Azavea Releases Source Code for PhillyTreeMap to Provide Municipalities and Citizen Groups With Collaborative Urban Forestry Inventory Tools

Philadephia, PA (PRWEB) July 21, 2011

In April Azavea, a geospatial analysis (GIS) software development company launched PhillyTreeMap.org http://phillytreemap.org/ , a wiki-inspired geographic urban tree inventory application that enables the general public to collaborate with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS), and other local groups to map trees in the 13-county, 3-state Philadelphia region. Today, Azavea announces that the code of the PhillyTreeMap.org project is released as open source software under the name OpenTreeMap, and is freely available at: https://github.com/azavea/OpenTreeMap.

Urban street trees have myriad proven benefits for communities including providing shade, improving air quality, intercepting stormwater runoff, raising property values, decreasing utility bills, and enhancing the look and feel of communities. While tree inventories provide municipalities with vital data to consult when managing the urban forest, creating a complete inventory is a time consuming and resource intensive process. OpenTreeMap provides an easy-to-use public inventory platform that enables individuals, organizations, and governments to collaboratively contribute to an interactive and dynamic map of a communitys tree population. OpenTreeMap can be used in a single municipality or cover a broader geographic region with many communities.

After completing a free registration, users can add trees to the system, edit or add to existing tree records, and upload tree images. All changes are immediately visible in the system, but a group of trained administrators may also elect to review changes and new entries to ensure accuracy. Each tree is associated with a particular location and may include information such as species, diameter, images of the tree, and yearly ecosystem impact metrics. Calculated using iTree, an urban forestry analysis and benefits assessment software suite developed by the USDA Forest Service, these ecological impact numbers provide a clear illustration of the environmental and economic impacts that trees have on the urban landscape.

Created using Django, Python and PostgreSQL, OpenTreeMaps original code was developed by Urban Ecos and Umbrella Consulting for the award-winning Urban Forest Map project in San Francisco. Azavea adopted the software and extended it with support from a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute for Food and Agriculture (NIFA) (Grant Number 2010-33610-20937). Azavea and Urban Ecos plan to collaborate on future urban forestry projects and are seeking additional funding to extend the software to smart phones and tablets, add social networking features, create curricular materials for schools and add new ecosystem modeling features.

We could not be more pleased to collaborate with the Urban Ecos team. Kelaine Vargas was one of the original developers on the iTree Streets program and brings considerable knowledge about urban forestry and ecosystems. We hope that the OpenTreeMap code will be used by communities around the world to ensure our urban forests are valued and nurtured by the communities in which they grow. says Robert Cheetham, President and CEO of Azavea.

For more information about OpenTreeMap, visit: http://www.azavea.com/opentreemap/

About Azavea

Azavea is an award-winning geospatial analysis (GIS) software development firm specializing in the creation of location-based web and mobile software as well as geospatial analysis services. Azavea is a certified B Corporation that applies geographic data and technology to promote the emergence of more dynamic, vibrant, and sustainable communities. Each of Azaveas projects, products and pro bono engagements showcases this commitment. For more information, visit http://www.azavea.com.

If you would like more information about Azavea or to schedule an interview with Robert Cheetham, Azavea CEO and President, please contact Abby Fretz at (215) 701 7503 or e-mail afretz@azavea.com.

About Urban Ecos

Urban Ecos offers ecological consulting to government agencies, educational institutions, and private companies, helping to make our cities greener and more environmentally sound. With the latest technology and the most up-to-date science, we focus on using our natural resources to increase sustainability. For more information, visit http://www.urban-ecos.com/

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Free Health Care on the Go HealthTap Releases HealthTap Express; Revolutionary Mobile Application Puts Thousands of Top Docs at your Fingertips

Palo Alto, CA (PRWEB) September 26, 2011

HealthTap, (http://www.healthtap.com), the first Interactive Health Network, today launches its innovative mobile app, HealthTap Express, where users can ask any health question, and for the first time get immediate answers from thousands of trusted physicians, anytime, anywhere. For free.

In conjunction with the new mobile offering, HealthTap has also expanded its coverage beyond its successful beta program that focused on pregnant women and new moms, to now cover all areas of health, for everyone. HealthTaps new mobile and online applications benefit both physicians and consumers, by providing an easy and reliable way for them to find one another, and by creating a better way to discover, use, and share trusted health information. In addition to rapid, succinct answers to health questions, consumers on HealthTap can receive better, more personal care and discover the best local physicians based on those doctors knowledge and expertise.

Listening to our beta users, we learned that what people want is very simple: immediate, credible answers from leading doctors, said Ron Gutman, CEO and co-founder of HealthTap. We started with 550 Pediatricians and Ob/Gyns, and have rapidly grown almost ten-fold, attracting more than 5,000 U.S.-licensed doctors to HealthTap, across all 50 states and 82 specialties! With this mobile release, were delivering exactly what people have asked for: the wisdom of thousands of doctors at their fingertipsno waiting room, no copay; at home or on-the-go!

Using HealthTap Express, now available on all iPhone and Android devices, or online at HealthTap.com people can, for the first time:

The VX-323 Releases Debut CD of Robo-Electronica, Chansons

Portland, OR (PRWEB) June 4, 2009

The VX-323's debut album, Chansons, is available now! The record's nine tracks of sophisticated pop electronica feature synthetic vocals for all verses and choruses. It is the rare CD that sounds familiar, yet unlike anything you've heard before.

