what happen to other local council GIS projects??

Hey folks, check this out:
THE STAR: It's all there in DBKL’s lobby

Finally, the SKP (Sistem Kawalan Pembangunan) application is running online in city hall.

During my first degree industrial training in DBKL (about 8 years ago), we embarked on digitising all building footprints in Wilayah together with building use info. It was a massive process. Now with this launch you can walk in and check out digital and GIS data for Urban Planning, Urban Transportation, Public Works, Irrigation and River Management. Its mainly used for Urban Planning control and building plan submission. Recently, I heard from my friends there... they have even overlayed satellite images!!!

Hopefully it goes on working well... and not just another pretty showcase. Well done DBKL.

p.s. check this out too http://www.denvergov.org/ - Denver Maps received first place in Applications Fair at 2005 ESRI International User Conference and Honorable mention from the Public Technology Institute's 2004 Top 25 Technology Solution awards (USA).

dude... its brutal... oh yes

After watching the impressive Thai movie "Ong Bak", my favourite martial artist NOW is Tony Jaa... all I can say is ... brutal dude!!! For those of you growing up playing video arcade games like me (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_Fighter) this movie sums it up. Tony Jaa is no Bruce Lee... no Jackie Chan... he is an ultimate street fighting machine. Thai Kickboxing to its max. Brutal fights with no wires, computer animation, camera tricks or stupid flying in the air stunts... this is how a martial art movie should be made.

If you are one of those nonsense Jet Li or ridiculous Kung Fu movie fans... please lah.. its Sesame Street fighting compared to this dude. No offence to Kung Fu... but Chinese and Hong Kong movie producers and directors are making a mockery of a beautiful martial art.... if only Bruce Lee is around... he would beat the shit of these fakes. I stopped watching martial art movies since Jackie Chan came up with that ridiculous Police Story and Jet Li with that Once Upon in China series. And recently... Chow Yuan Fatt as a martial artist... get outta here.... he is a comedian... I cannot stop laughing... even if he has a serious face.

NOW... Ong Bak changed it all for me.... once again I got excited about martial arts .. reminiscence of the countless times I jumped from the roof... jumped off my fathers car... climbing trees and then jumping down flying kick style... kick the poor banana tree behind my house till my leg bled (cause someone said thats how Bruce Lee trained)... jump up to kick the fruiting jambu fruits... fight with my dog to see how hard he can bite (cause in one movie a dog bit Jackie Chan's hand and he had to fight it off)... asked my friends to fight me one on one (most of the time we were just practicing to ‘prepare’ for a real fight)... and lets not mentioned karate air boxing, pretending to kick opponents taekwondo style... and samurai moves with the broom...

Dude... please watch Tony Jaa's new movie.... his latest "Tom Yam Goong"... oh boi... Tony Jaa is a legend... trust me... in a few years he is the next king of martial arts. His real name is Panom Yeerum born in 1976, one year younger to me (hope u see the similarity). He is skilled in Muay Thai, Taekwondo, Aikido, Pencak Silat, Krabi Krabong and gymnastics. Wow.

F1 Sepang - Final Result

Good race... lotsa technical issues... but the season's start looks promising for F1.

Malaysian Grand Prix result:

1. Giancarlo Fisichella (Ita) Renault one hour 30 minutes 40.529 seconds
2. Fernando Alonso (Spa) Renault at 4.585 seconds
3. Jenson Button (GB) Honda 9.631
4. Juan Pablo Montoya (Col) McLaren-Mercedes 39.351
5. Felipe Massa (Brz) Ferrari 43.254
6. Michael Schumacher (Ger) Ferrari 43.854
7. Jacques Villeneuve (Can) BMW Sauber 1:20.400
8. Ralf Schumacher (Ger) Toyota 1:21.200
9. Jarno Trulli (Ita) Toyota 1 lap
10. Rubens Barrichello (Brz) Honda one lap
11. Vitantonio Liuzzi (Ita) Toro Rosso-Cosworth two laps
12. Christijan Albers (Ned) Midland-Toyota 2 laps
13. Tiago Monteiro (Por) Midland-Toyota 2 laps
14. Takuma Sato (Jpn) Super Aguri-Honda 3 laps
R Nick Heidfeld (Ger) BMW Sauber 48 laps completed
R Scott Speed (USA) Toro Rosso-Cosworth 41 laps
R Yuji Ide (Jpn) Super Aguri 33 laps
R Christian Klien (Aut) Red Bull-Ferrari 26 laps
R Mark Webber (Aus) Williams-Cosworth 15 laps
R David Coulthard (GB) Red Bull-Ferrari 10 laps
R Nico Rosberg (Ger) Williams-Cosworth six laps
R Kimi Raikkonen (Fin) McLaren-Mercedes 0 laps

F1 Sepang ... rain looming

From my apt in PJ... its raining here. The clouds might be heading there... in about 3o mins.

1. Most cars going for pit stops. Schumi in pits
2. Alonso leading, excellent strategy with fuel... lead getting wider
3. Engines finding hard to last in 2 races after Bahrain
4. Most tyres doing well
5. The race is gonna be decided with most lasting engine (... and driver)
6. Fisichella and Button staying close..
7. Ferraris in controversy with modified wings

F1 Sepang.... hot.. hot... hot

1. Kimi out... hit by Klien. How unlucky!!! Mc
2. V8 engines getting hot and one Cosworth burnt out.
3. Rain might make some difference here.
4. Schumi working very hard... doin well.
5. Hot... Hot... Hot

how to develop ArcGIS.... Pt1

OK folks... we have been discussing a lot about fundamentals and components of a GIS software, some GIS programming and database (geodatabase) issues. Lets look into more programming details and software architecture of an ESRI ArcGIS software. Am not revealing any company secrets here... because many of these things can be found in support.esri.com or EDN (Esri Developer Network). Their explanation maybe cryptic tho...

ArcObjects are programming classes that is used to build ArcGIS, you already know this from my previous blogs. If you don't go back and read my blogs.. it explains in simplified terms. The core language used to build ArcObjects is C++ and also makes use of COM (Microsoft Component Object MOdel). Well there are pros and cons of using COm, we can discuss it later.

I think of COM as an infrastructure... i.e. if you build a city, you need roads, parks, facilities etc... the material to build these infrastuctures could be cement, tar or steel. Something like building city infrastructures... COM is an infrastruture to build ArcGIS.... and materials used to build COM is the programming language (i.e. C++, dotNET, VB etc). Simple right??

So why are there lots of DLLs and EXEs?? What is the relationship between the DLLs and COM?? What is inside these DLLs?? Using the City (i.e. ArcGIS / software) that has Roads infrastructure (i.e. COM) example... you have workers and jobs that serve different purpose to build these roads... and used in different ways. These different jobs, work and actions to build a road network can be assumed as DLLs. DLLs are actually libraries of classes that hold specific software functions and tools.

The ArcGIS architecture is divided into COM and then subdividided again into libraries (DLLs, OCXs and EXEs). Examples of libraries are esriGeometry or esriArcMap... they hold specific functions and tools that cater to modular GIS functions. OK... that sounds cyrptic.. its actually kinda easy. Lets say you open ArcMap and display some maps / feature classes... the software is actually using functions, methods and tools whithin esriArcMap library to do all that. Its calling specific computer processes to run on your machine.

The libraries in ArcMap can define namespaces (something like class categories) for all components within it... depending on your chosen API:

• Type Library: COM
• .NET Interop Assembly: dotNET
• Java Package: JAVA
• Header File: C++

MET

Here are some of my favourite American art works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Winslow Homer (1836–1910)Boys in a Dory, 1873

Winslow Homer (1836–1910)A Basket of Clams, 1873

John Singer Sargent (1856–1925)Mrs. Hugh Hammersley, 1892