Monday, July 31, 2006

HOW OSAMA BIN LADEN ALMOST PERMANENTLY CANCELLED THE 'FAMILY GUY' TV SHOW (OR HOW BEER SAVED SETH MacFARLANE'S LIFE)

Osama's new look
I'll take a break from GIS while I update my posts to present an odd tale of how Terrorist #1, Osama bin Laden, almost permanently cancelled one of my favorite shows, Fox's "FAMILY GUY." I've found a few articles that explain the connection between Osama and Seth, but the basic story is Seth MacFarlane, the creator of the show and voice of many characters including Peter, Brian, Quagmire, and anyone with a deep, male voice, was almost a passenger on one of the 9/11 planes.

Seth MacFarlane

I like this story for two reasons. First, I've studied animation and I am a student of the art. Second, as a fan of "FAMILY GUY" and one of those that wished it to come back after it got cancelled for the last time on FOX, I read many articles on the guy and I've seen how the story has evolved over the years.

Originally, as the story goes, Seth was scheduled for American Airlines Flight 11, which was hijacked and flown into the North Tower of the World Trade Center. TVshowsonDVD.com has the original interview still up which gives Seth's story.

It occurred after FAMILY GUY was cancelled by FOX and just as it was being brought back to life from cable and DVD's. During the first run on FOX, FAMILY GUY struggled to find the ratings to keep it afloat. Fans kept the show alive for 3 seasons before FOX finally gave up on it. Then, the show was put on DVD and became one of the best sellers. Interest for the show hit a new high when CARTOON NETWORK began re-airing the show on ADULT SWIM, it's late night cartoon block. FAMILY GUY took in monster numbers on the CARTOON NETWORK and soon FOX picked the show back up.

However, in between the two lives of the FAMILY GUY, 9/11 happened. Seth was scheduled to fly to L.A. that morning. According to interviews shortly after the incident, Seth claimed he was late to the plane after staying up too late and drinking with pals. Here's an exert from one of his interviews:

  • "Yeah, that came up at one point. I said, "Look, I'm probably as close to that incident as anybody at Fox." There was one point where I was arguing to keep that scene in (a scene with Osama that was later edited out). Yeah, I was booked on that flight and I was drinking the night before and hung over and I missed the plane by about 10 minutes. It was a very close call for me." (TVshowsonDVD.com interview)
  • How has that affected you? The only reason it hasn't really affected me as it maybe could have is I didn't really know that I was in any danger until after it was over, so I never had that panic moment. After the fact it was sobering but people have a lot of close calls; you're crossing the street and you almost get hit by a car....this one just happened to be related to something massive. I really can't let it affect me because I'm a comedy writer. I have to put that in the back of my head. Well, I'm glad you got drunk the night before. Yeah, alcohol is our friend. I think that's the moral of that story. Yeah, drinking can save your life. Absolutely.

Over the years the story has changed, with the most popular being he was told the wrong time for the flight by his agent. But, it's nice to know that deep down, one man was saved from the actions of a cowardly terrorist by drinking beer.

GIS SITES NEWS-MAPPING AFTER NATURAL DISASTERS, AND MAPPING THE MOON

GIS SITES has found a couple of articles worth notice in the world of GIS. Most notable are the 2 articles about mapping the aftermath of natural disasters. In this case, the 2004 Tsunami in SE Asia and the Katrina Hurricane of last year. Because both disasters involved water and sediments, among other things, scientists are going back to examine the land and sea floors in the aftermath.

www.gispilot.com

Saturday, July 29, 2006

PENNSYLVANIA GIS LINKS UPDATED

I have updated Pennsylvania with 17 new GIS related links.

WEEKEND UPDATE - MORE OHIO'S

I have added a few data download sites to the OHIO list, including the DOT and DNR. Adding metadata links and downloadable data is the next phase for this site and GIS Pilot as I have almost finished with the final update for all 50 states on both sites. Only Wisconsin is left to go over, but then I start again, this time looking for the Data links as oppossed to the GIS Online applictions that began this site.

