All Points Blog

Update 6: AT&T Sues Verizon over "Map for That" Map Ads

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:01:00 -0600

Now, Apple joins the fray with two ads touting iPhone features not available in the Motorola Droid, which runs on Verizon. The catch phrase: "Can your phone and your network do that?" - Gizmodo ...Read more
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My Black Friday Shopping Map

joe.francica@directionsmag.com (Joe Francica) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:03:10 -0600

Yesterday, I took a look at the Walmart maps being offered to shoppers for Black Friday by the Massachusetts store cited in our APB post today. Looking like every other Walmart floor plan that the retailer stamps into the landscape around the count...Read more

waze to Add More "Gaming" to its Nav/Traffic App

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:11:31 -0600

I received a social media e-mail from waze touting the new version of its navigation/traffic (data collection) app. The Android version is out; the iPhone version, last I check on the waze site is still getting approved. (That does make it tough to p...Read more

Stylus used in Virtual Room Mimics Cane in the Blind Person's World

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

How do we share the new3D maps of indoor and outdoor spaces with the blind? One way is to use a stylus that mimics a blind persons cane. It's developed by MIT's Touch Lab. The BlindAid stylus functions much like a blind persons cane, allowing the u...Read more

Forbes: Google Working with AND

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

That's been suggested by commenters and I did note the coyness of AND CEO Maarten Oldenholf when I interviewed him in October about a well-known user of his company's data that he could not name. Forbes points to CloudMade founder Nick Black as confi...Read more

Update: TomTom: If you can't beat 'em, cut the price

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:06:00 -0600

Today TomTom added another incentive to get folks buying PNDs: turn in an old one for a discount on a full price new on at TomTom.com. While the "trade in" prices are considered generous by Consumer Reports (some up to 50% of current sale prices for ...Read more
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DC Metro Maps: Stretched to Scale

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

WeLoveDC compares the WMATA Metro maps which show straight lines and right angles and neatly spaced stops and the actual locations and distances between the stations. It's "myth busting" or for map folks: just fun....Read more

Podcast: Implications for Twitter's Geolocation API

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0600

Last week Twitter released its geolocation API, an interface for developers to tack on, and gain access to the point locations from which tweets are sent, so long as users turn it "on." What are the possibilities for a giant, near-real time set of 14...Read more

Update: California "Cool Car" Regs May Mean no GPS, Radio, Cell phone Signals in the Vehicles

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:43:00 -0600

The California Air Resources Board released a report (pdf) this month revealing what it learned in very limited tests of GPS devices and cell phones used in cars that had the coating on the front windshield. The results: (1) Cell phones used in c...Read more
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Walmart Offering Store Specific Indoor Maps of Black Friday Specials

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:11:25 -0600

Here's an example from a Massachusetts store. It's really a "treasure hunt" as the plasma tv offering is in the "food" dept of the store and a laptop is in home and garden. But, I suppose that spreads out the chaos... I expect an iPhone app fo...Read more

Quote of the Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 06:41:11 -0600

"The benefits of GIS technology, if any, may not be easy to see." From an editorial in the Democrat Herald on the newly printed Oregon official map. The writer cites smaller fonts and missing POIs in comparing the map to a previous, apparently non...Read more

Quote of the Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:09:58 -0600

"Our teachers are not requesting (maps) anymore. They're saying, 'Please take them away. They're cluttering up our space.' " - Oak Brooks' Butler School District 53 (Illinois) Superintendent Sandra Martin explaining how teachers in her district o...Read more

Apps.gov Prices for Google API: Nearly $1million

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

Ever wonder how much Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) are worth? John Foley took a look at Apps.gov to find out. Google's Maps API comes in at just under $1 million. It's available from Onix Networking for $966,448. That covers unlimited si...Read more

Johannesburg "Closing off" its Geodata

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 07:32:42 -0600

EE Times reprints an article by Heather Ford originally from Brainstorm Magazine addressing the conflict between Joberg, South Africa attempting to become a "world-class" city and its old fashioned city geodata licensing....Read more

One of my favorite Google Map Apps Adds OSM!

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

I guess I missed the addition (late August 2009) because I'd just finished my ultra training. I used Google Maps Pedometer regularly until then to plan running routes for the Somerville Road Runners Unofficial Saturday Morning Davis Square Long Runs....Read more

Seen During Geography Awareness Week IV

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:30:15 -0600

""The woman requested that the deputies Google Earth her house and keep it on satellite surveillance overnight," [Sgt] Dawes said." - A Lake Forest (CA) resident called local police to as for a watch on her house after she heard noises, as report...Read more

Oregon Data Portal Opens

(Adena Schutzberg) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:02:28 -0600

Phase One of the The Oregon Spatial Data Library was launched in November 18 for GIS Day. "The Oregon Spatial Data Library provides easy and convenient ways to find, access and share geospatial data." It's all ESRI-based, including an ArcGIS Serve...Read more

