Surveying, Mapping and GIS

Great info from Glenn Letham on Nokia's beta program and AT&T's devCentral newsletter and program (via SymbianOne).

Peter Batty on Google's "Locate Me" capability (location finding via cell towers), along with hybrid mode maps in an upcoming iPhone firmware 1.1.3 release - The Digital Earth Blog and others mention this as well - more on the new firmware here:

If the faux-GPS cellphone-resection approach doesn't make you happy, add GPS on to your iPhone - "LocoGPS": http://gisuser.blogspot.com/2007/12/iphone-gps-locogps.html

Finally, Glenn Letham also reports on a special release of the popular Nokia N95 as an 8GB 3G version specifically for the US market that's coming - more here: http://devicearena.com/2007/12/29/us-3g-n95-8gb-coming-for-valentine%E2%80%99s-day/.

As for me, I still have my own bias for my AT&T Tilt, which, while perhaps not as stylish or elegant, nonetheless already has all of the functionality that these iPhone, N95 and other imminent releases are still striving for - and it's proven to be a good, reliable and versatile workhorse for me already.

In echoes of Christmas Past, ITAR-TASS and others are announcing the launch of three new GLONASS space vehicles. They were launched from Baikonur atop a Proton-M at 22:32 Moscow time on Tuesday.

Refer to the GLONASS site for current SV status: http://www.glonass-ianc.rsa.ru/pls/htmldb/f?p=202:20:16827457493506720876::NO:::

At present, it does not yet show the three new SVs active. Of a total 24 slots, 18 are presently occupied, with two temporarily switched off, and 3 undergoing decommissioning.

This brings GLONASS close, but still short of its current goal of 18 SVs. Six more GLONASS satellites are scheduled for launch in 2008, and the first two improved GLONASS-K satellites are scheduled for launch the following year, hopefully rounding out the full complement of 24.

On a related note, former spymaster Vladimir Putin has stated an intent to use GLONASS to spy on his dog, Connie.

To provide context, there were several treaties between the US and the Lakota, such as the 1855 Fort Laramie treaty which granted the Lakota sovereignty, but allowed passage along the Oregon Trail - however unease between the Lakota and whites continued, following with the 1868 Fort Laramie treaty - but once gold was discovered in the Black Hills (sacred to the Lakota), all bets were off, leading to the infamous battles of Little Big Horn, where General Custer's forces were defeated, and the killing of Sitting Bull (shown on the right) at Standing Rock, and the Massacre at Wounded Knee, where 150 Lakota and 25 US soldiers were killed. The Lakota were ultimately forced to sign a treaty in 1877, ceding the Black Hills to the US, but there has been longstanding discontent over the disenfranchisement of the Lakota and loss of their sacred Black Hills.

In 1980, a proposed settlement of $122 million was offered to the Lakota by the US government, however as this did not include a return of lands, it was refused.

The potential extent of the Lakota nation is shown in the map below (current reservations shown dark red, 1868 Treaty boundary in yellow):