The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) has adopted the OGC Geo Package 1.0 (GPKG) Encoding Standard. This package will make the exchange of geospatial and location information across devices, applications and web services a lot easier.
Poramate Minsiri, an internet pioneer in applying technology to disaster relief, is setting up interactive maps for monitoring natural disasters.
Calling the effort Team Thailand, the founder of the Kapook portal and thaiflood.com also hopes the maps will eventually help keep tabs on crime in the country.
In collaboration with Google Crisis Response, the maps provide updated satellite imagery of flood-affected areas, showing infrastructure damage and helping users navigate disaster zones.
"Crowd-sourcing" is a new buzzword in the world of humanitarian information. The combined power of mobile phones, mapping technology and social networking can enable citizens in crisis to seek help, facilitate aid deliveries, bear witness to abuses and hold governments and aid agencies more accountable, advocates say.