January 30, 2012

From Stanford GIS list: Invitation for Open source GIS tool demo

gvSIG (http://www.gvsig.org) is a Java based Geographic Information System (GIS), designed for capturing, storing, handling, analyzing and deploying any kind of referenced geographic information in order to solve complex management and planning problems. gvSIG is known for having a user-friendly interface, being able to access the most common formats, both vector and raster. It features a wide range of tools for working with geographic-like information (query tools, layout creation, geoprocessing, networks, etc.).

Please join us for a remote demo by the developers from Spain.

When: Thursday Feb 2nd, 9 - 10:30am
Where: Meyer 220 (Meyer library second floor)

Claudia A Engel
Department of Anthropology
Stanford University

Posted by ronbo at 05:46 PM

November 08, 2011

From Branner GIS - GIS Day 2011: Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Please join us in celebrating GIS Day at Stanford University on November 16th at 1pm!

GIS Day is held in over 45 countries around the world during Geography Awareness Week in order to showcase the work done by those using GIS and geospatial technologies.

Stanford University, as part of its ongoing commitment to support the development and integration of geospatial technologies, is celebrating GIS Day with an Open House. The event will include a series of lightning talks by renowned professionals in the field of GIS, a Map Gallery featuring some of the best work by students across many disciplines and a "Where in the World?" contest with prizes.

In addition to faculty and student speakers, featured guest speakers include GIS professionals from the Silicon Valley area, including NASA and the US Geological Survey.

GIS Day provides a great opportunity to view work being done on campus by our diverse community of users.

Where: Mitchell Earth Science Building, Hartley Conference Center. (Address: 397 Panama Mall, Stanford, CA 94305)

Schedule:
1:00-1:30pm - Map Gallery Opening
1:30-4:00pm - Lightning Talks
4:00-4:30pm - Awards

Who: Open to all public.

More Information, including Lightning Talk topics & speakers, Map Gallery exhibits, and GIS Day Contest and prizes.

Posted by ronbo at 07:09 PM

From Branner GIS - Geography Awareness Week: November 14-18, 2011

GIS Workshops

Mapping with R
Instructor: Claudia Engel, Academic Technology Specialist & Lecturer, Department of Anthropology
When: Monday, Nov 14, 12-1pm
Where: Meyer Library, Room 182

Introduction to QGIS
Instructors:
Noemi Alvarez, GIS Analyst, Digital Humanities
Elijah Meeks, Digital Humanities Specialist, Digital Humanities
Renzo Sanchez-Silva, GIS Developer, Digital Library Services
Claudia Engel, Academic Technology Specialist & Lecturer, Department of Anthropology
When: Tuesday, Nov 15, 12-1pm
Where: Meyer Library, Room 182

Introduction to PostGIS & Open Layers
Instructor: Renzo Sanchez-Silva, GIS Developer, Digital Library Services
When: Thursday, Nov 17, 12-1pm
Where: Meyer Library, Room 182

Introduction to ArcGIS
Instructor: Patricia Carbajales, Geospatial Manager, Branner Earth Sciences Libray
When: Thursday, Nov 17, 5:30pm-8:30pm
Where: Mitchell Earth Sciences Building, Room A65 (sub-basement)

Mapping with Google Earth & Fusion Tables
Instructor: Patricia Carbajales, Geospatial Manager, Branner Earth Sciences Libray
When: Friday, Nov 18, 12-1pm
Where: Meyer Library, Room 182

More information, including workshop descriptions and prerequisites.

Posted by ronbo at 06:59 PM

October 20, 2011

From Openspace List: OpenGeoDa 1.0.1 available: scatter plot fix

This is a small update that addresses a visual bug in the 1.0 Scatter Plot.

Windows, Mac and Linux binaries:
http://geodacenter.asu.edu/software/downloads

Source code:
https://code.google.com/p/opengeoda/

Please see the release notes for the complete history of new features and bug fixes:
http://geodacenter.org/downloads/GeoDa/Mac/release-notes.txt

************************
Mark McCann, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation
URL: http://geodacenter.asu.edu
Email: mark.mccann@asu.edu

Posted by ronbo at 07:18 PM

October 14, 2011

From IASSIST list: The new NHGIS and SABINS

Hello everyone,

I'm pleased to announce the release of the new NHGIS website! Highlights include:

- new front page providing more manuals, FAQs, and project information to users
- new data access system based on filters - allows users to request data for multiple years and geography levels in one extract
- new data - 2010 Redistricting data and associated shapefiles

Throughout the next few months, we will add American Community Survey and 2010 Summary File 1 and 2 data to the site, along with additional historical data.
Please visit http://www.nhgis.org to see the changes we've made! The previous NHGIS site is still available at http://legacy.nhgis.org

I'm also pleased to announce the release of the new School Attendance Boundary Information System (SABINS) website! Highlights include:

grade-specific school attendance areas for thousands of school districts in the United States
2010 Redistricting data for the school attendance areas
crosswalks linking the school attendance areas to the National Center for Education Statistics' Common Core of Data

Throughout the next few months, we will add American Community Survey interpolated estimates and 2010 Summary File 1 and 2 data.
Please visit http://www.sabinsdata.org!

I want to thank many people for their hard work on these projects:

Jacob Barney
Jason Borah
Pete Clark
Colin Davis
Elizabeth Fairley
Cathy Fitch
Stephanie Foo
Jason Goray
Monty Hindman
Kevin Horne
Jeff Kerzner
Charlot Meyer
Petra Noble
Noel Peterson
Steve Ruggles
Jonathan Schroeder
Julia Shumway
Wade Stebbings
Wendy Thomas
Rob Warren

along with a number of research assistants throughout the years. I also want to thank our colleagues at the College of William and Mary for their work on SABINS.

Please let me know if you have questions or comments about our new websites.

Sincerely,
Dave Van Riper

----------------------------------------------------
David Van Riper, GISP
Acting Director, Spatial Analysis Core
Minnesota Population Center
University of Minnesota

Posted by ronbo at 05:01 PM

October 10, 2011

From Openspace List: OpenGeoDa 1.0 and source code released!

Today we are pleased to announce the availability of OpenGeoDa version 1.0 along with the source code (released under GPLv3)

Windows, Mac and Linux binaries:
http://geodacenter.asu.edu/software/downloads

Source code:
https://code.google.com/p/opengeoda/

There is only one significant bug fix in this version since the last beta release. Please see the release notes for the complete history of new features and bug fixes:
http://geodacenter.org/downloads/GeoDa/Mac/release-notes.txt

************************
Mark McCann, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation
URL: http://geodacenter.asu.edu
Email: mark.mccann@asu.edu

Posted by ronbo at 01:59 PM

September 27, 2011

From Openspace List: OpenGeoDa 0.9.9.15 available: super-fast LISA/Gi-stats, new Table

OpenGeoDa beta release 0.9.9.15 is available for download:
http://geodacenter.asu.edu/software/downloads

This is a major new release and is the last beta release before 1.0.
Here are some of the changes:

- Major speedup to LISA and Getis-Ord Gi-Statistics. When a
multi-core processor is detected, pseudo p-val calculations are
split up amongst the cores. On some machines a > 20x speedup is
possible.
- Table code totally rewritten with many new features.
- Table: can drag columns to reorder and new column order remembered
after saving Table
- Table: Edit Field Properties dialog added. Can rename fields and
change all field properties such as field width and number of
displayed decimals
- Table: Field Calculation: Can generate Gaussian Normal distribution
- Table: Field Calculation: Can randomly shuffle order of any
numerical field
- Table: Replaced Range dialog with new more powerful Selection Dialog
- Table: undefined / invalid numbers appear as blank entries. For
example, square root of negative numbers appear as blanks rather
than zeros. Use new Selection Dialog to find all undefined numbers
- Merge Table Dialog: more robust and powerful. Automatically
identifies and eliminates duplicate field names.
- Regression: fixed a problem where invalid results could occur
after adding a new field to Table without saving first.
- Many small bug fixes and stability improvements.

Please see the release notes for the complete history of changes:
http://geodacenter.org/downloads/GeoDa/Mac/release-notes.txt

************************
Mark McCann, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation
URL: http://geodacenter.asu.edu
Email: mark.mccann@asu.edu

Posted by ronbo at 05:08 PM

April 06, 2011

From TeachSpatial blogs - Spatial Concept Terms in U.S. Science Teaching Standards

by KarlG on 3/29/11

In March, 2011 eight researchers from the fields of geography, psychology, earth science, mathematics, cognitive psychology and math education met at a UC Santa Barbara Center for Spatial Studies workshop to take preliminary steps towards developing a set of spatial literacy benchmarks for college freshmen; that is the set of spatial concepts, spatial principles and spatial reasoning skills they might reasonably be expected to have understanding of and/or proficiency with.

[ read more ]

Posted by ronbo at 04:28 PM

March 23, 2011

From Stanford Spatial History Lab: NOW HIRING: Summer Undergrad RA Positions @ the Spatial History Lab

The Spatial History Lab is currently accepting applications for summer undergraduate research assistant positions for the following projects:

* Terrain of History
* Shaping the West
* The Production of Vulnerability (a new collaboration w/ UC Denver Geography & Environmental Sciences Professor Gregory Simon)
* The Cigarette Citadels (a new collaboration w/ Stanford Anthropology Professor Matthew Korhman -- also hiring for spring)

Please see our website or the attached flyer for more information.

Interested applicants should submit the following materials to Kathy Harris (kharris3@stanford.edu) by noon on Monday, April 4th:

* a resume
* a sample of work (best reflecting the skills you'd bring to the team)
* a cover letter that includes:
o Which project(s) you're interested in working with.
o Your strengths and skills, including which qualifications you meet in the attached flyer.
o Your availability. Students work full time for 10 weeks during the summer, roughly late June through August.

Posted by ronbo at 03:41 PM

March 17, 2011

From Openspace List - OpenGeoDa 0.9.9.5 available

OpenGeoDa alpha release 0.9.9.5 is available for download.
Please see the release notes for a list of issues resolved.

http://geodacenter.asu.edu/software/downloads

************************
Mark McCann, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation
URL: http://geodacenter.asu.edu
Email: mark.mccann@asu.edu

Posted by ronbo at 07:12 PM

March 11, 2011

From Openspace List - OpenGeoDa 0.9.9.4 available

OpenGeoDa alpha release 0.9.9.4 is available for download.
Please see the release notes for a list of issues resolved.

http://geodacenter.asu.edu/software/downloads

************************
Mark McCann, Ph.D.
Arizona State University
GeoDa Center for Geospatial Analysis and Computation
URL: http://geodacenter.asu.edu
Email: mark.mccann@asu.edu

Posted by ronbo at 10:31 AM

January 10, 2011

2011 NIH workshops in Advanced Spatial Analysis -- call for applications

The Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University and the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) at UCSB invite applications from Ph.D. students, postdocs, and early-career faculty in demography and related fields to participate in

NIH-supported Workshops on Advanced Spatial Analysis

This program features two 5-day-long workshops in summer 2011 that are intended for scholars who already make use of GIS and spatial statistics in their research.

