FME Delivers New Opportunities to Maximize the Value of LiDAR Data

LiDAR Transformation to Power Data Preparation for Better Informed Decision Making

Vancouver, BC, April 20, 2011 – Safe Software announced today that FME, the leading spatial data transformation technology, now offers unrivaled support for LiDAR and point cloud data. Organizations can now use the unmatched transformation capabilities in FME to quickly prepare LiDAR data to meet their precise requirements, enabling them to extract the full value from their LiDAR data assets to power better informed decision making.

Many organizations have been looking for an easy way to tap into the wealth of information available in their LiDAR data assets. However, the massive size of these files and interoperability challenges have made it very difficult, and even impossible, for this highly accurate, "sensed" data to be used and shared. With FME’s new support for popular LiDAR formats such as LAS, Pointools POD, XYZ ASCII and loading of LiDAR into Oracle Spatial Database, preparation of this data for use is now not only possible, but can be performed on millions of points in seconds.

Organizations can now leverage FME technology to quickly transform LiDAR data into the precise coordinate system and format they require, and clip, crop, thin, filter, and split LiDAR data into the exact subset they need to work with. They can also quickly tile their enormous LiDAR datasets for easier handling, or bring tiled subsets together to form a single large dataset.

By using FME’s high performance engine to perform these tasks, organizations can build workflows once and reuse them as needed using batch processing on the desktop or the server, saving hours or even days that would otherwise be required.

Additionally, FME’s unparalleled support for over 250 spatial and non-spatial data formats makes it possible to quickly create value-added datasets by integrating LiDAR data with GIS, CAD and raster data for a more complete picture of what’s real to support business decisions.

"The introduction of LiDAR and point cloud support in FME opens the door to new possibilities for the market," says Dale Lutz, Vice-President of Development at Safe Software. "We’re excited to see how our customers will leverage this new capability to achieve their objectives."

Organizations interested in learning more are invited to attend Safe Software’s upcoming webinar "Prepare LiDAR Data To Meet Your Precise Requirements" on April 28, 2011, which will demonstrate how to quickly prepare LiDAR data for use with FME. To learn more and to register, visit: www.safe.com/LiDARPR.

About Safe Software and FME
Safe Software Inc. is the maker of FME® and the global leader in spatial data transformation technology. FME makes it possible to transform spatial data to use and share. It solves more spatial data transformation challenges across more formats than any other solution, making it easier for professionals to solve data interoperability headaches and help their organizations meet their business goals and required standards. Today, FME is the dominant technology for spatial data transformation. It powers our FME Desktop and Server software and the solutions of more leading spatial data application vendors than any other technology. It’s used by tens of thousands of customers worldwide across a wide range of industries. Learn more about achieving total spatial data mastery at www.safe.com.