WebMapsConnector for Smallworld Supports basemap.at

As you may be aware, iFactor Consulting's Web Maps Connector (WMC) for Smallworld allows Smallworld users to seamlessly integrate both global and regional data sets in their Smallworld thick client.

Today I want to share with you that WMC now supports data layers from http://basemap.at (The most recent Administrative basemap of Austria).



While I have mentioned in a previous post that access to datasets like Google do provide value to the Smallworld user, I have also seen a movement in this domain towards regionally-generated data sources.  basemap.at falls into that category of regional datasets supported by WMC joining already supported datasets from Thailand (Longdo Maps), Japan (NTT Geospace Imagery and Road Tile) and North Korea (Naver Maps).

If you have a regional tile-based map that you would like to show in Smallworld, please contact the Web Maps Connector team with your request.

Insert coordinates from text file into Smallworld database

I recently received a query from a reader asking if I could show him how to insert coordinates from a text file into Smallworld database.  I have put together a gist that shows how to do this.  I started off by using a LWT approach but then remembered that the recommended approach is to use the record transaction APIs.  So the gist includes both styles of database writing.

Smallworld Welcome To 2013

I recently saw a tweet welcoming Smallworld-using utilities to 2007...

Welcome to 2007, utilities. Google, GE Join Forces in Energy Sector Mapping Tool energy.aol.com/2013/02/27/goo…
— Helen Fairman (@helen_fairman) February 28, 2013

... while it may be true that the GE/Google announcement brings back memories of 2007, it is also true that Smallworld users have had the option of accessing web maps since at least 2009. You can see many examples of that here and here.

The web mapping world has changed a lot since 2007.  In my opinion, one of the cooler web mapping options involves MapBox.  I have blogged about them here.  MapBox provides a way for users to quickly create beautiful maps and host them on MapBox infrastructure.  You have access to pre-packaged Terrain, Satellite and Road layers that you can then customize to your style and visibility requirements.  In addition, you can create your own map layers and upload them to MapBox.

The following video clip demonstrates Smallworld access to MapBox maps with a specific example around styling your own contour lines and hillshading to integrate with your asset data layers.


While having Smallworld access Google map layers may seem "last decade", it definitely still has its value.  Extending Smallworld even more to access powerful platforms like MapBox solidly moves Smallworld users from 2007 into 2013.

Welcome to the future!  You can find out more about Smallworld web maps integrations here.

Google GE Smallworld demo

The recent partnership announcement by GE and Google is very exciting.  Finally there will be GE product support for cloud-based mapping (no mention was made of the various GE partners that have supplied this functionality for years to varying degrees).

There were lots of articles written about this partnership on the web and the major online news services covered it.  Clearly there is a desire to see GE move in this direction.

The first focus has been on integrating GE's Smallworld enterprise GIS system with Google basemaps.  The GE partner webinar today provided an introduction to some of the tools and applications that will benefit from this partnership.  I have not found online demo videos for the new Smallworld tools, but I expect that the tools will feature prominently at GE demo booths at the upcoming GE 2013 Digital Energy International Software Summit this May.

While we all wait for public demos and evaluation installations, I thought it would be helpful to highlight some of the functionality that Smallworld partners have already developed that already plays in the space that GE is entering.

Basemaps
If GE were to demonstrate a Google Basemap addon that allows Smallworld desktop users to view Google maps as base layers under their asset layers it might look like this (plus a bit more as presented by iFactor Consulting)




Other vendors that provide similar functionality include FCSI and dpgeo.


Network Viewer
Another way to view Smallworld data is to push data snapshots into the cloud and then use browser-based tools to overlay the Smallworld asset data there.  If GE were to demo this functionality it might look like this (plus a bit more as presented by Ubisense)



Another vendor that provides Smallworld-in-the-cloud functionality is Cliffhanger Solutions.

Mobile Apps
According to press releases, GE will also use the Google partnership to push them into the mobile app space.  Lucky for them, there are partners that have already moved into this space and gleaned valuable market experience.  Partners include Astec Gislet and Ubisense myWorld.

I'm sure their are other partner offerings related to web maps and Smallworld.  If you know of others, please comment to this post.