Will Google Maps at the pump attract your business?

Enter Google local search and maps at the pump... essentially it's Maps, local listings, driving directions, coupons and more while you fuel up. No doubt you've already heard about this but here's the skinny in case you want more details... in North Carolina drivers can now get access to Google maps, find local listings, and print driving directions and money-saving coupons from Gilbarco’s Encore® dispensers with color screens using what's know as the Applause™ media system. Using live web connectivity this means that Joe consumer will also be served useful, relevant, geo-centric coupons. According to the company's website, Applause™ is an extension of Gilbarco’s existing SMART Merchandising™ System for providing promotions, advertisements, and coupons at the fuel dispenser. The system was first displayed to the public at the 2007 NACS Show, November 7 – 9, at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. So, will google maps and coupons send you to the pump? Personaly price is what determines where I fuel up.. for example, I get 10 cents p/gallon off all purchases at a local supermarket who already has the lowest price as a rule... as for gogolemaps, directions etc... I can get that on my mobile (Nokia N95) anytime any place! See www.gilbarco.com for more.

ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model User Group Meeting

A friendly reminder from my friends over at ESRI's Oil & Gas group... The next ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model User Group Meeting will be held on Wednesday, November 28th at the ESRI Houston Regional Office. The user group meeting is open to anyone with an interest in learning more about and implementing the ArcGIS Pipeline Data Model. The user group meeting consists of a set of presentations from pipeline operators who have implemented APDM and are using it to actively solve the demands of their organizations for pipeline GIS. The meeting will also comprise open discussion forums where users can ask questions of members of the APDM Steering and Technical committees and those operators who have implemented APDM.
APDM User Group Meeting
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
9:00 am - 4:00 p.m.
ESRI Houston Regional Office
One Fluor Daniel Drive - Bldg D - Sugar Land, Texas 77478

From O'reilly on Open Social... it's the data stupid!

Indeed it is all about the data... always has been, always will be. Just like any cool webmap or geospatial powered application... it's always about the data and data is king. Tim O'reilly has as interesting take on OpenSocial and slams the platform for the apparent lack of integration of data from multiple social networking applications... indeed that does seem somewhat limiting. O'reilly has pointed out that a recent dialog at a Web2.0 Berlin event brought to light the fact that Open Social will not enable developers to mix and mash data from multiple social networking platforms. Of interest, he cites Patrick Chanezon, Google's developer advocate for the program who had this to say... "No, you only have access to the data of the individual platform or application." It will be interesting to see and hear more on Nov 12 when the APIs are released to developers but until a platform comes around that enables a developer to take data from MySpace, linkeIn, flickr, youtube, twitter, and other cool web2.0 services will there truly be an OpenSocial enabler? Look at Google map mashups and the real coolness that is provided by the ability to mashup and mix data from multiple sources. See Tim's take over at Radar
See also http://code.google.com/apis/opensocial/

Housefront mashup predicts home values - send results to mobile

Are you interested in seeking the value of your home or your neighbor's? No worries, try this useful mashup (using google maps API) at housefront. Simply enter the address and the property along with estimate is provided. Optionally, send the results to your mobile. see http://www.housefront.com
The application is fast although at first glance, the reverse geocoding is a bit off.. 3 tests yielded 3 incorrect positions... I find the values are somewhat off (in our area anyway)... Zillow seems to provide better zestimates in my opinion. Finally, the send to cell doesn't seem to work for my carrier either (t-mobile) even-though they are a valid option

O'reilly Media Where 20 Call for Proposals Closing November 26, 2007

If you plan on presenting at Where2.0 you better get moving... the call for proposals is ending soon. IF you want your 5 minutes on stage to show off what you have regarding the geospatial web at 2.0 then this is your chance. Submit your proposal to lead a conference session, run a tutorial, or demonstrate the cutting-edge technology you've been working on. O'reilly is looking for proposals on the following topics: -Geo Support in Web Application Frameworks -Today's Best GeoStack Tools -Mapping APIs -GeoTargeting Methods -Privacy Implications & the Law -Getting the most out of GeoBrowsers -Managing Geo Data Tools, Tips, Techniques -Staying Up to Date with Protocols & Formats. If you have ideas for speakers and topics that will make the conference a must attend event, send them to: where-idea @ oreilly.com - see http://conferences.oreilly.com/where

Simple Web Mapping with the new HTML ImageMapper NG – AJAX

Imagine being able to do all your analysis and cartography in ArcView of ArcGIS and then get your map online in minutes with no programming and no hassles... even I can do it ;0) I've been a big fan of Alta Geomatics' solutions for years... ever since I tested the ImageMapper for ArcView! You only need ArcGIS and the HTML ImageMapper extension to publish maps online. Users do all the cartography in ArcGIS. You don't need to be a system or server administrator or a programmer to publish your maps online. No software needs to be installed on the server.
No plug-ins are needed on the client's browser.

