Top Ten of 2005 - Editorials: "Each year for the last five I've put together the top ten 'things' of the past year. Some are events, some are non-events, some are products, some are people. It's my opportunity to look back and highlight some topics worthy of attention as we head into the New Year. These are in no particular order.
Event with the most potential impact on our industry: The creation of the MapServer Foundation.
While there was some valid consternation regarding the process by which it was formed, most members of the MapServer community are cautiously welcoming Autodesk as a member, and finding their roles in the organization. I was criticized for suggesting that 'this pairing [Autodesk and the MapServer community] and the formation of the Foundation are perhaps the most important events in the geospatial arena in 20 years.' I stand by that statement. The Foundation has the potential to change GIS forever. Note that I said GIS, not consumer mapping or search engines, etc. but the technology we know as GIS.
Natural disasters where our technology and people shone: South East Asia Tsunami and Katrina
The geospatial community deserves quite a lot of credit for its work on site and at home in support of rescue, relief and recovery efforts. GIS Corps, Mercy Corps and the Katrina Imagery Server team epitomize what's possible. Newspapers are still recounting tales of the value of maps in these efforts. It's also worth noting how 'mashups' of technology from Google and other online services, produced not by us geospatial people, but concerned programmers, popped up to track those missing and to help find housing for those who were displaced. I'm hopeful, though not confident, that we've learned something from these efforts regarding preparation of data, processes, services, interoperability and sta"
Monday, January 02, 2006
Top Ten of 2005 - Editorials
Each year for the last five I've put together the top ten "things" of the past year. Some are events, some are non-events, some are products, some are people. It's my opportunity to look back and highlight some topics worthy of attention as we head into the New Year. These are in no particular order.Event with the most potential impact on our industry: The creation of the MapServer Foundation. While there was some valid consternation regarding the process by which it was formed, most members of the MapServer community are cautiously welcoming Autodesk as a member, and finding their roles in the organization. I was criticized for suggesting that "this pairing [Autodesk and the MapServer community] and the formation of the Foundation are perhaps the most important events in the geospatial arena in 20 years." I stand by that statement. The Foundation has the potential to change GIS forever. Note that I said GIS, not consumer mapping or search engines, etc. but the technology we know as GIS.Natural disasters where our technology and people shone: South East Asia Tsunami and KatrinaThe geospatial community deserves quite a lot of credit for its work on site and at home in support of rescue, relief and recovery efforts. GIS Corps, Mercy Corps and the Katrina Imagery Server team epitomize what's possible. Newspapers are still recounting tales of the value of maps in these efforts. It's also worth noting how "mashups" of technology from Google and other online services, produced not by us geospatial people, but concerned programmers, popped up to track those missing and to help find housing for those who were displaced. I'm hopeful, though not confident, that we've learned something from these efforts regarding preparation of data, processes, services, interoperability and staff to work on future disasters.Second time may not be the charm: GOS IIAfter a delayed RFP, ESRI won the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) II contract and gave a demo at its Federal User Conference in February of 2005. The site went live in July and GOS I was officially off line some months later. The addition of Google's search appliance, portlets that could be turned on or off, and enhanced developer access were all welcome additions. Further, "the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Project, an E-gov initiative under the direction of the USGS, is a finalist in the 2005 President's Quality Award Program."Still, the portal seems a backwater of the geospatial community. Be honest, have you used it for real work? Are hackers developing against it like they are Google and Yahoo tools? Is it time to throw in the towel and try something else? Or get Google or another commercial player to put something together?Doing the mapping, setting the standard: GoogleOh, we had MapQuest and MapPoint and some other online mapping options but once Google Maps' aura spread via a soft launch back in February, everything changed. Everyone wanted the real-time panning and the simple interface in their mapping products. Then came the satellite imagery, then the hybrid view, then Google Earth. Let's face it, everything that came before and after, from professional GIS to consumer websites to APIs, is now compared to Google's offerings. Bottom line: Google obliterated the once difficult task of integrating remotely sensed with terrain data in a flashy, easily searchable portal. Leave it to a non-GIS company to make geography sexy.USGS reorg/search for new mapping centerI don't expect too many people know or care about the internal reorganization of the United State Geological Survey (USGS). But, people do know that the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) was to be created in Denver, which beat out Rolla, Missouri and Reston, Virginia for the title back in September. Now investigations are underway to explore how that decision was made and if it will stick. Equally important, the government has begun an A-76 process where it compares the cost of government employees doing USGS work with that of the private sector doing the same work. If the private sector "wins," even more federal jobs will be lost than those expected from the consolidation to Denver (or wherever). USGS didn't come out looking so good in this process. Acting director Patrick Leahy had just stepped in the door as the decision was made by Karen Siderelis. I for one hope USGS can gain back its credibility. Acquisitions and spinoffs: a trend in dataThis year no single acquisition/merger stood out as earth shattering. To review: We had ORBIMAGE acquire one part of Space Imaging and Sanborn the other. Hexagon, after a protracted and hostile takeover bid, finally got Leica Geosystems. Oracle grabbed Siebel, which is important to the location intelligence arena. GlobeXplorer ate up AirphotoUSA, after Intermap decided not to pursue its intent to purchase the company. Layton GeoScience spun out of Layton Graphics, will focus on its PDF for geo products. Yahoo acquired Whereonearth to pump up its local search offering. And, in another aerial imagery deal, EarthData acquired a part of Emerge that had been with LJT & Associates. The trend is for those who need the data to begin acquiring the companies who make it. And, if they cannot do the acquiring, they enter into long term contracts for the data. Consider Microsoft's deals with ORBIMAGE, Pictometry, EarthData and Harris to power Virtual Earth/Live Local, and Google's deals with DigitalGlobe and others. After perhaps too many years thinking about the technology in terms of using geodata, these new players are getting back to basics: data as the backend engine or the fuel to power the apps. That may well be what pushes the new players over the top in competing with traditional GIS companies. I grant a special commendation to GlobeXplorer for its emphasis on serving imagery to the professional community directly in a preferred environment (AutoCAD, ArcGIS, WMS, etc.).Can an individual make a difference? Intergraph reorganizationYes, every other year one of the big private companies reorganizes and I have to learn the new names of the divisions. This year it was Intergraph's turn and I had to learn to say SG&I for Security, Government & Infrastructure and PP&M for Process, Power & Marine. However, give credit where credit is due. Halsey Wise has made the right moves to please stockholders, accelerating the stock price from around $27 per share to near $50. In addition, he's hired one of the most respected geospatial visionaries in Peter Batty, now on board as CTO. Will he be able to lead technically and coerce the changes in marketing that can bring the company out of its own user base to new customers? I think he's got a good shot at it.Product buzz for 2006: ArcGIS ExplorerWhat's the buzz for 2006 that started in 2005? ArcGIS Explorer. The rather clunky name refers to what has been called ESRI's "Google Earth killer" among other things. While it has some similarity with that free download, it also connects to ESRI powered 3D data via ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS, ArcWeb Services as well as OGC WMS servers. ESRI has been taking a page from Google's playbook and doing a "soft launch," talking about the product and showing it only sparingly. The public beta is expected in the first quarter of next year.New place for maps: the media frenzyThe popular media (that is, non-academic or industry publications) began to cover mapping technology with far more vigor than any previous year. The big flashy apps from Google, Yahoo and Microsoft certainly helped. So too did the variety of mashups from the old standards Craigslist and ChicagoCrime to new ones highlighting the New York Marathon or where Xbox 360s are available. Not only did the media outlets report on the technology, the open APIs and the websites, but they invested in it. The Washington Post hired Adrian Holovaty, the fellow behind Chicagocrime.org, to be its "editor, editorial innovations." See some mashups from its RSS feeds here. The Toronto Star and others, are using the technology to enhance their websites. That paper offers a traffic camera mashup, one related to report on homicides and another related to a missing persons case. ESRI tried to get the press excited about maps with MapStudio, but these new offerings clearly jumped to the head of the line.MIA: MapQuest Whither MapQuest? In an interview earlier this year the company told us there were many new things to come, but of course we've not yet seen them. As Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and even A9 struggle to keep their names in our heads as players in the new geography and AOL ponders its future, MapQuest seems to stand still. That said, it continues to command the largest share of those who visit mapping sites. I confess to being a huge MapQuest fan in the early days (perhaps due to its roots not far from Penn State) but have been lured away by Google Local. And, frankly, it will be hard to win me back!
More about this author
Your CommentsPost a comment
All comments provided in this section are those of the individual that has created the post. These are not the opinions of Directions Magazine, its editors, staff or owners unless otherwise noted. Directions Magazine retains the right to edit or delete any comments posted herein.
