Cloud based computing is currently taking over systems ranging from email to word processing and graphics packages with a number of big players offering Cloud based services. It is a logical leap to take the concept of social networks and virtual environments along the lines of Second Life and move the processing to a remote server farm. Logical it maybe but technically we are amazed and to be honest more than a little skeptical.

There is a lot of hype on this one, the original movie was pulled and then rehosted by Tech Crunch. Regardless of the authoritativeness of the movie any ability to render graphics in The Cloud is something to undoubtedly look forward to, especially if those city graphics are real…

Thanks go to Sean for the heads up on the post over at Tech Crunch.

The post LivePlace: Cities in The Cloud – Remote Rendering appeared first on Digital Urban.

Cloud based computing is currently taking over systems ranging from email to word processing and graphics packages with a number of big players offering Cloud based services. It is a logical leap to take the concept of social networks and virtual environments along the lines of Second Life and move the processing to a remote server farm. Logical it maybe but technically we are amazed and to be honest more than a little skeptical.

There is a lot of hype on this one, the original movie was pulled and then rehosted by Tech Crunch. Regardless of the authoritativeness of the movie any ability to render graphics in The Cloud is something to undoubtedly look forward to, especially if those city graphics are real…

Thanks go to Sean for the heads up on the post over at Tech Crunch.

The post LivePlace: Cities in The Cloud – Remote Rendering appeared first on Digital Urban.

In this paper we outline and provide working examples a suite of tools which are detailed below, aimed at developing new applications of GIS and related technologies. GeoVUE is one of seven nodes in the National Centre for e-Social Science whose mission it is to develop web-based technologies for the social and geographical sciences. The Node, based at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London has developed a suite of free software allowing quick and easy visualisation of geographic data in systems such as Google Maps, Google Earth, Crysis and Second Life.

These tools address two issues, firstly that spatial data is still inherently difficult to share and visualise for the non-GIS trained academic or professional and secondly that a geographic data social network has the potential to dramatically open up data sources for both the public and professional geographer.

With our applications of GMap Creator, and MapTube to name but two, we detail ways to intelligently visualise and share spatial data. This paper concludes with detailing usage and outreach as well as an insight into how such tools are already providing a significant impact to the outreach of geographic information.

Such tools open up a cornucopia of possibilities for the world of GI Science, especially for geovisualisation and it is high time to embrace the Neogeographer, the data and perhaps more importantly the services they are creating.

Welcome to the new world of geographic information.

Authored by Dr Andrew Hudson-Smith (Digital Urban) and Dr Andrew Crooks (gisagents.blogspot.com)

You can download the full paper The Renaissance of Geographic Information: Neogeography, Gaming and Second Life in .pdf format (9.8Mb).

The post The Renaissance of Geographic Information: Neogeography, Gaming and Second Life: Working Paper 142 appeared first on Digital Urban.

A hype cycle in Gartner’s interpretation comprises 5 steps:

1. “Technology Trigger” — The first phase of a hype cycle is the “technology trigger” or breakthrough, product launch or other event that generates significant press and interest.
2. “Peak of Inflated Expectations” — In the next phase, a frenzy of publicity typically generates over-enthusiasm and unrealistic expectations. There may be some successful applications of a technology, but there are typically more failures.
3. “Trough of Disillusionment” — Technologies enter the “trough of disillusionment” because they fail to meet expectations and quickly become unfashionable. Consequently, the press usually abandons the topic and the technology.
4. “Slope of Enlightenment” — Although the press may have stopped covering the technology, some businesses continue through the “slope of enlightenment” and experiment to understand the benefits and practical application of the technology.
5. “Plateau of Productivity” — A technology reaches the “plateau of productivity” as the benefits of it become widely demonstrated and accepted. The technology becomes increasingly stable and evolves in second and third generations. The final height of the plateau varies according to whether the technology is broadly applicable or benefits only a niche market. (see Wikipedia for more info)

In terms of e-Social Science the Grid is yet to deliver compared to the hype, personally at CASA we have moved away from Grid based services, time will tell if the Grid can reach a Plateau of Productivity?

