UNIGIS in North America - Malaspina University-College

A reminder... the UNIGIS program - a worldwide network of educational institutions which offers distance learning courses in GIS - is now being delivered at Malaspina University-College (Vancouver Island, BC). This is a reputable, on-line, non-credit Post Graduate Certificate in Theoretical and Applied GIS and provides comprehensive education and training in GIS. This program utilizes popular GIS software, with emphasis on spatial analysis, real-world applications and cartography. Malaspina is one of 2 Institutions in North America offering the UNIGIS program. More about the MAL U program can be found in the spotlight at http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/8349/ - SFU in Vancouver used to be the UNIGIS program in this area for some time but bailed out a couple of years ago and MAL took over. Interesting that the Vanouvcer scool will not promote or even link to Malaspina who has taken over with UNIGIS

Former LizardTech sales exec grabs a desk at rival ER Mapper

ER Mapper has just scored a new hire in Walt Wiley, who, was once Director of sales at Lizardtech. What's interesting about this is that Lizardtech and ER Mapper have been battling it out in courts for several years now in the ECW battle. From Wiley's bio... A strong proponent of JPEG2000 technology, Mr Wiley was the founder and CEO of Mapping Science, Inc. and has served as the Director of U.S. Sales for LizardTech, as well as in positions with EarthData International. I'm sure some of the crew in Seattle are likely talking about this one over the water cooler today! You can see the PR at http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/8351/ Wiley's new post will be as Defence Business Dev. Manager for ER Mapper. A reminder about the litigation... In 1999, LizardTech filed a patent infringement lawsuit in U.S. District Court because the company asserts that the ECW image compression technology produced by ERM, a former licensee of LizardTech image compression technology MrSID with access to LizardTech's Software Development Kit (SDK), infringed on one of LizardTech's most important patents. The patents in question relate to wavelet encoding of large images and how computer memory is utilized to achieve effective results during this operation, which is of particular interest in the geospatial market.

MapGuide Open Source now available from OSGF

Also on the developer front, Open Source developers are likely pleased to hear that Autodesk has today announced that MapGuide Open Source is available from the Open Source Geospatial Foundation - Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise 2007 (the commercial flavor) will be available later thhis year. See the PR at http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/8339/ or jump directly to the foundation's homepage at http://mapguide.osgeo.org - Note: Guide Open Source is free software licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License (LGPL).

MapQuest OpenAPI now available along with a masher contest - Yahoo! also expands developer network

Developers and map mashers are now being wooed by AOL Mapquest with an offering of free APIs and a mashup contest. The API is know as the MapQuest OpenAPI and it provides a core set of mapping, geocoding and routing tools for non-commercial use. The contest begins March 7 and runs through the end of March with the winner being announced in mid April. The winning contestant will receive a $1,000 cash prize, and a trip to the Where 2.0 Conference in San Jose, Calif., from June 13-14. For more information on the contest, including Official Rules and how to enter, go to www.mapquest.com/openapi. In somewhat related news today, Yahoo! has used the O'reilly Emerging Technology Conference as a forum to announce additional offerings to their developer base. They have made available four new and enhanced Web service Application Program Interfaces (API)s through the Yahoo! Developer Network, available at http://developer.yahoo.net.

Searching for Google Earth KML or KMZ files made simple

Looking for KMLs or KMz files? Ogle Earth has pointed out that it's quite simple. All you need to do is bang in the following query using Google - http://www.google.com/search?rls=en-us&q=filetype:kml+inurl:kml&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8 or simply Search for "filetype:kml inurl:kml" - they note that more than 59,000 files are found and the number is growing every day. Looking for KMLs from NOAA.. simply search for "filetype:kml inurl:kml noaa"... nice! If I want KMLs about my town (Nanaimo) I simply search for filetype:kml inurl:kml nanaimo - the first hit is a quality one from the city - earth.nanaimo.ca/files/nanaimoMaster.kml

Virtual Earth Madness - win an xbox 360

Thom Robbins has blogged about a chance to win an Xbox 360 ... enter the Virtual Earth Madness Contest sponsored by the East Regional Platform and Evangelism Team - see http://blogs.msdn.com/trobbins/archive/2006/03/05/544012.aspx

Birch looks at what's coming with autodesk Map3D 2007

Here on Vancouver Island, Jason Birch has been doing some homework to dig up what's coming not only in Autodesk 2007, but with Autodesk Map 3D 2007... he's made some interesting findings and has some great leads. For starters, he leads us to Shaan Hurley's Autodesk weblog for a great roundup of what people are saying about 2007 (see http://autodesk.blogs.com/between_the_lines/2006/03/autocad_2007.html). He found little to speak about regarding Map 3D and the road ahead, however, he does refer to Taylor Technologies and a nice find (http://taylor-tech.com/software/getSoftwareByID/13/view.html). In short, Jason figures Autodesk is really going to focus on GIS at 2007 (as well as the development of a PostGIS FDO provider wit Mapguide open source) and he makes the following comment... "Autodesk has made a huge leap in allowing us to choose the right geospatial tool for the job." See Jason's Blog on http://www.jasonbirch.com/nodes/2006/03/04/8/closed-and-open-and-better-oh-my/... nice stuff!

only in Canada eh! Beer Google Mashup helps you locate and map beer stores, micro brews etc...

