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GIS News, Articles, Maps, Data, Tools

Thursday | August 16, 2007

In this issue

If for some reason you cannot read this document, visit our Newsletter Archive here: http://www.directionsmedia.net/newsletters.archive/index.php?ID=911

Editorial The View from Here - Homework, Part II
Product Review MapInfo Professional Version 9.0
Feature Article Street-level Routing: Where the Rubber Meets the Road
Letters
Off the Beaten Path NOAA's Pacific Service Center's Tsunami Information Service Maps
Books

Editorial (Back to Contents)

The View from Here
by Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Homework, Part II
Last year about this time I wrote an editorial on "homework" wherein I suggested that geospatial professionals needed to be sure they were up to date with some mapping, Web and other technologies. Part of what sparked that was an increase in e-mail queries that seemed (to me) to be solvable with a bit of homework. I'm getting more questions all the time, so here are this season's homework assignments.

1. Vocabulary
I'm finding more and more terms I don't understand as I explore articles on technology and the more technical geoblogs. I suspect many of you are, or will soon be, in the same boat. So this is a good time to look up some definitions! Here are some terms you'll be hearing more and more in the coming months and years. Some of these we have explored and will continue to explore at Directions Magazine.

REST (REpresentational State Transfer)
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation)
Photosynth (That's a Microsoft product.)
OpenStreetMap (That's an open data project.)
MAPPS (That's an organization, one quite different from URISA and GITA.)
CMS (Content Management System)
Rails/Ruby on Rails (That's a language/application framework.)

Homework hint: consider using Google's "define" syntax to pull up definitions. In a Google query box type: "define: REST" (no quotes) and it'll dig up definitions. ... Read more

Product Review (Back to Contents)

MapInfo Professional Version 9.0
by Paul Amos, Managing Director, Wharton GIS Research Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania

Pitney Bowes MapInfo
One Global View
Troy, New York 12180
Tel: 518-285-6000 or 800-FASTMAP
Fax: 518-285-6070
http://www.mapinfo.com

The price for MapInfo Professional version 9.0 is $1,495, single seat list price. Concurrent licensing is available. Volume licensing discounts are also available. You can download a free 30-day evaluation version of MapInfo Professional v9.0.

Introduction
MapInfo Professional version 9 is the latest release of Pitney Bowes MapInfo's desktop location intelligence software. The major features and enhancements of this release are:

Enhanced data access
Time-based analysis
Better looking maps

MapInfo Professional version 9 is compatible with the Windows Vista Ultimate (the most complete version) operating system. The product also runs on Windows XP Professional SP2, XP Home SP 2, XP (64-bit), and Windows 2000 SP 4 operating systems on the desktop, and Windows 2003 Server and Citrix Meta Frame v4.x operating systems on servers. ... Read more

Feature Article (Back to Contents)

Street-level routing: Where the rubber meets the road
by Simon Morris, Vice President, Marketing Operations, ClickSoftware

Customer service representatives (CSRs) at service organizations have a difficult job. They spend much of their day listening to customers complain while scheduling service calls - trying to balance schedules, expertise, availability and travel time. At least estimating travel times and re-scheduling has become easier and more accurate by incorporating street-level routing (SLR) and location-based services information into the decision making process.

Street maps, particularly in developing communities, change frequently. Construction projects, traffic jams and vehicle accidents all conspire to wreak havoc on work schedules, while the CSR worries about maintaining efficiency, productivity and most importantly, customer satisfaction.

Before optimized scheduling and SLR, dispatchers made decisions about sending field resources to specific jobs largely based on dead reckoning. CSRs gave customers full- or half-day-long appointment windows for arrival because of the uncertainty about travel times as well as technicians' time on previous jobs. These same CSRs had to field the calls from angry customers when technicians were either late or did not show at all. ... Read more

Letters (Back to Contents)

Excerpts from letters and comments from the previous week (or so) will appear on Thursdays. Follow the links provided to read the full comments.

We welcome your praise and criticism via our comments tools provided along with articles on the website, or via e-mail.

