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Just in case you were wondering:
Schmidt said Google only publishes satellite data that is a month old, indicating that Google would consider it creepy to publish real-time satellite data.
Does Schmidt have a real-time satellite imagery provider lined up?
- C|net
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.
The press release says:
OpenLR has been designed for traffic information systems and dynamic route
guidance, and is available as an open-source technology a
http://www.tomtom.com/page/openLR. It can easily be adapted to the requirements
of system integrators, and the technical community can contribute with their
ideas to improve it.Location data can range from static road sign information to highly dynamic
traffic and weather situation information as well as safety-critical information
- anything that needs to be accurately linked to a specific piece of or position
on the road network. The OpenLR technology allows location content providers to
reference any location on any navigable map, completely royalty-free.
While much money is spent noting attributes of physical objects on paper maps or in electronic files, only for them to be of limited use in the field, why do we not simply code more real world object with key information? In Akron fire hydrants are coded with their water pressure by their colored domes. Even as we put all this information into databases, should we also think more about simply it putting it right where it’s needed?
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On Tuesday Microsoft let go 3,000 employees, the second wave of a promised 5000 person cut announced earlier this year. While no products were removed from the product line, one with implications for location-based services is under review: MSN Direct. That’s an FM data service used to send traffic, weather and other real time data to GPS receivers (from many vendors) and the less-than-successful SmartWatch.
The official statement on MSN Direct:
While the group was impacted by yesterday’s job eliminations, they will continue to maintain the current MSN Direct service and invest in developing a low cost receiver for multiple devices.