Spatial Regression Modeling
June 19-24, 2011, State College, PA
Instructors: Paul Voss and Katherine Curtis

Multilevel Modeling
July 10-July 15, 2011, Santa Barbara, CA
Instructors: Kelvin Jones and S.V. (Subu) Subramanian

Full details on the workshops and the online application form are available at

http://www.csiss.org/GISPopSci/workshops/

Participation in these workshops is by invitation only. We will review and select approximately 20-25 invitees per workshop based on applications received by the deadline (March 31, 2011). Scholarship support will be available to some qualifying applicants that can help defray some of the costs for travel and lodging.

Please share this call for applications and the attached flier with interested colleagues via email, association newsletters, and related listserves.

Sincerely,

Stephen Matthews, Principal Investigator
Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Demography
(courtesy appointment, Geography)
Senior Research Associate and Director,
Geographic Information Analysis Core Population Research Associate
Social Science Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University

Donald G. Janelle, Research Professor and Program Director
Center for Spatial Studies and the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science
University of California, Santa Barbara

Michael F. Goodchild, Professor
Department of Geography, and Director, Center for Spatial Studies
University of California, Santa Barbara

Posted by ronbo at 10:01 PM

November 11, 2010

GIS Day celebration at Stanford - Wednesday, November 17

Please join us for GIS Day at Stanford on November 17th at the new Y2E2 building at 12:30pm!
GIS Day is held in over 45 countries around the world during Geography Awareness Week, to showcase the work done by GIS professionals that contribute to make a difference in our world.

We will be holding an Open House that includes a series of lightning talks by our own faculty who use GIS in their research and educational activities, as well as professionals working in organizations doing prominent GIS work in Silicon Valley, such as Google and the US Geological Survey. A Map Gallery will feature some of the best work by students across many disciplines.

Where: Y2E2 building, Room 101 (Address: 473 Via Ortega Stanford, CA 94305)
When: 12:30pm to 3:30pm
Who: open to all.

Here's the link to the particulars (including a list of the lightning talk presentations, the map gallery, and contest & awards info): https://lib.stanford.edu/gis-branner-library/gis-day-2010

Posted by ronbo at 06:29 PM

April 13, 2009

From Stanford GIS List: GISSIG Lunch meeting April 20: Open Street Map

OpenStreetMap or OSM (http://openstreetmap.org/) is a free editable
map of the whole world. It allows anyone to view, edit and use
geographical data in a collaborative way from anywhere on Earth. Sarah
Manley from Cloudmade will be our guest and will discuss how and why
OSM exists, how to contribute to the project, and ways to get
involved. She will also present on ways to engage students through
OSM, and the open source curricula is developing.

Sarah Manley is the community ambassador at Cloudmade.com for
OpenStreetMap in the Bay Area of California. As community ambassador
she works to engage a wider range of participants in OpenStreetMap by
organizing mapping parties, speaking engagements and collaborations
with community groups. She is also working to develop a curriculum
that utilizes OpenStreetMap's data and tools.

Before joining CloudMade, Sarah worked as an educator at a New York
City-based environmental organization. There, she developed and
delivered curriculum to students that focused on renewable energy
technologies, local ecology and sustainable design. Sarah is also a co-
founder and board member of an environmentally focused charter school
in New York City.

WHERE: Stanford Humanities Center, Board Room
WHEN: April 20, 2009 12noon-1

If you plan to attend please RSVP to cengel [at] stanford.

GISSIG events are sponsored by the Stanford Humanities Center (http://shc.stanford.edu) and the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (http://iriss.stanford.edu).

For a calendar or GIS related events @ Stanford see:
http://www.stanford.edu/group/gissig/cgi-bin/wordpress/events

Posted by ronbo at 05:41 PM

April 06, 2009

From Stanford GIS List: This week-- Field Equipment Workshop

Planning your summer research?

Discover The School of Earth Science’s GIS, GPS, geophysical equipment, field computers, and staff resources available to Stanford faculty, staff and students.

This workshop on April 10th (10 am to noon) will introduce students to available field equipment and resources for their summer research. Nigel Crook (Shared Field Measurement Facility), Mindy Syfert (GIS Manager, Branner Earth Science Library), Trevor Hebert (GIS Manager, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve), and Max Borella (SES Field Program Coordinator) will be available from noon to1:00 to display the equipment and discuss individual needs. For more information and to register visit http://pangea.stanford.edu/research/groups/sfmf/index.php?page=12 or contact Max Borella at mborella@stanford.edu or Nigel Crook at ncrook@stanford.edu.

Posted by ronbo at 05:20 PM

March 18, 2009

From Stanford GIS List: Field Equipment and Resources Workshop - April 10th

Planning your summer research?

Discover The School of Earth Science’s GIS, GPS, geophysical equipment, field computers, and staff resources available to Stanford faculty, staff and students.

This workshop on April 10, 10 am to noon, will introduce students to available field equipment and resources for their summer research. Nigel Crook (Shared Field Measurement Facility), Mindy Syfert (GIS Manager, Branner Earth Science Library), Trevor Hebert (GIS Manager, Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve), and Max Borella (SES Field Program Coordinator) will be available from noon to1:00 to display the equipment and discuss individual needs. For more information and to register visit http://pangea.stanford.edu/research/groups/sfmf/index.php?page=12 or contact Max Borella at mborella@stanford.edu or Nigel Crook at ncrook@stanford.edu.

Posted by ronbo at 06:31 PM

March 10, 2009

Chinese statistics and GIS Database demo

Dr. Shuming Bao, Senior Research Coordinator for China Initiatives, China data center, University of Michigan will provide a workshop on Chinese statistics, census data and GIS on March 19, 2009. Here is information on the session for faculty and students.

China Data Online (http://chinadataonline.org) provided by the China Data Center of the University of Michigan offers comprehensive and updated information on China’s economic development at national, provincial, city, county, and industrial levels as well as a series of China national, provincial, city and professional statistical yearbooks, The online China Census Database provides a unique data collection of various Census data with a completed coverage of all provinces, cities, counties and townships of Mainland China. China Data Center has released a series of unique China GIS data products, which provide great value for spatial studies of China. Those GIS data products have integrated Census data with administrative boundaries of province, city, county and township of
China. This talk will give a demo on the China Data Online service as well as those China GIS data products.

Workshop on statistics, Census Data and GIS for Chinese Studies
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 PM, Thursday, March 19, 2009
Place: Information Center classroom, Green Library

Program

1:00-1:15 An Overview of Digital Data Resources for Chinese Studies in
East Asia Library
Zhaohui Xue, Chinese studies librarian, EAL

1:15-2:30 The Development and Application of China Data: Information,
Technology and Methodology
Dr. Shuming Bao, Senior Research Coordinator for China Initiatives,
China Data Center, University of Michigan

The Census data of China provides comprehensive demographic and business
information for the research and education on China. This presentation
will give an introduction to some background information of China Census
data, including methodologies, definitions, and data coverage. The
presentation will demonstrate how the demographic and business data can
be integrated with the GIS maps of China at province, prefecture,
county, township, and grid levels. Some innovative technologies and
applications in regional development, migration, environment, disaster
assessment, and population projection will be introduced for advanced
spatial data studies of China.

*Attendance is open to the public*

For more information, contact Zhaohui Xue, Chinese studies librarian,
East Asia Library, 650 725 3439 or zhxue@stanford.edu

Posted by ronbo at 05:39 PM

February 17, 2009

From ESRI Training and Education News (February 2009): Desktop ArcGIS

Advanced Techniques for Labels and Annotation
Instructor-Led Virtual Classroom Course
April 7 - 9, 2009
8:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. (PDT)

Learn strategies for efficiently manipulating labels and annotation so they display properly without hours of detailed work as well as how to customize label appearance and text using ArcGIS tools and sample code. Register Now.

Editing in ArcGIS 9: Tips and Tricks III
Complimentary Web Training Seminar
Get time-saving tips to help you edit and update data in the ArcGIS Desktop ArcMap application. Try it now.

Introduction to ArcGIS Data Interoperability
Complimentary Web Training Seminar
Get a primer on the ArcGIS Data Interoperability extension and learn how to easily use and distribute data in many formats within the ArcGIS Desktop environment. Try it now.

Getting to Know ArcGIS Desktop: Basics of ArcView, ArcEditor, and ArcInfo, Second Edition, Updated for ArcGIS 9.3
ESRI Press Book
Learn how to perform basic GIS tasks with ArcGIS software—from mapmaking to spatial analysis and database creation. This updated second edition offers the most comprehensive overview of ArcGIS 9.3 with new graphics and instructions and is valuable as both a classroom text and manual for individual study. Buy this book.

Posted by ronbo at 06:06 PM

February 09, 2009

Geospatial Coordination Web Site Launched by California

Government Technology, Feb 6, 2009, News Report

California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Mike Chrisman and State Chief Information Officer Teri Takai yesterday announced the launch of a new Cal-Atlas Geospatial Clearinghouse Web site to help government agencies better coordinate their geospatial efforts and allow public access to geospatial data. The innovative approach to technology will allow the general public to access maps, data and information that has not previously been accessible on a single site or from a single source.

[Read more...]

Posted by ronbo at 02:52 PM

February 03, 2009

ESRI News Release: ESRI's Free Online GIS Bibliography Offers a Rich Information Resource about Geospatial Technology and Geographic Science and Research

February 2, 2009

More than 75,000 Works Cited Including Books, Theses, and Articles from Academic Journals

Redlands, California—The ESRI GIS Bibliography, available at no cost from the ESRI Education and Training Web site, recently surpassed 75,000 entries, making it one of the world's largest online repositories for information about geographic information science (GIScience) and geographic information system (GIS) technology.

"Thousands of students and hundreds of professors have used the bibliography as one of their major starting points for GIS research," says Dr. Michael Gould, ESRI's director of higher education. "Besides being an educational resource, the abstracts and other materials point the way to finding other sources of information about or experts in geospatial research and technology."

The ESRI GIS Bibliography at www.esri.com/training/library also serves as an excellent resource for scholars, scientists, geographers, cartographers, and professionals in a wide range of industries who want to learn about one or more aspects of GIS technology or geographic information science in their fields, Gould says. The bibliography references more than 1,000 sources—mostly journals, magazines, conference proceedings, and books. Though mainly abstracts, the bibliography also includes some PDFs of articles, conference proceedings, book chapters, and theses. A vast array of fields and industries where the work involves geospatial technology and GIScience are covered including marine sciences, health, the environment, defense, land-use planning, surveying, petroleum, and forestry.

