Continuing on with our 2008 GISuser Spotlight of top news items and coolest GISuser Spotlights, during Q@ we saw a number of cool announcements making headlines and we featured some very interesting Geo Solutions including:  ArcGIS 9.3 Shipping, a new USGS flodd tracking app, launch of NGS DataDoors, and the use of satellite imagery to grab images of devastation from floods and tornados around the World.

GISuser Spotligh on Navteq LBS Challenge - From the Navteq LBS Challenge (North America) awards ceremony, Las Vegas (at CTIA)... and the winner is... ten23 software and their Spotjots application. SpotJots enables users to upload their stories, reviews, pictures, video, audio and documents to their personal SpotJots blog, where the content can be associated with relevant location information and shared with the entire community. Users can discover content and people through various site tools, including keyword searches, a public timeline, city exploration guides and more... congrats!

GISuser Spotlight... Tracking Floods with the New USGS Flood Map An online, user-friendly map that tracks flood conditions has been developed by the U.S. Geological Survey. This new system is part of the USGS WaterWatch suite of web-based streamflow products. The USGS collects data from more than 7,400 streamgages, many of which provide real-time data in 15-minute increments. 

GISuser Spotlight... The new ERDAS, The Earth to Business Company - Moving full-steam ahead, Leica Geosystems Geospatial Imaging recently announced that it has changed its name to ERDAS, Inc. Over the past 12 months we've seen serveral acquisitons leading up to this move. Apparently the Leica brand simply wasn't strong enough in the geospatial industry, however, when ERDAS (a software company) came into the fold that all changed. Moving forward, the company moves full steam ahead, strong as an enterprise GIS player, ERDAS has has all the pieces to provide an enterprise geospatial business solution enabling users to Author, Manage, Connect, and Share.

Blue Dasher Technologies Street-Level Photography - A new name on the scene as Florida-based Blue Dasher Technologies has announced the completion of comprehensive high-density photography of every public street in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, South Florida and Las Vegas. The company captures 360� street-level images and provides these through its platform to Websites, navigation suppliers, and GIS vendors. The platform provides image playback that is smooth and clear, with the exact addresses of buildings and lots, advanced search and routing, and support for embedded multimedia.

Powerful Web 2.0 based mapping resource offers free US and Canadian Topo Maps - GPS software manufacturer Northport Systems, Inc., announced today upgrades to its powerful online map resource, Fugawi Touratel. An interactive mapping website targeting outdoor enthusiasts, Fugawi Touratel allows users to view and print Canadian and US topographic maps from Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Fugawi is the first and only company to provide both Canadian and U.S. topo maps in one place. In addition to its new comprehensive collection of Canadian topographic data, Touratel.com now supports faster zoom and enhanced print capabilities including grid lines and large format printing. A mobile version is also available! 

GISuser EDU Spotlight... Nautical Charts, a new multimedia elementary educational program from NOAA - Designed in cooperation with NOAA's Office of Coast Survey for students at the third through fifth grade level, the media rich activity teaches young people about charting and navigation. Nautical Charts is available online. The activity uses animation to teach chart symbols, safe boating, and why nautical charts are important. Students have access to movies, sounds, pictures, and links to other resources. More testament that maps indeed make learning fun!

GISuser Data Spotlight... National Geographic Opens the Doors to Geospatial Data - A data tip from NGS - Not exactly free, however, this is a fine resource for viewing and purchasing data and imagery... National Geographic DataDoors portal. Using DataDoors customers can select the exact area of coverage they want and order National Geographic's TOPO! maps and i-cubed's USA Nationwide Prime Imagery on CD-ROM or removable hard drives, or as a download. National Geographic Maps has scanned over 58,000 United States Geological Survey (USGS) quadrangles, color corrected them to create a consistent look and created a seamless map that spans all 50 U.S. states. 

GISuser Spotlight... ProLines - PCI Geomatics has announced the release of ProLines. These highly automated image processing chains are used to correct, mosaic, and enhance imagery, as well as extract elevation data derived from satellite and airborne sensors. An extension of PCI GeomaticaX technology, ProLines are workflows that enable the automation of repetitive tasks used for orthorectification, mosaicking, pan-sharpening, tone balancing and other image processing jobs.

GISuser Spotlight... MobileMapper CX with DigiTerra Explorer - MobileMapper CX is a highly flexible, accurate affordable and rugged handheld GPS receiver for universal GIS use. Compatible with Windows CE based GIS applications; the MobileMapper CX provides real-time sub-meter and even sub-foot accuracy in post-processing. Now DigiTerra Explorer mobile GIS and field mapping software is now available pre-installed on an SD card with the Magellan MobileMapper CX handheld GPS/GIS receiver. DigiTerra Explorer is fast and easy-to-use GIS app for visualizing, analyzing, editing and collecting digital topographical and descriptive data in the field. Some noteworthy features of the MobileMapper: Extremely accurate GPS, Windows CE.NET 5.0, Rugged and waterproof. 

