Tuesday, March 3. 2009

ESRI's Green Caf

The Redlands Daily Facts touts its location shaded by trees and use of low-emissivity glass to keep it cool and quiet, among other features.

Study: Men More Distracted by GPS Than Women

The survey of 2500 Australian drivers, by AAMI, an insurer, found that 17% of men reported being distracted by satnavs in comparison to 12% of women. The explanation from the company behind the report: men like to fiddle with settings more than women.

- News Post Online

California Bill May be First State to Attempt Censorship of Detailed Imagery on Mapping Sites

Assemblyman Joel Anderson of San Diego is putting the bill forward to the state legislature. He was prompted by word of terrorists using tools like Google Earth and Microsoft Virtual Earth. (I guess the world will continue this battle for some time...)

Interesting to me:

Pam Greenberg, who tracks Internet and technology issues for the National Conference of State Legislatures, said California appears to be the first state to consider imposing restrictions on Internet mapping sites. The bill is awaiting a committee assignment.

If I follow, the state would (if the bill passes) restrict images covering areas within the state including "clear, detailed images of schools, hospitals, churches and all government buildings." The article points out many such images are already public - and hosted on the websites of these organizations.

- AP

Podcast: Will Virtual Alabama Scale to Virtual USA?

Virtual Alabama is that state's tool to share data for public safety across jurisdictions. Built on Google Earth Enterprise, it's become a model of how to integrate local data for widespread use. Now, federal Homeland Security officials are floating the idea of a regional effort for southern states to share data to respond to natural hazards. Our editors take a look at the success of the state effort and ponder the challenges of scaling it up.

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