Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

On the open source / open data front:

• Here's AmigoCloud's open source GDAL/OGR plugin for ArcGIS
• I learned about dat, an open source 'data management package' with revision control, with similarities (competing with?) with GeoGit, related, GeoGit for Python: Announcing geogit-py
• We already told you about GeoJSON over GitHub, but you can go further with GitSpatial, a spatial API for GitHub-hosted GeoJSON files
• MySQL trying to catch up PostGIS, MySQL 5.7 GIS building on Boost Geometry
• GeoA shares an entry on StoryMap JS: Tell your own story using the Open-Source Story Map tool
• Amongst recent software updates, MapTiler 0.5.3
• More editing ahead, 500,000 km2 Satellite Imagery Update for OpenStreetMap Tracing, meanwhile you can do it yourself; Drone Adventures Imagery for Tracing in OpenStreetMap: Fukushima + Lima

On the Esri front:

• 'Explorer for ArcGIS', yes, that's for this month on iOS, Explorer for ArcGIS is coming!
• Interoperability, Using OpenLayers to work with REST and OGC services from ArcGIS Server
• 2TB of new imagery, New DigitalGlobe content released in World Imagery basemap
• Updated, ArcGIS API for JavaScript Version 3.9 Released
• Becoming open, Esri ArcGIS Open Data Update

On the Google front:

• That's it, anyone in the U.S. can finally buy their own Google Glasses, but if you want one, you need to buy it on Tuesday April 15 or wait until it becomes really available to everyone, anytime, Anyone Can Buy Google Glass April 15 and directly over CNN, Google Glass available to anyone for one day only - and yes, quantities are limited
• A generic and informative article About Google Earth Imagery
• With the data layer, Build a map infographic with Google Maps & JavaScript
• Maps everywhere, USGS Maps in Google Maps Gallery
• Angkor Wat, Wander through Angkor’s thousand-year-old temples on Street View
• Another article on The obscured areas of Google Earth

Discussed over Slashdot:

• Thanks open licenses, New York Public Library Releases Over 20,000 Hi-Res Maps
• Another way to do 3D viz,  3D Display Uses Misted Water
• Taxi sharing, Taxis By Algorithm: Streamlining City Transport With Graph Theory
• Still possible in, Russian GLONASS Down For 12 Hours
• Crowdsourced traffic app, In Israel, Class-Action Plaintiff Requests Waze Source Code Under GPL
• Location privacy once again, London's Public Bike Data Can Tell Everyone Where You've Been
• A map of submarine cables, Oxford Internet Institute Creates Internet "Tube" Map
• Another kind of map, Physicists Produce Antineutrino Map of the World
• Thanks OpenStreetMap once again, Racing To Contain Ebola, the map on MapBox: Mapping an entire city in a day

In the everything else category:

• We never specifically addressed the TopoJSON format, which is topological GeoJSON, related, GeoJSON for linked data, The GeoJSON-LD project
• A post that clearly demonstrates why GML was never a good solution: GML madness, hope GeoPackage will be a better one
• We never really mentioned the Internet of Things yet, worth reading a bit about this current buzz word since it has obvious geolocation ties, related, The Internet of Things forecasted to include 26 billion intelligent devices by
• Another informative entry on what is geofencing, Geofencing And My Business
• An why not, Cloak – location-based anti-social app lets you avoid annoying friends and exes
• A Make article on DIY Satellites: Now and Near Future and another one named Your Own Satellite: 7 Things to Know Before You Go
• Here's why remote sensing is a profession, Earth observation data and revenue generation; the catch and guidelines and it's evolving fast, Earth observation satellite startups set to transform the EO imaging ecosystem
• Corporate privacy is dead too, monitor Saudi Arabia oil reserves from satellites, Monitoring Oil reserves from Space

In the maps category:

• GeoCurrents offers a series over Ukraine, Ukrainian Regionalism and the Federal Option, Energy Issues in the Ukrainian Crisis and Russian Envelopment? Ukraine’s Geopolitical Complexities, also related, How cartographers should map Crimea?
• In the UK? UK Air Pollution Forecast Map
• Maps is money, The interactive map of taxi trips in New York city
• And a map of companies and their worldwide presence OpenCorporates Maps by KILN
• Fiction maps, The Secrets and Clues of the Official Game of Thrones Maps and why not, The Geology of 'Game of Thrones'

With a focus on layout and core functionality, this 12-hour evening course offers an overview of ArcGIS components, basic display and map querying functions, metadata browsing and file management, basic analysis techniques, and map layout. Increase your software proficiency with practical, in-class exercises!

