The first batch geonews edition!

On the open source / open data front:

• An informative update on the OGR OpenFileGDB driver to read Esri's file geodatabase format
• Plugin to display QGIS 2D maps in 3D in a web browser via three.js
• Interesting predictions and trends, Juan Marin’s Predictions for and Paul Ramsey’s Predictions for and MapBrief Geo Predictions
• We never mentioned the open source data portal software before, but it supports geospatial data pretty well
• Via OR, MapGive — U.S. State Dept launches OpenStreetMap contributing tool “to help humanitarian efforts”, and the State of the Map will be held in Buenos Aires
• Some software updates, MapGuide Maestro 5.1, Geopaparazzi 3.9.0 is out, SAGA 2.1.1 released, Mapbox.js v1.6.0
• Using open source software to answer Will the sun shine on us?
• Talking of the sun, News from Marble: Introducing Sun and the Moon and Planets

On the Google front:

• Really worth taking a look to Climate Viewer 3D: The Google Earth Climate Change, Pollution and Privacy Viewer
• A new book, Google Maps JavaScript API CookBook
• Viewing the Topography of the Thermohaline Circulation of the Oceans in Google Earth
• There's New 3D imagery in Tokyo and other Japanese cities
• From Slashdot. Google Removes "Search Nearby" Function From Updated Google Maps
• Why not, Creating artwork based on Street View
• If genealogy is within your interests, Genealogy through Google Earth

On the Apple front:

• Description of an Apple Maps App with Interactive Data Layers Detailed in New Patent
• Will this concept catch up? Apple's iBeacon Technology Brings New Possibilities for Location-Based Gaming
• Nokia's HERE not popular enough? Nokia Pulls 'HERE' Maps App for iOS, Citing iOS 7 Changes That 'Harm the User Experience'

Discussed over Slashdot:

• Yes, this is coming, Swarms of Small Satellites Set To Deliver Close To Real-Time Imagery of Earth another related entry is named Planet Labs to capture near-continuous whole-Earth imagery from 28 five kilogram satellites
• If you're a regular Slashgeo reader, you know this already, Why the World Needs OpenStreetMap, and it's time to migrate 'en masse' according to The Guardian
• On privacy, It's Not Just the NSA: Police Are Tracking Your Car
• But you know what? Carmakers Keep Data On Drivers' Locations From Navigation Systems
• And here's a confirmation, Ford Exec: 'We Know Everyone Who Breaks the Law' Thanks To Our GPS In Your Car
• But there's always hope? Recent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Settlement Will Make It Harder to Collect and Share Geoinformation In US
• First step before commercial drones, Feds Announce Test Sites For Drone Aircraft
• For fun, CES: Building Self-Guiding Lego Robots for Fun and (Maybe) Profit (Video)
• There are still wonders to discover, thanks to geo, Lasers Unearth Lost 'Agropolis' of New England
• Tracking bees, Scientists Glue Sensors To 5,000 Bees In a Bid To Better Understand Them

In the everything else category:

• A geodesy dream? Affordable Arduino-Compatible Centimeter-Level GPS Accuracy
• Using LIDAR data? Read Format Wars Episode V: LIDAR, why? Esri Launches its Own Propriety Compressed LiDAR Format: .zlas
• An article on Spike, creating 3D models of buildings and things with a smartphone, not the first app of that kind but that one comes from a GIS company
• Free map online course from Coursera to begin in April
• You already know what IFTTT recipes are? Here's you'll learn about geoenabling triggers with geofences and more
• Here's about SenseFly, a drone for taking oblique imagery
• A generic entry on the Cocktail of Technologies for Smart Cities: The role of Geospatial Tech
• Wired on Tracking the Secret Lives of Great White Sharks
• Let's talk about our privacy again, DARPA’s 1.8 gigapixel ARGUS-IS: The Ultimate Surveillance System from above?, that's 1.8 gigapixels and 12 frames/second, 24/7
• On the SPOT remote sensing satellite family, up to SPOT 7, The new SPOTs
• On 3D printing, yup, really mainstream now, Adobe Adds 3D Printer Support To Photoshop and here's about the open source ' slic3r ' — converts a digital 3D model into printing instructions for your 3D printer (via OR)

In the maps category:

• On mapmaking, The Hidden Meanings of Maps: Design and Colors
• Beautiful, A woodcut inspired map for city streets
• Jonathan provides a book Review: A History of the World in Twelve Maps
• And here's A look at twelve maps that changed the world
• Don't we all like beautiful maps? Wired shares The Most Amazing, Beautiful and Viral Maps of Year
• Here's a map you have to see, would you believe how big is Africa? Mercator projections are messing with our perception of the world

Here what's probably our latest geonews in batch mode entry, have a nice holiday break!

