In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

Today, Eye4Software B.V. is proud to announce, that the latest version of their Hydrographic Survey Software, Hydromagic version 5.0 has been released to the public.

The main purpose of this software is to map the bottom of a river or ocean, by using a GPS or RTK positioning system combined with a singlebeam fishfinder or echosounder.

Once the data acquisition has been completed, the sounding can, if needed, be filtered and corrected using the built-in sounding editor. From the corrected sounding, a digital terrain model (DTM) can be generated.

By comparing the generated DTM with a theoretical DTM, or a DTM created from a previous sounding, a volume calculation can be performed. For instance, to prove that dredging work has been done correctly.

The software supports multiple map formats, including some nautical map formats, such as S57 ENC and GIS formats like GeoTIFF, ESRI Shape and MapInfo TAB/MIF files. CAD drawings generated with either Microstation or AutoCAD (DXF) can also be used.

The software is shipped with more then 5000 built-in local map projections, which allows you to use it at almost any place on earth.

The major changes since last version include:

• Added support for MapInfo MIF and TAB background map files;
• Added support for ATLAS BNA background map files;
• Added support for SURFER BLN background map files;
• Added support for projection files (ESRI WKT and PROJ.4 formats);
• Improved S57 ENC and OpenStreetMaps XML loading time;
• Field selection when exporting ASCII data;
• Improved ASCII file import, ability to skip lines and fields;
• Improved KML export dialog;
• Ability to measure area's using cursor in map view;
• Generate line sections from AutoCAD (DXF) files;
• Date and Time formats in export files, dialogs and views can now be defined;
• Timeout alarm when echo-sounder stops sending data;
• Function to prevent system from going into sleep or screensaver mode;
• Lots of small user interface improvements;
• Warns in situations auto-save would not work correctly;
• Improved error reporting.

For more information regarding this product, or to download a fully functional 30 days evaluation version of the product, please visit the products website at http://www.eye4software.com/products/hydromagic.

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode, covering a way too long time-span.

On the open source / open data front:

• GeoWeb Guru reviews the OpenLayers Cookbook by Antonio Santiago Perez: "The book is formatted as a series of 60 'recipes' that demonstrate how to perform various tasks." And here's another review on the same book.
• Some Province of Quebec open geodata and public WMS layers (in French)
• There was some OSGeo-Incubators announcements, the ZOO-Project, Opticks, OGC TEAM Engine and the Marble Virtual Globe are all part of the OSGeo incubation now
• The Cartaro CMS in now available as beta
• GeoTools 8.2 has been released
• Here's how to create a nice seafloor map using shaded relief and open source software

On the Esri front:

• Several sources pointed to the ArcGIS Online Service Credits Estimator

On the Microsoft front:

• For those interested, Bing Maps SDKs for Windows Store Apps Now Available

Geo-related stories discussed over Slashdot:

• Nokia Keeps Quietly Mapping The World
• The Case That Apple Should Buy Nokia
• 3D input device: Microsoft's Hand-Gesture Sensor Bracelet
• And Microsoft Patents 1826 Choropleth Map Technique
• Image classification crowdsourcing: ForestWatchers Lets Anyone Monitor A Patch of Forest
• LightSquared Wants To Share Weather-Balloon Frequencies for LTE
• An academic Android trojan that take pictures of your home and more, PlaceRaider Builds a Model of Your World With Smartphone Photos
• Can Foursquare Data Predict Where You Live?
• That candy bar that tracks you, Nestle's GPS Tracking Candy Campaign

More on Apple Maps from MacRumors and APB:

• Apple's 3D Maps and Imagery See Incremental Improvements
• Apple Turning to Select Retail Store Employees to Help Improve Maps for iOS 6
• Insiders Detail Steve Jobs' Role in Apple's Mapping Effort
• APB tells us Why is the Press Still Talking About Apple Maps

In the miscellaneous category:

• O'Reilly warns us of drones for warfare
• Yes, Wearable LIDAR Sensors for Mapping (via OR)
• APB informs us of MyDigitalGlobe cloud service to make DigitalGlobe imagery more discoverable with OGC catalog services (CWS): "A unique feature of the service is that alerts can be set to notify a user when a new image is added to the library of a specific area of interest."
• For those in hydrography, look at the U.S. National Hydrography Dataset Plus Version 2

In the maps category:

• It's worth taking a look at the Information is Beautiful Awards Winners, it's not all maps, but still pretty
• Via Mapperz, here's the CEC North American Environmental Atlas which is actually pretty interesting
• A Google Maps of Ancient Rome, via OR
• Here's a map of the The World’s Most Expensive Cities