Tag Archive for 'geo'

Sony designs Subway Maps


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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]

Free Addressdata for Austria


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An open and downloadable address dataset is useful for many geospatial applications. Therefore the Fachhochschule Nordwestschweiz has developed a platform where users can enter own addresses for benefit of the whole community. Recently FH Kärnten has adopted this idea to create a address dataset for Austria. Until now less than 100 addresses are stored but this could change soon. You can add addresses at the homepage of the portal: http://www.openaddresses.at

Since Google provides a very sophisticated geocoding function including most of the addresses in Austria the success of this project is questionable. One advantage of OpenAdresses is the possibility to download the dataset as CSV or XML. We will see how big the growth of will be.

The Idea:

In the last few years web applications have integrated users more and more in the design, the processing and gathering of information.
Some of the these applicatins are Wikis and famous sites such as youtube, etc.
We had the idea at our institute of launching an experiment to collect a complete set of geocoded address information for Switzerland. This data is supposed to

  • be freely available to all interested companies or private persons and may be used at no license fee
  • be captured and maintained by the Web Community
  • store not only the details of an address but their co-ordinates as well.

Of course there is already a complete geocoded address dataset for the whole of Switzerland - but it is fairly expensive. With the OpenAddress idea we want
to investigate whether it is possible to create such an comprehensive dataset based both on the most recent technologies and the Web Community.
We believe that the more people there are who join in, the less the effort of each individual will be. If many, many people help with their very local know-how, we will be able to achieve this goal.
Besides: it is very easy: just click on the map and enter the details of an address - that’s it. Or use a list of addresses and go sequentially through it.

Of course we would like the individual to collect and enter more than just one address:
This could be: Addresses of the places where you work, you live, meet your friends, have your hair cut or your teeth checked, the most famous restaurant, as well as the most famous restaurant and other popular locations etc.

A few comments:

  • Whoever needs many addresses should collect and enter many. This is especially meant for companies who will use this data in a commercial environment.
  • The project is based on trust: We neither check nor log what is collected and entered.
  • The project is based on the “open” philosophy which also works in the area of open source software: the community is responsible for quality and completeness.
  • Do invite colleagues to join in and help - the more the better!
  • Keep informed and use the ’statistics’ option to follow the progress.

As stated before: it is an experiment. But we believe it will work - with your help!

What will this address information be used for?
Many applications and solutions in the area of geographic context need highly detailed data. Full address data including georeference is part of it.

[via: http://www.openaddresses.at]

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.

Examples of GeoRIA based on Flex


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Following examples should show what is possible with Flex, and how do Geoweb applications in Flex look like.

  • Homelocator (http://www.asfusion.com/apps/homelocator/) Home Locator is an intuitive real estate searching application. It lets users search by area by clicking on a US map and then filter the results by price, number of bedrooms, bathrooms and other relevant criteria. For each property, detailed information is shown and actual location is plotted on a map, all in one screen. Users can see pictures for a property, helping them determine whether or not they want to visit the property. They can also save properties as favorites to be reviewed at a later time and can let other people see their favorite list. As a bonus, it also includes an administration to edit properties.
  • GIS Portal Aalen (http://www.gisserver.de/aalen/start.html) Aalen is a German town which has implemented their GIS Protal competely in Flex. It has all major function you would expect from a City WebGIS portal.
  • ArcWeb Explorer (http://www2.arcwebservices.com/v2006/solutions/awx.jsp) ArcWeb Explorer is a Web application that demonstrates browser-based map rendering. The result is improved speed and performance, greater control over the map appearance, and desktop-like functionality over the Internet. ArcWeb Explorer also demonstrates what you can develop with the ArcWeb Explorer JavaScript API. In addition to mapping streets, data, and imagery, ArcWeb Explorer exposes other ArcWeb Services functionality through various easy-to-use widgets. For example, you can use ArcWeb Explorer to quickly find locations, create driving routes, and generate demographic reports.

Note: For running all these apps you need intalled Adobe Flash Player.

If you know other Flex based Geoapplications you are welcome to post a comment.

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.

Google Announces 2008 Developer Events


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Two-Day Google I/O Event in San Francisco Will Focus on Building Great Web Apps and Advancing the Web as a Platform

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Google announced a new developer event for 2008: Google I/O™, a two-day, in-depth gathering for developers to share knowledge about Google’s own developer products and web application development in general. Google I/O will be held at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Wednesday, May 28th, and Thursday, May 29th, 2008.

