editorials.php

The View from Here

Adena Schutzberg 10-26-2006

Adena Schutzberg considers three topics: navigating and why some signage is highly effective; we're still "talking among ourselves" instead of getting the word out about what we do to a wider audience; and the inherent value of including a "click to see the map" option.

NSGIC Trends

Adena Schutzberg 10-12-2006

Last week's National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) annual meeting was a whirlwind tour of agencies, states, technologies, visions, suggestions, questions and proposals. Here are some of the key themes and ideas Adena Schutzberg came away with after four days of meetings in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Data, Data…Who's Got the Data?

Adena Schutzberg 08-31-2006

As GIS matured, the purchasing model changed from one where buyers acquired both the system and the geospatial data from the same vendor, to one where software vendors had "data partners." From there we are moving to a model where data are a commodity and perhaps someday nearly any vendor will be happy to sell/license/serve up any data in any format in any projection. Adena Schutzberg considers the ramifications.

The View from Here

Adena Schutzberg 08-16-2006

There were discussions this week among those who attended the ESRI conference about whether there was anything "new." Adena Schutzberg noted the focus on imagery and new uses for it. It seems that imagery has stepped to the fore as the "hot" data type, joining 3D data at the top of the list.

The Long Tail of Mapping

Joe Francica 06-22-2006

Geography’s metaphor of communication is a map. Scientific achievements in both the physical and social disciplines of geography have used mapping as the way to express results and communicate ideas. Today’s technology, whether it is a Web viewer like Google Earth, an analysis platform like ArcGIS, or a geo-social network like that created by Platial, is a profound expression of the "long tail of mapping." Joe Francica explores the topic.

Google and Microsoft: Further Disruption Ahead

Adena Schutzberg and Joe Francica 04-04-2006

Users of @Last's, now Google's, SketchUp and Vexcel's, soon to be Microsoft's (pending government approvals), UltraCam ground stations and other imagery and SAR processing tools are scratching their heads this week. What will happen to these products? That's one question to ponder. Google's newest employees have maintained that SketchUp will stay SketchUp and not to worry. Microsoft has been mum, just as it was on the acquisition of GeoTango late last year. Editors Adena Schutzberg and Joe Francica make some well-educated guesses.

The View from Here

Adena Schutzberg 03-21-2006

Adena Schutzberg offers some observations on the recent AAG meeting, and on the topic of whether or not the users have perhaps finally gotten out in front of the vendors in the big geospatial world.

Too Quiet?

Adena Schutzberg 03-06-2006

Marketing is all about creating a buzz, getting people talking or blogging about "something cool." That, in turn, creates demand, so the theory goes. What is cool is certainly in the eye of the beholder, but buzz is, in fact, measurable. I want to highlight a few geospatial "news items" that I thought should create buzz, but didn't (in my informal buzz meter) and a few others that should not have created buzz, in my opinion, but did.

A New View of Data

Hal Reid 02-08-2006

Data are now the basic raw material that will drive progress, innovation and profit. We need to thoroughly grasp the end products that will be created from them. Hal Reid considers some of the implications.

Editorial: On Advertising

Adena Schutzberg 02-02-2006

Many of you who've been reading Adena Schutzberg's editorials over the years know that she enjoys looking at advertising, especially that of our industry. Two recent ads struck her - one is from Microsoft, the other from Autodesk.

Shortcuts to Knowledge

Adena Schutzberg 01-30-2006

Last week a story surfaced that students were "outsourcing" their homework. Apparently, it's popular in programming courses where students have to write short programs to solve a specific problem. While educators and others were appropriately angered, Adena Schutzberg's thoughts turned to shortcuts that are popping up in different areas of the geospatial marketplace.

The View from Here

Adena Schutzberg 01-12-2006

Adena Schutzberg considers "the generation gap" of geospatial technology and what it means to "own the data."

Looking Ahead to 2006

Directions Staff 01-05-2006

Film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert started a tradition on their TV show of both noting which films they'd like to see win the Oscar and those they expected to win the award.We want to do something similar as we look ahead to 2006 in the geospatial industry.First, the editors share what they'd like to see happen, and what they expect to see happen.In the final section we share what several readers hope to see in the 2006

Top Ten of 2005

Adena Schutzberg 01-02-2006

Each year for the last five, Adena Schutzberg has put together the top ten "things" of the past year.Some are events, some are non-events, some are products, some are people.It's her opportunity to look back and highlight some topics worthy of attention as we head into the New Year.These are in no particular order.

The New Nature of Data

Hal Reid 12-27-2005

The storage of spatial data has always been an issue for GIS.The problem has always been that when you move from the desktop and into the enterprise, the corporation's ability to allow more users access to data while maintaining different software for mapping, CAD and even imagery is difficult at best? Local governments are among the most common group of users with this need.Editor Hal Reid discusses how this applies in business.

What Does It Mean To Be Open?

Kevin Flanders 12-13-2005

Open source columnist Kevin Flanders gives his take on Autodesk's moves relating to the MapServer community and Autodesk announcing the formation of the MapServer Foundation.He also offers advice on how he believes those in GIS open source community should approach it.

