All posts by Stefan Geens

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The Atlas of Canada: Now showing on Google Earth

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For a while now I’ve wanted to play with the PHP script that Chris wrote to drag data off an WMS server and throw it onto Google Earth via a network link. Tonight I had some time, so I adapted the script to query the Atlas of Canada‘s WMS server and present the results.

The Atlas of Canada makes 25 layers available on its WMS server, of which I took the seven most useful for my script. While Google Earth’s built-in layers already contain all this information, the point of this exercise was more to acquaint myself with the nitty-gritty of querying geographical databases.

The Atlas of Canada provides background about its WMS server here, while an XML document handles the details. I used both to create a custom PHP script that sits on the Ogle Earth server. When this script is invoked by a network link in Google Earth, it takes the bounding box information Google Earth gives it and brings it to the WMS server, where it asks politely for the required layers. The result is correctly positioned GIFs delivered to Google Earth.

Here is the script if you want to take a gander at the code.

Here is the network link for you to download if you want to see the script in action.

As the metadata about the layers is encoded in a standard XML document that is delivered by the WMS server upon request, there are opportunities here for automating the repetitive work I did to code the seven layers. A much more powerful solution would be to write a parser that queries any given WMS server for the metadata, which it then uses to construct the custom PHP script and KML network link for that server.

Even better would be for Mapdex.org to automatically provide these files alongside search results for WMS servers:-)

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Google Earth for Mac, virtually

I’d heard that VNC was doable on a Mac for channeling Google Earth remotely (using a PC, natch), but Andrew in High Earth Orbit recommends Microsoft’s free Remote Desktop Connection. The reason? It appears to demand far less overhead from the PC, and it is faster, says Andrew. He is also kind enough to walk us through getting started using a secure shell connection.

Interview

Le Monde interviews Google Earth’s John Hanke

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Le Monde interviews John Hanke, ex-Keyhole CEO and now general manager of Google Earth. Hanke speaks great French:-) Here is the translated version.

Highlights: Hanke credits the original idea for Google Earth to Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. He also says they’re working on refreshing the data for Google Earth approximately every 18 months. And when asked if Google Earth presents a security risk, he says that the authorities know the resolution of the maps is not sufficiently precise to contribute to a terrorist threat, and that the images are not in real time anyway.

Opinion

Directions Magazine to focus more on consumer mapping

Joe Francica at Directions Magazine posts an editorial about Google Earth’s contribution to making GIS more accessible to the layman.

His observations are buttressed by an announcement at the end of his article that Directions Magazine will be shifting focus slightly, to take into account this burgeoning consumer market and the moneymaking opportunities it brings:

Next week, Directions Magazine unveils a new publication to follow the trends in “profiting” from location technology and the applications of how geospatial information and technology become more embedded in enterprise systems. Location Intelligence Magazine will be a window into not only how businesses will deploy these tools for B2B solutions but also how these “consumer” applications of GE and MS VE might affect how the business world leverage “location” for a competitive advantage. I hope you will subscribe.

Done. Of course, one way to “profit” off Google Earth is to start up a magazine about it:-)

Opinion

Geobloggers is amazing

Rev Dan Catt comes out with a new update for Geobloggers, which is going from strength to strength. For example:

Needless to say this turns PodCasting sideways. You don’t need to subscribe to single users or site, you can subscribe to an area around your home, regardless of who the podcaster is. Same of course applies to Video.

That’s been the promise of geotagging, and Geobloggers is delivering in droves — and it’s all exportable to Google Earth as well. As the Rev says, “Oh and as Ajax websites go, I reckon geobloggers is pretty hot now ;)”