Wednesday, November 4. 2009

Aussie Ipernica/NearMap Challenge Google/Bing Maps

That's how the Ipernica, which acquired NearMap last year, is describing its launch as a new media property. The technology (proprietary) sounds a lot like Pictometry (the sensor pod attaches to small aircraft and takes oblique and ortho shots, with quick processing on the ground).

The NearMap portal is expected to launch before the end of the year and will include monthly coverage of Sydney, Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne and Brisbane that has been built up over the past year.

The business model, per CEO Graham Griffith: "There are multiple revenue streams but the main one is licensing the service to local, state and Federal Governments, It will be free to consumers." He tosses around how great an NSDI would be. The future? Coverage of 700 cities worldwide; Australia is a just a pilot project.

I don't buy the competition with Google/Bing Maps since those (while the tech is licensable) drive ad revenue, not data licensing. And, while MS does own some of its data and uses and sells the UltraCam that collects it, neither company is yet focussed on a data licensing model. Further, many government entities use Google and Microsoft's public APIs for free.

- ITWire

Tuesday, November 3. 2009

Impact of Weather.com's Use of Bing Maps?

I really enjoy when tech journalists look at some new "neat" tool and get right down to the nitty gritty of "does it matter to me?" Clint Boulton did just that when reviewing the new Weather.com tool built on Bing Maps (Flash, not Sivlerlight, he's quick to note) that shows future weather (up to six hours in the future) in a tiny (1 sq mile) area. (Chris Pendleton gushes about it here.)

From a developer's perspective, that must be neat, but I don't care so much about that as that this program really works and is useful for me.
...

Will this make me switch from using Google Maps to Bing Maps? No -- I'm very invested in Google Maps' new and emerging features -- but I've always used Weather.com to get my weather updates.

So, there we go, another confirmation that regular folks (ok, he's a techy) don't really case about the source background or API used, just that there's interesting data and the app "works." As Joe Francica notes in today's podcast, all that branding aimed at the consumer matters less and less; API providers and data providers are "back" to selling to developers.

- eWeek

Tuesday, October 27. 2009

MSN Direct to Shut Down at End of 2011

Microsoft noted considering shutting down the data service that powers live local data (traffic, weather, gas prices) for some GPS units (among other devices) back in May (APB coverage). Now the official word the service will shut down Dec 31, 2011.

Devices that use it will continue to work, they just won't have access to the data sent over FM signal. The system is pretty old (2004) and was part of the SPOT, or Smart Personal Objects Technology, initiative which now operates in 134 cities.

- Radio World

Wednesday, October 14. 2009

Whose Logos were on WorldView-2 Rocket?

Bing's (Microsoft) and Nokia's. Google (corrected 10/15, originally said Microsoft) has an exclusive on the GeoEye-1 imagery, but will "share" the WorldView-2 data with Google.

- C|net

Microsoft Tests "Videomap" as Journey Prep Tool

Videomap, software under development by Microsoft and researchers from the University of Konstanz in Germany, gives maps and written directions but it also previews a route - complete with landmarks. It creates video using 360-degree panoramic images of the street that are strung together.

It even slows down to encourage viewers to fully grasp key intersections and turns. For now the system requires developers to select the key landmarks users will see. Users of Videomap recalled 80% of turns; those studying the map recalled just 60%. While some suggest the technology will be supplanted by GPS devices, others think it could be of value to pedestrians and cyclists. Frankly, any time I can "preview" a drive, I'll do it.

I regularly, for example, drive to the site of a big race the day before just to be sure I'll get there. There's no reason to panic at 5 am when you can't find the correct turn (and it's dark and foggy....)

- Tech Review

Tuesday, September 15. 2009

Podcast: The Gov 2.0 Summit and Geospatial

Last week's Government 2.0 Summit held in Washington DC put GIS front and center as a key tool is a vision of government as a platform for itself and for citizens to use. Why the fuss at this time over GIS, which has been a part of government at all levels for decades? What's new in this vision? What changes can we see in this new embrace of the technology?

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