As more and more of the "good stuff" for GIS serves developers it's getting harder perhaps for users and their managers to understand the implications. Programmable Web does a nice job explaining ESRI's new ArcGIS JavaScript API that supports via extensions Google Maps and Virtual Earth.

What's hidden below, perhaps, is the rest of the story: that this may be one of the compelling selling point for ArcGIS Server. From the article:

With the release of this API, ESRI has ventured forth to make the integration of GIS web services much more accessible to the general public. There is one catch, however. Unless you or your organization have implemented ArcGIS Server 9.3, you will need to rely on other implementations of ArcGIS Server that have been exposed as RESTful web services. This means that to truly integrate GIS functionality customized for your own needs, you will need to have access to your own ArcGIS Server instance.

Will this further encourage Server uptake? Will it prompt ESRI or (if possible via ESRI's licensing) third-parties to provide hosted ArcGIS Server instances?

You've probably heard of tinyurl; it swaps in a short (typically incomprehensible) URL for a really long one. Twitter and other tools use such things to cut down on message sizes. ReadWrite Web introduces another player in that space, Bit.ly. The app does what TinyURL does, and more. It stores the past 15 URLs for reference including a few thumbnails. But more interesting, it code the stored pages in a few ways: first it uses Reuter's Open Calais API (I wrote about it here) to tag it in a content bucket, and then it uses the MetaCarta API to extract locations in the document, thus building a huge index of pages real people determined were of value to need shorter URLs. In time that big database will be open to developers.

via Twitter/Friendfeed

The 4x4 inch sensors are glued to the pavement adjacent to each parking space and create a mesh network that sends information to parking meters and a central database. It's not clear from the New York Times article exactly what the sensor is sensing, but a look at Streetline's website, the company behind the technology, doesn't make it clear either, stating simply that the sensors record arrival and departure.

The information collected is then shared to smartphones and more importantly, to local street signs, which can "signal" when nearby spots are "open." The trial is aimed at cutting the extra traffic created by those "circling" the block for a spot and may include payment via smartphone.

Below is a roundup of the experiences, limitations, insights and hopes for the new iPhone as it relates to GPS, location and location-based services.