Latest news with #OS
Toronto Star
7 hours ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
IGEL and Vasion Enhance Secure Printing for IGEL OS with App Portal Release
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 30, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — IGEL, the secure endpoint OS platform for now & next, and Vasion, a print automation and AI-powered digital transformation company, today announced the launch of the Vasion Print App on the IGEL App Portal. This collaboration delivers secure, serverless print enablement to IGEL's immutable endpoint OS, reducing attack surfaces and simplifying IT operations. 'Together, IGEL and Vasion are delivering a seamless and secure printing experience for IGEL OS users,' said Jim Airdo, Senior Vice President, Strategic Alliances, IGEL. 'By making Vasion Print available via the IGEL App Portal, we are giving our mutual customers access to simplified, secure, and scalable print management that leverages IGEL's Preventative Security Model™ with cloud-native app delivery.'
Japan Today
18 hours ago
- Business
- Japan Today
Japan sets guidelines targeting tech giants dominating app market
Japan's antitrust watchdog has announced guidelines under a new law to regulate monopolistic practices in the smartphone app market, mainly targeting U.S. tech giants Apple Inc and Google LLC. The core of the guidelines issued by the Japan Fair Trade Commission is a ban on discriminatory treatment of app stores not operated by the two platform companies. If more app stores compete and lower the commissions they charge developers, app prices for users could also fall, analysts said. Apple and Google account for over 90 percent of Japan's smartphone operating system market. Currently, app purchases and usage fee payments are effectively limited to the official stores of the two firms, restricting competition in the industry. According to a private research company, Japan's domestic app market in 2024 was valued at about 2.4 trillion yen ($16.2 billion) from in-app purchases alone. Opposing the guidelines, Apple said the regulations not only undermine privacy and security but also force it to provide its technology and services to competitors free of charge, potentially creating new risks. In 2024, Japan's parliament enacted a law to regulate smartphone app stores with the aim of promoting easier market access for third-party developers, with the legislation scheduled to take full effect in December. The new law will require that app developers be given access to OS functions like voice calls and biometric authentication. Some functions, such as email, are now restricted from connecting with external devices like smartwatches. The guidelines, finalized after the commission solicited public comments between May and June, listed 100 specific examples of violations, including setting additional screening criteria for certain app stores. © KYODO
The Mainichi
a day ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Japan sets guidelines targeting tech giants dominating app market
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's antitrust watchdog on Tuesday announced guidelines under a new law to regulate monopolistic practices in the smartphone app market, mainly targeting U.S. tech giants Apple Inc. and Google LLC. The core of the guidelines issued by the Japan Fair Trade Commission is a ban on discriminatory treatment of app stores not operated by the two platform companies. If more app stores compete and lower the commissions they charge developers, app prices for users could also fall, analysts said. Apple and Google account for over 90 percent of Japan's smartphone operating system market. Currently, app purchases and usage fee payments are effectively limited to the official stores of the two firms, restricting competition in the industry. According to a private research company, Japan's domestic app market in 2024 was valued at about 2.4 trillion yen ($16.2 billion) from in-app purchases alone. Opposing the guidelines, Apple said the regulations not only undermine privacy and security but also force it to provide its technology and services to competitors free of charge, potentially creating new risks. In 2024, Japan's parliament enacted a law to regulate smartphone app stores with the aim of promoting easier market access for third-party developers, with the legislation scheduled to take full effect in December. The new law will require that app developers be given access to OS functions like voice calls and biometric authentication. Some functions, such as email, are now restricted from connecting with external devices like smartwatches. The guidelines, finalized after the commission solicited public comments between May and June, listed 100 specific examples of violations, including setting additional screening criteria for certain app stores.
