Update: ITT Settles GPS Patent Infringement Case with Nokia, Other Still Pending

Motorola has now settled and again no word on the details.

- TotalTele

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U.S. DOT 2010 National Transportation Atlas Data Released

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Transportation Statistics, a part of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration, has released the 2010 edition of the National Transportation Atlas Databases in shapefile format. The 2010 edition features updated datasets and premieres the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Bridges Database. Substantial revisions were made to national parks, waterways, railways and the Federal Highway Administration’s National Bridge Inventory.

The offering includes 29 datasets, 11 of which were updated in this release, and also includes intermodal terminals, national railway crossings, nonattainment areas and transit rail lines and stations is provided in shapefile format, which is compatible with most Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software.

- CCJ Digital

Quote of the Week

@pezholio Simple way to get #opendata from your council website: Google “site:yourcouncil.gov.uk filetype:csv OR filetype:xls”

Two thoughts:

(1) This came via two geofolks (@stevenfeldman and @tinacarey).
(2) One of my students suggested that XLS may well be one of the next “dead” formats.

GPS Tidbits

CNN looks at the technology and what’s being done to make it “less” annoying.

- CNN

C|net’s Car Tech blog addresses “How to update your GPS maps: TomTom edition.” Why do we need tech blogs to tell us how to use consumer devices? (Just asking!)

- C|net

Local GIS Tidbits

Five departments in Alamance County, NC — social services, recreation and parks, maintenance, GIS and the libraries — will make the switch on Jan. 1 from traditional to performance-based budgeting. What is it?

Unlike traditional budgeting, such budgeting uses a performance-measures model that gives department heads more freedom to create efficiency and cost-saving goals to improve performance, and motivates employees to help their departments reach those goals.

Davidson County is said to have saved $1M this way. The trial in Alamance will be expanded if successful.

- Times-News

The Navarro County Appraisal District, Texas used a North Texas Council of Governments grant to license Pictometry data and software.

“These are really great tools to have. This might be a bit better or certainly as good as Google Earth,” said Karen Morris, chief appraiser.

The public can use the software at the appraisal district office in Corsicana or get a password for external access. 

- Daily Corsicanan Daily Sun

WTH Technology, the Indianapolis-based company formerly known as WTH Engineering has served Cass County, IN, for 10 years. But the company failed to deliver an interface between the software programs in the auditor’s office and assessor’s office, which means a switch to 39 Degrees North is underway.

- Pharos-Tribune

On Saturday CAL FIRE GIS specialist Joe Larson from San Luis Obispo County was deployed to Florida to assist in the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  He will lead the Technical Services Branch in the Florida Emergency Operation Center in its support for the Deepwater Horizon efforts. Larson is scheduled to be assigned to the mission for at least two weeks.

- NewsBlaze