Friday, July 28, 2006

GEOGRAPHY & GIS NEWS

Microsoft is trying hard to push Virtual Earth into your life. Their mapping software is big business now, with Google Maps & Google Earth along with Yahoo! Maps offering satellite images in their beta version. The competition heats up and if you can project (GIS Humor) a few years into the future, I think you'll find a world with interactive mapping programs standard on cell phones, cars, & mobile computers. They are there in small doses at the moment. But, imagine being able to whip out your cell phone and buy movie tickets, check your reservation at the restaurant, and see which route is back up with traffic all on one program, with say a mobile version of Google Maps.

WWW.GISPILOT.COM

Thursday, July 27, 2006

OREGON GIS SITES AND GIS LINKS UPDATED

OREGON GIS LINKS AND GIS SITES HAVE BEEN UPDATED: Included in the vast array of 7 updates to the great state of Oregon are:
  • Coos County Assessor
  • Bend City GIS
  • Tigard County GIS
  • Hood County GIS
  • Oregon City GIS
  • Gresham City GIS
  • Springfield City GIS

WWW.GISPILOT.COM

COMPARING THE MAPPING SERVICES, PT 2

I wrote a small post back in April comparing the Mapping services of Google Maps, Yahoo! maps, and MSN. I followed up last week about a Dallas Morning News Article reviewing the programs and got a lot of feedback. Frank Gruber at Techcrunch has written a splendid article about the services and has thrown in the most used site, MapQuest, in the fold. Personally, I do not use MapQuest for my work unless I absolutely have to or it's tied into another program. Using MapQuest can be frustrating sometimes. It lacks accuracy for my daily work, so it's kinda like asking a Wal-Mart employee for help. You just don't know what you'll get, if you get an answer at all. Frank Gruber concluded that Yahoo! Maps was his favorite and they have come a long way since April. It used to be MSN had the coverage, but their images were outdated. Over the last few months, I have leaned toward Yahoo! in my daily work because even though they do not have the zoom like Google Maps, they have a good database for finding obscure and newer roads.

MAPPERZ - Map GIS News Blog for UK, Europe and World Maps

I'd like to welcome the Mapperz Blog onto my links list. Mapperz is a regularly updated blog about GIS & Geography from around the world. They are based out of England and here is their profile:
  • "Map and GIS finding blog... for UK, Europe and Worldwide Maps.... There are so many Maps and GIS sites online now it is hard to find the good from the not so good. This blog tries to cut the cream and provide you with the fastest, cleanest and most user friendly maps that are online. Remember X never marks the spot. X,Y does..."

MAPPING NEWS WITH LANDVOYAGE

LandVoyage is a subscription service in the field of Google Maps, Microsoft Virtual Earth, and GlobeXplorer. They were awaded an important patent this week for their mapping software. I personally do not have any experience or knowledge of this company from my past experiences, but I will continue to follow their actions. Here's a lengthy description from the press release:
  • The Land Software ToolThe Land Software Tool offers a unique suite of practical online map drawing, searching, and measuring functions. The tools, which can all be used with GPS technology, allow users to draw boundaries onscreen over maps, aerial photos, and satellite images, for example, and to change those underlying images, as desired, without having to redraw anything. The tools also allow users to delineate and measure land parcels using a variety of reference points, such as latitude/longitude coordinates or information from the Public Land Survey System (PLSS). Here is an overview of the primary Land Software Tool functions:•
  • The Metes and Bounds Tool is used to draw a property’s boundary from its legal description or, in reverse, to create a legal description of property whose boundaries are drawn on a computer screen.•
  • The Latitude/Longitude Tool allows users to draw boundaries using a list of latitude/longitude coordinates or, in reverse, to identify the coordinates of boundaries drawn on a map onscreen.•
  • The Township/Range/Section Search function enables users to find maps with information from the PLSS. The user enters a township, range, and section number online and the tool automatically finds the geographic location and takes the user to that location on an onscreen map.•
  • The Map Information Tool allows users to retrieve a variety of information about a map or location by simply moving the mouse. As the cursor moves over the screen, the user receives a streaming update of information about the map and locations on it

INDIA TO LAUNCH MOON MISSION NEXT YEAR

India to launch Moon mission during 2007-08.