Each year for the last five I've put together the top ten "things" of the past year. Some are events, some are non-events, some are products, some are people. It's my opportunity to look back and highlight some topics worthy of attention as we head into the New Year. These are in no particular order.Event with the most potential impact on our industry: The creation of the MapServer Foundation. While there was some valid consternation regarding the process by which it was formed, most members of the MapServer community are cautiously welcoming Autodesk as a member, and finding their roles in the organization. I was criticized for suggesting that "this pairing [Autodesk and the MapServer community] and the formation of the Foundation are perhaps the most important events in the geospatial arena in 20 years." I stand by that statement. The Foundation has the potential to change GIS forever. Note that I said GIS, not consumer mapping or search engines, etc. but the technology we know as GIS.Natural disasters where our technology and people shone: South East Asia Tsunami and KatrinaThe geospatial community deserves quite a lot of credit for its work on site and at home in support of rescue, relief and recovery efforts. GIS Corps, Mercy Corps and the Katrina Imagery Server team epitomize what's possible. Newspapers are still recounting tales of the value of maps in these efforts. It's also worth noting how "mashups" of technology from Google and other online services, produced not by us geospatial people, but concerned programmers, popped up to track those missing and to help find housing for those who were displaced. I'm hopeful, though not confident, that we've learned something from these efforts regarding preparation of data, processes, services, interoperability and staff to work on future disasters.Second time may not be the charm: GOS IIAfter a delayed RFP, ESRI won the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) II contract and gave a demo at its Federal User Conference in February of 2005. The site went live in July and GOS I was officially off line some months later. The addition of Google's search appliance, portlets that could be turned on or off, and enhanced developer access were all welcome additions. Further, "the Geospatial One-Stop (GOS) Project, an E-gov initiative under the direction of the USGS, is a finalist in the 2005 President's Quality Award Program."Still, the portal seems a backwater of the geospatial community. Be honest, have you used it for real work? Are hackers developing against it like they are Google and Yahoo tools? Is it time to throw in the towel and try something else? Or get Google or another commercial player to put something together?Doing the mapping, setting the standard: GoogleOh, we had MapQuest and MapPoint and some other online mapping options but once Google Maps' aura spread via a soft launch back in February, everything changed. Everyone wanted the real-time panning and the simple interface in their mapping products. Then came the satellite imagery, then the hybrid view, then Google Earth. Let's face it, everything that came before and after, from professional GIS to consumer websites to APIs, is now compared to Google's offerings. Bottom line: Google obliterated the once difficult task of integrating remotely sensed with terrain data in a flashy, easily searchable portal. Leave it to a non-GIS company to make geography sexy.USGS reorg/search for new mapping centerI don't expect too many people know or care about the internal reorganization of the United State Geological Survey (USGS). But, people do know that the National Geospatial Technical Operations Center (NGTOC) was to be created in Denver, which beat out Rolla, Missouri and Reston, Virginia for the title back in September. Now investigations are underway to explore how that decision was made and if it will stick. Equally important, the government has begun an A-76 process where it compares the cost of government employees doing USGS work with that of the private sector doing the same work. If the private sector "wins," even more federal jobs will be lost than those expected from the consolidation to Denver (or wherever). USGS didn't come out looking so good in this process. Acting director Patrick Leahy had just stepped in the door as the decision was made by Karen Siderelis. I for one hope USGS can gain back its credibility. Acquisitions and spinoffs: a trend in dataThis year no single acquisition/merger stood out as earth shattering. To review: We had ORBIMAGE acquire one part of Space Imaging and Sanborn the other. Hexagon, after a protracted and hostile takeover bid, finally got Leica Geosystems. Oracle grabbed Siebel, which is important to the location intelligence arena. GlobeXplorer ate up AirphotoUSA, after Intermap decided not to pursue its intent to purchase the company. Layton GeoScience spun out of Layton Graphics, will focus on its PDF for geo products. Yahoo acquired Whereonearth to pump up its local search offering. And, in another aerial imagery deal, EarthData acquired a part of Emerge that had been with LJT & Associates. The trend is for those who need the data to begin acquiring the companies who make it. And, if they cannot do the acquiring, they enter into long term contracts for the data. Consider Microsoft's deals with ORBIMAGE, Pictometry, EarthData and Harris to power Virtual Earth/Live Local, and Google's deals with DigitalGlobe and others. After perhaps too many years thinking about the technology in terms of using geodata, these new players are getting back to basics: data as the backend engine or the fuel to power the apps. That may well be what pushes the new players over the top in competing with traditional GIS companies. I grant a special commendation to GlobeXplorer for its emphasis on serving imagery to the professional community directly in a preferred environment (AutoCAD, ArcGIS, WMS, etc.).Can an individual make a difference? Intergraph reorganizationYes, every other year one of the big private companies reorganizes and I have to learn the new names of the divisions. This year it was Intergraph's turn and I had to learn to say SG&I for Security, Government & Infrastructure and PP&M for Process, Power & Marine. However, give credit where credit is due. Halsey Wise has made the right moves to please stockholders, accelerating the stock price from around $27 per share to near $50. In addition, he's hired one of the most respected geospatial visionaries in Peter Batty, now on board as CTO. Will he be able to lead technically and coerce the changes in marketing that can bring the company out of its own user base to new customers? I think he's got a good shot at it.Product buzz for 2006: ArcGIS ExplorerWhat's the buzz for 2006 that started in 2005? ArcGIS Explorer. The rather clunky name refers to what has been called ESRI's "Google Earth killer" among other things. While it has some similarity with that free download, it also connects to ESRI powered 3D data via ArcGIS Server, ArcIMS, ArcWeb Services as well as OGC WMS servers. ESRI has been taking a page from Google's playbook and doing a "soft launch," talking about the product and showing it only sparingly. The public beta is expected in the first quarter of next year.New place for maps: the media frenzyThe popular media (that is, non-academic or industry publications) began to cover mapping technology with far more vigor than any previous year. The big flashy apps from Google, Yahoo and Microsoft certainly helped. So too did the variety of mashups from the old standards Craigslist and ChicagoCrime to new ones highlighting the New York Marathon or where Xbox 360s are available. Not only did the media outlets report on the technology, the open APIs and the websites, but they invested in it. The Washington Post hired Adrian Holovaty, the fellow behind Chicagocrime.org, to be its "editor, editorial innovations." See some mashups from its RSS feeds here. The Toronto Star and others, are using the technology to enhance their websites. That paper offers a traffic camera mashup, one related to report on homicides and another related to a missing persons case. ESRI tried to get the press excited about maps with MapStudio, but these new offerings clearly jumped to the head of the line.MIA: MapQuest Whither MapQuest? In an interview earlier this year the company told us there were many new things to come, but of course we've not yet seen them. As Microsoft, Google, Yahoo and even A9 struggle to keep their names in our heads as players in the new geography and AOL ponders its future, MapQuest seems to stand still. That said, it continues to command the largest share of those who visit mapping sites. I confess to being a huge MapQuest fan in the early days (perhaps due to its roots not far from Penn State) but have been lured away by Google Local. And, frankly, it will be hard to win me back!
More about this author
Your CommentsPost a comment
All comments provided in this section are those of the individual that has created the post. These are not the opinions of Directions Magazine, its editors, staff or owners unless otherwise noted. Directions Magazine retains the right to edit or delete any comments posted herein.
Google Search: google maps
Cool uses of Google Maps - CyberJournalist.net - Cool uses of ...
Lately a number of sites and developers have been tapping into Google Maps to create great new tools. Any of these ideas would be fantastic on news sites.www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002626.php - 1 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
More Google maps in news stories - CyberJournalist.net - More ...
The Morning Call has been using Google Maps in articles, plus offering users to see a larger version of the map or submit their address to see how far they.www.cyberjournalist.net/news/003069.php - 1 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Using Google Maps on news stories - CyberJournalist.net - Using ...
A few examples of how news sites are using Google Maps: • The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, NY, used Google Maps to show where a bear attacked a camper ...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002925.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Google News headlines on Google Maps - CyberJournalist.net ...
Here's a very cool site that plots Google News headlines on a Google Maps, in real time....www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002997.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Track Hurricane Rita using Google Maps - CyberJournalist.net ...
Track Hurricane Rita on FLHurricane.com, which displays National Weather Service data on Google Maps....www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002916.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Google Maps adds Hurricane Katrina before/after feature ...
Google Maps had added a Hurricane Katrina before/after feature. Now, when you look up a map showing areas hit by Hurricane Katrina, you'll see a...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002867.php - Similar pages
Using Google Maps for weather - CyberJournalist.net - Using Google ...
Weather Maps is a cool new site that using Google Maps and personal weather station data to let you view real time weather information on a map....www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002768.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Another news site uses Google Maps for gas prices ...
Following The News & Observer's idea of using Google Maps to display gas prices is The (Middletown, NY) Times Herald-Record, which has created an even...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002847.php - Similar pages
CyberJournalist.net: Cool uses of Google Maps
Lately a number of sites and developers have been tapping into Google Maps to create great new tools. Any of these ideas would be fantastic on news sites.www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002626_print.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
CyberJournalist.net: More Google maps in news stories
The Morning Call has been using Google Maps in articles, plus offering users to see a larger version of the map or submit their address...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/003069_print.php - Similar pages
Cool uses of Google Maps - CyberJournalist.net - Cool uses of ...
Lately a number of sites and developers have been tapping into Google Maps to create great new tools. Any of these ideas would be fantastic on news sites.www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002626.php - 1 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
More Google maps in news stories - CyberJournalist.net - More ...
The Morning Call has been using Google Maps in articles, plus offering users to see a larger version of the map or submit their address to see how far they.www.cyberjournalist.net/news/003069.php - 1 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Using Google Maps on news stories - CyberJournalist.net - Using ...
A few examples of how news sites are using Google Maps: • The Times Herald-Record in Middletown, NY, used Google Maps to show where a bear attacked a camper ...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002925.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Google News headlines on Google Maps - CyberJournalist.net ...
Here's a very cool site that plots Google News headlines on a Google Maps, in real time....www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002997.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Track Hurricane Rita using Google Maps - CyberJournalist.net ...
Track Hurricane Rita on FLHurricane.com, which displays National Weather Service data on Google Maps....www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002916.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Google Maps adds Hurricane Katrina before/after feature ...
Google Maps had added a Hurricane Katrina before/after feature. Now, when you look up a map showing areas hit by Hurricane Katrina, you'll see a...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002867.php - Similar pages
Using Google Maps for weather - CyberJournalist.net - Using Google ...
Weather Maps is a cool new site that using Google Maps and personal weather station data to let you view real time weather information on a map....www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002768.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
Another news site uses Google Maps for gas prices ...
Following The News & Observer's idea of using Google Maps to display gas prices is The (Middletown, NY) Times Herald-Record, which has created an even...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002847.php - Similar pages
CyberJournalist.net: Cool uses of Google Maps
Lately a number of sites and developers have been tapping into Google Maps to create great new tools. Any of these ideas would be fantastic on news sites.www.cyberjournalist.net/news/002626_print.php - 2 Jan 2006 - Similar pages
CyberJournalist.net: More Google maps in news stories
The Morning Call has been using Google Maps in articles, plus offering users to see a larger version of the map or submit their address...www.cyberjournalist.net/news/003069_print.php - Similar pages
Google Maps Mania: Google Maps News and Blog-Post Roundup
News:Top Ten of 2005: Doing the mapping, setting the standard: GoogleDirectionsMag.com - Jan.02/06Even on Net, fewer men seek directionsNewsday.com - Dec.29/05Expert Group on Google Earth SoonTechTree.com (India) Dec.26/05Google Agrees to Limit Resolution of Israel Satellite Photos [via]Israel National News - Dec.25/05New, Improved Web (A great multi-part feature)PCWorld.com - Dec.23/05Software AG Using Ajax to Develop SOA and Web Services For GoogleSys-Con Brasil - Dec.23/05Maps are a real find [via]ETruth.com - Dec.20/05Most Predictable Stories of 2005: Google MapsWIRED News - Dec/05Blogs:XBox Live - the missing APISilentPenguin.com - Jan.01/05Wider Angle Awards: Best Mashup of 2005 - Google Maps Mania BenMautner.com - Dec.31/05Top Cyberjournalist Story: Google MapsAllPointsBlog.com - Dec.30/05Weird structures on Galveston IslandLou Minatti - Dec.27/05My Favorite Map Sites of 2005PEP Tech Talk - Dec.26/05Google Earth CTO Michael Jones's GIS day talk, now on video.OgleEarth.com - Dec.21/05Branch Map Mashups Using GoogleStephensLightHouse - Dec.23/05Technorati Tags: [Google], [Google Local], [Google Maps], [GoogleMapsMania]
posted by Morpeth @ 9:39 PM 0 comments links to this post
News:Top Ten of 2005: Doing the mapping, setting the standard: GoogleDirectionsMag.com - Jan.02/06Even on Net, fewer men seek directionsNewsday.com - Dec.29/05Expert Group on Google Earth SoonTechTree.com (India) Dec.26/05Google Agrees to Limit Resolution of Israel Satellite Photos [via]Israel National News - Dec.25/05New, Improved Web (A great multi-part feature)PCWorld.com - Dec.23/05Software AG Using Ajax to Develop SOA and Web Services For GoogleSys-Con Brasil - Dec.23/05Maps are a real find [via]ETruth.com - Dec.20/05Most Predictable Stories of 2005: Google MapsWIRED News - Dec/05Blogs:XBox Live - the missing APISilentPenguin.com - Jan.01/05Wider Angle Awards: Best Mashup of 2005 - Google Maps Mania BenMautner.com - Dec.31/05Top Cyberjournalist Story: Google MapsAllPointsBlog.com - Dec.30/05Weird structures on Galveston IslandLou Minatti - Dec.27/05My Favorite Map Sites of 2005PEP Tech Talk - Dec.26/05Google Earth CTO Michael Jones's GIS day talk, now on video.OgleEarth.com - Dec.21/05Branch Map Mashups Using GoogleStephensLightHouse - Dec.23/05Technorati Tags: [Google], [Google Local], [Google Maps], [GoogleMapsMania]
posted by Morpeth @ 9:39 PM 0 comments links to this post
gps tracklog: Lowrance iWAY 500C Review
The Lowrance iWAY 500C GPS is an award-winning auto navigation system. Named an Editors Choice by both PC Magazine and Laptop Magazine, the 500C does more than navigation; it includes an MP3 player as well. With more muscle than the 350C, the 500C comes with a larger screen (5" vs. 3.5") and bigger hard drive (20 GB vs. 4 GB).
