LBS Tidbits | March 10
By Adena Schutzberg
WHERE, the LBS platform for ULocate now has an advertising component, WHERE Ads. - VentureBeat Junaio 2.0 is launching at SXSW this week. The big news for augmented reality platform? It works indoors using GPS and compass-based geo-information. - PocketGamer - press release(pdf) on 2.0 launch - press release (pdf) on Eventful Channel Foursquare has announced a dashboard for its

Google Tidbits | March 10
By Adena Schutzberg
Google has hinted about adding bike directions to Google Maps and now it's here. The beta app was announced at the National Bike Summit in Washington, D.C. Google sent a note to journalists about the desktop only, USA only tool. A mobile version is in the works. In addition to providing thousands of miles of bike trails directly onto maps,

Microsoft, The Cloud and Local Government | March 10
By Adena Schutzberg
In November of 2009, Microsoft launched a contest for developers to build on a beta of Microsoft’s cloud platform, Azure. Last month the winners were announced and they were heavy on Web maps. Miami’s 311 System, a citizen info and reporting tool, won with iLink GIS Framework , a data sharing solution, as a runner up. Steve Read,

Podcast: An Interview with Brady Forrest, O'Reilly Media on Where 2.0 | March 10
By Joe Francica
Foursquare vs. Gowalla? How about Bing Maps vs. Google Maps? Brady Forrest of O'Reilly Media and chairperson of the Where 2.0 Conference shares his views on some of the more popular web-based mapping platforms and social networks that are "location-aware." In this conversation with Editor in Chief Joe Francica, Forrest also discusses the popularity of the conference and its objective

Layar Back - with Foursquare Integration and "Data Layer" Store | March 9
By Adena Schutzberg
Apprently Layar removed its augmented reality app from the Apple App Store due to crashes. Well now it's back in the store, with a few twists. Now there's a layer of data showing Foursquare locations and yes, if you link the app to your Foursquare account you can check in right from Layar. More interesting to me is that Layar will soon

Podcast: Platial Shuts Down while Microsoft Opts in to User Generated Location Data from Navizon | March 9
By Adena Schutzberg
This week we look at two news items connected at least superficially by reliance on crowdsourced geospatial data. Platial, one of the early players to offer a simple way to customize Google Maps, announced it was ceasing operations. Microsoft announced a contract with Navizon, a company that crowdsources the data collection of Wi-Fi access points. Why did small but clever

Update: Wanted: Geo/GIS Pro Who Uses Social Location Apps | March 6
By Adena Schutzberg
I had a great chat with a geospatial professional this week on his use of location-based social media. What I'd like to do is collect a few more such chats (or e-mail interviews) to put together a podcast on this topic. I think the insights of our geosavvy community about this consumer/social technology is valuable to those developing it and

Microsoft Breathless About Latest, Largest Imagery Update to Bing | March 5
By Adena Schutzberg
Our MS PR contact e-mailed to tell us about Chris Pendleton's blog post. Interestingly, MS didn't e-mail us about the Navizon deal noted earlier this week. Last month we pushed out our largest amount of new imagery EVER in terms of square kilometers. This month, we’re blowing THAT record out of the water. You thought 1 million+ sq. km.

Quote of the Week | March 4
By Adena Schutzberg
"Briggs will discuss how 40 years ago, a person needed a Ph.D. to do what anybody can now do with Google Map and Google Earth." - Description of a 40@40 lecture to be held at UT Dallas by Rob Briggs on March 8.

Microsoft Selects Crowdsourced Wi-Fi Database From Navizon | March 3
By Adena Schutzberg
Navizon Inc., (formerly Mexens Technology) signed a licensing agreement with Microsoft, which will use Navizon's global location database for geolocation. Navizon offers a software-only hybrid wireless positioning system that "triangulat[es] signals broadcasted from Wi-Fi access points and cellular towers." Yes, like Skyhook's. The big difference is that Navizon has its users continuously update the database (and collect points for

LBS Tibits | March 2
By Adena Schutzberg
BrightKite is working on a location solution that will publish your location to several social networks at once (Foursquare, Gowalla...) Yes, this sounds like what Fire Eagle was supposed to do; it's not been heard from much of late. - ReadWriteWeb Many are concerned that Yelp is "monkeying around" with reviews and that may do harm to location-based advertising in general.

Google Tidbits | March 2
By Adena Schutzberg
This week is Cebit, the huge tech show in Hanover, Germany. While smaller than last year in terms of companies attending, a few new players have stepped in including Google and Amazon. Google is introducing its StreetView, which has yet to rollout in Germany. Google will peddle its Street View service, which hasn't been launched in Germany because of privacy concerns.

