ERDAS Provides Software for Switzerland Middle School

ERDAS Inc. has provided Image Analysis for ArcGIS to the Middle School Solothurn, the second largest middle school in Switzerland . Solothurn is also the first middle school in Switzerland to add digital image processing to its geography curriculum.

In July, Middle School Solothurn celebrated its 175th anniversary. This event included a workshop on "Satellite Geography," introducing applications of satellite imagery and an overview of GIS. MFB-GeoConsulting, the exclusive ERDAS partner in Switzerland used Image Analysis for ArcGIS to introduce digital analysis of satellite imagery to the students. MFB-Geo also donated the satellite imagery to the school.

Image Analysis for ArcGIS is the all-in-one solution for preparing and creating GIS-ready imagery from airborne sensors, extracting information from and analyzing imagery to derive spatial and non-spatial information. With Image Analysis for ArcGIS, users can orthorectify frame camera, SPOT, Landsat, IKONOS and QuickBird imagery, as well as imagery with RPC information.

"Image Analysis for ArcGIS provides a low-cost, and high performance remote sensing toolset with unique and seamless integration into the ArcGIS environment," said Thomas Bayer, Vice President, Europe , Middle East & Africa, ERDAS. “By introducing this technology to their students, Middle School Solothurn is developing future leaders with a greater understanding of changing Earth.”

During the workshop, the students learned how to extract information from satellite imagery (2001) and digital aerial photos (2008), identifying land use, tracking changes, and updating master plans for the region of Solothurn. After only one week, the students developed skills necessary for handling satellite imagery and other geospatial data. Because of this success, the school plans to include geospatial data analysis in the curriculum each year.

“Using Image Analysis for ArcGIS, the students’ successfully analyzed changes in the landscape, including forest and urban areas, as well as flood monitoring,” said Raymond Treier, Teacher, Middle School Solothurn. “We are excited to incorporate this powerful and easy-to-use tool into our geography curriculum.”

To learn more about MFB-GeoConsulting, please visit www.mfb-geo.com. To learn more about ERDAS’ solutions, please call +1 770 776 3400, toll free +1 866 534 2286, or visit www.erdas.com.