Kort for hovedet - The GIScovery Channel

GIS Applications Take to the Clouds

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 19:35:00 +0000

For ikke så længe siden forudsagde jeg at GIS var som skabt til skyen, men at det ville tage tid inden den nåede derop ... Heldigvis tog jeg fejl ;-)
/Sik

A while back I predicted that GIS would be great news in the cloud but did not see it coming for a while ... Fortunately I was wrong ;-)
/Sik

Quote

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications have been moving into the cloud with increased momentum but like other fields where software drives the business model, the move from complex software to the software as a service cloud model was slow to catch on due to the business of delivering software—not the technological constraints of doing so. This presents a new market for those previously locked out of GIS due to high startup costs and a potential paradigm shift for how this niche segment of the software industry does business from now on. The GIS example is representative not only of how large-scale application areas are tentatively approaching the cloud from a technological and business model standpoint, but how such shifts can begin to have an instant impact on the new user groups enabled by the delivery model.

The diverse field of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has seen greater demand for its wide array of geospatial technologies, not only because the mainstream internet has allowed for a much richer, more inclusive way to map just about anything that is a noun via a sort of unconscious crowd-sourcing of metadata and geotagging, but because the applications for such data are growing. GIS technologies have traditionally been used in predictable ways in the foresntry, civil engineering and development areas, as well as in natural resource exploration and the culling of general population data for use by agencies and organizations of all sizes and purposes. As mapping has become more detailed and the underlying technology behind it more powerful, GIS has been increasingly used in marketing and consumer trend identification—and you can let your imagination take you from there. [...]

City News Globe

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:53:00 +0000

Globale nyheder ...
/Sik

News around the world ...
/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://woj.com/citynewsglobe/

King of Bing Maps Challenge

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 07:44:00 +0000

Er der nogen som har set nogen Bing Apps på dansk jord?
/Sik

Now playing: The Bing and I ...
/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://www.microsoft.com/maps/contest.aspx

ESRI UC Plenary Presentations

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:17:00 +0000

Lidt til alle os som ikke deltog ...
/Sik

Wasn't there, didn't buy the T-shirt, and haven't yet seen the videos ...
/Sik

Quote

1 hr 32 min
Jack Dangermond: Vision for GIS and Status of ESRI
Jack Dangermond recognizes users' accomplishments and shares his vision for making GIS available to everyone.
1 hr 26 min
ArcGIS 10—A Complete System
Demos highlight capabilities of ArcGIS 10. Clark County gives a demo, and President's award goes to City of Frisco, Texas.
58 min
Awards
Lifetime Achievement award given to Carlos Salman Gonzalez. Student presentation. National Geographic Society Medals.
56 min
Keynote Presentation
Richard Saul Wurman, founder of TED, examines how cities organize themselves, finding patterns and comparing them.

10 Highlights From The ESRI UC Plenary Session

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 19:03:00 +0000

En tilfældig Top10 liste fra dette års ESRI brugerkonference ...
/Sik

One of many Top10s from this years ESRI UC ...
/Sik

Quote

Sounds like ESRI is beginning to embrace crowd sourced data and social media. So much for the argument that crowd sourced data isn’t useful because it doesn’t originate from an “authoritative source”!
ESRI is publishing their REST Interface as an Open Standard like they did the Shapefile
World Topographic Basemap provides a seamless worldwide basemap at many scales from data compiled from many sources. The cartographic quality of this basemap is excellent.
It comes as no surprise, but Cloud computing is clearly a big part of the future for ESRI.
I thought the ability to create PowerPoint like presentations in ArcGIS Explorer Online was a nice addition.
ArcGIS for the iOS on the iPad. The interface is really sweet! Business Analyst Online a free application for the iPhone.
Lots of new functionality and performance improvements in ArcGIS 10 Desktop.
Social and Community Analyst product coming this Fall. Built for policy makers who need rich information and analysis. Available on the desktop, online, and server.
I think Jack mentioned that this is the largest gathering yet for the UC. Never heard an exact number, but just walking around it certainly felt as though there were more people than in the past.
Enjoyed the keynote from Richard Saul Wurman, et al. Quite different from past keynote presentations. Never thought I’d see Johnny Cash at the ESRI UC!