Perhaps the key to the Grids move down the cycle is its complexity for the end user, especially compared to Cloud Computing. The consumer wave is heading towards the Cloud as it is service based, Grid Computing is still over complex and perhaps it has lost the perspective of the end user…

The post Grid Computing: Waves of Hype and Disillusionment appeared first on Digital Urban.

Devices such as the iPhone are also of interest due to their lack of GPS, compared to say the Nokia N95. The question arises for urban use if a GPS is actually necessary, in the 4 minute wait that is the N95 trying to get a satellite fix we can simply look up at a street sign and type in it, the Google Maps app will then find our location and plot a path to our destination. Sure you don’t have that reassuring ‘you are here’ mark as you walk around but you also don’t have the problem of lost satellites and drained battery power.

So in short we feel truly connected for the first time using a device that also allows us to play our albums, watch that BBC show we recorded the night before and all while sitting on the 134 from Camden Town. This is a good thing but to be honest its not enough, although connected to the world via a web browser we feel strangely disconnected from the city itself.

This lack of connection to the city around us is disconcerting, where are the hotspots in shops offering details on the goods in-store or the latest offers? Why at the bus stop can’t we access a feed detailing the time before the ride is due? Why when entering a department store is it not possible to download a floor plan and check the stock, or finally, when viewing a planning permission on the lamp post why are we unable to pull up an augmented view of the site as planned along with a comment form. The questions are endless and ultimately the conclusion is that we are merely at the start of a connected city.

The problem is not of course WiFi coverage, most large urban areas have their own providers with costs increasingly being kept down by a crowded market. At the moment perhaps it is a lack of foresight on the retailer’s part or a lack of demand. Of note is Apple’s free Internet access in their stores, this should be celebrated but in reality results in users popping in to check their email or their bid status on eBay.

At the heart of the argument is the desire for information, to be part of a wired society and to feel connected to the city not only on social and retail level but also architecturally. We want to be able to walk past listed buildings and to tap into local information existing at that location. It comes down to not connecting to the globe or even connecting to information via RFID tags or Bluetooth but local clouds of information.

Local Clouds would provide local services accessible within a small radius around specific points, with tailor made information this would finally allow us to connect to the city at a street level….

Written while waiting to be called into court, currently away from the office and the blog on Jury Service.

The post Connected to the World but not to the City – The Local Cloud appeared first on Digital Urban.

Devices such as the iPhone are also of interest due to their lack of GPS, compared to say the Nokia N95. The question arises for urban use if a GPS is actually necessary, in the 4 minute wait that is the N95 trying to get a satellite fix we can simply look up at a street sign and type in it, the Google Maps app will then find our location and plot a path to our destination. Sure you don’t have that reassuring ‘you are here’ mark as you walk around but you also don’t have the problem of lost satellites and drained battery power.

So in short we feel truly connected for the first time using a device that also allows us to play our albums, watch that BBC show we recorded the night before and all while sitting on the 134 from Camden Town. This is a good thing but to be honest its not enough, although connected to the world via a web browser we feel strangely disconnected from the city itself.

This lack of connection to the city around us is disconcerting, where are the hotspots in shops offering details on the goods in-store or the latest offers? Why at the bus stop can’t we access a feed detailing the time before the ride is due? Why when entering a department store is it not possible to download a floor plan and check the stock, or finally, when viewing a planning permission on the lamp post why are we unable to pull up an augmented view of the site as planned along with a comment form. The questions are endless and ultimately the conclusion is that we are merely at the start of a connected city.

The problem is not of course WiFi coverage, most large urban areas have their own providers with costs increasingly being kept down by a crowded market. At the moment perhaps it is a lack of foresight on the retailer’s part or a lack of demand. Of note is Apple’s free Internet access in their stores, this should be celebrated but in reality results in users popping in to check their email or their bid status on eBay.

At the heart of the argument is the desire for information, to be part of a wired society and to feel connected to the city not only on social and retail level but also architecturally. We want to be able to walk past listed buildings and to tap into local information existing at that location. It comes down to not connecting to the globe or even connecting to information via RFID tags or Bluetooth but local clouds of information.

Local Clouds would provide local services accessible within a small radius around specific points, with tailor made information this would finally allow us to connect to the city at a street level….

Written while waiting to be called into court, currently away from the office and the blog on Jury Service.

The post Connected to the World but not to the City – The Local Cloud appeared first on Digital Urban.