Weekly GEOINT Community News

Penn State Partners with NGA; VRICON Introduces DSM for $1.99/km; Woolpert Acquires Leica LiDAR Systems

Cardillo-Penn-State

Pennsylvania State University Partners with NGA

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) renewed a five-year partnership with both USGIF-accredited Pennsylvania State University’s (PSU) Department of Geography and the university’s Applied Research Laboratory. The cooperative research and development agreements (CRADAs) focus on improving education for geospatial analysts and an urban terrain zone imaging tool used by analysts, respectively. NGA Director Robert Cardillo visited the PSU campus Oct. 1-3 to sign the CRADAs.

VRICON Introduces DSM for $1.99/km

VRICON last week released a medium-resolution global digital surface model (DSM) for $1.99 per square kilometer. VRICON’s DSM-10 is produced from commercial satellite imagery, and the company says the product’s accuracy surpasses all medium-resolution global elevation models currently available.

Woolpert Acquires Leica LiDAR Systems

Woolpert acquired three new Leica ALS80 Airborne Laser Scanners. The addition of these systems allows the company to further expand its aerial data collection services. According to the company’s press release, the additional capability is needed to support Woolpert’s many statewide mapping programs and the U.S. Geological Survey’s 3D Elevation Program.

OGSystems Named Contractor of the Year

The Fairfax County Chamber of Commerce and the Professional Services Council named OGSystems Contractor of the Year for the $25 to $75 million category during the 2015 Greater Washington Government Contractor Awards event. The Greater Washington Contractor Awards honors leadership, innovation, and commitment to excellence in the region’s government contracting sector.

TomTom to Provide Uber with Map Data

TomTom signed a global, multi-year agreement to provide maps and traffic data for the Uber driver app. According to a New York Times article, Uber will license TomTom’s mapping and traffic management services in more than 300 cities where it operates.

UN to Allow Satellites to Track Airliners

At last week’s World Radiocommunication Conference, the United Nations reached a deal to track airlines via satellite, reports The New York Times. The agreement allows nations to set aside radio frequencies to track airliners, not just from the ground, but also by satellite. The decision is said to be motivated by last year’s disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. According to the article, satellite tracking is expected to go into effect by 2017.

Photo Credit: Penn State University

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