Monday, March 2. 2009

Dead Reckoning Takes over when GPS Fails

The dead reckoning solution, NaviSeer, is from Seer Technology, a company that apparently until now focused on the chemical sensor detection market. NaviSeer continues monitors GPS input and when GPS fails it takes over using a solutions built on three gyros, three accelerometers (one at each axis), a magnetometer and a baro altimeter. The result? Accurate location to with a meter in "GPS denied" locations. No word on pricing; the device will be available in Q2 of this year with main interest from the military and first responders.

- c|net

New York Times Goes Hyperlocal

Several new sections of the online Times will focus on neighborhoods in New York and New Jersey (Clinton Hill and Fort Greene in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Maplewood, Millburn and South Orange, N.J.). Part of the push is to get smaller advertisers (local plumbers and pizza joints to advertise "in the Times." The content will be a mix of reported and citizen reported stories including some from Buzzmachine (CUNY) taught students.

- Paid Content

Appropriations Bill Passes House; Includes Money for Geospatial for Eight States

Officially the fiscal 2009 Omnibus Appropriations Act, the bill, which passed the House on Thursday and heads to the Senate next week, increases agency funding from 2008 levels. More important to our community: quite a bit of money is set aside for GIS.

Per MSNBC, Arkansas is one of eight states to receive money:

$1,248,000 for Geographic Information Systems - Arkansas is one of eight states to participate in this project. This funding will be used to eliminate the digital divide facing rural America by promoting the transfer of geospatial technologies to under-served rural areas.

As I understand it the money is part of $27.6 billion for interior and the environment. Here's the text of the bill that references geospatial:

ENVIRONMENTAL PROGRAMS AND MANAGEMENT

For environmental programs and management, in-
cluding necessary expenses, not otherwise provided for, for
personnel and related costs and travel expenses; hire of
passenger motor vehicles; hire, maintenance, and oper-
ation of aircraft; purchase of reprints; library member-
ships in societies or associations which issue publications
to members only or at a price to members lower than to
subscribers who are not members; administrative costs of
the brownfields program under the Small Business Liabil-
ity Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act of 2002; and
not to exceed $19,000 for official reception and represen-
tation expenses, $2,392,079,000, to remain available until
September 30, 2010: Provided, That of the funds included
under this heading, not less than $95,846,000 shall be for
the Geographic Programs specified in the explanatory
statement described in section 4 (in the matter preceding
division A of this consolidated Act).

There's a bit more on the bill at FCW.

Looking Back on Intergraph's First Forty Years

The Huntsville Times offers up a retrospective and a timeline of the company's history in its 40th anniversary year. Directions Editor in Chief, Joe Francica, a former employee is quoted.

Among the valuable quotes is one from current Intergraph CEO Halsey Wise:

"One in 12 people in the world are protected using Intergraph software."

Also noted in the article are 2008 unaudited numbers:

"Total revenue has grown from $526 million in 2003 to more than $808 million in 2008, and operating income was $17.3 million in 2003 and $152.1 million in 2008. Gross profit has grown from $251.9 million in 2003 to $460.9 million in 2008."