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Monthly Archives: January 2012

Avenza Geographic Imager Adds Write Support For LizardTech MrSID Format

News

– MrSID export ability available with Geographic Imager 4.1 –

Toronto, ON, January 7, 2013 – Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator® and PDF Maps for Apple iOS and LizardTech, a provider of software solutions for managing and distributing geospatial content, today announced the integration of LizardTech® GeoExpress® 8.5 and the ability to produce MrSID format files into the latest release of Geographic Imager 4.1 for Adobe Photoshop.

LizardTech, based in Seattle, WA, specializes in developing the MrSID format, which handles high-resolution geospatial data. Previous versions of Geographic Imager have already provided read capability for raster and LiDAR MrSID via the integration of LizardTech MG4 Decode Software Development Kit (DSDK). With the current release, Avenza customers can take advantage of the ability to write to MrSID format directly from Adobe Photoshop provided they have the current version of LizardTech GeoExpress installed. This ability expands the number of supported file formats Geographic Imager can write and increases workflow options when working with high-resolution imagery.

“As the leading GIS vendor to support both viewing and writing of MrSID files in Adobe Photoshop, we’re excited at the opportunity to partner with LizardTech to provide our users with access to MrSID technology,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “With this integration, customers on both sides will be able to use MrSID images with the entire Geographic Imager toolset without compromise. The capability of tools in Geographic Imager and Adobe Photoshop with the ability to export to MrSID format is an invaluable workflow and shows how committed we are at bringing formats to the platform that may have never been thought possible.” he added.

Jon Skiffington, director of product management at LizardTech, notes, “We’re thrilled at the opportunity to work with Avenza Systems to expand the reach of MrSID technology into viable platforms like Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop for the benefit of our mutual users.” Additionally, Jeff Young, business development manager at LizardTech, commented, “Collaboration with Avenza allows for more effective support of the Avenza/LizardTech world-wide user community with smoother workflows and more transparent data exchanges.

More information about MrSID support in Geographic Imager is available at www.avenza.com/geographic-imager/lizardtech-mrsid.

More about Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop

Geographic Imager is software for Adobe Photoshop that leverages the superior image editing capabilities of raster-based image editing software and transforms it into a powerful geospatial imagery editing tool. Work with satellite imagery, aerial photography, orthophotos, and DEMs in GeoTIFF and other major GIS image formats using Adobe Photoshop features such as transparencies, filters, and image adjustments while maintaining georeferencing and support for hundreds of coordinate systems and projections.

Geographic Imager 4.1 is immediately available free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at prices starting at US$319 for non-maintenance members. Academic and volume license pricing are also available. Geographic Imager 4.1 is available for Adobe Photoshop CS5, CS5.1 and CS6. LizardTech GeoExpress licenses and data cartridges are also available through Avenza Systems.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps and for working with spatial imagery. In addition to software offerings for Mac, Windows and Apple mobile device users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services. Visit www.avenza.com for more details.

More about LizardTech

Since 1992, LizardTech has delivered state-of-the-art software products for managing and distributing massive, high-resolution geospatial data such as aerial and satellite imagery and LiDAR data. LizardTech pioneered the MrSID technology, a powerful wavelet-based image encoder, viewer, and file format. LizardTech has offices in Seattle, Denver, London, and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.lizardtech.com.

For further information contact:
Avenza Systems: Tel: 416-487-5116 – Email: info@avenza.com – Web: www.avenza.com
LizardTech: Tel: 206-902-2839 – Email: jbednarski@lizardtech.com – Web: www.lizardtech.com

Avenza Releases Geographic Imager 3.4 for Adobe Photoshop

News

– Now includes advanced spatial data import options –

Toronto, ON, January 23, 2012 – Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe Illustrator® and PDF Maps for Apple iOS, is pleased to announce the release of Geographic Imager 3.4 for Adobe Photoshop. This release is fully compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5.1, which is also known as Adobe Photoshop 12.1 in Adobe CS5.5, as well as Adobe Photoshop 12.0.4 in Adobe CS5.

“We’re delighted to release Geographic Imager 3.4 with even more format support,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “We’ve also included new options to import and export images, providing users with even more ways to streamline and improve their data editing work flow. In addition, included are some priority fixes based on user requests and feedback,” he added.

