ESRI Adding for ECWP in ArcGIS 10

When ESRI released ArcGIS 10, they added support for reading ECW files from the free ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, v3.3. Now ESRI is working on support for the ECW Protocol for streaming ECW and JP2 data from an ERDAS APOLLO IWS server into ArcGIS products. This link provides information from ESRI’s support site concerning the matter. It is great to see ESRI support ECWP!

ERDAS continues development of our latest version of the ECW Plugin for ArcGIS. We expect to deliver the product to the market soon. I will give more detailed information on the ArcGIS Plugin around the time of the Hexagon 2011 Conference. ERDAS' goal is to add support for these capabilities to this version of the plugin:

• ArcGIS 9.3.1, 9.3.1 SP2, and 10.0


• New dynamic progressive rendering of ECWP layers


• ECWP local caching (persistent and configurable)


• Opacity channels


• Faster progressive display


• Support for foreign language versions of Windows (GUI not localized)


• Re-projection of the ECWP streams on-the-fly

ERDAS is working with Autodesk on a new ECW Plugin for AutoCAD 2010/2011 as well. I will provide more information on that topic after Autodesk and ERDAS work through some bumps in the road.

For more in ECW support in ArcGIS 10, see: http://field-guide.blogspot.com/2011/05/esri-adding-for-ecwp-in-arcgis.html

Virtual Mosaics using images from multiple directories

Many ERDAS IMAGINE customers think of Virtual Mosaic as a Viewer capability. ERDAS added ‘Virtual Mosaic’, along with ‘Virtual Layer Stack’ and ‘Virtual Independent Files’ into ERDAS IMAGINE 8.6, which was released in 2002.

The .vmc file is created using the Multiple option when multi-selecting images in the File Chooser, for most any process (Multiple tab pops up on the file chooser when shift-selecting images). Because the File Chooser does not support the ability to select across multiple directories at the same time, a .vmc file containing files from multiple different folders cannot be created with the file chooser.

Because the .vmc is a ASCII text file, the customer can easily create a file containing images from a multiplicity of file folders.

Below is an example of a .vmc file containing MrSID images from multiple different folders. Started the creation with windows command as follows: dir *.sid /b /s > glenville_virtual-mosaic.vmc. I then had to do some editing of the file to make sure the slashes ‘/’ were in the right direction, add VMC at the topeof the file and so forth…..

This is what glenville_virtual-mosaic.vmc looked like when I was finished with my text-smithing.

VMC
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville/glennville_ne.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville/glennville_nw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville/glennville_se.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville/glennville_sw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_ne/glennville_ne_ne.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_ne/glennville_ne_nw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_ne/glennville_ne_se.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_ne/glennville_ne_sw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_se/glennville_se_ne.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_se/glennville_se_nw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_se/glennville_se_se.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_se/glennville_se_sw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_sw/glennville_sw_ne.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_sw/glennville_sw_nw.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_sw/glennville_sw_se.sid
//atlbck1/data/georgia/georgia-99doqq-mrsid/g_quads/glennville_sw/glennville_sw_sw.sid

ERDAS IMAGINE and GeoMedia, where are they going?

Over the last few months people have asked me what is going to happen with ERDAS IMAGINE and Intergraph's GeoMedia, two leading geospatial products under one roof. Ola Rollѐn sat down with Joe Francica this past January and at the end of the interview discussed this very point.

Basically Ola says, both products have been around a long time and have their own audiences and customers. He states Hexagon must be respectful of the two markets the products are serving. Longer-term, the GeoMedia and ERDAS IMAGINE products need to be able to speak and communicate one to another.

Here is the Joe Francica / Ola Rollѐn interview.

As the GIS market grows, there is a lot of room for growth for the old pioneers and the new arrivals. This because, the GIS pie is still growing. I believe the market is about positioned for a very big surge in growth. GIS companies can fight over the same piece of the pie, or companies can position themselves by improving and innovating, and grow as the whole GIS market pie grows.

News Release: ERDAS Releases New Product, ECW for ArcGIS Server

The following news has just been distributed to the press....

ERDAS Releases New Product, ECW for ArcGIS Server Norcross, GA — ERDAS proudly announces the introduction of the all-new ECW for ArcGIS Server, which provides a means for ArcGIS Server 10 to deliver Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) data to clients via OGC-compliant Web Coverage Service (WCS) and Web Map Service (WMS).

