More jobs, jobs, jobs - Marketing Managers

A couple of interesting employment opps are now available.. one for a marketing Manager (cool as I know a few who like to change hats frequently!)... ANNOVA Tech is currently looking to fill the position of Marketing Manager with a self-motivated and energetic professional looking to make an impact on ANNOVA's newly started sales and marketing efforts. This job is in sunny San Diego!

Another cool opp exists in Vancouver , BC where WINBC is looking for a Marketing Coordinator - this a great team and has a bright future in my mind! see details [pdf]

and a shameless reminder, seekout and post your GIS related jobs for FREEEE at our GISuser Career center - good luck ya'll

Twitter Goes over capacity again and again

Here we go again... Twitter is once again over capacity due to too much volume. The company has been slammed a fair bit lately and the constant slow through put and messages like this aren't going to help much. I guess I'll go over to Jaiku (www.jaiku.com) for now! Obviously this is due to the growing number of users that seek to have 5000+ freinds and followers etc... this problem is also going to hit facebook as well.

ERDAS Free Webinar—Image to Map

A little online edu coming your way via the ERDAS Free Webinar—Image to Map: Turn up Your Stereo (Feature Collection) . Coming webinars include:

July 10 – Image to Map: Turn up Your Stereo Feature Collection (Stereo Analyst for ArcGIS)
July 16 – Rapidly Connect & Share Your World (ERDAS TITAN)
July 17 – ERDAS IMAGINE 9.3…IMAGINE What’s Next!

To register for Image to Map: Turn up Your Stereo (Feature Collection), or find out more about other upcoming webinars see www.erdas.com.

Atherton Tablelands Geographic Information Services fights wildfires

Local firefighters down-under have an innovative new tool to help plan for the fire season. Online mapping and document exchange facilities funded through the Natural Disaster Mitigation Program and constructed by Atherton Tablelands Geographic Information Services (ATGIS) are now available to help rural firefighters and other stakeholders in wildfire mitigation, share information, plan and prepare for response to wildfire threats to the Northern Queensland community. For access to the Northern Queensland Wildfire Mitigation Project, please refer to: http://wildfire.atgis.com.au

The Nokia Free Hands Challenge

Here's a fun challenge that might put a cool N82 in your pocket... Set your hands free – with a Bluetooth headset, perhaps – and you’re free to play, free to create, free to communicate.

Every week the most popular video will win:
Nokia N82
Nokia Bluetooth headset BH-902
Enter at www.nokia.com/freehandschallenge

Tip - Nokia Push Email for all of us

A tip on a great service (Beta) that enables you to receive any email account on your mobile (some devices supported) via this great new service from Nokia.

Simply select your device, specify the email account you wish to access, verify info, then install the app on your device if supported - currently I don't see a Nokia N95 8GB???

You can grab it at http://email.nokia.com/

Happy Canada Day

Just realized (courtesy of a txt from Dad) that today is Canada day... have a great one you Canucks! I'll see if I can locate a Kokanee or similar later today, otherwise I'll have to settle for a Molson CDN... cheers!

Trimble Utilities Field Solutions webinar

This out of Trimble as the company has a series of webinars scheduled to kick off next week - A very high level overview of the solutions provided by Trimble Utilities Field Solutions. The session will include customer case studies and ROI based on specific in-use examples. The Trimble Utilities Field Solutions was created by utilities pros for utilities. Register for the free webinar to learn how you can better manage your assets, your time, and your people.
Dates:
Tuesday, July 8, 1:30PM-2:00PM EDT and
Thursday, July 10, 11:30PM-12:00PM EDT
Register HERE

New Image Fusion and Pan-Sharpening Software on the block

From Down-under, Geosage has just today announced their latest Image Fusion and Pan-Sharpening Software - DOS-based HighView (Version 3.0). From the company... "This latest version is specifically designed to rapidly process a large volume of the recent generation of high-resolution satellite imagery (QuickBird and IKONOS) and the future GeoEye-1 and WorldView-2 imagery. "

Anyone with QuickBird and IKONOS imagery in GeoTIFF format directly from DigitalGlobe and GeoEye data vendors is invited to evaluate the whole range of image pan-sharpening methods and enhancement options included in the software. With this utility program users now are able to conveniently process full scenes of QuickBird and IKONOS imagery to explore superior fused results. A fully-functional trial version is available at http://www.geosage.com/highview/features.html see also more details here

QuincyFloodInfo providesd information for the Mid-West flood of 2008

This comes to me from Shane in the Mid-west... Mid-West GIS, Inc, out of Quincy, Illinois recently developed the website www.QuincyFloodInfo.com in order to gather information for the flood of 2008 on one website. The site hosts weather, river gauge, photos, maps, archives, webcams, and contact information for assistance. During the crucial periods of the flood, more than 1,000 hits per day were being logged. It became a successful tool for many local residents, business owners, and government entities that needed updated information on a daily basis. It is the plan of Mid-West GIS, Inc. to use this same technology in the future for other disaster and emergency management issues. For more information you may contact Shane McDermott at shane@mid-westgis.com or (217) 222-7793.

