In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

Slashdot discusses a story named Tool Reveals iPad and iPhone User Locations. Not the first time this happens to major location services providers. We can expect Apple to fix this loophole.

Their summary: "A researcher has found that Apple user locations can be potentially determined by tapping into Apple Maps and he has created a Python tool to make the process easier. iSniff GPS accesses Apple's database of wireless access points, which is collected by iPhones and iPads that have GPS and Wi-Fi location services enabled. Apple uses this crowd-sourced data to run its location services; however, the location database is not meant to be public. You can download the tool via Giuthub."

I guess this would normally not be major news, but since a lot of iPhone users rely on it and that alternatives like Apple Maps and Blackberry Maps have not impressed the press so far, here it is: Google Maps for iOS version 1.1 has been released, but no iPad compatibility yet.

MacRumors informs about it: "What's New in Version 1.1:

• Search your Google Contacts; sign in to have your saved addresses show up when you search for friends and family by name.
• Quickly search for local places by selecting popular categories such as restaurants, bars, cafes, gas stations, etc.
• Choose between Kilometers or Miles for your preferred distance units.
• Note that some features may not be available in all countries."

Done. Google Maps for iOS has just been made available. From the official description: "Navigate your world with Google Maps, now available for iPhone. Get comprehensive, accurate and easy-to-use maps with built-in Google local search, voice guided turn-by-turn navigation, public transit directions, Street View and more. Use Google Maps to discover great places to eat, drink, shop and play, with ratings and reviews from people you trust. Sign in to save your favorite places and quickly access all your past searches and directions from your computer, right on your phone."

MacRumors offers an entry named Roundup of Features in Google Maps for iOS: Better Design than Android Version, iPad Version Coming. Which includes:

• A horizontal two-finger swipe allows you to access a menu that shows traffic, public transit, satellite view and Google Earth (which sends you to the Google Earth app).
• Google's point-of-interest database allows you, for example, to read a restaurant review on Zagat, read the menu, book reservations and see interior photos at 100 restaurants.
• Pogue also notes there's a Compass Mode that allows you, at certain locations, to move your phone around and allow you to see the interior of a business on your screen.

ANDREW ZOLNAI BLOG "turning stats into maps" update: I ran across these interesting web-mapping innovations:

- incredible detail helsp contrast cross-Europe travel taday vs, Roman times

- web data creation are contrasted for citizen weather stations and celestial measurements

   (as well as contrasting celestial measurements across 250 years time span)

- with Jubilee events in England a beautiful map of one of the many events under way 

Developer of the PDF Maps app seizes the highest honor with the IMTA Global Award

TORONTO, (December 6, 2011) - Avenza Systems Inc., producers of MAPublisher® cartographic software for Adobe® Illustrator® and Geographic Imager® geospatial tools for Adobe Photoshop®, celebrates its world-wide recognition from the International Map Trade Association (IMTA) as a top producer of cartographic software and innovative technology winning the coveted ‘IMTA Global Award’ at its November conference in Bangkok, Thailand. Accepting the award with its pioneering PDF Maps app, Avenza received the sought-after honor which recognizes the best products from three international Map Trade Association Regions. It is determined only once every few years from a list of mapping industry awardees –the best of the best-- from retailers of atlases and manufacturers of globes to developers of geographic information systems.

Along with taking home the highest accolade, Avenza Systems also secured the ‘Graham Stanton Award of Excellence’ –given to the best ‘product’ that stands out from seven individual categories, and the award for ‘Best Maps for Multimedia Application’ with its PDF Maps app on the iOS platform. PDF Maps leverages geospatial technology that allows travelers to view and measure real world locations and attributes. Paired together with mobile devices that utilize GPS, such as an iPhone, the PDF Maps app provides constant access to geographic locations and points of interest without the risk of losing reception due to cell tower proximity.

“The Avenza PDF Maps app is a wonderful and innovative new solution for delivering digital GPS-enabled maps to smartphones and tablet devices and on that, I am sure, all publishers will eagerly adopt,” said Peter Davis, president, IMTA, Asia-Pacific. “The growing trend for the use of an embedded, iTunes-like, digital map store is a revolution that promises to change the way in which maps are purchased and delivered in the 21st century.”

The PDF Maps app supports a growing database of maps featuring tens of thousands of maps authored, distributed or sold by individual cartographers, established map publishers, and government agencies. The marketplace provides a new e-commerce venue that allows those in the industry to have access to more than 200 million Apple iOS users seeking information about specific maps.