Dr. Duane F. Marble, professor emeritus of geography at Ohio State University, began compiling the bibliography in the late 1980s. Because Marble and other academics were each creating individual GIS bibliographies, he saw the need for a more comprehensive public resource. When Marble retired from his academic position, ESRI became curator of the bibliography. The staff at the ESRI library in Redlands, California, working with Marble, continues to update the content and maintain the Web site as a free service to the GIS and GIScience community.

"Although there are other specialized GIS bibliographies, the ESRI resource covers a broad span of disciplines, applications, and theory as well as represents the history of GIS," says Marble. "The global reach of GIS is also clear. During the early years, North America, Europe, and Australia dominated the contributions, but now we see significant input from other regions such as Asia—specifically, China."

ESRI librarian Patty Turner says the ESRI GIS Bibliography contains all the abstracts or PDFs to full papers for every year of the ESRI International User Conference going back to 1993. Many abstracts from the American Association of Geographers' annual meetings are also posted. Citations also come from hundreds of journals such as the International Journal of Geographic Information Science, Cartographica, and Applied Geography. Turner adds that the bibliography contains a lot of "gray material," which means it's often unavailable anywhere else online.

The ESRI GIS Bibliography is easy to search using either the basic or advanced search engines. The advanced search includes boxes for fields such as title, author, keywords, and abstract along with the type of material being sought and the year range. Under the search feature is an area where readers can browse for books, conference proceedings, reports, journals, magazines, and other materials. Key magazines and journals are listed for convenience. Search results may be downloaded by the user.

The bibliography continues to grow. On average, about 2,000 entries are added each month. "We hope to accomplish another milestone in 2009 by reaching 100,000 entries," Marble says.

# # #

Press Information:
Carla Wheeler, ESRI
Tel.: 909-793-2853, extension 1-2448
E-mail (press only): press@esri.com
General Information: info@esri.com

Posted by ronbo at 02:08 PM

From Stanford GIS SIG: Visiting Speaker: Peter Birch, Product Manager for Google Earth

Peter Birch, Product Manager for Google Earth, will visit us for an informal talk and Q&A, on Tuesday, February 10th, 2009 from 12:30-1:30pm.

Location TBD. Please RSVP Carlos Seligo (moth@stanford.edu) if you think you will come, so we can get some idea of the space we will need for his visit.

Peter Birch joined Google in 2006. He is responsible for the direction, growth, and success of the Google Earth product family including Google Earth Free, Plus, Pro, and Enterprise, the Google Earth API and browser plug-in, and Google Earth for the iPhone. He has 17 years of professional experience in the computer graphics industry. Prior to joining Google, he was the Graphics Hardware Lead in Microsoft’s Xbox group, managing the architecture, implementation, and manufacturing for the Xbox360 graphics chipset. Before Xbox, Peter spent ten years at Silicon Graphics, Inc., working on both hardware and software projects, including the Personal Iris, Indigo, Indigo2, and Octane graphics workstations and the OpenGL and Inventor graphics library products.

Peter received a BS summa cum laude in Electronic Engineering from California Polytechnic State University- San Luis Obispo and an MBA from the University of California- Berkeley Haas School of Business.

Posted by ronbo at 02:03 PM

February 02, 2009

From Stanford GIS List: BAAMA 2009 Education Award Deadline February 13

Dear Members,

The BAAMA Education Award is designed to support and encourage higher education students who use GIS technology, both as a major field of study or as a specialized software tool to support other degree or certificate goals.

* 1st Prize of $2,500
* 2nd Prize of $1,500
* 3rd Prize of $1,000

Deadline: February 13th, 2009; entries must be submitted no later than 5:00 p.m. PST.

Winners will be announced on March 6th and posted on BAAMA's web site.

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND APPLICATION FORM: http://www.baama.org/education/index.html

BAAMA is a non-profit, professional organization that organizes bi-monthly educational forums, sponsors the annual California GIS Conference, and periodic technical tours on a broad range of geographic information systems (GIS) and automated mapping topics. BAAMA is a chapter of Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA).

Posted by ronbo at 06:52 PM

January 20, 2009

MAPSS - GIS - Jeffrey Heer on Visualization

The Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) continues our exploration of Geographic Information Systems and Problems of Spatial Autocorrelation with a look at data visualization. Stanford Computer Scientist Jeffrey Heer will be presenting a talk entitled: Voyagers and Voyeurs: Supporting Collaborative Information Visualization.

Pizza will be served outside Building 530 - Room 127 at 12:10PM, talk starts at 12:20PM. (RSVP for food at https://iriss.stanford.edu/mapss_colloquium_signup)

Thursday, January 22nd
12:10 PM
Building 530 - Room 127

(Building 530 is between Memorial Church and Tresidder)

Voyagers and Voyeurs: Supporting Collaborative Information Visualization

Interactive visualizations leverage human visual processing and cognition to increase the scale of information with which we can effectively work. However, most visualization research to date focuses on a single-user model, overlooking the social nature of visual media. Visualizations are used not only to explore and analyze, but to communicate findings. People may disagree on how to interpret data and contribute contextual knowledge that deepens understanding. Furthermore, some data sets are so large that thorough exploration by a single person is unlikely. Such scenarios arise regularly in scientific collaboration, business intelligence, and public data consumption.

In this talk, I will discuss our work recasting interactive visualizations as not just analytic tools, but social spaces supporting collective data analysis. I'll discuss the design and implementation of sense.us, a web site supporting asynchronous collaboration across a variety of visualization types. The site supports view sharing, discussion, graphical annotation, and social navigation and includes novel interaction elements. User studies of the system reveal emergent patterns of social data analysis, cycles of observation and hypothesis, and the complementary roles of social navigation and data-driven exploration. I will also describe our continuing work on web-based collaborative visualization, including visual navigation cues to enhance collective information foraging and new techniques for generalized selection and collaborative annotation.

Jeffrey Heer is an Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Stanford University, where his research focuses on human-computer interaction, interactive visualization, and social computing. His work has produced novel visualization techniques for exploring data, software tools that simplify visualization creation and customization, and collaborative analysis systems that leverage the insights of multiple analysts. He is the author of the prefuse and flare open-source visualization toolkits, currently in use by the visualization research community and numerous corporations. Over the years, he has also worked at Xerox PARC, IBM Research, Microsoft Research, and Tableau Software. He holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Computer Science from the University of California, Berkeley.

MAPSS is an interdisciplinary methodology program designed to expose researchers to diverse modes of data collection and analysis from across the social sciences. MAPSS offers a colloquium series, a workshop, a graduate certificate program, and various research resources. If you would like to learn more about the Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS), please check out our website at mapss.stanford.edu.

All members of the Stanford community are invited to attend and to RSVP in advance to reserve food.
https://iriss.stanford.edu/mapss_colloquium_signup.

Lunch will be served at 12:10 for those who have RSVP'd; the talks start at 12:20.
For more information, please contact mapss-info@lists.stanford.edu.

Posted by ronbo at 06:05 PM

January 13, 2009

From ESRI: Regression Analysis Tools For GIS Modeling

Modeling complex spatial relationships has become easier with ArcGIS 9.3 tools.

The ability to model complex spatial relationships and to predict spatial trends are important for planning and decision making. Regression analysis, new with ESRI’s ArcGIS 9.3, provides effective tools for exploring, examining, and measuring spatial relationships, identifying key factors contributing to particular spatial outcomes, such as urban growth, predicting future scenarios, and illustrating, through cartographic visualization, the impacts of policy and proposed urban planning projects. (Read more...)

Posted by ronbo at 06:12 PM

From Stanford Events: Creating a GIS for China's History without Maps

Peter Bol, Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, Harvard University

Thursday, January 22, 2009
4:15 PM
Building 200, room 107

A fundamental geographic information system should provide a platform for diverse disciplines to analyze the spatial relationships in the kinds of information relevant to the discipline. But what kinds of spatial information are fundamental? For the last two hundred years paper maps, based on scientific cartography , provides a kind of a solution. But if we aim to spatially enable the analysis of data from before the era of mathematical cartography, how should we proceed? What is the relationship between our representations in the present of historical space and place and the conceptualization of space and place in the past? The China Historical GIS, which aims to represent administrative space and place from 221 BCE to 1911 CE, has taken an approach that works for many but makes assumptions that historians may well want to challenge.

CEAS Winter 2008-09 Colloquium on Maps and Gazetteers as Sources for East Asian History sponsored by the Stanford Society of Fellows in Japanese Studies and the Center for East Asian Studies

Posted by ronbo at 06:07 PM

January 12, 2009

MAPSS - Intro to GIS this Thursday

The Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS) expects a lineup of exceptional speakers for the Winter quarter. We will be
focusing on *Geographic Information Systems and Problems of Spatial Autocorrelation*. Introducing us to the topic will be Stanford Anthropology Lecturer Claudia Engel and Branner Earth Sciences Head Librarian Julie Sweetkind-Singer.

Pizza will be served outside Building 530 - Room 127 at 12:10PM, talk starts at 12:20PM. (RSVP for food at
https://iriss.stanford.edu/mapss_colloquium_signup)

---

Thursday, January 15th
12:10 PM
Building 530 - Room 127

(This is NOT the same room as last quarter)

---

Claudia Engel

Claudia Engel is an Academic Technolgy Specialist and Lecturer at the
Department of Anthropology. She also serves as a Manager of the Academic
Technology Specialist Program.

Claudia holds a doctorate degree in Anthropology. Her work centers
around the academic uses of technology. She has been involved in
projects that explore and apply collaborative technologies for over 15
years and has recently shifted her focus towards spatial analysis and
GIS. Claudia is the co-organizer of the Stanford interest group in GIS
and is one of the core contributors in the development of the Stanford
Technology Commons. She blogs regularly about her work.

Before coming to Stanford Claudia worked and lived in Europe and South
America. Outside her work Claudia serves as principal oboe in the
Silicon Valley Symphony and sings with the San Francisco Bach Choir.

Julie Sweetkind-Singer

Julie Sweetkind-Singer is the head librarian at the Branner Earth
Sciences Library & Map Collections at Stanford University. Her subject
specialization is maps and GIS. She is currently Stanford's project lead
on a Library of Congress NDIIPP grant whose purpose is to archive
digital geospatial data. She has worked at Stanford since May 2000.

Previously, she was the map librarian for two private local map
collectors. In 1999, she worked jointly with David Rumsey on the Rumsey
Map Collection Web site, which displays over 12,000 maps from the 18th
and 19th century. She was the assistant editor of the book, "California
49: forty-nine maps of California from the sixteenth century to the
present," which was published by the California Map Society. She was the
President of the Western Association of Map Libraries from June 2004 -
July 2005. She was the Vice-President of the California Map Society,
Northern Chapter in 2001 and 2002.

