Does anybody know how the GPS clocks adjusted for this leap second?
Slowing Planet Affords Us an Extra Second - Yahoo! News
By HUGO KUGIYA, AP National Writer Fri Dec 30, 2:46 PM ET
If life is often a matter of split seconds — the train door that closes in your face, the chance encounter with the love of your life, the near-collision with an oncoming SUV — then the universe is about to bestow upon us a generous gift: the leap second.
On Saturday, at exactly 7 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, one second will be added to our official record of time — Coordinated Universal Time, kept by a series of atomic clocks, housed in environmentally sealed vaults in about 80 timekeeping laboratories around the world and certified by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures in Paris.
The reason for the extra second is simple: The earth is slowing down. Since the days of Sir Isaac Newton, scientists have understood the time it takes for the earth to make a full rotation is getting longer. The gradual deceleration is caused by the gravitational pull of the moon. The same force that brings the tides is putting the brakes on the earth, albeit very slowly.
And because time is a function of planetary movement, our days are getting longer and, depending on how you look at it, time is slowing down. This discrepancy is something we have only recently become able to measure. That happened in 1958 with the advent of atomic clocks, which measure time using the resonant frequency of a cesium atom.
When a 24-hour day, as measured by the world's atomic clocks, becomes more than 9/10th's of a second shorter than a solar day, those in charge add the leap second.
Eventually the 24-hour day as we know it will become a few minutes longer, although it will take millions of years. After hundreds of millions of years, the day will grow an hour longer. The rotation of the earth and its orbital path around the sun (which is engaged in a perpetual gravitational tug of war with Jupiter) are inconsistent and always vary slightly.
"If we think of all the ways we're being jerked around the universe, we'd probably be hurling in the street," joked Geoff Chester, spokesman for the U.S. Naval Observatory in Washington D.C.
These cosmic forces matter little in the lifetime of any single person until, eventually, a day in the life gains one second.
Most of us will not pause to notice the extra second. But our machines will. Our computers, and mobile phones, and global positioning devices, will all rest for one second at the appointed time as they calibrate to Coordinated Universal Time.
"All this stuff depends on precise time," Chester said, "and the problem that you have if you don't get all the clocks synchronized when the leap second occurs — you could have potentially interesting effects — is that the Internet could stop working, cell phones could go out."
The official timekeeping devices of communication companies the world over, television stations, newspapers, indeed The Associated Press, also will hold their electronic breaths for one second. Perfect time is critical to our technological infrastructure, some of which operates at the speed of light. Measured this way, one second represents two-thirds the distance between the earth and moon.
For the average person, observing the leap second requires focus and effort. Most cannot feel the extra second of sleep to which we will be entitled. No ball will drop. The leap second will not be observed with a countdown broadcast live from Times Square.
But for those wishing to witness the event, the process is relatively simple and requires a stop watch and a common cell phone with a time display.
At the precise moment the display reads 6:59 p.m. (EST), start the stopwatch. When the display changes to 7:00, stop the watch. It should read 61 seconds.
There. Your extra second will have been spent.
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Saturday, December 31, 2005
Europe’s satellite navigation venture launches
The first test satellite of Europe’s €3.8 billion Galileo navigation system was launched on Wednesday from the Baikonur cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.
The system will rival the US Global Positioning System (GPS) and Russia’s GLONASS system. Galileo is a civilian project and promises the permanent provision of a navigation system – the US and Russia systems are both run by the military and could in theory be turned off at any time.
Wednesday’s launch came after two years of delays. A Russian Soyuz rocket carrying the test GIOVE-A satellite blasted off at 0519 GMT. About nine minutes after lift-off, the launcher's first three stages separated as scheduled.
A few hours later mission control officials announced the probe had been successfully placed in its final orbit 23,000 kilometres (14,000 miles) above the Earth. But the mission will only be declared a success when the satellite's solar panels and transmission systems have been successfully tested.
The launch, originally scheduled for Monday, had been delayed by two days after the discovery of anomalies in stations tasked with following the satellite's progress in space.