Struggling for Relevance in the Era of the Google Phenomenon

Joe Francica 12-01-2005

In the new age of mapping ushered in by the "Google Phenomenon" both traditional geographic information system vendors and the smaller companies that support them for both sales and data management technology, there is a developing conflict to remain in the forefront of technological leadership and mindshare.While revenues for these companies are growing, their relative importance to the greater market development seems to be shrinking.And as other major information technology companies enter the location technology market, their ability to grow may be threatened.

GEOSS - The Need for Interoperability

John T. Werle 11-23-2005

The 287 companies, government agencies and universities that make up the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) are pioneers who are working to create open standards for sharing geospatial data and services across different systems and platforms worldwide.It is this interoperability that will be instrumental in making the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) a reality.Author John T.Werle is working on the GEOSS program and shares his perspective.

Geography and GIS Support Understanding of Relationships Between Society and Environment

Dr. Richard Aspinall 11-15-2005

The environment of the Earth has many close connections and relationships with human activity.It is also now more widely recognized that a profound transformation of the Earth's environment is taking place and that many of these changes are the result of human action.Intensification and diversification of resource use, globalization, growth in population, as well as patterns of population distribution and migration, and changing flows of information, products and technology, have produced changes in landscapes and ecosystems of the Earth's surface.Dr.Richard Aspinall of Arizona State University comments on how geography and GIS support understanding these relationships.

The View from Here - October 27, 2005

Adena Schutzberg 10-27-2005

Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg explores the excitement over "basic" technologies like people tracking and geocoding on a Google Map.Why is this so exciting to much of the non-geospatial world and perhaps less so to geospatial professionals? She also analyzes new efforts in software development funding, changes in online voting for product awards and questions why the U.S.geospatial community is so quiet regarding USGS news.

Geocoding, Data Quality and ETL

Hal Reid 10-26-2005

In systems that are data-driven, there is always the perpetual quest for clean data.We want data that is correct, remains that way; and that we can reliably use to understand, make decisions and even feel confident to use it as a mailing list.But data quality and usability doesn't happen by chance and we often take today's geocoding technology for granted...but to put that infrastructure in place so it works first time, every time, is not trivial.

Are We Suffering From a Data Glut?

Atanas Entchev 10-25-2005

Columnist Atanas Entchev has a Soloflex exercise machine in his basement that he has had for years but can't remember the last time he used it.Like dusty exercise equipment, are you hoarding and herding tons of GIS data, from server to server, from network to network, from one projection to the next, from one format to another?

Editorial: Geospatial and New Media

Adena Schutzberg 10-13-2005

Explosion! In the past few weeks there seems to have been a surge in geospatial use of "new media." New media is all that is new in communicating messages, everything that's not a phone or a newspaper or a magazine or a video tape.Instead, it's the Web and podcasts and blogs and the like.Adena Schutzberg comments.

Editorial: Killer Data - geoTorrent.org, Google Maps/DigitalGlobe and LiDAR - Part 1

Simon Greener 10-11-2005

Contributor Simon Greener has been musing about some threads relating to data for a while and has noticed they have been tangling people up.These threads resonated at the recent Spatial Sciences Institute (SSI) Conference held in Melbourne, Sept.12th-16th.Part one of this two part article primarily addresses issues related to data accessibility.

Editorial: What Makes a Perfect GIS Job Candidate?

Atanas Entchev 09-23-2005

Columnist Atanas Entchev considers education and training in GIS.His friend Kerry has a Ph.D.in planning from Berkeley.He is a casual user of GIS.Last week he asked Atanas whether he should go for basic or advanced GIS training in order to brush up on his GIS skills.Basic or advanced? Training or education? Questions worth considering...

Editorial: Geospatial Technology Offers Katrina Response Much, Delivers Some

Adena Schutzberg and Joe Francica 09-07-2005

Directions Media staff evaluate the positives and negatives in geospatial (and other) data availability and coordination related to Hurricane Katrina.Why wasn't the city of New Orleans' GIS data immediately available to first responders for rescue efforts? Where was the coordination at the states' geospatial data clearinghouses (if they exist)? Why isn't FEMA or the USGS the coordinator or collector of certain specific geospatial data, or links to data, to support recovery efforts?

A New Directions

Joe Francica 08-31-2005

We have renamed our company; launched a new publication; updated the design for all of our publications; and changed the delivery days for publication of our newsletters...Big changes for Directions Media, our new company name...Here's why we've made these move to improve content, enhance readability, and serve to our advertisers better.

Floating the Geospatial Boat

Joe Francica 08-24-2005

These initiatives of the USGS, such as GOS 2 and The National Map are rewarding initiatives provide essential resources for the geosptial professional.They "float the boat" of our profession, advancing both the knowledge and understanding of the applications of geospatial technology.So, why did it take a Google Earth "gut punch" to instill a "kid-like" enthusiasm for maps and geography?

The Dead Man's Switch

Adena Schutzberg 08-19-2005

When an event, especially one that is reported by a local newspaper, is accompanied by a map, there is safety, even comfort in knowing "where" something is located.Is it essential, then, to have a certain conformity or convention on how the press uses, or abuses, maps? Read more...

Stop the Madness!

Adena Schutzberg 07-16-2005

In 2000, I was working for a company called TenLinks.The idea was that a good "human" editor could provide a more valuable directory of websites than a search engine.That's still true, though search engines, search technology, metadata and related tools have come a long way, but in the geospatial arena, we're still making lists of data resources.By Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Latest Mapping Technologies: More than Meets the Eye

Adena Schutzberg 07-08-2005

Here at Directions Magazine, we've been chewing over the implications of Google Maps, Google Earth, Yahoo Maps, A9 and the upcoming MSN Virtual Earth for some time.Last week's Where 2.0 saw the announcement of "official" application programming interfaces (APIs) for two of these resources which raised yet another round of discussions.Adena Schutzberg discusses some of the ramifications.

