Year-end comments on self-location technology and privacy

As many in recent academic papers have pointed out (e.g. Sarah Ellwood, Jerry Dobson, Michael Goodchild) we seem, for a number of reasons, to be increasingly comfortable disclosing our location by "opting in" to technology that in addition to being very useful, also allows our surveillance. I am not talking Lucy Milligan-style gps necklaces here, but more common fare: gps-enabled cell phones, street view, cctv cameras and the like.  These technologies and our use of them might be changing our notions of our “reasonable expectations of privacy”. It is perhaps no coincidence that in this season for the media to summarize the year's news, there have been many interesting examples focusing on the interface between privacy and geo-location. Consider these:

• NPR's recent Science Friday show "Data Mining Spurs Innovation, Threatens Privacy."
  • The guests, including Deborah Estrin at UCLA's Center for Embedded Network System, discuss many examples of mining volunteered geographic information, some with social benefits, such as the Google Flu Tracker and the whatsinvasive.com application, and more personally invasive examples, such as the subpeonability of data from location enabled cell phones.  As they point out the laws governing subpeona were developed in a different era, with far less available data.

• Along those lines is the much posted recent revelation that Sprint has so far filled over 8 million requests from law enforcement for customer GPS data. Posted at Engaget and elsewhere.

Welcome to 2010, another exciting year in mapping technology no doubt.

Happy Holidays 2009! Map-related gift ideas for the economic recovery

Just in time for the holidays: a round-up of cool map-themed gifts and chotchkies for the house... when the economy recovers.

First, the incomperably beautiful (and justifiably pricey) map butterflies from image surgery. These ethereal beauties would look great on any wall. Check out this specimen at left.

A more solid but no less beautiful option is the customizable fruit bowl (or brooch, or table, or clock - is there no end to their creativity?) from FluidForm. You can pick your area from a google maps interface (multilple scales supported!), and they will create a one-of-a-kind 3-D bowl using computer-controlled router dealie. Just don't pick an island or your fruit will roll away.  Very cool. 

While technically not for sale, we can't omit the proliferation of wildly inventive and gorgeous examples of map art (some displayed here at inventorspot.com - look at this carto-fabulous ball gown!). 

And finally... If only this beaute was available: the 1920s-era proto-gps watch, complete with tiny scrollable paper maps printed on individual canisters of rolled paper. Look at those little tiny road maps. From Portable Content.

Local Code : Real Estates - GIS and environmental design

Check out this great video that was produced by Nicholas de Monchaux, Assistant Professor of Architecture here at UC Berkeley!  Nicholas and his team have been working with the GIF over the last two years to explore the connections between geospatial technology and archtectural design, and to train architecture students in GIS applications. 

This video does a great job of highlighting the innovative approach they are taking.  It is a finalist in the WPA 2.0 competition sponsored by UCLA Citylab.

Their project description:

Local Code : Real Estates uses geospatial analysis to identify thousands of publicly owned abandoned sites in major US cities, imagining this distributed, vacant landscape as a new urban system. Using parametric design, a landscape proposal for each site is tailored to local conditions, optimizing thermal and hydrological performance to enhance the whole city’s ecology—and relieving burdens on existing infrastructure. Local Code’s quantifiable effects on energy usage and stormwater remediation eradicate the need for more expensive, yet invisible, sewer and electrical upgrades. In addition, the project uses citizen participation to conceive a new, more public infrastructure as well —a robust network of urban greenways with tangible benefits to the health and safety of every citizen.

geospatial IT specialist needed @ UC Berkeley

The Geospatial Innovation Facility (GIF) at UC Berkeley is seeking a full-time Computer Resource Specialist (CRS II), who has experience in both IT/server support and geospatial programming including ArcGIS Server and Google Maps API development.

The GIF supports research and outreach activities of users interested in geospatial analysis utilizing GIS, GPS, spatial analysis, remote sensing, 3D visualization, and webGIS. We serve the geospatial needs of UC students, faculty, and staff. In addition, the GIF reaches out to K-12 youth groups and the general public.

The GIF Geospatial IT specialist will gain and share experience in the newest geospatial software and technology available on the market today, including state-of-the-art techniques (e.g. object-based image analysis and remote sensing) and software (e.g. open-source GIS and webGIS applications) used in natural resource and social science research.

For more information, see this page. Note, You MUST apply for this job via UC Berkeley’s Jobs Website. Job ID: 10328.

The map that changed the world goes digital

Ancient volcanic rock under EdinburghFor those of you who devoured Simon Winchester's "The Map that Changed the World" about geologist William Smith's journey to create the first geologic map of England and Wales, the first geologic map in the world, this news will please you. (Smith published the 10' x 16' map in 1815. His pivotal insights were that each local outcrop of rock strata was a portion of a single universal sequence of strata and that these rock strata could be distinguished, followed for great distances, and their relative date ascertained by means of imbedded fossilized organisms. His work kick-started the science of geology, and contributed to the theory of evolution. Modified from Wikipedia.)

