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Google Earth Out of Beta, Relation with GIS Professionals and My Location Privacy

posted by Satri on Friday November 30, @04:25PM   Printer-friendly   Email story  Permalink  Trackback URI  Slashdotthis  Diggthis  Del.icio.us
from the don't-you-wish-our-tools-were-easier-to-use? dept.
Virtual Globe Google Law
No new features, so this is minor news, but still, Google Earth has been slightly updated and it is no longer "Beta" software. It still crashes almost immediately after launch on my Debian Sarge installation. Related, Direction Mag runs an editorial wondering what are the relations between Google Maps/Earth news and GIS professionals: "But, while these are "natural steps" from my perspective, and perhaps yours too, the tech world was all agog since this is Google. Still, we who have our heads down trying to solve day-to-day issues with professional tool must keep up to date with what Google and its peers are doing. Google, whether we like it or not, is part of our technology ecosystem. Even if we don't use Google Maps for analysis or Google tools for search, we know ultimately many of our end-users, clients, and citizens do." Meanwhile, in regards this story on the new My Location feature announced this week, to Anonymous Voxel writes "Was the data that Google uses in their new "My Location" feature gathered illegally? Apparently yes, according to this discussion on the New York Times web site between a user and Barry Schnitt, Google's spokesperson: Check it out, it's very interesting. Looks like this could become a major headache for Google's lawyers."

Related Stories

Google Earth 4.2 (Beta) Available 2 comments [+]
Ogle Earth reports about the release of the Google Earth 4.2 (beta). New features include :
  • Gigapxl photo layer: in the layers sidebar, a new item under Featured Content: Gigapixel photos from the Gigapxl Project
  • Support for KML 2.2
  • Google Sky: Converts the Google 3D viewer into a galaxy like star gazer

Update: 08/22 19:45 GMT by S : Slashdot discuss the new Google Sky feature, with several readers pointing to the open source Stellarium. You can also read the official Google blog entry on the new Google Sky.
Industry: Google, Privacy and Fair Use 1 comment [+]
Here's some stories regarding Google, privacy and fair use. First, an entry on Street View privacy from the official Google LatLong blog. Second, an entry from the Spatial Law blog on the use of Google of Google Earth in legal documents. And finally, several entries regarding the fair use of Google imagery: from the Free Geography Tools blog, Spatially Adjusted, Datum Shift and The Earth is Square. From the FGT entry: "While my post mentions that the restrictions of the Google Earth license and “fair use” need to be followed when using this imagery, at least one person equated the use of Google Earth imagery in this manner with theft, dismissing both the concept and legal precedents of “fair use”. So I’ll add some additional thoughts on when it’s appropriate to use Google Earth imagery, based both on a layman’s reading of the user license and the principles of “fair use”. I’d welcome further input from anyone who is an expert on issues of copyright and fair use, and also from anyone from Google who wants to give their take on the issue."
Industry: U.S. Government Requests Real-Time Cellphone Tracking [+]
Slashdot runs a story where we learn the U.S. government can track any cellphone. Their summary: "According to a Washington Post article, federal officials are routinely asking and getting courts to order cellphone companies to furnish real-time tracking data on subscribers. The data is used to pinpoint the whereabouts of 'criminal suspects', according to judges and industry lawyers. In some cases, judges have granted the requests without even requiring the government to demonstrate probable cause that a crime is taking place or that the inquiry will yield evidence of a crime 'Privacy advocates fear such a practice may expose average Americans to a new level of government scrutiny of their daily lives. Such requests run counter to the Justice Department's internal recommendation that federal prosecutors seek warrants based on probable cause to obtain precise location data in private areas. The requests and orders are sealed at the government's request, so it is difficult to know how often the orders are issued or denied."
Google Cell Phone Geocoding [+]
Update : The news is now on SlashDot as well.

Yahoo News is currently running an article about Google's new endeavor. From their summary, "Internet search leader Google Inc said on Wednesday it is introducing a novel mapping system that uses cell phone towers to let mobile phone users locate nearby services without typing in addresses.

Google's new My Location service is being offered in test mode to U.S. users and is designed to expand the percentage of cellphone users of location-aware services, whether or not their phones come equipped with satellite-locating chips.". Head on over there for the full scoop.
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