FANTOM PLANET

To quote a line from Jack Ryan:

[imitating the Admiral] “The average Rooskie, son, don’t take a dump without a plan.” Wait a minute. We don’t have to figure out how to get the crew off the sub. He’s already done that, he would have had to. All we gotta do is figure out what he’s gonna do. So how’s he gonna get the crew of the sub. They have to want to get off. How do you get a crew to want to get off a submarine? How do you get a crew to want to get off a nuclear sub…
[eureka!]

Someone doesn’t have a plan, or they’re friggin’ geniuses. Think about this. There’s going to be Google data going to ESRI users and ESRI user data will be visible to the Google indexers. That leaves us with some unanswered questions:

• What is going to be the EULA going to look like on both sides?
• Will data made w/ gData be the user’s data, or Google or ESRI’s data if it’s exposed to Google’s web?
• Will the analysis layers be indexed by Google and will they own a copy?
• Will “Big Iron GIS” users even want to expose their data to Google and the web?
• Where’s Microsoft in this? ESRI + Microsoft makes for quick and easy GIS. Does (ESRI + Microsoft) * Google = Cloud Geoprocessing? Or, Google using Microsoft server and database platforms?

Getting back to ESRI users exposing data. Some of those users don’t let that stuff out of their command line. A friend was telling me today that cities in his region are ultra resistant to sharing data with other cities. So, how does Jack get his users to expose their data?

That’s what I really want to know.

The typical ESRI user “is an expert.” Or, at least in their own mind; and they typically don’t want to be usurped in anyway. Their Matrix gets turned off like that doll house by SAP. You may get a county to do something, but local sites are going to be a pain in the butt to turn onto the web by ESRI. Unless it’s ESRI’s responsibility in the pre-nup to bring in the “trusted interlocutors” to Google.

Something is askew.

On a side note: I spoke with Lisa Parks, who spoke yesterday about slippy map makers framing spatial media context, today. She has a grad student tracking the changes to the Google license agreement almost daily. That is because it changes almost daily.

One of the requirements for graduating from the MSGIS program at the University of Redlands is to participate in at least four workshops. We just received word that David Maguire is going to provide a workshop on return on investment (ROI) methodology.  From a professional perspective, this is an awesome opportunity to learn from Dr. Maguire and ROI methods from a GIS perspective. Of course, you’re probably wondering if it will be ESRI-centric. It was developed for ESRI, but I hope that it can be applied to organizations using any GIS technologies and processes.  That way no matter where we go after Redlands (or anywhere else), we can apply the methodology to our future endeavors.

The ROI Methodology workshop has a website at http://gis.esri.com/roi.

T’was a place for IRC-blocked cubicle gnomes.

I forgot how awesome IRC is. I guess the lack of it in the office has made me forget about it.   Oh, well?  See you in the Frenode #planetgeospatial channel.

After thinking about what to get my wife for Mother’s Day, the SQL Server 2008 spatial capability announcement really got me thinking this afternoon. And it comes down to a blog post a few weeks ago from Tim O’Reilly who posted, “What We Really Sell Is Control.”

Tim noted in two separate meetings, two CEOs told him control is what they sell. I guess Microsoft can say the same thing when it comes to the Microsoft Photogrammetery (MP) monster that is sticking its head out of the water. They have planes, satellites, vans, servers you hire/buy—and you can control it all from Xbox Live. Almost the whole dang package is built for the Government or Enterprise. Throw in SharePoint, and you have an IT department that’s very capable—if the configuration management mafia allows it.

Plus, I bet you can make some seriously better PowerPoint presentations with it too!

Interesting announcements, reporting, and commentary this past week about Microsoft building spatial capabilities natively into SQL Server 2008.

Ok—great! Since my office uses SQL Server in certain instances, this is a good thing. But, my office also owns Oracle and IBM database servers. We all know they have gone “spatial” too.

So, what happens to our world when all of your databases “go spatial”?

I have this sneaking sensation—at least in my hole in the wall—that it’s going to be like the typical Microsoft Office user. Type, change font, save, and that’s it.

I was “thumbin’” through my innovation bookmarks tonight and came across an interesting formula from the Idea Sandbox.

Performance = potential - interference (P=p-i)

I recently experienced. . .

Zero = (So Much) - (ArcGIS License Manager)

So, with the formula in mind you could potentially have something that works look like this. . .

Performance/interference = -potential (P/i=-p)^†

And in my world the above would look something like. . .

Google Earth/(Configuration Management) = ArcIMS 3.1

^{† Math not real—just like creativity in my IT department.}

Yes, I’m on the ESRI crack, but. . .

A few weeks back ESRI announced its code challenge for the Dev Summit and a lot of concern was flying around about, “What about the Desktop?” Well, I may have an answer for you. . . If you don’t mind being objective?

Well, think about this, I’m making plans with server-based GIS (in all its flavors) to enable my enterprise and to enable non-GIS users. This is important because not everyone in my enterprise has the want or skill to use desktop GIS. They are, however, smart enough to use the GYM maps, Mircosoft Excel 97, and MediaWiki (which they just learned.) What they constantly ask of me is, “Can I map “this” information?” Or they ask, “Is there an application I can use on our network that I can plot this info on?”

I have to say, “No. Not right now because, our network’s configuration management doesn’t allow for it. I am trying.”

So, I’m trying to be responsive. Sometimes my peeps ask me for a copy of ArcMap when they can barely spell GIS. I do work with them to get set up, but it’s a long learning process for them. So, I’m working towards the server-based GIS environment to crate a layer of data services and map services that will allow non-GIS folk to look up information. This is an important first step to what I’m getting at.

So, why is server-based GIS important and why is ESRI having a code challenge?

The two most hated words in our industry: Data Entry.

Remember how I mentioned that my non-GIS peeps can use GMaps, Excel, and MediaWiki? Well, if you aim to build a collaborative environment that allows your folks to edit your GIS themselves, with some structure, your data entry time shrinks tremendously. It also allows for your folks to fill in gaps in your database and to provide a level of quality assurance. This is largely why server-based GIS is important to an enterprise.

I want to emphasize that the Desktop is still important! GIS experts can still manage and analyze data with the tools the desktop offer. Perhaps even utilize geoprocessing services for higher-end geoprocessing of large datasets?

So, refering to Chris Anderson’s The Long Tail, that’s probably why ESRI has issued a code challenge for the Dev Summit. It sees its customers being just more than power desktop GIS users. Probablybecause GIS software is useless without data.

. . . And that’s why server-based GIS is important. (At least, in my ESRI crack smokin’ mind.)

I was telling Steve the other day why I hate “Enterprise GIS.” I have some bullets:

1)  “My enterprise’s IT staff.” I could wrap so many expletives in this space right now that it won’t do me any good. In the end, I cop out and just point my (middle) finger to these guys.

2)  “My enterprise’s IT infrastructure.” Again, pointing the finger to numero uno. “Dummy, you can’t do enterprise GIS without an environment that can handle it.”

3)  ESRI and the Slippy Map Guys. For getting my hopes up, then dashing them when I realize that I have to work with my IT staff.

4)  Chuck Norris. Chuck Norris gets GIS and even the concept of Internet technology. Why doesn’t my IT staff

Anyway, just a few goodies to get off my chest. I’m frustrated as hell lately and can’t stand my IT staff.