Maps that Matter
Martin Dodge and Chris Perkins had a really good PPT running in the foyer of the RGS-IBG last week (related to the "Maps as Method" session) called "Maps that Matter."...
posted on: Wed, 03 Sep | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Google Maps and Academic Mashups
During the "Maps as Method" sessions at the RGS-IBG last week, there were a surprising number of people talking about using Google Maps and Google Earth in mashups....
posted on: Tue, 02 Sep | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
NGA Coastline Data
I came across the NGA Prototype Global Shoreline Data, otherwise known as NGA PGS, after a link from the EVS Islands Project. This seems to be one of the best (freely available!) world datasets around at the moment. Its derived from LANDSAT 7 (GeoCover) multi-spectral imagery and uses the Short-Wave Infra-Red (SWIR) bands to define the land water interface to about 50m. Gaps are in the dataset due to cloud, snow and ice (~10%). Well worth a look!
posted on: Fri, 01 Aug | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Modelling urban changes: Mastermap is the solution you can't use
I have been involved in a project looking at detecting urban change from radar imagery and, specifically, the building and demolition of buildings....
posted on: Tue, 29 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
ArcView 3.x is alive and kicking
GIS Lounge have a nice article entitled Why ArcView 3.x is Still in Use. And the funny thing is that it describes (by inference) all the problems with AV3 and then goes on to say why it can still be better than ArcMap. Not really a glowing recommendation for ESRI. And yes, incredibly poor performance, high overheads of implementation, draconian licensing and the arse-about-face way of doing things. Yup, it is usually quicker to do things in ArcView 3.x (create a new shapefile, delete vertices etc etc).
posted on: Wed, 23 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
ArcGIS Terrains
ESRI have been busy bees in the 3D geospatial world and one of the "new" features in ArcGIS 9.2 (OK, I know 9....
posted on: Tue, 22 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
SoftGIS?
OK, its actually SoftGrid and ArcGIS. Bought by Microsoft recently, softgrid provides a virtualisation environment where you can "push" an application across a network to a client sitting on a PC....
posted on: Fri, 18 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
A better way...
The Free Our Data Campaign report on the Show Us a Better Way "competition" from the e Power of Information Taskforce. In short, getting people to come up with good ideas for the use of public data. What's nice that they have a brief list of data available and have posted new datasets. Makes for interesting reading even if you don't post any ideas!
posted on: Tue, 08 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Underlying geospatial algorithms
I was completing a project this week that used, in-part, a tensioned spline to interpolate across an area with no data points....
posted on: Sat, 14 Jun | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
WinGRASS is finally here
It's had a quiet announcement (over a month ago actually) but WinGRASS is finally here. Since its inception in 1983, GRASS has never run natively on Windows and this, in part, has limited its application by a wider audience. To be fair, it can run very well on most modern Linux distributions, but its not quite the same. And it can run on Windows under Cygwin, just not natively. Note that, as per Linux releases, odd point increments (v6.3 in this instance) are considered beta versions in preparation for full "even" releases (the upcoming 6.4 and eventually 7.0). So download and have a play as the capabilities are remarkable.
posted on: Fri, 30 May | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Geotat for a geot*at (or maybe that should be a geowanker!)
Following on from the last blog on the Geo8 trade show and, in particular, following on from the last AGI Tat Awards, I would like to announce the formal re-inauguration of the official, unofficial, Geo8 Tat Awards, or simply GeoTat (for those American readers the title might be lost on you....
posted on: Fri, 11 Apr | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Geo8: the new GIS trade show?
Since the demise of the AGI Trade Show in 2006, I've felt that there has been somewhat of a void in the GIS industry....
posted on: Thu, 10 Apr | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
"My point buffers are't round." "No problem sir, that is an ArcMap design feature."