Now, as the BBC reports, the British Geological Survey's (BGS) has released their new OpenGeoscience portal, which allows the public to study all the UK's geology via a variety of webGIS formats (e.g. Google, and ArcServer). There is a viewer for bedrock geology and the overlying superficial deposits, and another for more geological layers — artificial ground, faults, mass movements, etc.

Worker at Pitlochry depot, Perthshire, processing Scottish mica.In a companion effort, the BGS is also releasing images from their historic image archive: 50,000 images are searchable and usable for non-commercial purposes. These images include lovely photography of some of Britain's icons of geology, but also includes image from 100 years ago of miners, explorers, and early 20th century industry.

Reproduced with the permission of the British Geological Survey ©NERC. All rights Reserved

Bing Maps adds new enhanced features

Bing Maps, Microsoft's online mapping application, has just launched a big update in Bing Maps Beta with lots of cool new features.  As you will see, the new maps site requires the installation of "silverlight" which you will be prompted to install, but it can be used in most ie, firefox, or safari browsers. 

Though there are many new features, be sure to check out the "Streetside" viewer, Microsoft's answer to Google's Street view.  Streetside takes a similar aproach in displaying photos along streets, but also takes advantage of the building surfaces for 3D viewing.



Whither UC?

From the NY Times, Data from UC.

The NYTimes has an article describing the situation here in the UC system. It is sobering reading, and of course, we know how grim the situation is.  The graphics above tell the story: fewer staff, fewer new faculty hires, more expensive for students, and less support from the state. How do we continue to provide access to excellence for the increasingly diverse student body? Where do we go from here? More private investment? Larger classes? Smaller and more streamlined curriculum?

Extremely rare plant discovered in Doyle Drive construction site

© California Academy of Sciences

The incredibly rare Franciscan Manzanita

A pair of the state's foremost experts in manzanita plants have weighed in that the bush recently uncovered during the Doyle Drive project is a living specimen of the Franciscan Manzanita -- a discovery akin to stumbling across a Dodo or Passenger Pigeon. The plant was last seen in the wild in 1947, when legendary local botanist James Roof ran in front of a platoon of bulldozers to grab a few samples of the bushes just before they were ripped from the ground as the former Laurel Hill Cemetery was converted into homes and buildings.

"It's a very big story," said a laughing Mike Vasey, a lecturer at San Francsico State called in by Presidio officials to examine the plant. Both Vasey and Professor Tom Parker believe the bush to be the genuine article. So they're excited. But two factors are mitigating their joy. First, they'll have to wait a month or two until the plant buds to do a chromosome count and determine it really is the Franciscan Manzanita. And, second, it's smackdab in the middle of where the highway is supposed to go.

"It's hard to say exactly what's going to happen," said Vasey. "My impression is that there's a good chance the individual may be relocated -- hopefully successfully -- and many cuttings will be taken so the genotype can be preserved."

Botanists are fortunate to have several different "bloodlines" of the Franciscan Manzanita -- the cuttings Roof ran in front of the bulldozers to obtain were successfully planted in the East Bay Regional Parks Botanical Garden, where their ancestors thrive still.

Vasey believes the plant in question -- the location of which is being kept guarded for obvious reasons -- may be 40 to 70 years old. It grew on a small outcropping of serpentine rock bordered by the concrete of the highway and the dormant seed may have been stimulated by highway work decades ago. During the current work, plants surrounding the manzanita were cleared, and the bush caught the eye of an ecologist. He called in officials from the Presidio, who, in turn, called in Vasey and Parker.

The Franciscan Manzanita is the close cousin -- and possible genetic precursor -- to the Raven's Manzanita. That extremely rare plant is down to its last genetic individual; the "mother plant" is believed to be more than a century old and sits in an undisclosed location in the Presidio some miles from the newly rediscovered Franciscan Manzanita

  (reposted from SF Weekly blog)

GIS Day 2009: Wednesday, November 18

 November 18, 2009
3:00 pm to 8:30 pm
UC Berkeley, Mulford Hall
http://gif.berkeley.edu/gisday.html

Please join us for GIS Day 2009 on Wednesday, November 18.  The list of speakers and topics are now available on the event site, including this year’s keynote presentation from James Fee!

GIS Day is free, but we encourage you to register, so that we know how many people to expect.  We still have room for posters, if you’d like to display a poster (project, map, imagery) just sign up online.

This year's event is co-hosted by the Bay Area Automated Mapping Association (BAAMA) and Geospatial Innovation Facility (GIF), with support from the Northern California Region of the American Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing (ASPRS).

Google Navigation announced for Android phones

Smart phones featuring Android 2.0 will now support a new Navigation feature developed by Google! 

From their blog:

This new feature comes with everything you'd expect to find in a GPS navigation system, like 3D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic rerouting. But unlike most navigation systems, Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up to take advantage of your phone's Internet connection.

This application will including turn-by-turn directions, overlayed on Google's satellite and street views, which looks very cool. 

Check out the video:

Now I just need my new Droid...