Turf: Advanced geospatial analysis for browsers and node

Mapbox introduced a new javascript library for spatial analysis called Turf.js. On the "Guides to getting started" page, it claims that Turf "helps you analyze, aggregate, and transform data in order to visualize it in new ways and answer advanced questions about it."

Turf provides you with functions like calculating buffers and areas. Other common functions include aggregation, measurement, transformation, data filtering, interpolation, joining features, and classification. The detailed explanations of these functions can be found on this page.

Turf seems like a cool tool to try out if you want to provide spatial analysis functions on your webGIS applications.

Citizen science vs. MODIS on producing maps of atmospheric dust

Measurements by thousands of citizen scientists in the Netherlands using their smartphones and the iSPEX add-on are delivering accurate data on dust particles in the atmosphere that add valuable information to professional measurements. The iSPEX team, led by Frans Snik of Leiden University, analyzed all measurements from three days in 2013 and combined them into unique maps of dust particles above the Netherlands. The results match and sometimes even exceed those of ground-based measurement networks and satellite instruments. Here is the comparison of the maps produced by citizen science versus MODIS:

iSPEX map compiled from all iSPEX measurements performed in the Netherlands on July 8, 2013, between 14:00 and 21:00. Each blue dot represents one of the 6007 measurements that were submitted on that day. At each location on the map, the 50 nearest iSPEX measurements were averaged and converted to Aerosol Optical Thickness, a measure for the total amount of atmospheric particles. This map can be compared to the AOT data from the MODIS Aqua satellite, which flew over the Netherlands at 16:12 local time. The relatively high AOT values were caused by smoke clouds from forest fires in North America, which were blown over the Netherlands at an altitude of 2-4 km. In the course of the day, winds from the North brought clearer air to the northern provinces.

Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2014-10-citizen-science-network-accurate-atmospheric.html#jCp

NASA images reveal shocking scale of Aral Sea disaster

A series of satellite images from NASA’s Terra satellite, which began capturing the images in 2000, has revealed the shocking decline of water levels in the Aral Sea. 

Terra satellite image, Aug. 15, 2001. (NASA)Terra satellite image, Aug. 19, 2004. (NASA)

For fuller report on this issue, check out the NPR story.

Google Earth Browser Plugin

A union of Google Earth and Google Map took place yesterday (4/26/2010) resulting in Earth view. To be able to see the Earth view, you need to install the Google Earth browser plugin. From the LatLong Blog:

Those of you who aren’t as familiar with Google Earth might be wondering how Earth view differs from the satellite view that’s currently available in Maps. First of all, Earth view offers a true three-dimensional perspective, which lets you experience mountains in full detail, 3D buildings, and first-person dives beneath the ocean. The motion is fluid, and you can see the world from any viewpoint. Because Earth view is built right into Maps, you can switch back to cartographic view simply by clicking on the “Map” button. The view will even adjust automatically to a top-down, north-heading perspective as you transition. In essence, you now have all the best mapping tools at your fingertips, all in one place.

Today we are proud to announce the next major step in the marriage between Google Earth and Google Maps -- Earth view.

Smarter Suggest Feature for Google Maps

I tried out the smarter Suggest feature for Google Maps using my home address with mixed feelings. Because the search box is so responsive, some of the suggestions seemed very random as I typed my address. It also gave a list of shops and services, which made me wonder if this was more of an advertising scheme. Why don't you go ahead and try it out and see how you like it? Go to the same ole Google map address: maps.google.com.

The Suggest feature for Google Maps helps you find what you want faster and more accurately by showing search suggestions for the most relevant places, businesses and points of interest as you type. We experimentally launched suggest for Google Maps in Germany, China, Hong Kong and Taiwan a while ago. Since then, we’ve been working hard to improve the quality and coverage.

So from today we’re making the feature available on 10 more domains and in 8 additional languages, including English and on maps.google.com for the first time.

from Google LatLong Blog

The volunteer mappers who helped Haiti

Using an image slideshow, BBC News tells the story of how volunteer mappers used OpenStreetMap, an open source mapping platform, to construct a detailed map of Port au Prince in Haiti with layers of geographic information. The geographic information was accessed and used by the rescue personel on the ground. This short slideshow highlights the importance of PPGIS/webGIS, mobile GIS, open source/platform, crowdsourcing, and public participation in a critical situation like the rescue effort in Haiti.

To view the slideshow, please click here.

Maps + Compass

In iPhone OS 3.0, a digital compass will be provisioned, which could potentially add more helpful features to the existing Google Map application. Already, the soon-to-released OakMapper Mobile is taking advantage the open API for Google Map in iPhone SDK 3.0beta to create an application that allow iPhone users to view and report SODs on their iPhones. I believe that the future iteration of the OakMapper Mobile application can take advantage the built-in compass to re-trace the reported SODs.

 

iPhone SDK 3.0 Previewed

Among all the cool things that you can do with the new iPhone SDK (Software Development Kit) and OS 3.0, I am particularly excited about the release of the Google Map API in the SDK. This will help with webGIS mobile development on iPhone. Check out other features at the iPhone development site. I can't wait to work with the Map Kit framework. I hope it will provide the ability to create markers.

I Am Here: One Man’s Experiment With the Location-Aware Lifestyle

Matthew Honan's I Am Here: One Man's Experiment With the Location-Aware Lifestyle article in the Wired Magazine details his experiment with geo applications on his location-equipped mobile devices (iPhone and Android):

I wanted to know more about this new frontier, so I became a geo-guinea pig. My plan: Load every cool and interesting location-aware program I could find onto my iPhone and use them as often as possible.

From this experience, he highlights some of the social and security issues that confronts a person who is very "geo-online." The article has references to various geo-applications for the web and mobile devices. It's a good reference article in the proliferation of geo-applications.

State of the GeoWeb

Since Google first presented a snapshot of the geoweb at last year’s Where 2.0, it has considerably evolved: more Geo data is published on the web, KML was accepted as an OGC standard and is adopted by a growing number of tools. Join John Hanke, Director of Google Earth & Maps to hear the latest on the evolution of the Geoweb and Google’s effort to organize it and make it universally accessible and useful. In this video from the O’Reilly 2008 Where 2.0 conference, John Hanke demonstrates the latest in Google geo development with Jack Dangemond of ESRI.