Google Earth Blog

Electronista goes rummaging through the license agreement of iPhone’s SDK and comes up with this clause restricting allowed uses of the included location-based APIs:

Applications [that use location-based APIs] may not be designed or marketed for real time route guidance; automatic or autonomous control of vehicles, aircraft, or other mechanical devices; dispatch or fleet management; or emergency or life-saving purposes.

The blog then goes on to speculate that this may be a way for Apple to prevent rivals from building navigation software for the iPhone.

That clause sounded very familiar, however. In fact, it is nearly equivalent to a clause in the Google Earth license agreement and the Google Maps API terms of service:

You may not use the Service with any products, systems, or applications installed or otherwise connected to or in communication with vehicles for or in connection with: (a) real time route guidance (including without limitation, turn-by-turn route guidance and other routing that is enabled through the use of a sensor); (b) any systems or functions for automatic or autonomous control of vehicle behavior; or (c) dispatch, fleet management or similar applications.

Their similarity prompted me to suspect that perhaps there is a regulatory cause for such clauses, rather than an attempt to stifle competition (which frankly, makes no sense, not for Google and certainly not for Apple, which is invested in making the platform a success. It would as nonsensical as prohibiting video editing applications on Mac OS X to protect Final Cut Pro.)

After some asking around, however, it’s been suggested that there are two other reasons why a clause restricting the use of mapping tools might find itself in a license agreement:

• Liability protection: There is no need for government regulations preventing unsafe use of a tool when lawyers are all too happy to punish corporate “enablers” of such uses via lawsuits. Hence a ban on uses that may put you or others in harm’s way.
• Licensing issues: iPhone’s built-in map tools use Google Maps tiles built with data from third party providers. It’s a standing assumption in the GIS world that such data is cheaper to license by Google et al. if it does not end up repurposed to compete with professional tools.

Of those two mooted reasons, I prefer the first, because the iPhone is a platform, not a dataset. Location-based iPhone networking application Loopt, demoed at the launch of the new iPhone, uses Microsoft Virtual Earth data, and surely that map is not governed by the Google Maps terms of use.

In sum, Apple doesn’t want to get sued for people with iPhones doing dumb, dangerous or daring things, such as flying one’s ultralight using an iPhone autopilot. (I’d really like to see somebody try that, though:-)

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A real potpourri of content here — some of it old, and listed here more for my own reference, but that is the inevitable consequence of a gorgeous summer week in Sweden and a full work agenda.

• 3G iPhone does GPS: No surprises there. Apple’s page on the GPS functionality, and Apple’s page on GPS + Google Maps. Interesting feature:
  

  If GPS is available, iPhone displays a blue GPS indicator. But if you’re inside — without a clear line of sight to a GPS satellite — iPhone finds you via Wi-Fi. If you’re not in range of a Wi-Fi hot spot, iPhone finds you using cellular towers.

  My Nokia N95 doesn’t do that. I wonder: Will Google come out with a version of the web API that also works on the iPhone’s browser?

