Garmin just today announced that together with BMW Motorrad they have developed the new BMW Motorrad Navigator IV. This is a new GPS navigation system for motorcycles that is based on Garmin’s z?mo 660. The new BMW Motorrad Navigator IV takes Garmin’s navigation technology and adds BMW specific features such as customized mount, preloaded BMW dealer database, unique audio and Bluetooth handling capabilities.
Take for example the custom hardware which is a four-button motorcycle mount with quick-key functions for extra control and usability. The mount and GPS device are vibration-tested, waterproof (IPX-7), and designed to withstand fuel sprays and UV rays.
The rest of the specs should be pretty similar to zumo 660, such as the 4.3? glove friendly touch screen, millions of POIs, and turn-by-turn, voice-prompted directions to the final destination. In addition BMW Motorrad Navigator IV’s A2DP Bluetooth wireless technology makes it possible for riders to pair their phone to a Bluetooth enabled helmet or handset so that they can safely talk on the phone or listen to MP3’s without having to remove their gloves or helmet.
BMW Motorrad Navigator IV is expected to be available third quarter of this year from authorized BMW Motorrad retailers in North America and Europe. No word on pricing just yet.
Ubilabs Tour De France Live Tracker Ubilabs have provided live tracking maps of the race leaders in the Tour de France for the last few years and they are back again this year with an improved map. This year, as well as showing positions of the race leaders, the Google Map displays real time tweets about the race.
It is possible to view the routes for any of the race’s stages from a drop down menu. Each stage route contains map markers showing start and finish lines and the mountain and sprint stages.
Bikemap.net This Google Maps mashup has route maps for all the stages in the Tour de France. The map includes a ‘full-screen’ button, which can be used to enlarge the map.
The individual maps for each stage are accompanied with an altitude graph, which can show the altitude at any point on the stage route. The map also comes with an ‘embed this map’ option, so it is possible to feature the map on your own website or blog.
Accompanying each stage map are details about the length, the surface, the inclination and the vertical climb of the stage. The maps also come with a ‘more’ button. Clicking on this allows the map user to view Wikipedia articles, Panoramio photos and weather along the route.
Ground Zero II Have you ever wondered what would happen if a nuclear bomb goes off in your city? The very popular Google Map mashup from Carlos Labs, that shows the fallout of a nuclear bomb landing on your house, has now been updated.
The new version comes with nuclear fallout, wind direction and pressure. It also comes with a new weapon! Now you can check what the fallout would be if North Korea decided to aim their 6 Kiloton nuclear weapon directly at your home.
Maps from the Japanese Imperial Army archives are now online (Japanese language archive) and might be used to study changes in forest cover or the growth of cities, per one researcher. Some of the maps date back to the 1880s. The maps were collected, copied or created during times of Japanese colonialsim, making residents of some impacted countries less than pleased with their appearance on the Web.
Open Street Map as a background layer note: OSM Rasters are projected on the fly to British National Grid in this case. But very useful now the Digitising Tool is updated and dock-able (also shown)
One of the best and affordable GIS software packages around just got a lot better.
Global Mapper v11 (beta1) now introduces OpenStreetMap as background layer for your map projects, It is also available to capture your own content.
New Features: summarised as the list is way too long
- Added free built-in access to global street-level maps from OpenStreetMap.org via the File->Download Online Imagery menu command. - Added real-time display of current cursor information (location, distance, elevation) to 3D Path Profile dialog. In addition, you can now also click to define a sub-path on the 3D Path Profile dialog and get information about that sub-path displayed. - Added support for scaling point symbols, adding custom point symbols from PNG, GIF, and JPG files, and easily creating symbols of custom sizes and colors for common shapes, like dots, squares, etc. - Added toolbar for Digitizer/Edit Tool to make it easier to perform many commonly used operations. - Added ability to create new line features by tracing them without clicking at each vertex with the Digitizer/Edit Tool. - Added ability to rotate and scale features using the Digitizer/Edit Tool. - Added support for numerous new formats, including Vertical Mapper (MapInfo) Grid, QCT, QED, HTF, SPS, BAG, and many others.
