The Google GEO APIs team developed a KML Interactive Sampler page. Now people, who want to learn KML, can learn by examples. The Sampler page uses the Google Earth Plugin to demonstrate various features while displaying KML code.

Next week, George Mason University and the University of Virginia are celebrating GIS Day(s). They invite the general public to their GIS festivities. GMU’s featured speakers include Carmel Menzel, ESRI and Justin Procopio, National Geographic Society. David Rumsey, an expert on historical maps, will speak at UVA’s GIS Day.

The Google Maps API terms of service is causing the Ordnance Survey grief. The OS was unhappy with local authorities signing up to the Google Maps API terms of service as it required a “broad” re-licensing of the data to Google and the users of Google maps based sites. According to the OS, Show Us a Better Way broke copyright regulations by embedding info on Google Maps that was “derived” from OS data. Yesterday, Google released an updated Terms of Service for both Google Maps and Earth. For OS’ sake, the new published terms should help solve this issue.

Google announced the Google Geo Challenge Grants. The challenge encourages organizations, especially non-profits, to use maps as mediums to communicate issues and implement plans. The grants range from US$5,000 and US$100,000. For more the challenge guidelines, visit the Geo Challenge page.

Yesterday was “Make Slashgeo Known to the Community Day!” We encourage our readers to also show their support for our fellow GeoFriend!

Popularity: 14% [?]

Ogle Earth shares a plethora of links with everything from a 3-D globe viewer from Microsoft Virtual Earth’s API to heatmaps of georeferenced Panoramio photos to a job search using ReliefWeb’s map of humanitarian vacancies. It really shows that you can use a map for anything.

Reverse geocoding for Google Maps is now available, and Google Maps Mania has a comprehensive review. Reverse geocoding is pretty cool, it allows users to enter in the latitude and longitude of your location and then provide the physical address (for example, FortiusOne’s mailing/street address).

Journalists take note. The AnyGeo Blog points out how important the visual of a map is in telling a story. Reading a recent article in the local Fort Collins, CO paper, Glenn says, “I can’t help to think how much more useful the article in the paper would have been by simply posting the actual map or a link and forget about all the blabber.”

The Click2Map blog gives an overview and insight into the Google Gears Geolocation API for laptop wi-fi users. The original intent of the Gears Geolocation API was for developers to easily deliver location enabled web sites on mobile phones. But the team realized that laptop users could benefit as well, so added that functionality to the product. Even better, the Gears Geolocation API is free.

Popularity: 9% [?]

There has been an interesting discussion going over on James Fee’s blog on the merits of ESRI’s new javascript API and Flex API. James has thrown his lot in with the JavaScript API, and a host of Flex/Flash developers have been exposing their technology’s merits. While we don’t use either of ESRI’s APIs internally we did have to make a choice between Flash and JavaScript/HTML when we were developing Maker. At the end of the day we ended up blending the two approaches - implementing JavaScript where it made sense and utilizing Flash when we needed powerful vector rendering capabilities.

One of the most useful references for me in this process was a workshop Tom Carden gave at ETech last year on the data rendering capabilities of a variety of approaches. The readers digest version of the workshop went something along these lines:

HTML/Javascript - handles 100-1000 data points - loads in .1 seconds
Flash - handles up to 10,000 data points - loads in 1 second
Java/Processing - handles up to 100,000 points - loads in 10 seconds
OpenGL - handles upwards of 1,000,000 points - loads in 100 seconds

For Maker we wanted to be able to handle 10,000+ points/polygons and there was no way JavaScript was going to be able to handle it. Of course rendering the data was just one of many problems. Not only did we have to render the data but also parse it from the server out to the client while running the mathematical operation enabling you to take advantage of the structured data being sent. The team came with lots of clever tricks to pull it off, but the level of performance afforded by using Flash for rendering the vector data was not available with JavaScript. Processing could be a very cool option as the technology matures. Silverlight could also be a great option if they can get the plug-in universally embedded into browsers as with Flash.

