Release of V6.60 TNT products

MicroImages is pleased to distribute V6.60 of the TNT products, which is the 51st release of TNTmips. It provides new capabilities for direct use of external files in views and other analyses, building landscape files for real-time 3D viewing, and mapping point densities into a raster. TNTatlas for Windows has been completed. TNTsim3D for Windows and the Mosaic process have had major additions and 193 new feature requests submitted by clients and MicroImages’ staff were implemented. A summary of the new capabilities provided in V6.60 are listed below.

• Automatically Use External Files: Directly select and use, without conversion, shapefiles, TAB, MrSID, ECW, TIFF, or GeoTIFF external files as layers in a composite view, as input to an analysis process, or for import. Intermix these external geodata files in these activities with objects from a Project File.

• Large Display Windows: Select that the large virtual view window should automatically scale to the maximum extent of all layers or the active layer or that it should scale 1:1 to show every pixel in the active layer.

• Faster Views: A 2 by 2 pyramid layer for rasters can now be created to accelerate views that will select this layer. All processes now optimize vector objects for zoomed in views. Optimization has been extended to accelerate label location in zoomed in views. Filling islands is much faster.

• Real-Time 3D Simulation: TNTsim3D for Windows can be used with DirectX or OpenGL. It is now much more robust, and individual frames are equal in quality to static 3D views and better than movies. Image smoothing can be used to smooth big pixels in the foreground. Smoothing and the application of fog and haze reduce sparkle at the horizon. Use keys to toggle view from pilot (forward), to passenger (left and right), bombardier (nadir or straight down), or rear gunner (rear) views. 3D compass provides orientation.

• Landscape Builder: A new TNTmips process to produce a Project File optimized for real-time use in TNTsim3D. Choose any raster object of any data type for the surface, or terrain, raster object. Choose any combination of raster, vector, CAD, TIN, and supported external files for combination into the texture, or drape, raster object. This process uses the familiar selection, query, symbol, style, projection reconciliation, attributes, and other powerful geospatial management features in similar fashion to those in the static 3D viewer.

• TNTatlas for Windows: FREE TNTatlas for Windows is now equivalent in functionality to TNTatlas for X. An installation program is provided using the familiar InstallShield.

• Improved Mosaicking: Automatically, cosmetically repair narrow under-lapping seams or small holes (gap filling). Use a reference raster to set the cell size, contrast, and georeferencing. Georeferencing and control of contrast are improved.

• Tracing while Editing: When vector elements are being drawn or edited, they can be extended by tracing portions of elements from other layers.

• Reference Views while Editing: Open additional GeoLocked views in the Spatial Data Editor for reference purposes.

• Hough Transform: Application of the Hough Transform and its inverse are now much more interactive and include viewing the results over a reference raster.

• Point Density Mapping: This new process maps the occurrence of all points or points selected by query from a vector object into a continuous raster object of their density distribution.

• Mattes: Select many different border types and colors for a group, such as a legend group. Fill these boxes with a color matte. Add a neat line or border around the whole map (layout). Use CartoScripts to draw custom borders.

• HTML-based TNTclient: This client now provides an interface panel through which end users can draw points, lines, or polygons on a view, complete a form for their attributes, save them locally, and insert them into a vector layer in the atlas being used by the TNTserver.

• TNTserver: TNTserver is now V3.00, which accepts and manages the remote entry of elements and attributes into a vector object.

• Easy Windows Installation: All TNT products for Windows (except TNTserver) now use the familiar InstallShield wizard product.

• Global Searching: The Online Reference Manual and all the Getting Started Booklets have a composite index and can all be globally searched and then accessed from the Help menu using Adobe Acrobat Reader.

• Getting Started Booklets: 7 new Getting Started Booklets are available as well as expanded versions of 5 existing booklets.

• Mac OS X: TNTmips, TNTedit, and TNTview are supported for Mac OS 10.1 using Apple’s Aqua interface and will be shipped in January as V6.60 when software authorization key support is implemented.

Installation for Windows

MicroImages has licensed and now uses InstallShield for the installation of V6.60 for all TNT products on Windows based platforms (all TNT X server and Windows versions except TNTserver). Installation via InstallShield is commonly used for most products for any version of Microsoft Windows. Some of the advantages of this new procedure are:

• TNT components are automatically installed into the Microsoft approved locations,

• Microsoft libraries (DLLs) required by the TNT products are updated automatically.

From a technical viewpoint the DLL management issue is very important. In 2 prior TNT releases, difficulties were experienced on older versions of Windows that resulted from MicroImages’ assumption that your system DLLs would be current. In one case, every single person at MicroImages, at home, and elsewhere who tested the prerelease software used a system that also had the latest version of Microsoft Internet Explorer installed. Installing this version of Explorer updated system DLLs that were used in the preparation of that release and were required to operate it. Alas, some clients were not using Explorer, were not keeping it current, and were using an older version of Windows. As a result, these clients could not run that version of the TNT products until they obtained the revised DLL and used it to patch their version of Microsoft Windows.

InstallShield is closely coupled with the operation of all versions of Windows. Its installation preparation kit contains all the various past and present DLLs and other required modifications for various versions of Windows. When MicroImages use this kit to prepare the TNT products for installation, it determines which versions of DLLs and other upgrades have been used and adds them to the CD. Subsequently, when you install the TNT products or any other product with InstallShield, it first scans your system to see which DLLs and other upgrades are required and automatically makes these modifications. InstallShield relies upon Microsoft to insure that all these modifications are backward compatible with all the other applications you have previously installed.

