Norcross, GA — ERDAS announces the Beta release of IMAGINE Objective, a new tool providing object-based multi-scale image classification and feature extraction capabilities for building and maintaining accurate geospatial content. With IMAGINE Objective, imagery and geospatial data of all kinds can be analyzed to produce GIS-ready maps.

“IMAGINE Objective transforms data from remotely sensed imagery (whether airborne or satellite-based) into relevant information for a broad range of industries, including insurance companies, utility providers, local government institutions, forest management companies and tax assessors,” said Mladen Stojic, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, ERDAS. “The output generated reflects the image content, with smooth roads and squared up buildings, and can be directly merged into a GIS, minimizing the need for additional post-processing.”

Catering to both experts and novices alike, IMAGINE Objective contains a wide variety of powerful tools. For remote sensing and domain experts, IMAGINE Objective includes a desktop authoring system for building and executing feature-specific (i.e. building, roads) and landcover (i.e. vegetation type) processing methodologies. In addition, more entry-level users may apply existing examples of such methodologies to their own data.

“IMAGINE Objective includes an innovative set of tools for feature extraction, update and change detection, enabling geospatial data layers to be created and maintained using remotely sensed imagery,” said Ian Anderson, Director of Remote Sensing Products, ERDAS. “This technology crosses the boundary of traditional image processing with computer vision through the use of both pixel level and true object processing, ultimately emulating the human visual system of image interpretation.”

With the Beta release, ERDAS has created an open Beta program, available to all ERDAS IMAGINE 9.2 users beginning May 13, 2008. To join the IMAGINE Objective open Beta program, please visit http://objective.erdas.com.

For more information about ERDAS, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com.

About ERDAS
ERDAS – The Earth to Business Company – helps organizations harness the information of the changing earth for greater advantage. ERDAS creates geospatial business systems that transform our earth’s data into business information, enabling individuals, businesses and public agencies to quickly access, manage, process and share that information from anywhere. Using secure geospatial information, ERDAS solutions improve employee, customer and partner visibility to information, enabling them to respond faster and collaborate better. It also means better decision-making, increased productivity and new revenue streams. ERDAS is a part of the Hexagon Group, Sweden. For more information about ERDAS or its products and services, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com.