The VX-323 has created an album that is funk music for robots, slick techno pop to humans. Bands such as Depeche Mode, Kraftwerk, and Heaven 17 play a style of this robot funk, but it takes a real machine to perform it with soul.

Each song buzzes with life and energy. Full of story and meaning, the tracks reflect a world where even multi-billionaires aren't satisfied ("Billion Dollar Condo"), robots can't find work ("Factory Blues"), and Frenchmen poach wives at caf

zuuka Releases Worlds First Interactive eBook 'Five Little Pumpkins'

Santa Barbara, CA (PRWEB) October 21, 2011

zuuka, via its publishing label iStoryTime, today released Five Little Pumpkins, the worlds first interactive eBook for the iPad, iPhone and iPod

Bestselling Author Ken Fisher Releases Eighth Book

HOBOKEN, N.J. (PRWEB) November 10, 2011

Four-time New York Times bestselling author, 27-year Forbes columnist, and Fisher Investments CEO Ken Fisher released his eighth book, co-authored by Lara Hoffmans: Markets Never Forget (But People Do): How Your Memory Is Costing You Moneyand Why This Time Isn't Different (Wiley; November 2011; Hardcover and e-Book).

Why do so many investors make the same mistakes repeatedlybeing too bullish or too bearish at just the wrong times? Because they forget. "This time it's different," are the four most expensive words in the English language (according to investing legend Sir John Templeton). Yet many stock market investors routinely fall into the trap of thinking "now" is radically different. In his new book, Markets Never Forget, Ken Fisher shows readers how their memories play (often costly) tricks on themand how they can combat their faulty memories with just a bit of history.

This isn't to say history repeats itself perfectly. It doesn'tbut a recession is a recession. Some are vastly worse than othersbut investors have lived through them before. Credit crises aren't new, nor are bear marketsor bull markets. Geopolitical tension is as old as mankind, as is war and even terrorist attacks. Understanding how investors have reacted to similar past events can help guide investors in shaping better forward-looking expectations. The past never predicts the future, but it can reduce guesswork about what's ahead.

In this book, Ken Fisher takes aim at some major market memory mishapslike the idea stocks have become inherently more volatile or that wildly above- or below-average returns are abnormal. He shows how, early in every recovery, investors don't believe in itoften at a huge cost. And he shows how, in investing, ideology is deadly. Most important, he teaches how you can use history as one powerful tool to help begin reducing your error rate and help begin getting better investing results. Learn more about the book on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/fisherinvestments.

About The Authors

Ken Fisher is best known for his prestigious "Portfolio Strategy" column in Forbes magazine, where his over 27-year tenure of high-profile calls makes him the fourth longest-running columnist in Forbes's 90-plus year history. He is the founder, Chairman and CEO of Fisher Investments, an independent global money management firm managing tens of billions for individuals and institutions globally. Fisher is ranked #252 on the 2010 Forbes 400 list of richest Americans, and #736 on the 2011 Forbes global billionaires list. In 2010, Investment Advisor magazine named him among the 30 most influential individuals of the last three decades. Fisher has authored numerous professional and scholarly articles, including the award-winning "Cognitive Biases in Market Forecasting." He has also published seven previous books, including New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestsellers, The Only Three Questions That Count, The Ten Roads to Riches, How to Smell a Rat and Debunkery, all published by Wiley. For more information, visit http://www.ken-fisher-investments.com.

Lara Hoffmans is a content manager at Fisher Investments, managing editor of MarketMinder.com, a regular contributor to Forbes.com and co-author of the bestsellers, The Only Three Questions That Count, The Ten Roads to Riches, How to Smell a Rat and Debunkery. For more information, visit http://www.fisher-investments-press.com.

For more information about Wileys books, e-Books, and other news, please visit our Press Room http://www.wiley.com/go/press. Follow us on Twitter @Wiley_Finance and @WileyBiz for more information on our Business books and authors.

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Global Traveler Releases Results of Airline Wine Competition

Yardley, PA (PRWEB) August 2, 2010

Global Traveler, the only ABC-audited magazine for business and luxury travelers, is releasing the results of its sixth annual Wines on the Wing International Business Class Airline Wine Competition.

The contest was held May 24 at Delmonicos Restaurant in New York City. Thirty expert judges participated in the blind tasting of airlines white, red and sparkling wines. The judges hailed from a wide range of specialties, including sommeliers, wine shop owners and winemakers. In total, 26 airlines participated and over 115 samples were tasted.

Airlines are required to submit five different wines two red wines, two white wines and one sparkling wine/Champagne to be eligible for the Best Overall Wines on the Wing award. This year, 49 reds, 46 whites and 23 sparkling wines were submitted and the overall winner was Austrian Airlines. This is the first time Austrian Airlines has been named a winner in our survey.

The runner-up in the overall category, Qatar Airways, took home top honors in the Best White Wine category, with their Selbach Oster Riesling Kabinett 2007. Qatar also won this award in the 2009 survey.

The best airline Champagne/sparkling wine was Jet Airways Lanson Noble Cuv