VizMAP has been busy this month creating Coal and Commodity databases using Flash for the Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources and Mines and helping with the installation of another GeoSim Helicopter Part Task Trainer at Chopperline in Caloundra, Queensland. Never a dull moment here. 

If you didn’t already know, VirtualGeography is a collection of interesting snippets from all over the shop, dealing with industry issues concerning the computer based visualisation of geography and a few other associated (or otherwise) interesting bits and pieces. You are receiving this either because you subscribed to VirtualGeography or you have had recent dealings with VizMAP Pty Ltd. If you do not wish to receive further instalments of VirtualGeography, just click on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of this e-mail. 

A new VirtualGeography is pushed out every now and then when we’ve collated enough interesting bits and pieces, which shouldn’t be too big a drain on your mailbox if you’re not already subscribed (of course it won’t be a drain on your mailbox if you ARE subscribed, either ). The regularity of the distribution may vary depending on what else is going on at VizMAP at the time. If you know of anyone who might like to get VirtualGeography, feel free to forward this to them and ask them to subscribe. By the way, subscription and unsubscription details are at the bottom (click here).

So, g’day to all you enthusiasts requiring to visualise and simulate both urban and rural geographic information (GIS), cartography, photogrammetry, remote sensing, digital elevation modelling (DEM) and general mapping.

By the spelling of "Visualisation" you may have already guessed that we’re not US based – that’s a good thing, or at least not a bad thing. This comes to you from Mooloolaba on the Sunshine Coast of Queensland, Australia, where it’s beautiful one day and perfect the next. As a postscript to that, you can have a look at the Mooloolaba beach, now, 800m from where I sit as I write this, here.

The link between visualisation and mapping may seem a little esoteric if this is your first encounter with this sort of stuff, but let me tell you, the bond is significant… but enough of that: on with the show… I hope you like it. Any feedback you might have is highly appreciated. E-mail me here to make your comments. Enjoy… Graeme Brooke VizMAP Pty Ltd

P.S. You’ll need an active internet connection to view any images that are in the content. We’ve done it this way to keep the size of the e-mail to a minimum.

“The Carbon Portal, located at www.TheCarbonPortal.net, is designed to support the interest shown in CarbonTools and other Open-Geospatial .NET tools. For example, downloads of the CarbonTools free toolkit exceeded 2,000 in the first eight weeks after release and these users need a collaborative space to exchange ideas and code.  The new Carbon Portal will extend this global interest to a broad community, helping mainstream IT users implement open-geospatial interoperability in a wide range of applications,” said Jeff Harrison, President of The Carbon Project. 

Based on the Microsoft .NET Framework, CarbonTools provides a powerful and extendible API for accessing geospatial web services based on Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC™) specifications including GML, OGC’s XML encoding for geospatial information.

SANTA CLARA, Calif., Sept. 2, 2005 – Intel Corporation today announced it is coordinating the donation of 1,500 laptop personal computers to the American Red Cross for distribution to shelters in support of Hurricane Katrina disaster relief efforts. In addition, Intel will donate 150 wireless Internet access points to enable wireless local area connectivity in all permanent shelters and is providing fifty Wi-Fi transmitters for installation in the New Orleans downtown and airport area.

Intel employees will provide on-site technical assistance to ensure the success of all technical deployments. The PCs will be configured by Intel and its partners according to Red Cross requirements to allow shelters to exchange important information with the organization’s headquarters regarding victim status, resource needs and case management. These systems, along with broadband access, will also provide the technology backbone that provides thousands of hurricane victims with a means of communicating with relatives, verifying their identity for emergency fund distribution, contacting social services and accessing information important to their relocation. 

"The catastrophic situation created by Hurricane Katrina is unprecedented in this nation," said Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini. "Intel and our employees are compelled to help the thousands who have been affected by this tragedy by offering our technical expertise and resources to assist with this critical phase of the recovery efforts." 

