In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

Heroku has just announced support for PostGIS 2.0.

https://blog.heroku.com/archives/2013/4/30/heroku_postgres_geospatial_support_now_available

[Editor's note: Heroku is a "SQL Database-as-a-Service"]

Open Jump 1.6.1 released on 12 April 2013!!!

Great lightweight PostGIS geom viewer. Now can write back to PostGIS too!

http://sourceforge.net/projects/jump-pilot/files/OpenJUMP/1.6.1/

Version 1.6.0 New Features

• adding support for GeoTIFF with transformation matrix georeferencing courtesy of Nicolas Ribot
• add arrange view horizontally and vertically to the view menu
• add a PostGIS writer including 5 options to create a PostGIS table, to insert rows or to update an existing table.
• add a "selection" parameter option to RunDataStoreQueryPlugIn
• add Dynamic Attributes based on beanshell snippets + persistence in openjump project files.
• add Tools > Generate > Create Point Layer from Attribute Table
• add Tools > Edit Attributes > Join Table... to attach attributes from an one layer to another layer based on a unique ID field
• add 6 plugins derived from Noder plugin available in LayerView context menu
• add Merge selected features in place in LayerView context menu (FR 3506380)
• add Offset curve plugin
• add View > Map decoration > NorthArrow plugin
• add densifier function in Tools > Analysis > Geometry functions (FR 3516240)
• add Tools > Edit Attributes > Add 3D Geometry Attributes plugin
• add Tools > Edit Attributes > Add Geometry Attributes plugin

[....]

Jump, jump everybody jump.

Still in my geonews catching up process, here's the open source-related geonews not shared yet.

• Via LinkedIn I learned about HSLayers and Proxy4OWS,
  • For HSLayers: "HSLayers is yet another JavaScript Mapping framework. You can use it for building rich mapping portals, as well as use it’s parts for improving your simple OpenLayers-based map."
  • For Proxy4OWS: "It is transforming OGC WMS request types from the client, into WCS or WFS requests, so that the target server can accept them."
• For OpenStreetMap, I liked the 'Worst of OSM' page showing failed imports, I guess we wouldn't see this from proprietary providers (via)
• For those unable to move to 2.0, PostGIS 1.5.4 was released
• If you want to learn about GeoExt 2 development
• GeoNode 1.1.1 was released
• And so was MapProxy 1.4.0
• As an indirect user of GEOS, I'm happy that GEOS graduated OSGeo incubation
• The OSGeo also informed us of the First Open Source Geospatial Laboratory in South America and First African Open Source Geospatial Laboratory
• You might have an interest in the Comprehensive preview of MapGuide Open Source 2.4 series
• libais 0.7 was released: "C++ decoder for Automatic Identification System for tracking ships and decoding maritime information"
• APB informs us  that the famous AP, Associated Press, is moving to TileMill and Leaflet for their interactive maps

Vizzuality announces the launch of CartoDB 1.0 (cartodb.com), an open source platform to map, analyze and build location aware apps with your data in the cloud.

Import your data in a click. Mashup datasets. Create beautiful maps. Use CartoDB to explore and discover new relationships in your data. Publish and share your work. Enjoy.

Journalists, scientists, developers and data explorers can use CartoDB to create dynamic maps with ease, and with v1.0 have access to a whole world of data to explore from OpenStreetMaps.

With CartoDB dynamic rendering you can create truly interactive visualizations using HTML5, real-time maps and location aware mobile apps. CartoDB is Open Source, you are not locked into any vendor platform.

CartoDB allows you to use your data layers with all popular providers (Google Maps, Bing, MapQuest) or with free sources like OpenStreetMaps. Thousands of users like NASA, The Wall Street Journal and the United Nations are already using CartoDB.

It's Easter and I find myself aggregating geonews for you - don't you see how much I love you ;-) Expect less news this week since I'll be participating to the FOSS4G-NA conference. So here's the latest geonews in batch mode.

