PCI supports deployment of GXL System on Amazon Cloud to accelerate production of high resolution content for Esri ArcGIS Online platform

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—June 27, 2011: PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, has successfully deployed a high speed image production system to the Amazon Cloud in support of Esri’s ArcGIS Online platform, to process and make available high resolution Imagery content.
PCI’s GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL) technology was designed for automation and speed, leveraging off the shelf CPU/GPU hardware through highly parallelized processing capability, thereby accelerating production throughput over traditional desktop systems by orders of magnitude. Cloud based services offer the advantage of low cost computing resources across multiple instances that can be switched on and off as required, providing on demand scalability. PCI has deployed its GXL technology to the Amazon Cloud, where multiple instances can be tasked to process large volumes of imagery – on demand.
The GXL Cloud System implementation is tailored to processing high resolution optical imagery, and can generate pan-sharpened, orthorectified, color balanced tiled mosaic products at high speed using multi CPU/GPU and multi-instance enabled technology. The complete system can transform uncorrected Level 1 frame based data from multiple satellite sensors into thousands of orthorectified and mosaicked products - on demand.
“PCI understands that the market is increasingly accepting and demanding Cloud based solutions, given the many advantages offered. Through diligent work and a great amount of innovation, we are overcoming significant hurdles which have limited the availability of cloud computing for the customers’ Earth Observation and Imagery needs”, said David Stanley, CTO at PCI Geomatics. “…by staging the data directly within Amazon’s facility and coupling it with our Cloud optimized GXL system, we can leverage the true power of Cloud Based processing for our customers, that is - on-demand scalability for high speed production”.
“Through the use of the GXL Cloud system that PCI has deployed to our Amazon Cloud instances, we are working diligently to provide high resolution and high quality content as quickly as possible for the ArcGIS Online platform”, said Steven Lambert, Senior Program Manager at Esri.
PCI Geomatics will continue to support Esri by providing leading edge, cloud based processing power that can be scaled up/down based on Esri’s required throughput and data processing requirements.
About GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL)
GXL technology combines high-performance computing with PCI Geomatics expertise to provide significant improvements in automation, speed and efficiency. By optimizing and distributing automated workflows, traditional image-processing is elevated to industrial-strength production.
For more information about the GXL software solution, visit www.pcigeomatics.com/gxl
About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world leading developer of software and systems for geo-imaging solutions. Since 1982, we have specialized in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartographic production, automated production systems, image management and on demand mapping solutions. PCI Geomatics' advanced software systems address a wide variety of industry applications including the environment, agriculture, security and intelligence, aerospace & defense, and satellite receiving stations. We have the expertise and know-how to turn images into useful information. For more information, visit
http://www.pcigeomatics.com/
About Esri
Esri develops geographic information systems (GIS) solutions that function as an integral component in nearly every type of organization. Esri software is used by more than 350,000 organizations worldwide including most U.S. federal agencies and national mapping agencies, 45 of the top 50 petroleum companies, all 50 U.S. state health departments, most forestry companies, and many others in dozens of industries.
Esri software is the standard in state and local government and is used by more than 24,000 state and local governments including Paris, France; Los Angeles, California, USA; Beijing, China; and Kuwait City, Kuwait. For more information, visit http://www.esri.com/

Press Contact

Kevin R. Jones
Director, Marketing and Product Management
T: 819-770-0022 x 214
E: jones@pcigeomatics.com
Web: http://www.pcigeomatics.com/
Twitter: @pcigeomatics

Improving access to historical and new imagery

The use of geospatial information has exploded in the recent years, and the vision expressed by Jack Dangermond several years back “GIS is for Everyone” has come true. Consumer mapping is the new reality, and imagery is a key reason for this.

As a developer of software tools and solutions that enhance the ArcGIS platform, PCI Geomatics is working closely with Esri to make imagery more accessible to non remote sensing experts. Imagery, as the new basemap, provides that instant connection to geography. Anyone looking at imagery, especially high resolution, can make an immediate connection to the features they can see – their house, their car, their school, their neighbourhoods, community centre, etc.

Current operational satellite missions are many, and vary from coarse resolution (with large spatial coverage) to medium and high resolution (with decreasing spatial coverage). Spectral bands and sensor types are also many, ranging from multi-spectral sensors, hyperspectral sensors, and also Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) sensors. The latest trends are to operate satellite missions as constellations, as we have seen with RapidEye, and TerraSAR for example.

