Free software spotlight... FreeView - PCI Geomatics - FreeView is now enabled for Oracle 10g. So what is Freeview? Simply put, its a flexible data visualization tool for viewing, selecting, and enhancing Oracle 10g spatial layers, including GeoRaster. We took it for a quick test drive.
FreeView has been a favorite freebie of mine for sometime now. The product is free and simple to use. Best of all, it supports pretty much any spatial data format that a typical user will encounter. I often have users - particularly novice ones - asking for advice on how to view a data product. This is common with so much free data available for download via the Internet. FreeView is almost always the simplest solution to their viewing needs.
Version: 9.1
Install: 25 MB download for Windows XP
Observations: The menubar is clean and simple with the familiar options available: File, View, Layer, Tools, Help
First, I needed some data to mess with, so, I rush to the GISuser data catalog and search for some free data. I elect to proceed to the US Forest Service repository http://fsgeodata.fs.fed.us/ where I decide to grab some data for Olympic National Park in Washington State. Snider Peak 1:24000 scale point and linear features (E00 format)
I also grab a Washington State 10M DEM data developed by Harvey Greenberg in the UW Geology Department - These data are in .bil format.
All data products were easily displayed in FreeView. The only obsacle I ran into was the lack of support for TIGER data, however, given that PCI Geomatics' products are typically geared towards the Natural resource sector, this is no shock to me. I did have a bit of trouble overlaying all my data products, however, since the data were all in various projections, scales, and coordinate systems this also was no surprise. I must admit I was a bit rushed and didn't take the proper care in sifting through meta data and projection parameters, however, all this information was readily available and would have been useful to me to view and line-up my data sets.
A sample E00 coverage
A standard USGS DRG (TIF) is easily displayed
Some Key features:
Directly read from Oracle 10g Spatial and GeoRaster databases - open, view, select, and enhance any number of layers from an Oracle 10g database
Generic Database (GDB) technology - directly read data from an extensive list of supported file formats.
Modern interface - including a fully georeferenced file based viewer.
Multiple image display - view any number of images, any depth ( 8 -, 16 -, and 32 - bit), any size, and any resolution.
Data inspection tools - fast roam and zoom and new overview window.
Image enhancement tools - improve the way your data is displayed.
Attribute table display - view and query the attributes associated with your data.
HTML online help - modern online help that's easy-to-use.
Supported Patforms: Windows NT/2000/XP
Some "other" cool features: - Add data via the wizard. A simple GUI that walks you through data import procedures. - cursor control reveals the geographic coordinates of your cursor - contrast settings enable you to adjust image display parameters - toggle from map view to area view is useful - display of filenames intreelist is handy - display of map projects enables you to add a number of files for convenient display of your project area - under help there's a quicklink to more free stuff on the PCI website, unforunately the link was broken.. OOPS!
Supported data types: I only sampled a few data types, however, here's just a sampling of data formats you should be able to easily view: SPANS Arc Info .bil E00 SHP TIF .dxf ERDAS Laser-Scan MapInfo NTF USGS DEM USGS DLG and about 100 more formats!
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
Free software spotlight... FreeView - PCI Geomatics - FreeView is now enabled for Oracle 10g. So what is Freeview? Simply put, its a flexible data visualization tool for viewing, selecting, and enhancing Oracle 10g spatial layers, including GeoRaster. We took it for a quick test drive.
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