Featured Topics
• Introduction to ArcCatalog
• ArcMap Basics
• Table Joins and Thematic Maps
• Setting Projections
• Attribute selection
• Spatial Queries
• Basic Geoprocessing
• Boolean Logic

SPECIAL OFFER! All participants in this course will receive a free trial of the ArcGIS 10 software. Practice and refine your newly acquired skills at home or at work for 1-year at no additional cost!

Esri International User Conference, San Diego, 8th July: Satellite imagery from DMCii is now fully supported within Esri’s popular ArcGIS software, making it easier for customers to work with the large multi-spectral images.

Launched at Esri UC today, ArcGIS 10.2 provides built-in support to help users get the most out of DMC 22m multispectral imagery.  The new built-in support enables users to import this satellite imagery into their projects whilst preserving information such as location, time, and spectral bands and making it easily accessible by the user.  

DMC satellites provide 48 state coverage of the United States on a cloud-optimised 15 day repeat. The new built-in support streamlines the process of grouping images and building catalogues allowing, for example, forestry users to easily compare changes in forest canopy or agricultural users to easily identify in-field variability of crops over time.

Paul Stephens, Director of Sales and Marketing at DMCii, explains “The additional support for DMCii imagery in ArcGIS 10.2 means it’s now easier than ever for over a million ArcGIS users to build our satellite imagery into their GIS.”

Lawrie Jordan, Director of Imagery at Esri adds, “Satellite imagery is an authoritative source of information for many applications. DMC satellite imagery has many unique attributes such as very large area coverage, and rapid revisit to a given area and we are pleased to work with DMCii to enhance our user’s experience working with this dataset within ArcGIS 10.2.”

Data processing chains can also be shortened with built-in support for DMCii imagery reducing the need for extensive processing. This, combined with real-time processing in ArcGIS 10.2, means images can be analysed and put to use more quickly than ever before.

To find out more, visit DMCii at booth #1700 at the Esri International User Conference.


About DMCii
DMCii is a UK-based supplier of remote sensing data products and services for international Earth Observation (EO) markets. DMCii supplies programmed and archived optical satellite imagery provided by the multi-satellite Disaster Monitoring Constellation (DMC). DMCii’s data is primarily used in a wide variety of commercial and government applications including agriculture, forestry and environmental mapping, which benefit from reliable high temporal resolution optical imagery.

In partnership with the UK Space Agency and the other DMC member nations (Algeria, China, Nigeria, Turkey and Spain), DMCii works with the International Charter ‘Space and Major Disasters’ to provide free satellite imagery for humanitarian use in the event of major international disasters such as tsunamis, hurricanes, fires and flooding.

DMCii was formed in October and is a subsidiary of Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd (SSTL), the world leader in small satellite technology. SSTL designed and built the DMC with the support of the UK Space Agency and in conjunction with the other DMC Consortium member nations listed above.

DMCii is not affiliated in any way with Intergraph Corp., Z/I Imaging Corp., or their registered trademark DMC.

Notes to editor:

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

On the open source / open data front:

• Via OR, an upcoming open source geo software - Nanocubes: Fast Visualization of Large Spatiotemporal Datasets, it leverages Bootstrap, Bootstrap Tour, jQuery, Underscore.js, d3, OpenStreetMap, and Lux
• Here's a MapBox entry on using open source to map and visualize 3 Billion Tweets
• From the same source, that's clearly not advanced remote sensing, but very accessible, processing Landsat 8 Using Open-Source Tools
• Via APB, leveraging OpenTreeMap, here's TreeZilla for the UK
• An update, GeoServer-Manager 1.5.2 released

On the Google front:

• Slashdot discusses Google patenting Image-Capturing Walking Sticks
• From the same source, Google Avoids Fine Over Street View WiFi Snooping, Ordered To Delete Data
• The GEB talks about Using Google Earth to find water for power plants
• And shares again an entry on Tips for optimizing Google Earth

On the Esri front:

• VerySpatial shares inputs regarding the Programming ArcGIS 10.1 with Python Cookbook
• And More DigitalGlobe imagery added to the World Imagery map

In the miscellaneous category:

• Here's a nice map-based Bounding Box Tool to generate KML, cvs, DublinCore bounding boxes
• Surprise! North American BIM adoption reached 71% in, up from 17% in
• Bing Maps? Here's on Traffic Notifications with Bing Maps and Geocoding With the MS Search Charm
• JC led me to NASA's entry on Vegetation as Seen by Suomi NPP
• Another way of mapping in 3D, Echolocation For Your Cell Phone
• With a GPS and a compass on an helmet, Adafruit's Smart Helmet Helps Navigate to NYC's Citi Bike Stations
• We could have seen this coming, Weather-based Location-based Advertising
• Via SL, we're there already, Domino's tests drone pizza delivery

In the maps category:

• GeoCurrents shares the map of Freedom of the Press Index

This news made it outside the traditional geospatial community, Slashdot's story is named GIS Community Blocks Esri's Geospatial 'Open Standard' REST API.

