C|net Hangs with NAVTEQ Traffic Staffers

Is this the next article we’ll be seeing everywhere? Is it the follow-on to the “driving with NAVTEQ” articles?

- C|net’s Car Tech Blog

NYT Reviews iPhone Nav Apps: Not all Rosy

Erica Taub writes the review and notes:

Of the four GPS apps I tested — from major navigation companies — each crashed several times, jolting my iPhone back to the home screen. Occasionally, the iPhone did not seem to recognize that I was even using the GPS feature, and the phone simply shut off. None of the apps could keep up with my driving. I often made a turn or reached an intersection before the map redrew to indicate that I had. At other times, the app showed me making a turn before I actually had.

- New York Times

NGA Warp (restricted) Tweets

I learned of NGA Warp on Twitter, @ngawarp. The Web-based Access and Retrieval Portal Warp, WARP, started tweeting just today. It’s interesting there’s be a public Twitter account for an app that’s restricted access. Per the twitter account: “WARP is an NGA system that provides worldwide access to geospatial intelligence (GEOINT) at multiple security levels.”

Louisville, KY Stimulus Map

Best I can tell this an ESRI ADF based app. I wonder why the city didn’t use Flex like most other ESRI stimulus maps?

Also interesting: the map says (C) 2009 but not to whom the data is copyright. I do believe the info on the projects is public domain, from the federal government. Full details on projects send you to PDFs on city website.

Who writes out GIS?

I often send quick e-mails to newspaper reporters, PR reps and others when they mis-expand GIS to things like Global Information System or Geographic Information Survey. Mostly, I get “thank yous” in return. I even got both an e-mail and a phone call last week from a clearly embarrassed individual who’d written about GIS use for gold courses.

Anyway, today I was struck by two articles - one of which did not expand or explain GIS (the Selma Times-Journal, a local paper in Selma, Alabama) and one which did (Wired, the magazine for geeks).

The Times-Journal was discussing water mapping:

GIS mapping will have a large impact on the Black Belt, said Doni Ingram, state director of Economic and Community Affiars [sic].

Wired was talking about the Santa Clara, CA data case:

In 2006, the coalition used the state’s sunshine law to ask for a digital, data-rich map compiled by the county. Called a geographic information system, or GIS, parcel basemap database, the map shows the boundaries of 450,000 real estate parcels in Silicon Valley, along with overlaid aerial photos, street addresses and other data.

Perhaps if you say GIS mapping, that’s clear enough?