Twitter Acquires GeoAPI — The New GeoLocation Platform of Choice?
Given what we’ve witnessed since October, 2009 is sure going out with a bang. Google dumps Tele Atlas for their own mapping dataset and then gives away navigation, Microsoft adds street level imagery, Google adds oblique imagery and then gives away a spatial query server and Mapquest adds street level imagery as well. But today Twitter did something that just seems to fit perfectly with just about any mobile application. They went ahead and picked up GeoAPI.
Twitter clearly sees location as important as anything they do (I guess microblogging is something they do as well). Tagging tweets with location is something fairly new to the Twitter API, but with smartphones probably being the primary method of tweeting, location becomes natural with tweeting. We’ve been speculating that we could analyze tweets during “events” and see locations of tweets with information about what is being observed (flooding/fire/babes). Having a richer geo-api will only facilitate this further and could be the real killer crowdsourcing app.
The only pushback I’ve seen on twitter is the location API can be very accurate. I’d love to see them enable something like Fire Eagle where you can have it return a city level geocode rather than a hyperaccurate one. I mean I’m glad everyone knows how often I visit the Apple store, but I’d like @pbissett to wonder just a little.
So I’m sitting here just fantasizing what can be done with the data provided by Twitter and GeoAPI.
The Downfall of ArcGIS
So who says GIS or ESRI can’t be part of a meme?
Adolph Hitler Furious at Esri Software
Update: Looks like the creator of the video has posted it on their website.
The Downfall of ArcGIS
So who says GIS or ESRI can’t be part of a meme?
Adolph Hitler Furious at Esri Software
Update: Looks like the creator of the video has posted it on their website.
Follow-up to the Tempe GIS Data Request
You might recall the issue where I wanted some GIS data from the City of Tempe Well they finally told me to make a public information request and they’d evaluate my request. Well I got back a response this week:
Dear Mr. Fee:
I have reviewed your public records request for the “complete city of Tempe landbase and utilities in digital DGN format,” and discussed it with our City Attorney, Andrew Ching. He has advised me that, under the state public records law and cases construing the law, cities are permitted to weigh the competing interests of the public’s right to receive records versus the countervailing concerns of privacy, confidentiality, and the best interests of the city. Under federal law, city utilities such as water and sewer lines are considered critical infrastructure, which means that cities may restrict access to such data for homeland security reasons. As such, we generally limit access to utility mapping except for very limited parcels or sections, and not for the entire city. Therefore, your request is denied in part; we will release the complete landbase, but not the utilities.
As an alternative, we would be willing to discuss with you further your proposed educational use of the information. It is my understanding you intend to use this for a class presentation to school children on the power of GIS. If that is still the case, we would be willing to discuss options for how you can present to the class while at the same time we can ensure that sensitive data is not disseminated. Please let me know if you would like to meet and discuss these options.
Wendy Springborn, MBA Engineering Services Administrator City of Tempe
So as you can imagine I took them up on their offer of the Landbase data and I now have the city landbase in Microstation DGN v7. I’d of course love to have unrestricted use of this data, but at this moment I’m in the process of preparing it to be loaded into PostGIS via FME 2010 so that I can start using it. There was no metadata with the CD they gave me, but it was easy enough to figure out the layering system. The quicker I get it unlocked from DGN and into open PostGIS, the easier it will be to work with. Now I just have to make sure I remembered to get my wife a Christmas present.
Follow-up to the Tempe GIS Data Request
You might recall the issue where I wanted some GIS data from the City of Tempe Well they finally told me to make a public information request and they’d evaluate my request. Well I got back a response this week:
Dear Mr. Fee:
I have reviewed your public records request for the “complete city of Tempe landbase and utilities in digital DGN format,” and discussed it with our City Attorney, Andrew Ching. He has advised me that, under the state public records law and cases construing the law, cities are permitted to weigh the competing interests of the public’s right to receive records versus the countervailing concerns of privacy, confidentiality, and the best interests of the city. Under federal law, city utilities such as water and sewer lines are considered critical infrastructure, which means that cities may restrict access to such data for homeland security reasons. As such, we generally limit access to utility mapping except for very limited parcels or sections, and not for the entire city. Therefore, your request is denied in part; we will release the complete landbase, but not the utilities.
As an alternative, we would be willing to discuss with you further your proposed educational use of the information. It is my understanding you intend to use this for a class presentation to school children on the power of GIS. If that is still the case, we would be willing to discuss options for how you can present to the class while at the same time we can ensure that sensitive data is not disseminated. Please let me know if you would like to meet and discuss these options.
Wendy Springborn, MBA Engineering Services Administrator City of Tempe
So as you can imagine I took them up on their offer of the Landbase data and I now have the city landbase in Microstation DGN v7. I’d of course love to have unrestricted use of this data, but at this moment I’m in the process of preparing it to be loaded into PostGIS via FME 2010 so that I can start using it. There was no metadata with the CD they gave me, but it was easy enough to figure out the layering system. The quicker I get it unlocked from DGN and into open PostGIS, the easier it will be to work with. Now I just have to make sure I remembered to get my wife a Christmas present.
Enjoy the Holiday Road
It seems everyone I know is either heading out for the holiday week or getting ready to welcome people into their house. Me? I’ll be here all week blogging, but if you’ll be off the grid I’d like to make sure you have a wonderful holiday and see you in the new year. And those back east I hope shoveling that snow keeps the pounds off. Take it away Lyndsay…