PCI Geomatics and Discovery Air to jointly offer Fire Mapping Services in Ontario, Canada

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—May 24, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, announced today that it will be jointly offering fire mapping services in Northern Ontario with Discovery Air Fire Services Inc. (DAFS) during the upcoming 2012 forest fire season.

DAFS, a wholly owned subsidiary of Discovery Air, has been active for over 60 years, supplying airborne fire management services to the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and other authorities responsible for firefighting in Canada. With the increasing complexity and frequency of forest fires in recent years, DAFS has added a new High Level Infrared (HLIR) sensor to its fixed wing fleet, to provide intelligence to wildfire Incident Commanders, Fire Managers, and Fire Duty Officers on a daily basis. The HLIR system consists of a Firemapper camera and operations console, which is used by DAFS to collect thermal and visual imagery during response operations.

One of the key challenges with the imagery collected by the DAFS Firemapper system is rapid and accurate processing of imagery that is collected, in order to prepare mission-critical maps in near real-time. This is especially helpful to understand the effectiveness of firefighting efforts and adjust plans on a daily basis. DAFS, together with PCI Geomatics, will implement an operational system to derive accurate, up-to-date maps based on imagery collected using the Firemapper system. Leveraging PCI’s rigorous technology to process the individual images collected by the camera, DAFS will prepare GIS-ready maps for operational briefings, providing the most up-to-date, accurate fire status information.

The enhanced end-to-end workflow will greatly enhance the situational awareness capability of the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, through the provision of accurate, map-based fire information that will be collected and delivered within hours of capture. The services will be offered through DAFS’ Northern Ontario operations, which is capable of responding to emergencies across Ontario’s forest fire danger areas.

About PCI Geomatics

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

About Discovery Air Fire Services Inc. (DAFS)

DAFS is a Northern Ontario-based Aerial Operations Company which has been active in the Canadian Aviation industry for over 60 years. DAFS is a premier provider of special-mission aircraft.  DAFS has established Aircraft and Flight Operations bases with Airframe, Line, and Component maintenance bases at Dryden, Kenora, and Sudbury Ontario. Additionally, the company supports Satellite Flight Operations base at Geraldton and Chapleau. With over 140 aircraft, it is one of the largest air operators in Canada, employing more than 850 flight crew, maintainers, and support staff to deliver a variety of air transport, maintenance, and logistics solutions to its government, airline and business customers.

About Discovery Air Inc.

Discovery Air Inc. is a Canadian specialty aviation company, operating over 150 aircraft with approximately 850 team members. Its subsidiaries provide airborne training to the Canadian military; air ambulance services; airborne fire services; helicopter operations; fixed-wing air charter services; expediting and logistics support; and a range of maintenance, repair, overhaul, modification, engineering and certification services.

Discovery Air Inc.’s Class A common voting shares and unsecured debentures trade on the Toronto Stock Exchange (symbols DA.A and DA.DB.A, respectively).

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

PCI Geomatics selected as first recipient of the OGC’s Distinguished Member Award

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—May 1, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, announced today that it was one of the Consortium's first recipients of the Open Geospatial Consortium’s (OGC) Distinguished Member Award.

The Distinguished Member Award was established by the OGC in 2011 to recognize OGC member organizations that have made substantial, positive, and sustained impacts on one or more areas of the OGC mission accomplishment through a high level of commitment beyond traditional member engagement. The award was granted by the Board to PCI Geomatics in recognition of PCI’s strategic commitment to advancing the mission objectives of the Open Geospatial Consortium in the Asia Pacific region.

Mark Reichardt, OGC President and CEO, commented; “In recent years, PCI has provided OGC with unprecedented access to its regional staff in India, China, and other nations across Asia to increase the visibility of OGC and to encourage standards adoption and stimulate participation in the OGC member process by all nations.” He added, “The OGC also recognizes PCI’s leadership in developing the Global Advisory Council, the brainchild of Dr. Robert Moses – the program ensures underrepresented regions of the world have a voice in the OGC process.”