In the open source and open data front:

• Slashdot discusses a story named Wikipedia Mobile Apps Switch To OpenStreetMap, away from Google Maps, related, James Fee links to a NY Times article on bypassing Google Maps with OpenStreetMap
• and via @teller another article is named Microsoft backing OpenStreetMap, creating Google Maps competitor
• Numerous sources mentioned the beautiful watercolor OpenStreetMap style from Stamen and here's how they were created (via Wes)
• An entry discusses the differences between the Portable GIS and OSGeo Live tools
• There was a few entries on QGIS; one on the qNote plugin, detailed instructions for installing QGIS Server on Windows 7 and on Ubuntu, the custom form feature to streamline data entry, and an entry on the enhanced MS SQLServer 2008 support
• With PostGIS 2.0 recently released, here's an entry on validating vector features
• Here's a discussion on OpenStreetMap should be more like Facebook

In the miscellaneous category:

• The Landsat 5 mission is officially suspended after 28 years, we mentioned its recent problems
• Kurt shares four entries on vertical datums
• APB shares an Esri Developer Summit 2012 RoundUp
• APB also shares an entry named Doctor’s Offices and Access to primary health care - Esri Map Story
• The GEB mentions GraphEarth, a 25$ tool to generate charts for Google Earth
• Several blogs participated to the raw data vs API discussion
• This infographic will inform you on the current state of MapQuest, MapQuest also have a new section to explore U.S. National Parks
• WebMapSolutions offers two entries whether we should retire the term GIS - my take is that GIS is useful since it refers to something specific and unique
• Somewhat related, Very Spatial shares entry on the new GIS end-user: "These users know how to navigate and interact with consumer maps and expect all their interactions with spatial technology to be this simple. They don’t, in any way, want to “see” GIS or have to learn a new vocabulary of terms like vectors, georeference, buffer, and shapefile." No pain no gain?
• APB mentions a U.S. Congressman Introduces “Map It Once, Use it Many Times Act”
• O'Reilly shares an entry on the do's and don'ts of geo marketing
• Spatial Sustain has an informative entry named Let the Drone Mapping Race Begin
• Unsurprisingly, Slashdot discusses a story named Many Police Departments Engage in Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking
• The recent Direction Mag articles I found interesting:
  • One named HTML5 Canvas: An Open Standard for High Performing GIS Map Visualization in Web Browsers
  • Ten Things to Know about the Geospatial Technology Competency Model
  • And finally The Top 10 Reasons Why You Need to Know About the U.S. GeoTech Center

In the maps category:

• O'Reilly discusses a Facebook app to map your Facebook network
• Many sources shared the beautiful WebGL U.S. wind map also discussed over Slashdot
• TMR shares a nice short video visualizing the world's ocean currents on the globe

This is major news: after 26 months of development, the open source geospatial database PostGIS 2.0 has been released. PostGIS is one of the best spatial database system there is. It even has been recently identified as better than Oracle Spatial.

The new features:

• Raster data and raster/vector analysis in the database
• Topological models to handle objects with shared boundaries
• PostgreSQL typmod integration, for an automagical geometry_columns table
• 3D and 4D indexing
• Index-based high performance nearest-neighbour searching
• Many more vector functions including
  • ST_Split
  • ST_Node
  • ST_MakeValid
  • ST_OffsetCurve
  • ST_ConcaveHull
  • ST_AsX3D
  • ST_GeomFromGeoJSON
  • ST_3DDistance
• Integration with the PostgreSQL 9.1 extension system
• Improved commandline shapefile loader/dumper
• Multi-file import support in the shapefile GUI
• Multi-table export support in the shapefile GUI
• A geo-coder optimized for free US Census TIGER (2010) data

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode. Again an unusually long edition.

From the open source and open data front:

• Here's two entries on PostGIS 2.0 new features; Typmod and 3D/4D indexing
• You might be interested in learning about GDAL virtual formats if you don't use them already, related to GDAL, here's how to correctly compute the average aspect of a DEM using gdaldem
• There's a Natural Earth Quick Start Kit that includes a QGIS project file, and another entry on adding custom global projections to QGIS
• There's new 2.5 meters imagery of Australia available for OpenStreetMap
• O'Reilly shares a story of another company, StreetEasy, switching to OpenStreetMap data
• In Russia too, with Yandex, they are using crowdsourced maps now
• If you plan to use MapServer as a WFS 1.1.0 client, read this, since apparently it's support is not optimal just yet

From the Esri front:

• Via James, the File Geodatabase API 1.2 has been released and MacOS X is now supported
• About two weeks ago, the ArcGIS 10 Service Pack 4 became available for download

From the Google front:

