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Editor's Introduction

Happy New Year! This week I report on the launch of the first satellite of the European Galileo satellite navigation system, on the use of GIS to map mines, and on another variation on the trend toward Web-based GIS. I also bring you two more answers to my year-end informal industry survey, a link to a fascinating radio discussion on the geospatial Web, and an intriguing idea about mapping distances between points to reflect the time of travel between them rather than their geographic distance. Plus, my usual roundup of news from press releases.

First, however, this analogy, which occurred to me during one of the several scrumptious meals I had at my parents' home as I visited them during the holidays.

Researching, writing, and producing the weekly GIS Monitor is a bit like cooking a meal for a large group every week. I always know in general what will be in season any day of the year, but I do not know for sure until a few days before a meal what's actually available, of what quality, at what price, and at what store or market. Analogously, I know well in advance when annual trade shows, technical conferences, and user conferences take place; then, as each one grows closer, I know their dates, location, title, and approximate agenda (a year to eight months in advance); their final agenda and list of speakers (a few months to a few weeks in advance); and last minute changes (a few weeks to a few minutes in advance). However, just like I don't know for sure the quality of any ingredients until I taste them, I know not how good a presentation or panel discussion will be until I actually attend it. Likewise, I don't know just how good or relevant an interview will be until I actually conduct it.

To cook a good meal I need mostly fresh ingredients, though I can also use some items that I've had for a few weeks (such as potatoes) and some that I've had for months (such as canned goods, pasta, or beans). Analogously, every week I serve up the readers of GIS Monitor mostly fresh news, sometimes accompanied by reviews of articles or books that I've had for a few weeks or a couple of months. Occasionally I use anecdotes, vignettes, and metaphors that I've had in store for years.

My editor's introduction is the appetizer, my articles and interviews are the main courses; I'd be pushing the analogy to say that letters to the editor and other tidbits are the cheese and fruit; and the analogy breaks down completely when you get to the news from press releases.

Then there's the question of keeping the menu nutritious, healthy, and interesting, week after week...

Soon, it will be your turn to review my cooking