Using components of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK version 4.2, ECW for ArcGIS Server enables ArcGIS Server to support ECW imagery, providing the fastest decompression available. Using minimal memory, ECW can quickly decompress and open massive files, in many cases faster than uncompressed imagery can be opened. Additionally, multi-resolution level of detail is built into the file, eliminating the need to generate or distribute pyramids or overviews. The ECW technique does not require that immediate tiles (RRDs) be calculated and stored on disk; they are an inherent part of ECW’s Discrete Wavelet Transformations (DWT). ECW also supports opacity channels, allowing images to overlay other imagery cleanly without showing compression artifacts around the edges.

The ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK technology was developed by ER Mapper Ltd beginning in 1998 and is governed by three patents (US6201897, US6442298, and US6633688).

ECW for ArcGIS Server may be installed on a single ArcGIS Server, with or without other ERDAS software installed. However, ECW for ArcGIS Server does require a FlexNet license file from ERDAS.

This new product expands the industry-wide level of support for the ECW format. ECW is already supported in traditional desktop GIS, CAD and remote sensing packages such as ArcGIS®, AutoCAD®, ERDAS IMAGINE®, ERDAS ER Mapper, FalconView™, Bentley Microstation®, ENVI® and PCI Geomatica®.

"ERDAS created ECW for ArcGIS Server in response to overwhelming user demand. For any geospatial organization requiring an accelerated workflow and reduction of hardware costs, ECW is the compression format of choice," said Paul Beaty, Technical Product Manager, ERDAS. "Its popularity stems from the fact that it doesn’t merely compress files; it simplifies their handling by making them faster to decompress and transfer. ERDAS is committed to providing rapid geospatial data delivery for organizations using any software platform."

To learn more about ECW for ArcGIS Server, please visit the official product page or attend a free webinar on Wednesday, April 13, 2011 at 11 am or 7 pm (GMT -4).

For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit http://www.erdas.com/.

This means the two articles 32824 and 36261 posted on ESRI's Support website concerning ECW in ArcGIS Server 10 are now out-of-date. Just get ECW for ArcGIS Server from ERDAS, and you are off to the races.

Potential GPS signal reception problems

Some believe a serious threat to the reliability and viability of the Global Positioning System (GPS) has risen.

LightSquared, has been granted a conditional waiver by the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to build 40,000 ground stations in the US that may cause widespread interference to GPS signals; endangering a national utility which millions of Americans rely on every day.

LightSquared plans to transmit ground-based radio signals that are said to be one billion or more times more powerful as received on earth than GPS's low-powered satellite-based signals. This potentially may cause significant interference impacting millions of GPS receivers.

I have not determined if there is a competitive company trying to block/slow-down LightSquared, or if this is a real threat. Notwithstanding, I thought you may wish to visit http://www.saveourgps.org/ and start your own research into the matter.

Related Field Guide Post: http://field-guide.blogspot.com/2011/10/lightsquared-and-gps-still-in-news.html

ERDAS is about to introduce a new product.....

Please allow me to confirm the rumor....

ERDAS will soon announce a new product, ‘ECW for ArcGIS Server.’

ECW for ArcGIS Server will provide the licenses and tools needed to decode ECW data to an ArcGIS Server client via ArcGIS Server using WMS / WCS. ECW for ArcGIS Server will support the ECW opacity layer introduced in the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK 4.1 in 2010.

ECW for ArcGIS Server is built using ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK 4.2 and is designed to assist the ArcGIS user community in using the most powerful geospatial image format available today. ECW for ArcGIS Server will offer Software Maintenance (SWM) and will have regular upgrades just as does other ERDAS products.

Where does ECW for ArcGIS Server fit into the ERDAS portfolio? Think of ECW for ArcGIS Server as an ArcGIS Server Extension. ECW for ArcGIS Server is not a replacement product, but a new product.

Keep an eye open for an ERDAS press release announcing ECW for ArcGIS Server soon. With the press release, ERDAS will launch a product web-page containing a product description, systems specifications, ArcGIS Server versions supported and more.

This product will only be available from ERDAS’ global sales network.

Q/A From Today's ECW/JP2 SDK Webinar

Below are the questions and answers that we covered in today's ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK Webinar.

Q1: Compression is always followed by the loss of detail information, right? How does ECW handle that? Which compression rates are useful?

