New Geo APIs - 8/20/12

iGeolise Travel Time API: The service provides estimate of travel time from a given location to a list of destinations and a specified travel mode such as walking, driving, train, bus, etc. It also provides a map of the fastest route between specified origin and destination locations, with adjustment for travel mode.

API methods support specification of an origin point by latitude and longitude, a travel mode, a time limit, and the type of destination. Returned data provide destinations of the requested type within the specified travel time range. Methods also allow specification of a point of origin, destination, and travel mode to receive the fastest available route. The API also supports geocoding for specified U.K. postal codes.

Intel Developer Services Beta API: Intel's Developer Services Beta introduces a suite of location-based Cloud APIs. The APIs provide an enhanced set of app development capabilities for developers wishing to add location-based features to their app. New and existing applications can be enhanced to be “location aware” with geographic mapping, routing, and point-of-interest location services.

AddressDoctor API: The service verifies street and delivery addresses as submitted and corrects them to standard format used by shipping services. Addresses as entered are compared against updated reference data to confirm that the delivery location actually exists, and format correction helps to expedite shipments by maintaining compliance with package handling systems. Available supplemental content includes geodata or demographic information for the specified location.

API methods support interactive verification of a delivery address specified in the request and return confirmation that it exists and its correct format, including basic geocoding information. Batch verification methods provide the same functions, plus checks against records of deceased persons and change-of-address filings along with consumer classification information.

ServiceObjects DOTS GeoCash API: The ServiceObjects DOTS GeoCash API provides users with a collection of SOAP-based calls for locating ATMs. These calls can return ATM locations for a given five-digit ZIP code, for a street name within a given ZIP code, for a given city and two-letter state abbreviation, or within a specified radius (in miles) of a given ZIP code.

SkiWhere Global Ski Resort Locator API: The service provides directory listings for approximately 2000 ski resorts around the globe. It generates listings of the nearest skiing facilities for any position on Earth specified by latitude and longitude sorted by distance from the selected location.

Blip A Deal API: Blip A Deal is a comprehensive group buying and daily deals site, offering services such as deals watchlists, coupon storage, alerts, language translation, and personalized filtering. The Blip A Deal API enables developer access to worldwide deals data via location, keywords, and free text.

API methods accept a request specifying latitude and longitude anywhere on the globe and return listings of the nearest ski resorts, with distance in miles from the specified location. Results come from a database estimated to list 25% of the ski facilities in the world.

- Programmable Web

Houston’s Real-time Ozone Maps and other Government GIS News

Those in the eight county area around Houston area can now turn to Houstoncleanairnetwork.org for real-time (updated every five minutes) map that tracks ozone as if it were a storm cloud. The data comes from 40 monitors in the area and is a collaboration between Air Alliance Houston and scientists at the University of Houston, and it was paid for by a grant from the Houston Endowment.

- KUHF

Caltrans has relaunched its QuickMap that lets you open a window and see what the observation cameras are seeing on any freeway in California. You can also call up any changeable message signs and read the current warnings. The an app for smartphones, too.

- LA Observed

Jon Gales, 27, of Tampa has mapped what he believes to be all of the cameras (59) installed for the Republican National Convention and designed a map that can be viewed at rncctv.com. I see OSM, Leaflet and Googe Map API in the code.

- Charlotte Observer which apparently covers RNC news as it's hosting the DNC.

Instagram Photomaps and other LBS News

It was big news last Thursday and Friday that Instagram added geolocating to its photo app. I looked for the best headline and found it from BetaBeat:

Instagram Adds Photo Maps, Inspiring a Pandemic of Vacation Envy

- BetaBeat

The Boston mobile-tech company said today it has been acquired by market research firmService Management Group (SMG), based in Kansas City, MO, in a cash deal. No financial details were given. Locately’s team will stay in its current Downtown Crossing office and continue building out its location-based mobile analytics technology, says co-founder and chief technology officer Drew Volpe.

The company won the first MassChallenge startup competition but is not well-known here in Boston, like uLocate or SCVNGR are/were.

- Xconomy

Smartphone mapping services are probably useful at London’s sprawling Notting Hill Carnival, but they also make users an easier target for thieves, says London’s Metropolitan Police.

People using their smartphones to find directions “all too often” become victims to phone snatchers, according to the Met, which has advised the one million or so festival goers to use paper maps to navigate West London next weekend.

Met police will be giving out paper maps.

- CSO (a data security publication)

Tracking Disease via Air Travel and other Health GIS News

Researchers have developed "a user-friendly Web-based GIS tool: the Vector-Borne Disease Airline Importation Risk Tool (VBD-AIR), to help better define the roles of airports and airlines in the transmission and spread of vector-borne diseases." 

It uses spatial data buit on modeled global disease and vectro distribution and takes into account climate and air network traffic. From that it creates a relative risk metric.

Results: The VBD-AIR tool constructed enables the user to explore the interrelationships among modeled global distributions of vector-borne infectious diseases (malaria.
dengue, yellow fever and chikungunya) and international air service routes to quantify seasonally changing risks of vector and vector-borne disease importation and spread by air travel, forming an evidence base to help plan mitigation strategies. The VBD-AIR tool is available for testing at www.vbd-air.com

- 7th Space

KCUR in Kansas City is covering the outbreak of whooping cough in the area - complete with details of its spread in Kansas and Missouri. There's even a detailed map of the regional cases. The Google My Map is clearly the default tool for quick and dirty mapping for media outlets. Will Esri, with its longtime focus on health GIS gain any ground here?

- KCUR

A coalition called Mayors Against Illegal Guns on Thursday released a map revealing how many mental health records each state has reported to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System.

The goal is to get more states to do more reporting such that incidents such as VA Tech can be prevented.

- The Oregonian