The latest release offersa feature rich HTML Map Client. The following is just some of the funtionality that's provided:

Overview map (naviagable)
Zoom in and out
Advanced search function: search and compare values
Display attribute tables
Legend
Object lists grouped by layer
Print
Dashboard: collect and store results temporarly
Gamestyle navigation: Navigate with the overview map
Click and identify objects
Let the attributes be displayed dynamically within the map
Collect attribute data on the dashboard
Navigation by compass rose
Zoom to objects from a list
Export a legend from ArcGIS
Link to a database (programming required)
Search for objects over all attribute data
Scale bar, legend, customizable overview map, display coordinates
Print attribute data and search result lists
Include copyright and author information

Fast, simple web mapping at your fingertips! See http://www.alta4.com

Over at uDig JGrass goes mostly LGPL

I was just sniffing around the uDig site to see what was new and noticed that a big chuck of the code from the Jgrass team has been released under LGPL license. Recall that uDig is both a GeoSpatial application and a platform through which developers can create new, derived applications. uDig is a core element in an internet aware Geographic Information System. For more details see http://udig.refractions.net and also this uDig FOSS4G page loaded with info

CAG promotes Geography awareness week - Nov 12-16, 2007

From CAG (Canadian Associaltion of Geographers) an update on AW. November 12-16, 2007 - Geography Awareness Week is held in a number of countries around the world, but from November 12-16, 2007 Canada will be the first country to dedicate special days to a topic of national interest. Each Day is on a topic that directly affects all Canadians.

Weather & Climate Day - Monday, November 12
Water Day - Tuesday, November 13
GIS Day - Wednesday, November 14
Transportation Day - Thursday, November 15
Food & Health Day - Friday, November 16

Also, the 2007 GIS-Transportation Poster Competition - Transport 2000 Canada is hosting the GIS-Transportation Poster Competition, assisted by the Laboratory for Applied Geomatics and Geographic Information Systems Science, University of Ottawa.

New geospatial resource from Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History

This update comes to me via a contact point at the Biodiversity Informatics Facility
Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, American Museum of Natural History - The Biodiversity Informatics Facility at the American Museum of Natural History’s Center for Biodiversity and Conservation is pleased to announce the release of a new web site

The previous site (geospatial.amnh.org) has been completely redesigned and includes all of the original content plus several new resources. The new “Geospatial Resources for Freshwater Conservation” section provides links to a range of information, software, and data that are
available on the Internet, as well as guides and case studies contributed by colleagues. This section will rely heavily on contributions from the freshwater community, such as, links to content that is on the Internet and content the can be posted on our site for anyone to see.

The Biodiversity Informatics Facility is increasing its involvement with open source projects by continuing to developing new tools and through community involvement in outside projects. Links and description of these resources can be found in the “Open Source Resources” section of
our new site. A new section on species distribution modeling will be released within the next few weeks.

Spatial Information Exchange (Australia)

Data tip -- Need imagery from down-under? The SIX Gateway provides a single entry point through which to search, access and utilise the wealth of geospatial services and data managed by Lands, in many cases free of charge. It also provides opportunities for users to contribute to this state-wide resource. Access cadastre, land titles, and loads of satellite imagery using the SIX viewer (plug-in required) use teh viewer to pan, zoom, query, use GPS tools, set transparency, print and more - see http://www.six.nsw.gov.au/

Defense Spending on Google Earth

The Sunlight Foundation released a map of where nearly 1,500 2008 House defense earmarks are going. The map uses Google Earth to pinpoint each earmark's destination and includes data on its recipient and dollar value. All told, 2008 defense earmarks (money lawmakers direct to individual projects) total over $5.1 billion www.sunlightfoundation.com

read more | digg story

Lightning notes from the ESRI Homeland security conference, Denver CO

Lightning notes from the ESRI Homeland security conference, Denver CO - This week in Denver CO a number of representatives from local, State, and Federal Governments as well as members of the private sector were gathered together to discuss the impact of GIS on homeland security and emergency response. Tuesday morning's reception featured a number of high-level speakers including Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Justin DeMello (Denver Office of Emergency Management), Daniel Cotter (CTO US DHS), and Jack Dangermond (ESRI). Dangermond noted that the server supports GI management, supports all kinds of data types, and is useful in replicating data for multiple users and uses. Server is also supporting the need for news classes of mobile technologies - including support for mobile mapping, field edits, disconnected query, and GPS functionality... read on for more.Read on for some comments and notes from Tuesday

