We are trying out a new (to us) type of RSS feed which includes location information. It’s called GeoRSS. RSS stands for “really simple syndication” and is a quick way to get a realtime update or feed on blogs and other websites that have RSS encoding. You’ve probably seen the letters RSS in an orange box when you get to a website/blog. You “subscribe” to a blog through the RSS feed. It isn’t like subscribing to a magazine in the sense that you aren’t paying money. You are just connecting to a realtime link and as changes or updates are made to the site, your RSS feed is updated automatically.
So what is GeoRSS feed then. Well, simply put, it is an RSS feed with geolocation information attached. It’ll turn up in the RSS feeds for this blog.
We bought my dad a GPS unit for Christmas this year. Not because he gets lost. Not because he’s afraid to ask for directions. I let him borrow mine once recently to take my kids to Adventure Science here in Nashville. They were amazed that it did what it did and that it actually held up a one way conversation at the same time.
So as more and more people are buying these gadgets, I’m wondering if there may be any issues that we faced with cell phones and the distractions they cause. The little warning when you turn on the unit tells you to never program an address in while driving. I think that is good advice that no one (myself included) will follow. This is impossible for most cases, but does bring up a good point. Are we asking for trouble by putting one more thing in the vehicle to cause our eyes to wander from the road.
Here are a few suggestions that I’ve taken to heart when programming my unit.
- If I’m heading out on a trip, I will program in multiple addresses while still at home. Most units will keep many addresses in it’s “recent trips” memory. Then they can easily be pulled up with just a few clicks.
- Store as favorites those places that you go regularly. This is not so much because you don’t think you can remember it, but because if you do get stuck in a traffic jam, you can easily pull it up and take a different route.
- If you realize that you didn’t catch the turn that the pretty GPS guide told you to take (mines name is Maggie from England), don’t cross over 4 lanes of traffic thinking that your missed turn is the end of the world. The GPS units are good about fixing your screwups. Maggie politely says “recalculating route” and “bam” we’re back on track. I’m actually waiting for the sarcastic or angry version of the guide to come out, so it can tell you what it really feels about your missed turns. Perhaps that is the next release.
- Put the unit in a place that is not a distraction (if you have one that is portable). Easy to see but doesn’t get in the way.
- Clean the windshield where you are going to put it. Nothing worse than the unit coming off its suction while you’re doing 80 on the interstate.
So, be safe, be courteous, and you’ll get there on time.
If you are trying to figure out what to get that special “Geographer” in your life for Christmas this year or are looking for something to get me (hint, hint), look no further. For starters, my advice would be “Get something with a map on it…..Anything.” For example, the David Rumsey map collection has 
high-quality prints of vintage maps, historical world maps, U.S. maps and more. You can choose a custom frame to match your office or home decor. Most prints are also available on canvas for added elegance. These maps make great gift ideas for fans of cartography!
If the special “Geographer” happens to be your father, you can stick with your annual tradition of getting him another necktie. At least these have “maps on them.”
According to ESRI, with ArcGIS 9.2 SP 4 it now supports Windows Vista for ArcGIS Desktop. Although, there are still a few minor bugs to be worked out, it will install and operate efficiently. There are some additional things needed before the installation of ArcInfo Workstation and some required Windows Vista patches from Microsoft before installing Desktop. Take a look at this FAQ, from ESRI, explaining everything you need to know before installing ArcGIS 9.2 SP4. On the other hand, you could wait for the ArcGIS 9.3 release which will fully support Windows Vista.
Looking for a good PDF creator with no strings attached and completely free. PrimoPDF installs and appears as a printer in your list of installed printers. It doesn’t matter what application you are in (with a few exceptions). When you want to create a PDF, begin as if you are going to print the document, then simply select PrimoPDF as the printer. You’ll be presented with a few options, including where to save the new file, whether you want to add security, and what the output should be (screen, print, custom). Click GO and you’ll have yourself a great looking PDF, completely compatible with Adobe. Here is what you can look forward to.