GIS: A Mature Industry Tackles the Disruptive Technology Question

Joe Francica 07-06-2005

Tim O'Reilly, the host of last week's Where 2.0 Conference in San Francisco, and arguably the champion of open source software development, shared his stage with Jack Dangermond, president of ESRI, arguably the leader of the non-free, commercial GIS world.O'Reilly may have surprised Dangermond with this zinger."How does it feel to be the incumbent in an industry that is being disrupted?" Read his response.

Man and Machine: Human Errors Lengthen the Lakeshore Marathon

Adena Schutzberg 06-10-2005

"We can put a man on the moon so why can't we cure the common cold?" I'd like to ask a geospatial question like that."We can navigate cars via GPS, track palettes of goods with RFID chips and explore the world on Web portals, so why can't we get the length of a running race correct?" Adena Schutzberg wonders what went wrong at Chicago's Lakeshore Marathon.

An Open Letter to GIS/Geospatial Software Companies

Adena Schutzberg and Joe Francica 06-03-2005

We've followed your work for many years and wanted to share some observations on the market (writ large).We suspect you know much of what we are going to tell you, and have explored the questions we pose.Still we feel obligated to put our thoughts in writing for you, your partners and users.Editors Adena Schutzberg and Joe Francica offer observations about how our industry is situated in the larger scheme of things.

Where Are We Getting Our Information?

Adena Schutzberg 06-01-2005

It's not news that more and more people are turning to the Web for news.And, it's not news that geospatial professionals are also turning the Web for news about their field.Every year or so, I like to look out at the Web and the print world and take the pulse of the information resources for our industry.-- Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Bounty Hunters

Adena Schutzberg 05-20-2005

Computer Associates last year moved its INGRESS database to an open source license.To promote the move, and to quickly and inexpensively bring to market the necessary (open source) migration tools to move from other databases, the company offered a "bounty" to those who offered up solutions.Good idea? The $1 million (maximum total) bounty (reward?) sent cash ranging from $50,000 to $400,000 to three teams that developed solutions for migration from Oracle, SQL Server and MySQL.Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg hails the concept of high-tech bounty hunting.

On Intellectual Property, Licensing and Publishing

Adena Schutzberg 04-19-2005

There's quite a lot changing in the world of publishing - how its done, what rights are held, and who is contibuting material.Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg highlights some of these trends and explores how they might impact the geospatial community.

Reactions to Google's Satellite Imagery Integration

Adena Schutzberg 04-08-2005

The reaction to Google's addition of satellite imagery to Google Maps is fascinating.While many, many people say the equivalent of "Isn't this cool?" an equal number raise business and technology issues.Still others raise the privacy issue.After reading these reactions I find that we are not yet in a position to have a national or international discussion on this level of availability of imagery since the public's knowledge of the issues on many fronts is rather limited.Read on for a review of reactions and insight into further educating the public.-- Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Oracle Articulates Strategy to Special Interest Group

Joe Francica 03-30-2005

Oracle convened its first Oracle Spatial Special Interest Group (SIG) meeting in Denver a few weeks ago.I came away with one simple observation: Oracle wants to own all of "spatial" - geospatial, non-projected XY space, human space, whatever.If it has a coordinate in space, Oracle wants to store it, analyze it, and allow it to be visualized...with its own tools, of course.What's that sucking sound you here?

Software Cost vs.Value

Adena Schutzberg 03-29-2005

An IDC analyst recently suggested that there is a fundamental disconnect between the price users pay for software and the value they feel they receive.Users suggest they pay for far more software than they use (or benefit they see).Vendors feel they are often leaving money on the table.So, how can the two sides come together? -- Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Autodesk and ESRI: The Evolving Role of Third Parties

Adena Schutzberg 03-21-2005

As vendors roll out new products that better work with other products, what's the roll of the third party developers? Do they still have a role as the provider of "add-ons"? Or is change in the air? Read on to explore these questions in the context of Autodek's 2006 product line and the explosion of clients for ESRI's ArcSDE.-- Adena Schutzbeg, Executive Editor

The GIS Train: Cresting the Hill and Slowing Down

Adena Schutzberg 02-26-2005

When I started in this industry I had to think very hard about how I explained "what I do." When MapQuest burst on the scene, that task became easier.Today, I believe the majority of "regular" people to whom I mention GIS know exactly what I mean.

Further evidence of the state of GIS can be drawn from the local papers across the US (and some other countries).The results of a query for news about GIS suggest that the technology is simply part of the day to day business of many, many municipalities.Read on to see what this might suggest for where we are on the GIS train and what stop we may hit next.-- Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Who Owns Webpages?

