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Geolinking content
Patrick H. Lauke / Institutional Web Management Workshop 2007 / York
Experiments in connecting virtual and physical places
Outline
?
Google Maps and Google Earth
?
Geo metadata for web sites/pages
?
Flickr - now also for non-geeks
?
Microformats
?
Extending XML
Google Maps and Google Earth
?
What's happening at institutional level at
Salford?
?
Early prototype for campus map (Jan 2005)
?
On ice (beta) since then, but now being
revived
?
http://www.salford.ac.uk/travel/google_map/
Google Maps and Google Earth
Google Maps and Google Earth
Google Maps and Google Earth
Google Maps and Google Earth
?
Challenges to build?
?
Acquiring geo data
?
Integrating into web pages
Google Earth as authoring tool
Google Earth as authoring tool
Google Maps API
?
http://
www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/
?
Customisation to read KML files directly
?
Tweaks to automagically determine center
point (zoom level in next round of tweaks)
Potential issues?
?
Innovative?
?
Maybe in 2005...
?
Geo data easy to maintain?
?
Separate KML file
?
Accessibility of interface?
?
http://blogs.cetis.ac.uk/accessibility/2007/01/29/can-you-really-have-an-accessible-google-
map/
Geo metadata for web sites/pages
?
...or how I waste my spare time
?
http://geourl.org
geourl.org in all its glory
geourl.org process
?
Find your coordinates
?
Add relevant META elements to page/site
?
Submit your site to geourl.org
geourl.org META
<meta name="geo.position¡± content="53.483541;-2.270666" />
<meta name="ICBM" content="53.483541,-2.270666" />
<meta name="DC.title" content="University of Salford | A
Greater Manchester University" />
geourl.org in action - near URL
geourl.org in action - near LAT/LONG
geourl.org - but is it useful?
?
On its own, use is quite limited
?
Not really aimed at end user - just the
geeks?
?
Interface not intuitive
?
Relies on sites being tagged and submitted
?
However...
?
Good data repository (while it's up)
?
Can output RSS ... transformable / mash-
up-able
?
Some sites added the META, which can be
Transformers...
?
Converting RSS (an XML format) into KML
(another XML format)
?
XSLT - powerful and standardised
?
http://www.splintered.co.uk/experiments/77/
GeoURL to Google Earth
GeoURL to Google Earth
Still fairly niche...
?
...but imagine the possibilities
?
pages/sites with standardised geo META
?
repository for this information (harvested?)
?
XML output and transformation
?
Google Earth, Google Maps, etc for end
user presentation
ICBM/geo.location data for end-users?
?
Early experimentation with Firefox extensions
?
Detect META in current page
?
Make data useful to end-user
?
http://www.splintered.co.uk/experiments/71/
Firefox GeoURL extension in action
Firefox GeoURL extension in action
Beyond browser extensions
?
Making the META information useful does not
have to happen at browser extension level
?
Could build a web-based tool/script:
?
Pass it your URL
?
Have the user sent to relevant map
?
Important bit: your geo data is embedded in
your page's HEAD, not in a separate file
Flickr - now also for non-geeks
?
Good example of end-user friendly geolocation
?
Used to be niche: hand-tagging images
?
Now with WYSIWYG functionality
?
With certain cameras/phones: no end-user
involvement necessary
Flickr - hand-tagging of old
Flickr - now WYSIWYG
Flickr - end-user friendly
Flickr + Google Maps + ...
?
Geotagged photos can be put to use
?
http://www.flickr.com/services/api/
?
Mash-up with campus map? UK-wide map?
?
Flickr as repository is extensible
?
Machine tags - roll your own mash-up
friendly categorisation
?
http://www.revish.com -
book:isbn=XXXXXXX
?
For universities ... institution code?
Microformats
?
Extending HTML usefulness via current
technologies
?
Embedding machine-readable data in pages
?
http://microformats.org/wiki/geo
Simple geo microformat examples
<div class="geo">GEO:
<span class="latitude">37.386013</span>,
<span class="longitude">-122.082932</span>
</div>
<div class="geo">
<abbr class="latitude" title="37.408183">N 37¡ã 24.491</abbr>
<abbr class="longitude" title="-122.13855">W 122¡ã 08.313</abbr>
</div>
Why microformats?
?
Jeremy Keith http://adactio.com/ : 'Your page
becomes your API' - geo data not in a
separate file
?
Can be piped through a script to extract data
?
PHP5 - http://allinthehead.com/hkit/ (only
vcard microformat at the moment, but
extensible)
?
If using XHTML - could use XSLT
?
Firefox 3.0 to support microformats natively (in
the meantime, there's Operator)
Extending XML
?
By definition: eXtensible Markup Language
?
Geolocating RSS feeds
?
http://georss.org/
?
http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/
?
XHTML (sent as application/xhtml+xml) + Geo
?
etc
Some sort of conclusion?
?
Considerations on how geo data is stored:
?
In a separate file (KML)?
?
As part of your page (META, microformat,
other)?
?
On a 3rd
party site (Flickr)?
?
How maintainable is it?
?
What's the value to the end-user?
?
Browser tools
?
Site tools
?
Thanks
Patrick H. Lauke
p.h.lauke@salford.ac.uk
http://www.salford.ac.uk
http://www.splintered.co.uk