23 readers at Amazon gave the iWAY 500C an average 4 out of 5 star rating. The editorial staff at Amazon had this to say:
"The fully loaded Lowrance iWay 500C Automotive GPS+WAAS Receiver with MP3 Player not only gets you where you need to go, but it also lets you relax along the way with your favorite digital music files. Simply pick a destination via the easy-to-use touchscreen display, choose your favorite tune, and you're on you way. The iWay 500C will automatically display the best route and give you turn-by-turn directions with voice and visual guidance while you listen to your music. And being WAAS-enabled means that the iWay 500C is accurate within three meters, making it a great fit for scavenger hunts as well as road trips..."
Here's what others are saying about the iWAY 500C:
PC Magazine gave the Lowrance 500C a 4 out of 5 star rating, though a few readers rated it somewhat lower.
Laptop Magazine also gave the iWAY 500C a 4 out of 5 star rating.
CNet gives the Lowrance iWAY 500C an 8.6 out of 10 rating. 36 of their readers gave it a somewhat lower grade, a 7.0.
Here are some other resources that may be useful:
The official Lowrance iWAY 500C web page.
A PDF version of the iWAY 500C owners manual.
A new Yahoo iWAY 500C discussion group has been started.
The Lowrance iWAY 500C GPS is an award-winning auto navigation system. Named an Editors Choice by both PC Magazine and Laptop Magazine, the 500C does more than navigation; it includes an MP3 player as well. With more muscle than the 350C, the 500C comes with a larger screen (5" vs. 3.5") and bigger hard drive (20 GB vs. 4 GB).
23 readers at Amazon gave the iWAY 500C an average 4 out of 5 star rating. The editorial staff at Amazon had this to say:
"The fully loaded Lowrance iWay 500C Automotive GPS+WAAS Receiver with MP3 Player not only gets you where you need to go, but it also lets you relax along the way with your favorite digital music files. Simply pick a destination via the easy-to-use touchscreen display, choose your favorite tune, and you're on you way. The iWay 500C will automatically display the best route and give you turn-by-turn directions with voice and visual guidance while you listen to your music. And being WAAS-enabled means that the iWay 500C is accurate within three meters, making it a great fit for scavenger hunts as well as road trips..."
Here's what others are saying about the iWAY 500C:
PC Magazine gave the Lowrance 500C a 4 out of 5 star rating, though a few readers rated it somewhat lower.
Laptop Magazine also gave the iWAY 500C a 4 out of 5 star rating.
CNet gives the Lowrance iWAY 500C an 8.6 out of 10 rating. 36 of their readers gave it a somewhat lower grade, a 7.0.
Here are some other resources that may be useful:
The official Lowrance iWAY 500C web page.
A PDF version of the iWAY 500C owners manual.
A new Yahoo iWAY 500C discussion group has been started.
gps tracklog: AP Article on Digital Maps
There is a new Associated Press article showing up in newspapers around the U.S. about digital mapping. Being a mountain biker, here's the passage that caught my eye:
"Microsoft is working on a mechanism that would have avid mountain bikers, for example, collectively plot good trails."
Hmm, isn't that interesting? Anyone out there know anymore about this? I've neglected my RSS feeds over the holidays, but one of you may have come across something. Here's the rest of the article on digital mapping, courtesy of the San Jose Mercury News.
There is a new Associated Press article showing up in newspapers around the U.S. about digital mapping. Being a mountain biker, here's the passage that caught my eye:
"Microsoft is working on a mechanism that would have avid mountain bikers, for example, collectively plot good trails."
Hmm, isn't that interesting? Anyone out there know anymore about this? I've neglected my RSS feeds over the holidays, but one of you may have come across something. Here's the rest of the article on digital mapping, courtesy of the San Jose Mercury News.
Garmin iQue M3 and GPS 60's at Rosewood Hotels
Garmin is working with Rosewood Hotel and Resorts at its properties in Dallas, Santa Fe and New York to lend guests the Garmin iQue M3 GPS device to help with directions around town during their stay. The service seems to fit well with their luxury hotel accommodations and high end services. The PDA style GPS device was launched this past summer in a flurry of product launches by Garmin (see article) and has its data entered by concierges to allow guests to get to popular attractions around the hotel. The easy to read and easy to understand directions are superior to paper drawn directions and maps.
"Maps can be cumbersome. I'm sure that it will soon change the way visitors navigate around foreign cities," said Robert Boulogne, the COO of the resorts.
We have also learned that the location in the Virgin Islands is using the Garmin GPS 60 for a similar service, but have added some Geocaching locations for guests to help them explore the island. Sounds like a great program to introduce some nice GPS products and the ease of use of GPS's in daily lives.
Garmin is working with Rosewood Hotel and Resorts at its properties in Dallas, Santa Fe and New York to lend guests the Garmin iQue M3 GPS device to help with directions around town during their stay. The service seems to fit well with their luxury hotel accommodations and high end services. The PDA style GPS device was launched this past summer in a flurry of product launches by Garmin (see article) and has its data entered by concierges to allow guests to get to popular attractions around the hotel. The easy to read and easy to understand directions are superior to paper drawn directions and maps.
"Maps can be cumbersome. I'm sure that it will soon change the way visitors navigate around foreign cities," said Robert Boulogne, the COO of the resorts.
We have also learned that the location in the Virgin Islands is using the Garmin GPS 60 for a similar service, but have added some Geocaching locations for guests to help them explore the island. Sounds like a great program to introduce some nice GPS products and the ease of use of GPS's in daily lives.
Google Maps Mania: Sunday Google Maps Mashup Assortment (10)
Some fun and interesting mashups:Travel Blogmap - Blogger user Hammock has integrated Google Maps into his travel blog. Check out this link and watch his travels get plotted to a Google Map.Sail Track - Cody has showed you the route of Spirit 28 in her recent journey from Scappoose, Oregon to Barkley Sound, BC in September, 2005.(Thanks for the linkback Cody!)March of the Penguins - Check out this Google Map that shows the travels of many stuffed penguins in various world locations! Good fun!Cool centering/zooming functionality - I'm reposting this French Google Map of mountain biking tracks. Select a route from "Circuits GPS ->" then choose a zoom level from "Selection vitesse trace:" and select a route from below.3D Tilted Japan Google Map - This is another repost of a Japan map that I mentioned. Blogger user Nipponcan has pointed us to the actual tilted map app that I only before had a screenshot for. Give this one a try - VERY cool.Some new mashups discovered by ProgrammableWeb.com:Blosh.net - Blosh finds blogs mentioning locations and displays them on a map [info]Judy's Book Maps - View reviews of U.S. stores, restaurants, bars and venues [info]Geek Shout Map - Find the Geek and shout any message you want on any location on the map. [info]Popular Mashups continue to update themselves:Frappr.com has introduced People Frappr and MyFrappr (check out an example here). Tagzania.com has put more information around a single location. Check out Paris as an example. Tagzania maps can also be incorporated directly into your Blogger posts as well - check out this Blogger user that has incorporated a Tagzania map into his post about wifi sites in Cleveland, Ohio...Still bored? Play some of these Google Maps powered web-games!Technorati Tags: [Google], [Google Local], [Google Maps], [GoogleMapsMania]
Some fun and interesting mashups:Travel Blogmap - Blogger user Hammock has integrated Google Maps into his travel blog. Check out this link and watch his travels get plotted to a Google Map.Sail Track - Cody has showed you the route of Spirit 28 in her recent journey from Scappoose, Oregon to Barkley Sound, BC in September, 2005.(Thanks for the linkback Cody!)March of the Penguins - Check out this Google Map that shows the travels of many stuffed penguins in various world locations! Good fun!Cool centering/zooming functionality - I'm reposting this French Google Map of mountain biking tracks. Select a route from "Circuits GPS ->" then choose a zoom level from "Selection vitesse trace:" and select a route from below.3D Tilted Japan Google Map - This is another repost of a Japan map that I mentioned. Blogger user Nipponcan has pointed us to the actual tilted map app that I only before had a screenshot for. Give this one a try - VERY cool.Some new mashups discovered by ProgrammableWeb.com:Blosh.net - Blosh finds blogs mentioning locations and displays them on a map [info]Judy's Book Maps - View reviews of U.S. stores, restaurants, bars and venues [info]Geek Shout Map - Find the Geek and shout any message you want on any location on the map. [info]Popular Mashups continue to update themselves:Frappr.com has introduced People Frappr and MyFrappr (check out an example here). Tagzania.com has put more information around a single location. Check out Paris as an example. Tagzania maps can also be incorporated directly into your Blogger posts as well - check out this Blogger user that has incorporated a Tagzania map into his post about wifi sites in Cleveland, Ohio...Still bored? Play some of these Google Maps powered web-games!Technorati Tags: [Google], [Google Local], [Google Maps], [GoogleMapsMania]
Google Maps Mania: Skype + Google Maps = MapMe for Skype
+ = Kevin Delaney has made a guest posting on the Skype Journal blog about an interesting new project involving the Google Maps API and the popular Internet calling app known as Skype. He writes: "MapMe for Skype is a free plugin that connects your Skype contact list with technology from Google Maps" The plugin will allow you to:
calculate distances between your contacts,
map incoming SkypeIn calls,
find users in your area and much more. Kevin is looking for 50-100 beta testers that meet the following criteria:
Use any version of Skype since 1.1
Use Windows 2000 or XP
have the Microsoft .NET Framework v1.1 (we can help you get it)
Decent technical knowledge
Live in the USA or Canada If you're interested in being a part of this closed beta test, sign up here. I'll keep Skype users updated on the status of this new KhaosLabs plugin when it becomes available.Technorati Tags: [Skype], [Google], [Google Local], [Google Maps], [GoogleMapsMania]
+ = Kevin Delaney has made a guest posting on the Skype Journal blog about an interesting new project involving the Google Maps API and the popular Internet calling app known as Skype. He writes: "MapMe for Skype is a free plugin that connects your Skype contact list with technology from Google Maps" The plugin will allow you to:
calculate distances between your contacts,
map incoming SkypeIn calls,
find users in your area and much more. Kevin is looking for 50-100 beta testers that meet the following criteria:
Use any version of Skype since 1.1
Use Windows 2000 or XP
have the Microsoft .NET Framework v1.1 (we can help you get it)
Decent technical knowledge
Live in the USA or Canada If you're interested in being a part of this closed beta test, sign up here. I'll keep Skype users updated on the status of this new KhaosLabs plugin when it becomes available.Technorati Tags: [Skype], [Google], [Google Local], [Google Maps], [GoogleMapsMania]
W. David Stephenson blogs on homeland security et al.
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I'd like to see this real-time, location-based service put to better use..The fact that radar detectors are legal in most states have always gotten my goat -- I've never bought the idea that people who know there's a cop nearby will drive more cautiously in general (when was the last time you saw a grandmother whose windshield sported one of those devices??). So, it's no wonder that while I yield to no one in my love of real-time, location-based services as they apply to terrorism prevention and response, I gotta real problem with this approach, as practiced in the UK, Switzerland, and Denmark: people sign up based on the neighborhoods where they normally drive, then get SMS text messages about where police have speed traps at the current moment.Nonetheless, I can see how the same technology could be used more constructively in an emergency, to let people know where roads were blocked, there were fires, etc.Technorati tags: homeland security War on Terror antiterrorism smart mobs smart mobs for homeland security government IT location-based services disaster planning
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I'd like to see this real-time, location-based service put to better use..The fact that radar detectors are legal in most states have always gotten my goat -- I've never bought the idea that people who know there's a cop nearby will drive more cautiously in general (when was the last time you saw a grandmother whose windshield sported one of those devices??). So, it's no wonder that while I yield to no one in my love of real-time, location-based services as they apply to terrorism prevention and response, I gotta real problem with this approach, as practiced in the UK, Switzerland, and Denmark: people sign up based on the neighborhoods where they normally drive, then get SMS text messages about where police have speed traps at the current moment.Nonetheless, I can see how the same technology could be used more constructively in an emergency, to let people know where roads were blocked, there were fires, etc.Technorati tags: homeland security War on Terror antiterrorism smart mobs smart mobs for homeland security government IT location-based services disaster planning
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The Pharos Traveler GPS 525 offers voice prompted, turn by turn navigation guidance along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for access to Location Based Services on the internet. This Pocket GPS device will sync with your Outlook database of contacts making navigation to an address a snap. The Pharos Traveler is the first ever and smallest GPS handheld with integrated WiFi and Bluetooth technology, making it easier than ever to send e-mail, access the Internet, and look up Points of Interest locations while you’re out and about.
gisblog.net � Blog Archive � Geominder
gisblog.net � Blog Archive � Geominder
Pharos Traveler GPS 525 - GPS Review
The Pharos Traveler GPS 525 offers voice prompted, turn by turn navigation guidance along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for access to Location Based Services on the internet. This Pocket GPS device will sync with your Outlook database of contacts making navigation to an address a snap. The Pharos Traveler is the first ever and smallest GPS handheld with integrated WiFi and Bluetooth technology, making it easier than ever to send e-mail, access the Internet, and look up Points of Interest locations while you’re out and about.
