Sales and support activities in South Asia are based out of Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping’s Singapore office. The company wants distributors within the region, specifically in Malaysia and Indonesia.

By enhancing the channel through additional partners, Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping will be better enabled to deliver its geospatial imaging software tools to the rapidly growing South Asian market. As a result of the strong presence of Leica Geosystems GIS & Mapping in Singapore, the company and ESRI South Asia have mutually agreed to end their current relationship.

Meanwhile, Leica Geosystems has announced that it had started customer shipments of its latest flagship product, Leica SmartStation, ahead of schedule. Leica officially launched its SmartStation, the world’s first high performance total station with integrated GPS, this past February 2005.
http://www.leica-geosystems.com

Infotech Enterprises takes over Tele Atlas ops in India

Tele Atlas N.V., the providers of digital map data and other geographic content, has announced that it has entered into an agreement to transfer its Indian technical center to Infotech Enterprises, Ltd. in an all cash transaction. Tele Atlas will also take an equity interest in Infotech in the form of ownership of Infotech’s publicly traded common stock. George Fink, Tele Atlas President and Chief Operating Officer, will join Infotech’s board of directors. Infotech will take control of the Tele Atlas facility in Noida, India immediately, and will operate that facility in fulfilling its commitments to Tele Atlas. Tele Atlas has committed to purchase a minimum of 2.5 million hours of services over the next three years.
http://www.teleatlas.com

PCI Geomatics has announced the renewal of a three-year Geomatica® educational site license with the University of Calgary’s department of geography. “The University of Calgary is highly regarded in the geospatial community,” says Adam Jones, educational account manager
for PCI Geomatics. “We are pleased to know that our software is being used in their classrooms.”

Under the renewal, the University of Calgary can use the Geomatica product suite in multiple departments across the campus. The renewal also includes technical support services and automatic software upgrades.
www.pcigeomatics.com.

ICNET, a Chennai-based telecom and software services company, and Nucleus Group have launched a vehicle locating device product targeted at the transport and travel industries. Initially, the marketing foray will be limited to Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and New Delhi. The other features of the product include two -way voice communication, SMS and route monitoring.
http://www.business-standard.com

BAE Systems has released the latest version of SOCET GXP, its end-to-end image analysis software. SOCET GXP v2.0 has new features that are geared towards a non-photogrammetry audience, and offers numerous advantages over other image analysis and geospatial analysis software packages. The added functionality of SOCET GXP v2.0 streamlines workflow processes, making it easier for analysts to create and distribute critical data.
www.na.baesystems.com

Topcon now offers a GIS module for the latest version of TopSURV, the premier software for land surveying tasks. Operators using Topcon’s survey-grade RTK GPS systems for conventional land survey tasks can now use the same equipment for GIS data collection.

The seamless interface and common database enables a smooth and easy transition between the two functions. The extra costs of maintaining a separate sub-meter antenna, rover, and field computer for GIS data collection tasks are eliminated. For surveyors and utility system engineers involved in building GIS systems, it’s a solution for collecting location data on existing features and installations.
http://www10.giscafe.com

Trimble has introduced its next generation of high-accuracy GPS receivers for GIS data collection and mapping. The GPS PathfinderProXHreceiver is an integrated GPS receiver, antenna and battery all in a compact and lightweight unit. The ProXH receiver uses Bluetooth technology for cable-free communications to a field computer and Trimble’s powerful new H-Star technology to provide sub-foot (30cm) positioning accuracy.

Trimble has also announced the Trimble Site Positioning System that is said to be designed to provide contractors with a state-of-the-art construction positioning solution. The system includes a new total station, two new GPS receivers, and construction- centric software for heavy and highway construction applications.
http://www.trimble.com

Thales, GPS navigation and positioning firm, has introduced MobileMapper Pro, a GPS-based GIS data collector with sub-meter post processing. MobileMapper Pro claims to combine sub-meter post-processing with the most cost-effective and easy-to-use GIS mapping solution on the market.

With MobileMapper Pro, workers will continue to secure 2-3 meter real-time accuracy in the field, but can now differentially correct data in the office to achieve 70 cm accuracy on baselines up to 50 km. http://home.businesswire.com

Roaming Messenger, providers of a breakthrough mobile messaging technology have announced that the company will be supporting the new GPS-enabled BlackBerry 7520 from Research in Motion (RIM) operating on the Nextel network. The BlackBerry 7520 is representative of a new generation of GPS-enabled smart mobile devices. The BlackBerry 7520 features GPS technology with E911 support. It also incorporates Bluetooth technology for hands-free, wireless communications using Bluetooth-enabled headsets and car kits. http://www.telephonyworld.com

Navteq, the global providers of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location- based solutions, has been chosen by ROUTE 66 to provide Navteq maps of Europe, the United States and Canada, helping bring ROUTE 66’s Mobile 2006 to the European and North American markets.

The kit comes with a memory stick pre-loaded with navigation software and Navteq maps along with a Bluetooth GPS receiver. Users simply insert the memory stick into a compatible mobile phone, download the software and maps onto the phone and switch on the Bluetooth GPS receiver to transform their mobile phone into a complete navigation solution.
www.navteq.com

The LAVASA Corporation Limited, a company established for the purpose of developing a hill station lake township near Pune in India, has commissioned RMSI to design and develop its Geo Spatial Infrastructure. Spread over 9000 acres of lush green hills, picturesque
lakes and wooded forests, the development of this ultra-modern real estate is supported by GIS and other enabling technologies right from the community’s earliest stages.

The first phase of GIS has to do with bringing users from varying backgrounds from site engineers, architects, urban planners, design teams, project managers, environmentalists, tourism professionals and salesmen to a common geo-spatial platform. http://www.directionsmag.com

Rolta India announced that it has signed domestic as well as international GIS projects totalling Rs 200 crore (around $44 million).

According to a recent release issued by the company, the projects in question are for customers like the US-based People’s Energy, Sacramento Municipality of the US, city public service of San Antonio, US, the military survey department of Abu Dhabi, and the digital imagery division of the Indian Ministry of Defence.

“The orders are for high-end and comprehensive GIS & imaging software applications, wide ranging services including intelligent GIS database creation and updation for planning using digital photogrammetry, and special purpose ruggedised imagery systems,” the release added.
http://www.business-standard.com

Autodesk has announced Q4 revenues, along with year-end numbers for 2004. Net income for the quarter grew to $66 million from $58 million, a year ago. The company earned $75 million, or 30 cents per share, in Q4 (excluding a $12 million pretax restructuring charge). Sales rose 21 percent to $356 million from $295 million last year. Fourth-quarter revenue from new commercial seats increased 46 percent over the prior year.

For the full year, Autodesk reported earnings of $222 million up from $120 million, a year ago. Overall sales growth was 30% for the year. That means Autodesk hit its long standing goal of generating $1 billion. The actual figure is $1.234 billion, according to the company’s SEC filings.
http://www.directionsmag.com

SiRF Technology Holdings, Inc. of San Jose, California, announced the establishment of wholly-owned subsidiary SiRF Technology (India) Pvt. Ltd., and a new development center in Noida, India. SiRF India will focus on new product development, specifically chipsets and software that combine GPS with complementary technologies. It will also extend SiRF’s reach into growing Indian and Asian markets for GPS-enabled systems, providing marketing and customer support throughout the continent.

The India center plans to work on market-specific software to optimize SiRF’s location platform to address the wireless and automotive market needs in developing countries.

The center will produce technical collateral and reference designs to accelerate time to market for customers, and to fund research in location technology at Indian educational and research institutions.