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All Points Blog

Everyone heads to the cloud, Pictometry backs away

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 10:20pm CEST

Tags: Remote Sensing

I find it a bit ironic that the cloud is the buzz in much of geospatial (see Atanas' post on this) but today Pictometry announced the ability of its customers to self-host its online options for the first time. That organization has always marched to the beat of its own drummer.
Off Topic: for the PR folks among you

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 7:15pm CEST

(1) You really want your client/its customers out in front of the press, right? So, are you signed up for HARO? The free Help a Reporter Out e-mail service links up reporters and sources. I've not used it to find sources, but I'm on the 3x daily e-mail list of reporters looking to speak to people about various topics. Sometimes they want experts, sometimes they want regular people. I'm told many PR folks use it to help get visibility for their clients, but the man behind the service makes it clear that he really wants respondents to be on the up and up and not pushing a products/service/company.

BTW, there's currently a bit of a kruffufle going on between the free HARO service and the pay ProfNet service (owned by PR newswire). Interesting from a Craigslist vs. newspaper classified kind of way.

(2) Did you read about the great press Comcast got from its use of Twitter via ComcastCares? If not, read about not only what they did, but the great press they received from it! For example here in the NY Times!

- For Immediate Release (Don't listen to this podcast? You should!)
Pitney Bowes Grows India Research Lab/Hub

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 6:57pm CEST

Tags: MapInfo

The plan is to triple the head count (not noted what it is now) over the next 18 months. The center has been there for 18 months.

- ITNewsOnline
OneGeology: GSDI for Rocks

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:52pm CEST

Tags: Standards

As we ponder visions for SDIs and GSDI, the geologists will launch theirs in just a few days. The OneGeology project aims to unites geological information for the entire world on the Web. Sixteen countries are already serving data and the British Geological Survey is leading the way. From the project website:

OneGeology is an international initiative of the geological surveys of the world and a flagship project of the 'International Year of Planet Earth'. Its aim is to create dynamic geological map data of the world available via the web.

So, what's the tech? No magic; just WMS. The site even offers a cookbook that details how to serve up your data in WMS via open source MapServer. And the future vision, if I understand correctly is support for GeoSciML.

The map of participants (80, the latest to join is Rwanda) and those already serving data is here.

The launch will be at the International Geological Congress (IGC) in Oslo, Norway, 6th -14th August 2008. This is the model I hope many other international (even local) "interest groups" can use to share their data. Go geologists!!

- BBC
OneGeology-One Geological Map for the World

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:38pm CEST

Geology goes mainstream. In an effort by the world's geological survey's, and led by the British Geological Survey, the mission of the OneGeology project is to "create a dynamic digital geological map data for the world" according to the project's website. Contributions come from many organizations and information on a WMS Service Registry is available. The BBC interviews the project's director, Ian Jackson, who discusses the efforts to help policy makers intelligently discuss the impact of natural resource depletion and climate change.
Access to subsurface geology of approximately 36 countries and regions are available at the OneGeology online portal.
Continue reading "OneGeology-One Geological Map for the World"
RTC Launches TrailLink.com Nationwide Trail (bike, foot, horse) Map

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:15pm CEST

Tags: google

The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy launched TrailLink.com, a nationwide interactive map of bike routes and off-road bike trails. Besides the ability to find trails by name location and use (bike, horse, ski, etc.), and surface (grass, asphalt, sand, etc.), the site is looking for visitors to contribute by GPSing trails.

The site requires login for interactive maps of the trails and provides results in list form, with no map. The national map provides point locations for one more trails, but you must zoom in manually (Google Maps mashup) to get to a scale where the route can be drawn. One other concern: at least in my world "trail" means "woods." We call our "trail" a "path," aka "The Bike Path," "the Community Path," though of course it's officially the Minuteman Bike Trail.

Were excited about the success of our mapping initiative to date, said Frederick Schaedtler, RTC director of information technology. We now have GIS coverage in all 50 states, including most high-density urban areas.

I'm not sure what that means, exactly.

- BostonChannel.com
Workforce education in logistics

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:03pm CEST

Tags: rfid

The Alameda Transportation and Logistics Academic Support Initiative (ATLAS) "is an innovative program designed to create career path employment for East Bay residents in warehousing and logistics (truck driving, supply chain management, GIS/GPS/RFID technologies, etc.)." Tied in with the local community college district and the City College of San Francisco the aim is to get folks on the road to good jobs in these areas. This is indeed another geo area in which the world needs well-trained individuals.

My brother and I both earned college money working summers in a local warehouse (SKYR, a manufacturer of skiwear and turtlenecks). I was a "picker" (picking out orders for retailers) and he as a "packer"(putting the stuff in boxes). Our boss, Fred, had a degree in something called "Traffic" according to the diploma on his wall. At the time it was just a summer job (and a very demanding one, as we worked 4 day 10 hour shifts) but now I know more about how that part of the operating can cost or save the company money depending on how it's done. With enhanced technologies, far more cost savings is possible than when I was there.

- Alameda Sun

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All Points Blog

Everyone heads to the cloud, Pictometry backs away

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 10:20pm CEST

Tags: Remote Sensing

Off Topic: for the PR folks among you

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 7:15pm CEST

Pitney Bowes Grows India Research Lab/Hub

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 6:57pm CEST

Tags: MapInfo

OneGeology: GSDI for Rocks

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:52pm CEST

Tags: Standards

OneGeology-One Geological Map for the World

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:38pm CEST

RTC Launches TrailLink.com Nationwide Trail (bike, foot, horse) Map

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:15pm CEST

Tags: google

Workforce education in logistics

Posted: August 1st, 2008, 5:03pm CEST

Tags: rfid