License plate identification, picture-taking drones and GPS tracking devices are legal in certain cases and their users may have only the best of intentions. So, what could possibly go wrong if these tools are deployed for purposes other than those for which they were intended? Welcome to the new privacy.

When you hear the word drone, images of warfare or high-tech surveillance come to mind. But the former editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine and a young Tijuana programmer have a different idea. They believe drones will revolutionize our everyday lives. Text: http://www.marketplace.org/topics/tech/drones-war-machine-today-helpful-tool-tomorrow

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 afar have criticized the paper for its actions. Did the paper make the right decision?

Author Simon Garfield loves maps. His home in London is full of them — that's where they're stocked, hanging on walls and piled on shelves. So when Garfield was looking for a new topic to write about, not surprisingly, maps won out. His new book is called On the Map: A Mind-Expanding Exploration of the Way the World Works.

"The pace at which organizations are adopting and mandating BIM is accelerating very rapidly," said Mike DeLacey, president of Microdesk, an architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) consulting firm specializing helping owner/operators in applying technology to the design and construction process from GIS to CAD. Editor in chief Joe Francica spoke with DeLacey about the adoption rate of building information models (BIM) and how it is helping to save money, not just in design but the eventual operations and maintenance of buildings, roads and other infrastructure. Here are some of the questions that DeLacey addresses: 1. Can you give a brief background on Microdesk and the services you offer? 2. How would you characterize the move from CAD to GIS and does it matter which platform is used? 3. How is the transition going to 3D and BIM? Has it been difficult for users? 4. What is the upfront cost of making the transition to BIM? 5. Are you seeing BIM being stipulated more in RFPs? 6. What database concerns are necessary for users to consider? 7. How does cloud computing impact the adoption of BIM? 8. How does cloud computing impact the business model of a company like Microdesk that has been a long standing reseller of Autodesk software? 9. Are users ready to move to the cloud?

Our editors step up to the plate to evaluate last year's predictions and offer new ones for the geospatial marketplace in 2013.

Are there any truly innovative GIS companies? Are there any LBS companies? What’s innovative in the mapping world these days?

Are there any innovations in maps or mapping applications on the near horizon that are going to substantially change consumers’ lives? Maybe.

Maps before and after Hurricane Sandy predicted flood damage well. What can mappers do better next time to support high density urban areas that are likely to be impacted by catastrophic storms?

From ancient Babylonia to the Renaissance, mapmakers have been driven by politics, religion, emotion, and math. In his new book, A History of the World in Twelve Maps, professor Jerry Brotton examines the construction of a dozen world maps throughout history and argues that world maps are no more objective today than they were thousands of years ago.