The GIOVE-A satellite is named after the Italian word for Jupiter, but is also an acronym of Galileo In Orbit Validation Element. It will test various technologies including an atomic clock the European Space Agency says is the most precise ever sent into space.
Strategic independence
Satellite navigation has become indispensable for regulating air, sea and more recently road traffic, and Galileo will give Europe strategic independence from GPS.
But the systems will also complement each other. The US and the European Union reached agreement in 2004 to adopt common operating standards, overcoming US concerns that the Galileo system would compromise its use of GPS, on which the US military is heavily dependent. Galileo will also be compatible with the GLONASS.
According to ESA, Galileo is designed to deliver real-time positioning accuracy down to the one metre (one yard). The civilian system will guarantee service under all but the most extreme circumstances and will inform users within seconds of a failure of any satellite.
The project's next phase will be the launch of the GIOVE-B test satellite in 2006, followed by four working satellites by 2008. The ultimate goal remains a constellation of 30 satellites encircling the globe. The date for opening the network to commercial use has been pushed back two years to 2010.
Only You Can Help Digital Maps
David A. Utter
Staff Writer
Published: 2005-12-30
With an array of mapping technologies, satellite images, and aerial photos, map and local sites under the purview of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL still need the kind of information only local users can provide.
Search engines have long made their living off other people's content, exchanging access to an algorithm that finds their sites when relevant to a search for the indexing that takes place. Now that the battle for lucrative local advertising dollars has moved online, the big four need to outdo each other with content.
And as before, that content will come from users, an AP report noted.
AOL operates Mapquest, which has been the most heavily used mapping site online. Maps figure prominently in the plans for the other three companies. Google merged its Maps and Local services earlier in 2005, and Microsoft debuted its Windows Live Local as the new front end to MSN Virtual Earth.
There are some types of content that high technology can't collect. AP noted how Microsoft will trial a program that canvasses mountain bikers for good trail routes. Yahoo has long solicited user ratings and reviews on the various businesses available in its Local listings.
As they work at improving the driving directions and local listings, AP said the big four have to embrace a new challenge: walking and biking directions. Ask Jeeves has had foot directions as an option for its UK-based Local site, so it should be something the others could implement as well.
David A. UtterStaff Writer
Published: 2005-12-30
 |
With an array of mapping technologies, satellite images, and aerial photos, map and local sites under the purview of Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and AOL still need the kind of information only local users can provide.
Search engines have long made their living off other people's content, exchanging access to an algorithm that finds their sites when relevant to a search for the indexing that takes place. Now that the battle for lucrative local advertising dollars has moved online, the big four need to outdo each other with content.
And as before, that content will come from users, an AP report noted.
AOL operates Mapquest, which has been the most heavily used mapping site online. Maps figure prominently in the plans for the other three companies. Google merged its Maps and Local services earlier in 2005, and Microsoft debuted its Windows Live Local as the new front end to MSN Virtual Earth.
There are some types of content that high technology can't collect. AP noted how Microsoft will trial a program that canvasses mountain bikers for good trail routes. Yahoo has long solicited user ratings and reviews on the various businesses available in its Local listings.
As they work at improving the driving directions and local listings, AP said the big four have to embrace a new challenge: walking and biking directions. Ask Jeeves has had foot directions as an option for its UK-based Local site, so it should be something the others could implement as well.
MobileRead Networks - the resource for mobile geeks seeking information and advice for keeping their gadgets happy
The all-in-one card computer... for 2006?
Saturday December 31, 2005 (06:09 PM)
By: BobR
There's an article about an "all-in-one card" that's been getting a lot of buzz recently. Unfortunately, it's just the article is getting the buzz, not the card. Supposedly that concept handheld computer will be able to replace pdas, cell phones and mp3 players. And next year, no less. Chandan's writeup is definitely an attention getter, even if the idea is not quite new.
Basically, he describes thin client computing with a small card whose front surface is completely an e-ink type of display. Sort of a Star Trek tablet taken to the extreme. We've talked about that before, and I'm sure that it will be discussed even more as the technology advances to make it feasible.
