Date archive for October, 2009
| October 30, 2009MapQuest Plays CatchupInternet MappingReadWriteWeb has a quick write up on some of the cartographic changes with MapQuest, similar to what Google rolled out last week. Also in the post is an update on traffic data for MapQuest versus Google Maps. Google Maps now corners 45% of the market while MapQuest has dropped to 35%. James Fee points out ... read more  Strange Maps – The BookMapsWith the Strange Maps blog being so wildy popular, it was inevitable that a book would be inspired by the intriguing maps that make up the posts. Strange Maps: An Atlas of Cartographic Curiosities is compiled by Frank Jacobs who runs the blog. If you love maps, especially those that fall into the realm ... read more October 29, 2009The Need for Geographic AwarenessGeographyThe Washington Post has an opinion piece by David Keeling, a professor of geography at Western Kentucky University and a member of the American Geographical Society Writers’ Circle. In it, Keeling writes that many of the pressing concerns of our planet (both natural and man-made) and our ability to address them “is very much linked ... read more October 28, 2009 Remotest Place on EarthCartographyResearchers at European Commission’s Joint Research Centre in Ispra, Italy, and the World Bank have mapped out the world according to its remoteness. Their model looked at how long it would take to travel from any given point in the world to the closest city of 50,000 residents or more. The model looked at all ... read more The Waldseemuller Map of 1507 and the View of the WorldMapsThe map that historians designate as responsible for naming America is the subject of a profile in BBC News Magazine. The Waldseemueller Map of 1507 was the first map to use the label “America”. Tony Lester, the author of the recently released book, The Fourth Part of the World profiles the history behind this important ... read more GeoExchange DebutsCommunityA new peer support site for those needing to ask geo-related questions has debuted. Set up by Kate Chapman, the site uses StackExchange which is a knowledge exchange platform. The basic premise of GeoExchange is both the questions and answers are voted on by users. This allows for the best rated posts to be easily ... read more October 27, 2009Online Crime Mapping Bad for Housing Values?Industry and Subjects in GISThe Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is warning that the recent launch of the national United Kingdom online crime mapping publication could result in a reduction in housing values for some neighborhoods in England and Wales. A spokesman for RICS said, “Whilst RICS fully supports efforts by the government to reduce instances of crime, ... read more October 26, 2009The Proliferation of Personal GPS Devices and Yuppie 911GPSThe radical drop in prices of GPS units means that more Americans own personal GPS units. Forrester research has found that nearly a third of all Americans use some form of personal navigation system, either an in-car navigation device, handheld GPS unit or through GPS capabilities on their mobile phones. The drop in GPS prices ... read more To What End, GIS?Career, Issues in GISDon Meltz blogs his thoughts on the myth of the GIS professional in his post, “GIS is Dead – Long Live GIS“. By comparing GIS to Word Processing, Meltz draws the conclusion that viewing GIS as a profession is outdated and that those looking to getting into GIS as a profession shouldn’t do so. Instead, ... read more Advice for the GIS NewbieCareerThe Bixel is Outside blog posted a question on Twitter, asking, “What’s one piece of advice you would give someone entering the GIS field?” Shawn Bischel sums up the quick replies he received in his post, “Advice for the GIS Newbie“. read more... |