ESRI UC Plenary Overview

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:58:00 +0000

FYI
/Sik

FYI
/Sik

Quote

The 30^th ESRI International User Conference was the largest gathering of the GIS community the world has ever known. I sat in the plenary today with representatives from 134 countries representing 6,000 organizations and heard how GIS infrastructure is changing collaboration for doing work and managing the enterprise.
Jack Dangermond, ESRI president, welcomed the attendees by encouraging us to get to know each another as a community. He then acknowledged the 200 winners of the Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award for outstanding work in their organizations and industries.
He gave the Making a Difference Award to the Government of Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, that uses GIS for managing cities, utilities, health, response, and science. Abu Dhabi has also provided technology and expertise to the global community. His Excellency Mohammed Ahmed Al Bowardi, secretary-general executive council, Abu Dhabi, accepted the award.
Dangermond also acknowledged the work of the United Nations, especially its cartographic and statistical unit that has diligently worked to bring standards and templates to build a foundation for GIS users throughout the world.
Dangermond talked about his vision of GIS opening the world for everyone--the theme of the conference. "GIS already organizes our geographic information; it is time to share this with the world. Can this be done on a global scale?" he asks. "Converging forces of advancements in computers, the Web, mobile devices, real time measurement and GIS software are making this possible. A Web-based geospatial platform is emerging that is a distributed network of data and services."
The newly formed business City Sourced showed its creation of apps that enable people with location devices to see and report information, allowing them to become involved in their communities and for cities to interact with their citizens.
"Everyone is getting more involved in crowd sourcing and social media," noted Jack. "For example, Twitter tweets can now be georeferenced. There are huge opportunities to bring in new types of real time information from citizens. Responding to these opportunities takes collaboration for sharing data and technology. The geospatial platform is emerging to handle this. In terms of technology, we are about there. Now comes the fun."
"ArcGIS 10 is a complete system for geographic information, for pervasive GIS that is in the cloud, in the office, and in the field. Intelligent maps simplify the complexity of GIS (tables, metadata, workflow, etc.) and hide it behind a map. Geographic information is more than the data--it's all the pieces behind the maps that enable us to share our stories and get our ideas across to others."
"ArcGIS has hundreds of improvements such as fast display, templates, template-based editing, integrated parcel management, map books, and online resources," Jack said. "This makes for a stronger scientific platform for time awareness, advanced spatial analysis, integrated scientific programming, and 3D GIS."
ESRI technology experts demonstrated how ArcGIS is a system that can be used in a wide collaborative effort wherein the enterprise is connected to everyone else. Look for information about these among the UC plenary blog posts, or watch the videos at www.esri.com/uc. These include demonstrations on community maps, ArcGIS Online, ArcGIS.com, IOS for iPhone and iPad, productivity in ArcGIS 10, the integration of Python scripting (Bob Pool of Clark County, Washington), imagery, GIS processing integration, ArcGIS Network Analyst, and analysis using 3D and new space and time enhancements. Also, Barney Krucoff, geospatial technologist for Washington, D.C., talked about the value of contributing data to ArcGIS online.
The President's Award was given to the City of Frisco, Texas, which has embedded GIS into the structure of the community from the school district to health care, to incident response. Paul Siebert, the city's assistant fire chief, came on the stage to the sound of flashing lights and alarms. Dressed in firefighter gear, he showed all the ways GIS is used in responding to an early morning smoke alarm from the high school: routing, the water system, real time camera feed, and the facilities plan. Susan Olson, City of Frisco, information services and GIS manager, accepted the award.
The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Carlos Salman Gonzalez, the president and CEO of Sistemas de Informacion Geográfica S.A. (SIGSA). He brought modern mapping tools to Mexico. He also purchased a nursery and led a movement that has planted millions of trees in that country. After working for the Mexican government, Carlos opened his own mapping company, which today is the largest mapping company in South America.
National Geographic Society's board chairman Gil Grosvenor awarded the society's highest honor, the Alexander Graham Bell Medal to Roger Tomlinson, the father of GIS. "The award honors Tomlinson's qualities of great innovation," said Grosvenor. "His efforts have made geographers out of people who didn't even know they were geographers." He also awarded the Alexander Graham Bell Award to Dangermond for his innovations that are transforming the world of geography, bringing the use of geographic information to every part of the globe.
Big Fork High School students Tia Bakker and Ernie Cottle from Montana took the stage wearing caver helmets. They explained their GIS analysis of cave natural resources inside Glacier National Park. Their teacher and GIS mentor Hans Bodenhamer encouraged the many GIS professionals in the audience to volunteer as GIS mentors to the youth in their communities.
Richard Saul Wurman, author of 80+ books and founder of the renowned TED conferences gave the keynote presentation. Wurman discussed the project19.20.21 and how GIS is used to answer the questions--where is a city's center, where does it end, and how do we determine its edge? The way we ask the question is extremely important. He talked geospatially about five factors for analysis: concrete density, geopolitical area, transportation basin, metropolitan statistical area, and city lights. Wurman hopes to eventually develop a standard for measuring cities so that they can be analyzed and compared around the world.
There is beauty in the world.

