On November 19, developers and users of GIS technologies celebrate the international day of geoinformation technologies. In Bulgaria, on this day, the GIS-Alliance traditionally gathered all GIS technology professionals and enthusiasts at an event under the motto "Smart GIS for Sustainable Development". The event was opened by the Executive Director of the Agency for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre of the Republic of Bulgaria, Georgi Georgiev. Leading companies "Hexagon AB", "Tehnologika", "Geodetekt", "Geographical", "GAP Consult", "Mapex" participated in the conference.

KB "Panorama's" partner company EOOD "Geodetekt" presented a report on "Unified Geoinformation Space: Integration Creating Solutions". Based on projects implemented by the company's specialists using the geoinformation software GIS "Panorama", the presentation showed examples of technical solutions and spatial data integrated into a single information environment. The report was presented by the managers and lead specialists of "Geodetekt", sisters Dr. Eng. Yana Lipikska and Dr. Eng. Maria Angelova. In their opinion, processes such as automation, centralization, analysis, management decision-making, and intelligent services applied to spatial data lead to the formation of a unified geoinformation space. GIS is no longer just maps. It is a living platform for understanding the world – from tracking climate change and managing natural resources to intelligent planning of cities and roads.

The GIS Day event gathered a diverse audience - over 250 guests, including representatives of the Agency for Geodesy, Cartography and Cadastre, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources, Ministry of Agriculture and Food, Municipality of Plovdiv, Municipality of Radomir, Municipality of Vratsa, National Company "Railway Infrastructure", Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, teachers and students of the University of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geodesy, University of Mining and Geology "St. Ivan Rilski", Sofia University "St. Kliment Ohridski", and many other institutions and organizations.

Inspiring presentations were given, new partnerships were formed, and experiences and fresh ideas were exchanged – all in an atmosphere where innovation meets reality. Conference participants noted the exponential growth in demand for geodata and geospatial services, as well as the important role of artificial intelligence. It was noted that the integration of digital photogrammetry, laser scanning data, and artificial intelligence for processing and geospatial analysis of spatial data is fundamentally changing the work of GIS specialists. The event concluded with an exciting thematic game, GIS-it-out, with prizes provided by "Geodetekt".

We congratulate EOOD "Geodetekt" on an excellently conducted event and wish further success in geoinformation activities. We express gratitude for the commitment to using Russian-made geoinformation products and technologies.

Photographs provided by Vessy Ilkova Photography.

KB "Panorama" has developed GIS "Panorama" version 15.5.2. The new version adds support for new object types and attributes for creating and applying specialized maps in aeronautical and marine navigation: metaobjects, metricless metaobjects, and composite attributes. Tools for building object lists and performing operations on them have been improved, query parameters in the "Search for Territories by Conditions" task have been expanded, means for displaying symbols as various chart types have been supplemented, capabilities for building labels when importing from CSV format have been added, support for LAS format version 1.5 has been added, and new tools have been added to the "Map Editor", "Geodetic Editor" tasks, and when forming cadastral documents.

The new "Metaobjects" category can contain sets of attributes that supplement the description of basic objects of a specialized map. Basic objects can contain references to metaobjects (object UID), through which additional information about the object can be displayed. For example, on an aeronautical chart, route segments (RouteSegment) may refer to available radio navigation services (Navaid), which may refer to radio navigation equipment (NavaidEquipment), and so on. A radio navigation equipment metaobject (NavaidEquipment) may have no coordinates as it supplements the radio navigation service object (Navaid) with attributes.

When viewing attributes in the "Select Objects" dialog, on the "Semantics" and "Metaobjects" tabs, a list of references to objects and metaobjects will be displayed. Double-clicking a reference will open another "Select Object" dialog with a full description of the referenced object or metaobject. From there, the next object or metaobject can be opened. In the dialog, description of attributes or coordinates can be changed, references or other object properties can be modified. Setting the "Metaobject" or "Metricless Metaobject" property for an object, specifying a list of allowable references, can be done in the "Classifier Editor" task. By default, metaobjects are not displayed and do not participate in searches. To enable display and search in the "Display Contents" or "Search Objects" dialogs, instead of the "Do not select metaobjects" property, "Select all objects" or "Select metaobjects" must be chosen.

In the "Classifier Editor" task, on the "Semantics" tab, a "Description" property has been added. This property allows adding explanations for semantics requiring special knowledge when filling. To enter a semantic description, the "Description" button must be pressed. The user can enter explanatory text, paste from a document, edit, and save. The presence of a description for a specific semantic is indicated by the button icon color: green - description added, gray - no description. Semantic descriptions can be viewed in the "Select Object", "Edit Semantics of Object List" and other dialogs. Querying semantic descriptions can be useful when maintaining territorial planning schemes, cadastral documents, navigation charts, and others. To control the correctness of semantic characteristic values, the capabilities of allowable value templates in the "Classifier Editor" task have been expanded. Support for combined templates consisting of a fixed number of simple or special characters at the beginning of the string, then a variable number of characters from a given set, and a fixed number of simple or special characters at the end of the string has been added. For example, to control altitude values on aeronautical charts, which can take values like: FL550, 37509FT, templates like: FL[0123456789], [0123456789]FT or a set of templates FL9, FL99, FL999 can be applied. When viewing attributes in the "Select Object" dialog, a string containing an erroneous value will be highlighted in yellow.

