Geosim's 3D-city models enable:

Integration with tourist attractions and information kiosks.
Virtual tours for trip planning and familiarization with places of interests; customized multimedia and interactive solutions.
E-commerce compatability for booking rooms, dinner reservations, purchasing theater tickets and more.
Integration with custom 3D indoor models for tourism related locations (such as museums, hotels, restaurants etc.).

does sound like what yahoo are chasing or is it MSN

MSN Virtual Earth To Take On Google Earth

Microsoft sends news today that founder Bill Gates has announced a MSN Virtual Earth service is to debut in the summer. The service is promised to provide:

Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods

Satellite images with street map overlays

Ability to add local data layers, such as showing local businesses or restaurants
The service will allow users to choose from a number of different data types plus allow people to contribute their own information. The announcement came today at the D3 conference happening this week.

Here are some screenshots from the service to come. You can click on the first to make it larger:


http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050523-125208

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050523-125208

tomorrow tomorrow I wish it was tomorrow

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Inside Google's Shopping List
By Rick Aristotle Munarriz (TMFBreakerRick)
November 9, 2005

Last week, I walked a city block in Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) shoes. After the company completed a secondary offering back in September that propped up its cash balance to a whopping $7.6 billion, I began to wonder about where Google would go shopping.

It's a wide, wide acquisitive dot-com world these days. I went over five of the potential buyout candidates last week. This time, I'll dig into a few more public companies that might be worthy of a Google nibble.

Hollywood Media (Nasdaq: HOLL)
Getting into the show is what Hollywood Media is all about. The company owns various celluloid reference periodicals, the Hollywood.com movie information site, and a minority interest in online theater ticket vendor MovieTickets.com. However, a whopping 85% of the company's revenue over the past few quarters has come from its Broadway.com site. There, visitors can buy tickets to popular live theater venue events on Broadway and beyond.

So why does Google -- the ultimate producer -- want in on someone selling tickets to The Producers? Why wouldn't it? Google could cash in on Hollywood Media's active yet poorly monetized sites while becoming a major player in online ticketing. As Google is trying to broaden its reach beyond the Internet, having access to theatergoers would provide the company with even more lucrative advertising channels.

Napster (Nasdaq: NAPS)
All of the major search portals have an interest in a subscription-based digital music service -- except Google. With Napster, it can scoop up an edgy brand and an upstart legal digital music service that is now 448,000 subscribers strong. It would also be buying a cash-rich company. With $2.95 a share in Napster's wallet, Google's out-of-pocket price would be closer to a mere $0.50 per share at the prices that Napster was fetching earlier this week.

I'll admit that RealNetworks (Nasdaq: RNWK), given its popular media software platform, would have been a more logical buyout candidate for Google, but that was before Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) settled its litigation with RealNetworks and became a partner. Napster would still be a great way for Google to get a foothold with younger music-loving audiences. It would also help stem Napster's red ink with the measured application of paid search throughout the music site.

MIVA (Nasdaq: MIVA)
Formerly known as FindWhat.com, MIVA was one of the pioneers of contextual advertising. It was one of the first to follow Overture into paid search, and it's carved out a profitable living doing just that for years. However, the proliferation of Google -- and Yahoo! -- has forced smaller ad enablers to deal with thinner slices of the revenue pie. That doesn't mean Google won't have real estate to gain by acquiring its smaller rivals, especially since just about any purchase would be accretive to earnings.

MIVA would be a cheap date on that front. After acquiring eSpotting.com, MIVA would offer Google some precious virtual real estate in Europe, too. MIVA also introduced an interesting tweak to paid search when it rolled out its Pay-Per-Call concept, where ads feature tagged toll-free numbers. MIVA claims the live interaction is 45% more effective than conventional paid search. MIVA has stumbled in many ways lately -- the name change is just its way of throwing off the scent -- so it may be looking for an exit strategy in the form of a buyout offer.

So, how much are we talking here?
Last week's list included four stocks that added up to $3.1 billion in enterprise value. The new names inch Google's shopping list to a $3.4 billion tab, before adjusting that figure higher to account for modest buyout premiums. Yes, Google's good for it. It might even leave enough to make a run at a minority stake in AOL.com.

