Press Releases
LizardTech And Leica GeoSystems Announce Lossless MrSID Support In ERDAS IMAGINE®
April 23rd, 2003 – Seattle, WA – LizardTech Software and Leica Geosystems today have announced support for LizardTech’s lossless MrSID® technology into Leica Geosystems’ ERDAS IMAGINE product line. The latest mapping software vendor to support LizardTech’s next-generation lossless technology, Leica Geosystems’ ERDAS IMAGINE users now will be able to quickly and efficiently view and store original-quality imagery for feature classification, military applications, or other mission-critical mapping uses.
Incorporated into the recently released GeoExpress with MrSID version 3.0, lossless MrSID preserves images with pixel-for-pixel fidelity in a greatly compressed format-easily reusable in future applications. Once in lossless format, MrSID imagery can be re-purposed for fast easy distribution at any compression ratio.
Said Karen Morley, director of product management, geospatial imaging, at LizardTech, “Many of our customers are using Leica Geosystems’ products for image analysis and exploitation. The new Lossless MrSID file format will allow them to achieve greater accuracy while performing functions such as classification.”
“We are excited to be able to extend the benefits of incorporating lossless MrSID technology to our customers who use ERDAS IMAGINE,” said Ian Anderson, Senior Product Manager, Leica Geosystems. “With this added functionality, our customers can save processing and viewing time while retaining critical image accuracy requirements.”
ERDAS IMAGINE products supporting both the latest lossless and previous versions of MrSID include versions 8.6 (released December 2003) and 8.5. IMAGINE MrSID lossless support is immediately available via a downloadable .dll file from the Leica Geosystems Web site. Future ERDAS IMAGINE releases will incorporate native viewing for both MrSID Generation 2 and Generation 3 image formats. The MrSID download is available here.
Lossless Encoding Increases Image Accuracy
Lossless MrSID is wavelet-based imaging technology that dramatically increases the value of geospatial data by making it more accessible and useful while maintaining the highest level of quality and accuracy.Lossless technology maintains numeric pixel fidelity between original and encoded imagery, enabling geospatial imagery to be used in new applications, on more devices and across more networks.In addition, it provides dramatic reductions in the cost of storing, sharing and using geospatial information.
Automatic Mosaicking Saves Image Creation Time
In addition to the lossless data capability, advanced mosaicking features included in GeoExpress allow users to easily create a single mosaic automatically from multiple sources.In an industry-first, organizations that update imagery, such as governments, data providers and civil engineering firms, will be able to update existing MrSID mosaics without re-encoding. They will also be able to mosaic existing tiled MrSID images into a seamless MrSID mosaic, automatically.Together, these benefits will save time and reduce storage needs.
About Leica Geosystems
Leica Geosystems is a surveying and geomatics technology group with a tradition of providing unique systems for accurate 3D data capturing, visualization and modeling of space-related data. Known for its software and hardware technological advances, Leica Geosystems has expanded its surveying and geomatics technology product areas to offer a line of GIS and mapping solutions. With its robust line of aerial cameras, workstations, and imaging and photogrammetry software from LH Systems and ERDAS, Leica Geosystems now offers a wide range of systems for mapping professionals including GIS, production photogrammetrists, engineers, and remote sensing analysts.
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 about LizardTech, visit www.lizardtech.com.
About Celartem
Celartem Technology Inc. http://www.celartem.com develops and sells innovative technologies for storage, access and distribution of rich media content. Celartem has developed technology in the areas of digital image compression, scalable image viewing and secure content distribution and management. Celartem is listed on the Osaka Securities Exchange, JASDAQ: 4330. Established in 1996, Celartem is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan and has a wholly owned subsidiary, Celartem Inc. d.b.a. LizardTech with headquarters in Portland, OR.