Product Licenses

A new MicroImages MEMO entitled TNT Licenses and dated 1 December 2001 is enclosed to describe the types of licenses available for the operation of MicroImages’ commercial TNT geospatial analysis products: TNTmips, TNTedit, and TNTview. Attached to that MEMO to clarify how these licenses operate and are controlled are the 5 color diagrams entitled:

Please note that a floating license is not, and will not become, available for the TNTserver product. TNTserver requires a software authorization key to be attached directly to the Windows platform upon which it is operating.

MicroImages now uses InstallShield to automatically install an additional small License Configuration program for the management of any licenses to all the TNT products on Windows based platforms (all TNT X server and Windows versions except TNTserver). This program appears on the same Windows menu as your TNT product (see Start/Programs/MicroImages/TNT Products 6.6/License Configuration). This program will open the TNT Products License Configuration window providing the following options for selecting the control device for the license you are using:

For various reasons you may occasionally want to start up the TNTlite version of your professional TNT product. For example, if you are preparing geodata for someone else to use in TNTlite, you will want to check to see how it operates. Or, you have removed your software authorization license key to take it home or elsewhere. Prior to V6.60, removing the key would simply produce an error message when you attempted to start the lite version of your products. You had to find and alter the appropriate line in your tnthost.ini file to start your TNT products in lite mode. Then, later when the key was reattached, you would have to edit the tnthost.ini file again. All this was very inconvenient. Now you can simply use this new License Configuration window to toggle on the “Free TNTlite license” option and from that time onward, you can start any TNT product in lite mode whether the key remains attached or is removed. To switch back to starting up into your professional TNT product, simply reopen this License Configuration window and select the option that identifies the port where your software authorization key is attached.

If you are setting up a Windows platform with a fixed license use either the “License key on parallel (LPT) or USB port” or the “License key on serial port” options depending upon the kind of software authorization key you have chosen. This program detects which COM ports are active (COM1, COM2, COM3, …) and presents them in a list for your selection. Remember, the recommended USB key can be moved between Windows and Mac 9.x platforms and simply selected in this panel to immediately convert the TNTlite version of a product to run in the TNTpro mode. Using this new program and options, a fixed license, and a USB key makes it very easy to move a TNT professional product around in a classroom equipped with many TNTlites for routine practice.

Use this new License Configuration window to set up a networked Windows platform to run the TNT products as a concurrent user of a floating license. First install the TNT products from the V6.60 CD onto the local machine. Then use this window on the local machine to specify the name of the network server that is dispensing the virtual software license keys for the TNT products (see virtual key concept on the color plates attached to the MicroImages MEMO entitled TNT Licenses). When a TNT product is started, it will then connect to the floating license server to obtain a virtual key. Since the TNT software has been installed locally, if no virtual key is available, the machine can use this same panel as described above to switch to lite mode to run the product.

More advanced automated network approaches can be set up to bypass the need to use a CD to install the TNT products on a client machine via a concurrent license. A network administrator can set up copies of the TNT products for each platform (Windows, LINUX, UNIX, and soon Mac OS X). When it is decided to install (or update) the TNT products on a client machine, the appropriate version for that platform can be downloaded and installed locally. The advantages of this approach are that all types of platforms can be more easily served (you don’t have to hunt around for the appropriate CD) and upgrades can be much more easily handled. You are already familiar with this approach for programs you obtain via the Internet.

Modifying your software authorization key (fixed or floating) uses the License Configuration window. Use it when you have ordered any of the following changes:

• converting from TNTview to TNTedit or TNTedit to TNTmips, and

Simply select “Apply feature option code” from this window, which will present the Apply option code window where you can fill in the authorization code provided by MicroImages. The program will then use this code to program your software authorization key to permit the operation of your new features or products.

IMPORTANT: If you order upgrades of any TNT product (except TNTserver) before the CDs are mastered for that version, do not request an authorization code. The CD for that version will automatically reprogram your key when you install from it.

MicroImages is evaluating new HASP parallel and USB software authorization keys from Aladdin (see illustrations at ealaddin.com) for all TNT products. These keys look similar to the parallel and USB keys currently purchased from Rainbow Technologies (rainbow.com). They would also be used and supported in the same fashion as the current keys. One advantage of these HASP keys is that they come with improved design and software drivers, which would provide the basis for better cross platform movement of your TNT products. Furthermore, Rainbow is consistently slow and late in providing drivers to support new developments in hardware and operating systems, such as Mac OS X (via its underlying UNIX base) or for USB on LINUX. To maintain backward compatibility, MicroImages will add support for the new keys in parallel to that which is used for the current keys. However, if these new keys perform as advertised, it will be possible to move your TNT professional products freely between Windows, Mac OS X, and LINUX platforms using a USB key and with a parallel key between Windows and LINUX (the legacy parallel port is not available on Macs). Since the price of the TNT products is the same for all these platforms, MicroImages is planning to implement this flexibility for you.

Mac OS X

V6.60 of the TNT products will be released for Mac 10.1 platforms in January 2002.

No major image processing or GIS product is available for use with Mac OS X. Kodak (alias ENVI) has announced that the IDL language is not being ported to Mac OS X (see http://www.rsinc.com/pr/lettertomac.asp). Since IDL is the cross platform support for the ENVI product, this means that ENVI will not be available for Mac OS X except when run in the Classic 9.x mode. With the exit of ENVI, no other vendor of the major components of geospatial analysis currently offers support of the Mac OS X platform. As a result, when released in January, the TNT products will be the only complete geospatial analysis product available for use with Mac OS X.