View, locate beer stores, micro breweries, wine stores etc... in Southern Ontario, Canada.. a great mashup. Trust the Canadians to take their beer hunting so seriously. This is a fine effort and I can't wait to see it expanded. Hot spots contact address info, photos, type of establishment, hours, etc... This is the latest addition to our growing mashup category in our webmap gallery at gisuser - See http://www.beerhunter.ca/ Of interest, the geocoding is provided by a service from geocoder.ca... nice!

A JSP Taglibrary for Google Maps

This is pretty cool... the developer of this resource has started a JSP Tag Library to provide GoogleMaps capabilities for those who use JSP. According to the creator, it removes the need for the user to do any javascript/AJAX programming and you do not need to kow the GoogleMaps API. You can integrate easily with javabeans or JSTL to generate database driven maps. The library includes geocoding, some custom overlays (like polygon and circle), and includes mousewheel support for zooming in and out of version 1 maps. See http://www.lamatek.com/GoogleMaps/

Mapping US Census Data in Google Earth

juice Analytics has done a very cool job of intergrating US CEnsus Bureau data into Google Earth, resulting in some amazing graphics. They have generously provided links to KMZs for data from every State enabling you to easily generate a map of choice showing demographic profiles (County or Census Block group) for the area of interest you select... nice stuff! FYI, be sure to also check out their absolutely Google Earth tools, resources, links, yadayada - More at http://www.juiceanalytics.com/weblog/?p=119

The Topo Employees weblog... a blog from USGS employees

Are you interested in staying abreast of the USGS' concolidation and developments affecting USGS employees? This blog is the resource for you then... Sometime in late 2006 or early 2007 the U.S. Geological Survey's National Mapping program will be "reorganized" and "consolidated" -- polite euphemisms for a range of questionable actions. Among other things, some 300 employees will lose their jobs. This site is a forum for them to speak out. Keep tabs on the USGS crew and their thoughts at http://topoemp2.blogspot.com/

2006 Census of Canada preparing to get fired up

Every five years, the nation sets aside one day to conduct the census - a count of all people and households in Canada. The next Census Day is May 16, 2006. A website devoted to Census 2006 resources including career opportunities, census questions etc... has been set up. Visit the Government of Canada website (http://www.census2006.ca/) for information about the Canadian Census - note... I won't list an email address for job listings etc... as the last time I did this the agency totally freaked out and I received about 3 phone calls, 6 emails, and a registered letter... OUCH! Too funny

 

Cooperative efforts result in a fine Raster Clipping Project at MIN clearinghouse

More testament to some great, free data resources and a nice result of a cooperative effort, check out this Raster Clipping Pilot Project from Minnesota at  http://geoserver.state.mn.us/Raster2. Resulting from a cooperative agreement with the USDA, shared investment by the state Departments of Natural Resources, Transportation and Pollution Control, and an application development grant from NASA, this pilot project demonstrates an ability to use ArcSDE to clip out raster data layers from ArcIMS and download them to the user.  It was developed with a grant from The Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technology and is based on the raster clipping routine developed by  the  Idaho Department of Water Resources... nice stuff! 

 

More on data sharing and distributing GIS data

I recently contacted a couple of State clearinghouse coordinators to pick their brains about data sharing and redistribution of their GIS data products. I asked what they thought about the practice of commercial firms grabbing free data from public servers (or ordering CD/DVD sets) only to turn around and package them up for sale or resell online or via other sales channels.  The response from one coordinator... We’re quite familiar with the practice and, you may be surprised to learn, not terribly appalled or concerned about it.  Several items they outlined in point form.

 

We’re working hard to get out of the data sales business - As technology allowed us to drive down the cost of managing data orders to near zero, we eliminated the fee when customers relied on self-service (i.e. Internet download).  Our principal customers – governments, at all levels – benefit from freely available publicly-financed data and, as a result, have been more inclined to share their own data, as well. This model has proven wildly successful.

 

What is the proper function of government? - When applying GIS to the public policy issues, efficiency increases as investments are leveraged.  There’s more to be gained by encouraging state agencies and local governments to invest cooperatively in standardized and shared data then to make $100 here, $50 there trying to sell and resell public resources.

 

We’re working hard to stay in the data sales business:  If you call and request packaged data you’ll find that we’re still very happy to charge you for the service at, it turns out, competitive prices.

