Here are a couple of opinion pieces recently put together by PlanetData staff.

With the recent announcement that Greece plans to outlaw all cash transactions over 1,500 euros by 2011 this editorial examines the potential effects of this policy, why a country would do this, and what are the further-reaching implications of such a significant change to a nation's financial system.

Have you prepared emergency supplies, made a plan in case of an emergency, and taken steps to stay informed? Well this article takes a look at how multiple crises striking simultaneously in your part of the country could quickly leave you scrambling if you haven't taken the time to prepare properly.

Happy New Year 2010 from the PlanetData Team. We expect many great things in 2010, including exciting new features. Keep up-to-date by signing up for our Newsletter.

PlanetData has once again renewed its successful relationship with IDGA by joining them as a media partner for both their 2009 Maritime Piracy Summit and their 2009 Cyber Security for National Defense Summit.

For those of you in the United States and Americans everywhere, all of us at PlanetData wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend. We hope you continue to find the website a useful resource for security-related news and information. And remember if you are a registered member you can comment on news posts and you can submit information you feel other members should know about.

You can now access PlanetData on Twitter for the latest in security news.

As the New Year picks up speed, we'll be working hard to bring you important, relevant, and useful security news and information from around the globe. And that is just the start...

Our team is diligently working on the next generation of this web site which promises to bring many exciting new features and tools. Among them are an expanded Member section we're sure will become a favorite among security professionals.

There is already a lot to explore on PlanetData. Each section has a Resources area that lists features you may not be familiar with such as Glossaries and Timelines. We encourage you to dive in and explore the site.

If you are interested in advertising on PlanetData, send us an email at advertising@planetdata.net .

We wish you all a happy and successful New Year.

- The PlanetData Team

In 2008 PlanetData became a media partner for a number of prestigious industry events put on by the Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA). Now as 2009 approaches we have renewed our successful relationship with IDGA and joined them as a media partner for both the 2nd Annual Biometrics for National Security & Defense Conference and the 7th Annual Maritime Homeland Security Summit.

We are pleased to announce we have added News Maps to all the sections of the website. Our hope is that these maps will help one better visualize where world-shaping events are taking place. The maps use Google Maps API, which provides features such as satellite views and the ability to zoom in and out. In addition to News Maps for each section, we have revised the map for the Counterterrorism Solutions Center. It displays stories relevant to the CT industry. The original World News Map still displays a summary of events from across the entire PlanetData website. To access the maps we have added new menu items to all the section menus. We hope you enjoy these exciting new features.