This ‘digital twin’ of the planet could rival Google Earth — here’s how you can try it: Google needs Competition

French startup Kermap has developed a ‘digital twin’ of the Earth that claims to offer the most up-to-date views of our home planet.

The programme is called Nimbo Earth Online and it is the only platform providing new satellite views of the world every month, without clouds. Google Earth refreshes its imagery every several months to years, depending on location.

There’s one caveat though: Nimbo offers a resolution of only 10 metres per pixel. This is far less precise than what is offered by Google Earth.

But then Google Earth has really not been moving forward in leaps and bounds for the last few years. I wanted to find a specific location a few months ago, which contained a shooting range. The problem I had with Google Earth was that more than one of the recent images had cloud concealing that area. Going back in time, went too far back. Nimbo is using AI to remove the clouds. So maybe there is something with this AI-powered mapping.

Nimbo also includes a split & swipe function, which allows you to compare before and after images in one single view.

Although Nimbo states a resolution of 10 m per pixel, the interface has an HD button which says it is coming soon. So, it looks like that will improve.

But this does go to show that Google needs competition in order for them to improve. Google could have already been doing some of this AI-powered mapping if they’d felt the need to.

See https://thenextweb.com/news/digital-twin-rival-google-earth-nimbo
#Blog, #AI, #mapping, #technology

Four King #Maps

https://www.fourkingmaps.co.uk/

A very British alternative to (flawed) #What3Words.

#w3w #mapping #geolocation

StreetComplete is a gamified Android app specifically for casual contributors to OpenStreetMap Editor for mapping in the field

The app is made specifically for casual contributors and beginners as no prior knowledge about OpenStreetMap (such as tagging schemes) is required to contribute with this app. Furthermore, there is a bit of gamification and statistics that aim to introduce and try to inspire users to venture deeper into the world of OpenStreetMap.

This app finds missing map data in your vicinity and displays it on a map as quests. Solve each quest by visiting the location on-site and answering a simple question to update the map.

The info you enter is directly added to OpenStreetMap in your name, without the need to use another editor. OpenStreetMap is a really valuable free resource that anyone can contribute to, and which numerous mobile apps also use for their navigation. It is the Wikipedia of Mapping!

The app is open source and is available both on the Google app store but also on the F-Droid store.

See https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/StreetComplete
#Blog, #mapping, #opensource, #OpenStreetMap, #StreetComplete, #technology

Social mapping platform Atly launches with $18M to be a Reddit for real-world locations… But is there place in the market for more such apps?

Founded out of Israel in 2019, Atly claims to be creating the “next social paradigm for mapping and discovering places to go.” It’s all about finding new restaurants, hiking trails, bike rental places, gluten-free eateries, record stores, rooftop bars, free public toilets, and all the rest.

Through the web or mobile app, users can create their own theme-specific community, after which they become the manager for that community, including setting rules for engagement and permissions around what other users can do in that community.

According to Maslansky, Atly is not generating any revenue itself yet, but some of its users are already earning by “gating their community” to paid members.

It’s true that Google is rather slow nowadays in developing exciting new features (just look at far ahead Waze was on that front, so they got bought out), but there is also a lot to be said about “where most people are”. That “where” is often the “why” which stops users migrating off to a new service, because their contacts are all in one place and there is a mass of useful information already available. So certainly, in this regard Google Maps has pretty good reviews, ratings, photos, and other info (as does Yelp). But possibly Atly will appeal to non-Google Map users still.

But what Atly is hoping will differentiate it, is a truly more social aspect, versus just a map with lots of reviews just posted to it. The Reddit concept has worked well, but it has no geolocation / mapping type organisation.

