SketchUp co-founder last day at Google is today

In a tip from AECnews, apparently SketchUp co-founder Brad Schell has decided to leave his post at Google. The story simply notes that Brad has decided to take some time off and that he may pop up somewhere in the cAD industry down the road.. stay tuned on that one! See http://aecnews.com/news/2007/03/29/2308.aspx

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Google Maps pre-Katrina imagery misleads Google Map users, angers New Orleans residents

This one comes to us from the “hard to believe” category. According to a CBS news report, Google has turned back time in the south by serving up pre-Katrina imagery to Google maps. According to the article, Chikai Ohazama, a Google product manager for satellite imagery, said the maps now available are the best the company can offer. He said numerous factors “go into the databases, everything from resolution, to quality, to when the actual imagery was acquired.” This is a rather interesting statement since we all know that data gathering efforts post-hurricane were a high priority and no doubt there exists many high-resolution data products that would accurately document the city’s altered landscape. Residents of the city are up in arms (with good reason) as they feel people looking at the imagery may be under the impression that life is back to normal and the city is rebounding just fine. Check out the article for yourself at http://cbs2chicago.com/topstories/topstories_story_089091239.html

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quote of the day from CTIA

Kudos to Tele Atlas for coming up with a witty slogan used on a button they passed out at the CTIA conference this week in Orlando. It read the following… “without the L its just BS”… too funny!

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CarbonArc Lite extends ArcGIS to use with OGC web services

This item of interest came through to me today from Jeff at the Carbon Project… CarbonArc Lite extends ArcGIS to use Open Geospatial Consortium, Inc. (OGC) services and is the first module of the CarbonArc interoperability extension platform for ArcGIS. With CarbonArc Lite ESRI users around the world can now easily plug into Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) data services, including both OGC Web Map and Feature Services (WMS and WFS).  To get CarbonArc Lite see  http://www.thecarbonproject.com/carbonarc.php. According to the company The release of the free CarbonArc Lite will immediately benefit government agencies and other ArcGIS users by providing them the ability to access to up-to-date, accurate, consistent framework data and other information.

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CTIA party list for next week – Orlando MArch 27-29

If you’ve ever been to a CTIA show you know there’s loads of sh,moozing, lots of shwag, and tons of parties… here’s just a sampling of some of the parties taking place at CTIA in Orlando next week many require invites prior to the event although all you need to do is ask!  - CTIA 2007 PARTY LIST – ORLANDO, MARCH 27-29, 2007. Note.. the LBS Challenege is always great for shmoozing and typically offers up a decent cocktail hour as well! Forum Nokia will also likely do something, however, you need to be a developer, member, or have some good connections… I’ll likely hit that one too ;0)

 

MON, MARCH 26:
5:00 PM- 10:00 PM:  Quality One Wireless Party – Blues Disciplines Band, 1500 Tradeport Dr (Invite only)
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM:  Yankee Group – Rosen Centre Hotel, Salon 10 (Invite only)
6:00 PM – 9:00 PM:  WIC Awards – Rosen Centre Hotel (Invite only)
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM:  MobileFocus – Peabody (Invite only)
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM:  Verizon – Hard Rock Café (Invite only)
9:00 PM:  Mozes – Universal City Walk, Red Coconut Lounge (Invite only)

 

TUES, MARCH 27:
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM:  Women’s Leadership Lunch – Peabody, Plaza C (Invite only)
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM:  Kyocera Cocktail – Peabody Hotel, Banquet Room G (Invite only)
5:30 PM – 7:00 PM:  Texas Instruments Cocktail – Peabody Hotel, Plaza C (Invite only)
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM:  Showstoppers – Rosen Centre (Invite only)
8:00 PM:  LG – Universal City Walk, Groove (Invite only)
8:00 PM – 11:00 PM:  Air2Web – Universal City Walk, Red Coconut Club (Invite only)
9:00 PM:  Motricity – Universal City Walk, Hard Rock (Invite only)

 

WED, MARCH 28:
7:30 AM – 10:00 AM:  IDC – GLO Lounge, 8967 International Dr. (Invite only)
8:00 AM – 10:00 AM:  Strategy Analytics – Maggiano’s Little Italy, 9101 International Dr. (Invite only)
6:00 PM – 12:00 AM:  Cellatel – Hard Rock (Invite only)
7:00 PM – 10:00 PM:  Fierce Wireless – Destiny Nightclub, Universal Blvd & Carrier Rd.
9:00 PM – 12:00 AM:  Sprint/Samsung – Hard Rock Hotel, Velvet Bar (Invite only)

See www.ctia.org for more on the event

 

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Orange seeking LBS solution partners next month in Florida

I’ve been asked to share some details with application developers and LBS solution providers about Orange Partner Camp, taking place next month in Florida. This from Orange… If you’re a business or consumer downloadable applications provider, service enabler or platform provider, converged service or solution provider, service publisher or service aggregator, systems integrator or ISV…then consider attending Orange Partner Camp. We’re looking for new partners with exciting ideas and solutions to help us deliver innovative products and services to our worldwide customers. Save the date – Orange Partner Camp, Cape Canaveral, U.S, 16 – 18 April 2007 – see http://www.lbszone.com/content/view/1758/2/ for details

