google maps Archives - Digital Urban https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/category/google-maps/ Data, Cities, IoT, Writing, Music and Making Things Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:05:00 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 https://www.digitalurban.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Dulogosm-1.png google maps Archives - Digital Urban https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/category/google-maps/ 32 32 Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping: JISC Report https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/09/07/data-mash-ups-and-future-of-mapping/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/09/07/data-mash-ups-and-future-of-mapping/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:05:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=935 Over the past few months we have been working with colleagues here at CASA, University College London and at the University of Nottingham, in association with the Joint Information Systems...

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]]> Over the past few months we have been working with colleagues here at CASA, University College London and at the University of Nottingham, in association with the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) to write a report on Data mash-ups and the future of mapping. We are pleased to say the report has just been released and is available to download.

Report by Suchith Anand, Michael Batty, Andrew Crooks, Andrew Hudson-Smith, Mike Jackson, Richard Milton, Jeremy Morley

Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping
Executive Summary
The term ‘mash-up’ refers to websites that weave data from different sources into new Web services. The key to a successful Web service is to gather and use large datasets and harness the scale of the Internet through what is known as network effects. This means that data sources are just as important as the software that ‘mashes’ them, and one of the most profound pieces of data that a user has at any one time is his or her location. In the past this was a somewhat fuzzy concept, perhaps as vague as a verbal reference to being in a particular shop or café or an actual street address. Recent events, however, have changed this. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton’s policy decision to open up military GPS satellite technology for ‘dual-use’ (military and civilian) resulted in a whole new generation of location-aware devices.Around the same time, cartography and GIScience were also undergoing dramatic, Internet-induced changes.
Traditional, resource intensive processes and established organizations, in both the public and private sectors, were being challenged by new, lightweight methods. The upshot has been that map making, geospatial analysis and related activities are undergoing a process of profound change. New players have entered established markets and disrupted routes to knowledge and, as we have already seen with Web 2.0, newly empowered amateurs are part of these processes. Volunteers are quite literally grabbing a GPS unit and hitting the streets of their local town to help create crowdsourced datasets that are uploaded to both open source and proprietary databases.
The upshot is an evolving landscape which Tim O’Reilly, proponent of Web 2.0 and always ready with a handy moniker, has labelled Where 2.0. Others prefer the GeoWeb, Spatial Data Infrastructure, Location Infrastructure, or perhaps just location based services. Whatever one might call it, there are a number of reasons why its development should be of interest to those in higher and further education. Firstly, since a person’s location is such a profound unit of information and of such value to, for example, the process of targeting advertising, there has been considerable investment in Web 2.0-style services that make use of it. Understanding these developments may provide useful insights for how other forms of data might be used. Secondly, education, particularly research, is beginning to realize the huge potential of the data mash-up concept. As Government, too, begins to get involved, it is likely that education will be expected to take advantage of, and indeed come to relish, the new opportunities for working with data.
This TechWatch report describes the context for the changes that are taking place and explains why the education community needs to understand the issues around how to open up data, how to create mash-ups that do not compromise accuracy and quality and how to deal with issues such as privacy and working with commercial and non-profit third parties. It also shows how data mash-ups in education and research are part of an emerging, richer information environment with greater integration of mobile applications, sensor platforms, e-science, mixed reality, and semantic, machine-computable data and speculates on how this is likely to develop in the future.
There are two versions for download: the first is an optimised version (900Kb) and the second is the one with full resolution graphics (14Mb)

The post Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping: JISC Report appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/09/07/data-mash-ups-and-future-of-mapping/feed/ 1 Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping: JISC Report https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/09/07/data-mash-ups-and-future-of-mapping/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/09/07/data-mash-ups-and-future-of-mapping/#comments Tue, 07 Sep 2010 10:05:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=935 Over the past few months we have been working with colleagues here at CASA, University College London and at the University of Nottingham, in association with the Joint Information Systems...

The post Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping: JISC Report appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> Over the past few months we have been working with colleagues here at CASA, University College London and at the University of Nottingham, in association with the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) to write a report on Data mash-ups and the future of mapping. We are pleased to say the report has just been released and is available to download.