Additional Geographic Imager 3.4 features

  • Fully compatible with Adobe Photoshop CS5.1 (also known as Photoshop 12.1 in Adobe CS5.5) in both 32 and 64 bit
  • New import support for ERDAS IMAGINE (.img), Esri ArcInfo Binary Float Grid (.flt), and “DEM” grayscale GeoTIFF (*.tif) formats, including ability to import georeferenced images from Web Map Service (WMS) sources
  • New export support for BigTIFF, ECW (up to 0.5 GB), and NITF formats
  • Major enhancements to Advanced Import, including options to:
    • import multiple files of differing formats
    • resample and crop images prior to import
    • modify bands/channel color mapping and select specific channels to import for multiband/hyperband images
    • mosaic and import images as layers into existing documents specify and adjust DEM and DTM information and combine multiple DEM files on import
  • Enhanced Quick Save feature for quick format conversion
  • New ability to measure areas in images using the Adobe Photoshop Measurement Log panel
  • Various bug fixes and user experience enhancements

 

More about Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop

Geographic Imager is powerful software for working with spatial imagery in Adobe Photoshop that leverages the superior image editing capabilities of this raster-based image-editing software and transforms it into a powerful spatial imagery editing tool. Work with satellite imagery, aerial photography, orthophotos, and DEMs in GeoTIFF and other major GIS image formats using Adobe Photoshop features such as transparencies, filters, and image adjustments while maintaining georeferencing and support for hundreds of coordinate systems and projections.

Geographic Imager 3.4 is available immediately free of charge to all Geographic Imager Maintenance Program members and at prices starting at US$319 for non-maintenance members. Academic and volume license pricing are also available.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac, Windows and Apple mobile device users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services. Visit www.avenza.com for more details.

For further information contact:
Tel: 416-487-5116
Email: info@avenza.com
Web: www.avenza.com

Avenza’s PDF Maps app Introduces Waypoint Importing and Exporting Allowing Consumers to Share Points of Interest in Minutes

News

Latest feature enables users to share recorded trip details and exact route information with others via iTunes, Dropbox, email or weblink

TORONTO, (January 10, 2012) – Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe® Illustrator® and Geographic Imager® geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop®, announces its latest social sharing feature to its award-winning PDF Maps app with the introduction of waypoint importing and exporting which allows users who have recorded specific map points of interest the ability to share them with others in minutes. A distinguishing technology in its own right, Avenza brings PDF Maps to a social level enabling consumers to not just tell of their travel adventures but download exact point information via iTunes, Dropbox, email or a weblink, so others can experience it in the same way.

Presently, the PDF Maps app takes advantage of geospatial technology that allows travelers to view and measure real world locations and attributes. Paired together with mobile devices that utilize GPS, such as an iPhone or iPad, the PDF Maps app provides constant access to geographic locations and even points of interest without the risk of losing reception due to cell tower proximity – making it the ultimate traveling accessory for those that are enthusiastic about travel or anywhere internet bandwidth is not available or is cost-prohibitive when roaming internationally.

Because data has become a social and interactive process, Avenza has provided the ability to share travel information with others with the addition of waypoint importing and exporting in the PDF Maps app. Waypoints are associated with data that a user can connect to, such as a photo of a location. This information can be exported from the PDF Maps app as well as imported by others into any map upon which those points may lie. The ability to import and export information is not exclusive to only PDF Maps app consumers. In addition to creating points in PDF Maps on an iOS device, consumers can also create them in Google Earth or other software that supports KML/KMZ export, including Avenza’s software products for Adobe Creative Suite.

“I’ve often heard people say, ‘traveling is better when done with a friend who’s been there, because they know the best spots to go to.’ Because PDF Maps app works with the iOS device’s GPS system, it’s just like having your own personal guide,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza Systems Inc. “People often spend hours explaining to friends where they ate, the hotel they stayed at or the best places for entertainment, especially when a friend will be visiting the exact same city you just came from. Now friends and colleagues can provide some background to the storytelling by sharing the waypoints you recorded on your own trip giving them exact directions, pictures and even tips while on route.”

