Another map annotation tool and research project:

Stamps

The work is partly done in a context of learning – even computer supported collaborative learning. There is a PC client and client for Symbian – I am not sure if the Symbian client already exist. The features are very similar to ImaNote, but it is not web-based, either FLOSS. I am also not sure if you can use whatever image as the “map” that will be annotatated, or have layers of images in there – like with ImaNote.

The links between the annotations makes the view more like a “discussion map”. Have a look of the ShoutSpace client interface scrteenshot. The link is created when a new annotation is a reply to some earlier one and then draged to some other location.

Another nice map service with some similarities with ImaNote.

http://www.frappr.com/

Frappr works with the Google Maps API, so you can add annotations to any location in the world – well actually you are adding annotations to the “world” as Google represents it. I like Frappr, but still I would stand up for ImaNote.

Imanoote is different. It is different because it is open. The openness gives the power for the people. ImaNote is open in many ways. You set-up your own service; you choose what kind of images will be annotated in your service; you invite your friends or colleagues to use the service (or simply let anyone to use it). And if there is someone who do not like how things are in your service she may start her own service.

To make ImaNote available for those who do not have their own web-server, there should be website / portal that is offering it as a service. Then anyone could add images for annotation and make groups around them. Anyone interested in?

Last week in Dortmund I met Mr Yves Degoyon. Yves is leading a project called MapOMatix : A Collaborative Platform For Tactical Cartography. They seem to have a similar kind of approach to maps, as we have in the ImaNote project: It is important to empower people to make interpretation, to let people to build maps (or images) of their own.

Here are two links to mapping tools – other than the Google Maps, Goolge Earth and MSN Virtual World – which I have found interesting:

• Hurricane Information Map – Maps for people to mark information about the hurricane damages.
• Ka-Map – an open source project that is aimed at providing a javascript API for developing highly interactive web-mapping interfaces.

Please, let us know if you have found other interesting mapping and image annotation projects. Thanks!

We do not have a roadmap on what direction ImaNote should be developed, but there are some work carried out that will help us to make decisions on the next steps. What we have:

(1) formal usability study and preliminary report of it made by Mariana,

(2) informal and non-specific ideas, comment and feedback from test users in the Media Lab,

(3) some specific ideas and comments from expert users.

Here is a list of specific ideas to think about (thank you Smau!):

• Crude marking / drawing on top of image (freeform pen) (hide / show these so they don’t detract from enjoying the image)
• Adding a sound file to a certain spot (speech annotation or related sound link)
• Would crudge MNG / GIF animation be possible ? An animation would allow for time sequenced event portrayals and their time based annotations. That is, an MNG image could show 5 stages of a butterfly development as a slow animation with play/stop/rewind/forward controls. One could then annotate each phase in development (a separate frame). Feeds could also then be viewed sequentially in time (1st frame annotations, 2nd frame, etc.)
• One annotation content in two positions in two images, with side by side comparision of images. You could annotate two images with same text so people could compare them. Or even if not same annotation, side-by-side images would help in image comparison, analysis and discussion tasks (and their related annotation). Example: arts related annotatoin of two related paintings, Before & after comparison of images of sketches with annotation. Risk: becomes a discussion tool.
• Many ways to view annotations: date of adding, place in the map (i.e. closest to spot X that I pointed on the image), based on poster, based on keywords (metadata), based on.
• Identification of annotations visibly on the image (nubers, names, tags, something?)

Here it is – or actually in the download page. Please, give us feedback and comments, find bugs and report them, join the project on Savannah, send us a patch, be a good person. And if you think that those guys do not need my contribution, you may always give a small loan for someone who really needs it.

We are kind of ready to release the ImaNote version 0.5. We just should set-up the wiki for writing the documentation and then organize some kind of release party in the Lab with a demo, coffee and pulla.

The wiki will be ready today and the party will be next Tuesday. Nothing big or formal. We will invite you all.