Lead Dog Vector Datasets are now on WeoGeo.com
One of the more interesting companies selling location-based data is Lead Dog Consulting. Chances are if you saw a map in the New York Times recently about the Arab Spring, you probably saw a Lead Dog Map. They specialize in making vector data products in areas that most companies don’t even know exist. Well over the weekend, Lead Dog pushed out over 350 datasets to the WeoGeo Market which are now available to customize and use.
If you are looking for data in Libya, Syria, Yemen or even Osama Bin Laden’s compound there probably isn’t a better, more up to date data source than Lead Dog. I love their new data in Mogadishu, Somalia which is very detailed and available in just about any vector format anyone might need.
Lead Dog Data in Mogadishu
Detailed vector data in Mogadishu, Somalia from Lead Dog Consulting in WeoGeo Market
If you sell location-based data and want to see your maps on WeoGeo Market like Lead Dog or Pitney Bowes, just let me know and I can let you know how you can get started for free.
Esri Dev Meetup — Phoenix
Looks like there will be another Esri Dev Meetup in Phoenix next month. This one will be fun as it is in Tempe, rather than Phoenix so there will be ample opportunity to have drinks afterwards. If you are in the Arizona area, you should drop by and say hi to everyone. This one is at Robbie Fox’s so it should taste really good.
Esri Dev Meetup — Phoenix
Looks like there will be another Esri Dev Meetup in Phoenix next month. This one will be fun as it is in Tempe, rather than Phoenix so there will be ample opportunity to have drinks afterwards. If you are in the Arizona area, you should drop by and say hi to everyone. This one is at Robbie Fox’s so it should taste really good.
Google Charging for Google Maps API Access? So What?
Something happened that is not too surprising:
Introduction of usage limits to the Maps API
To assist in evaluating whether your site is exceeding the usage limits we will shortly be adding the Maps API to the Google APIs Console. Once available you will be able to track your usage in the APIs Console by providing an APIs Console key when you load the Maps API. If you find that your site does exceed the usage limits each day you can opt to pay for your excess usage by enabling billing on your APIs Console project. We will then start billing excess usage to your credit card when we begin enforcing the usage limits in early 2012.
You know what? Good for them. I’d like to think that proving good-looking map tiles with a great API is a good business model. When Google gave away the farm, there was no business model. Everyone just used Google’s tiles and thought nothing of it. The rest of the world who tried to price their tiles so that they could build a business around it were beaten down (Remember something called deCarta?).
Now I suspect we’ll see some great creative choices out there that will give users with many options. I think back to this great blog post by Paul Ramsey many years ago. Now there is hope for everyone in this space to succeed because free beer isn’t sustainable.
Google Foot Smash
Googlezilla’s foot seems to not be coming down just yet.
Atanas’ Lawyer Publishes a Public Appeal
For those who are following (and hopefully have donated) here is an update from Atanas’ lawyer:
As you are well aware, on June 17, 2011 ICE Director John Morton issued a memo to ICE Field Office Directors to provide guidance on the exercise of prosecutorial discretion. As has always been true pursuant to prior policy, prosecutorial discretion can be exercised at any point in the removal process, including after entry of an Order of Deportation. The memo lists the factors, both positive and negative, that should be considered when evaluating requests for prosecutorial discretion. An analysis of these factors shows that many positive factors and no negative factors apply to Atanas, Mayia and Enislav.
It will take a couple of minutes to read through the post but it is worth it to better understand immigration in the United States and how nuts it all is.
Atanas’ Lawyer Publishes a Public Appeal
For those who are following (and hopefully have donated) here is an update from Atanas’ lawyer:
As you are well aware, on June 17, 2011 ICE Director John Morton issued a memo to ICE Field Office Directors to provide guidance on the exercise of prosecutorial discretion. As has always been true pursuant to prior policy, prosecutorial discretion can be exercised at any point in the removal process, including after entry of an Order of Deportation. The memo lists the factors, both positive and negative, that should be considered when evaluating requests for prosecutorial discretion. An analysis of these factors shows that many positive factors and no negative factors apply to Atanas, Mayia and Enislav.
It will take a couple of minutes to read through the post but it is worth it to better understand immigration in the United States and how nuts it all is.