ESRI ArcGiS Server iPhone Client Out; Where to get Data?

Twitter and the blogosphere are all excited because ESRI’s first iOS app is available (iTunes link, ESRI page for the product). There’s no press release yet, for those looking for one. Update: the press release came out this afternoon.

I think this post from @jpete24 says quite a lot about the state of affairs: 

Anybody notice that the ArcGIS app is out for the iPhone? Anybody got some cool GIS servers to tie into?

At least for now folks are expected to tap into ArcGIS.com services (ESRI’s basemaps, Bing, OSM), and as James Fee points out, only ESRI services are accessible, not OGC ones, at this point.

Monmonier on e-Maps Restricting our Freedom

He writes in New Scientist.

In 2010, however, restrictive cartography is on the verge of more invasive applications as electronic technology replaces graphic lines requiring conscious interpretation with invisible fences, erected by proactive, self-enforcing geographical restrictions.

- New Scientist

Crowdsourcing Competitive Intelligence by iPhone

This makes complete and utter sense to me. Instead of having professional (aka high priced) competitive intelligence practitioners do the (completely legal) field work required to track prices or the number of cars in the parking lot, why not outsource it to people with iPhones and pay them for each small task? That’s what Field Agent does. Go snap a picture of a BBQ at Target via your iPhone and get a few bucks via PayPal. Or, do a survey while sitting on the bus and get a few more. The money goes to your account within 48 hours.

- WGRZ

GPS Tidbits

Singapore has put out a tender to us GNSS to solve its congestion problems on the roads. The current system uses “tolls” with “smart cards” but adding in new “toll booths” is simply costly and causes more congestion in other areas as drivers try to finder cheaper alternatives. The hope is that satellite managed systems will make the payment simpler and keep traffic moving.

- PC World

911 ETA is new software for smartphones and in-car GPS systems designed to “pre-alert” drivers of on-coming emergency vehicles. It will be tested by Denver’s West Metro’s Fire Department later this year. Smartphones will “buzz” and in-car GPS will speak a warning when the vehicle is within 900 feet - but that can be adjusted as the jurisdiction prefers. The system can be made to turn down the radio and open windows.

- Fire Rescue 1

Intel is developing a “black box” for cars that could do everything from video where the car has gone (to share with insurance companies after an accident), keep tabs on nearby cars (to help the driver from getting to close), take over the driving (when a car goes the wrong way down a one way street) and even report potholes (to local authorities).

- The Telegraph

Update 3: Letter on BP Oil Spill GIS Appears, Disappears

Matt Ball interviewed Drew Stephens of the GIS Institute twice to get his perspective on his work as a contractor on the oil spill GIS, the letter that was posted and removed, and how things are moving ahead in his work with the BP Oil Spill and his other project, related to mapping plastic pollution in the oceans.

Ball informs me the letter in question is currently hosted here.

- Vector1

—- update 6/17/10——

Brian Denzer who worked with the two letter writers posts his observations at Geowanking.

Further, back on 6/13 Drew Stephens responded on a mailing list about the letter being taken down from his site: ” I took the letter off The GIS Institute site personally, as I feel the problem has been stated, and it’s time to work on solutions.”

Also noteworthy on Geowanking:

Ian Turton notes that all the data from Geoplatform.gov is accessible via WMS (though you need to dig into the page source to find the source info).

William Keever notes that the BP app allows for download of data “via an open AGS rest api.” I found this listing.

Chris Schmidt notes you can get KMLs from the BP app. As beset I understand you do that via the listing I note above - the page looks like this.

via O’Reilly Radar

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