For further information, or images, please
contact:
Harvey Ryan
Ph (07) 3210 0741
Mob 0419 657 108
Exa-Min
Technologies Releases GBM Mobile Upgrade V2.11
BRISBANE – 21st January 2004 — Exa-Min Technologies today released an upgraded version of its highly successful GBM Mobile product. GBM Mobile™ is based on MapInfo MapX Mobile technology and delivers a complete out-of-the box mapping solution for the Pocket PC. The product has been especially well received in the local and state government sectors where it is being employed in asset capture and condition monitoring applications.
Major recent enhancements include the Mobile Merge module that automates the consolidation of data collected in the field into the central database. The latest upgrade also includes refinements to simplify field operations and provide more versatility in recording locations read directly from Global Position Satellite receivers.
Version 2.11 is certified for operation on the Pocket PC 2003 operating system that is shipping with the new generation of Windows PDA equipment. V2.11 is also backward compatible with the 2000 and 2002 versions of Windows Pocket PC. Customers running earlier versions of GBM Mobile should upgrade to V2.11 if they intend to operate the software on the newer PDA equipment.
Exa-Min has appointed Wellington based Critchlow Associates as New Zealand distributors, in response to a high enquiry rate from that region. Critchlow deliver business mapping solutions and is the New Zealand distributor of MapInfo GIS products. Andrew Lee, Business Development Manager for Critchlow said, “New Zealanders are quick to embrace new technologies. There is a lot of interest in mobile mapping among our existing customers and GBM Mobile has already been embraced by a number of Utilities and Local Government councils. We have a very good working relationship with Exa-Min who have been very responsive to software enhancements requests from our clients.”
According to Ken Moule, Exa-Min’s director of software development, “ We have developed a strong relationship with our customers, who are providing the programming team with very good feedback on how the software performs in the field. This has allowed us to deliver upgrades in Version 2.11 that provide real added benefit to customers. GBM Mobile is a mature second-generation product that gives rise to very few support calls.”
Exa-Min director Harvey Ryan said, “ Exa-Min is committed to the ongoing development of GBM Mobile and related products. The programming team has already started work on V2.5, (scheduled for release in Mid 2004) and a separate team has recently commenced working on new training resources.”
GBM Mobile V2.11 is available as a free upgrade to all existing GBM Mobile customers. Customers should contact Exa-Min or their local GBM Software™ reseller for a new installation CD. Refer to the Exa-Min web site at www.geobasemap.com for an updated reseller listing.
About Exa-Min Technologies
Exa-Min Technologies, a Brisbane based company, has
been a MapInfo Partner for seven years and specialises in delivering custom IT
solutions involving spatial technologies. Exa-Min Technologies is an
established developer of MapInfo companion products, distributed under the
GeoBasemap and GBM Software labels. For further information contact Exa-Min
Technologies on 07 3210 0741 or http://www.geobasemap.com/.
Critchlow Associates
Critchlow Associates, a Welington based company specialises
in Business Mapping solutions. Critchlow Associates are national distributor
for MapInfo GIS products. They have been in business for over fifteen years an have
over 25 staff dedicated to assisting New Zealand organisations to effectively
use location information to improve their business processes. For further
information contact Critchlow Associates on +64 4 472 8244 or http://www.critchlow.co.nz/.
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GBM Mobile and GBM Software are trademarks of
Exa-Min Technologies. Other names and brands may be claimed as the property of
others.
A GBM Mobile release history
is presented below:
GBM Mobile release
2.11 (Installer Build #23, January 20th
2004)
Includes GBM Mobile
V2.11.0038, Mobile Manager V2.11.0026 and Mobile Merge V2.11.0005
*** Updates between 2.10 build 22 and 2.11 build 23
1. GPS TRACKING - New option to set audio and visual alerts
at user defined
intervals along
the track and improved behaviour when tracking is paused.
2. DATA ENTRY - New option to seed new records with default
values from previously
edited
record.
3. CUSTOM FORMS - User definable field labels can be used in
place of MapInfo
column names in
custom forms.
4. MOBILE MANAGER - Improved performance when opening Edit
and Load Form options
5. DOCUMENTATION - User manual has been updated to include
Find and Measure
utilities and new
GPS options.
6. DEMONSTRATION DATA SET - Custom forms for line and region
objects added.
7. MOBILE MERGE - Merge profile management sub-system is
more robust.