Terry Moloney, PCI’s President and CEO, accepted the award in person this past March 2012 and stated; “PCI has always been a strong believer in the fundamental mission and purpose of the OGC – to promote open data standards and participation, enabling open access to geospatial information to multi-disciplinary groups working in the fields of GIS and Remote Sensing. Through innovation and access to geospatial information, positive societal changes can be affected. PCI has always believed in these principles and is honored to have been selected as the first recipient for this prestigious award.”

About PCI Geomatics

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

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

PCI Geomatics innovating with new technology to meet demands of the Chilean Geospatial Industry

** La version en español sigue abajo **
RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—April 19, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, recently released new capability in its Geomatica 2012 software, which specifically adds rigorous and automated support for FASat-Charlie.

The newly released version of Geomatica 2012 SP2 now includes support for FASat-Charlie, an optical satellite sensor which was launched on December 16, 2011. The new satellite, which will be administered primarily by the Chilean Ministry of Defense and the Space Agency, includes 1.45m panchromatic and 5.8m multispectral imaging capability.

PCI Geomatics has worked closely with its Chilean partner, Geosoluciones, to secure some of the first images collected by the new satellite, in order to implement sensor-specific automated image correction methods to create highly accurate orthorectified images directly from the imagery. PCI Geomatics is reputed for developing and implementing Rigorous Satellite Models (RSMs) quickly and efficiently as new sensors are launched. The new RSM is available for both Geomatica 2012 (SP2) and PCI’s GeoImaging Accelerator (GXL).

“The ability to quickly and accurately correct imagery using state of the art techniques is a critical aspect of the operational requirements for the Chilean Ministry of Defense,” said Peter Hazlett, Product Manager at PCI Geomatics. “The Chilean Geospatial industry will benefit from fast, accurate image correction capability for FASat-Charlie within Geomatica and/or GXL, permitting the development of new, innovative applications that leverage this sensor in combination with other imagery.”

About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

To find out more about PCI’s distributor in Chile, please visit: www.geosoluciones.cl.

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

PCI Geomatics innovando con nuevas tecnologías para conocer las demandas de la Industria Geoespacial Chilena

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canadá—19 de Abril, 2012: PCI Geomatics, un desarrollador líder-mundial de sistemas y software de geoimágenes, publicó recientemente la nueva capacidad en su software de Geomática 2012 que específicamente se añade soporte riguroso y automatizado para FASat-Charlie.

La nueva versión de Geomática 2012 Service Pack 2 incluye ahora soporte para FASat-Charlie, un sensor del satélite óptico que se puso en marcha el 16 de diciembre de 2011. El nuevo satélite, que será administrado principalmente por el Ministerio de Defensa de Chile y la Agencia Espacial Chilena, incluye una capacidad de imagen de 1,45 m. pancromática y 5.8 multiespectral.

PCI Geomatics ha trabajado en estrecha colaboración con su socio chileno, GEOSOLUCIONES, para obtener algunas de las primeras imágenes adquiridas por el nuevo satélite, con el fin de poner en práctica métodos automatizados de sensores específicos para la corrección de imágenes, con el fin de crear imágenes ortorectificada de gran precisión directamente. PCI Geomatics es conocida por el desarrollo e implementación de modelos rigurosos de Satélites RSM (por sus siglas en ingles) de forma rápida y eficiente una vez que se lancen nuevos sensores. La nueva RSM está disponible tanto para Geomatica 2012 (SP2) como para el GeoImaging Accelerator de PCI (GXL).

