In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

After v2.4 last fall, MapGuide Open Source 2.5 has been released. Can anyone share thoughts or links regarding MapGuide's user community? Is it still vibrant as it used to be?

Major new items from the release notes: "

• PDF-based QuickPlot? for Fusion (RFC 124)
• Google Street View widget for Fusion (RFC 125)
• Support for user coordinate system dictionaries (RFC 127)
• Integrated IDE API documentation support for Java/.net (RFC 129)
• New enhanced Java wrapper API (RFC 129)
• Streamed HTTP feature/data/SQL query results (RFC 130)
• Various AJAX Viewer UI and functionality improvements
• Enhanced Redlining widget with expanded data format support  more info
• Fixes and enhancements to assorted Fusion widgets and templates  more info"

Via Google I learned about OpenSignal, which provides a cellular signal coverage map.

From their about page: "With your help, we're creating a comprehensive database of cell phone towers, cell phone signal strength readings, and Wi-Fi access points around the world. Our goal is to become the global authority on wireless networks. On this website we provide visualizations and analysis based on the data we've collected, including cellular coverage maps that show exactly how strong signal is in any particular area, as well as all the nearby towers for your carrier. [...] In return for users submitting their signal strength data, we pledge to generate a coverage map and make it available for anyone around the world to view, for free, at any time!"

However, its data is not open like the OpenCellID project we mentioned in 2009.

Here's the recent open source / open data geonews in batch mode.

Software-related:

• On the iD Map Editor, the new OpenStreetMap editor, reached the Beta 1 state, if you want to see it in action, here's a nice 1-minute video
• It was mentioned in our press release section, but deserves additional attention, "GeoServer Beginner's Guide is a new book from Packt that teaches the readers to build custom maps using the dynamic real-time geospatial information. With the help of this book, readers will learn sharing of real-time maps quickly" Here's Jody's review of the book
• Via OR I learned about the release of Titan 0.3 which supports georeferenced data: "Titan is a highly scalable graph database optimized for storing and querying large graphs with billions of vertices and edges distributed across a multi-machine cluster. Titan is a transactional database that can support thousands of concurrent users."
• Here's about Scribe - A tool to facilitate the creation of Maps with MapServer
• Via OR, here's the code for WebGL Heatmap "a JavaScript library for high performance heatmap display"
• An open source Desktop GIS we never mentioned before, VSceneGIS Desktop v0.9.5, which seems to have only Spanish documentation
• Interested by the desktop GIS uDig? Here's a course on geographic scripting in uDig
• Amongst other updates, New final version of i3Geo available: i3Geo 4.7 and deegree 3.2.0 webservices released
• You can't wait? Here's Some cool new features in the upcoming QGIS 2.0
• And yes, OpenLayers 3 is getting closer to reality, the latest code sprint summary

Open data:

• Related to OpenStreetMap, the LearnOSM website got a major facelift and there's OSM PLUS - the OpenStreetMap Commercial Users Summit, the first meeting to occur on June 10th in San Francisco... with Garmin being another of the major companies diving into OpenStreetMap
• Geoff tells us about EuroGlobalMap, a free and open authoritative European geospatial data site
• The City of Chicago now offers its data on GitHub, most of it being georeferenced: "This is a new experiment, where we can see if it’s possible to crowdsource better data. GitHub provides the necessary functionality."
• On the topic of open data, you can read the new entry named The Flawed Economics of Closed Government Data by Brian Timoney

Everything else:

• Here's an entry on Map overlays with WebGL: affine, polynomial, TPS transformations in JavaScript with GLSL
• There's a new Open Source Geospatial Laboratory established at the University of Warwick, UK
• Here's the Keynote speakers at FOSS4G-CEE 2013

Here's the recent Esri-related geonews in batch mode.

From official sources:

• Here's a list of What’s New in ArcGIS Online for March 2013, a lot of new features
• There's also new data, DigitalGlobe and community imagery added to the World Imagery map and new updates to the Ocean Basemap
• Crowdsourcing works for Esri too, New community contributions added to the World Topographic Map and a second entry on the same topic and other contributions
• Other related additions include using Bing basemaps in ArcGIS Online and using Stamen and MapBox tilesets as basemaps in ArcGIS.com
• Here's the announcement of Esri Maps for Office 2.0 Released: "Esri Maps for Office is a powerful add-in for Microsoft Office that brings the capabilities of Esri’s mapping platform to Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint users."
• Amongst updates, ArcGIS API for JavaScript Version 3.4 Released and if Flex is not dead for you, ArcGIS for Flex 3.2 Released
• Three new beta SDK available: ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Windows Store apps Beta is available, the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for Qt 10.2 beta is now available and the new ArcGIS Runtime SDK for OS X Beta is available
• And if the ArcGIS Runtime SDK for iOS is of interest to you, there's the MapKit 2 ArcGIS Project on GitHub

From other sources:

• Directions Mag offers an article named Esri Certification Exams - Are you ready?

Here's the recent Google-related geonews.

From official sources:

• A new mapping tool offered by Google, Create, collaborate and share advanced custom maps with Google Maps Engine Lite (Beta): "Of course, experts aren’t the only ones who love to make maps. Today we're launching Google Maps Engine Lite (Beta), so any mapping enthusiast can now create and share robust custom maps using this powerful, easy-to-use tool. You can import small spreadsheets of locations onto a comprehensive map, visualize those places through a variety of styling and drawing options, and organize and compare up to three different data sets for your non-business purposes." For those who don't remember, 'Google Maps Engine' is the new name of what was known as 'Google Earth Builder'.

