bryanjazz

So I'm trying out this new gizmo (over to the left). I have been thinking about having my current location displayed on the site for a while, in a way more interesting than just saying "I am in [enter exotic location here]." So I did a little research (i.e., a Google search) over the weekend and found Plazes through a website called high earth orbit.

"Plazes is a grassroot approach to location-aware interaction, using the local network you are connected to as location reference." (from their website)

Along with similar services, they are called social mapping/tracking web service apps, based on geographical information systems (GIS) technology. It's pretty cool, maybe a precursor to the comm badges they used in Star Trek, which were not only communications devices but also location trackers.

This technology was very useful, post-Katrina. As folks in the New Orleans diaspora were scattered around the country, many were wondering about the condition of their homes, and just how high flood waters rose in their particular area (which turned out to be wildly unpredictable in light of the city's irregular topography). This site by C&C Technologies was a much welcome resource because, in tandem with Google maps (which is promoting use of their service), folks were able to see information about flood waters in the city more precisely than they could via the satellite images alone on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's site. There were a few people to whom (when we were able to connect by phone in the immediate aftermath) I was able to give a little information about the city and the specific location in which they were interested, since I had online access.

I also found that there are a whole bunch of people who are really into (GIS) and keeping up with the development of the technology, and still others who are into the possibilites it provides for social networking.

All that is a little intense for me, but I did want a way to let my 5 regular readers (LOL) know the current city in which I was located, especially as I prepare to start traveling again. :-)