“La capacidad de corregir imágenes rápidamente y de forma precisa utilizando las técnicas del estado del arte es un aspecto crítico de los requisitos operacionales para el Ministerio de Defensa de Chile", dijo Peter Hazlett, Gerente del Producto de PCI Geomatics. "La Industria Geoespacial Chilena se beneficiará de la capacidad para la corrección de la imágenes de FASat-Charlie en forma rápida y precisa dentro de los software Geomatica y/o GXL. Esto permitiría el desarrollo de aplicaciones nuevas e innovadoras que aprovechen este sensor en combinación con otras imágenes”.

Acerca de PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics es un desarrollador líder mundial de software y sistemas para el procesamiento de imágenes aéreas y satelitales. La compañía proporciona flujos de trabajo de imágenes compatibles con la tecnología ESRI, la capacidad autónoma de procesamiento de imágenes, y eficiencia en el procesamiento de grandes volúmenes de datos, dando a los clientes la capacidad de generar productos e información derivada, de alta calidad para cualquier proyecto. Mayor información sobre PCI Geomatics se encuentra en www.pcigeomatics.com.

Mayor información sobre GEOSOLUCIONES se encuentra en www.geosoluciones.cl.

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

PCI Geomatics releases Geomatica 2012 Service Pack 2

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—April 12, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, announced today that it has released Geomatica 2012, ServicePack 2 (SP2). This release contains maintenance fixes and includes all updates delivered since Geomatica 2012 Service Pack 1. The update is available for both Windows and Linux-based operating systems. It is recommended that customers using Geomatica 2012 download and install this service pack at their earliest convenience to ensure the highest-quality experience when working with the software. The service pack can be accessed by visiting the updates page at www.pcigeomatics.com/updates.

Customers who have any questions or run into issues with the installation should contact PCI’s Support team at support@pcigeomatics.com, or visit the support site at www.pcigeomatics.com/support.

About PCI Geomatics
PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project.

Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

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

PCI’s GXL technology successfully used to process 1m imagery for ArcGIS Online World Imagery Map

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—March 26, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, announced today that the GXL Cloud system it deployed for Esri in 2011 has successfully been used to process large volumes of 1 meter pansharpened Ikonos imagery. Imagery processed through the use of the GXL Cloud system is now available for free through ArcGIS Online.

The imagery processed using PCI’s GXL system was published to the ArcGIS Online World Imagery map earlier this month. Expanded coverage is now available for Korea and several countries in the Middle East and North Africa – with several more updates planned over the coming months. Samples of the imagery processed using PCI’s GXL technology can be accessed here: http://pci.gl/wdqxP7.

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 worked with Esri Inc. to deploy 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 process high-resolution optical imagery, and can generate pansharpened, 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.

“Through diligent work and a great amount of innovation, we have overcome significant hurdles which have limited the availability of cloud computing for the customers’ Earth Observation and Imagery needs,” said David Stanley, Chief Technology Officer 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.

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, and the Cloud based capability, visit www.pcigeomatics.com/gxl, or www.pcigeomatics.com/cloud

About PCI Geomatics

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at 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 www.esri.com.

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

PCI Geomatics Announces Availability of Online Courses for Geomatica

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—March 22, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world-leading developer of geoimaging software and systems, announced today that it is now offering online courses for its desktop image processing software, Geomatica.

PCI has a large base of Geomatica customers throughout the world, and offers a number of resources to help new and experienced users get the most out of their software investment. Based on market research and customer feedback, instructor-led training continues to offer the highest value in terms of operational knowledge obtained versus instruction time/approach. Over the past few years, PCI has observed a shift towards offering training online, due to the convenience it offers in terms of travel and the reduced time commitment (because there is no travel required to participate).

As such, PCI is initially offering a one day “Introduction to Geomatica” online course on March 29^th, 2012, and plans to offer its full curriculum on a rotating basis going forward. The focus of the initial course, which is broken down into five modules, will offer participants the opportunity to master the basics needed to visualize and process raster and vector data sets. Participants will log into a live session, where they will have access to an instructor that will be leading them through the material. Participants will have the latest version of PCI’s Geomatica 2012 software installed, and will be given access to a training manual and data (imagery) to complete the exercises and follow along with the instructor.