While Flash was a great option for the tiling and vector rendering we did not want to build out the entire application in Flash for a variety of reasons. In GeoCommons everything outside of the map itself is JavaScript/HTML. This is probably rudimentary for many folks, but reading the debate on James’ blog I think sometimes developers lose sight of picking the best tool for the job. Oftentimes it is easy to get wedded to an approach just because it is what you know well. We were complete Flash rookies when we started, but got some great help from Tom with Modest Maps, Axis Maps with the Flash development and cartography, hired some full time resources, and learned a lot on our own. It ended up being a great approach for the specific problems we were facing. As long as you are using standard interfaces in your development, you should be able to fluidly adapt to the technology that makes the most sense for your set of problems.

Popularity: 23% [?]

James Fee writes that The ESRI JavaScript API is better than WebADF. “The simplicity of the JavaScript API and the way it works, makes the classic WebADF and HTML viewers obsolete for most users…”

Jeff Thurston at VectorOne discusses map intelligence and data workflows. While most workflows using a GIS follow a step-by-step procedure, Jeff states that, “no matter how proficient you are with a GIS, or the data in question, it is near impossible to know what else surrounds the question you are working on.” This leads to questions of map intelligence and the procedures and workflows that are related to making a map. To be intelligent, GIS becomes more than just following the process, but processing the information in a meaningful way.

Applications using Yahoo Fire Eagle are highlighted on Google Maps Mania. These applications include Spot, Wikinear, Rummble, Metrosphere, Map My Tracks, and ekit. Each has a different goal in mind, from building a travel journal on Google Maps to list geotagged events happening near you.

We did a lot of work mapping Hurricane Ike this year, providing maps important information such as storm surge and wind speed, wave heights, and the impact on energy infrastructure. GISuser shares that 3-D pre- and post-storm lidar topography data will be made available to local, state, and federal agencies to aid post-storm disaster recovery and future erosion mitigation.

It appears that there is a spatial data exchange in Ireland with multiple agencies contributing data. Directions’ All Points Blog reports that metadata searching is available via text search or accompanied by spatial extent and date, but there is no “map viewer” to examine found live data at this time.

Popularity: 8% [?]

Urban Mapping has created a multi layer paper map called Panamap. Powered by their “MapAction Technology,” users can view different layers of the map in different angles. The map provides three images that “are interlaced by alternating horizontal strips from each. The resulting compound image is calibrated to a specially designed polymer lens substrate. Lenses contain between 60 to 200 micro-lenses per inch, depending on the desired outcome. This is mounted to a backing, die cut and packaged.” Currently, you can get Panamaps for Chicago and New York City.

The world’s leading technology firm for GIS software, ESRI, has been named an approved prime contractor on the SeaPort Enhanced (SeaPort-e) online portal by The Naval Surface Warfare Center (NSWC). ESRI can now provide the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marine Corps, and the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) a broad range of engineering, technical, and programmatic services related to GIS and IT

MapQuest released a new beta version of their site in response to the growing competition from other mapping sites like Google Maps. The new MapQuest added a map on the home page, and now offers a “copy and paste address field.” Despite their efforts, users are still not satisfied with the “zoom in and out” function. Many question if this is “too little, too late?”

The London’s Metropolitan Police launched the first crime mapping test site. Based on Google Maps, the beta displays crime stats for neighborhood levels in a user-friendly interface. Users can also find local cops, report a crime, and learn about crime prevention, victim support, and details of their local criminals. The creation of the crime map brings ‘hope that this new service will continue to evolve for a long time as the ability to filter by crime type, hotspots, and trends would be exceptional. You can also get the raw data as well as look at the mashup on the UK site from Finder!

Google launched their Gears Geolocation API. This new service provides “a way to get a more precise estimate of a user’s location using the cell-ID of nearby towers or on-board GPS.” Mobile devices with Gears will be able to access their location more accurately. This new tool allows “third parties to plug into their sites and automatically take advantage of both tower and GPS-based positioning.” Currently, Gears only works on Internet Explorer and WinMo.

Popularity: 17% [?]