Scalable Architectures LLC introduces MapTango.com Public Beta, a geosocial application that enables people to create unique views of information and photos by easily creating custom maps. MapTango makes it possible for people to communicate and interact with friends and colleagues relative to space and time.

Multiple Map Views

MapTango allows people to create multiple map views which can be used for segmentation, organization, and the reduction of map clutter.

Geocoded Photo support

MapTango can read EXIF headers from uploaded GPS photos and use this information to automatically locate where in the world the photo was taken.

Twitter Integration

MapTango is fully integrated with Twitter using their OAuth API. MapTango posts can be automatically sent to Twitter with a link to the original MapTango geolocated post.

Beta Program

Anyone who wishes to participate can register at http://maptango.com/register An "Access Code" will be required and can be requested by clicking the "Request Access Code" link on the Join MapTango form.

On November 3rd, 2008, two new standards for emergency data exchange were announced by OASIS - an EDXL Resource Messaging standard (EDXL-RM) and an EDXL Hospital AVailability Exchange (EDXL-HAVE) standard. The standardization of emergency management message exchanges improves the ease of adoption and integration of technologies to help emergency response organizations more efficiently respond to large scale disasters. Service Oriented Architectures and standards based message exchanges are key to leveraging computing automation for emergency management situational awareness and common operating pictures.

YourGlobalGrid.com was the first web site to make example web service interfaces available to the public for both the EDXL-RM and the EDXL-HAVE. While interfaces for message exchange standards can come in many forms, web services are likely to be a prominent means of exchanging emergency management messages because of the many standards like reliable messaging and security that have evolved around web services.

To see tutorial webcasts showing how to use YourGlobalGrid.com EDXL web services see http://www.YourGlobalGrid.com/?tab=support.

Scalable Architectures LLC in combination with other members of the Integrated Response Services Consortium (IRSC) provided an overview of technologies and emerging standards and how they apply to emergency management. The IRSC is focused on the practical application of software technologies to facilitate the efficiency of emergency responders.

The following link provides an overview, slides, videos, and reference material for this workshop.

ExpeditionWorkshop/ExploringVirtualOrganizationLandscape CyberinfrastructureReadinessForEmergencyResponse 2008 10 07

Scalable Architectures contributed work involving SOA registries and full/partial web service implementations for the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP) standard, Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) Distribution Element (DE) standard, EDXL Resource Messaging (RM) specification, and EDXL Hospital AVailability Exchange (HAVE) specification.

Other members provided presentations and implementations for a Common Operating Picture (Golden Gate Safety Network), Simulations and an Exercise Control System (NIST), Building Information Model (BIM) resources, and a web based form entry open source application for EDXL-RM developed by Rex Brooks of Starbourne Communications.

Each organization that presented is in the beginning stages of developing pieces of a SOA that could eventually all play together using a SOA computing infrastructure. Emergency management is a good example of where emerging standardization efforts and SOA technology are poised to improve the measurability and efficiency of emergency response to large scale disaster situations, not only in the US but around the globe.

Standardization efforts that played a large part in the technology implementations include the OASIS Common Alerting Protocol, OASIS Emergency Data Exchange Language (EDXL) Distribution Element (DE), OASIS EDXL Resource Messaging (RM), OASIS EDXL Hospital AVailability Exchange (HAVE), OASIS Reference Model and Reference Architecture for SOA, and the National Building Information Model (BIM) standard. Links for all of these standards and more can be found at the workshop link provided above.

A reference architecture for Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) has been released by the software standards organization OASIS. This reference architecture provides vendor neutral views of models for a service enabled ecosystem that can meet the requirements for conducting business under diverse governance structures.

Public feedback is encouraged.

Upping the level of quality in the open source enterprise software community is Sun Microsystem's strategy of open sourcing much of their enterprise software applications and tools. Enterprise software can provide significant cost savings in licensing fees for organizations that have the need for high volume Internet applications. Sun's open source software as well as other organization's open source software can be a big boon for an organization if appropriately applied.

But, there are costs whether using free and open source software or licensed software. The development costs for custom enterprise applications can be in the price range of tens of thousands to tens of millions of dollars depending on the size of the project. Once a custom enterprise application is developed, there is then the continual cost of administration and hosting which can be significant.

Take on the other hand, a typical storefront web application suitable for many individuals or organizations. The costs for this type of web application can be amazingly inexpensive when compared to the costs of developing custom enterprise applications. For example, a person wanting a store front web application may be setup in as little as a two days and monthly hosting costs around $100 dollars. Customization and training services, if required, may be as little as hundreds to a few thousand dollars depending on the level or customization or training. See Adammer™, a joint partner to Scalable Architectures LLC, for more details on this type of web application.

The analysis of Internet application needs will determine whether an organization can benefit from less expensive and quick setup of a web application like a storefront or whether the organization's needs would be better served through custom enterprise software development using free and open source software.

Scalable Architectures LLC can provide this analysis for an organization to find a good cost fitting technology model that fits the organization needs.