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Well, with all the hooplah, reorganization, restructuring, yadayada going on at Nokia the past year or two you can’t really be surprised when you hear something to the effect of Navteq Developer resource NN4D being shut down. Well that’s exactly what we’ve been hearing around here and to yours truly no big surprise I guess! I first heard about this on a website who unfortunately decided not to provide any sources or anything really credible about the story so I won’t even bother wasting my efforts linking into them (you can likely find it on a Google search though!), however, Mobile360 did have a fine report on the matter. I will tell you that I’ve made a couple of calls etc… and can unofficially validate to you that indeed, NNV4 is indeed being shut-down, unfortunate for their entire team – no idea at this early stage what will happen with them. I did notice on G+ that a NN4D staffer did indicate that they were now looking for a job… good luck to everyone at NN4D
I did share the following in a comment with Greg via a G+ comment…
Thanks Greg.. man, I guess I’m not surprised! I’ve had professional dealings with both Navteq and Nokia over the years (as you are well aware of I’m sure). Both companies have tried to keep me in the know but honestly, I’ve never really felt any connection between the 2 ever since the Nokia purchase of Navteq and the disconnect has been huge and pretty tough to figure out. Nokia has graciously brought me to various events, workshops etc… all involving their location (LBS) and mapping solutions but there’s really never even been mention of Navteq at pretty much anything… its always baffled me. Then once the Microsoft/Nokia deal took place I had to wonder, what does this mean for Navteq, and in particular the developer arm.. hell, the whole Nokia developer, forum.nokia, etc… flip flopping, name changing, people coming and going, etc… has served to provide much confusion to most people I’m sure. In short, what a mess… too bad really! Thanks for sharing
Indeed there’s been loads of confusion over the years. For myself, being in the industry and trying to report on matters its been tough. My contacts have all come and gone, keeping up with website names, managers, event names, developer portal names etc… has been a real challenge.For many I’m sure the whole Nokia, Navteq, and now Microsoft (Bing) relationship has been tough to figure out and see the big picture – this fault has to be placed on Nokia in my mind. HEck, the mapping and location services area is tough to figure out indeed but you have to really say that the whole Nokia scene in general is tough to put together. The constant flip-flop name changing of sites and resources, new operating systems, new partners, new marketing efforts.. it really is cluster! For NN4D this means some folks may be out of work it seems, however, hopefully some of them will have opportunities made available with Nokia. Check out the team HERE – you may be able to hire some of them if you act fast!
And so, moving forward, what does this mean for developers who are searching for resources that pertain to Navteq data? Well, I’d have to say you’ll need to hit up Navteq.com for info on that. Naturally you can also check out the official Nokia developer resource now known as Nokia Developer (was Forum Nokia) at http://www.developer.nokia.com. Naturally you can’t discount the Microsoft Bing map developer resources as well given Nokia’s relationship with Microsoft.
Note: at the time of penning this there is no sign of any official statement or blog post by either Nokia or Navteq on the matter. Note, if someone at Navteq or Nokia would like to contact me about this please ping me editor @ gisuser.com
See More information
http://www.nn4d.com
http://www.developer.nokia.com/
http://www.microsoft.com/maps/developers/web.aspx
http://mobile360.com/nokia-lays-off-entire-navteq-developer-network-staff-40506.html
Recall Safe Software recently announced the release of FME 2012. Well, today you can hear all about it direct from Don Murray and Dale Lutz at Safe Software. What I’m talking about here is a webinar titled “What’s New in FME 2012″ being put on by the Vancouver-based team. The webinar runs 3X today (Jan 26) at
FME 2012′s enhancements include:
- New Formats: New support for 16 new formats including: compressed point cloud LAZ format and Oracle Spatial Point Cloud; AIXM 5.1, INSPIRE, OpenGIS® CityGML 1.1, and Top50NL XML formats; Microsoft® DirectX®, and PREGASIS® OpenFlight 3D formats; Google Fusion Tables, and many more.
- Point Cloud / LiDAR Data
- XML Data
- 3D Data: Enhancements include making 3D clipping z-aware
Register for the webinar HERE
Here’s details of a webinar that should appeal to many. The focus of the event is hot topics such as free tools, and open source software, with a focus on the small business owner. Some details… GIS professionals thinking about taking their careers to the next level and starting their own business need to tune in to a free webinar given by Lee Mitchell, owner of G.A.I.A. Professionals, a successful GIS technology firm and Dr. Devon Cancilla, dean, business and technology at American Sentinel University as they discuss ‘Starting a Geospatial Business’ on Tuesday, January 31, 2012 at 1pm EST. Mitchell and Dr. Cancilla will detail the necessary education, skills, resources and experience needed to start a geospatial business and profile open-source software and other free GIS tools that are absolutely necessary in running a small GIS business.
