Livermore, CA – August 5, 2008 — Topcon Positioning Systems (TPS) and The Kenerson Group (TKG), a company that provides GIS solutions to municipal, utility, educational, and private sector clients, have formed a strategic GIS OEM partnership for urban forestry and arboriculture applications.
Topcon, with headquarters in Livermore, California, offers advanced tools to the GIS professional for field data collection and office processing. TreeWorks software from The Kenerson Group consists of desktop and mobile components that create a database meeting all current ISA and urban forestry tree inventory standards. In addition, TreeWorks provides urban forest management tools to plan and track maintenance work, calculate appraised values, analyze/visualize data and produce maps and reports.
The Kenerson Group, located in Athol, Massachusetts, delivers GIS applications for urban forestry and utility vegetation management professionals. TKG software solutions incorporate field observations into workflow management and the decision making process. With this new partnership, The Kenerson Group enhances their urban forestry management software, TreeWorks, by incorporating the features of Topcon’s GMS-2.
The rugged, compact GMS-2 was the industry’s first GIS-GPS product with:
• An integrated digital camera linking photos to feature locations and attributes;
• GNSS (dual-constellation) tracking;
• An electronic compass for bearing and direction information; and
• The functionality to be used as a standalone GIS mapping device or a field controller for Topcon RTK systems and total stations.
Richard Rybka, Topcon’s GIS partner development manager, said, “This is a perfect relationship. TreeWorks is a premier application for mapping and managing urban forest assets. It is fully integrated with ESRI desktop and handheld software. Topcon’s Field Tools software automates GMS-2 GPS and camera functions with ArcPad®. Combining TreeWorks and Field Tools on the GMS-2 offers unprecedented functionality to urban forestry and arboriculture professionals.”
The GMS-2’s GPS + GLONASS receiver provides access to 17 more satellites than GPS-only devices. Dual constellation tracking can make the difference in obtaining an accurate GPS position under heavy tree canopy.
Kristopher Armstrong, senior GIS developer for The Kenerson Group, said, “Pictures are an important component of an urban forestry database. The demand by TreeWorks clients for tree image capture functions continues to grow. With Topcon’s GMS-2, we can now offer our clients one device that performs all required inventory tasks – full attribution of tree characteristics, accurate GPS positions, and pictures of the subject tree.”
The Kenerson Group will also develop TreeWorks for the GMS-2 PRO, Topcon’s latest addition to the GMS family of sub-meter devices for GIS data collection. The GMS-2 PRO features an integrated laser rangefinder built into the device. TreeWorks for Topcon PRO will enable users to add tree height and diameter measurements to their database, as well as typical offset locations, from a single GPS handheld without the need for mechanical measuring tools.
“The integration of TreeWorks and Topcon’s GMS-2 PRO will provide a labor-saving solution for anyone who needs to collect detailed information about trees,” Armstrong said.
About Topcon Positioning Systems
Topcon Positioning Systems, a developer and manufacturer of positioning equipment, offers the world’s leading selection of innovative precision GPS, GIS, laser, agriculture, optical surveying, and machine control products, software, and applications. Topcon Corporation is traded on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (7732).
About The Kenerson Group
Founded in 1997, The Kenerson Group has provided innovative, user-friendly GIS solutions to state and local governments, utility companies, private-sector arboriculture and forestry firms, and other clients throughout the United States and Canada. The company is based in western Massachusetts.