Company Enterprise Value
Hollywood Media $135 million
Napster $20 million
MIVA $120 million


Will Google really target any of the companies that I've singled out over the past week? Perhaps. The company already has a history of acquiring smaller privately held firms. However, it has to start thinking bigger. With Google's market cap approaching $120 billion, expectations have never been higher for the company's future performance. Yes, Google will grow quite nicely in organic terms, but with every uptick in the stock's price making the secondary offering that much more dilutive, the company will have to put at least some of that money to work sooner rather than later.

Just as Skype's buyout by unlikely suitor eBay (Nasdaq: EBAY) showed us, it's not as if online companies have all the time in the world to map out their shopping strategies. Opportunity isn't so much knocking as banging the door down, as rival online companies and traditional media players dangle cash in front of the industry's promising upstarts. If Google spends too much time in the corner counting its cash, it's going to miss the party. Quality players like Skype, IGN.com, and social networking giant MySpace have all answered the dinner bell this year. Will Google be the next one to set it ringing?

In the Rule Breakers newsletter service, we have recommended various companies that are making waves online, revolutionizing their once-moribund industries. Many of those would also make savory buyout targets for a cash-rich, expansion-hungry company like Google.

It's time for the company to embark on one heck of a shopping spree. Let's hope it brings a really big cart.

MSN Virtual Earth To Take On Google Earth

Microsoft sends news today that founder Bill Gates has announced a MSN Virtual Earth service is to debut in the summer. The service is promised to provide:

Satellite images with 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods

Satellite images with street map overlays

Ability to add local data layers, such as showing local businesses or restaurants
The service will allow users to choose from a number of different data types plus allow people to contribute their own information. The announcement came today at the D3 conference happening this week.

Here are some screenshots from the service to come. You can click on the first to make it larger:




Last week, Google announced that its Keyhole software allowing satellite views of the Earth will be renamed Google Earth. Better images will also be available to those getting satellite views via Google Maps. In addition, Google Maps has also been getting enhanced by others adding on data from other sources. More on this in is covered in our Google Factory Tour Recap post.

So, the planned Microsoft service will help MSN compete against some Google gains in this area, not to mention moves others like Yahoo have been making with maps. Some past reading you may find interesting on these topics:

http://blog.searchenginewatch.com/blog/050523-125208

look at the level of detail on the 3D buildings same as geosim

rmart - 10 Nov'05 - 11:02 - 3311 of 3312


the slow boat to china CYC is setting sail boys. silly price to board only 1.1p soon to be docking at 3p.

Bluedolphine - 10 Nov'05 - 11:05 - 3312 of 3312 edit


Google Earth digs deeper

MAP SERVICE IN TALKS WITH COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE DATA FIRM

Commercial real estate's largest data provider is working with Google to integrate its vast stores of building information with the Google Earth interactive satellite mapping service.

CoStar Group is in discussions with the Mountain View-based online search company as well as in preliminary talks with Yahoo, its CEO said.

``Google approached us some number of months ago wanting to work on some initiatives with us, and we have licensed some content to Google already,'' said Andrew Florance, chief executive officer of CoStar Group. He didn't disclose terms.

The deal would represent Google's first foray into the world of commercial real estate. Google wouldn't comment, but for a company whose mission is ``to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful,'' a partnership with Bethesda, Md.-based CoStar would make sense.

The company tracks more than 200 bits of data on commercial buildings in the 80 or so biggest markets in the United States and plans to expand to the top 200 markets. It also has operations in the United Kingdom. The combination of CoStar's data with Google Earth's technology, which allows users to zoom in and ``fly'' through cities and neighborhoods, makes for ``mind-bending'' possibilities, Florance said.

CoStar sends out teams in specially equipped vans to photograph buildings and use lasers to measure them and calculate their exact centers for mapping.

``There are numerous ways CoStar's data would be very attractive in numerous applications,'' said analyst John Neff, who covers CoStar for Chicago's William Blair & Co. ``There are possibly applications to be developed around using a Google map and being able to drill down into specific information on a given building, not just see it on a map.''

`Italian restaurants'

Florance outlined several possible uses.

In the commercial real estate industry, ``they buy and sell buildings, they lease buildings, they appraise buildings,'' he said. ``They could say `show me which restaurants sold this year in San Jose,' '' then click on the search results to see pictures, who the buyers and sellers were, and how much they sold for.

