The cartography of Crowdsourcing with PublicEarth and OpenStreetMap

PublicEarth is an open database of places. Michael Rubin, who was an architect of Netflix, wanted to bring the same "element of delight" of connecting people to things they enjoy. Netflix did it for movies, and Public Earth is doing it for locations.

in print and online, as it's hard to make a revenue model work that involves paying people to create content when there are hordes of enthusiastic experts around the world willing to do the job for free. The business of mapping may be similarly doomed, as indicated by PublicEarth, a new wiki-style database of places launching Monday, and by the continued improvement in authoring tools at the crowdsourced mapping service OpenStreetMap.

And as with most of the other products, PublicEarth uses Google base maps. The difference in PublicEarth is in the execution: It's slick, in a good way. For map users, PublicEarth lets you quickly find categories of locations -- romantic, kid-friendly, historic, for campers, etc. -- for places you are going.

The real value to PublicEarth is that it can find places that aren't, as they say, on the map. It's very easy for users to create a point of interest, draw a boundary line around a park, or trace a route to walk or hike. If enough people get into this system it could be a great resource for travelers. Which is the business model.

PublicEarth is also being marketed to activity groups like RV and sports clubs, parents groups, birdwatchers, and so on. It can be used by social networks to collect and collate locations aimed at specific interests, which can help people with those interests when they visit a new region.

Of course, success hinges on contributions, and it's not easy to create a user-maintained location database that sticks. There's also competition: Wikimapia and Yelp come to mind. But if PublicEarth can affiliate with other travel resources it could work out. It is a very strong product. It has the potential to compete with the guidebook market.

OpenStreetMap is a crowdsourced map itself. The project was started before Google Maps came on to the scene, and while the search juggernaut's global road map is certainly more popular, there's a lot to be said for the OpenStreetMap approach. The fact that anyone with an interest in an area can create, correct, or update a map means you can get a lot of very specific data onto the map

Later this month a new map editor, MapZen, is coming to the system from CloudMade, a company that commercializes the OpenStreetMap project. MapZen will make it easier for mappers to create and correct roads and points of interest. An iPhone app, currently in approval limbo, will also make it easier for anyone to walk and map. And new social tools should be good for to help groups of "map buddies" coordinate their work.

OpenStreetMap currently matters more to people in less-mapped regions than to dwellers of hyper-mapped U.S. cities. But ultimately the system may enable new location-based apps and services thanks to its wide-open system.

Google has already added a form of crowdsourcing to its mapping services: Its traffic system gets location and speed data from its mobile users. (Users can get their own raw data through Latitude, if they wish.) But Google relies on its own private mapping data, and its own servers to deliver maps to users. It's an expensive model and it doesn't serve all users in all locations equally. The crowdsourced mapping model is a serious competitor to the proprietary map business.

Adobe launches new Flash, AIR beta

Labs Adobe on Monday released test versions of two base closely associated with Net-based applications, Flash Player 10.1 and AIR (Adobe Integrated Runtime) 2.
Flash is widely used for streaming video, interactive graphics and games to browsers, AIR, Flash with built as the basis for other applications on the desktop. Both are instrumental to the effort Adobe to Stay Ahead of the gradual expansion of the functions of HTML and web-related standards.

Flash-known support for which only 10.1 Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux computers, but also a variety of smart phones, although not yet built in support. What is the available hard-based Decoding Asked on the H.264 video format, Adobe said, improves performance and saves battery life. It also supports HTTP streaming of content protection technology to Adobe.

A Preliminary version of Flash Player 10.1 for Palm smartphones are expected later this year, Adobe said, and the final version for each system due in the first half of 2010.

AIR 2.0, Flash Player 10.1, which provides closer integration with desktop computers. For example, communication with USB storage devices, user interface Monitor multitouch, proposes the microphone audio data, web pages using HTML5 and CSS version 3, and use UDP Networks Useful in-game chat.

The final version of AIR 2 also in the first half of 2010, that is Adobe.

Reid on Senate Liberals choose public pressure

Aims Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) this week to secure the votes of moderate Democrats on Health Care Reform, a group of liberal Senators Monday without warning him to abandon the public-insurance option.

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), who requested the meeting with Reid, said they believe that progressives are many options on the public - from Medicare-for each proposal to the Reid's proposal to create a plan to supply the national government for the state to opt out.

"Most of us in caucus as a strong choice public, supporting the way to Reid to make it," Brown said. "And we are confident that over time, as to broaden the debate and take us by amendment after amendment after this, we can get 60 votes."

He acknowledged various rates need convincing fashion, but said that little willingness among progressives back down.

The meeting served as another reminder that the public choice among Democrats through online. Even if Reid Able to convince mode rates, including Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) and Sen .. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.), to vote with Democrats on a procedural motion debate to begin before, on the floor caucus to fight hard on the shape of the public plan.

A Senate aide said that plans to discuss health care bill passed by the procedural maneuver known as the reconciliation - a favored by progressive activists because it would enable the Democrats to circumvent the 60-vote filibuster threshold. Supports the majority of the Democratic caucus of the public choice, and only 51 Senators would be required to allow the reconciliation legislation.

But after the hour-long meeting, Senators rejected a report that discussed the reconciliation.

"You must talk to the majority leader," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) Said.

Schumer said the meeting point was "very smple. A large number of members who feel very strongly about the public choice and how we can achieve. There is also among everyone in the room, and each person in the caucus we have a desire to get aa bill, so the question is how do you resolve their goals. "

Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.), a moderate, present at the meeting as well, count reporters afterwards, that some compromise is necessary.

"They wanted to speak on the importance of the public choice to be in the bill, I understand," Baucus said. "But the biggest point that we must pass health care reform that hopefully by the end of this year. But we must pass it."

"I made the point that a child or 60 votes is a blessing and a curse," Baucus continued. "It is the curse side is difficult to obtain type 60. It is the blessing side of each person, each of the 60 Senators know that we must pass a health care reform. So there is not a strong driver to find that solution , to obtain a compromise to get some way to find a solution that bridges the gap between those who want to be strong with the public choice and the small Senators on the other side is not. There is always ways to get solutions here . "