs. Furthermore, the yield that

    is the number of CCD chips that reach the

    required level of performance - is often low,which makes them rather rare and very

    expensive. However, in order to overcome

    the problem of the small size of the individ-

    ual area arrays, astronomers are now devel-

    oping mosaics of these area arrays that will

    generate large-format digital images that will

    replace their photographic plates. In particu-

    lar, their recent development of buttable CCD

    arrays could be of considerable interest to

    the photogrammetric and remote sensing

    communities.

    1 Ground-Based TelescopesExamples of ground-based astronomical tele-

    scopes where CCD area arrays are being

    used to produce large-format frame images

    include the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope

    (CFHT) and the Sloan Digital Sky Survey

    (SDSS).

    (a) Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope (CFHT)

    This telescope is, as its name suggests, a

    joint project between Canada's National

    Research Council (NRC) and the French

    Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique(CNRS) in cooperation with the Institute of

    Astronomy of the University of Hawaii. For

    many years, it has operated a telescope with

    a 3.6m diameter primary mirror from an

    observatory located on the summit of Mount

    Kea in Hawaii. The use of CCD area arrays

    on this telescope has evolved steadily using

    a series of digital frame cameras. First it was

    equipped with a single Loral 2k x 2k pixel

    array in 1991; then a 4k x 4k mosaic

    (MOCAM) in 1994; next an 8k x 8k array

    (UH8K) in 1995; and finally a 12k x 8k mosa-ic (CFH12K) in 1999. This last mosaic com-

    prised twelve 2k x 4k pixel CCD area arrays,

    each of which was buttable on three sides,

    that were fabricated by the MIT Lincoln

    March 200624

    Special

    Figure 1 (a): The MegaCam digital frame camera

    mounted on a cart for transport. The camera was

    built by the French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA)

    and fitted to the Canada-France-Hawaii-Telescope

    (CFHT) which is located in an observatory on the sum-

    mit of Mauna Kea, Hawaii. (Source: CEA, France)

    Figure 1 (b): The MegaCam CCD mosaic featuring 40

    buttable CCD detectors, each 2k x 4k in size, manufac-

    tured by the e2v technologies company in the U.K.

    (Source: CFHT Corporation)

    Gigapixel Frame Images: PartIs the Holy Grail of Airborne Digital Frame Imaging in

    Gigapixel Frame Images: Part

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    18/51

    Laboratory. These arrays were arranged in

    two rows, each consisting of six individual

    arrays that produced images that were 12k x

    8k = 96 Megapixels in size.

    In 2003, a further development saw the

    introduction of a still larger mosaic on the

    so-called MegaCam that was built by the

    French Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) andfitted to the telescope, see Figure 1(a). This

    utilizes 36 (later 40) arrays, each 2k x 4k

    pixels in size, producing a total image size of

    340 (later 377) Megapixels , see Figure 1(b).

    These gaps are eliminated by a dithering

    technique that is implemented as the tele-

    scope tracks the sky field. However this is

    not a observing procedure that seemsapplicable to imaging from airborne plat-

    forms. Instead some other arrangement

    needs to be found to fill the tiny gaps.

    The basis for this might well be similar to

    that adopted for the Vexcel UltraCam air-

    borne digital frame camera.

    (b) Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS)

    This project follows on from the systematic

    sky surveys using wide-field Schmidt tele-

    scopes described above. It aims to cover

    only one-quarter of the entire sky (in theNorthern Hemisphere) but in much greater

    detail - since its CCD detectors can resolve

    much fainter objects than could be detected

    using photographic plates. The Sloan Survey

    The VST telescope of the European Southern

    Observatory (ESO) and the MegaCam fitted

    to the MMT telescope of the Smithsonian

    Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) will use sim-

    ilar sets of 36 close-packed CCD arrays in

    their focal planes. These new sets of four-

    sided buttable CCD arrays have all been

    supplied by the e2v company from the U.K.It should be noted that, although these

    arrays are fully buttable, there still remain

    very small gaps (of several tens, up to one

    or two hundred pixels) between the arrays.

    March 2006Latest News? Visit www.geoinformatics.com 25

    Special

    Figure 2 (a): The telescope of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) forms part of the Apache Point Observatory located in

    the Sacramento Mountains of New Mexico. The telescope has a 2.5m diameter primary mirror. The boxy slatted metal

    structure is the outer wind baffle, mounted separately from the rest of the telescope, to help prevent the wind from

    shaking the telescope.

    Figure 2 (b): The 30 CCD area arrays fitted to the

    SDSS telescope are arranged in 6 columns, each con-

    taining 5 arrays. Each column is encased in a vacu-

    um sealed chamber, while each CCD in an individual

    column has a different spectral filter placed in front

    of it in order to generate a false-colour image.

    (Source: Sloan Digital Sky Survey)

    Iight?

    I

  • 7/27/2019 geoinformatics 2006 vol02

    19/51

    is based on the use of a dedicated 2.5m

    diameter telescope with a wide field of view

    that is located at the Apache Point

    Observatory in New Mexico, see Figure 2(a).

    This site is 2,800m in elevation and well

    away from any city or town that might gen-

    erate extraneous light that would affect the

    exposure of the sky image. The SDSS tele-

    scope is equipped with 30 CCD area arrays,

    each 2k x 2k = 4 Megapixels in size manu-

    factured by the Scientific Imaging

    Technologies company based in Oregon.

    These are arranged in 6 columns, each con-

    taining five arrays, see Figure 2(b). The tele-

    ground-based wide-field telescopes that can

    undertake systematic surveys of the sky with

    a view to detecting and locating ever fainter

    objects. These are the PanSTARRS

    (Panoramic Survey Telescope & Rapid

    Response System) and the LSST (Large-aper-

    ture Synoptic Survey Telescope). Both are

    based on the use of very large mosaics of

    CCD area arrays that will produce Gigapixelimages.

    (c) PanSTARRS

    This particular project is being undertaken by

    the Institute of Astronomy of the University

    of Hawaii. It is designed specifically to detect

    potentially hazardous objects in the Solar

    System (primarily asteroids) that might hit

    the Earth. Their detection will be achieved

    through repetitive observations of the same

    piece of the sky over time scales of a few

    days or weeks. However the wide field ofview of its optical system makes it suitable

    for other types of astronomical project. The

    PanSTARRS observing system will comprise

    an array of four telescopes, each equipped

    with a 1.8m diameter primary mirror and its

    own mosaic of CCD area arrays. Normally

    these four telescopes will operate together

    and point in unison at a particular part of

    the sky under computer control.

    The use of four relatively small but wide-

    angle telescopes is thought to be cheaper

    and quicker to build than a single telescope

    of a comparable light gathering area. The

    CCD arrays to be installed in the focal plane

    of each telescope are being developed by

    the MIT Lincoln Laboratory. Each will consist

    of an 8 x 8 mosaic of orthogonal transfer

    arrays (OTAs). In turn, each of these OTAs

    comprises an 8 x 8 mosaic of orthogonal

    transfer CCD area arrays, each 512 x 512 pix-

    els in size. Thus, in total, each camera will

    record images with (8 x 8) x (8 x 8) x (512 x

    512) pixels = one Gigapixel in size, see

    Figure 3(a). Financing such a large project as

    PanSTARRS has proven to be q