ERDAS announces new releases of several ArcGIS extension products, providing more streamlined tools to improve workflows and save time. New releases include Image AnalysisT for ArcGIS, Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS, ERDAS Terrain Editor for ArcGIS and FeatureAssist for ArcGIS. Each of these products can be used with ArcGIS 9.3 or 9.3.1.

"We are excited about the updated versions of our ArcGIS extensions," said Mladen Stojic, Senior Vice President, Product Management and Marketing, ERDAS. "ERDAS is committed to providing the most advanced solutions for image processing and feature collection for users on the ArcGIS platform."

With Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS, users can create and revise a comprehensive database of feature data. Stereo visualization improves the interpretation of images and allows more precise collection, leading to greater accuracy in the resulting layers. With this release, Stereo Analyst now supports launching a secondary "MultiView" window that can be used to load an alternate image source. There is also a new tool for the automatic attribution of height-above-ground information for any polygonal feature. In addition, this release includes numerous enhancements to existing tools and new user options and settings to streamline the collection process.

Image Analysis for ArcGIS is the all-in-one solution for preparing, referencing, measuring and analyzing imagery from airborne and satellite sensors. Fully integrated with ArcGIS, it enables users to extract up-to-date information from imagery, dramatically increasing accuracy and productivity. In this release, Image Analysis now supports JPEG2000 data as input to geoprocessing functions. Users no longer need to convert input data to a different, uncompressed format before using it in the analysis tools. In addition, after enabling Image Analysis in the extensions list in ArcCatalog, users can access the list of format converters provided in the ERDAS Importers/Exporters toolbox.

Last year, ERDAS introduced FeatureAssist for ArcGIS and ERDAS Terrain Editor for ArcGIS. FeatureAssist for ArcGIS includes a suite of templates to collect rooftops of varying complexity in an ESRI Multipatch format. A multipatch shapefile allows a 3D model to be constructed and optionally textured for realistic scene generation. FeatureAssist now supports ‘merging’ and ‘exploding’ features stored in the geodatabase format as well as the ability to delete internal walls of the model.

ERDAS Terrain Editor for ArcGIS provides a number of tools for editing geodatabase terrains. In this release, new area operators, like the new Densify Points area operator on the Terrain Area Operators toolbar allow users to improve the accuracy of their terrain.

Each of these products is included in the ERDAS 2010 Software media kit. In addition, software maintenance customers can download these products from the ERDAS website.

For more information about ERDAS, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 877 GO ERDAS, or visit www.erdas.com.