• Google just introduced more detailed 3D landmarks on Google Maps, take a quick look at the screenshots included
• Google Map Maker is now available in France and Monaco
• You can now get Traffic Conditions in Norway, New Zealand, and Hong Kong
• Ogle Earth offers a detailed entry on conspiracy, Google Earth and the latest war in Sri Lanka
• There's a whole new website for Google Maps API Developers
• The GEB offers an entry on Integrating Street View with the Google Earth Diorama
• Oh, and there's new imagery

From the Microsoft front:

• Bing Maps offers a new look for Pushpins, Popups, and Transit
• And Microsoft announced Bing Maps for Metro Style Apps
• There's new official Bing Maps forums too

In the miscellaneous category:

• APB shares an entry named Facebook Outlines Vision for Location APIs
• O'Reilly shares a story about the impacts of languages on place and location aware tools
• James informs us that iOS is now telling us when an app is using a geofence
• Slashdot discussed a story named Stolen iPad's Reported Location Not Enough To Warrant Search, Say Dutch Police
• Another story on the same site is entitled Pentagon Wants Disposable War Satellites
• Still from Slashdot, a story named Satellites Expose 8,000 Years of Civilization
• And a last one from the same source is named DIY Augmented Reality Heads-Up Display
• Yes, it's been already 10 years of Envisat
• Here's a Q&A on OGC's CityGML standard
• Nokia Drive 2.0 offers interesting features such as offline directions, for Lumia Windows Phones

In the maps category:

• SS shared an entry named New Mapping Tool Shows Potential Radiation Impacts in the United States
• For the astronomers amongst us, TMR shares a Geologic Map of Io and an Atlas of the Galilean Satellites

MyGeoCloud.com is a new OpenSoure project and a web service. It offers geospatial storage, WMS and WFS-T services for accessing data and transactions. Besides that it offers a built-in web mapping client and online editing of data. But MyGeoCloud is also a platform on which you can build your own location based web applications using a JavaScript API.

The core component of MyGeoCloud is the PostGIS database software, which is used for storage and geospatial operations. MapServer is used for map rendering and for tile caching TileCache is used. OpenLayers is used for the web map clients. The WFS-T service is implemented in the code base.

The goal is a all-in-one solution for storage, geospatial operations, geospatial web services and web mapping.

Test the project here: http://beta.mygeocloud.com/ and get the source code here: https://github.com/mhoegh/MyGeoCloud

Unless you're new here, you've heard of PostGIS several times. It's really hard to find documentation about spatial database benchmarks since, if I'm not mistaken, proprietary software licenses often prohibit publicly sharing such benchmarks (am I right?). And I guess there's at least one good reason for this: doing fair benchmarking is difficult to accomplish. But here's one (currently available) benchmarking report comparing PostGIS (PostgreSQL) and Oracle Spatial.

From the conclusions of the 46-pages report: "From the experimental results that we saw, we can conclude that Postgres performs better than Oracle 11g both in the Cold Phase and Warm Phase. Though in few queries Oracle 11g performed better but on the whole Postgres overpowered Oracle 11g. In the warm phase in 3 out of 4 queries Postgres performed significantly well, from this we can conclude that Postgres has better automatic memory management capabilities and page replacement policies. [...] Since Postgres uses the underlying GEOS (Geometry Engine - Open Source) library functions for implementing the geometric operations whereas Oracle 11g implements them on its own, and since in majority Postgres performs well, we can conclude that GEOS geometric algorithms are more efficiently designed than Oracle 11g. And also Postgres planner is more efficiently designed to take advantage of any available indexes to use in queries for achieving better performance whereas in Oracle 11g we saw that we have to specify them explicitly through functions."

Here's what Paul Ramsey of the PostGIS fame has to say about it: "Methodologically there are two obvious issues: one is that the Oracle database was on Windows while the PostGIS database was on Linux; the other is that neither database got any tuning, they were both installed and run with default parameters. However, this is one of the nicer comparisons I have read: concise, focussed and with enough technical detail to evaluate what's going on."

​This batch mode edition is unusually long. It covers the past month and a bit more. Yes, that's way too much and I won't try to repeat the experience ;-) Here's what I considered pertinent enough to share with you. Exceptionally, in some cases I haven't gave attribution to the source of the news, thank you for your comprehension.

