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Greetings!
Welcome to the latest issue of Footsteps and Futures. We have recently enhanced our newsletter with more worldwide coverage and information regarding PCI Geomatics' evolution and advancements.
In this issue we are delighted to highlight our recent activities in China, and in future issues, we will expand upon our achievements in other parts of the world. We are also happy to announce that Footsteps & Futures is now available in French, Spanish and Chinese. Visit the "Quick Links" section at the bottom of our newsletter for the translated versions.
In the last issue, we presented the tag line: Think PCI Geomatics is just a desktop software company? Think bigger!
Because we are bigger than that! With offices in the United States, United Kingdom, India, Canada and (soon) China, we are growing, and reaching all corners of the globe. We've spent over 25 years developing best of breed geospatial software and solutions - and we bring our expertise directly to you!
As geospatial imagery experts and specialists, we have the knowledge and tools to solve your problems and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of excellence.
 So yes . . . think bigger . . . and think beyond - and experience the insight that is PCI Geomatics!
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Global News: ASIA |
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Momentous activities in China
 Earlier this month, PCI Geomatics participated as a bronze sponsor at ISPRS 2008 in Beijing. This international tradeshow allowed us the opportunity to re-connect with existing customers and to meet new industry faces. Our eye-catching and bilingual (English/Chinese) booth was a buzz with activity. In addition, Philip Cheng, Senior Scientist at PCI Geomatics presented his findings on geometric correction of WorldView- 1 and PALSAR data with limited ground controls at various ISPRS events.
 Also at the show, PCI Geomatics donated a complete licensed copy of Geomatica 10.1 to the ISPRS Foundation to a very lucky winner. Andreas Josef Bolten at the University of Cologne - Department of Geography. PCI is proud to take part in helping organizations such as this in its quest to sustain the future of the photogrammetry, remote sensing and spatial information sciences community.
 During this time at ISPRS, PCI Geomatics signed significant Memorandums of Understanding with the Center for Earth Observation and Digital Earth, and with the National Geomatics Center of China. PCI Geomatics also signed a business partnership agreement with Beijing Space Eye Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (BSEI). These strategic and important collaborations will be beneficial to the environment, as well as to the people of China. Also, in attendance to witness the signing of the MoU's were representatives from the Government of Canada, Trade Commissioner Service, and included: Martin Charron, Senior Trade Commissioner, Wendy Wang, Natural Resources Specialist and Allen Chong, Trade Commissioner (Science, Technology & Innovation).
 On July 9, PCI hosted an exclusive workshop showcasing our latest developments, including ProLines, Maps on Demand and more. Directly following this, PCI Geomatics co- hosted with the Open Geospatial Consortium Inc.® (Mark Reichardt, President and CEO) and Wuhan University (Li Deren), "The Official Opening of the OGC China Forum Committee". This ground-breaking initiative was a standing room only event which was led by a panel discussion including representatives from OGC, Chinese government and industry.
 In addition, PCI Geomatics has become an OGC Principal-Plus Member, upgrading its membership to allow for a more active role. To read the full press release, click here.
PCI Geomatics also announced its plans to launch a new international office in Beijing in the latter half of 2008 under the leadership of Yubin Xin as Country Manager. PCI Geomatics Beijing will offer PCI technology, services and solutions (under special license) for both private and government sectors. To read the complete press release, click here.
Following ISPRS, Dr. Moses traveled from Beijing to Wuhan to present a keynote speech to the Wuhan International Forum on Industrial Standard.
It has been an exciting time for PCI Geomatics in China, and while in Beijing, Yubin Xin was able to continue the excitement by attending the 2008 Olympic Games.
India - New Office
 To meet the increasing demand for products and services, PCI Geomatics India Pvt Ltd has opened a new international office in New Delhi. Under the leadership of Dr. Ashok Kaushal as Country Manager, PCI Geomatics India Pvt Ltd has also been appointed Master Reseller for India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. Read more...
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Global News: EUROPE |
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RapidEye System
 On August 29, RapidEye will launch a constellation of five satellites capable of downloading over 4 million km² of high resolution, multi-spectral imagery per day. Part of the RapidEye system includes a highly-automated image data processing facility configured to provide a variety of information products derived from the RapidEye imagery. PCI Geomatics technology is an integral part of this system. Visit here.
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Global News: SOUTH AFRICA |
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Satellite Applications Center (SAC)
PCI Geomatics recognizes the strong technical relationship developed with the Satellite Applications Center (SAC) in Hartebeesthoek, South Africa. SAC has recently upgraded with Geomatica 10 desktop technology including GeomaticaX ProSDK and ProPack technology.
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Global News: NORTH AMERICA |
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Meeting with Gatineau Mayor
 In June, Dr. Moses and his team met with the mayor of Gatineau, Quebec - Marc Bureau, to discuss cooperative plans for a municipal carbon project. The City of Gatineau is PCI's leading champion in support of this initiative promoting sustainable development.
PCI Geomatics takes pride in its Quebec based office and is pleased to announce recent provincial sales with: SEPAQ, Groupe Trifade, and Parks Canada (Gatineau).
Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC)
 Dr. Robert Moses, President of PCI Geomatics, recently returned from a conference in Washington D.C with the Open Geospatial Consortium (where he serves on the Board of Directors), the focus of this meeting was on globalization and digital rights. In July, John Werle, President and CEO of PCI Geomatics Corporation USA, attended a United States Geospatial Intelligence Foundation (USGIF) conference.
