Back to Baltimore for FOSS4G

Baltimore hosted the 2023 Free + Open Source Software for Geospatial (FOSS4G) North America conference, a geeky tech gathering focused on mapping technology and an even more eclectic community. While I have attended many FOSS4G events since the first in 2006 in Lausanne, Switzerland it’s been a few years. It was terrific to see so many delightful people […]

Open Data needs Local Analysis

Open Data exists for a purpose. From point of capture, to publication and analysis, data seek to be used to make better decisions. By making the data open, more people can participate in that analysis and decision making process. Particular to government and community, the more people can understand, collaborate and reach consensus, the better […]

Desire Paths to Open Data

Last week I made a quick statement sharing my concern for civic organizations promoting ETL – Extract Transform and Load – of open data instead of developing APIs. I felt it warranted a more thorough response than the terseness of microbursts. Desire Lines and Road Surfaces Walk through most parks and any college campus you will quickly […]

Crisis Cartography

The technology and methodology of digital interactive cartography is nascent but evolving. The fields of human-computer interaction and GIS are converging from both the consumer market: “where is my nearest good restaurant?”, as well as from the enterprise: “where should I open a new restaurant chain?”. Designing useful interfaces requires understanding user workflows, iterative development […]