RSVP for Free Pizza (available at 12:10 PM)

---

MAPSS is an interdisciplinary methodology
program designed to expose researchers to diverse modes of data
collection and analysis from across the social sciences. MAPSS offers a
colloquium series, a workshop, a graduate certificate program, and
various research resources. If you would like to learn more about the
Methods of Analysis Program in the Social Sciences (MAPSS), please check
out our website at mapss.stanford.edu.

---

All members of the Stanford community are invited to attend and to RSVP
in advance to reserve food.
https://iriss.stanford.edu/mapss_colloquium_signup.

Lunch will be served at 12:10 for those who have RSVP'd; the talks start
at 12:20. For more information, please contact mapss-info@lists.stanford.edu
.

Posted by ronbo at 02:26 PM

Summer 2009 Workshops in Advanced Spatial Analysis -- call for applications

Dear Colleague,

The Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University and the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) at UCSB invite applications from Ph.D. students, postdocs, and young faculty in demography and related fields to participate in

NIH-supported Workshops on Advanced Spatial Analysis

This program features two 5-day-long workshops in summer 2009 that are intended for scholars who already make use of GIS and spatial statistics in their research.

Spatial & Multilevel Modeling
June 21-June 26, 2009, University Park, PA
Instructors: Kelvyn Jones and S.V. (Subu) Subramanian

Spatial Regression Modeling
July 12-July 17, 2009, Santa Barbara, CA
Instructors: Paul R. Voss and Katherine Curtis

Full details on the workshops and the online application form are available at

http://www.csiss.org/GISPopSci/workshops/

Participation in these workshops is by invitation only. We will review and select approximately 20-25 invitees per workshop based on the complete application forms received by the deadline (March 31, 2009). Scholarship support will be available to some qualifying applicants that can help defray some of the costs for travel and lodging.

Please share this call for applications and the attached flier with interested colleagues via email, association newsletters, and related listserves.

Sincerely,

Stephen Matthews, Principal Investigator

Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Demography
(courtesy appointment, Geography)
Senior Research Associate and Director,
Geographic Information Analysis Core Population Research Associate
Social Science Research Institute, The Pennsylvania State University

Donald G. Janelle, Research Professor and Program Director
Center for Spatial Studies (spatial@ucsb), University of California, Santa Barbara

Michael F. Goodchild, Professor
Department of Geography, and Director, Center for Spatial Studies (spatial@ucsb)
University of California, Santa Barbara

Posted by ronbo at 01:57 PM

October 22, 2008

From Stanford GIS List: GIS workshops at UC Berkeley 10/29

Hi all,

For anyone interested in learning more about GIS, UC Berkeley's
Geospatial Innovation Facility (GIF) is offering a series of workshops
about geospatial technologies.

An Introduction to GIS workshop is being offered Wednesday, Oct 29
from 9am-noon. The cost is $153 for non-UC affiliates. A course
outline is listed below:

Intro to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

* Presentation
o What is GIS?
o Geospatial Data Considerations
o Geoprocessing and spatial analysis
o Data Sources
o Using ArcGIS 9.2
* Interactive
o Finding and downloading spatial data
o Creating a new shapefile
o Simple geoprocessing
o Creating a map for export

GIF workshop schedule can be found at:
http://gif.berkeley.edu/support/workshops.html

*******************
Mindy Syfert
GIS Manager
Stanford University

Posted by ronbo at 02:11 PM

September 30, 2008

From ESRI Libraries & GIS News, Fall 2008

Introducing ArcGIS Online Services - GIS Data Services

ArcGIS Online Services provides access to high-quality basemaps (street maps, imagery, topography) for use in ArcMap, ArcGIS Explorer, and Web applications. Hosted and maintained by ESRI, ArcGIS Online Services provides access to terabytes of data on demand, so there's no need to store and manage updates at your site. Standard services are available at no cost for noncommercial use, and premium services are available by subscription.

* Standard services include a world street map,
15-meter imagery for the world with 1-meter resolution for the United States, 90-meter elevation for the world with 30-meter elevation for the United States, and topographic maps from the National Geographic Society for the United States.

* Premium services include high-resolution imagery for the United States and content from Microsoft Virtual Earth services.

The ArcGIS Online Resource Center provides previews of both standard and premium services including metadata (resolution, accuracy, date, source). Free trials are available for premium services. Learn more.

Improved PDF Support in ArcGIS 9.3

ArcGIS 9.3 has improved functionality for exporting maps to Adobe PDF format. Feature attributes can now be included in exported PDFs and accessed by Adobe Reader users. ArcGIS 9.3 also adds support for the new geospatial capabilities in the PDF formats introduced in Adobe Acrobat 9 including support for coordinate readout, find x,y measurement, and markup.

For example, recipients of PDF map documents can now query and identify feature attributes, find and display a location on the map using x,y coordinates, and measure features directly on the map. Some features require the Adobe Reader 9 or Acrobat 9 Pro or higher. Learn more.

All Landsat Data to Be Available at No Cost

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is pursuing an aggressive schedule to provide users with electronic access to any Landsat scene held in the USGS-managed national archive of global scenes dating back to Landsat 1, which was launched in 1972, by February 2009. Currently, newly acquired Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data covering North America and Africa is already distributed by the USGS over the Internet at no charge, with plans for the full archive of historic Landsat 7 ETM+ data to be available for selection and downloading by the end of September 2008. Data from Landsat 1-5 will become available by February 2009.

Landsat scenes can be previewed and downloaded using the USGS Global Visualization Viewer at http://glovis.usgs.gov (under "Select Collection" choose Landsat archive: L7 SLC-off [2003-present]). Scenes can also be selected using the USGS Earth Explorer tool at http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov.

Posted by ronbo at 05:36 PM

September 22, 2008

From ESRI ArcSchool Reader - September 2008

Getting Started with GIS - Complimentary Web Course
A new complimentary course is available for people with no GIS background or experience who want to use ArcGIS Desktop (ArcView, ArcEditor, or ArcInfo 9.2 or 9.3) to learn the basic features of GIS and the geographic approach to solving problems. Users learn how GIS maps are different from other types of digital maps and how to use ArcGIS software to obtain information, create thematic maps, and apply common analysis tools to solve geographic problems. For a detailed course description and access to the course, visit ESRI Training and Education.

Posted by ronbo at 09:02 PM

May 20, 2008

Selections from ArcWatch (May 2008)

Download ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5

The new service pack will ensure the highest-quality experience with ArcGIS 9.2. Download now.

Request the ArcGIS Desktop 9.2 Evaluation CD

ArcGIS Desktop is the primary platform for authoring, editing, and analyzing geographic information within the overall suite of ArcGIS products and services. Learn more. Request the Evaluation CD. Learn what will be new in ArcGIS Desktop 9.3.

Census Bureau Offers TIGER/Line Shapefiles Online

Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing (TIGER)/Line shapefiles can be downloaded at www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/index.html. ESRI users can easily incorporate TIGER/Line shapefiles into their GIS as supplemental data or as a base layer. This data supports mapping and geocoding and includes points of interest such as roads, railroads, rivers, and lakes. Download now.

Download GIS for Education Best Practices Booklet

In GIS for Education [PDF-4.91 MB], you will learn how schools and scouting organizations use GIS to help children learn more about science, technology, and the environment. Download now. [PDF-4.91 MB] For a complete list of booklets available, visit the GIS Best Practices showcase.

Posted by ronbo at 03:23 AM

April 15, 2008

Selections from ESRI Higher Education E-News - April 2008

Software and Data News

Students Can Add a Year to Their Software
ArcGIS ArcView 9.2 with Extensions one-year time-out software offers students an opportunity to work on their GIS education-related projects at home. In the United States, qualified students may purchase this software for $100 at www.academicsuperstore.com or by calling 1-800-447-9778.

Faculty Can Request Free Copies of ArcView 9.2 for Students
ESRI currently offers ArcGIS ArcView 9.2 with Extensions one-year time-out software free for students studying at a college or university that has a campuswide site license for ESRI software. Qualified faculty may request copies at www.esri.com/slpromo and distribute them to their students for use in education.

Disclaimer: Offer is valid for U.S. addresses only. If you are outside the United States and would like to inquire about educational software licenses, please contact your local ESRI distributor.

Support and Training News

Support News

Download ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5
Install ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 5 to ensure the highest-quality experience when working with ArcGIS 9.2. This latest Service Pack helps provide support for using ArcGIS software on Vista.

Students using the ArcView 9.2 with Extensions one-year time-out software need to download the Service Pack 5 file for the "ArcGIS Desktop Evaluation Edition."

Student Time-out Software Tips

Registering Extensions: Remind students to register extensions at the same time that they register their ArcView.

If a student has not registered the extensions, it can be done by going to the Start/Programs/ArcGIS/Desktop Administrator menu. From there, the student can click on Register Single Use ArcView and Extensions and follow the registration wizard.

Activating Extensions - Students need to activate the extensions they wish to use in ArcMap and ArcCatalog by going to the Tools/Extensions menu and clicking on the extensions.

Training News

Please visit ESRI Training and Education to see all the ways that you and your students can learn more about getting the most out of ESRI desktop and server products. Many courses are free or are included in course subscriptions that are part of campuswide site licenses.

Posted by ronbo at 12:40 AM

April 14, 2008

From GIS Special Interest Group: Lecture on 4/24 - Place: Population and Deforestation in Guatemala

Please join us for the next Stanford GIS Special Interest Group Event.
Apologies for cross-posting. Please feel free to distribute.

----

GISSIG Lecture “Place: Population and Deforestation in Guatemala”

David L. Carr, Associate Professor, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara

Thursday, April 24, 3pm
Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy Building (Woods Institute
for the Environment) - Room 102

In explaining variability in tropical deforestation, land change scientists have focused almost exclusively on in situ (or “on-farm”) resource use, while population scholars have largely ignored rural-to- rural migration. The ways in which household responses to the human and physical environment in one place may affect land cover change in another place have been inadequately explored. This lecture investigates the primary proximate and underlying causes of deforestation in the humid tropics with a case study from Guatemala. To investigate the first cause of this phenomenon, farmer land use, I collected data from over 500 farmers in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve (MBR). To address the second cause of deforestation in the MBR, migration, I conducted interviews with community leaders in twenty-eight communities of MBR settler origin. Evidence suggests that space and place remain essential heuristics to understanding the deforestation process in the tropics. Results from the MBR revealed several factors positively related to forest clearing at the farm level including family size, secure land title, duration on the farm, agricultural intensification, ethnicity, and farm size. Results from areas of origin of migrants to the MBR suggest that larger families, Q’eqchí Maya, landless households, families with small or environmentally degraded plots, households with poor access to labor and produce markets, the least educated, and the exceptionally poor run the greatest risk for migration to the frontier. Evidently, attention to both migration origin and destination areas enhances options for policy interventions aimed at sustainable rural development and forest conservation.

