Tablet Wars: The OS Battle

Ever since the iPad burst onto the scene, tablets have been the darlings of consumers and educators alike, with hundreds of millions of units sold. But is the US market indicative of the Worldwide trend in mobile platform adoption?

This past week on the NPR/KQED MindShift education blog, Frank Catalano examines the trends in the global market and finds that while Apple has a majority of the market share in tablet adoption by both consumers and educators in the US, it is Google’s Android that is leading the way with multiple sub-$150 devices being created in several countries and large scale adoption on a national level. Read Frank’s post here: “Which device will win the tablet battle?”

The question for publishers and content developers then becomes how to create content and curriculum as platform-agnostic as possible in order to capitalize on the adoption of as many of these devices as possible worldwide. At the moment, there are no easy answers, especially when publishers have to reach schools that are on the front lines in adopting the newest technology as well as those that lag behind, having to make do with years-old hardware and software.

At Maps.com, we are creating content and applications both specific to iOS and Android operating systems as well as cross-platform applications – primarily with HTML5. For instance, in our Maps101 Web service, we have long had a collection of hundreds of outline maps and a Flash-based MapKit drawing tool for users to create and modify their own maps. This month we released a new tool called MapSketch that adds to all of our maps an HTML5-based drawing tool that is cross-platform compatible. MapSketch will also be made available to add the same drawing tools to third party sites and applications such as Interactive White Board Activities. Contact us to find out how.

All Maps Lie

There was a blog title in the new iPad promo video that caught my eye. It’s near the beginning when the user is looking at the Design Observer site, but mistakenly (in my mind anyway) taps the article above All Maps Lie. How could you resist tapping that undeniably true and thought provoking statement? I mean really?

The blog post that goes untapped is a post by Paula Scher that talks about her history with the inherent distortion in maps – both intentional and unintentional – from an early age when her father worked to perfect photogrammetry with the USGS. It’s an interesting read and ultimately is a promo for her book Maps, which features her paintings – her interpretations and visions – of maps, with textures and movement created by her use of hand-rendered type. All maps lie. And hers are no exceptions. But therein lies the beauty and majesty. Maps can be what we want them to be, convey what we want them to convey. They can tell a story, or just be beautiful.

Apps That Take You Places

Ventura County, CA recently unveiled their new “Bikeways Map App” created by Maps.com.

The Bikeways Map app displays a scalable map of designated bike paths and lanes throughout the county (all 350 miles worth). The GPS-based program shows color-coded routes by type, pinpoints the lane nearest a cyclist’s location and guides the rider to their destination in real time. It can also track progress along the route and provide a summary of the trip, detailing mileage and average speed. Other features include safety tips, bike laws and color-coded path descriptions.

Locals will rely on it, visitors will love it, and Ventura County proves to be a step (or pedal) ahead.

Maps.com is helping companies reach new audiences and grow revenues with mobile apps.

Read more @ vcstar.com

What Did You Have for Dinner Last Night?

Despite what most observers consider a success in the transition of Sudan into two separate states, there is still a great deal of unrest in both countries. A conflict has been raging in Sudan since last May that has arisen from issues never fully resolved in the civil war because people in those states, particularly in the Nuba Mountains, fought in alliance with the South. Though they remained in the North, their issues were to be resolved in a process called popular consultations. Those consultations did not get finished and a ‘very serious’ conflict broke out, in the words of Ambassador Princeton Lyman at a press briefing today.

The UN and the U.S. are very concerned about predictions made by the Famine Early Warning System Network that warn of a major humanitarian crisis in those areas, particularly Southern Kordofan. By March, they feel that a large number of people, as many as a quarter of a million or more, will will reach what they call emergency status, which is one class short of famine and constitutes a very serious food emergency. The Sudanese government has resisted efforts by the administration and the UN to assist in relief efforts. Part of their arguments against receiving aid is that they ‘learned a lesson’ in Darfur, meaning that if they let the UN in, it will result in a peace-keeping mission and result in human rights charges against the Sudanese administration and further loss of territory. They further argue that they are concerned that food aid will reach supporters of the SPLM in the North and that the situation really isn’t that serious.

To complicate matters, there is also conflict between Sudan and South Sudan about the sharing of oil revenues. Most of the oil in the two countries originates in the South, while the refining and distribution facilities are in the North. The North has imposed increased tariffs on Southern oil and has blocked ships carrying it from leaving port. In response, the South has threatened to shut down all oil production and move to build pipelines to Kenya. Needless to say that with this much at stake for both countries, this is a very dangerous game.

Acute Food Insecurity in Sudan, especially Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, where conflict has broken out.

In the South, hostilities between regions and ethnic groups that was temporarily mollified by the independence movement are now beginning to show up again. Recently clashes between the Lou Nuer and Murle ethnic groups in Jonglei have resulted in the death of several individuals (perhaps several hundred) and widespread displacement of civilians. Fortunately, UNMIS was able to inervene and prevent a major conflict in one incident in Pibor, but there is still the threat or reprisal attacks. South Sudan is still a fragile state and we can only hope that all the ethnic, political and economic conflicts can be resolved as soon as possible.