The event will touch on such popular tools as:
- ArcGIS Explorer Online
- ArcGIS Explorer Desktop
- AutoREALM
- Quantum GIS
- MapWindow GIS
- ILWIS
- JUMP GIS/OpenJUMP
Register for the ‘Starting a Geospatial Business’ webinar at https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/110429248.
See complete details – Learn How Open Source Software Benefits a Successful GIS Business
I’m a fan of the “MapMyFitness” suite of apps, (you know, these are cool tracking services that store your walks, runs, rides etc… using a mobile client and provide for sophisticated social sharing and more) and now I can even track and share my dog walks thanks to the latest solution, MapMyDoogWalk. The app was recently released for iOS (iPhone) and logs your dog walks, tracks calories burnt, and syncs with. The app provides the following and more:
•An interactive map that lets you view your current location and exactly where you have traveled along your route
•Real-time tracking that measures and displays time, distance, pace, speed and elevation – Synchronization with your online Training Log on MapMyWalk.com
•Manual entry of workout data directly from the app so you can easily record your indoor activities like gym workouts and cardio sessions on the treadmill
•Twitter integration that enables you to tweet your workout data to friends and family
•iPod integration that allows you to select and control your music while the app is running
•A geo-tagging photo capability that automatically uploads any photos you take along your walk to your saved route on MapMyWalk.com
 See more in the iTunes Store
No huge surprise here in some recent research findings from RazorFish that show the smartphone as being the most favored home device. Interesting to see that the handy gadgets are enabling more multi-tasking at home, but also are enabling users to slip out of awkward social situations! The findings are based on responses from more than 2,000 respondents and also reveal the most popular smartphones at the time (Nov 2011) were the iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and the Nokia N9.
Findings show the following tasking habits that are enabled:
- 52% of consumers use their mobile device to escape awkward situations
- Men were almost twice as likely to say that checking their mobile for sports news causes arguments with their significant other
- 58% of men are ‘fact checking’ on their mobile web browser while at a live sporting event
- Over three quarters (77%) of content searched for on laptop/desktop devices while watching TV is NOT related to the show they are watching
- Young women are the prime demographic to surf the Internet related to what they’re watching
- Men are more likely to use their mobile device as a functional, all- in-one tool
- Online purchases on smartphones are more popular with men
See more details on the research HERE
Have you checked your International Dateline map data layer recently? Chances are that it’s incorrect! Yes indeed, the dateline has changed and you may not know about it. That’s because in December, 2011 the tiny Island nation of Samoa decided they were on the wrong side of the dateline… so they changed it!
The skinny… An interesting mapping story that you may not have heard about over the New Year as Samoa decided last year that they were on the wrong side of the International dateline. Indeed a good move for Samoa as when you take into account their relationship with Australia they were essentially missing out on 2 full days of business due to their geographical placement relative to the dateline. In a bold move, and unfortunate for those who celebrate their birthday on Dec 30th, Samoa made the change in 2011 and Samoans went to bed Dec 29, 2011 and woke up the following morning on December 31, the same day as their mates in Australia!
 International Dateline Moves around Samoa Immediately to the left of the International Date Line the date is always one day ahead of the date (or day) immediately to the right of the International Date Line in the Western Hemisphere. Note that Tonga and Samoa have the same time but are one day apart, as Samoa is in the Western Hemisphere, on the opposite side of the International Dateline from Tonga. As you travel further west, note that the time in Fiji is one hour earlier than Tonga. You will also notice that Hawaii, further to the east of Samoa, is one hour later in time. Source
From BBC News Asia… “The change comes 119 years after Samoa moved in the opposite direction. Then, it transferred to the same side of the international date line as the United States, in an effort to aid trade.”
Thanks to James Whately and his recent presentation “The 5 Word of Mouth Moments of 2011” for the inspiration for this post
A step backwards today for law enforcement agencies who like going all “Jason Bourne” on suspects and tracking their movement with GPS as the courts have ruled that tracking suspects with GPS enabled devices without a warrant is a big NO! The reason provided by the courts is essentially that technology has now enabled law enforcement officials to gather a tremendous amount of information without even entering a suspects home or vehicle.
So where did this come from? According to the NYTimes… The case concerned Antoine Jones, who was the owner of a Washington nightclub when the police came to suspect him of being part of a cocaine-selling operation. They placed a tracking device on his Jeep Grand Cherokee without a valid warrant, tracked his movements for a month and used the evidence they gathered to convict him of conspiring to sell cocaine. He was sentenced to life in prison.
 Image adapted from this source
“Law enforcement is now on notice,” Mr. Dellinger said, “that almost any use of GPS electronic surveillance of a citizen’s movement will be legally questionable unless a warrant is obtained in advance.”
Yep that’s right, FOSS4G, North America is coming to D.C. this April 10-12, 2012 and I’m sure as a result, GeoGeeks all over North America are gonna be a bit giddy over this one! Recall last fall when FOSS4G was held in the Geo hotbed of Denver, Colorado, the event came off as a huge success. The only downer of that event was that the GeoGeek crowd had quickly realized that because of the way FOSS4G flip flops across the Ocean to be held in Europe that it would be a couple of years before the Geo LoveFest hit America again!