A1: ECW does not support numerically lossless compression at this time. However, if you use a target compression of 4 to 6:1 on RGB data, you should have a visually lossless image at a 2x zoom. See my blog for more information: http://field-guide.blogspot.com/2010/07/understanding-target-compression-ratio.html


Q2: Would you recommend ECW over JP2?

A2: I would recommend ECW over JP2 for all applications where an 8-bit lossy compression works. In the GIS community, a visually lossless setting is usually fine. We did a test when I was at Georgia Tech to see what compression was needed for the majority of users using a statewide dataset. The results are documented on my blog, linked above.

But remember, the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK supports JP2 very solidly! Any product using the SDK will have fast JP2 support and even faster ECW support.


Q3: It seems ECW cannot be used on ArcGIS Server and image server, any comment?

A3: ERDAS will release a new product, ECW for ArcGIS Server, spring 2011 to address this very issue. Look for it!


Q4: For aerial photos and orthophotos, which is better for delivering products without losing resolution and data, ECW or JP2?

A4: Pixel resolution is never lost in compression. The first thing you’ll notice in compression is very minor loss of contrast. As you compress further, a little more contrast is lost, and in heavier compression artifacts appear around road lines, edges and other linear features on aerial imagery. The question to ask is, “Do I need visually lossless or numerical lossless compression?” In most GIS applications, visually lossless compression works very well. In some (but not all) remote sensing applications, numerically lossless compression is needed.

The reason data vendors deliver numerically lossless data is that the data provider does not know if you are a GIS user doing imagery analysis or an image expert doing detailed remote sensing. They deliver one version to all, numerically lossless JP2. No problem, the ECW/JP2 SDK supports this!


Q5: Does a standard/report exist for the compression rates for several products (vector map production, base ortho maps, etc.)?

A5: I wish I knew of one, but I do not. This is an area for cartographers and remote sensing researchers to look for research grants. We need a standard.


Q6: How much faster can ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK make image compression?

A6: I tested and documented this on my blog. Some SDK customers say their applications using v4.2 ECW encode 7x faster than it did in v3.3. Our research indicates most applications will experience greater than 2 x improvements over v3.3. But, JP2 is faster in v4.2 as well. Please see the following link for some tests I ran: http://field-guide.blogspot.com/2010/04/single-core-vs-multi-core-image.html


Q7: What can I provide a customer if he cannot read the ECW format - can I offer him a simple/free ECW reader/decoder?

A7: Many GIS applications can read ECW. ERDAS has a free viewer, ER Viewer that can be used as well. See: http://www.erdas.com/products/ERDASERMapper/ERDASERViewer/Details.aspx


Q8: At times, ECW cannot be opened directly in ArcGIS 10. Any suggestions about how to do that?

A8: There are two possibilities. One, ArcGIS 10 uses a version of GDAL that uses an older version of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK . GDAL has now addressed that and supports v4.2; ESRI will pick up the ball and do the rest.

Two, some organizations who have licenses for the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK have added things to the ECW file that are not in compliance with the file format. This will cause problems. You might want to contact the organization that created the data to make sure they do not add any ‘goodies’ to the file format.


Q9: Are there any plans to use GP-GPU for compression?

A9: Yes. I cannot give specifics at this time, but I can say ‘yes.’


Q10: Can I lose accurate pixel value when I compress ECW data?

A10: At the present time, ECW has a visually lossless capability, not a numerically lossless capability.


Q11: Do you have any plans to support the updating of parts of an existing ECW file?

A11: Yes, this is under discussion. I will assume your question indicates an interest and will put your name in the request column. Thanks!


Q12: What would you use for storing floating point data, e.g. DEM data?

A12: Up until now, geospatial people have been using some sort of DR-RLE compression, such as that found in ERDAS’s IMG file format. Going forward, as the floating point JPEG2000 standard takes hold we will see more people use JP2 for lossless floating point data.

The question to ask is whether the maximum 2.5x reduction in file size on encoding worth the slowdown in decoding?


Q13: Which format is useful for signed16-bit data, ECW or JP2?

A13: ECW does not support signed data right now. Therefore, JP2 is the solution at this time.


Q14: Spanish users are having issues with plug-ins when using the Spanish version of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK. Are you going to solve this soon?