See https://techcrunch.com/2023/05/31/social-mapping-platform-atly-launches-with-18m-to-be-a-reddit-for-real-world-locations/
#Blog, #Atly, #mapping, #places, #reviews, #technology

26.02.23
Face Mapping

#face #mapping #afrofuturism #portrait
#sundaygimp #photocollage #mywork #photo

LUC on Twitter: "14. 'Hexagons' Yesterday's entry for the #30DayMapChallenge was made by Laura from our #GIS team 🗺️ Her map displays the #landuse and occupation of #Ukraine in the distinctive, hexagonal boardgame style of #Catan 🎲 #GISchat #maps #mapping #boardgame #tabletopgaming https://t.co/EvqaUQ1yEq" / Twitter

Impressive!

https://nitter.it/LUCtweeting/status/1592472909653708802
https://twitter.com/LUCtweeting/status/1592472909653708802

Three Norths Align, And It’s Not Even Up North

#science #magneticnorth #mapping #north #hackaday
posted by pod_feeder_v2

Three Norths Align, And It’s Not Even Up North

Sometimes here at Hackaday we bring you stories from slightly outside our world of tech, because they have an interesting angle. Maybe they relate to science or astronomy, or in the case of the UK&…

Here is the final version of my work for Space Apps 2021. It was left out of the event because the video upload took until after admissions closed. However, I feel a great satisfaction for having finished the project.
#NASA #Argentina #spaceapps #radar #sar #buenosaires #satellite #data #earth #sourveillance #forest #flooding #volcano #imagery #forest #earthquake #fire #mapping
https://open.tube/videos/watch/30409bf3-57d5-454a-8a69-3464e2decb9ahttps://open.tube/videos/watch/30409bf3-57d5-454a-8a69-3464e2decb9a
https://2021.spaceappschallenge.org/challenges/statements/what-on-earth-is-synthetic-aperture-radar/teams/sar-10

Immersive AI-powered view coming soon to Google Maps will raise the realism bar for mapping

Thanks to advances in computer vision and AI that allows Google to fuse together billions of Street View and aerial images to create a rich, digital model of the world — they’ve introduced a whole new way to explore with Google Maps. With their new immersive view, you’ll be able to experience what a neighborhood, landmark, restaurant or popular venue is like — and even feel like you’re right there before you ever set foot inside. So whether you’re travelling somewhere new or scoping out hidden local gems, immersive view will help you make the most informed decisions before you go.

Glide down to street level to explore nearby restaurants and see helpful information, like live busyness and nearby traffic. You can even look inside them to quickly get a feel for the vibe of the place before you book your reservation.

This is clearly a whole level above plain satellite imaging and 3D buildings. It starts rolling out in Los Angeles, London, New York, San Francisco and Tokyo later this year with more cities coming soon.

See https://blog.google/products/maps/three-maps-updates-io-2022/

#technology #googlemaps #immersiveview #mapping
#Blog, ##googlemaps, ##immersiveview, ##mapping, ##technology

New Interactive Tool Lets You Explore England's Hidden Archaeological Wonders From the Comfort of Home

For the last few decades, Historic England and its affiliates have been studying aerial photographs—and, in recent years, imagery from Lidar, Google Earth, and other digital sources, too—in order to catalogue historical sites across England. Now, they’ve compiled all that data into a single dazzling interactive map, free for anyone to explore online.

As Smithsonian reports, this Aerial Archaeological Mapping Explorer contains thousands of sites and covers an impressively broad swath of history, from about 6000 years ago right up through the Cold War. If little-known prehistoric hill forts are your thing, you’re in luck. There are some of those, as well as Iron Age farms, Bronze Age burial mounds, Industrial Age coal-mining sites, and much more.

See New Interactive Tool Lets You Explore England's Hidden Archaeological Wonders From the Comfort of Home

#technology #mapping #england #history #Archaeology

Stonehenge is there, of course. So are Iron Age farms, Bronze Age burial mounds, Industrial Age coal mines, and more.

https://gadgeteer.co.za/new-interactive-tool-lets-you-explore-englands-hidden-archaeological-wonders-comfort-home

New Interactive Tool Lets You Explore England's Hidden Archaeological Wonders From the Comfort of Home

Stonehenge is there, of course. So are Iron Age farms, Bronze Age burial mounds, Industrial Age coal mines, and more.

