Feature Analyst is now available for ERDAS IMAGINE 9.3. Urban Analyst 4.3 was also recently released. Downloads are available here. Install, and use a current license file. Clients with outdated maintenance, contact a sales representative for further assistance.

Overwatch Accepting Applications for AFE Feature Analyst of the Year Award
The award, a prestigious industry staple since 2004, recognizes projects that have improved GIS efforts and education all over the world. Previous winners have included the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration and the Native Communities Development Corporation. Formatting requirements can be found on our website. Papers less than 10MB can be sent to sales@vls-inc.com. If you have a larger submission or would like more information, please contact Overwatch, and we will be happy to assist you.

How Do You Use Feature Analyst?
After collecting users' application stories, we would like to share them with you. We will feature one application each month. To share how you are using Overwatch Geospatial's products, visit our survey site, or email Marilyn Lee for more information.

User: Brigham Young University
Products: Feature Analyst
Application: Ph.D. candidate Matt Madsen, master's student Bracken Davis and undergraduate Daniel Zvirzdin are conducting research to characterize and quantify juniper structure using remotely sensed data. They are utilizing Feature Analyst (ArcGIS 9.3 platform) to:

Quantify the relationship between field-based measurements of juniper tree canopy cover and tree density, collected by the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources Range Trend Project (UDWR-RTP), with values extracted from 25 cm resolution, color (RGB) aerial photographs, and
Develop an effective and efficient method for quantifying tree canopy cover and density directly from high resolution photographs, without empirical calibration.

Cover results indicate a strong correlation (P < 0.001, r2=0.92) between estimates derived from classified imagery and the UDWR-RTP; density results also indicate correlation, but show a weaker relationship (P < 0.001, r2=0.36). This is due in part to sites with high densities of juvenile trees, but is more importantly related to limitations in the point-quarter method. When related to in situ ground reference data, remotely sensed density estimates of mature individuals show a strong correlation (P < 0.001, r2=0.89).

Screenshots can be seen here. Madsen, Davis and Zvirzdin are supervised by Dr. Steven Petersen, a professor in the Plant & Wildlife Sciences department.