There's really not a lot to argue about except for the claim that it can be done in 2006. Such a small device, a dreamy display, no place for the battery or fuel cell, no place for the wireless transmitter and antenna, etc etc. Forget all-in-one cards... we would be delighted even to get a display like that in 2006 for an ebook reader!
But as a discussion piece to give a concept of what may be to come, I think he's done a very good job. And if he knows how to really make it feasible now, then he could turn the industry upside down in a year. Personally, I'm a skeptic, but you can read the entire writeup here.
Section: Other Gadgets
The all-in-one card computer... for 2006? 
Saturday December 31, 2005 (06:09 PM)By: BobR
There's an article about an "all-in-one card" that's been getting a lot of buzz recently. Unfortunately, it's just the article is getting the buzz, not the card. Supposedly that concept handheld computer will be able to replace pdas, cell phones and mp3 players. And next year, no less. Chandan's writeup is definitely an attention getter, even if the idea is not quite new.Basically, he describes thin client computing with a small card whose front surface is completely an e-ink type of display. Sort of a Star Trek tablet taken to the extreme. We've talked about that before, and I'm sure that it will be discussed even more as the technology advances to make it feasible.
There's really not a lot to argue about except for the claim that it can be done in 2006. Such a small device, a dreamy display, no place for the battery or fuel cell, no place for the wireless transmitter and antenna, etc etc. Forget all-in-one cards... we would be delighted even to get a display like that in 2006 for an ebook reader!
But as a discussion piece to give a concept of what may be to come, I think he's done a very good job. And if he knows how to really make it feasible now, then he could turn the industry upside down in a year. Personally, I'm a skeptic, but you can read the entire writeup here.
Q&A: how Galileo will take on America's GPS - World - Times Online: "Q&A: how Galileo will take on America's GPS
Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent of The Times, explains why Europe has decided to go it alone with its own satellite navigation system
How long has the EU's satellite navigation programme been in development?
The EU and the European Space Agency formally agreed to go ahead with the project in 2002. A second test satellite will be launched next year, and an entire network of 30 satellites - 27 active ones and three spares - should be operational by 2010.
What problems have arisen and could arise as a result of Europe's reliance on the American GPS network?
The US Global Positioning System is primarily a military network, and public signals are provided as a spin-off. These could in theory be turned off at any time, if the US fears they are being used by terrorists or hostile countries. The GPS public signal is also weak, and offers less than optimal coverage in Europe. It is accurate only to 10 to 20 metres, which is fine for sailing or car navigation but not good enough for road-pricing, air traffic control or other complex applications.
How will the Galileo system benefit European citizens?
Galileo will offer guaranteed accuracy of 1 metre throughout Europe, and will provide centimetre precision in "
Mark Henderson, Science Correspondent of The Times, explains why Europe has decided to go it alone with its own satellite navigation system
How long has the EU's satellite navigation programme been in development?
The EU and the European Space Agency formally agreed to go ahead with the project in 2002. A second test satellite will be launched next year, and an entire network of 30 satellites - 27 active ones and three spares - should be operational by 2010.
What problems have arisen and could arise as a result of Europe's reliance on the American GPS network?
The US Global Positioning System is primarily a military network, and public signals are provided as a spin-off. These could in theory be turned off at any time, if the US fears they are being used by terrorists or hostile countries. The GPS public signal is also weak, and offers less than optimal coverage in Europe. It is accurate only to 10 to 20 metres, which is fine for sailing or car navigation but not good enough for road-pricing, air traffic control or other complex applications.
How will the Galileo system benefit European citizens?
Galileo will offer guaranteed accuracy of 1 metre throughout Europe, and will provide centimetre precision in "
Q&A: how Galileo will take on America's GPS - World - Times Online
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Columns by PC Magazine: Cell Phone Nav: The Next Big Thing
Bill Howard
Bill Howard
Odds are, once you try cellular navigation, you'll be hooked. For business, it's a no-brainer.
