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Google releases enterprise geodata tool

Google Earth Builder is a repository for enterprises' geospatial data that runs on top of Google Maps and Google Earth
Written by Jack Clark, Contributor

Google has released a tool for storing and processing enterprises' geospatial data in Google's cloud infrastructure.

Google Earth Builder, announced on Wednesday, dovetails into Google's existing Google Maps and Google Earth products. The service can be accessed by employees from any internet-enabled device to study, process and upload geospatial data.

"In the enterprise a lot of geospatial data remains trapped on costly servers and inaccessible to those who need it," Google said in a blog post. "We'd like to help free that data and bring the same benefits that consumers have enjoyed for years to businesses and government agencies."

The tool is designed to allow customers to add information layers on top of maps provided by Google services. Information could take the form of multiple layers of data over a single map, spreadsheets of worldwide customer locations, or files composed of recently acquired imagery.

"You can also integrate the map layers with your own imagery basemap, road data, Street View, terrain view or directions in order to find your next best store location," Google said.

You can integrate the map layers with your own imagery basemap, road data, Street View, terrain view or directions in order to find your next best store location.
– Google

The data will be mounted on Google's infrastructure, allowing Google to scale Earth Builder services for traffic spikes.

Access policies to individual geodata layers can be set without having to share the raw data files with employees, Google said.

The service will be available by the end of August 2011. Pricing details were not available at the time of writing.

A possible application of the service is demonstrated by Islington council in a customer video, where a data overlay is used to show the locations and times of police incidents on top of satellite imagery provided by Google.


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