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City of Boston Enterprise Application Leverages Virtual Earth using .NET and ArcGIS technology

San Fran-based Farallon Geographics has completed an clever, online 2D / 3D mapping project for the City of Boston’s economic development agency – the Boston Redevelopment Authority. Farallon implemented a web application to integrate the City’s permitting system with an enterprise databases using GIS. Fast and simple access to 2D & 3D maps, City GIS data, and project specific redevelopment information, was developed using web services that dynamically overlay GIS results onto Virtual Earth. The result is a clever mashup that will no doubt make you think about Microsoft Virtual Earth. Here’s some specs about the application as provided in an official announcement released by Farallon… Farallon developed a web application that integrates BRA’s new SQL database with additional BRA and enterprise databases using GIS. Microsoft’s Virtual Earth web mapping platform is used as the foundation of the BRA’s Redevelopment Project Tracking portal. Geospatial analysis, such as the proximity of a project to City infrastructure, is accomplished using the BRA’s ArcSDE/SQL Server and ArcGIS Server 9.2 technologies. Farallon developed web services (using .NET and ArcGIS technology) to dynamically overlay these GIS results onto Virtual Earth. Check out images of the application at http://www.fargeo.com/case_studies/images/bra/

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Nick Schiller – the Rebel Cartographer making headlines again!

Nice to see Nickolas in the headlines once again as The Washington Post have now featured a cool article about the rebel cartographer. Imagine, because the dude doesn’t use Google earth, but rather, he goes directly to the source and uses imagery obtained from the USGS he’s considered a rebel… I guess that’s the state of the industry now ever since the epicenter moved to San Jose/Mountainview. From the article… “Since Google Earth appeared a few years ago — and countless office hours were wasted as people mouse-clicked to their own back yards (“Lookee, there’s the deck!”) — the starting point of Schiller’s creations has been familiar. But he doesn’t use Google. He goes to the source, the bird’s-eye rendering of America placed in the public domain by the U.S. Geological Survey.” If your not familiar with Schiller’s work you should be… he takes imagery, mirrors the images, replicates scenes and creates snowflakelike patchwork scenes that make you site back, look at the image (remember staring at those pictures to try and make them appear in 3D), and wonder what inspired him. See http://www.nikolasschiller.com/ – of note, his work got a kick-start when he mapped President Busch’s inauguration (second) parade route. You can see the full article in the Post at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/13/AR2007031301854.html – see also our first post about Nikolas at -Photos from Schiller’s North, South, East, Westminster cartographic excursion (phot credit www.nikolasschiller.com – Lady Liberty on a quilt of the Pearl River Delta – Images from USGS & NASA)

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GISuser Today – Loc-Aid, Navteq, CTIA in the news

Today at GISuser – Today we continue bringing you information on Developer Programs as our spotlight feature is turned on to an offering from Navteq – the NAVTEQ Network for Developers. The program is designed to help application developers and solution providers gain access to development tools, support, and rich, mobile content. Speaking of mobile application developers, things are really getting geared up for next week’s CTIA conference taking place in Orlando, Florida… once again I’ll be off to that event as CTIA is always high on my list of things to do. NAVTEQ has announced the 2007 Global LBS Challenge Semifinalists – these developers and others will be strutting their stuff next Wednesday at the awards ceremony… should be a good time! And speaking of fun, Loc-Aid is reminding us about their dash for cash taking place next week in Orlando… think mobile scavenger hunt – I think I’ll take part in this one! Finally, in the data department the USGS is reminding us about the availability of the 2001 Land Cover database, a relatively new product and massive database that describes the land surface condition of each 30-meter cell of land in the conterminous United States – for details on these announcements and more see http://www.gisuser.com/newsletter/mar212007.html

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Real Estate Search and Location System and Method

I recently received an article about the ongoing litigation involving REAL and ReMax agent Diane Sarkisian and the alleged infringement of “Real Estate Search and Location System and Method”. I wish I knew who the article was from (it came without any sig or reply address, however, the case is definitely of interest… also of signifigance is that someone has patented a “location system and method”. The article read as follows: In this 2005 lawsuit, patent holder Real Estate Alliance Ltd, (REAL), alleged that ReMax agent Diane Sarkisian of Pennsylvania infringed US Patents 4870576 and 5032989; “Real Estate Search and Location System and Method”. The claims of these patents cover an online property location process that has become a de facto standard throughout the industry by using interactive zoomable maps to locate available real estate properties. So can an agent actually be sued for something everybody already uses? The answer is simpler than you might expect. YES! For more on this topic see http://www.rismedia.com/wp/2007-03-20/mapping-patent-lawsuit-truth-or-troll/  – imagine if every real estate search portal was infringing on a search patent… ouch!

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