Newsletter Archive
January 2009
Seattle.gov's My Neighborhood Map Integrates Virtual Earth
In early January, the city of Seattle released its My Neighborhood Map, which was developed on the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform. Seattle residents can now find community, public safety, transportation, utilities, arts and recreation, parks, and education location and general information on one map. Specific locations are identified by pushpins that present additional information when the person hovers the mouse over it. more information
'CSI: Miami' Features Photosynth and Virtual Earth
In early January, Microsoft Photosynth and Microsoft Virtual Earth were featured in the CBS show “CSI: Miami†in the episode titled “Head Case.†The Virtual Earth team spent some time on the set taking pictures for the Photosynth featured 12 minutes and 30 seconds into the episode. In addition, Virtual Earth was used to show the movement of one character from location to location. more information
eSpatial Releases iSmart Demonstration Using Virtual Earth
In early January, eSpatial developed a demonstration of its iSmart application using the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform. The application enables geographic information system (GIS) developers to provide, modify and save GIS information into a server-based database. For more information on the demonstration as well as how to use the application, please click here
Wilfreda Beehive Coaches Take the Satellite Route to Improved Efficiency Using Virtual Earth
On Jan. 9, coach travel group Wilfreda Beehive announced that it had invested more than $65,500 in the latest Web-based vehicle tracking system from Masternaut Three X, which leverages Virtual Earth, for its entire fleet of vehicles. At a time of rising fuel costs and the need to reduce carbon footprints, the new tracking system detects fuel waste through reports that show vehicles left running idle, and for how long. The system also gives a bird’s eye view of where the Wilfreda Beehive team is, and what they’re doing at any given moment. more information
MSNBC Publishes Inauguration Map Using Virtual Earth
In mid-January, MSNBC posted an interactive map for the inauguration of President Barack Obama using the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform. The map highlighted the path of the inaugural parade to the White House in addition to other points of interest. Some of the pushpins on the map provided informational pop-ups as well as pictures.
CNN’s 'The Moment' for the Presidential Inauguration Integrates Photosynth
In mid-January, CNN published a Photosynth experience titled "The Moment" in collaboration with Microsoft. The site allowed people to contribute and upload personal photos from the inauguration of President Obama that the program created into synths. With the integration of the Photosynth technology, which is part of the Microsoft Virtual Earth product family, users can create detailed 3D environments of photos that are identified by minute similarities and then fused together. more information
Port Metro Vancouver Develops Interactive Map With Virtual Earth
In mid-January, Port Metro Vancouver in Canada released an interactive map on its Web site on the Microsoft Virtual Earth platform and using Microsoft Silverlight. The application has the ability to search and locate vessels using multiple data feeds. To track ships, people can use the "Search for a ship" option, select the vessel and click "Track." The map then zooms in on the specified vessel. Other features include current and forecasted weather, locating assets — such as terminals, facilities, automobiles and cargo containers — and provide additional vessel information. more information
Navman Wireless Expands Tracking Solution With Virtual Earth
On Jan. 28, Navman Wireless Holdings announced it will expand the presence of Microsoft Virtual Earth as its mapping platform for its OnlineAVL2 fleet tracking solution. The expansion enables operators to view clear imagery of vehicle positions in relation to surrounding roads and structures. more information
Virtual Earth February Webcasts
On Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, Microsoft Virtual Earth will host two webcasts to show how retail businesses can use Virtual Earth to help increase customer connections, gain important business insight, manage assets and grow through innovation — even in a tight economy. The webcasts are titled “Show Your Customers the Big Picture with Microsoft Virtual Earth†and “Virtual Earth Empowers Developers to See and Show the Big Picture.†They are hosted by Chris Pendleton, Microsoft Virtual Earth technical evangelist. To learn more about the webcasts, and to register, please click here
Automatically Upgrade From Virtual Earth Map Control 6.1 to 6.2
On Jan. 7, 2009, the Virtual Earth team announced that the Virtual Earth v6.1 application would automatically upgrade to v6.2 on March 5, 2009. The upgrade requires no action from the customer. more information
Live Search for Mobile Update
On Jan. 7, Microsoft published an update to the Live Search for Mobile client for Microsoft Windows Mobile that leverages Virtual Earth. The release includes Virtual Earth Bird’s Eye view imagery, LocateMe (a location detection feature for GPS-enabled phones), walking directions, local search, movie show times, Share Locale with SMS (a feature to send places of interest with its address to friend via text message), gas prices, query projection and more. more information
Virtual Earth Road Data Update
In mid-January, the Microsoft Virtual Earth team updated the road data for North America, Europe and Asia. In addition, the postal codes for the countries of these continents that Virtual Earth has coverage in received an update as well. more information
Live Search Maps Finland and Live Search Maps Netherlands Launch
In mid-January, Live Search Maps Finland and Live Search Maps Netherlands launched. Both sites feature cities in Bird’s Eye view, 3-D, Collections, driving directions and walking directions. More information on Live Maps Finland More information on Live Maps Netherlands
January Virtual Earth Imagery Release
In early February, the Microsoft Virtual Earth team announced the January release of 37 terabytes of imagery worldwide. The imagery updates includes Bird’s Eye imagery for cities in France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Romania, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. The release also updates high-resolution orthos imagery in Scotland, U.K.; Greece; Japan; Norway; Portugal; and Spain as well as satellite imagery in multiple countries. more information
* Bird’s Eye view and 3-D view are available in many major cities worldwide. In addition, traffic updates are available in many major U.S. cities. For 3-D view you must have Virtual Earth 3D beta installed on your computer. For traffic information availability, visit http://maps.live.com; on the action bar, click on Traffic.
Featured Solution:
Seattle: My Neighborhood
The City of Seattle uses Virtual Earth to show neighborhood residents dozens of types of nearby amenities, including public art, libraries, farmers’ markets—even protected Heritage Trees.