When Mac OS X (V10.0) was released, MicroImages was able, with minor modifications, to compile all the TNT library and processing functions. This posed no special requirements as Mac OS X is built on a UNIX base, as are the TNT products. Unfortunately, Mac 10.0 was not complete, robust, fast, or sufficiently widely installed to warrant the release of the TNT products for direct operation in this new operating system. Furthermore, an earlier release would have necessitated that MicroImages devote software engineering time to creating an X server for this purpose when it was clear that several other X server development efforts were underway, including 1 from the Open Source community. Finally, Rainbow, the manufacturer of USB software authorization key used with the TNT products, still has not released the required UNIX/LINUX support of their USB key.

The underlying UNIX derivation of Mac OS X implied that good X servers would be much more important than for use with Mac 9.x and would probably be created in the public domain by the Open Source community. Concurrent with the release of Mac 10.1, the Darwin Open Source X server has matured into a free, reliable X server that has been compiled and tested for use with the TNT products. It is free and can be given away for use with TNTlite, which was another important consideration. Since its source is available and MicroImages is familiar with coding X servers, it can be maintained and even modified in the future if necessary.

An attractive window manager called OroborOSX is also available as Open Source and presents each X window and dialog (including each in the TNT interface) as a separate window. Using this window manager, the TNT interface automatically looks and operates as if it is a native Mac 10.1 application directly using the native Aqua window manager. In other words, even though an X server is being used, the TNT user interface looks and functions like a native Mac 10.1 application. Also the Mac OS X is now multi-tasking and can run the TNT products at the same time as other applications. As a result, the operation of the TNT products can be concurrent with other applications and all these products’ system and interface components intermixed and accessed as expected.

Mac OS X uses Unicode encoded fonts. Thus, the TNT products for Mac OS 10.1 used in your language will automatically use the same resource files as the Windows platforms to convert the TNT interface into your language. So far Apple has released Mac 10.1 in Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Hangul Korean, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, and Spanish. Since Adobe Acrobat Reader 5 is also available for Mac 10.1, the Getting Started Booklets, the Online Reference Manual, and the new indexes to them will also automatically be available in English. The use of the available translated versions of the Getting Started Booklets via Acrobat Reader has not yet been investigated.

Aladdin’s HASP USB key has been selected for use with the Mac 10.1 product (see illustrations at ealaddin.com). It can be programmed to control TNT operations on Microsoft Windows and LINUX platforms. Thus, this single USB key permits the interchange and operation of your TNT product on Mac OS 10.1, Windows, and LINUX.

MicroImages’ floating license, like almost every other floating license, uses a FLEXlm license manager purchased from GLOBEtrotter software. FLEXlm was never made available for Mac 9.x or earlier Mac systems as it operates in the background on multi-tasking systems, which these were not. Thus, MicroImages’ floating license does not permit a concurrent user to work from Mac 9.x stations. Mac OS X is a multi-tasking UNIX based operating system and is fully supported by FLEXlm. As a result, a TNT floating license can be used from a Mac 10.1 platform on that network. It is now even possible for a Mac 10.1 station to host the FLEXlm license manager and the TNT software authorization key associated with it.

Prices for the TNT products for Mac 10.1 will be the same as for Windows, Mac 9.x and other platforms. Those who purchased a TNT product for use with Windows or Mac 9.x can subsequently change to a USB key that will permit their software authorization key and TNT product to be moved between Mac 10.x, Windows, and LINUX. The charge for this key exchange will be $100, which includes shipment to you by DHL air express.

V6.60 of the TNT products will operate in the 9.x classic mode under Mac OS X or directly in 9.x. Be sure to use the latest Mac OS 9.2.1 if you are using the classic mode with Mac 10.1.

MicroImages recommends booting directly into Mac OS 9.x to use V6.60 of the TNT products on a Mac OS X platform.

V6.60 will also operate if you are using a Mac equipped only with Mac 8.x or 9.x. If you are using these versions we recommend updating to Mac 8.6 or Mac 9.2.1.

V6.70 of the TNT products will be the last update released for Mac 8.x or 9.x.

Advances in the TNT products will be frozen for the older legacy versions of Mac with the release of V6.70. At that time MicroImages’ software development efforts will be focused upon operation of the TNT products directly in Mac 10.1. After that, only V6.70 and corrections for the TNT products will be available for the older Mac 8.x and 9.x.

If you are using V6.60 or V6.70 directly in Mac 8.x and 9.x, you will be able to move your license and operation of the TNT products to Mac 10.1. There will be no change in your TNT product price or license. However, as noted above, Mac 10.1 will require a change in the manufacturer and model of the USB software authorization key. This key exchange will be at no charge for the new key for those using the current USB key with Mac 9.x. MicroImages will ship this new key to you or your dealer in advance of the return of your current key with it authorized for 15 days of operation. This limitation will be removed with a code number supplied by MicroImages when your original key is returned to MicroImages. This overlap period will permit you to avoid gaps in your operation of the TNT products.

Editorial and Associated News [by Dr. Lee D. Miller, President]

Any organization, large or small, that is seriously involved in time-critical geospatial analysis and geodata mining is making a large commitment of time and money. Over the past 20 to 30 years, GIS, remote sensing, data mining, computer cartography, spatial RDBMS, Internet delivery, personal computers, and other components have been adopted piecemeal. Today all these pieces of the technological puzzle are required in a successful program. As a result, almost all organizations are using systems that were not engineered into place, they were assembled piecemeal often by various individual’s initiative, skills, or alas, only by their authority. A good review of how this happed in one organization can be found in the following scientific paper. This paper critically reviews the piecemeal evolution of the management of geospatial analysis systems using New South Wales Department of Natural Resources as a model.

