MISSOULA, Mont. - A revolution has begun! After today the world of geographic information systems (GIS) will never be the same. Visual Learning Systems, Inc. (VLS) of Missoula, announces the release of the Feature Analyst™ software for ArcView ® GIS.

The Feature Analyst software provides the GIS community with a paradigm shift in feature extraction technology using spatial context and spectral signature to automatically extract user-defined objects from aerial and satellite imagery. Geographic features, such as streets, buildings, vegetation, etc. are used in a GIS to produce maps and perform spatial analyses for planning, transportation analyses, defense, telecommunications, and many other applications. The Feature Analyst is built on advanced machine learning technology capable of extracting features at a fraction of the labor cost of hand-classifying images.

VLS has worked extensively with the MSU TechLink Center in Bozeman, Mont., to form partnerships with federal laboratories for the continuing development and commercialization of this innovative software product. The technology is considered so noteworthy that NASA and the DoD have awarded VLS over $850,000 in research grants to further develop the product to support the NASA Earth Science Enterprise and DoD National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Program goals.

The Feature Analyst technology enables a static earth image to come alive as a source of geographic features. For many GIS users, imagery is used merely as a backdrop for a map. Now with the Feature Analyst the extraction of features from imagery will be an integral part of the GIS workflow process. VLS has designed innovative software agents that learn from examples provided by the GIS user in the form of simple hand-digitized features. An adaptive user interface makes the feature extraction process simple and fun to use without requiring stereo imagery or special computer hardware. "As the cost-value ratio of digital imagery decreases, the temporal and spatial accuracy requirements for geographic data will increase significantly. The Feature Analyst is designed to significantly lower the cost of extracting cartographic features from panchromatic and multi-band imagery and is the most robust and accurate feature extraction software on the market. The technology is simple to use and allows anyone to extract GIS features in ways never before imagined using commercial off-the-shelf software products such as ArcView," said Chief Operations Officer Stuart Blundell.

The Feature Analyst software was recently demonstrated to over 10,000 GIS users at the 2001 ESRI User Conference in San Diego, Calif. According to Blundell, reception to the product was overwhelming. Many users, initially skeptical due to past industry failures, immediately saw the benefits of extracting user-defined objects such as buildings, guard rails, sidewalks, and street lights. The city of San Antonio, Tex., is working with VLS and the Feature Analyst to extract a wide variety of features including wheelchair ramps, telephone poles, manholes, and many other detailed features using panchromatic aerial imagery with a 6-inch pixel resolution. Automated extraction of this kind was not possible before the Feature Analyst. Other sites installing the Feature Analyst software include the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Stennis Space Center, NIMA Advanced Research Program, the U.S. Forest Service, Space Imaging LLC, and the U.S. Geological Survey. A free demo version of the Feature Analyst is available at www.vls-inc.com.

CONTACT:

Stuart Blundell
VLS
(406) 829-1384
sblundell@vls-inc.com