Monthly Archives: February 2008

The Location Tagger from Nokia Labs

With Nokia Location Tagger, you can automatically tag your location data to your pictures. As you take a picture, your GPS coordinates are saved to the EXIF header of the JPEG file. You can use this data later, for example, to locate your pictures on a map. According to the labs, this app will likely soon come shipped on select devices (likely those with integrated GPS) – see more details and download (free) from http://www.nokia.com/betalabs/locationtagger

Patents cover popular online mapping of homes for sale, damages could be billions – an update

Another update from REAL has been released today on the continuing legal batter over the infringement of a mapping patent involving the real estate industry. From the annoucement… “In a dramatic expansion of a legal battle pitting the rights of pioneering inventors and consumers against the real estate industry’s notorious and unauthorized use of patented methods used by millions of consumers to locate real estate on line, the nation’s largest real estate firms, home builders, and industry umbrella groups are being subject to suit for patent infringement in a case pending in Los Angeles federal court.” The inventor’s patents patents, “Real Estate Search and Location System and Method,” were applied for in 1986, and granted by the U.S. Government in 1989 and 1991, when both the Internet and personal computing were in their infancy. See more here

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection Experiential Map Exhibit in Second Life

Ok, this one is just too cool to leave alone. From the Rumsey PR… David Rumsey took his historical map collection, one of the largest private map collections in the U.S., into virtual worlds today with the launch of the Rumsey Maps islands in Second Life. Featuring unique ways to experience the antique maps – from a fly-through topographic scale model of 1882 Yosemite to immersive celestial spheres that provide an 18th-century experience of the heavens – the Rumsey Maps islands in Second Life offer a new perspective on how we interact with maps. And finally, In addition, David Rumsey is providing a wide variety of virtual giveaways in the David Rumsey Welcome Center – See http://www.davidrumsey.com/

maps with scents from Carlton University!

Only in Canada eh! This from the Globe & Mail online… Carleton University cybercartographer Fraser Taylor and his colleagues. “are putting together a prototype of a scented digital map. It will use a virtual odour display, or scent diffuser, a device that is available commercially for as little as $369 (U.S.) One particular model releases up to 60 scents from a cartridge containing liquid scent capsules… Ms. Lauriault is developing a scented digital map for the Bytown Museum in Ottawa. She is considering, for example, using the smell of sawdust to help convey the importance of lumberyards that once dominated a large working-class neighbourhood.”

Cool! See the Globe

Event – InfraGard third annual GIS Conference, NY

NYC InfraGard (an FBI program) is holding its third annual GIS conference in NYC at the Borough of Manhattan Community College on March 24th, 2008. This is not an ESRI exclusive event, but recognizes ESRI as a leader with many other companies providing some very powerful applications. See more here or visit http://nym-infragard.us/nuke/

Event of Interest – Geospatial Sciences for Sustainable Development in Africa

Details of the following event have been provided to me by the organizers and I share at their request. Geospatial Sciences for Sustainable Development in Africa
Global Dialogue on Emerging Science and Technology (GDEST) 2008
Cape Town, South Africa—17-19 March, 2008
U. S. Department of State
Office of the Science and
Technology Adviser
“Harnessing the flow of geospatial information in addressing the challenges of sustainable development in Africa”. The GDEST 2008 Conference on Geospatial Sciences for Sustainable Development in Africa will be held in Cape Town, South Africa from March 17 to 19, 2008. The aim of the Global Dialogues on Emerging Science and Technology is to increase partnerships and networking among scientists and experts in the United States and across other world regions by building upon and reinforcing existing networks among international partner scientists and governments. See more

Beta Release of ER Viewer 7.2

Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging has just announced the Beta Release of ER Viewer 7.2. Recall, ER Viewer is a free, easy-to-use image viewer featuring interactive roaming and zooming of very large JPEG 2000 and ECW files, as well as the ability to read most other common file types.

The Beta release of ER Viewer 7.2 includes the following new features:
– Support for Microsoft Vista
-ECWP application protocol: With this new protocol, users may open an ECWP URL in ER Viewer from links in Microsoft Word or Internet Explorer.

For more information, or to download ER Viewer 7.2 see http://gis.leica-geosystems.com/LGISub1x516x0.aspx or www.ermapper.com.

Opp. ESRI – Technical Analyst – .net

This is an exciting opportunity to work in small, focused teams with developers to design, build, test, and document new .net GIS software functionality.

Responsibilities:
Develop automated test procedures
Perform software quality assurance testing
Write and review information on software capabilities
Perform occasional demonstrations, presentations, and training
See details

USGIF – Executive Director Academic Outreach

Become part of the first and only organization that brings together the many disciplines involved in the geospatial intelligence tradecraft through exchanging ideas, sharing best practices, and promoting the education and importance of a national geospatial intelligence agenda. See details

Tired of lugging around that ThinkPad… how about an N810 as an option

Over at my friend Darla’s blog she’s running a great post from a colleague describing in almost nauseating detail the merits of a Nokia N810 Internet tablet over a trusty Thinkpad notebook. The N810 is portable, sports a qwerty keyboard, has loads of battery life, GPS, memory and much more. If you’ve ever considered a change or asked yourself while sitting on the chiropracters table why you continue abusing yourself by lugging around a “portable” thinkpad or other notebook. Enjoy this read and maybe you’ll consider grabbing a very cool Linux-powered Nokia N810 Internet tablet. See the article over at Darla’s blog
For more about the N810 see here