T-Kartor AB is featuring TerraGo® GeoPDF® maps and imagery as part of a demonstration of its advanced mapping capabilities in support of North Sea maritime safety and integrated coastal zone management and planning. The demonstration takes place at the 2012 BLAST (Bringing Land and Sea Together) Conference Sept. 17-18, in Edinburgh, Scotland.

The BLAST Project is a regional program bringing together 15 partners from countries bordering the North Sea: Belgium; Denmark; Germany; the Netherlands; Norway; Sweden and the United Kingdom. During the three-year project, government organizations and partners from universities and private companies “collaborated on the harmonization and integration of land and sea data” in the context of climate change.

In addition to implementing 3D visualization software showing graphic representations of harbors at varying depths of water, T-Kartor was also charged with creating a mapping environment to unify disparate data from sea charts and land topographical maps. The resulting Coastal Indicator System is a Web-based, GIS-based decision support system for integrated coastal zone planning and management accessible by project groups in all countries in the North Sea region.

Compliant with OGC, WPS and INSPIRE standards, the Coastal Indicator System allows users to view and export intelligent, portable, interactive TerraGo GeoPDF maps that can be easily accessed by any user, regardless of their level of access to sophisticated GIS tools or training. The GeoPDF maps include data layers that show coastline boundaries, forestry information, protected natural habitats, population and administrative areas. The layers depict current data, as well as predicted outcomes, and can easily be turned on and off.

Users can create and view specific scenarios within the Coastal Indicator System by selecting a specific area of interest and choosing the relevant GeoPDF layers to see the effects of various outcomes, such as the impact of population and traffic increases when combined with erosion predictions.

“The North Sea, known for oil exploration and its robust fishing industry, is one of the most frequented waterways in the world; it is also extremely susceptible to the effects of climate change,” said Tony Pearce, sales manager, T-Kartor. “T-Kartor was privileged to support the BLAST project, which strives to achieve a clean, safe, attractive and sustainable future for the North Sea region. By reviewing the GeoPDF maps and visualization tools delivered by T-Kartor, decision-makers in the region are empowered to determine policies to protect the region and its natural resources for years to come.”

“When approached by T-Kartor to deliver GeoPDF maps and imagery for the BLAST project, we were honored to contribute to an initiative that will positively impact the entire North Sea region,” said Stuart Miller, TerraGo sales account manager – Europe, Africa, Middle East. “Empowering policy-makers with GeoPDF maps that enable them to quickly and easily work with disparate land and sea data in a single visual representation facilitates strategic decision-making and collaboration that will help ensure the prosperity of the region for future generations.”

The BLAST project was funded by the European Union as part of the Interreg IVB North Sea Region Programme. For more information about BLAST, please visit: http://www.blast-project.eu/.

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About T-Kartor
T-Kartor combines high quality cartographic skills with modern information technology to offer mapping services difficult to find elsewhere. The key lies in our database-driven solutions, which we deliver to our clients in several ways:

• Application development for graphic production systems.
• Outsourcing graphic production services.
• IT and graphic consultancy delivering customised on-site solutions.
• Flexible Internet mapping solutions

T-Kartor’s experience within the graphic product marketplace is founded on our ability to fuse our mapping experience with our skills in graphic design and domain knowledge of visitor information. We understand that this is a rare combination and one which provides us an advantage in providing organisations with first-class management solutions for their domain data. For more information, please visit: http://www.t-kartor.com.

About TerraGo Technologies
TerraGo Technologies geospatial collaboration software and GeoPDF maps and imagery are among the most widely adopted solutions to produce, access, update and share geospatial information and applications with anyone, anywhere. TerraGo solutions enable enterprises to extend, exchange and exploit geo-referenced maps, imagery, audio, video and other intelligence in connected or offline environments. Trusted by government agencies and businesses worldwide, TerraGo solutions increase the use of geospatial data throughout and between enterprises and the return on geospatial investment through greater organizational efficiency, productivity and responsiveness. Founded in 2005, TerraGo is privately held and is an In-Q-Tel portfolio company. For more information, visit http://www.terragotech.com.    

TerraGo and GeoPDF are registered trademarks of TerraGo Technologies, Inc.

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