David Carr, Assoc. Professor, University of California, Santa Barbara, has served as PI on grants from NASA, NIH, and NSF, enjoyed collaborations with the IHDP, USAID, WWF, TNC, CI, and the IPCC, and has authored over fifty publications on land use/cover change, protected areas, migration, fertility, and health in the tropics.

The GIS Special Interest Group @ Stanford (http://gissig.stanford.edu) is formed around a common interest in GIS, particularly in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our mission is to facilitate a multidisciplinary network of faculty and students who apply or will be applying GIS, spatial technologies and methods.

Sponsored by the Institute for Research in the Social Sciences (iriss.stanford.edu).

Posted by ronbo at 05:09 PM

April 02, 2008

Introducing the National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS)

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, free of charge, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2000. NHGIS offers the following options to obtain data:

The NHGIS Shape Finder provides access to boundary files for mapping data in a GIS software package.

The NHGIS Data Finder provides access to aggregate census data.

Social Explorer allows online mapping of NHGIS data

Funding for the NHGIS provided by the National Science Foundation.

Posted by ronbo at 05:45 PM

March 29, 2008

Next Stanford GIS Special Interest Group - Meeting Thurs 4/3/08 - 12 noon

The next GISSIG meeting will be held on:

Thursday April 3, 12 noon
Stanford Humanities Center, Baker Room
Lunch will be provided - please RSVP.

Claudia Engel, Academic Technology Specialist and Lecturer - Department of Anthropology

"Open Source GIS for Anthropological Research"
Open source software tools for GIS and spatial analysis are increasingly being adopted by the research community. This presentation will provide an overview of such tools currently available and provide examples from anthropological research.

Matt Jockers, Academic Technology Specialist and Consulting Assistant Professor - Department of English

"Mapping Literature with Google Earth"
In literary studies researchers typically focus on the "close-reading" of individual texts. By linking texts to geographic information, however, we open up a whole new realm of analysis, a macroanalytic realm where "close" is replaced by "distant." In his talk Matt explores how he utilized Google Earth to debunk several critical misconceptions about the evolution and history of Irish-American literature.

Upcoming GISSIG Events for Spring Quarter 2008:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

* April 24, 3pm - Invited Lecture at the Woods Institute for the Environment by Prof. David Carr, Department of Geography, UC Santa Barbara
* May 8, 12 noon - Lunchtime meeting at the Stanford Humanities Center: Improving GIS Services at Stanford

The GIS Special Interest Group @ Stanford (http://gissig.stanford.edu) is formed around a common interest in GIS, particularly in the Humanities and Social Sciences. Our mission is to facilitate a multidisciplinary network of faculty and students who apply or will be applying GIS, spatial technologies and methods.

To receive future GISSIG announcements please subscribe to https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/stanfordgis

Posted by ronbo at 05:07 PM

March 18, 2008

NIH-Supported Workshops in Advanced Spatial Analysis

The Population Research Institute at Pennsylvania State University and the Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS) at UCSB invite applications from Ph.D. students, post docs, and young faculty in demography and related fields to participate in

NIH-Supported Workshops in Advanced Spatial Analysis

This new program features two 5-day-long workshops in summer 2008 that are intended for scholars who already make use of GIS and spatial statistics in their research.

Geographically Weighted Regression
The Population Research Institute
University Park, PA
June 1-June 6, 2008

Spatial Pattern Analysis
The Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science
Santa Barbara, CA
July 13-July 18, 2008

Full details on the workshops and the online application form are available at http://www.csiss.org/GISPopSci/workshops/.

We will review and select approximately 20-25 invitees per workshop based on the complete application forms received by the deadline (*March 31, 2008*). Subject to the availability of funds, scholarship support will be available to some qualifying applicants that can help defray some of the costs for travel and lodging.

Posted by yan at 12:40 PM

March 07, 2008

Selections from ESRI Training and Education News, March 2008

Desktop GIS

Advanced Techniques for Labels and Annotation
Instructor-Led Virtual Classroom Course
April 8-10, 2008
8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. (PDT)
Discover strategies for efficiently manipulating labels and annotation so they display properly without hours of detailed work as well as how to customize label appearance and text using ArcGIS tools and sample code. Register now.

Understanding the ArcGIS Desktop Applications: What is ArcCatalog?
Complimentary Instructional Series Podcast
Receive an overview of ArcCatalog, how it fits into a workflow, and some of its default behaviors. Listen to the podcast. [MP3-7:53]

Authoring and Publishing Optimized Map Services
Complimentary Virtual Campus Web Training Seminar
Obtain techniques for authoring maps that will help you optimize the performance of both dynamic and cached Web mapping services. Try it now.

Introduction to Programming ArcObjects Using the Microsoft .NET Framework
Instructor-Led Course
Get an introduction to the ArcObjects libraries and learn how to develop custom GIS applications. Register now.

Posted by ronbo at 09:43 AM

February 25, 2008

Selections from ArcSchool Reader - GIS News for Education - February 2008

Software News

ArcGIS Explorer: New Version
ArcGIS Explorer, a free 3D globe application that consumes online GIS services and local data, continues to evolve. The latest version (#450) was released in late 2007. The new version improves performance when accessing ArcIMS sites, improves KML support, expands controls, and provides great new billboarded point symbology. The best place to learn more is at the ArcGIS Explorer Resource Center. This is where you can download the application, but exploring the site's various tabs will lead to some useful discoveries. For other ArcGIS Explorer resources, be sure to visit the ESRI Education Community ArcGIS Explorer page.

ArcGIS 9.2 SP4 - Includes Support for Vista
ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 4 (SP4) is now available and includes support for running ArcGIS Desktop 9.2 products (ArcReader, ArcView, ArcEditor, ArcInfo) on Windows Vista. In addition to service pack 4, two patches from Microsoft are required to support ArcGIS on Vista. For more information about ArcGIS support for Windows Vista, see this technical article on the ESRI Support site.

Data News

ArcGIS Online
ArcGIS Online is a data resource for users of ArcGIS Desktop tools including ArcMap, ArcGlobe, ArcReader, and ArcGIS Explorer. It provides a series of 2D map and 3D globe services that you can use to support your GIS work. This includes seamless imagery at approximately 1-meter resolution for the conterminous United States and 500- and 15-meter resolution for the world. These ready-to-use services can also be accessed by Web mapping applications created with ArcGIS Server.

National Historical GIS
National Historical GIS (NHGIS) provides, at no cost, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2000. There are two options for mapping NHGIS data: download boundary files for use in GIS software or create maps using Social Explorer, an online mapping application. The geographic boundary files include states and counties from 1790 to the present plus tracts and statistical areas for varying periods. The statistical data available varies by geographic unit and time frame.

Support News

Placing History
A fascinating new book walks readers through the use of GIS in exploring historical questions. Placing History: How Maps, Spatial Data, and GIS Are Changing Historical Research offers case studies and essays on key issues involving historical GIS. China, Rome, Gettysburg, and more come under 21st century exploration. The book includes a supplementary CD containing PowerPoint presentations, instructional videos, notes, and map layers for use with either ArcGIS or ArcExplorer-Java Edition for Education.

Learn to Develop Spatial Thinking Skills
Spatial thinking has been receiving increased attention recently. One reason could be the rapid expansion of geotechnologies such as recreational GPS, in-car navigation devices, and virtual globe software. We're also starting to realize that global issues such as biodiversity loss and urban sprawl are beginning to affect our everyday lives. To grapple with these issues in the 21st century requires a populace adept at using GIS and other geotechnologies. Read the full essay.

Mapping Center
GIS makes it easy to make a map, but there are both art and science behind making a great map. The Mapping Center is about the use of ArcGIS in the graphic delivery of geographic information. Its goal is to help users make great-looking maps by understanding and using the same cartographic concepts that professional cartographers use. The Maps zone provides a set of example maps with detailed explanations of why different elements of the maps work well and instructions on how to accomplish similar tasks on your own maps. The Ask a Cartographer section has an archive of common questions plus answers linked to key screen shots or important explanations within the online help system.

Posted by ronbo at 07:54 PM

February 07, 2008

From the Stanford GIS list: Announcement of paid summer RA positions in Spatial History Project

PAID SUMMER UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
ASSISTANT POSITIONS AVAILABLE

creating and exploring dynamic interactive digital tools
for analyzing and visualizing change over space and time

The Spatial History Project at Stanford University, directed by Richard White, brings together scholars working on projects at the intersection of geography and history using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in their research. While built around GIS, which offers a common framework for this research, the Spatial History Project is also moving beyond GIS, to develop tools able to harvest useful information from large heterogeneous datasets of maps, images, and texts, and create dynamic, interactive digital visualizations for analyzing and representing change over space and time. One of our projects is building an interactive digital environmental history of California. Our research involves interdisciplinary collaborations across the university, from computer sciences to urban studies and biology, as well as collaborations at a distance with scholars at other institutions from Harvard University to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the University
of Campinas in Brazil.

The Spatial History Lab ‹ a fully equipped computer lab ‹ in Wallenberg Hall seeks undergraduates interested in paid full-time research assistant positions of approximately 40 hours per week (hours and dates are flexible) for 10 weeks during summer 2008. The lab also has part-time positions available during the academic year. Pay is $13/hour.

If you are interested please contact Jeremy Zallen:
jzallen@stanford.edu, (508) 269-4242
http://spatialhistory.stanford.edu

Posted by ronbo at 04:53 PM

January 24, 2008

From Stanford GIS list: GIS workshops at UC Berkeley for Spring 2008

The College of Natural Resources
Geospatial Imaging & Informatics Facility (GIIF)

--- Spring 2008 Announcement ---

The Geospatial Imaging and Informatics Facility supports research & outreach activities of those interested in geospatial analysis utilizing remote sensing, Geographical Information Systems, spatial analysis, landscape ecology, visualization, and Global Positioning Systems technology.

** THE GIIF HAS 8 WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED FOR SPRING 2008. **

The GIIF offers workshops to train STUDENTS, FACULTY, and STAFF on geospatial tools and applications, including GPS, GIS, remote sensing, webGIS. If you want to take a geospatial workshop that you don't see scheduled, email us at giif@nature.berkeley.edu. If there is enough interest, we will schedule additional workshops.

Workshops fees are $50 for all UC students (graduate and undergraduate), faculty, and staff; $135 for all non-UC affiliates. Undergraduate students can apply for financial assistance to take a workshop through the GIIF Undergraduate Scholarship Program.