Adena Schutzberg 02-23-2005

That's a hot topic this week, though it's certainly not a new question.Back in 2001 Microsoft introduced then pulled its Smart Tags from the then new version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer browser.Smart Tags essentially gave the browser the power to "add links" to a delivered webpage.The destination? Wherever Microsoft chose! The furor today is over Google's new toolbar that some suggest does much the same thing.Read on for my take on the matter.-- Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Too Much News

Adena Schutzberg 02-14-2005

Let's face it, there's so much news in the geospatial industry that it leaves our heads spinning.There are new companies forming and new technologies appearing and at the same time existing companies are exploring new areas, and favorite products are getting face lifts.Then there are legal battles and new mapping portals and new contracts... We thought long and hard about how to best deliver timely, important news in an orderly way, along with commentary to make it relevant to your day to day work.Read more about what changes we are making -- Adena Schutzberg, Executive Editor

Directions Magazine Appoints Adena Schutzberg as Executive Editor

Directions Staff 02-11-2005

Directions Magazine is pleased to announce today the appointment of Ms.Adena Schutzberg as Executive Editor.With Adena joining our team we have added yet another voice that will aggressively reach out to the tens of thousands of individuals who could and should be benefiting from our industry's technology.It is an exciting day for Directions with the addition of Adena to our staff.No other journalist in our business matches the technical expertise and insight into geographic information systems technology and her editorial leadership will help expand our coverage of geospatial news and events.

My View on Civilian Remote Sensing Program Funding

Joe Francica 02-09-2005

Last week, President Bush proposed an increase to the civilian land remote sensing program administered by the U.S.Geological Survey.Will the mission of this program be able to support a growing appetite by public agencies with the current level of funding? How much disparity exists between civilian and military remote sensing budgets and what could that mean for the advancement of the current Landsat 7 mission? Read more...

Acquistions: Oracle/PeopleSoft, Telvent/Miner & Miner

Joe Francica 12-15-2004

It took 18 months but Oracle finally threw the hammer down, upped their bid, and clinched the deal to buy PeopleSoft.Telvent, a company that went public this past October acquired a majority stake in Miner & Miner.Two seemingly unrelated acquistions may signal big moves in the Enterprise GIS marketplace...Read more.

Call for Papers Issued for Location Technology & Business Intelligence 2005

Nora Parker 12-14-2004

Last year's Location Technology & Business Intelligence meeting raised numerous issues about how to logically bring these two constituencies together to create solutions for business.The conversations were compelling, and we are now working on V2.0 of the meeting, to take place in Philadelphia, May 2-4.If you think you may have something to contribute on this subject, please review the Call for Papers and submit any ideas you might have that would be appropriate.As thought-joggers, I have included references to four articles written by Dr.Bill Huber, who attended the last meeting and provided insightful "perspectives" on some of the key themes that were raised at the meeting.

How MapInfo is Planning its Attack on Enterprise Computing

Joe Francica 12-08-2004

MapInfo has radically altered their sales and solution focus over the last few years and the transformation is nearly complete.Software products that are platforms for custom solutions is a key part of MapInfo's strategy.In addition, strategic alliances with key business intelligence companies are contributing to a very different strategy than its competitors...Read more.

By the Numbers - 2004 2nd Half Financials

Joe Francica 12-01-2004

With only a month left of this year, its is an appropriate time to see how companies fared, financially that is, during the second half of 2004 and what we might expect in 2005.So far, several geospatial companies such as Garmin, Autodesk, and NAVTEQ have seen their stock prices rise significantly in the last five months.Will it continue into 2005? Read more...

The Media, Mapping and the U.S.Election - Just Plain Boring

Joe Francica 11-04-2004

With apologies to our European, Asia Pacific, and other international readers, Directions Magazine's Editor-in-Chief, Joe Francica comments on the mapping technology used by the mainstream TV network media in the US presidential election coverage.He sums it up this way: BORING! Read more about why he was "underwhelmed" by their use of digital mapping technology...

Google Acquires Keyhole; CBS Enlists Help of ESRI

Joe Francica 10-29-2004

The battle continues to rage fiercely as salvos are exchanged with no clear winner emerging.And that's just in the fight for consumer-based location services marketplace.Google's acquisition of Keyhole is a move to thwart attempts by AOL, Microsoft, and Yahoo, to gain the upper hand in using location-based information and possibly, location-enabled searching.

Where's the Innovation ...in GIS?

Joe Francica 10-28-2004

I recently posed this question to a senior executive, who shall remain nameless, at a big name systems integrator in the defense industry.I was not impressed with the answer but suffice to say that when pressed to give an example of how GIS software has shown radical innovation in techniques or technology his recourse was to discuss how over the last ten years the technology has drastically improved in the ability to process lots of data.No doubt, but that was not the question.Where do you think the innovation lies...Read more.

Maps and the Net: A Marriage that Radically Altered GIS Software Development

Joe Francica 09-29-2004

The growth of web mapping technology has altered the way that geospatial software development companies approach product planning and the manner in which certain component technology has been developed to accommodate sales opportunities.Internet mapping software platforms are now available for the intended purpose of supporting mainstream information technology systems for logistics, human resources, finance, and marketing.This week, Directions Magazine launches it second annual WEB MAPPING CONTEST sponsored with the help of Microsoft Corporation.Our intent is to both raise awareness of the myriad applications that are being developed in both government and private industry and to have some fun as well.

Welcome to September and the start of a busy Fall Season

Joe Francica 09-06-2004

Directions Magazine "tag line" is "Your GIS News Source" -- it is that and much more.We take the opportunity to announce new changes and enhancements to Directions' Web Magazine, announce our all new Web Mapping Contest starting October 1, and highlight the key articles and interview of these past few months.

