Overview
In the last year, a number of
important trends in geospatial
technologies have emerged, including:
1) Growing availability of free
online consumer mapping services
2) Increasing adoption of open
source software and 3) Increasing
adoption of 3D data in a variety
of commercial and government
applications.
Online mapping services from
Google, MapQuest, and Microsoft
have been in the headlines for
the last year. These free consumer
services provide rich map content,
compelling look and feel and
useful interfaces. While these
services primarily provide a
“one size fits all”
mapping and search capability,
they have raised the bar in
terms of how all users expect
to interact with geospatial
solutions. As workable business
models emerge, we can expect
these kinds of mapping services
to begin penetrating into the
enterprise and specialist domains.
The development of open source
geospatial software has been
growing for some time. Minnesota
Mapserver and MapGuide Open
Source are examples of map servers
that have contributed to the
ubiquitous use of web mapping
technologies. The open source
model is particularly appealing
to small start-ups where software
costs are just as important
as the ability to maintain and
enhance the underlying code.
Another key advance is the increased
realism generated by 3D data
and imagery. Three dimensional
models are now entering mainstream
use in electronic gaming, online
mapping services and specialised
solutions in utilities, oil
exploration, urban planning
and defence. Although the creation
of 3D models of cities and regions
can be expensive, new sensing
and imaging technologies are
making the creation of 3D city
and region models a reality.
Moreover, as the market for
affordable, highly accurate
and realistic off-the-shelf
city models emerges, the up-front
data creation costs are likely
to be easily recovered.
Role
of Oracle
Oracle's goal is to make location
technology available for every
business application. Customers
rely on our software for data
security, scalability, flexibility
and reliability. We’ve
developed the Oracle Spatial
database and application server
to provide a platform to serve
workgroups and large enterprises.
In 2002, we went one step further
by embedding every Oracle database
(both Standard and Enterprise
Editions) with Locator -- a
subset of Oracle Spatial functionality.
Locator offers a spatial data
type, R-tree index, and spatial
operators, at no additional
cost. Last year, we introduced
the Oracle Database 10g Express
Edition (Oracle Database XE)
as an entry-level, small-footprint
spatial database that's free
to develop, deploy and distribute,
fast to download, and simple
to administer. Locator is included
as a feature of Oracle XE.
In the area of 3D technology,
Oracle Spatial will soon become
the industry’s first commercial
database capable of managing
3D data. This includes management
of a 3D coordinate system, 3D
surface models, and Lidar (point
cloud) data types. In addition,
users will benefit from indexing
and spatial queries on 3D data,
along with the scalability,
security and reliability of
the Oracle database. Our intent
is to quickly become the preferred
3D data management platform. |