Their summary: "The developer of ArcGIS, Esri, has dropped its bid to have the GeoServices REST API recognized as an open standard by the Open Geospatial Consortium, after a community backlash against 'providing a vendor with significant market advantage, erring on the creation of a state-sanctioned monopoly.'"

This is a topic we covered 2 weeks ago. You can also read a useful summary and quotes from OGC officials named OGC heed community pressure regarding "GeoServices REST API": "“Considering the breath of discussion both internal and external to the OGC process since the vote announcement, the SWG members feel that the vote cannot continue until the many questions raised have been addressed. Issues regarding OGC process, vendor advantage, duplication of capabilities, etc. have now overshadowed technical discussions of the merits of the specification. By withdrawing the OGC GeoServices REST API candidate standard, the necessary discussions regarding OGC process, policy, and position can continue separately.”"

Chris Holmes shares a pretty insightful and informative letter in an entry named 'Opening Esri'. Esri's closer relationship with open source started with providing code on GitHub last September and even up to last February's official entry named going open source with Esri.

From the Chris Holmes entry: "So I wanted to give to Esri a measurable roadmap of actions to take that would signal to me a real commitment to ‘open’. [...] Each piece of Esri technology ideally could be used stand alone with other pieces. Stated another way, there should be no lock-in of anything that users create – even their cartography rules. [...] it is a business risk, since it opens up more potential competition. But it’s also a big business opportunity if done right. And reaches beyond mere business to being a real force for good in the world, becoming a truly loved company, with lots of friends."

Here's the recent Esri-related geonews in batch mode.

From official sources:

• Here's a list of What’s New in ArcGIS Online for March, a lot of new features
• There's also new data, DigitalGlobe and community imagery added to the World Imagery map and new updates to the Ocean Basemap
• Crowdsourcing works for Esri too, New community contributions added to the World Topographic Map and a second entry on the same topic and other contributions
• Other related additions include using Bing basemaps in ArcGIS Online and using Stamen and MapBox tilesets as basemaps in ArcGIS
• Here's the announcement of Esri Maps for Office 2.0 Released: "Esri Maps for Office is a powerful add-in for Microsoft Office that brings the capabilities of Esri’s mapping platform to Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint users."
• Amongst updates, ArcGIS API for JavaScript Version 3.4 Released and if Flex is not dead for you, ArcGIS for Flex 3.2 Released
• Three new beta SDK available: ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Store apps Beta is available, the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt 10.2 beta is now available and the new ArcGIS Runtime SDK for OS X Beta is available
• And if the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS is of interest to you, there's the MapKit 2 ArcGIS Project on GitHub

From other sources:

• Directions Mag offers an article named Esri Certification Exams - Are you ready?

Here's the geonews in batch mode, unusually covering 4 weeks, thus a much longer issue.

On the open source / data front:

• With the GeoPackage standard in the oven and its opportunity to replace the aging shapefile format, read this very pertinent summary named Takeaways from OpenGeo’s Comments on OGC and the Proposed GeoPackage Specification
• An interesting entry on TileMill for Raster Analysis
• In the same vein, expanding TileMill's Building Symbolizer to Visualize Complex 3D Structures
• EasySDI V3 is now available
• The open source virtual globe Marble 1.5 is now available for MacOS X

On the Esri front:

• A book review of "Python Scripting for ArcGIS" by Paul A. Zandbergen
• A new version, and here's what’s new in ArcGIS Explorer Desktop 2500
• The ArcGIS Query Analysis Add-In is available for download
• Here's the ArcGIS Online World Topographic Map February updates and here's the previous update
• ArcGIS applied to tennis, Using spatial analytics to study spatio-temporal patterns in sport
• APB shares a Esri Federal GIS Conference News Roundup

On the Google front:

• Google announced that Public Alerts for Google Search, Google Now and Google Maps available in Japan
• The official entry on Expanding Street View in Europe
• The GEB again mentions Tracking Satellites in Google Earth, this time linking to the new SightSpaceStation website

On the Microsoft front:

• A new Bing Maps Tech Preview at TED Conference: "a new twist: the ability to mine Flickr for geotagged photos and overlay onto Bing Maps streetside imagery for a perfect visual lock"
• Bing Maps got a major overhaul, 46.7 TB of new imagery and a Silverlight version of Bing Maps... I though Silverlight was abandoned?
• Here's the entry on the New Top of the World and High Resolution Satellite Imagery
• An entry on Bing Maps REST Service Tips & Tricks
• And New to REST Services: Elevations API and 3D Elevation Models with Bing Maps WPF
• And training for apps builders, Bing Maps for Windows Store Apps Training Kit