read more | digg story

Latitude Geographics Releases Geocortex IMF 5.2 for ArcIMS

This comes from our friends in Victoria with their latest release of the very cool Geocortex IMF... Geocortex IMF contains a set of powerful tools that make it easy to create superb ArcIMS applications, including built-in capabilities to integrate other information technology systems - test drive Geocortex IMF 5.2 visit: www.geocortex.com/imf

read more | digg story

Maintaining Communications During Emergencies

At this week's homeland security summit, hosted by ESRI, hot topics of discussion we're centered around taking lessons home from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina. As most of us know, what made these disasters and the response to them so troublesome was the immediate lack of communication and communication infrastructure. Contingency planning now must take into account how responders can do their jobs if communications are lost. It was interesting to hear one gentleman (from Louisiana) make a comment yesterday stating just that - what do you expect to do when you have no communication channels? Obviously the man felt a little like he and his state we're being ganged up on somewhat as Katrina has become the poster child of how not to respond to a disaster. This are is definitely an important one to address in emergency response. I just stumbled onto an interesting white paper that tackles exactly this topic. See "Planning For The Next One: Maintaining Communications During Emergencies" - Disaster Recovery - How will your communications environment weather the next big storm? It's a free whitepaper from Avaya

Mobile Monday (Philly) panel on white hot mobile location based services

Mobile Monday (Philly) to tackle location-aware mobile applications - Mobile Monday Mid-Atlantic hosts panel on white hot mobile location based services (LBS) market on November 19th. To learn more about Mobile Monday’s Mid-Atlantic chapter and to RSVP (seating is limited) to the event, see www.momo-ma.com.

Some Images from the ESRI Homeland Security Summit, Denver

A couple of hundred attendees, mostly from local, state, and federal government (as well as some from the private sector) we're in Denver today taking part in the ESRI Homeland Security Summit... a few images from teh day are below.. stay tuned for more from the event...



Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Boopsie - smart, local search and even facebook access from any mobile

I just ran into a very cool new local search app called Boopsie. The app supports all major mobile platforms (even S60 3) and offers a great search tool for mobile users. I'm still testing but one cool feature is a mobile gateway to your facebook account.. providing access to all your friends and you can poke them or message them from your mobile.. this is very nice for me since facebook mobile doesn't support t-mobile but this application does. There's loads of other search channels providing fast access to common questions... like what's the score in the game, what's the weather, nearest starbucks location etc... as an example, one click then I type ft coll and I then had a listing of starbucks stores near me in fort collins along with a map too! You can grab the free download for you r mobile by visiting http://boopsie.com on your mobile browser- all you can eat data is recommended!

GeoPDF Maps of California Wild Fires available

TerraGo Technologies and GeoEye are partnering to make satellite imagery available in a GeoPDF mapbook to emergency workers and relief agencies in California. Images cover approximately 1,500 square kilometers in the Malibu area and about 4,000 square kilometers in and
around San Diego. Using the GeoPDF Toolbar, workers are able to locate, display, freeze and unfreeze coordinates, display multiple coordinate systems, measure distance, bearing and area and insert redlines, notes and markups. See http://www.terragotech.com/geopdf_cafires/

OpenSocial and the movement towards open APIs

An interesting read (as ususal) on Tim O'reilly's blog today with his take on OpenSocial and other related goodies - Tim uses this point to comment interestingly on Marc Cuban's take on an open facebook API VS OpenSocial - Cuban is a little whacked really when he goes off with quotes like "The beauty of Facebook, as opposed to Myspace and other social networks is that the people on there are for the most part who they say they are"... huh? Hey Marc, I'd jump to LinkedIn if you really want to see who people really are! Regardless, the need for an open social network API is definitly there. Gee, I look at the grief I go through wondering where I should post my thoughts etc... depending if I want to share location information, photos, video, or ?? that will then determine which app I use... to date I'm choosing from Jaiku, Twitter, Platial, Frappr, facebook, myspace, flickr, youtube, socialight, blogger, MOSH and a few others...

Google Goes Open With Lead in Open Hanset Alliance - Enter Android - no gPhone but thousands of gPhones!

It's not the gPhone, its an enabler so the industry can develop thousands of gPhones!!

We've heard the speculation for some time now - just a couple of weeks ago I heard facebook founders discuss how Google has some huge news coming and they also reiterated the importance of developing in an open environment.. enter Android.