USGS Reorganizes Geospatial Technology Programs ...Is This Reorganization Focused on the Right Things?

Joe Francica 08-25-2004

Last week, Chip Groat, Director of the U.S.Geological Survey, consolidated certain geographic information technology functions under a new National Geospatial Programs Office (NGPO).This reorganization was the result of recommendations from a report from the National Research Council, which stated that the USGS should "give higher priority to fundamental geographic research.Read more of why these changes may not have the right focus.

My Take - ESRI's 2004 User Conference

Joe Francica 08-18-2004

It's hard to quibble with success.Jack Dangermond spoke to the throng of ESRI software users and stakeholders with one objective: make certain that the faithful remained, well, "faithful," as well as "impressed", "enlightened," and "enthralled." Read more of Editor-in-Chief Joe Francica's take on this year's ERSI User's Conference.

Autodesk's New Direction

Joe Francica 08-15-2004

At a GIS Media Day held by Autodesk on August 6, the company revealed a new strategic direction in its approach to the geospatial technology marketplace.In his briefing, Chris Bradshaw, Vice President of Autodesk's Infrastructure Solutions Division (ISD) made it clear that it was now attacking its four primary markets with industry solutions, specifically designed to facilitate infrastructure lifecycle management.What's new about this? Although the company has facilitated solution development in the past, Autodesk has now created a separate services organization to support them

IBM: Refocused Emphasis on Spatial Information and Business Intelligence

Joe Francica 08-09-2004

With years of experience in the spatial information market, IBM is emerging from the shadow of Oracle in developing DB2® Universal Database™ to compete for the leadership role in spatial database functionality.Not that it ever left the market, but it recent years, Oracle has certainly exerted their marketing muscle and reached a higher level of brand awareness.But IBM has developed a strong partnership with ESRI, which it counts as one of their 25 key business partnerships, testament to the focus that the company is placing on location technology and business intelligence.Read more...

Group 1 and MetaCarta Form Interesting Alliance

Joe Francica 07-21-2004

MetaCarta has teamed with Group 1 in a strategic partnership and reselling agreement that leverages address geocoding technology.

Baby Steps for LBS in the US

Joe Francica 07-07-2004

Over the July 4th holiday weekend in the U.S., Verizon Wireless teamed with Autodesk Location Services to offer free traffic reports to motorists via a short messaging service (SMS).The service was free of charge during the weekend and provided information on traffic incidents and major delays along a specified route. So, being a Verizon customer, I decided to test the service on July 5th along a route that I intended to drive in a few days.

Conference Review: ESRI GeoInfo Business Summit 2004

Joe Francica 07-07-2004

ESRI first Business GeoInfo Summit in Chicago, convened on June 28th and 29th, accurately captured a "snapshot" the status of where business stands with respect to the adoption of spatial information in business: Good user stories, enthusiasm about further deployment, peering toward more enterprise system integration, but few CIOs actually showed up to hear the good news.Business Intelligence was in the spotlight and ROI was key...Read more.

Interoperability - Overused Word or Key Message?

Joe Francica 06-24-2004

I think we banter around the word "interoperability" too much.It is becoming overused and, at times, seems out of context.Are we conveying the appropriate meaning of the word in the right context? What are your thoughts?...Read More.

Raster Data - Poor Second Cousin to Vector No More

Joe Francica 06-18-2004

Over the course of the last ten to fifteen years, raster data has played the role of a poor second cousin to its vector brethren.As a technology community, we have tended to worship at the 'vector alter.' But things are changing.The release of Oracle 10g has provided a huge boost to the way that raster data are managed, stored, and analyzed...Read more.

Directions Magazine Readers Looking Forward to Technology Advancements, But Still Deal with Some of the Same Ol' Stuff

Nora Parker 06-14-2004

Although our annual Reader Survey is still going on through the end of the month, with already over 700 responses we thought it would be interesting to look at what readers are telling us so far about their GIS projects and plans...Our survey is by no means scientifically administered, but each year we do find interesting trends that tell us something about where our industry is headed.There are more than 50 questions on the survey - this brief preview is just the tip of the iceberg.Click here to learn how you can purchase the compiled results, and click here if you haven't yet responded and would like to.(There are some totally cool prizes provided this year to randomly selected entrants, including a Dell Inspiron 1000 Notebook and Matrox Graphics cards.)

Conference Summary - Intergraph's Geospatial World and Bentley's BE Conference

Joe Francica 05-27-2004

The May conference season has hit and Florida was the destination.Directions Magazine was in attendance at two user conferences this month: Intergraph's Geospatial World Conference and Bentley's BE (Bentley Empowered).Both conferences drew an international audience of approximately 1500 each.This article summarizes the highlights of each event...

What we learned at the Location Technology & Business Intelligence Symposium

Directions Staff 05-19-2004

One of the central themes that emerged from the symposium was the notion that an enterprise-wide implementation of location technology may or may not be appropriate within every organization.There is a continuum of technology adoption for companies, some which may depend on the industry in which they compete.Ranging on one end from complete enterprise-wide implementation, to the other end that is a highly specific one-use application, geospatial applications are more central to companies where every key business driver is location-based.Read more about the discussions we had and conclusions drawn from the Location Technology & Business Intelligence Conference

A Road Map for Spatial Information Systems within the Enterprise - Part 1

David Sonnen 05-03-2004

"The IT industry will have to develop standards for location-specific data generated by emerging sensor technologies.Over the longer term, educational institutions will have to include spatial analysis and data quality management within their business curricula so that business people will have the knowledge and skills to make best use of spatial technologies.Finally, success on the road to enterprise systems will be more about having the right business models rather than the right technologies."