All of the other numerous changes are listed in the What’s New document that is displayed during installation.
Prior to the v11.00 release we also plan on adding several other major features, including a map layout tool for more easily creating finished maps, PDF export, DWG export, access to better world-wide imagery, support for combining area features, and support for exporting new multi-band files. Please visit this forum for the latest new and link to the download A great way to allow many users to comment on new features and find potential bugs before a full released version Download Global Mapper 11 (beta1) from here: (Includes full version for a limited number of days ‘15th July 2009′) There is also a 64-bit version of Global Mapper for 64-bit versions Windows http://www.globalmapperforum.com/forums/announcement-news/4301-global-mapper-v11-00-beta-1-now-available.html
GlobalMapper v11 with be officially released v11.00 in approximately 1 month.
Unregistered Versions do work with this software though you will not be able to export data or overlay more than 4 layers of data. But for the price $349 or $129 (upgrade from v10) you get a lot features for your money.
Well done to the GlobalMapper Team always surpassing expectations.
The Wire in Street View ‘Paddy’ has put together a nice collection of Street View images of locations in Baltimore from the hit TV series The Wire. You can also download this kml from the Google Earth Community and view some of the filming locations in Google Earth.
WalkJogRun.net Adam Howitt, of WalkJogRun.net, recently appeared on lifestyle show Better. In the video below Adam talks a little about the original idea behind the map and how you can use the apllication to improve your fitness.
GeoMaker GeoMaker creates microformats and maps from geographical information embedded in texts. The output from GeoMaker can be a Yahoo Map or a geo-microformat that can be used with the Google Maps API.
The site comes with an API that can produce results in json, kml or csv formats. There is also a lol format to the API, which outputs a latitude and a lolitude from any data entered, e.g.
HAS A LOL-CATION:CAN HAS WOEID: 2347563HAS A NAME: California, USHAS A DISCRIPSHUN: CaliforniaI'M IN YOUR LATITUDE: 37.2718I'M IN YOUR LOLITUDE: -119.27
Google Maps Tracks Down Stolen iPhone Kevin Miller explains on his blog how he used Google Maps to track down his stolen iPhone. Kevin used Apple’s MobileMe application, which uses Google Maps to help you locate a lost or stolen phone.
With the aid of MobileMe and a friend’s laptop Kevin was able to track down the thief whilst he was waiting at a bus-stop.
You may remember our earlier post on Yahoo Placemaker, a new “geo-enrichment” platform that includes an API (our Placemaker API Profile) that can be used to make applications and data sets location-aware by determining the “whereness” of unstructured content. Now, Yahoo developer evangelist Christian Heilmann has released GeoMaker, a new app that makes it dead simple to use the Placemaker API with any web site.
Christian developed GeoMaker as a side project using PHP and several Yahoo developer libraries (including YQL and YUI). Although in its initial stages, GeoMaker currently allows users to input text or a URL (e.g., http://icant.co.uk/geomaker/index.php?url=http://news.yahoo.com) to be ge-enriched. Subsequently, a Yahoo Map is output, including code for copying pasting the map on to your favorite site or blog. As a bonus, GeoMaker also outputs the geo-enriched location data in Geo Microformats. Christian has also put together a short video (below) that provides a good overview of GeoMaker on the Yahoo Developer Network Blog.
GeoMaker serves as a great example of how a viable and functional web app can be rapidly and easily developed by leveraging existing developer libraries and APIs. Christian is currently asking for feedback, which he intends to use to refine and improve GeoMaker, prior to making it available as an open-source project on GitHub (our GitHub API Profile). Nicely done, Christian!