ESRI Remote Sensing and GIS Summit

Going to San Diego for the ESRI UC this year? If so then consider getting there on Friday or Sat to take in the Inaugural ESRI Remote Sensing and GIS Summit. From ESRI... "he summit will cover the exponential growth in the availability of remotely sensed imagery and how to effectively collect, manage, produce, and exploit the data." See www.esri.com/uc

COGO to meet up in San Diego

Yes indeed, there's another industry organization on the block... this one is a group of groups, the coalition of geospatial organizations (COGO). Membership so far is made up of execs from most of the popular Geo industry orgs that you may already be familiar with. Current member orgs include:
• American Congress on Surveying and Mapping (ACSM)
• American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS)
• Association of American Geographers (AAG)
• Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS)
• Geospatial Information Technology Association (GITA)
• GIS Certification Institute (GISCI)
• Management Association for Private Photogrammetric Surveyors (MAPPS)
- John Palatiello National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC)
• University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS)
• Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)

Members from other groups are invited to participate in the forum - see more at http://www.urisa.org/cogo

Note: The next meeting of the COGO Member and Advisory Organizations is scheduled on Monday, August 4, 2008 from 4:00-5:30 PM at the San Diego Convention Center. Thanks to the Twitter geo-gang for tipping me off on this!

ArcGIS Explorer update - more KML support, Geotagged photos, embed in web pages and more

The ESRI International UC is just around the corner so that means loads of product releases. We know that ArcGIS 9.3 will come very soon, but today the company has opted to announce the release of the latest update of ArcGIS Explorer, jam-packed with loads of new functionality.

The new version of ArcGIS Explorer offers

• ArcGIS Explorer now supports connections to enterprise geodatabases and Geographically Encoded Objects for RSS feeds (GeoRSS) and allows you to import GPS eXchange Format (GPX) format data. ArcGIS Explorer default maps and layers have been updated including enhanced topographic map services and updated streets, boundaries, and places. ArcGIS Explorer also offers improved KML/KMZ support.
• ArcGIS Explorer now provides direct e-mail capabilities, allowing users to easily share their maps, layers, and results with others.
• ArcGIS Explorer offers more ways to control user interface elements such as auto-zoom to results and automatic display of saved or e-mailed pop-up windows. Also, ArcGIS Explorer can now be embedded in a Web page.
• Additions to dashboarding capabilities include a new HTML-driven Quick Content task and a streamlined home server setup.
• ArcGIS Explorer provides increased display performance for all layer types. Navigation speed has also been improved.
• More options for map display—ArcGIS Explorer 480 adds support for graticules and reference grids (U.S. National Grid [USNG], Military Grid Reference System [MGRS]). It also offers the ability to set raster background transparency, new options for point symbols and symbol size, improved pop-up window capabilities, and easier access to feature attributes.
• ArcGIS Explorer Software Developer Kit (SDK) now supports Visual Studio 2008 and includes an updated object model to support new features and enhancements.
• Resource Center—New tasks, layers, and results are also available from the updated ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center. For example, you can download the Add Photo task directly from the Resource Center to add geotagged photos to ArcGIS Explorer.
• ArcGIS Explorer now runs on Windows Vista, Service Pack 1, on specific graphics card/driver configurations.

To download ArcGIS Explorer and get more info see www.esri.com/arcgisexplorer.

This release should help you find what you're looking for!

The case for GeoPDFs

James created a lively topic again recently by asking his readers what they felt GeoPDF does and essentially asking why would anyone want to use it. As could be expected this question prompted quick responses from the GeoPDF faithful... I actually thought it was a slightly odd question to ask, particularly since the data can be viewed in a PDF viewer that millions of people already have on their PC and are comfortable using - actually, there's loads more you can do as well! I think the issue really is that power GIS users may not in fact have an immediate use for GeoPDF, however, they can easily distribute and share their work with others (non-GISers) via GeoPDF... that's the real story here!

I piped in with the following response... Well, it is a useful format for large agencies to use to distribute and share their information.. think of the USGS serving up free GeoPDF formats of all their topos… would you rather have an SDTS format data file? This now enables any recreational user to easily grab a topo and use it immediately… that’s just for starts… I’ve used it loads and rarely use full blown Adobe for anything. I think asking this question James is akin to asking why would anyone use DWF… my 2 cents. FYI, you can get more details on it in this piece I did up last year.

