Analysts on Google Earth Threat

A New York Times article (reprinted in the International Herald Tribune, no registration required) quotes a few important people on the concerns India and other countries have expressed over the imagery now available in Google Earth. These are solid statements which will hopefully educate more people on how this technology, and technology in general work.

Vipin Gupta, a security analyst at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, suggested that the Indian government should accept the new reality. “Times are changing, and the best thing to do is adapt to the advances in technology.”

“Google Earth is not acquiring new imagery,” said John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, an online repository of satellite imagery. “They are simply repurposing imagery that somebody else had already acquired. So if there was any harm that was going to be done by the imagery, it would already be done.”

Cingular to Drop “Find Friends”

Cingular’s subscribers to the AT&T Wireless service have dropped since the two companies merged. That offering and “Find Things Nearby” will cease to operate come January 1, 2006. The offerings, based on mMode, were modeled after very successfull LBS offerings in Asia from NTT Docomo. The good news for Cinglar users? 10Best and Go2Directions, two other LBS offerings, will remain in place. More details in an article at RCRNews.

Car Thieves Take GPS Receivers, Not Radios

ic Wales reports that the new thing to steal from cars, at least in that part of the world is GPS navigation systems. Theft rates are up and expected to climb after the holidays. The lure? For on they are typically left right above the dash for all to see. Many are removeable and hence take little effort to grab. Finally, even if they are placed under the seat, the tell tale signs one was there is enough to temp thieves to break in. Advice from the experts? Take the device with you or lock it in the trunk.

Will theft deter people from the aftermarket options and push sales of high cost installed models? Or will it push users to phone based systems?

GPS Predictions

Kevin Maney writing in USA TODAY talks about the tech of the future, including this discussion of GPS and indoor sensors.

He reels off a Stanford project that builds GPS, sensor recognition and voice recognition into a walker for those who might need directions indoors or out. He notes: “GPS even will be embedded in handheld video game players so the games will be aware of what’s around you.” Right, I think Gizmondo hopes to/has promised to have that now

Also on the list a Microsoft Research project with a digital camera that inlcudes “tiny sensors — an accelerometer that senses when you move, infrared sensors that know when a person is standing in front of you, GPS and more.” You can set preferences to take pictures based on location or proximity to a tourist attraction. Eye glasses (and swim googles designed by a student) enhanced with sensors and/or GPS can measure swimming time and distance or guide skiiers back to the lodge with “print outs” on the lenses.

Yet Another Data Point for Google in the Boardroom

I interviewed Colum Caldwell today, president and CEO of Optimal Geomatics, a company that provides aerial surveys and LiDAR data acquisition for the electric power and gas utility industry. These industries are the backbone of geospatial data technology and represent the traditional and staid, not necessarily ones to be early adopters of the new and fashionable. But still, Mr. Caldwell shared with me another piece of ancecdotal evidence that Google’s reach into all aspects of geospatial technology is daunting. One of his customers asked Optimal to mashup a visualization tool using Google Maps. Now that from one of the traditional mainstays who probably prefer spreadsheets and charts is just another data point of Google’s influence in the geospatial community. What’s next…CAD drawings with Google Maps?