What is ER Mapper
Image Web Server?
Earth Resource Mapping (ER Mapper) is a company committed to making geospatial
image processing easier so that professionals at all skill levels and
disciplines can effectively utilize the power of geoprocessing and remote
sensing technologies. Earth Resource Mapping is totally committed to open
software standards for imagery. ER Mapper uses Enhanced Compressed Wavelet (ECW)
compression technology. ER Mapper Image Web Server serves ECW files for Internet
viewing.
Why use ER Mapper
Image Web Server?
ER Mapper Image Web Server is proving to be an excellent product for serving
spatial data, that is, data that are geo-referenced. Geo-referenced images have
a projection and coordinant system.
MAGIC data are all in Connecticut State Plane, NAD83, map units=feet.
ER Mapper Image Web Server enables:
Compression of raster images of virtually any size with no noticeable
reduction in image quality.
Search, query and extraction of raster data.
Online viewing and comparison raster datasets.
We have chosen to use ER mapper on MAGIC to facilitate distribution of large
geo-referenced image files in a networked environment. Many MAGIC users work on
modems. Reducing the file size means reducing the user connect time and user
costs.
How can I view
images in ER Mapper Image Web Server?
ER Mapper distributes its viewers and plugins for free. ER Mapper Image Web
Server provides for viewing ECW imagery across the Internet/Intranet. The ECW
ArcView Extension supports mapping/GIS applications. There are a host of
applications software available for
download.
Plugins enables the use of these files as "back-drops" and as base-maps from
which data can be digitized. The ArcView plugin seems to work well. The ability
to leave these very large files on the Library's server and view just what you
need... just in time... is an important step in using these geodata.
ECW in ArcView uses an plug-in which is included must be
downloaded. The plugin requires the filename, including and path. This is
given on the
image page, below the title.
Are there other
plugins?
Yes. ER Mapper supports a number.
Check on their site.
Will MAGIC only use
ER Mapper files for its images?
Aerial Photography and other remotely sensed imagery will be served using ER
Mapper's Image Web
Server. MAGIC will continue to use LizardTech's MrSID compression for
Historical Maps and other non-geo-referenced data.
What data are
viewable now?
MAGIC development is done primarily by graduate students working in the map
library from the Geography Department. Therefore the work is dynamic and on-going... depending on 'local
talent'.