• Kyoto sights: In the Disney news crush from last week, another layer got overlooked: In the Travel and Tourism folder of Google Earth you’ll now also find the Kyoto Tourism layer, by the Kyoto Tourism Council. Understated, but extensive.
• Earth browsing: Is there are a thaw in Earthbrowser developer Matt Giger’s frosty view of Google? First, he gets invited to present a talk at Google about his Earthbrowser, next he has kind words for the Google Earth API…;-)
• KML Validator: Galdos Systems Inc announces the free KML validator. Unlike existing KML validator Feed Validator, Galdos’s validator can handle KML 2.2, according to Galdos’s Ron Lake.
• Geoblogging Sudan: Michael Graham, of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, has a new post up on World is Witness, their geoblog, this time from South Sudan.
• Google Earth web flight sim: Jim Stafford of Barnabu.co.uk comes out with a simple flight sim using the Google Earth web API. He’s also responsible for an interactive bouncing ball demo.
• Hello Earth: How to build a simple Hello Earth application with the Google Earth web API, courtesy of the new Google Geo Developers Blog.
• Flickr KML feed as a Google Earth web plugin: A simple page that loads a Flickr KML feed into an instance of Google Earth for a web browser. (See video demo.) You can easily copy the code and alter the feed URL (but get your own API key) to make your own version. This example is a nice way of learning the ropes.
• GE API Google Group: Not previously mentioned here, but there is an active Google Group that deals specifically with the Google Earth web API.
• Géoportail 3D goes Mac and Linux: The French state’s national GIS portal Géoportail gets 3D support for Mac (Safari only) and Linux (Firefox) via new plugins for the TerraExplorer technology by SkyLine Systems.
• Cities in 3D for Europe. A program to get cities to contribute their own GIS data to Google Earth has now gone multilingual, aimed at European local governments. Not just ortho photography and terrain DEMs are welcome, but 3D models as well.

  The more the merrier, of course, but the accompanying video showing the purported benefits of contributing 3D models seems to me like an mix of both wishful thinking (”Airport management and contractors, for example, would have a shared tool for more effectively providing maintenance services or coordinating deliveries” &mdash, with a static 3D model? How?) and unambitious goals (”Tourists can discover great places to stay, such as this hotel.”) I think rich contextual data is far more important to tourists than a pretty 3D model; fortunately Google is getting good at rich georeferenced data as well.

• Flash Earth no longer does Google: An Eagle-eyed reader notices that Flash Earth no longer sports the option of showing Google’s map tiles. Likely culprit is the unorthodox means by which Flash Earth uses the tiles, which no doubt contravened the TOS.
• Mobile Second Life client: A 165KB java app by Vollee does the trick. I get 2 frames per second on my Nokia N95, but there I am flying through Second House of Sweden on my mobile, chatting with the locals. As a technology demonstration, it’s impressive.

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Ich bin nicht sicher, wie ich handhatte zu vergessen, dieses zu
erwähnen, aber im April, ich einen Bildschirm verursachte, der
einiges die neuen Navigation Eigenschaften in Version 4.3 bedeckt.

Greetings from Sweden, where everything is lagom.

By far the most mainstream news coverage of Google Earth this week was gained by Disney’s foray into modelling its amusement park properties in 3D as a default layer in Google Earth. Yawn. I think it is time we start being underwhelmed by such cases of “more of the same”, especially if we’re looking at information-poor corporate PR stunts. The models are highly detailed, yes, perhaps some of the best yet (save for the trees), but above all this launch to me serves to highlight the limits of the current technology — or rather, last year’s technology.

To wit, Google Earth’s Disney Land does not let you try the rides; Nor can you natively explore Disney’s properties with somebody else, virtually. Instead, you get a static, unpopulated representation of a theme park, devoid of any information you might actually want to use, such as where are the toilets, or what are the opening hours of this restaurant, or what is the current queueing time for this ride right now?

The new Google Earth API will go a long way to providing a 3D programmable environment, much like Second Life does, so that you could try a ride or explore with a friend far away.

Such 3D programmable environments are much more amenable to making a 3D virtual representation of a theme park actually useful. With the Google Earth API, you could build, by way of example, a service that, given which rides you want to see and how much time you have, solves the travelling salesman problem for you and then shows you the shortest route, taking into account current waiting times for rides. Now that would be innovative.

Jay Rasulo, Chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts writes on the Official Google Blog:

Last May, Eric Schmidt and I met to talk about The Walt Disney Company’s focus on technology. We started to explore innovative ways we could work together to bring one of the world’s most magical destinations to Google Earth’s millions of users…

And ends with:

… we invite you to explore the Walt Disney World Resort in Google Earth. It’s the next best thing to being there.