GISuser Data Tip... access to geospatial information in the UK - Gigateway is a free web service aimed at increasing awareness of and access to geospatial information in the UK. Users are invited to search and explore in a number of ways inncluding the data locator, data directory, and a geographic area search. The agency also offers assistance and guidance on the collection of metadata which is complemented by the MetaGenie v2.0 enabling metadata providers to convert their existing NGDF data. 

GISuser Data Spotlight... Satellite imagery via TerraLook - The USGS, in cooperation with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), last year, released of the TerraLook data product. A TerraLook product is a user-specified collection of JPEG images created from Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) images from the NASA Land Processes Distributed Active Archive Center, and Tri-Decadal Global Landsat Orthorectified images from the USGS archive. TerraLook will serve GIS, natural resource management, education, and other communities, and provide easily accessible remotely-sensed data.

GISuser Spotlight... Landsat Satellite Imagery to Assess Impact of Myanmar's Cyclone - USGS is providing Landsat satellite imagery to aid rescue and recovery efforts in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis's landfall on May 3. International emergency response teams are using the Landsat images to assess the extent of flood damage caused by the cyclone in the affected region. The first maps of the area derived from the Landsat satellite were provided to waiting agencies within hours of the initial request.

NOAA Debuts "Nautical Charts" As New Elementary Multimedia Educational Tool - NOAA's National Ocean Service has launched a new multimedia elementary educational program, Nautical Charts, at the annual meeting of the National Science Teachers Association in Boston. 

GISuser Data Tip... NLCD 2001 - nationwide land cover at 30-meter resolution - The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Consortium is a group of federal agencies who first joined together in 1993 (MRLC 1992) to purchase Landsat 5 imagery for the conterminous U.S. and to develop a land cover dataset called the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD 1992). In 1999, a second-generation MRLC consortium was formed to purchase three dates of Landsat 7 imagery for the entire United States (MRLC 2001) and to coordinate the production of a comprehensive land cover database for the nation called the National Land Cover Database (NLCD 2001). These data are now available via FTP download.

A Few Notable moments at Where2.0 - Here's a few notable quotes and items of interest that I picked up on during some of the sessions and found them to be very worthy of sharing.. enjoy! Also of note, we also saw that Google Maps is rapidly becoming the gateway to local search - the map is becoming much more than a map

GISuser Spotlight... Ecosystem Sounds + KML = Wild Sanctuary Soundscapes - Recall users of Google Earth and Google maps can also listen to their data... At last year's Where2.0 event Bernie Krause of the Wild Sanctuary announced that he's sharing his vast collection of soundscapes with the World. So what you might think... well, think about this... this is likely one of the largest private collections of digital sounds of wildlife and various ecosystems that you'll ever find. Even better, the soundscapes are being shared via KML so now users of Google earth can enjoy listening to their 3D mapping experience while being immersed in the sounds of nature. The soundscapes are also available via Google Maps and have been recently updated.

DigitalGlobe Quickbird Imagery captured over Windsor, Colorado tornado site - DigitalGlobe was kind enough to share with us some imagery captured over Windsor, CO on May 24, 2008, the day after the powerful F3 tornado went through the town, just 1.5 miles West of my office. On May 24th, DigitalGlobe?s QuickBird satellite collected a strip of 60-cm imagery along the east side of Interstate 25, including the town of Windsor, Colorado. The imagery clearly shows the extent of damage from the large tornado.

Landsat Satellite Imagery Used to Assess the Impact of Myanmar's Cyclone Nargis - USGS is providing Landsat satellite imagery to aid rescue and recovery efforts in Myanmar in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis's landfall on May 3. International emergency response teams are using the Landsat images to assess the extent of flood damage caused by the cyclone in the affected region.

Developer Spotlight: Tele Atlas developer program - Tele Atlas ContentLink is a unique Web-based program that links qualified application developers with providers of specialized content, and provides the technologies both parties need to improve the quality and marketability of their products. Through Tele Atlas ContentLink, content providers and application developers serving every market - from automotive and portable navigation to wireless, enterprise, and the Internet are provide with tools and resources to help get their apps to market. Application developers are able to easily discover and explore unique location-based content which can help differentiate their products and generate incremental revenue.. 

GISuser Data Spotlight... North American Transportation Atlas Data - One of the most popular, free transportation datasets available in the public domain is the North American Transportation Atlas (NORTAD) from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics. These data span Canada, the United States, and Mexico with the following data themes: aiports, highways, railroads, water ports, border corossings, and more. Once pulled from the shelves several years ago for security reasons, these data are now available via simple download (1:100,000 base scale. 

GISuser Spotlight... NOAA Predicts Near Normal or Above Normal Atlantic Hurricane Season - The climate patterns expected during this year's hurricane season have in past seasons produced a wide range of activity and have been associated with both near-normal and above-normal seasons. For 2008, the outlook indicates a 60 to 70 percent chance of 12 to 16 named storms, including 6 to 9 hurricanes and 2 to 5 major hurricanes (Category 3, 4 or 5 on the Saffir-Simpson Scale). An average season has 11 named storms, including six hurricanes for which two reach major status. Of interest, see also NASA Looks Back at Hurricane Katrina One Year Later. 