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Other News |
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PCI Geomatics' Web Coverage Server - Distinctive in the market
As a leader in image centric technology, PCI Geomatics' Web Coverage Server is the first and only server implementing the WCS 1.1.1 specification to pass all the relevant compliancy tests developed during OWS-5. If you are looking to deliver raw data over the web, let our WCS be integrated into your system to distribute your volumes of imagery.
To learn more about WCS functionality and how it can support your needs, please contact info@pcigeomatics.com.
Imagery Appliance - Quick and easy image correction
 Introducing the Imagery Appliance from PCI Geomatics - don't have the skills or time to orthorectify your imagery? This fully automatic processing tool for medium and low resolution imaging sensors can help! Simply specify your input and output directories for your imagery and you're done!
The Imagery Appliance is designed for anyone with basic computer skills, and contains all the elements necessary to perform image correction automatically, including reference data. Also, included is PCI's OGC compliant web coverage server, enabling easy publishing of imagery to the geospatial web.
For more information, please click here. To schedule a 'demo' using your imagery, please contact imagery.appliance@pcigeomatics.com.
FeatureObjeX is here!
 The first release of FeatureObjeX (FoX) is now available, for which PCI Geomatics is the worldwide distributor. Geospace Inc., a software and solutions company based in Albuquerque NM, has developed FeatureObjeX, a powerful tool specializing in feature extraction from satellite and aerial imagery.
With its intuitively designed interface, users can teach the software to create training sites where features of interest exist, based on the characteristics of the pixels.
FoX is able to create output in *.shp and *.kml file types upon export. These files can easily be shared or imported into GIS applications, Geomatica, or Google Earth.
For more information on FeatureObjeX and to download a free trial version, please click here.
Geomatica 10.1.3 is now available!
 Geomatica v10.1.3 has been released and is now available for download! Included in this update is support for RADARSAT- 2 data, along with a new SAR Fusion tool. SPOT RPC computing tools have also been introduced in this update, as well as a number of bug fixes and documentation revisions.
For more information on this update, please click here.
SAR-MS Fusion tool - new in 10.1.3
 The Adjustable SAR-MS Fusion (ASMF) tool is new in Geomatica 10.1.3 and is a straightforward tool for fusing SAR data and Multispectral data channels. This new functionality was developed from an algorithm derived by Professor Yun Zhang at the University of New Brunswick.
The original images shown above show the georeferenced SAR and multispectral Landsat images which will be fused using this tool. The output image shows the fused layer; note that the output layer demonstrates how the SAR Fusion tool improves visual interpretation by improving the output resolution, enhancing relief features, such as the mountains in the upper right corner, and incorporating information about texture and moisture conditions from the SAR to the multispectral image.
International Reseller & Partners Meeting (Niagara-on-the-Lake)
 From June 16 - 20, PCI Geomatics was pleased to host our annual reseller and partners meeting in Niagara-on-the- Lake, Canada. Two days of technical training were followed by workshops and presentations. And of course - the evening events included trips to the world famous Niagara Falls!
We look forward to this event every year as it allows us the opportunity to share information and ideas with our valued resellers from around the world.
To contact your local PCI Geomatics reseller in your corner of the world, click here.
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News Briefs |
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- Optimize your production time with ProLines!
ProLines are right for those looking to automate their large volume image processing tasks. To learn more about these automated processing chains, click here. ProLines are available now!
- Focus on Radar
PCI Geomatics is pleased to announce the latest in this informative series designed to explore Radar and its comprehensive and accurate information of the Earth's surface. Click here to read all the topics on our "Focus on" series.
- Interested in learning more about PCI technology?
Take some time out of your day to view our free downloadable webinars. For more information, click here.
- Geomatica GeoRaster Loader - Free! To learn more about this desktop product that loads image data and associated metadata into Oracle 10g and 11g from a wide range of file formats - click here. Get your free download today!
- Active tradeshow schedule! We hope you dropped by our booth and visited us at one of the many shows we attended this past season: Map Middle East, ASPRS, USGIF Tech Days, IGARSS, AQT, Geotec, ISPRS + more!
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Tip and Trick |
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Did you know that you can scale and/or permanently enhance an image in Focus using "Save As"?
 In Focus, simply right click on the image on the MAPS tab and choose "Save As" to save the image to a new file in any supported format; select 8 bit unsigned and VISUAL scaling in the properties for each image layer.
Images are automatically scaled to 8-bit for viewing in Focus, so basically "what you see is what you get".
The enhancement is also applied using this procedure. You can use the enhancement tool to set the visual enhancement to "None" if you do not want to apply the enhancement to the output image. Note that the default visual enhancement used in Focus can be changed using Tools | Options; select "Layer" from the "General Interface" section and choose the appropriate "Default Visual Enhancement" in the "Raster" section of the options panel.
For more information, please contact support@pcigeomatics.com.
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Come Visit Us |
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Look for the PCI Geomatics booth and our knowledgeable staff at a show near you:
- Map Asia August 18-20, 2008, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Intergeo Sep 30 - Oct 2, 2008, Bremen, Germany
- Geoint 2008 Oct 27 - 30, 2008, Nashville, USA
For a complete list of all of our upcoming events click here. If you have any further questions, comments, or would like to schedule a focused webinar, please contact: info@pcigeomatics.com.
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