Schedule is below (and at http://giif.cnr.berkeley.edu/workshops.html)

1. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Friday, February 1, 9am-1pm in 124 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

2. Introduction to Global Positioning Systems (GPS)
Friday, February 8, 9am-1pm in 111 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

3. Object-based image analysis with Definiens' eCognition software I - Introductory level
Friday February 15, 9am-1pm in 111 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

4. Object-based image analysis with Definiens' eCognition software II - Intermediate level
Friday February 22, 9am-1pm in 111 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

5. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Friday, April 11, 9am-1pm in 124 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

6. Image analysis with ENVI & IDL
Friday, April 18, 9am-1pm in 111 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

7. Visualizing your data in Google Earth, ArcGIS Explorer, and other 3D software
Friday, May 2, 9am-1pm in 124 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

8. Creating your own webGIS with Google Maps
Friday, May 9, 9am-1pm in 111 Mulford Hall
Fee: $50/person UC-wide

Space is limited so view agendas and register now by going to http://giif.cnr.berkeley.edu/workshops-register.html

Workshops are subject to cancellation due to low registration.

Questions? Email us at giif@nature.berkeley.edu

Individual assistance is also available through office hours or by appointment. We encourage questions about GPS, GIS, remote sensing, spatial analysis, webGIS, and other geospatial informatics to visit the GIIF (111 Mulford Hall) for assistance.

Please see our website at http://giif.cnr.berkeley.edu/ for more information about what the GIIF offers, including research support, Internet server support, GPS equipment rental, geospatial workspace, and poster/map production.

Posted by ronbo at 02:59 PM

January 08, 2008

Selections from ESRI Higher Education E-news, January 2008

EdCommunity Portal - The Data Tab

The EdCommunity Portal is a collaboration zone for educators and students. Navigation tabs at the top of the portal quickly point you to community links and online resources. For example, the Data tab will help you access geographic content and GIS services available through

* ArcWeb Online (hosted by ESRI and powered by ArcGIS Server)
* ArcIMS Data Services (hosted by ESRI and others)
* ArcWeb Services for Students and Educators
* Business Analyst Online for Education
* Data Downloads
* ESRI Data & Maps (media that comes with ArcGIS products)

Learn more.

Support and Training News

Patches and service packs for ArcGIS software are available online. Current service packs include ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 4, which contains performance improvements and maintenance fixes. Install this service pack to ensure the highest-quality experience when working with ArcGIS 9.2.

Download ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 4.

New Self-Study Courses Available

Introduction to Using HAZUS-MH to Assess Losses from a Riverine Flood Hazard
This Web course explains the process of defining a riverine flood hazard and performing a loss estimation using Hazards U.S. Multi-Hazard (HAZUS-MH). This course focuses on the two options that require the least amount of user input: defining a flood hazard based on a return period and defining a flood hazard based on a stream discharge.

Introduction to GIS Data ReViewer
This course introduces GIS Data ReViewer and some of the tools it provides for reviewing data quality with visual checks. Students learn techniques for systematically reviewing data, recording errors, and creating notepad feature sketches as well as how GIS Data ReViewer can automate spatial and attribute checks. The course covers how to take advantage of data sampling and manage the review cycle.

Note: These courses will be included in all higher education standard subscriptions.

Posted by ronbo at 03:11 PM

December 06, 2007

Selections form ArcWatch (November 2007): Make Better Maps & GIS for Historians

Learn to Make Better Maps with ArcGIS 9.2

An exercise from ArcUser magazine explains how to make a karst map using the new cartographic representations in ArcGIS 9.2. Cartographic representations allow control over how and where features in a spatial database will be depicted on a map. Try the exercise [PDF-712 KB].

Historians Turning to GIS

Though it’s still new to many historians, GIS can be a valuable teaching and research technology for them. GIS visualizations can play a particularly important role in increasing the understanding of topics such as the histories of major world regions or of the world itself. Read the article.

Posted by ronbo at 11:47 AM

December 04, 2007

From Stanford GIS list: $2, 500 student scholarship award for GIS mapping

It's time for the 2nd annual Bay Area Automated Mapping Association (BAAMA) Education award and mapping challenge. The competition is designed to support students in higher education using GIS both as a major field of study and in support of their own research fields. The top prize is $2,500 with a one-year membership in BAAMA, and a complementary entry to CalGIS in April, 2008 where you'll present your work. Entries are due February 15, 2008. More information can be found at the BAAMA website (www.baama.org). It would be great to have a Stanford student win this year!

***

Julie Sweetkind-Singer
Head Librarian, GIS & Map Librarian
Branner Earth Sciences Library & Map Collections
Stanford University
650-725-1102

Posted by ronbo at 06:36 PM

October 24, 2007

Selections from ArcWatch (October 2007)

Tutorials Teach Mapping and Modeling Using ESRI Software

Seven tutorials show intermediate ArcGIS users how to map and model data in ArcGIS 9.x. For example, the tutorial exercises will help teach you how to model glacial terrain or model GPS data captured on the fly. Download the tutorials.

Download GIS for Earthquakes, a GIS Best Practices Booklet

In GIS for Earthquakes [PDF-4.35 MB], you will learn how GIS is being used to help agencies respond faster to earthquakes and develop better emergency response plans for such disasters. Download the booklet [PDF-4.35 MB]. For a complete list of booklets currently available, visit the GIS Best Practices showcase.

Web Seminar Offered on Authoring and Publishing Optimized Map Services

A no-cost live training seminar on November 15, 2007, will demonstrate how to author map documents optimized for publishing on ArcGIS Server. Learn about strategies for rendering map features faster with dynamic map services and for preparing a better map document for cached map services. Request a reminder.

Learn the Advantages of Using Terrain Datasets

A new podcast explores how to manage surface data in ArcGIS using terrain datasets. Terrain datasets can be a good solution for ArcGIS 3D Analyst users who work with large amounts of surface data. Useful applications for terrain datasets include floodplain mapping, watershed delineation, and hydrological modeling. Listen to the podcast. [MP3-14:24]

GeoData Gateway Provides Metadata to the EPA

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently launched a geospatial metadata portal, the GeoData Gateway (GDG), that allows users to discover and access geospatial resources stored throughout the agency. Read the article.

Posted by ronbo at 02:10 PM

September 06, 2007

Selections fromArchaeology and GIS News from ESRI (Summer 2007)

Data, Maps, and Models

Terrestrial Ecological Unit Inventory (TEUI) Technical Guide: Landscape and Land Unit Scales [PDF-2.79 MB]
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service (FS) guide provides information on national standards, methodologies, and classification criteria for developing TEUIs at the landtype, landtype association, and landtype phase levels. See also the FS ArcGIS extension, TEUI Geospatial Toolkit [PDF-1.79 MB], designed to streamline the TEUI premapping process.

Digital Historian Forum
The British Arts and Humanities Research Council's Methods Network has an online community forum on the use of technology for historical scholarship. Input is encouraged for working papers that include Tools and Methods for the Digital Historian and other forums including several on electronic publishing. All questions regarding Digital Historian and Methods Network community building should be directed to senior research project coordinator Torsten Reimer.

Yale University Library Map Collection
This site contains not only information on the map collection's inventory but also offers GIS services that cover geospatial data searching, acquisition, data manipulation, instruction, software access, distribution, and output. The collection includes scanned historical Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps (dating from 1886) for Connecticut.

PASTMAP Query System for Scotland Datasets
PASTMAP is a map-enabled query system for Scottish National and Regional Archaeological and Architectural Datasets.

ESRI Software Documentation, How-to, and Tools

ArcGIS Explorer Now Available
The no-cost ArcGIS Explorer download enables you to access ArcGIS Online beta services, which include one-meter imagery for the entire United States and submeter imagery for certain major metropolitan areas. This new version has improved KML support, navigation tools, and printing capabilities. An ArcGIS Explorer resources page gives you access to a blog, a discussion forum, and several globes and maps.

ArcGIS Explorer Education Version
ArcGIS Explorer - Java Edition for Education 2.3 is a no-cost, downloadable, lightweight GIS for Macintosh OSX and Windows 2000/XP. The 2.3 version includes a number of improvements.

* Help menu opens the tutorial.
* Projects can use relative paths.
* Open projects or add data begins in the "data" folder.
* Identify tool uses the highlighted layer.
* Selected records can be sorted in the attribute table.
* Move back and forth between map and layout views.

Note: Before installing a new version, you should uninstall previous versions. You can read about installation tips [PDF-2.14 MB], consult the support center, and download the latest version online. Prepared lessons are available at ArcLessons (Search by software: ArcGIS Explorer).

Tips on Using ArcGIS: ArcMap [PDF-2.08 MB]
This GIS Best Practices series booklet focuses on increasing your productivity using ArcMap.

Harvard Map Collection GIS Tutorial
Harvard University's Introduction to ArcGIS tutorial includes videos and hands-on exercises.

Archaeology Management Software Based on ESRI Technology
The Heritage Resource Inventory Application (HRIA) is a database system for managing archaeological and heritage sites.

Posted by ronbo at 01:02 AM

September 05, 2007

From GovTech Top News: NASA Image Archive Will Soon be Accessible Online

Aug 29, 2007, News Report

NASA and Internet Archive of San Francisco are partnering to scan, archive and manage the agency's vast collection of photographs, historic film and video. The imagery will be available through the Internet and free to the public, historians, scholars, students, and researchers.

Currently, NASA has more than 20 major imagery collections online. With this partnership, those collections will be made available through a single, searchable "one-stop-shop" archive of NASA imagery.

Read more

Posted by ronbo at 12:10 PM

September 04, 2007

New Stanford course on Introduction to Mapmaking and Spatial Analysis

CASA 156:

Interpreting Space and Place:

An Introduction to Map Making

Space and place are fundamental components in social analyses. Topics like globalization and migration, urbanization, or archaeological landscapes, implicitly or explicitly invoke questions about location. By helping to trace movements of people, the transformation of places and spatial relationships maps and spatial tools can play a pivotal role as research instrument.

Objective of this course is to introduce students to maps, geographical information systems (GIS), and spatial tools and to demonstrate how those can be applied in social research. Readings on selected topics from the social sciences and cultural studies will be
complemented by the hands-on exploration of original data sets.

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00am-10:50am
Building 160 Room 120
Instructor: Claudia Engel

For more information see http://casa156.stanford.edu

Posted by ronbo at 10:58 AM

Selections from ESRI Newsletters: ArcSchool Reader (August 2007)

Software News

ArcGIS Service Packs
ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 3 is now available for download! This is a cumulative patch, containing all fixes from previous service packs plus important new tweaks and fixes. Lab managers getting ready for the new school year should be sure to install this latest service pack. There are special downloads for ArcGIS Desktop and ArcGIS Desktop Help, ArcReader, and ArcView 9.2 Evaluation Edition. Download now.

