|
|
|
[Yesterday] the company has launched the MapQuest Open Guidance API built on top of OpenStreetMap. Developers will now be able to include turn-by-turn directions in mobile apps without any usage limits being imposed by MapQuest.
There’s also an an SDK for the Open tiles created from OpenStreetMap and for open aerial tiles (sourced mostly from NASA and NAIP).
GIS Day provides a chance for geospatial practitioners to tell the world about what they and why it matters. Our editors share the key themes they’d want to get across to the public on this special day.
Listen Now (to download, right click on the link at left and choose "save target as")
Missed any podcasts? Want to subscribe via iTunes, Yahoo, etc? Here’s the index with all the info.
PC World has a reasonably useful article on How to Buy a GPS. I give the author much credit for noting at the outset that if you don’t go anywhere, you should go cheap, but if you travel to many different places regularly (salesperson) go big.
Which brings me to the quote - it relates to the timeliness of map updates for different units.
If you expect to use your GPS device primarily to find convenient java shops during occasional travels—or retail outlets that you’ve never visited before—working with less-than-up-to-the-minute mapping data is probably okay. And you can always turn to MapQuest for more-recent information.
No disrespect to MapQuest; I just find it amusing that the author assumes MapQuest (or likely any online site) will necessarily have more up-to-date information.
This week we tackle a question that came up in our work recently: Just what constitutes a “location-based service.” The topic emerged as we discussed which posts here at APB should be tagged “LBS.” In this podcast we tease out our own definitions and explore the future of the term. We apologize for the less than optimal sound quality; we hope the content is worth the effort. The podcast is 16 minutes long and was recorded on November 19, 2007.
Listen Now (to download, right click on the link at left and choose "save target as")
Missed any podcasts? Want to subscribe via iTunes, Yahoo, etc? Here’s the index with all the info.
John Quain asks in this Sunday’s Times: “IN a world where portable G.P.S. navigation devices cost less than $200 and free mapping software from Google, Microsoft and AOL is available online, is there any reason to buy a trip-planning program for your computer?” His answer is no. He concludes that Microsoft’s Streets & Trips 2008 and DeLorme’s Street Atlas USA 2008 are no longer needed in the face of PNDs from Garmin, TomTom and Magellan. His reason does not have to do with funcationality, but the practical matter of seeing the screen on a dash mounted display vs. an “on seat” laptop.
