Lalitesh Katragadda and Manik Gupta

Google has released Map Maker!  It allows the general public to add and update locations on Google Maps.

  

 Mapping Locations of  "Specialty" Meat

La Crosse Tribune
April 2
A new online directory connects specialty meat lovers with places where they can get the cuts they love.

Darian Shirazi addresses location's trickiest issues and how an open places database could work effectively.

 Can Technology Fix the FAA's Air Traffic Troubles?
Thom Patterson, CNN
April 27
New technology to modernize America's aging air traffic system promises to help air traffic controllers and may have prevented a recent tarmac collision between two aircrafts at a New York airport, say experts.

 Google Maps Courts GIS Developers With Google Earth Builder
Adam DuVander, O'Reilly Radar
April 20
Introduction to Google Earth Builder, a new service from Google that allows users and developers to push their own enterprise GIS data to Google.  The data will then be accessible via the Google Maps and Google Earth APIs.  The service is only available to paying Google Enterprise customers. 

Introducing Arcpy.mapping for ArcGIS Server Developers

Sterling Quinn, ArcGIS Server Blog

April 12 

Great post on helpful samples, article and techniques for getting started in arc.py, the new scripting toolset and environment in ESRI's ArcGIS desktop and server technologies. 

Useful Census Bureau Report: The State and Direction of Addressing

Bert Granberg, Utah GIS Portal
April 18
Referral to a critical new comprehensive report on the movements to standardize and improve address data across the nation. The report  is meant as reference for anyone whose organizational and business outcomes depend on or could be enhanced by a robust knowledge of physical addresses and their locations.

 Best Practices for Local Government Geospatial Programs
GeoData Policy 

April 5
At the request of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Geospatial Advisory Committee (NGAC) has published a simple two-page best practices paper that will allow city and county governments to quickly assess their geospatial programs

North Carolina Aerial Photography to Improve 911 Service

Sarah Rich, Government Technology News 

April 5
Article on how new statewide imagery purchased and gathered in North Carolina in 2010 will benefit 911 operations by giving emergency responders a common operating picture.

Government Officials Want Answers to Secret iPhone Tracking

Helen A.S. Popkin
April 21
iPhones and iPads are being tracked by both Apple and Google.  Information is being collected on where and when you go, what you do and what you buy.  Privacy is a huge concern and now the government is questioning the safety issues and what exactly Apple plans to do with the information.

OGC and OSCRE Work Together to Advance Real Estate Standards

Open  Geospatial Consortium 

March 31
Announcement of a collaborative effort to establish global real estate data standards that fully integrate and take advantage of geospatial data standards and capabilities.  OSCRE, like the OGC, is the Open Standards Consortium for Real Estate and is the only global e-commerce standards body for the real property sector. 

Ghost Towns of the 21st Century Unveiled 

Douglas A. McIntyre, Yahoo Finance  

April 11
There are several counties in America, each with more than 10,000 homes, which have vacancy rates above 55%.

Facebook Connections Draw Map of the World

Robert Quigly, Geekosystem 

Dec. 4
Map is drawn from data connections between 10 million Facebook friends.

  

Google Earth Lets Users Browse Photos in New Way

Chris Chrum, WebProNews
April 21 

Google has launched a new photo browsing experience in Google Earth, which includes a new photo cluster feature. This is designed to make the browsing process quicker and easier.

Conspiracy Theory: Why did Nevada Remove Geocaches?

Steve Friess
April 22

The Nevada Department of Transporation recently removed a "power cache" of more than 1,000 geocaches that were located along ET Highway in central Nevada.  This article briefly explains what geocaching is and explores its world-wide popularity as central Nevada businesses lament the lost revenue of their second largest tourism base.