RTÉ News
2 days ago
- General
- RTÉ News
The story behind the benchmarks hiding in plain sight around Ireland
Analysis: The Ordnance Survey benchmarks chiselled into buildings, walls and bridges were originally used to measure height across Ireland Ordnance Survey (OS) benchmarks, also known as crow's feet, have marked our cultural landscape for nearly two centuries. They're often hidden in plain sight in our towns, cities and rural parts of Ireland, but do you know their purpose and what do they mean to us today as heritage? On April 8th 1837 during low water spring tide, the OS took a height measurement at Poolbeg Lighthouse in Dublin Bay. This fundamental reference point of 20.90 feet became known as the Irish Ordnance Datum. From here, between 1839 and 1843, the OS established the Principal Spirit Lines of Levelling, measuring height and inscribing 'bench marks' into the fabric of the island. The first of these ran from Poolbeg, through Dublin to Monasterevin along the Grand Canal, followed by an expanding network of spirit lines across the country. How did they take measurements? Teams comprising Royal Sappers, Miners, civil assistants and typically three labourers measured height across the country. Two labourers managed staves and lay chains, while another carried the equipment and provided shelter with an umbrella. Following major transport routes, teams recorded approximately five spot height measurements per square kilometre in rural areas, with more frequent readings in urban environments. Stone structures along roads were favoured for bench mark placement, though in remote locations, field stones or even wooden posts were used instead. By law, surveyors had the right to enter any property to take measurements. Surveyors used a cold chisel to carve a horizontal line typically one to two feet above ground into vertical surfaces or on horizontal faces such as quays. An angle iron was inserted to form a 'bench', upon which a levelling rod was placed and observation and height measured relative to a nearby known 'spot height'. Alternatively, a finger sized hole was cut instead and occasionally fitted with a rivet or bolt. Branch or side levels were extended from the main levelling routes, additionally using nearby trigonometrical stations to determine height. Surveyors employed standard backsight and foresight measurements at intervals logging the height in their field notebooks before dispatching them to Dublin. To maintain accuracy and prevent collusion, each line was measured twice by separate teams moving in opposite directions. A broad arrow, typically four to six inches across, was carved beneath each levelling line to help future surveyors relocate it. The bench mark locations later appeared on published OS maps, identified by a crow's foot symbol, their height in imperial feet, and occasionally accompanying descriptive text. This ensured open access to height data for anyone who required it. What do they look like and where can you find them? Benchmarks vary in type, form and quality depending on where, when and by whom they were placed. Most are 'cut' marks, known colloquially as a crow's foot or sappers' mark, and featuring a characteristic upward pointing 'broad arrow' (or inverted pheon) beneath the horizontal line cut or indentation. This was originally used by the British Government to denote ownership of property (from objects and buildings to animals and even people!) and was adopted by the OS as a recognisable and easily carved symbol. Primarily chiselled into the vertical stonework of buildings, bridges or walls, benchmarks also appear on horizontal surfaces such as doorsteps, windowsills and quays, and sometimes taking alternative forms such as plates, brackets, rivets, bolts and spikes. What is the heritage value of benchmarks? Although benchmarks were cut for over 150 years, they were superseded in the 1990s by modern digital mapping techniques. Today, they serve as tangible links to the past, embodying a legacy of scientific ingenuity and progress in Ireland and beyond and over nearly two centuries they have secured a place in Ireland's fabric and folklore. Yet their heritage is complex. Rooted in British military history, benchmarks and particularly the broad arrow, can be seen not only as tools of measurement, but also through the lens of contested heritage as exhibiting authority and ownership. Over time, many have been vandalised or removed, and examples of heritage erasure remain. This tension is captured alongside folklore in a meeting recalled by surveyor Robin Riddihough in OSi News (1998). While working in Co Mayo in the mid 20th-century, he encountered an elderly lady who referred to them as the 'Devil's' mark '. "I remember when I was a little girl seeing figures up on the hillsides. My father told me they were sent by the Devil and wherever they went they left an arrow cut into the stone. When they were gone, we were told to smash the marks so that the Devil could not return. You'll not find those marks around these parts!" Benchmarks are now recognised as remarkable feats of scientific engineering that helped shape our understanding of Ireland's terrain. They were instrumental to planners and engineers in construction and continue to offer crucial insight into topography across the island. In the face of a rapidly changing climate and rising sea levels, these marks provide valuable data for tracking change over time. However, OS benchmarks in Ireland lack protected status and many have been disappeared over time due to demolition, redevelopment and environmental change. Their total number was never recorded and therefore the extent of this loss remains unknown. They undoubtedly carry a complex legacy tied to Ireland's colonial past, but the early Ordnance Survey's pioneering work laid the foundation for modern mapping and surveying and significantly advanced understanding of Ireland's landscape. There is an urgent need for dialogue on protecting and preserving this rapidly disappearing heritage.
