Crowd-Sourced Crime on Google Maps

Robbery Maps

Robberymaps is a Spanish language crowd-sourced Google Map showing the locations of robberies around the world. 

The site was launched in Barcelona and most of the user submitted reports of robberies are still submitted from the city. At the moment then the map is most useful for people who live in Barcelona or are planning to visit. The map is full of useful user submitted information about areas of the city that you should be particularly careful.

Barcelona is fairly well known for its gangs of pickpockets. This map could therefore be very useful if you want to find out the latest areas that the gangs have been seen operating in. 

Beware: Chinese iPhone 4 comes with a crippled Maps app

The iPhone 4 officially landed in China yesterday, so I bought one from the new Apple Store at Xidan in Beijing. In China, Apple sells its iPhones unlocked and without a contract (16GB = USD747, 32GB = USD895), so you can pretty much stick in any sim card and go. This is how I like my phones — and why I skipped buying an iPhone 4 in Sweden or the US (contract-only) or Belgium (hefty VAT markup).

I soon discovered that the Chinese version of the iPhone 4 comes with an aggravating quirk, though: The built-in Maps app is crippled. My phone's base map is hard-wired to Google Maps' censored dataset for China, where the depiction of China's borders complies with the official propaganda of the Chinese government. It does not, for example, show the region of Arunachal Pradesh as being disputed by China and India. On my phone, it belongs to China, even though the facts on the ground belie it — it is currently administered by India.

I discovered this quirk because the first thing I did after activation was to do a wholesale install of the backed-up contents of my old iPhone 3GS, bought in Hong Kong. On my 3GS, I knew exactly how the Maps app worked: If I went online in China without a VPN, the Google Maps dataset was an English-language version that nevertheless had borders which complied with Chinese law (i.e. they show Arunachal Pradesh as being Chinese). As soon as I turned on my VPN to tunnel into San Francisco, the refreshed base map automatically showed the proper international version, the one which the rest of the world gets to see. You could make the case that Apple and Google just want to comply with local Chinese law — even though the legality of Google's mapping service in China is even now in question, as it still needs to comply successfully with a new Chinese law that requires a license to publish online maps in China.

Hong Kong iPhone 3GS online in Beijing, no VPN

Hong Kong iPhone 3GS online in Beijing, VPN enabled

But my new Chinese iPhone 4 does things differently, even though ostensibly it is meant to be running exactly the same software as my old phone. The Maps app always shows China's borders as the Chinese government would have them — regardless of whether I use my VPN or not. If I take this phone to the US or Europe, it will still show the same crippled, semi-fictional base map. And there is no way that I can change it.

Chinese iPhone 4, online in Beijing, VPN enabled

(The Chinese iPhone 4's dataset is slightly different from the one served inside China to my Hong Kong iPhone 3GS, however: on my Chinese iPhone 4, place names outside China are both in Chinese and English (and sometimes also in a local script, such as Arabic). San Francisco, for example, is accompanied by its Chinese name, 旧金山. That's not the case on my Hong Kong iPhone 3GS — all names outside China are just in English (and sometimes also in a local script).

Hong Kong iPhone 3GS, online in Beijing, no VPN

Chinese iPhone 4, online in Beijing, VPN enabled

In other words, Google keeps and serves two base map datasets that comply with Chinese law — one in English, and one in Chinese.)

This is not the first time Apple has willingly crippled its iPhones to legally access new markets. In Egypt, the first iPhones lacked a GPS receiver to comply with a local ban. The first Chinese iPhones lacked wifi. iPhone 4s currently sold in the United Arab Emirates lack the Facetime feature, possibly to abide by VOIP regulations.

The question is whether crippling the Maps app on Chinese iPhones is a legal requirement, or whether it's a case of Apple (and Google) going beyond the call of duty. Is it really illegal to sell a phone where the software settings allow you to choose a base map different from the default? In any case, is it a good idea to rely on a map that may not ever get a license to be legally served in China? Shouldn't that possibility argue for the ability to choose different base map datasets (OpenStreetMap, for one, perhaps Bing Maps)? Right now, the Maps app reminds me of those cold-war era Soviet radios, without a dial, able to receive just one (propaganda) channel.

Because Apple's own apps are not deletable, I've now buried the Maps app in an obscure folder, and instead replaced the icon with a direct link to maps.google.com, whose mobile-enabled mapping template is just great: Compared with Apple's app, it serves up a reality-based map in China even without VPN, has much better search (with suggestions) and content such as Wikipedia and Panoramio photos. (Directions are lacking in the mobile version, though.) Another option is to use Google Earth for the iPhone, which looks simply awesome on the iPhone 4's screen.

Luckily, routing around censorship on the internet is still easy, though not with any help from Apple, in this case.

Jewish History on Google Maps

The Jew Map

The creators of the popular Rap Map have now turned their attention away from music and towards religion. They say they have built the Jew Map out of love for Jewish history and also to impress their mothers.

The map shows the locations of important landmarks in Jewish history from the Red Sea to Katz' Delicatessen in New York. The map also includes the option to 'suggest a location' by completing a short form. 

The Jew Map is the first of a number of historical maps from Rap Genius. There are plans to release The Black Map (a map of black history/culture) and the Cold War Map soon.

Also See

• Jewish in the City - Jewish directories for a large number of cities
• Jewish Women on the Map

International Balloon Race Live on Google Maps

Gordon Bennett 2010 International Gas Balloon Race


The 54th Coupe Aéronautique Gordon Bennett International Gas Balloon Race is due to start this evening from Bristol, UK. All the competitors in the race have been fitted with tracking devices and you will be able to follow the race in real-time on a live Google Map.

Once the race has been started the balloons will be shown on the live tracking map with balloon map markers. If you click on any of the markers you will be able to view its current position, the distance it has travelled and its current speed.

Hat-tip: Mapperz

Penn State Geospatial Revolution Project

The Geospatial Revolution Project




The Geospatial Revolution Project is a public service broadcasting series from Penn State exploring the potential future of location-based technologies. 

Episode one of the season has now been released. The first episode covers the evolution of geospatial technologies and the use of open source mapping in the Haitian earthquake relief efforts. Future episodes in the season are due in November, February and March.

German Google Maps Round-up

Skobbler

Skobbler is a German Google Maps based application for the desktop, iPhone and for Android phones. Skobbler lets you search and save locations and places, create tips for locations, add photos, and rate venues.

The Skobbler website allows you to search for local listings on Google Maps. For example you can search for pizza in Berlin and view the locations of Berlin's pizza restaurants on a map. If you click on an individual listing you can read reviews, user ratings, view uploaded photographs and get directions to the venue.

Skobbler encourages user contributions with a 'local hero' rating system. If you contribute the most locations, comments and ratings in a neighbourhood you can earn yourself a coveted local hero status. Skobbler has even provided aLocal Heroes Google Map to help you search for the local hero in your neighbourhood.

Maporado

Maporado is a German map search and route planning website that is integrated with Google Maps, Bing Maps, Open Street Map, Navteq and Yahoo Maps.

Using Maporado you can search for a location and choose on which map provider you would like to see the results. If you want driving directions you can use the route planner to set a starting point and destination. Once you have selected these you can then choose between a large selection of route planning services.

So, if you are very picky, you can view your route as suggested by different online map providers and choose which you think provides the best directions.

Street View Protest Map

This Google My Map has been created to provide a virtual protest against Google's plans to launch Street View in Germany. Some Germans are so opposed to the idea of images of their houses appearing on Street View that they have added photos of themselves standing outside their houses and posted these photos to the map.

If you are really opposed to Street View you could even take a 360 degree panoramic photo of yourself and post it to the map. If you got a few of your neighbours together you could even create a series of panoramic photos for your street. If you then linked these together with hyperlinks you could create an amazing virtual protest that allowed viewers to virtually walk down the street. I even have a name for this innovation: 'View Street'. I wonder if it will catch on?

Via: landkartenblog

Google Maps at the Quantum Level

The Case of the Missing Sunrise and The Phantom Town

This week the American media has been full of the story of the missing Florida town, Sunrise. For at least a month this summer Sunrise simply disappeared from the map. At least, it disappeared from Google Maps. 

One moment the town was there for all the world to see and the next moment it had disappeared. Sunrise no longer appeared on Google Maps.

Now the American media have been having a lot of fun with this mapping error, just as the BBC have been having fun with the issue of the phantom town of Argleton appearing on Google Maps in the UK. 

Lots of explanations have been put forward for these mistakes, from simple administrative errors to sneaky copyright traps. However no-one seems to have made the logical conclusion of looking at both of these cases together.

