GeoWeb & Digital Mapping News

Apisphere Inc. has formed a partnership with Fieldpoint Service Applications Inc. to integrate its real-time geo-location data capabilities into FieldPoint's mobile help desk, field service, contracts and project management applications.

Apisphere's Geo-Enabled Mobility (GEM) platform will be integrated with Fieldpoint's Alert software to enhance the application with location-awareness capabilities.

With Apisphere's location-aware solutions, Fieldpoint is offering its customers a scheduling and resource management tool as well as mobile field service functionalities.

TV broadcaster HBO has taken a new initiative in conjunction with its creative agency Deep Focus and location-based social network Whrrl to promote its popular series Entourage.

In an effort to engage consumers at a highly personal level, the companies have launched a mobile- and web-based platform for fans of the show to follow in its characters' footsteps with regular updates of their every move. This means whether on a mobile device or the web, Whrrl users can share their activities including current location, opinions, notes and photos in real-time.

El Palacio de Hierro, an established department store in Mexico, has chosen to implement GPS Zones in its 10 retail stores located in Mexico City, Monterrey, Puebla and Guadalajara.

Headquartered in Mexico City with nine stores throughout Mexico and one opening soon in Guadalajara, El Palacio de Hierro has tied up with Navteq for the initiative.

The department store is being said to be the first major department store in Mexico to strategically promote GPS navigation.

It started rolling out GPS Zones in stores throughout Mexico in late August.

GeoSolutions BV Business Unit (GyPSii) has signed an agreement with Nanjing MyNet Ltd to make the GyPSii mobile social networking platform available to customers of China Mobile.

As a result of this arrangement, MyNet, which provides mobile services and applications to more than 480 million subscribers of China Mobile, will offer the full suite of GyPSii location and mobile social networking features and services to China Mobile customers.

Pictometry International has signed a technology license agreement with a Tel Aviv-based aerial survey and mapping company, Sightvision.

The deal will strengthen Pictometry's coverage for oblique aerial imaging in Israel.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sightvision will utilise Pictometry's proprietary image capture and processing technology and market image libraries and software in Israel.

Sightvision's CEO Udi Be'erie said that Pictometry's oblique imaging system offers government and commercial users revolutionary tools for addressing their infrastructure planning needs.

Ayna Corporation, known for its Arabic search engine, has launched a beta version of Ayna Maps (http://maps.ayna.com), an offering with some exclusive features.

The new service from Ayna, which means "where" in Arabic, provides interactive maps of places and businesses for all major Arab capitals in the Middle East and North Africa. The new street level map service covers 26 cities in 17 countries and presented in Arabic and English.

Russian Internet and technology company Yandex has launched a world map, terming it to be the most detailed online map of the world in Russian language.

All new maps are available on Yandex.Maps beta version.

"The new map comes with search features. For example, Yandex users looking for Paris will find four of them – one in France, another in Slovakia, and two in Russia: in Bashkortostan and in Chelyabinskaya Oblast, " said Andrey Karmatsky, the manager of Yandex.Maps.

Loopt, a developer of location-based social networking applications, has tied up with Navteq to bring its interoperable social-mapping application to a new network of consumers.

The social networking solution uses Navteq data for North America and is commercially available on select carriers. As per the information available, Loopt has indicated that this new partnership with Navteq has been made to accomodate US wireless operator Verozon Wireless.

Loopt is available across multiple wireless carriers and supported on over 80 mobile devices.

ubExact has launched the beta version of what is being described as the only direct navigation, action-based search engine.

The company is attempting to lend a new dimension to the search world, similar to how the iPod impacted the music industry. And for this, ubExact is relying on added convenience, speed and organization.

According to the company, the strength of ubExact is based on offering a "fast and simple way to search based on user behaviour/actions, geo-targeted metro service areas (MSAs) and direct navigation to desired brands."

London's Metropolitan Police has recently introduced a crime mapping website, which offers Londoners information about crime levels in their neighbourhood.