The Moon is becoming a hot commodity lately. Various nations such as China, Japan, the US, former N*Sync singer Lance Bass (who's now gay-couldn't see that coming!) , and the European Space Agency have made plans to head back to the Moon over the last few years. But, there's a ton of work to be done still. Mapping of the Moon and its elements are high priorities, as many companies and governments are investing in the idea of using the Moons resources or even creating a variety of bases, both manned and unmanned, on the surface. Because of the lack of atmosphere, the Moon is a fantastic setting for observation equipment that could scan the universe in more detailed ways. With all of the world's problems, like Lebanon, Israel, and Landis testing positive for drugs in the Tour de France, maybe it would be good to get away for awhile.

Here is a description of what India expects from the mission:

  • "Chandrayaan-I is a lunar polar orbiter designed for chemical, mineralogic and topographic mapping of the lunar surface. It will provide complete coverage of the moon from an altitude of about 100 km during its observation period of two years planned in 2008-2010," said Bhandari, also President of International Lunar Exploration Working Group (ILEWG).

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

EARLY MORNING HEADLINES

While data mining through the vast sea of important news on like Lindsay Lohan having a heat stroke or Paris Hilton using her cooking skills to get men, I found a few less relevant articles on mapping and the world in general (which I posted below the before mentioned articles, due to their lack of paparzzi buzz). Plus, one of my posts got mentioned in About.com, in the Geography section by Matt Rosenberg, their in-house guru. Thanks for the mention, Matt. Plus, check out the link to Iranians and the Da Vinci Code. Interesting view from Aljazeera.

IBISEYE - HURRICANE TRACKING SERVICE

IBISEYE - The Hurricane tracking website is gearing up for a busy hurricane season in the Gulf of Mexico and North Atlantic Ocean. If we see another Katrina is anyone's guess, but as technology advances and the guys at IBISEYE keep making these programs, then hopefully we can keep on top of it. With its live tracking and map of all the current storms, IBISEYE allows for full control of a hurricanes path as well as a detailed history of previous years. http://www.ibiseye.com/betapublicsafeprimeb/index.aspx

Tuesday, July 25, 2006

MORE UPDATES FOR GIS SITES

I jumped the gun and forgot to list some of the updates left off the previous post for some GIS links. Here they are:
  • Cleveland, Ohio GIS
  • Springfield, Ohio GIS
  • Dublin City, Ohio GIS
  • Upper Arlington City, Ohio GIS
  • Vinton County Tax Maps
  • Monday Creek (OHIO) Watershed GIS
  • Raccoon Creek (OHIO) Watershed GIS
  • Aberdeen City, South Dakota Planning Maps
  • South Dakota Association of Counties
  • Providence, Rhode Island Aerials

HUGE OHIO STATE GIS LINKS UPDATE

HUGE OHIO STATE GIS LINKS UPDATE
OHIO is finally finished, for now. I have finished the rest of the main county links after a few months of memory lapse. I have updated previous links and added about 32 more, give or take a few. The state of OHIO uses Auditors, which are the same as the Assessor links that I have up for other states. Many use the SVG download from Adobe to view maps, but it's free and not a hassle to load.
Updated Counties include:
  • Huron County Auditor Jefferson County Auditor Knox County Auditor Lawrence County Auditor Logan County Auditor Larain County Auditor Lucas County Auditor Marion County Auditor Medina County Auditor Mercer County Auditor Miami County Auditor Morgan County Auditor Morrow County Auditor Muskingum County Auditor Ottawa County Auditor Pickaway County Auditor Pike County Auditor Portage County Auditor Preble County Auditor Putnam County Auditor Richland County Auditor Sandusky County Auditor Scioto County Auditor Seneca County Auditor Trumbull County Auditor Van Wert County Auditor Warren County Auditor Washington County Auditor Wayne County Auditor Williams County Auditor Wood County Auditor Wyandot County Auditor
GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

