An Open Letter to the CEOs of DigitalGlobe and GeoEye

What should the satellite companies DigitalGlobe and GeoEye do now that ongoing talks of mergers and acquisitions are a well-publicized fact? It’s a pretty fair bet that something has to happen soon since it looks increasingly like the government will cut spending for commercial remote sensing satellites. Editor in Chief Joe Francica writes an open letter to the CEOs of both companies with some "free" advice.

Do Children in the Backseat of Cars Have Less Complete Mental Maps of their Neighborhoods?

In a well-shared article from May 7, the Atlantic Cities explores the work of Bruce Appleyard, who studied children’s mental maps (cognitive mapping a la Kevin Lynch) of their neighborhoods. The unfortunate headline is “Kids Who Get Driven Everywhere Don't Know Where They're Going.” Sadly, that's not what the uncited research, from 2005, concludes.

Pew: 75% of Smartphone Users Get “Real Time” Location-based Information

Here's the overview of the report (html, questions): A new report finds that 74% of smartphone owners use their phone to get real-time location-based information, and 18% use a geosocial service to “check in” to certain locations or share their location with friends. Over ... Continue reading

LightSquared Update - Bankruptcy Could be Monday - 5/14/12

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) is the source of comments by those in the know that it's unlikely that LightSquared and its funder will reach a deal on the company's non-payment of debts. LightSquared has until 5 p.m. Monday to negotiate a deal. If the deal is not ... Continue reading

Kickstarter: Zombie Based Geography Education

Update: fully funded as of 5/11/12. Next goal is being considered. --- original post 5/10/12 --- Aimed at 5-8th graders, David Hunter of Seattle's project involves a curriculum based on a Zombie Apocalypse. He's NOT a geographer but seems to have done his homework. He's looking ... Continue reading

U.S. House of Representatives Votes to Kill American Community Survey

Last night the U.S. House passed an amendment to the 2013 Dept of Commerce funding bill that would eliminate the Census' American Community Survey, ACS. We know of ACS as the replacement for the long form; it's  survey sent to a limited number of households not every ten years, but ... Continue reading

Google Maps for Android Gets Indoor Walking Directions, Deals

The indoor directions are quite limited; they are available in select airports, malls, and other businesses in the U.S. and Japan. These are the complexes Google announced maps for last November. As for the deals, they include both "now" and "later" deals - but only in the ... Continue reading

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