ERDAS IMAGINE 2014

Release Notes

Version 14.00.0000

December, 2013
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Contents
About this Release ...................................................................................................................................... 7
®
ERDAS IMAGINE ........................................................................................................................................ 7

New Platforms .............................................................................................................................................. 8

Microsoft Windows 8.1 ............................................................................................................................ 8
Leverage your 64-bit environments ........................................................................................................ 8

New Technology .......................................................................................................................................... 9

Point Cloud Operators in Spatial Modeler .............................................................................................. 9
Add Bias ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Classifier ........................................................................................................................................... 9
Delete Points .................................................................................................................................... 9
Merger ............................................................................................................................................ 10
Point Cloud Compare ..................................................................................................................... 10
Point Cloud Information .................................................................................................................. 10
Point Cloud to Raster ..................................................................................................................... 10
Reclass ........................................................................................................................................... 10
RGB Encode ................................................................................................................................... 10
Select By ........................................................................................................................................ 10
Set Constant Z ................................................................................................................................ 10
Subset............................................................................................................................................. 11
Classification operator in Spatial Modeler ............................................................................................ 11
Segmentation operator in Spatial Modeler ........................................................................................... 11
Command Line Operator in Spatial Modeler ........................................................................................ 11
Dodge Plus Operator ............................................................................................................................ 11
Input / Output operator Preview Prompts ............................................................................................. 12
ERDAS ER Mapper wizards using Spatial Modeler ............................................................................. 12
ERDAS ER Mapper ERS Support Improved ........................................................................................ 12
ECW Compression Improvements........................................................................................................ 12
New Sensor Models: ............................................................................................................................. 13
Pléiades .......................................................................................................................................... 13
KOMPSAT-III .................................................................................................................................. 14
SPOT6 ............................................................................................................................................ 14
TH-01 .............................................................................................................................................. 14
Semi Global Matching (SGM) ............................................................................................................... 14
New importers and Raster dlls .............................................................................................................. 15
New Datums & Projections ................................................................................................................... 15
Data Display .......................................................................................................................................... 16
Radar Analyst........................................................................................................................................ 16
On-the-fly Despeckle ...................................................................................................................... 16
On-the-fly Auto Enhance / Colorize ................................................................................................ 16
On-the-fly Blue is New .................................................................................................................... 16
Optimized Histogram Rescale ........................................................................................................ 16
Incidence Angle pointer .................................................................................................................. 17

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 5

 CCD Time Series ............................................................................................................................ 17
New Add-on Module: IMAGINE AAIC ................................................................................................... 17

New Packaging .......................................................................................................................................... 17

6 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

About this Release
This document describes the enhancements for ERDAS IMAGINE 2014, including IMAGINE
Photogrammetry (formerly LPS Core) and ERDAS ER Mapper. Although the information in this
document is current as of the product release, see the Intergraph Support website for the most
current version.

This release includes both enhancements and fixes. For information on fixes that were made to
ERDAS IMAGINE for this release, see the Issues Resolved report on the Intergraph Support
website for a specific product.
This document is only an overview and does not provide all of the details about the product's
capabilities. See the online help and other documents provided with ERDAS IMAGINE for more
information.

ERDAS IMAGINE®
ERDAS IMAGINE® performs advanced remote sensing analysis and spatial modeling to create
new information. In addition, with ERDAS IMAGINE, you can visualize your results in 2D, 3D,
movies, and on cartographic-quality map compositions. The core of the ERDAS IMAGINE
product suite is engineered to scale with your geospatial data production needs. Optional
modules (add-ons) providing specialized functionalities are also available to enhance your
productivity and capabilities.
®
 IMAGINE Essentials is the entry-level image processing product for map creation and
simple feature collection tools. IMAGINE Essentials enables serial batch processing.
®
 IMAGINE Advantage enables advanced spectral processing, image registration,
mosaicking and image analysis, and change detection capabilities. IMAGINE Advantage
enables parallel batch processing for accelerated output.
®
 IMAGINE Professional includes a production toolset for advanced spectral,
hyperspectral, and radar processing, and spatial modeling. Includes ERDAS ER Mapper.

