Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/33025
NEWSLINK New Game System Adds Location-Based Functionality A portable entertainment system debuting near the end of 2011 will carry location-based software—a move that should allow gamers to interact in new ways and incorporate place-specific data into their experience. The “Next Generation Portable” (NGP), developed by PlayStation maker Sony Computer Entertainment Inc., will incorporate Skyhook’s Core Engine technology, enabling users to play games that have a “location- aware” feature and tap into social applications. “Precise location information is increasingly cen- tral to the portable entertainment experience,” said Masaaki Turuta, chief technology officer at Sony Computer Entertainment. “Skyhook’s Core Engine will provide NGP with superior location capabilities.” Geolocation technology stands to be a major driver for emerging entertainment technology—a key inno- vation for mobile games and services. Having the ability to tag a device with a precise location enables features such as regional leader boards, helps play- ers find other local players to challenge or lets users find content with a local angle. Already, thousands of mobile applications on devices such as smart phones incorporate location as part of the experience. Skyhook’s Core Engine system blends Wi-Fi, cellular and GPS readings to quickly produce a single location for a device. The technology, which works indoors as well as outside, requires no additional hardware. Darfur Group Taps Firm for Database Project The Darfur Land Commission (DLC) awarded interna- tional consulting firm GAF AG a contract to establish a “Natural Resources and Land Use Database and Map” for all of Darfur in western Sudan—a move that should help improve land management and environmental stewardship in the conflict-ravaged region. The project’s objective is to create a “multilayered” natural-resources information system to provide basic land-management and planning information to allow deci- sion makers to develop and manage the region’s natural resources in a sustainable way. The DLC was set up in mid-2007 as part of the Transitional Darfur Regional Authority (TDRA), an effort aimed at addressing land-tenure issues and reviewing the management of natural resources. TDRA had been set up a few months earlier—under terms of the 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement—to act as the interim authority for the Darfur region of Sudan. The new Natural Resources and Land Use Database and Map project seeks to increase the ability of government to manage Darfur’s natural resources over the long term, from institutional and technical perspectives. Work will focus on agricultural land, natural areas, forests, minerals, water, cities, towns and villages. Project leaders expect that efforts ultimately will help bolster rural economic renewal and reduce poverty. The new database and map should help decision makers plan agricultural development and other “land livelihood” initiatives while pinpointing the most productive areas for development projects. A new database and map initiative for Darfur should help decision makers plan agricultural development and pinpoint the most productive areas for projects amid the region’s rough landscape. “We are very happy that such a worthwhile project is to be implemented that gives the people of Sudan, in general, and the people of Darfur, in particular, great expectations with regard to the realization of peace and stability,” said Adam Abdel Rahman Ahmed, DLC president. “Such an unprecedented project will no doubt be seen as revolution- ary throughout the whole Sudan as a unique example which could be replicated in other parts of the country.” 8 GEO W ORLD / M AY 2O11 GAF