 

For me the clue to these errors is in the name 'Sunrise'. Sunrise, as you are aware, is essential the light of the sun becoming visible in the morning. At the quantum level of reality light photons behave with indeterminacy. Therefore we are unable to predict the final location of any single light photon. 

So clearly due to quantum mechanics the town of Sunrise will sometimes appear on Google Maps in Florida and at other times it will appear in the UK, as the town of Argleton.

Quantum Indeterminacy in Street View

Other evidence of how Google Maps behaves at the quantum level can be seen in Street View. In Montréal Google has caught two successive images of the same truck delivering cola to a store. In one image the truck clearly appears as belonging to Pepsi Cola.

However if you progress along the street in Street View for one frame the same truck suddenly appears to belong to Coca Cola.

Clearly evidence once again that Google Maps behaves with indeterminacy at the quantum level. 

I must point out however that physics has never been my strong point and I could well be wrong in my calculations.

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Labels: Friday Fun

GeoVation Challenge

This year, GeoVation has been split into three separately themed challenges, the first of which was ‘How Can Britain Feed Itself?’ now closed to new entries, although you can still visit the site to read and rate the 52 ideas that have been contributed.

But fear not, the chance to be involved has not passed you by; for the next Challenge is due to open on Tuesday 28th September 2010 and is entirely focused on how geographic data can help us get from A to B.

Bumper to bumper. Photo by Lynac via Flikr

There are huge and exciting opportunities for geography to be harnessed to solve transport related problems, especially with the influx of open data releases that we’ve seen over the past months. Those include Data.gov.uk; Ordnance Survey’s own OS OpenDataportal; a number of local authorities; and most recently transport data from Transport for London.

And, for the second of this year’s Challenges, delighted to have the additional support of the the TSB funded Ideas in Transit project and the National Business Travel Network.

Ideas in Transit is a five-year project that applies “bottom-up” innovation to the transport challenges faced by individuals and society. NBTN promotes workplace travel planning as a cost effective way for businesses to reduce CO2 emissions and benefit staff.

Both are committed to supporting a sustainable future for transport in Britain and with their help we’re really hoping that we’ll uncover something extra special.

We are all users of transport, so if you’ve got a geography based transport idea why not submit it next week? The best entries will be invited to a further develop their ideas at a GeoVation Camp before going on to pitch for funding at a ‘Dragons’ Den’ style showcase next year.

There is a prize fund of £25,000 available to award to winning ideas and whilst entrants aren’t limited to using Ordnance Survey data, there is also an additional prize available for the best use of any of the datasets freely available through OS OpenData.

Keep an eye on GeoVation.org.uk next week for more details on the second challenge and you can also follow the project on Twitter for all the latest news at @GeoVation.

Reposted by request (twitter) from:

http://blog.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/2010/09/geovation-seeks-ideas-to-get-you-moving/

Labels: Award, Challenge, GeoVation, OS, September 2010

Street View Trike Spotted in Denmark

The Google Street View trike today started gathering off-road imagery in Denmark. Google use the Street View trike to gather Street View imagery in places where the Street View cars cannot go. Google have worked withVisitDenmark, Denmark's official tourism agency, to decide the locations the trike will visit.

One location that the trike visited today was the Rundetaarn in Copenhagen. You can see Google's trike cyclist valiantly struggling to pedal up the spiral ramp of the tower on this shaky YouTube video.

Danish website Version2 have created a nice gallery of 18 photos that they captured of the trike today. 

Via: microformats.dk

Chat with Google Maps on Your Phone

Yaptime
Yaptime is a new Google Maps based group texting service that lets you send and read messages from people within 100 feet of your location. The application is aimed at mobile phones, with iPhone and Android applications coming soon. For now you can access Yaptime from your phone's browser by visiting http://www.yaptime.com/m.

Once you access Yaptime from your phone you need to share your location and enter a user name. You can then choose to set up a chat room at your location or view current messages being posted around the world. 

If you choose to set up a new chat room you can then start posting messages from your location. Yaptime see the application being used by people at events, such as football games and in venues, such as bars and cafes.

The application allows users to start chatting anonymously with people in their immediate vicinity. I can certainly see this being popular especially if there is some effort to publicise a Yaptime chat at a particular event or venue. For example, conference organisers could encourage attendees to log-in and chat about the speakers / event using Yaptime.

Hat-tip: Street View Funny