Top 10 Features in The New Google Maps - Google has reinforced that Maps are all about exploring and discovering, especially on mobile. The experience will only get better, for the developer and end user. We can all expect to enjoy new features and enhanced navigation experiences from gMaps in the near future. I've had a chance to have an early look (See blog post) and have also provided a quick list of Top 10 new features - enjoy!
GISuser Expert Feature - Low-Tech Field? Think Again - When the public thinks about landscaping, high tech doesn’t immediately come to mind. After all, this is work involving dirt, manual labor and plants. Mechanical engineering is represented in the form of a backhoe loader, for example, but that’s about as “technological” as the industry gets. Right?
Canada Post Suing Over the use of Postal Code - An interesting issue is unfolding in Canada and quite frankly its darned amazing! Imagine this, you have a website and offer some kind of product or service. You also use a map so users can search your product by Postal Code... uhoh, now you get a letter from Canada Post stating that they are suing you!
Location, Location! 10 Map Services Your Business MUST Be Listed in - You have a business... perhaps a bar, a coffee shop, or maybe a consulting firm. Regardless of the business type, if you have a brick and mortar presence then you need to get your business listed in some of the popular online, location-based resources and search tools. Even more important is being found via mobile search.
Avenza Announces Return of Annual Map Awards for 2013 - The competition is open to all mapmakers from around the world who use Avenza products in the creation of their maps which were completed or published during 2012 or 2013. The various category awards recognize achievement in the art and science of cartography and promote the advancements and innovation made in mapping.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife Connect With Anglers via Colorado Fishing Atlas - Colorado Parks and Wildlife Connect With Anglers via Colorado Fishing Atlas and Social Media. Some fine civic engagement from the Parks and Wildlife service in Colorado as some new resources designed to connect with Anglers have been released to the public.
AEC Firms Lose an Average 100K a Year - A little financial advice from an industry insider to help in these tough times. June Jewell, a CPA and owner of Acuity Business Solutions consulting, says the architectural, engineering and environmental firms she works for easily lose $100,000 each year through inefficient and ineffective practices
President Obama Issues Executive Order and a new Open Data Policy - Another bold move from the Obama Administration, this time via an executive order and a newly released open data policy. The move aims to arms business and developers with previously hard to find, or even impossible to access data.
Editing OpenStreetMap (OSM) Just Got Easy, Really Easy! I'm sure that many (if not most) of you have often wanted to mess around with OSM and add/edit some features but were a little lazy - I'm guilty! But now we have no excuse thanks to the new OpenStreetMap in-browser map editing tools available from the iD Editor
Creative Cartography Meets Music in The Song Map - Oh yes, I love art. I also love music too, heck, who doesn't right? Well, I know you GeoGeeks and music lovers will really dig this one as we stumble onto yet another amazing cartographic product that quite simply will make you say WOW
Why is Landsat important and the Landsat Missions Timeline - Landsat has the optimal ground resolution and spectral bands to efficiently track land use and to document land change due to climate change, urbanization, drought, wildfire, biomass changes (carbon assessments), and a host of other natural and human-caused changes.
Mobile Market Trends show Apple users most loyal - Results from a recent survey indicate that Mobile Market Trendsreveal Apple users are most loyal, T-Mobile customers most likely to bail - are you still confident that your clients are loyal to your brand?
10 Must Have Gadgets and Technology for the Remote Office - Chances are good that if you happen to work in technology or you're a consultant, that you may be working remotely or from a home-based office at some time soon - or perhaps you already do
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GeoFoundation Exchange will Provide Organizations across Canada with an Open Platform for Efficiently Exchanging Geographic Data to Build a National Web Basemap
QUÉBEC CITY, Global Geospatial Conference, May 16, 2012 – Esri Canada today announced that the company has been selected by Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) to lead the GeoFoundation Exchange project. The project, which is partly funded under NRCan's GeoConnections program, focuses on developing a prototype for an open, Web-based system that will enable cost-effective and efficient sharing of geographic basemap data across the country. The GeoFoundation Exchange is essential to the creation and maintenance of the most current national Web basemap of Canada.
“Natural Resources Canada is working with private, public and academic organizations to facilitate the development of world-class geospatial tools and technologies,” said the Honourable Joe Oliver, Minister of Natural Resources Canada. “Open and accessible data is a key strategy of ours to increase the availability of information to Canadians, create socio-economic opportunities and enable citizens to participate more fully in the process of government.”
NRCan is bringing together federal, provincial and territorial governments and the private sector to collaborate and better meet the geospatial demands of Canadians. This collaboration will also help to effectively respond to critical priorities while reducing costs to government and private-sector companies.
Geographic information systems (GIS), combined with other technology, will be used to establish a federated infrastructure shared among all levels of Canadian government, non-government organizations, industry and academia. This will help increase productivity by automating the updating of data. The system will support bi-directional exchange of information, providing all agencies and the public with consistent, current and authoritative data for the national Web basemap.
While there are numerous Canadian mapping initiatives by the public and private sectors, there is often a significant lag time between when a data producer creates data updates and when this data eventually makes it into the national Web basemap. This lag often results in duplicate update efforts, unsynchronized data and a lack of standards in workflows and terminology. The GeoFoundation Exchange will allow for the development of standard workflows for creating and maintaining Canada's basemaps and the improved efficiency and coordination of mapping efforts.
Esri Canada has been at the forefront of providing solutions for broad data sharing. Through its Community Maps Program, the company has established a cloud-based framework for developing a detailed, online national basemap of Canada. The basemap is built from authoritative data contributed by more than 100 organizations across the country. It is free to the public and can be used to develop new or enhance existing mapping applications. The basemap has been used to develop innovative Web applications including Trans Canada Trail's Explore the Trail application, ReNew Canada's Top 100 Infrastructure Projects application and several Web maps that show the changes in Canada's political landscape and population density over time.
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About GeoConnections Financial support for the GeoFoundation Exchange project is provided by GeoConnections, a national collaborative initiative led by Natural Resources Canada. GeoConnections supports the integration and use of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI), an on-line resource that improves the sharing, access and use of open geospatial information. More information can be found at geoconnections.nrcan.gc.ca.
About Esri Canada Founded in 1984, Esri Canada provides enterprise geographic information system (GIS) solutions that empower businesses, governments and educational institutions to make timely, informed and mission-critical decisions by leveraging the power of geography. The company distributes the world's leading GIS software from Esri, Telvent, Cityworks – Azteca Systems, Inc. and other technology partners. Headquartered in Toronto, the company serves over 10,000 customers from 16 regional offices across Canada and has been named as one of the top 250 Canadian IT companies and top 25 IT professional services providers in Canada by the Branham Group. Information about Esri Canada can be found at esri.ca.
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Top 10 Features in The New Google Maps
Canada Post Suing Over the use of Postal Code
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This is a section devoted to providing our valued contributors with a corner to do whatever they like with and discuss Geo/Tech topics that are near and dear to them! Be sure to check out ALL of our experts for commentary, editorial, links, and advice! Interested in becoming a contributing expert? 
