Slashdot discusses a story named OpenWLANMap: Free WLAN-Based GPS Replacement. I don't think we mentioned OpenWLANMap before, but we did mention MAC address mapping. Here's the OpenWLANMap website.

The Slashdot summary: "There are a couple of commercial products which can tell you where you are by the MAC addresses of access points in your neighbourhood. E.g. the iphone uses a system like this. There's now an open offering for this: OpenWLANMap. With this website, you can enter your access point mac address with your GPS location and then others can use that to navigate. There is also an app for your mobile which automatically enters this data, and you can upload data from e.g. Airomap and other wardriving applications."

After v2.4 last fall, MapGuide Open Source 2.5 has been released. Can anyone share thoughts or links regarding MapGuide's user community? Is it still vibrant as it used to be?

Major new items from the release notes: "

• PDF-based QuickPlot? for Fusion (RFC 124)
• Google Street View widget for Fusion (RFC 125)
• Support for user coordinate system dictionaries (RFC 127)
• Integrated IDE API documentation support for Java/.net (RFC 129)
• New enhanced Java wrapper API (RFC 129)
• Streamed HTTP feature/data/SQL query results (RFC 130)
• Various AJAX Viewer UI and functionality improvements
• Enhanced Redlining widget with expanded data format support  more info
• Fixes and enhancements to assorted Fusion widgets and templates  more info"

The open source java desktop GIS uDig released its version 1.4. uDig also officially joined LocationTech recently (here's our previous entry on LocationTech).

What's in the 1.4 release: "

For users:

• GeoScript editor allowing scripting directly from the uDig application
• Document view for working with attachments and hot-links
• New graticule map decorator supporting metric coordinate reference systems
• WMS 1.3.0 now enabled by default

For developers:

• Provided under a dual EPL and BSD license with associated refresh of a all headers, plugin license and about.html files.
• Transition to Maven command line build is complete with both product and SDK builds
• SDK is a complete target platform (no longer requires an Eclipse Download).
• Based on GeoTools 9.0-M0

Release notes:

• uDig 1.4.0 Release Notes"

The FOSS4G-CEE conference will be held in Bucharest, Romania, on June 17-19. It was mentioned in a recent press release, and today I'm glad to announce that Slashgeo will be a proud media partner of the event!

From the press release: "This year's edition has a target of approximately 300 participants interested in geospatial open source applications. They will enjoy the presence and talks given by important personalities in the geospatial field, that have already confirmed their attendance. The event will take place in Bucharest in the newly built National Library of Romania. Activities will unfold during three days (17-19 of June), being shaped as oral presentations and hands-on workshops. All of these will address, in detail, the way in which free and open source software for geospatial (FOSS4G) can be successfully applied in the following:

• Application development;
• Interoperability and open standards;
• FOSS4G implementations for INSPIRE;
• Transition to FOSS4G;
• Case studies of FOSS4G implementations:
• FOSS4G in education;
• Analysis, manipulation and visualization of geospatial data;
• Open geodata;
• Digital and historical cartography"

Still catching up, here's the recent open source geospatial news.

New software:

• VIa OGD, an easy to use website, OSM2GIS to directly download OpenStreetMap data in GIS formats such as shapefiles and kml
• MapTiler (mentioned in), which is an open source map overlay generator for Google Maps / Earth and a GUI for GDAL2Tiles, now has a free Mac App Store version

Software updates front:

• Version 6.5 of the OSGeo-Live GIS software collection has been released, including 50 quality geospatial open source applications installed and pre-configured
• There's Leaflet.draw 0.2 released, and as you can guess it's for drawing/editing vectors in Leaflet
• Via UD, the color advice for cartography, ColorBrewer 2.0 has a no-flash version now
• Updated, MapStore 1.1.0 released
• Also available, GeoServer 2.2.5 released
• And so is GeoTools 8.7 Released
• Another one, ImageI/O-Ext 1.1.6 Released

Everything else:

• Here's an entry on the OSGeo Board priorities
• Related, a nice graph of the Moments in the History of OpenStreetMap
• Hyper-local data and news tool Everyblock closed, and it's open source code will continue as the OpenBlock Project, related, DM shared an article named OpenBlock Rural Finds Three Key Audiences for Open Data
• We love numbers right? At the beginning of last month was a user test between JTS Union VS ArcGIS Dissolve, result: 25 seconds vs 1.5 second in favor of the open source JTS
• Probably of interest to some of you, an entry on Optimizing OpenLayers for Mobile Applications
• DM shares an article named [U.S.] FedGeoDay: Advocating for Open Source, the summary: "FedGeoDay, held in Washington, D.C. this past week, can best be described as an advocacy forum for open source geospatial technology and data. Some of the leading organizations, government agencies and companies invested in open source tech sponsored the conference."
• Another article from the same source, The Arches Project: Turning Open Source GIS into a Heritage Inventory and Management System
• And a last article from DM, Palantir: An Open Source Development Success Story, which is really about leveraging PostGIS, the summary: "In late Palantir launched Gotham, a new geospatial and comprehensive analytics platform designed to meet the challenges of their vast array of customers. This article provides more information on Gotham that enables data integration, search and discovery, knowledge management, secure collaboration, and algorithmic analysis across a wide variety of data sources."

Learn how advances in geospatial technology and analytical methods have changed how we do everything, and discover how to make maps and analyze geographic patterns using the latest tools.

The world's first geo-MOOC. At least according to Directions Magazine.

[MOOC stands for massive open online course]

Some time already since we heard of this open source geospatial ETL tool, GeoKettle 2.5 has been released. Unless I'm mistaken, the other open source geospatial ETL tool formerly named 'Spatial Data Integrator', now known as 'Talend Spatial Module', is at version 5.2.1.

From the announcement: "GeoKettle 2.5’s new features include:

I am glad to announce that Slashgeo is a proud media partner of FOSS4G, to be held in Nottingham, UK, on September 17-21, one of the dominant geospatial conferences.

Here's what it is: "FOSS4G is the global conference for Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial, organized by the Open Source Geospatial Foundation (OSGeo). In, FOSS4G will be held in in the United Kingdom for the first time, at the East Midlands Conference Centre in Nottingham, from 17th to 21st September. FOSS4G will follow on from the Association for Geospatial Information (AGI) annual GeoCommunity Event at the same venue, and delegates will have an opportunity to attend both events for a full week of Geo-Goodness!

Expect a vibrant mix of workshops, papers, seminars, birds-of-a-feather meetings, and great social events, in a fantastic location. Key dates and travel information will be published shortly, from early September, so check back for updates, follow us on twitter, or sign up to our mailing list for more information."

We'll try to have one or two Slashgeo Editors on the site at FOSS4G. Slashgeo had the chance to be active and cover 4 recent OSGeo FOSS4G events.

Via OpenWeatherMap I learned about the OpenMeteoData, that has the aim to make meteorological data available for everyone.

From the website: "

What is OpenMeteoData?

• OpenMeteoData is an non-profit organization. We aim to make meteorological data available for everyone. We are now building our own supercomputer to calculate open weather forecasts. We run the Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) model. This is state of the art numerical weather prediction tool, developed by several major universities and US governmental agencies.

Why?

• In most Europeans countries, weather data is not freely available. You have to pay hundreds of thousand euros to get access to raw model outputs.

Who can use the data?

• Everyone. It's free. That's just like Wikipedia or OpenStreetMap. [...] We plan to release all of the data under Open Database Licence (ODbL). That means the data is free, and it can be used for both personal and commercial projects.

When will it be available?

• If everything goes right, a first preview is expected for March."

Done. Google Maps for iOS has just been made available. From the official description: "Navigate your world with Google Maps, now available for iPhone. Get comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps with built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, Street View and more. Use Google Maps to discover great places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and reviews from people you trust. Sign in to save your favorite places and quickly access all your past searches and directions from your computer, right on your phone."

MacRumors offers an entry named Roundup of Features in Google Maps for iOS: Better Design than Android Version, iPad Version Coming. Which includes:

• A horizontal two-finger swipe allows you to access a menu that shows traffic, public transit, satellite view and Google Earth (which sends you to the Google Earth app).
• Google's point-of-interest database allows you, for example, to read a restaurant review on Zagat, read the menu, book reservations and see interior photos at 100 restaurants.
• Pogue also notes there's a Compass Mode that allows you, at certain locations, to move your phone around and allow you to see the interior of a business on your screen.