The PDF Maps app supports a growing database of maps featuring tens of thousands of maps authored, distributed or sold by individual cartographers, established map publishers, and government agencies. The marketplace provides a new e-commerce venue that allows those in the industry to have access to more than 200 million Apple iOS users seeking information about specific maps.

“The digital map store has finally arrived and this app does it with ease,” said Peter Lennon, President, International Map Trade Association (IMTA) International. “The app is simple and efficient and will do most things you would ever want when using a map. IMTA judges chose this as the best mapping product in the world for 2011 and in using it, consumers will see why.”

PDF Maps is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge for personal use. For more information about the app, visit the Avenza website at www.avenza.com/pdf-maps. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps in-app map store.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services. For more information visit the Avenza website at www.avenza.com.

For further information contact:
Tel: 416-487-5116 ● Email: info@avenza.com ● Web: www.avenza.com

Avenza Announces Support for FME Desktop

News

– Newest MAPublisher® release connects with Safe Software’s FME –

Toronto, ON, January 3, 2012 – Avenza Systems Inc., producers of the PDF Maps app for iOS and geospatial plugins for Adobe Creative Suite, including Geographic Imager for Adobe Photoshop, is pleased to announce that with the release of MAPublisher 8.6 for Adobe Illustrator, support for FME Desktop by Safe Software is now available.

“We’re delighted to have worked with Safe Software to create the MAPublisher FME Auto add-on to bring support for both FME and the FFS file format into the MAPublisher and Illustrator environment,” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza. “The fact that FME users can now easily and effortlessly move their data into the MAPublisher design environment is an extremely powerful innovation and will greatly improve workflow efficiencies for our mutual users,” he added.

With the new MAPublisher® FME Auto™ add-on, users of MAPublisher and FME Desktop can automatically transfer the results of an FME workflow directly to the MAPublisher and Adobe Illustrator environment complete with styling and layout. In addition MAPublisher users can now import the FME FFS file format. The bridge between the data processing environment of FME and the design and publishing environment of Adobe Illustrator and MAPublisher has finally been built.

“We are very pleased to have worked with Avenza to integrate FME support for their powerful and widely used MAPublisher product and to build the bridge between our two very important parts of the mapping and GIS workflow,” said Dale Lutz, Co-Founder and Vice-President of Development, Safe Software. “We look forward to seeing the efficiencies and enhanced workflow capabilities that our mutual users will undoubtedly enjoy,” he added.

More about MAPublisher FME Auto

MAPublisher FME Auto is a new add-on that connects the GIS data processing environment of FME Desktop to the cartographic design and publishing environment MAPublisher and Adobe Illustrator. MAPublisher FME Auto provides FME Desktop with an Adobe Illustrator – MAPublisher writer. In FME Desktop, the writer may be used to translate GIS data formats for use with MAPublisher. It is now possible to create workflows in FME and then use pre-designed Adobe Illustrator templates, auto-assigned layers, and prepared MAP Themes to generate maps with much improved efficiency and ease.

MAPublisher FME Auto is available as an add-on to MAPublisher 8.6 at prices starting at US$399 per license. Academic, floating and volume pricing is also available. Prices include one year of full maintenance. Visit www.avenza.com/mapublisher/fme-auto for more details.

More about MAPublisher 8.6 for Adobe Illustrator

MAPublisher for Illustrator is powerful map production software for creating cartographic-quality maps from GIS data. Developed as a suite of plug-ins for Adobe Illustrator, MAPublisher leverages the superior graphics capabilities of this graphics design software for working with GIS data and producing high-quality maps with efficiency.

MAPublisher 8.6 for Illustrator is available free of charge to all MAPublisher customers with an active maintenance subscription and as an upgrade for non-maintenance users at US$599. New licenses are US$1399. Visit www.avenza.com/mapublisher for more details.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services as well as the PDF Maps app for purchasing and using maps on iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices, including GeoPDF and geospatial PDF files. Visit www.avenza.com for more details.