From the open source / open data front:

• Boundless published a OpenLayers 3 & Google Maps API Compared
• Python and raster data? Introducing rasterio
• Here's an entry on the 25m European Digital Elevation Model (EU-DEM, Version 1)
• Much more efficient, OpenStreetMap's Redesign Goes Live! More Focused, More Inviting, More Map, and still on OSM data, Disability Mapping with OpenStreetMap
• In updates, GeoTools 10.3 Released and GeoServer 2.4.3 Released and MapGuide Open Source 2.5.2 and MapBox.js v1.5.0
• Beautiful, Using the 25m EU-DEM for shading OpenStreetMap layers

From the Esri front:

• A summary of What’s New in ArcGIS Online (December)
• Still breathing, ArcGIS 3.6 for Flex Released

From the Google front:

• Having kids? Join Santa and his elves in the countdown to Christmas Eve
• An entry telling you how to Create your own Street View
• The Bing Maps architect Blaise Aguera y Arcas is joining Google
• Google is improving maps in Building Better Maps in Brazil, Israel, and Russia
• You might be interested by National Geographic shares rich map content with the world via Google Maps Engine
• There's the classic, New Google Earth Imagery – December 6

In the everything-else category:

• If you haven't heard of the GeoPackage draft standard yet, read this, OGC's Geopackage standard enables geospatial data sharing for mobile devices
• Things do change, Open Geospatial Consortium updates its vision, mission, policies and procedures
• A new Eye in the Sky, First Images form Skybox’s SkySat-1 Released 
• An interesting read about How Can Geography Literacy Be So Bad At The Age Of Google Earth?
• Wired shares an entry named 6 Reasons to Get Over Your Fear of Coding and Start Making Better Maps
• The rise of GeoMedecine? A 10-minutes TED talk about named Your health depends on where you live
• Apple geo-related news:

  • Geofencing to Unlock Vehicle Functions Detailed in New Apple Patent Application

  • iBeacon Technology Tapped to Unlock Location-Specific Newsstand Content on iOS Devices and ​Apple Updates Apple Store App with Support for iBeacon Systems, but Apple is far from being alone in that race,  Qualcomm Launches 'Gimbal' Bluetooth LE iBeacon Competitor

• If you're not already convinced autonomous cars going to happen;
  • Ford Self-Driving R&D Car Tells Small Animal From Paper Bag At 200 Ft.

  • Nissan Leaf Prototype Becomes First Autonomous Car On Japanese Highways

  • Volvo Plans To Have Self-Driving Cars In Swedish City of Gothenburg By

• Geo and privacy:
  • If there was doubts, NSA Tracking Cellphone Locations Worldwide
  • An extreme scenario, Meet Jack, or What The Government Could Do With All That Location Data
  • But there are watchdogs? FTC Drops the Hammer On Maker of Location-Sharing Flashlight App
  • and hope, Boston Police Stop Scanning Registration Plates, For Now
  • but it's really everyone, Indiana State Police Acknowledge Use of Cell Phone Tracking Device
  • and sometimes it's good, New GPS Tracking Bullet May Render High-Speed Police Chases Obsolete
• Not that surprising, Need Directions? Might Not Want To Ask a Transit Rider
• We heard lots about drones, now it's time for SkyJack, a hacking system taking control of drones and the discussion on the topic, How To Hijack a Drone For $400 In Less Than an Hour - talking of Drones, that's impressive Drone Footage of Bangkok Protests
• In Canada? The new Canadian Geodetic Vertical Datum of (CGVD2013) recently launched
• Reality surpasses fiction once again, New MIT Camera Takes 3D Photos in the Dark
• You see, geospatial is evenin our heads! Memories Are ‘Geotagged’ With Spatial Information, Penn Researchers Say
• Underwater, First 3D topography of Great Barrier Reef derived from EO data
• A discussion about National GIS for India

In the maps category:

• Wired shares Some of the Year’s Best Images of Earth From Space, nice indeed
• Income distribution across the US, Census Bureau: Majority of Affluent Counties In Northeast US
• Here's a long review fo the Barrington Atlas iPad App
• Bitcoin? Coinmap – The Interactive Map Of Brick And Mortar Locations Accepting Bitcoins
• Wow, take a look at The “underwater waterfall” of Mauritius Island

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

From the open source / open data front:

• Nice, there's new Maki icons - don't remember? That's open pixel-perfect icons for web cartography
• You're into PostGIS? There's PostGIS Add-ons now, including 15 new functions
• Everything about OpenStreetMap and Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, including an impressive OSM before and after comparison - collaboration and open works.
• The OSRM - routing engine for OpenStreetMap has been updated
• And still on the same vein, Drone Imagery for OpenStreetMap
• There were several notable updates: MapStore 1.4.0, GeoTools 10.2, GeoServer 2.4.2 and Geopaparazzi 3.8.0

From the Esri front:

