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Hi everyôÙone!

For the past 6 months I have been workôÙing hard to get you a limôÙited ediôÙtion print of the global flights. I am very excited to release this print in a run of 50, signed and numbered.

Find out more details and buy yours today: http://shop.www.spatialanalysis.ca

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StaôÙtisôÙtiôÙcally speakôÙing, the Global Flight Paths images are my most recôÙogôÙnized and shared pieces of work and even more so since they went viral and media crazy over the past week. The BBC News reported over 1 milôÙlion UK-based visôÙiôÙtors had read the story on their webôÙsite and over 15,000 social shares were recorded. The BBC News also tweeted this story to over 1.5 milôÙlion twitôÙter folôÙlowôÙers, which in turn retweeted the link to their many milôÙlions of folôÙlowôÙers. If anyôÙone has a way to aggreôÙgate and quanôÙtify these tweet+retweet staôÙtisôÙtics I would be more than happy to explore.

I am curôÙrently waitôÙing on licensôÙing and prints inforôÙmaôÙtion from the powôÙers above me so please, if you are interôÙested in using the images or wantôÙing prints, kindly send me an email statôÙing so! Thank you and I will try my best to get back to everyôÙone as quick as possible.

Some other interôÙestôÙingô stats:

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The Afghan War Diary, made availôÙable by the WikôÙileaks group, is the disôÙcloôÙsure of interôÙnal US MilôÙiôÙtary logs. WikôÙileaks has been known to release data that conôÙtains latôÙiôÙtuôÙdiôÙnal and lonôÙgiôÙtuôÙdiôÙnal inforôÙmaôÙtion useôÙful for spaôÙtial analyôÙsis. I〙ve taken the libôÙerty to map the some-76,000 milôÙiôÙtaryô logs.

The milôÙiôÙtary logs are a colôÙlecôÙtion of top secret clasôÙsiôÙfied corôÙreôÙsponôÙdences that detail varôÙiôÙous milôÙiôÙtary encounôÙters and sitôÙuôÙaôÙtional reports. Some of the most popôÙuôÙlar headôÙings in the log are: eneôÙmies killed/wounded in action, friendôÙlies killed/wounded in action and reportôÙing unit (squad/other).

ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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It has been a while since I posted on this webôÙsite; but you may have noticed that I have been fairly busy elseôÙwhere, such as on LinkedIn or TwitôÙter.

This post will stand as a reminder to myself that we can〙t always foreôÙsee the bumps along the road. I am speakôÙing about the ESRI mapôÙbook subôÙmisôÙsion that was due on NovemôÙber 16, which I missed because of undue difôÙfiôÙculôÙties in obtainôÙing and manipôÙuôÙlatôÙing trivôÙial data. Why do I say trivôÙial? Given the way my subôÙmisôÙsion looks at the moment, I would say it is acceptôÙable, if not near perôÙfect for the mapôÙbook catôÙeôÙgories of transôÙportaôÙtion and cartography.

ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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As the City of Toronto inches closer and closer towards the green light for new Metrolinx projects like the LRT lines for ShepôÙpard East and EglinôÙton Crosstown, GIS will play an ever cruôÙcial role in assistôÙing deciôÙsion makôÙers by framôÙing City-wide issues into a perôÙspecôÙtive that can be quickly comôÙpreôÙhended. MapôÙping serôÙvice denôÙsity aims to idenôÙtify tranôÙsit deserts in the overôÙall tranôÙsit netôÙwork. These maps emphaôÙsize the difôÙferôÙence in the levôÙels of serôÙvice (numôÙber of trips) by using darker/stronger colours and thicker lines for higher than averôÙage trips, and vice-versa for routes that disôÙplay below the averôÙage numôÙber ofô trips.

ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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Let〙s face it, GIS is a term loosely (if even that) underôÙstood by the pubôÙlic. WithôÙout a uniôÙverôÙsity degree in GeogôÙraôÙphy or cerôÙtifiôÙcate in GIS, web-mapping enables users to explore geospaôÙtial data, patôÙterns and pheôÙnomôÙeôÙnon quite effecôÙtively. As an exploratory tool, web-mapping bridges the gap between the anaôÙlytôÙiôÙcal engine that is the GIS softôÙware, and the basic staôÙticô map.

ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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The OpenôÙStreetMap project has over half a milôÙlion map conôÙtribôÙuôÙtors and a fairly extenôÙsive develôÙoper comôÙmuôÙnity. This past weekôÙend, the first-ever OpenôÙStreetMap hack weekôÙend was held in Toronto, Canada (second-ever North AmerôÙiôÙcan hack) at RyerôÙson UniôÙverôÙsity. This event was jointly hosted with the DepartôÙment of GeogôÙraôÙphy, MasôÙter of SpaôÙtial AnalyôÙsis and the StuôÙdent AssoôÙciôÙaôÙtion of GeoôÙgraphic AnalyôÙsis. Event coûÑrôÙdiôÙnaôÙtion was taken care of by Richard Weait, long-time advoôÙcate of OpenStreetMap.

ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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Late last year, Google announced that their Maps API and Google Maps Imagery would become a charged serôÙvice for high volôÙume users. AnyôÙone hostôÙing more than 25,000 daily map views would incur charges accordôÙing to this pricôÙing scheme. It is imporôÙtant to note that, not only is the API restricted, but the imagery (google maps layôÙers) is restricted in the same fashôÙion. For those that use any other API but still call upon Google base layôÙers, the restricôÙtion of 25,000 daily map views still holds true. Now, this webôÙsite cerôÙtainly won〙t genôÙerôÙate that kind of trafôÙfic anyôÙtime in the near future, but there cerôÙtainly are those kinds of webôÙsites on the interôÙnet that have well over a milôÙlion page views a day. Those that first come to mind are travel serôÙvice providers and real-estate agenôÙcies. Both serôÙvices use maps as spaôÙtial deciôÙsion supôÙport toolsô (eg. where should I live? where should we visit?). I am takôÙing this opporôÙtuôÙnity to round up the APIs that I am familôÙiar with and would recôÙomôÙmend to those makôÙing the move away from Google.

ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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WorkôÙing with the Crime SeverôÙity Index has been an interôÙestôÙing exerôÙcise. The data are availôÙable through StaôÙtisôÙtics Canada, which tracks police-reported crime severôÙity as well as the volôÙume of reported crimes. The Crime SeverôÙity Index offers a secôÙondary meaôÙsure that helps us to underôÙstand more about the crimesô comôÙmitôÙtedô per Province. GenôÙerôÙally speakôÙing, severôÙity of crime is not corôÙreôÙlated with the volôÙume of crimeô comôÙmitôÙted, but there are cerôÙtainly some outôÙliers. We inherit the inabilôÙity to deterôÙmine whether or not these corôÙreôÙlaôÙtions actuôÙally prove to be true when studyôÙing data aggreôÙgated to such a large (ProvinôÙcial) extent. ConôÙtinue reading ô£

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Not unlike other superôÙstores around the world, Costco〙s presôÙence has had someôÙwhat of a proôÙfound impact on our conôÙsumerisôÙtic lives. The abilôÙity to purôÙchase goods at larger than norôÙmal quanôÙtiôÙties, someôÙtimes well below averôÙage retail value, makes it an attracôÙtive shopôÙping expeôÙriôÙence. The first Costco opened in San Diego, CalôÙiôÙforôÙnia, 1976. It〙s growth shows wildfire-like spread throughôÙout the United States west coast. It is only in the mid-to-late 90〙s which show remarkôÙable expanôÙsion of Costco locaôÙtions to cenôÙtral and eastôÙern United States.. ConôÙtinue reading ô£