Google I/O will include a mix of practical, hands-on advice for building web apps as well as opportunities to learn about and discuss emerging trends. Sessions with top Google engineers will cover tools developed both inside and outside Google, including yet to be announced initiatives designed to move the web forward.

Five simultaneous topic areas will cover:

  • AJAX & JavaScript: AJAX and JavaScript continue to capture the imagination of web developers. These sessions focus on tools and techniques of client-side code, and how to use them to make serious applications quickly and easily.
  • APIs & Tools: Development tools for the web are evolving. Product APIs allow integration and extension of web applications. Tools like the Google Web Toolkit™ provide a whole new way to improve performance and compatibility.
  • Social: The web is an inherently social place. A new wave of APIs and frameworks, including OpenSocial, are opening up interesting ways to interact with people through applications.
  • Mobile: Mobile devices are blurring the lines between handset developers and web developers, opening up interesting opportunities for applications that span multiple platforms. We’ll take a look at how developers can use technologies such as Android™ and Mobile Gears to build applications on the mobile web.
  • Maps & Geo: Since the introduction of the Google Maps™ API in 2005, geo and map applications have been one of the most interesting phenomena on the web. These sessions focus on the many aspects of geo applications, from KML to the Google Maps API and more.

Tickets are $400 for developers, with discounts available for students.

 Sessions related to Maps & Geo

  • Location, Location, Location (Android Engineers)
    The ability to access, utilize, and display location information gives mobile applications a unique dimension. It’s also a feature built into the Android platform. Come find out how you can create applications that do the right thing, according to where they are.
  • From Mashups to Mapplets (David Day)
    Mapplets are mini-applications that run within Google Maps, allowing you to add new features or overlay your data directly onto Google Maps. These applications allow a developer to take advantage of the power of the Maps API while getting exposure to millions of users on Google Maps. In addition, Google provides free hosting, free bandwidth, and an official directory where users from all around the world can find your Mapplet.
    We’ll introduce Mapplets in detail, explain the benefits of writing one, and walk through the details of how to get started. This includes what you need to host your Mapplet and best practices for gaining users.
    Participants should have knowledge of basic JavaScript and HTML. Knowledge of the Google Gadgets API is recommended, but not required. We’ll discuss how Mapplets relate to Gadgets in this session. Advanced Ruby Scripting for Google SketchUpGoogle Sketchup contains a Ruby API for users who want to extend the capabilities of SketchUp. The interface allows users to create macros, such as automated component generators and additional tools, to be included in the menus within SketchUp. This session will cover two Ruby technologies that can be used to add functionality to SketchUp: WebDialogs and Ruby Extension Modules. For those comfortable with web programming, WebDialogs allow you to create rich user interfaces easily. For those with a native library they’d like to use, Ruby Extension Modules can help with high performance computations.
  • Parsing and Generating KML with Google’s KML Library (Michael Ashbridge)
    KML is a file format used to display geographic data in an earth browser, such as Google Earth, Google Maps and Google Maps for mobile. You can create KML files to pinpoint locations, add image overlays and expose rich data in new ways. This session will introduce Google’s open source KML library for working with KML files. We’ll explore its architecture and then show you how to parse and generate KML in your applications and scripts.
  • Advanced KML (Bent Hagemark)
    This session will cover advanced techniques in KML for displaying data and creating dynamic presentations. We’ll show how to to use Region to display very large datasets without clutter and without compromising performance. We’ll also look at how time features can be used to add animation effects and how NetworkLinkControl and Update can be used to make dynamic KML presentations. (Participants should have a strong background in KML.)
  • Using Ads with Your Maps API Application (Jim Payne)
    This session will explore strategies for using Google’s AdSense program with your Maps API application. We’ll discuss placement, targeting and how to choose the AdSense products that will work well with the Maps API. We’ll also review best practices for maximizing the value of your traffic. (Participants should have previous experience with the Google Maps API.)
  • Fireside Chat: Google Maps & Earth (Google Geo engineering team)
    Fireside chats are a chance to talk to the engineering team building products. Come tell the team what you want, discuss issues and design decisions, and hear the team’s thoughts on just about whatever you ask.

Written and submitted from Home, using my 802.11g WiFi network.