ZILLOW.COM - PORNOGRAPHY FOR REAL ESTATE (NOT MY WORDS!) - Also, MYSPACE goes GLOBAL!

ZILLO is the newest rage in real estate online applications. Essentially, it is live mapping combined with real estate info, kinda like Google Earth with MSA data. Zillo may be for you, it may not. But, it's a trendy catch-phrase at the moment, so I thought I'd throw up some info for it. But, consider it's being dubbed pornography for real estate, you sure have to give it some credit.

Also, in a side note not related to this field, MYSPACE is going global. Interesting, since it's the #1 logged in website now after going past Yahoo! mail. It's that big and it hasn't even hit Asia or Europe.

Monday, July 24, 2006

FAKE SUNS, CALIFORNIA BLACKOUTS, AND THE SECRETS TO TV'S "LOST?"

I'm winding down the day with some of the more unique headlines. Microsoft is jumping into the portable music industry about 5 years too late, but they are ignoring previous failures by monoliths like Sony and taking Apple & its iPod headon. With 60 million + iPods on the market, Microsoft bets you'll throw it away and spend more on their product. I'm betting against it, but hey, that's me. Here's some more headlines:

Yahoo vs. Google: 'Wow' vs. familiar

From International Herald Tribune, this article come in stride of my previous article on rating the mapping of Google, Yahoo, MapQuest, and MSN. What the article tackles is more of the overall experience of the major web players, but they have a small focus on the mapping aspect that provides some stats and ratings. I have heard that Google would like Google Earth to become a full fledged GIS site for the world, but if this is a pipe-dream or not remains to be seen.

Read more: Yahoo vs. Google: 'Wow' vs. familiar

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Saturday, July 22, 2006

RATING THE ONLINE MAPPING SITES-GOOGLE,YAHOO, MSN, MAPQUEST

Directions are the same, but online maps aren't:

From the Dallas Morning News:

We use all these programs for our work and I have even posted a small post on the subject back in April. Technology has changed as the power players like Google and Yahoo buy out satellite image groups and fight for market share.

Dallas Morning News reviews the Mapping Applications.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

GIS SITE OF THE DAY - KGIS, KNOX COUNTY, TN GIS

KGIS is the Knox County, TN GIS site run by the county and KUB, a utilities board. Overall, they have one of the premier sites in the region. But, I'm playing favorites because we are based in Knoxville, too. The University of Tennessee Geography department has an up and coming GIS department and it's no odd fact that Knox county has a good GIS department, too.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Friday, July 21, 2006

UNDERWATER MAPPING OF SAND DUNES IN SAN FRANCISCO BAY, CALIFORNIA

Scientists map miles of underwater dunes. From SFGATE.COM:

More at SFGate.com on underwater dunes.

Yahoo! Article on mapping of dunes.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

BLOGGER GETS CENSORED IN INDIA!

For my visitors from India, and yes there's a lot, India admits to a "technical error" that has shut off India from websites like Blogger and other blog sites. Of course, I'm not going to guess the real reason, but I'm sure those in India have a guess. I will offer the use of my site at WWW.GISPILOT.COM as an alternative for those that are blocked by any censorship to blogs. I have noticed an increase in traffic there from the region this morning and now I know why. I hope both sites will remain open for those that need it, but just in case, you can bookmark both in case this happens again.