Podcast: Congress' Location Privacy Hearing | March 2
By Adena Schutzberg
Last week the Congressional Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet held a joint hearing titled, "The Collection and Use of Location Information for Commercial Purposes." Our editors examine the issues raised in testimony and in comments by interested stakeholders. Among them: Is location privacy akin to medical record privacy? What

Map Analysis: Android Filling AT&T Holes on the Map | March 1
By Adena Schutzberg
Myxer sells ringtones and puts out maps of which types of phones are purchasing its goods: iPhones or Android phones. The January report (pdf) notes states where Adroid outsells iPhone. VentureBeat offers up an analysis as to why midwest states tend to be more Android heavy: weak AT&T 3G coverage. - VentureBeat

CBC's Spark on LBS, Social Media | March 1
By Adena Schutzberg
Spark is the Canadian Broadcast Corporation (CBC) radio show/podcast about technology and culture. This week it looks at among other things, location sharing apps (Foursquare) and privacy. There's an interview with one of the fellows behind PleaseRobMe.com and a happy user of Foursquare. The discussion about personal brands and the new definition of "friends" is also very informative. via @jgombita

Webinno 25 Tonight, Free, in Cambridge | March 1
By Adena Schutzberg
I am so bummed I can't attend this event tonight at the Royal Sonesta Cambridge, 40 Edwin H Land Blvd., Cambridge, MA 02142 from 6:30-9pm. The folks from Geolenz will be showing their app. There's also an interesting list of other participating players related to geo: "In recognition of March as Mass Mobile Month (#massmobmonth), one of our Main Dish

ZeeMaps to Charge for Some "Power" Functions | March 1
By Adena Schutzberg
ZeeMaps, a simple tool to "map your lists," has been free to date. Yesterday the site sent out an e-mail (also posted on its blog) noting that to keep the service up, several once free functions would now require a paid subscription: * Bulk Edits (Annotations, Markers, Regions) * Delete ALL Markers,

LBS Tibits | February 26
By Adena Schutzberg
What's going to be big at SXSW this year? Some argue three and two years ago the big thing was Twitter. Last year it was LBS. And this year? LBS again. Based on what I've been hearing, basically at the major players in the location-based space have big things planned for this year's SXSW. Foursquare hopes to have a new, completely

Update: ESRI Australia Acquires Map Data Sciences | February 26
By Adena Schutzberg
Map Data Science posted a press release dated 2/26/10.

Podcast: A Hallway Conversation with Geolenz CTO Brian Knoth | February 26
By Adena Schutzberg
If you think that geocoding and reverse geocoding are mature technologies, ones only likely to have minor tweaks in the coming months and years, then you need to learn about Geolenz, a company that's putting more context, more information, and more customization into those two processes. Executive Editor Adena Schutzberg spoke with CTO and co-founder Brian Knoth about the company's

Update: Mapping the Olympics: From 3D to Super G | February 25
By Joe Francica
*UPDATEThe New York Times - In my opinion, the Times has the best overall usage of maps and 3D graphics of the Olympic venues:The video of the Men's Downhill venue at Whistler captures the essence of the terrain based on data from Intermap and Terrametrics.A 3D perspective model of Vancouver allows the viewer to zoom

LBS Tibits | February 25
By Adena Schutzberg
Sources report that FaceBook is doing "due diligence" on Loopt. That's generally done before investing in or acquiring a company, though neither company will comment. Loopt did advertise a potential app to be done with Facebook early last year. - TechCrunch Foursquare ran its first TV commercial on Wednesday night.

The North Face to Send LBS Ads | February 24
By Adena Schutzberg
If you get close to a store that sells the comapny's gear in New York, San Francisco, Seattle and Boston, and you've opted in, you may get a text message asking you come visit the store. The campaign is from Placecast. The nature of the texts: For now, the North Face will send texts about promotions, like a free water bottle with

DMTV #7: Interview with ESRI's Jack Dangermond and a Review of the ESRI FedUC 2010 | February 24
By Joe Francica
In this interview with ESRI President Jack Dangermond, Directions Magazine Editor in Chief Joe Francica discusses the health of the GIS technology sector, jobs and educating the next generation of geospatial professionals. Dangermond talks about the growth that ESRI is experiencing and how the state of the economy has impacted sales of GIS to the local, state and federal markets.

Podcast: Unitended Consequences of Sharing Your Location Online | February 23
By Adena Schutzberg
Last week PleaseRobMe.com made headlines across the tech, social and popular media spaces. The site, with its quirky title, does not suggest using location information found on the Web to try to break into homes, but rather warns of the unintended consequences of sharing personal location information. Editors Joe Francica and Adena Schutzberg examine the website and its goals, and