Slashgeo

Anything Geospatial links to the very short CNN announcement of GeoPortail.fr (geoportail.fr is very slow right now). See our previous coverage with screenshots. From CNN: "But President Jacques Chirac stressed the need for France to have such a site, which will allow Internet users to view aerial photos and maps, saying the state had to be at the cutting edge of modern technology." Unless I'm mistaken, the title is misleading: unlike Google Earth, you don't have to download any application, so it's closer to Windows Live Local or Google Maps in 3D.

This press release indicates the French government chose SkylineGlobe for its 3D national geospatial web portal. From the PR: "It will be the first and only 3D globe that includes high resolution imagery covering entire France and will include the ability to interactively fly over highly realistic 3D terrain and urban environments. [...] The web site development as well as database management is being handled by I.G.O. a Vinci company using SkylineGlobe as a multiplatform web based application (Windows, Mac and Linux). [...] ‘After a long review process of available 3D solutions, IGN came to a conclusion that SkylineGlobe with its extensive API is the only solution that would let them create the scaleable customized web-based application that they wanted’ he continued. “France will be the first country to create their own web based public 3D Earth portal”" See also related stories below.

Ogle Earth reports "Last summer, amid much fanfare and little server capacity, the France's National Geographic Institute (IGN) released Géoportail, a 2D web mapping application that was (inaccurately) self-described as France's answer to Google Earth. A 3D version was promised for 2007. It has now arrived." Update: 08/01 13:24 GMT by S : We also got an anonymous user submission on the subject: "Géoportail is an initiative of the French National Geographical Institute (IGN). In spite of it's difficult beginnings, Géoportail is now the reference portal for access to all French state and private sector geographical data. The only thing which it missed compared to its competitors such as Google Earth or Microsoft Virtual Earth was the absence of 3D. This lack is now filled. The visualization of the 3D maps charts is done through a TerraExplorer plugin developed by Skyline Software. Actualy TerraExplorer is only available on Windows, although a version Mac OS and Linux are underway. Official announcement in French." See also previous related stories.

Ogle Earth is reporting about this development. From their page, here is snippet of the summary : "And while Géoportail is indeed the first portal made by Europeans for 3D mapping (albeit by licensing American technology), it is not the first portal to show Europe in 3D. In fact, it still doesn’t. (Google Earth, NASA World Wind and Microsoft Virtual Earth came before and do all of Europe. Géoportail shows nothing beyond France’s borders.)

Géoportail certainly is much more impressive that the UK Ordnance Survey’s “outreach” effort, but both are just as closed in a time when everything online is moving towards open, interoperable, mashable standards. KML is now an OGC standard, most recently embraced by Microsoft. Where is the support By IGN and OS? Why can’t I export anything to mash up? Where are the APIs? The USGS, on the other hand, gets it." Head on over there to get full details an links to the real story. See also previous stories about GeoPortail below.