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY VIRGINIA ASSESSOR AND GIS ADDED

PITTSYLVANIA COUNTY VIRGINIA ASSESSOR AND GIS ADDED, AS WELL AS DANVILLE CITY ASSESSOR.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

Thursday, July 20, 2006

IRAQ GIS SITE

Texas Tech Geography has updated their Iraq GIS site which had been down for the last few weeks. It's up and running again. Texas Tech has started a good GIS program and deserves a look for anyone interested in seeing what the university level GIS programs have to offer.

GIS Sites & GISPilot: A Virtual Library of GIS Related Links.

TENNESSEE STATE UPDATES

Updates for the state of Tennessee include Shelby County Assessor/GIS, Davidson County GIS, and Chattanooga City GIS.

SOUTH CAROLINA UPDATES

I have added Horry County GIS to South Carolina as well as USGS GIS Data and SC GIS Data clearinghouse for data downloads.

GIS SITE OF THE WEEK-LOBSTER TALES!

I love it when sites implement GIS into unique websites. The Lobster Tales is one such unique site. They have tracked and mapped the Lobsters from Maine with the use of a claw band with a serial number that people can input into the website and have it mapped. So far, the Maine Lobsters have made to the South Pacific and the Middle East. Not bad for a little lobster.Visit Lobster Tales

NEWS HEADLINES

Storm Beyrl is heading toward us, but not the usual Florida Hurricane watch. It's heading up the coast toward Massachusetts, so watch out. Also, some of the day's more unique headlines:

www.gispilot.com

CRIME MAPPING A HIT IN SAN DIEGO

ARJIS CRIME MAP
San Diego has initiated an online crime map that allows the viewer to choose the data, such as area and type of crime, and create an interactive map. The site is such a hit that over 3 million hits were recorded in a 24 hour period when it started. So far, the servers haven't crashed but they have come close. ARJIS.Org runs the site and has upped the bandwidth to hold all the visitors.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

END OF DAY NEWS HEADLINES

I'm gonna sneak this post in before the outage and sum up some of today's more unique headlines.
Hurrican Season starts & Weather!
  1. Tropical storm forms off N. Carolina
  2. Satellite Map of Storm in Caribbean
  3. Storm Tracking Map
  4. Britain sizzles in soaring temperatures
  5. Lightning Strike Injures 7 Hikers

Middle East

Odd News

  1. Loser Guys and the Women Who Love Them
  2. Dozens injured after cruise ship tilts
  3. "Big Dig" collapse a blow to urban dream
  4. Doctor, your sponge is beeping
  5. San Diego home prices dip as condo fever cools
  6. Customer subdues robber with applesauce
  7. Rupert Murdoch and Sen. Hillary Clinton Help Raise Money for Democrats

BLOGGER DOWN @ 8 EST FOR 1 HOUR

Blogger will have another scheduled outage at 8 PM EST. I like how they do this during the week and not on a weekend or off time like 3 AM. Anyway, if you need access and can plan ahead, then you can use my other site at GIS PILOT, which has all these links and about 150 more of various nature.

NEW TEMPLATE DESIGN & LACLEDE COUNTY MO ADDED

I have a new template design again. I hate changing the look so often, but the last template was extremely buggy (which I found out afterwards) and created a lot of problems. This template is more stable and I have moved the links back to the top for easier access. Also, I have added Laclede County Recorder which allows you to look up property. You have to sign in but it's free to do so.

Monday, July 17, 2006

BUSH CURSES HEZBOLLAH DURING G8 LUNCHEON

I found this article amusing:

Bush Curses Hezbollah During G8 Luncheon By JEANNINE AVERSAAP Economics Writer:

  • "See the irony is that what they need to do is get Syria to get Hezbollah to stop doing this s--- and it's over," Bush told Blair as he chewed on a buttered roll.
  • (talking to Blair, Putnin about flying home) "You eight hours? Me too. Russia's a big country and you're a big country. Takes him eight hours to fly home. Not Coke, diet Coke. ... Russia's big and so is China. Yo Blair, what're you doing? Are you leaving," Bush said.