Avenza’s PDF Maps app and Map Store offer a medium by which map content can be easily repurposed providing a valid revenue stream for map publishers in an era when the industry is losing its market to digital products with GPS functionality. Publishers can upload intelligent PDF maps or GeoTIFFs – with or without the aid of Avenza’s cartographic map software – eliminating the publisher’s need to reprint costly annual updates to paper maps. Pricing of each uploaded map is determined by publishers not Avenza Systems. Maps that are available for sale can be purchased through the Avenza Map Store much like how music, videos, and books are currently purchased through iTunes.

“We are overjoyed and humbled to receive this tremendous acknowledgment from our peers in the mapping industry and I’m delighted to see that both publishers and consumers are finding so much use for the PDF Maps app,” said Ted Florence, president, Avenza. “This app and embedded map store solution is a revolutionary tool for acquiring, displaying and interacting with digital maps on mobile devices and tablets and it’s a key component which complements our other software products, integrating it with map production and publishing workflows.”

Currently, Avenza’s vast PDF Maps app library covering maps for domestic and international travel includes more than 55,000 USGS (United States Geological Survey) topographic maps organized by state and area. All maps available through the map store offer the following capabilities:

• Read geospatial PDF, GeoTIFF, and GeoPDF® maps
• Access and load maps through iTunes File Sharing or over a Wi-Fi or cellular network. Saved maps can be used without the need for a live network connection (offline).
• Browse, preview, purchase and download professionally created maps from the Avenza Map Store
• Quickly view, zoom and pan maps using gestures (pinch, drag and flick, double tap)
• View your location on the map using the built-in GPS device or via Wi-Fi triangulation
• Find coordinate of any location in the map, including the ability to type in a coordinate to search
• Display coordinates as Lat/Long (WGS84), Lat/Long (Map Default), Northing/Easting, or Military Grid Reference System (MGRS/United States National Grid (USNG)
• Add waypoints and collect/record information about locations, including photos
• Export, import and share waypoints and associated data, including photos using iTunes, e-mail or Dropbox
• Change pin colors, position and label namesMap rendering in higher resolution
• Overlay Google search results
• Measure distances and areas
• Open current map extents in the Maps app
• PDF Maps is available now on the iTunes App Store free of charge for personal use. For more information about the app, visit the Avenza website at www.avenza.com/pdf-maps. Pricing of each map is set by the publisher and free maps remain free to users through the PDF Maps in-app map store.

More about Avenza Systems Inc.

Avenza Systems Inc. is an award-winning, privately held corporation that provides cartographers and GIS professionals with powerful software tools for making better maps. In addition to software offerings for Mac and Windows users, Avenza offers value-added data sets, product training and consulting services. For more information visit the Avenza website at www.avenza.com.

For further information contact:

Tel: 416-487-5116 ● Email: [email protected] ● Web: www.avenza.com

First, I'm sorry for not publishing the "batch mode" version of the geonews for the last two weeks - along with several other responsibilities, taking care of two young daughters at home is certainly fun, but engulfs all available time. In this batch mode edition, there are certainly a few geonews that could deserve their own entry - click on what interests you to learn more!

From the Google front:

• In my previous Google entry earlier today, I forgot to mention the GEB entry detailing even more major improvements of Xavier Tassin's Google Earth Flight Simulator, now at version 0.7
• This one via APB, Google Maps rolls out business interiors in Street View

From the Esri front:

• Via VerySpatial, ArcGIS for Android 1.0 has been released
• Two weeks ago, mandown informed us that the ArcGIS 10 Service Pack 3 Now Available For Download

From the miscellaneous category:

• GeoIQ launched GeoIQ Social, "the first and only product that provides self-service analysis of social media data by time and location"
• On the OGC blog, there's an interesting short entry on "Big Data" vs SDI in geospatial
• Clearly, WebGL is en vogue, mapperz mentiones the new Nokia Maps 3D WebGL, and Nokia is readying LiveView, which blends maps and augmented reality for their upcoming Windows Phone
• Apple expanded iPhone 4S GPS capabilities with GLONASS support and Apple Siri's support for maps and local search is coming to international customers in 2012
• MapQuest refreshed their Developer Network
• The name Atanas Entchev ring a bell to you? He's an active member of the geospatial community and he needs our help, he's facing deportation from the U.S.

In the maps category:

• Mapperz mentions the UK car crash map
• Ok, not exactly a map, but trying to find what are the Wall Street protestors are so angry about, here's a breakdown of income inequality, the Gini coefficient, by countries

For Immediate Release

HipGeo Launches "Trip" Features to Let Travelers Share their Journeys

 -- Anyone who travels with an iPhone can now instantly share animated trips with friends online --

Fullerton, CA - October 19, 2011 - HipGeo (www.hipgeo.com), a Los Angeles-based developer of a location-aware platform that records and displays the places users go and how they get there, today launched a new "Trips" feature. HipGeo users can use their iPhones to take pictures and track their travels then create, save and share their trips, micro-blogging their travels with active and passive features.