“PCI has received a number of requests for training in the recent past, but customers are increasingly reluctant to commit the time needed to travel to a specific training location to attend training,” said Brad Schmidt, VP – Sales and Marketing at PCI Geomatics. “By offering our courses online, customers can have multiple people attend from different locations and join the training course from the convenience of their offices.”

PCI’s online training course offers great value to participants, with the added benefit of being very convenient. To find out more about the initial March 29^th course offering, see http://www.pcigeomatics.com/training.

About PCI Geomatics

PCI Geomatics is a world-leading developer of software and systems to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

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

PCI Geomatics Releases GXL Aerial v2.1

RICHMOND HILL, Ontario, Canada—March 20, 2012: PCI Geomatics, a world leading developer of geo-imaging software and systems, today announces the release of its GeoImaging Accelerator Aerial (GXL-Aerial) version 2.1; the latest version of the company’s high-speed, high-volume multi CPU/GPU distributed processing software for aerial workflows.

Following feedback from its user base, PCI has made numerous improvements to the GXL including increases in accuracy and speed, advanced automation, and an enhanced user experience. GXL Aerial v2.1 also adds support for the DMC camera format providing wider usability and flexibility.

“Version 2.1 of the GXL represents a significant step forward for the processing of high volumes of imagery,” said David Piekny, Product manager at PCI Geomatics. “The focus of this update is in creating more accurate, better quality output that requires less editing, as well as some useful new jobs for increased automation.”

GXL Aerial v2.1 allows users to orthorectify and mosaic thousands of aerial images per day through the power of distributed processing that leverages multi-core CPUs and GPUs. This technology results in significantly increased throughput, lower production costs, and reduced reliance on outsourcing.

GXL Aerial was developed by PCI Geomatics and introduced to the marketplace in October 2010, providing support for Microsoft UltraCam’s digital frame camera series. Since that time, PCI has been adding new features and new sensor compatibility to GXL aerial; allowing even more users to take advantage of the technology.

About GXL-Aerial

GXL-Aerial 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 to process aerial and satellite imagery. The company provides integrated Esri imagery workflows, standalone image processing capability, and large volume processing throughput, giving customers the ability to produce high-quality image products and derived information for any project. Find out more at www.pcigeomatics.com.

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

Key Features of GXL Aerial 2.1 update include:

Improved Accuracy and Speed

Many jobs have been updated or expanded, resulting in more accurate, better quality output that required less time to inspect and edit:

- Clip orthos along-track and cross-track to speed processing and remove building lean

- Constrain seamlines towards image centers to reduce building mis-match

- Seamlines contain 50% fewer vertices to store and edit, while maintaining routing and appearance

- Specify a height model for improved DTM vertical accuracy

Improved Usability

As a result of customer feedback, PCI has added new features to improve the user experience:

Sourcemaps are created for mosaics, allowing quick identification of source images

- Background (Null data) value can be set to black, white or any grayscale level

- Both merged and topological (non-overlapping) seamline layers are generated for the entire project area

- Kappa rotation parameter now accessible directly for AT ingest

- Projection Engine now includes EPSG and custom user-defined projections

Improved Automation

New jobs have been added to improve automation and reduce work. These can be run on their own or as part of a batch process in an end-to-end workflow:

- Quickly generate DTMs for from points, lines, polygons, contours and breaklines with the DEM Generation job

- Fine-tune and enhance the visual impact of your mosaics with the Image Enhancement job

- Scale your imagery to 8 or 16 bit formats with the Image Scaling job

Expanded Formats and Cameras

The GXL Aerial now supports additional sensors and standards, providing wider usability and flexibility:

- DMC camera support now included in GXL Aerial

- Vector xyz format, las and others can be used directly in DEM Generation

- Mixed tiff inputs (scanline/tiles) can be used together