Building on our getting started tutorial for SVG Tiny, the new "Using web
services for generating SVG Tiny maps" tutorial describes how to convert and
optimize online map server content for display on SVG viewers on Sony Ericsson
UIQ 3-based mobile phones.
Written by Ilya Zaslavsky and Ashraf Memon from the Spatial Information Systems
Lab at the San Diego Supercomputer Center, this tutorial guides you through
creating a service that generates SVG Tiny documents from ArcIMS™ (Arc Internet
Map Server) services and demonstrates a range of techniques - including code
snippets to try - for reading map server output, converting it to SVG and
optimizing it for rendering on mobile phones.
SVG for mapping
Creating maps and location-aware mobile applications is an attractive
application of SVG. Rendering maps with SVG on mobile phones can result in
better quality graphics when bandwidth requirements are lower. An SVG-based
mapping application may perform significantly better for displaying continuously
moving objects, a popular application on mobile devices. In addition, SVG
viewers may integrate vector graphics content retrieved from multiple
sources.
Tutorial overview
In this tutorial, the authors describe some introductory techniques that they
found useful when developing SVG-based map content for mobile phones. The map
information is largely derived from common ESRI™ (Environmental Systems Research
Institute) ArcIMS™ spatial data servers which are often used by federal and
other agencies to provide public-domain location data. This tutorial presents
the composition of the map generation Web service, and the range of data
transformation techniques for optimizing SVG document sizes for rendering on
mobile devices.
The authors guide you through with advice and code snippets in with the
following steps:
Structure of the SVG generator service, which is written in Java and using
the Batik SVG Toolkit
Communicating with a map service, including requesting and retrieving
co-ordinate information
Creating an SVG Tiny document, adjusting for screen resolution and
populating with information from the map service
Additional optimizations, trade-offs between interactivity and document
size, concatenating path fragments, line generalizations and viewing your SVG
document of a mobile phone
Mobile Technology Feature - Top 10 Business Apps for Android - Android has become one of the most popular mobile operating systems
in the world due to advanced software, competitive manufacturers, and an
app market that is filled with exciting and useful applications. Read
on for this fine Top 10 List compiled by tech writer, Blake Sanders
The Really Big List of Mapping, Geo location Mobile developer resources, APIs and Tools - The Mobile Ecosystem... no question that mobile is huge and
the opportunity for developers, in particular, geo developers! There's
loads of developer resources on the web so to help the developer,
here's a listing of just some of the fine dev resources, blogs,
toolsets and more to consider when developing or porting your app to a
smartphone or Tablet.
ArcGIS.com Mashup Tutorial with Flickr and Foursquare data-
Here's a simple "how to" tutorial on working with the free ArcGIS.com
to easily import KML or RSS data from Flickr and foursquare into ArcGIS
to create your own custom map mashup. ArcGIS.com has some recent
updates including support for KML, be sure to check it out!
Most Users of Free Photo Apps Say Adding Cool Effects is Most Useful - Adding cool effects
to photos was rated as the most useful thing by more than halfof
consumers surveyed using free online photography services, according to
CatchFree a free
online service that helps people find the best free mobile and web applications
to perform useful tasks.
Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet Up Close - No Replacement for the iPad But Pretty Darned Sweet - As could be
expected, speculation and blogging is rampant with many stories and
pseudo "reviews" coming out, many of them touting the next "iPad
killer".
Mobile Developer Resource - MapQuest & The Mobile Worker - Facility management companies, surveyors, multi-level marketing,
insurance claims, pipeline companies, water utilities; all have field
workers who would benefit from mobile applications. Not only checking in
to work sites, but keeping a record of the work done
Flickr GPS Photo Tag Tip - Here's a tip for Flickr users who want to share their GPS information
with their photos. note, in order to do this you'll need to be
capturing photos using a GPS-enabled or GPS-aware camera (see you're
smartphone hardware settings to ensure that GPS or location sharing is
turned "ON)".
Mobile data usage in Canada to triple between 2010 and 2012 - Some interesting, yet not terribly surprising, numbers on mobile
usage coming out of Canada. According to a report summarized on
Techvibes, mobile usage is soaring, in particular, the smartphone
segment
Suggested Reading
The Underground Guide To The iPhone:
The iPhone is – if I may say so – one of the greatest mobile
revolutions of the past decade. More and more, mobile phones seem to
materialize out of our wildest dreams. Because of the tight integration
of third-party applications, you can do nearly everything with your
device — be it gaming, working, fooling around, and of course phoning.
Good Mobile Messaging: Executives and professional field forces spend an increasing amount of time on the road tending to business.
Mobile Apps - Native or Web?:
You probably have a plan to build a mobile app, but you've struggled
with the basic question - Should I build it using open web standards
such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, or should I build it as a native app
for the devices I want to target?
iBike Coach App- a new “Always On” feature always gathers data
Nike+ GPS App- for sports tracking, recording and sharing
Featured Events
Content & Apps for Automotive Europe 2012 (18-19 April, Germany)
will give you key insights on how in-vehicle connectivity is being
revolutionised as OEMs integrate dynamic content to stay relevant
throughout the vehicle life cycle.
Location Intelligence for Enterprise - Europe 2012, January 16-17, London Hear from Google, Jones Lang LaSalle, Tesco, Willis, Oracle,
ESRI, Microsoft, PBBI and many more as they debate the best strategies
for business models and integration.
Consumer Telematics Show 2012 (Jan 9, Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, USA) is the most prestigious and
dynamic consumer telematics focused meeting for the automotive industry.
Held in Las Vegas on the eve of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES),
this year's senior-level speakers will include General Motors, Audi,
Toyota, Panasonic, Continental, Hughes Telematics, Gartner, KIA,
Mercedes-Benz and many more
Esri Dev Summit - The
Esri Developer Summit (DevSummit) brings together developers and GIS
professionals from all over the globe. March 26-29, 2012, Palm Springs,
CA
