RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—March 26, 2013: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of remote sensing and photogrammetric software and systems, announced today the release of its GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL) 2013 - the latest version of the company’s proven, high-performance, and scalable image processing solution.
“With this year’s release, we have focused on key areas that will improve the overall workflow and quality of output imagery,” said David Piekny, Product Manager at PCI Geomatics. “GXL 2013 provides new tools that allow users to generate Digital Surface Models from large data sets of hundreds to thousands of stereo pairs, and apply new, innovative 2.5D hybrid editing techniques – users can make changes to their elevation models and inspect the resulting quality of orthos at full resolution, in real time. This approach will greatly reduce the manual adjustments and editing, which are typically required in post-production steps, since errors can be spotted instantly and addressed.”
Other key development areas include a redesigned true-ortho capability, as well as improved automated cutline generation methods that model the presence of features in overlapping imagery (such as buildings, trees, vehicles, etc.) to avoid them, resulting in cleaner, nicer-looking ortho-mosaics.
“We believe ortho-mosaicked products generated by GXL 2013 will significantly reduce overall production timelines and provide substantial cost savings over more traditional methods,” said Brad Schmidt, VP, Sales and Marketing at PCI Geomatics. “GXL 2013 continues our legacy of providing cutting-edge geoimaging technology for both the satellite and aerial image processing markets.”
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 remote sensing, imagery processing, and photogrammetry. With more than 30 years of experience in the geospatial industry, PCI is recognized globally for its excellence in providing software for accurately and rapidly processing both satellite and aerial imagery. PCI has installed more than 30 thousand licenses, in over 150 countries worldwide. Find out more about PCI Geomatics at www.pcigeomatics.com.
Press Contact
Kevin R. Jones
Director, Marketing and Communications
T: 819-770-0022 x 214
E: jones@pcigeomatics.com
Web: www.pcigeomatics.com
Twitter: @pcigeomatics
Highlights in GXL 2013
GXL-Satellite 2013 has been designed to expand the workflows available in the high-speed, automated environment, and to improve the overall system experience and usefulness.
The automated, expandable GXL-S system offers twice the cost performance for processing your imagery. Plus, the system can be customized to your needs and supported by our knowledgeable professionals.
Platform Support
GXL 2013 will continue to support both Windows and Linux platforms. Installations can be provided for the following 64-Bit Operating Systems:
- 64-bit Microsoft Windows
- Red Hat Linux
- Ubuntu Linux
- SUSE Linux
New Workflows
For GXL 2013 there have been several additions to the available workflows. These include:
- NEW DSM Extraction and DTM filtering, with automated processing and GXL web-interface for job submission, including algorithms for:
- Epipolar rotation
- DSM extraction from stereo imagery
- Geocoding
- DSM-to-DTM filtering
- NEW 2.5D ‘Hybrid’ DEM Editing. For use with the DSM Extraction and DTM Filtering job, this manual QA tool improves your editing workflow with the following features:
- Sun-shaded relief, colour display to better visualize elevation features
- Switch back and forth between elevation model and ortho-preview on the fly
- Simple DEM editing using polygons with various filters and blend widths
- Immediate regeneration of the ortho preview layer
- Fast calculation and display of full-resolution ortho output of preview area
- Flicker between left and right images to check for relief displacement
- NEW Industry-leading atmospheric correction tools, with automated processing and GXL web-interface for job submission, including algorithms for:
- Haze detection and removal
- Cloud detection and masking
System Improvements
Interface Improvements
- User administration and job filtering in the GXL web-interface
- Language support for internationalization
- New features for manual QA of GCPs, Tie Points and model calculation, including:
- Handle 1000’s of images at once
- View a project “Snapshot”
- Immediate recalculation of accuracies after each edit
- Graphical point selection / deletion
- Overlap identification
- Highlight potential collection points / images
- Improved processing speed at all steps
Workflow Improvements
- Faster model calculation / bundle adjustment, including improvements to:
- Automatic Ground Control Point Collection (AUTOGCP2)
- Automatic Tie Point Collection (AUTOTIE2)
- Tie Point Refinement (TPREFN2)
- Automatic Chip Matching (AUTOCHIP2)
- OpenMP enabled
- FFT Phase Matching algorithm available and found to be more robust than standard cross-correlation method
- Improved colour and vibrancy in output mosaics, including:
- NEW Localized Adaptive Enhancement (LAE) that normalizes 16-bit imagery to maintain even contrast and brightness throughout an image. This reduces over- and under-exposure, providing maximum detail at any scale.
- NEW Minimum-squared difference method for cutlines
- Improves automated cutline selection, reducing manual editing time
- Local cutline avoidance masks now included as a mosaic option
- Supports atmospheric correction workflow
- Better e-mail notification scripts
- Simpler installation procedure
- More detailed documentation
Data Interchange
GXL 2013 includes improved data support, including the following new sensors and formats:
- Pleiades
- ZY3
- CBERS02C
- UAVSAR
- ESRI Geodatabase – vector writing support
- ENVI File Support
- Panorama (.SXF)
- NGA High Resolution DEM (Read only)
