Tag Archives: Street View

Batch Geonews: QGIS News, GeoWave, New Google Roads API, Challenges of Geospatial Databases, and much more

Here’s the recent geonews in batch mode. From the open source / open data front: Beautiful progress and maps, The first ten years of OpenStreetMap, nice progress map, and somewhat related, Mapping turn restrictions and speed limits with Mapillary (crowdsourced Street Level photos ) A new open source database, GeoWave aims at linking popular geospatial tools to “big data” ...

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Google Geonews: New ‘My Maps’, Making of Maps, Street View in many New Places, and more

Here’s the recent Google-related geonews in batch mode. From official sources: Launched in, there’s a new Google My Maps available, Make your own way with the new My Maps, along with a My Maps Android app. This version allows users to “add images, descriptions, custom icons, and place details along the way” and user maps can be added to Google’s ...

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Google Geonews: Google Selling its Aerial Imagery, New Explore Feature in Google Maps, Ebola Map, London in 3D, and more

Starting to catch up the numerous geonews of the past weeks covering our Summer break. Here’s the recent Google-related geonews. From official sources: A new ‘explore’ feature, Spend more time exploring with Google Maps 36 new University campuses in Street View, Take a college road trip with Street View From the official Google Geo Developers Blog, Recap of Google Maps ...

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Batch Geonews: OpenAddresses, csw4js, GeoPackage Support in ArcGIS, Historic Street View, and much more

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

On the open source / open data front:

  • We talked about the beta OpenAddresses in, now OpenAddresses has launched
  • Here's thoughts from State of the Map US and Peter Batty's report of SofM US, including the new Vector Tiles for OpenStreetMap and discussion over licensing
  • A new open source project, the missing CSW library for JavaScript: csw4js
  • Using QGIS? Learn more about Composition styling in QGIS 2.2
  • In software updates, GeoServer-Manager 1.6.0 released and GeoTools 10.6 Released

On the Esri front:

  • Good news for standards, support for OGC GeoPackage specification in ArcGIS.
  • A fourth Esri app for iPad and iPhones, Now Available: Explorer for ArcGIS on iPad and iPhone, "Explorer for ArcGIS gives you a first class experience for accessing your geospatial data on a mobile device."
  • More openness at Esri, ArcGIS Solutions symbols now have a repo on GitHub, of course, don't forget about the open Maki geo-symbols
  • There's an upcoming free  online seminar on Arc2Earth and Using Google Maps Inside Esri’s ArcGIS
  • Esri has a New Ocean Basemap

On the Google front:

  • We can now browse StreetView "historical" imagery, Go back in time with Street View
  • The two are slowly merging, The long history of Google Earth in Google Maps
  • Interesting, a book on The History of the World with Google Earth
  • In the official Google blog, The latest chapter for the self-driving car: mastering city street driving, and Slashdot discusses Google Using Self-Driving Car Data To Make Cars Smarter
  • Eyes in the sky, Google Buys Drone Maker Titan Aerospace
  • Ogle Earth shares an entry named What does Crimea tell us about Google?
  • As there frequently is, New Google Earth Imagery – May 1, and this one too, New Google Earth Imagery – April 16

In the miscellaneous category:

  • Want to understand MapBox via educational guides? Introducing Mapbox Foundations and they also have two new products, Mapbox Launches Smart Directions and Introducing Mapbox Outdoors
  • In Europe? The final Copernicus Regulation has been published, "Copernicus, previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security), is the European Programme for the establishment of a European capacity for Earth Observation."
  • Impacts of Ukraine, Russian sanctions have killed Canadian satellite launch
  • Not the first we mention this, The Commoditization of the Earth Observation Satellite Business
  • Google Glass? You can build your own, DIY Wearable Pi With Near-Eye Video Glasses
  • O'Reilly has a long and informative entry on iBeacons, privacy, and security
  • Also Apple-related, Apple acquired 24 companies in the past 18 months, including several mapping apps, including BroadMap, Embark, HopStop, Locationary, and WiFiSlam, along with other notable additions like 3D company PrimeSense
  • And yes, Apple and Google can work together sometimes, Google's 'Project Tango' Smartphone Uses Apple's PrimeSense Technology
  • MapQuest playing nice with popular open source libraries, Announcing MapQuest Plugins for Leaflet on Licensed and Open Data
  • Remote sensing and mapping of citizens, Eyes Over Compton: How Police Spied On a Whole City
  • If you haven't heard of 'Nearby Friends' yet, New Facebook Phone App Lets You Stalk Your Friends
  • It's Facebook so it must matters? ;-) Facebook acquires activity-tracking app Moves
  • A discussion regarding The Best Parking Apps You've Never Heard Of and Why You Haven't
  • 3D coming to your phone? Amazon's Smartphone with 3D Capabilities Revealed in New Photos
  • Based on where you live, UK Life Expectancy and Spatial Analysis

In the maps category:

  • Via APB, a map of the Countries With The Worst Suicide Rates
  • Wired published a story named 400 Years of Beautiful, Historical, and Powerful Globes
  • Also from Wired, 18 Maps From When the World Thought California Was an Island
  • An atlas, Global Renewable Energy Atlas
  • TMR mentions two books about Art and Personal Mapmaking
  • And if you're into poems, Map – poem by Wislawa Szymborska
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New Google Maps Launched

Most of our readers were already aware of the new Google Maps interface available in beta for quite some time already, as of yesterday, the new Google Maps is there for everybody.

The highlights according to the announcement:

  • Make smarter decisions. Simply search for “coffee” in your neighborhood, and you’ll be able to see results and snippets right on the map. [...] 
  • Get where you're going, faster. [...]  And with the new real-time traffic reports  and Street View previews, you’ll become a commuting ninja.
  • See the world from every angle. [...]   The new “carousel” at the bottom of the map makes all this imagery easy to access, so you can explore the world with a click.

Here's the 2-minutes video presenting the new Google Maps. It's a significant improvement over the version we're used to.

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Batch Geonews: SOTM Overview, ArcGIS Online Updates, Google Earth for Teachers, and more

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
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Google Geonews: Cloudless Imagery in Maps and Earth, New Google Earth 7.1 for Mobile with Street View, 50 New Cities in 3D, and more

Here's the recent Google-related geonews.

From official sources:

  • Excellent news, there's now only clear skies on Google Maps and Earth, cloudless imagery at least in the northern hemisphere to start with
  • Google Earth 7.1 for Android and iOS was released and now features Street View imagery
  • You can now apply to get the Street View Trekker kit to contribute to Google Maps, also discussed over Slashdot
  • Here's the new list of supported browsers for JavaScript Maps API v3, that list was last updated 3 years ago!
  • Google Maps additions:
    • Japan's Battleship Island in now featured in Google Maps, discussed over Slashdot
    • Fans of Thomas Jefferson, there are now Street View images of Monticello’s grounds and some building interiors in Google Maps
    • Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest skyscraper, is now in Street View

From other sources:

  • The GEB reports a quiet major update to Street View and 3D imagery, with 3D imagery in 50 news cities
  • Here's the Tour de France in Google Earth on Android
  • Also interesting is the exploration of 25,000 ancient sites in Google Earth with the Megalithic Portal
  • Kurt shows coastal erosion rates in the entry Google TimeLapse for coastal and marine applications
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Batch Geonews: Stamen Map Stack, 1,000 New Street View, Protest Maptivism, D3.js Geo, 270TB of Bird’s Eye, and much more

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

From the open source / open data front:

  • Here's an excellent and funny presentation of Leaflet: Past, Present and Future
  • GitHub just added mapping capabilities: any GeoJSON file hosted on GitHub can be mapped with MapBox Streets 
  • Mapnik 2.2.0 has been released
  • Here's CLAVIN (Cartographic Location And Vicinity INdexer) is an open source software package for document geotagging and geoparsing that employs context-based geographic entity resolution (via O'Reilly Radar)
  • A new book available, The QGIS Training Manual, by Rüdiger Thiede, Tim Sutton, Horst Düster, and Marcelle Sutton
  • Here comes QGIS Enterprise, it's QGIS Desktop + Server + Web Client along with support and maintenance contract
  • Yes, in QGIS 2.0 we'll get data-defined symbol properties, and here's on the new QGIS 2.0 APIs
  • Mapbender has been resurrected into Mapbender3: "the back office software and client framework for spatial data infrastructures" 
  • Something new, GeoThink.ca - Canadian Geospatial and Open Data Think Tank
  • Here's some nice javascript examples dealing with projections and other geostuff, mostly from D3.js, some are pretty impressive
  • Here's all OpenGeo presentations videos from FOSS4G-NA, and why not, here's the GeoServer presentation from GeoSolutions
  • About the same time, OpenGeo also launched MapMeter, a monitoring tool for spatial deployments such as GeoServer
  • From the gvSIG blog, I learned about available Emergency mapping symbology

From the Esri front:

  • An entry named From ArcMap to ArcGIS Online: well-prepared geographic information for the web
  • Here's the OGC summary of what happened with the GeoServices REST API standard submitted by Esri
  • There's now ArcGIS Online admin tools available on GitHub
  • News that Esri looks to link CAD Software to ArcGIS Online

From the Google front:

  • Google announced today nothing less than 1,000 new Street View locations to Google Maps
  • Road traffic information is important to Google, Google To Buy Waze For $1.3 Billion and the official Google announcement
  • There was a Google ocean bathymetry update earlier this week
  • Wonder what Google Glasses looks like inside? Via Make, here's What's Inside Google Glass
  • That's a topic we mentioned before, recently discussed over Slashdot, How Google Street View Keeps an Eye on Things Where There Are No Streets
  • A book's voyage recreated in Google Earth: “Sailing Alone Around the World” in Google Earth
  • I tried the new Google Maps interface, and I admit, this is an excellent improvement

In the miscellaneous category:

  • Via APB, the well known Stamen Design launched their Map Stack that makes designing maps free, easy and fun
  • APB links to an article named The Revolution Will Be Live-Mapped: A Brief History of Protest Maptivism
  • In case you missed it, Landsat 8 data is available for download since May 30th
  • Earlier this week, Microsoft announced 270 terabytes of new Bird's Eye imagery
  • Geoff mentions that the Time required to create 3D city models dropping rapidly, now less than a week for a textured 3D model of a whole city
  • Google Glass will have competition, Atheer Offers a Wearable Display That's Glasses, Not Glass, but it's clearly not as sexy or wearable
  • In Apple's iOS new 'Today' feature, there's Traffic Information on Frequently Visited Locations
  • A quick one on 3D printing, "Anti-Gravity" 3D Printer Sculpts Shapes On Any Surface
  • A generic article on drones / UAVs gathering location-based science data easier and cheaper than ever
  • And now those drones can be accurately guided by thoughts 
  • Frank at VerySpatial offers a long entry on the geography of cars
  • The same site made me aware of the course on Teaching World Music with Geospatial Technology

In the maps category:

  • Here's 5 Maps That Show How Divided America Really Is: median income, poverty line, inequality, food stamps, and diplomas
  • Here's a Map of All American Rivers
  • Funny name, WWF's ArkGIS: mapping the changing Arctic landscape
  • Here's bedmap2, an ice and bedrock map Antarctica
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Google Geonews: Google Glass Navigation Review, 29-years Satellite Imagery Timelapse, and more

Here's the recent Google-related geonews.

From official sources:

  • Google participated to TIME's new Timelapse Project, providing an interactive time-lapse satellite imagery map for the 29 last years  - this was also discussed over Slashdot
  • Google also shares a short entry named Bridging the gaps with Street View
  • Here's was to expect later this week from Behind the Map at Google I/O
  • A week left now, An update on the JavaScript Maps API v2 deprecation

From other sources:

  • The Google Earth Android app got a nice update, including native Street View support
  • Slashdot discussed a story named Tesla's Elon Musk Talks With Google About Self-Driving Cars
  • Unsurprisingly, there was new imagery to Google Earth

Specifically on Google Glass Project:

  • Let's start with a discussion named Google Glass Hands-On: Brimming With Potential, Dangerous While Driving
  • APB links to a Google Glass Navigation Review, and it's pretty positive
  • Someone had to ask, Is Google Glass Too Nerdy For the Mainstream?
  • This will likely improve, but for now Google Glass Is the Future — and the Future Has Awful Battery Life
  • And yes, Google Glass will work with iPhones too
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Batch Geonews: JS.geo, Instant StreetView, 3D Printing, Drones, Autodesk in the Cloud, and more

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

From the Esri front:

  • An interesting entry on Designing the next generation of online Topographic Maps
  • There's an ArcGIS Online World Topographic Map New Design which includes High-resolution imagery for South America, Australia, New Zealand, and Afghanistan
  • The Esri U.S. Demographic Data Release

On the web maps front:

  • We mentioned it before, and here's more details on JS.geo: A Meeting of Javascript Mappers in Denver
  • There's a new site to give you Instant Google Street View (direct link)... worth trying, it's really fast
  • Also Google-related, the GEB talks about GPS4Sport that combines GPS with Video and Google Earth
  • On Apple Maps
    • Rumors of OS X 10.9 to Include Siri and Maps Integration
    • A lot of geoblogs mentioned that Apple axed the head of its mapping team, Richard Williamson (more here)
  • Microsoft added New Imagery Added to Windows 8 Maps App & Bing Maps
  • The MapBox iOS SDK hits version 0.5.0
  • Two weeks ago, TomTom launched its SDK for LBS Apps, including maps, geocoding, routing, traffic

In the miscellaneous category:

  • Launched less than 10 days ago, MarineRegions, "towards a global standard of georeferenced marine names" (via Kurt)
  • A slashdot story named French Company Building a Mobile Internet Just For Things
  • While 3D printing have most of its applications outside of geospatial, I found interesting that it's really going mainstream as demonstrated by Staples To Offer 3D Printing Services, an O'Reilly story named Printing ourselves, the state of 3D Printing Patent Suits (via OR), and yes, you can 3D-print your own drone
  • More news about drones:
    • The Make magazine offers a gift guide for aerial drones (via OR)
    • But beware, High Levels of Burnout in US Drone Pilots (via OR)
  • VerySpatial offers an entry on Forensic GIS and the Role of Geospatial Technologies for Investigating Crime and Providing Evidence
  • Apparently, there's Nokia offline maps available in Firefox OS (alpha)
  • If you're excited by OGC standards
    • There's the development of an international standard for 4D archaeological data
    • And soon, Augmented Reality Standard ARML 2.0 in its Final Stage
  • If you're in the U.S., you'll be interested by the GAO Report on Federal Geospatial Data Coordination
  • You wonder about earth observation satellites from Russia? Here's news about the Resurs-P with 3-m hyperspectral capabilities and other Russian satellites
  • As part of Autodesk University, you'll find the Autodesk CEO saying “I do believe that everything is moving to the cloud.” and an entry indicating that Autodesk's future is in the cloud

In the maps category:

  • Interesting maps, U.S. Geography of Personality: The United States of Mind
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