vol 6 num 3


from VizMAP – letting you see where you stand…

Volume 6 Number 3
Contents

About VizMAP

VizMAP Pty Ltd, is a leading supplier of terrain Visualisation and related services to the defence, GIS, environmental, mapping, mining and exploration industries, engineering and construction firms, developers and planners, as well as government administration departments dealing with land, transportation and the environment.

VizMAP’s products are designed to be run on reasonably to highly configured graphics computers (PC, Linux and Unix) for public display, group training, mission rehearsal, environmental monitoring, etc. and to enhance management decision making. 

VizMAP is headquartered on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast (Australia) with affiliation in Asia, Europe, Africa and the USA and thereby provides support and services to customers worldwide. 

If you need to visualise anything geographic, e-mail VizMAP here with the details. 

For more information about VizMAP visit the VizMAP Web site at http://www.vizmap.com.au.

VirtualGeography
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A Moment’s "Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy." ~ Benjamin Franklin
This is funny too ;-)

VirtualGeography – the newsletter

G’Day… and Welcome to VirtualGeography
from VizMAP
Welcome to another free VirtualGeography from VizMAP Pty Ltd. 

VizMAP continues to work closely with Praetorian Asia Pacific and End 2 End Visuals to create quite stunning work for a local port. We’re still not in a position to show off the results but I can guarantee it’ll be worth the wait. Stay tuned. In the meantime, the Recent Outing this time round showcases another in a string of Sydney parks that we completed recently for a federal government body.

If you didn’t already know, VirtualGeography is a collection of interesting snippets from all over the shop, dealing with industry issues concerning the computer based visualisation of geography and a few other associated (or otherwise) interesting bits and pieces. You are receiving this either because you subscribed to VirtualGeography or you have had recent dealings with VizMAP Pty Ltd. If you do not wish to receive further instalments of VirtualGeography, just click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this e-mail. 

A new VirtualGeography is pushed out every now and then when we’ve collated enough interesting bits and pieces, which shouldn’t be too big a drain on your mailbox if you’re not already subscribed (of course it won’t be a drain on your mailbox if you ARE subscribed, either This is funny ;-)). The regularity of the distribution may vary depending on what else is going on at VizMAP at the time. If you know of anyone who might like to get VirtualGeography, feel free to forward this to them and ask them to subscribe. By the way, subscription and unsubscription details are at the bottom (click here).

So, g’day to all you enthusiasts requiring to visualise and simulate both urban and rural geographic information (GIS), cartography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, digital elevation modelling (DEM) and general mapping.

By the spelling of "Visualisation" you may have already guessed that we’re not US based – that’s a good thing, or at least not a bad thing. This comes to you from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next. As a postscript to that, you can have a look at the Mooloolaba beach, now, 800m from where I sit as I write this, here.

The link between visualisation and mapping may seem a little esoteric if this is your first encounter with this sort of stuff, but let me tell you, the bond is significant… but enough of that: on with the show… I hope you like it. Any feedback you might have is highly appreciated. E-mail me here to make your comments.

Enjoy…

Graeme Brooke
VizMAP Pty Ltd
 

P.S. You’ll need an active internet connection to view any images that are in the content. We’ve done it this way to keep the size of the e-mail to a minimum.

 
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The Industry’s Two Cents Worth…

TerraSim Presents OneSAF Database Generation Capabilities
from TerraSim
TerraSim, Inc. participated in the OneSAF Users Group meeting August 20-24, 2007 in Orlando, Florida. Sponsored by PM-OneSAF, this meeting brang together OneSAF users and developers for an exchange of current and future capabilities as well as discussion of technology requirements.

TerraSim demonstrated its current OneSAF OTF generation software capabilities each morning during the conference. The presentation highlighted TerraSim’s support for OneSAF Terrain Format 5.0 and 6.0 (OOS 1.1 and 1.5). Three specific areas of interest were: the creation of Ultra High Resolution Buildings (UHRBs), the discussion of sample OneSAF databases used for customer training and process validation, and the performance analysis including database construction timings using multi-core Windows workstations.

TerraSim also demonstrated its database reuse technology to extract source data content from legacy OneSAF Testbed (CTDB format) to produce correlated OneSAF Objective System (OTF format) and updated OTB databases. The conversion of OTB multi-elevation surface (MES) buildings to OOS UHRB buildings was also demonstrated.

Approximately 8 test and validation OTF databases were presented, as well as several customer success stories, including the 12 geo-cell White Sands Missile Range (WSMR) generated by ERDC TEC at Fort Belvoir using TerraSim’s TerraTools® rapid database construction product. 

Read that full story here
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Hardcore Stuff (hardware bits)…

NVIDIA® Tesla™ GPU Computing Processor Ushers In the Era of Personal Supercomputing 
from nVidia
New NVIDIA Tesla Solutions Bring Unprecedented, High-Density Parallel Processing to the HPC Market 

High-performance computing in fields like the geosciences, molecular biology, and medical diagnostics enable discoveries that transform billions of lives every day. Universities, research institutions, and companies in these and other fields face a daunting challenge: as their simulation models become exponentially complex, so does their need for vast computational resources. 

NVIDIA took a giant step in meeting this challenge with today’s announcement of a new class of processors based on a revolutionary new graphics processing unit (GPU). Under the NVIDIA® Tesla™ brand, NVIDIA will offer a family of GPU computing products that will place the power previously available only from supercomputers in the hands of every scientist and engineer. Today’s workstations will be transformed into "personal supercomputers." 

