In+ersec+ion for Spatial People

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode.

From the open source front:

• OpenGeo runs an entry named Five things you didn’t know about GeoExplorer

From the major companies front:

• I liked the Google vs Apple mapping discussion from Peter Batty: "Google announces that it is scared of Apple Maps
  [...] Now don't get me wrong, Google is the market leader and Apple has everything to prove." See also his entry named Apple Maps: Predictions and Questions, which are also of course innovations Google could implement. Viva competition! (well ok, I admit I prefer cooperation ;-)
• James has an interesting entry named One Man's Disruptor is Another Man's Incumbent, the incumbents are Google Maps, MapQuest, Esri and Microsoft, and the disruptors are MapBox, Esri and Apple

• Via O'Reilly, the connection between Google Street View and driverless cars: "Now, I’m realizing the biggest Street View data coup of all: those vehicles are gathering the ultimate training set for driverless cars." Read the comments, driverless cars data is not simple

• There's 2 new modules for Bing Maps V7: GeoJSON and WKT reader/writer modules

• The GEB discusses Using StreetView to validate 3D models

Discussed over Slashdot:

• NASA Tool Shows Where Forest Is Being Cut Down
• Autralian Mining Companies Increasing Use of UAVs

• Cognitive Software Identifies America's Brainiest Cities
• John Carmack Is Building a Virtual Reality Headset
• Trained Rats Map Minefields With GPS

In the everything-else category:

• The eoPortal shares an entry named US not losing its foothold in Earth observing satellites, only shifting power
• The eoPortal also mentions a new imaging system produces 3D models of monuments using unmanned aircraft
• On that very topic, DM shares an article named Ten Things You Should Know About Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS)
• VerySpatial have an informative entry on geospatial at the upcoming London Summer Olympics and U.K. in general

• AR as entertainment of the future? Kinect and RFID power an augmented reality theme park (via OR)

In the maps category:

• Here's a nice visualization of 56 years of tornadoes in the U.S.

As a bonus for reading till the end, here's a interesting quote: "If a picture is worth a thousand words, a map can be worth a thousand spreadsheets."

Here's the recent Google-related geonews.

From the official sources:

• Here's an entry on Belgium's Brussels in 3D in Google Earth, named Europe’s best kept secret revealed in 3D
• Google updated the Help Center of Google Map Maker
• Google is updating their maps data from authoritative sources for France, Monaco and Luxembourg
• Google shared an entry named using search patterns to track dengue fever
• Google's Ed Parsons shared his Location Business Summit slides, a presentation named "Making the most of place", Google Places, of course

From other sources:

• Here's a 3D model of Joplin tornado debris
• Slashdot ran a discussion named Google Wallet: the End of Anonymous Shopping, about the probable upcoming systematic location tracking of all purchases
• It seems Apple Just Renewed Maps and Search Partnership with Google
• The GEB has an entry named Space Archeologists discovering egyptian tombs
• The same site is also enthusiastic about Sony's Project Shiphunt, a fun game using Google Ocean
• And there was a new imagery update on May 31th

Here's the recent geonews in batch mode. Some of those news could have deserved individual announcements.

From the open source / open date front:

• Regarding the FOSS4G 2011 conference, the community can now vote to determine the program of the FOSS4G 2011 conference, and there will be an Introduction to Geospatial Open Source day-long event
• The final version of MapGuide Maestro 3.0 has been announced
• OpenStreetMap has been recognized by the United Nations Foundation
• OpenStreetMap data can be used in the X-Plane flight simulator
• GeoTools 8.0-M0 has been released
• Here's a new review of the PostGIS in action book, which is now available on Amazon:
  PostGIS in Action
• Talking about books, here's the new Locate Press, focussing on publishing on open source geospatial projects
• O'Reilly offered and article named open source tools look to make mapping easier
• GRASS GIS now has a barb module

From the Google front:

• Ogle Earth shares a long entry named Finding Osama Bin Laden’s Abbottabad mansion with Google Earth, with numerous screenshots
• Slashdot runs a story named Your Location 'Extremely Valuable' To Google
• The official Google Lat Long blog shares an entry named Post-tornado mapping in Google Maps and Earth
• Slashdot also discussed a story named Using Google Maps To Simulate Tsunamis

From the ESRI front, Mandown shares several entries, including:

• ArcGIS 10 Service Pack 2 Released
• Learn The Basics Of Developing Applications With The ArcGIS API For iOS and ArcGIS API For iOS 1.8 Now Available
• ArcGIS Viewer For Flex 2.3.1 Released and ArcGIS API For Flex And ArcGIS Viewer For Flex 2.3 Released

In the miscellaneous category:

• VerySpatial shares iOS Apps for learning Geography while APB mentions the MagicPlan App to easily map your house
• MacRumors shares a story named Apple Hints at Future Turn-by-Turn GPS Directions With Traffic for iPhone
• On the same topic, Slashdot ran a story named Share Your iPhone Location Data Like You Mean It
• While SS shares an entry named Where’s the Geospatial Industry’s Response to ‘Locationgate’?
• The timing was ripe for O'Reilly to share an article named What does the attention around tracking mean?, especially in the context of online payments
• V1 informs us that Russia's Putin Invites Sweden Into GLONASS
• MapQuest is celebrated 15 years of existence
• It's been a while since RFID has been mentioned, Slashdot discussed a story named Hotel Tracks Towels With RFID Chips

In the maps category:

• TMR shares an entry named Mapping Long-Term Radiation Exposure at Fukushima too bad Japan lost one Earth Observation Satellite on Tsunami Mapping Mission
• TMR also shares an interactive map of oil production from 1960 to 2010

Here's the recent Google-related geonews.

From the official sources:

• Today's Prince William and Catherine Middleton Royal Wedding was featured in the Google Earth Plugin.
• Google offers post Japan earthquake panoramas in Google Earth
• There was an entry on celebrating Earth Day (that was a week ago) and an invitation to celebrate Arbor Day with Save the Redwoods League and Google Earth
• Google also have an entry this week's imagery update, with plenty of countries getting fresh imagery

From other sources:

• Ogle Earth offers an article named Google Earth Builder: A potential solution to the map censorship conundrum in China, India
• The GEB mentions the launch of the Earth Knowledge Portal which uses the Google Earth Plugin
• Here's an entry on tracking tornadoes in Google Earth
• The GEB forecasts updates to all versions of Google Earth coming this summer
• Here two entries on how beautiful 3D models can be in Google Earth
• And if you're more into gaming, Ships version 1.5 has been released, a ship game in Google Earth