Read and Create Image Compression Formats in Third-Party Applications via the Latest Version of ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK

HUNTSVILLE, Ala., Sept. 5, 2013 — (PRNewswire) —  Intergraph^® has released an updated SDK that will increase flexibility and performance for the industry-leading Enhanced Compressed Wavelet (ECW) and ISO JPEG 2000 image compression formats.

The latest version of ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, Version 5, allows software developers to enable rapid and efficient file handling in their applications by including robust support for selected wavelet compression formats and protocols. The new release includes support for ECW Version 3, 16-bit support and a re-architected compression algorithm for vastly improved performance.

"Users worldwide rely on our ECW technology to save time during imagery processing and transfer, and reduce the hardware requirements for their geospatial workflows," said Mladen Stojic, Vice President – Geospatial, Intergraph. "By expanding the use of this technology across multiple solutions, users can more easily compress bulky imagery files into manageable sizes while preserving the visual quality of the images."

As de facto standards adopted by GIS, CAD and remote sensing packages worldwide, ECW and JPEG 2000 accelerate the delivery and display of imagery to provide the best performance and user experience. Serving imagery as ECW files minimizes the impact of managing and distributing large image data, ultimately reducing hardware and network costs. Organizations can now compress petabytes of imagery down to five percent of its original size, enabling faster, more efficient management and delivery of data, while preserving image quality. ISO-certified JPEG 2000 is a numerically lossless compressed image format commonly used for geospatial imagery.

The ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK has produced stable, high-quality commercial applications for over 10 years, and consistently enables third party developers to provide the robust and unrivalled imagery support their customers expect.  ECW support is virtually ubiquitous across leading geospatial and CAD software packages, including those from Intergraph, as well as software from AutoDesk, Blue Marble, CadCorp, ENVI, ESRI ArcGIS, Geomatica, LizardTech, GeoExpress, FalconView, Global Mapper, MapInfo, Manifold System, MicroStation, and Smallworld.  ECW is also supported by open source geospatial packages such as GDAL, QGIS, GeoServer and MapServer.

ERDAS APOLLO users benefit the most from ECW technology, with the ability to directly create, read and serve ECW files. Users can compress data to manageable sizes, while retaining the richness of the data quality and appearance, as well as use the catalog to organize any data type in their enterprise into one comprehensive library.  With ERDAS APOLLO, you can easily disseminate extensive archives to multitudes of end-users without putting extra pressure on enterprise systems.

To learn more about ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK, please visit the official product page on geospatial.intergraph.com.

About Intergraph

Intergraph is the leading global provider of engineering and geospatial software that enables customers to visualize complex data. Businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on Intergraph's industry-specific software to organize vast amounts of data to make processes and infrastructure better, safer and smarter. The company's software and services empower customers to build and operate more efficient plants and ships, create intelligent maps, and protect critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world.

Intergraph operates through two divisions: Process, Power & Marine (PP&M) and Security, Government & Infrastructure (SG&I). Intergraph PP&M provides enterprise engineering software for the design, construction, operation and data management of plants, ships and offshore facilities. Intergraph SG&I provides geospatially powered solutions, including ERDAS technologies, to the public safety and security, defense and intelligence, government, transportation, photogrammetry, and utilities and communications industries. Intergraph Government Solutions (IGS) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Intergraph Corporation responsible for the SG&I U.S. federal business.

Intergraph is part of Hexagon (Nordic exchange: HEXA B), a leading global provider of design, measurement, and visualization technologies that enable customers to design, measure and position objects, and process and present data.

© 2013 Intergraph Corporation. All rights reserved. Intergraph is part of Hexagon. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Intergraph