For further information contact:
Tel: 416-487-5116
Email: info@avenza.com
Web: www.avenza.com

Sell Your Maps Digitally to Mobile Devices

Blog

As we have all seen over the last decade, the distribution and consumption of music, videos and books has moved to a digital model and so, the question then becomes, why not maps? Similarly to the aforementioned media types, maps are also very conducive to both the distribution and use in a digital and mobile way. As we see organizations like Borders, Blockbuster and Kodak succumb to this digital revolution, we map-makers must adapt or suffer a similar fate.

Many of you may be struggling with the issue of selling your maps digitally, tackling the question of the “mobilization” of your content and wondering how to attack the new markets.

But what if there were a generic iTunes/iBooks/Kindle type environment where a map publisher, like many of you reading this, could offer their maps for sale just like musicians and book publishers currently do with their songs and books? There is and it’s called the Avenza Map Store, accessible through the PDF Maps app.

Right now, the Avenza Map Store has more than 100,000 maps from publishers all over the world and we are looking for more as we strive to become the “iTunes of maps”. Map sales in January have already more than doubled December in terms of both units and dollars and December was higher than previous months already.

Signing up to become a map store vendor is free. We encourage and invite everyone to do so.

So here is the gist of the system and the thinking behind it.

 

What is PDF Maps?

The award winning PDF Maps app is an all-encompassing solution for the use, distribution, and sale of digital versions of paper maps to mobile devices. It includes both an app for users to use, discover and purchase maps directly using their devices as well as an in-app store to facilitate the transaction and delivery of the maps.

Think of it like iTunes, iBooks or Kindle, but for maps.

The app loads georeferenced maps and has functionality for locating (via GPS), measuring, plotting points, importing and exporting points and much more, this goes well beyond traditional paper map usage.

 

Why PDF Maps? What are the advantages?

The PDF Maps app and the connected map store responds to the demand of both map users and map producers for a 21st century digital map consumption and delivery solution. In an era where a vast amount of content is shifting from analog to digital delivery and use, the map industry demands a similar solution for its users and producers.

For the user it solves four major problems:

  1. How can I use a map I really like on my mobile device instead of the often less-desirable ones Google and other streaming services offer?
  2. Google and other streaming services fail to perform when there is no Internet connection such as when hiking or traveling in remote unconnected areas.
  3. Services that rely on a bandwidth connection are very undesirable when outside your home network area due to the high cost of data roaming charges.
  4. Google and other streaming services, as well as many existing mobile apps, do not always offer a useful map for a particular purpose such as hiking, boating, and visiting national parks which leaves much desire for a “better” map.

 

For publishers it responds to the following specific needs:

  1. With paper map sales declining, how can I get my content into the digital age for the mobile device market?
  2. Devices like Garmins, TomToms and in-car navigation systems are usually closed to outside map content and thus map producers cannot easily, if at all, make their maps available to users of these systems.
  3. In an effort to get into the digital marketplace it has to be easy, efficient, and inexpensive to repurpose existing content and map libraries. In most cases existing map libraries can be easily ported to the PDF Maps system and existing production processes do not need to be drastically modified, if at all, in order to produce new content for PDF Maps and the Avenza Map Store
  4. With digital map use there is no printing, production quantity guesswork, inventory to manage, distribution and returns to account for.
  5. Updates to the maps are controlled by the vendor and can be instantly made available to the marketplace, while at the same time, older redundant content can be instantly removed and discontinued.
  6. Immediate, easy and effortless entry into the digital map marketplace.

 

Available now for iOS. For more info visit PDF Maps site and the Avenza Map Store site.

Hope to see your content in the map store soon.

PDF Maps on Daily Planet [VIDEO]

Blog

[Video archived] Ted Florence provides a demonstration of the PDF Maps app for iPad. He compares a basic looking Google map of Algonquin Park to a very detailed map of the park which is available on the Avenza Map Store. Combined with using the built-in GPS, it provides a great offline navigation solution.

In addition to showing off the map, Mr. Florence loads a TTC map of Toronto and imports waypoints shared through email. This feature allows for collaboration between people who use the same maps. Importing and exporting waypoints can also be done through Dropbox or iTunes, as demonstrated here. Look for more sharing options in future releases.

PDF Maps is available on the App Store.

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