Many have thought as much that in the future Google will launch own satellites into the space. Google doesn’t want to buy only third party satellite images any more. Their geographic services Google Maps and Google Earth should include also imagery from their own satellites. Google has a partnership with GeoEye and they will shoot the first satellite into space.
It can be assumed that satellite maps will become more accurate and up to date. Currently satellite images in Google Maps and Google Earth are approximately 2-3 years sometimes 5-6 years old. For Google this is not acceptable any longer.The new satellite should provide Google permanently with new photos form the earth. In only one day an area with the size of Poland should be photographed with a resolution of 40 cm. It’s not know how much Google has invested in this project but it can be assumed that Google will be the only map provider, which will use this data.
The 2 tons heavy satellity will be launched next thursday from the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. It will orbit the earth in 680 km height and will take photos with an resolution of 40cm/Pixel. For privacy reasons Google will only use 50cm/pixel reolution.
[via GWB]
At the IFA in Berlin Samsung has introduced their new Subnotebook model: X360. With their sogan: “Lighter than Air” they want to attack Apple’s Macbook Air. The weight of the gadget starts with 1.27 kg, which is less than the competitors. In the following Table you can compare three Subnotebooks with each other:
|
Configuration
|
Samsung X360
|
Macbook Air
|
Lenovo X301
|
|
Processor
|
U9300 (1.2GHz) and U9400 (1.4GHz)
|
Core 2 Duo 1.6GHz or 1.8Ghz
|
U9300 (1.2GHz) and U9400 (1.4GHz)
|
|
RAM
|
up to 4 GB
|
up to 2 GB
|
up to 2 GB
|
|
Hard Drive
|
64 GB SDD or 128 GB SSD or 120 GB
|
80GB or 64GB SSD
|
80 GB SSD or 128 GB SSD
|
|
Weight
|
starting with 1.27kg
|
1.36kg
|
1.42kg
|
|
Size (WDH) in cm
|
? x ? x 1.68
|
32.5 x 22.7 x 0.4-1.94
|
31.7 x 23.1 x 1.85
|
|
Optical Drive
|
External
|
External
|
Yes
|
|
Price
|
starting ca. 1.500 EUR
|
starting 1.520 EUR
|
starting 1.850 EUR
|
The Samsung X360 at the IFA 2008 in Berlin.
Finally, it’s finnished: My Master Thesis.
Topic: Development of a distributed Service Framework for Location-based Decision Support
Year: 2008
Abstract:
Progresses in the field of mobile Internet and usability of mobile devices have lead to new opportunities for location-based services. This thesis proposes the integration of multi-criteria decision analysis for mobile location aware applications. Location-based services equipped with decision support techniques provide users with a valuable extension in functionality and usability.
Humans make decisions day-to-day. Most of these decisions are related to a specific time and their current environment. People also tend to decide about problems when they occur and straight near the relevant location. In such cases mobile spatial decision support systems have significant advantages over traditional spatial decision support systems. Location-based decision services assist people in their decisions while they move through a physical environment. Such systems explicitly use decision support methods to suggest decision alternatives based on user preferences, the combination of multiple criteria and the current location.
For the research in mobile decision support theoretical aspects about decision analysis and actual trends in mobile computing and location-based services are evaluated and compared with each other. There is a momentous influence of the Internet and web-based technologies in both research areas. Hence, the most obvious design for a location-based decision service is open and distributed processing. This work introduces a comprehensive conceptual framework for implementing a location-based decision service. This framework is based on an n-tier software architecture, which is described from different viewpoints. Geographic information is a valuable resource for spatial decision making. Trends from the Web 2.0 fundamentally affect the geoinformation community. Due to user-generated content and volunteered geographic information we face an unheard-of ampleness of available and accessible information, useful also for decision making. The introduced prototype application combines user-generated content and expert data for evaluating suitable locations. The user has the possibility to rate different criteria on a mobile device to get a personal suggestion of decision alternatives. In this case the use of decision support enhances the personalisation of the location-based service. The application domain of the introduced prototype is tourism.
Keywords:
Mobile Spatial Decision Support, Location Based Decision Service, Multi-criteria Decision Analysis, Tourist Guide Application, Spatial Decision Support System, Location Based Service.
For an advertisement of their Network Walkmans Sony traced the subway routes of different cities with their earphones.
There are maps available for the cities New York, Sydney and London, as far as I know. In my optinion its a good marketing gag, since listening to music during travelling with the underground is very popular.
In the picutre above you can see the subway lines of New York on their ad poster. As you can see now Geoinformation become an important field also in advertisement and marketing.
[via gizmodo]
We explore our surroundings, with every technology we have. From text to audio to maps to photos. Now there is a new technology freely available to represent place - Photosynth. Photosynth comes from Microsoft and you can build up your own 3d environment with your digital camera and the Photosynth software.
This is how it works:
- You make a lot of photos of your surrounding with as many overlapping as possible. Walk around and change zoom and angle.
- Go to http://www.photosynth.net and download and install the software plugin in your web browser.
- The software automatically compares all your photos and finds out how they go together and uploads them to the web.
- The result is a 3d virtual representation which can be seen by anyone via the Internet.
The optimistic overall goal of the developers is to create a 3d photo-realistic representation of the whole world.
Still there are some limitations and drawbacks:
- Creating a good Photosync takes patience and practice.
- Every spot in the environment has to be included in at least three photos.
- No Mac version until now.
- You cannot create a private version of your composed photos.
- Alternative Quicktime VR (available for years).
[via David Pogue, NYT]