Edinburgh Reporter
23-07-2025
- General
- Edinburgh Reporter
How Ordnance Survey Maps Assist in Navigating UK Planning Regulations
In the UK, proper advance planning is undertaken prior to entering property development, especially when it comes to planning regulations. One mistake in boundary identification or misrepresentation of a neighbouring infrastructure can halt a whole project. The most important fact about proper preparation is the use of UK planning maps, specifically Ordnance Survey (OS) maps at a scale of 1:1250. They not only provide a visual representation of the proposed site but also offer legal clarity, allowing one to proceed through the application process with confidence. Photo by Richard Bell on Unsplash Why 1:1250 Scale Maps Are Essential 1:1250 maps are perfectly scaled, showing the details of the land parcel plans, buildings and public routes without being too detailed or too generic. Developers, architects, and surveyors use this scale in the presentation of plans because it is detailed enough to portray physical buildings and boundary lines, and it also encompasses the surrounding area to show access and other features in the vicinity. This scale is typically required by local authorities when a planning application is being initiated. It conforms to national mapping standards, and that is why it has been considered as the default reference by property professionals in the UK. Legal Boundaries and Site Ownership Before even writing a proposal, one should define clear boundaries of a site as the first step in developing a proposal. OS maps indicate the present legal boundaries of parcels of land, therefore eliminating disputes or confusion. These boundaries define the legal framework within which designs, ownership rights, and the right to develop are established. Without these visuals, it is easy to under- or overestimate the size of a property or encroachment. This kind of misalignment not only delays the process of giving the permissions but also opens the doors to legal challenges once the permission is granted. Relationship to Existing Infrastructure It is as important to know what is in a proposed site as it is to know what is around it. When a new access road, utility connection or pedestrian route is created, information on the existing structure is needed. The transport links, footpaths, green spaces, and service corridors are indicated in Ordnance Survey information, and all of these will affect the council's decision concerning accessibility and integration. The local authorities do not consider developments in isolation, but rather in terms of their impact on public services. Recommendations made on an OS base map will align with the proposed and available options. Planning Portal Compliance and Submission Requirements The majority of UK councils require that planning applications be submitted via the Planning Portal or to local authorities, both of which stipulate that approved mapping standards must be used. Ordnance Survey 1:1250 maps fit these requirements and eliminate the possibility of rejections due to technical formatting or unsupported data sources. Submission of non-compliant maps typically results in the rejection of applications, which is a waste of time and causes tension in the project schedule. An OS-compliant map is preferable to select at the outset to ensure the procedure's efficiency. Visibility of Constraints and Designations The type of land use, such as a conservation area or flood zone, also affects development potential. Such information can be overlaid on an OS base, allowing these considerations to be taken into account in the early design rather than requiring revisions. Even though these overlays are based on additional datasets, the base OS map gives the spatial accuracy needed to understand how constraints interrelate with the development site. Such accuracy is lacking, and one can easily overlook key planning factors that may result in rejections. Multi-Stakeholder Communication and Transparency Project planning can involve a combination of architects, consultants, legal teams, and representatives of local authorities. A common, standardised map enables everyone to negotiate proposals on a common visual basis. This shared understanding accelerates the collaboration process and minimises confusion regarding the location, size, or other aspects of the site. It is also useful for conveying proposals in a clear manner to non-technical stakeholders, such as community groups or funding bodies, who may struggle to interpret technical documentation. Mapping the Path to Approval Any successful planning application starts with certainty regarding land, context and constraints. That clarity comes into focus using UK planning maps, which are based on Ordnance Survey 1:1250 scale data. By matching development proposals to the official mapping standards, property professionals boost transparency, accuracy and their likelihood of approval. An OS map is not just a background image in a regulatory environment where detail counts, but a key planning tool that sets the foundation for success. Like this: Like Related
