I got an e-mail, as it seems many bloggers did, touting the beta of "Map My Miles Per Gallon." It basically does a "drive distance" for two different vehicles on a single gallon of gas. The result is a map, starting at a location you select, with two amoeba-like polygons. The smaller one shows how far the the lower mpg car could travel, and the larger one where the higher mpg car could reach. It's sort of fun to key in your current car (my 2000 Subaru Impreza is listed at 23 mpg in the city) and a friend's and compare them.

But that's not my point. The e-mail came from eMergeGIS and simply noted the site was an ESRI site. So I asked who sent the e-mail. Here's the rest of the story from ESRI:

The MapMPG site was built by ESRI’s BusinessMAP group in Dallas. The site is useful tool, but is also an advertisement for BusinessMAP. eMergeGIS works closely with ESRI-Dallas handling the fulfillment of BusinessMAP. (BusinessMAP sells mostly via direct channels - toll-free number and the Internet rather than the standard ESRI sales reps.)...The technology behind it is ESRI’s, but not BusinessMAP... BusinessMAP does have drive-time functionality, but this is really just an awareness campaign – an interesting place to put an ad so that more people discover BusinessMAP, or at least ESRI.

There's a bit of an invasion into geospatial. A few weeks ago Netezza and Teradata, two data warehouse appliance companies added geospatial support to their offerings. These sorts of appliances were new to me and per our recent poll new to many of you. Today another type of company comes invading. Mark Logic has added geospatial support its XML Server (press release). So, just as last time I had to ask a seemingly naive question, "What's a data warehouse appliance?" this time I have to ask, "What's an XML Server?" An XML server is a specialized database for XML that's "wired" like a search engine. That's how Mark Logic's Chief Technologist Chris Biow explained it to me yesterday. On top of the database is a layer that allows easy exposure of Web (and other) services.

It's from XRoad and covers only a few U.S. cities, but apparently G-Map (unfortunate name, I'll offer) is ok by Apple as it's said to be available via the AppStore. It's a large download (700 Mb free space needed) and apparently downloads all the data so there's no need for a connection to do a search or get directions.

TG Daily notes that v 2.2 of the iPhone firmware will include StreetView and opens up navigation. The current firmware version is 2.1 and it seems the app above is delivered on that version, though product page does not specify.

via Electric Pig

The plan was to get the online mapping app online in the municipality before the Commonwealth Youth Games beginning October 12, but that won't be met. Still, the app, from the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), should be online by December. Delays are something with which GIS pros are familiar. What's interesting about this implementation which offers local search and routing: "The PMC would initially allow citizens to add to missing locations on the map."

This can't be the only city in India that allows input from residents. But it's not the only place they can add data. Google is looking to fill in gaps in its maps of the country as well. What will convince a local to add to one or the other implementation?

Timing? Google already has an app up and running.
Ease of use? Why bother if adding information is clunky or slow.
The type of information? Why add data is the type of POI or nature of the data is not requested?
Tie to community? If one feels connected to, or has pride in, the local community, will they be more likely to "give" data to its database?
Licensing? Will users even consider what will happen to the location information they provide in the long term?
Advertising? Will the user-generated content simply go the service provider who makes residents most aware of the data collection program?

- a href=<"http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/gis-plan-misses-date-with-games/370268/">Express India

John Puopolo, most recently the vice president of software and product engineering at Tele Atlas, has signed on as CTO at Massachusetts-based Searchandise Commerce, an eCommerce ad network for product manufacturers. While at TA, the press release notes, "he transitioned his engineering organization to a global structure, streamlined the engineering practices and adopted contemporary development techniques resulting in a substantial decrease in time-to-market for end-products and 100 percent improvement in software quality in just 18 months. Through consistent, on-time delivery to both domestic and international customers such as Google, Microsoft and MapQuest, he helped grow company revenue a combined 58 percent in 2006 and 2007."

GeoSmart Maps Ltd is running a competition to encourage people to come up with LBS concepts in 4 categories - Social Networking, Proximity Based Marketing, LBS Games and widgets for the AA MAPS Biz Locator website. The winner received a trip to Where 2.0. Submissions, which need not be prototypes, are due in February and the contest is only open to NZ residents and citizens.