StepMap - Create Your Personal Map for Free

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sun, 18 Jul 2010 18:50:00 +0000

Endnu en personaliseret kortmaskine til det hele ...
/Sik

Create personalized maps yet again ...
/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://www.stepmap.com/editor.php

Have you mapped your data today?

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 12:04:00 +0000

Jeg har i flere omgange postuleret at 80% af al information har en geografisk reference ... og at de resterende 20% er information hvortil denne endnu ikke er identificeret ... Når nogen nu postulerer at 95% af al data har en geografisk egenskab betyder det blot at vi nærmer os målet ...

/Sik

When delivering session I've often said that 80% of all data have a spatial reference ... for the remaining 20% we just haven't yet identified the spatial reference ... Stating that 95% have spatial reference just indicates that we're getting closer ...

/Sik

Quote

Are you connecting your data to a map? You should. Attractive and easy to understand, map-based presentations often make patterns more obvious than charts and graphs do. Many organizations are discovering the power of geographic information systems to incorporate location-specific data into effective visual presentations.
Recently, I learned that 20 years ago specialists were asserting that 80% of all data contains geographical references. That sounded high, so I asked Stuart Hamilton, GIS program director at the College of William and Mary, to clarify. His estimate: 95% is more accurate today. New technology is partially responsible, including cell phones, GPS devices and electronic toll collectors. [...]

Find & Report Civic Issues Around You

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:11:00 +0000

Vi er alle potentielle informanter ...
/Sik

We're all potential informers ...
/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://www.citysourced.com/

Analyzing City Scapes Using 3D GIS Shows Impact of Proposed Buildings

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 20:03:00 +0000

Med udsigt til en plads i skyggen ...
/Sik

Shadow on the wall ...
/Sik

Quote

ArcGIS 10 is a complete system for 3D GIS. Gert van Maren and Nathan Shephard of ESRI took the UC plenary stage to show how 3D GIS is used to analyze virtual city models and consider the impact of a proposed redevelopment project.
Using data from the City of Rotterdam in the Netherlands and TeleAtlas, they created a virtual city model. Using the ArcGIS Explorer tool, Gert performed a fly over of the city to give the audience a sense of the city while he zoomed in to areas of interest. Next he focused on the peninsula, where architects have proposed 5 new high rises. The public has raised concerns about the visibility and impact of these buildings, specifically their shadows.
Using the 3D editing environment to answer the visibility concern problem, Nathan ran a line of site analysis using ArcGIS 10 Desktop and determined the visibility from the road point of view, which is visualized in GIS. Significant visibility is calculated for each building against every 5 meters of the major roads. The results were displayed on the map.
To answer the question about how the shadow will impact neighboring buildings, Nathan used a python script model for calculating sun positions with an attribute for every hour of the day based on sunlight at the winter solstice. The results were shown on a map, and the 3D representation revealed when and where building shadows would impact their neighbors.
The analysis was loaded to the cloud so that people can view and interact with it from any Web-enabled device.
Using an app on a mobile device such as an iPad, a person can click on the buildings and retrieve attribute information from ArcGIS Server such as height, building name, and before and after visibility and shadow scenarios.
A 3D shadow analysis showed the shadow cast of existing buildings in grey, and of proposed buildings in red.