I’ll be heading to the nation’s capital to celebrate Independence Day this weekend, so I’ve been browsing the many maps that the Washington Post has put together to help people take in the festivities. If you’ll be in DC too, you can find a map of the various events going on throughout the holiday weekend and a map of fireworks shows throughout the entire region. My friends and I plan to take in the fireworks over the National Mall, so we’re consulting this map to determine the very best viewing location.
Of course, DC isn’t the only place to celebrate the Fourth. Here’s a list of maps of parades, fireworks shows, and events from other places around the country (thanks to the Google Maps Mania blog for finding some of these!):
If your town has a map that you want to share, let us know by sending it to @googlemaps on Twitter. If you’re planning your own Fourth of July celebration, you can make your own My Map to show friends how to get to your BBQ or where exactly in the park you plan to meet to catch the fireworks.
The use of Google Maps in news and community websites has become pretty endemic this year. Here’s some Google Maps, from all over the USA, showing the locations of fireworks and celebrations for this Fourth of July:
Welcome to the Friday’s Food for Thought post. Yes, we know that today is Thursday. But with the holiday weekend coming up, most of us will be prepping for some BBQ action, or lounging by the pool tomorrow. So, what better time to do a FFT post than today? And, July 4th is our absolute favorite holiday. It’s summer time, we get a three-day weekend and we get to celebrate the birth of our great nation. Now, if only it would stop raining in the Northeast we would be in good shape. Scroll down and enjoy!
History of Independence Day
Want to know how this great holiday came about? During the American Revolution, the legal separation of the American colonies from Great Britain occurred on July 2, 1776, when the Second Continental Congress voted to approve a resolution of independence that had been proposed in June by Richard Henry Lee of Virginia. After voting for independence, Congress turned its attention to the Declaration of Independence, a statement explaining this decision, which had been prepared by a Committee of Five, with Thomas Jefferson as its principal author. Congress debated and revised the Declaration, finally approving it on July 4. To learn more click here.
Download The Declaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation’s most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson’s most enduring monument. And, if you can’t make it to the National Archives to see it in person (we HIGHLY recommend you do this), then you can actually download high-resolution images of the actual document here. Almost as good as the real thing.
The Pledge of Allegiance
Since we seems to be focusing on American history today, we might as well touch upon the Pledge of Allegiance, which was written in 1892 by Francis Bellamy. He was Baptist minister, a Christian socialist, and the cousin of socialist utopian novelist Edward Bellamy. Bellamy’s original “Pledge of Allegiance” was published in the September 8th issue of the popular children’s magazine The Youth’s Companion as part of the National Public-School Celebration of Columbus Day, a celebration of the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s discovery of America. Read more here.
The History of Fireworks
Even as we all get older, fireworks are still cool and a professional firework show will amaze even the toughest souls. So, did Americans invent fireworks? The answer is no. The earliest documentation of fireworks dates back to 12th century China, where they were first used to frighten away evil spirits with their loud sound and also to pray for happiness and prosperity. America’s earliest settlers brought their enthusiasm for fireworks to the United States. Fireworks and black ash were used to celebrate important events long before the American Revolutionary War.
Fewer Travelers on The Road This Holiday
AAA is expecting 37.1 million people to travel 50 miles or more from home over the weekend. That’s down almost 2 percent from the 37.8 million people who hit the road during the same period last year. The apparent cause: the economy. Only down 2 percent…that is nothing. If it was down 20 percent, then we would be concerned. Another example of the media trying to tie everything back to – and often embellishing — the down economy Read more here.
Jimi Hendrix Does the “Star-Spangled Banner”
What better way to cap off this post than with the iconic video of the great Jimi Hendrix doing the “Star-Spangled Banner” at Woodstock. Enjoy!
Version 2 of DC crowdsourcing initiative to better serve its constituents saw its final submissions come in last night. In this version the community determined what sorts of apps were needed and developers were then asked to address them. Then, there’s options for more funding. The results of phase 2 are here.
