Archived GIS Snippets
Published in 2013
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Using the new spatial functions in MySQL 5.6 for geo-enabled applications
by alexander rubin
Geo-enabled (or location enabled) applications are very common nowadays and many of them use MySQL. The common tasks for such applications are:
- Find all points of interests (i.e. coffee shops) around (i.e. a 10 mile radius) the given location (latitude and longitude). For example we want to show this to a user of the mobile application when we know his/her approximate location. (This usually means we need to calculate a distance between 2 points on Earth).
- Find a ZIP code (U.S. Postal address) for the given location or determine if this location is within the given area. Another example is to find a school district for the given property.
MySQL had the
- Distance between 2 points. The “distance” function was not implemented before MySQL 5.6. In addition (even in MySQL 5.6), all calculations (e.g. distance between 2 points) are done using a planar coordinate system (Euclidean geometry). For the distance between 2 points on Earth this can produce incorrect results.
- Determine if the point is inside a polygon. Before MySQL 5.6 the functions that test the spatial relationships between 2 geometries (i.e. find if the given point is within a polygon) only used a Minimum Bounding Rectangle (MBR). This is a major limitation for example #2 above (I will explain it below).
first published week of: 10/21/2013
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UTM Coordinate Converter
This free coordinate converter, converts between various geographic coordinate systems, allowing you to convert between various Latitude/Longitudes systems and the Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) system. It includes a map, that displays the location you converted; as well clicking on the map allows you to select a location you would like converted (see Features for more details).
UTM Coordinate Conveter is a cross platform application that runs on both Windows and Mac (see System Requirements for more details).
For more information about geographic coordinate systems see Coordinate System.
first published week of: 08/05/2013
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Vaguely Rude Place Names Of The World
Just for fun, click on the link above and see if you live in a rudely named place!
first published week of: 02/25/2013
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Vermont Agency of Transportation Implements ArcGIS Online for Rail Asset Management and Emergency Response
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) Rail Section recently implemented ArcGIS Online to manage state-owned rail assets and improve emergency response. In addition, the agency uses the Esri Collector for ArcGIS and Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS apps for field data collection and oversight of Vermont's rail network.
To eliminate data silos, VTrans replaced its spreadsheet-based asset management system with a secure, cloud-based GIS for managing its network. The agency uses ArcGIS Online to display all its rail property and asset information in various map viewers accessible by VTrans personnel and the public.
To improve its rail inspection and emergency response, VTrans uses Collector for ArcGIS. Recently, Collector enabled field staff to gather condition information on 379 public rail crossings in just six weeks, nearly three times faster than last year. This valuable information will help VTrans plan maintenance and upgrades for years to come. VTrans field staff also used Collector to share damage reports during Hurricane Sandy, including photos for faster evaluation of storm damage.
VTrans uses Operations Dashboard for ArcGIS in its rail asset inspection process to perform high-level analyses of crossing conditions. Operations Dashboard also provides up-to-the-minute situational awareness by displaying real-time weather information, asset condition reports, and photos for emergency responders and state officials.
To view the public version of the VTrans rail mapping system, visit rail.vermont.gov.
first published week of: 11/04/2013
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Waze saw 500m map edits by 65k users in 2012
by craig lloyd
Before Apple released their own free mapping solution, a lot of iOS users resorted to third-party apps that offered free GPS turn-by-turn navigation, and Waze was one of the few that many users turned to. Now that Google Maps and Apple Maps are available, Waze has been becoming less important for travelers. However, the company has reported that in 2012 alone, 500 million map edits were made by 65,000 users.
Furthermore, the app’s 36 million users shared a total of 90 million “reports,” which include things like speed traps, road hazards, and accidents. In total, Waze recorded over 6 billion miles of driving from its 36 million users. That’s a lot of gas — approximately $850 million worth based on an average 25 MPG and a gas price average of $3.54 according to the EIA.
What’s perhaps even more astonishing, is that the app has reached 110 countries.
first published week of: 02/11/2013
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we-do-IT’s LatLonGO® Mobile GIS Solution Achieves Certified SAP ERP Integration
we-do-IT’s LatLonGO® Mobile GIS solution has achieved certified integration with the SAP® ERP application. Available on the iTunes App Store this spatial solution serves as a front end to functions within SAP ERP for plant maintenance and other activities. The LatLonGO® - Flexible Mobile IS Version 2.3 client accesses SAP® software through SAP NetWeaver® Gateway technology to exchange critical data with SAP ERP 6.0.
“Receiving SAP certification for our LatLonGO® interface is a further testament to our integration expertise, which started back in 1996 with the SAP-certified GIS interface at United Energy in Australia,” explained Dr Walter Hesse, CEO of we-do-IT. “The LatLonGO® solution has been designed to address the challenges faced by mobile GIS users today. It manages the distribution of GIS information to touch mobile devices including iPad, Android and Windows 8 tablets. LatLonGO® compresses, encrypts and distributes data, giving users a seamless online and offline experience.”
LatLonGO® supports any geographic information system (GIS) format and can process data from in- house or external (cloud) servers. It provides an up-to-date copy of corporate data and handles Smallworld, ESRI and spatialNET natively (WYSIWYG) and any other GIS format via OpenGeo or FME. LatLonGO® is ideal for mobile workers who require access to their corporate GIS data any time, even in remote or security sensitive locations where no web access is allowed.
The LatLonGO® mobility solution integrates with virtually any enterprise information system. The specific integration with the plant maintenance component in SAP ERP enables users to intuitively access work orders, technical object hierarchy and notifications and operations through a natural map user interface, thereby helping to greatly enhance productivity.
first published week of: 10/14/2013