Amtsdata i skyen

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 19:54:00 +0000

Lokal sky? Global sky? Inklusive Cloud Services adgang med lettere integration af data? Spændende, men hvad er ambitionsniveauet på sigt?
/Sik

Only Danish ...
/Sik

Quote

Alle de gamle amtsdata, der ligger på Sikringsserveren, vil i løbet af sommeren blive flyttet i skyen. Og nej - det er ikke fordi, de har fået vinger. Siden maj har Danmarks Miljøportal arbejdet på, at flytte driften af sikringsserveren over på en cloudservice - også kaldt “skyen”. Og nu er det en realitet.

Danmarks Miljøportal forventer at kunne nedbringe driftsudgifterne med 20-25%. Samtidig vil brugerne opleve en forbedret oppetid og performance på sikringsserveren.

Enterprise arkitekt Jens Jakob Nørtved Bork fortæller, at det har været lidt af et eksperiment at flytte Sikringsserveren i skyen. Det er gået rigtig godt, og det har været forholdsvist nemt at gå til. Hvis de gode erfaringer fortsætter, og brugerne synes godt om det, kan det være at andre løsninger flyttes over på en cloudservice.

I løbet af sommeren bliver alle gamle amtsdata lagt op i skyen. Nysgerrige sjæle kan følge med på https://sikringsserver.miljoeportal.dk, hvor filerne kan søges frem og downloades. Er der filer, som endnu ikke er blevet lagt op, kan Danmarks Miljøportal kontaktes på miljoeportal@miljoeportal.dk.

Esri Releases ArcGIS Editor for OpenStreetMap

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:13:00 +0000

Med ArcGIS er der nu mulighed for at sætte en pro bag rattet ...

/Sik

Nice to see a pro establish bonds to the open source community ... and vice versa creating a fast and inexpensive connection to literally a world of data ...

/Sik

Quote

New Tool Helps ArcGIS Users Become Active Contributors to Wiki World Map
Redlands, California—Esri has released a new, no-cost add-on for ArcGIS 10 that allows ArcGIS users to contribute data, using the editing capabilities of ArcGIS Desktop, to OpenStreetMap . Volunteered geographic information (VGI), such as that available from OpenStreetMap, is playing an increasingly significant role in emergency response during crises like the oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. With this new, free and open source tool, ArcGIS Desktop users will be able to more easily contribute to the growing OpenStreetMap community.
The add-on allows ArcGIS users to download data from OpenStreetMap, store it locally in a geodatabase, and use the advanced editing environment of ArcGIS Desktop 10 to create, modify, or delete data. Once the edits are complete, the changes can be posted back to OpenStreetMap and made available to the OpenStreetMap community.
More details about the tool will be released over time, including access to the source code and enhanced documentation.
To download ArcGIS Editor for OpenStreetMap or to provide feedback about the tool, visit the project’s Web site at www.esri.com/osm-editor.

ArcGIS Server with Cloud Infra´structure

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 19:11:00 +0000

Når dette tilbud også bliver muligt i DK er der formentlig mange kommuner som seriøst burde overveje en ægte Cloud løsning (eller på gammel dansk Hosted løsning). Der er dog datacentre med musklerne som burde skaffe/anvende ekspertisen til at komme dette ulmende marked i møde ...
/Sik

FYI
/Sik

Quote

Esri offers our users a flexible term license program for ArcGIS Server that includes virtual hardware, software, and Esri support. The offer is called the ArcGIS Server with Cloud Infrastructure. This offer is currently available to U.S. customers only.
One-stop shopping experience for end users interested in deploying ArcGIS Server in the cloud.
Flexible and convenient term licensing options that help you deploy ArcGIS Servers as-needed.
Fast and easy ArcGIS Server deployment that allows you to get to work right away.
No need to install or maintain software or manage cloud accounts and no set up fees.
Your server software is always up-to-date and running in a reliable cloud compute environment.
ArcGIS Server with Cloud Infrastructure is a term license to a preconfigured deployment of ArcGIS Server Enterprise running on a 4-core Windows Server 2008 virtual machine in the Amazon EC2 cloud infrastructure.
Deployment of the ArcGIS Server Enterprise license on a virtual 4-core EC2 server based on the following configuration:
2.0 GHz processor per core
15 GB of memory
500 GB of storage
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 64-bit platform
Documentation including a deployment guide, best practices, and online help
ESRI technical support and maintenance for the length of the license.
Term licenses for ArcGIS Server with Cloud Infrastructure are one (1) month, three (3) months, and twelve (12) months. The license fee remains the same if new terms are added and include software and data updates, as well as technical support. There are no additional maintenance fees.