You have just enough time to make that 2:30 appointment if you don't get lost. But your car has no navigation system, and you're not getting far with the gas station attendant you just queried. No problem: Whip out your cell phone, and you have turn-by-turn (TBT) directions. Or you will shortly. The GPS directions service is the best example yet of location-based services (LBS) for cell phones, and it should be widely available in the coming year.
Move over, pictures, texting, and music. Navigation is the next big thing on mobile phones. It's cool, it's affordable, and it works spectacularly well, considering that you're looking at a 2-inch screen. And compare its price—an additional 10 bucks a month on your cell phone bill—with $1,500 to $2,500 for a navigation system in your next car or $750 for a dash-top system.
Here's how it works: You call up an embedded Java navigation applet, key in the destination address, and hit Send. The phone uses cell-tower triangulation to get a quick fix on your location while the phone-company server downloads directions and a map. The display shows directional arrows or a street map, turn-by-turn directions (on-screen and spoken), the distance to the next turn, and the distance and time to your destination.
We tried both current and prototype services and were impressed by their quality and accuracy. Cell-phone navigation is just about as good as current built-in, dash-top, and PDA-based navigation solutions. You have no upfront cost beyond buying a new phone, the data is always up to date, the services work in every car and rental car you use, and you can still receive calls.
Several companies provide navigation services. Motorola's ViaMoto is offered in rental cars (Avis Assist; Alamo/National Navigation Station) for $10 a day. Nextel subscribers can also get ViaMoto. Nextel and Sprint support TeleNav, and Verizon is expected to in 2006. Garmin offers Garmin Mobile on the Sprint network. Networks in Motion's promising AtlasBook is expected to be out in early 2006 on CDMA phones, meaning Sprint or Verizon. Others have nav, such as ALK's CoPilot Live, on smartphones (phone PDAs). A Microsoft/Fiat joint venture will incorporate a simple GPS data display in the instrument cluster and use a GSM Bluetooth cell phone to get trip downloads.—Continue reading...
Hollywood2020: LBS= LOCATION BASED SERVICES WHAT'S NEW?
LBS= LOCATION BASED SERVICES WHAT'S NEW?
LOCATION BASED SERVICES -- what does it mean? In the last blog Hollywood2020 columnist and blogger Joyce Schwarz refers to LBS -- location based services --some of our readers are not familiar with what we mean so we are providing an update. We thoroughly cover this in Joyce's book "Cutting the Cord: Guide to Going Wireless" Pearson Publishing available at www.amazon.com.
Here is an update of LBS -- via latest Google postings/press releases etc-- although much LBS will be local-- others will be via other delivery systems -- and it won't just be search and coupons and advertising and mobile marketing either-- take a peek at what's out there or about to launch:
Europe launches first of GPS satellites - The Boston Globe: "Effort seeks end to dependence on US military system
By Colin Nickerson, Globe Staff | December 29, 2005
BERLIN -- The European Union yesterday launched the first satellite in its ambitious Galileo global positioning system, directly challenging the American military's dominance over strategically and commercially critical satellite-guided navigational systems.
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''The satellite is up in space and transmitting signals,' said Franco Bonacina, spokesman for the European Space Agency, shortly after the unit hurtled into space atop a Soyuz booster launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
Scientists and journalists in Europe monitored the launch on computer linkups through the space agency's headquarters in Paris. The Galileo system"
By Colin Nickerson, Globe Staff | December 29, 2005
BERLIN -- The European Union yesterday launched the first satellite in its ambitious Galileo global positioning system, directly challenging the American military's dominance over strategically and commercially critical satellite-guided navigational systems.
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''The satellite is up in space and transmitting signals,' said Franco Bonacina, spokesman for the European Space Agency, shortly after the unit hurtled into space atop a Soyuz booster launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
Scientists and journalists in Europe monitored the launch on computer linkups through the space agency's headquarters in Paris. The Galileo system"
Europe launches first of GPS satellites - The Boston Globe
Ads by Google
Effort seeks end to dependence on US military system
BERLIN -- The European Union yesterday launched the first satellite in its ambitious Galileo global positioning system, directly challenging the American military's dominance over strategically and commercially critical satellite-guided navigational systems.
