Jeff Meyer wrote
The plan is to deliver an easily searchable repository (content & searchable clearinghouse) of quality map content to cover the entirety of human history. Along with it would be a freely distributable, open source map player. People could then link their existing maps, add modifications, build new map content, etc.
I happen to be finishing up my GIS credentials and geography/cartography degree right now and was thinking about playing around with the free software GRASS GIS program this summer. See http://grass.baylor.edu/ and the GRASS Wiki http://grass.itc.it/wiki2/
It would be neat to tie GRASS into MediaWiki for map creation. I'll see if I can get that to work later this year (at least for creating simple maps).
There is a whole bunch of public domain GIS data out there (mostly in the U.S....). It would eventually be neat to have a place to do GIS editing on the Internet to help maintain and extend those data. As it is, the public domain GIS material created by the U.S. government is made into proprietary products by GIS firms who clean up, extend, and then sell the data. AFAIK there is no free content alternative.
WikiGIS perhaps? I better snag that one... Done. WikiGIS.org and WIkiGIS.com are reserved for the Wikimedia Foundation if and when the foundation wants those domains.
Which reminds me, Wikimedia.org is about to expire... I better fix that.
-- Daniel Mayer (aka mav)
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