Changing your perspective, once again...

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:57:00 +0000

Mere guf til de kommunale byggesagsbehandlere ... når det også kommer til DK ...
/Sik

45 is the new 90 ... Google is closing yet another gap ...
/Sik

Quote

A few months ago we released a new type of aerial imagery to our users, first to the developer community through the Google Maps API, and then later as an experimental feature in Google Maps Labs. Today, we’re excited to announce the release of 45° imagery for of select cities in the U.S. and worldwide to all users of Google Maps. As you may have guessed from the name, 45° imagery is imagery depicting a location from a 45° angle rather than from the top. This type of imagery allows you to explore the sides of buildings and other locations -- you can even rotate around a particular point of interest using the compass ring to view it from four different perspectives. To see the new imagery, simply zoom into an area while in Satellite mode. Where we have 45° imagery available, the imagery will switch from an overhead to 45° angle as you zoom all the way in. You can then pan smoothly across the map to get a richer view of the area. Here are a few of my favorite spots:

SeaWorld, San Diego, California:

View Larger Map

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose, California:

View Larger Map

Rialto Bridge, Venice, Italy:

View Larger Map

Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, South Africa:

View Larger Map

See below for a map of areas where 45° imagery is currently available.

View 45° Imagery on Google Maps in a larger map. 45° imagery is available for portions of the U.S., Europe and South Africa.

We think you will find this imagery particularly helpful when exploring a new area on the map before a visit. After checking out the landmarks from a new angle, it’s helpful to turn on existing map layers like Photos or Wikipedia to get more context on the area. Even when looking at familiar areas, seeing driving directions overlaid on 45° imagery will give you a whole new understanding of the neighborhood. As we expand our coverage over the coming months, I hope you enjoy this new perspective on the world.

Yoda recording for TomTom GPS - behind the scenes

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:45:00 +0000

Ha ha

/Sik

LOL

/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdcJVuylmsM

Mapplers, an Online Atlas of Hand-Drawn Maps

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:44:00 +0000

Lad os sammen tegne verden ...
/Sik

Draw your own maps and be part of another kind of personalized crowd sourcing ...
/Sik

Quote

Thermal Map of Antwerp

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:36:00 +0000

Vi maler byen rød ...
/Sik

Hot in the city ...
/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://zoominopuwdak.antwerpen.be/

Augmented reality taken to the extreme

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 18:31:00 +0000

For meget af det gode eller hvad?
/Sik

Too much or too good? Too unreal anyway ...
/Sik

Quote

The 2010 Esri USer Conference Map

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 08:39:00 +0000

FYI
/Sik

FYI
/Sik

Quote

Read more: http://uc2010.esri.com/map/

Follow Team HTC - Columbia on Google Maps

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 21:26:00 +0000

HTC hjerte banker for Google ...
/Sik

Pro cycling on the map like never before ...
/Sik

Quote

Experience the Tour de France like never before. Track all nine riders from Team HTC - Columbia and see their exact locations and real-time telemetry data. Check out the live map below:

GOCE giving new insights into Earth’s gravity

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 20:36:00 +0000

Newton har ikke levet forgæves ...
/Sik

Newton on a global scale ...
/Sik

Quote

The first global gravity model based on GOCE satellite data has been presented at ESA’s Living Planet Symposium. ESA launched GOCE in March 2009 to map Earth's gravity with unprecedented accuracy and resolution.

The model, based on only two months of data, from November and December 2009, shows the excellent capability of the satellite to map tiny variations in Earth’s gravity.
"GOCE is delivering where it promised: in the fine spatial scales," GOCE Mission Manager Rune Floberghagen said.
"We have already been able to identify significant improvements in the high-resolution 'geoid', and the gravity model will improve as more data become available."
The geoid is the shape of an imaginary global ocean dictated by gravity in the absence of tides and currents. It is a crucial reference for accurately measuring ocean circulation, sea-level change and ice dynamics – all affected by climate change. [...]