''The satellite is up in space and transmitting signals," said Franco Bonacina, spokesman for the European Space Agency, shortly after the unit hurtled into space atop a Soyuz booster launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome on the steppes of Kazakhstan.
Scientists and journalists in Europe monitored the launch on computer linkups through the space agency's headquarters in Paris. The Galileo system is Europe's largest ongoing space project.
''This is an important step for Europe," Bonacina said. ''It's a tool that Europe is giving itself that will be independent of the American system, although it will be [technologically] compatible with the American system."
The $4.3 billion civilian program will eventually hoist 30 satellites into space, ending Europe's dependence on global positioning systems controlled by the US military.
Expected to be operational by 2008 and completed by 2010, the Galileo system will be more precise than its American counterpart, capable of providing ''real time" positioning with an accuracy of within 3 feet, compared to roughly 16 feet for the American global positioning system available for civilian use. A frequent criticism of the US system is that positioning signals accessible by individuals, businesses, and nonmilitary government agencies -- such as police or rescue units -- are less precise than the frequencies available to US military and intelligence services.
Liftoff from the central Asian space complex occurred at 5:19 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time, according to the European Space Agency. The 1,322-pound satellite, named Giove A -- for Galileo In-Orbit Validation Element -- went into orbit 14,430 miles into space.
The satellite carried high-precision atomic clocks and ''signal-generation" units for testing. The main purposes of the mission are to send navigational signals to stake out frequencies for the Galileo program, assess the effects of radiation on equipment that will be carried by operational satellites, and perform trials on guidance gear. A second test satellite, Giove B, will be launched in the spring.
''The launch of Giove is proof that Europe can deliver ambitious projects to the benefit of its citizens and companies," European Transport Minister Jacques Barrot said in a statement from Brussels. ''Radio navigation based on Galileo will become a feature of everyday life, helping with everything from [avoiding] traffic jams to tracking dangerous cargoes."
The European Space Agency reckons that the global market for satellite navigation services will expand to some 3 billion users by 2020, a gigantic number largely reflecting expectations that the technology will soon be incorporated into cellphones and other everyday devices. The ultimate aim of the Galileo program, which has received support from European aerospace companies, is to ensure that the continent is a major player in a field with great commercial potential, one expected to create 140,000 jobs in Europe in the next decade.Continued...
Plans are already afoot to use the Galileo positioning in a new European air traffic control system. Other uses range from the close tracking of transport trucks to tiny earpieces that would enable blind people to find their way through busy urban centers.
According to Bonacina, the Galileo system will be so precise -- and so ''on time" -- that ambulances rushing to accident scenes will receive instructions on when to shift lanes for maximum speed. By the end of the decade, analysts predict that all new cellphones will include satellite guidance systems enabling users to pinpoint nearby ATMs, hospitals, or restaurants.
European have fretted that international satellite navigation technology relies too much on the United States. President Bush warned last year that global positioning satellites might be shut down during times of national crisis to prevent terrorists from using the technology. Such a move would wreak havoc on the operations of European shipping companies and other businesses highly dependent on the global positioning navigation system.
The EU has pledged that the Galileo system will never be switched off for military reasons.
''Galileo is made in Europe by Europeans," said Bonacina. ''If the Americans want to scramble GPS, they can do it whenever they want."
European critics of the program call it an exercise in political vanity. They have noted that the American globe positioning system is free of charge, highly efficient, and scheduled for major technical upgrades in the near future.
The Pentagon initially objected to the European project, warning that Galileo's signals might interfere with advanced satellite systems under development by the US military and could even represent a security threat in wartime. Last year, however, the EU and United States ended the dispute, ensuring the European system would be compatible with American navigational equipment -- meaning users will be switched automatically from the global positioning system to Galileo systems, depending on which transmits most clearly.
