Building on the existing strategic partnership between Microsoft and Nokia, today we’re announcing that Bing Maps is now using Nokia backend services for Traffic and Geocoding. With the goal of helping get places faster and get more done, here are the key things Nokia services will do for Bing Maps:
-
Bing Maps will now offer Nokia-powered traffic results in 24 countries.
-
Improved and expanded traffic information in the US, adding traffic fo side streets in addition to freeways.
-
Bing Maps will begin using Nokia geocoding countries, offering improved routing and directions.
- Microsoft PR which sends you to this blog post
by Adena Schutzberg on 05/24 at 12:43 PM |
Comments |
The USGS Center for LIDAR Information Coordination and Knowledge, aka CLICK, will shut down its bulletin board May 9 due to securty mandates from the Deparment of Interior. You might remember CLICK had a near brush with death last fall (APB coverage).
- via LiDAR News
TerraServer, that great Microsoft Research Project to show off the power of SQL Server, has been shut down since its been overshadowed by Microsoft and other mapping services. As the annuncement makes clear, this service did a lot to move online mapping ahead:
The site was originally launched as Microsoft TerraServer on June 22, 1998 as a demonstration of the scalability of Microsoft SQL Server database product. At the time, it was the first web site to successfully host high resolution satellite and aerial data. Later we added USGS topographic maps (DRGs) and the USGS Urban Area
natural color imagery. In addition to imagery, Microsoft Research Maps pioneered the use of SOAP/XML to build a mapping web service and deployed an OpenGIS compliant mapping service.
I recall seeing it used via WMS in an open source implementation way back in my GIS Monitor days. And, I recall the first time I heard Microsoft invite local govenrments to host their imagery on its site. We've come a long way.
- Microsoft Research Maps via @howardbutler
by Adena Schutzberg on 05/01 at 12:43 PM |
Comments |
The Texas Forest Service and Texas A&M University have unveiled a new Web application that will forewarn residents when conditions are ripe for wildfire. The free application — dubbed TxWRAP — is designed to help homeowners and communities determine wildfire risk so they can act before a wildfire strikes. IT's Esri, Bing and DTS Agile based. The public viewer uses the term map themes along with map layers. Does the public know what a map theme is?
- Longview New-Journal
There was a good bit of buzz (at least on this blog) about Michigan signing on with Microsoft for aerial imagery in 2009. Now one county that submitted an intent to participate in year 3 (this year) is getting in on the deal.
Ogemaw County’s Geographic Information System (GIS) aerial photographs will be getting upgraded this year, but some townships’ aerial photos may not be revised.
The Board of Commissioners approved the purchase of aerial photography from Bing Maps during its April 26 meeting. The photography will be up to date, as the last aerial photos were taken 15 years ago, said Equalization Director John Awrey. Awrey added the new photography, scheduled for this spring, will have a much higher resolution.
Awrey said purchasing the upgraded files for the county’s GIS system costs $16,100, with eight townships providing a combined $4,600 for the files and the county paying the rest of the bill.
- Ogemaw County Herald
Pinellas County (Florida) Commissioners unanimously approved a six-year $2.46 million contract April 24 with Esri. The county will consolidate and standardize on Esri products since the current system includes a mix of products, some of which are outdated and unsupported. There is bad news for resellers and other vendors per a report from Property Appraiser Pam Dubov, BTS Director Paul Alexander and Purchasing Manager Joe Lauro, all members of the EGIS committee.
Since the county invested heavily in this software product, it was prudent to leverage the established close working relationship with ESRI [sic] to negotiate directly on a non-competitive basis and bypass potential resellers of the product line.
From what I understand it's a four year deal where the county get "all you can eat." In the fourth year the county must inventory its licenses for use in determining how much it will pay for perpetual licensing.
- Tampa Bay Newspapers
by Adena Schutzberg on 05/01 at 04:09 AM |
Comments |
Microsoft wants you to know:
Today, Bing is announcing several updates to help people navigate Bing Maps faster and more easily find businesses, building and venues.
- Expanded venue maps: Now there are nearly 900 venue maps which are much easier to find and use. Simply zoom-in into your favorite shopping mall, airport or stadium and click on its footprint to access the venue map.
- Improved local business info: Zoom-in into Bing Maps and find some of the most popular local businesses, including hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and much more. Simply click on a business name or icon and find out more details about it.
- Better navigation: Bing Maps added semi-transparent 3D building outlines for metropolitan areas, providing better context of how a city looks and where the key buildings and landmarks are located. Additionally, most labels in Bing Maps now act as shortcuts, making it faster and easier to zoom-in and provide the best map view for a particular place (state, neighborhood, park, etc.).
- e-mail from Microsoft PR
by Adena Schutzberg on 04/17 at 04:39 AM |
Comments |
Bing Traffic API: The Bing Traffic API provides information about traffic incidents and issues, such as construction sites and traffic congestion. Traffic incident information is currently available for the United States and Canada. Users can also get information about traffic issues that met the criteria specified in the URL request, such as map area, incident type and severity. The API uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in XML and JSON.
deCarta MapSearch Engine API: deCarta is a location based services provider. The Map Search Engine API gives developers the ability to implement local search on their web sites and applications. The API can search address and point of interest data sourced from content partners. Developers can also overlay their own searchable content onto the map. MapSearch Engine is “white label”, allowing customers to unitize their own UI, branding and content. The API uses RESTful calls and responses are formatted in XML, JSON, JSONP and XHTML.
- Programmable Web
Bonus: 40 real estate APIs
- +skipcody
by Adena Schutzberg on 02/22 at 07:09 AM |
Comments |