Updated ArcGIS Explorer
A new version of ArcGIS Explorer is ready for download! This no-cost, lightweight application for Windows lets you connect to a variety of ready-to-use globes hosted by ESRI. It can also connect to "tasks" that allow you to do more than just visualize a simple map. You can use ArcGIS Explorer to connect to 3D and 2D data, services, and applications on the Web and integrate these with local shapefiles on your hard drive or local network. Explore all the resources available from the new Resource Center. Get started.

ArcExplorer - Java Edition for Education Version 2.3.1
ArcExplorer - Java Edition for Education is a no-cost, lightweight, downloadable, introductory GIS for use on Windows and Macintosh OS X. It has just been upgraded to version 2.3.1. Users can create and share projects, analyze data from online sources or local data (including GPS points), and construct layouts. This is an excellent introductory GIS for students and educators to use at school and install at home. The help menu includes a direct link to the onboard tutorial, so users can more easily learn to use the full capacity of ArcExplorer-Java Edition for Education. A new Introduction to ArcExplorer-Java Edition for Education page has been constructed on the Education Community portal. (Safety tip: Move any special data outside the ArcExplorer-Java Edition for Education folder before uninstalling an older version.) See ArcExplorer - Java Edition for Education.

Data News

Education Community Data Tab
The Education Community portal is a collaboration zone for educators. One area of keen interest for educators (and confusion for new users) is spatial data. The Data tab at the top of the portal pages links to key information about data resources for educators: ESRI Data & Maps (media that comes with ArcGIS products); online data from ESRI such as ArcGIS Online, ArcWeb Services, or Business Analyst Online; and interesting online data hosted by a variety of content providers using ArcIMS or ArcGIS Server. Learn more.

Support News

ArcGIS Explorer Blog
Looking for the latest tip on using ArcGIS Explorer? Want to share a task that accomplishes a valuable function? Got a cool screen shot that demonstrates a powerful capacity? Head to the ArcGIS Explorer blog! This is where you'll find some terrific tips and tricks plus users' links to excellent external resources. Optimize your experience, and share your work with others! Check the blog.

Understanding Place
GIS is a powerful tool for education in part because it can fit in so many different environments. That flexibility can also be a challenge. This book presents a series of case studies showing how a number of authors have incorporated spatial thinking across the curriculum and why maps are such powerful tools for learning. While the stories are primarily about college students, the principles apply across grade levels and school settings. See the book.

New ArcLessons
The ArcLessons collection continues to expand. This repository of lessons comes from users around the world, covering a broad range of topics at a scale from global to local, using the full range of ESRI software. The lessons are often timely-and sometimes timeless. Newest topics include a race around the world using ArcGlobe, an investigation about oil using ArcView 3 (from an educator in Germany), a study about "agri-security" and infectious disease using ArcExplorer-Java Edition for Education, and determining potential impact of mining on wilderness areas using ArcGIS Desktop. Explore ArcLessons.

User News

2007 Community Atlas Model Project
The ESRI Community Atlas offers users in educational programs a framework for an introductory project. Groups of students put together profiles of their communities, each consisting of 10-20 original maps and 1,000-2,500 original words. At the end of every school year, a model project is selected, highlighting a project that presents clear maps showing good analysis combined with text that integrates the story. For the 2006-2007 school year, the model project designee was the 4-H Club from McLean County, Kentucky. See Community Atlas.

Bring Back Geography
The growing popularity of GIS technology is helping to boost the profile of traditional geography. But according to Jerome E. Dobson, president of the American Geographical Society, precious few in the United States (including some high-ranking policy makers) appreciate or understand the importance of this science. He calls on GIS professionals to begin rallying for a return of geography to American schools. Read the article.

Posted by ronbo at 10:42 AM

August 22, 2007

Selections from ESRI ArcWatch (August 2007): ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 3; Best Practices; Accessing ArcMap

ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 3 Available for Download

Install ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 3 to ensure the highest-quality experience when working with ArcGIS 9.2. Download now.

Download Best Practices Booklet

In Modernizing Mapping Organizations' Workflow [PDF-7.04 MB], you will learn how organizations such as the U.S. Geological Survey are using GIS to upgrade their databases and mapping operations. GIS Best Practices booklets are available on a variety of topics such as public works, law enforcement, and customer and market analytics. For a complete list of booklets currently available, visit the GIS Best Practices showcase.

Get Started Accessing ArcMap

The ArcMap table of contents (TOC) does more than help locate information in a map document. The TOC also serves as a "control center." There, people can access controls for changing how data is displayed and symbolized as well as tools that will let them select, label, and manipulate data layers and the map in data and layout views. Learn more about how to save time using the TOC in ArcMap. [PDF-548 KB]

Posted by ronbo at 07:11 AM

June 20, 2007

Selections from ESRI Libraries & GIS News, Spring 2007

New Video Tutorials Available for ArcGIS 9.2

ArcGIS Desktop now includes a series of video tutorials to help you learn to use the software more effectively. The video tutorials complement the tutorial booklets, which provide step-by-step instructions for a series of short exercises. Access the tutorials from the Getting Started section of ArcGIS Desktop Help. Currently, 17 video tutorials are available, covering both the basics of ArcMap and more specialized topics for ArcGIS extensions.

Stay Informed with ESRI Podcasts

ESRI podcasts are a complimentary and easy way to get the latest news and information from ESRI. Podcasts are audio files that you can download and either listen to on your computer or take with you on your MP3 player.

The Instructional Series currently offers more than 30 podcasts focused on topics such as tips to improve your workflow, tricks for optimizing your geodatabase, and updates on new software features. The Speaker Series currently offers more than 20 podcasts from ESRI staff featuring GIS technology insights from product and industry experts plus dozens more from ESRI business partners and users.

Subscribe to the ESRI podcast RSS feed or download individual podcasts.

Featured Site: The National Historical Geographic Information System

The National Historical Geographic Information System (NHGIS) provides, at no cost, aggregate census data and GIS-compatible boundary files for the United States between 1790 and 2000. There are two options for mapping NHGIS data: download boundary files for use in GIS software or create maps using Social Explorer, an online mapping application. The geographic boundary files include states and counties from 1790 to the present and census tracts from 1910 to the present.

Posted by ronbo at 07:36 PM

May 31, 2007

From Stanford GIS List - GIS workshops at UC Berkeley

The Geospatial Imaging and Informatics Facility (GIIF) in the College of Natural Resources at UC Berkeley is offering an Introduction to GIS workshop on *Wednesday June 13, 2007*.

The GIIF supports research & outreach activities of those interested in geospatial analysis utilizing remote sensing, GIS, spatial analysis, landscape ecology, visualization, and Global Positioning Systems technology. Early registration for workshops is encouraged, as space is limited. Workshops may be canceled due to low registration indicating poor attendance.

****All workshops are available to Stanford affiliates for *$135* each.****

To register or send questions, contact Karin Tuxen at karin@nature.berkeley.edu.

Additional geospatial technology courses are available throughout the summer. A complete list with descriptions is at http://giif.cnr.berkeley.edu/workshops.html.

The half-day course *outline*:

Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) 1 hour
> GIS: What is it? Why use it?
> Spatial fundamentals
> Geospatial data considerations
> California data sources
> GIS display & webGIS
> Using ArcGIS 9.2

GIS computer exercise (using ArcGIS 9.2) 2 hours
> Downloading spatial data and imagery off the Internet
> Creating a new point shapefile
> Doing simple geoprocessing
> Creating a map for export

Extra time, supplemental exercises, Q&A 1 hour
> We’ll get experience using other types of GIS software, including QGIS and Google Earth.

Posted by ronbo at 05:59 PM

May 10, 2007

Selections from Archaeology and GIS News from ESRI - April 20, 2007

Helpful Tools from ESRI

Animating Data through Time
This ESRI Web help page discusses creating an animation that changes the data in a display or graph over time.

Animation in ArcMap
This ESRI Web help tutorial covers animation using the ArcMap selection.

Mapping and Modeling Groundwater Chemistry with ArcGIS 9.2 [PDF - 2.89MB]
This paper covers importing Microsoft Excel spreadsheet data into ArcGIS 9.2 to create a simple groundwater quality model.

Script Tools at esri.com

TerraServer Download for ArcGIS 9.2
This tool gives the ability to download imagery hosted by TerraServer directly into ArcMap.

Data, Maps, and Models

Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation
This Web site provides documents, maps, photographs, and tools to help you find information regarding archaeological and historic sites. It includes Washington Information System for Architectural and Archaeological Records Data (WISAARD), an online GIS map tool for locating designated historic sites listed on the Washington state National Register of Historic Places.

CGIAR-CSI and SRTM
Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research's Consortium for Spatial Information (CGIAR-CSI) is a coordinating center for the application of GIS and remote sensing in sustainable agricultural development. It maintains a data download portal that includes the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) worldwide 90-meter digital elevation model, which has been further processed to fill in the NoData voids.

HydroSHEDS-International River and Watersheds SRTM
Hydrological Data and Maps Based on Shuttle Elevation Derivatives at Multiple Scales (HydroSHEDS) provides international high-resolution hydrological data derived from SRTM digital terrain data; only South America is completed thus far.

Philadelphia History
The Philadelphia City Archive has photographs dating back to the late 1800s of Philadelphia and its industry, architecture, culture, and people.

World Heritage IMapS
This viewer locates World Heritage Sites designated by the United Nations Environment Program and World Conservation Monitoring Center.

Posted by ronbo at 11:23 PM

April 10, 2007

GIS: Approaches and Exemplars

Hosted by the GIS Special Interest Group @ Stanford

April 18, 3:00-5:00 p.m. at the Stanford Humanities Center

Presenters:
Ruth Mostern (University of California, Merced), Paul S. Ell (Queen’s University, Belfast) and Ian Gregory (Lancaster University)

Summary:
Geographical information is becoming increasingly ubiquitous. Cars and cell phones support intuitive and visually compelling navigation systems; mapping services are a feature of sites promoting real estate, public safety, and recreation; news reports are saturated with descriptive and often interactive maps. In academia, the capacity to readily organize, analyze and visualize geographical information has changed the face of disciplines from Environmental Science to Sociology. “Learning to think spatially,” as a recent report from the National Research Council puts it, has emerged as a challenge for scholars, students, and society alike.

Geographic information science and systems hold the promise for reshaping scholarship in the humanities. However, uptake in the humanities has been relatively slow. For our disciplines, normally grounded in close, contextualized and nuanced readings of texts, the demand for quantification and modeling can be challenging, and the available data in any area may be sparse and inconsistent. Nevertheless, in the past decade, scholars have used GIS in the humanities to expand our knowledge of culture while challenging the technology to better suit our disciplinary traditions. In this presentation, we consider exemplary GIS research agendas that have shown promise in both approaches and results. We will reflect on both the new knowledge they provide about culture and history, and on the ways that humanists and social scientists can extend and enhance the capacity of all scholars to be more sophisticated spatial thinkers.