Report by Suchith Anand, Michael Batty, Andrew Crooks, Andrew Hudson-Smith, Mike Jackson, Richard Milton, Jeremy Morley

Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping
Executive Summary
The term ‘mash-up’ refers to websites that weave data from different sources into new Web services. The key to a successful Web service is to gather and use large datasets and harness the scale of the Internet through what is known as network effects. This means that data sources are just as important as the software that ‘mashes’ them, and one of the most profound pieces of data that a user has at any one time is his or her location. In the past this was a somewhat fuzzy concept, perhaps as vague as a verbal reference to being in a particular shop or café or an actual street address. Recent events, however, have changed this. In the 1990s, President Bill Clinton’s policy decision to open up military GPS satellite technology for ‘dual-use’ (military and civilian) resulted in a whole new generation of location-aware devices.Around the same time, cartography and GIScience were also undergoing dramatic, Internet-induced changes.
Traditional, resource intensive processes and established organizations, in both the public and private sectors, were being challenged by new, lightweight methods. The upshot has been that map making, geospatial analysis and related activities are undergoing a process of profound change. New players have entered established markets and disrupted routes to knowledge and, as we have already seen with Web 2.0, newly empowered amateurs are part of these processes. Volunteers are quite literally grabbing a GPS unit and hitting the streets of their local town to help create crowdsourced datasets that are uploaded to both open source and proprietary databases.
The upshot is an evolving landscape which Tim O’Reilly, proponent of Web 2.0 and always ready with a handy moniker, has labelled Where 2.0. Others prefer the GeoWeb, Spatial Data Infrastructure, Location Infrastructure, or perhaps just location based services. Whatever one might call it, there are a number of reasons why its development should be of interest to those in higher and further education. Firstly, since a person’s location is such a profound unit of information and of such value to, for example, the process of targeting advertising, there has been considerable investment in Web 2.0-style services that make use of it. Understanding these developments may provide useful insights for how other forms of data might be used. Secondly, education, particularly research, is beginning to realize the huge potential of the data mash-up concept. As Government, too, begins to get involved, it is likely that education will be expected to take advantage of, and indeed come to relish, the new opportunities for working with data.
This TechWatch report describes the context for the changes that are taking place and explains why the education community needs to understand the issues around how to open up data, how to create mash-ups that do not compromise accuracy and quality and how to deal with issues such as privacy and working with commercial and non-profit third parties. It also shows how data mash-ups in education and research are part of an emerging, richer information environment with greater integration of mobile applications, sensor platforms, e-science, mixed reality, and semantic, machine-computable data and speculates on how this is likely to develop in the future.
There are two versions for download: the first is an optimised version (900Kb) and the second is the one with full resolution graphics (14Mb)

The post Data Mash-Ups and the Future of Mapping: JISC Report appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/09/07/data-mash-ups-and-future-of-mapping/feed/ 1 MILF Mapping Service: Not What You May Think https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/23/milf-mapping-service-not-what-you-may/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/23/milf-mapping-service-not-what-you-may/#comments Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:07:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=954 In these days of global projects a good acronym is crucial, of course picking the right one can be tricky as terms and sayings cross global boundaries. We are not...

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]]> In these days of global projects a good acronym is crucial, of course picking the right one can be tricky as terms and sayings cross global boundaries. We are not going to say anything here but welcome to MILF Mapping: Missing Items Location Finder a new mapping service for missing items from Gowalla collections.


Gowalla MILF to find spots around you which contain any of these items. Just connect with your Gowalla username, and you’re good to go.

I guess their hits will be quite high, but not sure how long the visitors will stay around for….

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]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/23/milf-mapping-service-not-what-you-may/feed/ 1 Spark of Genius Series: TalesofThings QR Codes and Life Logging https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/18/spark-of-genius-series-talesofthings-qr-2/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/18/spark-of-genius-series-talesofthings-qr-2/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:07:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=955 We are proud to of just been featured on Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Below...

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]]>

We are proud to of just been featured on Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Below we give full details of TalesofThings, how you can start ‘life logging’ your stuff and how you can tag architecture and make buildings tweet.

Quick Pitch: Adding memories and stories to objects and places via the Internet of Things and read/write QR codes.
Genius Idea: The Internet of Things is a growing trend; the term defines the idea of objects that are tagged, web-connected and endowed with the ability to relay data. This startup is all about the Internet of Things; in fact, it helps ordinary people add objects to the Internet of Things with just a few simple tools, such as a smartphone and a printer.
Tales of Things has developed read/write QR codes that helps preserve memories that people have attached to objects or places. Once an object is labeled with a scannable QR code, its movements can be tracked, as well as any subsequent stories. Each object has the ability to tweet when its memories are scanned, as well.
All the user has to do is photograph the object or place to be tagged, write a few words or upload a video about it, print out a site-generated QR code and affix the code to the item or at the place. From that point forward, the place or thing can be tracked through TalesofThings.com.Think of the site as an “antique roadshow of the future.”