Consumer mapping applications have grown exponentially, but I cannot help to think that we are only scratching the surface. Stored away in the archives are incredible volumes of multi resolution, multi spectral, multi sensor, and multi temporal information from these earth observation sensors. What applications can be developed using this rich source of information? Finding out requires that imagery be accessible, and tools make discovering, accessing, analyzing, and disseminating/sharing information derived from imagery as easy as it is for hundreds of millions of people to download a geospatial application like Google Earth, or adopt the use of map based local search sites such as Google Maps, Bing, Yahoo Maps, or MapQuest.

Esri has made incredible advances in building a platform that enables sharing of geospatial information, deploying the infrastructure for hosting and sharing geospatial information, such as ArcGIS. Together with Esri, PCI Geomatics is working to develop easy to use tools and offer solutions that will allow users to tap into those rich sources of historical data mentioned above.

An oft overlooked, but critical step in extracting valuable information from these varied sources of imagery is pre-processing. PCI supports the Esri platform by offering automated means of co-registering raster layers to each other in a completely automated manner – vector layers can also be used as a reference – by bringing data into pixel perfect aligment using a well known environment (ArcGIS), non-remote sensing experts are empowered to discover applications of imagery that have not yet been created. Our extension, GeoImaging Tools for ArcGIS will help make this possible. We are also working to deploy our advanced, automated image processing technology to the cloud, making imagery accessibility and more importantly accurate analysis available on in a pervasive manner. And lastly, we are working to make SAR Analysis tools available for ArcGIS users, recognizing the increasing use and interest in Radar base Earth Observation information.

Terry Moloney

President and CEO, PCI Geomatics

PCI Supporting Esri to Broaden Availability of High Quality Earth Observation Imagery

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—June 03, 2011: PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, has been working closely with Esri to make imagery more accessible to a broader user community.
PCI’s GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL) technology is currently being used to support the processing of GeoEye data into ortho-corrected and color balanced image products that will be made available for free through ArcGIS Online. PCI’s high performance, automated GXL Satellite image production system will be used to process high resolution GeoEye imagery. In addition to the GXL processing capacity, PCI will also lend its geoimaging technical expertise to the project. The goal of the project is to process imagery and generate accurate imagery content, mosaics and associated metadata for ArcGIS Online.
“PCI is pleased to be supporting Esri in developing its ArcGIS Online Imagery Services,” said Terry Moloney, President and CEO at PCI Geomatics. “PCI has invested a great deal in developing our automated, high speed GXL image processing technology. I am happy to see it being used to create Terabytes of high quality output products that will be made available through ArcGIS Online”.
Jack Dangermond, Esri's President, commented, "Our partners are instrumental in the continued evolution and adoption of GIS. Through our collaboration with PCI Geomatics, we look forward to speeding up the production of high quality, high resolution imagery to be integrated in our ArcGIS Online platform”.
About GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL)
GXL technology combines high-performance computing with PCI Geomatics expertise to provide significant improvements in automation, speed and efficiency. By optimizing and distributing automated workflows, traditional image-processing is elevated to industrial-strength production.
For more information about the GXL software solution, visit www.pcigeomatics.com/gxl
About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world leading developer of software and systems for geo-imaging solutions. Since 1982, we have specialized in remote sensing, digital photogrammetry, spatial analysis, cartographic production, automated production systems, image management and on demand mapping solutions. PCI Geomatics' advanced software systems address a wide variety of industry applications including the environment, agriculture, security and intelligence, aerospace & defense, and satellite receiving stations. We have the expertise and know-how to turn images into useful information. For more information, visit www.pcigeomatics.com.

About Esri
Esri develops geographic information systems (GIS) solutions that function as an integral component in nearly every type of organization. Esri software is used by more than 350,000 organizations worldwide including most U.S. federal agencies and national mapping agencies, 45 of the top 50 petroleum companies, all 50 U.S. state health departments, most forestry companies, and many others in dozens of industries.
Esri software is the standard in state and local government and is used by more than 24,000 state and local governments including Paris, France; Los Angeles, California, USA; Beijing, China; and Kuwait City, Kuwait.

Press Contact
Kevin R. Jones
Director, Marketing and Product Management
T: 819-770-0022 x 214
E: jones@pcigeomatics.com
Web: www.pcigeomatics.com
Twitter: @pcigeomatics