HANNOVER, Germany -Trimble introduced new versions of its eCognition image analysis software and Trident Analyst office software. The release brings geospatial analysis technology, developed for remote sensing, into the land mobile mapping and survey domain.

 eCognition enables geospatial data such as images, point clouds and GIS vectors to be integrated and analyzed to quantify features or detect changes over time. eCognition 8.8 now extends these capabilities for mobile terrestrial data collection applications. The eCognition 8.8 functionality is not only delivered within the eCognition environment, but also drives embedded analysis routines within Trimble Trident Analyst 5.0 software.

Trident Analyst manages and interprets high-resolution digital images and large point clouds, and automatically extracts features from terrestrial mobile mapping data. The first automated feature driven by eCognition is used to detect roadway pavement edges; allowing accurate and consistent road aspect calculations. Trident customers can also extend their analysis capabilities using eCognition Developer, creating customized analysis routines for use within Trident Analyst.

To manage the complexities of land mobile data, new analysis perspectives have been implemented within eCognition 8.8. The existing "top down" data analysis is supplemented with "camera view" analysis, providing the best perspective for both horizontal and vertical feature extraction. Native and rasterized point cloud analysis are both supported to provide the best object and object statistics creation results. 3D line export generates vectors directly for mobile mapping environments. New point cloud clustering algorithms identify point clusters based on attributes such as elevation, RGB characteristics or intensity to automate rapid point cloud classification.

"eCognition's flexible data fusion and analysis capabilities have been successfully implemented in aerial survey and satellite remote sensing for over a decade," said Katherine Sandford, general manager of Trimble's GeoSpatial Division. "The introduction of these capabilities into the land mobile sector will create new opportunities for both existing eCognition users and land mobile specialists who are new to eCognition's object-based approach."

For existing eCognition users, version 8.8 also provides new features for the analysis of aerial and satellite data including Esri File Geodatabase support. The Trident Analyst software also provides improvements such as the creation of colorized point clouds, boresight laser calibration on demand, automatic detection of plains and more.