Livermore, Calif. July 14, 2010 Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) announces that Blue Marble Desktop software will be licensed as part of Topcons IP-S2 Mobile Mapping System. The announcement follows a partnership agreement between Topcon and Blue Marble Geographics, a leading provider of LiDAR and GIS data conversion solutions.
Blue Marble Desktop is a geospatial data management platform that will allow Topcon IP-S2 users to convert data and work in a variety of applications through a single interface. The software is designed to allow users to work off the same geodetic data source within their organization, regardless of location, for data manipulation and management.
Topcons IP-S2 is a vehicle-mounted, mobile 3D precision mapping and survey solution that incorporates state-of-the-art technologies, including high-precision GNSS receivers, IMU (inertial measurement unit), vehicle wheel encoders, 360-degree digital camera and laser scanners. The IP-S2 is designed so users can collect precise vehicle position/bearing data and capture spherical imagery of roadway objects such as sidewalks, buildings, tunnels, bridges and overpasses while driving the system-mounted vehicle at normal traffic speeds.
Eduardo Falcon, TPS senior vice president of the Topcon Emerging Business Unit, said, By partnering with Blue Marble Geographics, we are giving IP-S2 users an added advantage of translating, integrating and sharing data seamlessly between formats and within their organization, and that will allow for quicker and more efficient use of the precise data they have collected. Our goal is to ultimately simplify the work and increase the capabilities of the IP-S2 user.
Patrick Cunningham, president of Blue Marble Geographics, said, Topcon turned to Blue Marble software for our unmatched LAS file point cloud handling capabilities. They put our software to the test and we delivered. The partnership with Topcon (for their IP-S2 system) exemplifies where we see our software best applied systems and solutions revolutionizing GIS.
The software available to Topcons IP-S2 customers includes Blue Marbles Geographic Calculator module (Blue Marble Desktop version), a coordinate conversion tool with advanced vector and LiDAR file processing capabilities designed so users can effectively manage and process large amounts of data quickly and efficiently. Geographic Calculator also provides users with an ArcGIS extension that extends the coordinate transformation capabilities of ESRI software.
Other modules, which may be sublicensed by IP-S2 customers, include Geographic Transformer and Spatial Connect. Geographic Transformer is an image reprojection and raster management tool that allows users to process large image datasets. Spatial Connect allows users to interface directly with spatial databases.
About Topcon Positioning Systems
Topcon Positioning Systems, Inc. (TPS) designs and manufactures precise positioning products and solutions for the global surveying, construction, agriculture, civil engineering, mapping and GIS, asset management and mobile control markets. TPS parent company, Topcon Corporation (Tokyo Stock Exchange 7732), was founded in 1932.