• There's a big ArcGIS Online Update coming on December 10, here's the improvements
• New basemap data for Denmark

From the Google front:

• A new opt-in cleaner way to embed Google Maps in websites, the drawback is the new terms of service now allow Google to add ads, don't say you were not aware
• New to StreetView, Take a hike with Street View through U.S. National Parks and Parks Canada
• Via Ed, on why datums matters, a Scientific American article named What Happens to Google Maps When Tectonic Plates Move?
• Over Slashdot they discuss a story named Google Maps, Lasers Reveal Vatican Catacombs
• Also discussed over Slashdot, Street View floats into Venice

In the everything else category:

• More high resolution satellite imagery coming our way, Relaxing resolution restrictions on satellite imagery, and from the same source, an interesting entry on Nanosatellites for 4D (time + 2D/3D) Earth observation
• Nice pictures, Slashdot discusses ISS Astronauts Fire-Up Awesome 'Cubesat Cannon'
• We mentioned it before, and now Microsoft Releases “3D Builder” Touchscreen 3DP App
• Still on 3D, Apple is to buy Israeli 3D sensing company PrimeSense ​and here's a nice summary of How Apple Could Incorporate PrimeSense Technology Into Its Products
• Apple also started testing iOS 7's iBeacons in retail commercial areas and a Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Apple's Location Tracking in iOS
• Something we saw before, throw the camera in the air, get a 360×360 image from 36 2-megapixel lenses
• Those working with Microsoft map tech, here's How to Extend Your App with Talking Maps
• Privacy works both ways? Boston Cops Outraged Over Plans to Watch Their Movements Using GPS
• In a school tracking failed, Students Tracked In UK College Via RFID For 1-3 Years
• Tracking is omnipresent already, LoJack To Release Tracking Devices For Consumers, Insurance, and Auto Makers
• Slashdot discusses Scientists Proposing Satellite Early Warning System For Forest Fires
• On a similar topic, Wired has an entry named Incredible High-Resolution Interactive Map of the World’s Shrinking Forests
• Google too have an entry named Mapping the world’s deforestation over time
• Bicycles and GNSS navigation, Hammerhead System Offers a Better Way To Navigate While Cycling
• There's a new MapQuest navigation app, anyone uses it and can comment?
• VR headsets coming our way soon, The Science Behind the InfinitEye's Panoramic Virtual Reality Headset
• Ok, this isn't something I was expecting, Smartphone + Bike + Google Maps = GPS Art

In the maps category:

• Want to learn more on special projections, Projection Smackdown: Cahill’s Butterfly vs. the Dymaxion Map
• Looking for special maps to give at Christmas? ODT's South Up Maps and equal area maps might interest you
• Andrew, a regular contributor to Slashgeo, offers 30 maps around the world collected over time
• Wired shared an entry named 5 Maps That Could Help Solve Some of the World’s Most Daunting Problems
• Via VS, something we'll probably hear more often in the future, mapping Bitcoin
• U.S.: do you live in the right zip-code area? The Washington Post maps America's "Super Zips"
• Not the season, but here's Golf course maps and Mapping a golf course
• Don't get depressed by the Global Depression Map
• Isn't it Thanksgiving in the U.S.? A Real-Time Map of Travelers Suffering From the Thanksgiving Storm

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode, covering a too long timespan once again.

On the open source / open data front:

• That's just incredible to see this that snappy in a browser, Dynamic hill shading in the browser
• Open source software can be popular, over 2,500 participants for the Free CartoDB for Beginners Webinar
• Tyler Mitchell offers a new book, Geospatial Power Tools - Open Source GDAL / OGR Command Line Utilities
• With Google Maps API v2 going dark, Upgrading from Google v2 API? Free yourself and upgrade to OpenStreetMap
• Getting speed, Marble Virtual Globe Graduates OSGeo Incubation
• GRASS GIS 7 is still in development, but you can learn about it in News in GRASS GIS 7
• Open source software update, Boundless Releases OpenGeo Suite 4.0
• Another update, GeoTools 10.1 Released
• Impressive what you can quickly do with open source javascript libraries, Showing GPS tracks in 3D with three.js and d3.js
• MapBox, strong contributors to open source geospatial, hired, amongst many others, the creator of Leaflet and Sean Gillies, they also announced MapBox.js v1.4.0

On the Esri front:

• 30TB of fresh data, Latest DigitalGlobe imagery updates span the globe
• ArcGIS development is getting multiplatform, Introducing the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt and updates, Version 10.2 of ArcGIS Runtime SDKs for iOS and OS X are now available and Announcing the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Android v10.2 release!

