(Irvine, CA – October 20) Digital Map Products (DMP) is excited to announce its involvement at the Geospatial Information & Technology Association’s (GITA) upcoming 20th Annual GIS for Oil & Gas Pipeline conference in Houston, TX. This industry leading conference, which brings together geospatial professionals from leading oil and gas pipeline industry organizations, will take place October 24^th – 26^th.

Digital Map Products, a leading innovator of cloud-based spatial solutions, will be presenting a Technical Session at the conference on Wednesday, October 26^th from 11:15 –11:55 am, titled “The Cloud Revolution: Leveraging Cloud Computing for GIS Success.”  Drawing on his company’s more than a decade of experience delivering cloud-based GIS applications and geospatial data, DMP CEO Jim Skurzynsk will discuss how cloud computing is transforming GIS and provide tips on how you can best capitalize on the next generation of GIS technologies.

Additionally, conference attendees can visit Digital Map Products at booth #110 where company representatives will be sharing information and answering questions about DMP’s geospatial data, mapping development platform, SaaS GIS applications, and the Technical Session.

To learn more about Digital Map Products’ mapping and geospatial data offerings or to arrange a meeting with Digital Map Products at the GITA conference visit:

If you’re unable to make it to GITA’s conference, you can still learn about the latest Cloud GIS Trends by watching Digital Map Products’ recent webinar, Cloud GIS: The New Rules for GIS Success. 

###

About Digital Map Products

Digital Map Products is a leading provider of web-enabled spatial solutions that bring the power of spatial technology to mainstream business, government and consumer applications. SpatialStream™, the company’s SaaS spatial development platform, enables the rapid development of spatial applications. Its ParcelStream™ web service is powering national real estate websites with millions of hits per hour. LandVision™ and CityGIS™ are embedded GIS solutions for real estate and local government.

Scalable Algorithmics (SCALGO) was founde with the mission to bring cutting-edge massive terrain data processing technology to market. The SCALGO technology is based on more than two decades of basic and applied research on I/O-efficient and geometric algorithms at Center for Massive Data Algorithmics (MADALGO) at Aarhus University in Denmark and at Duke University in the US, in collaboration with industry LIDAR and environmental GIS application experts. Software based on the technology can handle much larger terrain datasets on a normal desktop than most current software and thus it eliminates the need for accuracy-decreasing data thinning. The use of novel mathematical and algorithmic techniques also means that the software works provably efficient on all input datasets, delivering a completely specified output without the use of cumbersome work-flows such as those introduced by data tiling.

The SCALGO software portfolio includes software packages SCALGO Model and SCALGO Hydrology, which have successfully been used to process terrain datasets with more than 50 billion data elements on a normal desktop computer. SCALGO Model can be used to construct raster and TIN terrain models from massive terrain points (such as LIDAR), as well as to simplify massive raster terrain models in a fully-specified and user-controlled way. SCALGO Hydrology can be used to perform basic hydrological modeling on massive raster terrain models, including computing flow accumulation, watersheds, bluespots (maximal depressions) and the effect of rising sea-level.

More information about SCALGO technology, software products and services can be found at scalgo. The website also contains more information about some of the projects where SCALGO technology and software has been used successfully, including an interactive visualization of the results of using the SCALGO hydrology software on a massive and almost global terrain model to access the risk of flooding.

It’s no secret that many of the valuable benefits of GIS technology have proven elusive. And recently, amid the tough economy, staff reductions and budget cuts, GIS success has become a mission impossible for many municipalities. Fortunately, cloud computing holds the answer to many of government’s GIS, budget, and technology adoption difficulties.

Welcome to the Cloud GIS Era is an educational webinar presented by Digital Map Products that will cover recent developments in Cloud GIS, share real life examples of how cities are embracing and succeeding with this technology and provide tips for how to get started with the cloud.

Drawing on its more than a decade of experience delivering cloud-based GIS applications and geospatial data, Digital Map Products will highlight how GIS in the cloud can relieve overburdened IT staff, save money and resources, and increase citizen engagement. In addition, Cloud GIS best practices and product examples will be featured.

We look forward to having you attend!

