virtual world...

I read recently Microsoft is funding academic research programs to develop new applications using Virtual Earth and SensorMap. Microsoft is funding a Harvard project called CitySense... sensors that monitor pollution, temperature, rain falls and car traffic in a city. The data collected will be displayed on SensorMap, a technology from Microsoft that lets users publish and share sensor data. That means users can browse this live data on Virtual Earth.

Also Microsoft has acquired Vexcel, a company founded in 1985 that developed the UltraCamD Aerial Camera System that delivers large format aerial imagery.

Why? It seems Microsoft is VERY serious about GIS... and is a direct competitor for GIS Web Services. This is also following the footsteps of Google and Yahoo. Am just thinking out loudly... if ESRI server products will be pushed back in all this GIS Web Services competition. ESRI might just concentrate on GIS data production, imagery editing, survey software tools, field data collection, modelling advaced industry applications, 3D mapping, advance analysis, digitising, storage, data cleaning, map making, charting and cartography etc. Its really very vague now in GIS Web Services.