The hungry average consumer, meanwhile, could search on ``Italian restaurants,'' get maps and directions, and then actually see what the restaurant looks like from street level, ``not what the roof looks like and what the air conditioner looks like on top of it,'' he said.

CoStar's proprietary data doesn't come cheaply to its clients and presumably would be a premium feature on Google. One San Jose brokerage house pays $9,000 a month; larger corporations can pay up to $20,000 for information on commercial buildings that includes high-resolution photos of the exterior, lobby and loading docks, 360-degree photos of some sites, floor plans, marketing notes and sales data.

Who, what, when, how

Tenant information includes details on who they are, what they do, how much they pay in rent, when their leases expire and all the phone numbers in buildings.

``We're building the capability of viewing our commercial real estate inventory inside of a Google Earth or inside of several different projects,'' he said.

Florance said financial details haven't been worked out with Google because their projects are still in the works, but he said CoStar gets ``a small fee'' for shopping center data it's providing Google now.

CoStar, founded in 1987, has about 1,100 employees in the United States and the United Kingdom. It reported revenue of $112.1 million in 2004.

rush hour in 10 mins

Bluedolphine - 10 Nov'05 - 20:47 - 3422 of 3422 edit


Ok chaps... here is the real big ramp...

Geosim (http://www.geosimcities.com/news.htm) is linked to http://www.urbansimulation.com/index.php, and this is linked to Keyhole systems...

Now you wonder what the hell am I on about... well here is the thing

Keyhole was purchased by Google for producing google earth...

No it cant be can it... its as simple as that


IT BLOODY WELL IS ;-)

Whats the bottom line,is this a ramp or facts,your input in plain words will be more appreciated for investors like me.

http://www.skylinesoft.com/corporate/corporate_home.asp

download the software thats in the attached link, its excellent, you can fly over cities and see 3d buildings, and if you click on one of the 3D buildings, like the ramada inn hotel for example, it takes you to the remada inn hotel website, its very good



Geosim (http://www.geosimcities.com/news.htm) is linked to http://www.urbansimulation.com/index.php, and this is linked to Keyhole systems...

Now you wonder what the hell am I on about... well here is the thing

Keyhole was purchased by Google for producing google earth...

No it cant be can it... its as simple as that

and go look at this, I got lead here

http://www.skylinesoft.com/corporate/corporate_home.asp

download the software, and you can fly over america and go look at some really smart 3d buildings


IT BLOODY WELL IS ;-)



Bluedolphine - 10 Nov'05 - 21:02 - 3423 of 3431 edit


November 01, 2005]


Intergraph Announces 3D Visual Capabilities in GeoMedia

SAN ANTONIO --(Business Wire)-- Nov. 1, 2005 -- Partnership with Skyline Software Systems to Provide Realistic Location-Specific Simulations of Geospatial Data

Intergraph Corporation (NASDAQ: INGR) today announced an OEM agreement with Skyline Software Systems to integrate Skyline's 3D visualization technology within Intergraph's GeoMedia(R) product line. Under the agreement, GeoMedia users will have 3D visualization for an entire range of geospatial information - from digital elevation models to high-resolution imagery and geospatial features - such as road networks, infrastructure and other points of interest.



The new offering will give users advanced 3D visualization and fly-through capabilities embedded directly in GeoMedia's easy-to-use interface, improving data visualization and the presentation of terrain, imagery and feature data. Combining dynamic and accurate geospatial data from GeoMedia with real-time streaming imagery capabilities from Skyline enables users to evaluate environments using realistic, location-specific simulations, which gives decision makers a reliable platform to quickly and accurately make critical decisions based on real-time 3D geospatial data.

"Intergraph continues to work with other best-in-class technology providers to give our customers a powerful environment to view geospatial data in highly realistic detailed ways," said Preetha Pulusani, president of Intergraph's Security, Government & Infrastructure division. "By integrating Skyline's 3D visualization capabilities with our foundational geospatial platform, users can collect, process, analyze and visualize terrain imagery in new and improved ways to make better, faster decisions to protect communities and critical infrastructures."

Ronnie Yaron, president of Skyline Systems said, "Integrating our advanced 3D visualization capabilities with Intergraph's GeoMedia platform provides users with one of the most sophisticated 3D geospatial environments available today. This natural combination of our technologies produces visualization capabilities that provide professionals with up-to-date and appropriate situational awareness by fusing geospatial data with 3D information in real-time from multiple sources."