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 7

New Platforms
Please refer to the Supported Environments document for full details on all platforms
supported by ERDAS IMAGINE 2014. However some key changes are noted below.

Microsoft Windows 8.1

Windows 8.1 Pre Release was tested and certified as supported during the development of
ERDAS IMAGINE 2014. However the final version was not released in time to test. Status will be
announced at a later date.

Leverage your 64-bit environments

ERDAS IMAGINE now supports both 32-bit and 64-bit environments. Resource intensive
applications leverage 64-bit environments for increased memory access and processing speed.
Some key applications that benefit from 64-bit processing:

 APM – can handle much larger blocks (i.e. more imagery)

 ECW and JP2 compression – Compress larger images faster
 ECWP – Faster streaming
 Image Segmentation – Process larger images with fewer tiling artifacts
 MosaicPro – Faster processing of large projects
 Ortho-resampling – Up to 40% faster when using RPC models
 Spatial Modeler – More memory available for complex processing, faster execution via
multi-threading (includes many operations provided through the Raster tab)

8 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

New Technology
ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 introduces several new technology areas beside the move to 64-bit.
Primary amongst these is an ongoing expansion of the capabilities provided by the Spatial
Modeler, including new operators for processing and analyzing point cloud data (such as LAS)
as part of your Model. Details can be found below.

Point Cloud Operators in Spatial Modeler

Point Cloud data, such as LiDAR LAS files or the results of Semi-Global Matching (SGM)
processes, are becoming a common and extremely important source of additional geospatial
information suitable for applications as diverse as change detection to intervisibility analysis.
To support flexible utilisation of this important data source a suite of new Operators has been
added to the 2014 Spatial Modeler to assist in the creation of custom workflows that include
point cloud data.

Add Bias
Adds a constant bias to the elevation of selected points in a Point Cloud data and writes the
output to a new point cloud file.

Classifier
This operator lets you classify point cloud data into ground surface, buildings and vegetation.

Delete Points
The Delete operator deletes selected points from a point cloud data and writes the output to a
new point cloud file.

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 9

Merger
The Merger operator lets you merge multiple input Point Cloud (LiDAR) data into a single Point
Cloud data.

Point Cloud Compare

This operator compares two point clouds. Point clouds are considered equal if they have the
same number of points with the same X, Y coordinates and other attributes and their Z value is
within the specified threshold.

Point Cloud Information

This operator generates basic information about a Point Cloud dataset.

Point Cloud to Raster

The Point Cloud to Raster operator creates a raster (image) data from a point cloud input.

Reclass
The Reclass operator lets you change the classes of selected points using the ASPRS
classification table (the equivalent of a raster Recode operation). The result will be written to a
new point cloud file.

RGB Encode
The RGB Encode operator lets you create a new Point Cloud (LiDAR) file with RGB information
from a Point Cloud file with no RGB information and a reference image. The resampling
method for RGB Encode is Bilinear Interpolation.

Select By
The Select By operator lets you select points from a point cloud dataset. Point selection is
performed by a combination of extent, class or return number. Other Point Cloud operators
can then be applied to the selected points.

Set Constant Z
The Set Constant Z operator set the Z value of selected points to the specified Z value and
writes the output to a new Point Cloud file.

10 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

Subset
The Subset operator lets you create a new Point Cloud file based on selected points. Point
selection can be done by extent, class or return number.

Classification operator in Spatial Modeler

A new Unsupervised Classification Spatial Modeler operator has been added to ERDAS
IMAGINE 2014. Users can now include Unsupervised Classification in the models they create.
Users familiar with the Unsupervised Classification application in ERDAS IMAGINE will find the
same controls available in the new operator, including being able to specify between
Isodata1 or K Means2 algorithms, and control the number of clusters and iterations.

