2009 news

AAM releases latest Engineering Design and Government Geospatial Case Studies and Technical News
AAM has released two new issues of Scanning the Horizons which focuses on the latest news and technologies for Engineering Design and Government

The newsletters feature:
 

Engineering Design	Government
- TLS for Mine Expansion - Wind Farm Design - Rail Design Project: LiDAR and Ortho Imagery - GeoEye-1 Product Accuracry - Powerline Design Project - High Resolution Aerial Survey for Infrastructure	- Introding RapidEye Satellite Imagery - GeoEye-1 New Offer - 3D City Models and Oblique Imagery for Scenario Modelling - Enterprise Geospatial Solutions - Flood Risk Assessment - GIS Metadata

To read the articles, or download the full PDF, click here.
 

        
 

AAM Offers New GeoEye-1 Multi-Site Option
AAM is pleased to announce the popular Multi-Site product is now available for 50cm GeoEye-1 satellite imagery. Multi-Site, already available for 80cm IKONOS imagery, allows clients interested in multiple captures over small areas to acquire the higher resolution and more accurate GeoEye-1 satellite imagery.

We know the market is interested in this of product as a result of clients such as CTF Solutions.  “CTF Solution has reached the milestone of acquiring more than 1,000,000ha of submetre resolution satellite imagery to undertake property planning and mapping. The majority of the high resolution satellite data we have utilised has been IKONOS multi-site data, which we are sourcing from GeoEye’s Australian Reseller, AAM”, says Tim Neale – Director, CTF Solutions.

For further information, click here.

 

Rolta Asia Pacific partners with AAM to provide Oblique Imagery
Rolta Asia Pacific is pleased to announce that Rolta’s GeoSpatial Fusion™ solution powered by Rolta OnPoint™ will be integrated with intelligent oblique aerial imagery provided by AAM to provide oblique imagery.  This new capability is enabled through the spatial and image processing power of OnPoint and Rolta’s unique integration between OnPoint and Pictometry^®. 

The partnership with AAM and the Rolta’s Geospatial Fusion engine powered by OnPoint will be used to provide new Pictometry imagery from AAM for all major Australasian cities, including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart, Wellington, Auckland and Christchurch.

For further information, click here.

    
 

AAM Announces: RapidEye's High Revist Capability and Fast Coverage
With large amounts of recent imagery from the RapidEye satellites now available over southern Australia, opportunities abound for evaluation of the data and its multispectral capabilities. As RapidEye’s constellation of five satellites is capable of downloading over 4 million km² of imagery per day, the Australian archive will grow in the coming months.

“The unique combination of large area coverage, high revisit capability and multispectral functionality makes this new information source compelling and valuable,” says Gail Kelly, Business Development Manager at AAM.

For coverage maps and details, click here.

 

Australia to Benefit From RapidEye's High Revisit Capability and Fast Coverage
Geospatial specialist AAM announced new opportunities for satellite imagery coverage over Australia, Africa and other locations of the world where its clients work.  AAM is the distributor in Oceania for satellite data products from German-based RapidEye. RapidEye’s own constellation of five Earth Observation satellites, provide the unique capability of imaging over 4 million km² of the Earth's surface daily.

For all the details, click here.

AAM IT Specialist Wins Microsoft Master Codemason Competition
Congratulations to AAM's Darko Radiceski for winning the Microsoft Master Codemason competition! Darko was named the winner of the Mobility Smackdown session at the Microsoft Tech.Ed Conference held at the Gold Coast in Queensland.

Darko presented his application to the conference participants. This application integrates Virtual Earth^TM (now Bing^TM Maps) and AAM’s Pictometry^® imagery complete with measurement functionality to enable users to measure height, distance, area and elevation immediately on the Windows Phone. ‘Points of interest’ searches and GPS integration are also available. The application will feature 3D models and 360? spherical video in the future.

For further information, click here.

   

AAM Named Distributor for RapidEye Products
RapidEye, the only geospatial solutions provider to own and operate a constellation of Earth Observation satellites, announced today that AAM of Australia has signed as one of their distributors.

