First, a thread on James Fee’s blog generates further lively debate on what Google’s mapping ventures mean to ESRI. Later, he highlights a new database of mapping servers, mapdex.org, which looks set to become a major resource for users of clients such as Google Earth, especially as formats become more interchangeable and the user base explodes.

In the meantime, he exhorts ESRI to start blogging properly. But straight corporate blogs are dry and PR-ish. Microsoft has a much better example of what works. It’s obvious what needs to happen: ESRI needs to make James Fee their Robert Scoble.

Some guy left a comment pointing out that NWS Tulsa’s KML feed seemed to be missing (see Friday’s post), so I emailed the webmaster asking for a clarification for Ogle Earth. And I got one right away:

We did this purely as an experiment…knowing that our headquarters would likely ask us to remove this page from the NWS Tulsa website. And…yep…they asked us to remove it a few days ago. Didn’t want to give the impression that the NWS was parterning with Google. I’ll ask our IT if the KML files will be produced in the future.

There is also a potential project between us…the Huntsville office and NASA that may produce similar products.

Thanks for your concern.

Chuck Hodges

NWS Tulsa

That just seems to confirm the impression from Friday’s Slashdot thread that the NWS is full of geeks who can’t help but experiment with new technologies. But KML is just XML, and HQ in this case is being a bit overbearing — it’s akin to issuing a directive that no NWS documents can pe published as PDFs, to avoid the impression that the NWS is partnering with Adobe. (and they do publish PDFs, I checked.)

Fantom Planet finds further evidence in support of an emerging meme: Nationalist battles for “ownership” of places on Google Earth.

Last month, Kashmir and Tibet were the subject of dispute. Now, it’s the Sea of Japan, sorry, the East Sea, that is causing a ruckus between Japanese and Korean activists.

The crux of the problem is that there is only one Google Earth — only one digital mirror of the real world onto which all our nationalist persuasions are projected. In the old days of paper maps, everybody could make their own.

Perhaps in the future, place names will just become another layer, with Google offering language localisation that also happens to be politically corrected for the sensibilities of the relevant ethnic groups. It would be a pity, though, to have a Google Earth – Korea Edition and Google Earth – Japan Edition. It’d sort of undermine the whole point of the project.

[Update 2005-08-22: More on the tussle at The Lost Nomad.]

[Update 2005-08-27: James Fee has yet another example, involving Montenegro and Croatia.]