These are actual transcripts by the leaders after their mic's were left on.

More transcripts.

PORTLAND, OREGON AIRSHOW TRAGEDY - PLANE CRASHES INTO NEIGHBORHOOD

Pilot Killed When Jet Crashes At Air Show (KATU-TV, Portland, OR):
  • HILLSBORO, Ore. (AP) - A 1951 British fighter jet crashed into a densely populated neighborhood near the Hillsboro Airport during an air show Sunday afternoon, exploding, destroying a home and killing the pilot.

One reason I posted this article is that the plane crashed down only 3 houses down from where my sister lives! With all the nasty stuff happening in the Middle East, I personally wouldn't have even seen this article if she wasn't involved. It was rather hidden in the news. Pilot Killed When Jet Crashes At Air Show Air Show tragedy

Saturday, July 15, 2006

GIS LINKS UPDATED

Updates for the weekend include:
  • Lewis & Clark County GIS Montana
  • City of Bozeman MT GIS
  • Howard County MD GIS
  • Freemont City CA GIS
  • San Jose CA GIS
  • Cumberland County NC GIS
  • North Central Texas Council of Governments
  • Association of Bay Area Governments
  • USGS Geo-Data
  • US Dept of Health & Human Services
  • NOAA GIS Portal
  • National Weather Service
  • American Fact Finder
  • National Hydrology Data set
  • National Atlas
  • Delaware data MIL

PACIFIC DISASTER CENTER GIS MAPS

The Pacific Disaster Center has a large library of data and maps for various situations. Included are the 2004 Tsunami in Sumatra as well as Avian Bird Flu Maps, Earthquakes, and Hurricanes (although, I thought they were called Typhoons in the Pacific, but who knows). The Pacific Disaster Center

U.S. Byways -

The U.S. Department of Transportation sponsored the site US Byways to help encourage people to preserve and enhance America's roads. Content Summary: The National Scenic Byways Program is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. The program is a grass-roots collaborative effort established to help recognize, preserve and enhance selected roads throughout the United States. Since 1992, the National Scenic Byways Program has provided funding for almost 1500 state and nationally designated byway projects in 48 states. The U.S. Secretary of Transportation recognizes certain roads as All-American Roads or National Scenic Byways based on one or more archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational and scenic qualities. Once on the site, you can browse road throughout the country and click to find more info. They provide directions, maps, descriptions, and whatever information is available for each section. It is very useful for anyone planning to travel around the country side this summer. Although, with gas prices rising the way they are, preserving these roads may occur by no one being able to afford to travel them.

Recreation Maps GIS viewer

Here's a rather unique GIS site for recreation sites throughout the country. "The RecreationMaps.Gov site enables you to find recreation areas published through the Recreation.Gov site and view them on dynamic maps. You may find these recreation areas in a few ways: (1) find by name, (2) find near place, or (3) find by activity or state. Once you have found a recreation area, you can view and customize a map of the area or you can link to a related site for more information." Visit RecreationMaps.Gov

Lewis and Clark Expedition GIS

I have found a few Lewis & Clark GIS sites of interest. The first is from geodata.gov and is called the Lewis and Clark Geosystem, which is a collaboration of GIS technology and date from multiple organizations. Here is a summary from their description:

"Purpose: The purpose of the Lewis and Clark Geosystem is to provide multiscale and mutlitemporal examination of the geography of the Lewis and Clark trail. Covering two hundred years of change, 1803-1806, the purpose is to present a variety of spatial data, historical, ecological, climatological, etc., in a way that allows for examination of historical landscape change as a result of anthropogenic and non-anthropogenic effects. A second purpose is to explore the deployment and networking of a variety of geospatial Web services that each provide unique geospatial data types of interest to the study of the geography of the Lewis and Clark Trail. "

Also, there is the David Rumsey Lewis and Clark Historical Maps, with GIS. This is a commercial website, but to use the GIS is free. Resources: Lewis & Clark GIS Lewis & Clark Description Lewis & Clark Trail - National Park Service Lewis & Clark - Mapping the West

Friday, July 14, 2006

Pirates of the Caribbean on Google Earth

You have to love technology. I love the fact that you can download the "Pirates of the Caribbean" data set for Google Earth and jump around a 3-D island shaped like a Pirates Flag. Now if we can just apply this technology to a Tim Burton film we'd be onto something.