Every object in existence can be tagged with any media, linked to tell a story, to recount its memories in a read/write environment and tweet when its interacted with.
Its a concept that takes a bit of time to take in, for example a wall in Camden Town, London, tweeted me last week when someone replayed its memories of having a Banksy painted on it. That wall is part of the Internet of Things via our free printed qrcodes.
The best part is, its incredibly easy to add objects. You simply sign up at talesofthings.com and then take click on ‘add a thing’. This takes you to a form where you give your object a name, for a example ‘Andy’s Mug’ or ‘BBC Broadcasting House’ are some of things we have added so far. You then type in a short story, or tale, linked to that object and upload a photograph to the site.

Everything has a location so we are creating a ‘Geography of Everything’, a brave claim perhaps but one that develops a new a new kind of geography, the geography of things. Simply click on the map to set a location, your object will now become part of the ‘World of Things‘ map.

Thats it, your object will now become part of the Internet of Things and will be able to tweet, have new stories/tales added as its passed on, sold or interacted with. It is all part of a Social Web of Things or SWOT as its known.

Each thing created gets assigned a unique ‘qrcode’ which can be attached to your object. For example, we have attached a qrcode to our office here in CASA which visitors scan using our free iPhone app. This ‘virtual guest book’ allows our office to recall the story of CASA and the people that pass through our doors. You can print out your codes via the site and attach them to anything.

Any media can be added to you object, the clip below provides a glimpse of the system running via our recent link up with Oxfam via Future Everything, complete with the iPhone RFID reader:


We have recently pushed an update that introduces ‘groups’ so all objects of interest can be viewed in one place. As all things urban are close to our heart, one of the first groups is ‘Architecture’ and we would like you to add your own building with a story.

Its simple to do, just sign up, upload a image of your building of choice (under 2mb) and add a story. Your building will then go live and your be able to add it to the architecture group. If you want you can also print out a QRCode that you can stick to the building allowing anyone to scan the code and add to the story/history of the building via the free iPhone/Android apps.
Your building will also be able to ‘Tweet’ everytime it is scanned or a new comment/story added, it will also become part of the ‘World of Things’ map – a place to view all the objects added so far to the site.

We are working on ways to make the objects more location aware and aware of near by objects, it could be interesting over the next few months to see how this develops. We look forward to seeing some of your buildings on the site and will sort out some sort of prize for the best stories…
Finally TalesofThings.com allows any object to be given its own webpage and ability to tweet, i.e. it allows any ‘thing’ to become connected. As such we have built an ‘Arduino Thing’ that welcomes all new objects joining the Internet of Things with a ‘Hi’ in Morse Code – the movie below reveals all:

Every time anyone adds an object to talesofthings our unit starts its morse code welcome, in a small way its a step towards things talking to things. Sure its not Skynet, an artificially intelligent system which became self-aware and revolted against its creators but we are working on our own protocols behind the scenes to take this further so all the objects are aware of the other objects.

You can start tagging anything and everything via talesofthings.com

The post Spark of Genius Series: TalesofThings QR Codes and Life Logging appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/18/spark-of-genius-series-talesofthings-qr-2/feed/ 2 Spark of Genius Series: TalesofThings QR Codes and Life Logging https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/18/spark-of-genius-series-talesofthings-qr/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/18/spark-of-genius-series-talesofthings-qr/#comments Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:07:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=955 We are proud to of just been featured on Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Below...

The post Spark of Genius Series: TalesofThings QR Codes and Life Logging appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]>

We are proud to of just been featured on Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Below we give full details of TalesofThings, how you can start ‘life logging’ your stuff and how you can tag architecture and make buildings tweet.