On the Google front:

• New versions of Google Earth don't happen every day, Google Earth updated to version 7.1.2.2041, mostly a bugfix release
• New features in Google Maps, including virtual trips in full 3D, From where you are to where you want to go
• Another new tool for recording and sharing stories, Tour Builder: Tell your stories with Google Earth
• Related to the recent international surveillance discussions, Brazil Orders Google To Hand Over Street View Data
• An interesting story, Revisiting the UTA Flight 772 memorial in Google Earth
• As usual, New Google Earth Imagery – November 12

In the everything-else category:

• James is optimistic, Does Ideas4OGC Fix Problems with OGC Standards?, it seems it really helps
• Geoff has a nice summary named James Fee on remaining relevant as a GIS professional
• Not from Google, India gets its own Street View: Wonobo
• While Autonomous Cars Will Save Money and Lives, before more driverless cars, we'll get more driverless trucks, Autonomous Dump Trucks Are Coming To Canada's Oil Sands and why not, UK Town To Get Driverless 'Pods' Mixing With Pedestrians
• Also related, Driverless Cars Are Further Away Than You Think
• What's great is that we're also getting closer to Finland's Algorithm-Driven Public Bus
• In Canada, one of the biggest communications provider is tracking location of all users, no opt-out possible, but it won't be that simple, Is Bell's Plan to Monitor and Profile Canadians Legal?
• In the same vein, Seattle PD Mum On Tracking By Its New Wi-Fi Mesh Network, and you can also Connect To Unsecured Bluetooth Car Systems To Monitor Traffic Flow, I did not know that even car tires have RFID tags that can be tracked
• And we mentioned before being tracked in malls, it gets even more serious with Google Starts Tracking Retail Store Visits On Android and iOS
• Nothing really new there for our regular readers, Police Use James-Bond-Style GPS Bullet, and in the US, Court Rules Probable-Cause Warrant Required For GPS Trackers
• Not the first time we see a similar initiative, Oregon Extends Push To Track, Tax Drivers Per Mile, and this one titled Police Tracking License Plates Nationwide for Massive Data Base of Citizen Car Trips
• There's the usual story on the theme of US Mini-Satellites to Track and Kill Terrorists
• Unsurprisingly, New Job Listings Point to Continued Work on Transit Options in Apple Maps, transit is currently the big absent from Apple Maps, and what might be surprising, Apple Maps Significantly More Popular Than All Other iOS Mapping Apps, Including Google
• VerySpatial shares an entry named The Geography of Twitter
• Two articles on maps and marijuana; Tabulating the Underground Economy, and the DEA’s Pathetic Attempt to Map the Marijuana Trade and Unnecessary Environmental Destruction from Marijuana Cultivation in the United States
• In case you need to know, RapidEye changes name to BlackBridge
• Remote sensing will be more popular than ever, Government and industry to combine for 1150 satellites over next decade (including telecommunications)

In the maps category:

• It has been popular recently, the Digital Attack Map, A Live Map of Ongoing DDoS Attacks
• It happened to Google Maps in, Taiwan Protests Apple Maps That Show Island As Province of China
• In the U.S.? Is there too much arsenic in the soil where you live? Metals, Minerals, Poisons and Maps
• Also for the U.S., Two Detailed Rail Maps and an attempt at Mapping Honesty and Property Crime
• Crime? Police relaunches its crime map
• Let's learn a bit more, Get to Know a Projection: Lambert Conformal Conic
• The paper edition is $400, you can get the digital version for $20, The Barrington Atlas Comes to the iPad
• A map of the Countries most vulnerable to climate change
• I'm not certain if we shared that link before or not, the excellent series of 40 maps that explain the world

Supergeo Technologies, a leading global provider of complete GIS software and solutions, reaches the platinum partnership agreement with Integrated International for Software and Information Systems (A.K.A. IISIS) to market SuperGIS solutions in Egypt. This collaboration would help clients with high demands of GIS software to establish proper GIS platforms to overcome spatial issues and therefore achieve operational goals.

Headquartered in Cairo, Egypt, IISIS is a subsidiary of IIES (International Integrated Environmental Services Ltd.), Supergeo Platinum Partner in Kuwait. IISIS not only specializes in offering GIS consulting services but also implementing GIS projects for local government sectors, helping them improve work efficiency and make crucial public policies with informed data and analyses.

Taking the advantages of timely technical support, complete training sessions, as well as affordable price for great cost reduction on operations, SuperGIS mapping software allows users to effortlessly use, edit, and share various maps, imagery, and geospatial resources across organizations.

The collaboration with IISIS helps Supergeo establish more solid and worldwide distribution channels, as well as making SuperGIS software and services more attainable to clients. It is also believed that the strategic partnership could create win-win situations for the two parties to successfully expand businesses in Egypt, Northern Africa and the Middle East region.

#  #  #

About Supergeo

Supergeo Technologies Inc. is a leading global provider of GIS software and solutions. Since the establishment, Supergeo has dedicated to providing state-of-the-art geospatial technologies and comprehensive services for customers around the world. It is our vision to help users utilize geospatial technologies to create a better world.

