http://local.live.com/

Well, another mapping service popped up. Microsoft inproved its msn virtual earth to create http://local.live.com. Some gui-improvements are implemented, but the most interesting thing are the bird-eye views of some mayor downtown areas in the US. Pictures have been taken by Pictometry International Corp. with low flying airplanes. From each point you can look into four directions.

MapServer + Autodesk = ... Enterprize?

This week autodesk and mapserver announced a cooperation in a new project MapServer Enterprize. A GPL project in which both organisations combine their technologies, to generate a new open source gis internet tool in which developers can use php, .net or java. New for the mapserver users are autodesks vector-viewing possibilities (where is SVG/GML?) and a desktop tool to configure the gis-data (at last!).

Well good news i guess. Though autodesc, not specifically being a GIS company, might not be my first choise to cooperate with. However they have a zilion of users. If they all are using MapServer soon, the comunity will be bigger than the mozilla team...

Download an early release here: http://www.mapserverfoundation.org/mapserver_enterprise