Links List 6.6.08

GIS Blog discusses the launch of the Acrobat 9 maps feature. The program receives support for the new PDF maps from ArcGIS 9.3. An additional benefit to the feature is that the free Adobe Reader also supports the mapping features, creating the possibility for quicker adoption than we’ve seen with GeoPDF.

Who wants to be a member of the new geospatial coalition? According to GIS Lounge, URISA released a press release revealing the creation of the Coalition of Geospatial Organizations (COGO). COGO, currently made up of 10 geospatial organizations, and provides a forum for those concerned with national geospatial issues.

A SARS Mapping Web site uses GIS as a vital tool for investing the cause and spread of deadly diseases in the world. Geography Matters reports that ESRI China developed the site to track where reports of SARS cases have been filed. Currently the site is inactive due to the end of the epidemic.

Geospatial Semantic Web Blog (GSWB) deems Geohash a useful algorithm for encoding mapping coordinates. GSWB claims that the Geohash algorithm constructs URL or URI “point” locations easily. The algorithm is also advantageous in building simple spatial index and spatial search.

The 2008 Summer Olympics has brought quite at stir in Beijing. City8, a company based in Shanghai China developed a streetview imagery for thirty Chinese cities, including Beijing. The company develops and markets virtual tour software and solutions, allowing individuals and companies to produce colorful VR contents on their own.City8 hopes to release an English version before the Olympic Games.