4D Cities

New Scientist describes work being done at Georgia Institute of Technology and Microsoft Research. It’s just what you’d think: 3D cities changing over time. The pilot is being done for a bit of Atlanta.

To create a model of Atlanta, the researchers scanned in numerous historical photos of the city that had been snapped from similar vantage points. The software is designed to identify the 3D structures within the image and break them down into a series of points. It then compares the view in each one to work out why some of these points are visible in some of the images but not others. Was the building simply out of shot? Or was the view of one building blocked by another? “If we can rule out those two possibilities, then we know that the reason we don’t see a building is because it didn’t exist when the image was taken. Either it was not yet built or it had already been demolished,” says [Grant] Schindler [Microsoft].

via ZDnet Blog post by Roland Piquepaille, which has images and lots of links to more info

Mashup Backlash

I’m so pleased to see we’ve reached the “so what?” phase when it comes to mashups. Today’s example comes from a comment to post by ZDnet blogger Russell Shaw. His post is titled: “Come watch my Google Earth- YouTube mashup” and he writes:

...I simulated a trip via Google Earth, video screencapped it with SnagIt’s video capture feature, and then uploaded the clip I created to Google-owned YouTube. ...

Commentor scrat asks the big question:

...but what is the purpose of this “mashup” (I hate that word)
I mean, anyone can screencap an animation and upload it to youtube. What is the purpose of doing this?

What’s new in MapGuide Enterprise 2008/Topobase 2008?

MapGuide Enterprise (English) was released today. Recall that MapGuide Enterprise is “based on MapGuide Open Source…[and] harnesses the innovation of a broad community of developers, backed by commercial-grade quality assurance and support.” (press release) Here’s the list of new features, from Autodesk’s press kit:

- Enhanced functionality and performance to close the gaps with MapGuide 6.5
- FDO technology that provides access to a wide range of data formats
- Better integration with AutoCAD Map 3D and third-party applications like Google Earth
- Native support for Google Earth
  Dynamic generation of KML, KMZ based on existing map & layer definitions
  Ability to create Google Earth overlays in 3D
-Performance enhancements for:
  Map rendering
  AJAX viewer load time
  Feature joins
  Base map tile serving
- Support for pragmatic load balancing
- Improved data connectivity

As for Topobase, its technology Autodesk acquired a few years ago. It’s “built on AutoCAD Map 3D, Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise and Oracle software, ...[and] allows organizations to see the big picture and make better decisions to manage infrastructure assets more efficiently and enhance data quality.” (press release) It’s not yet available, but will be later this month, first in English, then other languages. What’s new? This list is from Autodesk’s press kit.

- Greater support for Topobase Web
  Job support: create, edit and manage jobs
  Multiple browser support
  Workflows enabled on the Web
  Logical topology
  Platform enhancement: improved speed and stability, support for load balancing and quicker   rendering
- Enhanced features for Topobase Client and Administrator:
  Jobs has been enhanced for easier job management
  Feature manipulation
  Attributive and logical topology
- New gas utilities module
  Commonly-used database structures, fields, workflows and business rules specific to gas industry requirements

Does School Choice Enable Segregation?

Data collected by two William and Mary facuty members in sociology suggest it does. The article reprinted on the school website from Ideation magazine documents the methodology which includes GIS. The results:

When it comes to choosing where our children go to school, researchers have found as educational choices increase, our public schools become more racially segregated.

The Google Earth Vision in IEEE Magazine

Got a note from Michael Jones that his article, “Google’s Geospatial Organizing Principle,” appears in the latest IEEE Computer Graphic and Applications. You can read the PDF here.