Long Term Management of a Corporate GIS. Tai O. Chan and Ian P. Williamson. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 2000. Vol. 14, No. 3. pp. 283-303.

Abstract: The GIS literature abounds with strategies to guide the development of a corporate GIS as a single project but lacks discussion on the long term management of the GIS. This paper documents a recent study into GIS development in a state department over an 18-year period. It applies the productional perspective of GIS to model long term GIS development diagrammatically and identifies five patterns of GIS development. The outcomes reveal some long term characteristics of a corporate GIS, based on which a three-stage approach is developed to guide the long term development of an ideal corporate GIS.

A reprint of this paper can be ordered in PDF format from http://rosina.catchword.com/ vl=29983727/cl=50/nw=1/rpsv/catchword/tandf/13658816/v14n3/s5/p283

Gradually, all these pieces begin to show up in the organization’s “technology” budget, often second only in magnitude to the central database oriented IT budget. In larger organizations, the piecemeal activities gradually coalesce into separate service oriented remote sensing and GIS departments, which begin to compete with corporate IT departments for serious funds. Eventually, top management takes note of this, especially when a merger takes place or during a recession when corporate or national budgets shrink. When they finally critically review the cost of these operations versus their perceived worth, they are found wanting because they are expensive and not yet perceived as essential, strategic, or contributing to their profits. Their decision is then simple and easy, close down these groups and departments and outsource essential services of this type. Typical examples of this process are the almost complete demise of the large oil companies remote sensing departments in the 1980s and the disappearance of the remote sensing and GIS departments from major mining companies starting in the mid 1990s and just running now to completion. Alas, there are still many organizations, especially in governments and their militaries, that are headed down this same path. Unfortunately, it is not easy to eliminate or even change these kinds of institutionalized activities even if they are clearly proven to be ineffective and inefficient. For example, I have had numerous accurate reports of national government mapping organizations that have had major commitments to computer map production programs for 20 years and have never produced a single map or serious computer mapping project. The value of these programs is easy to judge.

The effectiveness of groups who are producing geospatial products can also be systematically examined to determine their efficiency and cost effectiveness. These programs should be well aware that in a future time of financial duress or reorganization, they may be subjected to careful analysis from the outside. They would benefit, as would those contemplating involvement in geospatial analysis for the first time, from performing a careful systems analysis of the most cost effective approach. Unfortunately, due to the many special interests involved, a fair analysis is difficult to conduct if done internally or even if contracted out.

What follows is a report based upon a careful system analysis review of the software procedures of a government agency already heavily involved in the time-critical production of paper maps and beginning to produce companion CD products. This study was conducted by a major international engineering contractor to that agency. This contractor is responsible for the assembly of the Windows based systems and software currently being used, the systems level control procedures for the activity, and the design of future improved solutions. The contractor is concerned with all aspects of the process, but since this is a complex, mission critical program, their focus is more on the time than the cost. Also important is the reduction of the complexity of the process as this has a serious indirect cost in the availability of skilled operators, the time to train them, their retention, and the quality of their products—all of which significantly impact on the ability of this agency who directly employs the analysts to react to changes in demand by scaling the production up or down.

The contractor conducting the review below already uses its own specialized image processing software modules in the existing workflows, which require software from 10 additional outside commercial software vendors. The results of their system analysis of the existing workflow shows that without changing their modules an improved workflow has been achieved and additional products produced using only 5 software products from other vendors. I have used bracketed changes [changes] to make this review anonymous and to add my clarifications. Also, to maintain the sources anonymity, it is not possible to include the color workflow diagram referred to in this communication. As noted, the existing system, referred to here as the [E&E system], uses 11 software products made up of 4 primary software collections from ESRI, ERDAS, this contractor, and a workflow management package with 7 minor specialized software products from other vendors. The proposed system, referred to here as the [TNT system], uses 6 software products made up of 3 primary software components consisting of TNTmips, this contractor’s components, and the workflow management package with 3 minor specialized software products from other vendors. In both approaches the minor software products are for such activities as writing out a CD, network software, and data management.

It appears that our process model efforts to compare the production workflow using ERDAS Imagine and ESRI ArcInfo vs. TNTmips is paying off. We have won support from key [government personnel] who were impressed with our ability to create “vector with attributes” maps. In the past, all digital maps were annotated graphics with no attribute information nor actual vector data in real world coordinates. We were able to show the customer not only an improvement in the production process but also an advancement in data delivery.

The results of our efforts and recent confirmations should be an actual order for TNTmips from [our company], with a corresponding deployment order to [replace all E&E systems] (a potential order of ~100 licenses). This will take ~18 months to accomplish but I thought you would like to know everything is a go.

I am pushing to get a draft of our process comparison methodology published because of the innovative way we were able to compare “apples” to “apples” in the geospatial software selections.

Attached is a windows bitmap [not included here] of the two procedures; the alternative [TNT system] is in the top section and the existing [E&E system] in the bottom. It is zoomed out intentionally to obscure the details. The process model diagram is characterized by colored horizontal “swim lanes” each representing a software product needed during map production. Vertical dotted lines across the top represent “phases” or functions of the production process such as feature extraction, attribution, map composition, etc.

Notice that there are 10 phases for both workflows, representing that the functional concepts have remained identical. However, a count of the swim lanes reveals that alternative has 6 software packages vs. 11 needed in the existing process [E&E system]. Next, count the flowchart boxes and find 72 on the alternative [TNT system] but 87 flowchart boxes on the existing [E&E system]. That means the alternative process eliminated several steps and software packages in the new process. But more significantly, each flowchart box in the existing process [E&E system] has a duration associated with it documented from actual cartographers experience; and thus we are able to compare how long each flowchart step takes to complete. By simulating the process model and running several thousand simulations we can see if the normal distribution of our simulated process roughly matched the experience of the map makers.