Supergeo software and applications have been spread over the world to be the backbone of the world’s mapping and spatial analysis. Supergeo is the professional GIS vendor, providing GIS-related users with complete GIS solutions for desktop, mobile, server, and Internet platforms.

The recent geonews in batch mode:

From the open source / open data front:

• At the beginning of the month, followers of Slashgeo's Twitter feed learned right away about the announcement by the City of Montreal that they'll make their textured 3D buildings publicly available in OGC's CityGML format later this Fall - this was announced at the Geomatics event - I'm waiting for a link to share for a full story (they showed impressive fly-troughs), and as far as I'm aware, that's the first major city to provide detailed textured 3D building to the public, is that right?
• The 20-minutes video of Paul Ramsey's closing session of FOSS4G, on Being an open source citizen, well worth watching
• Using a drone and open source software to make an image mosaic of mountains
• Users of the R open source statistics software, mapmap 0.7 released: "Import, plot and analyze bathymetric and topographic" data
• Here's about using CSS instead of the SLD standard to style layers in GeoServer

From the Esri front:

• There has been a GDAL/OGR driver for the Esri File Geodatabase since January, but what's new is that the FileGDB format is being reversed-engineered, which opens the door for deeper support than what the API provides
• Updated, Esri Maps for SharePoint 3.0.1 Released and why not, Esri Maps for Office 2.1.1 Released

From the Google front:

• Google offers a New Google Maps preview, which includes directions for multiple destinations, your reservations, upcoming events and more
• This may interest some of you, A Google Earth Exercise for Biblical Geography

In the miscellaneous category:

• Interesting, James Fee on remaining relevant as a GIS professional
• Via VerySpatial, I learned about the article named China 'to rent five per cent of Ukraine'
• We mentioned Semantic Mediawiki since, here's a fresh article named Semantic MediaWiki: A promising platform for the development of web geospatial crowdsourcing applications
• Can you believe them? NSA Abandoned Project To Track Cell Phone Locations
• Location tracking is getting more insidious with an accuracy of 10cm through walls without any transmitter, MIT Develops "Kinect of the Future"
• Yes, you can even do that, Satellite Maps Reveal Who’s to Blame for the Sinking of Venice
• A reminder, What four things do map projections distort?
• Locating things matter, The Internet of Things will be a $1.9 Trillion business by
• With all the NSA / spying / privacy stories, not surprising to hear Germany Announces Rules on Sale of Commercial High Resolution Imagery

In the maps category:

• A former colleague shared an interesting collection of 40 Maps That Will Help You Make Sense of the World
• A Map By Nokia Shows All Windows Phones With Language Set To “Chinese” In Asia And Europe
• A map named Roads of Death, mapping road accident deaths per country
• For the U.S., a New York Times “Immigration Explorer” Interactive Map
• In New York? Lower Manhattan Growth Animation (1840-2020)
• Oh, but you might currently be more interested by the Government Shutdown Map by the Washington Post
• Still U.S.-related, via APB, BitLy's Media Map

Ok, I did it again, way too much time since our last batch mode edition, but here it is, thanks for your patience!

On the open source / open data front:

• Amongst the numerous FOSS4G summaries out there, I selected Paul's for you to read... and here's to watch, the FOSS4G talks on YouTube, that's 86 videos. Amongst what else happened at FOSS4G this year, Arnulf Christl Received the Sol Katz Award
• Open source GIS software not ready for real maps? Look at this FOSS4G State of the Art Digital Cartography Collection
• We now know what's new in GeoServer 2.4, thanks! :)
• That's easy, mapping csv files with Leaflet Simple CSV
• This demonstrate how OpenStreetMap data is great, New York City and OpenStreetMap Collaborating Through Open Data
• And yes the recent iD editor helped OSM and here's OpenStreetMap's Contributor Community Visualized - Individual by Individual
• The open source GeoMesa software proposal seems interesting, 'a foundation for storing, querying, and transforming spatio-temporal data in Accumulo [read the cloud]'
• OSGeo officially has the non-profit status to the eyes of the IRS
• On Creating a WebGL Earth with three.js, a topic mentioned before
• I also became aware of the GeoTriple / Geozilla open source software to handle WMS services, Windows-only
• Already, MapStore 1.3.0 released

On the Esri front:

• Here's What’s New in ArcGIS Online (September), including the ArcGIS Marketplace, CityEngine Web Viewer and more
• A new term pushed by Esri, What is CyberGIS?, essentially, it's WebGIS / CloudGIS to me
• A list of ArcGIS Online Learning & Help Resources
• Another major update to Esri's World Topographic Map, specifically for France
• There's ArcGIS API for JavaScript Version 3.7 Released with lots of new features

On the Google front:

• For developers, Full screen maps and new marker features now available in the Google Maps Mobile APIs, with marker animations!
• A hot topic, Mapping climate change in Google Earth
• Here's how to Embed your Google+ posts into Google Earth
• The GEB shares The best 3D models of all time for Google Earth
• Street View arrives at CERN
• Google share a blog entry on The HALO Trust: Helping communities reclaim the land with Google Maps for Business, but you know me, as much as I like Google, I still can't understand why they don't user OpenStreetMap data

Discussed over Slashdot:

• Metadata On How You Drive Also Reveals Where You Drive
• Ordnance Survey Creates Minecraft Model of Great Britain
• Protesters Are Dodging Sudan's Internet Shutdown With a Phone-Powered Crowdmap
• Wealth In Africa Mapped Using Mobile Phone Data
• Bypassing US GPS Limits For Active Guided Rockets
• Yeah, privacy... NYC Is Tracking RFID Toll Collection Tags All Over the City
• I tell you, we'll see this on the roads sooner than later, How Google, Tesla, and Uber Could Team Up For the Driverless Taxis of the Future
• Regulations need to be updated, FEMA Grounds Private Drones That Were Helping To Map Boulder Floods
• Social and location, Wi-Fi Sniffing Lets Researchers Build Graph of Offline Social Networks
• Researchers Develop the Most Detailed Map of Gravitational Variations Ever

In the miscellaneous category:

• Last time we mentioned GeoGit was a year ago, Geoff shares an entry named Distributed spatial data management with long transactions
• An excellent reminder of the contributions of SAR imagery, SAR – we love it, we hate it. Take a general look!
• Or even more general, an ESA article named Looking to the future of Earth observation
• More easy access to Landsat data from the ESA, currently, it's Landsat 5 data, with Landsat 7 planned
• Rumors are rumors, Apple's Maps Team Hiring Web UI Designer for 'New Secret Project', maybe they need such a project, Apple's Maps App Directs Alaska Drivers onto Airport Taxiway
• Still Apple related, Tidbits discusses The Promise of iBeacons in iOS 7, to help you locate things around you via Bluetooth
• A real improvement, now wireless, 3DConnexion releases their wireless SpaceMouse
• It's been several years that we mentioned eCognition, well, its version 8.9 has been released
• You can Add MapBox to iOS 7 with One Line of Code
• Here's an excellent question we'll eventually have to answer, Can crowdsourced land cover data be used as an authoritative data source ?
• Yahoo's not dead yet, Updated Yahoo Maps for the U.S. which includes public transit and pedestrian routing

In the maps category:

• APB links to a long series of maps related to drug use in the U.S., from a survey, impressive stats
• An excellent way to understand geographic projections, This is Your Brain on Maps
• Poison, Mapping Arsenic in the United States Is Not Pretty
• My wife would love this, Mapping emotions across the World
• Some free time? Things that look like other things in Google Earth

And the final bonus, totally unrelated to geospatial though, if you have a smartphone or tablet, try Just a Reflektor

In-app map store includes library of more than 100,000 maps from well-known map publishers, cartographers, and offers specialized maps for recreational use on land, air or sea

Toronto, ON (October 1) - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe® Illustrator® and Geographic Imager® geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop®, announced the long-awaited launch of the PDF Maps app on the Google Play Store. The first and only geospatial PDF and GeoTIFF reader for Android devices, Avenza’s PDF Maps app is unique to the space due to its extensive collection of more than 100,000 detailed maps sourced from well-established publishers, cartographers, government agencies and aficionados of outdoor recreational activities, all of which are downloadable directly from within the app.

PDF Maps take advantage of geospatial technology that allows consumers to view maps and measure real world distances and areas. Paired together with mobile devices that utilize GPS such as Androids, the PDF Maps app provides constant access to geographic locations and even points of interest without the risk of losing reception due to cell tower proximity. Designed with its audience of travelers and outdoor enthusiasts in mind, Avenza’s PDF Maps app has already garnered accolades from the International Map Industry Association (IMIA) and Geospatial World for its innovative use of technology on the iOS platform in and. Since then, its versatility for recreational or business purposes out in the field has been recognized across several industries and it’s gaining momentum.

“The market is currently saturated with map apps that are limited in map data, or too simplified to be functional for offline navigating. We wanted to address those issues by providing a free navigational app that catered to a segment of users who needed something more substantial than the average turn-by-turn digital maps offered today, while providing map-publishers with an iTunes-like environment for distributing their maps direct to devices” said Ted Florence, President of Avenza Systems Inc. “With Avenza’s PDF Maps app Android users can do more than just view their location. PDF Maps provides a meaningful interface to measure distances, drop placemarks and share personal recorded data in various formats. It’s more than just a viewing tool, but will provide the Android market the best of both worlds – access to maps from well-known paper map publishers that work in tandem with the functionality of GPS devices. We’re thrilled to finally make it available to a new market.”

Unlike other map apps that provide one view of a location using GPS coordinates as most maps do, Avenza’s PDF Maps app expands a traveler’s choices, allowing them to access detailed geography or points of interest created by specific map publishers for use on land, sea or air. PDF Maps app for Android allows consumers to access information while at a destination, providing users an opportunity to make the most of their time experiencing their environment rather than searching for cell reception to access directions.

Currently, Avenza’s vast PDF Maps app library covers maps for domestic and international travel organized by state and area. Android users will appreciate the breadth of tool management features available. All maps –free and purchased-- are accessible through the in-app map store and offer the following capabilities:

• Add maps from the file system, Dropbox, a URL, email, or Map Store
• Browse, purchase, and download maps from the Avenza Map Store (existing iOS PDF Maps accounts are compatible)
• Show GPS position on maps
• Add Placemarks
• Import and export KML
• Find Coordinates
• Measure Distance or Area
• Open current view in Google Maps

Avenza’s PDF Maps in-app Map Store features a variety of publishers that focus on recreational activities as well as all segments of the map-use market. Below is a small sampling of maps available:

• Camping and hiking including National Park Service maps and other regions of the world
• Nautical and marine navigation including NOAA and FAA charts for North America and other regions of the world
• Topographic use including USGS and Canadian Topographic maps and other regions of the world
• Maps for tourists, transit, travel, special events, historic and much more

PDF Maps is available now in the Google Play Store free of charge. For more information about PDF Maps, visit the Avenza website/pdf-maps. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps app in-app store.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services.

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode. With FOSS4G next week, I expect exciting news soon!

On the open source / open data front:

• OpenStreetMap's State of the Map ended, here's an outsider overview, keywords: growing and healthy
• It's been a while since we mentioned that one, New MapProxy 1.6.0 released, a reminder, "It caches, accelerates and transforms data from existing map services and serves any desktop or web GIS client"
• GeoMoose is now officially an OSGeo project, reminder, it's an "Open Source Web Client JavaScript Framework for displaying distributed GIS data"
• Paul shows us Census Mapping Made Easy with open software

On the Esri front:

• Esri added Landscape Layers to ArcGIS, "over 60 layers are available at your fingertips as input to geoprocessing models and for the creation of beautiful and informative interactive web maps"
• Here's for next Tuesday, Check Out What’s Coming in ArcGIS Online
• Esri also introduced GeoEnrichment for JavaScript developers, which helps you "create a web app that’s full of interactive demographic, consumer spending, and lifestyle data for the viewers of your map"

On the Google front:

• The GEB shares More great Google Earth resources for teachers
• Google invites us to Explore the Galapagos’ biodiversity with Street View, and why not boats, Kurt shares the R/V Falkor in Street View and still on the same topic, Updated Street View imagery of tsunami-affected areas of northeastern Japan, including the exclusion zone
• Same old story still making the news, Court Declares Google Must Face Wiretap Charges For Wi-Fi Snooping when collecting data for StreetView
• In the trivia category, Court Orders Retrial In Google Maps-Related Murder Case
• Nice to look at, Tri-bridges around the world, three-way bridges

In the everything-else category:

• Bing Maps got a major imagery update, 13 Million Square Kilometers of Imagery, or 315.92 terabytes
• Here's a beautiful 4-minutes video on the last 50 years of the satellite industry made by DigitalGlobe
• Amazon improves its geo offerings with a New Geo Library for Amazon DynamoDB, allowing a basic set of spatial queries
• Another way Apple Maps will improve, Apple Working to Leverage New 'M7' Motion-Sensing Chip for Mapping Improvements
• Wired reviews the book The Lost Art of Finding Our Way by Harvard's John Edward Huth
• An OGC entry named Smart Cities Depend on Smart Location Communication
• Efforts mentioned before, 3 million data points collected by Safecast to warn Japan about radiation
• Yes, the NSA knows where you've been, NSA Can Spy On Data From Smart Phones, Including Blackberry
• Geoff has an entry on the successful use of satellite imagery to reduce illegal deforestation in Brazil
• On GhettoTracker and segregation through geospatial knowledge, Could Technology Create Modern-Day 'Leper Colonies'?
• When geospatial apps goes too far, New Smartphone Tech To Alert Pedestrians: 'You Are About To Be Hit By a Car', this other app might be more useful: Dangerous Neighbourhood? Kovert App Will Navigate With Vibration From Your Pocket
• In the maps category, Wired offers links and maps on The Geography of American Agriculture

Catching up the August geonews, we're now all up to date with this way too long entry.

