Author Archives: GANIS

Google Map Mashups Made Easy

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Google introduced a new feature to its Google Maps today, making mashups easier for even those with limited or no coding skills. The feature is called “My Maps” and it lets anyone create mashups by essentially pointing, clicking, dragging and dropping. You can choose to make the resulting map private or public. There were also tools that allow you to draw on the map and outline areas, as well as the ability to add your own text, photos and videos.

Here is a mashup I made of SPNO locations

SPNO Locations

gCensus: Using Google Earth for Census Analysis

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A PhD student (Imran Haque) from Stanford University has created a neat application harnessing Google Earth and US Census data. gCensus is the resulting website and application that provides a way to access geographic data freely without having to use a GIS software package. It only provides limited data presentation of three states currently because of the large data sets, but he has made this project an open source project, so over time, the amount of data available to be displayed will grow. A article detailing the initial project development can be found on ExtremeTech. Now if only we could get something like this in Canada…

A gCensus map of the population per block in Berkeley, CA.

Free Online Access to Digital Mapping Data

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It is now official. This means that digital data from Natural Resources Canada is available at no cost. An important step forward in data liberation! Now if we can only get other government agencies to move in the same direction…

Clip from press release:

Experts and other users of digital topographic data will no longer have to pay to use digital versions of government maps and data. Natural Resources Canada began providing this data free of charge on April 1, 2007, to help ensure the availability of accurate and consistent information.

Full Press Release

Data Sites for NRCan data:

Non-Profit Formed to Give Away Satellite Imagery for Educational, Humanitarian Use

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Here is something I saw on another blog that might be useful for future projects. Always looking for access to no-cost/low-cost data 🙂

Geospatial information firm GeoEye announced that it has formed a non-profit foundation to promote teaching of geospatial information technologies as well as assist humanitarian and environmental research studies.

The GeoEye Foundation intends to provide free archive satellite imagery to students and faculty at select educational institutions. Analysts or researchers at non-governmental organizations can also apply for the free imagery. The foundation will make available to the selected researchers, some of GeoEye’s 278 million square kilometers of satellite imagery. To obtain the free imagery, an applicant must submit an application outlining their research goals and objectives.

Matt O’Connell, CEO of GeoEye said that he hopes the program will help attract more young people to university’s geospatial programs. “One of the biggest challenges facing our rapidly growing industry is attracting new employees fast enough,” he said. “We’re looking forward to seeing the exciting and groundbreaking work that will arise from GeoEye Foundation’s partnership with universities and institutes.”

The GeoEye Foundation has already provided satellite imagery to assist in the study of urban sprawl in Mexico, land-use planning for Jerusalem, and study polar ice in Antarctica. If you’ve got an idea for a study you think could us some free satellite imagery, contact Mark Brender (info@geoeyefoundation.org) to find out more.

Via GeoCarta blog