In the beginning

It all started with a really cool idea. An idea to make better use of technology to do something that could really provide something interesting for the people who used the technology. And the idea didn`t even originate or become what is now SoarPort. The idea was entirely someone else`s.

SoarPort`s original conception occured while I was surfing at a site - which, accurately so, can be described as a mash-up - that blended a real time view of Flickr`s images as they were uploaded, with the geolocation afforded by Google maps. I took one look at FlickrVision, and I was hooked. In my way of viewing the world, Flickrvision is a critically important site. The reason? It showcases impressive technology, but does so for a very human purpose. Through Flickrvision, I can get a feel for what is happening on this planet right now...not as provided through the bias of a reporter seeking to get a great story, but more like `well, there is it. Your earth.` A hitchhiker in the fog in Australia; a cart with boxes piled on it in Hong Kong; a man eating his lunch in Texas...you get the idea: not so much the big story, but the real story.

The area of focus in my professional life is and has always been software. So it should come with little surprise that Flickrvision had awakened in me a realization that mapping technology could be used effectively in more ways than originally intended. Flickrvision used Google Maps to make the connection between Flickr`s images and their point of origin more poignant. In a similar way, I began to ask if there were other uses for the technology which had to this point remained unexplored.

For all the exploration that must have occured over the years - through MapQuest, Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, etc - its pretty ironic that there appears to have been little exploration of the technology itself. Hopefully, with the introduction of SoarPort, that will change.

Here`s an early sample: