To compete with major players like Google (Android) and Apple (iPhone) in the ongoing smartphone arms race, the new Windows Phone ‘Mango’ comes equipped with the ability to navigate large indoor areas in much the same way users would use street maps for finding a location.  With the help of Bing’s Indoor Map Service, this function adds a much greater degree of spatial detail to hand-held navigation, and could in fact be the beginning of the end for plastic shopping mall directories all over the world.

With indoor buildings being a new frontier for the mapping industry, there is still much data to be collected.  Microsoft has currently mapped almost 150 indoor malls for this service, offering not only store locations, but also the locations of ATMs, restrooms, benches, security stations, etc.  This Indoor Map function also allows users to select different levels or stories within buildings, or select from a directory of businesses and relevant locations.  Indoor Maps is more than just a “shopping mall” app, however.  It is meant to include many large locations, both indoor and outdoor, that are not accessible using standard street map applications.  Among these are things like museums, parking garages, large office buildings, amusements parks, or any other pedestrian areas that may require directional assistance.

The reviews seem to be mixed on the convenience of this service so far, but mostly due to the lack of coverage.  It is yet to be seen how Bing’s Indoor Maps will stack up against independent indoor mapping applications for other mobile devices such as Micello or Point Inside.  It does seem apparent, however, that as more data is acquired, this technology will no doubt become a part of how we all get around on foot in unfamiliar places, another example of maps becoming more integrated with our everyday lives.

Wouldn’t it be convenient to have access to all of your organization’s documents through one, spatially-organized application?  Imagine utility companies accessing customer records not only by typing addresses into a filing system, but also by selecting properties on a map.  Or what if construction companies could look up project records by the location of the project site?  Thanks to docSTAR’s new MapConnect 2.0, it is now easier than ever to integrate document management with ArcGIS maps and services.

For those of you not familiar with docSTAR, it is a document management software package.  DocSTAR does many things, but for our purposes all you need to know is that it stores and organizes documents based on the user’s needs, which later allows for the easy search and retrieval of those same documents.  This is, after all, what docSTAR stands for, DOCument STorage And Retrieval, an acronym that also highlights the many similarities between document management professionals and rock stars.

When documents are scanned or imported into docSTAR, the user has the option of running customizable templates that can both prompt for and automatically collect information about those documents.  This metadata is then stored along with the documents where it makes future retrieval much easier.  These customizable metadata fields associated with each document are also what make it possible to later link them to a location on a map.  Creating a custom field called Geostatus that is automatically populated with the letter “U” (standing for Unlinked) when a document is imported makes each document recognizable by MapLink, the MapConnect 2.0 interface that actually links them to your map file.  Upon opening MapLink (shown below), all unlinked documents will appear in a queue displaying relevant information about each one.  They can then be selected and linked to either a map feature or a general area defined by drawing a rectangle.

Unlinked Documents in MapLink

Linking a Document to a Map Feature

Once this is completed, new custom fields are created in the document’s metadata, giving it a new, spatial component.  This new data will either be a GIS feature ID number or X,Y coordinate extents depending on the type of link that was executed.

You’re now ready to retrieve your location-based documents, a task also made easy by MapConnect 2.0.   For those of you who are familiar with ArcGIS Desktop and use it on a regular basis, ESRI supports a MapConnect Toolbar Extension that allows you to search for documents by selecting features or defining areas within your MXD.  The relevant documents then appear in a side bar next to your map.  The same functionality is also available with web-based map applications, allowing organizations that do not regularly use ArcGIS Desktop to still store, display, and retrieve their documents in a spatial manner.

Available Documents Sorted by Category

When retrieved, the documents associated with particular features or areas are organized and displayed by categories that are applied when the document is imported into docSTAR.  Common category names would include Reports, Invoices, Contracts, etc, but the possibilities are endless based on the specific needs of the user.

Now that you have selected the right feature, looked in the right category, and finally found that proposal that used to be lost in a random folder on a network drive somewhere, it’s time to actually open it up and look at it.  This is accomplished using docSTAR’s Webview application, which allows documents to be displayed in a web browser once a user logs in to the service.  In addition to displaying the document in its entirety, Webview also allows many of the same functions as the fuller, desktop client version of docSTAR such as sending a link to the document, or downloading and saving it on your local computer.

MapConnect 2.0 is an incredibly user-friendly way to incorporate geographic relationships into the storage and retrieval of documents.  It also allows for document management to become an important part of GIS.  With a steady increase in both geospatial technology and digital documents on the horizon, this relationship should prove to be a lasting one.

ESRI recently enhanced the ArcGIS Online map service!

The World Imagery Map has blended together USA Prime Imagery, World IKONOS Cities Imagery, and World Imagery with new high-resolution imagery for various countries providing the most optimal vintage, resolution, and coverage available.

The World Street Map contains improved cartography and building footprints.  It was updated with 2009 data from Tele Atlas and Automotive Navigation Data.  Several country street maps  were added including; Columbia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Thailand.

The World Topographic Map was compiled from public domain, user-contributed, and commercial datasets from the U.S. Geological Survey. DeLorme, etc.  Coverage for the world scale is down to 1:150,000 and the United States scale is down to 1:20,000.  It also includes detailed maps for select U.S. cities.

The City of Jackson, TN is the latest GEO-Jobe GIS Geopowered site to go live.  This new site is part of a bigger project GEO-Jobe is involved in with Jackson to develop an Enterprise GIS.  Utilizing ESRI ArcGIS server technology, several city agencies, including planning and police, will begin sharing data between eachother and with Madison County agencies, like the Assessor’s office.  One of the big goals of this project is to reduce costs by eliminating data duplication. Many times cities and counties have data that could be shared, but are limited by connectivity or technology.  GEO-Jobe is helping Jackson and Madison County remain current while making the best use of tax-payer dollars.  With budgets being reduced in nearly every community in the US, using tax dollars wisely is at the forefront many city leaders minds.

Please visit the City of Jackson Geopowered site and take it for a spin.

McMinn County, TN has joined the list of GEOpowered mapping sites in TN today. Spearheaded by Assessor of Property Don Cowart and GIS Manager Jeremy Brack, McMinn is providing an essential service to its County employees and also to the public within and around the County. The McMinn interactive GEOpowered mapping site will be introduced today at a big kick off party at the County Courthouse in Athens, TN @ 1pm eastern and is open to the public. The McMinn interactive GEOpowered mapping site will show property data including parcels and property attributes. Additional layers of information will include streets, highways, zoning, voting districts, floodplain, and more. You may visit the site by clicking here.

The City of Oak Ridge, City of Clinton, Roane and Anderson Counties have joined together to publish GIS data on the internet utilizing GEO-Jobe’s GEOpowered Internet mapping product. With The City of Oak Ridge sharing both the Roane and Anderson County line, officials believe a shared Internet Mapping solution would be a more efficient way to deliver GIS data to its citizens. The site will consist of several access points depending on which government website the user is coming from, while the Internet Mapping Site will be utilizing the same GIS data maintained by each entity.

Because Oak Ridge is in both Anderson and Roane counties, this move to centralize all relevant GIS data in one interactive location will descramble as well as expand access to GIS information.Oak Ridge covers 92 square miles in both of the aforementioned counties and has about 27,500 citizens. It has 210 miles of streets and a 2000 survey calculated at least 13,000 dwelling units. Oak Ridge has an active system of greenways (green spaces, greenbelts, etc.) and its 2004 strategic planning task force issued several initiatives to increase affordable housing and attract more families to the area. Realtors and city planners can both use the clickable maps at the city’s GEOpowered® website to obtain the GIS information they wish in a standard internet browser without having to go through another party or learn to use ArcGIS software. (July 2003)(Information about Oak Ridge taken from http://www.cortn.org/)

Internet maps will be searchable and clickable by both county officials and the public, allowing everyone greater flexibility when they need GIS data or specific maps. Users will be able to do research 24/7 using a standard web browser if they need to do parcel searches, place building footprints, identify street centerlines, and many other things.Wilson County covers a 583 square mile area, which is home to over 89,000 individuals. Approximately 30 miles east of Nashville, TN, in 2000 the median household income of Wilson County residents was the second highest of Tennessee’s 95 counties. Both modern and prosperous, Wilson County is a fine area to live or visit, as users will see when they access the new GEOpowered® maps.