Wednesday, November 18. 2009

Update: First American Data to Power Microsoft "Dallas"

The rest of the rest of the story, via eChannelLine:

[Ray] Ozzie [speaking at Microsoft PDC] also unveiled the next evolution of Microsoft Pinpoint, an online marketplace for Microsoft partners to market and sell their applications. Also available through PinPoint, the company introduced a new information and brokerage service, codenamed "Dallas", built completely on the Windows Azure platform that enables developers and users to access premium commercial and reference data sets and content on any platform. Datasets current available through "Dallas" include those from the Associated Press, Citysearch, ESRI, NAVTEQ, DATA.gov, First American, infoUSA, NASA, National Geographic Topo!, RiskMetrics Group, the United Nations, WaveMarket, Weather Central, and more. Starting today, "Dallas" is currently available as a limited Community Technology Preview.

I hope Data.gov is free.

----- original post 11/18/09 7:24 -----

First American's ParcelPoint data will be offered as part of the new Microsoft Windows Azure and SQL Azure Database-powered information brokerage service codenamed "Dallas" (coverage at The Register.

The brokerage service support "high-value, premium data and third-party applications to provide developers and information workers with visibility and access to multiple data sets and applications." The ParcelPoint national database contains information on more than 122 million U.S. land parcels. The first offering will include selected California counties.

- press release

Friday, November 13. 2009

Ducks Unlimited Touts Page Views for Migration Map

The organization reports 1.5 million page views within the site's first two months. The map launched Sept 1.

The map, powered by Bing Maps, didn't seem to be working correctly for me. (Perhaps it's a Safari thing?) I could find no legend (or I don't understand the triangle in the top right, which could be a legend, but its colors don't match anything on the map). I could key in a location in a Search Map box, but the map didn't zoom there. I could find no help. I did learn that if I submitted a report about waterfowl it'd be posted within five minutes.

- Bismark Tribune

Tuesday, November 10. 2009

Podcast: Windows 7, a Netbook and/or the Cloud?

Windows 7 is out and getting good reviews. But, the Mac continues to rule in customer satisfaction. And what of those cheap, lightweight netbooks? What role should the cloud play in picking your next hardware and software, both for general productivity and geospatial production work? Our editors (one Mac and one PC) explore the options.

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Missed any podcasts? Want to subscribe via iTunes, Yahoo, etc? Here's the index.

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