More Related Content

IWMW 2007: Geolinked Institutional Web Content

  • 1. Geolinking content Patrick H. Lauke / Institutional Web Management Workshop 2007 / York Experiments in connecting virtual and physical places
  • 2. Outline ? Google Maps and Google Earth ? Geo metadata for web sites/pages ? Flickr - now also for non-geeks ? Microformats ? Extending XML
  • 3. Google Maps and Google Earth ? What's happening at institutional level at Salford? ? Early prototype for campus map (Jan 2005) ? On ice (beta) since then, but now being revived ? http://www.salford.ac.uk/travel/google_map/
  • 4. Google Maps and Google Earth
  • 5. Google Maps and Google Earth
  • 6. Google Maps and Google Earth
  • 7. Google Maps and Google Earth ? Challenges to build? ? Acquiring geo data ? Integrating into web pages
  • 8. Google Earth as authoring tool
  • 9. Google Earth as authoring tool
  • 10. Google Maps API ? http:// www.google.com/apis/maps/documentation/ ? Customisation to read KML files directly ? Tweaks to automagically determine center point (zoom level in next round of tweaks)
  • 11. Potential issues? ? Innovative? ? Maybe in 2005... ? Geo data easy to maintain? ? Separate KML file ? Accessibility of interface? ? http://blogs.cetis.ac.uk/accessibility/2007/01/29/can-you-really-have-an-accessible-google- map/
  • 12. Geo metadata for web sites/pages ? ...or how I waste my spare time ? http://geourl.org
  • 13. geourl.org in all its glory
  • 14. geourl.org process ? Find your coordinates ? Add relevant META elements to page/site ? Submit your site to geourl.org
  • 15. geourl.org META <meta name="geo.position¡± content="53.483541;-2.270666" /> <meta name="ICBM" content="53.483541,-2.270666" /> <meta name="DC.title" content="University of Salford | A Greater Manchester University" />
  • 16. geourl.org in action - near URL
  • 17. geourl.org in action - near LAT/LONG
  • 18. geourl.org - but is it useful? ? On its own, use is quite limited ? Not really aimed at end user - just the geeks? ? Interface not intuitive ? Relies on sites being tagged and submitted ? However... ? Good data repository (while it's up) ? Can output RSS ... transformable / mash- up-able ? Some sites added the META, which can be
  • 19. Transformers... ? Converting RSS (an XML format) into KML (another XML format) ? XSLT - powerful and standardised ? http://www.splintered.co.uk/experiments/77/
  • 22. Still fairly niche... ? ...but imagine the possibilities ? pages/sites with standardised geo META ? repository for this information (harvested?) ? XML output and transformation ? Google Earth, Google Maps, etc for end user presentation
  • 23. ICBM/geo.location data for end-users? ? Early experimentation with Firefox extensions ? Detect META in current page ? Make data useful to end-user ? http://www.splintered.co.uk/experiments/71/
  • 26. Beyond browser extensions ? Making the META information useful does not have to happen at browser extension level ? Could build a web-based tool/script: ? Pass it your URL ? Have the user sent to relevant map ? Important bit: your geo data is embedded in your page's HEAD, not in a separate file
  • 27. Flickr - now also for non-geeks ? Good example of end-user friendly geolocation ? Used to be niche: hand-tagging images ? Now with WYSIWYG functionality ? With certain cameras/phones: no end-user involvement necessary
  • 29. Flickr - now WYSIWYG
  • 30. Flickr - end-user friendly
  • 31. Flickr + Google Maps + ... ? Geotagged photos can be put to use ? http://www.flickr.com/services/api/ ? Mash-up with campus map? UK-wide map? ? Flickr as repository is extensible ? Machine tags - roll your own mash-up friendly categorisation ? http://www.revish.com - book:isbn=XXXXXXX ? For universities ... institution code?
  • 32. Microformats ? Extending HTML usefulness via current technologies ? Embedding machine-readable data in pages ? http://microformats.org/wiki/geo
  • 33. Simple geo microformat examples <div class="geo">GEO: <span class="latitude">37.386013</span>, <span class="longitude">-122.082932</span> </div> <div class="geo"> <abbr class="latitude" title="37.408183">N 37¡ã 24.491</abbr> <abbr class="longitude" title="-122.13855">W 122¡ã 08.313</abbr> </div>
  • 34. Why microformats? ? Jeremy Keith http://adactio.com/ : 'Your page becomes your API' - geo data not in a separate file ? Can be piped through a script to extract data ? PHP5 - http://allinthehead.com/hkit/ (only vcard microformat at the moment, but extensible) ? If using XHTML - could use XSLT ? Firefox 3.0 to support microformats natively (in the meantime, there's Operator)
  • 35. Extending XML ? By definition: eXtensible Markup Language ? Geolocating RSS feeds ? http://georss.org/ ? http://www.w3.org/2003/01/geo/ ? XHTML (sent as application/xhtml+xml) + Geo ? etc
  • 36. Some sort of conclusion? ? Considerations on how geo data is stored: ? In a separate file (KML)? ? As part of your page (META, microformat, other)? ? On a 3rd party site (Flickr)? ? How maintainable is it? ? What's the value to the end-user? ? Browser tools ? Site tools ?