Federal Times takes a look at agencies tapping into Google and Microsoft tools for mapping applications. Both companies, it reports, are tightlipped about who is using their tools. Also noteworthy: the article chides all the agencies as being behind Alabama, which uses Google Earth as the backbone of Virtual Alabama.

Perhaps lost among all the data and client updates of Yahoo, Google and Microsoft recently was this tidbit:

Another feature of the service presents local news stories based on a user's IP address, so users based in Washington will get a strip of results from Washington newspapers and television stations on one side of the page.

Not huge nor unique, but at least Microsoft is looking into local/hyperlocal for news. My first experience with Live Search News was not great - while the IP address of my machine did put me in Massachusetts, all the articles were from the Worcester Telegram. That's a fine paper, but based about 45 miles away. Only one of the 10 stories listed was "near me" in Boston.

- Seattle Times

Clearflow, built on artificial intelligence concepts, is set to launch today, per the New York Times. The new modeling, available for 72 U.S. cities is said to better model flow during congestion events on both highways and side streets. The latter, reports the Times, are often assumed to be clear when the highway is packed. Routes suggested by the online service may be counter-intuitive and may suggest staying on a crowded highway.

The technology comes from Microsoft Research which had Microsoft employees voluntarily carry GPS devices to collect data. The system, which uses traffic sensors as base data, can predict congestion based on time of day, weather and other variables like sporting events.

With traffic sites and services a dime a dozen, the trick will be to differentiate this offering. One challenge, per Greg Sterling, it's complicated: "This is a sophisticated layer of technology that will not be easily understood by the average person.” Sure, that's true. Microsoft need only convince drivers that it got them to their destination faster that would otherwise be possible, not explain how it works. Alas, knowing how long it would have taken going "the other way" is not easy to calculate.

"The Weather Channel Desktop also edges the competition, notably WeatherBug, in map quality, the former having switched to dynamic maps provided by Microsoft Virtual Earth that are complete with undulating cloud patterns in various levels of transparency."

- Jessica Dolcourt on C|net's Download Blog