OAKVILLE, ON, January 21, 2008 The Weather Network and MétéoMédia, Canada’s leading providers of weather information, bring consumers integrated highway maps of the latest road conditions, in conjunction with Microsoft® Virtual Earth™ mapping software. Available in both official languages on theweathernetwork.com and meteomedia.com, consumers can now view the latest and most up-to-date highway road conditions on an interactive map, on a satellite image or a combination of both.
“The Weather Network and MétéoMédia are committed to providing Canadians with the most up-to-date travel information for hundreds of roads. Our coverage of nearly 69,000 kilometres of Canadian highway in all provinces and territories testifies to our dedication of providing the most extensive and accurate highway conditions available,” says Taylor Emerson, VP & GM, Interactive Services, The Weather Network.
Within the new platform, consumers can “zoom in” to street level or “zoom out” to view conditions across the entire country. Accessing highway conditions will be more visual, user-friendly and interactive. Users can continue to access visibility data which has been integrated into the new Virtual Earth-based mapping system.
“More and more, consumers are demanding rich and engaging user experiences combined with the ability to find real-time and accurate information as quickly and easily as possible. By leveraging the power of the Virtual Earth-based platform, The Weather Network and MétéoMédia are helping to provide this value to Canadians,” says Mark Relph, Director, Development and Platform, Microsoft Canada Co.
The Weather Network and MétéoMédia have been providing Highway Conditions to Canadians for over 15 years. This latest enhancement demonstrates a continuing commitment to helping drivers get to their destinations during all types of winter weather safely. The next enhancement for Highway Conditions will include traffic flow and cameras to once again increase the interactivity and to continue to provide consumers with the most comprehensive road travel information.
To access Highway Conditions in English or French using Microsoft’s Virtual Earth, visit theweathernetwork.com or meteomedia.com.
Check out this article - it really speaks to what we are seeing in the industry across the country. It is just a coincidence that the "hot" jobs are .NET developers!
Hard to find people with leadership skills
Gillian Shaw, Canwest News Service
http://www.financialpost.com/story.html?id=272621
Yellowpages.ca makes room for Virtual Earth
http://www.itworldcanada.com//Pages/Docbase/ViewArticle.aspx?ID=idgml-a3d26143-5ed0-4284-ae33-d7fa82fcd190
January 23, 2008
Shane Schick
Canada’s largest publisher of telephone directories has chosen Microsoft’s Virtual Earth to bring some additional mapping capabilities to its listings.
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(you have to register to read the article at the link above)
http://www.ypg.com/page.php/en/1/478.html
Yellow Pages Group Strengthens Connection Between Buyers and Sellers with Microsoft Virtual Earth
Powerful mapping platform provides a richer Web experience
Missisauga (Ontario) and Montreal (Quebec), January 22, 2008 – Microsoft Canada Co. and Yellow Pages Group (YPG) announced today that the innovative imaging and location capabilities of Microsoft® Virtual Earth™ mapping software are available on YellowPages.ca™, Canada’s leading and most visited online directory.
As a leader in online directories, YPG is committed to providing the richest and most enjoyable user experience possible to the more than seven million people who visit its network of Web sites each month. The addition of Virtual Earth technology to YellowPages.ca will help YPG fulfill that commitment by providing visitors with highly interactive maps featuring up-to-date location data, driving directions, high-resolution satellite and aerial images, as well as the ability to view map results in photo-realistic 3D views.
“We needed a mapping solution that was easy-to-use and offered enhanced functionalities for our users, which in turn is beneficial to our advertisers. It also had to be reliable enough to accommodate our business growth plans. After reviewing several mapping services, it was clear that Microsoft Virtual Earth could meet our criteria,” said Jean-Pascal Lion, Vice President, Marketing, Yellow Pages Group.
“In today’s world of online services, people want to find information faster and more easily, but they also demand rich and engaging user experiences. By working with Microsoft technology partner and Virtual Earth experts Infusion Development, YPG is able to deliver a better experience to its users. The innovative Virtual Earth mapping platform provides added value to the YellowPages.ca site,” said Mark Relph, Vice President, Development and Platform, Microsoft Canada.
A couple of MSFT folks in the US made this....... poking fun at our conference call system and culture.....especially the hold music that every MSFT employee hears almost everyday :-)