''The satellite is demonstrating critical technology. which is flying now for the first time," said Sylvain Loddo, systems manager for the project. ''This launch is key for the performance of the future Galileo system."
© Copyright 2005 Globe Newspaper Company.
NAVTEQ Offers Map of South Korea | Telematics Journal
| NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, is offering a map with navigable coverage throughout South Korea through its wholly owned subsidiary, PMI. This offering is another notable achievement in NAVTEQ's initiative to grow its map portfolio and to support its customers' efforts to service the rapidly growing Asian market. The South Korea map covers 100% of the population (approximately 48 million people) of South Korea, and is a fully navigable roadway map enabling door-to-door route calculations and turn-by-turn route guidance throughout the country. Detailed road network information, such as one-way streets and turn restrictions, is linked to the map, which provides NAVTEQ customers with additional information to create the most efficient routes for their solutions. The map also includes more than 400,000 Points of Interest in more than 290 categories and subcategories, cartographic features (such as parks, waterways and woodlands) and more than 7 million listings from the Korea Telecom business directory. In July 2005, NAVTEQ acquired Picture Map International (PMI) to establish its presence in and to offer a digital map of South Korea. NAVTEQ continues to focus on expanding its global map coverage, and offering coverage in South Korea is an important part of this initiative. South Korea boasts a rapidly growing automotive sector and one of the most advanced wireless markets in the world. Consumer adoption of location-based services exceeds that for Europe and North America, creating high demand for quality digital map data to serve as a foundation for these services. "South Korea is a thriving and influential economy, and our customer base is aggressively advancing their product and business development efforts to service this market," commented John MacLeod, Executive Vice President - Global Marketing & Strategy for NAVTEQ. "We understand how important an accurate map is to helping our customers maintain their brand equity and build brand recognition as they emerge in new markets, which is why we worked to offer a map of South Korea that meets NAVTEQ's quality standards." Currently, the South Korea map is available in a variety of application Physical Storage Formats (PSF) as well as open interchange formats, such as ArcInfo Shape File format. Names and other text strings in the NAVTEQ map of South Korea are represented using a Unicode (multi-byte) character set. | |
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ZAMAN DAILY NEWSPAPER (2006010128093)
European Project Breaks US Superiority in Space
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul
Published: Thursday, December 29, 2005
zaman.com
European Project Breaks US Superiority in Space
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul
Published: Thursday, December 29, 2005
zaman.com
US dominance in space with the system used to determine global positions and directions via satellites, GPS, is about to be relinquished.
Giove-A, the first member of a new satellite system designed by European countries, was launched on Wednesday from Baykonur Base in Kazakhstan.
European countries have invested for nearly $4 billion in the “Galileo” project, named after the famous Italian scientist.
The Galileo project, when completed, will be seen as the most expensive and biggest space project, consisting of a total of 30 satellites.
The participation of other countries, including China, India, Israel, Morocco, Ukraine, and Saudi Arabia in the system will doubtlessly bring an end to US space monopoly.
The system control will be handled by the European Space Agency located in the city of Guildford, Britain.
The first satellite launched on Wednesday will play a crucial role in assessing the success of the project.
The Programming Consultant Newsletter
ntroduction to OGC WMS and WFS
OK, that's a lot of acronyms. OGC is the Open Geospatial Consortium. They're a group that creates voluntary standards for geospatial and location based services. WMS stands for Web Map Service and specifies a standard for sharing images of geospatial information over the Internet through three extended URL operations – GetCapabilities, GetMap, and GetFeatureInfo. WFS stands for Web Feature Service, which is similar to WMS but rather than an image of geospatial data it serves geospatial data directly.
WMS and WFS are open standards, meaning they are publicly available specifications for achieving a specific task. By allowing anyone to obtain and implement the standard, they increase compatibility between various software components. In other words, it shouldn't matter what software you use – ESRI, GRASS, AutoCAD, MapInfo, etc. - if it supports the standard, you will be able to use the software to view and manipulate the data.