Discover Pirate Island on Google Earth

Thursday, July 13, 2006

GIS Pilot update

I have updated the site for GIS Pilot , which is the main site I have for GIS links and data. I have added to that site updates for Washington State and Wyoming.

Satellite Images and Maps of Israel

Over the course of the week, Israel has taken aggressive actions against hostile forces in the Middle East. While I was compiling maps and images for a post I found a great site with all the information I needed at the Israel Science and Technology webpage. They have a great selection of satellite images, some of which I posted below. Their maps section link up to some great maps of Israel as compared to the rest of the Middle East and some decent animated maps of Biblical nature.
Also, this site at Athaia.com has an extensive selection of Middle East maps, not just Israel. They have some high-quality scans that really show the details, which sometimes can be hard to find in online scans. Resources: Athaia Maps Israel Science & Technology Satellite Image of Sinai Desert

Israel & Egypt light up the Middle East

Space Shuttle Looks Down on Israel.

West Virginia moves into the 20th Century with 9-1-1 mapping!

Sadly, there are some states that are not quite in tune with technology. When it comes to mapping the majority of West Virginia and Kentucky, most of the state is left in a void. Many addresses still have "Route, Box #" so for anyone who's mapping or trying to find a property is up the creek. Luckily, state bodies have enacted 9-1-1 mapping rules that are slowly finding their way into the states.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Israel bombs, Materazzi attacks Zidane's Mother, & Paralyzed Man Moves Computer Mouse with Thought!

The weekends almost here but it looks gloomy for some people in the Middle East. Bombings, kidnapping, and heated actions are growing between Israel and Hamas. I put a couple of links together to help you get caught up on the affairs, as well as a few others that were rather unique.
Middle East

World Cup News:

World News

Need Geocode : How to find Census Data for an Address

FFIEC website has updated their system to make finding GeoCodes easier. We use their site on a daily basis to find census information for properties. Even though all levels of their software are not updated, mainly if you have to search for a property that doesn't come up directly, the main search is easier to use and faster than before. We used to have a lot of problems with how slow their servers used to be.

FFIEC GeoCodes

Zinedine Zidane may be stripped of the Golden Ball award because of his now infamous headbutt!

Sky News reports: Zinedine Zidane may be stripped of the Golden Ball award because of his now infamous headbutt in Sunday's World Cup final. Interesting. Also, Zidane is scheduled to go on TV and explain his side of the story.

Here's some more of the drama:

Materazzi, who was knocked to the ground by the extra-time butt to the chest, has acknowledged that he insulted Zidane -- but denied that he called him a terrorist or impugned his mother. "It was an insult of the kind you will hear dozens of times and that just slips out on the ground," Materazzi told La Gazzetta dello Sport Tuesday. However lip-readers consulted by British newspapers concluded that Materazzi called Zidane the "son of a terrorist whore." (Breitbart.com)

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Mapping Software to Transform Online Ticket-Buying

Now, this is an unusual way to apply mapping to the private sector. Adeso Technology has already began using 3D mapping software for ticket buyers looking to find their seats during purchasing. Not a bad idea. It's already in use at Tickets3D.com and it's pretty nice. Now, when I go to see Jerry Seinfeld at Caesar's in Las Vegas, I can find the best seat in the house. Actually, as long as that seat's not in the same venue as Celine Dion I'll be alright.