"Today’s science is no longer confined to the laboratory; scientists employ computer simulations before a single physical experiment is performed. This fundamental transition to computational methods is forging a new path for discoveries in science and engineering," said Jen-Hsun Huang, president and CEO of NVIDIA. "By dramatically reducing computation times, in some cases from weeks to hours, NVIDIA Tesla represents the single most significant disruption the high-performance computing industry has seen since Cray 1’s introduction of vector processing." 

Read that full story here
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Softcore Stuff (software & data bits)…

CAE unveils new modelling and simulation software company: Presagis 
from Presagis
Montreal, August 15, 2007 – (NYSE: CGT; TSX: CAE) – CAE today unveiled Presagis, its new modelling and simulation software company. CAE combined its acquisitions of Engenuity Technologies, MultiGen-Paradigm and TERREX and an existing CAE commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) software team, to create an independent, industry-leading company specializing in COTS modelling and simulation software. As part of CAE’s military simulation products business, Presagis solidifies CAE’s position as a significant player in the COTS modelling and simulation market.

"Presagis is in line with CAE’s long-term strategy to create a single, unified, COTS simulation software business," said Marc Parent, CAE’s Group President, Simulation Products and Military Training & Services.  "The technology depth and international reach of this COTS business further extends CAE’s position as a global leader in the modelling and simulation market. 

"CAE is a recognized global leader in simulation and training and we are thrilled to continue its legacy of excellence and innovation," said Patrice Commune, President, Presagis.   "Presagis brings together a powerful product portfolio that will help our customers build applications faster, without compromising on value, training, creative vision and support. By drawing on the strengths of these combined companies, Presagis is positioned to break new ground in technology development and deliver the highest possible standards of innovation and customer service." 

The company will expand the possibilities for modelling and simulation by delivering an easier to use and integrated suite of COTS software. Presagis boasts a solid portfolio of technologies including S-Mission, STAGE Scenario, and AI.implant, its comprehensive Artificial Intelligence solution; powerful visualization tools such as Vega Prime and Lyra; Terra Vista and Creator, the world’s leading terrain and 3-D content software; and the VAPS product family of human-machine interface development tools. In addition, existing industry standards developed by Presagis, such as OpenFlight and TerraPage, will continue to be cornerstones of the Presagis technology portfolio.

Read that full story here
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A Recent Outing…

Bray’s Bay
from VizMAP
VizMAP was contracted by a Government Department to produce a 3D flythrough of the Bray’s Bay parkland on Sydney Harbour to the west of the city. The visual database encompasses the new Oliveto restaurant as well as the adventure/historical walks around the park. The database extends across the harbour and includes a number of boats, cars, buildings, signage and vegetation typical of the area.
 

Click on these small resampled images to view the full screen images from the VizMAP website. Bear in mind that these are just screen dumps from a dynamic, interactive, 3D "flythrough".

If you would like more information on this project, or need your own similar project performed, let VizMAP know

If you have a need to dynamically visualise your geographic data, let VizMAP know your requirements…
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OK, That’s Different…

Free the Avatars 
from New York Times
Virtual worlds may be freewheeling environments where cyber-behavior is unconstrained by many terrestrial mores. But they are also gated communities, and the gates keep the digital denizens locked inside.

I.B.M. and Linden Lab, the creator of Second Life, think it’s time to free the avatars.

At the Virtual Worlds Conference and Expo at San Jose, Calif., the two companies are announcing plans to develop open standards that will allow avatars to roam from one virtual community to the next. The goal is let a person create a digital alter-ego that can travel to many virtual worlds, keeping the same name, look and even digital currency.

The companies speak of “a truly interoperable 3D Internet.” Think of it as passports for avatars. So that pink-headed cutie you made for Second Life can also take up residence in There.com, The Lounge, Virtual Laguna Beach and Entropia, for example.

“Now, for every world I touch I have to build an avatar,” said Colin Parris, the I.B.M. vice president in charge of virtual world technology. “It’s an obstacle to the development and spread of virtual worlds, both in the consumer and corporate space.”

The logic of the move is impeccable. The growth of the Internet andthe Web, after all, has been fueled by open standards. The more people who can communicate, inform and entertain each other freely on a network, the more valuable it is. Economists call this the “network effect.” And the Internet is the network effect on steroids.

Read that full story here
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Whazzup Next – with 20/20 Foresight…

Check these sites for events to look out for in the Vis/Sim, GIS, LIS, Remote Sensing & Photogrammetry calendars…
 
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A Parting Gesture…Smile... it's free.

Murphy’s Lesser Known Laws 
From Grime
  1. Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.
  2. He who laughs last, thinks slowest.
  3. Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine.
  4. Those who live by the sword get shot by those who don’t.
  5. Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.
  6. The 50-50-90 rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there’s a 90% probability you’ll get it wrong.
  7. If you lined up all the cars in the world end to end, someone would be stupid enough to try to pass them, five or six at a time, on a hill, in the fog.
  8. If the shoe fits, get another one just like it.
  9. The things that come to those who wait will be the things left by those who got there first.
  10. The shin bone is a device for finding furniture in a dark room.
  11. A fine is a tax for doing wrong. A tax is a fine for doing well.
  12. When you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12 people who weren’t smart enough to get out of jury duty.
Smile... it's free.
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VizMAP
Letting you see where you stand…

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…that’s all, folks. For now…