Open-Source Geography

Posts Tagged ‘gis’

Semantic Geographics and Online Mapping Route Choice Self-Selection to Build A Database of Alternate Route Choices

July 23rd, 2008

Even though I made Wednesdays “no-blogging days” so that I can get some rest, the SP Gass at Low Tech Times has an interesting article called There’s No Substitute for Looking At A Real Map. Open Source Geography (dot org, FYI), soon to be moving to its own site, fully endorses this notion of looking at a Real Map.

I am interested in SP Gass’s view on the accuracy of the AAA TripTic. SP Gass is talking about reference maps and how one’s on paper are much more usable. Beyond portability of a paper map, paper allows one to come up with their own route. SP Gass knows what he means when he is choosing a route. But without expert knowledge or human behavior factored in as a determinant in the route choice algorithm, the computer can never approximate what means, his geographic semantics. Dr. Martin Raubal at University of California-Santa Barbara teaches a course in Geographic Semantics.

Anyway, flexibility in route choice using online mapping software would greatly improve the service. As a Geographic Information Scientist, by training, I would suggest to Google that they open their street network dataset to allow a local crowd to suggest alternate routes. Another option would be to generate a sample of automobiles and collect GPS points along their chosen routes, rather than the predictive routes.

I am still imaging the algorithm and/or data-structure required to enable a sample link on a chosen route be chosen to improve the predictive path. Especially considering that the data would need to be split into nodes and links. Not to mention, the process of formatting. Unless of course, you are generating an cloud-enabled database with a G-Phone Android Program in which these points are collected real-time.

Is this possible? It seems like it should be considering bluetooth tracking and cell-phone tracking would be a great medium for updating Google Maps.

Also, check out Google’s Newest Feature: GoogleWalking. Its still in Beta, but there is a smattering of commentary around the web.

Google Walking Maps by Daily Wireless

Google Maps Walks the Long Way Around by Google Maps Mania.

And this list of 100 Google Earth Mashups isn’t particularly about GoogleWalking, but it is still useful information for improving the semantic web rich with digitized human knowledge.

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Posted in Dissertation Ideas

Tags: geographics geography gis information science

Building a Globalized Geographic Information Infrastructure.

July 16th, 2008

I sometimes forget that ESRI is not the only thought leader in the world of Geographic Information Systems. The curators over at Open Source GIS , Ubuntu Users and that whole linux-based crowd of innovators have a lot to say on the matter of Geographic Thought. And to all the subsidiary mapping companies that Google wisely acquired, thank you for Google Earth and all your map-based mashable services!

Here is the European Vision in a 6 minute YouTube video worthy of the World’s Fair 2012. It has value as an introduction to the GIS section and the Globalization section of my up-coming lecture series about Geography for Virginia International University.

This visionary piece describes an interconnected European Supranationalistic State that rests on a Geographic Data Infrastructure. Those Europeans and their traditions of turning pure science as a means for controlling space while economizing their energy needs.

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Posted in Dissertation Ideas

Tags: gis globalized Nafta superhighway

Obama Has A Crowd of Map-Makers

July 15th, 2008

I wondered when a major party presidential candidate would assemble a Geographic Information Sciences Team. It was confirmed when the Campaign put out a call for volunteers over at the GIS Jobs Clearinghouse. I signed up to help and heard the electrical thumps of the team getting slammed with volunteer cartographers and other GIS folk clamoring to help the put their candidate’s train in motion.

To the candidate, I would like to say that it is fantastic that the GIS Team you assembled are applying the technology in some very interesting ways. I wonder if the other campaigns are running their GIS teams as effectively. I offer the floor to the techno-critics over at the Low Tech Times for their position on the role of technology in presidential campaigns.

Give up? Barack Obama is taking a crowdsourced, collaborative approach to his GIS Operations. Will Obama be the first Open-Source President? As an academic advisor, I would suggest to any student working on the campaign to treat this like a laboratory of ideas worthy of doctoral dissertations. But remember, there will also be a lot of boring old production cartography. Either way, the Obama Campaign has embraced an important technology and an interesting method of crowdsourcing.

Also, the Low-Tech Times has asked that you not use the GIS as a campaign SPAM-building effort.