Segmentation operator in Spatial Modeler

A new Full Lambda Schedule (FLS) Image Segmentation Spatial Modeler operator has been
added to ERDAS IMAGINE 2014. Users can now include FLS Image Segmentation in the models
they create. Users familiar with the Lambda Schedule Segmentation application in IMAGINE
Objective will find the same capabilities available in Spatial Modeler through this new
operator.

Command Line Operator in Spatial Modeler

Run ERDAS IMAGINE and 3rd party executables as part of your Spatial Model process.

Dodge Plus Operator

A Spatial Model operator that provides spatially-adaptive local brightness and contrast
correction for aerial photography and satellite imaging, which frequently suffer from uneven
scene illumination caused by the varying position of the camera look angle with respect to the
sun at a given location.

1
In this method you can set a range for the number of clusters. This is because the Isodata algorithm can perform cluster deletion,
splitting, and merging between iterations.
2
This method requires you to enter a predetermined number of output clusters. Pixels are iteratively classified into this number of
clusters without any deleting, splitting, or merging during the process.

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 11

Input / Output operator Preview Prompts
The Spatial Modeler now supports prompting for the values to be used where Input or Output
Ports have been added to a Spatial Model when running the Model in Preview mode. Input and
Output ports are usually used to prompt the user for variables such as file names or band
combinations, including providing bubble help to assist the user in understanding what
parameters should be defined. By extending this capability to Preview mode Models have been
made far more interactive for use as shared, generic real-time processing algorithms.

For example, a Model could be authored for real-time pan-sharpening of imagery. Running the
Model in Preview mode will now prompt the user to supply the names of the input Pan and
Multispectral images as well as any other required variables, rather than these being hardwired
into the Model and requiring manual editing by the end user.

ERDAS ER Mapper wizards using Spatial Modeler

Select ERDAS ER Mapper wizards have been converted into ERDAS IMAGINE Spatial Models
and presented through a standard GUI, providing real time preview and manipulation similar to
an ER Mapper algorithm.
 Horizon Azimuth
 Horizon Dip
 Horizon RTS (Real time shading)
 Pseudo Color
 RGBI Shaded Relief (called RGBI color drape in ERDAS ER Mapper)

ERDAS ER Mapper ERS Support Improved

Improves the read support for ERDAS ER Mapper ERS files in ERDAS IMAGINE, including
persisting of NoData and other metadata.

ECW Compression Improvements

Particular attention has been made to expand use of the ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK v5.1 in ERDAS
IMAGINE for the 2014 release.
 Improved ECWP performance
 Use the 64-bit ERDAS ECW/JP2 SDK v5.1 whenever possible for both decoding
(reading) and encoding (compressing) ECW and JP2 data
 Improved ECW encoding performance, especially when encoding from tiled image
formats in the ECW Export tools

12 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

  Improved ECW encoding performance in the DirectWrite tools (both Legacy and new
Spatial Modeler, resample, reproject, etc.)
 Improved ECW v2 opacity layer generation performance
 Automatically transfer NoData pixels from source imagery into ECW v2 and v3 opacity
layers
 Automatically write NULL blocks into ECW v3 files when input block is all NoData, further
shrinking the ECW file without decreasing quality
 Add capability to geocorrect (Orient to Map) calibrated images and images with worldfile
rotations in ECW Export
 All rotation padding pixels created by Orient to Map process automatically become NULL
blocks and opacity layers
 Directly read statistics and histograms from ECW v3 files
 ECW Export and View / Edit Metadata can write statistics and histograms into ECW v3
files
 Visually lossless re-compression in ECW Export when processing from ECW files to ECW
files
 If necessary can fully utilize memory when encoding ECW and JP2 data
 Expanded ECW and JP2 compression reports
 Expanded information in ECW Info tab found in View / Edit Image Metadata
 Improved Virtual Mosaic (VMCx) performance when encoding into ECW and JP2 data

New Sensor Models:

Support to the following sensors have been added in IMAGINE Photogrammetry, Geometric
Correction tools and AutoSync.