Update: Foursquare API Arrives

(Adena Schutzberg) — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:09:00 -0600

And, now you can see what developers have built in the gallery! That was fast. With the Foursquare API and Twitter's geolocation API now available, I can better understand how the two are in competition. And, Foursquare has an edge: built in reasons ...Read more
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Twitter Geo API Available

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:33:38 -0600

It went live yesterday (Twitter blog) and the Twittersphere was excited. The only challenge: it's an API so only developers, not end users, could do anything with it. Further, you can't take advantage of the API from the website, so, no cool locatio...Read more

SimpleGeo: AWS for Location

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:43:53 -0600

Former Digg Chief Architect Joe Stump and Social Thing founder Matt Galligan are now offering a private beta of SimpleGeo, a "new infrastructure for location based services." Per TechCrunch: SimpleGeo is akin to an Amazon Web Services for locat...Read more

Podcast: A Hallway Conversation with Jay Tilley, Senior VP, Sanborn

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:33:00 -0600

Adena Schutzberg interviewed Jay Tilley, Sanborn's Senior Vice President about why 3D data is important and how the industry is overcoming challenges such as cost, data fusion and the integration of real time data. Tilley also speaks to the future gr...Read more

Google Goes Deeper on Real Estate with Place Pages

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 07:54:36 -0600

Now Google offers a page for each real estate offerings. (Generic "Place Pages" were announced in Sept. [LatLong Blog].) Data is drawn from a variety of sources (multiple listings!), perhaps pushing Google more toward aggregator of than organizer of ...Read more

Computerworld on CloudMade

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:33:07 -0600

Actually, it was MacWorld (both IDG pubs) that caught up with Nick Black, CloudMade founder, to explore why the company and OSM can change the world. - Computerworld...Read more

AOL Lays Off Workers, Puts Properties up Sale

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:12:19 -0600

AOL which will be sprung from Time Warner at the beginning of next month laid off 1/3 of its workers and reports indicate it's putting its ICQ messaging service and perhaps MapQuest up for sale. Among the possible buyer suggested for the mapping biz:...Read more

KUOW Weekday: The Arts of Maps (Thursday)

(Adena Schutzberg) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:28:54 -0600

KUOW, based at the University of Washington, hosts its "Weekday" radio program on "The Art of Maps" (9 am pacific) today (Thursday). Maps tell you more than simply how to get from here to there. Nearly any kind of information can be put into a map. ...Read more

Why I got an e-mail from Wolfram Research

(Adena Schutzberg) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

Colin DeCair at Wolfram e-mailed to let me know about an interesting geosci modeling tool built on Mathematica. I had to do some research but now recall that Wolfram Research (the folks behind the in the news Wolfram Alpha knowledge engine) is also t...Read more

Ordnance Survey maps to go free online

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:04:44 -0600

That's the word from The Guardian, backers of the three year old Free Our Data campaign. Not that they didn't have help from outspoken proponents of making the Ordnance Survey data free(r) to use. Exactly how it will be done is not clear. What we do ...Read more

Autodesk Q3 2010 Down 31% Over Q3 2009

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:43:22 -0600

Revenue was $417 million for Q3 2010, basically flat from last quarter but showed a decrease of 31 percent compared to the third quarter of fiscal 2009. I think it's telling that its core products, AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT showed similar traits: "Combi...Read more

Wisconsin Bill: Stop the Presses on State Maps

(Adena Schutzberg) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, a cosponsor of the bill states: "This specific bill saves the state taxpayers $250,000 by not allowing the Department of Transportation to print state highway maps," A surplus of more than 400,000 maps will only last ...Read more

Quote of the Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

"Technology has changed a great deal since I went to college. We used to take measurements by hand. We now have GIS systems where you can map a boundary. A new person entering the field really needs to have those skills and the new course curriculum...Read more

Seen During Geography Awareness Week III

(Adena Schutzberg) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:48:34 -0600

"Unlike flat paper maps, GIS, short for geographic information systems, allows people to analyze relationships between many layers of information at once." - From an article on Helena 5th graders who attended a GIS Day event at the Montana State L...Read more

Crossing the Border Safely, With LBS

(Adena Schutzberg) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:40:39 -0600

b.a.n.g lab's Transborder Immigrant Tool is an LBS app built to run on an inexpensive cell phone designed to help Mexican immigrants safely cross the border. From an interview with the team's Ricardo Dominguez: We looked at the Motorola i455 cell...Read more

Garmin Offers Process to Put Your Maps on its Devices

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:58:34 -0600

Essentially Custom Maps allows you to upload georeferenced JPGs onto your device. Per the press release: The first step to creating Custom Maps is to save your existing map in JPG format, either by scanning a paper map or converting a digital file....Read more

