2007 August 16

This issue sponsored by

Professional Surveyor Magazine

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Editor's Introduction

This week, I report on current trends in wireless GIS. Plus, a letter to the editor about public participation GIS, a note about a New York Times article on GIS, and 18 press releases.

— Matteo Luccio

Wireless GIS

Wireless GIS has been maturing quickly over the past few years, as the wireless telecommunications industry has grown, hardware manufacturers have increasingly integrated wireless technologies — such as WiFi and Bluetooth — into handheld devices, and software vendors have improved data compression tools and released development platforms intended specifically for this market. In 2003, in his Primer on Wireless GIS, published by the Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) in its Quick Study series, Paul Braun noted that "Although the promise of wireless GIS remains somewhat elusive, the benefits are visible." Four years later, the ability to capture data in the field and stream it back to the office has become a necessity for many organizations, but it is still challenging to implement wireless capabilities seamlessly throughout any large area.

This week I discussed wireless GIS with several geospatial professionals, and a few key trends emerged:

Read more…

Letter to the Editor

Larry Orman, the Executive Director of GreenInfo Network, sent me the following:

Matteo,

Interesting comment about public GIS centers in the July 26 issue of GIS Monitor.

I run a non-profit that helps public interest groups do GIS. Over the last decade, I've been involved in and watched many efforts to do some of what you talk about — probably the best has been the lab at Portland State University's Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.

While the idea is quite interesting from a value point of view (look at all the good things we could do if…), the key issue in these matters is the business proposition: how would a center last for longer than the term of the first enthusiastic grant? So often in technology efforts in the public arena, there's a burst of energy, start-up funding and then within a year or two, now-outdated technology, constantly changing staff (and few to begin with), and funder disinterest ("we don't support ongoing operations… What are you doing that's new?"). The result is a lot of wasted capital and not much learning (the private sector seems to get the latter part a bit better).

Read more…

Briefly Noted

Barbara Whitaker's "Fresh Starts" column in the "Jobs" section of the August 12 New York Times, titled "Technology Reveals New Worlds To Map," discusses GIS jobs and mentions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics "lists GIS-related jobs as among the fastest-growing new or emerging fields." The article cites, among others, Scott Grams, executive director of the GIS Certification Institute, and Shoreh Elhami, a co-founder of the GIS Corps.

News Briefs

Please note: I have neither edited nor verified the content of these press releases.

  1. CONTRACTS & COLLABORATIONS

    1. Central Lincoln PUD in Production with Telvent Miner & Miner's Designer

    2. Merrick & Blue Marble Geographics Announce Business Partnership

    3. Manila Water Chooses Bentley's WaterGEMS V8 XM Edition

    4. MetaCarta Partners with Sitesa to Offer Geographic Search Solutions to Spain and Portugal

    5. Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Improves Asset Management with GIS from ESRI (UK)

    6. Pollo Campero Licenses geoVue's Dynamic Location Optimization Solution to Optimize Real-Estate Decision-Making

    7. HUD and BSI Present NPDP Disaster Recovery Database Pilot Program at URISA 2007

    8. Forest One Merges with The Westervelt Company, Changing Name to Lanworth

    9. Carmenta Wins Contract With The Swedish Road Administration For A New Traffic Portal Map Solution

  2. PRODUCTS & SERVICES

    1. AAA's Renowned Travel, Navigation, Road Service Now Available Via Select GPS-Enabled Cell Phones

    2. New Data in ArcGIS Business Analyst 9.2 Improves the Accuracy of Marketing Analyses

    3. Intermap Technologies Announces 3D Map Product to Enable GPS and PND Recreational Market

    4. Leica Geosystems Introduces the Leica GMX902 GG

    5. New VHR Images of Russian Towns From EROS Satellites

  3. PEOPLE

    1. Snowflake Software Expands Support Team With Industry Expertise

  4. OTHER

    1. The National Association of Counties Formally Recognizes GIS Certification Institute's Professional Certification Program

    2. DigitalGlobe Announces Launch Date for WorldView-1

    3. Pennyrile Forest Third Annual Geocaching Weekend Sept. 28-30

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Contact

Please send comments and suggestions to:

Matteo Luccio, Editor
GIS Monitor

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