You may have picked up on the rumors that I have a new job, well it’s true !!
This week I joined Google as the Geospatial Technologist for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) and to say I am excited would be somewhat of an understatement.
Google (and yes Microsoft and Yahoo as well 🙂 ) have had a massive positive impact on the traditional GI industry and are developing truly innovative ways of distributing and exploiting geographic information – and there is still much more to come !
The “heavy lifting” of the data providers and sophisticated software tools developers is still a very important part of the industry which after-all is data driven, but through the efforts of Google the information is getting into the hands of a new community of some 200 million users, when they need it, and how they need it.
It’s really important that the world of neogeography and the more established industry come together as there is much to learn from both ends of the spectrum, there is already much good working going on to integrate geoRSS and KML with existing OGC standards for example.
Google lives up to its reputation – I feel like I’m back at university, really bright people getting on and solving problems, but unlike most university departments or corporate research units, with all the resources needed to do so – and yes there are lots of Lava lamps, as much free food and drink as you could cope with, and a games room 🙂
I have been smiling continuously for the last week, but I can see life is going to get really busy !!
Written and submitted from home, using my home 802.11 network.
Technorati Tags: Google
53 replies on “My new office…”
[…] Another great loss to the public sector Published May 30th, 2007 mapping OK, so I’m a bit late with this particular piece of news… Ed Parsons was the first Chief Technology Officer in the history of Ordnance Survey. His departure in December 2006 was widely lamented: it was suggested that he was leaving because he was ‘interested in rocking the boat at Ordnance Survey, especially over its Web 1.0 attitude’. His blogging activity tracked the various developments happening at OS’s new competitors, like Google Maps, and it’s not too big a stretch to imagine his frustration at seeing his own organisation being left for dead. Fast forward to April 2007… and where does Ed start work? Google. The public sector actually did have a guy considered good enough by the cutting-edge to be their new Geospatial Technologist. And it lost him. Brilliant. […]
Congratulations Ed!
What some people will do to get ranked higher in a search engine!
Does this mean you are Hot or Cool now? I am so out-of-date!
Congratulations Ed!
What some people will do to get ranked higher in a search engine!
Does this mean you are Hot or Cool now? I am so out-of-date!