A14: The ECW/JP2 SDK should not have a problem with this. If there is a problem with the free plug-in, it is in the plug-in code, not the ECW/JP2 SDK. We are working with Autodesk Germany on the AutoCAD 2011/2011 Plug-in to solve language support issues right now.


Q15: Paul, can you say anything publicly about when the AutoCAD 2010 plug-in will appear?

A15: We are waiting on Autodesk to help with a few installer questions. After that, we are ready to go.


Q16: Does ECW support stereo imagery data?

A16: Not inside the ECW file format. There are some companies that have modified the ECW file format (breaking the file for others), to support stereo parameters inside the file format. We have asked them to work with us to get it formally supported in the formal standard.

Until that time, the stereo parameters can be stored in the external .aux file.


Q17: Why is it necessary to have a plug-in to work with ECW in ERDAS software?

A17: When older versions of ERDAS software were made, ERDAS had not purchased ER Mapper and ECW support was incomplete. ERDAS purchased ER Mapper in May 2007, so that is when native ECW support became standard.


Q18: For unsigned 8-bit, unsigned 16 bit mss data, which format is more useable, ECW or JP2?

A18: ECW is an unsigned 8-bit data format. It can store panchromatic, RGB and multispectral data. 16-bit data should be stored in JP2 at this time.


Q19: Can the ECW format support hyperspectral data?

A19: ECW is a lossy, unsigned 8-bit data format that supports 65,535 bands. Give ECW a try!


Q20: We need to be able to make the background pixels of imagery transparent in ArcMap. ECW doesn't support this, but JP2 does. Is there any way to get the background pixels in ECW files to "disappear" in ArcMap (i.e. set the bg values to 255 or 0)?

A20: ECW added support for transparency in ECW/JP2 SDK v4.1, released in the fall of 2010. We had beta versions available in the summer, but this was too late for ESRI to get it supported in ArcGIS Desktop 10. GDAL is now updated, and the ball is in ESRI’s court. Let them know you want it!

In the ERDAS IMAGINE 2011 Exporter and MosaicPro, we enable you to define whatever value you want to be transparent; you can even define a region using a polygon.

Using ERDAS IMAGINE 2011’s “Create ECW Transparency” feature, you can also add a transparency layer to an existing ECW file via DNs or polygons without recompressing.


Q21: ECW or JP2 - where can I use each format and I how do I know?

A21: Both file formats are broadly accepted in the geospatial industry. If you wish to buy a product that does not support ECW/JP2, tell that product’s manager to give me a call. Remember, the SDK to provide desktop/client ECW, JP2, ECWP reading is free to the software developer.


Q22: Will you post the webinar.

A22: As usual, I forgot to record the webinar! I will re-record and post it later this week.

ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK Product Page Link: http://www.erdas.com/products/ERDASECWJPEG2000SDK/Details.aspx

YouTube Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6rjEgOkhoc&feature=plcp

ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK Webinar Today

I will be doing a webinar on the ECW/JP2 SDK Webinar today at 11am US Eastern Daylight Savings time.

Below is the description:

Are you a software developer producing geospatial software? With the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, you can create applications that dramatically reduce the time, money, and effort required to handle massive geospatial imagery.

The ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK allows you to provide support for the visually-lossless ECW imagery format and the ECWP protocol in your desktop and server applications. ERDAS’ Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) technology compresses bulky imagery files into manageable sizes, enabling faster processing and transfer of imagery, reducing the hardware investment required for the geospatial workflow. Using minimal memory, ECW can rapidly compress massive files to smaller sizes than other formats, while still preserving the quality of the images. ECW files can then be reopened quickly, in many cases faster than uncompressed imagery. Additionally, multi-resolution level of detail is built into the file, eliminating the need to generate or distribute pyramids or overviews. Enhanced Compression Wavelet Protocol (ECWP) allows streaming of ECW images, enabling rapid delivery of large quantities of imagery over the internet to thousands of users with standard server hardware of eight cores or less.

During this webinar, we will showcase the value that ECW and ECWP support can bring to your applications, easily increasing their value and appeal to your potential customers.

Link

ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, Version 4.2 Available Now!

ERDAS Just released the following Press Release:

Norcross, GA — ERDAS announces the release of a new version of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, which allows software developers to enable rapid and efficient file handling in the applications they create by including robust support for selected wavelet compression formats and protocols.

The ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK provides support for the visually-lossless ECW imagery format and the ECWP protocol. ERDAS’ Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) technology compresses bulky imagery files into manageable sizes, enabling faster processing and transfer of imagery and reducing the hardware investment required for the geospatial workflow. Using minimal memory, ECW can compress massive files to smaller sizes faster than other formats, while still preserving the quality of the images. ECW files can then be reopened quickly, in many cases faster than uncompressed imagery. Additionally, multi-resolution level of detail is built into the file, eliminating the need to generate or distribute pyramids or overviews. Enhanced Compression Wavelet Protocol (ECWP) allows streaming of ECW images, enabling rapid delivery of large quantities of imagery over the internet to thousands of users with standard server hardware of just eight cores or less. The SDK also provides support for the numerically-lossless JPEG2000, an ISO-certified compressed image format commonly used for geospatial imagery.

“Massive files are a fact of life in the geospatial industry, and as sensors evolve to collect more information and at higher resolutions, typical file sizes are steadily increasing. While any compression format can make a file somewhat smaller to save money on storage space, the highest hardware costs of dealing with large files result from the need to acquire extra memory and more expensive server technology. Organizations also experience a relentless drain on profit from the productivity reduction caused by a slow workflow,” said Mark Sheridan, Development Manager for the ECW SDK and Image Web Server, ERDAS. “Using ECW and ECWP, applications can compress, decompress and transfer files extremely fast with very little memory and standard server equipment, imparting a comprehensive cost reduction that other formats just cannot offer.”

New for Version 4.2, the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK is being offered as three different editions, with tool sets targeted specifically for either desktop or server applications. As in previous versions, the SDK is also available as a free, read-only edition that allows developers to sample the speed and power of ECW and ECWP before upgrading to one of the full editions. All editions of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK are compatible with Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, 2008, and 2010.

ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK Desktop Read-Only is a free product that provides software developers with tools to add read support for ECW, ECWP and JPEG2000 in their desktop applications.

ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK Desktop Read-Write provides software developers with tools to add read support for ECW, ECWP and JPEG2000 in their desktop applications. It also provides the tools to compress images into ECW and JPEG2000 data formats.

The newly released ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK Server Read-Write provides software developers with tools to enable server applications to read ECW, ECWP, and JPEG2000 data, serve ECW and JPEG2000 data, and compress images into the ECW and JPEG2000 data formats.

To learn more about the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, please visit the official product page or attend a free webinar on March 22nd.
For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.

ERDAS Desktop 2011 Version 11.0.2

From the ERDAS desktop product download pages.... Released March 2, 2011. ERDAS Desktop 2011 Version 11.0.2 provides fixes and enhancements to the ERDAS Desktop 2011 products (ERDAS IMAGINE 2011, LPS 2011, and ERDAS ER Mapper 2011) and requires at least one of the ERDAS Desktop 2011 products to be installed before this version can be installed. This version installs the fixes found in ERDAS Desktop 2011 Version 11.0.1, which is superseded and no longer available.

See: http://www.erdas.com/service/support/fixes_enhancements/ERDASIMAGINE2011.aspx

Ugraded ECW Version Support in GDAL

In earlier posts I mentioned work was being done to support the latest ECW SDKs in GDAL (see this link). That work is now complete and developers are using the tools. The v4.1 ECW/JP2 SDK has higher performance for both ECW and JP2 data and supports transparency.

Verison 4.2 of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK will be released soon. It contains a few fixes and introduces VC10 development support. GDAL is ready to support v4.2 when it is released.

Do remember, you must get a product license to use the ECW SDK with GDAL. Here is the product page: http://www.erdas.com/products/ERDASECWJPEG2000SDK/Details.aspx

Hexagon 2011 User Conference, Building a Smarter World June 6-9, 2011

Hexagon has announced Hexagon 2011 with the theme "Building a Smarter World." It will be held June 6 - 9, 2011 in Orlando, Florida USA. This international Conference will include Intergraph, ERDAS, Leica Geosystems, and Hexagon Metrology technologies.

See: http://www.hexagonconference.com/. There is a 1-minute video from Ola Rollén, and other customer interviews as well.

This conference fuses the multiple user conferences held by the separate geospatial entities into one conference, making for greater networking opportunities.

Some of you ERDAS folks remember the early 1990s when ERDAS had a solid user conference of its own drawing around 400 users. Now, Atlanta as a venue was OK (attending Braves baseball playoff) games in the evenings, but honestly Orlando is much more interesting.