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…”
Congratulations.
Congratulations! You on board of Google does indeed sound very exciting. All the best!
Awesomeness!
Way to go Ed 🙂
Ed congratulations. Perhaps you can get Google to throw some resource behind professional GIS tools as well as consumer software. That way we might get a decent GIS system for Mac OSX!!
ed.parsons@google.com…
Ed Parsons, former Ordnance Survey CTO, joined Google as Geospatial Technologist for EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). It’s a brilliant move and Ed is surely a tremendous asset to Google.
It’s important for Google to have someone with …
Congratulations! On a side note – notice how the so called neogeography companies are recruiting experts from the ‘old guard’. Have a lot of fun!
wow, now that’s the kind of job to go get!! congratulations. =)
Ed,
Congratulations and Best wishes in your new Role.
Syam,
OS
Congrats Ed, but a fine new job is still *no excuse* for using Comic Sans 🙂