MalaysiaGIS.com

Source: New Straits Times

As its first step to expand into the local geographical information system (GIS) market, Autodesk Inc, through its Malaysian branch office has introduced two new products AutoCAD Map and Mapguide.

AutoCAD Map is the first Autodesk-based automated mapping software which enables users to create and maintain their own maps. Built using AutoCAD software, AutoCAD Map provides a strong platform for users who currently rely on AutoCAD to meet their mapping and GIS needs.

According to Autodesk Asia Pte Ltd's Asean/Indochina region senior AEC/GIS consultant Terence H.C. Tan, the topology functions of AutoCAD Map is what separates GIS from CAD (computer-aided design).

He said to maintain the topology on a map, users no longer have to move to CAD files but can stay within the GIS file.

"The topology functions of the AutoCAD Map software represent the relationships between links, polygons and notes on a map," said Tan at a press conference held in conjunction with the launch of the products in Petaling Jaya last week.

He explained that AutoCAD Map focuses on five key areas - digital map creation; analysis; maintenance of accurate up-to-date maps; data exchange; and publishing. It can also read and write common GIS file formats which lets users digitize and edit geographic information from a variety of sources, including paper maps, raster images and vector data.

Autodesk's other offering, Mapguide, uses Web-based GIS technology to enable developers to use the Internet and intranets to deploy GIS that support live updates of maps and data. Previously, the Internet had not been suitable for GIS because most GIS can only output static bitmaps that cannot be dynamically updated over the Internet.

Autodesk Asia's Asean/Indochina region director of marketing Lee Hock Soon claimed that MapGuide is the first GIS product to tap the power of the Web and corporate intranets to provide realtime access to live maps and associated databases.

With MapGuide, users can select any object on the map by clicking on it, select multiple objects from lists, or use a spatial selection technique, such as radius or polygon and link to vector-based maps composed of multiple databases and layers of information.

They can then view selected information in reports or click on an object with an embedded URL (uniform resource locater) link.

Autodesk claims that unlike most widely-used GIS technology, MapGuide does not require extensive training, installation or local storage of massive digital files.

"Instead, MapGuide uses the Netscape Navigator plug-in API to connect users to a live client-server system," said Lee.

The MapGuide package include three elements - Mapguide, a Netscape Navigator plug-in for accessing information; MapGuide Author, an authoring product which uses menu commands to set up and customize the data and MapGuide Server, to send vector-based maps and data to the user's desktop.

Autodesk Malaysia's country manager K.Y. Wong said AutoCAD Map and MapGuide are targeted towards industries such as telecommunications, utilities, oil and gas, State and local Government and natural resource and environmental engineering.

Both the products which were launched in the United States last month have begun shipping through Autodesk's local distributor, ACA Pacific Technology (M) Sdn Bhd.

AutoCAD Map retails at RM12,900 (CD-ROM) and RM13,500 (diskette). Currently AutoCAD users can also upgrade to AutoCAD Map with an upgrade license fee of RM3,000.

MapGuide, MapGuide Author and MapGuide Server are retailing at RM120, RM2,100 and RM58,000 respectively.

The MapGuide technology can be viewed at http://www.mapguide.com