CartNat : Une Cartographie du gradient de naturalité potentielle de France métropolitaine

Le projet CartNat vise à développer une méthode de cartographie de la naturalité potentielle. Ces travaux ont abouti en 2021 pour la France métropolitaine terrestre et les cartographies produites consistent en 4 couches spatiales :

1. L’intégrité biophysique de l’occupation du sol
2. La spontanéité des processus
3. Les continuités spatiales
4. La carte synthétique du gradient de naturalité potentielle à partir des critères 1 à 3

Les cartographies sont aujourd’hui mises à disposition (format ESRI Geodatabase – 2.3 GB) et la notice technique qui les accompagne décrit la méthodologie appliquée.

#uicn #cartographie #sig #naturalité #nature #wilderness #mapping #gis #france #géographie #geography

StreetComplete is an open source open street map (OSM) editor used for mapping in the field while on an Android phone, with quests

This phone app is great for a couple of reasons, the first being the entertainment you can find during day-to-day adult tasks or if you want just to have a socially distant date where you drive around and do quests for the night.

The second reason is that it gives everyone the chance to contribute to open source, no matter how small the experience. This can open the door for many people to discover a new world they didn't know existed. While many other apps work with OSM, this one is the most entertaining and gives you something new to do while you're out and about for the day.

See Contribute to OpenStreetMap from your phone

#technology #opensource #streetcomplete #navigation #mapping

StreetComplete is an open street map editor used for mapping in the field while on an Android phone.

https://gadgeteer.co.za/streetcomplete-open-source-open-street-map-osm-editor-used-mapping-field-while-android-phone-quests

Contribute to OpenStreetMap from your phone

This month is the 17th birthday of OpenStreetMap (OSM), a community-owned collaborative geographic database of the world

This cool database was inspired by the success of Wikipedia and the (rather annoying) predominance of proprietary map data. With over two million registered users and growing, many collect and provide data from GPS devices or local knowledge of the mapping area. OSM also has established a model for non-governmental organizations to collaborate with international organizations. A notable example of this, during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, OSM and Crisis Common volunteers using available satellite imagery to map the roads, buildings, and refugee camps of Port-au-Prince in just two days built the most complete digital map of Haiti's roads. This is known as Crisis mapping and is a real-time way to have people contribute and create situational awareness of the surroundings for the citizens and any humanitarian aid groups.

You can do your bit too by checking your local area and submitting updates and changes.

See What I love about OpenStreetMap

#technology #mapping #navigation #opensource #OSM

This month is the 16th birthday of OpenStreetMap (OSM), a community-owned collaborative geographic database of the world.

https://gadgeteer.co.za/month-17th-birthday-openstreetmap-osm-community-owned-collaborative-geographic-database-world

What I love about OpenStreetMap

OpenStreetMap looks to relocate to EU due to Brexit limitations | Brexit | The Guardian

OpenStreetMap, the Wikipedia-for-maps organisation that seeks to create a free and open-source map of the globe, is considering relocating to the EU, almost 20 years after it was founded in the UK by the British entrepreneur Steve Coast.
OpenStreetMap Foundation, which was formally registered in 2006, two years after the project began, is a limited company registered in England and Wales. Following Brexit, the organisation says the lack of agreement between the UK and EU could render its continued operation in Britain untenable.

#technology #tech #internet #mapping #GIS #Brexit

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2021/jun/30/openstreetmap-looks-to-relocate-to-eu-due-to-brexit-limitations

Ratatouille

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZcT9rodQIQ

On connaissait les sets de table pourvus de mots fléchés et de sudokus pour faire patienter les clients en panne de conversation. Voici à présent le court-métrage en entrée... (et bientôt, une bande-annonce pour le plat principal ?)

#video #restauration #restaurant #mapping #fun #animation