GIS software aids Thailand tourism

Thailand is gearing up its GIS systems for Tourists. Here's some of what's included: "... hotels, tourist attractions, restaurants, golf facilities, souvenirs, spas, car rentals, Otop centres and handicrafts. It plans to list at least 1,200 tourism related businesses in each area, and a total of 7,000 businesses in all." More at: GIS software aids tourism operators

Could Tampa Bay be the next New Orleans?

Great post out of the Florida GIS Data Blogspot by Jason Spalding. (Make sure to watch the animation of the storm surge hitting Tampa) : Could Tampa Bay be the next New Orleans?By Kevin Duffy Historically, the west coast of Florida is a frequent target for hurricanes, yet as its population exploded during the past 40 years, it escaped being hit by a major storm. Experts agree that was an anomaly — one that ended in 2004, when Hurricane Charley flirted with a Tampa Bay landfall, then slammed into Port Charlotte, about 100 miles south.

Charley's $15 billion in damage is third in the record books only to Katrina and 1992's Hurricane Andrew.Adding to Tampa Bay's vulnerability is its lack of practical experience with hurricanes. The last direct hit was in 1921, making it an event beyond the memory of all but a handful of current residents.

This animation created by the National Hurricane Center's Storm Surge Team illustrates the vulnerability of the Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater area to extreme storm surges. In the simulation, a Category 4 hurricane comes ashore near Indian Rocks Beach, north of St. Petersburg, and its counterclockwise rotation drives water from the Gulf of Mexico into the shallow bay, inundating downtown Tampa and temporarily turning much of Pinellas County, including St. Petersburg, into an island.The Palm Beach Post

The Cancer Atlas

Here's a great link for anyone looking for research data on Cancer. New Cancer Atlases are being issued with detailed data and maps on cancer. Here's a summary:
  • The International Union Against Cancer, the World Health Organization and the American Cancer Society published two new cancer atlases that provide snapshots of what cancer looks like now across the world, and how it will affect people in the future

I have included the links below. The Atlas itself is very professional and useful.

Satellite News

Not Necessarily GIS news, but dealing with equipment and space are key components of the GIS world. Two articles listed here depict issues in satellite news at the moment.
  1. NASA to use Space Age 'droid' satellites-Space expansion is tied in with technological advances and the use of droids to do repairs and work in space is gearing up.
  2. High-profile India satellite launch ends in disaster-As the cost to send satellites into space lowers, the ability for private companies to launch GIS related satellites increases. Maps on Google and Yahoo and MSN are becoming a big business as each of those companies bought out satellite imagery companies to make their own satellite mapping sites. Of course, it doesn't help if the satellite explodes before orbit.

Scheduled Blogger Outage - WWW.GISPilot.com open.

Blogger is scheduled for an outage today. I don't know how it will affect the traffic.

  • we will have an outage of 90 minutes from 4p to 4:30p 5:30p (Pacific Time) as we perform some hardware upgrades. At the beginning of this outage (the first five minutes), blogger.com will appear completely inaccessible. Following this, a status message will appear for the remainder of the 90 minute outage during which time users will be unable to update their blogs.

So, traffic should not be altered too much, but you never know. Blogger has a lot of down time recently and hopefully this will help. Make sure if you need access to the GIS Links and Blogger is not up, go to WWW.GISPILOT.COM and bookmark that site for your links. It's my other site and has a few more links in general.

www.gispilot.com

News for the day- Satellite images detect movement in North Korea and a Bomb blast in Bombay.

The use of satellite imagery during times of conflict has propelled the use of GIS to new standards. It's nothing new to use an eye in they sky, be it from a plane, satellite, or a team of secret flying squirrels with cameras. Governments constantly keep an eye on various targets and North Korea is no exception. I found this article on North Korea today, as well as a few others of interest like using Duct Tape on the Shuttle and Syd Barret of Pink Floyd died.

www.gispilot.com