Location-based Services

There’s been lots of news from skobbler, a company that offers a mapping app built on OpenStreetMap, in recent months. Directions Magazine interviewed Marcus Thielking, co-founder of skobbler, about the company’s success.

From the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) comes word of a device that will locate and track your luggage. The small, credit card-sized device called TrakDot (manufactured by GlobaTrac) is packed with your luggage and will alert you as to it's location, especially if you're in Bangor and your...

Just before Christmas the Lower Hudson News published a map of gun permit holders in two New York counties. The map included names and addresses of permit holders and was published in response to the shootings in Newtown, CT the week before. Most local readers and even those who viewed the map from...

First (of many expected) "how to save credits" posts for AGOL Atlas Van Lines map of state to state migration in 2012 ex-Nokia folks kickstarting Leikr, OSM-powered GPS sports watch National Museum of Surveying Closed TechCrunch reports the rumor it reported about Apple's...

Babak Parviz is the lead on the Google Glass project: glasses with onboard sensors and access to key data you need which is displayed just inches from your eyes. There was lots of excitement after the announcement in June 2012, but now cold reality is setting. Parviz spoke to IEEE Specturm and...

Jim Fallows of the Atlantic interviewed Michael Jones, chief technology advocate for Google in the Jan/Feb issue. Here are the high points for me for those who are too busy to read it: Biggest change in maps in last decade: So a map has gone from a static, stylized portrait of the Earth...

Researchers from the social networks IT security group at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, in Isreal, home of Waze, can help prevent traffic accidents. They studied a month's worth of data from the four million users of the app in that country. The used Google Earth to analyze the data and...

The patent, granted on Dec 25, 2012 is titled: System and method for identifying erroneous business listings. The idea is to highlight businesses that may intentionally locate themselves near or within the boundaries of oft-searched points of interest like the Eiffel Tower or Yellowstone National...

National Institute for Geographic Information and forestry API: The service provides data for mapping and geographic information sysetms (GIS) applications related to forestry and agricultural conditions in France. It documents forest coverage, tree species and health, soil conditions, and...

As we move into 2013, Directions Magazine will deliver many more options for readers who want choices in how they get their news. See what's coming!