Intel is donating some of its own systems and is pooling donations from such original equipment manufacturers as Dell and Lenovo to distribute over the weekend. The equipment will be up and running early next week.

Communications problems have been a major challenge in coordinating disaster recovery, rescue and care efforts. Intel is working with major telecommunications companies to evaluate connectivity conditions at American Red Cross shelters in the region. Wherever possible, Intel’s partners will enable these locations with either DSL or T-1 broadband access. In locations where landline access is not possible, Intel will offer broadband wireless equipment to ensure that all shelters have broadband Internet access. 

Explore Side by Side Comparisons:
 New Orleans, Louisiana
 Gulfport, Mississippi 
 Pascagoula, Mississippi
 Biloxi, Mississippi 
 Mobile, Alabama

Hurricane Katrina before & after images:
 New Orleans-1
 New Orleans-2
 New Orleans-3
 New Orleans-4
 New Orleans-5
 New Orleans-6
 Biloxi-1
 Biloxi-2
 Gulfport-1
 Gulfport-2
 Pascagoula-1
 Pascagoula-2

The "Commodities" and "Coal" databases were developed in Macromedia’s Flash environment and are available online:

• Commodities: http://www.vizmap.com.au/nrm/QldCom_v5.4.swf
• Coal: http://www.vizmap.com.au/nrm/QldCoal_v5.4.swf

They are currently being printed to CD and will be available from NRM soon.

Click on these small resampled images to view the full screen images on the VizMAP website. Bear in mind that these are just screen dumps from a dynamic, interactive application.

If you would like more information on this project, let VizMAP know

Heroes of the Pacific, a fight combat sim, heralds the Aussie company’s first big action title – and what a way to get off the ground!

What’s immediately striking about Heroes is its lovingly crafted presentation. Every menu and options screen is constructed in the style of 1930s and ’40s movie posters and comic book covers.

This exceptional art direction immerses you in a charming "boys own" adventure atmosphere that belies the seriousness of the subject matter, the Pacific theatre of operations in World War II.

Players take the role of Crowe, a green pilot in the US Air Force who’s thrown straight into the thick of things with the infamous surprise attack on Pearl Harbour.

Piloting any of the 35 authentic aircraft in the game is possible via two different control schemes, Arcade or Professional, allowing gamers of any skill level to jump right in and quickly get to grips with their virtual joystick.

Dogfights Japanese Zeros and Raidens easily provide the biggest buzz, but you’ll also learn the art of dive-bombing, dropping torpedoes and commanding your own wingmen in battle.

Some of the bombing runs in the solo campaign can prove quite arduous, but the dazzling pyrotechnics and adrenaline rush of flying your P38 Lightning through anti-aircraft fire make it easy to press the restart button if you fail your objectives.

There’s also the option of tackling specific Historical Battle challenges, the ease of an Instant Action mode and a host of multiplayer options that include split-screen and system link play, as well as an addictive range of online team matches. Get your goggles on and fly the unfriendly skies.

• DirectionsMag Events
• GISCafe Upcoming Events 
• Geoinformatics Calendar
• ISPRS Events Calendar
• National Centre for Simulation Calendar of Events
• Position Magazine Calendar of Events

 Beat around the bush 
 Jump to conclusions 
 Climb the walls 
 Wade through the morning paper 

 Drag my heels 
 Push my luck 
 Make Mountains out of mole hills 
 Hit the nail on the head 

 Bend over backwards 
 Jump on the Band Wagon 
 Run around in circles 

 Toot my own horn 
 Pull out all the stops 
 Add fuel to the fire 

 Open a can of worms 
 Put my foot in my mouth 
 Start the ball rolling 
 Go over the edge 

 Pick up the pieces. 
 Kneel in prayer 
 Bow my head in thanksgiving 
 Uplift my hands in praise 
 Hug someone and encourage them 

 What a Workout!! 

 Rest At Last!!