 

So in short... the next time you buy a DVD set from a government agency, simply duplicate the CDs and start sending them to your friends and colleagues, the agency is trying hard to get out of the data sales business, and they are also, at the same time, trying to stay in the data sales business... sounds to me like there's no clear agenda for the business model here. Or, how about a data sharing network? There's already an active group in Florida who cooperate online and via an electronic list... how about this.. the next time you buy the TIGER Line files, a county set of DOQQs or aerial photos, simply post via a data sharing list and we can all share the data.... not a bad idea. I would think the USGS DEMs would be a great place to start since the USGS won't distribute these data but rather, lets several commercial vendors handle the distribution. Any thoughts???

Free DOQQs for a "finski"? Check out these awesome GIS data finds and save yourself $25K or more

I couldn't help this one.. apparently the geocommunity (datadepot / thinkburst / qlinks (or whatever the he#$%$# the place is now called ;0)  has "DOQs DOQs DOQs"... at a mere $495 per State... nice deal getting these freely available data for a "FINski".... Want to save yourself some $25,000??? Simple to do - check out these free GIS data resources from State clearinghouse sites (most of which contain freely downloadable DOQS, DRGs and more). See the following useful resources for some valuable leads:

Free USGS directory - http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/607/28/

Guide to USGS Orthoimagery and DOQQs - http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/4890/28/

FGDC Suggested State Clearinghouse Websites - http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/4588/28/

Data Directory (100's of pointers to free State data resources) - http://www.gisuser.com/content/section/10/41/

Finally, I can't say this one enough... check out the USDA Geospatial gateway (Free DRG, DOQs, DEMs, and more!) A detailed description is offered up here at http://www.gisuser.com/content/view/1267/53/ or simply jump directly to http://datagateway.nrcs.usda.gov/ and start downloading data.

Bookmark these resources and save yourself some of your hard earned cash!

Windows Live Expo Beta Now Available -

I almost missed this one from Microsoft... it explains where they are heading with Live and how all the pieces seem to be coming into place. Notice the crucial role that geography and geo-tagging is to the online classifieds market... From the news - Most classified advertising services generalize product location by a pre-defined city location, regardless of where in the city the product is located. However, all products and services listed in Windows Live Expo are geographically identified, or geo-tagged, by ZIP code, not city, which specifically defines where the product is located. Windows Live Expo customers also have the option to search for items within a radius as small as 25 miles or as large as the entire United States, making it easier to define a search. Windows Live Expo listings are also integrated with MSN's satellite-image- based Windows Live Local so customers can view maps and aerial imagery of neighborhoods they may want to live in. Some other facts about Live Expo - Windows Live Expo is integrated with MSN Messenger and Windows Live Local mapping. Products listed in Windows Live Expo are geo-tagged and fully integrated with Windows Live Local, which can help users map, for example, the location of a prospective new home to see if it really is a "waterfront property" like a listing may say. The Windows Live Expo beta is available at http://expo.live.com/ 

New F-Secure world virus map - Mapping the world virus situation

New F-Secure world virus map offers current global perspective at a glance -- F-Secure has launched a comprehensive online tool for everybody interested in understanding the world virus situation at a glance. The resource, which was developed for research purposes at F-Secure is now available to the general public in four languages, respectively English, French, German and Finnish. Visitors will first see the full world map situation but will quickly be able to drill down for information based on a geographical area or country. Color representations of infection levels from quiet to epidemic give the viewer an immediate overview of a country or region.  To view maps of the latest virus threats see: English: http://worldmap.f-secure.com/vwweb_1_2/en/ / French: http://worldmap.f-secure.com/vwweb_1_2/fr/  / German: http://worldmap.f-secure.com/vwweb_1_2/de/ / Finnish: http://worldmap.f-secure.com/vwweb_1_2/fi/

 

FGDC main Clearinghouse search gateway server failed - Two other gateways available

Word from the FGDC has it that the main Clearinghouse search gateway server, hosted at the EROS Data Center, has failed and is in the process of being physically replaced and restored. This Gateway will come back online between March 10-14. In the interim, remember that Two other gateway instances are available for search of the full Clearinghouse, operated by NOAA-CSC and NRCS, for search of domestic and international resources. Their URLs are: http://clearinghouse.csc.noaa.gov http://fgdc.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/gateways.html - Thanks to Douglas D. Nebert, Geospatial Data Clearinghouse Coordinator, Information Architect FGDC/GSDI Secretariat for the heads-up!

A2E announced the Launch and commercial release of A2E

A2E has announced the Launch and commercial release of A2E (Arc2Earth). The first release of Arc2Earth will include Standard and Professional versions.
Arc2Earth comes in three different versions that have different levels of functionality in them.
Standard - $99 USD
Professional - $299 USD
Developer (TBA)
Recall, Arc2Earth can export data in several different layouts. All of these layouts are useful in different ways from within Google Earth. To order see http://www.arc2earth.com/pricing/default.htm - Kudos to Biran Flood for getting this highly anticipated application out the door. See http://www.arc2earth.com