For bios and more: http://gissig.stanford.edu

Posted by ronbo at 07:46 PM

April 05, 2007

GIS and Spatial Statistics Workshops for Social Science Instructors

Center for Spatially Integrated Social Science (CSISS)

Spatial Perspectives on Analysis for Curriculum Enhancement (SPACE) program Summer Workshops 2007

For Instructors of Undergraduate Courses in the Social Sciences

SPACE workshops are intended for instructors of undergraduate students in the social sciences. They offer content knowledge in methods of spatial analysis, instructional resources, and professional development support for curriculum planning and learning assessment. Successful applicants must commit to implementing spatial perspectives in their undergraduate courses and to providing feedback and documentation to evaluate the SPACE workshop program

Participants in the program are eligible for scholarship support for subsistence. The deadline for applications is 23 April 2007.
Details are available at www.csiss.org/SPACE/workshops

GIS and Spatial Modeling for the Undergraduate Social Science Curriculum
18–23 June 2007, Columbus OH
This workshop focuses on applications of spatial analytic techniques suited for undergraduate social science courses. These techniques include cartographic visualization, exploratory spatial data analysis, space-time modeling of individual behavior, spatial equilibrium models, and spatial optimization methods. Workshop participants will consider how to integrate these techniques into instructional modules, exercises, and learning assessment approaches. Requirements to benefit from this workshop include prior experience with computer file and data management in applications of quantitative analysis in the social sciences. GIS experience is desirable.
Instructors: Mei-Po Kwan (coordinator), Ola Ahlqvist, Desheng Liu, Alan Murray, Morton O’Kelly, Kathryn Plank, and Ningchuan Xiao (all of The Ohio State University), and Sara McLafferty (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign).
Co-sponsor with CSISS: University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (http://www.ucgis.org/) and the Department of Geography, The Ohio State University (http://www.geography.ohio-state.edu)

SpatialAnalysis in the Social Science Curriculum: Enhancing Undergraduate Learning
15-20 July 2007, Santa Barbara CA
This workshop focuses on spatial methods and perspectives suited for applications in the undergraduate social science curriculum, such as spatial statistics, spatial econometrics, spatial pattern analysis, and cartographic visualization, in a GIS framework. Participants will illustrate these methods and design instructional modules and exercises for use in teaching undergraduates. A major goal of the workshop will be to explore strategies for curriculum enhancement and for assessment of student learning. Requirements to benefit from this workshop include prior experience with computer file and data management in applications of quantitative analysis in the social sciences.
Instructors: Stuart Sweeney (coordinator),David Folch, Kirk Goldsberry, Fiona Goodchild, Mike Goodchild, Kathryn Grace, Jeff Howarth, Don Janelle, Stacy Rebich Hespanha, and Waldo Tobler (all of UC Santa Barbara).
Co-sponsor with CSISS and host institution: Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara
www.geog.ucsb.edu, Institute for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Research www.isber.ucsb.edu

This program is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Division of Undergraduate Education, under its program for Course, Curriculum & Laboratory Improvement – National Dissemination. Department of Geography, The Ohio State University

Posted by ronbo at 05:31 PM

March 29, 2007

From StanfordGIS list: CalGIS next week: April 4-6

The California Geographic Information Systems Conference is non-vendor specific, offering unrivaled value to individuals & organizations in the GIS field to boost professional and organizational performance such as:

Several in-depth educational tracks
Best practices sharing from peers
Access to exhibit hall with sponsors showing the latest & greatest in the GIS industry
GIS services information
Great networking opportunity
Again integrated with CalGIS this year is the University of California Geospatial Technologies in Agriculture Symposium!

Draft Schedule --As of March 3, 2007

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

Pre-conference events 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 pm (Available by request)
Sponsor training classes TBD
Meeting: California GIS Council Time TBD
Meeting: California Geographic Information Association Time TBD
1 pm to 5 pm: Introduction to Remote Sensing Class
1 pm to 5 pm: Introduction to GIS class

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

7 am: Registration Opens
7 am to 8 am: coffee & tea in foyer
9 am to 9:30 am: General Session, Opening Keynote
9:30 am to 6:30 pm: Exhibition Hall Open
9:30 a.m. to Noon: 53 Educational Sessions to select from
Noon to 1:30 pm: Lunch on your own
1:30 pm to 5 pm: 53 more Educational Sessions to select from
3 pm to 4 pm: 25 Educational Posters with authors standing by
5 pm to 6:30 pm: Hosted Welcoming Reception - (included in registration fee)
7:30 pm to 10 pm: Off site soiree

Thursday, April 5, 2007

8 am Registration Opens
8:30 am to 7 pm Exhibition Hall open
8:30 am to Noon: 29 more Educational Sessions to select from
Noon to 1:30 pm: Box Lunch in Exhibit Hall (included in registration fee)
1:30 pm to 5 pm: 46 more Educational Sessions to select from
5 pm to 7 pm Reception/Geography Bee ---Hosted by TBD (included in registration fee)

Friday, April 7, 2007

9 am to Noon: Closing Keynote Brunch; three speakers (NASA Worldwind, Microsoft Virtual Earth, Google Earth) discussing Mashup-Virtual Globe technologies (included in registration fee); CGIA Awards, Poster awards
Noon to 4:00 p.m. Organizational Meetings (Available on request)

Posted by ronbo at 05:10 PM

March 19, 2007

From Openspace (GeoDa) list: Spatial Analysis Course for public access

Dear members,

This note is just to inform you that we have opened the course in Spatial Analysis taught in 2006 at UIUC for public access. If you are interested, please go ahead and register for the course in the link: http://sal-dev.sal.uiuc.edu:16080/moodle/
We are trying to make this an online course for self-learning by adding the recorded lectures as podcasts, pdf documents with lectures and materials related the course topics, and some other features. You are welcome to explore these features and if you have comments or suggestions on how to improve the course, please let us know.

My apologies for any cross postings...

Thanks,

Luis Galvis.
Spatial Analysis Lab
Department of Geography
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Posted by ronbo at 03:45 PM

March 13, 2007

From Stanford GIS List: GIS Internships at Jasper Ridge - Summer 2007

Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve (JRBP) is located near Stanford University's campus in the eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Preserve encompasses remarkable geologic, topographic, and biotic diversity within its 481 hectares (1,189 acres) and provides a natural laboratory for researchers from all over the world, educational experiences to students and docent-led visitors, and refuge to native plants and animals.

The summer internships will provide students with an extraordinary opportunity to gain hands-on experience with GIS and GPS tools and techniques.

INTERN ACTIVITIES WILL INCLUDE
-- Field mapping and data collection with Trimble professional GPS equipment and mobile GIS software
-- GIS editing, analysis and cartography with ESRI ArcGIS (ArcInfo) software in a multi-user geodatabase environment
-- Image processing and analysis with ENVI remote sensing software
-- Interns will receive training in all of the above

PROJECTS
Interns will participate in real-world projects of benefit to Jasper Ridge, including:
-- Mapping invasive species, historic sites, infrastructure and research plots
-- Historical air photo scanning, processing and geo-referencing
-- Individual intern projects possible depending
on GIS skills, interests and available time

REQUIREMENTS
-- Current Stanford University students, undergraduates preferred
-- Interest in GIS and geospatial technologies
-- Experience with GIS and GPS helpful

DATES: June 26 - August 16, 2007 (flexible days and hours)

Mail or email your resume and a brief statement of your career goals to:

Trevor Hébert
GIS and Data Manager
Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve
M/C 5020
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-5020

thebert@stanford.edu

MORE INFORMATION ON JASPER RIDGE
http://jrbp.stanford.edu/

Posted by ronbo at 06:54 PM

March 02, 2007

From Google Friends Newsletter - February 2007

Search KMLs on Google Earth

KML is the XML file format people use to create overlays to enhance the geographic imagery with a vast array of detailed information. For instance, open up Google Earth, type in a query like [lord of the rings], and the results from the web (in KML files) for your query will appear in a folder below the local results as placemarks. The placemarks are based on the area in your view, so searching for [lord of the rings] while you're viewing South Africa will get you no results - but when you're viewing New Zealand, the same query will show you top 10 placemarks (green icons) from the region and by clicking on "see more" you can find tons more placemarks. With the latest version, you can search across all of the KML available on the web using either keywords or geographic locations. Our users have created millions of KML files, so start searching today.
http://earth.google.com

North America Updates on Google Maps

We're often freshening up the map data available on Google Maps. This month, we've added building footprints for the urban cores of 38 U.S. cities, giving Google Maps a better sense of scale, providing extra visual detail and enabling you to navigate using buildings as landmarks. For example, search for [empire state building] and zoom in all the way to get to the heart of New York City. We've also added transit information for 8 major U.S. cities (New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C.), as well as nationwide Amtrak coverage.
http://maps.google.com

Google Maps on Windows Mobile(tm) devices

Those of you with Windows Mobile(tm) devices can now search for local businesses and get real-time traffic reports using Google Maps. This edition also includes some custom features: contacts integration, GPS support, draggable maps, and tap and hold menus. And since Google Maps for mobile is available on more than 300 phone models, chances are good everyone can download the application and always know where they are when they're on the go.
http://www.google.com/gmm

Posted by ronbo at 06:18 PM

February 16, 2007

From ESRI HigherEd E-News - January 2007: ArcGIS Service Packs Available for Download

ArcGIS 9.2 Service Pack 1 Available for Download

ESRI recommends that all ArcGIS 9.2 customers download and install this Service Pack at their earliest convenience to ensure the highest-quality experience when working with ArcGIS 9.2. Service Pack 1 addresses many issues including one where opening any geoprocessing dialog box or the context-sensitive Export menu choices in ArcCatalog causes ArcGIS 9.1 instability when users have Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) on their machines.

NOTE (ArcGIS Desktop 9.2 Evaluation Edition users): This Service Pack is supported with the ArcGIS Desktop 9.2 Evaluation Edition.

If you are using a localized version of ArcGIS, please contact your local distributor to get the updated language supplement.

ArcGIS 9.1 Service Pack 2 Available for Download

We recommend that all ArcGIS 9.1 customers download and install this Service Pack, at their earliest convenience, to ensure the highest quality experience when working with ArcGIS 9.1.

NOTE (ArcView 9.1 Evaluation Edition users): This Service Pack is supported with the ArcView 9.1 Evaluation Edition.

If you are using a localized version of ArcGIS, please contact your local distributor to get the updated language supplement.

Posted by ronbo at 07:43 PM