A number of other comments followed but then a response from Ray Caputo came in and pretty much sums it all up... nice job Ray! He noted the following and more... "Just about anyone reading this is a GIS Pro so remember GeoPDFs are maps for masses, maps for non-mappers, maps for people who do not have big honking GIS/Mapping software on their “tricked” out PCs. Do me a favor ask your mailman (mailperson) next time you see them and ask them if they know what a GEOTIFF is when they say no ask them if they know what a PDF is I can bet you they say yes." See this comment and more


Do you use GeoPDF? I have and I also love the fact that the USGS serves up all their topos as free, downloadable GeoPDFs. See See http://www.terragotech.com/solutions/map2pdf-reader.html

Datamap Intelligence housing market snapshots

An interesting new data product for the real estate professional... Datamap Intelligence has created a unique application that creates customized comprehensive snapshots of the entire new housing market across the United States. The application is powered by an extensive dataset that tracks all new home sites of the top 200+ builders (updated bi-monthly). Detailed search options place the interactive map of choice at ones fingertips. Cutting-edge features provide powerful visual analysis benefits which affords businesses the ability to expand to uncharted sites and stay inform about prime developing areas pertaining to their line of business. See Datamap's application at www.datamapi.com which would allow one to perform a query to obtain desired results. the company has also JUST rolled out a new resource via www.nsdmaps.com where users can sample data via free SHP file download.. indeed this is a way interesting data product!

So, how does it work? NSD Maps aggregates new street / housing location data from hundreds of builders. The kicker here is that the service doesn't wait until new streets and residential communities are added to official city or county base maps. Rather, NSD Maps tracks the precise location of the planned development and provides accurate imagery and vector data of the "under construction" developments so they can be immediately added to an existing basemap. Have you ever driven around a new or under-development community only to have no up-to-date street data appear on your map, PND, or other location-service provider? See more

NGA-Earth adds imagery of recently flooded areas of the American Midwest

National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with unclassified commercial imagery of the recently flooded areas of the American Midwest and is also providing public access to some of the images. You can locate the imagery at www.nga-earth.org and Google Earth users can use their KML reflectors which provide access to the imagery directly in G.Earth.

Setup email to text for your important notices

Here's a mobile tip for you that could save you plenty of time and even help you make some cash. Ever wanted to have immediate text message alerts when something happens of if you received an email or order etc... while away from your PC? No problemmo, you can easily email messages to your mobile via simple text message using your "special" email address from your carrier. For example, I now receive a txt alert is someone orders a job posting on our website. The system that receives our orders and provides notification simply also sends an email to phonenumber@tmomail.net - very simple. Below are the codes required so that anyone (almost) can do this themselves. Enjoy and give a try for yourself by sending an email to your number in the format appropriate for your carrier.

T-Mobile: phonenumber@tmomail.net
Virgin Mobile: phonenumber@vmobl.com
Cingular: phonenumber@cingularme.com
Sprint: phonenumber@messaging.sprintpcs.com
Verizon: phonenumber@vtext.com
Nextel: phonenumber@messaging.nextel.com

where phonenumber = your 10 digit phone number

3D fly-through of Torrey Pines via 3dgolfcourse.com and Virtual Earth

Are all the pieces coming together yet in your mind? This story is just a small example as to how Geo-technologies have infiltrated the mainstream and have been heavily adopted for use in many applications... best of all the technology is now emerging from behind the scenes. I heard from Karl Engstrong today as he shared details of this cool YouTube video clip showing how him and the team at 3dgolfcourse.com developed a great 3d rendering of the course at the recent US Open. With help from Microsoft Virtual Earth a realistic video fly-over was developed using military grade GPS and airborne LIDAR data that many of you may have already seen. Best of all, the product can now be adapted for use in a video game... sweet! See also www.3dgolfcourse.com

NAVTEQ helps visitors taste Chicago

An interesting and fun webmap now available for those planning on attending the Taste of Chicago Festival - NAVTEQ's online Taste of Chicago map provides all restaurant menus, a comprehensive event schedule, participating vendor information and general points of interest for visiting Chicago. In- and out-of-towners alike will be able to plan their days at the Taste using this map planning tool prior to and during the actual event. Browse the "menu" style map and see all the venues,l along with realistic 3D visual renderings, and plan your trip... wish I could be there! See http://map.mapnetwork.com/event/tasteofchicago/
See also http://www.tasteofchicago.us and save the date - June 27- July 6

Is GeoEye a good buy (GEOY) I'd have to think so

Just ran over an analysts prediction that shares in GeoEye (GEOY)are a great deal... indeed, with the company planning to put GeoEye-1 into orbit this summer and plans for GeoEye-2 in the works I'd have to agree, particularly since the company's shares are trading at about $17 a pop - 12 month+ low - the shares seem to be a bargain and a definite buy! See more here

SkyLounge social networking for frequent flyers

An interesting app revealed today called SkyLounge. Create a profile and store your trips, then you can connect with other members that might be on a future flight that you'll be on. A number of groups are available to join so you can connect and schmooze with others that share similar interests. see www.skylounge.com
Think LinkeIn for the frequent traveler - See the Geo Technology Group!

