Use Google Maps to find the latitude and longitude of a location

Wednesday October 31st 2007
Filed Under Google Maps 

The Digital Inspiration blog has a quick how-to on finding the x,y coordinates of any given location on using Google Maps.   By centering the Google Map on the point you are interested in, you can extract the latitude and longitude from the URL that gets returned. 

Ask Maps UK

Wednesday October 31st 2007
Filed Under Internet Mapping 

According to the Ask.com blog, a new and improved Ask Maps UK has been launched.  Included in the upgrade are such improvements as multiple stop driving directions, walking directions and the ability to find points of interest by typing in a landmark name.  The new improvements have been expanded to cover directions both both the United Kingdom and Ireland.  Geographic search capability has been added to Ask.com’s search engine to return linked map results when users search for major cities in the UK.

Behind the Fire Mapping Scenes

Wednesday October 31st 2007
Filed Under Emergency Management, Google Maps 

CIO|Insight has a behind the scenes look at how San Diego’s Center for Information Technology and Infrastructure (CITI), which is run out of the San Diego State University (SDSU) Visualization Center (aka Viz Center), pulled together resources from NASA, the local radio station KPBS and Google to gather and distribute spatial information during the wildfire disaster.  The article details how Viz Center convinced NASA to reduce its turnaround time on imagery from 24 hours to just 3 hours, invited KPBS personnel to produce their Google Map application directly from their lab, and even convinced Google to make upgrades to accomodate the increased load on their servers. 

Via All Points Blog

Research on Geoportals

Tuesday October 30th 2007
Filed Under Community, Survey 

Pepijn van Oort,  a researcher at the Centre for Geo-Information, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, is conducting a survey on geoportals as part of a research project.  An invitation is extended to all geoportal managers who maintain a portal either to the public or internally to participate in this survey.  Detailed information about the research project is hosted on the Centre’s Research Geoportals and Internet Marketing site:

In our survey we use the following definition of a geoportal

  • the medium is internet or intranet
  • the portal describes many geo-products
  • the portal gives insight into an array of available geoproducts, often by providing a searchable catalogue

Narrowly defined geoportals are only about geo-data. More broadly defined, as in our survey, a geoportal describes geo-products. A geo-product is any product with a strong geographical dimension. This includes geo-data, software, hardware, models, books, courses, consultancy and news.

If you are a geoportal site manager, you are invited to take the survey. 

Challenging speeding tickets with GPS

Thursday October 25th 2007
Filed Under Current Events, GPS, Google Maps 

Citation holders are using GPS technology to try and beat their speeding tickets. Brett Pownceby in Australia had his speeding ticket withdrawn after he brought in speed data from his GPS car unit to the local police station. Phillip Tann, a scientist in the United Kingdom, claims he used data from a GPS speed detector he had developed to successfully fight a speeding ticket. In the United States, where GPS data is routinely not accepted in court, a retired police officer is trying to fight his step-son’s speeding ticket by using GPS data from the car to show that the teenager was going the speed limit. The case is awaiting a ruling from Commissioner Carla Bonilla.

In a different twist, Edwin Soto from the Gear Live site, used Google Maps to work his way out of a traffic ticket. After a traffic cop issued him a citation for running a red light, he defended himself in traffic court by explaining to the judge that the reason he turned left after the light had turned red was to avoid an oncoming vehicle. Part of the argument of the traffic cop was that Edwin was driving on a one-way street. Edwin was able to pull up Google Maps on his laptop before the judge to show that the mapping application was showing the street as a two-way street. The judge dismissed the case based on the faulty memory of the cop.

Tracking fires with technology

Wednesday October 24th 2007
Filed Under Current Events, Industry 

Computerworld recently published an article focusing on the technologies being used to track fires.  While many of the community based maps showing fire areas are currently in the spotlight, this article outlines some of the GPS and GIS based technologies being used by fire personnel and researchers to map fuel loads and to track and control fires.  Several academics have been instrumental in helping with mapping and developing applications to understand fire behavior and history.  Max Moritz from the University of California, Berkeley has developed the fire engine tool kit which available to help firefighters and homeowners.

List of Southern California Mapping Sites

Wednesday October 24th 2007
Filed Under Current Events, Internet Mapping 

Danny Sullivan from Search Engine Land has a long list of sites that are mapping some aspect of the fires burning around Southern California: Mapping The Southern California Fires.  The Google Blog has highlighted maps of the fire areas that use Google Maps. 

Educational GIS Survey

Tuesday October 23rd 2007
Filed Under Current Events, Education, Survey 

An invitation to participate in a survey on the establishment of a new GIS related Distance Learning degree program:

California University of Pennsylvania is developing an online Master’s of Geography and Regional Planning degree.  As we consider how best to structure the program, we believe feedback from professionals in the field will prove valuable in developing a relevant, engaging program. We have teamed with the educational market research firm Paskill Stapleton & Lord to conduct this study.

We invite you to take a few minutes to complete this important survey.  This study and the information gained are for research purposes only. Your comments will be confidential and will not be shared with any other organizations. The study can be found at: http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2272TZTWTKX
If you already have a Master’s degree, we ask you complete at least the first section, as this may prove valuable as we assess the program’s viability.

At the completion of the survey you will have an opportunity to participate in a raffle for a new Apple iPod Nano valued at $149. Entering the raffle will not affect the confidentiality of the study.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Respectfully,

Thomas D. Wickham, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Chairperson, Department of Earth Sciences California University of Pennsylvania

To begin the survey click on the link below or copy the link to your browser:
http://www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB2272TZTWTKX

This American Life on Mapping

Tuesday October 23rd 2007
Filed Under Maps, Podcasts 

The radio show This American Life devoted last week’s broadcast to mapping (rebroadcast from September 4, 1998). The broadcast focuses not only on traditional mapping but also looks at mapping uses the other senses of smell, sound, touch, and taste. The first section of the broadcast profiles Denis Wood who is the author of the Power of Maps. Posted on Flickr are some of the maps that he talks about on the broadcast. While the broadcast may be dated, it is still an interested profile in how different people respond to the geography around them.

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