Making a 3D model of your properties or a town in Google Earth sure is fun, but let’s be clear: It’s no longer innovative, and it is certainly not “the next best thing to being there”.

(PS. I probably would be kinder to this layer if people weren’t screaming from the rooftops about it.)

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The Google Earth browser Plug-in supports a JavaScript API that allows you to manipulate camera angles, open balloons, add 3D models, draw KML, toggle to Sky mode and much more.

To see first hand what it can do and view some sample code, check out this sample page. For beta documentation, take a look at the developer guide. For additional help, visit the Google Earth Plug-in help group.

Finding Missing Persons: How New Online Searches Can Help You Locate Someone Who Has Dropped Out of Sight

Every day, in towns and cities across the country, people go missing. Sometimes they’re the victim of crime. But in most cases, they drop out of sight on purpose. Usually they’re trying to escape some problem or avoid some responsibility.

People who disappear can include those who are:

- Responsible for an accident but do not want to pay for damages or face legal action
- Avoiding alimony or child support payments
- Deeply In debt and unwilling to work out payment
- Running from Law Enforcement or the Courts
- Evading taxes or liens or other obligations

If you are looking for a missing person, you should be aware of how searches on the Internet can now help you locate them.

You Can Now Get Access to Data while Sitting at Your Computer that Before Could Only Be Uncovered using Costly Private Investigators

It used to be expensive to track down a missing person. You had to hire a private detective and pay them by the hour to do a “locate.”

Not any more - not now that so many public records and business databases are available through the Internet. Anyone with online access and a bit of determination can do the same kind of investigative work themselves. There are no guarantees you’ll find the person you’re searching for, just as there were never any guarantees with paid investigators. But the cost is minimal and no one will be more motivated than you to keep at it until you succeed.

What makes it so easy is a new breed of web-based investigative search services. Sometimes referred to as Internet Detective or Personal Search services, these specialized services give you the speedy, accurate access to all kinds of formerly hard-to-get information.

Note that these search services are not the same as the general search engines you may already use, like Google or Yahoo. The general search engines are not the best way to hunt for someone who’s missing. The private search services are best because they’re optimized for finding people. Rather than a search making you scroll through thousands of unrelated listings, they take you directly to the data you need.

Basic Techniques You Can Use to Locate Someone

When you begin looking for someone, the first step is to collect as much physical information as possible about the subject. If the person is part of your own family, you’ll probably already have personal information available. Pull out any old files and records. Look for clubs or organizations they belonged to. Get bank or investment account numbers. In particular look for any type of identifying records like a driver’s license, employee id, etc. A Social Security Number is the most important identifier you can have.

If the person you’re searching for is not someone you knew personally, gather information from anyone who did know them, if possible. If you aren’t able to get this information, there are ways to get it online through the search services. It just makes it easier if you have some information to start with.

Organize what you collect and analyze it for any hints at where the person might have gone. Sometimes you’ll find a clue to where the subject is hiding right in this first batch of information. It just wasn’t apparent earlier because no one had examined the material closely enough.

What’s more common, though, is to find links to other people or organizations that can assist you in your search. That’s the professional investigator’s secret - to find a missing person, first find other people who know them and can lead you to them.

At times, finding a missing person is as easy as calling up a former associate. The associate knows and can tell you the subject’s current whereabouts.

If these basic steps don’t result in locating the missing person, the next step is to move to the Internet. Below are some of the common steps that professionals use to gather information online that helps them track down a subject. You can use these same techniques by conducting your own hunt through an investigative search service.

Techniques Professional Investigators Use Online That You Can Use Too

1. Do a profile search. Look up all people with the same initial and last name, city and state. If you don’t get promising results at first, and the name isn’t too common, expand the search to other cities and states. In particular, look in the areas where the subject had relatives, friends, business dealings or other connections. Once you get a list, try contacting them. One of them may well be who you’re searching for.

