the NSW government has launched its own mashups competition apps4nsw – and not only inviting developers to create a mashup but anyone can suggest and idea for others to implement
data.australia.gov.au
scroll to the bottom for a short video explaining how it all works
the full plate syndrome
Sales pipelines everywhere are stuck, not because
of the economy, but due to a decision-maker affliction.
Lee B Salz is talking about the full plate syndrome – executives are too busy to even consider your product or project. The key is to align it to their goals – then it will suddenly be a top priority for them. Lee’s advice is just as valid for anyone ‘selling’ internally. More on Jill Konrath’s website. Her free e-newsletter is a mine of practical tips.
Hackfest
I went to the hackfest on Saturday at google where they were working on mashups of government data for the mashups Australia competition. This is such an absolutely ground breaking initiative because it is unavailability of data which for so long has impeded the development of spatial solutions. But it’s much more than that. The individuals involved in these competitions (and they are individuals, not companies) are bringing a whole new collaborative approach – something I saw first at FOSS4G and which I find is so refreshing. It may sound corny but after listening to descriptions of the fall of the Berlin Wall which happened so quickly and totally redrew the political world map, I think we are experiencing something similar. Maps are no longer the preserve of the traditional spatial companies. The genie is well and truly out of the box.
Talking to some of the developers was so exciting because they are bringing their own experiences as citizens to bear – developing the apps they want – whether to find all their local government offices or who is the state MP or the body in charge of the road on the street corner they are standing on, building a picture of road accidents (or near misses) in their town or documenting all the free wireless hotspots so they can do their development work anywhere and everywhere.
metadata – plain english
I’m updating a fact sheet explaining Metadata to non spatial people. A lot of Metadata discussions are full of confusing jargon but I found a wonderful ‘plain english’ explanation. To find out (or to help you explain to your boss) why metadata is important look at the University of Wyomings Metadata Education Project Step by step information with lots of examples of good and bad spatial metadata.
coastal council forum
I just got this from Ross Johnson. All grist to the Raising the Profile mill.
Sydney Coastal Councils Group (SCCG) & Surveying and Spatial Sciences Institute (SSSI) GIS Forum:
Sydney’s Integrated Spatial Future
Wednesday, 9 December 2009, 9:00am – 5:00pm
Customs House, The Barnet Long Room
31 Alfred St, Circular Quay, Sydney
A ‘wall of mystery’, can exist between information required, formats, data sets and databases when communicating graphical and spatial data across departments and organisations.
“Bringing Managers and Spatial Professionals Togetherâ€, aims at creating dialogue and understanding, to demystify this ‘wall’ and assist the advancement of this valuable information source.
Creative commons for data sharing
I learned a lot about creative commons last week at FOSS4G – they are being used in Australia (Queensland) and overseas (Canada). Initially used for creative works such as written texts, images and photos. I’d like to publish our Raising the Profile of spatial survey under creative commons but didn’t know how to do it. Neale Hooper of QUT was very helpful, pointing me to http://www.oaklaw.qut.edu.au/ For some examples of works licensed under CC licences.
Creative Commons
The peak body in the Australian and New Zealand spatial industry — Anzlic — is expected to endorse Creative Commons as the basis of sharing data sets.
http://www.asmmag.com/news/anzlic-to-endorse-creative-commons
spatial and legal
Legal aspects of spatial keep popping up.
“If people are confused, they say no, especially lawyersâ€
said Kevin Pomfret, a lawyer from the Open GIS Consortium. He was urging us to seek out and educate the legal profession avoid problems such as spatial evidence being ruled as inadmissible or lawyers refusing to approve data sharing licence agreements. Technology is moving faster than the ability of people to understand it. The OGC and GITA ran a workshop for lawyers in the US.
Mobile phones, business intelligence, social networking and satellite tracking of vehicles and equipment raises a number of issues concerning privacy, intellectual property rights, liability, and national security