[Editor's note: while this may sound as an advertisement, the topics seems generic enough to be of interest to many of our users. Topics:

• Recent Developments in Cloud GIS
• How GIS is different (and better) in the cloud
• Real Life Cloud GIS Success Stories
• Tips to succeed with Cloud GIS]

At GIS Cloud, we were always inspired to push online mapping beyond it’s borders. When we started building GIS Cloud a few years ago our vision was, and still is, to move the entire GIS industry into a browser i.e. into the Cloud.

Because custom maps can be quite complex and difficult to handle we had to build certain technologies from scratch. Among those is our own vector and raster map engine. At first, we used Adobe Flash as the output format. Flash delivered great performance, but had two major problems: it’s not a web standard and it isn’t properly supported on all devices. So, today with browsers being more than capable of handling HTML5 graphics we decided to take our map engine to the next level.

As of now, HTML5 will be the default GIS Cloud map engine, through which we plan to deliver the full GIS experience right in your browser. Our biggest challenge and success was to leverage HTML5 to handle “Big Data”!

Even if your map has thousands or millions of features, you can now experience it with high user experience right in your browser!

Who likes caching map tiles?

One of the most common tasks you need to perform when delivering a map project on the web is caching your map tiles in advance. With raster mapping technologies this is a crucial step because you definitely don’t want to deliver a map that is loading so slowly it makes your solution unusable. With large vector datasets this process can be a long running task going on for days or even weeks. When you need to work with your map dynamically like in GIS this problem is even more pronounced; if you are styling your map you want to see the result immediately, just as you would on your desktop GIS.

The solution to the above problem is rendering maps through vectors, and this is where our HTML5 Canvas viewer comes in. It’s designed to render vector graphics in real-time and enable full map interactivity. Data is retrieved from the server as a vector and renders as a vector!

HTML5 Canvas – ideal for map rendering

HTML5 is great for mapping not only because it can render maps very quickly, but also because it is a standard. It works on the desktop, on the web, on smartphones and on tablets which means your GIS can work on those devices as well! No need to build native apps for each of those platforms, with HTML5 you get high performance right from the browser.

One of the biggest benefits of vector mapping is interactivity. The map is not just a flat raster anymore, it’s a fully interactive surface. Each object can be clicked and styled dynamically, and gives hover feedback!

HTML5 in practice

To show the power of HTML5 Canvas we embedded a few GIS Cloud maps below. You can also go to the GIS Cloud application and browse some maps or build your own for free.

UK map, created from Open Street Map data, showing how HTML5 handles more than 2.000.000 features:

link to the full map

The next map shows how 1.000.000 points can be rendered in real time:

link to the full map

Styled vector street map showing the State of New York:

link to the full map

A dataset with more than 300.000 polygons:

link to the full map

It’s possible to render imagery as well. Below we have a map made out of several MrSID images, stitched together:

link to the full map

The biggest issue in GIS throughout the years has been bad user experience. If you were not a professional user using such a system was often not easy. Finally with HTML5 and the next generation of visualization technologies we are going to deliver a new level of GIS user experience. By making GIS attractive and easy to use it can become a much more valuable tool in organizations than it has been until now.

With HTML5, we can now finally visualize the processing strength and scalability the cloud provides, supporting large datasets while maintaining a great user experience. There are now no more barriers to moving all GIS into the Cloud, making communication and data sharing easy which will lead to better decisions, and help move your business forward!

Curious about how HTML5 can handle your data? Just sign in here.

The Future of GIS is in the Cloud

In the past year we’ve seen Cloud Computing come on the scene in a big way, revolutionizing how local government implements and uses technology. GIS (Geographic Information System) has especially benefited, as the cloud removes many of its traditional challenges, making it more affordable, faster to deploy, more widely available, and easier to use. The cloud revolution is here and Cloud GIS is a must-have technology for cities of all sizes.

The future is clearly in cloud computing. Municipalities who’ve adopted Cloud GIS find relief for their overburdened IT staff, constrained budgets and technology adoption woes, and even experience increased citizen engagement. Cloud GIS lets local governments realize many of the long-promised benefits of GIS that have largely remained elusive.

If you’d like to learn how to leverage cloud technologies and heighten your GIS success then be sure to attend our information-packed session “The Cloud Revolution: Transforming GIS for Local Government” at the ICMA Conference in Milwaukee. We’ll arm you with the latest developments in Cloud GIS, illustrate how the City of San Juan Capistrano, California embraced this transformative technology and provide tips for how you can get started with the cloud.