With the existing production simulated, we turned to prototyping the alternative and recorded the amount of time needed for each flowchart step. We were able to focus on real bottlenecks to production and recommend alternatives that produced huge reductions in map production time. [This writer has verbally noted that the existing process required 1100 work hours while the streamlined process requires 110 work hours.]

These comparisons were the first time the customer has looked at how they make maps and how the software choice they make affects their production and delivery ability. The method of comparison was so radical many did not believe our comparison. Others are trying to shoot down the comparison because of the embarrassing realty that the existing process was never really engineered. It was just made up by cartographers with skills in [the existing] software.

There are limitations to the depth of our comparison, but we have successfully demonstrated for the first time in over several years of my involvement that engineering analysis, when done fairly and openly, produces compelling indications that the biggest brand name software doesn’t mean you have the best process.

It has been shown that many of the customers so-called map making gurus are simply exceptionally skilled “GIS” types whose breadth of experience is really limited by the collection of software tools at their disposal. Their attempts at processes may or may not be engineered well.

By designing process models that can directly compare identical functional phases against software steps needed to complete it, we are able to take an “apples” to “apples” look at judging software.

This analysis provides a clear example of the benefits that result from replacing a loosely assembled, multi-vendor collection of software with an integrated geospatial analysis product supplemented by special purpose software. In this example, each product set will be produced in 3 weeks by 1 operator (110 hours) instead of 10 operators (1100 hours). This will produce an order of magnitude increase in production or a major reduction in costs. The number of software products involved is reduced by 1/2, thus correspondingly increasing the reliability of the system while decreasing system installation, maintenance, and operator training time.

All our efforts in geospatial analysis are eventually focused upon the production of geomedia. We all have some end user to reach, such as a client, supervisor, professor, board, or … sometimes its just ourselves as we plan our next step or make a final decision. What good are all these analyses if others can not access and understand them? Only recently have articles appeared that acknowledge that those involved in geospatial analysis are in the media business as we “sell” our results and ideas. We may “sell” using PowerPoint presentations, paper maps, reports with plates, CDs, web sites, or on-screen simulations in 2D, 3D static, or 3D real time simulations.

GIS as media? Daniel Z. Sui and Michael F. Goodchild. Guest Editorial. International Journal of Geographical Information Science. 2001. Vol. 15, No. 5. pp. 387-390.

A reprint of this paper can be ordered in PDF format from http://alidoro.catchword.com/ vl=3170614/cl=15/nw=1/rpsv/catchword/tandf/13658816/v15n5/s1/p387

Forty years ago as a student member of the American Society of Photogrammetry (now American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing [ASPRS]), I was proud of the quality of their Photogrammetric Engineering publication (now Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing). However, I recall wondering why they put so much money into producing a high quality monthly publication relative to those of other professional societies. Gradually I came to the awareness that this was because they had something to sell—the content of the high quality images that made up this publication. These editors realized that they were not going to convince anyone of the usefulness of photo interpretation by publishing low quality reproductions of the images that accompanied their articles.

It has taken the first 15+ years of the operation of MicroImages to realize that we are ultimately in the business of producing tools that put you into the media business. Initially, we (and still some of our new buyers of today) focused upon the implementation of low-cost, desktop image interpretation, GIS, and map production tools. Gradually these evolved into a broad-based, comprehensive package for geospatial analysis. As TNT technical applications and implementation strategies improved, you, by your requests for new features, defined the media aspects of the TNT products. Certainly you still ask for a wide variety of specific analysis features and improved performance, but your common theme is for improved support for the production of geomedia.

Many new media components have been added to your desktop computer environment and provide new opportunities for the distribution of our geomedia. These include large format printers, fast display boards, dual/multiple displays, huge drives, ubiquitous fast CD units coupled with personal CD writers, high speed Internet access, projectors… All of these are now readily available worldwide at low cost. Many of you now use several or all of these media technologies to distribute the results of your geospatial analysis. It is often the quality of your geomedia presentation that distinguishes your results from those of others. Your access to these new and improved technologies has prompted MicroImages to try to satisfy your expectations for their operation in the TNT products. As a result, a significant portion of our current efforts is focused upon satisfying your requirements for superior media distribution of your superior project results.

The realization that MicroImages and you are in the geomedia business and the need to show the relationships that exist in the several fine TNT products are illustrated in the diagram entitled Your Complete Geomedia Solution, which is attached to the enclosed MicroImages MEMO entitled TNT Licenses. This diagram illustrates the current relationships between the TNT geospatial analysis and geomedia products. Perhaps this diagram will help you review the many excellent, free, end user media options that are available for the publication of your results.

Earlier versions of the TNT products addressed your geomedia publishing needs by moving the results of your geospatial analysis into other media by exporting your results, for example, export to PDF, Illustrator, TIFF, GIF, VRML, … formats and the creation of MPEG, and AVI movies and other standard media formats. Let us review the progress over the last year in V6.50 and V6.60 toward directly meeting your special geomedia requirements as a function of the desktop devices that enable each opportunity.

You have limited or no geomedia options if your language can not be used in your geomedia. By its very nature, media is for public consumption and requires the use of your public’s language.

V6.50. All TNT products were converted to use TrueType. This provided for your access to the widest selection of fonts in your language for the operation of the TNT products, for TNTatlas distribution, and for map production.

V6.60. Provides continous incremental improvements in the support of your language and adds new languages.