AAM will market and distribute RapidEye products in Australia and New Zealand (including their Antarctic territories), Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia and the South Pacific Island nations.

For all the details, click here.

AAM releases latest African Geospatial Case Studies and Technical News
AAM has released a special issue of Scanning the Horizons which focuses on the latest news and technologies from Africa.

The newsletter features:
 - Introducing SiteSee to Africa
- Pictometry Imagery for 2010 Soccer World Cup Sites
- Contouring a Kingdom
- Social Responsibility
- GeoEye-1 Product Accuracy
- Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality adopts Pictometry

To read the articles, or download the full PDF, click here.

AAM's 'Smart Tools for Rapid 3D Model Creation' wins 2009 Queensland Spatial Excellence Award
Last week, AAM won the Queensland Spatial Excellence Award for Land Development and Planning for the generation of ‘Smart Tools for Rapid 3D Model Creation’.

AAM developed the tools to service the growing demand from our clients for comprehensive, geometrically accurate 3D building and city models.

For all the details, click here.

     
 

AAM releases latest Asian Geospatial Case Studies and Technical News
AAM has released a special Asian issue of its popular newsletter Scanning the Horizons to coincide with the increased interest in terrain, image, 3D and 360 datasets. This increased interest has resulted from AAM having a trade booth at the very successful 2009 Map Asia conference in Singapore last week.

This 6 page newsletter covers many technical issues and case studies, including:
 - InSAR set to Complement LiDAR
 - Aerial Surveys in Asia
 - Tree Counting from Satellite Imagery
 - Case Study: Decision Support Tools
 - Web GIS: Maximising the Benefits
 - Technology Transfer to Malaysia

To read the articles, or download the full PDF, click here.

GeoEye-1 Product Accuracy - New Case Study
AAM has released a new case study on the product accuracy of GeoEye-1. An area of ~270km² was captured in stereo by the GeoEye-1 satellite for engineering design purposes.

The GeoEye-1 satellite was used to generate accurate 50cm orthoimagery and 2m contours over the site. The purpose of the imagery was for use during preliminary engineering design for an energy client.

For all the project details and client feedback, click here.

3D City Model Videos on YouTube
AAM has released several videos on YouTube. These videos show 3D City Models of Melbourne and Sydney and AAM's latest mobile navigation functions.

To view the videos, click here.

     

New Ortho Imagery of Canberra and Adelaide: Now Available
Due to the increasing demand for high resolution imagery, AAM has captured and generated stunning imagery over Canberra and Adelaide. The Canberra imagery was captured using the latest generation large format, digital cameras. The Adelaide imagery was generated from our innovative Pictometry^® cameras.

Adelaide and the Mount Lofty region, an area of 1,800 square kilometres, were captured at 12.5cm resolution. In Canberra, 700 square kilometres was captured at 10cm resolution making it possible to view details such as building features and road markings.

For full details, click here.

Wellington Goes 3D with AAM
Wellington City Council has purchased a fully textured 3D city model from AAM. AAM’s 3D city models and multi angle oblique imagery are the new benchmark for local authorities and city management.

The fully textured 3D city model of Wellington covers approximately 10 sqkm of the CBD and satellite commercial areas, and the Pictometry^® oblique aerial imagery covers 140 sqkm of urban and rural environs of the local government area.

AAM’s 3D model will provide Wellington City Council with unrivalled ability to visualise, measure and portray both existing and planned urban space. The sophisticated 3D model can be readily incorporated into powerful visualisations and simulations for design, planning and asset management applications via Council’s CityView interface.

For all the information about Wellington's 3D City Model and Pictometry imagery, click here.
 

 

AAM Celebrates the First 6 Months of GeoEye-1
Vast amounts of recent archive 0.5m GeoEye-1 imagery (low cloud or cloud-free) are now available over Australia and the Oceania region. With the GeoEye-1 archive imagery available at 50% discount once data has been in archive for three months, this valuable and recent data will prove popular. In addition to the high resolution, clients can enjoy the delivery of products usually within two weeks from order placement.

