I had a reader ask me if I was planning on publishing a cool, Top 10 GIS stories of the decade article... indeed a great idea although no small task by any means.
And so, I'll ask our faithful readers, what do you think is the biggest GIS/Geo technology news story of the 2000's?? Indeed there's plenty of stories to ponder. The following are but a few news items of interest that stand out in my mind (off the top of my head):
Google's buy-out of Keyhole and the launch of Google Earth - no doubt this has changed the World!
High resolution earth imaging satellites launched by DigitalGlobe and GeoEye - what would Google Earth be without all that fabulous imagery??
The google Maps API - Indeed map mashups are a huge story and have changed the way we think about creating maps. Google maps has single-handedly brought GIS and map mashup awareness to the masses and we can all thank them! Now the GIS guy can easily explain to people what he/she does!
ArcGIS 9X and Arc Data Online - You can't argue that Jack Dangermond hitting the Forbes Richest list last year has plenty to do with the success of ArcGIS. Now with ArcData online the sky is the limit as access to data has been opened up to the masses.
Removal of Selective Availablity - When the government removed the degradation of quality of commercial GPS signals the game changed... this was huge!
Carol Bartz leaves Autodesk and makes a splash with Yahoo! - With the departure of Bartz is almost seems like Autodesk has left the minds of the GIS user... no doubt GIS is still a huge part of what Autodesk does but its also mostly about CAD/GIS integration. Where oh where has Autodesk gone...
Nokia buys NAVTEQ, TomTom grabs Tele Atlas - Data is kind and the 2 largest data providers have been snatched up by industry giants. no doubt these moves have affected the industry, big time!
The smartphone - If you don't have a GPS enabled smartphone (think iPhone 3G S, Nokia N95, N97, Blackberry) then you need to get with the times... sorry but it's true! Geospatial technologies and mobile location services have infiltrated the World.. really, who doesn't use some kind of location-aware app on their mobile device?
Twitter's Geolocation API - with the release of the location API developers have cart blanche to roll out cool, location-aware applications and services that link up with Twitter and facebook. The opportunities here are huge!
These are but a few items that stand out in my mind and no doubt there's plenty more. What do you think is the GIS/Geo industry story of the decade? Please comment using the form below, Tweet with Hashtag #GIStopnews or blast me an email (editor at gisuser dot com) Happy New Year!
Top iPhone related GIS and Geo Tech news stories from 2009 - At the end of the year its always interesting for us to look at some of the stats and results to identify trends and more important, to see what our readers think is hot! In the "news" category it seems that iPhone related geo tech items were extremely popular.
Geo Social Location Checkin to Twitter from iPhone - With the cool SXSW event taking place Austin, TX, everyone who's anyone in social and social location seems to have rolled out updates this week, making your choice for how to check-in to your social media bookmarks even tougher to decide on!
10 Awesome GIS and Mapping apps for the iPhone - I recall last year at the ESRI UC when an iPhone was on stage showing a prototype app (think ArcPad on iPhone). It was then that I realized the iPhone platform is going to be BIG in mapping and there's a ton of opportunity for developers.
Nokia Booklet 3G, unboxing video and image gallery... Those of you in the USA who pop in to BestBuy occasionally, you may have seen a stand showing off the Nokia Booklet 3G. A sleek, 3G enabled, SIM slot (AT&T) sporting netbook.
Interesting Tweeple - 10 Geo Technology & Geo-Social Women of Twitter - given the growing love for geospatial and location-aware technologies, I’ve decided to hype 10 women that I feel make a significant contribution to the Geo-Twittersphere. If you’d like to add 10 knowledgeable and useful Twitter contacts to your Geo following list I highly suggest the following: (in no particular order)
10 Geo Social Location-Aware Apps Making Waves... With Twitter's opening of their location API to developers there's going to be a ton of third party apps that will enable Twitter users to share location-aware information via their Twitter accounts.
Signs that indicate you may be a GeoGeek (aka. GeoNerd) and some suggested Geo blogs - Chances are good that if you are a Geo Geek then you already know it and likely refer to yourself as one. However, there’s many of you out there that may be on the fence and wondering… “am I a Geo Geek?" Read on for a comprehensive list of signs you might be a GeoGeek followed up by some suggested Geoblog reading.
Real-time GPS Mapping and GIS Solution Aids Efficient Disaster Management - Saturday, February 7, 2009 will forever be known as Black Saturday in the State of Victoria, Australia. In the midst of a 10-year drought, a record breaking heat wave descended upon the state, with temperatures exceeding 45 degrees C (110-120 deg F), breaking all-time record highs in some cities - Victoria Police Use Trimble Juno SC Handhelds to Speed Assessment of Damage Caused by Bush Fires.
2010 ESRI Federal User Conference February 17-19, 2010, Washington D.C. Walter E. Washington Convention Center - The FedUC is the largest geospatial conference for federal agencies. Connect with other leaders, decision makers, and GIS professionals.
The International LiDAR Mapping Forum 2010 - Tenth Anniversary Event! ILMF 2010 will be held from March 3 - 5, 2010 at the Hyatt Regency in Denver at Colorado Convention Center.
The NAVTEQ 2010 Global LBS Challenge Awards Ceremony will be held during Ignite at O'Reilly Where 2.0. Be among the first to hear as NAVTEQ announces the winners for the North America region. Participants will be competing for a global prize pool of $10 million and growing by showcasing pre-commercial location-enabled apps using NAVTEQ map data & products. March 30, 2010, during Ignite Where, 7:30pm - 9:00pm, at the Marriott San Jose, CA
WHERE2.0 2010 - Now in its sixth year, the Where 2.0 Conference is where the grassroots and leading edge developers building location-aware technology intersect with the businesses and entrepreneurs seeking out location apps, platforms, and hardware to gain a competitive edge. For 15% use Discount Code: whr10lbs
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