Breaking News: Tele Atlas to Acquire GDT

Joe Francica 04-28-2004

Business Geographics: Dead or Merely Evolving?

Hal Reid 04-23-2004

As we approach the middle of the 4th year of the 21st century, the convergence of a number of technologies is changing the way business processes and business analysis are conducted, as well as the way that "location" can be used as an asset of the corporation.How much does competitive intelligence depend on location and the "power of place." Read Senior Contributing Editor, Hal Reid's fascinating analysis of why changing technological solutions require a review of our business skills.

GIS, Location Technology and where they fit in the IT Value Chain

Joe Francica 04-08-2004

Where does GIS and Location Technology fit into the information technology value chain? Where are we along the IT continuum? And, how do we push the discussion forward about where GIS and location technology can help "add value" among other "mainstream" IT systems? Read more and participate in the discussion.

A Review of Location Based Services

Joe Francica 04-01-2004

There are no "true" LBS applications on the market today...at least not in North America.I make the distinction between a "true" LBS app and an application that you can use via an internet-capable cell phone.A "true" LBS app is one that knows where you are, can build a "geofence" ("buffer zone" to us GIS types) around your real-time location, perform a "what's near me" query, and then deliver driving, traffic, and weather information from your current position to your destination.But things are changing...and soon.Read more.

MapQuest Technology and Applications

Joe Francica 03-25-2004

This article briefly traces MapQuest.com's origins in map publishing through to its current configuration as a major provider of LBS-enabling technology and data.

The News in Review - Week of March 15, 2004

Joe Francica 03-18-2004

The news this week takes center stage as Navigation Technologies changed their name to NAVTEQ, Yahoo introduced a very slick enhancement to Yahoo Maps, and PlanGraphics staged a coup by hiring Al Leidner, one of the key individuals that helped NYC mount a massive GIS effort to supply spatial information to the 9/11 rescue efforts and the aftermath...Read more.

MetaCarta, Inc.- Geographical Text Searching

Joe Francica 03-11-2004

MetaCarta, a company based in Boston, uses a text search algorithm that retrieves content based on geographic keywords.Its flagship product, the Geographic Text Search (GTS) has the ability to confine searches by geography and retrieve information that it detects using the keywords, and then displays this information geographically on a map interface.Read more about the unique functionality of their geoparsing software.

Resources of the National Geodetic Survey

Joe Francica 03-04-2004

The data collected by the National Geodetic Survey (NGS), and the resources available through it, could rightly be called the basis for all geographic information and mapping.The mission of the NGS is to " define and manage a national coordinate system" otherwise known as the National Spatial Reference System (NSRS).Established by Thomas Jefferson in 1807, and managed by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), it was the first civilian scientific agency.Here, Directions has compiled a brief list of the projects that are undertaken by the NGS.

Mapping Mars: Site Selection Mapping for Spirit & Opportunity

Joe Francica 02-19-2004

If you were watching CNN during the landing of the Mars Exploration Rovers in January, you might have seen anchorman Mile O'Brien joined by NASA Principal Scientist, Dr.Matt Golombek.Dr.Golombek led site selection team of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER), Spirit and Opportunity.Dr.Golombek was responsible for choosing the two landing sites.Editor-in-Chief, Joe Francica, interviewed Dr.Golombek on the technology used to map the sites for the MER project.

2004 - The Year Web Services Go Mainstream

Joe Francica 02-12-2004

If the last few years could be characterized as the maturation period for spatial databases, 2004 may well be recognized as the year that web services, supported by the underlying spatial databases, caught fire.Several software solution companies have been cautiously and sometimes quietly building web services into their products.The result of this added functionality will open the doors to more spatial data access without the headache of purchasing, formatting, georeferencing, and integrating data with existing or locally acquired data.

How are you going to deal with 'location privacy?'

Joe Francica 02-02-2004

How many people should know your location? Now? Immediately.Are you concerned about the privacy of your location.Two features articles in Directions Magazine will explore this issue: Steve Lombardi of Microsoft looks at the from the individual's perspective; Jon Spinney looks at the types of cellular subscriber-level privacy.Each of their articles will appear in coming issues of Direction; editor Joe Francica summarizes in this editorial

Geocoding Challenges and the Internet

Jules R. Moyaert 01-21-2004

Jules Moyaert of Group 1 Software discusses the importance of geocoding data in the business world, and suggests that even in hyperspace, a verifiable and deliverable address is still pretty important.

Of Cows, Wal-Mart, and Disastrous Road Trips

Joe Francica 01-21-2004

So, what do a thoroughly peeved bovine, Sam Walton's legacy, and auto accidents have in common? Well, location technology, of course.And the plethora of devices for capturing georeferenced data, such as GPS but also RFID, are seeping into both business enterprise systems and personal devices.Editor-in-chief Joe Francica provides an in-depth overview of recent news about what it means to the location technology industry.