“We are impressed at the sheer speed that GeoEye-1 has managed to build up such a vast archive over our region” said AAM’s General Manager, Brian Nicholls, “The availability of this imagery is sure to excite many of our clients.”

For further information, click here.

 
 

Leading Local Governments Embrace Pictometry
The new benchmark in aerial imagery, Pictometry^®, has been implemented by a number of leading Councils. Recent adopters of this technology include: Kogarah, Randwick, Glen Eira, Marrickville, Rockdale and Hurstville. The Cities of Sydney, Greater Geelong and Melbourne embraced this technology available from AAM some time ago.

The multiple image perspectives and analysis toolkit available from Pictometry has significantly increased the power and depth of desktop studies in Local Government. The real 3D building models from Pictometry make their consultations truly immersive.

For more information, click here.

 
 

AAM at CeBIT 2009
Check out our interview at CeBIT about our new Digital Content range, GeoExtra^TM. AAM launched GeoExtra, a new line of geospatial digital products and services at CeBIT 2009. With digital content and services including 3D city models, terrain data and oblique and conventional aerial photography – GeoExtra offers the latest functionality and content many companies are seeking for integration with their own offering.

Brian Nicholls, General Manager of AAM, advises “No other company offers the powerful combination of measurement tools and datasets. Our talented developers and business partners are part of our success story. “

To view the video clip of AAM at CeBIT, click here. 

 

Airborne InSAR and LiDAR Compared
In the last decade, applications of Digital Terrain Models (DTM) and Digital Surface Models (DSM) have rapidly increased. DTMs are routinely used in engineering applications and environmental studies, risk analysis and disaster monitoring. Growing demand and technological advances have accelerated the development of new techniques capable of delivering rapid, high resolution and accurate terrain definitions.

This paper compares Airborne InSAR with a more widely known technology: LiDAR. Advantages and disadvantages of each technology are addressed. This furnishes potential users with salient information to make informed decisions on which technology and products are more appropriate for specific applications.

To download the full technical paper, click here. 

 

The Future City of Melbourne: Seen in 3D
Most of us would love to be able to look into the future and get an accurate glimpse of what lies ahead. Unfortunately, most crystal balls don’t work that well, if at all! However, the City of Melbourne is developing the next best thing – a digitized, spatially enabled model of Melbourne city, which combines geospatial data with the latest 3D visualization technology.

These amazing 3D models, created by AAM, will enable civic managers and planners to see in 3D format what ‘marvelous Melbourne’ could look like in the future under a range of widely different development scenarios – even to simulate unplanned events like natural disasters and emergency situations.

To read more about The Future City of Melbourne, click here. 

 

New Ortho and Oblique Photography of Adelaide Now Available
Due to the demand for oblique imagery, AAM has now captured Adelaide with the revolutionary multi angle Pictometry^® technology. Having already captured Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hobart, Canberra, Wollongong, Newcastle, Geelong and the Gold Coast; Adelaide has now been captured from multiple perspectives.

Unlike the one dimensional view from traditional orthophotos, Pictometry imagery allows clients to work with the multiple perspectives available from oblique imagery. This new technology makes decision making more effective and reduces the time and cost associated with site visits.

For more information, click here. 

 

Recent Satellite Imagery over Pacific Islands - Available Now
Areas in the Pacific Islands have recently been captured and placed in the IKONOS Satellite archive, ready for immediate purchase by governments and the private sector. Of interest to many is the low cloud, colour IKONOS imagery with submetre spatial resolution which has been captured in the last 18 months.

"These new datasets are an exciting and rare opportunity to cost-effectively access recent, high resolution imagery" said Gail Kelly, Business Development Manager. "AAM has been very active in the Pacific region and is pleased to offer this valuable imagery from the GeoEye Satellite archives.”

For more information on Pacific Islands Satellite Imagery, click here.

 

Pictometry - Saves Time and Money
In South Africa, Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality (NMBM) is leading the way in adopting Pictometry^® as its source of image based intelligence. The first instalment of 100 sqkm has been completed, while production for the balance of the 2000 sqkm is underway.