If you're unable to make it to our presentation at ICMA you can still learn about the latest Cloud GIS tips and trends by watching our recent webinar, "Cloud GIS: The New Rules for GIS Success". Don't miss this great opportunity to learn more about this transformative technology.

Ghent, BELGIUM – September 12, – Geosparc, the company professionally supporting the open source GIS development software Geomajas, today announced the availability of two new products: Geomajas Developer License and Geomajas Enterprise Developer License. Both products temporarily free the developers of Geomajas based GIS applications from complying with the AGPL (Affero General Public License) terms and conditions. This enables the developer to work, during the course of a project, on a demo, proof of concept, development or testing of the application without having to share or release the code. When the application is put into production or becomes commercially available the license automatically expires and the AGPL terms and conditions go back into effect. As Geosparc owns the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of Geomajas the company can, at that point in time, grant the user with a Commercial License lifting again the obligation to comply with the AGPL terms and conditions, keeping the software solution closed source. The Geomajas Developer License is applicable for 1 project and valid for 1 year (can be renewed yearly). The price is € 500 or $ 720 (excluding VAT). A project description is required upon purchase of the license. The Geomajas Enterprise Developer License is applicable for 5 projects and is valid for 1 year (can be renewed yearly). The price is € 1.500 or $ 2.110 (excluding VAT). Project descriptions are required for each project.

ABOUT GEOSPARC Geosparc is the company professionally supporting the open source GIS development software Geomajas, coupling the innovation of open source with the stability of a true enterprise-class application framework. Geomajas was built with today’s Internet and cloud architectures in mind. This truly differentiates Geomajas from other GIS software. The open source model furthermore enables Geosparc to use best-of-breed open source technologies and contributions from the open source community to get higher quality software produced more quickly at much lower cost. Geosparc’s goal is to not only provide an open source offering but to complement it with professional services and offerings such as service level agreements, commercial licenses, project development support, consulting services, training services and support services for configuration and implementation.

Ghent, BELGIUM and Denver, US – September 12, – Geosparc, the company professionally supporting the open source GIS development software Geomajas, today unveiled Geomajas 1.9, the new version of its web and cloud based GIS software framework. At the same time the company announces the availability of no less than 17 plug-ins including plug-ins for: Caching, OpenStreetMap Layer, WMS Layer, Hibernate Layer, Advanced Printing and many more. Geomajas is fast becoming the software tool of choice of many developers from governments and different industries to build scalable, powerful and secure web and cloud based GIS applications. The main reasons governments and industries select Geomajas are time saving (build apps in days instead of months), ease of deployment via a simple browser, very fast build up of maps (even when multiple users are working on it), strong security features, strong back-office integration features and the possibility to integrate advanced business logic. All that in just one software framework. Geosparc will demonstrate Geomajas 1.9 and numerous GIS applications built with Geomajas at Foss4G, the global conference focused on Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial (12-16 September, Denver – US). Key members of its development team will present a workshop and no less than 3 technology sessions at the conference. Workshop: Introduction to Geomajas As the field of web GIS software gets saturated, it becomes increasingly difficult to select the right technology to solve your needs. This workshop will show how to set up an elegantly designed, user friendly yet powerful and secure web GIS application capable of working with thousands of vector objects on the map. Technology session 1: Mobile GIS through Geomajas With the increasing popularity of tablets and smartphones we have entered a new world where mobile devices reign supreme. The current generation of web GIS products have had to overcome a wide variety of browsers to support, and so too must the next generation of GIS solutions support an equally wide variety of mobile platforms. By leveraging the Google Web Toolkit (GWT), Geomajas has entered the mobile world successfully. Technology session 2: Geomajas, a GIS framework for the web Geomajas, the GIS framework for the web, focuses’ on efficient data delivery, security and performance. The mantra is "integrate, transform and secure GIS data". It is cloud-ready and modular, has advanced caching and security. The framework can talk to many types of data sources and present them in several ways using our "faces". Technology session 3: Securing GIS data This session will focus on the implementation and architecture of security on GIS data as implemented in Geomajas. It also includes an explanation of how credential leakage is prevented and how this can be integrated with industry standard solutions.