Quick Pitch: Adding memories and stories to objects and places via the Internet of Things and read/write QR codes.
Genius Idea: The Internet of Things is a growing trend; the term defines the idea of objects that are tagged, web-connected and endowed with the ability to relay data. This startup is all about the Internet of Things; in fact, it helps ordinary people add objects to the Internet of Things with just a few simple tools, such as a smartphone and a printer.
Tales of Things has developed read/write QR codes that helps preserve memories that people have attached to objects or places. Once an object is labeled with a scannable QR code, its movements can be tracked, as well as any subsequent stories. Each object has the ability to tweet when its memories are scanned, as well.
All the user has to do is photograph the object or place to be tagged, write a few words or upload a video about it, print out a site-generated QR code and affix the code to the item or at the place. From that point forward, the place or thing can be tracked through TalesofThings.com.Think of the site as an “antique roadshow of the future.”

Every object in existence can be tagged with any media, linked to tell a story, to recount its memories in a read/write environment and tweet when its interacted with.
Its a concept that takes a bit of time to take in, for example a wall in Camden Town, London, tweeted me last week when someone replayed its memories of having a Banksy painted on it. That wall is part of the Internet of Things via our free printed qrcodes.
The best part is, its incredibly easy to add objects. You simply sign up at talesofthings.com and then take click on ‘add a thing’. This takes you to a form where you give your object a name, for a example ‘Andy’s Mug’ or ‘BBC Broadcasting House’ are some of things we have added so far. You then type in a short story, or tale, linked to that object and upload a photograph to the site.

Everything has a location so we are creating a ‘Geography of Everything’, a brave claim perhaps but one that develops a new a new kind of geography, the geography of things. Simply click on the map to set a location, your object will now become part of the ‘World of Things‘ map.

Thats it, your object will now become part of the Internet of Things and will be able to tweet, have new stories/tales added as its passed on, sold or interacted with. It is all part of a Social Web of Things or SWOT as its known.

Each thing created gets assigned a unique ‘qrcode’ which can be attached to your object. For example, we have attached a qrcode to our office here in CASA which visitors scan using our free iPhone app. This ‘virtual guest book’ allows our office to recall the story of CASA and the people that pass through our doors. You can print out your codes via the site and attach them to anything.

Any media can be added to you object, the clip below provides a glimpse of the system running via our recent link up with Oxfam via Future Everything, complete with the iPhone RFID reader:


We have recently pushed an update that introduces ‘groups’ so all objects of interest can be viewed in one place. As all things urban are close to our heart, one of the first groups is ‘Architecture’ and we would like you to add your own building with a story.

Its simple to do, just sign up, upload a image of your building of choice (under 2mb) and add a story. Your building will then go live and your be able to add it to the architecture group. If you want you can also print out a QRCode that you can stick to the building allowing anyone to scan the code and add to the story/history of the building via the free iPhone/Android apps.
Your building will also be able to ‘Tweet’ everytime it is scanned or a new comment/story added, it will also become part of the ‘World of Things’ map – a place to view all the objects added so far to the site.

We are working on ways to make the objects more location aware and aware of near by objects, it could be interesting over the next few months to see how this develops. We look forward to seeing some of your buildings on the site and will sort out some sort of prize for the best stories…
Finally TalesofThings.com allows any object to be given its own webpage and ability to tweet, i.e. it allows any ‘thing’ to become connected. As such we have built an ‘Arduino Thing’ that welcomes all new objects joining the Internet of Things with a ‘Hi’ in Morse Code – the movie below reveals all:

Every time anyone adds an object to talesofthings our unit starts its morse code welcome, in a small way its a step towards things talking to things. Sure its not Skynet, an artificially intelligent system which became self-aware and revolted against its creators but we are working on our own protocols behind the scenes to take this further so all the objects are aware of the other objects.

You can start tagging anything and everything via talesofthings.com

The post Spark of Genius Series: TalesofThings QR Codes and Life Logging appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/18/spark-of-genius-series-talesofthings-qr/feed/ 2 iPhone App: Walking Through Time – Edinburgh Edition https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/02/iphone-app-walking-through-time-2/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/02/iphone-app-walking-through-time-2/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:58:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=973 Walking Through Time is a SatNav for historical maps: A phone app that combines GPS technology with old maps to allow users to walk through time. The Map set is...

The post iPhone App: Walking Through Time – Edinburgh Edition appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> Walking Through Time is a SatNav for historical maps: A phone app that combines GPS technology with old maps to allow users to walk through time. The Map set is for central Edinburgh and allows the user to see a variety of Historic maps from 1740 to 1960. The application also comes with a set of narrated walking tours from the Edinburgh College of Art and Edinburgh.