The Pharos Traveler GPS 525 offers voice prompted, turn by turn navigation guidance along with Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity for access to Location Based Services on the internet. This Pocket GPS device will sync with your Outlook database of contacts making navigation to an address a snap. The Pharos Traveler is the first ever and smallest GPS handheld with integrated WiFi and Bluetooth technology, making it easier than ever to send e-mail, access the Internet, and look up Points of Interest locations while you’re out and about.
Chris Palmer's Avoidance Central: Trips, Google Earth, and a GPS: "Trips, Google Earth, and a GPS
A few months ago I went to southern California on a business trip, but I stayed over a day or two to sightsee. I was staying in Santa Ana, near the HUD office where I had meetings, but I wanted to see as much of the coast as possible and see Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and all of those other places I'd never been.
I brought my GPS along so that (a) I wouldn't get lost (I hoped), (b) I might do some geocaching, and (c) to experiment with storing my track logs to see remember everywhere I went. I didn't always have good reception and I didn't always remember to turn it on, but I managed to get a pretty good record of everywhere that I drove, which was about 500 miles in the four or five days I was there.
Once I got back, I uploaded the GPS tracks into Google Earth so I could visualize them. One of the coolest tricks that Google Earth does is to let you 'fly' along the tracks at any speed and altitude that you wish, so I can virtually recreate each drive over 3D scenery overlayed with satellite photos. This would have been great to do real time while I was there, because I was extremely frustrated to find that I had missed wonderful things that I drove right by or were just a few blocks away from.
This first shot shows an overview with all the tracks for the week. You can click on it to see a larger version:
The intense area in the middle around Santa Ana and Anaheim is where my hotel was. In this closeup, you can even see every parking space that I parked in. The lines off the parking lot was where I was looking for a geocache.
Where this really shines is when you combine it with Google Earth's 3D views. Here is a shot where I tu"
A few months ago I went to southern California on a business trip, but I stayed over a day or two to sightsee. I was staying in Santa Ana, near the HUD office where I had meetings, but I wanted to see as much of the coast as possible and see Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and all of those other places I'd never been.
I brought my GPS along so that (a) I wouldn't get lost (I hoped), (b) I might do some geocaching, and (c) to experiment with storing my track logs to see remember everywhere I went. I didn't always have good reception and I didn't always remember to turn it on, but I managed to get a pretty good record of everywhere that I drove, which was about 500 miles in the four or five days I was there.
Once I got back, I uploaded the GPS tracks into Google Earth so I could visualize them. One of the coolest tricks that Google Earth does is to let you 'fly' along the tracks at any speed and altitude that you wish, so I can virtually recreate each drive over 3D scenery overlayed with satellite photos. This would have been great to do real time while I was there, because I was extremely frustrated to find that I had missed wonderful things that I drove right by or were just a few blocks away from.
This first shot shows an overview with all the tracks for the week. You can click on it to see a larger version:
The intense area in the middle around Santa Ana and Anaheim is where my hotel was. In this closeup, you can even see every parking space that I parked in. The lines off the parking lot was where I was looking for a geocache.
Where this really shines is when you combine it with Google Earth's 3D views. Here is a shot where I tu"
Chris Palmer's Avoidance Central: Trips, Google Earth, and a GPS
Trips, Google Earth, and a GPS
A few months ago I went to southern California on a business trip, but I stayed over a day or two to sightsee. I was staying in Santa Ana, near the HUD office where I had meetings, but I wanted to see as much of the coast as possible and see Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and all of those other places I'd never been.I brought my GPS along so that (a) I wouldn't get lost (I hoped), (b) I might do some geocaching, and (c) to experiment with storing my track logs to see remember everywhere I went. I didn't always have good reception and I didn't always remember to turn it on, but I managed to get a pretty good record of everywhere that I drove, which was about 500 miles in the four or five days I was there. Once I got back, I uploaded the GPS tracks into Google Earth so I could visualize them. One of the coolest tricks that Google Earth does is to let you "fly" along the tracks at any speed and altitude that you wish, so I can virtually recreate each drive over 3D scenery overlayed with satellite photos. This would have been great to do real time while I was there, because I was extremely frustrated to find that I had missed wonderful things that I drove right by or were just a few blocks away from. This first shot shows an overview with all the tracks for the week. You can click on it to see a larger version:The intense area in the middle around Santa Ana and Anaheim is where my hotel was. In this closeup, you can even see every parking space that I parked in. The lines off the parking lot was where I was looking for a geocache.Where this really shines is when you combine it with Google Earth's 3D views. Here is a shot where I turned inland from the coast after driving through Malibu and went through the canyons. I eventually wound up on Ventura Blvd, then Mulholland Drive.This next shot shows how the Google Earth community's tags of local areas combines with the GPS data. As I said above, it would be great to have this info while you're driving. I had no idea I was driving by Pamela Anderson's house. It is cool for analyzing the area you were in, but it does lead to a lot of regrets. Oh well, next time I'll research more rather than driving semi-randomly...After my Hollywood sign adventure (see a previous blog entry), I didn't want to backtrack the way I came, so I blindly drove through a residential area and wound up on the most insanely twisted road I have ever driven down. Hairpin curves, barely one lane, with expensive cars parked right on the road. If you do the "follow track" animation on Google Earth, this one will make you dizzy. Driving it was even worse. I eventually made my way down the mountain back into Hollywood.The GeoBloggers site is down right now, but another neat trick is that you can upload your photographs to Flickr, then geotag them with the latitude and longitude where they were taken and they will appear as little thumbnails on Google Earth. When you combine this with the tracklogs and the EXIF data from the photographs, you can recreate your entire trip - when you drove where, where and when you stopped to take pictures, and what it looked like when you were there. I'm looking forward to trying this again the next trip I go on.For example, here is a photo that I took while driving the canyons illustrated above. When the Flickr geoblogging link is working, I can see the exact spot where the photo was taken. You can do this by comparing the EXIF data to see when the photo was taken and compare it to the tracklog data, or you can cheat like I did and find the little spot on the track where I stopped at a pull-off to take the picture.Oh yeah, with all of this neat technology, I was 0 for 3 for the geocaches I looked for my last day...
posted by Chris 3:07 PM
2 Comments:
Jodi said...
Very cool. If my brain was not so mushy right now, I'd maybe understand/try to understand/try out what you wrote about. I'm done though and will have to revisit this entry in a few days!P.S. Merry Merry to you and your family!
12:12 AM, December 23, 2005
Joe LaPenna said...
That's pretty slick. I did something like that but with Google Earth.http://joelapenna.com/blog/2005/12/toronto-trip-map.htmlI didn't even think to try it out with Google Earth. I'm going to have to, now though! Good job!
7:08 AM, December 23, 2005
Post a Comment
<<>
Trips, Google Earth, and a GPS
A few months ago I went to southern California on a business trip, but I stayed over a day or two to sightsee. I was staying in Santa Ana, near the HUD office where I had meetings, but I wanted to see as much of the coast as possible and see Los Angeles, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and all of those other places I'd never been.I brought my GPS along so that (a) I wouldn't get lost (I hoped), (b) I might do some geocaching, and (c) to experiment with storing my track logs to see remember everywhere I went. I didn't always have good reception and I didn't always remember to turn it on, but I managed to get a pretty good record of everywhere that I drove, which was about 500 miles in the four or five days I was there. Once I got back, I uploaded the GPS tracks into Google Earth so I could visualize them. One of the coolest tricks that Google Earth does is to let you "fly" along the tracks at any speed and altitude that you wish, so I can virtually recreate each drive over 3D scenery overlayed with satellite photos. This would have been great to do real time while I was there, because I was extremely frustrated to find that I had missed wonderful things that I drove right by or were just a few blocks away from. This first shot shows an overview with all the tracks for the week. You can click on it to see a larger version:The intense area in the middle around Santa Ana and Anaheim is where my hotel was. In this closeup, you can even see every parking space that I parked in. The lines off the parking lot was where I was looking for a geocache.Where this really shines is when you combine it with Google Earth's 3D views. Here is a shot where I turned inland from the coast after driving through Malibu and went through the canyons. I eventually wound up on Ventura Blvd, then Mulholland Drive.This next shot shows how the Google Earth community's tags of local areas combines with the GPS data. As I said above, it would be great to have this info while you're driving. I had no idea I was driving by Pamela Anderson's house. It is cool for analyzing the area you were in, but it does lead to a lot of regrets. Oh well, next time I'll research more rather than driving semi-randomly...After my Hollywood sign adventure (see a previous blog entry), I didn't want to backtrack the way I came, so I blindly drove through a residential area and wound up on the most insanely twisted road I have ever driven down. Hairpin curves, barely one lane, with expensive cars parked right on the road. If you do the "follow track" animation on Google Earth, this one will make you dizzy. Driving it was even worse. I eventually made my way down the mountain back into Hollywood.The GeoBloggers site is down right now, but another neat trick is that you can upload your photographs to Flickr, then geotag them with the latitude and longitude where they were taken and they will appear as little thumbnails on Google Earth. When you combine this with the tracklogs and the EXIF data from the photographs, you can recreate your entire trip - when you drove where, where and when you stopped to take pictures, and what it looked like when you were there. I'm looking forward to trying this again the next trip I go on.For example, here is a photo that I took while driving the canyons illustrated above. When the Flickr geoblogging link is working, I can see the exact spot where the photo was taken. You can do this by comparing the EXIF data to see when the photo was taken and compare it to the tracklog data, or you can cheat like I did and find the little spot on the track where I stopped at a pull-off to take the picture.Oh yeah, with all of this neat technology, I was 0 for 3 for the geocaches I looked for my last day...
posted by Chris 3:07 PM
2 Comments:
Jodi said...
Very cool. If my brain was not so mushy right now, I'd maybe understand/try to understand/try out what you wrote about. I'm done though and will have to revisit this entry in a few days!P.S. Merry Merry to you and your family!
12:12 AM, December 23, 2005
Joe LaPenna said...
That's pretty slick. I did something like that but with Google Earth.http://joelapenna.com/blog/2005/12/toronto-trip-map.htmlI didn't even think to try it out with Google Earth. I'm going to have to, now though! Good job!
