Global disease alert map

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healthmap.JPG Here is yet another exciting use of the GoolgeMaps API.... HealthMap aggregates outbreak data by disease from numerous sources (news, personal accounts, and official alerts) and displays them by location in real-time. It's a collaborative project brought together by the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. If you're not a germaphobe now, you may become one after taking a look at the map; be sure to check it out before your next international trip or even if you stay around here. For example, did you know that the West Nile Virus has infected 78 people in California this year? Even closer to home, there was a TB scare at Kaiser in SF last week.

Reimagining cities through “hyper-exploration”

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For those with an interest in historical maps and/or new uses of the google maps API , check out this HyperCities site created by a group at UCLA. The original of such a site has more data: Hypermedia Berlin, which was created by UCLA Germanic Languages and Jewish Studies Professor Todd Presner when he wanted a better way to teach about Berlin. For details on the sites, here is a short article on Presner.

State of the GeoWeb

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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.

After Google (Maps), What?

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"After Google, What?" was the name of a course at the iSchool, but Paul Smith of EveryBlock has asked the same of Google Maps. His answer? An open source web mapping stack. Check out his cool article on A List Apart, "Take Control of Your Maps". If you haven't checked out EveryBlock, do so. Their maps are beautiful. We use a lot of these technologies in the lab and in the GIIF, with the exception of Mapnik, which, to my shame, I've tried and failed to install. Update Some responses: a thread on geowanking including a response from Google evangelist Pam Fox, and discussion and response from the author on ALA (for some reason the post isn't on Technorati yet...).

Google Earth Maps Refugee Crises

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GENEVA (AP) -- Internet search giant Google Inc. unveiled a new feature Tuesday for its popular mapping programs that shines a spotlight on the movement of refugees around the world.

 

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Users must have downloaded Google Earth, UNHCR maps to access refugee information.

The maps will aid humanitarian operations as well as help inform the public about the millions who have fled their homes because of violence or hardship, according to the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, which is working with Google on the project. "All of the things that we do for refugees in the refugee camps around the world will become more visible," U.N. Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees L. Craig Johnstone said at the launch in Geneva. Users can download Google Earth software to see satellite images of refugee hot spots such as Darfur, Iraq and Colombia. Information provided by the U.N. refugee agency explains where the refugees have come from and what problems they face. Although not all parts of the world are displayed at the same high resolution, the Mountain View, Calif.-based company has made an effort to allow users to zoom in closely on refugee camps. In the Djabal refugee camp in eastern Chad, which is home to refugees from the conflict in neighboring Darfur, Google Earth users can see individual tents clustered together amid a sparse landscape, and learn about the difficulty of providing water to some 15,000 people. Google says more than 350 million people have already downloaded Google Earth. The software was launched three years ago and originally intended for highly realistic video games, but its use by rescuers during Hurricane Katrina led the company to reach out to governments and nonprofit organizations. Google Earth has since teamed up with dozens of nonprofit groups seeking to raise awareness, recruit volunteers and encourage donations. Among them are the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.N. Environmental Program and the Jane Goodall Institute. "Google wants to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful," said Samuel Widmann, the head of Google Earth Europe. The company estimates that 80 percent of the world's information can be plotted on a map in some way. Rebecca Moore, who heads the Google Earth Outreach program for nonprofit groups, said the company does not control the information published using the software. Google is considering offering a stand-alone version of its mapping software that can be used by aid workers in the field who do not have an Internet connection on hand, she said. Google said it will also provide nonprofit groups in several countries with training and free copies of its $400 professional mapping software, an offer it plans to roll out across the globe over time. http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/04/08/google.refugees.ap/index.html

ArcExplorer

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Check out ArcExplorer - the website, a flash version of the application, and a downloadable version. It's similar to GoogleEarth but allows you to also view data themes overlayed on the map (e.g. the census data, etc.). Looks like there are a few problems too -- like the projection is clearly bias towards USA so if you zoom in on Europe the countries look squished. Anyway, it has potentials... OH, it's FREE. (surprise surprise!)

Are you connected to mountaintop mining?

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Living in California, the issue of mountaintop mining seems pretty far away, but entering your zip code into this website: http://www.ilovemountains.org/myconnection/ makes the connection pretty clear. I really love the simplicity of this site -- the locations of mines and mining facilities, and clear lines drawn to show how we in Berkeley are connected to mining activities in Virginia. I also love that they give you a very clear action to take using the question "Wanna break your connection?" This same basic approach could be used for so many issues. It's almost like by drawing lines between places that seem removed from each other, they seem closer together.

Google Takes a Cue from Wikimapia

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Google released a new function for collaborative mapping in Google Maps yesterday. When creating a map in My Maps, the user has the option to select "Collaborate." The user can then open the map up to the public or invite other user to participate in constructing and editing the map. This recent addition to Google Maps simplifies collaborative mapping and opens up new possibilities for Web GIS and participatory GIS. Additionally, Google Maps added a terrain view this week.

World According to Google on KQED

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"This program artfully explores the ethical and philosophical questions surrounding the work of one of today's most innovative enterprises. In this documentary, Google divulges its process of hiring the brightest in the industry and gives us a glimpse into its Mountain View, California and London offices. Vint Cerf, dubbed the "Father of the Internet" and Google insider since 2004, shows us the inner workings of a powerhouse company that began as a research project by two 20-something Ph.D candidates at Stanford. With its company motto "Don't Be Evil," Google appears to have the best of intentions. But some worry that Google is slowly becoming Big Brother, keeping track of users and making editorial decisions about the information it provides." Link KQED Channel 9Tue, Oct 30, 2007 -- 9:00 pm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Saw a preview for this today, had a quick clip of Google Earth, it will be interesting to see if they address some of the privacy and data censorship issues we've discussed over the last few months. Cheers, Josh