About Intergraph

Intergraph Corporation (NASDAQ: INGR) is the leading global provider of spatial information management (SIM) software. Security organizations, businesses and governments in more than 60 countries rely on the company's spatial technology and services to make better and faster operational decisions. Intergraph's customers organize vast amounts of complex data into understandable visual representations, creating intelligent maps, managing assets, building and operating better plants and ships and protecting critical infrastructure and millions of people around the world. For more information, visit www.intergraph.com.

About Skyline Software Systems

Skyline Software Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of network-based, 3D earth visualization software and services. The company offers a comprehensive platform of applications, tools and services that enable the creation and dissemination of complex geospatial information in an interactive, photo-realistic 3D form. Skyline technology works on any platform including desktops, wireless handheld devices and in-vehicle systems and over any type of network, including secure intranets, private extranets and the Internet. Skyline is headquartered in Chantilly, VA. For more information, visit www.skylinesoft.com.

(C) 2005 Intergraph Corporation. All rights reserved. Intergraph and the Intergraph logo are registered trademarks of Intergraph Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and in other countries. Other brands and product names are trademarks of their respective owners.

springhead - 10 Nov'05 - 21:06 - 3424 of 3431


http://www.urbansimulation.com/app_real_estate.php

Bluedolphine - 10 Nov'05 - 21:11 - 3425 of 3431 edit


it all comes back to google

nmitra - 11 Nov'05 - 08:09 - 13 of 15


Please Remember......

11th hour on 11th day of 11th month....

Thank You.

brainspark website still down, thats an extremly good sign

and Google have announced they are shopping for companies.. they have 7billion to spend

12mins to go

for what 12 o clock,or for lift off .i like your comments.

Armistice silence. Lest we forget.

brainspark website is down... strange... is it today we get news or what

Francesco Gardin, Brainspark PLC 0039 0228 0141


Called the above number in Italy. Mr Gardin was not present, he may be present in an hour. I will be in a meeting so maybe someone could call him to find out what is going on!!

i.e. news is out when the USA market opens today..

this could turn out to be a very good weekend

anyone tried ringing the company, they wont accept calls from shareholders, and there website is down...

Interesting

http://www.skylinesoft.com/corporate/corporate_home.asp

just go to this link... download the software, and tell me its not a new version of google earth... and by the way... look on the screen it says geosim


when you aproach a 3d building, click on it and it takes you to that buildings website, for example a hotel or shop.....

or a football stadium... think how much money google will make if people use this to book tickets, basically for anything...

so how much money will we get for Geosim... I am thinking QXL

Doctor tops the stockpickers


A doctor who only trades shares in his own portfolio every few months, this week won Investa-Quest, a competition run by the London Stock Exchange and Barclays Stockbrokers to find the countrys best stockpicker.


Michael Langton from West Yorkshire beat 100 investors nationwide by turning a fantasy shares portfolio of 50,000 into 127,749 in just one month.

Taking a much riskier approach to stockpicking than he would for his real life holdings, Langton, used all 20 trades available to him during the final to make gains of 155.5 per cent on his fantasy portfolio of 50,000.

I didnt have a set list of companies that I wanted to invest in. I just chose cheap, relatively unknown companies that I thought would rise in value over the short term, he says. I bought a lot of penny shares in specialist areas such as energy and consumer debt. He chose some renewable energy companies such as Alkane Energy and Biofuels, because he has an interest in that area already. I kept hearing the news about rising oil prices and the shortage of supply of energy so decided to invest in alternative energy companies, he says. And it seems to have paid off.

He also invested in small companies Brainspark and Telecom Plus as well as some of the bigger FTSE 100 companies such as GlaxoSmithKline and Prudential.

The London Stock Exchange laid down the challenge in January to find Britains most successful private investors. While investors did not benefit financially from their picks, 10 winners from each region competed for a 40,000 national prize.

but this is the best one of them all

Google - Brokekid.net
In this case, the morning of June 29, the page flickers and, bam, Google has ...
Were working with GeoSim Systems out of Israel ( Link ) to create a 3D ...
brokekid.net/category/ technology/internets/google/page/2/ - 186k - Cached - Similar pages

Geosim is owned by BSP and its being sold off well 50.1%... and google need 3D buildings for google earth, the deal is about to be signed