Pléiades
Pléiades is an optical observation system consisting of two identical satellites that deliver 50cm
color products. Pléiades 1A and Pléiades 1B operate as a constellation in the same orbit,
phased 180° apart.

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 13

KOMPSAT-III
KOMPSAT-3 ( Korea Multi Purpose Satellite-3) satellite was launched on May 18, 2012 and
operates at an altitude of 685 km in a sun-synchronous orbit for 4 years.

SPOT6
SPOT-6 (Système Pour l’Observation de la Terre) is an optical satellite built by Astrium and was
successfully launched on September 9, 2012.

TH-01
STH-01 is a Chinese satellite launched on Aug 24 2010 and captures triplet stereo imagery.

Sensor Category Model

KOMPSAT-III Rational Functions KOMPSAT RPC
Pléiades RPC, Orbital Pushbroom Pléiades RPC, Pléiades
SPOT6 RPC, Orbital Pushbroom SPOT6 RPC, SPOT6
TH-01 Rational Functions TH-01 RPC
Table: Level of support of new sensors

Semi Global Matching (SGM)

A capability to generate Digital Terrain Models (DTM) using Semi Global Matching (SGM) has
been added for generating dense point clouds from Digital Frame Sensors such as Leica RCD30
and Z/I DMC sensors.

14 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

New importers and Raster dlls
 Enhanced USGS Landsat 7 and 8 importer
 DIMAP v2 (for SPOT6, Pleiades, etc)
 RapidEye

New Datums & Projections

 Canadian CGV28 and CGG2010 vertical datums
 NAD83 (2011) Datum
 AUSGeoid09 Datum
 ITRF 2005 and 2008 Datums
 S-JTSK / Krovak East North Projection system (EPSG: 5514)
 Various Coordinate system changes for Norway and Finland
 ED50 to ETRS89 / UTM zone 31 for Catalonia (Spain)

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 15

  Hong Kong 1980 projection
 GDM2000 projections (EPSG: 3376, 3377, 4742)
 Several other new map projections

Data Display
 3D TIN Viewing – point clouds can also be viewed with a Perspective Mode or as a TIN
surface
 JP2 encoded NITF – Hybrid pyramid layer scheme can be generated for faster display
 LUT Stretch and Filter Galleries with real-time preview

Radar Analyst
The Radar Analyst Tab has been expanded to 2 tabs to accommodate new (for 2014) and
planned functionality additions, including

On-the-fly Despeckle
Automatically suppresses radar image noise for easier visual interpretation. The enhanced
image is calculated and displayed directly into the Viewer. As the Analyst Roams or Zooms, the
image is automatically recalculated and updated to retain maximum resolution.

On-the-fly Auto Enhance / Colorize

Automatically converts the grey-scale radar image into an enhanced color image via a
combination of 3 image enhancements. The enhanced image is calculated and displayed
directly into the Viewer. As the Analyst Roams or Zooms, the image is automatically
recalculated and updated to retain maximum resolution.

On-the-fly Blue is New

Automatically performs a change detection between 2 radar images. The result is displayed as
a color image where new features (image pixels) are in blue and features that have departed
the image are in red.

Optimized Histogram Rescale

Option in level-slice Mode allows the Analyst to select a section of the original histogram to
redisplay using the full width of the plot Tool. This allows easier identification and selection of
the desired threshold value.

16 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

Incidence Angle pointer
The Incidence Angle of the radar scene acquisition is displayed on the Look Direction Tool.

