Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/62129
NEWSLINK Esri and GeoEye Team on The companies plan to make the new service avail- Crisis-Response Offering Geospatial information provider GeoEye Inc. and geospatial software maker Esri are jointly developing a crisis-response imagery service that should give Esri users access to timely, high-quality imagery for use during disasters. able in spring 2012, and the offering should enhance the current disaster-response capabilities for Esri products and services. Specifically, the planned ser- vice will add GeoEye's ability to task its satellite to collect high-resolution satellite imagery after a crisis. Users of Esri's ArcGIS software, therefore, should be able to tap into GeoEye's "map-accurate" imagery and other Esri tools to garner insight before, during and after emergencies, crises, disasters and major global events. "Imagery plays a vital role during events," said Russ Johnson, Esri's director of public safety and homeland security. "It allows us to rapidly visualize impacts, analyze change and empower field teams conducting mobile operations." The GeoEye/Esri collaboration follows another part- nership involving the two companies. In July 2011, GeoEye and Esri unveiled the GeoEye Image Pack, which provides Esri customers with an enterprise- license agreement to procure high-resolution data from GeoEye's imagery archive. Russian Bio Research Center Taps Two Tools for Imagery Support The Russian State Research Center for Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology (SRCAMB) selected two ERDAS products to help support its data pro- cessing for infectious diseases and conducting risk analysis of biohazards. The center, which is using ERDAS Imagine and ERDAS Apollo from software maker Intergraph (a subsidiary of Hexagon AB), is leveraging the Imagine software to process and analyze satellite imag- ery and assess environmental-impact factors. The tool also serves as an access point for acquiring relevant information, helping with the analysis of environmental-impact factors and aiding additional research and development. SRCAMB, meanwhile, is using Apollo to provide a common framework to give users access to relevant data and related products created in ERDAS Imagine. "By using ERDAS Imagine in conjunction with GeoEye imagery shows a scene from Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. A new Esri/GeoEye service allows users to task a satellite to collect high-resolution imagery after such a crisis. 8 GEO W ORLD / AP R I L 2O12 ERDAS Apollo, we will be able to provide a unique level of situational awareness for infectious-disease monitoring, reducing biological risks and threats for the public," said Igor Govorunov, information depart- ment chief for SRCAMB. Mobility/GPS Special Issue