Deciphering Bentley Systems' "Extreme Mapping" Strategy

Joe Francica 01-14-2004

Recently Bentley Systems issued a white paper written by Carey Mann, their vice president of Geospatial Marketing, on their vision for providing customer solutions. Directions' Editor-in-Chief, Joe Francica, briefly had a chance to sit down with Mr.Mann at their offices this past week for an informal update of their strategy and to get a better understanding of how Bentley sees their position in the geospatial marketplace.

OGC Comments on Inaccuracies of Barrie Article

Carl Reed III 01-14-2004

In a rebuttal to an article written by Steve Barrie, "Standards that Control Standards," Carl Reed, Executive Director, Specification Program for the Open GIS Consortium (OGC) provides a point-by-point account of where he disagrees with certain statements made in Mr.Barrie's treatise.Please see Mr.Reed's comments below (and the entire article):

"Given a number of inaccuracies in the recent "Standards That Control Standards" article, I once again I find myself putting "pen to paper". It is unfortunate that there are number of misrepresentations and factually incorrect statements in this article. I am therefore providing corrections to several of the erroneous statements made by Mr.Barrie and am also providing the readily available references to sources that support my positions."

Awash in a Sea of Geographical Ignorance

Alexander B. Murphy 01-12-2004

Dr.Alexander Murphy, AAG president, writes a fascinating article on the geopolitical ramifications of America's ingnorance in understanding the Middle East's culture."The role of the United States in the world has never been the subject of as much scrutiny as it is today.Yet what do we Americans know about the world?"

LocationBI-Part 2

Joe Francica 11-18-2003

In an editorial I wrote on October 22 (LocationBI - Location-based Business Intelligence), I discussed the rationale of an evolving market picture that brings together location-based technology and services with business intelligence (BI) solutions; something I call LocationBI.Last week, we announced the creation of a new conference called Location Technology and Business Intelligence Executive Symposium, and event we are hosting with The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania next May.Let me "sell" you why you should consider attending.

LocationBI - Location-based Business Intelligence

Joe Francica 10-22-2003

Business Intelligence (BI) and Location Technology.Two solutions that need to get together and talk it over.Read how the world of CIOs will acknowledge that location-based information is adding to their BI world in a big way.

URISA - Conference Snapshot of the 41st Annual Meeting

Joe Francica 10-15-2003

The 41st Annual Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA) Conference opened in Atlanta with a welcome by Martha Lombard, URISA president, and Tom Conroy, Conference Chairman.Highlights included a keynote presentation on using Reshaping Mass Transit with Technology and new thoughts on enterprise deployment by ESRI president Jack Dangermond.

Interoperability - Bonus or Necessity?

Preetha Pulusani 10-08-2003

"The events of 9/11 and global issues such as tracking diseases, environmental concerns, and natural disasters have heightened awareness of the need to share data across departments and organizations.At times, data sharing can even mean the difference between life and death." Preetha Pulusani, President of Intergraph Mapping and Geospatial Solutions gives her take on the reason why interoperability means more than just sharing data.

The Why & How of Our Remote Sensing Contest

Joe Francica 10-02-2003

People get "jazzed" when they see an aerial photograph or satellite image.It must be a visual thing.We like to look at remotely sensed data...its like flying in a jet while being comfortably attached to the ground.The contest will populate our new Image Gallery and we have some "high tech" toys to give away to both contest winners and for those who vote.Go to the Contest Home Page and find out all the details.

NSGIC: Champion of All Causes Geospatial

Joe Francica 09-24-2003

As both a practitioner and journalist for geospatial technology, I attend many conferences during the year.Some, I wonder why they still survive.That was not the case with the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC, held in Nashville last week.Now here is a group of GIS professionals who have an incredibly important mission and whose job could only be done by "burning the candle at both ends." There may be no other professional group whose goal of coordination and technical 'advisorship' has a greater impact on how geospatial information is shared with the public.Read more about the importance of NSGIC's role in coordinating nationwide geospatial information.

How A Database Will 'Greatly Expand The SIM Market'

Joe Francica 09-12-2003

Two key items were brought to the attention of the Spatial Information Market (SIM) community by market research firm IDC: Oracle 10g "will be to greatly expand the total addressable SIM market," and will force existing SIM vendors "to adopt new business models to take advantage of the market space that Oracle can open." Editor Joe Francica looks at a changing market climate.

Are You Paying Attention? Or Still On Vacation?

Joe Francica 08-26-2003

Daratech, a market research firm, released a report this week indicating that the GIS marketplace was projected to grow 8% in 2003.In a global economy that is sputtering, 8% looks pretty good.Now, if you have been paying attention, you will have noticed several positive trends for the spatial information business and the economy, in general.Read more about where our sector of the IT world is in term of growth prospects for the future.

Renaissance in Belfast - A Personal Perspective

Nora Parker 08-05-2003

On August 27th, 1979, Lord Mountbatten was killed by an IRA bomb while sailing near his holiday home in County Sligo, Ireland.I was personally affected by this event, as I was vacationing only about 30 miles away from where the tragic event took place.My experience back in 1979 drew me to read, with special interest, the article by Matthew Spencer that chronicles Belfast City Council's use of GIS in supporting revitalization efforts that have taken place since 1999.

A Healthy Perspective on Spatial Data Standards and Interoperability

Dr. Charles Croner 08-01-2003

From my perspective, few things are as important as having U.S.State and local health departments connect to Intranet and Internet environments and share geospatial data holdings and metadata, standardized for interoperability.State and local health departments are the public health building blocks for the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).Recently, several noteworthy developments of connecting local geospatial health databases to the public have occurred and this article will discuss some of those developments.