Competitive Status. The TNT products support more languages at no extra cost than any other similar product in any price range.

CDs are the principal media by which large geodata sets can be created for distribution. TNTatlas is unique in that without cost it provides an organized structure for distribution of geodata together with quantitative geospatial analysis tools.

V6.50. You were first introduced to TNTatlas for Windows as a standalone prototype (no X server required). Since this is a free geomedia product, it can be prepared for distribution using TNTmips on any platform. You created and distributed various prototype atlases with this product.

V6.60. TNTatlas for Windows is now fully featured and can be used to create one or many CDs containing your FREE TNTatlas for Windows. You or your user can run these in a familiar Windows fashion completely from the CD, use the familiar Windows installation procedure to install the TNTatlas program only, or install everything—the program and geodata—to a hard drive.

Competitive Status. TNTatlas is not a geodata viewer but a FREE quantitative GIS and image interpretation product that is relatively easily used in your language. There is no other product with which TNTatlas can even be compared!

Fast CD readers are now required standard equipment so that anyone with a computer can use your TNTatlas.

V6.60. The new TNTatlas for Windows can be operated completely from your CD without any installation. Simply select its icon on the CD to start it up from the CD.

Competitive Status. You do not even have to install TNTatlas for Windows to use it from the CD.

Viewing ever larger geodata sets is the most basic geomedia application. Many now build up very large geodata sets so they can provide “any view, anywhere, anytime.” Efficiently handling such massive geodata has long been a TNT specialty, since our products were originally designed for high performance on limited desktop computers.

V6.50. Video recording has recently become the driving force in the development of larger, low-cost hard drives. SML now permits the frame-by-frame production of the content of MPEG and AVI movies from your geodata. Applications include the collection of external data from sensors or changing databases for use in controlling what will appear in a frame and how it will appear.

V6.60. Large rasters, primarily images, are being distributed in MrSID and ECW format. Even compressed GeoTIFF images are getting large. To avoid duplicating these materials within a Project File, they can now be directly viewed and used in TNT products and processes. Only a few-second time penalty occurs the first time a raster in this format is viewed. Very large geographical data sets are also being created in TNT or elsewhere and, thus, ESRI’s shapefiles and MapInfo TAB files can now also be directly viewed and used. However, due to the simple structures of these files, under some circumstances their direct viewing in their source product’s format or as linked in the TNT products can be very slow.

Competitive Status. The TNT products provide more import/export capabilities than any other general-purpose product. Now widely used formats can even be directly used. However, at least 1 other product directly uses more external formats.

Most of you now have access to a large format color printer in your office, on your network, or via a service bureau. It has become commonplace to bring geodata into TNTmips to produce large maps in your language.

V6.50. You are preparing progressively more complex legends for your maps, which was improved in this version.

V6.60. Now you can easily apply borders and matte backgrounds to any group in a map, such as a legend block, and add a variety of neat lines around your map’s content.

Competitive Status. This is hard to judge as its more a matter of how easy it is to prepare an acceptable map product than what it looks like. TNTmips is used to finish large maps created in other products and the reverse is not reported. However, Adobe Illustrator is also used to finish more elaborate maps started in the TNT products.

The PC game industry has promoted the use of fast display boards with independent memory and bypasses most of the operating system using DirectX or OpenGL (Open Graphics Language). As the use of these features for games becomes standard in PCs, your geospatial results can be presented in realistic simulations. The most important aspect of your use of the simulations (versus playing games or movies) is their geographic control since they are using georeference materials.

V6.50. Large virtual displays were introduced by means of the X server permitting rapid views of any size at the specified scale.

This version also first introduced the standalone TNTsim3D product for use on Windows platforms. It supported only DirectX for your display board.

V6.60. TNTsim3D for Windows now uses a new Landscape Builder process to build a texture layer and a surface layer. These layers are loaded by TNTsim3D, and you can fly over them using your board’s DirectX or OpenGL support. This Landscape Builder uses the same powerful TNT Geospatial Rendering Engine (GRE) and, thus, provides all the features you already use in constructing your 2D or static 3D views: all objects, projection reconciliation, resampling, contrast improvement, queries on vector elements, …

Competitive Status. Large virtual displays appear to be unique to the TNT products. Alas, we are behind others in preparing simulations. However, TNTsim3D is not an expensive option and is included as a standard component of every TNTmips, TNTedit, and TNTview. The new Landscape Builder provides powerful, efficient access to the geodata used since it is based upon the TNT Geospatial Rendering Engine.

Access to the Internet using a connection faster than a modem is gradually becoming common in urban areas around the world. This means that publishing your geospatial materials on your own web site is another geomedia option.

V6.60. TNTserver 3.0 now provides support for remote clients to draw point, line, and polygon features on any view and complete the database record associated with them. These elements are added by TNTserver to the vector object associated with them.

Competitive Status. There are excellent competing commercial and public domain products that are widely used. Key features of TNTserver are that it is based upon materials produced in the TNT products, data is introduced in the same TNTatlas structure, and the price is lower than competing commercial products.

Worldwide public access continues to expand but often uses low speed modems. Delivering geomedia views to everyone requires careful crafting of the client software they must use.

V6.60. The new HTML-based TNTclient and standalone HTML-based TNTbrowser provide the same features as their Java-based TNT equivalents. However, they are much smaller and, thus, download in an acceptable period via a modem or cell phone device. Furthermore, for security reasons, many organizations will not permit their staff to access the network using Java or other network protocols. They restrict their users to simple HTML access. Users from these sites can now access and use TNTserver sites with the new HTML-based TNTclient or TNTbrowser.