Stephen Canter, Manager Corporate GIS for the NMBM, advised “Our Valuation and Disaster Management Sections immediately saw the benefits of Pictometry; with over 12 oblique views of any location. The multiple, georeferenced views and power of the measurement functions greatly aid desktop verification of structures on properties, as well as identify increased population density within informal settlements.”

For more information on how the Municipality will use Pictometry, click here. 
 

 

360 Degree Video - Check Out Our New Awesome Interactive Viewer
SiteSee^TM is a powerful visualisation tool developed by AAM. The 360 degree views offered by SiteSee enable users to visualise any feature as if they were actually there. It has proven a safe method of visualising hazardous sites and an efficient way of 'walking through' a remote site.

Teams viewing SiteSee can be based anywhere in the world. Various viewing platforms, including web-enabled viewers, increase the flexibility and accessibility of these visualisation datasets. SiteSee enables virtual walkthroughs of the plant by hyper-linking each spherical photograph within the SiteSee system. Powerful zoom functionality is another feature of the high resolution imagery featured in SiteSee.

To take a virtual tour of SiteSee, click here. 

 

AAM Reaches One Million Work Hours Incident Free
AAM recently achieved the significant milestone of one million work hours free of lost-time injuries and illnesses. AAM employs surveyors and aerial navigators who work in the field in many parts of the world in a diverse range of environments. In addition, no workplace medically-treated injuries (MTI) were recorded for the 2007/2008 work year.

AAM employees are committed to ensuring safety is the highest priority in the workplace. For more than three and a half years, AAM has operated without a single employee losing a full day of work due to a work-related injury or illness.

For more information, click here. 

 
 

Satellite Imagery over Fire Affected Areas in Victoria
AAM has sourced data from two premier satellite imagery companies, GeoEye and RapidEye, to collect large areas of imagery over bushfire affected regions in Victoria. This type of spatial information is vital for the assessment of damage and for planning for the future.

AAM has pre and post fire imagery across most fire affected regions. This imagery has immediate value to a range of users, such as:
- Insurance Companies
- State and Local Government
- Federal Government
- Emergency Response Agencies
- Police
- Utility Companies, including Power and Water
- Land Care and Catchment Management Authorities

For more information, click here. 

 

Geelong - Pictometry and 3D Model to cover all Angles!
The City of Greater Geelong (COGG) in Victoria has awarded a contract for supply of Pictometry^® multi-angle oblique imagery and a 3D City Model. COGG chose a full Pictometry 3D solution from AAM through a competitive EOI and Tender process late last year.

The solution includes a fully textured 3D model of the Geelong Central Activity Area (CAA) covering approximately 5 sq km, as well as Pictometry oblique aerial imagery covering the entire extent of the urban areas of Greater Geelong including townships of the Bellarine peninsula - an area of 350 sq km.

For more information, click here. 

 
 

Data Off The Shelf – Now in Demand!
AAM has acquired and processed a range of datasets including LiDAR terrain data, colour orthophotos, Pictometry^® imagery and 3D city models. These datasets are available almost immediately at our GeoExtra webpage, perfect for those urgent requirements.

These datasets are available over a range of areas, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Hunter Valley and International locations. For most datasets, AAM has made the significant investment of speculative data capture which provides AAM with flexibility in pricing and licensing. There is no need for AAM to negotiate with other parties or to be concerned about the data’s integrity.

AAM is continually updating the available data, with the latest information available on their data mart webpage.

For data coverage and prices, click here.

 

AAM acquires ISO 9001 Certification
AAM is pleased to announce they have received ISO 9001: 2000 certification, recognising the company’s dedication to a systematic approach to quality standards. AAM has been operating a Quality System based on ISO 9001: 2000 standard for some years.  Attaining formal certification was deemed a valuable next step.

This certification provides assurance to our customers and stakeholders that our Quality System complies with the internationally agreed ISO 9001 standard, client and regulatory requirements. ISO 9001 aims to improve business performance, manage business risk, streamline operations and increase customer satisfaction through the ‘Plan, Do, Check, Act’ structure. The real objective is to ensure the needs of our customers are considered and met.

For more information, click here.