CCD Time Series

IMAGINE SAR Interferometry also now provides a CCD Time Series Tool designed for
operational site monitoring. Any number of InSAR image pairs can be entered. The Tool
automatically sequences them, extracts various time-series CCD Products and displays them
into the Viewer. New data acquired subsequently can be added to the project file and
incorporated into the analysis.

New Add-on Module: IMAGINE AAIC

Autonomous Atmospheric Image Correction (AAIC)

 Conversion to surface reflectance for a broad range of satellite imagery

 Converts spectral imagery from its native Digital Number (DN) units directly to ground
material reflectance units, not just pixel radiance
 Correction is fully automatic, requiring no user interaction
 Can also automatically calculate a material identification raster layer
 Optional add-on developed by Applied Analysis Inc. (AAI)

New Packaging
In ERDAS IMAGINE 2014, we took a fresh look at all of our tools to expose more functionality
while maintaining a competitive price. For some, the existing packaging was too complicated,
making it difficult to determine which features and add-ons were needed for a given job.
ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 streamlines our offering, providing greater benefit for your investment.

 Added functionality in IMAGINE Essentials – The following capabilities where optional

add-ons in 2013 and are now a standard part of IMAGINE Essentials 2014:

 IMAGINE Easytrace – Semi-automated collection of boundaries, centerlines and ribbons

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 17

  IMAGINE Vector – Select functionality from the old vector module including raster to vector
conversion

 Added functionality in IMAGINE Advantage – The following capabilities where either

optional add-ons or part of IMAGINE Professional and are now in IMAGINE Advantage:

 ImageEqualizer – Radiometric correction for aerial imagery

 Radar Interpreter – Basic radar enhancement utilities

 IMAGINE Expansion Pack – This new on-add combines seven powerful ERDAS
IMAGINE 2013 add-on products into one module with attractive pricing that makes for
simpler purchasing decisions. The prerequisite is IMAGINE Advantage. Moving forward,
individual add-on parts for components in the IMAGINE Expansion Pack cannot be
purchased separately. Existing customers will be grandfathered into this new
configuration. The IMAGINE Expansion Pack includes the following components:

 IMAGINE AutoSync
TM
– Automatic image to image registration
 IMAGINE DeltaCue – Dedicated change detection from imagery
 IMAGINE OrthoRadar™ – Orthorectification of radar images
 IMAGINE NITF – Enhanced support for the NITF format
 IMAGINE StereoSAR DEM™ – Generate terrain models from radar stereo pairs
 ®
IMAGINE VirtualGIS – Interactive 3D visualization, analysis and fly-throughs
 Stereo Analyst for IMAGINE – Collect 3D features using stereo imagery

 IMAGINE Photogrammetry repackaging - The LPS 2013 products are combined into
three new ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 based add-ons. The goal of the repackaging is to align
the software to tasks commonly used in photogrammetric projects. Typically a few
ortho and DTM production seats feed many lower cost terrain editing seats. Together
they provide a complete and powerful photogrammetry system in a user-friendly
environment that guarantees results even for photogrammetry novices, and increases
productivity while ensuring high accuracy. Capabilities include full analytical
triangulation with automated precision measurement, digital terrain model generation
with stereo editing, and orthophoto production. This is an ideal photogrammetric
solution for projects involving varied types of airborne and satellite imagery followed
by additional downstream processing and analysis using ERDAS IMAGINE.

 IMAGINE Photogrammetry (prerequisite IMAGINE Advantage or Professional)

includes functionality from
 LPS 2013 Core

18 ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes

  LPS 2013 Stereo
 LPS 2013 eATE - Single stereo model

 IMAGINE Auto DTM (prerequisite IMAGINE Photogrammetry) includes

functionality from
 LPS 2013 ATE - Automatic Terrain Extraction
 LPS 2013 eATE

 IMAGINE Terrain Editor (prerequisite IMAGINE Essentials or higher), includes

functionality from
 LPS 2013 Terrain Editor
 LPS 2013 Stereo

ERDAS IMAGINE 2014 Release Notes 19