7:08 AM, December 23, 2005
Post a Comment
<<>
GPSter:Locative - Main.GPSter
GPSter is our public locative information sharing database project.
GPSter attempts to collect small or inaccessible point lists into a live and accessable database that can be addressed, added to, and searched in every format we can manage. GPSter has also provided an optional gateway/transcoder to other geospatial content aggregators like GeoURL (not presently online).
Using a database with a public interface, waypoints in GPSter are represented in a consistent format, and are available for searching and downloading with a variety of interfaces for a variety of uses, such as map augmentation (see GPS3d ) and local information sharing via PDAs. This also allows real-time updates in the same fashion, so users can upload their waypoints to share with friends and the world.
For examples of GPSter usage, see the search and add waypoint forms on this website.
Implementations
GPSter series 1
perl and mysql v2.23. GPSter is an online public database accessable through clients like Geograffiti, geoclient, the Songlines project series, gps3d as well as a web interface. Includes support for several output formats, such as html, NMEA and XML. When available, GPSter can forward and retreive content from GEOurl with no additional requests from the client.
This database has a search interface and an add waypoint interface available publically online. Other clients can be found in the download section, and more information about the database design at GPSterDatabase.
GISter
postgreSQL+postGIS extentions, perl. Used for the Where-fi wireless positioning project. PostgreSQL allows for better geometric objects and functions in the database. Some information about the postgreSQL tables in the GISterDatabase.
GPSter series 2
mysql and php. Simple and light geospatial database engine for public release. REST-style HTTP interface, output formats in html, locative packets (XML/RDF), and GPSterML (XML). See GPSter2 for more info and current status.
Digital Cities
postgreSQL and postGIS with php, designed for the MDCN projects Digital Cities, Global Heart Rate, MC3, and several Concordia University capstone projects. See DigitalCities for the database design.
Edit Page - Page History - Printable View - Recent Changes - WikiHelp - SearchWiki
Page last modified on December 30, 2004, at 07:13 PM
GPSter is our public locative information sharing database project.
GPSter attempts to collect small or inaccessible point lists into a live and accessable database that can be addressed, added to, and searched in every format we can manage. GPSter has also provided an optional gateway/transcoder to other geospatial content aggregators like GeoURL (not presently online).
Using a database with a public interface, waypoints in GPSter are represented in a consistent format, and are available for searching and downloading with a variety of interfaces for a variety of uses, such as map augmentation (see GPS3d ) and local information sharing via PDAs. This also allows real-time updates in the same fashion, so users can upload their waypoints to share with friends and the world.
For examples of GPSter usage, see the search and add waypoint forms on this website.
Implementations
GPSter series 1
perl and mysql v2.23. GPSter is an online public database accessable through clients like Geograffiti, geoclient, the Songlines project series, gps3d as well as a web interface. Includes support for several output formats, such as html, NMEA and XML. When available, GPSter can forward and retreive content from GEOurl with no additional requests from the client.
This database has a search interface and an add waypoint interface available publically online. Other clients can be found in the download section, and more information about the database design at GPSterDatabase.
GISter
postgreSQL+postGIS extentions, perl. Used for the Where-fi wireless positioning project. PostgreSQL allows for better geometric objects and functions in the database. Some information about the postgreSQL tables in the GISterDatabase.
GPSter series 2
mysql and php. Simple and light geospatial database engine for public release. REST-style HTTP interface, output formats in html, locative packets (XML/RDF), and GPSterML (XML). See GPSter2 for more info and current status.
Digital Cities
postgreSQL and postGIS with php, designed for the MDCN projects Digital Cities, Global Heart Rate, MC3, and several Concordia University capstone projects. See DigitalCities for the database design.
Edit Page - Page History - Printable View - Recent Changes - WikiHelp - SearchWiki
Page last modified on December 30, 2004, at 07:13 PM
Web Mapping Isn't that Easy
The Rocky Mountain News gets a lot of coverage due to its strong online presence. Some 42 "hubs" cover local news and encourage citizen journalism. So, it was quite interesting to read editor, publisher and president John Temple's discussion of attempting an interactive map of Christmas lights in his editorial from December 24 higlighting the paper's accomplishments.
I hope you feel it in this newspaper and on our Web site every day. A passion. A passion for trying new things to serve you better. A passion for telling stories.
Take our new mapping service for Christmas light tours. This year, instead of just printing maps in the paper, we're offering personalized maps on our Web site.
In the newspaper, we have to give everybody the same map. On the Web, you can create the map that best suits your needs.
Go to com and click on "Holiday Lights" and you'll find an offer to "Get directions to light displays in your area."
It will take you to a page where you can enter the address where you want to start your tour. Click on "Find Nearest" and you'll get a listing of the best nearby displays. In my case, there were 16 within three miles. Choose the ones you want to visit and click on "Find Route" and you'll get step-by-step directions and a map of the entire route. Print it and you'll have a guide for a fun excursion.
We developed this service as an experiment with ESRI, a Boulder company that specializes in Web mapping. We wanted to see what was possible.
It wasn't as easy as we had hoped. For example, I'd love - yes, love - for people to be able to post their own pictures of their lights on our Web site and to have them show up with the addresses when others call up a map. I'd like for you to be able to e-mail the light show creators. And, of course, you should be able to get our maps and photos on your cell phone while you're driving, maybe even with a soundtrack to make your journey more fun. And how about coupons or special offers from coffee shops or gas stations for participating? But those ideas will have to wait for future years.
This mapping effort, believe it or not, is linked to our plans to help you decide how to vote in the 2006 election. We're going to build our deepest election Web site ever, where just by punching in your address you'll be able to find links to all our stories and data, such as campaign finance reports and information about the candidates and issues you'll find on your ballot.
We hope you'll walk into your polling place next November with a printout from RockyMountainNews.com as your sample ballot.
Of course ESRI is based in Redlands, California. I'm sure that the local office worked their butts off in developing the app. Still, he's right - the hodgepodge of voting for lights displays (which linked to PDF maps???), routing by RouteMap IMS, and a grid to find local displays were quite challenging to navigate.
Perhaps I need to reconsider my criticism of the Microsoft's Live Local-based offering and the Google Maps one. Both offered a similar sort of mapping of holiday lights.
Vote for articles fresher than 7 days!
Posted by Adena Schutzberg at 07:48 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)
Trackbacks
The Rocky Mountain News gets a lot of coverage due to its strong online presence. Some 42 "hubs" cover local news and encourage citizen journalism. So, it was quite interesting to read editor, publisher and president John Temple's discussion of attempting an interactive map of Christmas lights in his editorial from December 24 higlighting the paper's accomplishments.
I hope you feel it in this newspaper and on our Web site every day. A passion. A passion for trying new things to serve you better. A passion for telling stories.
Take our new mapping service for Christmas light tours. This year, instead of just printing maps in the paper, we're offering personalized maps on our Web site.
In the newspaper, we have to give everybody the same map. On the Web, you can create the map that best suits your needs.
Go to com and click on "Holiday Lights" and you'll find an offer to "Get directions to light displays in your area."
It will take you to a page where you can enter the address where you want to start your tour. Click on "Find Nearest" and you'll get a listing of the best nearby displays. In my case, there were 16 within three miles. Choose the ones you want to visit and click on "Find Route" and you'll get step-by-step directions and a map of the entire route. Print it and you'll have a guide for a fun excursion.
We developed this service as an experiment with ESRI, a Boulder company that specializes in Web mapping. We wanted to see what was possible.
It wasn't as easy as we had hoped. For example, I'd love - yes, love - for people to be able to post their own pictures of their lights on our Web site and to have them show up with the addresses when others call up a map. I'd like for you to be able to e-mail the light show creators. And, of course, you should be able to get our maps and photos on your cell phone while you're driving, maybe even with a soundtrack to make your journey more fun. And how about coupons or special offers from coffee shops or gas stations for participating? But those ideas will have to wait for future years.
This mapping effort, believe it or not, is linked to our plans to help you decide how to vote in the 2006 election. We're going to build our deepest election Web site ever, where just by punching in your address you'll be able to find links to all our stories and data, such as campaign finance reports and information about the candidates and issues you'll find on your ballot.
We hope you'll walk into your polling place next November with a printout from RockyMountainNews.com as your sample ballot.
Of course ESRI is based in Redlands, California. I'm sure that the local office worked their butts off in developing the app. Still, he's right - the hodgepodge of voting for lights displays (which linked to PDF maps???), routing by RouteMap IMS, and a grid to find local displays were quite challenging to navigate.
Perhaps I need to reconsider my criticism of the Microsoft's Live Local-based offering and the Google Maps one. Both offered a similar sort of mapping of holiday lights.
Vote for articles fresher than 7 days!
Posted by Adena Schutzberg at 07:48 | Comment (1) | Trackbacks (0)
Trackbacks
Telogis and NAVTEQ Announce Sales Channel Collaboration
COSTA MESA, Calif.--(CCNMatthews - Dec 22, 2005) -Telogis announced today that it has signed an agreement with NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, to work as a sales channel partner and reseller. The agreement allows better service to location-based service, telemetry, telematics, and asset tracking companies worldwide by offering a single-source integrated product. This product, Telogis' GeoBaseTM mapping engine, will utilize NAVTEQ® digital map data of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Steven Rabago, CEO of Telogis, said: "GeoBaseTM eliminates development risks associated with map data integration projects, as well as the high start-up cost associated with most map engines and map data, and accelerates the product development cycle." He further commented: "NAVTEQ is one of the most widely recognized brands in the Geographic Information System (GIS) and location-services industry. We are excited about our relationship with NAVTEQ as it enables us to deliver a fully integrated mapping engine combined with NAVTEQ's quality digital map data." Unique to mapping engines, GeoBaseTM enables extremely fast geocoding and reverse geocoding for Web-based applications, and provides enterprise tools to meet critical time-to-market targets. Roy Kolstad, vice president and general manager of NAVTEQ Business Solutions, commented: "Telogis has a detailed understanding of the demands of our customers. Its GeoBaseTM mapping engine is well-suited for telemetry, telematics, location-based service applications (LBS) and large enterprise integration. Additionally, it eases developers' ability to develop GIS/LBS software applications powered by NAVTEQ data."About NAVTEQ:NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 1,800 employees located in 127 offices in 21 countries.About Telogis:Telogis is a vertically integrated location-based services company that designs software, provides asset tracking services, and manufactures hardware. Telogis sells its GeoBaseTM products to its peer group in the telemetry industry as well as licenses and resells its OnTrackTM Web-based Fleet Management and Vehicle Tracking system in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. The Costa Mesa-based company has software development offices and manufactures its hardware products in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in January 2001 and has 15 employees. Telogis is a recipient of the prestigious Deloitte FAST 50 Rising Star Award in Orange County, Calif., for two consecutive years, 2004 and 2005. For more information, visit www.telogis.com, www.technology4gis.com or call 949-646-6637.