Midwest Residents Can Check Local River Forecast Levels and Assess Flood Risk

Weather Underground Mashup displays flood alerts for rivers across the United States. Announced today by Weatherunderground, this new web service alerts users of Flow Rate, Percentile, Current Stage, Forecast Stage and Flood Stage.
About the app... Using data from the USGS (the US Geological Survey), the product plots river data and forecasts on top of an interactive map. Users can scroll across the country and zoom in and out to view in-depth observations from all major rivers in the US. Alternatively, one can click an option to view only the rivers with current flood alerts. See www.wunderground.com/wundermap/rivers

The new Nokia E71 - QWERTY keboard, A-GPS...

A slick new device out of Nokia today... likely available in Q3... the Nokia E71 - recall the "E" series is the business suite of devices, optimized with features and functionality that will appeal to the mobile professional. The device supports fast browsing via HSDPA, A GPS, VPN support, Bluetooth, built-in OVI services, Outlook Exchange and much more. See more details

Nokia E71 - QWERTY keboard, AGPS...

New out of Autodesk... AutoCAD Civil and Civil 3D to replace Land Desktop

An interesting update to the AutoCAD portfolio today... The Autodesk Civil Engineering portfolio now includes:
· AutoCAD Civil, which provides civil engineering technicians, drafters and surveyors with a focused design and documentation solution
· AutoCAD Civil 3D, which provides a more comprehensive civil engineering solution with analysis and simulation capabilities for the civil engineer and designer
As a result, AutoCAD Land Desktop 2009 will be the last release of Land Desktop and moving forward, the company will be focusing resources on the development AutoCAD Civil and Civil 3D. See more at www.autodesk.com/civil.

Texas Forest service Wildfire Data Browser Demo

Interesting to see this Virtual Earth Application demo for the Texas Wildfire service aka. the Texas Wildfire Data Browser Demo. Developed for the Texas Forest service, the app has been built by Data Transfer Solutions (DTS) with the help of Sanborn (correct me if I'm mistaken please) - the DTS crew (think Dave Bouwman and Chris Spagnuolo) appears to be aggressively working on applications developed on ArcGIS Server, Virtual Earth, and Google Maps (naturally!), you've likely heard of them, if not I'm sure you will! Browse the app and use the layer toggles to view fire locatyions, wildfire threats, surface fule hazards and more


See the Wildfire Browser here and the very cool DTS Code Dojo (what a freaking awesome name!) http://dojo.dtsagile.com/

The State of the Geospatial Web an O'reilly Radar Report

Just received heads-up on a new report published by O'reilly. For about 400 clams you can buy this 22 page report on the state of the Geospatial Web - http://radar.oreilly.com/research/where2-report.html

From O'reilly Radar...

Geo technologies are changing the way millions manage their businesses and live their lives. Rapid advances in geolocation technologies – and what individuals and companies have built on those technologies – present new marketplaces for businesses and services, and not just the expected mapping and location services.

Geo functionality is everywhere, and more geo data is being created and freely disseminated than ever before. This emerging technology space, growing in tandem with Web 2.0, has been called Where 2.0. In this report, Andrew Turner and Brady Forrest map out the new generation of geo products and services, identify the major players, and show how your business can leverage the power of Where 2.0.

"... people are looking through their cloud of information to discover what is pertinent to them where they are and when they’re there—a trend we call Where 2.0."

Funny ArcGIS terminology

Always cool to see interesting terms and buzzwords flying around... one interesting word recently spotted on Twitter was "ArcTarted"... hilarious... wonder what other "Arc" terminology is floating around out there??

The guide to office 2.0 database

here's a pointer to "the definitive" guide to Web2.0 office apps... pretty darned decent although a few categories may be missing... check out apps to manage your contacts, database, calendar, expenses and more... nice! see http://o20db.com

The Google Maps 008 election Maps - follow McCain and Obama

Looks like google has taken it upon themselves to serve up an excellent mashup showing election results from the 2008 election. Jump to the app and search by State to see voting results, see also the fundrace, track Obama's life journey and more... very well done. See http://maps.google.com/help/maps/elections/

the map above shows results from the Democratic race in Colorado (Blue = Obama, Yellow=Clinton) pretty darned Blue!

Code Camp winners include Flickr photo-sharing app with MapQuest and CityLite Guide

Forum Nokia has announced the winners of the 2008 Code Camp Competition - CityLite by MSCorp of Coral Springs, Florida. A mobile guide to night life and Flickret a mashup that combines the Flickr photo-sharing app with MapQuest APIs. The contest aimed at inspiring Forum Nokia Code Camp attendees to build Web Runtime (WRT) widgets and Flash applications. See more