*** Updates between 2.04 build 21 and 2.10 build 22
1. GPS TRACKING - Upgrades to GPS tracking support pausing of track
recording and allowing tracks to be written directly to MapInfo
tables rather than the temporary GPS tracking layer (new items
appear under the GPS menu when custom forms are loaded that
allow the creation of line objects).
2. CLEAR LAYERS - It is now possible to clear temporary map
layers (a new menu item has been added to the file menu).
3. SYMBOL PICKER - The standard MapInfo symbol picker has been replaced
by a custom Exa-Min implementation. The symbol list available to mobile
device users can now be customised through the symbols.xml set up file.
4. MOBILE DEVICE INSTALL - Scripts have been updated to avoid
spurious MapInfo error message concerning fonts.
*** Updates between 2.03 build 19 and 2.04 build 21
1. INSTALLATION DETECTION - Fixed problem with Mobile Manager
being unable to detect GBM Mobile installation when GBM Mobile is not
in the PDA start menu
2. COMPLEX GEOSETS - Fixed issue with Geosets with several layers based
on the same .tab file
3. STATS - Info tool shows length/area/perimeter statistics
4. GPS LOCATIONS - Now allow time based averaging of location values -
Location recorded is now the next location received from the GPS after
the menu item is selected, not the last location received before the
menu was clicked.
5. GPS ELEVATION - Altitude available as an optional automatic data
value for GPS locations
6. GPS WAYPOINTS - Shows displacement between current GPS location and a
selected map object
7. DRAWING - New Option to create a new map feature using a copy of the
selected map feature
8. FIND - New option to list the results of a find before marking them
on a map
9. MENU LAYOUT - Move selected map feature to the current GPS location
is now on the SELECT menu, not the GPS Menu.
*** Updates between V2.03 build 18 and 2.03 build 19
1. Upgraded for
compatibility with Pocket PC 2003
*** Upgrade between V2.02 build 16 and 2.03 build 18
1. Fixed issues with Edit Tracking and auto update following extensive field trials
2. Performance improvements to custom forms (auto-update)
3. New installer framework and badging as Standard and Extended editions
4. Documentation upgrade - processing flow manual
*** Upgrade between V1.63 build 7 and 2.01 build 16
GBM Mobile (software for the Mobile device)
1. Added measure tool
2. Added auto fields for new data (auto increment, GPS time, Location)
3. Support for time stamping edits and recording pending edits
4. Improved performance of Zoom tool
5. Added Find tool
GBM Mobile Manager (software
for the support PC to help manage the mobile device)
1. Extended custom form definitions to support auto fields
2. Extended custom forms to allow registration of controlled edits
3. Menu item to copy geoset and GIS data files to the mobile device
4. Menu item to retrieve geosets and GIS data files from the mobile device
5. Writing of merge profile (for mobile merge) tagging of forms for Edit Tracking
GBM Mobile Merge (new
optional module - for operation in MapInfo Professional)
1. Registers on the tools menu of MapInfo Professional
2. Browser for merge profile (created by Mobile manager)
3. Subset of GIS files based on the type of edit carried out on the mobile device
4. Automated merging of edits respecting time stamps
5. Automated update of processing log and audit history.
6. A new utility for preparing PDA geosets.
General
1. New installer structure to accommodate Mobile Merge
2. User manual updated (fourth edition)
3. Product overview updated
*** Upgrade between V1.63 build 6 and 1.63 build 7
1. Added support for Trimble pathfinded pocket GPS and other
devices requiring rts/cts handshaking. Added controls to GPS settings dialog
2. Additional GPS unit configuration trouble shooting notes added to manual.
*** Upgrades between V1.62 and 1.63
1. Support for international numeric formats (Regional locale settings)
2. Corrected parsing to support high resolution (differential) GPS input
3. Size limit on form definition file removed to support large numbers of forms
4. Trouble shooting notes added to the user manual
*** Upgrade between V1.61
to 1.62
1. Improved GPS configuration and error messages
2. Added "snap" mode for GIS feature edit
3. Zoom menu - support zoom to extents of data in a map
layer
4. Corrected XML parsing and layer name problems for custom
forms
5. User manual upgrades
*** Upgrade between V1.60 to 1.61
1. Added node editing for map objects
2. Uer manual included on installation CD
3. Added error messaging if Active Sync is not installed on PC