Users can download HipGeo from the Apple App Store at http://bit.ly/nB73Hw, and then record and share their trips through Facebook, Twitter, email, text or with an embedded HipGeo player on their blogs or web sites. Viewers of these trips can then see animated maps of the user's travels as well as slide shows of photos organized by location. Travelers can also share information such as locations, routes, places, comments, and photos.

"Our Trips feature adds context unique to HipGeo users," says HipGeo CEO Scott Daniel. "We deliver an automated way to capture and share photos, routes, and places, and it's the easiest way to create a compelling story with a smart phone. You can document any event, day, trip or travel, and then share it through popular social media sites, such as Facebook, adding a 'where' to your 'what and when.' This integration will not only improve the user experience, but will give people better ways to express their shareable moments."

About HipGeo

HipGeo (www.hipgeo.com) is a Los Angeles-based developer of a location-aware website and smartphone apps that automatically create a record of the places users go. APIs will be open to third-party developers by the end of 2011. The company was funded in May 2011, and its iPhone app was released in September 2011. The lead investor in HipGeo is Morado Venture Partners, a seed-stage fund run by former Yahoo! executives Ash Patel and Michael Marquez; other investors include Galen Buckwalter, former chief scientist of eHarmony, and prominent San Diego-based angel investor Robert Bingham.

# # #

Los Angeles – September 19, 2011 – HipGeo (www.hipgeo.com), a Los Angeles-based developer of a location-aware platform that includes battery-efficient smartphone apps and comprehensive website that record and display the places users go and how they get there, today announced the availability of the HipGeo app for the iPhone, which can be downloaded from the Apple App Store at http://bit.ly/oQkCRd. HipGeo lets users record their world with the app then share their trips and stories with its "HipGeo Player" that provides a dynamic recap of places, routes and photos in animated displays.

HipGeo's simple features reduce the need to check-in, call or text for updates and let people share what they want with whom they want - by providing privacy based on user preferences. Information such as location, routes, places, comments, photos, and other forms of user-generated content are archived and can be private or shared through integration with Facebook, Twitter, SMS, and email. HipGeo turns location data and photos into locations, travels, and slide shows. The app recognizes the differences between places and routes, and then automatically aggregates related groups of photos into short video like animations. These stories can be shared through users' social networks and embedded in web pages like personal blogs.

"We give people a way to capture and record their memories, and instantly create something interesting. Capturing and saving an interesting moment, day, or trip, then sharing it with the HipGeo Player is as easy as turning it on, going about your life, taking photos, and sharing a link to tell a story. It’s that simple," says company co-founder Rich Rygg. "The HipGeo Player animation you share with your friends is personal, unique and compelling."

HipGeo CEO Scott Daniel says, "HipGeo has the best passive tracking technology for the iPhone. I can throw it in my pocket and it creates a record of my day on a single battery charge. We think our technology will revolutionize the way people keep track of their lives and share their interesting stories with friends, family, or the entire web.”

About HipGeo

HipGeo (www.hipgeo.com) is a Los Angeles-based developer of a location-aware website and smartphone apps that automatically create a record of the places users go. APIs will be open to third-party developers by the end of 2011. The company was funded in May 2011, and its iPhone app was released in September 2011. The lead investor in HipGeo is Morado Venture Partners, a seed-stage fund run by former Yahoo! executives Ash Patel and Michael Marquez; other investors include Galen Buckwalter, former chief scientist of eHarmony, and prominent San Diego-based angel investor Robert Bingham.

# # #

Slashdot discusses a story about a find-my-car location service for malls that uses license plates reading. The linked article is named 'Find my car' app can also catch crooks. 

Their summary: "Westfield Group, one of the largest shopping centre (mall) operators in the world, has launched a find-my-car iPhone app. The system uses a series of license plate reading cameras dotted throughout their multi-level car parks. Westfield said police could also use it to find stolen or unregistered vehicles. (Hello, slippery slope.) Initially launched in just one Sydney centre, it will be rolled-out to others if the trial is successful."

This is not the first time we discuss tracking license plates, here's some related previous stories:

• License Plate Tracking for the Average US Citizen
• Britain to Log All Vehicle Movement
• Massachusetts Plans To Keep Track of Where Your Car Has Been
• Malaysia to Use RFID Number Plates Next Year
• Repossession Men Using New Technology To Track Cars
• Scanning and Mapping License Plates

I recently had to work with some geological maps. Although I'm not a geologist, I enjoyed their visual appeal -- who knew science could be this pretty? Here are a few samples of particularly handsome maps, along with a simple explanation of what they represent.

[Editor's note: this anonymous submission reminded me that beautiful maps are more efficient at conveying information. We did mention art a few times in the past, including GeocodedArt.com]