For a more compact representation of a set of repeating attribute combinations, composite semantics can be used. A composite semantic contains values of several other semantics in one string, written with a separator. To control input values, the template for a composite semantic is specified as a list of semantic numbers written through a separator - "!#123,#345...". For example, for the template "!#350, #20, #22, #21, #23, #351" the semantic value could be the string: "FORWARD, FL200, STD, FL510, STD, CLSD", meaning forward movement at flight levels FL200-FL510 is closed. One object can have several such attribute sets, represented in multiple lines.

In the "Object Lists" task, the ability to group object lists has been added. For a group of object lists, visibility and color of thematic layers can be assigned. Dragging one or several object lists into groups is supported. Tools for performing overlay operations on object lists have been improved. In the dialogs for cutting and splitting objects by lists, the ability to save cut objects to a new map has been added. This new processing method preserves the original map, writing the result to a new map for further analysis. During the cutting process, the new map is added to the document. An object list with the name " - " is generated for it, where List2 is the editable (split) objects, List1 is the reference objects (templates) used for cutting. For example, when cutting pipelines by zones, the name "Pipelines - Zones" is formed. After performing the specified operations, the object list can be imported from the new map into the general document lists in the "Object Lists" dialog - Import lists from incoming maps.

In the "Search and Selection" and "Map Contents" dialogs, on the "Objects" tab, the "Show only selected objects" property has been added. When enabled, only selected rows will be displayed in the object list. This speeds up making minor changes without scrolling through a large list. Multiple selection of semantic characteristics has been added on the "Semantics" tab. The ability to save current selection conditions to a selected model has been added on the "Models" tab.

In the Spatial Analysis Complex, the "Search for Territories by Conditions" task has been improved. The task is intended for building a map of areas based on conditions. Conditions can be specified as zones of interest and prohibited zones with influence radii. Object selection conditions are written as an "Object Set". Several object sets are saved as a named theme. Selecting a theme allows building a map of territories suitable for construction of cottages, warehouses, factories, or other purposes. For example, when searching for cottage sites, conditions for proximity to water bodies, forests and parks, water and power supply sources, distance from large cities, landfills, railways, and highways are set. When searching for warehouse sites, conditions for proximity to highways, railway stations, and cities are set. The new dialog allows creating copies of condition sets, editing, and saving them as new themes. Build parameters are saved in the open map (project) folder in files with the extension "findarea". Themes can be added from parameter files prepared for other maps. When selecting a theme in the dialog, a check for compliance of selection conditions with the open map (by classifier) and a preliminary search for map objects are performed. In the condition selection table (in the Interest Zones and Prohibited Zones columns) for each object set, the number of map objects meeting the selection conditions is displayed.

The "Search for Territories by Conditions" dialog is called from the main menu: Tasks - Launch Applications - Spatial Analysis - Spatial Analysis Complex.

The library of programmable symbols shape.iml64 has been improved. Symbols of the "Bar Chart" type have been developed. These new symbol types supplement bar charts and are used to display demographic, environmental, financial, and other statistical data on thematic maps. The symbols have a legend with semantic values or percentages of the sum of values. Highlights and shadows giving a three-dimensional appearance have been added to bar and column charts. For charts with values, two types are implemented: simple and multi-interval. The simple type is based on calculating bar sizes relative to the Expected Average Value. When a zero average value is assigned, the chart bars contain a multi-interval scale allowing display of values in the range from units to billions. Displayed bars (columns) are divided into intervals: the first interval contains values less than 10, the second - less than 100, the third - less than 1000, and so on. The multi-interval chart allows showing the population of subjects and districts of the Russian Federation. Examples of new symbols are contained in the map shape.sitx, which can be opened from the main menu: File - Example Data - select the map in the folder: c:\Users\Public\Documents\Panorama\Panorama15\data\shape.

In the "Map Editor" task, for the "Create Embankment" mode, the ability to number elongated strokes has been added. On the "Process Selected Objects" panel, a "Build Convex Polygon" mode has been added. This mode builds a polygon of minimal area covering all points of the selected objects. The mode is used for quick construction of areals based on point measurements, buildings, territories, and other objects.

In the "Import from CSV, TXT, XYH" dialog, the ability to create 2 separate combined point labels next to each placed point has been added. Each point label can contain up to 4 field values in multiple lines, chosen by the user. For example, the point's elevation in the first line, and its name, point number, or another field in the second line. In the dialog, columns from the source file can be specified, values from which will be used for labeling points. For each label, its own vertical and horizontal offset parameters can be set, allowing placement anywhere relative to the main object. The ability to update semantics of existing objects has been added. Updating is performed when assigning semantics for linking with objects (on the Additional Parameters tab).