Well, to no huge surprise, the organizers (OsGEo) have planned an event to take place in D.C. Some details… The conference will be organized around three tracks: open source technology best practices and tips; deployment case studies; and emerging ideas and trends in open source, and the organizers have published a call for abstracts at http://foss4g-na.org/abstract-submission/ . The event has strong support from the open source community with a growing set of sponsors that includes OpenGeo, Radiant Blue, and AppGeo. Sponsorship is open and space is available, for more information please visit http://foss4g-na.org/sponsorship/.
See the official announcement HERE
Other Relevant Links:
http://foss4g-na.org/ FOSS4G-NA 2012 Conference – Washington, DC
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/North_America_Regional/ OSGeo North America
http://www.osgeo.org/ Open Source Geospatial Foundation
http://wiki.osgeo.org/wiki/FOSS4G_2012 FOSS4G 2012 – Beijing, China
Space will be limited to only 300 attendees. If you’re interested in attending the conference please visit the registration page to pre-register today!
The State of Pennsylvania Tourism agency has been a long time user of foursquare and this year will extend the offerings of those who checkin to special venues in the State with a special Groundhog Day badge. Actually, they offered it first in 2010, some info… n May 2010, Pennsylvania became the first state in the nation to partner with Foursquare by populating the network with more than 200 state tourism attractions and creating three custom badges: “PA Shooflyer,” “PA Retail Polka,” and “PA 4 Score & 7.” In 2011, PA launched a brand new badge: Lock & Keystone.
This Groundhog Day, you can earn the 2012 “PA Groundhog Day” badge by following these fun and simple steps:
1. Follow visitPA on Foursquare by going to foursquare.com/visitpa
2. Check in anywhere in the world and shout “groundhog” between 12:00am – 11:59pm EST on February 2, 2012
See Also:
Apartments.com is the latest local search provider to add to their mobile offerings, this time via a new mobile app for Android device users. Thanks to the devices’ location provisioning capabilities the app enables users to search for apartments near any location, even your exact location using GPS. About the app – By creating instant access to thousands of apartment listings—representing millions of apartments—Android phone owners can now conduct location-based searches in a visually-enhanced media format including walk-though videos, photos, floor plans and GPS directly from the palm of their hand.
- Search for apartments near any location, use GPS to search exact location
- Refine search by location, price, number of bedrooms, number of bathrooms, amenities and more
- View photos, floorplans and video walkthroughs of apartment listings
- Save apartment listings as favorites and access them again at anytime
Apartments.com offer Android, iPhone (iOS) and Blackberry mobile apps.
See more details HERE
 Apartments.com Android
Recall, LizardTech recently announced their GeoViewer app for iPad (iOS), their solution for viewing massive imagery compressed as MrSID and JPEG 2000 formats on your iPad. Users can expect to have access to a fair amount of functionality including the following:
- Open MrSID and JPEG 2000 images.
- Select bands to view from a multispectral image.
- Explore imagery by panning, zooming and zooming out.
- Add vector overlays (Esri Shapefiles and KML files) to get more out of image layers.
- Center on your GPS location so you can see what’s nearby.
- Measure the distance between a series of points.
- Identify geolocation by touching on any image.
- View layer properties, including coordinate reference system, geo bounding box, dimensions, colorspace, datatype, and resolution.
- Search by geographic coordinates in WGS 84 (Lat/Long) or the image’s native coordinate reference system.
- Set viewing preferences (band selection, layer line color, etc.).
 Lizadrtech GeoViewer for iPad For more info on the GeoViewer app see more on the Lizardtech website at www.lizardtech.com/products/gv
Ever had a video format that you couldn’t easily work with? For example, most cell phones/smartphones will record in MP4, however, you’ll soon notice that many simple video editing app (like Windows video maker) don’t support the MP4 format. No problem though as there’s a number of solutions that will enable you to quickly and easily get your videos into a more usable data format. One tool I recently grabbed is the Free Convert to DIVX AVI WMV MP4 MPEG Converter from Xill Video Software.
The software has a comprehensive support of video formats, which can convert almost all video formats as avi, wmv, mpeg, mp4, asf, vob, 3gp, iphone, mov, flv etc and many more to avi, divx, mp4, wmv, vcd, dvd, svcd etc to play on MP4 player etc… multiple media players. Free Convert HD Video to AVI DIVX FLV MP4 Converter is a simple, stable and fast multimedia converter. It converts avi,mpeg,hd to all videos as avi,divx,mp4,wmv,vcd,svcd,dvd,3gp,ipod,iphone, zune,xbox,pmp,psp,apple tv,pocket pc,flv,swf,mov etc easily. Pro version is avail for $29.95
Free download available from cNet download or see also the official website http://www.xillvideo.com
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