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Monday, May 29
MapInfo ties more data to maps
by
Tom Johnson
on Mon 29 May 2006 02:20 AM MDT
More from Directions Magazine
''MapInfo Embraces Web Services
by Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor
I'm
trying to remember how many years ago it was that I first heard the
vision of Web services for GIS. I suspect it was in the mid/late 1990s.
The big Web service on everyone's list? Geocoding, also known as
"locationally enabling datasets."
With MapInfo Professional v8.5, that vision is reality.
Moshe Binyamin, senior product manager, gave me the tour, just as the product was announced for release
on June 6 of this year. In this release MapInfo laid the groundwork for
the
desktop product to interact with Web services of many kinds, including
SOAP and XML (thus RSS). This core technology allows developers to
connect MapInfo Pro to existing Web services "with a really minor
development effort that utilizes XML" per Binyamin.
The first example shown was a connection to Salesforce.com,
an online customer relationship management
service. MapInfo developers created a sample application using MapBasic
that, once loaded, allows users to access data records from a Salesforce.com
account and place customer locations on the map. Alternatively, the
user can directly link back and display full record information in the Salesforce.com app by clicking on the map.
A
second example illustrated pulling in Yahoo traffic (via an RSS feed)
to a MapInfo map. Yahoo uses its own XML format for this data which
MapInfo had to "decipher" to make the application work. Most feeds,
Binyamin suggested, would need some sort of custom parsing to be fully
useful. The MapInfo tool automatically pulled the central ZIP Code from
the existing
map, allowed for a magnification level (10 mile radius or more) and the
ability to select traffic data based on severity. This tool and its
source code will be included as one of the sample applications that
will ship with MapBasic v8.5....'' Read more
The precursors of JAGIS (Journalism & GIS)
by
Tom Johnson
on Mon 29 May 2006 02:12 AM MDT
Mapping the World : An Illustrated History of Cartography - by Ralph E. Ehrenberg
Mapping the World
is a collection of cartographic treasures that spans thousands of years
and many cultures, from an ancient Babylonian map of the world etched
on clay to the latest high-tech
maps of the earth, seas and the skies above. With more than one hundred
maps and other illustrations and an introduction and running commentary
by Ralph E. Ehrenberg, this book tells a fascinating story of
geographic discovery, scientific invention and the art and technique of
mapmaking. From National Geographic, 2005.
Source: Directions Magazine
Thursday, May 4
We just screwed up your weekend. Sorry.
by
JTJ
on Thu 04 May 2006 10:20 PM MDT
From time to time, we've been criticized -- all in a loving manner, though -- about posting items that become time sinks for those who click on the link. The Web 2.0 Awards applications come to mind. OK, we're guilty. But here comes another one thanks to Marylaine Block at "Neat New Stuff I Found This Week" http://marylaine.com/neatnew.html Copyright, Marylaine Block, 1999-2006.
"deaFlow: Discussion about innovation and creativity
http://ideaflow.corante.com/
"The chief blogger has been busy launching Corante's Innovation Hub and hasn't been blogging much lately, but she links here to 21 of "the best and brightest blogging minds writing about innovation and creativity from many different perspectives."
Click on the link at your peril.
Wednesday, May 3
The network of goverance
by
JTJ
on Wed 03 May 2006 11:14 PM MDT
We recently stumbled across the following resource from the Check out....The Program on Networked Governance
"The traditional notion of hierarchical, top down,
government has always been an imperfect match for the decentralized
governance system of the US. However, much of what government does
requires co-production of policy among agencies that have no formal
authority over each other, fundamentally undermining the traditional
Weberian image of bureaucracy. Networked governance refers to a
growing body of research on the interconnectedness of essentially
sovereign units, which examines how those interconnections facilitate
or inhibit the functioning of the overall system. The objective
of this program is two-fold: (1) to foster research on networked
governance and (2) to provide a forum to discuss the challenges
of networked governance." Also, see "... an entry by Andrew Bond posted a few weeks ago in his blog "Analytical Visions".
"Andy recently published a follow up on US senate voting patterns. One of the Program on Networked Governance research projects called "Connecting to Congress"
is collecting a lot of data on how the Internet might transform
Congress ways of connecting citizens to elected officials so we are
always interested in that type of research. We will also use SNA with
some parts of the data during the course of the project. Related to
Andy's post is a paper by Wang/Mohanty/McCallum that draws on voting records from the US Senate and UN.
Their SNA simultaneously discovers groups of entities and also clusters
attributes of their relations, such that clustering in each dimension
informs the other. In short, legislators many times cluster around a
topic regardless of their party membership.
"Finally, if you have ever wondered who supported who's bill in congress you should check out the embedded link.
Those cities keep sprawling, apparently
by
JTJ
on Wed 03 May 2006 11:06 PM MDT
Some questionable methodology here, but still worth taking a look.
By CCAer The
Neptis Foundation, a Toronto-based organization that focuses on urban
development, has utilized satellite and air photo data to create a 8.7
billion data cell image depciting land development in the United
States. According to a paper entitled “Causes of Sprawl: A Portrait
form Space” that will be appearing the Quarterly Journal of Economics,
Pittsburgh is more sprawling than Miami and recent sprawling than Miami and recent development in Boston is more scattered than in Los Angeles.[more]
Tuesday, May 2
Google in the 3D modeling business?
by
JTJ
on Tue 02 May 2006 11:44 AM MDT
Interesting new tool from the folks at Google. If Sketchup follows the evolutionary line of Google Maps, we can expect to see some interesting mash-ups in coming weeks. We are looking forward to some flowchart models that can be annotated with URL and comments. But until then....
"The modeling tool SketchUp has long been a
favorite of designers, architects, and hobbyists who have used
the powerful program to render 3D images of their ideas. In
March, search-engine giant and emerging software powerhouse
Google acquired SketchUp developer @Last Software. Last week,
Google
SketchUp was quietly released to the public. The program
has been made completely free for personal use, and it
includes tools for integrating your creations with Google
Earth or uploading them to Google's 3D
Warehouse gallery.
Google is establishing a
pattern of acquiring software companies and releasing free
versions of their programs. As with Keyhole (now Google
Earth) and Picasa,
Google hopes to make SketchUp popular with its massive Web
audience. We get very cool free software, and Google gains new
users, loyal customers, and a potential avalanche of
third-party content added to Google Earth.
It might
appear at first that the free version of SketchUp has been
watered down, but you'll find most of its same functionality
in an easier-to-use interface. The creative possibilities are
endless, and included video tutorials will get you up and
modeling in no time. Not only can Google SketchUp create
detailed structural models, it can also be used as a more
general conceptual visualization tool for everything from
games and art projects to work flows and engineering.
Take Google SketchUp for a spin, and let us know what
you think. Then see
what others have to say about Google's latest software or
add
a review of your own.
Finally, if you're a fan of
CNET Download.com and are willing to back it up with an
Internet vote, please help support us by voting for
Download.comWebby's
People's Voice competition. Voting ends this week.
Peter Butler
Senior Editor, CNET Download.com
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