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Geocoding All Content

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the what-happens-then dept.

martin dodge writes "What happens when all content is automatically tagged with the geographical location of its production? We are all used to having a date stamp on documents, but I think adding a location stamp opens up lots of new possibilities. Two recent articles look at many of the interesting possible apps/services which are made possible when you ground cyberspace with location. 'Get Caught Mapping' from Guardian Online and 'The Revenge of Geography' by Tom (writer of The Victorian Internet) Standage in the Economist. I think one of the most exciting is for locating online conversations by geographic proximity. Taking Waldo Tobler's First Law of Geography ("Everything is related to everything else, but near things are more related than distant things"), often nearby conversations are most relevant and interesting. See UpMyStreet's Conversations for an example."

12 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Prior discussion by ergo98 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=02/01/19/234625 1

    http://slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=26525&threshol d=-1&commentsort=0&tid=126&mode=thread&cid=2882245

  2. What about Collaborative Content? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    How will they deal with evolving documents modified by many people in many different countries?

    The potential for invasion of privacy also seems extremely high. Think of oppressive governments using any lists to find "undesirable" documents published in their country and taking "appropriate measures" to stop their production. Although maybe The National Security Strategy will soon take care of such situations (here's hoping :).

  3. We already have this for physical objects... by hardaker · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Look on the bottom of your shoe. It likely says something like "Made in China" (picking a common country at random). If we did this for computer software, we'd simply have tags in the help menu that said "Made in Redmond?"

    --
    The next site to slashdot will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and start slashdotting it early!
  4. But will content be automatically labeled? by MyNameIsFred · · Score: 4, Interesting

    A fundamental question is whether all content will automatically be labeled. One of the great benefits of the internet is anonymity. That one can say anything without revealing who you are. In fact, the U.S. court system has commented on this, and how it benefits freedom of speech. I certainly use the freedom, and millions of others do it. Sure with enough effort someone could find out who "MyNameIsFred" really is, but I have no desire to make that easier for them. Given a preference, I would turn-off automatic labelling. If not given a preference, I would not go to such a site. Based on the many slashdotters who hate the registration requirement at NY Times, I don't think I am alone.

  5. This means the end of flamebaiting... by Mengoxon · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ...or you will have to fear that some short-tempered angry man (or woman) will drive by your house and shoot you!

    But seriously, it's a nice idea as long as it's opt-in. Can't think of too many great uses, though, other than the usual: Where's the next cinema/pharmacy/McDo's?

    (If you are in any way offended by this post, please visit me at my home address: Saddam Hussein Boulevard 555, Baghdad, Iraq)

  6. Privacy by rf0 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Looking at UpMyStreet is cool to be able to find people who are nearby but I do have to wonder about my privacy. Least with UpMyStreet I choose to say where I live but I can't help wonder what would happen if they plant a cookie in your browser.

    You then goto another site that pulls up that cookie via some method and they can geo target you. I can see why marketers might like it so they could target ads at your local area

    Rus

    --
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  7. Reducing anonymity a bit more by nurb432 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Doesn't anyone realize the goal is tracking *everything* you do? One more step to total governmental domination of all content, movement, thought....

    This is just one more major step in that direction.

    Come on people, wake the hell up.. before its too late ( or is it already... i wonder sometimes )

    --
    ---- Booth was a patriot ----
  8. I care what you say, not where you are. by ignoramus · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I guess I can imagine a few circumstances in which this type of information could be useful... but this smells to me like a way to find the closest wal-mart and other marketing schemes more than anything I might find actually useful.

    Really, if you're looking to meet people in your neighborhood, go take a walk outside, if you're looking to hear your own point of view (or that of people just like you), turn the TV off for a few minutes.

  9. Digital Imaging! by Raetsel · · Score: 4, Interesting

    • "...when all content is automatically tagged with the geographical location of its production?"
    I would love to have all my digital media tagged in this manner! Yes, high-end Nikon equipment accepts GPS input (remember this?), but that's a separate, external device.

    I'd love to see it built into cameras (both still & video) and audio recorders. And for visual data, add in a compass so I can know both where it was taken, and which direction it was pointing!

    I can do without knowing where an email/document/webpage was written, though. Sometimes more data is good... and sometimes it's just noise.

    --

    "...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
  10. Apache is leading the way ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting
    See Santiago Gala his page


    Apache is doing it already:

    http://cvs.apache.org/~dirkx/sgala.html


    Or play with this also http://demo.asemantics.com/wms/asf?styles=emotions &VERSION=1.1.0&layers=rawworld,comloc&width=600&he ight=300&request=getMap&format=png&bbox=-180,-90,1 80,90
    . Similar stuff for freebsd is at the same location http://http://demo.asemantics.com/zoom.pl and more powerfull www.asemantics.com/showcase/zoom.html.


    FUN!

  11. Located images by robosmurf · · Score: 2, Interesting
    What I would really like to see is a digital camera with built-in GPS that tags each picture with where and when you took it.

    This would for instance allow you to produce a map after a holiday showing where you went.

  12. Location-aware by ward99 · · Score: 2, Interesting
    While adding geo-information to web sites is interesting, I think the more compelling technology is the location-aware technologies that are starting to come out. Things like Vindigothat provide that information ina package, or things like Geocache and AnnotatedEarth that provide a user-driven community of location information. As the author says, Ultimately, the logical conclusion of wireless graffiti systems would be the ability to attach information to any object or place on earth with an accuracy of a meter or less.

    The challenge now is to figure out how to best use those location-aware technologies, and some of the things that can be done with the technology.