COSTA MESA, Calif.--(CCNMatthews - Dec 22, 2005) -Telogis announced today that it has signed an agreement with NAVTEQ, a leading global provider of digital maps for vehicle navigation and location-based solutions, to work as a sales channel partner and reseller. The agreement allows better service to location-based service, telemetry, telematics, and asset tracking companies worldwide by offering a single-source integrated product. This product, Telogis' GeoBaseTM mapping engine, will utilize NAVTEQ® digital map data of the United States, Canada and Mexico. Steven Rabago, CEO of Telogis, said: "GeoBaseTM eliminates development risks associated with map data integration projects, as well as the high start-up cost associated with most map engines and map data, and accelerates the product development cycle." He further commented: "NAVTEQ is one of the most widely recognized brands in the Geographic Information System (GIS) and location-services industry. We are excited about our relationship with NAVTEQ as it enables us to deliver a fully integrated mapping engine combined with NAVTEQ's quality digital map data." Unique to mapping engines, GeoBaseTM enables extremely fast geocoding and reverse geocoding for Web-based applications, and provides enterprise tools to meet critical time-to-market targets. Roy Kolstad, vice president and general manager of NAVTEQ Business Solutions, commented: "Telogis has a detailed understanding of the demands of our customers. Its GeoBaseTM mapping engine is well-suited for telemetry, telematics, location-based service applications (LBS) and large enterprise integration. Additionally, it eases developers' ability to develop GIS/LBS software applications powered by NAVTEQ data."About NAVTEQ:NAVTEQ is a leading provider of comprehensive digital map information for automotive navigation systems, mobile navigation devices, Internet-based mapping applications, and government and business solutions. NAVTEQ creates the digital maps and map content that power navigation and location-based services solutions around the world. The Chicago-based company was founded in 1985 and has approximately 1,800 employees located in 127 offices in 21 countries.About Telogis:Telogis is a vertically integrated location-based services company that designs software, provides asset tracking services, and manufactures hardware. Telogis sells its GeoBaseTM products to its peer group in the telemetry industry as well as licenses and resells its OnTrackTM Web-based Fleet Management and Vehicle Tracking system in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and Venezuela. The Costa Mesa-based company has software development offices and manufactures its hardware products in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was founded in January 2001 and has 15 employees. Telogis is a recipient of the prestigious Deloitte FAST 50 Rising Star Award in Orange County, Calif., for two consecutive years, 2004 and 2005. For more information, visit www.telogis.com, www.technology4gis.com or call 949-646-6637.
China set to register cellphone users
Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong announced that the registration will apply to both phone subscribers and to the estimated 200 million Chinese who use pre-paid phones and until Jan. 1 have not been required to fill out paperwork at the time of purchase.
The program is aimed largely at cracking down on the use of pre-paid phones for fraud or to launch text-message spam. There have, however, been complaints that the registration is an inconvenience and an intrusion on privacy, the Xinhua news agency said. Some officials agree that it could be difficult to coax pre-paid customers into registering. Copyright 2005 by United Press International
Minister of Information Industry Wang Xudong announced that the registration will apply to both phone subscribers and to the estimated 200 million Chinese who use pre-paid phones and until Jan. 1 have not been required to fill out paperwork at the time of purchase.
The program is aimed largely at cracking down on the use of pre-paid phones for fraud or to launch text-message spam. There have, however, been complaints that the registration is an inconvenience and an intrusion on privacy, the Xinhua news agency said. Some officials agree that it could be difficult to coax pre-paid customers into registering. Copyright 2005 by United Press International
Survey Sexes still differ on Web use
A new survey shows that men and women have differing goals in mind when they log on to the Internet.
Research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that while American men focus more on Internet transactions and information searches, women are more enthusiastic about e-mail exchanges and relationships with other people.
Pew found that men tend to use the Internet more than women, although that trend is reversed in the 30-and-under age group. Older men continue to use the Internet more than women in their age bracket. "Still, our data show that men and women are more similar than different in their online lives, starting with their common appreciation of the internet's strongest suit: efficiency," Pew said in a release accompanying the report. "Both men and women approach with gusto online transactions that simplify their lives by saving time on such mundane tasks as buying tickets or paying bills." Copyright 2005 by United Press International
A new survey shows that men and women have differing goals in mind when they log on to the Internet.
Research from the Pew Internet and American Life Project found that while American men focus more on Internet transactions and information searches, women are more enthusiastic about e-mail exchanges and relationships with other people.
Pew found that men tend to use the Internet more than women, although that trend is reversed in the 30-and-under age group. Older men continue to use the Internet more than women in their age bracket. "Still, our data show that men and women are more similar than different in their online lives, starting with their common appreciation of the internet's strongest suit: efficiency," Pew said in a release accompanying the report. "Both men and women approach with gusto online transactions that simplify their lives by saving time on such mundane tasks as buying tickets or paying bills." Copyright 2005 by United Press International
Open Gardens: Mobile web 2.0: AJAX for mobile devices � why mobile AJAX will replace both J2ME and XHTML as the preferred platform for mobile applications development
Recently, Opera announced the availability of AJAX on mobile devices through their browser. Considering the popularity of Opera in the browser market(especially in the mobile browser market), this announcement is indeed very significant and has been picked up by many A-list bloggers such as Russell Beattie and Om Malik
However, I believe there is more at stake here ..
Having been involved in creating mobile services for a few years now, I believe AJAX will replace both J2ME and XHTML as the platform of choice for developing mobile applications.In this article, I will outline my reasoning.
Before I do so, a caveat – I believe that mobile web 2.0 is far more than ‘AJAX on mobile’. Essentially mobile web 2.0 involves applying all seven of the web 2.0 principles to mobility. I will be discussing mobile web 2.0 in subsequent blogs. For a more complete discussion see my article on mobile web 2.0.
Here, I am discussing AJAX only i.e. only one facet of web 2.0.
OverviewIn this article, we will discuss1) What is AJAX (an overview)2) Current Mobile applications development models 3) Problems the industry faces (in other words shortcomings of the current mobile applications models) and finally..4) Why AJAX will replace J2ME and XHTML as the preferred development platform
What is AJAXAJAX is an optional addition to web 2.0. It is not a single technology. Rather, it’s a combination of a number of existing technologies acting together namely
• XHTML and CSS for standards based presentation• Document Object Model for dynamic display and interaction• XML and XSLT for data interchange and manipulation• XMLHttpRequest for asynchronous data retrieval and• Javascript to tie everything together
Until AJAX came along, it was not easy to replicate the rich and responsive interaction design of native applications. AJAX is different from other previous attempts in addressing this problem since it is based on existing, non-proprietary standards which are already familiar to developers.
In traditional web applications, most user action triggers an HTTP request. The server does some processing and returns the result back to the user. While the server is processing, the user waits! The ‘start-stop-start’ nature of web applications is good from a technical standpoint but not from a user interaction standpoint (since almost all user interaction is resulting in trips to the server and the user is waiting while the server is doing the work).
AJAX solves this problem by using the AJAX engine. At the start of the session, the AJAX application loads the AJAX engine. The AJAX engine is written in Javascript as a Javascript library and sits in a hidden frame. The user interacts with the AJAX engine instead of the webserver. If the user interaction does not require a trip to the server, the AJAX engine handles the interaction on it’s own. When the user interaction needs some data from the server, the AJAX engine makes a call asynchronously (via XML/XMLHttpRequest API ) without interrupting the user’s flow.
In this sense, AJAX is ‘asynchronous’ because the AJAX engine is communicating with the server asynchronously to the user interaction. Thus, the user gets a seamless experience(i.e. the user is not waiting)
There is a momentum behind AJAX at the moment. Developers are already familiar with the technologies underlying AJAX. All the technologies making up AJAX are mature and stable. AJAX is the foundation for many new applications on the web like Google suggest , Google Maps , some features of Flickr and Amazon’s A9.com
Mobile applications development models and their shortcomingsFrom the above discussion and from the articles referenced , we can see that - AJAX clearly solves two problems - namely a superior UI and a standardised form of data retrieval.
These two problems also apply to mobile devices and by extension, AJAX addresses them as well.
However, I believe that it does far more!
Specifically, it solves the following problems in the mobile context.
a) The problem of market fragmentationb) Porting woes (specific to downloading applications like those built on J2ME) c) Application distribution without ‘walls’
Besides, it has the developer community behind it – which is a significant plus!
Lets consider existing mobile applications development. There are two principal ways to categorise mobile applications – Browsing applications and Downloading applications. There are others(like Messaging applications, SIM applications and embedded applications) - but a vast majority of the applications we see today fall under downloading or browsing applications.
Browsing applications: Browsing applications are conceptually the same as browsing the web but take into account limitations which are unique to mobility (for example - small device sizes). Similar to the web, the service is accessed through a microbrowser which uses a URL to locate a service on a wireless web server. The client is capable of little or no processing.
Downloading applications (Smart client applications) : In contrast to browsing applications, downloading applications are applications that are first downloaded and installed on the client device. The application then runs locally on the device. Unlike the browsing application, a downloaded(or smart client) application does not need to be connected to the network when it runs. Downloading applications are also called ‘smart client’ applications because the client(i.e. the mobile device) is capable of some processing and / or some persistent storage(caching). Currently, most Java based games are downloaded applications i.e. they are downloaded to the client, require some processing to be performed on the client and need not be always connected to the network. Enterprise mobile applications such as sales force automation are often also examples of smart client applications.
J2ME is the most common mode of developing downloading applications and XHTML is most common way of developing browsing applications.
Let us elaborate on the problems I have outlined before and then discuss how AJAX will solve them – potentially making XHTML and J2ME less relevant.
Problem One - Market fragmentationMobile applications are primarily consumer applications. The mobile data industry is an emerging industry. As with many industries in this phase of evolution, it is fragmented.To be commercially viable (especially considering the need for the network effect ), consumer applications need a large target audience.
This can come about either by a single proprietary standard such as BREW from Qualcomm (which obviously has it’s disadvantages) or through open standards not controlled by any one entity with few industry barriers.
To illustrate how market fragmentation affects commercial viability of a new service, I often recommend the following approach (Most of the figures can be easily obtained from the web).
The idea is to think in terms of ‘concentric circles’ in trying to find out the target audience for your application. A sample set of steps I use is as below
a) What is the population of the country where you are launching your application?b) What is the percentage of handset penetration amongst this population? c) Which operators are you targeting within this population? (Most countries have more than one mobile operator)d) Which handsets are you targeting within this population (not all operators support all handsets)? e) What is the technology of deployment for example Java, SMS, WAP etc? f) Does the application have any special technology needs such as location-based services? How many people have handsets equipped with this technology? g) What does a segmentation analysis of the subset reveal? (Simplest segmentation is male/female. Prepay/postpay etc)h) What are the channels to market for the segments we are targeting? i) What proportion of this subset do we expect to hit and convert to customers based on our marketing budget?(i.e. the conversion rate which can be typically 2% )
This will give you your target audience.
Thus, this target audience times number of potential downloads per month should give you an idea of your monthly revenue. This could then be tied against your cost base including your development costs, porting costs etc to arrive at a more tangible picture of success/failure of the new service.
The above methodology illustrates the problem of fragmentation and it implies that very few mobile services are profitable today. Thus, we have a proliferation of ‘broadcast content applications’ – ex ringtones, pictures but very few utility applications at a mass-market level.
Problem two - Porting woesThis problem is specific to downloaded applications (and more commonly J2ME). Write once run anywhere is a joke in the mobile context! – and through no fault of Sun ..
Consider the case of mobile games(a downloaded application) typically developed using J2ME.
First the good news ..• Carriers such as Sprint and Vodafone report that mobile games and other data services now account for roughly 10 percent of their annual revenues;• Industry consulting firm Ovum notes that there are now more than 450 million Java-enabled handsets globally, in addition to the 38 million and 15 million BREW- and Symbian-enabled handsets;• Mobile-game publishers racked up $1.2 billion in global sales in 2004 and expect an even stronger year in 2005 as more and more consumers discover the tiny gaming consoles already in their pockets.
BUT then the pitfalls ..Game porting generally requires developers to adapt to differences in screen resolution, processor speed, memory thresholds, and sound capabilities, all of which can vary wildly from device to device. For publishers, this can not only exponentially increase game development and asset creation time, but can also cause them to miss critical time-to-market windows in a hyper-competitive industry. As an example, imagine that you are a mid-sized game publisher with 30 games in your portfolio. To make your games available worldwide in five languages and on only 50 devices, you would need to create 7,500 different builds. At $2,500 per build, you would require a budget of nearly $19 million simply to handle porting.