Data Tip... Mapdex... the place to search for geographic data - Looking for data or map services? Look no more... Mapdex (www.mapdex.org) is a global index of 1,781 servers, serving 32,433 map services, containing over 400,000 GIS Layers, covering more than 4,000,000 columns. Taking it one step further, now you can even add a Mapdex toolbar in ArcMap providing you with direct access to the service. By default, the service returns hits based on a geographic search, resulting in servers providing access to DOQQs, aerial photos, and orthophotos.

GeoEye Making Progress on a Third-Generation Commercial Earth-Imaging Satellite - GeoEye believes the market will be ready for another sensor to serve the growing geospatial or location-based market in the U.S. and overseas in the 2011-2012 timeframe. While GeoEye has an operating license from NOAA to build and launch a satellite constellation with this extremely high ground resolution of a quarter meter, the final decision regarding GeoEye-2's resolution has not yet been made. If the satellite is built to achieve this high resolution, under current licensing constraints, only the U.S. Government would be allowed access to imagery at this highest resolution. All other customers would receive imagery at the highest resolution allowed by U.S. regulations, currently 0.5-meter or 19.5-inch ground resolution. Recall GeoEye-1 will launch August 22, 2008.

GISuser Spotlight... ESRI's Small Municipal and County Government ELA program + ArcPAD - ESRI has announced that Small Municipal and County Governments Can Now Add ArcPad and ArcPad Application Builder to their ELA. What this means is that for a nominal feel, customers have "unlimited access" to ArcPad software for mobile GIS field mapping and data collection as well as the development framework (ArcPad Application Builder) to customize ArcPad applications. Just this week, ESRI has announced the availability of ArcPad 7.1.1 and ArcPad Application Builder 7.1.1, - New improvements in ArcPad 7.1.1 enhance the user experience by increasing productivity and ease of use in the field. >> See Also GISuser Spotlights HERE; 10 Cool Things; Favorite Things; GIS Data Tips & Tutorials.

LBS Spotlight... NAVTEQ Global LBS Challenge APAC Winners Announced - At CommunicAsia 2008 NAVTEQ has crowned Joikusoft as the winner of the 2008 APAC NAVTEQ LBS Challenge. As the Grand Prize Winner, Joikusoft received a prize package valued at $275,000 USD, including $50,000 USD in cash and $225,000 USD in NAVTEQ(R) data licenses. Three runners-up were also announced: First Runner-up, Road-Guard; Second Runner-up, Point-I; and Third Runner-up, Pacific DataVision. The annual Global LBS Challenge, which has established a reputation as the premier event in the location-based services (LBS) industry and invites developers to build innovative location-enabled applications. Nokia returned as a three-time Global Sponsor of this year's contest, with the Nokia N95 serving as the Official Device of the 2008 Global LBS Challenge. The announcement of the APAC winners concludes the 2008 Global LBS Challenge series 

GISuser Spotlight... Create your MyWorld with TITAN (A Reminder) - Officially launched last year at WHERE2.0, the Leica TITAN Network. Simply put, this is a clever, online solution for sharing geospatial data in a single, secure environment. So, what's TITAN? The Vision - build an online collaborative network where authors become servers. Building an online dynamic digital earth. So what exactly is it? Think innovation via synthesis. think Napster via geospatial gateway. discover, share. Collaboration is facilitated via an Instant Messenger interface for discussion and a 3D Globe UI for discovery. Think Napster + MySpace + Google Earth + P2P = TITAN

GISuser Data Spotlight... Datamap Intelligence housing market snapshots for the US and Canada - Imagine if you could have access to a GIS data product that shows you every new housing development planned in the US and Canada... wait no more. An interesting new data product for the real estate professional... Datamap Intelligence has created a unique application that creates customized comprehensive snapshots of the entire new housing market across the United States. The application is powered by an extensive dataset that tracks all new home sites of the top 200+ builders (updated bi-monthly). Detailed search options place the interactive map of choice at ones fingertips.

Yes indeed, ArcGIS 9.3 is now shippin! - Just in time for the ESRI UC... ArcGIS 9.3 offers more tools to access data within an organization including support for Microsoft SQL Server 2008 and PostgreSQL. ArcGIS 9.3 also makes it easier to connect to and manage data from other systems via direct backward compatibility, new version management features, enhancements to geodatabase replication, and better geocoding. A new image service within ArcGIS Server also advances an organization's data management capabilities.

More Best of GISuser 2008:

• Best of GISuser Spotlights & Top Geo News 2008 - Part 1 of 4
• Best of GISuser Spotlights 2008 - Part 2 of 4
• Best of GISuser Spotlights 2008 - Part 3 of 4