Competitive Status. There are a myriad of clients, tools, approaches, and strategies available on the Internet, so comparisons are difficult—who is the client, what kind of network access do they have, how patient are they, and on and on. However, keeping a map client simple in appearance while providing many features is the challenge. HTML is familiar to everyone and all standard browsers and firewalls. Our HTML-based TNTclient and TNTbrowser can be easily modified by those familiar with HTML. Our TNTclients leave no cookies or other alterations on the client’s computer. They are small and download quickly via a modem.

Occasionally, MicroImages has been criticized for providing too frequent upgrades. Some believe this leads to too little checking and too many errors. There is some relationship between errors and the frequency of releases, but not much. There are a million possible paths through TNTmips, and it is only possible to check the major ones. Adding features or correcting existing errors that change many subsystems causes errors. Thus, longer intervals between software updates and releases do not necessarily equate to fewer errors. Adding fewer features to a product in a given time interval will reduce errors. However, few of you are willing to forego your particular new requirements, your favorite platform, and MicroImages must also react to changes in competitive technology.

After 16 years of frequent MicroImages upgrades, other software developers are being forced to adopt a similar strategy for similar purposes. Microsoft offers periodic service packs (NT has 6) and upgrades such as with Internet Explorer. Now they plan to automatically patch XP and their other products when your unpatched versions are detected via the Internet. Closer to home, ERDAS has issued at least 6 upgrades to their V8.x since it was released. Now, as outlined in the following items, ESRI has also been forced to adopt this same policy, primarily to manage errors.

At the ESRI conference a few weeks ago, Jack announced that ESRI is going to be offering service packs every 3 months or so for download and then, when they have released ~4 SP’s, they will bundle them up and do a new software version release. So, the first service pack is available for download.

Service Pack 1 is an optional upgrade to ArcGIS 8.1. It addresses specific issues that were discovered in ArcGIS Desktop 8.1 (ArcView, ArcInfo, and ArcEditor), ArcInfo Workstation 8.1, and ArcSDE 8.1. The service pack contains performance improvements, maintenance fixes, and a few new features.

ESRI highly recommends that customers download and install Service Pack 1 at their earliest convenience. For a complete list of the issues addressed for Service Pack 1, please review the List of Updates.

Get Service Pack 1 now. There are two ways to get Service Pack 1. You can download it directly from this web site, or you can order the CD(s) you need for nominal fee. Click on the link below to find out more information about each available Service Pack download.

Many years ago those of us who started MicroImages had the naive outlook that our innovative windows approach to desktop software made written documentation superfluous. This was in the days of CPM and the Z80 chip, DOS and the Intel 8080 chip, and the introduction of the Mac when any software that used a few windows seemed vastly easier to learn and use. This is still true for the simple, single purpose software that displays an image or controls a scanner. For example, most users of a web browser do not consult any documentation. However, complex, broad scope products such as TNTmips must continually advance and introduce new ideas. It requires extensive written materials to explain these new objectives, guide their operation, and illustrate potential applications. As more and more capabilities are added, this written information base grows larger and larger. Far from those expectations of “no documentation,” the professional version of TNTmips comes with 4200 pages of references and tutorials. Furthermore, I have written 1000s of pages in 51 of these MEMOs with almost 400 accompanying illustrations from others to introduce these changes. MicroImage’s web site contains literally over 10,000 pages of materials. While it is all written down somewhere, finding specific materials can be difficult. V6.60 introduces the first cross-document indexing of the Online Reference Manual and all the Getting Started tutorials to help you locate materials on any TNT topic.

The MicroImages MEMO accompanying V6.50 reported that the legal contest between LizardTech (MrSID compression) and Earth Resource Mapper (ECW compression) was settled. The following is a portion of a report on this topic: ERM, LizardTech – Summary Judgment as reported in Geospatial Solutions, January 2001, page 12.

“The legal wrangling between Earth Resource Mapping (www.ermapper.com) came to an abrupt end in December when a federal court issued a partial summary judgment ruling that Earth Resource Mapping’s Enhanced Compression Wavelet (ECW) technology does not infringe on LizardTech’s MrSID (multiresolution seamless image database) patent.

“The United States District Court for the Western District in Seattle, Washington, granted ERM’s motion for the ruling. The ruling follows the October issuing of a Notice of Allowance – an indication of patent approval – for ECW technology by the United States Patent and Trademark Office.”

LizardTech was not satisfied with this judgment and is appealing the decision. The following was extracted from a press release on LizardTech versus Earth Resource Mapping wavelet compression issues published in Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing, Industry News. June 2001, V67, N6, page 673.

“On April 18, 2001, the U.S. District Court in Seattle granted LizardTech’s request for an immediate appeal of the court’s December 11, 2000, ruling that Earth Resource Mapping’s ECW technology does not infringe. LizardTech will now appeal the patent ruling to the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, in Washington, D.C. While the appeal is pending, all other claims in the litigation between LizardTech and Earth Resource Mapping (ERM) are stayed. The appeal can be expected to take a year or more. LizardTech had initially filed suit against ERM in October 1999, for breach of contract – maintaining ERM failed to abide by the terms of a software licensing agreement between ERM and LizardTech; copyright infringement – maintaining ERM included computer code owned by LizardTech in ERM’s products in the absence of any right or license to do so; trademark infringement – maintaining ERM used LizardTech trademarks as metatags and keywords on its Web site; false advertising – maintaining ERM published a white paper containing false statements about MrSID products; and patent infringement – maintaining that ERM’s ECW compression technology infringes LizardTech’s licensed patent for MrSID (US Patent No. 5,710,835).