One of my MSc students was recently completing a piece of coursework that required finding a solution to a spatial task, part of which involved the creation of buffers....
posted on: Wed, 02 Apr | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
"OS to make mapping freely available"
OK, the OS aren't going to be making their mapping freely available anytime soon, but this is a Sun-esque headline (I'm sure Charles Arthur could do better!)...
posted on: Thu, 13 Mar | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Cadcorp and GeoPDF
Geoplace report on a recent tie up between Cadcorp and Terrago's GeoPDF. I've already blogged about how much I liked Cadcorp's layered PDF export and the opportunities for good quality output (a significant benefit over ArcGIS). Well TerraGo have been developing along similar lines including ArcGIS and Acrobat extensions. Well it seems that Cadcorp have licensed GeoPDF creation for its users in what should be a mutually beneficial tie up. It'll be very interesting to see the results.
posted on: Wed, 20 Feb | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Pythonian Adventures 3
Over the last two blogs I've briefly covered why we may want to use a scripting language and how this fitted with ESRI's view of how we should use ArcGIS....
posted on: Wed, 06 Feb | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Pythonian Adventures 2
OK, ESRI had VBA, no scripting language and some frustrated "power users". Thankfully ESRI realised that this was a problem and from v9....
posted on: Mon, 04 Feb | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Pythonian Adventures 1
OK, up front, I hate programming. I'll agree that there is a great deal of satisfaction when a script or bit of software finally works and you can run a complex process automatically....
posted on: Wed, 30 Jan | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
More on geometry
After my last post on the exciting new world of geometry that ArcGIS lets us access, I then stumbled across some new work from Jeff Jenness, of Jenness Enterprises....
posted on: Sat, 19 Jan | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Of potholes and spatial literacy....
I hit a bad pothole in the village I live in a few weeks back, muttering the usual expletives about poor council services and then thought nothing of it....
posted on: Thu, 10 Jan | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
GDAL/OGR 1.5 Released
THe latest version of GDAL/OGR has now been released and is available for download. This is a fairly big upgrade with 29 new and updated raster drivers and 11 new and updated vector drivers. This includes support for BigTIFF, TerraSAR-X, Generic Bbinary, ISIS3, WMS, WFS, GPX, GMT and KML. So well worth a look at. You can also see who uses GDAL in their software. Much to my surpise, ESRI's ArcGIS 9.2 was listed and you can see that they are using GDAL to extend the capabilities of import/export alongside their standard RDO drivers. Have a look at this tech support article.
posted on: Fri, 28 Dec | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
ArcMap Geometry
One of the "exciting new features" in ArcMap 9.2 is vector geomtry. What hifalutin new feature is this I hear you cry?...
posted on: Thu, 13 Dec | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
RFID Student Monitoring
This is an interesting article from Doncaster about monitoring student movement using RFID chips embedded in school badges (I assume washable!)...
posted on: Thu, 29 Nov | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
ArcGIS SP4
Well Service Pack 4 is now available, which includes a list of bugs fixed as well as "new" features. And at 176Mb for Desktop thats neh too bad; although the updated help file weighs in at a heftier 379Mb.
posted on: Mon, 19 Nov | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Quantum GIS 0.9 Released
Quantum GIS 0.9 was released last week. Things are getting close to a full "first version" and this update adds support for scripting Python plugins (and, indeed, Python programs that use QGIS libraries). If you haven't had a go with QGIS it is well worthwhile and makes an admirable companion to GRASS.
posted on: Fri, 02 Nov | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Mapping amusing places
Thanks to my brother for this link to the Amusing Places website. Having spent many hours looking at OS maps (for example), this is an appropriate use of a Gazetteer. One wonders if the OS have already "flagged" up certain places in the UK.....
posted on: Tue, 30 Oct | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
JPEG2000 Viewer
JPEG2000 is rapidly becoming one of the most popular image formats due to its high compression, lossless/lossy format and open specification....