This limits the business model severely and very few mobile games are profitable.(original source for this section as per my blog Porting – the big barrier to entry with acknowledgements to Sameer Bhatia as per the blog)
Problem three - Application distribution without wallsThe predicament of using J2ME as per the preceding example shows that it’s not enough to merely set up a community process as Sun has done (which works fine as far as the technology is concerned). The technology and the applications built upon it must remain homogeneous and interoperable to enable the network effect and gain critical mass. The fewer the ‘choke points’ for a platform – the better it is for the industry as a whole.
We will discuss this more in the next section(where we talk of how AJAX could address this problem).
Why will AJAX replace J2ME and XHTML as the preferred development platform? Can AJAX solve the preceding problems?
In my view .. YES
AJAX is accessed through the browser. There are two ways a customer can get the browser – either the browser can be pre-installed on the phone by the manufacturer or it can be installed as a separate application
Anyone can download a browser for a smartphone as this Opera link shows for series 60 phones
This means, all customers can potentially install their own browser and if enough people do – we have critical mass with few ‘choke points’ – such as specific restrictions created by mobile operators. In other words, a means to bypass the walled garden.
Further, AJAX offers a superior user experience and already has the developer community supporting it. The possibility of attaining critical mass (due to fewer choke points) means more chance of monetising the application – leading to a virtuous circle of better applications.
J2ME as it stands today, is seriously flawed(not the technology but the business model). XHTML will be an ‘also ran’ because AJAX will offer a superior user experience.
Hence, my belief that AJAX will be the preferred platform of choice for mobile applications at the expense of J2ME and XHTL.
Supporting notesa) I have said ‘preferred’ and not ‘replace’ i.e. I don’t expect AJAX to replace any technology
b) AJAX won’t solve all problems. You still need to create a service which is useful for mobile customers
c) AJAX is not the only attempt to create a better interface. There have been others with limited success but they are not across the industry(or are proprietary). For example mobile SVG from bitflash , superscape’s swerve technology for 3D gaming (which is the implementation of JSR 184 - Mobile 3D Graphics API for J2ME™ ) and macromedia mobile
d) Not a lot of people are actually browsing the mobile internet. Although WAP usage shows phenomenal growth, these figures include the use of WAP as a transport mechanism – typically for downloading content. In other words, every time you download a ringtone, you implicitly create a WAP page impression. I suspect the real figures used by consumers to actually browse the mobile internet are very low
e) Very few mobile operators have tried to engage with the developer community as such. Practically the only example I can think of is source o2
f) The plight of small developers can be illustrated from my discussions with a Korean vendor when I spoke at imobicon in Seoul. The vendor had finally managed to get his game listed on a UK portal. However, that was because – a Korean aggregator managed to get a deal with a UK aggregator. Thus, he now had two aggregators and one operator taking a slice of revenue! Leaving him with very little. A sad state of affairs. Surely, there must be a way to create and distribute applications globally i.e. you write for the browser and anyone who uses that browser can download and run your application
g) Mobile operators often argue that they handle billing and location services etc. That’s fine – but let’s first worry about getting the numbers. Also, billing comes at a cost and there may be better billing mechanisms on the web.
ConclusionsTo recap, Mobile applications are primarily consumer focussed. They need critical mass. Currently, the market is fragmented and the current commercial model is broken.
AJAX offers a potentially better solution in comparison to the incumbents (J2ME and XHTML) due to a combination of fewer potential choke points because of its distribution mechanism. The economic models do not favour J2ME and AJAX offers a superior user experience to XHTML. It has the support of the developer community.
Finally, note that I say AJAX will be ‘preferred’ model and not the ‘only’ model. I don’t expect AJAX to replace either J2ME or XHTML.
Comments welcome: Ajit.Jaokar at futuretext.com
Useful links: Opera AJAX announcementDion Hinchcliffe's The Incredible Ongoing Story of Ajax
Image source: www.opera.com Permanent Link: http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2006/01/mobile_web_20_a.html
Posted by ajit at January 1, 2006 11:04 PM
Recently, Opera announced the availability of AJAX on mobile devices through their browser. Considering the popularity of Opera in the browser market(especially in the mobile browser market), this announcement is indeed very significant and has been picked up by many A-list bloggers such as Russell Beattie and Om Malik
However, I believe there is more at stake here ..
Having been involved in creating mobile services for a few years now, I believe AJAX will replace both J2ME and XHTML as the platform of choice for developing mobile applications.In this article, I will outline my reasoning.
Before I do so, a caveat – I believe that mobile web 2.0 is far more than ‘AJAX on mobile’. Essentially mobile web 2.0 involves applying all seven of the web 2.0 principles to mobility. I will be discussing mobile web 2.0 in subsequent blogs. For a more complete discussion see my article on mobile web 2.0.
Here, I am discussing AJAX only i.e. only one facet of web 2.0.
OverviewIn this article, we will discuss1) What is AJAX (an overview)2) Current Mobile applications development models 3) Problems the industry faces (in other words shortcomings of the current mobile applications models) and finally..4) Why AJAX will replace J2ME and XHTML as the preferred development platform
What is AJAXAJAX is an optional addition to web 2.0. It is not a single technology. Rather, it’s a combination of a number of existing technologies acting together namely
• XHTML and CSS for standards based presentation• Document Object Model for dynamic display and interaction• XML and XSLT for data interchange and manipulation• XMLHttpRequest for asynchronous data retrieval and• Javascript to tie everything together
Until AJAX came along, it was not easy to replicate the rich and responsive interaction design of native applications. AJAX is different from other previous attempts in addressing this problem since it is based on existing, non-proprietary standards which are already familiar to developers.
In traditional web applications, most user action triggers an HTTP request. The server does some processing and returns the result back to the user. While the server is processing, the user waits! The ‘start-stop-start’ nature of web applications is good from a technical standpoint but not from a user interaction standpoint (since almost all user interaction is resulting in trips to the server and the user is waiting while the server is doing the work).
AJAX solves this problem by using the AJAX engine. At the start of the session, the AJAX application loads the AJAX engine. The AJAX engine is written in Javascript as a Javascript library and sits in a hidden frame. The user interacts with the AJAX engine instead of the webserver. If the user interaction does not require a trip to the server, the AJAX engine handles the interaction on it’s own. When the user interaction needs some data from the server, the AJAX engine makes a call asynchronously (via XML/XMLHttpRequest API ) without interrupting the user’s flow.
In this sense, AJAX is ‘asynchronous’ because the AJAX engine is communicating with the server asynchronously to the user interaction. Thus, the user gets a seamless experience(i.e. the user is not waiting)
There is a momentum behind AJAX at the moment. Developers are already familiar with the technologies underlying AJAX. All the technologies making up AJAX are mature and stable. AJAX is the foundation for many new applications on the web like Google suggest , Google Maps , some features of Flickr and Amazon’s A9.com
Mobile applications development models and their shortcomingsFrom the above discussion and from the articles referenced , we can see that - AJAX clearly solves two problems - namely a superior UI and a standardised form of data retrieval.
These two problems also apply to mobile devices and by extension, AJAX addresses them as well.
However, I believe that it does far more!
Specifically, it solves the following problems in the mobile context.
a) The problem of market fragmentationb) Porting woes (specific to downloading applications like those built on J2ME) c) Application distribution without ‘walls’
Besides, it has the developer community behind it – which is a significant plus!
Lets consider existing mobile applications development. There are two principal ways to categorise mobile applications – Browsing applications and Downloading applications. There are others(like Messaging applications, SIM applications and embedded applications) - but a vast majority of the applications we see today fall under downloading or browsing applications.
Browsing applications: Browsing applications are conceptually the same as browsing the web but take into account limitations which are unique to mobility (for example - small device sizes). Similar to the web, the service is accessed through a microbrowser which uses a URL to locate a service on a wireless web server. The client is capable of little or no processing.
Downloading applications (Smart client applications) : In contrast to browsing applications, downloading applications are applications that are first downloaded and installed on the client device. The application then runs locally on the device. Unlike the browsing application, a downloaded(or smart client) application does not need to be connected to the network when it runs. Downloading applications are also called ‘smart client’ applications because the client(i.e. the mobile device) is capable of some processing and / or some persistent storage(caching). Currently, most Java based games are downloaded applications i.e. they are downloaded to the client, require some processing to be performed on the client and need not be always connected to the network. Enterprise mobile applications such as sales force automation are often also examples of smart client applications.
J2ME is the most common mode of developing downloading applications and XHTML is most common way of developing browsing applications.
Let us elaborate on the problems I have outlined before and then discuss how AJAX will solve them – potentially making XHTML and J2ME less relevant.
Problem One - Market fragmentationMobile applications are primarily consumer applications. The mobile data industry is an emerging industry. As with many industries in this phase of evolution, it is fragmented.To be commercially viable (especially considering the need for the network effect ), consumer applications need a large target audience.
This can come about either by a single proprietary standard such as BREW from Qualcomm (which obviously has it’s disadvantages) or through open standards not controlled by any one entity with few industry barriers.
To illustrate how market fragmentation affects commercial viability of a new service, I often recommend the following approach (Most of the figures can be easily obtained from the web).
The idea is to think in terms of ‘concentric circles’ in trying to find out the target audience for your application. A sample set of steps I use is as below
a) What is the population of the country where you are launching your application?b) What is the percentage of handset penetration amongst this population? c) Which operators are you targeting within this population? (Most countries have more than one mobile operator)d) Which handsets are you targeting within this population (not all operators support all handsets)? e) What is the technology of deployment for example Java, SMS, WAP etc? f) Does the application have any special technology needs such as location-based services? How many people have handsets equipped with this technology? g) What does a segmentation analysis of the subset reveal? (Simplest segmentation is male/female. Prepay/postpay etc)h) What are the channels to market for the segments we are targeting? i) What proportion of this subset do we expect to hit and convert to customers based on our marketing budget?(i.e. the conversion rate which can be typically 2% )
This will give you your target audience.
Thus, this target audience times number of potential downloads per month should give you an idea of your monthly revenue. This could then be tied against your cost base including your development costs, porting costs etc to arrive at a more tangible picture of success/failure of the new service.
The above methodology illustrates the problem of fragmentation and it implies that very few mobile services are profitable today. Thus, we have a proliferation of ‘broadcast content applications’ – ex ringtones, pictures but very few utility applications at a mass-market level.
Problem two - Porting woesThis problem is specific to downloaded applications (and more commonly J2ME). Write once run anywhere is a joke in the mobile context! – and through no fault of Sun ..
Consider the case of mobile games(a downloaded application) typically developed using J2ME.
First the good news ..• Carriers such as Sprint and Vodafone report that mobile games and other data services now account for roughly 10 percent of their annual revenues;• Industry consulting firm Ovum notes that there are now more than 450 million Java-enabled handsets globally, in addition to the 38 million and 15 million BREW- and Symbian-enabled handsets;• Mobile-game publishers racked up $1.2 billion in global sales in 2004 and expect an even stronger year in 2005 as more and more consumers discover the tiny gaming consoles already in their pockets.
BUT then the pitfalls ..Game porting generally requires developers to adapt to differences in screen resolution, processor speed, memory thresholds, and sound capabilities, all of which can vary wildly from device to device. For publishers, this can not only exponentially increase game development and asset creation time, but can also cause them to miss critical time-to-market windows in a hyper-competitive industry. As an example, imagine that you are a mid-sized game publisher with 30 games in your portfolio. To make your games available worldwide in five languages and on only 50 devices, you would need to create 7,500 different builds. At $2,500 per build, you would require a budget of nearly $19 million simply to handle porting.
