New Image Analysis Software facilitates fast and accurate geo- information extraction from any kind of remote sensing imagery 

Munich, Germany / Parsippany, New Jersey  – November 10, 2009 – Definiens, the number one Enterprise Image Intelligence® company, today announced the launch of its latest software offering for earth science professionals, Definiens eCognition® version 8. The new software suite delivers functionality specifically designed for geospatial image analysis while also achieving marked improvements in processing performance.

Leveraging Definiens’ research and development efforts in 3D and 4D image analysis, eCognition 8 introduces new capabilities in multi-dimensional geospatial image analysis. While LiDAR data used to require pre-processing prior to image analysis, with eCognition 8, users are now able to input LiDAR datasets in their native format -- a first in the industry.  The software can also apply object based image analysis (OBIA) principles to LiDAR data and fuse LiDAR, vector and optical data, allowing users to efficiently manage complex projects.

Another major focus area of eCognition 8 is making the development of semi-automated production applications easier. Within the new version, applications can be wrapped in a powerful and intuitive graphical interface. A range of new manual editing options guide and simplify workflows for production teams, making eCognition 8 more user-friendly and functional than its predecessors.

eCognition 8 also delivers a standardized graphical application called Quickmap. Users can select from alternate start modes depending on their level of experience and the complexity of the image analysis project. As a result, casual eCognition users can quickly create meaningful results using Quickmap, while more seasoned users retain the full functionality of eCognition Developer, which develops rule sets for the automatic analysis of remote sensing data. Quickmap’s code will also be made available so that it can be leveraged in the development of custom applications by the eCognition user community.

“After introducing OBIA to the earth science industry in 2001, we are excited to now introduce eCognition 8, which once again sets new standards for the industry,” said Ralph D. Humberg, Vice President, Earth Sciences at Definiens. “Our latest software incorporates functionality that makes it accessible to new audiences across industries as diverse as insurance, urban planning, defense and forestry while simultaneously allowing experienced users to meet the demands of complex projects more efficiently. We anticipate that eCognition 8 will spur the development of a range of novel applications.”

Beyond improvements to the application building process, eCognition 8 provides advancements in the performance and speed of advanced image analysis. In test cases, eCognition 8 performed up to ten times faster than the previous version, as a result of more effective utilization of processing resources.

Definiens introduced the eCognition 8 software suite at the IMAX Theater in Munich on November 2, 2009 as part of its four-day eCognition User Summit.  For more information, visit: http://earth.definiens.com/ecognition-user-summit-munich-2009-information.

Definiens in Earth Sciences
Definiens enables organizations involved in Earth Sciences to quickly extract accurate geo-information from any kind of remote sensing data. The company assists data providers, value adders, scientists and end users in integrating earth observation and remote sensing data to generate accurate GIS-ready information. Definiens’ intelligent feature extraction capabilities accelerate mapping, change detection and object recognition–delivering standardized and reproducible image analysis results. Further information is available at http://earth.definiens.com.

About Definiens
Definiens is the number one Enterprise Image Intelligence company for analyzing and interpreting images on every scale, from microscopic cell structures to satellite images. The Definiens Cognition Network Technology®, developed by Nobel laureate Prof. Gerd Binnig and his team, is an advanced and robust context-based technology designed to fulfill the image analysis requirements of the Medical, Life and Earth Sciences markets. The technology is modeled on the powerful human cognitive perception processes to extract intelligence from images. Definiens provides organizations with faster image analysis results, allowing deeper insights enabling better business decisions. The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany and has offices throughout the United States. Further information is available at www.definiens.com.