got geoint?

I’m finally coming up for air after an incredible few days at GEOINT 2008. As the VP of Marketing & Business Development for TerraGo Technologies (commonly known as the GeoPDF guys), I viewed this event as an opportunity for us to re-introduce ourselves to the defense and intelligence market in such a way that people begin to understand the true value that our software provides. It’s not just a data conversion tool that creates GeoPDFs. It’s about software that helps non-GIS users collaborate with each other and with GIS headquarters more effectively. In our opinion, they to do this most effectively using our GeoPDF format, but our software can take any geo-enabled PDF and make it more useful. Today, we’re focused on delivering the software that actually helps people do great things with these PDFs.

At GEOINT, we wanted to highlight our existing software solutions AND give everyone a preview of the innovations we’re working on with our strategic partners and customers for 2009. So, we decided to host our own INNOVATION LAB, true all the way down to the white lab coats that we wore.

But it wasn’t all about the look. It was about the content – the powerful innovations that we’re building with companies like Adobe, ESRI, ERDAS, Intergraph, BAE Systems, Immersive Media and Pictometry. Never before have all of these companies come together in one booth to show the industry how we can dramatically change the way they serve geospatial content to their users in the field. Within the Lab, we had stations where attendees preview technology innovations like:

- Serve geospatial data through an SOA (services oriented architecture) environment: Along with ESRI and Adobe LiveCycle, we demonstrated how TerraGo’s browser-based system can be integrated with ArcGIS Server to dynamically create geospatial PDFs and mapbooks. In the demonstrated scenario, end users were able to define Areas of Interest and display all files (including imagery, maps, Excel spreadsheets, alignment sheets, etc.) that fell within that area. The documents were then conditioned with Adobe LiveCycle for policy application and automatically integrated and packaged as dynamic, fully-functional mapbooks that were distributed to end users for mark up and collaboration.

- Protect dignitaries through collaboration and real-time updates: TerraGo’s new Mobile application pulled data from ESRI ArcMap. It showed how a dignitary protection mission was prepared with ESRI ArcMap, and when a change was needed to the evacuation plan at the last minute, field personnel who are equipped with a user-friendly mobile application were able to augment the evacuation route/plan with on-site photos, video and audio. The mission planner was then able to rapidly re-route and communicate the new plan instantly with all mobile field personnel to execute the revised mission successfully.

- Improve situational awareness: TerraGo, Pictometry and Immersive Media demonstrated how topographic map views, plan imagery, oblique imagery and immersive video can be viewed side-by-side to help planners and responders better navigate the terrain and make better decisions.

- Exploit Advanced Imagery: A new product, recently announced by ERDAS (Map2PDF for IMAGINE) was used to show attendees the first-ever production of a multi-spectral GeoPDF allowing false color interpretation for synthetic material. 3D glasses gave attendees the perfect view.

- Plan and deploy more effective evacuations: TerraGo Publisher for GeoMedia and Intergraph showed how evacuation contingency maps and datasets can be prepared and published into an easy-to-use solution that can be accessed and updated by a wide variety of non-technical people during disasters or times of civil unrest.

With a jam-packed schedule of meetings even before the show floor opened, we also had the fortunate opportunity to host many attendees who came in to hear presentations, like one from the 2008 USGIF Geospatial Intelligence Achievement Award Winner — Ray Caputo from US Army Tech.

We were very proud to be a part of Ray’s success, and it has been a strong and productive relationship for both of us. During his presentation, Ray highlighted several key accomplishments:

- NGA Research Center has converted more than 31,000 standard products into Raster GeoPDFs.

- Army TEC has packaged most of these maps by country with an easy to use Index map, which is distributed via DVD and through websites.

- Army TEC has converted nearly 60,000 USGS Digital Raster Graphic files from GeoTIFF to GeoPDF, and these are posted on the USGS store website http://store.usgs.gov.

If the energy from GEOINT’s Innovation Lab was any indication, geospatial technology’s use, application and future is very bright indeed.

Chris Watson
TerraGo Technologies

Tags: GEOINT 2008, TerraGo, USGIF