Pibor, South Sudan. Site of serious clashes in recent weeks

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Source: U.S. State Department

I need a bigger stocking

A perennial favorite by Maps.com editors and staffers (and not just because we update the maps), The World Almanac 2012 has hit the shelves ready to take its place as one of the top gifts for this holiday season.

Think you can get all the information you need from the internet? Think again. Where else will you find curated, researched, accurate information all in one place. It sure as heck won’t be Wikipedia. And as was pointed out in an interview with World Alamanac editor Sarah Janssen on WITF’s Radio Smart Talk on Monday morning, Americans are fascinated by lists. The best this, the top that. And pushing 1000 pages, the World Almanac is chock full of lists.

The editor’s most surprising fact in the Almanac this year? Sales of mobile devices in the U.S. topped 80 million units this year. Not surprising you say? Consider that means that there was approximately one mobile device sold for every 4 persons in the country. Woof. That’s a lot of devices.

If you fear that Santa won’t be able to fit The Almanac into your stocking, Sarah points out that “you can just make that stocking a little bigger this year!”

Buy The Almanac wherever books are sold or at WorldAlmanac.com

U.S. Opens New Tehran Embassy, Well Sort Of

No, U.S. diplomats haven’t returned to Iran to face the mob that overran the British Embassy last week. No feet are required on the ground for this first-ever virtual embassy launched by the U.S. State Department as part of its friend-making campaign towards the Iranian people.

Under Secretary Wendy Sherman made the announcement today, saying that the U.S. wants “to communicate directly to the people of Iran. We want all Iranians, especially the very large population of young people inside Iran, to see that the United States has deep respect for the Iranian people and its civilization. We want to support a more direct and robust engagement between us and the people of Iran, as we have in other countries where we have physical embassies. The virtual embassy is a hub in Persian and English for information not only on U.S. policy towards Iran but also a place to get insight into American culture and society, find visa applications, learn about opportunities to study in the United States. Virtual Embassy Tehran is a launch pad for our interactive efforts, our blogs, our Persian Facebook and Twitter pages, and our YouTube channel.”

The relationship between the U.S. and Iran has been made more tense of late by the Iranian administrations continued attempts to develop nuclear material  and the recent crash of a CIA drone in Iranian territory. The Iranian government will likely attempt to block the site from networks within the country, as they have for many site they deem inappropriate or counter to their own message. At the time of the announcement, the site had been operating for several hours with no attacks or blockage. Should it happen, the U.S. will do whatever it can to reset access and is confident that they can keep it up and accessible.

This does not signal a change in the diplomatic relationship, or lack thereof, between the two countries, but a new tactic to reach directly to the Iranian people.

PROFILE

Geography
Area: 1.6 million sq. km. (636,295 sq. mi., slightly larger than Alaska).
Arable land: 9.78% of the country.
Cities: Capital–Tehran. Other cities–Isfahan, Tabriz, Mashhad, Shiraz, Yazd, Qom.
Terrain: Desert and mountains.
Climate: Semiarid; subtropical along the Caspian coast.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective–Iranian(s).
Population (July 2010 est.): 76,923,300 million.
Population growth rate (July 2010): 0. 1.253%%.
Ethnic groups: Persians 51%, Azeri 24%, Gilaki and Mazandarani 8%, Kurd 7%, Arab 3%, Lur 2%, Baloch 2%, Turkmen 2%, other 1%.
Religions: Shi’a Muslim 89%; Sunni Muslim 9%; Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Baha’i 2%.
Languages: Persian and Persian dialects 58%, Turkic languages (besides Turkish) 26%, Kurdish 9%, Luri 2%, Balochi 1%, Arabic 1%, Turkish 1%, other 2%.
Education: Literacy (total population age 15 and over who can read and write, 2003)–79% (male: 86%, female: 73%).
Health (2010 est.): Infant mortality rate– 43.45 deaths/1,000 live births. Life expectancy at birth (2010)–total population: 69.77yrs.

Government
Type: Islamic republic.
Constitution: Ratified in December 1979, revised 1989.
Branches: Executive–Supreme Leader (head of state), President (head of government), Council of Ministers, Assembly of Experts, Expediency Council, Council of Guardians.Legislative–290-member Majles (National Assembly, or Islamic Consultative Assembly).Judicial–Supreme Judiciary.
Suffrage: Universal suffrage; 18 years of age.

 Sources: Maps.com, Maps101,  U.S. State Department

Cartographic Bracketology

Our friends at ESRI have followed up their Super Bowl map with a cartographic visualization of the fan favorites in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament’s Sweet 16 match-ups. Using ESRI architecture and cloud computing, the FanMap plots and displays the picks of all 8 games. The catch? You have to make your picks first. There are no prizes other than to be able to see the distribution of picks across North America or locally in your own home town.

It should be noted, however, that the FanMap asks you to pick who you want to win, not who you think will win. This is about fan preference and popular support, not predicting winners.