This limits the business model severely and very few mobile games are profitable.(original source for this section as per my blog Porting – the big barrier to entry with acknowledgements to Sameer Bhatia as per the blog)
Problem three - Application distribution without wallsThe predicament of using J2ME as per the preceding example shows that it’s not enough to merely set up a community process as Sun has done (which works fine as far as the technology is concerned). The technology and the applications built upon it must remain homogeneous and interoperable to enable the network effect and gain critical mass. The fewer the ‘choke points’ for a platform – the better it is for the industry as a whole.
We will discuss this more in the next section(where we talk of how AJAX could address this problem).
Why will AJAX replace J2ME and XHTML as the preferred development platform? Can AJAX solve the preceding problems?
In my view .. YES
AJAX is accessed through the browser. There are two ways a customer can get the browser – either the browser can be pre-installed on the phone by the manufacturer or it can be installed as a separate application
Anyone can download a browser for a smartphone as this Opera link shows for series 60 phones
This means, all customers can potentially install their own browser and if enough people do – we have critical mass with few ‘choke points’ – such as specific restrictions created by mobile operators. In other words, a means to bypass the walled garden.
Further, AJAX offers a superior user experience and already has the developer community supporting it. The possibility of attaining critical mass (due to fewer choke points) means more chance of monetising the application – leading to a virtuous circle of better applications.
J2ME as it stands today, is seriously flawed(not the technology but the business model). XHTML will be an ‘also ran’ because AJAX will offer a superior user experience.
Hence, my belief that AJAX will be the preferred platform of choice for mobile applications at the expense of J2ME and XHTL.
Supporting notesa) I have said ‘preferred’ and not ‘replace’ i.e. I don’t expect AJAX to replace any technology
b) AJAX won’t solve all problems. You still need to create a service which is useful for mobile customers
c) AJAX is not the only attempt to create a better interface. There have been others with limited success but they are not across the industry(or are proprietary). For example mobile SVG from bitflash , superscape’s swerve technology for 3D gaming (which is the implementation of JSR 184 - Mobile 3D Graphics API for J2ME™ ) and macromedia mobile
d) Not a lot of people are actually browsing the mobile internet. Although WAP usage shows phenomenal growth, these figures include the use of WAP as a transport mechanism – typically for downloading content. In other words, every time you download a ringtone, you implicitly create a WAP page impression. I suspect the real figures used by consumers to actually browse the mobile internet are very low
e) Very few mobile operators have tried to engage with the developer community as such. Practically the only example I can think of is source o2
f) The plight of small developers can be illustrated from my discussions with a Korean vendor when I spoke at imobicon in Seoul. The vendor had finally managed to get his game listed on a UK portal. However, that was because – a Korean aggregator managed to get a deal with a UK aggregator. Thus, he now had two aggregators and one operator taking a slice of revenue! Leaving him with very little. A sad state of affairs. Surely, there must be a way to create and distribute applications globally i.e. you write for the browser and anyone who uses that browser can download and run your application
g) Mobile operators often argue that they handle billing and location services etc. That’s fine – but let’s first worry about getting the numbers. Also, billing comes at a cost and there may be better billing mechanisms on the web.
ConclusionsTo recap, Mobile applications are primarily consumer focussed. They need critical mass. Currently, the market is fragmented and the current commercial model is broken.
AJAX offers a potentially better solution in comparison to the incumbents (J2ME and XHTML) due to a combination of fewer potential choke points because of its distribution mechanism. The economic models do not favour J2ME and AJAX offers a superior user experience to XHTML. It has the support of the developer community.
Finally, note that I say AJAX will be ‘preferred’ model and not the ‘only’ model. I don’t expect AJAX to replace either J2ME or XHTML.
Comments welcome: Ajit.Jaokar at futuretext.com
Useful links: Opera AJAX announcementDion Hinchcliffe's The Incredible Ongoing Story of Ajax
Image source: www.opera.com Permanent Link: http://opengardensblog.futuretext.com/archives/2006/01/mobile_web_20_a.html
Posted by ajit at January 1, 2006 11:04 PM
ThinkGeo LLC Announces the Release of Map Suite Geocode USA
GISuser.com GIS, GPS, LBS, CAD, mapping news, jobs, software, data, community
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
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 and spatial applications. To learn more about Map Suite Geocode USA and other ThinkGeo products, please visit our website at www.thinkgeo.com or contact one of our sales representatives at sales@thinkgeo.com or (866) 847-7510.
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.
For more information, call (866) 847-7510 or e-mail sales@thinkgeo.com
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GISuser.com GIS, GPS, LBS, CAD, mapping news, jobs, software, data, community
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
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 and spatial applications. To learn more about Map Suite Geocode USA and other ThinkGeo products, please visit our website at www.thinkgeo.com or contact one of our sales representatives at sales@thinkgeo.com or (866) 847-7510.
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.
For more information, call (866) 847-7510 or e-mail sales@thinkgeo.com
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The year of the digital citizen: "2005 was arguably the year citizens really started to do it for themselves. Raising mobiles aloft, they did not just talk and text, they snapped, shared and reported the world around them.
Striking images of the 7 July bombings were taken by amateurs
Twelve months ago, it was clear the mass consumer was going to have at his or her disposal many more gadgets with greater capacity to record, store and share content.
It was going to be a year in which people started to challenge those who traditionally provide us with content, be it news, music, or movies.
Crucially, what 2005 proved was that far from these techno tools being purely dumb funnels for the same paid-for content from mainstream media, they had the chance to become powerful tools for political expression and reportage.
The consumer was turning into the citizen with a meaningful role to play. Media started to look more participatory and inclusive.
The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 starkly showed the potential of these tools. Most of the memories of that day have been graphically captured, replayed and played again, making the event much more immediate and personal.
Later in the year, the 7 July London bombings and the hurricanes in the US forced home the fact that citizens had a much larger role in the production of news than ever before.
These collages of eyewitness accounts showed the immediate aftermath of the events long before any press camera could.
More recently, the BBC received 6,500 e-mailed mobile images and video clips showing the fires at the Buncefield oil depot, thousands more than the number received after the London bombings.
Shifting sands
With this explosion of citizen reporting, the relationship between producer and consumer has to realign itself.
Start-ups, "
Striking images of the 7 July bombings were taken by amateurs
Twelve months ago, it was clear the mass consumer was going to have at his or her disposal many more gadgets with greater capacity to record, store and share content.
It was going to be a year in which people started to challenge those who traditionally provide us with content, be it news, music, or movies.
Crucially, what 2005 proved was that far from these techno tools being purely dumb funnels for the same paid-for content from mainstream media, they had the chance to become powerful tools for political expression and reportage.
The consumer was turning into the citizen with a meaningful role to play. Media started to look more participatory and inclusive.
The Boxing Day tsunami of 2004 starkly showed the potential of these tools. Most of the memories of that day have been graphically captured, replayed and played again, making the event much more immediate and personal.
Later in the year, the 7 July London bombings and the hurricanes in the US forced home the fact that citizens had a much larger role in the production of news than ever before.
These collages of eyewitness accounts showed the immediate aftermath of the events long before any press camera could.
More recently, the BBC received 6,500 e-mailed mobile images and video clips showing the fires at the Buncefield oil depot, thousands more than the number received after the London bombings.
Shifting sands
With this explosion of citizen reporting, the relationship between producer and consumer has to realign itself.
Start-ups, "
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Top 10 Trends: Locating You
Top 10 Trends: Locating You
Top 10 Trends: Locating You
Location-based technologies have given birth to new games, learning systems, and public services.
December 31, 2005 Print Issue
In a schoolyard in
The children run through a digital landscape created as an experiment by scientists at Hewlett-Packard’s labs in
This digital African safari foreshadows the next wave of location-based services being readied for consumers and businesses, a wave that spans gaming, entertainment, and new media. The coming phase of this technology promises a bounty of applications with strong search capability and tools that help make location a part of every digital encounter.
ABI Research estimates that the global location-based market will grow to $8 billion in 2010 from the current market of $981 million. The Asia-Pacific region currently accounts for 55 percent of the world’s subscribers. Already, consumers in What about In recent years, wireless providers have been promoting location-based services to help differentiate their service offerings. But the adoption hasn’t been as rapid as market research analysts predicted, especially in the Landscape Interaction or Surveillance? New digital location services and clever games that permit cell phone users to interact with the physical landscape are not far off. Applications that capture consumer interest will surely seize the market opportunity in 2006. One possibility for the tourism industry is the ability to recreate historical events. Another HP Bristol Lab project takes children and adults to the Bristol Riots of 1831, which lasted three days and cost hundreds of lives. Students walk around historic |
Top 10 Trends: Online Games, Flash Memory, Internet Video, Wireless Net, Precision Drugs, Micro-Payments, Locating You, Sensor Motes, Supply Chains, Nutrigenomics |
Teetering on the rim of history's dustbin
an extract from Deidre Macken's op-ed piece in the Australian Financial Review 28 December 2005
......
Street Directories
And you just bought a larger print edition. No matter, satellite technology is steering many more Toorak mums [ the most affluent suburb of Melbourne, OZ] through the soccer run and the new mobile navsat devices will soon get the rest of us there
.....
an extract from Deidre Macken's op-ed piece in the Australian Financial Review 28 December 2005
......
Street Directories
And you just bought a larger print edition. No matter, satellite technology is steering many more Toorak mums [ the most affluent suburb of Melbourne, OZ] through the soccer run and the new mobile navsat devices will soon get the rest of us there
.....
Live Network of Webcams and Streaming Video Cameras - EarthCam: "Welcome to the EarthCam Network!
Through EarthCam's LIVE webcams, you can see the hustle and bustle of Times Square, catch the action on the Vegas Strip, watch a sunrise over London's Big Ben, and enjoy beautiful sunsets in S"
Through EarthCam's LIVE webcams, you can see the hustle and bustle of Times Square, catch the action on the Vegas Strip, watch a sunrise over London's Big Ben, and enjoy beautiful sunsets in S"
SOCcentral: TI Introduces Precision, Micro-Power Op Amps for Battery-Powered Applications
Go to the Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) website for details.
December 28, 2005 -- Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) has introduced a new family of precision, micro-power operational amplifiers (op amps) from the company’s Burr-Brown product line. The OPA379 family operates within a 1.8-V to 5.5-V supply voltage range and features high performance single-supply operation, very low quiescent current (2.9µA) and low noise (80nV/rtHz) relative to the quiescent current. The micro-size packages make the devices ideal for battery-powered applications.
This product family offers an impressive unity gain bandwidth/quiescent current ratio of 90kHz on 2.9µA and has significantly lower noise than products with similar current consumption. The combination of DC precision specifications - Vos (1.5mV max), CMRR (90dB min), PSRR (10uV/V max) and AOL (100dB min) - make this product family very attractive for designs requiring precision with low power consumption.
The reduced package size of the OPA379 allows compact designs in a variety of applications including designs with TI’s MSP430 low-power microcontrollers, as well as handheld medical instruments, remote sensors, gas detection and wireless metering.
Pricing and Availability
The OPA379 (single) and OPA2379 (dual) are available now from TI and its authorized distributors in SOIC packages. SOT-23 and SC70 versions will be offered in 1Q 2006, along with a quad version, the OPA4379 in a TSSOP package. The single and dual versions are priced at $0.75 and $1.10 respectively in 1,000 piece quantities (suggested resale pricing).
Go to the Texas Instruments, Inc. (TI) website for details.
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