GIS Tech News (#44)

Can 3D Road Geometry Save Gas?

Intermap and an Auburn University research team study fuel economy in the heavy trucking industries.

Richard Bishop, the owner of Bishop Consulting, wants the gas-guzzling monsters on the road to think for themselves. To be precise, he wants them to think about their own fuel consumption. He and his peers believe vehicles can make sound decisions about fuel usage if they’re properly apprised of the terrain conditions ahead. For the fuel-driven trucking industry, this kind of research has widespread implications.

The main focus of Bishop’s consultancy is intelligent vehicles. His client list includes BMW, Mercedes Benz, Foster-Miller, the Federal Transit Administration, and the UK Highways Agency, to name but a few. To this list, he also adds Intermap Technologies, whose business revolves around collecting and marketing 3D road geometry. In early August, the company earmarked a grant for Auburn University to find ways to save fuel using its 3D GIS data.

The Road Ahead
“Around this time last year, I came upon some early research that had been done in Europe on predictive powertrain,” Bishop recalled. “[The study explores] how a vehicle can shift its gear and use its transmission mechanism to accommodate for the uphill climbs or the downhill slopes.” From this premise, it took only a small logical leap to reach the fuel-consumption potentials this application could offer, Bishop reflected. Read more>>

First Look Review: PhotoModeler 6

By Ron LaFon

Most people don't perceive photogrammetry software as being either easy to use or useful for creative pursuits, but Eos Systems has succeeded in meeting both of these requirements with its new release of PhotoModeler. PhotoModeler 6 offers a wealth of new features. The goals for PhotoModeler 6 were the following:

• improve ease of use and workflow
• improve modeling tools and make certain objects faster and easier to model
• add numerous user-requested features
• improve the tools used to judge quality and debug problems in projects
• improve interaction with external CAD, rendering, and mapping tools

PhotoModeler 6 is suited for many endeavors, including accident reconstruction, industrial and scientific measurement, AEC and preservation efforts, film and animation production, and Google Earth projects. Read more

UPCOMING GIS EVENTS

Civil 3D Test Drives
September 14 - November 16, 2007
Various U.S. Cities
Avatech Solutions invites civil engineers and others who use CAD software for infrastructure design, drafting, and surveying work to test drive AutoCAD Civil 3D 2008 in a series of hands-on training sessions across the country this fall. Avatech's Autodesk Civil 3D Implementation Certified Experts and industry leading instructors will walk attendees through some of the basic functionality and workflows in Civil 3D. Read more

Webinar: Visualizing Bridges
October 9, 2007
8:00 a.m. PDT
The objective of this Webinar series is to provide knowledge, expertise, and suitable tools for civil engineers to employ visualization as a cost-effective solution throughout the project design process. This session, presented by RDV Systems, will cover extruding the bridge shape, barriers, guard rails, columns, and bridge heads. Read more

Webinar: Visualizing Tunnels
October 23, 2007
8:00 a.m. PDT
RDV Systems presents live Webinar sessions that will take a task-oriented approach aimed at solving everyday, real-life visualization challenges that face civil engineers and land planners. This session will cover extruding the tunnel shape, portals, and using transparency. Read more

Geographic Information Education Program
November 7, 2007
Belfast, United Kingdom
The GeoInformation Group will sponsor a free educational event for everyone in the geographic information community from recent graduates to highly experienced professionals. The seminar will be complemented by an exhibition. Anyone interested in learning more about the availability, management, and application of geographic data and related technologies is encouraged to register. Read more

Cadalyst's complete list of upcoming events is always available on our Web site. Cadalyst's sister publication, Geospatial Solutions, also offers a full calendar of GIS-related events.