IBM's Informix Solutions
Joe Francica's look at IBM's Informix solutions for geospatial didn't satisfy one reader.

"The feature comparison is interesting, but what's the market strategy (beyond features and functions) and what's the anticipated market penetration? Who are the likely users of IDS 11 spatial? If you're doing a feature comparison on spatial databases, perhaps PostGIS should be included.

"Is this just a market ploy to say that IBM can 'do it' or does IBM aim to realize significant market share with this in their toolkit?"
- Chris Andrews, Autodesk (his views are his own)

Greensburg Tornado
Dan Rose's article on GIS after the Greensburg, Kansas Tornado brought praise from two fronts.

"...this is really cool to a Geography major & map nut! I'd like to know if anyone knows anyone who can help me persuade Greensburg leaders they must include tornado-resistant construction in the rebuild."
- Jean SmilingCoyote, [UNEMPLOYED :-(]

"What a lot of work to write the article. We are pleased that you take such an interest in such things."
- Sarah Rose (Dan’s Mom)

The editors reply: Ms. Rose is quite correct. We too are pleased Mr. Rose took the time to document what occurred and shared it with our readers around the world.

Off the Beaten Path (Back to Contents)

NOAA's Pacific Service Center's Tsunami Information Service Maps
compiled by Nora Parker, Senior Managing Editor

NOAA's Pacific Service Center's Tsunami Information Service allows you to geocode your address or specify a section of shoreline and find out whether you are within a tsunami evacaution zone in Hawaii. At first I thought this was going to be updated based on what known tsunami activity was occurring in the region, but actually these are static zones. According to the site:

"The Tsunami Hazard Information Service provides residents and visitors of the State of Hawaii online access to the tsunami evacuation zones maps, as well as general tsunami awareness information. To find out if you are located in a tsunami evacuation zone, enter your address or select an island area in the search boxes below."

"...These tsunami evacuation zone maps are identical to those located in the front section of your phone book. They are based on data from tsunamis that have hit Hawai'i in the past and represent the best information available at this time."

A screenshot of the "Tsunami Hazard Map" for Hawaii's famous North Shore, centered on Sunset Beach. (Click for larger image)

Books (Back to Contents)

	Hyperspectral Data Exploitation: Theory and Applications edited by Chein-I Chang Authored by a panel of experts in the field, this book focuses on hyperspectral image analysis, systems and applications. With discussion of application-based projects and case studies, this professional reference will bring you up-to-date on this pervasive technology, whether you are working in the military and defense fields, or in remote sensing technology, geoscience or agriculture. From Wiley-Interscience, 2007.
	Learning and Using Geographic Information Systems: ArcGIS Edition by Wilpen Gorr and Kristen Kurland Learning and Using Geographic Information Systems: ArcGIS 9.x Edition has been written by two leading GIS researchers and educators from Carnegie Mellon University's Heinz School. Due to the growing demand for geographic information systems within MIS, business, public policy and other schools, this text offers a one-stop education package that will empower users to master this compelling technology. Using carefully coordinated text reading material and step-by-step tutorials, this text introduces users to principles and concepts of GIS as well as specific instructions on ArcGIS 9.x, a leading GIS software package. From Course Technology, 2006
	Remote Sensing of Aquatic Coastal Ecosystem Processes: Science and Management Applications edited by Laurie L. Richardson and Ellsworth F. LeDrew The aquatic coastal zone is one of the most challenging targets for environmental remote sensing. Properties such as bottom reflectance, spectrally diverse suspended sediments and phytoplankton communities, diverse benthic communities, and transient events that affect surface reflectance (coastal blooms, runoff, etc.) all combine to produce an optical complexity not seen in terrestrial or open ocean systems. Despite this complexity, remote sensing is proving to be an invaluable tool for "Case 2" waters. This book presents recent advances in coastal remote sensing with an emphasis on applied science and management. Case studies of the operational use of remote sensing in ecosystem studies, monitoring, and interfacing remote sensing/science/management are presented. From Springer, 2006.

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Directions Magazine - Thursday, August 16, 2007