Geospatial-related discussions over Slashdot:

• Startup Uses Radiation Fear To Map Cellphone Coverage
• Fox News: US Solar Energy Investment Less Than Germany Because US Has Less Sun, comparing maps, it's simply far from the truth
• The US Redrawn As 50 Equally Populated States
• Drones Still Face Major Hurdles In US Airspace and AirBurr UAV Navigates By Crashing Into Things
• Canon Demos New Head-Mounted Augmented-Reality Display
• Texas Bills Would Bar Warrantless Snooping On Phone Location

In the everything else category:

• A lot of sources mentioned 3Doodler: The World's First 3D Printing Pen, while not entirely geospatial-related, 3D printing is mainstream now
• APB shares an entry on a Free e-Book on Online GIS which compares ArcGIS Online, CartoDB, CloudGIS, GeoCommons, MangoMap and MapBox
• Trying to amend myself for not having shared this before, here's How Interactivity Works with UTFGrid for web maps, along with a visual demo, and an example using OpenLayers
• APB has an entry named U.S. House Representatives Introduce Online Communications and Geolocation Protection Act
• Everything is a geospatial sensor, Rain tracked with mobile network
• A milestone release, MapBox iOS SDK Goes 1.0.0 + New Features
• MapQuest Introduced Free Travel Blogs to help people share their travel adventures
• Mapperz mentions that the USPS Mapping Tool allows you to pick your own delivery routes
• APB links to an article named How Google And Bing Maps Control What You Can See

In the maps category:

• We presented a world map of undersea internet connections, here's the interactive Submarine Cable Map
• Scary, maps of the U.S. Geography of Sin, and here's the U.S. Geography of Happiness

This is an abnormally long version of our 'batch geonews' edition, covering the news since the holiday break.

On the open source & open data front:

• This entry discusses the new geocoding client API in GDAL/OGR
• Good news, QGIS gets built-in Oracle support, along with New QGIS PDF and HTML manuals and New QGIS Symbol Packages
• James informs us on the GeoPackage Comment Period is Open, GeoPackage what? Read this previous entry named OGC Draft GeoPackage Specification - Finally the Shapefile Format Replacement?
• James is also enthusiastic about D3.js for its map visualization capabilities
• More in the useful chaining Rendering Transformations in GeoServer
• In case you missed the press releases, GeoTools 8.5 released and GeoServer 2.2.3 released
• Freely available course named Java Open Source GIS Development - From the building block to extending an existing GIS application
• Here's an entry on using PgRouting with Mapserver

On the Esri front:

• The ArcGIS API for JavaScript Version 3.3 Released

In the miscellaneous category:

• It's really the end now, mission accomplished, Landsat 5 will be decommissioned (via VS)
• Follow this link if you have an interest in 30+ years of LAI and FAPAR data for Your research use
• Microsoft shares an entry on Getting started with Bing Maps Windows Store Apps
• Here's an interesting top 10, Top 10 Spatial Law and Policy Stories from
• DM shares an article named Intergraph Retools, Revamps Entire Geospatial Product Suite
• Beidou, aka as Compass, China’s GNSS, is now available for Commercial Use in Asia
• O'Reilly discusses the inevitability of smart dust, where geospatial-aware sensors are to be found everywhere
• Here's geospatial studies of atmospheric lead as a dangerous pollutant
• Here's a funny xkcd cartoon on 'simplifying' map directions

A bunch of minor geo-related stories discussed over Slashdot:

• Nice use of drones: Drone Photos Lead to Indictment For Texas Polluters
• Also on drones: Researchers Seek to Use Drones For Brushfire Forecasting
• A real-time map of those bushfires was up: Australia Is On So Much Fire, You Can See It From Orbit
• Remote sensing satellites in jeopardy thanks to the fiscal cliff: Going Off the Fiscal Cliff Could Mean Missing the Next Hurricane Sandy
• Slashdot just discovered OpenFlights, which we mentioned years ago: Visualizing Personal Flight Data With OpenFlights
• Benefits and inconveniences of being tracked: Disney Wants To Track You With RFID
• Also on RFID: Texas High School Student Loses Lawsuit Challenging RFID Tracking Requirement and Texas State Rep. Files 2 Bills To Ban RFID In Schools

In the maps category:

• Pretty interesting map, one that more or less works both upside down and... upside up! (screenshot below)