I like this quote from Kanwar Chadha, Founder and Vice President of Marketing, SiRF Technology:
As a leading provider of GPS-enabled location technology for the mainstream mobile markets, SiRF is extremely pleased to be a founding member of the Open Handset Alliance. With the emergence of geo search and navigation as key enablers, an open platform like Android can significantly accelerate the development and deployment of location-aware applications, content and services. We believe our development efforts in conjunction with the innovative Android platform and our continued investment in leading-edge technology and location ecosystem will further our vision of bringing the benefits of location technology to billions of users worldwide."
-- Kanwar Chadha, Founder and Vice President of Marketing, SiRF Technology

A broad alliance of leading technology and wireless companies today joined forces to announce the development of Android, the first truly open and comprehensive platform for mobile devices. Google Inc., T-Mobile, HTC, Qualcomm, Motorola and others have collaborated on the development of Android through the Open Handset Alliance, a multinational alliance of technology and mobile industry leaders. Thirty-four companies have formed the Open Handset Alliance, which aims to develop technologies that will significantly lower the cost of developing and distributing mobile devices and services.

For more information about the Open Handset Alliance, visit the website at www.openhandsetalliance.com

A catalyst for innovation!

The founding companies are as follows:

Aplix (www.aplixcorp.com), Ascender Corporation (www.ascendercorp.com), Audience (www.audience.com), Broadcom (www.broadcom.com), China Mobile (www.chinamobile.com), eBay (www.ebay.com), Esmertec (www.esmertec.com), Google (www.google.com), HTC (www.htc.com), Intel (www.intel.com), KDDI (www.kddi.com), Living Image (www.livingimage.jp), LG (www.lge.com), Marvell (www.marvell.com), Motorola (www.motorola.com), NMS Communications (www.nmscommunications.com), Noser (www.noser.com), NTT DoCoMo, Inc. (www.nttdocomo.com), Nuance (www.nuance.com), Nvidia (www.nvidia.com), PacketVideo (www.packetvideo.com), Qualcomm (www.qualcomm.com), Samsung (www.samsung.com), SiRF (www.sirf.com), SkyPop (www.skypop.com), SONiVOX (www.sonivoxrocks.com), Sprint Nextel (www.sprint.com), Synaptics (www.synaptics.com), TAT - The Astonishing Tribe (www.tat.se), Telecom Italia (www.telecomitalia.com), Telefónica (www.telefonica.es), Texas Instruments (www.ti.com), T-Mobile (www.t-mobile.com), Wind River (www.windriver.com) -- notice no Nokia in the mix!!

Yahoo! fireagle (Alpha) share your location with friends

This out of Yahoo! Research labs... an open call for alpha testers and partnerships - Fire Eagle is a new way to share your location with friends or with other websites and services! It's built on open APIs so that developers can build all kinds of applications that respond to your location... See http://fireeagle.research.yahoo.com/

The 8GB SanDisk 8GB MicroSDHC - Load up that N95 with memory!

The latest SanDisk 8GB MicroSDHC is apparently just fine for use on the latest Nokia N95 according to this post from slashgear... man, that's a load of memory.. nice! See also http://www.sandisk.com/

2008 NSDI CAP reminder - $1,275,000 in funds

USGS and the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) has formally announced their request for proposals to support the 2008 National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Cooperative Agreements Program (CAP). A total of over $1.2 million has been made available to fund an estimated 26 innovative projects in spread across six geospatial data categories. Reminder, The closing date for the 2008 NSDI CAP announcement is December 18, 2007. See more here or see also grants.gov

Locating a Starbucks With Virtual Earth 6.0 Maps

Looking for a Java fix? If so then the Starbucks store locator powered by VE 6 is the answer. Apparently the application has been updated with the latest goodies, according to the VE blog - Starbucks recently gave their store locator a face lift and in doing so migrated to the latest Virtual Earth mapcontrol. In addition to the obvious basic locator capabilities, you can filter for stores that have attributes like WiFi access or an iTunes music store, get directions, and find events in stores. All of the unique platform features of VE are exposed such as Autorefresh, 3D navigation and Birds eye views. Try the starbucks store locator here - or simply go to starbucks.com from your mobile web browser.

Save the Date - Mashup Camp Dublin, Nov 10-12 - the unconference!

3 days of mashup programming and more... and likely a bit of buzz about Google OpenSocial and the coming facebook announcement! I almost forgot, Mashup Camp Dublin is taking place in a few days.. should be interesting to watch the blog from this one See also: http://www.mashupcamp.com/, http://wiki.mashupcamp.com/index.php/AboutMashupCamp. An impressive list of developers from companies like Yahoo!, IBM, AOL, Microsoft, Google and many others are on the attendee list.

GIS Professional wanted in Antarctica!

Well, after about 5,000+ GIS career listings in our career center at GISuser this has to be a first... we have a cool position being advertised for a GIS professional at the Antarctic Geospatial Information Center. According to the ad, this person will support the creation of geospatial information to support National Science Foundation funded science and operations activities in Antarctica. The position is posted by the U. of Minnesota Dept. of Geology and Geophysics. Bundle up for this one!