I don't think that porting a desktop software, either MapInfo Pro, ArcView
or any smaller packages is good way to make solutions for big public market.
These are just like strange plugins for netscape, nobody uses them because
nobody wants to use service which can't be accessed very simply. There could
be some tools for specialists like ArcPad, but WAP seems to be only way to
go to mass market with GIS solutions. I try to describe our way of using
MapInfo and Oracle technologies for a wireless application. This has acually
been very effective way to have a working solution, so maybe it gives some
good ideas.
- We've made a mapserver using MapXtreme, and added wbmp support for WAP
pages (there is just a stand-alone gif2wbmp converter for that). Mapserver
can show maps and add mobile positioning data to maps.
- Underlying database is Oracle8i, which contains positioning data and
Yellow Pages data, geocoded in Spatial format. Actually most of map data
(static one) is still in MapInfo tab files.
- There are quite simple basic "find nearest" and "find route" functions
within Oracle8i database, to prioritise presented data.
- MapInfo+Oracle alliance is used for just one thing - there is nice tool
(easyloader) for uploading MapInfo data to Oracle8i spatial database.
Actually, the easyloader can be downloaded from mapinfo testdrive web page
for free ;-) Maybe MapXtreme (MapX within it) can also load spatial data
directly to map, but it seems that using database application to read
geometry from database and add to map "manually" is safer and probably
faster too.
You can see it at wap.locategsm.com (the site asks your phone number and
some password to do positioning, but if you just don't enter anything and
just click GO then you can get to most things, or see Help page to look at
several demo positionings). The positioning tool is currently Ericsson's
MPC, so the accuracy is as good as it can be with CGI-TA technology.
Jaak Laineste
Regio/Locategsm
-Original Message-
From: Neil Havermale [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 20, 2000 12:21 AM
To: 'Alistair Edwardes'
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; '[EMAIL PROTECTED]'
Subject: RE: MobileLBSList: GIS and Wireless PDAs - MapInfo versus ESRI
For you "mobilebslist"ers interested in GIS we "mapinfo-l"ers have an
interest in wireless..
We MapInfo GISers are very curious about the pending wireless era. I guess
the thread that we pickup on in the G3 thing is that one of the increasing
common features on WEB sites are maps and instructions on how to
get to some
place (if you know where your are) - a Yellow Pages with
instructions on how
to get there. There are a number of internet and intranet designs we could
go on about.
The PDA GIS model we are concerned with is the difference between the ESRI
ArcPad which is a tiny(?) WinCE PDA stand alone GIS for heads-up feet-down
GISing and note taking versus the MapInfo design of I what I may reference
as GIS-just-in-time via the wireless revolution.
For MapInfo the key technology is MapInfo's alliance with Oracle.
Oracle as
you may know is really pushing the envelope to provide wireless access to
their 8i and now 9i Oracle WEB data servers. While 2MB+ G3 remains a
glimmer in eyes of the stock market, it offers to the PDA form of wireless
access, a very powerful and enabling GIS opportunity.
I doubt I will ever carry a GIS in my mobile phone but I just might carry
access to a powerful GIS via my wireless PDA.
I don't know what the "LBS" thing is other than potentially a reference to
how much a person can carry in a pocket? We MapInfo-ites are a bit new to
this G3 and wireless thing. May be you could contribute to our
discussion?
MidNight Mapper
aka Neil
-Original Message-
From: Alistair Edwardes [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2000 9:20 PM
To: Neil Havermale; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: Re: MobileLBSList: GIS and Wireless PDAs - MapInfo versus ESRI
Neil, Carolyn et al.
Do you think there is a risk of placing too much importance with
respect to
LBS in the PDA Market?
As the saying goes "All that glisters is not gold". Whilst all the
multimedia extensions may seem superficially tempting - is this
really what
the mass market wants? I think there is a strong argument to say
that people
want 'handy' devices that are optimised for making phonecalls, with
supplementary data features that provide information useful in a mobile
environment.
If the supplementary features start to become to obtrusive to the core
function, for example by draining battery power or increasing the
complexity
of interaction, then the device is no longer useful. Of course there are
proven niche markets for PDAs, especially in areas such as
forestry and data
capture where a GIS in the field is exactly what is needed. But in
comparison to the 1 Billion market that has been quoted, these are niche
markets. Do people really want to
