Packt has an eBook sale going on. All eBooks are $5 including lost of the spatial books including the new PostGIS Cookbook that comes out next month.  Other spatial books of note include:

• Programming ArcGIS 10.1 with Python Cookbook
• Learning Geospatial Analysis with Python
• Google Maps JavaScript API Cookbook
• Learning QGIS 2.0
• Python Geospatial Development – Second Edition
• GeoServer Beginner’s Guide
• OpenStreetMap

The sale ends January 3rd so you have some time.

Update:  Well here you go…

Sorry to disappoint everyone but contrary to current reports @BroadMap has not been purchased by Apple.

– BroadMap (@BroadMap) December 23, 2013

We had heard months ago that some BroadMap staff had moved on to Apple but today things have “exploded”.

Based on evidence and chatter from sources, Apple seemingly acquired mapping firm BroadMap in the first half of this year…

It’s complicated what has actually happened.  Many people are claiming different things, but from what I’ve been told:

1. Apple bought the intellectual property of BroadMap and licensed it back to them.
2. Management of BroadMap and many key staff have joined Apple.  I’ve gotten many different explanations as to “the how” of this but they’re at Apple
3. BroadMap is still servicing existing clients.  They may be doing this with “legacy staff” or have been using a 3rd party for support.

BroadMap has tweeted that they’re still around as well.

@markgurman @cageyjames We are working on updating the website.The offices were moved from NH to VA. Website has been unattended for a while

— BroadMap (@BroadMap) December 23, 2013

Given the uncertantity of it all, I’m guessing there isn’t much marketing staff left at BroadMap to deal with all these questions.  Thus the ambiguity of it all.

Now what I’m interested in is Apple now has many old GDT¹ staff on board.  I’m assuming they’re going to be working to replace TomTom with their own mapping data.  That’s more interesting that who owns what shell company anymore.

Paul Ramsey on using PostGIS on Amazon RDS:

With Amazon Web Services, I had a backed-up and replication-ready database up and running in under an hour, and OpenGeo Suite tied into it in another hour. With the knowledge I’ve gained, next time will take only a few minutes.

Think about that for a moment, a few minutes and you can deploy an enterprise GIS solution.  Life is easier when you don’t have licensing constraints.

So over coffee I read this:

Apple’s “Interactive Map” patent filing details a mapping program that enables users to dynamically adjust and view different “layers” of content pulled from the Internet. Examples include commuting, tourism and weather map layers, among others.

Layers of content, brilliant!  Why did we not think of this before?  The patent filing is a road map for GIS.  But I see huge problems with their method, look at this:

Where is the north arrow?   Not only that Apple’s map data for Washington DC is cartoonish.  No wonder people hate Apple Maps.  I can tell you the maps of Phoenix look much better.  Looking over the other supporting images is depressing.  Breaking down what I do into flow charts, gawd we suck.

I look forward to licensing Apple’s patent to do my work.

BIM is the new GIS? Can you dumb it down a shade?

Look, I got suckered into thinking BIM was the future.  The painful fact is BIM is only useful to talk about, not actual use.  But that won’t stop CAD companies from trying to convince you BIM is the future.

Let’s just say that BIM is the new GIS. In speaking with Mike DeLacey, CEO of Microdesk, a long time Autodesk partner and reseller, the terms are interchangeable in an Autodesk environment.

Will all do respect Mike, Neogeography (are we spelling it with our without CamelCase these days) is the new GIS.  If BIM is interchangeable with GIS in Autodesk, I fear for Autodesk users.  Given DWG is all about 0,0 (seriously though, how about require a projection Autodesk?) and unless we’re mapping null island, 0,0 is about as far from GIS as you can get.

• What a glorious time we live in.  Track Santa “officially”!
• If academics put dots on a map, it better be for pool locations.
• Nokia’s HERE is Honda’s choice for in car mapping.  ”Eyes free”?  That that’s the thrill out of texting while driving.
• Google Maps API vs OpenLayers 3: Is OL as awesome as Leaflet.js?
• PostGIS 2.1 documentation as ePub.
• The Wolfram Language and Mathematica on Raspberry Pi, for free. Title says it all…

Mapmeter (despite not being CamelCase) is a pretty awesome way to get analytics for your maps.  We’ve talked on my hangouts about how it is not free, nor is it open source.  But you can get a copy free until the end of the year:

…we’re including a free annual Mapmeter subscription with every OpenGeo Suite purchase made before the end of the year. While a Mapmeter subscription is already included at the Platform level and above, this is the perfect opportunity for prospective Plus and Professional purchasers to save nearly $2400.

I’ve been keeping this archive for years.  Each one of these has been created with that version of ArcGIS.  If you’re ever in doubt, go with one of these native versions.

Learn more about the awesome of the punt flag.

Looks like GeoJSON got a new home on the Internet.’

Nice work on the new http://t.co/cXyWfHS6LT @tschaub @mpdaly!

— Sean Gillies (@sgillies) December 2, 2013

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Not only that, GeoJSON has a new GitHub home.

New home @github for GeoJSON: https://t.co/iCpYjPxSUj

Thanks to Jason Roebuck (http://t.co/uR4O9RaqQW) for letting us use the name.

— Tim Schaub (@tschaub) November 26, 2013

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If you search Twitter for GeoJSON you see how much awesome is being done with it. Heck, even OGC wants to get in on that action (for good or bad).