Graz, Austria — November 20, 2014 — Microsoft’s UltraCam business unit and subsidiary is offering a new subscription plan for the UltraMap workflow software system, in addition to the existing purchase option. UltraMap consists of a suite of modules that provide highly automated processing capabilities to rapidly generate quality UltraCam aerial data products.
To meet the needs of customers who could benefit from using specific UltraMap modules for limited periods of time, Microsoft is now offering subscriptions from 3 months to 60 months in duration. Average monthly costs decrease as the length of the subscription increases, and upgrades are automatically included during the contract period. The subscription plan differs from the purchase option in that there are no one-time upfront costs and no annual maintenance fees to obtain upgrades.
Within the UltraMap suite, the Essentials module is required to convert the raw UltraCam data into radiometrically-corrected and color-balanced image files to be used in further downstream processing and is available for purchase only. The advanced modules available on a purchase or subscription basis include Aerial Triangulation (AT), DenseMatcher and Ortho Pipeline. The AT module uses a least-squares bundle adjustment on overlapping aerial images to generate a precise exterior orientation for an entire image block. DenseMatcher creates high-density point clouds, digital surface models and digital terrain models from level-2 images, and OrthoPipeline generates the final ortho mosaic from all available inputs. A subscription allows the customer to access the modules they need, when they need them.
“The subscription plan is an example of how Microsoft is restructuring our product line to better align with our customers’ requirements,” said Alexander Wiechert, Microsoft Business Director. “The UltraMap subscription is a cost-effective solution that makes the latest software modules available to everyone.”
Please contact your sales representative for pricing.
About UltraMap
The UltraMap workflow software includes the following features:
• High-density 3D point cloud generation, with a point density of several hundred points per square meter, derived from an UltraCam photo mission
• Highly accurate and detailed digital surface model (DSM) generation
• Filtering of a DSM into a digital terrain model (DTM)
• Generation of DSMOrtho (orthomosaic based on an automatically generated DSM) and DTMOrtho (traditional ortho mosaic) images
About Microsoft’s UltraCam Business Unit
With its operations based in Graz, Austria, and sales and support teams in North America, Microsoft’s UltraCam business unit brings more than two decades of photogrammetry expertise to Microsoft’s Bing Maps business unit. The division is responsible for the highly successful line of UltraCam digital aerial mapping systems that today include the UltraCamHawk, UltraCam Falcon, and UltraCam Eagle digital photogrammetric sensors, and the UltraCam Osprey nadir/oblique photogrammetric digital aerial sensor. Also offered is the UltraNav Flight Management and Direct Georeferencing system, designed to maximize the efficiency of UltraCam aerial mapping. Rounding out the UltraCam offerings is the fully integrated UltraMap workflow software system, with features that include high-density 3D point cloud creation, highly accurate and detailed digital surface model (DSM) generation, and ortho mosaicing capabilities based on an automatically generated DSM or traditional DSM.
About Microsoft
Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq “MSFT”) is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.
More information: www.iFlyUltraCam.com