september 2002 archives

Sunday, September 29, 2002

Custom Mapping System is a fully-fledged SVG-based internet mapping system. CustomMapper.com takes a step forward to prove the viability of SVG as a commercial mapping platform. The site not only allows visitors to view static maps, but it also allows users to create maps based on their own data, convert the maps to JPG/PNG for use on their own web sites, create PDF files or automatically generate entire HTML pages with embedded SVG images. The site also provides the sort of fundamental mapping features that users expect in a “real” mapping application including scalable/movable labels, user-controlled threshold settings, and thematic map creation.

Custommapper was built to provide people with a very low-cost alternative to complicated GIS/mapping packages and expensive server-side products. Non-profits organisations, government agencies, and special-interest groups, for example have been largely shut-out of the online mapping revolution due to cost and complexity so. There is a market that will benefit from being able to generate high-quality, customised maps through a low-cost, no-hassle ASP business model.

Friday, September 27, 2002

A while ago, I discussed the idea of mapping blogs. On London Bloggers Tube Map, you can search bloggers by London tube stations! Very good way to spend your Friday afternoon.

Overview Mapping Ltd. offers various online services through LocalX. PhotoMapX delivers on-line mapping combining conventional mapping with aerial photos. LocalX provides on-line addition and editing of mapped points of interest, and addition of hyperlinks to them. RouteX provides on-line route finding, and AddressPointX provides address finding and mapping.

Streetmap is now available on your PDA: Pocket Streetmap. More importantly, they are announcing the release of their European maps provision. Coverage includes street level maps for all areas for the following countries : Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK, and Ireland. The data used to draw these maps is from Navigation Technologies.

Thursday, September 26, 2002

One of the issues addressed in the article on MapQuest discussed earlier is the geocoding stage. The capability and accuracy of positioning the addresses for the start and the destination of the journey are highly important to provide users with helpful navigation instructions. Another important player, Webraska, has realised this and has come up with an interactive way of improving the accuracy of the location determined by the wireless network or handset (for example using the centre of the cell, identified by the cell ID, or a GPS reading from a Benefon device) and have even been awarded with a patent for “Auto-Location Refinement”.

The set of street names within an area surrounding the user's estimated position is extracted from a digital map database. The size and shape of the area are parameters of the wireless location technology used. This list of street names can be presented to the user for selection or can be used as a reduced vocabulary for voice recognition or recognition of entered text. After selecting a street name, an address or intersecting street name may be used to provide further position refinement.

Webraska's other patent regarding Internet-based Distributed Navigation (IbDN®) seems to be in the same league as Multimap's “Computer System for Identifying Local Resources and Method Therefore”. Neither has taken any steps to enforce their patents. I am wondering what the actual benefit is of patenting technologies like this. Maybe I am just to much of a techy to understand such things...

So just to make up for last time: an article from a bit less mainstream techy journal: “Electric News”. Apparently, I am working in the right niche! According to Nielsen//NetRatings, the on-line map sector is one of the fastest growing Internet markets in Europe, having experienced growth around the 300 percent mark over the last year! Currently, there may be two or three local mapping sites in every market, but there is no key pan-European player as yet. If you're looking for the “new Google”, this sector is an interesting place to start. Could that be us? Further information is available from the press release on the Nielsen//NetRatings website.

Wednesday, September 25, 2002

All right, I am aware that linking to “Wired magazine” is regarded an easy way out in the Blogger community, but this time it is just because they did a very interesting feature on MapQuest's online travel directions service. Or, to be more precise, about the dissatisfaction of users with the accuracy of this service. It describes some situations in which the directions caused quite some embarressment. It then goes on to explain how locations are determined and the problem of up-to-date road network data. I am very glad that the shortfalls of these services are being explained to a general public. Hopefully this will contribute to a better appreciation when things do go right!

Sunday, September 22, 2002

Sigh... One week back from a relaxing holiday in the Pyrenees with one of my best friends, Arne, and I am almost back into the same hectic life again... Even had to take a day off sick on Friday: sinusitis playing up again. I'll never learn to live the same pace as my body wants me to. Fortunately, the sinusitis sort of bedded down over the weekend so I should be ready for work again on Monday.

And then it'll just start all over again. On Tuesday I am moving again. Not to the place near Hyde Park we all hoped to move into! The landlord played a very dirty game with us and increased the rent whilst we all were on holiday. We're going to look in the next few days to find another place. Will keep you up to date where I am, but most likely the only point of contact is going to be in virtual reality, so you had better watch this space!

Monday, September 16, 2002

If you would really like to hear “in real life” (for some of us a difficult concept) what I have been doing for the last two years, come and listen to my presentation at Geo Solutions 2002:

Delegates will be able to find out how Multimap developed its rationale for investment in location-based services. With a market that is becoming rapidly mobile the need to deliver information to customers anytime, anywhere has become key to future growth. Discover the benefits to be gained from providing information services to customers 24/7 ? wherever they are. Presented by Edward Mac Gillavry, GIS Software Engineer, Multimap.com and Rajesh Mahajan, Principal Developer, Infotech Enterprises Europe Ltd.

Where and when? 17-19 September 2002, at Earls Court 2, London.