Seen During Geography Awareness Week II

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:16:14 -0600

The intro line for the new Turbo Tax: "Like GPS for taxes, TurboTax ® 2009 easily and accurately guides taxpayers step-by-step through their tax return, effortlessly getting them to their ultimate destination - the biggest tax refund possible. " -...Read more

Time Magazine's Top 50 Inventions for 2009 Lacking in Location Intelligent Design

joe.francica@directionsmag.com (Joe Francica) — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:05:43 -0600

Time Magazine's Top 50 Invention's list for 2009 seems to lack a entry that was at least location-aware. Unless you count the "Smart Bullet" or "Teleportation" there are no inventions that leveraged location technology or data. ...Read more

Update: First American Data to Power Microsoft "Dallas"

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 19:30:00 -0600

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...Read more

Podcast: The Line Between Geo Amateur and Professional

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 01:00:00 -0600

If anyone can make a map today, what is it that distinguishes the amateur from the professional when it comes to geospatial? Is it training? Perspective? Tools? Our editors weigh in. Subscribe to Podcast RSS Listen Now (to download, right clic...Read more

GIS App of the Day for GIS Day

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:37:47 -0600

Piece County Washington unveiled Where Does The Water Go? for GIS Day. The app "enables users to pinpoint an address or location on a map, and then GIS technology calculates the direction and flow of stormwater based on topography. It traces the wate...Read more

Bentley Announces New Center in Dublin

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:20:35 -0600

The new international Shared Services, Sales and Marketing Centre in Dublin will create 150 jobs. The investment is supported by IDA Ireland (the agency responsible for industrial development in Ireland). - Silicon Republic...Read more

Fedex Senses a Need for Package Sensing

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:13:11 -0600

The new SenseAware platform is a "next generation information service that combines a GPS sensor device and a web-based collaboration platform." Due next spring, the "ride along" hardware can track: "precise temperature readings; a shipment's exact ...Read more

FDA Grants 62K to Wisconsin for TIGER Agro-terrorism Tool

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:48:11 -0600

TIGER stands for Terrorist Incident GIS-Enhanced Response. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave the grant (one of four) to Food Safety Division, housed in the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, to encourage new ...Read more

Quote of the Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:20:24 -0600

"Having begun in 1993 with three employees, Aruna has grown to employ around 35 people and reports annual revenues of about US$1.7 million." - Growth of Aruna Technology Limited, a medium-sized Phnom Penh company and ESRI's distributor, profiled i...Read more

Office of Federal Procurement Policy Admin Nominee Ponders A-76

(Adena Schutzberg) — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

Daniel Gordon is the nominee to be the administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP to insiders, which I am not!). He'll have to deal with the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-76 (the geospatial one) and its public-...Read more

Geo Soft Launch Central

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 14:34:25 -0600

Last week USGS made public its new viewer for The National Map (TMN). It's build on NGA's Palanterra 3. I'm confused by the site which says: "Beta URL not ready for wide-distribution until stability testing is completed prior to the end of the calend...Read more

C|net Tackles PublicEarth and OSM

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:59:54 -0600

My personal favorite BOLer (that's Buzz Outloud, C|net's daily tech podcast) Rafe Needleman covers the user generated content site in an article title Crowdsourcing Cartography. PublicEarth launched Monday and is a Google Maps-based POI collection. M...Read more

NE URISA: Trends in Making Integrated Information More Accessible

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:50:00 -0600

Yesterday, to start off Geography Awareness Week, the New England chapter of URISA held a one-day, focussed conference on integrating data (website). I did the keynote and I think the key takeaways included: - Authoritative data is in the eye of t...Read more

Off Topic: Oracle Ditches Traditional Press Releases

(Adena Schutzberg) — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600

In the past few years a new form of sharing press information, the Social Media Release (primer), appeared. The idea was to share key quotes, links, facts, videos, images, etc. from which bloggers and other new (and traditional) media types would cra...Read more

Seen During Geography Awareness Week

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 07:12:35 -0600

" Individual invitations with maps is a new, product and service exclusively from Astonishingcards. This revolutionary program will draw a map from the front door of each and every recipient to the front door of the event. In addition, Astonishingcar...Read more

Opening Up Sensor Data

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:50:46 -0600

The EU-funded Sensors Anywhere (SANY) program offers the technical means to allow the free exchange and use of environmental monitoring data regardless of its source. It supports OGC standards. Several pilots are underway tracking air, water and land...Read more

NY Times on User Generated Map Content

(Adena Schutzberg) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:31:18 -0600

In an roundup the paper looks at editing Google's business and POI listings, Google's use of user generated contents, OpenStreetMap and the challenges of managing the politics inherent in mapmaking. Quote of note from Michael Goodchild: "As far as we...Read more