Friday, February 5. 2010

Content/Results from USGS VGI Workshop

I didn't even know this happened until just afterward. Two of the other advisors for the Geospatial Revolution Project came from that meeting to Penn State. It was a small gathering (53) and the only media person there was Brady Forrest from O'Reilly, but I didn't see any coverage of it from him or any of the other attendees. Interesting that there was no impetus for social media use in discussing volunteered content.

In any case, details of the meeting and the outputs are now available on the event website including PPT and PDF of presentations, opening remarks and notes from several sessions.

(Note to USGS: OpenStreetMap is one word, not three.)

via @mhaklay

WayFinder NYC, other practical Apps Top Big Apple Apps Competition

The Android augmented reality-based WayFinder NYC finds the closest subway station when a user looks through the camera at the local scene. Other top picks from the judges: a tool to rate cabs and their drivers and and app providing information on city schools.

- New York Times Bits Blog

Apple Patent Application: Device-to-Device Location Awareness

As you might expect the patent describes a way to share location information with someone one who's already on the phone with you, or someone you've texted. Unless on the "safe list" permission is required.

- patent application via Apple Insider

Apple will Say "No" to iPhone Apps that Primarily Serve Location-based Ads

A note to developers this week makes that clear, according to Apple Insider. Why? The thinking is that Apple wants developers to use its yet to launch ad serving tools, likely built on recently acquired Quattro Wireless.

- Apple Insider

Hey Ontario, the new Economic Dev Mapping Site is Wanting

That's the point of James Murray's article in the Thunder Bay paper taking aim at a Bing Maps based tool aimed at helping those looking to open businesses in the province find possible locations. The app is called SelectOntario and the provincial website states: "Ontario is now the first province in Canada to implement a state-of-the-art geographic information system (GIS) tool for the purposes of investment attraction."

I don't think he "against" Bing Maps per say, but rather the ease of use and number of clicks to an answer. The site, so far as I can tell, is built on Rolta's OnPoint (originally from Orion, which Rolta acquired in recent years). I was unable to run the app on my Mac in Safari.

The best news about this article: user expectations for online mapping/GIS are high, as they should be.

- Net News Ledger

Local GIS Tidbits

San Juan Capistrano (California) officials rejected a $11,000 proposal to put GPS devices in police cars. In addition to tracking location, the devices were also to be used to evaluate smog and in total save the city some $15,000. Said one official of the plan: "I have a real problem with this," she said. "This is an HBO. I don't think it's something we really, really need."

- OC Register

Lewis and Clark County, MT and Helena city officials are interested in details of a new transport district, not only to determine where new public transportation might be, but to determine how many people live within it, to ensure questions regarding the topic make it on the ballot.

The number of residents is important, because signatures from 20 percent of the affected voters will be needed to simply add the district to the Nov. 2 ballot. ..."GIS will find new financial information — as to what the mills would equal, the value, as well as the number of voters in the district," [County Commissioner Andy] Hunthausen said. "And then the number we would need to get on a petition."

- Helena IR

The Official Map of Temple Texas, a lithograph about 36 by 32 inches dated 1892 is the newest addition to the city's GIS, but it may be a while before it's made available. The map was donated by a collector and beside the regular challenges of scanning the old document, there is the challenge of converting the units of the day, the "vera" to feet, but local think they have it figured out.

- Houston Chronicle