• Google also started looking for Explorers to test drive Google Glass, which we will definitely hear often about in the coming months - Slashdot discusses Google Glass in three discussions: Lawmakers Seek To Ban Google Glass On the Road, Should We Be Afraid of Google Glass? and Google Glass and Surveillance Culture
• There's Live transit information in more cities on Google Maps: "live departure times for seven lines on the New York City subway system (MTA), as well as for buses and trams in the greater Salt Lake City area (UTA). With these updates – part of the millions of live transit schedule updates we process every day – you get instant access to the latest information right on Google Maps, making trip planning a cinch."
• Google released Imagery on Google Maps of Fukushima Exclusion Zone Town Namie-machi also discussed over Slashdot in a story named Google Releases Street View Images From Fukushima Ghost Town
• If there's a Pirate in you, or you have kids, you might be interested in Finding treasures with Google Maps, related, here's about Teaching about the ocean floor with Google Earth
• Google invites us to Explore Everest, Kilimanjaro and more with Google Maps
• If you're a non-profit organization, you might be interested in making a map that will change the world with Google Earth Outreach Developer Grants
• Other minor official entries include: Google Maps shows Amazon funds at work, Trekker takes on Canada’s Arctic Winter and A behind-the-scenes look at our latest Google Maps special collection

From other sources:

• The GEB has a short entry on Managing KML and KMZ files on mobile devices
• What used to require a GIS, here's about Using Google Earth terrain data to plan wireless networks
• APB share links about Google Indoor Mapping: Does it Work? WIll it Save Brick and Mortar Retail from Web Competitors?
• APB also shares an entry on Queensland Putting its Data On Google Earth
• Guess what, there was new imagery to Google Earth a bit less than 2 weeks ago, other minor stories from the GEB includes Researchers rediscover lost butterfly species with the help of Google Earth, Race Formula One tracks with Google Earth and An in-depth look at the history of Street View

The GeoTrellis team is very excited to announce the availability of GeoTrellis 0.8 (codename “Atlantis”), which is a major new release that is a huge step forward towards our goal of a general purpose, high performance geoprocessing library and runtime designed to perform and scale for the web.

As you delve into GeoTrellis 0.8 in more depth, here are some new features you may want to explore:

• A new suite of raster operations in the focal category of map algebra: http://geotrellis.github.com/operations/raster/focal.html
• Simplified raster rendering with a built-in suite of color ramps for data cartography: http://geotrellis.github.com/overviews/rendering.html
• Zonal summary (by feature) operations, including a caching mechanism for tiled rasters for improved performance: http://geotrellis.github.com/operations/raster/zonal.html
• New vector feature framework for operations on points, lines, polygons with a suite of vector operations, as well as re-engineered rasterization operations: http://geotrellis.github.com/overviews/vector.html and http://geotrellis.github.com/operations/feature.html

For more information, see the Azavea Labs blog here: http://www.azavea.com/blogs/labs/2013/03/geotrellis-0-8-has-arrived/

We informed you a few times already about the upcoming FOSS4G-NA 2013 conference in Minneapolis in May 22-24, what's new is Slashgeo is going to be a proud media partner of the event!

Reminder: "FOSS4G brings together public and private-sector stakeholders, innovators and developers who are at the forefront of free and open source software for geospatial applications. FOSS4G-NA 2013 will offer a broad program to discuss and build tools to help solve some of the world’s most pressing problems and business needs. FOSS4G-NA 2013 follows on the success of the 2012 conference held in Washington, DC.  This regional event complements the larger FOSS4G International Conference, the leading global conference organized by OSGeo focusing on Free and Open Source Software for Geospatial."

VerySpatial informed us of NASA's closer look at LDCM's first scene. LDCM is to be renamed Landsat 8. Slashdot also discusses this story and link to a GizMag article.

From NASA: "Turning on new satellite instruments is like opening new eyes. This week, the Landsat Data Continuity Mission (LDCM) released its first images of Earth, collected at 1:40 p.m. EDT on March 18. [...] LDCM sees eleven bands within the electromagnetic spectrum, the range of wavelengths of light. OLI collects light reflected from Earth's surface in nine of these bands. Wavelengths on the shorter side include the visible blue, green, and red bands. Wavelengths on the longer side include the near infrared and shortwave infrared. LDCM's second instrument, the Thermal Infrared Sensor (TIRS) detects light emitted from the surface in two even longer wavelengths called the thermal infrared. [...] LDCM's normal operations are scheduled to begin in late May when the instruments have been calibrated and the spacecraft has been fully checked out."

The open source java desktop GIS uDig released its version 1.4. uDig also officially joined LocationTech recently (here's our previous entry on LocationTech).

What's in the 1.4 release: "

For users:

• GeoScript editor allowing scripting directly from the uDig application
• Document view for working with attachments and hot-links
• New graticule map decorator supporting metric coordinate reference systems
• WMS 1.3.0 now enabled by default

For developers:

• Provided under a dual EPL and BSD license with associated refresh of a all headers, plugin license and about.html files.
• Transition to Maven command line build is complete with both product and SDK builds
• SDK is a complete target platform (no longer requires an Eclipse Download).
• Based on GeoTools 9.0-M0

Release notes:

• uDig 1.4.0 Release Notes"

The race for improved indoor navigation goes on, MacRumors informs us that Apple Acquires Indoor Mobile Location Positioning Firm WifiSLAM.

From the Wall Street Journal: "The two-year-old startup has developed ways for mobile apps to detect a phone user’s location in a building using Wi-Fi signals. It has been offering the technology to application developers for indoor mapping and new types of retail and social networking apps. The company has a handful of employees, and its co-founders include former Google software engineering intern Joseph Huang. [...] Google already offers indoor mapping in certain locations like airports, shopping centers and sports venues."