Why is this important? Data sharing, whether inter-departmental, inter-organizational, or extra-organizational (i.e. an external public or private agency), has long been a bugaboo in our field. SDE servers are nice, but they're very expensive and limited by internal network access. They're also proprietary solutions – only one brand of software will work, which can be especially limiting when trying to share data to other non-Mecklenburg agencies. Open standards like WMS and WFS will in all likelihood replace SDE and file servers as the primary means we share geospatial information.
Next month I'll show you how to be a WMS client and a server. In the mean time, check out NC OneMap. It uses OGC standards to pull data together from a number of different sources across the state.
ntroduction to OGC WMS and WFS
OK, that's a lot of acronyms. OGC is the Open Geospatial Consortium. They're a group that creates voluntary standards for geospatial and location based services. WMS stands for Web Map Service and specifies a standard for sharing images of geospatial information over the Internet through three extended URL operations – GetCapabilities, GetMap, and GetFeatureInfo. WFS stands for Web Feature Service, which is similar to WMS but rather than an image of geospatial data it serves geospatial data directly.
WMS and WFS are open standards, meaning they are publicly available specifications for achieving a specific task. By allowing anyone to obtain and implement the standard, they increase compatibility between various software components. In other words, it shouldn't matter what software you use – ESRI, GRASS, AutoCAD, MapInfo, etc. - if it supports the standard, you will be able to use the software to view and manipulate the data.
Why is this important? Data sharing, whether inter-departmental, inter-organizational, or extra-organizational (i.e. an external public or private agency), has long been a bugaboo in our field. SDE servers are nice, but they're very expensive and limited by internal network access. They're also proprietary solutions – only one brand of software will work, which can be especially limiting when trying to share data to other non-Mecklenburg agencies. Open standards like WMS and WFS will in all likelihood replace SDE and file servers as the primary means we share geospatial information.
Next month I'll show you how to be a WMS client and a server. In the mean time, check out NC OneMap. It uses OGC standards to pull data together from a number of different sources across the state.
Navizon Peer-to-Peer GPS - GPS Review: "Navizon has been working in beta (testing) mode since August but has recently officially launched their service. Their service basically provides location based services without a GPS receiver. The application works by utilizing location information from wifi networks and cellular networks to approximate your position.
“Instead of satellite signals typically used by GPS devices, Navizon uses signals from nearby Wi-Fi and cellular towers,” said Cyril Houri, founder and CEO of Mexens Technology. “By looking at the surrounding wireless landscape, the device knows where users are located and can thereby offer location-based services.”
“Let’s say you’re in a restaurant and want to post a comment about it—you can create a Geo Tag and when another Navizon user enters the vicinity, the tag you posted will pop up on his device,” Houri said.
“You can use this feature in other ways too—you can program a Geo Tag next to your corner deli to remind you to buy milk and each time you pass "
“Instead of satellite signals typically used by GPS devices, Navizon uses signals from nearby Wi-Fi and cellular towers,” said Cyril Houri, founder and CEO of Mexens Technology. “By looking at the surrounding wireless landscape, the device knows where users are located and can thereby offer location-based services.”
“Let’s say you’re in a restaurant and want to post a comment about it—you can create a Geo Tag and when another Navizon user enters the vicinity, the tag you posted will pop up on his device,” Houri said.
“You can use this feature in other ways too—you can program a Geo Tag next to your corner deli to remind you to buy milk and each time you pass "
Navizon Peer-to-Peer GPS - GPS Review
| ThinkGeo LLC Announces the Release of Map Suite Geocode USA |  |  |
| Written by ThinkGeo LLC | |
| | |
| Thursday, 29 December 2005 ThinkGeo is proud to announce the release of Map Suite Geocode USA. This new product offers C# and VB.NET software developers access to a powerful and feature-rich.NET component that comes complete with a highly optimized dataset encompassing the entire United States.
