new jersey geographer » Google http://njgeo.org john reiser's personal/gis blog Thu, 29 Jul 2010 02:50:09 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Google Latitude now with badge, basic API http://njgeo.org/2009/05/05/google-latitude-now-with-badge-basic-api/ http://njgeo.org/2009/05/05/google-latitude-now-with-badge-basic-api/#comments Wed, 06 May 2009 02:23:58 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=162 Google Latitude has been updated to incorporate new features that make it easier to share your location data. A website badge has been created that shows your most recent position on a web page. You can see an example of the badge showing my current location on this blog’s home page, as well as on the home page of NJ State Atlas. Google has also introduced a basic API allowing you to retrieve your location information as KML or GeoJSON.

Considering someone will likely (ab)use these new features soon, I’m starting a countdown. I’m guessing a week from now we’ll hear about how someone tracked someone unknowingly using a Latitude-enabled mobile device and the API. Personally, I’m hoping the API gets put to good use and is integrated into some groundbreaking projects.

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]]> http://njgeo.org/2009/05/05/google-latitude-now-with-badge-basic-api/feed/ 1 The Advent of All-knowing Point Maps http://njgeo.org/2009/04/20/the-advent-of-all-knowing-point-maps/ http://njgeo.org/2009/04/20/the-advent-of-all-knowing-point-maps/#comments Tue, 21 Apr 2009 03:45:50 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=141 Over on MetaFilter today, there is a great post filled with links to interactive maps detailing various aspects of the recession and the eventual rebound in the economy. In looking through these maps, I’m irked by the cartographic conventions employed by some of them. Google Maps has started a dangerous trend: representing everything possible as a point on a map.

For example, take Richard Florida’s “The Shaping of America” interactive map in The Atlantic. The map relies on points of varying size to show the number of patents, the population and income levels for selected US cities. The size and color of the point is an indicator of the city’s performance relative to the surrounding “metro average.” There’s no definition of what these “metro areas” are. They are not delineated on the map. The boundaries of the city are also not reflected.

Why is this a problem? While not having the city outlined is concerning, the truly egregious flaw is that the theme of the map is dependent on a ratio without well-defined boundaries. Take, for instance, Trenton, New Jersey. Trenton is slightly north of the geographic center of New Jersey, however it is routinely grouped with “South Jersey” and is rarely grouped in “Central Jersey.” The parts of the State that identify themselves as “Trenton Metro” are limited to adjacent municipalities, if that. So what is the “metro area” of Trenton? Is Princeton included in Trenton? That would absolutely set Trenton above average for all three indicators mapped.

Map depicting a few of the boundaries for Trenton and its Metro Area

Map depicting just a few of the boundaries for Trenton, NJ

Now consider the New York Times Immigration Explorer. The Times has been cranking out some amazing maps lately and this one is no exception. This temporal, thematic map is rendered using Flash. It shows the 3,000 or so counties within the US with great detail and clarity. Ethic groups as a percentage of total population are reflected on a chloropleth map while the overall population is shown using dots of varying size. We’re back to the dot map, but it’s very different from the Google Dot Map above. The dots are sized in proportion to the total population, not an ill-defined sample. Also, the Flash interface allows the user to manipulate the base size of the dots, which allows the user to discern differences in population in the most sparsely inhabited regions.

Immigration Explorer would still convey its intended message if the cartographers behind it employed a dot map like the Shaping of America. Considering the data is explicitly by county, a point map could be used without introducing ambiguity. However, considering the geographies represented by the Shaping of America map are not well-defined, we are left guessing what we’re actually trying to represent with those dots.

Google Maps (and KML, the language for user-defined data in Google Earth) supports lines and polygons. Granted, there are more hoops to jump through to get vector data into Google Maps, but there are ways to do it. Maps that really require representation using polygons should not be constructed using points & Google Maps. Using Google Maps isn’t what’s important. Making sure your map delivers its intended message is essential.

