Tuesday, July 22. 2008

TomTom Beats Q2 Estimates, Stock Jumps

Second-quarter profit beat analysts' estimates pushing the stock up as much as 2.95 euros, or 18 percent, to 19 euros. That was the biggest gain since TomTom first sold shares in 2005. Revenue was down due the acquisition of Tele Atlas, things seem rosy: "Despite all the hassle in the financial market, all the bad headlines, people are still buying navigation devices,'' Chief Executive Officer Harold Goddijn said.

- Bloomberg

Stuart Nixon's NearMap Acquired

Stuart Nixon? The guy who founded ER Mapper, now part of ERDAS.

NearMap? The company he founded in Australia after leaving ER Mapper. It offers technology, including the HyperPod aerial camera system, to take and process high resolution images ortho and oblique, far more cheaply and quickly (a city in a few days) than other solutions. The vision: imagery for mapping portals, governments real estate, etc. no older than 1 month.

Now, the news: Ipernica acquired NearMap for AU$4 million plus shares and options and a AU$1 million investment.

- ITWire
- Western Australian Business News (includes official announcement)

Quote of the Week

"Though deciphering the CD's information requires skills with Geographic Information System (GIS) software, intended users of the CD include state and local governments, homeowners, homebuyers and real estate agents."

- The Deseret News, describing a new CD of data on geological hazards for urban parts of Davis, Salt Lake, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch and Weber counties.

1 in 50 in UK Survey Blame Crash on SatNav

British insurance company Direct Line carried out the survey for the newspaper The Mirror about satnavs and accidents. Highlights:

300,000 motorists have crashed because of a device
1.5 million drivers have suddenly veered in busy traffic while following a device's directions.
Five million have been sent the wrong way down a one-way street.
One in 10 drivers with a satnav says following its instructions made them take a dangerous or illegal turn.

ESRI Lands Nearly $8 Million NGA Contract

The National Geospatial Intelligence Agency has awarded $7,914,778 for the development of a prototype to address "data fusion within a geospatial environment," according to a DoD statement. Work will be done at Redlands to be complete by July 18, 2010.

- PE.com

Discover Examines History, Future of Satellite Imagery

Not much new to those who follow imagery, Google and privacy issues, but a nice roundup.

- Discover