DIMA 2007 and PSPA 2007 kick off today and run through tomorrow. DIMA 2007 is held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, Nev. PSPA 2007 is held at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel next to the Convention Center. PPFA 2007 runs March 7-11 at the Las Vegas Conventon Center.

  PMA 07 will run March 8-11 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. PSRO 2007 runs March 8-11 and SPAA 2007 runs March 8-9; both will be at the Convention Center. Read the PMA Show Daily at www.pmai.org/pma07 each day of the show for news and product trends. Also, check out the PMA Show Blog daily.

The book, "The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More," by Chris Anderson explores the tremendous business potential of the long tail -- the rise of the niche as a powerful new force in our economy. Kicking off DIMA 2007 will be Anderson's DIMA Opening Keynote of the same title of his book will be today, March 6, at 5:00 p.m. A book signing will follow the keynote at 6:00 p.m. in S221-S223.

Fujifilm U.S.A. Inc., Valhalla, N.Y., will host a pre-PMA 07 event during PSPA 2007 for Professional School Photographers Association (PSPA) members on tonight from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev., in Ballrooms 1-3. Refreshments will be served.

  During this one-hour reception attendees will get a first look at the Fujifilm FinePix S5 DSLR and introduction to features such as: the new "Film Simulation" modes, Real Photo Processor Pro and Super CCD SR Pro technologies, the Password Protected Menu Lock-out functionality, bar code scanning to image file metadata, use of Extended Dynamic Range, white balance and color fine tuning, post capture Face Detection, noise reduction technology, and information on Software Developers Kit requests.

PSPA 2007 is here. With the 2-day convention comes the opportunity to dramatically increase workflow efficiency while working with school photo CDs. Pelican Software Inc., Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, is launching the PSPA Analyzer, a powerful, easy-to-install software utility that quickly checks a school photo CD structure, identifying images and data not in compliance with PSPA Digital Data and Imaging Format Guidelines. Plus, the software is free!

  "We worked with the PSPA committee to create the program," says Jared Scott, vice president of product management at Pelican. "I know the committee would like to see the Analyzer become the certification standard for confirming school photo CDs as PSPA compliant."

  At present, if a school or third-party yearbook publisher returns the school CD to the photographer due to corrupted images or data in the index file, the studio can spend hours just searching the index to locate the problem image(s), not to mention the time required to make corrections. The Analyzer completes the search, regardless of school size, in a matter of 1 minute to 5 minutes, depending on the number of students and the speed of the computer.

  The photographer can choose from three search modes: check the index file only; check the index file and directory structure; and check the index file, directory structure, and images. Checking and correcting the index file at the front end, before sending it to the client, gives the photographer the chance to make the necessary corrections beforehand, adding another layer of perceived value and professionalism to the photographer.

  "There are school photographers who don't know what the PSPA Guidelines are or how to adhere to them, as well as those who follow some of the Guidelines recommendations and ignore others," says Al Walker, PSPA committee chair.

  "This also is why we are hoping for the PSPA Analyzer to become the PSPA certification standard for the industry," adds Don Power, sales manager for Pelican.

  "Photographers could tell their clients their school photo CD has been certified to comply with all PSPA guidelines. Such a certification would help the industry move more quickly toward a PSPA standard, as opposed to simply a guideline."

  Pelican has donated its time and expertise to create the software, which will be made available free at PSPA 07 and PMA 07.

  "We are not looking to profit from the Analyzer," says Scott. "It's our way of giving back to the community, and we strongly believe a PSPA certified standard can only help the entire community."

  PSPA committee members have been testing the software and are enthusiastic about the results.

  "I haven't encountered any bugs," says Bill Keane, Keane Studios, San Diego, Calif. "It ran flawlessly and also caught one infraction that would have held up the process. I look forward to using the final version at the convention."

  The firm will be distributing the CD at its vendor table during the official PSPA luncheon on March 7. The utility will also be available from Pelican staff attending the show from March 8-11. Just find the folks from Pelican for your free copy!

  Downloads can be made from the PSPA website and the Pelican Software website.

  Pelican Software was founded more than 15 years ago, originally developing software solutions for the oil-patch industry. It expanded into the school photography market about 7 years ago, and now offers two software packages for quickly constructing professional yearbooks -- Yearbooks! Desktop and Yearbooks! Online. Both applications use PSPA-compliant school photo CDs as their import standard.