ArcGIS for iOS - Extend GIS to the iPhone and iPad

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 19:46:00 +0000

Endnu er argument for at få en (firmabetalt) iPhone ...
/Sik

iMap on the ArcPhone ...
/Sik

Quote

ArcGIS for iOS allows you to navigate maps, collect and report data, and perform GIS analysis. It is a part of the ArcGIS system and is a great way to

Discover content by browsing map galleries from ArcGIS Online or leverage your existing enterprise GIS services.
Display maps and capture information.
Develop a custom application or brand your own iOS app specific to your business needs.
Extend your GIS to a wider audience.

ArcGIS for iOS application will be available for download in the Apple App Store in early July 2010.

ArcGIS API for iOS is estimated to be officially released third quarter of 2010.

Map of Human Sexuality

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 20:38:00 +0000

Noget for kort fetichister?
/Sik

Even maps can be sexy too ...
/Sik

Quote

An Artistic View On the World

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:50:00 +0000

Image

Read more: http://fuckyesmaps.tumblr.com/post/751186006

Extra! Extra! Google News redesigned to be more customizable and shareable

noreply@blogger.com (Sik Cambon Jensen) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 20:40:00 +0000

Kun engelsk ...

/Sik

Why mention Google News on a GIS blog? Well, the introductory lines are true in many ways and if you change the word news with the word GIS you may get even more truth ...

There’s an old saying that all GIS is local. But all GIS is personal too—we connect with it in different ways depending on our interests, where we live, what we do and a lot of other factors.

/Sik

Quote

There’s an old saying that all news is local. But all news is personal too—we connect with it in different ways depending on our interests, where we live, what we do and a lot of other factors. Today we’re revamping the Google News homepage with several changes designed to make the news that you see more relevant to you. We’re also trying to better highlight interesting stories you didn’t know existed and to make it easier for you to share stories through social networks.

Before:

After:

The new heart of the homepage is something we call “News for you”: a stream of headlines automatically tailored to your interests. You can help us get it right by using the “Edit personalization” box to specify how much you’re interested in Business, Health, Entertainment, Sports or any subject you want to add (whether it’s the Supreme Court, the World Cup or synthetic biology). You can choose to view the stories by Section view or List view, and reveal more headlines by hovering over the headline with your mouse. We’ll remember your preferences each time you log in. If you don’t want customized Google News, hit “Reset personalization" to clear all personalization preferences. If you haven't previously customized and would prefer not to, simply save and close the “Edit personalization” box. You can always go back and change it later.

To give you more control over the news that you see, we’re now allowing you to choose which news sources you’d like to see more or less often. You can do so in News Settings. These sources will rank higher or lower for you (but not for anyone else) in Google News search results and story clusters. We’ve also added keyboard shortcuts for easier navigation, like in Gmail or Google Reader. When you’re in Google News, hit the question mark key to pop up a full list of shortcuts.

There are the subjects that interest you and then there’s the major news of the day. To make it easy for you to find the big stories like Hurricane Alex, we’re adding links to topics that many outlets are covering. You’ll find these topics in the Top Stories section on the left side of the homepage as well as in linked keywords above headlines. Clicking on a topic link takes you to a list of related coverage that you can add to your news stream. You can change your preferences any time in “Edit personalization.”

We’re also more prominently displaying the Spotlight section, which features stories of more lasting interest than breaking news and has been one of our most popular sections since we introduced it last fall. And then there’s local news; we’re now highlighting weather and headlines about your city or neighborhood in their own section, which you can edit with whichever location you want to follow.

Finally, you can now easily share story clusters with other people via Buzz, Reader, Facebook or Twitter. Just select the drop-down menu marked by an arrow on the top-right of each story cluster. In the drop-down, you can also choose to see more or less of the first news source.

The redesigned Google News homepage is rolling out today in the English-language edition in the U.S., and we plan to expand it to all editions in the coming months. We’re making the ability to choose which sources you’ll see more or less often available in all English-language editions worldwide and plan to expand it soon.