Utilizing Map Suite Geocode USA, a software developer can easily take a United States address and find its geographical location. In addition to finding the longitude and latitude point of the address, a developer will have access to other valuable information like county name, time zone, daylight savings time, elevation, FIPS code, TIGER Line ID, and much more. Map Suite Geocode USA also includes reverse geocoding functionality which allows a software developer to take a longitude and latitude point and find the closest address to that location. A live online demonstration of Map Suite Geocode USA can be accessed from ThinkGeo�s website at: http://samples.thinkgeo.com/GeoCodeUSASampleApps/GeoCodeUSASample.aspx ThinkGeo, Map Suite, Render USA, Geocode USA, Render World and Raster USA are either registered trademarks or trademarks of ThinkGeo, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. | |
GISuser.com GIS, GPS, LBS, CAD, mapping news, jobs, software, data, community: "ThinkGeo LLC Announces the Release of Map Suite Geocode USA Print E-mail
Written by ThinkGeo LLC
Thursday, 29 December 2005
ThinkGeo is proud to announce the release of Map Suite Geocode USA. This new product offers C# and VB.NET software developers access to a powerful and feature-rich.NET component that comes complete with a highly optimized dataset encompassing the entire United States.
Utilizing Map Suite Geocode USA, a software developer can easily take a United States address and find its geographical location. In addition to finding the longitude and latitude point of the address, a developer will have access to other valuable information like county name, time zone, daylight savings time, elevation, FIPS code, TIGER Line ID, and much more. Map Suite Geocode USA also includes reverse geocoding functionality which allows a software developer to take a longitude and latitude point and find the closest address to that location.
A live online demonstration of Map Suite Geocode USA can be accessed from ThinkGeo�s website at:
http://samples.thinkgeo.com/GeoCodeUSASampleApps/GeoCodeUSASample.aspx
About ThinkGeo:
ThinkGeo is an industry leader in mapping technologies and services. ThinkGeo offers a wide variety of high-quality products for software developers who are authoring mapping"
Written by ThinkGeo LLC
Thursday, 29 December 2005
ThinkGeo is proud to announce the release of Map Suite Geocode USA. This new product offers C# and VB.NET software developers access to a powerful and feature-rich.NET component that comes complete with a highly optimized dataset encompassing the entire United States.
Utilizing Map Suite Geocode USA, a software developer can easily take a United States address and find its geographical location. In addition to finding the longitude and latitude point of the address, a developer will have access to other valuable information like county name, time zone, daylight savings time, elevation, FIPS code, TIGER Line ID, and much more. Map Suite Geocode USA also includes reverse geocoding functionality which allows a software developer to take a longitude and latitude point and find the closest address to that location.
A live online demonstration of Map Suite Geocode USA can be accessed from ThinkGeo�s website at:
http://samples.thinkgeo.com/GeoCodeUSASampleApps/GeoCodeUSASample.aspx
About ThinkGeo:
ThinkGeo is an industry leader in mapping technologies and services. ThinkGeo offers a wide variety of high-quality products for software developers who are authoring mapping"
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| ThinkGeo LLC Announces the Release of Map Suite Geocode USA | | |
| Written by ThinkGeo LLC | |
| | |
| Thursday, 29 December 2005 ThinkGeo is proud to announce the release of Map Suite Geocode USA. This new product offers C# and VB.NET software developers access to a powerful and feature-rich.NET component that comes complete with a highly optimized dataset encompassing the entire United States.
Utilizing Map Suite Geocode USA, a software developer can easily take a United States address and find its geographical location. In addition to finding the longitude and latitude point of the address, a developer will have access to other valuable information like county name, time zone, daylight savings time, elevation, FIPS code, TIGER Line ID, and much more. Map Suite Geocode USA also includes reverse geocoding functionality which allows a software developer to take a longitude and latitude point and find the closest address to that location. A live online demonstration of Map Suite Geocode USA can be accessed from ThinkGeo�s website at: http://samples.thinkgeo.com/GeoCodeUSASampleApps/GeoCodeUSASample.aspx ThinkGeo, Map Suite, Render USA, Geocode USA, Render World and Raster USA are either registered trademarks or trademarks of ThinkGeo, LLC in the United States and/or other countries. The names of actual companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners. | |
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