In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

From the open source front:

• Along with new versions, here's the Geopublisher and AtlasStyler 1.9 release notes

From the Google front:

• Slashdot discusses a story named After Modifications, Google Street View Approved For Switzerland

• There was an imagery update on June 11th

Directions Mag articles:

• An article named My Top 6 Takeaways from SQL Server Spatial 2012
• Another one named Ten Things You Need to Know About GPS, reminding us that often people use the GPS term while they really should use GNSS
• Another one named Intergraph’s GIS Product Roadmap Comes Into Focus
• And for Pitney Bowes, New Features for MapInfo Professional Version 11.5, and by the way, Facebook Is Using Pitney Bowes Software for Geocoding

In the miscellaneous category:

• MacRumors summarizes the U.S. Location Privacy Protection Act
• MapQuest released an all new MapQuest for iPhone app

• Rumors that Microsoft is Going 100% with Nokia Mapping in Windows Phone 8
• After Google, Microsoft jumps in the Augmented Reality future with rumored AR glasses for Xbox
• Slashdot discussed a story named 64 Drone Bases Located On American Soil

In the maps category:

• O'Reilly shared a map of global BitTorrent usage

 Geoweb Guru offers a book review of "Beginning Spatial with SQL Server 2008" by Alastair Aitchison.

From the review: "In conclusion, this is recommended for those who are already familiar with SQL Server but who are looking to us it for geospatial applications or to use it as a backend database for a geospatial web application. It should also prove useful for those with geospatial knowledge who need to use SQL Server's geospatial extensions for the first time. Such readers may find that a general SQL Server book will prove to be a good complement to this text."

On Amazon:

Beginning Spatial with SQL Server 2008 (Expert's Voice in SQL Server)

Here's the Friday geonews in batch mode.

From the Google front:

• Google Latitude for Android and iPhone got improved for U.S. users, with checkins, status gaining and unlocking offers
• Google Maps for Android also got new features
• Here's a single kml for everything related to the Fukushima power plant in Japan
• The GEB believes there might be no more StreetView imagery capture in Germany and in Switzerland, court has ruled that all faces and license plates must be blurred
• A tip not tied to Google Maps itself, but here's how to search Google Maps directly from the address bar of Firefox
• And there was new Google Earth imagery made available on April 5th

From the Microsoft front:

• Here's an entry on using Bing Maps with SQL Server spatial

In the miscellaneous category:

• SS informs us that Bentley Systems simplified their product suite, Bentley Map V8i, and focuses more on 3D GIS
• The FGT blog offers his review of the Garmin 62s GPS
• VerySpatial mentioned Roadify, a real-time app that sends alerts about subway, bus, and driving conditions in New York City
• V1 mentions the book 'Arc Hydro – Groundwater GIS for Hydrogeology' by Gil Strassberg, Norman L. Jones and David R. Maidment

In the maps category:

• TMR shares a link to BBC News' nice interactive pseudo-virtual globe of the world’s time zones
• O'Reilly mentions the new Big Map Blog, focusing on... big maps!
• Here's an interactive map named 'What conditions cause poor air quality near you?' from SharedAir.org, providing back trajectories and pollutant concentrations in the U.S.
• TMR shares a map of France's High-Speed Rail Network
• SS wonders if the lack of the U.S. federal government mapping be a good thing?

Here's the Friday geonews in batch mode, well, at least the news not already covered by today's two topic-specific batch mode entries.

On the ESRI front:

• ESRI opened R&D offices in China offering localized software and services

On the Microsoft front:

• Here's an entry on automatic road detection from imagery for Bing, here's a reaction to this announcement and why it matters for OpenStreetMap
• Ready for the Super Bowl, there's new imagery in Bing Maps

In the miscellaneous category:

• Here's an entry on precision in the difference function for PostGIS and SQL Server, the conclusion: both aren't perfect
• A colleague informed me of localmind, a new location-aware social tool (French link), sadly, their official site offers no information at the moment
• Spatial Sustain offers a perspective on how can the developing world leap ahead with geospatial technology?

In the maps category:

• Ed Parsons discusses crime maps in the UK and how Fox News misplaced Egypt for Iraq on a map
• Regarding Egypt protests, TMR mentions map sources
• Here's a map and discussion of Europe's wind and solar energy potential

[this is old news from July and sharing it with our users to make sure they're aware of it] Spatially Adjusted linked in July to a BostonGIS article named "Cross Compare SQL Server 2008 Spatial, PostgreSQL/PostGIS 1.3-1.4, MySQL 5-6". Previous such comparison is over 1.5 years old, see also related stories below.

From the associated blog entry: "A few people have been asking us what are the pros and cons of using SQL Server 2008 Spatial and PostGIS and as a Windows user, why would you still consider using PostGIS. Rather than simply providing some hand-waving saying "well if you just care about displaying data, then use whatever you feel comfortable with, but if you want to do real intensive sophisticated spatial analysis and geometric processing without having to purchase a bunch of expensive software, then PostGIS is probably better for you. Hell why must you think in either or propositions - just use both using the strengths of each.", we have tried really hard to quantify the similarities and differences between the 2 and to boot - we have also added in MySQL."Story imported from the previous Slashgeo.org Slashcode site, user comments have not been migrated. For more information, please read Welcome to the new Slashgeo.org!. Thank you for your understanding.

[this is old news from July and sharing it with our users to make sure they're aware of it] Spatially Adjusted linked in July to a BostonGIS article named "Cross Compare SQL Server 2008 Spatial, PostgreSQL/PostGIS 1.3-1.4, MySQL 5-6". Previous such comparison is over 1.5 years old, see also related stories below.

From the associated blog entry: "A few people have been asking us what are the pros and cons of using SQL Server 2008 Spatial and PostGIS and as a Windows user, why would you still consider using PostGIS. Rather than simply providing some hand-waving saying "well if you just care about displaying data, then use whatever you feel comfortable with, but if you want to do real intensive sophisticated spatial analysis and geometric processing without having to purchase a bunch of expensive software, then PostGIS is probably better for you. Hell why must you think in either or propositions - just use both using the strengths of each.", we have tried really hard to quantify the similarities and differences between the 2 and to boot - we have also added in MySQL."