On the geospatial open source front:

• I just recently became aware of PostGISonline, a site for testing and learning spatial SQL
• You can now create and manipulate SLD (the OGC Styled Layer Descriptor standard) in Python with python-sld
• Via the AGISRS list, I learned about OpenQuake.org, for calculating seismic hazard and risk at any scale, which of course ingest geospatial data and outputs maps
• Here's WherePost.ca, which crowdsources the location of mailboxes and post offices for Canada
• Here's the Switch2OSM website promoting OpenStreetMap, OpenStreetMap might go indoor too
• Still on the OSM topic, V1 shares an entry on the use of OpenStreetMap data in agriculture
• Here's an entry on the future of GeoCouch and CouchDB
• GeoServer gets database-level security
• There's now a plugin to run Python scripts in QGIS
• Here's about improvements to the QGIS rule-based rendering
• On a similar topic, here's a guide to beautiful reliefs in QGIS
• Did you know you can add Google Maps, OSM, and Bing Maps directly in QGIS? You can via the OpenLayers plugin - hey, there's even a Profile plugin
• There's an updated book published by Gary Sherman, now named The Geospatial Desktop , subtitled Open source GIS and mapping
• GEOS 3.3.2 has been released

On the Esri front:

• Mandown shares how to convert GPX files to Features using ArcGIS 10
• From the same source, Learn The Basics Of Working With The ArcGIS Runtime SDK For Android
• There were updates to ArcGIS for SharePoint, ArcGIS Mobile and to the ArcGIS API for Windows Phone
• James and SS talks about ArcGIS Online as the Esri Content Management System

On the Microsoft front:

• Microsoft announced a few new Bing Maps features, such as traffic incidents and find near route
• They announced the Bing Maps Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) Control v1
• There's new Bing Maps V7 modules too along with a new routing engine
• James Fee shares an interesting entry named Bing Maps gets Nokia Brand and Possibly the Boot

On the remote sensing front:

• This is pretty interesting to many: SS shares an entry named USGS Now Offers OrbView-3 High-Resolution Images for Free, 180,000 scenes at 1m spatial resolution available
• China launched their first high-resolution remote sensing satellite, Ziyuan I-02C
• Slashdot discussed the newly released version of Blue Marble high definition (and beautiful) satellite image of the Earth from the Suomi NPP satellite
• Slashdot is running a story named Who's Flying Those Drones? FAA Won't Say and related, O'Reilly mentions OpenPilot, open source UAV with cameras
• And another named Launch Your Own Nanosatellite Into Space

On the GNSS / GPS front:

• It's coming, car makers are preparing for augmented reality driving
• Not exactly GPS but via radio-tagging, see the nice and short video of whale 3D paths in the ocean
• Slashdot is also discussing a story named New Mexico Is Stretching, GPS Reveals
• MapQuest launched an html5 app-like site for Android and iPhone for using MapQuest

In the miscellaneous category:

• The 7 geo predictions for 2012 of Cédric are interesting 
• Microsoft's Flight Simulator, renamed Flight, will be available for free next Spring, with paid extra content
• We never mentioned it before, but now Indiemapper is free, it "helps you make static, thematic maps from geographic data by bringing the best of traditional cartographic design to internet map-making."
• SS mentions the new alliance between Autodesk and Pitney Bowes, APB also discuss this new relationship
• SS also shares an entry named Safe Software’s Expanded Role as a Conduit Between Sensors and Systems
• The U.S. EPA in their Locations Challenge introduced a crowdsourcing project of georeferenced photos of environmental problems
• Slashdot ran a discussion on assembling your own 3D printer
• The OGC shared a summary of the Eye on Earth Summit held in December
• Another OGC entry was named Status of the OGC's Water Resource Activities
• DM shares an article named GIS Adoption and Use on College Campuses: An End-of-Year Review and Look Ahead to 2012
• The GEB mentions a new 3D San Francisco website
• I found interesting the possibility of a .data TLD
• A new free iPad app: GeoViewer from LizardTech, supports MrSID format and more
• It's been a while since we mentioned them, GISCorps were recently in 7 countries, including Libya

In the maps category:

• APB summarizes this: Comparing Maps of Obesity and Car Travel
• Here's an entry on cleanly using symbols on maps
• Here's U.S. routes as a subway map and the U.S. National Wind Energy Map
• Fox News shared a map with missing or wrongly placed countries
• TMR shares an obligatory animated map of rising global temperatures since 1880