Its a great concept, the movie below provides more details:


We hope to see more cities become available over the coming months, get in touch with Chris Speed from the Edinburgh College of Art for more details.

You can download the free app from iTunes.

The post iPhone App: Walking Through Time – Edinburgh Edition appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/02/iphone-app-walking-through-time-2/feed/ 1 iPhone App: Walking Through Time – Edinburgh Edition https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/02/iphone-app-walking-through-time/ https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/02/iphone-app-walking-through-time/#comments Mon, 02 Aug 2010 09:58:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=973 Walking Through Time is a SatNav for historical maps: A phone app that combines GPS technology with old maps to allow users to walk through time. The Map set is...

The post iPhone App: Walking Through Time – Edinburgh Edition appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> Walking Through Time is a SatNav for historical maps: A phone app that combines GPS technology with old maps to allow users to walk through time. The Map set is for central Edinburgh and allows the user to see a variety of Historic maps from 1740 to 1960. The application also comes with a set of narrated walking tours from the Edinburgh College of Art and Edinburgh.

Its a great concept, the movie below provides more details:


We hope to see more cities become available over the coming months, get in touch with Chris Speed from the Edinburgh College of Art for more details.

You can download the free app from iTunes.

The post iPhone App: Walking Through Time – Edinburgh Edition appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/08/02/iphone-app-walking-through-time/feed/ 1 SurveyMapper Trailer: Survey the World a Nation, City or Town https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/07/15/surveymapper-trailer-survey-world-2/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:23:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=981 Last week we announced that the beta release of SurveyMapper, our free real-time geographic survey and polling tool is now live. As is traditional with our roll-outs it now has...

The post SurveyMapper Trailer: Survey the World a Nation, City or Town appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> Last week we announced that the beta release of SurveyMapper, our free real-time geographic survey and polling tool is now live. As is traditional with our roll-outs it now has its own 55 second trailer:

If you have used other ‘polling sites’ then you will be up to speed, except we have taken away the restrictions and added real-time mapping into the mix. Simply sign up (its free) and then your be able to create your own survey. Currently we have four levels of survey available – Worldwide, based on countries, European Countries and UK Counties/Authorities and Postcode.

Head over to SurveyMapper.com to create your own survey or answer the surveys already running.

The post SurveyMapper Trailer: Survey the World a Nation, City or Town appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> SurveyMapper Trailer: Survey the World a Nation, City or Town https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/07/15/surveymapper-trailer-survey-world/ Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:23:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=981 Last week we announced that the beta release of SurveyMapper, our free real-time geographic survey and polling tool is now live. As is traditional with our roll-outs it now has...

The post SurveyMapper Trailer: Survey the World a Nation, City or Town appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> Last week we announced that the beta release of SurveyMapper, our free real-time geographic survey and polling tool is now live. As is traditional with our roll-outs it now has its own 55 second trailer:

If you have used other ‘polling sites’ then you will be up to speed, except we have taken away the restrictions and added real-time mapping into the mix. Simply sign up (its free) and then your be able to create your own survey. Currently we have four levels of survey available – Worldwide, based on countries, European Countries and UK Counties/Authorities and Postcode.

Head over to SurveyMapper.com to create your own survey or answer the surveys already running.

The post SurveyMapper Trailer: Survey the World a Nation, City or Town appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> SurveyMapper: The First Surveys https://www.digitalurban.org/blog/2010/07/12/surveymapper-first-surveys/ Mon, 12 Jul 2010 12:44:00 +0000 http://digitalurban.net/?p=988 The end of last week we were pleased to announce that the beta release of SurveyMapper, a free real-time geographic survey and polling tool from the nice people at the...

The post SurveyMapper: The First Surveys appeared first on Digital Urban.

]]> The end of last week we were pleased to announce that the beta release of SurveyMapper, a free real-time geographic survey and polling tool from the nice people at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London, had just gone live…

Now we have the first surveys set up by the early adopters, including:

Is Britain becoming a Police State? (its a controversial start…) (take part)

How Many Hours a Week do you Work? (take part)

The Future of Twickenham (take part)

The Beasts of Scotland (take part)


To take part or create your own survey head over to SurveyMapper.com

Keep up with the SurveyMapper twitter feed for news on the beta release, new features such as blog embedding and integration with our now infamous Tweet-o-Meter and New Cityscapes via Twitter Maps.

You can of course also follow us direct on Twitter @digitalurban.

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]]>