Monday, October 1. 2007

Inquirer: Buenos Aires Open Source Map Site Beats Google

As a fine cap to last week's FOSS4G event, UK's Inquirer touts Buenos Aires, city government's all open source Web map solution: Red Hat Linux, PostGreSQL, PostGIS, MapServer... In addition to the tech, the article highlights how Google hasn't yet offered streets on it Google Maps of the area while on the two year oldthe government site:

Unlike Google's, the pictures on these maps are satellite for the latest version, but aerial photography for the earlier runs. Currently in the B.A. database are satellite pics from 2004, and aerial photos from 1978, 1965, and 1940 - black and white! You can switch between the different views by clicking on Imagenes y Fotografias and see the growth of the city, or what was there in the high rise building you're currently sitting at - probably a single story house.

There are also bus routes, parcel detials, pics of houses, the nearest hospital and other data and search tools. One oops: "Try to gather all that just from your Keyhole satellite pics, Google. ;)" Google's technology for Google Earth was called Keyhole, but it does not use imagery from those satellites, so far as I know.

Other tidbits:

- The incoming administration may cut workers on the portal.
- The portal "lacks tools to let users embed map locations on blogs and web pages."
- Data and aerial photos are available for purchase by the CD or megabyte respectively.