On the open source front:

• The new open source GraphHopper Maps – High Performance and Customizable Routing in Java based on OpenStreetMap data (via OSM)
• Here's Quantarctica, a free GIS package for Antarctica, the basic package is 7 gigs of free geodata and works with QGIS
• MapBox has an entry on the US Census Bureau released the version of TIGER
• There's more of those, the first Open Source Geospatial Lab in Switzerland is established at SUPSI, Ohio's First Open Source Geospatial lab will be established at KSU, and another one, First Australian Open Source Geospatial Laboratory at the University of Melbourne
• Frequent improvements, GeoTools 9.5 Released, GeoServer 2.3.5 Released, and Geopaparazzi 3.6.0 is out
• MapGuide Open Source is still alive and a major release planned for next year, meanwhile, Announcing: MapGuide Open Source 2.4.1 and 2.5.1
• Try open source software easily, OSGeo-Live 7.0 Released

On the Esri front:

• WordPress and Esri are both very popular, this gives us a WorldPress Plugin for ArcGIS Online: Spatial-Blogging for all Bloggers
• Esri released ArcGIS for State Government
• Here's an open source boilerplate for ArcGIS API for Javascript apps
• From Esri Press, the second edition of book 'The GIS 20: Essential Skills'
• MS and Esri, Bing Maps Use in ArcGIS Has Changed
• Updates, ArcGIS API for JavaScript Version 3.6 Released and ArcPad 10.2 Released

Discussed over Slashdot:

• More free data, Using Zillow's Creative Commons Neighborhood Boundary Data For the U.S.
• Microsoft acquires a part of Nokia, including access to Nokia mapping services
• Patents block innovation, How Patent Trolls Stalled a New Transit App
• Mapping unhappiness, Twitter-Based Study Figures Out Saddest Spots In New York City
• With MapBox behind, Open Source Mapping Software Shows Every Traffic Death On Earth, on a similar topic, Visualizing New York’s Road Accidents With the Interactive ‘Crashmapper’
• Old maps, Ostrich-Egg Globe Believed Oldest To Show New World
• More competition for driverless cars, Nissan Plans To Sell Self-Driving Cars By
• Sharks with lasers? Great White Shark RFID/Satellite Tracking Shows Long Journeys, Many Beach Visits

In the miscellaneous category:

• Another insightful entry from Brian Timoney, with an example of how difficult it can be to simply get the latest US state boundaries
• Kickstarter to get a 4-cm accuracy real-time kinematic GPS for only 2,000$, named Piksi
• OGC standards and Advancing Toward Spatial Data Quality Assurance
• MapBox has been testing their upcoming quick access to satellite imagery 'MapBox Satellite Live'
• Another research indicating using GPS negatively impact our internal picture of the world
• MapQuest wants to stay relevant with their new spatially aware Data Manager API web service
• Here's the YouSayCity, a 3D tool to discuss and document the future of individual cities
• Not directly geospatial, Discover the World's Greatest Internet Cities
• While it's a rather poor game, gamification of crowdsourcing geospatial data is here, this example of the Landspotting iPad app to crowdsource satellite imagery classification in a game, I preferred the Kort game to improve OpenStreetMap
• Wired shared an article on Google Map Maker, OpenStreetMap and the State of Crowdsourced World Mapping
• Nothing surprising, Apple too will leverage its users, iOS 7 Will Ask Users To Help Improve iOS Maps, Apple also acquired Embark to Further Improve Mass Transit Navigation
• In-the-house mobile devices, Are Mobile Users Really Mobile? Not So Much
• With Agile everywhere, it's Agile somewhere, 17th AGILE Conference on Geographic Information Science
• Don't know how many people there is an in area? Use the pickle consumption index
• Something we heard before, the geospatial identity crisis and the term 'geomatics'
• We mentioned it in and here's an updated about Gmap4: REST and WMS Map Viewer for Google Maps and GIS Data
• Another OGC entry, this time on big data and Big Processing of Geospatial Data
• A generic NYT article on Microsatellites: What Big Eyes They Have
• Drones again, Light-weight UAV-mounted laser scanning system announced
• Future unevenly distributed, Video Flashback 1987: Star Trek's Shatner Tells You Where You Can Stick Your Maps
• Pretty interesting, geo doesn't have to be that complex, James Fee shares GIS Is Complicated by Design

In the maps category:

• Yosemite fires entries: The Fire Last Time: Mapping Blazes Past, Present - and Future, 6 Months of Wildfires Burning North America, and Yosemite Fire’s Destruction Mapped in Beautiful, Frightening Color
• Another source for marine traffic, Visualize and Monitor Maritime Vessels, Real-time on Google Earth
• Map of Nobel prizes, A visual exploration of the Nobel Prize history
• An printed atlas, Atlas of the World Wide Web
• Maps of war, Targeting Sites of Attack in Syria
• Correlation is not causation, maps of Milk, the Drink of Conquerors
• Via Wired, don't miss (really) this London’s Underground With This Mesmerizing Interactive 3-D Map
• On a similar topic, the Interactive Map of the Paris Metro
• A new version, the nice Submarine Cable Map