Oracle - PeopleSoft: A Foreshadowing of what is to come in the GIS Market

Joe Francica 06-16-2003

For those of you who think that the tender offer made last week by Oracle in the takeover of PeopleSoft, who themselves are attempting to merge with J.D. Edwards, has nothing to do with GIS, this article will hopefully provoke you to take a closer look.The eventuality of a consolidation in the enterprise application industry directly affects the GIS marketplace...read more only in Directions Magazine

Dissecting the New U.S.Commercial Remote Sensing Space Policy

Joe Francica 05-27-2003

The new policy issue by the National Security Council at the White House is great news for the satellite data providers.But what does it mean for promotion of commercially available remotely sensed imagery? What products with high spatial resolution might be useful and will they be inexpensive enough for the many businesses that could really use them? Read more...

The Geography of Business

Joe Francica 05-16-2003

Every week in this space, I discuss the "Business of Geography." This week, the tide is turned and I want to address the Geography of Business.Last week, Forbes Magazine released their list of the top metropolitan areas for business and careers and the best "small places" for the same.How much does geography play a part in the success of these cities and towns?

By the Numbers: Publicly-Traded GIS Companies Report Mixed Bag of Financial Data

Joe Francica 05-08-2003

How financially healthy were the major GIS companies for the first three months of 2003, and what does that say about where we are in this weak economy? Modest at best say the numbers...Read Editor Joe Francica's take on the lastest fiscal reports...

Location-enabled Wi-Fi: The Mind Swirls with Possibilities

Joe Francica 04-26-2003

Dartmouth College, the Ivy League institution where John Kemeny authored BASIC, the computer language many students first used in order to learn programming, is now first in another computer phenomena: micro-LBS.Read more...

The OGC: It's Mission to Reach Out to Professionals it Affects the Most

Joe Francica 04-16-2003

We think the work the Open GIS Consortium (OGC) does is extremely important toward advancing geospatial technology in the context of interoperability and setting guidelines in data exchange, as well as establishing a forum for discourse among vendors who, at most times, have competing interests.This article takes a look at the OGC's visibility among GIS professionals and what it is doing to establish better outreach with the those ultimately affected by its mission: the users.

GIS and the War in Iraq: Embedded with the Troops

Joe Francica 04-07-2003

From satellite imagery to satellite guided bombs...GIS is a major technological advantage in the war in Iraq.

LINUX REDUX

Joe Francica 03-31-2003

Directions received quite a few letters this past week regarding last week's editorial on Open Source GIS and Linux and we thought we would pass along some of those comments.It obviously struck a cord with many readers and we can foresee that future discussion may be warranted.As always, we welcome articles of any topic and please feel free to submit a more technical brief on your experiences with Linux and other open source GIS products to [email protected]

Mobility and Location-"Wireless at the Hip"

Joe Francica 03-21-2003

Editor Joe Francica traveled to New Orleans to cover the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Conference (CTIA) and the Microsoft Mobility Developers Conference.This article provides executive summaries of the week's events, including keynote addresses of Bill Gates, Chairman and Chief Software Architect of Microsoft, and AOL Time-Warner board member and CNN founder, Ted Turner.

Of Turnarounds and Open Source GIS

Joe Francica 03-19-2003

In this week's editorial, Directions Magazine editor-in-chief, Joe Francica discusses recent kudos afforded Intergraph CEO Jim Taylor and also the move to open source GIS.

Is It Time For a Data Manifesto?

John Fisher 03-11-2003

"Like spatial technology, spatial data has been slow to gain acceptance in the mainstream of information technology.While this appears to be finally changing, there is still a long way to go." This is the first of a series of articles on spatial data and data management issues.The articles will cover a broad range of topics and are intended to be provocative. Your feedback is encouraged.It is through open dialogue on these issues that we will move forward as an industry.

Databases Will Become Larger and Global - Larry Ellison's Keynote Address - OracleApps World 2003

Joe Francica 01-23-2003

At OracleApps World in San Diego this year, Larry Ellison, CEO and Founder of Oracle, provided vision and countered his foes."Databases will get larger and more inclusive," said Ellison.This article is an overview of his keynote address and Editor Joe Francica's take on what it means for spatial databases.

Excel-erating to a New Level of Spatial CRM

Joe Francica 11-10-2002

What is the difference between the GeoData Alliance, Open Data Consortium, the Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC), and the Open GIS Consortium (OGC)? I'm glad you asked.

Joe Francica 10-29-2002

Geographic Profiling and the DC area sniper shootings

Joe Francica 10-14-2002

Educating rural towns about GIS

Joe Francica 04-03-2002

"The problem is one of efficient utilization of the technology.Some smaller towns need storm water or electrical outage management systems.Many are still working with computer-aided drafting (CAD) systems where topological databases have yet to be built to provide the ability to spatially integrate and analyze data for use in land use planning, environmental management reporting or developing suitable parcel records from photogrammetrically-gathered information.Worse, un-educated and untrained consultants, using the "old-boy" network hinder advances that would help these communities deal with serious problems."

Frederick's of Hollywood "uncovers" the secret to retail site selection

Joe Francica 03-26-2002

News from CTIA

Joe Francica 03-25-2002