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Back in early May we asked: Do you share your current location with anyone via social media tools (Twitter, Facebook, RSS, website, etc.)?
It seems those who read this geo focussed blog mostly do not. Of 74 responses:
Yes 22%
No 79%
(A bit of rounding error appears.)
Next up: How often do you print maps on paper in your work?
The solution is called ProjectWise Dynamic plot. The Bentley data is printed from data stored and managed in ProjectWise. The plot includes a printed grid used to track markup done with a special pen. When the pen in docked, the markup is made available as a layer to the appropriate design files. Bentley has licensed technology from Anoto to put the “dots” on the paper through its printing/publishing software. Bentley sells the Anoto pens directly.
I first saw this technology at a BE Event several years ago as part of Bentley’s Applied Research Labs exhibit.
In a virtual press conference today Joe Croser, Global Marketing Director, Platform at Bentley referred to the solution as non-disruptive. John Simons, Director, Product Management explained that the big difference in this solution in comparison to Adapx solution (which works with ArcGIS, based on the same technology) is that this solution is distributed. The pen does not require synchonization - that is, just start drawing with the pen on the paper. Notification of changes is done via a separate notification system in ProjectWise. A 600 or 1200 DPI color printer is required, but it fairly common in engineering shops.
Details of pricing were not shared since they vary from country to country.
The product is available as of today.
Update: [This update is updated 5/28/09 to include Mr. Sumner’s complete statement. Only a part of it was included originally. My apologies for any further confusion.] Curt Sumner, executive director of ACSM confirms:
Sorry for the confusion. ACSM and ESRI have agreed in principle that it is a good idea for ACSM to hold its 2011 (and possibly beyond) conference in conjunction with the ESRI conference.
We have not made any official announcements because we are still working through the logistics and financial issues to make sure that each organization benefits from such a collaboration, before finalizing an agreement.
The meeting planners at ESRI are currently working through the information we have provided in order to get a handle on how our conference works.
I am hopeful that everything will be worked soon so that we can make an official announcement. I am just wary of announcing anything related to proposed activities of any kind until I know that it is actually going to happen.
—- Original posts 5/19/09——-
Update 4:46 pm: An ESRI rep says nothing is final but that the company is in discussions with ACSM on the matter.
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POB has the breaking news (no details).
via @esri on Twitter
I’m all for corporations supporting charities, so I was pleased to read that Pitney Bowes Business Insight, (which includes the company formerly known as MapInfo) was supporting a drive around the world in a 1978 Cooper Mini to raise funds for several charities. The company donated $10,000. Great.
Now, the odd part: MapInfo is in the car and there’s a Google Maps website to track its travels (and donate). That suggests to me that a casual reader would think that PB Insights is in the tracking and car nav space, not the location intelligence space. That said, a quote from a PB notes the most important part is the address locating, a technology where MapInfo has played for some time. The sponsorship is also aimed at promoting MapInfo Professional 10. I know that promotions need not directly relate to a sponsors product or service, but this one is “close enough” perhaps, to confuse potential users regarding the new brand.
Per IT World Canada:
The 31-year old Mini is equipped with Pitney Bowes’ mapping and geographical analysis software MapInfo Professional, which is linked to a GPS system that Mortimer is using to replace paper maps.
Pitney Bowes is tracking Mortimer’s trip through his GPS-enabled cell phone and providing updates on the tour via a Website that launches today. Visitors to the site will be able to subscribe for notifications on Mortimer’s location and status.
The most important part of the technology is the global addressing, according to Justin Barota, architect in Advanced Concepts and Technology at Pitney Bowes, who was on-site at the Toronto event. If you want to meet Duncan in downtown San Francisco on June 8 and he happens to be there, the system will notify you that he is in the vicinity and provide a route to the event, he said.
The big news of out Where 2.0 for many was Google’s new Google Maps Data API. That’s about storing, then calling and using geodata Google hosts for you. The API highlights the idea that visualization and raw data need not be “in the same place.” That makes this an excellent time to introduce Plug and Play Maps, something I first saw a year ago. The idea is simple, by putting just two lines of code into your website you can map some geodata with Google Maps. What kinds of data?
- spreadsheets or similar tabular files
- KML (“Google Earth”) files
- shapefiles
- data in a web database
One line of code sets up the Google Maps API key (you get that key from Google) and the other “points” the app at the data. With all the examples, it’s pretty simple for a non-programmer to figure out. There’s even a “designer” that will create some of the code for you, based on the location of the data. And, there’s an extension “how to” that explains most of the FAQs.
Plug and Play Maps come from GISmatters out of Amherst, Mass. Chris Duncan from the company tells me a screencast should be available shortly.
I know there are many ways to automagically create a Google Map, but this one gives you a lot of control and if you are looking to understand more about how programming works, this is a nice step forward. I think this would be a great app for students to use in their projects.
