Tuesday, December 16. 2008

Connect Your TomTom to Fire Eagle

Free app here.

The DC Push to Share Public Transport Data with Google and Everyone

The citizenry of Washington DC is getting into the act to push geodata sharing. WMATA, the local public transportation authority decided not to share it's maps with Google Transit claiming it has a better portal for them (ThinkProgress.org). The people disagree and have started a petition to encourage sharing with Google and the rest of the world!

- via Georgetown Voice

Geospatial "Client/Server" Losing in Language Battle

I read a press release posted to our website (you can post your geospatial press release directly here for free) titled: "Touch Screen BlackBerry Storm Now Runs ArcGIS Server." Really, I thought? You can run ArcGIS Server on the Storm? That's misleading! You run the software client on the Storm! The release uses the term "client" just once; the term "application" might have been used.

But then I realized, for one reason or another we've dropped that sort of language in the past few years. At one point we talked endlessly about 2-tier and 3-tier architecture (that latter included "middleware" another term that's not spoken or typed as much). Today we "run" Google Maps and Google Earth and MapServer and WorldWind and Virtual Earth and rarely distinguish between server and client. If I had to identify where that change started, I'd guess with Google Earth; it was the first widely used "download and install" geo client. I suppose this change in language is another step toward cloud computing/SAAS.

National Map Website Update; More to Come

The USGS National Geospatial Program Office has just launched a new version of The National Map website. The office completely revised The National Map and the National Geospatial Program web site. More revisions are planned.

Check out the "News and Events" tab, scheduled to be updated every week (Tuesdays). "The National Map Viewer" hasn't been updated but plans are in the works so stay tuned.

You can read the two year tactical plan (2008) for The National Map titled The National Map 2.0 Tactical Plan
“Toward the (Integrated) National Map” in PDF.

- press release

Yahoo to Close Brickhouse by Year-End

I heard this in passing on a recent Buzz Out Loud and found the confirmation here. It was home of Pipes and Fire Eagle. It wasn't clear what the future of these were before and not its equally unclear.