In the "Load MTD-Model from LAS File" task (File - Import Rasters and Matrices from - Point Cloud LAS), support for LAS (LiDAR Aerial Survey) format version 1.5 has been added. In the new version, 11 point formats are processed. The MTD-model is a digital irregular point model. MTD-model point records contain three-dimensional spatial coordinates and color. In the absence of color in the source data points, the point cloud is displayed using the relief model palette. The MTD-model contains point measurements sorted in blocks. This storage method ensures fast data access for computational and analytical tasks in the "3D Analysis Complex".

The MTD-model can be displayed on top of a map or terrain image in two-dimensional or three-dimensional form in desktop and web products of the company.

In the "Geodetic Editor" task, in the "Cadastral Documents" panel, the "Land Plot Surveying Project" mode has been improved. The ability to load information from the cadastral works database about the customer, cadastral engineer, and documents used in preparing the surveying project has been added. In the "Geometric Constructions" panel, the "Point at Intersection of Alignments" and "Drop Perpendicular to Line" modes have been improved. After performing operations, the modes do not turn off, allowing repeated operations with different source data. In the "Constructions Along Object" panel, a "Place Stations and Segments Along Route" mode has been developed, combining the functionality of the modes removed from the panel: "Place Stations Along Route", "Place Segments Along Route", "Place Stations Along Route from File Data", and "Place Stations Along Route with Side Indication from File Data".

In the complex of "Cadastral Tasks", the "Survey Plan" mode has been improved. When forming an XML document for forming land plots by land redistribution, the area of parts included in the formed land plot is taken from the map if the AREADOC semantic is not filled. The "Read KPT and Update Map" mode has been improved. Reading and plotting on the map of public easements and land reservation territories has been added. The "Map-Plan of Territory" mode has been improved. On the form, in the "Scheme of Land Plot Boundaries" and "Scheme of Geodetic Constructions" sections, a "Scale" column has been added.

The new version of the program is available for download in the Download section.

At KB "Panorama," GIS WebService SE version 15.14.3 has been developed. The new version integrates support for the National Spatial Data System (NSDS). GIS WebService SE allows configuring correspondences between layers and categories, semantics and attributes, object types and subcategories of the NSDS and the regional GIS. The service tracks the relevance of data in layers published both on the service and in the NSDS and performs their synchronization. When changes occur, analysis, updating, addition, and deletion of objects and attributes are carried out.

The program has accelerated the processing of requests with data restriction based on a list of available objects, semantics, and their values. Restrictions for users are set via SQL queries to the database, and filtering parameters can be located in the database itself. Filters allow imposing restrictions on a layer for a user based on their field of activity, regional affiliation, or other parameters used in distributed systems. Support for direct links of the type {Z}/{X}/{Y} has been added.

GIS WebService SE supports all international standards (OGC WFS, WFS-T, WMS, WMTS, WCS, WPS), which are used for transferring and displaying spatial data. The program implements the capability to provide tiles in any user-defined or local coordinate system. The application is implemented on Windows and Linux platforms and is compatible with Apache, IIS, and nginx web servers.

The new version of the program and documentation are available on the website in the Download section.

Geoportal "Bank of spatial data" has been supplemented with a map of the Cook Islands, formed according to OpenStreetMap data. To work with the map, you can use the GIS Panorama Mini program or other software products of KB "Panorama".

The map was led to the modernised classifier of large-scale plans of scale 1: 5 000 (map5000m). Publishing of updates in bank of spatial data is made by using the program of Databank of digital maps and remote sensing data. Publishing contents of bank of spatial data on the geoportal and data access for downloading are implemented by means of GIS WebServer SE.

Free maps on the basis of OpenStreetMap data are available for download on the page "Digital maps".

Specialists from KB "Panorama," together with students from MIIGAiK, have prepared a video tutorial on working with the "Text Placement", "Save/Add Stamp", and "Additional Design" modes in the "Report Designer" task toolbar. The discussed modes are available in GIS "Panorama", GIS "Operator", and other software products from KB "Panorama" for the "Astra Linux Special Edition" operating system.

The video tutorial demonstrates the stages of placing graphic design elements on a report layout: north arrow icons, linear scale images, and decorative borders. The design objects are created according to the mapreport.rsc classifier, which is intended for preparing map layouts and reports for publication. Special attention is paid to working with stamps—standardized elements recommended to be created as graphic objects for universal use on any maps. The integration of prepared stamp templates with a preview capability is shown. Additionally, the importance of classifier compatibility is clarified: if the map classifier differs from the template classifier, it may disrupt the correctness of the design.

This video material will be useful for specialists involved in designing and preparing cartographic materials for publication, including for creating standardized reports and map layouts of the required format. The training materials can be found in the "Video Tutorials" section.