2. If you have a Social Security Number, do an SSN trace through the credit bureaus. Credit bureaus are the most likely place to find anyone’s most current address and phone number. Professional investigators say this is usually the best way to locate someone who’s trying to hide. That’s because most people don’t realize all the different types of activities they do that trigger address updates to their credit record. Everything from filling out an employment application, to renting a new apartment and getting the utilities turned on.

3. Search Voter Registration databases. This one is frequently overlooked but often effective. The reason is that those who disappear tend to build a new life based on their old one. If the voted before, they’ll likely register to vote again. The records are kept by state offices but collected and available through better specialized search services.

4. Search Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) filings. These are lien notices filed locally and maintained by each state. The Search Services collect the data so you can access it more easily. UCC’s are created to document a lien placed on property for which a loan has been made. It’s valuable in tracking a missing person because it can lead you to a business that has had dealings with the person. It’s possible you can get contact information through them.

There are a variety of other databases you can access easily through an online Investigative Search service. From post office Change of Address records to Driver’s License Information to Vehicle Registrations for the missing person’s car or truck — even records of traffic tickets. Any one of these database searches can either provide a current address for your subject or a link to someone else that can eventually lead you to them.

Final Word
If you need to find someone who’s missing, you can now use one of the new Investigative Search services to help you locate them. These services collect the data in one easy to use database or provide easy to use look up tools with automatic tie-ins to the public databases you need to search. That makes searching for a missing person faster, easier and more likely to end successfully.

Visit the best background checking website online.

As in real life, navigating in Google Earth is easier if you have some physical reference points. Some of these are obvious and popular, such as the road, borders and labels layers. In addition, you can orient yourself by using Places of Interest layers. Within this folder, I find the following very useful:

Geographic Features - I spend a lot of time hiking and biking and this folder shows great information (bodies of water, mountain peaks, etc.) in areas that have fewer roads. Plus, you can check out historic seismic activity around the world, courtesy of the USGS.

Parks and Recreation Areas - Again, my bias towards the great outdoors is in effect here. But this information is fantastic. Camping spots, trail routes, wildlife refuges, ranger stations and more. The USFS boundaries can help you work with traditional topographical maps to find your way.

Of course, you may need to zoom in a bit to see some of these points of interest in the 3D viewer.

Bij de naam AND International Publishers is “digitale kaarten” niet het eerste waar je aan denkt. Toch is dat waar het Rotterdamse bedrijf zich op richt. Al is dat nog maar sinds een jaar of drie.
In tegenstelling tot de twee grote spelers op de digitale kaartenmarkt, Navteq en Tele Atlas, maakt AND haar kaarten “van achter het bureau”. De andere twee doen dat op basis van ritten met auto’s met een GPS-zender. AND komt aan haar informatie via kadasters, gemeentes of satellietkaarten.
Daarnaast worden delen met een computermodel ingevuld, bijvoorbeeld verkeersborden, die volgens een bepaalde logica langs de weg staan. Met een computermodel kun je die in een keer op de kaart zetten. Vervolgens worden de kaarten “nagereden”, om ze te toetsen aan de realiteit. Daarna gaat alle informatie naar de “softwarefabriek” van AND in India, waar zo’n 250 medewerkers het verwerken in de database.
De naam AND International Publishers stamt uit het verleden, maar dekt de activiteiten uit het verleden, maar dekt de activiteiten van het bedrijf niet meer. Het wisselen van een naam kost een hoop geld. Tegenwoordig worden de drie letters gebruikt als afkorting voor “Automotive Navigation Data”. Bij de start in 1984 stonden ze echter nog voor de namen van de oprichters: Abbink en Dekkers. In eerste instantie was AND gericht op het comprimeren en toegankelijk maken van databases. Wat later groeide het idee om een soort werelddatabase op te zetten waar klanten tegen betaling informatie uit zouden kunnen halen. Men had na al die jaren niet voor ogen wat AND precies zou moeten doen. Door schulden en een negatieve kasstroom bleef er in 2001 nog maar een mogelijkheid over: surseance aanvragen. Na veel gesprekken met anderen bleek onze wegen-gegevens ook prima geschikt voor navigatie, een markt waar heel veel groei in zit.
Om voet aan de grond te krijgen in een markt die gedomineerd wordt door twee spelers, legde AND zich toe op het in kaart brengen van landen “die de grote twee niet hebben”. Voor een gedetailleerde kaart van Duitsland heeft TomTom niet bij ons te komen, maar wel Bulgarije of Roemenie. AND bent aan het inbreken in een markt met twee grote spelers, als een soort luis in de pels. Dat is een leuk spel.

