Golden Software Blog

Decreased honey bee populations have been in the news a lot over the past couple years. Pesticides, global warming, lack of crop diversity, increased pathogen populations and a host of other factors have been attributed to the increased beehive losses. Headlines scream that beehives are failing at record rates and that the loss of the honey bee could lead to massive food supply shortages.

The map above illustrates the amount of honey harvested from each commercial beehive in 2014.

This past weekend, the entire Golden Software team convened in beautiful Golden, Colorado for our annual all hands meeting (AHM). This was our 7th annual meeting, and like fine wine, it has improved with age; each year is better than the last!

Every year we meet all day Saturday and a half-day on Sunday. Our days consist of numerous presentations covering what we’ve accomplished over the past year, what our current endeavors entail, and where we’re headed in the coming years. We are always asking ourselves, “What’s best for the customer?” and the AHM gives us an opportunity to answer that question together. Our discussions are engaging as everyone contributes their thoughts and ideas. We can feel the energy increase as the meeting progresses.

Golden Software released a free update for MapViewer 8 today! Click the File | Online | Check for Update command to update your version of MapViewer 8 to MapViewer 8.1.269! Changes include the addition of new coordinate systems (Magna-Sirgas Colombia Bogota Zone, Magna-Sirgas Colombia East Central Zone, Magna-Sirgas Colombia East Zone, Magna-Sirgas Colombia Far West Zone, and Magna-Sirgas Colombia West Zone) and many other updates! For a full list of changes made, please see our MapViewer Version Info page.

To purchase a new copy of MapViewer 8 or upgrade a previous version, please visit our shopping page.

Today, March 17, much of the world will be going green to celebrate St. Patrick’s day! March 17 marks the anniversary of the death of St. Patrick, who is credited with spreading Christianity to Ireland. Though St. Patrick was not Irish, the holiday named in his honor is now synonymous with Irish culture, or at least Irish food and drink! Here in the United States, we’ll eat corned beef and cabbage, drink Irish beer, and wear green shamrocks with hopes of securing a bit of that luck o’ the Irish! In honor of St. Paddy, I’ve created a map showing where the most Americans live that identify as Irish American, and I’ve compiled some fun facts about the holiday and traditions surrounding it!

Where Irish Americans live; 33.3 million Americans (about 10.5%) identify as Irish American. Click on the map to open a larger image.