iPad assessment by a Geographer who does not have one
by BRITTA RICKER PETERS on May 10, 2010 • apps atlas ipad iphone review • 1 COMMENT
My feelings about the iPad have been evolving. I am sure a lot of you feel that way. When it first came out and I heard no camera and no GPS (I now hear the 3G does have a GPS) I was selfishly disappointed since my research is going in the direction of mobile augmented reality and location based services. The lack of these sensors really highlighted the point that This Week in Tech host Leo Laporte makes in that this device is for consuming information not producing and sharing information. I then started to accept the iPad for what it is. It is a map viewer not a map producer or manipulator.
This NPR article brings up the dangers of “Moving from Maps to Apps.” They point out that the demand for printed road atlases is on the decline. In the article Victoria Lawson (if you are doing a google search-the Professor of Geography not the porn star) is quoted saying “I get the impression that we are losing other abilities to navigate by the shape of the land, the orientation of mountains and rivers as we stare at a tiny screen.” I would like to point out that according to her website Dr. Lawson’s “work is concerned with the social and economic effects of global economic restructuring in the Americas and with articulating critical alternative conceptions of processes of impoverishment.” She is not an interface design expert or even a cartographer or critical GIS prof. However her point still made me think of the iPad.
GPS devices and smart phones have tiny screens that are best suited to reveal micro scale location based information. Viewing wide distributions of spatially related information is not optimal on the small screens. However the iPad… The iPad screen is about the same dimension as the medium sized paper atlas that I would stare at for hours during summer car trips with my family. An atlas is great for showing spatial distribution and relationships. An atlas on an iPad could be interactive and allow the user to inquire about specific information that he or she may be interested in on the fly.
The size of the screen is not the only unique feature of the iPad, from the limited exposure time I had with the device, I noticed that interface design for the iPad is like no other. It is not just a large iPhone, or maybe it is but the larger touch screen surface area make the apps seem much different. What this will mean for location based services and other geography related apps is yet to be seen I think.
I would be totally excited to see an app for the iPad to explore the new 3-D data sets of New York City collected by the twin-engine Shrike Commander! Or information from the oil balloon!
Mapkist Earth (Prototype)
by KUMIKO YAMAZAKI on April 9, 2010 • atlas map openlayers • COMMENTI believe it’s time we show off our latest map creation: Mapkist Earth!!
Inspired by CEC’s North American Environment Atlas, Mapkist Earth is a prototype atlas with KML interactivity and custom tiles built on the OpenLayers platform. It currently shows Earth’s population density for the past, present and future (1950, 2010, 2050).
Each data layer consists of both map tiles and KML files which preserves the visual appeal of traditional cartography and adds the interactivity that is expected of web-based maps.
I’ve also started to look into Amazon S3 and their CloudFront service for faster rendering of map tiles. Not sure if this is the solution I need but it might be worth a try – I know how impatient internet users can be :)
Future plans for Mapkist Earth involve expanding it to become a full fledged educational atlas in this format following National Geography Standards. Topics covered will range from the characteristics and spatial distribution of the Earth’s environment to the cultural mosaics of human life!
Don’t forget to let us know what you think so far, thanks!