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]]> http://njgeo.org/2009/04/20/the-advent-of-all-knowing-point-maps/feed/ 1 Google hits deer, posts pictures on web http://njgeo.org/2009/01/31/google-hits-deer-posts-pictures-on-web/ http://njgeo.org/2009/01/31/google-hits-deer-posts-pictures-on-web/#comments Sun, 01 Feb 2009 00:40:14 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=84 A Google Street View car hit a deer while imaging a road in upstate New York. You can still see the deer in the driveway in this Street View. The Register has the pictures of the incident. The pictures have already been removed by Google – considering the driver stopped and notified police, why were they even posted to begin with?

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]]> http://njgeo.org/2009/01/31/google-hits-deer-posts-pictures-on-web/feed/ 0 Beacons to be lit to mark anniversary of British departure http://njgeo.org/2008/11/24/beacons-to-be-lit-to-mark-anniversary-of-british-departure/ http://njgeo.org/2008/11/24/beacons-to-be-lit-to-mark-anniversary-of-british-departure/#comments Mon, 24 Nov 2008 15:32:09 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=37 From the Daily Record:

On Tuesday, just as dusk settles, a dozen hilltops covering 108 miles from Beacon, N.Y., to Princeton will be illuminated with bright spotlights to mark the day 225 years ago when the last British troops boarded ships in New York harbor and sailed away, leaving behind a free nation.

How is this relevant to GIS? The head of the Crossroads of the American Revolution Association is asking Google Earth to take a snapshot of the event.

She said the groups are trying to arrange with Google Earth to snap a photograph of the light show.

I didn’t realize Google was in the photography business. Would beacons look impressive from the air/space anyway?

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]]> http://njgeo.org/2008/11/24/beacons-to-be-lit-to-mark-anniversary-of-british-departure/feed/ 0 GeoEye-1 sends back first imagery http://njgeo.org/2008/10/09/geoeye-1-sends-back-first-imagery/ http://njgeo.org/2008/10/09/geoeye-1-sends-back-first-imagery/#comments Thu, 09 Oct 2008 21:45:01 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=30 GeoEye-1, an Earth-imaging satellite that’s been in the news recently due to its agreement with Google to provide the company with half-meter imagery, has sent back its first pictures. The satellite will provide images for Google to use in its Maps and Earth applications, as well as for resale. The first image sent back was of Kutztown University. When in panchromatic mode, the satellite captures an area equivalent to the size of Texas within a day.

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]]> http://njgeo.org/2008/10/09/geoeye-1-sends-back-first-imagery/feed/ 0 NJ Transit is a housing complex? http://njgeo.org/2008/10/05/nj-transit-is-a-housing-complex/ http://njgeo.org/2008/10/05/nj-transit-is-a-housing-complex/#comments Sun, 05 Oct 2008 13:31:14 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=24 I’ve been mining Google’s “My Maps” data for some base datasets. Some users have plotted some useful data; one created sets of all the rest stops and toll plazas on the State’s limited access highways. In looking for NJ Transit data, I was surprised to find that a search in Google for “NJ Transit” returns a residential neighborhood in Mercer County. It’s not even a TOD!

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]]> http://njgeo.org/2008/10/05/nj-transit-is-a-housing-complex/feed/ 2 GIS and the expectation of privacy http://njgeo.org/2008/07/31/gis-and-the-expectation-of-privacy/ http://njgeo.org/2008/07/31/gis-and-the-expectation-of-privacy/#comments Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:08:35 +0000 John Reiser http://njgeo.org/?p=13 GIS is considered by some to be an invasive technology. Even though some of the “invasive” data like lot lines and ownership are in the public domain, the easy access to large data stores of personal information is a cause for concern among privacy advocates.

Some information is protected under federal laws like HIPAA, State laws (such as our own OPRA) often protect information that could be used to identify an individual. The Government Records Council has upheld redaction of information that personally identifies an individual. Any other information stored by a government entity (with exceptions) can be requested by anyone.

Google is now making the case that complete privacy does not exist. Some agree with Google. I personally feel that if it’s something that’s available to you but not readily accessible, making it accessible through the internet is not an invasion of privacy. What’s your take on privacy? Where should the line be drawn?

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