Wednesday, August 27. 2008

Podcast: Storage and Management of Spatial Data on an IBM System z Mainframe

In this interview, we speak to Dan Wardman, Vice President for Information Management Software and Frank Butt, Manager, DB2 for z/OS Query Runtime, tech search and spatial support for IBM. Our topic is "The storage and management of spatial data on an IBM System z Mainframe". Spatial support is an important feature available for DB2 9 for z/OS as it provides the capability to store and retrieve spatial data from any application via standard SQL. We also discuss applications as well as IBM's relationship with ESRI.
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For more information about IBM's spatial solutions you can download a whitepaper on this topic or visit the IBM website.

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Remote Sensing Predicting Grape, Wine Quality

French wine consultancy body ICV and Infoterra are partners in a service that provides small scale data on vineyards. From information such as water stress and grape composition it can predict the quality and quantity of grapes some 6 weeks before harvest. That in turn can save money and help distribute the "good grapes."

- Reuters

Toyota Grant to Fund Environmental Literacy Education with Geotech

The grant ($300,000) goes to Lehigh University (I spent a summer there in high school) to build professional materials for teacher and curricula for middle school environmental literacy.

The program will rely on geospatial information technologies (GIT) to help students analyze information and data on three core topics: energy, climate change and the impact of human activity on the environment. Issues such as urban and suburban sprawl, water resource usage, pollution, and ecosystem management will be included in the curriculum.
...
The WELIM [Web-enhanced Environmental Literacy and Inquiry Modules] initiative is a pilot program that directly addresses both concerns simultaneously using GIT. The technologies, which range from handheld GPS systems to Web satellite imagery, help students explore geography and collect data while becoming more familiar with their environment.

- press release

Ubisoft Studies Terrain Technology; To use GeoEye Imagery in HAWX Game

Ubisoft's team for Tom Clancy's HAWX air combat game did its homework: it visited USGS and EROS "to understand the concept of topographical 'underpinning' to create a realistic representation of the earth."

Then it decided to use GeoEye imagery in the game, including shots of Rio de Janeiro, Cape Canaveral and the Middle East.

The game is expected in 2009.

- The HD Room

Off topic: UK Ad Czars Take Down Misleading iPhone Ad

The ad is aimed at showing off the power of the iPhone: "The ad showed the internet navigation prowess of the iPhone, with images zooming in on a weather forecast for Cape Town and a map of how to get to Heathrow airport."

The complaints, two complaints, questioned the voice over: ""You never know which part of the internet you'll need ... which is why all the parts of the internet are on the iPhone." They claimed without Java and Flash support, this is not true. Apple responded saying it could not support ever possible 3rd party app and that it meant to suggest that access was available to websites, not to all functions. The Advertising Standards Authority felt it was misleading and ordered the ad removed. The sites shown in the ad, Apple confirmed, don't use Java or Flash.

- Guardian (include video of the ad)

URISA's Caribbean Conference Sponsors

Did you look at the list for the event happening this week?

In addition to Cayman Land Info, sponsors include International Land Systems, HP/KirkISS, RE/MAX, the Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association, Cayman National Bank, Scotia Bank and exclusive telecoms sponsor Digicel, as well as a range of related organisations from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

Wow banks and real estate interests are sponsoring a GIS conference. Excellent!

- Cayman Net News