posted on: Fri, 07 Sep | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
OS Benchmarks
The Ordnance Survey have always maintained the trig point and benchmark network for those carrying out traditional ground surveys (leveling and or detail survey). In the past, if you wanted access to the precise co-ordinates of these locations you needed to purchase. With the advent of OS's use of GPS and active/passive differential GPS network, trig points/benchmarks are either disused or dismantled. Whilst many liked the old survey network, it was expensive to maintain and so something had to give. However the good news is that all the (unmaintained) data is now free to use. Just go to the OS Benchmarks & Trig Archive and browse to your hearts content!
posted on: Tue, 28 Aug | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
FlashEarth
I blogged back in May about Flash Virtual Earth which introduced a Flash platform for viewing virtual earth imagery. Well another product, Flash Earth is now available. And this is quite simply excellent. It provides a fully functional virtual earth, allowing you to select between different vendors (Google, Ask, Yahoo etc) to view imagery available. Its minimalist, simple and a pleasure to use. Definitely worth a visit.
posted on: Thu, 09 Aug | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
KML Editors
I was needing to create some KML files recently so had a quick hunt around for easy ways of creating and editing them....
posted on: Wed, 11 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
GIS Day Review
GIS Day proved to be a great success with somewhere around 60 students attending from a range of local schools....
posted on: Tue, 03 Jul | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
GIS Day @ KU
I have organised an introductory day of events for lower sixth students this week (Friday 29 June), aimed at providing taster practical sessions on GIS, as well as trying to logically link together schools (and subjects), universities (and degree choices) and GIS professionals (and jobs)....
posted on: Mon, 25 Jun | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Zoom to Selected
"Zoom to Selected" is a handy ArcMap tool. Once you select a feature, just click on this item in the Selection menu and it fills the data view with the items currently selected....
posted on: Wed, 06 Jun | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Google Earth and geology
During one of the lunch sessions at DMT the question of using Google Earth to make geological data easily viewable and more accessible was raised....
posted on: Fri, 25 May | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Flash Virtual Globe
Those of you who read this blog will know that I use WorldKit at the Journal of Maps to display locations where we have published material. Its lightweight, functional and ideal for a simple web map client. Well Poly9 have upped the ante in this area with a preview release of their Flash Virtual Earth client. Not surprisingly it mimics the way Google Earth works, but does it in Flash Player. And it does it all very nicely, so definitely one to watch.
posted on: Mon, 14 May | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Whats the best way to get from London (UK) to New York (USA) 2?
Swim the bloody Atlantic Ocean!! All 3,462 miles of it!!
I love these Google people, they really have a sense of humour. What's funny though, is that you don't have to swim the channel first (Dover to Boulogne), then go across to Le Havre and swim the Atlantic. Funny that you then land at Boston. Must be the best places for swimmers!
posted on: Thu, 10 May | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Whats the best way to get from London (UK) to New York (USA)?
This has been doing the rounds recently, so I thought I would share (came from my brother actually):
1. Go to http://www.google.co.uk
2. Click on "Maps"
3. Click on "get directions"
4. Type " New York " in the first box (the "from"
box)
5. Type " London " in the second box (the "to" box)
6. Hit "get directions"
7. Scroll down to step #24
And what does it tell you to do? Well, read the Next Post!!
posted on: Thu, 10 May | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
E.S.R.I.: What does it really stand for?
Well, its time for everyone else to have their say now. As a highly frustrated ArcGIS user at the moment, I think we need some alternative definitions for E.S.R.I. I'll kick off, so maybe:
early system retirement inevitable
expensive, second rate investment
every sucker runs it
OK, so I'm not very good at this. Anyone else?
posted on: Tue, 08 May | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
More on database right and spatial data...
Clearly the GRADE report on whether geodata should come under copyright or database right (in Europe) is a topical issue, with this article recently published.
posted on: Tue, 24 Apr | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
Shopping for men
I bumped in to a friend in Tesco's yesterday, both as we were looking for items (water filters and Quorn as it happens)....
posted on: Mon, 16 Apr | path: /GIS | permanent link to this entry
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