• The happiest place on Earth: The happiest place on Earth is this island, according to the BBC.
• North Korea Intel: North Korea Economy Watch’s meticulously researched KML layer pinpointing every conceivable feature in North Korea, including the gulags, nuclear sites, military sites and elite areas, has just been updated. What’s causing a bit of a tizzy is the discovery of an island that looks remarkably like Korea:

  

  Well, it’s not an exact miniature, but it looks completely natural, and I can appreciate that if you’ve been staring at maps of Korea all day while making this layer, these kinds of similarities will pop out at you:-) Find it in the “Other Stuff” folder of the KML file. (Via DPRK Studies, via ROK Drop)

• iPhone to get GPS? GigaOm has sources giving the GPS chipset contract for the next iPhone to Broadcom, which corroborates other circumstantial evidence of a GPS-enabled iPhone: Built-in photo geotagging, and VC funding for Pelago’s Whrrl, a location-based context service for the iPhone.
• Test ad for Google Sky: This Google ad was recently spotted on Ogle Earth:-)
  
• F-Secure: Finnish internet security firm F-Secure monitors the origins of worms, spam and malware using Google Earth.
• Where 2.0 Disaster tech video: O’Reilly Radar has the video of the Disaster Tech talk at Where 2.0 by Jesse Robbins and Mikel Maron, and links through to pretty much all projects and organizations currently involved in pushing this envelope.
• Hasselblad’s Phocus: Hasselblad, makers of the drool-inducing GPS-capable 39 megapixel H3DII DSLR camera, has now gotten its own dedicated RAW image processing software. Phocus (Mac only at the moment, Windows version promised) looks superficially similar to Apple’s Aperture, and can produce KML for a photo with coordinate metadata to show it on Google Earth. (At these prices, shouldn’t it do more, such as create smart collections based on proximity searches?)

Below, some more early adopters of the Google Earth view in the Browser. No cases yet of interesting uses of the API, but any week now…

• Metropix: Metropix, the automated floor-plan-to-3D service, now also shows the results of its service via the Google Earth plugin embedded. For example.
• GIS Planning: GIS Planning Inc has added the embedded Google Earth view to a number of Google Maps sites it has developed, such as Nevada Site Search.
• Tagzania: The developers behind geobookmarking site Tagzania, currently hard at work on behind-the-scenes changes, nevertheless took the time to add the 3D embedded Google Earth view for maps of individual locations: Here’s a 2D example, and here is the 3D equivalent.

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Healthy Planet, the geocharity where you can adopt a national park globally (much like you can adopt a highway in the US) has now gone into a live beta, writes Mark Mulligan of King’s College London:

The Healthy Planet guardian scheme is now online and ready for donors to adopt plots as we work on the next phase of development (projects, voting, feedback, one hectare plots, mapping and communities). A publicity drive will be carried out over the coming months building up towards a major launch at Christmas

The KML for choosing a plot in Google Earth is quite a piece of work, circumventing the lack of an API via the judicious use of network links with radio buttons and view-based refreshes, albeit at the cost of lengthy instructions. It strikes me that the Google Earth browser plugin’s API, due to be fully cross-platform by August, is just the ticket for giving this kind of project the user interface it deserves for broader adoption by non-neogeogeeks.

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