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Four years in the making, the City of Lebanon’s geographic information system (GIS) maps had their day in the sun Wednesday. November 14th marks GIS Day, part of the National Geographic Society’s Geography Awareness Week. It is designed as a day for GIS users and creators to show off their application.
Many people think of GIS, if they think of it at all, as maps, but Lebanon’s GIS manager said the system is much more than that. “The building of GIS maps is one thing, but the analysis of the maps is the key. We’ve been working at it for four years, now we’re ready to show it off,” Lynn Pruett said.
The city has several analysis oriented maps available as part of the GIS. Detailed maps of Lebanon’s zoning, proposed roadways, and utility sites may be useful to professionals, but there are maps that have practical applications for the general public.
“The sanitation maps are popular – showing trash pick-up days, mosquito spraying schedules, spring cleaning schedules, snow routes,” Pruett said.
Sue Akins-Seins, who as the city liaison is responsible for attracting new businesses to town, said she uses several of the maps when recruiting potential investment.
“Retail prospects always want to know where the rooftops are. There’s a map that shows proposed and potential subdivisions that I use all the time,” she said.
One of the city’s newest maps shows the location of various utility assets, such as water mains and valves, all plotted down to the inch with global positioning hardware. The next step will be plotting the connectivity of all the assets, so when a valve or main goes down, the city will be able to inform customers who will be affected.
Matt Murdock, who works for the Gladeville Utility District, said the move to electronic GIS in the past decade saves alot of time. “its easy to locate all of our assets. I would take days to bring up maps and plats in the past. In the 70′s, everything was drawn. It takes one minute to do what used to take days,” he said.
Pruett said the system has applications for several different departments. For example, some maps only show roads maintained by the city, omitting private roads. While the Engineering Department only needs to know the city maintained roads, police and fire department personnel need to know the location of all roads. One map locates and delineates the difference.
“Essentially, this department is for all the rest of the departments in the city,” Akins-Seins said.
“Reprinted by permission of the Lebanon Democrat” http://www.lebanondemocrat.com written by J.R. Lind
The push I am seeing from Google, in regards to allowing their map users to build, manage, and share GIS data, is very exciting to me. The concept must go something like this, “What is the best way to achieve an up-to-date national address database?… have the person living at the address or on the same street make the edit for you.” Not a bad idea.. It is yet to be seen whether this project will prove to be successful, or what the impact will be on GPS routing, etc. but I still like it. Although, I am sure that with empowering millions of users to edit your map data comes thousands of hours of quality control depending on the level of accuracy Google is trying to achieve.
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March 17–20, 2008, in Palm Springs, California.
In our business we work with utility companies, providing mapping and GPS data collection services, as well as Trimble hardware and software. The meters and gas pipes are collected and entered, syncing up with billing systems to make the utility more efficient at what they do. Well I thought we were providing the most cool tools, but we have been outdone.
I was at home one day recently during the week. I happened to be looking out the front window at the street and across in the neighbors yard I saw this Seqway screaming by. I’m in this little town where that is the last thing I would expect to see. They price out in the $5,000 range and I didn’t think it was likely a high school kids gift from mom and dad. The guy driving (not sure that’s the correct term) was actually navigating it pretty well. And then he did an abrupt turn going around the side of the house. I realized that he was working for the local gas utility as a meter checker. He had a little touch pad mounted on the handlebar to enter the info. Probably a GPS enabled device to ensure he was at the proper residence. I’ll tell you what… he made it through our neighborhood in such fast time that the investment is sure to pay for itself in time saved alone. They used to park at one end of the subdivision and walk. Not this guy. He was a pro, deftly skirting around cars and other obstacles. Still fascinated and curious, I watched him finish up the area and disappear around the corner.
Meter reading seems pretty mundane, but this has to be a real perk of the job. I expect they’ve got prospective employees lining up at the door just to ride on one. I’m thinking we might need one for data collection.
Join other southeastern region GIS users April 14–16, 2008, to discuss challenges and solutions that are unique to your area. Learn from your colleagues about successful GIS applications in many business and government agencies that can provide new ideas and inspiration.
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