February 2007 | SOCET SET | Software update
SOCET SET v5.4 features NGATE — the future of terrain extraction
Enhancements to SOCET SET v5.4, to be released in early spring 2007, include the same NGATE and grid processing functionality planned for SOCET GXP v3.0.
NGATE
Dr. Bingcai Zhang
Last quarter, we unveiled development efforts under way for a new SOCET SET module, NGATE, led by GXP’s Dr. Bingcai Zhang. We are now excited to announce that NGATE will be available in the forthcoming SOCET SET v5.4 release.
NGATE’s performance has exceeded our expectations. Originally, we were scheduled to introduce NGATE in SOCET GXP, our next generation software package. However, with the excellent results we’ve seen, we have decided to include it with SOCET SET as well, so that all of our users can experience the quality, high-resolution terrain output generated from NGATE.
While SOCET SET’s Automatic Terrain Extraction (ATE) feature works well with natural terrain, NGATE is far superior in extracting structures such as buildings in urban areas. NGATE is designed to work with both natural terrain and urban areas by employing a hybrid matching process. DTMs of urban areas generated from NGATE need very little editing.
Some of the benefits of NGATE include the following:
- On small to medium scale imagery, DTM editing is minimal
- On large scale imagery in urban areas, DTM editing is significantly reduced
- On large scale imagery in natural terrain, DTM editing is minimal
- Building edges are preserved
- Water bodies are flattened
- Streets and featureless areas are precisely modelled
The main cost of DTM generation is manual editing: NGATE reduces editing time significantly.
For details about NGATE, http://www.socetgxp.com.
Grid Processing
Grid processing, using the Condor® (http://www.cs.wisc.edu/condor/) grid computing software for distributed processing, will be available in SOCET SET v5.4 for the complex tasks of TFRD decompression and VQ compression for the CIB and DPPDB production workflows (SOCET SET Controlled Image Base® Format Production Module, which uses MIL-PRF-89041, 15 May 1999 format specifications and SOCET SET Digital Point Positioning Data Base Format Production Module, which uses MIL-PRF-89034, March 1999 format specifications).
Grid processing will be expanded to increase performance of the CPU-intensive tasks ATE, NGATE and Orthomosaic (Mosaic Manager). Currently, each of these applications uses multiple CPUs within a single computer or server for distributed processing, but v5.4.1 will take advantage of unused network resources to break up the processing. Documentation on the performance improvements for multi-CPU processing of orthomosaics can be found at http://www.socetgxp.com.
SOCET SET and ArcGIS® 9.2 integrated
With the launch of SOCET SET v5.4, ESRI’s ArcGIS 9.2 software, which debuted in November 2006, will be integrated fully with SOCET SET. ArcGIS 9.2 includes new productivity tools, data visualization and analysis capabilities, sophisticated cartographic tools, high-precision coordinate storage, and expanded support for standards. According to Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI, “This is one of the biggest, most significant software releases in ESRI’s history. Version 9.2 represents a major advance in improving the tools that make GIS professionals more productive.”
Other SOCET SET v5.4 updates
Both new releases of SOCET GXP and SOCET SET will support the NextView sensors, GeoEye™-1 and WorldView 1, 0.5 meter resolution satellites, scheduled for launch in late spring 2007. And SOCET SET v5.4.0 will be included in the IEC 6.1 baseline.