“On December 11, 2000, without a hearing, the court ruled that ECW did not infringe the MrSID patent. LizardTech maintains that the court applied an incorrect legal standard and reached an erroneous conclusion in this ruling. Trial on the remaining non-patent claims has been scheduled for January 22, 2001, but the court struck the date three weeks before trial. LizardTech filed a motion asking the court to certify its patent ruling for immediate appeal, rather than waiting for final judgment on the non-patent claims before appellate review of the non-patent issues. LizardTech also argued that it would be more efficient to resolve the patent appeal first so that, if successful on it’s appeal, there would need be only a single trial on both the non-patent and patent claims.”

The courts take so long to settle technological disputes that their rulings are meaningless in each particular case in the face of technological advances. The only merit to such suits is to set legal precedent for the next similar technological issue. Further delays waiting for the court to understand the pace of technological advancements is no longer warranted. As a result, V6.60 fully supports both LizardTech’s MrSID and ER Mapper’s ECW wavelet compression methodology as licensed by both these companies. Supporting both approaches, and one of the few that has done so, has provided MicroImages with a basis for comparing their strengths, weaknesses, and similarities. In general, we find that their market, objectives, and approach are dissimilar.

A suitable general JPEG 2000 function library is now available for public use. MicroImages will add JPEG 2000 wavelet compression support in V6.70 of the TNT products.

Earth Watch has changed its name to Digital Globe. It is rumored that this change was made as others already had all the Internet names associated with terms related to Earth Watch. This points out that it is your web name that you are known by and its representation and availability must receive careful consideration—it may even be the determining factor if you wish to be easily located in the global market.

QuickBird 2 reached its proper orbit in good health and most recently responded to its check out by removing its lens cover. Imagery from this platform is expected to become available early in 2002.

X Server (alias MI/X)

There were no significant changes in the X server having any impact on its use in the TNT products. A series of minor improvements in the standalone version sold separately by MicroImages under the name MI/X have raised its version number to 3.09. These changes are all related to improvements in handling the installation and protection of this product for trial use and purchase.

TNTlite^® 6.6

Approximately 400 different individuals around the world complete the online form each month and attempt to download TNTlite from microimages.com. Their success varies as a TNTlite download ranges in size from 37 Mb for the TNTmips/TNTedit/TNTview software up to a complete package of 267 Mb including all programs, reference manual, tutorials, and SML scripts. Another group of more than 400 start a download without completing the visitor’s form. At this time, a total of 60 to 70 gigabytes of TNTlite and the associated tutorials and sample geodata are downloaded each month from
microimages.com.

The 3rd edition of Dr. Steve Drury’s popular hardcover book entitled Image Interpretation in Geology was finally published by Nelson Thornes. V6.40 of TNTlite is included on a CD in a pocket in this book along with the sample geodata used by the special geologic exercises used in the book. The complete table of contents and extensive other information about the contents of this book can be reviewed at http://www.microimages.com/documentation/drury.htm. This textbook can be ordered from Blackwells via blackwell.com for £30, Barnes and Noble via bn.com for $75, or Amazon from amazon.com for $75. Make sure that you clearly specify the 3rd edition and a 2001 publication date as some vendors are still trying to clear inventories of the older 2nd edition.

For various reasons, you may occasionally want to start up the TNTlite version of your professional TNT product. For example, if you are preparing geodata for someone else to use in TNTlite, you will want to check to see how it operates. Or, you have removed your software authorization license key to take it home or elsewhere. Prior to V6.60, removing the key would simply produce an error message when you attempted to start the lite version of your products. You had to find and alter the appropriate line in your tnthost.ini file to start your TNT products in lite mode. Then, later when the key was reattached, you would have to edit the tnthost.ini file again. All this was very inconvenient. Now you can simply use the new License Configuration window to toggle on the “Free TNTlite license” option and from that time onward, you can start any TNT product in lite mode whether the key remains attached or is removed. To switch back to starting up into your professional TNT product, simply reopen this License Configuration window and select the option that identifies the port where your software authorization key is attached. For more details see the earlier Licenses section.

NOTE: TNTlite and corresponding supporting materials provided for downloading is the official release version and is not changed or updated between releases. Interim upgrades for TNTlite can be obtaining in the identical fashion as for the TNTpro products.

TNTatlas^® 6.6 for Windows and X

TNTatlas is now available for both native Windows (TNTatlas/W) and X (TNTatlas/X) with similar features. When you build a TNTatlas, it can now be used and distributed with either version. The attached color plate entitled TNTatlas^® for Windows^® and X emphasizes the features in the completed TNTatlas for Windows.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Installation for Windows

Product Licenses

Mac OS X 10

Editorial and Associated News [by Dr. Lee D. Miller, President] 13

X Server (alias MI/X) 23

TNTlite^® 6.6 23

TNTatlas^® 6.6 for Windows and X 24

Published Atlases 26

TNTsim3D™ for Windows 26

TNTserver 3.0 37

TNTview^® 6.6 43

TNTedit™ 6.6 45

Free Training 46

QuickGuides 47

Getting Started Booklets 47

Online Reference Manual 48

Global Searching 49

New TNTmips Features 50

Internationalization and Localization 79

MicroImages Authorized Dealers 80

Discontinued Dealers 82

Papers on Applications 83

Appendix: Abbreviations 85

Attached Color Plates

Introduction

Installation for Windows

Product Licenses

Mac OS X

Editorial and Associated News [by Dr. Lee D. Miller, President]

X Server (alias MI/X)

TNTlite^® 6.6

TNTatlas^® 6.6 for Windows and X