VISIT US AT FOSS4G, DENVER (US), BOOTH 1.

ABOUT GEOSPARC Geosparc is the company that professionally supports the open source GIS development software Geomajas, coupling the innovation of open source with the stability of a true enterprise-class application framework. Geomajas was built with today’s Internet and cloud architectures in mind. This truly differentiates Geomajas from other GIS software. The open source model furthermore enables Geosparc to use best-of-breed open source technologies and contributions from the open source community to get higher quality software produced more quickly at much lower cost. Geosparc’s goal is to not only provide an open source offering but to complement it with professional services and offerings such as service level agreements, commercial licenses, project development support, consulting services, training services and support services for configuration and implementation.

This is an older story in Miller-McCune, but since I've just discovered Slashgeo I wanted to share it:

"The Revolution Will Be Mapped: GIS mapping technology is helping underprivileged communities get better services — from education and transportation to health care and law enforcement — by showing exactly what discrimination looks like."

[Editor's note: this article is dated December, but we haven't mentioned it at the time and it may certainly interest many of our users]

Bern, 01.09 - The Swiss Confederation’s geo-data portal is very popular: the Map Viewer alone attracts up to 10,000 users a day at map.geo.admin.ch. It also recently became possible to use the high quality data on mobile equipment such as smartphones. The web-based solution ‘mobile.map.geo.admin’ works on both Android devices and iPhones and iPads.

For about a year, citizens have had access to an abundance of geo-information about the most important areas of life via the Confederation's geo-portal. With Mapviewer the geo-data can be viewed, printed, ordered and correlated. With around 10,000 users a day the Map Viewer is particularly popular and a definite need has been highlighted: more and more people also want to be able to use this service on mobile devices such as smartphones.

 Easy and uncomplicated access
Up to 80% of all decisions affecting the citizen are linked to geographical information.The Confederation developed the basic principles of mobile.map.geo.admin.ch and the availability of the service on mobile devices in cooperation with cantons, towns, universities and private individuals. A web-based solution was established which works on Android devices as well as on iPhones and iPads. Users of mobile.map.geo.admin.ch do not need to download any additional software nor do they need a log-in or password. With this service, the Federal government fulfils its mandate to make geo-data accessible to the general public, as required by the geo-information law. Mobile.map.geo.admin is available immediately: by inputting the URL into a mobile device the mobile version of the Map Viewer opens up automatically.

On-the-spot practical information
For the most part, Federal geo-data have official status and are of high quality, as evidenced by the "Swiss Confederation" seal of approval. Historic cartographic data are also available, so that users can obtain information on the spot to find out if they are on a historic route, for example, or to call up details about historic buildings that they come across. They can search for details about communities, locations, bodies of water or mountains ("Which mountain is that?"). Information on Danger Zones ("Am I in a Danger Zone?") and nature reserves ("Is this an amphibian spawning area?") is also available as well as information on how towns and villages have developed ("What did it look like here 100 years ago?").

Additionally, the following functions can be accessed:

• Address search (current address and buildings under construction)
• Search by place or field name
• Feedback function for proposing corrections to data content (e.g. hiking trails whose routes are not as shown, or the wrong address of buildings where the correct address can be supplied)

Long-term and advertising-free availability
The mobile version of Map Viewer is also run by the Confederation. Third parties have no access to the data and the future long-term availability is assured. The service carries no advertising and is only available online. Data cannot be saved locally as this would otherwise incur costs for copyright and technical reasons. The use of mobile.map.geo.admin is free of charge (apart from the Internet connection).At the same time an API program interface has also been made available free of charge for developers and firms, for example, who want to use the data for their own purposes.

Map Mobile 

Examples

Map Viewer

Geoportal Bund 

For Devs

follow us on Twitter 

A bunch of "unorganizers", organized itself and had the idea of ​​holding a"non-conference", mainly focused on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), but also emerging web technologies and entrepreneurship merged with the GIS. It is a day for people of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in Portugal - and elsewhere - to share ideas and inspiration in an open environment.

The event will be held on September 24, in Vila Nova da Barquinha. So prepare your calendars GeoCampers on the 24th of September @ Vila Nova da Barquinha.
 
More info on the blog; twitter - hashtag #geocamppt and the facebook fan page.

The Geocamp PT  "Unorganizers"