Who are you rooting for?

The Buckeyes are holding a slight edge in fan voting in their match-up with Kentucky

The fifth largest earthquake ever recorded launches Pacific tsunami

The fifth largest earthquake ever recorded hit the island nation of Japan today, causing massive destruction and putting the whole Pacific Rim on a tsunami alert. Immediately warnings went out across the Pacific and local authorities alerted residents all around the region, including Hawaii and the entire west coast of the United States. A tsunami measuring over 10 meters was reported to have hit Sendai and waves topping 1 meter were expected in North America.

As of this writing, there have been 122 earthquakes measuring 5.0 or more in the past two and a half days in the Honshu coast region (and a total of 171 worldwide), including 4 over 6.0 off the coast of Japan preceding the 8.9 quake and another 16 aftershocks measuring 6.0 or larger. With an earthquake this large, smaller earthquakes in other regions are expected as the stresses in the Earth’s crust are redistributed.

Map graphics are an integral part of the tsunami warning system, including some very interesting depictions of the travel time of the tsunami and the relative strength as it passes across the ocean:

(credit: NOAA)

(credit: NOAA)

Lost in the coverage of the Honshu earthquake was the news that there was another smaller, but also destructive quake in southwest China that prompted the Obama administration to send official condolences for those affected by their disaster.

Sources: USGS, NOAA

Learn more about earthquakes and the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center at these links:

Pacific Tsunami Warning Center

USGS Earthquakes hazard Program

and see photos of the disaster from the Globe and Mail.

“I am Free Today”

The results of the Southern Sudan independence referendum were released in Khartoum today and the results indicated a landslide of 99% in favor of dividing Africa’s largest country.

The result is not without controversy, however, as human rights groups expressed alarm at reports that the Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir be given a temporary reprieve from war crimes charges and that the US State Department indicated it is initiating the process of withdrawing Sudan’s State Sponsor of Terrorism designation.

While the announcement was greeted with jubilation in Southern Sudan, many fear that without the continued pressure on al-Bashir, the relative peace of the referendum will be short lived indeed. In fact, in Khartoum there have been reports in the past week of the government brutally putting an end to student protests and the Sudanese military continuing violent campaigns in Darfur, deepening the concern.

Many questions remain before both countries, not the least of which is the citizenship of the displaced Southerners in the North, oil revenues and much more. The formal declaration of independence will be made on July 9, 2011.

But what does that mean for map makers and those that use maps? One big question is what will be the name of the new country. Officials in the South say that the issue is unresolved, but the name could well be South Sudan.

To complicate the Sudan situation, there is another territory in play: the oil-rich Abyei region, which lies in the center-south of the country, bordering the new South Sudan, has been the site of most of the violence during the referendum and was scheduled to hold its own referendum at the same time as the South Sudan referendum, but disagreements over eligibility and violence sidetracked the vote.

So what do you do if you are about to go to press with a product that has maps that show the current boundaries of Sudan or Africa? We suggest that until there is a definitive referendum on the status of Abyei , the region should be included in Sudan (north). In most cases, the scale of maps that show Sudan will be hard to distinguish the Abyei region, so should pose no confusion to users. Also, if your products are scheduled to go to press before the July 9 independence declaration, the new country should be labeled as South Sudan. However, keep your eye on InCarto and other news sources in case a new name is announced in advance. It’s always better to have the first product with the new name than it is to be the last with the old one.

The Sudan Split: Sudan and South Sudan (courtesy Maps101)

 

Sources:

US State Department: Africa: Congratulating Sudan on the Results of the Southern Sudan Referendum

The Guardian

The Sudan Tribune

 

First U.S. Map Purchased for Record Price

The first map of the United States to be published after the Treaty of Paris formally ended the American Revolution. Published by Abell Buell in 1784, only seven original copies are known to exist. (Library of Congress)

The first known map of the United States, published in 1784, has been purchased at auction from the New Jersey Historical Society for the record price of $1.8 million by Washington philanthropist David M. Rubenstein. Rubenstein, who is the co-founder and managing director of the Carlyle Group, plans to loan it to the Library of Congress who in turn has agreed to display the map for at least five years.

The Abel Buell map is named after the Connecticut cartographer who created and, according to Rubenstein, is the first map to show the American flag, is the first printed in the U.S. and the first made after the American Revolution.

According to John R. Hébert, chief of the library’s geography and map division, the library had been coveting this map for decades and “now we can document the process of the way we came to independence,” Hebert said. The Library has not yet decided when or where the map will be displayed.

The hand-colored engraved map is 43 inches by 48 inches, consists of four parts united into one and is an excellent example of period cartography. It shows the eastern half of present-day United States with the boundaries of the original colonies – which are far more expansive in many cases than they are now – and is an important record of the development of the early United States.

For more, see the full article by Jacqueline Trescott in the Washington Post Sunday Jan 30, 2011

Did you know that Maps.com carries color-corrected reproductions of antique maps and city vistas, many of which are available no where else? Check them out in our online store.