Government folks (D.C. Department of Transportation, the Office of Planning and the office of the city’s CTO) took on one request themselves: developing a “Where’s My Bus?” app. It details the five route Circulator Buses. A commercial option for that NextBus is back up and running, but having some issues, per the Washington Post.
Aroundme Aroundme is a very nicely designed Google Maps based social sharing site for Moscow. Registered users are able to show the location of their favourite places in Moscow and find points of interest added by other users.
Mirtesen Mirtesen is a social networking site that uses Google Maps to show the location of members. As well as allowing members to make new friends and connections the site also encourages the social sharing of points of interest.
Sosedi-Online This Google Map mashup is designed so that neighbours can connect online. It is a forum for people to help each other learn more about their city and the region. The site allows users to not only connect with other users but to rate and review local locations and learn more about their neighbourhood.
Rusavtobus Rusvatobus have partnered with Moscow’s transport authority to provide an English guide to the city’s public transport system on Google Maps. Using the map it is possible to enter your starting and finishing destination. The map then displays the best route you can take using public transport.
The route is displayed on the map and listed in detail under the map.
Alpintouren.com Alpintouren is an outdoor sports website with a database of over 8000 GPS tours for hikers, climbers, mountain-bikers and skiers. The site has long featured Google Maps on each dedicated tour webpage. Now it also has an overall Google Map displaying the over 8000 tours on the site.
In order to display such a large number of markers on one map Alpintouren have devised their own clustering solution. The site have also designed their own custom markers so that users can differentiate between the various type of tracks available.
Also See
via-ferrata.de – Google Map mashup of climbs in the Alps
How would you eliminate almost half the planet by subtracting just 5% from it? This map shows you how: delete the countries that constitute the bottom 5% of global GDP contributors, and you scrap almost 3 billion people from the equation. Those people mainly live in Africa and South East Asia, as demonstrated by the disappearance of those areas beneath the waves.
This map was first shown on the political website FiveThirtyEight (”Politics done right”), in reaction to an argument that climate change would affect global GDP by “only” 5% over the next 100 years. Quite rightly, the point was raised that a reduction in potential GDP might not be an adequate measure of the human impact of such society-shattering change.
As per-capita GDP varies across the world’s countries by a factor of 800 (or 2,000 if you count Zimbabwe), this is a rather cynical (or at least cold-hearted) way of measuring the worth of human lives, making the average Rwandan life hundreds of times less important than that of the average Luxembourger.
To demonstrate the impact of a reduction of global GDP by a mere 5%, FiveThirtyEight erased the countries constituting the bottom 5% of global GDP (IMF estimates for 2008), in reverse order of magnitude:
Zimbabwe (1), Burundi, DR Congo, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Eritrea, Malawi, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone, Niger, Afghanistan, Togo, Guinea, Uganda, Madagascar, the Central African Republic, Nepal, Myanmar (Burma), Rwanda, Mozambique, East Timor, the Gambia (2), Bangladesh, Tanzania, Burkina Faso, Mali, Lesotho, Ghana, Haiti, Tajikistan, the Comoros, Cambodia, Laos, Benin, Kenya, Chad, the Solomon Islands, Kyrgyzstan, India (3), Nicaragua, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Mauritania, Pakistan, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Ivory Coast, Zambia, the Yemen, Cameroon, Djibouti, Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, Nigeria (4), Guyana, the Sudan, Bolivia, Moldova, Honduras, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Bhutan, Egypt (5), Vanuatu, Tonga, Paraguay, Morocco, Syria, Swaziland, Samoa, Guatemala, Georgia, the Congo, Iraq, Armenia, Jordan, Cape Verde, the Maldives, Fiji and Namibia (6).
All in all 81 countries (almost half of the 192 UN member states), representing nearly 2.9 billion people (about 43%) of the world population. But still, a mere 5% of world GDP…
